Be Ready
Some contemplations on
[The Resurrection and the Judgment / the Eternal life]
Our Lord Jesus Christ say to us "Mt. 24 : 44 / Lk. 12 : 40 be ready , for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" , so we must be ready and know how to be ready the best we can , especially that our Lord also said "Lk. 12 : 47 And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes" , so let us prepare ourselves and do according to His will .
According to all the sayings of our Lord Jesus in the four gospels , we must be ready :
1] For the time of death and/or the coming of Christ .
2] For the time of the resurrection and the Day of Judgment and how we shall be judged and how to give account of ourselves and of every deed and every word .
3] For the eternal life .
4] And be ready to stay away from all plagues , troubles , disasters , famines , pestilences and wars that may come upon us or where we live .
5] Also be ready to flee all spiritual wars and to defend ourselves , through God's power , from every evil .
- Prayer : God , please let us always be ready for all these things . Amen .
- There are many details concerning these points , but I am going to write about some of them , and then every one should pray to God to give him more about how to be ready according to his circumstances .
- We can be ready for all these things can be by , prayer , fasting , reading the Holy Bible and studying the word of God , and by being filled with the Holy Spirit and with all virtues .
- Now we can say briefly the summary and conclusion of this book and of the whole Bible , this is what was said by our Lord and by Solomon the wise king . Our Lord Jesus said "Mt. 22 : 37 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets" . And Solomon said Ecc. 12 : 13 Have fear of God and keep His commandments" . So if any one does these things God will save him from every evil and will keep him safe and will let him live the best life in all times . But that this may happen , we must know exactly how to love God and love our neighbors and how to fear God and keep His commandments . And so we must have good knowledge. But still , we can not fulfill these things perfectly , and so we must have some knowledge , especially about how to be ready .
+ So now , be always ready to love God and men , and to be righteous , be always ready to obey God and to thank and praise Him for everything . Pray for every important thing , and pray that God may help you to be ready for all these things .
- Prayer : [Lord , deliver me from every evil and from all plagues , troubles , disasters , famines ,pestilences and wars that may come upon me , and bless me . Let me be always ready for the last day , for your coming , for the resurrection and for the Day of Judgment . And let me be always ready to live with you the best life in Your heavenly kingdom] .
- Please note : that the eternal life in heaven is not only praising God , but there is a certain kind of social life that is similar to our life here on earth , but without marriage and without pain or mourning , … .
Death and the life after Death
It is good for a man to be ready for the time when he leaves this life here on earth .
When a righteous man dies , the angels take him to the Paradise where the Lord Jesus is , but when an evil man dies he goes down into Hades , "Lk.16 : 22 So it was that Lazarus died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried" .
Some people think that God has written a specific time for every one at which he must die , but this is not exactly right , because a man can die on time , on the determined time or the best time for him , but can die before or after the best time for him . I do not like to write now about the concept of what God has written because there are different opinions , but what we should know here is that everyone must do all what he can to let the moment in which he will pass away , be the best possible time that will make his eternal life the best life for him . Every one has a certain task , which God requires from him , and so he must fulfill it the best way .
Now the question related to the subject of this book is :
How can we prepare ourselves for the time of death and for the eternal life ?
Leaving this world and going to the other world , is like immigration , so :
1] If you are going to immigrate you should , learn and be perfect at , the language of the other place , which is in our case the language of heaven . Although we do not know the language with which they speak in heaven , but we know for sure the language with which they deal together , it is love , no one will be able to live with the angels and the saints in the kingdom of heaven , unless he really loves God and loves every one there . True love , is not just sympathy and feelings , it is really a language that includes many principles and rules that we all must follow , so it is better that we get used to all its details from now on .
2] If you are going to immigrate you should have good relationships with those whom you are going to , so that when you go to them , they welcome you and help you . And so if you like to go to heaven after you pass away you must have good relationships with the angels and with the saints
3] Also you should have some money to be able to live with , so you better open a new good account in heaven , and put some treasures there , of course this will be by doing good and charitable deeds . That is why Jesus Christ said "Mt. 6 : 19 lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven , where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" , "Mt. 19 : 21 give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven" , also read "1 Timothy 6 : 17 – 19" .
4] Also try to be filled with the Holy Spirit and with all His fruits and virtues , because this will let your eternal life much better , and will let the moment of death be more comfortable .
5] Some other points we are going to write in this book , like for instance you will know some details about how the judgment will be .
+ So know , imagine that you are going to immigrate to heaven , and be ready and prepare yourself , in every good way you like .
