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“What Happens After You Die?”
"It is better to go to the house of mourning Than to go to the house of feasting, For that is the end of all men; And the living will take it to heart." (Ecclesiastes 7:2 NKJV)
Death
What is death?
Death is the moment when the body and the spirit are separated.
God made our first parents, Adam and Eve, from the dust of the earth. At death, our bodies begin to decompose back into the earth again.
"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7)
"For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust." (Psalm 103:14)
"Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the well. Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it." (Ecclesiastes 12:6-7)
"You hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust." (Psalm 104:29)
God also gives to every person a spirit, breath, and life.
"Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the well. Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it." (Ecclesiastes 12:6-7)
"The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life. (Job 33:4)
But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand."(Isaiah 64:8)"Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?" (Ecclesiastes 3:21)
Once death occurs, one cannot return again to the earth and live.
"For when a few years are finished, I shall go the way of no return." (Job 16:22)
"And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many." (Hebrews 9:27-28)
"But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me." (2 Samuel 12:23)
Hades
Did Jesus go to Hell when He died?
When Jesus died, He went to the place of departed spirits called Hades.
It is unfortunate that the King James Version translates the Greek word “Hades” into the word “Hell”. The Bible speaks of Hell as a place of eternal punishment where the unbelievers in Jesus and disobedient go after judgment day. While this is true, Hades is not that place. Hades is the place where departed spirits go to await resurrection and the judgment day. Jesus told the repentant thief on the cross that he would be with Him in paradise that very day. Observe…
"Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us." But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? "And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong." Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:39-43)
Hades is divided into two places with a great gulf fixed so that neither of which are on either side may pass over to the other. Jesus spoke of this place as a place of comfort and torment in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.
"There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.” But Abraham said, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.” Then he said, “I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment. Abraham said to him, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.” And he said, “No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” But he said to him, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.” (Luke 16:19-31)
We can see that this place is not the eternal punishment of Hell because there are still people alive on the earth while the rich man suffered. Not only that, if this were truly the place of eternal punishment called Hell, Abraham would not have been able to speak to the rich man in torment. What Jesus also shows us in this description is the finality of death. Once you die, you cannot change the outcome.
Also, from Acts 2:25-31, an apostle of the Lord, called Peter, showed from the Scriptures that Jesus' soul was not left in Hades, but that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. Remember, Jesus was in Paradise along with one of the two thieves on the cross. Observe…
"For David says concerning Him: “I foresaw the LORD always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.” Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption." (Acts 2:25-31)
It should be clear that Hades is a temporary place where every person's spirit goes as determined by God, for the resurrection of the dead is yet to come. The reuniting of the body with the spirit, and the judgment day are still in the future.
The End of Time
When is the end of time?
Jesus said that no one but God the Father knows.
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only."
(Matthew 24:35-36)
In spite of what people say, no one knows when the end of time will be. It may be thousands of years from now, or just one day. It may be today. I have heard many people talk about how we are in the last days, as if the end of time were just any day now. This is not so. Many have misinterpreted Matthew chapter twenty-four where Jesus foretold what would happen before the final destruction of Jerusalem, which came in 70 AD. If we honestly read Acts 2:1-21 with an open mind, we can understand what the “last days” refer to. Eight hundred years before Christ came, the prophet Joel spoke about the Holy Spirit being given to men and women in the “last days”. Peter, in Acts chapter two, simply states that what they all were hearing and seeing was what Joel had foretold would happen. From that day in Acts chapter two until the end of time are referred to as the last days – not the days before the end of time. The last days, are the days of the Christian era. God dispensed his word through the patriarchs of the Old Testament until Moses. That is one era. God dispensed his word through the Law of Moses until Christ. That is the second era. Now, God has spoken to us through His Son Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 1:1-3) This is the third and final era – the last days! The end of time will come suddenly when we least expect it!
"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up." (2 Peter 3:10)
"But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night." (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2)
The doctrine of Premillennialism has in it the “last days” doctrine that is so prevalent among denominational and non-denominational religion today. People actually think they know about when the end of time is. The first place they go is Matthew chapter twenty-four. Most people do not even give it a thought that Jesus was answering the question that was asked by his apostles about the destruction of the temple. Jesus gave them the answer as to when it would be. The final destruction of the temple came thirty-seven years later, in 70 AD — exactly when Jesus predicted. There has been a Muslim mosque sitting on the temple site ever since. I have more to say on this issue in another publication. However, in Matthew 24:35-36, Jesus made it perfectly clear that the end of time was not possible to determine. In Jesus' discourse, he made it clear that when they saw the abomination of desolation set up, they were to flee to the mountains. (Matthew 24:15-18) What good would that do if it was the end of time?
"Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame." (Revelation 15:16)
"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them." (Revelation 20:11)
"Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea." (Revelation21:1)
The Resurrection
What is the resurrection?
The resurrection is when God will unite the spirit and body again.
"Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth–those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation." (John 5:28-29)
The resurrection from the dead is a New Testament doctrine that must be properly understood and believed. It is mentioned in all of the apostle Paul's recorded sermons, in many of Jesus' discourses, and in many of the New Testament books. In John 5:28-29, Jesus said every person, good or bad, will be resurrected. The word “resurrection” means to rise up again like before, or to become whole as was before. Jesus said, “All who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth.” (John 5:28-29) In this passage, Jesus is not talking about Hades only, but He is pointing to the graveyard. Every person will unite again with his/her body. Since so many people have misunderstood the resurrection, let us first look at the definition of the word. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance: a standing up again, i.e. (literally) a resurrection from death (individual, genitive case or by implication, (its author)), or (figuratively) a (moral) recovery (of spiritual truth):–raised to life again, resurrection, rise from the dead, that should rise, rising again.
Concerning Acts 17:32, where the Athenians mocked at at the idea of the resurrection, hear what A.T. Robertson has to say:
The resurrection of the dead (anastasin nekrôn). Rather, "a resurrection of dead men." No article with either word. The Greeks believed that the souls of men lived on, but they had no conception of resurrection of the body. They had listened with respect till Paul spoke of the actual resurrection of Jesus from the dead as a fact, when they did not care to hear more. (RWP)
Also consider the numerous instances of individuals in the Bible who were resurrected, that is, raised again from the dead:
•The son of the widow of Zarephath 1Ki 17:17-23
•The Shunammite woman's son 2Ki 4:32-37
•The young man laid in Elisha's grave 2Ki 13:21
•The widow's son Lu 7:12-15
•Jairus' daughter Lu 8:49-55
•Lazarus Joh 11:43,44
•Dorcas Ac 9:37-40
•Eutychus Ac 20:9-12
At this point I shall mention the resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Below are some Scriptures that affirm that He indeed was and is alive. It gives Christians great comfort to know that God raised up Jesus Christ from the dead, never to die again. All of the others listed above died again. In this, he is the firstborn from the dead. (Colossians 1:18) Feel free to read the context surrounding each of these following passages.
"He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."
(Acts 17:30)
"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know– Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; "whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. For David says concerning Him: 'I foresaw the LORD always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence. Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses."
(Acts 2:22-32)
"The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." (Acts 1:1-3)
"Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, "Peace to you." But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. And He said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? "Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have." When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, "Have you any food here?" So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate in their presence." (Luke 24:36-43)
As mentioned before, the general resurrection of the dead is at the heart of the apostle Paul's teaching. There was hardly a sermon that he did not make sure that the resurrection of the body was a fact to believe, which is according to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Observe…
"I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust." (Acts 24:15)
"But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, "Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!" (Acts 23:6)
"Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen." (1 Corinthians 15:12-13)
"And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some." (2 Timothy 2:17-18)
"But someone will say, "How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?" Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain–perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body. All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." (1 Corinthians 15:35-44)
"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
(1 Thessalonians 5:23)
“Who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”
( Philippians 3:21)
I have heard many in our time say that there is no resurrection of the body. The resurrection of the earthly body is professedly denied by many good preachers of the Lord's church. I have listened well to their arguments, but I believe they are lacking in understanding and err concerning the Scriptures on the resurrection. The point of disagreement seems to be specifically two passages — 1 Corinthians 15:40-44 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-54. The first passage discusses how the dead are raised. Concerning the resurrection, the Holy Spirit states that there are two types of bodies — one spiritual, and one carnal. The carnal body returns to the earth as it was. The spiritual body will be that which endures forever and never decay. The second passage discusses the point that at the resurrection not everyone will be dead. The dead in Christ will rise (the resurrection) and we who are alive will be changed (not resurrected), obviously pointing to the change from the corruption of the carnal body to the incorruptible body that will endure forever. From these two passages brethren have come to believe and teach that there is no resurrection of the physical body at all, but the resurrection consists of uniting a new spiritual body with the spirit in Hades. At this I disagree. My disagreement has been met with a response from them that I am being trivial in my objection. Others have accused me of being closed minded. “What difference does it make?”, they say. “The same result occurs, that is, we all are going to live forever with God in an incorruptible state, right?”, so on and so forth.
My answer is thus. The resurrection of the carnal body is a fact taught in the Scriptures. Jesus pointed to the graveyard in John 5:28-29. He said, “all who are in the graves”, not all who are in Hades. I do not care to overlook the obvious in this passage. Next, being resurrected in the New Testament is understood my the many who were resurrected, as I have listed above. In Matthew 27:52-53, there were graves that were opened and the Scripture says that “many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” There are two resurrections discussed here in this passage. One — the bodies of the dead saints. Two — the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. Their spirits were called from Hades and reunited with their dead bodies. One of my good brother's objection to my teaching was that the body decays and therefore cannot be resurrected. Well, look at Matthew 27:52-53 again. However long those dead bodies lay in the grave, it may have been 100 years, or 100 minutes, they were raised again no matter how much the decay. Again, let us observe the sermon preached in Athens. (see Acts 17: 22-34) The Scriptures say that when the resurrection was preached, the Athenians would listen no longer, but mocked at the idea of the resurrection. They mocked because none of them could conceive in their minds the body coming back to life again. They believed in the eternal soul, but rejected any notion that the body would be raised again.
