The problem with this assumption is that you have given man's spirit immortality-eternal life- at the time of death yet 1 Cor 15:53 tells us immortality is something we receive or put on at the time of Christ's second coming.
the Bible shows we will not be coming with Jesus at His return to earth but we will be changed, some while still alive and others in Christ who are on earth asleep(dead) then into spiritual immortal beings and meet Him up in the air to return to the earth to reign with Him. this is the very first resurrection of any human being.into a spiritual body. Jesus was the first fruit of that change from human to spiritual.
What happened to all the millions who have died over the thousands of years not even hearing of Jesus or any gospel ?
Are they in heaven or are they asleep still in their graves? What is their fate?
Hi! 'JudgeNot'
First, let me apologize for my propensity to contribute lengthy responses to Posts at TalkToJesus. Although, I'm very aware that I can be much too analytic and/or academic, most times I remain unable to wrestle my thought-world into something more simplistic and brief. Therefore, I'm with a desperate plea of everyone's kind patience.
In reply to your question asking: "What happened to all the millions who have died over the thousands of years not even hearing of Jesus or any gospel? Are they in heaven or are they asleep still in their graves? What is their fate?":
During the Millennium an oppressed mankind will be set free by the church, and the earth will be re-created by her and made into a garden of Eden.
Most prophecies about the aeon concern hierarchical relationships. For instance, there is a 'camp of the saints' and a 'beloved city'.
The first group, (camp of the saints), will forever be the army of the conquerors, the host of heaven. They will follow for all time Him who is seated on the white horse, whose name is: True and Faithful.
The 'beloved city' is inhabited by all whose names are recorded in the book of life of the Lamb, and who are filled with the Spirit of God. This city will be illuminated by the glory of God, that is, by the Holy Spirit, and her lamp, the bearer of that light, will be the Lamb and his church, for being the Head, Christ will be united with her forever. With Him, the church will therefore finally establish the Kingdom of God in heaven and on earth.
Then the third stage begins. It deals with the people who will live on the new earth. For them still sounds the voice of Him who sits upon the throne: "See, I make all things new." Please note that He does
not say, '
I make new things'. No. Rather, He restores, renews and completes His creative work. The renewal of the earth and its inhabitants will be the final stage of "the time for establishing all that God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old", (Acts 3:21).
Evidently, your question is concerning the third category; the great multitude which, at the last resurrection, is set free from Hades.
The Bible speaks about a Book of Life in which many names are recorded. Among these names/people too are those who have been set apart by the love of God; no one will perish who has ever been hungry and thirsty for righteousness.
However, your question also concerns why people who are found in Hades will go separate ways on the day of the last resurrection. Clearly, some will awaken to everlasting life, or to shame and everlasting contempt, (Dan 12:2).
Coincidentally, I was reading only last week a Discussion Paper drafted by
Biogeosciences regarding what they named as 'Dead Zones' within the oceans. Locations where no life can thrive, owing to there being almost no dissolved oxygen in the water. While it's true that zones depleted of oxygen do exist in nature and have previously been discovered along populated coastal areas off the eastern and southern coasts of the United States and the Baltic Sea, this Discussion Paper also disclosed, (for the first time), that such places have been observed in the open ocean. They are vast – sometimes 100 square miles in size. They travel constantly and are also seasonal. One of the biggest ever discovered forms each year in the Gulf of Mexico. What makes these things tick is a hodge-podge of nutrients and microbes delivered from elsewhere. It’s a cyclical process: the nutrients are food for algae blooms, which in turn get devoured by microorganism. This creates waste, which is then eaten by other microbes. This process uses up a lot of oxygen, creating oxygen-free pockets.
In any event, my reading about this discovery reminded me about what I had learned concerning the atmosphere of Hades.
In the story of Lazarus and the rich man we read of an unbridgeable chasm. It is impossible to go from one side to the other. This situation remains unchanged until the last judgment. From the great white throne it will be said to those who remain united with the demons even in the realm of the dead: "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels," (Matt 25:41). Although man is not intended for the eternal fire or the second death, those cursed will be sent there. Note: God never cursed man, but only said that for man's sake the earth was relinquished to the ruler of this world.
