Real Hope for Your Loved Ones Who Have Died

"ALL THOSE IN THE MEMORIAL TOMBS"

The Bible's resurrection accounts teach us much about the resurrection to come. People who were restored to life right here on earth were reunited with their loved ones.  The future resurrection will be similar-but much better.   As learned in Chapter 3, God's purpose is that the whole earth be made into a paradise.  So the dead will not be raised to life in a world filled with war, crime, and sickness.  They will have an opportunity to live forever on this earth in peaceful and happy conditions.

Who will be resurrected?  Jesus said that "all those in the memorial tombs will hear his [Jesus'] voice and come out." (John 5:28, 29)  Similarly, Revelation 20:13 says:  "The sea gave up the dead in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead in them." "Hades refers to the common grave of mankind.  This collective grave will be emptied. All those  billions who rest there will live again.  The apostle Paul said:  "There is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous."  (Acts 24:15) What does that mean?

"The righteous" include  many of the people we read about in the Bible who lived before Jesus cam to the earth. You might think of Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Ruth, Esther, and many others. Some of these men and women of faith are discussed in the 11th chapter of  Hebrews.  But "the righteous" also include Jehovah's servants who die in our time. Thanks to the resurrection hope, we may be freed from any dread of dying. -Hebrews 2:15. 

What about all the people who did not serve or obey Jehovah because they never knew about him?  These billions of "unrighteous" ones will not be forgotten.  They too will be resurrected and given time to learn about the true God and to serve him. During a period of a thousand years, the dead will be resurrected and given an opportunity to join faithful humans on earth in serving Jehovah. It will be a wonderful time. This period is what the Bible refers to as Judgment Day.

Does this mean that every human who ever lived will be resurrected?  No? The Bible says that some of the dead are in "Gehenna."  (Luke 12:5) Gehenna got its name from a garbage dump located outside of ancient Jerusalem.  Dead bodies and garbage were burned there. The dead whose bodies were thrown there were considered by the Jews to be unworthy of a burial and a resurrection.  Although Jesus will have a role in judging the living and the dead, Jehovah is the final Judge.  (Acts 10:42) He will never resurrect those whom he judges to be wicked and unwilling to change. 

Note: According to the Bible, the way I understood it; the unrighteous will be judged and if they do not want to change their ways, they will be put in the lake of fire, to burn constantly. I can't remember which book and verse, but that is what I understood it to say.   And remember, God can read your heart and your mind, so no one can fool  him into thinking they are willing to change their wicked ways.  Either way, the wicked are done away with and that is fine with me. 

Next time: Real Hope for Your Love Ones Who Have Died/ THE HEAVENLY RESURRECTION

From the book: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE REALLY TEACH