Lastly, let us consider John 11:1-44. In this passage, Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, had died. When Jesus came to see them, they supposed he was coming to heal Lazarus and that He had gotten there too late. Actually, He had come to raise Lazarus from the dead. Jesus even told Martha (John 11:23) that Lazarus will be raised from the dead. However, she supposed He was talking about the resurrection at the last day. The resurrection of Lazarus was a monumental point in the history of the life of Jesus. Lazarus walking out of the tomb after four days was not conceived in anyone's mind. He told them to roll away the stone. He was met with objection from Mary as she stately affirmed that his body had been in the grave too long and had been now in decay. “He stinketh” she said (King James Version). Yet the weeping Man of God cried out for Lazarus to come forth. The Bible affirms that he who was dead came forth walking out of the tomb bound with the grave clothes he had been bound with. He whose body had been decaying away was restored to his resurrected body and brought back to life again. By this event, Jesus shows us His divinity, His love, and most certainly what it means to be resurrected.
I do not deny that there will be a change from a carnal state to a spiritual state. Let us observe the Lord's resurrection. Jesus was raised from the dead and according to Matthew 27:52-53, His spirit and body were reunited on the third day. You cannot be a Christian and not believe that fact. Jesus was indeed in His carnal body for He said to His disciples, “Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” The difference in the resurrection of Jesus and the others we have mentioned is that Jesus is the first to be resurrected never to die again. They all died again. If a person does not believe in the resurrection of Jesus' spirit and carnal body, he lives in error and will die as the unbeliever, no matter how much He proclaims Christ. He is dead to Christ and will have to explain it to Jesus at the Judgment Day (2 Corinthians 5:10). The resurrection of Jesus is the central focus of all that the gospel is (Acts 1:1-3). At some point His body changed to that which is incorruptible. For, John said, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is..” (1 John 3:1) Jesus is as He was before He came. "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. "And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. (John 17:4-5) We also shall be raised as Jesus was raised, and at some point we will be changed.
The point at which we shall be changed is not revealed in Scripture. It sounds like we will be raised having been changed at the point of the resurrection. (see 1 Corinthians 15: 40-44) However, we must remember that there are many events that are not included in the discussion of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:40-44 or 15:51-54. Remember, remember, remember — the judgment day, Hades, or the return of Jesus Christ are not under discussion. That does not exclude the Judgment Day, or Hades, or the second coming of Christ, or the resurrection of the body for that matter. In fact, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 totally excludes the Judgment Day, but discusses only the second coming of Christ and the resurrection, saying, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18) Does that mean I should deny that there is a Judgment Day or a place called Hades, or that a change will take place in our carnal bodies after the resurrection just because it does not mention therm in this passage? Absolutely not! We cannot hold a view of the Scriptures in one point that makes void another. The entire plan of salvation is built on the interpretation that one Scripture does not exclude another to understand the whole. Truly we will be changed, and meet the Lord in the air and ever be with Him. But not to the exclusion of the other related events so clearly set forth in the Scriptures. It is dangerous to minimize the Scripture and say, “What difference will that make?” If we can make void one Scriptural principle so clearly laid down in Holy Writ, who's to stop us when we continue to go beyond the word? The Lord will, only it will be too late.
Judgment Day
Why is the Judgment Day so important?
The Judgment day is when the secrets of our hearts will be revealed and our reward is given.
"So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:6-10)
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats." (Matthew 25:31-32)
"And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God," (Romans 2:3-5)
"But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality." (Colossians 3:25)
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
It is not in our place to judge why God has spoken what He has concerning Hades, the resurrection, the end of time, and the judgment day. After all, once you die, your position in all of the rest is fixed eternally. We may wonder why there is a place called Hades when judgment day will not change the outcome. Therefore, some have rejected the idea of the judgment day all together. Others have rejected the resurrection of the body. Still others do not believe there is a place called Hades, but one goes to heaven or hell immediately at the point of death. The Bible has all of the doctrines I have outlined in this treatise. This paper is certainly not an exhaustive study, but worthy to consider before we come to the end of our life when our departure is at hand.
Come To Him Now
All of the things spoken of in the following verses are necessary in order to be saved and none to be omitted.
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)
"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6)
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:16-18)
"Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, "because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." (Acts 17:30-31)
"But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:8-10)
"Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation." (Acts 2:38-40)
"There is also an antitype which now saves us–baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ," (1 Peter 3:21)
"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin." (Romans 6:1-6)
"Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." (Revelation 2:10)