So in Hades there are sinners 'unto the second death", and sinners not "unto the second death". On earth this latter ground would also have been able to receive deliverance by means of prayer, but of the first group the apostle says: "There is sin which is mortal: I do not say that one is to pray for that", (1John 5:6).
I should add too that no evil spirit or human being who ends up in the second death can ever be saved. There is no universal reconciliation, for although Jesus went into the first death, He never entered the lake of fire. Although tie has the keys of Death and Hades, He does not have those of the second death. Although he proclaimed His victory in Hades, and left a promise for all who had been 'oppressed' by the Evil One during their life, from the second death no return is possible, for it is in the outer darkness. Those whose names are written in the book of life will dwell on the new earth after the last judgment. Then it will also be true for them that "death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away." On the new earth it will apply: "To the thirsty 1 will give water without price from the fountain of the water of life".
How does a human being arrive in Hades, the realm of the dead? The Scripture says that the soul who sins will die, which means that so far as his inner being is concerned, this person will be under the control of death and the powers of death. Biologically, he may still be alive, but inwardly he is dead in sins and trespasses. He is outside the fellowship with God and cannot develop into a truly spiritual man. During the time that his body goes on existing, he will at best be able to maintain himself in the visible world as a natural man, but under the seduction and pressure of the powers of sin and sickness. Even his natural life will be hindered and damaged. When finally his mortal body is destroyed by the influence of the powers of sickness and death, or by powers of violence, his inner man remains where he is, namely in the realm of death.
The realm of death should not be envisaged as a-place, but as a situation and/or 'atmosphere' in which the inner man is surrounded by the powers of death, which will always prevent both positive, and negative developments. This is because the time in which man is able to work has then come to an end. He is guarded by his keepers while awaiting the day of his resurrection.
In contrast, those who have received Jesus and have been born again, have been drawn out of this situation of death and out of the power of darkness and placed into the Kingdom of the Son of God's love. On earth they live in the spiritual world as far as the inner man is concerned, but as far as their body is concerned they live 'away' from the Lord, that is, under the control of death and his henchmen. This means they are subject to mortality and can therefore fall ill and be injured.
This will last until the church has reached her perfection in the body; for the body will change in a point of time at the coming of the Lord. When therefore a Christian dies, when he lays down his earthly tabernacle, his inner man will remain in the new Jerusalem. He will not see death!
In Romans 5:14 we read that death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgressions of Adam. So there are those who did not sin as Adam sinned and yet were under the control of death. Among this group are the little children who do not even know their left hand from the right, and are yet subjected to death and may even die at an early age. Another group that comes to mind are the psychologically and/or mentally damaged, types of mentally handicapped; the groaning creation which has no possibility to choose between good and evil.
Because this means they are unable to receive the gospel of the Kingdom of heaven and to experience a renewal of the mind or regeneration, they have not been transplanted into the Kingdom of God. Their life is limited to the earth, and there death is under the control of Death. It surrounds them like a fog which robs them of all vision of God's purpose and intent for their lives. Lacking opportunity of further development, they remain in the realm of death when they die.
Also, in the realm of death can be found the entire multitude of unregenerate mankind. Among them there is much variation. In the first place we think of the righteous who followed the voice of conscience during their life on earth and who therefore acted in keeping with the laws of God written to their hearts. Their righteousness was related to doing on earth that which is good. A long life meant a great blessing for these people, for longevity gave them a chance to increase their righteousness. But they did not know the gospel of Jesus Christ, (gospel of the kingdom), as they knew nothing about the unseen world. They were nonspiritual people and similar to the many righteous of the Old Covenant whose laws and ceremonies belonged to the 'dispensation of death'. Meaning: that these laws were valid only under the reign of death because the saving dispensation of the Holy Spirit still being unknown. The limit of their righteousness lay in the visible world. When they died, their works could riot follow after them, for they had never worked in the heavenly places. Only their names are recorded in the book of life. To them applies: "In the place where the tree falls there it will lie." They too will not sustain further injury, but neither will they see further spiritual development. They rest from their earthly labors and go to their allotted place at the end of the days, (Dan 12:13).