+ Important Note : It is well known from the parable of Lazarus and the rich "Lk. 16" and from the Holy Bible in general , that our spirits keep their memory , their knowledge and understanding and all their attributes after death , every spirit remains the same , it does not lose any thing . And know that the eternal life is similar to the life here on earth , but of course much better in all fields .
+ The Paradise : after death we shall be with Jesus , our King , the King of kings , in His Paradise , until the time of His second coming to raise up all the dead and to judge all men . Then He will take us with Him to live with Him for ever in the endless life in the kingdom of heavens .
N.B. : The Paradise is just the place where saints stay and live , until the last day .
+ The Hades : It is under the earth , or , inside the earth , and it is the place where evil men stay until the last day , and after that they will go to hell .
Plagues , Troubles , Disasters , Famines , Tribulations ,
Pestilences , Earthquakes and Wars
You will find information about these things and other terrible things in "Mt. 24 : 3-31 / Mk. 13 : 3 -27 / Lk 21 : 7 – 28 / Rev. 6 : 12 , 13 / Rev. 8" , please read them .
The best ways to be ready for these things are :
1] To pray to God to save you from all of them . Even Jesus Himself while telling us about all these disasters told us to pray , He said "Mt. 24 : 20 pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath" , this verse simply means , pray that you will not be harmed or captured by Satan , while you are in trouble or in rest , and/or it can also mean , pray that the time of any tribulation when you flee will not be the time of rest when you are not ready nor the winter time when it is too cold . So , we should pray saying [Lord , please do not let my flight be in winter or on the Sabbath] . And of course you should add many other prayers , to always pray them .
2] To fast , first because prayer while fasting makes prayers better and more acceptable to God , and second because the plagues will also be in food and water , so whenever there will be a plague in food or in the water , you will be ready to fast as much as you are used to , and to lessen the amount and the kinds you eat .
3] Also , you should be ready to flee to any other place : for in some cases , you must flee from the wrath to come , immigrate to another country or move from city to another city in the same country . Jesus said "Mt. 24 : 16 let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains , let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house , and let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes" , "Mt. 10 : 23 When they persecute you in this city, flee to another" . And in the days of Elisha the prophet , he prophesied that a great famine would come in Israel for seven years , so Elisha told a righteous Shonamite woman to go to another city or country and she did "2 kings 8" .
- Also when you live in a house , you make sure that it is very strong and is built on the rock and nothing will affect it , neither the floods nor winds nor tornados nor earthquakes nor anything else , will let it fall .
- In the same way to be ready for every kind of plagues or disasters , pray to the Holy Spirit , pray to God , and He will guide you and will let you know what to do and will keep you safe , pray much for every good thing .
+ Famines are from among the plagues mentioned in the Bible , so :
-- we can write a few lines about famines :
It is caused mainly because of , lack of water , locusts , pestilences and wars.
The Bible mentioned the stories of many famines , if you like to read them , you will find them in "Gen.12:10 , 26:1" , and the famine that happened in the time of Joseph , at the end of Genesis , also in "Ruth 1:1" , "2Sam.21:1" , "1Kings 17 , 18" , and "2Kings 4:38 8:1,2 which was for seven years"
- It is good to have an idea about prayer before and after eating :
1] Before eating , Jesus blessed the food "Mt.14:19 , 15:36 , 26:26".
2] After eating " Deuteronomy 8:10 when you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you , lest , when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them , … you forget the Lord" .
- These prayers on food and water , bless them , and they may increase like when the Lord blessed the little fish and the bread (the loaves) , He blessed and gave thanks , so they increased and could feed thousands . Also prayer on food and drink , lets no fever or any pestilence harm us , for the Lord will bless us and bless the food and will rebuke every fever and every harmful creature.
The Second Coming of Christ In the Last Day
First I would like to speak about the thousand [1000] years reign .