Ummm, we all need to recognize this fact: Hades was not prepared for the devil and his angels. After all, they have the visible creation to develop their activities in. The devil is the ruler of this world. In this world the unclean spirits go round to steal, to devour and to kill. In the realm of death they are unable to make new victims or to press the souls with which they are united, to instance new acts of lawlessness. The dead are no longer subject to the powers of this world. In Hades the demons no longer have a duty to fulfill. That is why they are afraid of being cast into Hades, for there they will be prevented from functioning. This inactivity is experienced as pain. It's for that very reason that the demons requested that Jesus not to send them to the abyss, (or Hades), and thus torment them before the time, (Matt 8:29 and Luke 8:31).
Demons are cast into the abyss by the holy angels at the request or command of the child of God who acts in accordance with his Master's words: "They will cast out evil spirits", (Mark 16:17). Thus the evil spirits are made powerless and are condemned to inactivity in the first death. From there they will go into the second death at the last judgment. The second death is the lake of fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.
A rhetorical question: What will happen to those who lived a sinner's life or earth? The bible teaches us that every sin is the result of fellowship with evil spirits. In James 1:15 it says that when a person is tempted, he is tempted from the outside: desire conceives by impregnation from the outside, and then gives birth to sin. When sin is full- grown, it brings forth death.
Conception can only take place when there is a partner or a begetter. The evil spirit infiltrates man and puts his lawless thoughts in him. Jesus said to the Jews that in the spiritual world they had the devil for a father, (John 8:44). The devil was the instigator of their sins. Evil
never proceeds from man only. Once man has been set free from the Evil One, he stops committing unrighteousness. In 1John 3:8 it says: "he who commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning." In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, that is, the unseen and the visible worlds. In the beginning both were good, for God rested from all the work that he had brought about. So what the apostle means, in 1John 3:8 is that the devil is always the beginning of evil. He is its cause. John then adds: "The reason the. Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil." Note: Jesus did not destroy the works of man; rather He cast out evil spirits and thus separated the devil from the instruments through whom the iniquity is manifested in severing the contacts he had with man. Jesus' followers therefore were also commanded to cast out the evil spirits and to resist them, that their contact with man would not only be severed but also remain that way.
Let's be perfectly clear: man perishes through his contact with evil spirits, and is saved when these contacts have been broken. Through man the evil spirits come into the first death, although this is not their destination, and through his connection with the unclean spirits man comes in the second death, although the second death was not made for man but for the devil and his angels. In stark contrast with this, a delivered and natural man can reach his highest destination as a spiritual being when his spirit is united with the Holy Spirit.
In a couple of images John described the events to take place after the second, general resurrection. First he pictures for us the completion of the City of God, and then he describes the new Garden of Eden, of which the first Paradise was only the shadow. In a spiritual ecstasy the apostle beholds the second heaven and the second earth, and sees how the tent of God, the new Jerusalem, descends from the unseen world onto the earth. The nations living there receive the promise that every tear will be wiped away from their eyes, that death shall be no more, nor mourning nor crying not pain.
For whom are these 'good and comforting words', spoken with a great voice from the throne of God? Who are the people who share in this final stage of the re-establishment of all things? The answer is: they are all whose names are written in the book of life, the people who have been 'given up' by the sea, by Death, and by Hades. Hades had to relinquish all the people it had kept from among all nations and tongues, for Jesus is the mighty conqueror who could say: "I have the keys of Death and Hades". Finally the gates of the dungeon are opened for good; now, a sufficient number of restorers are available to carry out the last commission.