Briefly , it is all the period of time , from the time when Jesus was incarnated , till the end of the days . But to be more specific and go through more details , it is from the time : 1] when Jesus was on earth and said "Jn. 12:31 now the ruler of this world will be cast out" and "Lk.10:18 I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven". 2] or from the time when He was crucified. 3] or from the time He went down to Hades. Till the end of the days , or , till His second coming . So again , in general , the thousand years starts from the time of Jesus , till the time of the last war when Satan and his kingdoms war against Christ , but of course [for sure] our Lord will crush him [triumph over all of them] and cast all evil powers into hell. / So , now , the 1000 years is not literal but symbolic . / Number 1000 symbolizes perfection [completion] and/or the end of something , and here 1000 years indicate the end of all things and all generations on earth . / We can say in another way , we are now on the seventh day , and "one day with God is like thousand years" , and it is well known that the last day is the beginning of the eighth day , so we come to the same meaning , that the 1000 years start from Jesus and end at the day of resurrection [the end of the world] / It is important to keep in mind that the literal explanation of the 1000 years , that Christ will come again and live on earth and reign with His saints , this belief is very dangerous , for it will let those who believe in it follow the false christ [follow any of the false christs] . / Again we say , Christ will only come one more time in the day of resurrection that will be followed by the day of judgment , and this day will be like the day when the flood of Noah came , the flood came and destroyed everything , and also , Christ will come and finish everything and this earth will be destroyed [vanish] and there will be new earth . So there will be no earthly authority , and there will be no preaching , and so , as our Lord Jesus said "Mt.24:23,24 if anyone says to you, "Look, here is the Christ! or there! do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect". And so the saints will only reign with Christ in heaven [on the new earth and in the new heaven] and not on this earth .
+ To collect good knowledge about the second coming of Christ , please read "Mt. 24 / Mk. 13 / Lk.21" and "Mt. 13 : 41 / 16 : 27" , "Ps. 98 : 4 – " , "Joel 2" , "Jude 14 , 15" .
The Resurrection
Christ in His second coming , will first raise up all human beings with just a mere order exactly as He did with Lazarus . and then will judge all of us .
We are going to say some details about the Resurrection and about the judgment .
In the Holy Bible , the phrase "the day of resurrection" does not exist , but we find the phrase "the day of judgment" , this is because the resurrection will only take a minute , while the judgment will take a long time . Also some times it is said "the last day" , this last day means the end of this life and it includes the second coming of Christ , the resurrection and the judgment and then this earth and this heaven will both be burnt up and the righteous people will go with Jesus into His kingdom and live with Him for ever .
+ Concerning the resurrection , I would like to say :
1] It is a fact , I think all true Christians believe in it , but if any one doubts , please read "Lk. 20 : 37 , 38" and "1 Cor. 15"
2] "The first resurrection" mentioned in "Rev. 20 : 6" is the repentance , if someone sins and is away from God he is considered dead , but when he repents and comes to God he lives .
3] About the body of the resurrection read "1 Cor. 15" and "Daniel 12" .
4] The fourth point I would like to say about resurrection , is that Jesus Himself who will raise up all the dead , let us say this in details : In "John 6 : 40 , 44 , 54" He said three times "I will raise him up at the last day" , and in "John 5 : 21 , 28" He said "as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will … 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" . Now let us see how this will happen , it will happen exactly as it happened when Jesus raised up Lazarus from the dead "John 11" , He just said to Him "Lazarus come forth" , and so Lazarus who had died came out , that is why when Martha said to Jesus "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day" , Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life" .
- N.B. : those who will be alive at the second coming of Christ , will not die but will be changed from this body to the body of resurrection in a moment "1Cor. 15 : 51 We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed" .
The Judgment [The day of Judgment]
Most of the parables of our Lord Jesus Christ speak about the day of judgment and the eternal life , whether in a direct or an indirect way , and we can write much about this , but I am going to write a summary about a few important points that will help us to be ready , and then by time whenever you read or hear a related interpretation or contemplation it will grow inside your mind and will bear good fruit .
We must love God and men , we must glorify God in every possible way , and we must bear many good fruits using all our talents, for ourselves and for others . Be ready to forgive others who ask for your forgiveness whether now or in the judgment . Be ready to thank God for whatever He gives you and whatever His decision will be when He judges you .
We should pray for all these things . For example we can pray saying :
Prayer : Lord , please let me always accept all Your judgments and decrees with joy and love . Let all my deeds and my words be perfect before You . Always be merciful to me and forgive all my sins , and help me to forgive others and to have mercy on others . Let me use all my talents the best way that I may bear much fruits and glorify You and Your name . Let the last day be without any trouble for me . And please let me be with You in Your kingdom of heaven . Amen .
Jesus Christ The Son of God is the Judge
All Christian denominations believe in this "John 5 : 22 , 27 the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son" , no doubt , He is the Just Judge and the Perfect Judge .
But there are two opinions in how He will judge the world (Please read it till the end) :
1] The first opinion says that He himself will judge every one in the whole world "Rom. 14 : 10 we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ" .
2] The second opinion is that , He will give the Judgment to some of His saints .
But the best opinion is , both opinions together , which means that Jesus will first judge the great saints who are in the highest ranks , and give them their rewards and their glory "2 Timothy 4 : 8 there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing" , and then He will give some of them to judge the rest of the people , all peoples , all human beings . What may prove that those saints will not be judged with the rest of the world "1 Cor. 11 : 32 But when we are judged , we are chastened by the Lord , that we may not be condemned with the world" .
He will appoint some great saints to be judges , especially those who are just , faithful and merciful and love other peoples . He will also give them some kind of perfection so that they do not make any mistakes . But still He will also be the last shelter for any one , for the needy , and for those who feel they are oppressed somehow .
This is like when the president of any country , appoints judges to judge among the people , but still he has higher authority . What proves that Jesus will give the judgment to some saints the following verses : "Lk. 22 : 30 sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel" , "Dan. 7 : 22 judgment was given to the saints of the most High" , "1Cor. 6 : 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world" , read also "Lk. 11 ; 31 , 32 / Mt. 12 ; 41 , 42" .
To make it clearer , let us read some details in "1Cor. 6 : 1-6 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?3Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!" . I think it is clear from this part of the Bible that the judgment will be the same as what happens here in courts , but of course there will be no oppression .
So I think it is very clear that our Lord Jesus will give the judgment to some saints , and why not , if He will give His glory to us , and He will give us all some kind of perfection to be again on His image without a sin and without doing anything wrong .
So now , you have other important things to be ready for , prepare yourself for all these details , and for all what may happen in the day of judgment . Make good relationships with every one , with men and with angels , love all , and try to be loved by all .
+ Prayer : Lord please , do every good thing that can be done for me .
The Way we Shall be Judged [Details About the Judgment]
Every one will be judged according to what he did and what he said and according to his thoughts and what was in his heart , and also according to how he made use of his circumstances and how much he loved and glorified God and loved all men .
He will have the chance to defend himself "Lk. 16 : 2 Give an account of your stewardship" , "Mt. 12 : 36 I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment"
[1] Everyone will be judged according to what he did :
"Ecc. 11 : 9 know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment" .
"Ecc. 12 : 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing , whether it is good, or whether it is evil" .
"Mk. 12 : 40 / Lk. 20 : 47 who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation"
And please read "Mt. 23 : 13 – to the end of the chapter" , it is not for the Jews only but for any one who does these same evil deeds .
[2] Everyone will be judged according to what he said :
"Mt. 12 : 36 I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment" , "Lk. 19 : 22 Out of your own mouth I will judge you" , So be careful , watch and pray , do not say any bad word , do not judge lest you be judged "Mt. 7 : 1" , "Mt. 5 : 34 do not swear at all" , do not teach much nor teach anything wrong lest you receive a stricter judgment "James 3 : 1" , do not blaspheme against the Holy Spirit , lest you will never have forgiveness "Mk. 3 : 29"
[3] Everyone will be judged according to what he had in his mind and his heart :
"Rom. 2 : 16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men" .
"Ecc. 10 : 20 Curse not the king, no not in your thought" .
[4] Some other things will cause worse judgment to some people :
Whoever hears the words of God and does not believe will be condemned "Jn. 3 : 19" , and whoever rejects Christ or His followers will be condemned "Jn . 12 ; 48- / Mk. 6 : 11 / Mt. 11 : 23" , and vice versa , the opposite is true , whoever believes in Christ and glorifies Him and His name and bears much fruit , will have much better eternal life .
[5] Everyone will be judged according to his knowledge , his circumstances , his natural nomos in him , the place and country he was living in and many other things , so there will be a lot of other details affecting his judgment and his eternal life .
The Eternal life
I would like to say a very few little things about the eternal life , because the eternal life for every man is what he wants , whether for the righteous or the wicked . Our Lord Jesus said to the righteous "Lk. 17 : 21 the kingdom of God is within you" , so , if you want to be in a certain condition , you should wish it with all your heart , read and hear and think much about it , pray for it and do all what you can , then you will have , God will give it to you .
In the Eternal life . we will be one with the Holy Trinity , we will live with Him in His glory , we'll be partakers of the divine nature , we'll be partakers of His deeds , we'll glorify , sanctify , praise and serve Him , we'll glorify Him but be partakers of His glory , serve Him but live the best life with Him , live with Him a life similar to this life here on earth but will be a perfect life . People will be in different ranks and different conditions in all fields , but everyone will be happy and exceedingly glad , no one will murmur or weep or get tired or sick , everything will be great and perfect , for we will be with the Great and Perfect God . He will love us with His infinite love and give us every good thing , and so we will live the best , the greatest and the most beautiful and magnificent life with the Lord of life .
+ Brothers and sisters in Christ , be ready in your life here for your eternal life . Always love God and love men , and love the angels of God , glorify God and His name , be filled with the Holy Spirit and with all virtues , do good deeds , and pray much .
Please always pray for me .