The church will reach her perfection and the sons of God will be revealed. Then the Millennium follows, in which the groaning creation of earth will receive a share in the liberating and regenerating power of the eternal gospel. He deceased righteous of the Old Covenant, who are in the New Jerusalem, will partake of the baptism in the Holy Spirit, as it says: "And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect", (Heb 11:39-40). When this development has been completed, when heaven and earth nave been cleansed, the Holy City will descend from heaven to earth, and she will radiate the glory and splendor of God, (Rev 21:11).
So the last category of nations which will have to be led into the gates of the New Jerusalem are those who rose from the dead. All of these are people who never knew the gospel of Jesus Christ. On earth they lived more or less after the laws of God created in them, as Paul wrote of certain Gentiles who, although not having the law of God, yet did by nature what the law commands. thoughts may either accuse or perhaps excuse their on that day when, according to the gospel preached by Paul, God judges the secrets of man by Christ Jesus, (Rom 2:14-16).
Thus one of God's qualities which He especially seeks to reveal through man is his loving kindness. Holy angels or devils have not experienced this quality of God, but in man, because of being created in the image of God, this splendid quality is present. At the last judgment this quality is used as the standard, for it is also the proof of charity and love towards God and the fellow man, which is the requirement of the Law. In His first Sermon on the Mount, the Lord said: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." Mercy is a quality which is abundantly available in God, for He is full of loving- kindness and compassion. The Bible says many times that the man Jesus 'had compassion'. God's loving kindness also shows in-the fact that our heavenly Father wants everyone to be saved and no one to perish. At the last resurrection it will apply: "For judgment is without mercy to one-who has shown no mercy; yet mercy triumphs over judgment", (James 2:13). Those who have shown mercy, however, will say to the Lord at the last judgment: "When did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothed thee? And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee? And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did this to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me"', (Matt 25: 38-40). People in whom the image of God is not entirely lost, still have a place in the thoughts of God, for they listen to the laws in them. In the judgment their conscience may witness for them, for it proved not to be seared with a hot iron. They would have liked to do more, but their spiritual power was insufficient and they knew they were poor in spirit. But they did what they could. They were merciful and had the same purpose at heart as God, namely to help and to save. We also see that our Lord identifies with the human race, not only with the great but also with the small among men. He testifies that He Himself benefits by the love shown to His brethren, great and small.
God will not abandon His creation. Even the smallest and the least significant among his creatures will finally receive mercy. We are reminded of the sufferings of Job. This righteous man was oppressed by Satan who robbed him of all he had. But from the end, which the Lord made to follow, we see that the Lord is compassionate and merciful, (James 5:11). In the last judgment we see the same. We think of the suffering of those who are oppressed by the devil for as long as they live; the mentally ill, the imbeciles, the the retarded, all who are enslaved and injured in soul or spirit. They were incapable of receiving the gospel of the Kingdom of heaven. Throughout the centuries, the church also proved unable and insufficiently equipped to deliver and heal them. The saving gospel of Jesus Christ was not preached and therefore not practiced either. What is the expectation of an average Christian about the future of a child who dies young? What is the eternal destination of human life that is murdered in the womb? The unborn fetus will not perish for ever, together with those who do not see fit to acknowledge God, who do unnatural things because they have been given up to a base mind and improper conduct. God is a good God, and He will save whatever He can. Those who have been overpowered by the devil will not be lost for all eternity , for they did not seek their own humiliation and they did not. want to serve the Evil One. They will rise from the dead and live. This is the consolation of believing parents, that 'their' dead will be given back to them even if salvation fails to come now.
We should also perhaps ask the question which Paul once asked: "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come? We do not know, but God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body." Paul also added: "There are heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the glory of the heavenly bodies is one, and the glory of the earthly bodies is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another of the moon, and another of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So is it with the resurrection of the dead", (1Cor 15:35-42). It seems quite improbable that a deceased baby will be raised with a spiritual body; simple because there has to have been a development of the human spirit and soul, before the spiritual man can come about. A child first has to grow up before it is able to believe anything, and this takes time. It needs instruction and time to digest what is taught. Nowhere does the Bible teach that angels will be used in this work of instruction. On the new earth, however, there will be no more physical restoration or deliverance from bondages, for the former things have passed away, and there is no more influence of the damaging powers of darkness. It is also clear that the human spirit of the merciful has already experienced a great deal of development, but the inner injuries, imperfections and ignorance will have to disappear also. So an inner healing is required through the message of the eternal gospel for all who are recorded in the book of life and have to be transferred to the book of life of the Lamb, which is in the new Jerusalem.
I mentioned earlier that all who make up the Holy City had been brought to fullness before the second resurrection. In the New Jerusalem, the congregation of Jesus Christ will always remain a separate category. It says: "And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb." The church of Jesus Christ is the bearer of the glory of God, and she preaches the eternal gospel which offers atonement for all guilt and opens the gates to the city of God.
The eternal city, therefore, is subject to the guidance of Christ with His church, who is the lamp of the city. Then the greatest missionary work of all times will begin. To all the nations which are on earth, the gospel of atonement will be preached, for faith is through hearing. After having accepted it, the multitude can enter into the city, to reach full maturity there. here they will achieve their full spiritual development, after having been baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. So here the best from among all who have lived on earth now enter, those whose names were written in the Book of Life. That is why it may be said: "They shall bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations".
I should also say that, in the description of all this, no duration of time is mentioned anywhere. We do not know how far we are still removed from the moment when the church will reach her purpose. But we do know that after our Lord's ascension this process has already required two thousand years. Also, we do not know how long the Millennium will last, nor the time the second resurrection will take. The duration of the last stage of the development is also unknown to us, but here again we do well if we remind ourselves that, "with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."
The second image John was shown in his vision is that of paradise as it is reaching its completion. The apostle sees before him the vast expanse of the heavenly Garden of Eden. This garden also has a centre, indicated by the 'street' or the 'square' of the city. As the congregation functioned as the temple of God in the center of Jerusalem, so we are now told that in the middle of the street, or on the city square of paradise, there are the trees of life. (It's useful to compare the version of the Amplified New Testament, which reads as follows: "Through the middle of the broad way of the city, also, on either side of the river, the tree of life." or 'trees of life')'.
In the centre of the Garden, therefore, we see the trees of life. The last chapter of the Bible tells us that here the throne of God and of the Lamb, together with all who belong to Him, can be found. This is the place from which the authority of God issues forth and where the river of water of life begins its course. From the throne it springs forth, to form a river of crystal clear water. This mighty river is the image of the water of life. The Father and the Son have taken up a dwelling place in the church and from inside the sons of God joyful fountains spring up which well up to eternal life. They will water the entire Garden. These fountains were opened on the day of Pentecost, when the prophecy began to be fulfilled: "I will pour out my Spirit."
Then we also see that on either side of the river other trees of life, or timber of life, are growing. They are full of the Spirit of God, but their glory and honor do not reach to that of the trees of life which are in the center of the garden, standing around the one Tree of life. This exclusive group of the centre has been conformed to the image of their Lord in everything, and they remain the means of salvation which by their re-creating power will bring about the purpose of God: the perfect man of God who is equipped for every good work.
In long rows the 'drinkers of water' stand along both sides of the river of God. They have learned to produce abundant fruit continuously and constantly: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. All saving grace, all blessings and regeneration for resurrected mankind will be brought about by these oaks of righteousness. As the struggle in the heavenly places no longer exists, as no bound people have to be set free any more, all of them will be engaged in the work in and the leaves of the trees are for the healing of the nations. The nations of the earth draw near under their shadow to find help in tine of need. These Spirit-filled people will not domineer; but they are always ready and prepared to serve all with their spiritual abilities. They spread the good climate and the correct atmosphere in which all the other plants can grow, until, filled with the Spirit of God, they in their turn will also become trees of life, not in monotonous uniformity but in glorious and rich diversity, as the Creator had envisaged from the very beginning. That is why it says: "His servants shall worship him; they shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads." (Rev 22:4). Once, the Lord God attempted to make Adam and Eve into spiritual people. But they were disobedient and had to be removed from the garden, so that they would no longer take from the tree of life to eat of its fruit. Now the time has come when the last of the human race will be added, those who may eat and have fellowship with the salvation of the unseen world. Nothing of God's creation will be abandoned, except those about whom it had to be said: " You would not"; those who preferred the fellowship with the evil spirits. The end of the marriage feast of the Lamb has now come, which means that all mankind has now been filled with the Holy Spirit. The 'wife of the Lamb' was the image of the perfect union of the human race with the Son of man by means of the Holy Spirit. This 'wife of the Lamb, that is, this entire born-again human race, now becomes the wife of God. The apostle Paul said about this: "The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For God had put all things in subjection under his feet.' But when it says, 'All things are put in subjection under him', it is plain that he is excepted who put all things under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be everything to every one", (1Cor 15:26-28). Then the entire human race is the body of God who is spirit.
I want to draw attention to the fact that it will take countless numbers of people to turn the thoughts of God into reality: God everything to every one, or the formation of a spiritual temple of God in the spiritual world. We should fully appreciate what this means for the human spirit. We know that God breathed the spirit of life into Adam. This spirit was similar to the Spirit of the Creator. He did not say: "Let us make one man in our image and after our likeness", but rather spoke in plural sense: 'them' The human spirit, we may say, cannot reach full development in one single person. This spirit is rich and varied to the extent that it requires countless creatures to manifest the riches of the human spirit. Adam may have been a gifted man, but he could not possibly have been a genius in everything that the human spirit contains and is capable of producing: music, technology, science, art, and not in the last place: the spiritual world. This is why God said: "Be fruitful and multiply." Thus it takes billions of human being finally to manifest the fullness of the human spirit. In the New Creation the last Adam receives the Holy Spirit besides His own human spirit, and once again the Re-Creator said: "Be fruitful and multiply." How great must be the final number of people that God will be 'everything to, or in, every one', that is, that He will be able to express Himself fully in mankind. How holy and whole must every one be, that the entire fullness of God may be revealed in them.
Up to its last page the bible is the book of renewal, even in its final chapters, where the resurrection of the last category of men is predicted. How great the task will be when all together, we will have to carry out the works of God in the entire universe we do not know. In an ecstasy of the spirit, Paul was once taken up into the third heaven of the completed paradise, (2Cor 12:1).
We know that, after the inner man, we now live in the first heaven where we have to do battle against the evil spirits in the heaven places, and where we will be able to win our victories. In Rev 2 John saw the second heaven, for the first heaven had passed away. Victory had been won over the enemy in the entire unseen world, and the kingdom of Satan had been removed to such great distance that it was suitably called 'the outer darkness'.
Once the creation which was given up by death has been fully restored and completed, the third heaven will be seen, the perfect Kingdom of God where God has prepared a dwelling place for Himself and for all eternity. His union with mankind will be intimate and permanent to the extent that they may be called the body of God. It has to be borne in mind that we are speaking in metaphors, for every individual will be able to carry out his own, special function. It will not be as if the Son of God or the sons of God will disappear; rather they will be the living cells and organs of the body of God, each carrying out his individual and personal task.
In the re-establishment of all things nothing will happen outside the plan of development which God in His eternal counsel envisaged from eternity. It will take many thousand years before even the most insignificant of mankind, perhaps the child that died in infancy or the mentally handicapped, will reach the purpose, but reach it they will! God loves His creation, and "what no eye has seen, or ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God had prepared for those who love him" and whom He loves, (1Cor 2:9). Our ear has not heard, and the Word of God does not describe the future aeons; yet, positively unlimited perspectives will then be realized. For to this wonderful and glorious revelation also applies: "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that lie might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him, all things are. To him be glory for ever, Amen." Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the glory!"
