Belief in the Hereafter According to the Gospel

Belief in Resurrection

... The hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. (John, 5:28-29)

Then Jesus said to his host, "... when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous [paradise]." (Luke, 14:12-14)

Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame. But someone may ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. (1 Corinthians, 15:34-36, 42-44)

But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you. (Matthew, 22:31)

I declare to you, brothers... nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: ... We will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed [created with a new creation]. (1 Corinthians, 15:50-52)

And I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God... (Acts, 24 :15-16)

Belief in the Day of Judgment

Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account. (Hebrews, 4:13)

God "will give to each person according to what he has done." To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, He will give eternal life [paradise]. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. (Romans, 2:6-8)

But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. (Matthew, 12:36-37)

He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship Him Who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water." (Revelation, 14:7)

His work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. (1 Corinthians, 3:13)

We will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before Me; every tongue will confess to God.' So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. (Romans, 14:10-12)

If this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority [Surely God is beyond that]. (2 Peter, 2:9-10)

Do not be deceived: ... A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature [who abides by his lower self], from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please... [God]... will reap eternal life. (Galatians, 6:7-8)

Now we know that whatever the law says [God's commandments], it says to those who are under the law [to those who are held responsible to abide by God's commandments], so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. (Romans, 3:19)

Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load. (Galatians, 6:4-5)

Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of God [in the hereafter], but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of God [in the hereafter]. (Matthew, 5:19)

You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. (Matthew, 5:21-22)

I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. (Matthew, 10:15)

And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the place of dead [hell]... But I tell you, even Sodom will be better off on judgment day than you." (Matthew, 11:23-24)

I tell you, it will be more bearableon that day [judgment day] for Sodom than for that town. "Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you." (Luke, 10:12-14)

There is a Judge [God] for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. (John, 12:48)

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? (Romans, 2: 1-3)

But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed. God will give to each person according to what he has done. (Romans, 2:5-6)

Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved. For the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality." (Romans, 9:27-28)

I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord Who judges me. (1 Corinthians, 4:3-4)

But they will have to give account to God Who is ready to judge the living and the dead. (1 Peter, 4:5)

For it is time for judgment to begin... (1 Peter, 4:17)

In this way, love is made complete among us [believers] so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment... (Jude, 4:17)

To Him [God] Who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious Presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority... before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jude, 1:24-25)

Belief in the Last Day

Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen... (Luke, 21:34-36)

But in those days, following that distress, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light... (Mark, 13:24-25)

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief [all of a sudden]. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare... That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. (Peter, 3:10-12)

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven... but only the Lord. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. (Mark, 13:32-33)

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven... but only the God. (Matthew, 24:36)

How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!... those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again. (Mark, 13:17-19)

... will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew, 24:50-51)

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness... God has made it plain to them. (Romans, 1:18-19)

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter [day of reckoning]. (James, 5:1-5)

Belief in Paradise

A faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life [paradise], which God, Who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time. (Titus, 1:2)

Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him Who sent me has eternal life [paradise] and will not be condemned..." (John, 5:19-24)

The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom [paradise]. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (2 Timothy, 4: 18)

Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life [paradise]... (John, 6:27)

I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life [paradise]. (John, 6:47)

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven [the hereafter], where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew, 6:19-21)

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him." (1 Corinthians, 2:9)

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Lord [paradise]. He who has ears, let him hear!... This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. "Have you understood all these things?" Jesus asked. "Yes," they replied. (Matthew, 13:43-51)

From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven [the life of the hereafter] is near." (Matthew, 4:17)

He began to teach them saying: "... for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [paradise]... for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek! For they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness! For they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful! For they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart! For they will see God. [What is meant here is that righteous believers will see the manifestation of God's Glorious Personage as a blessing of paradise]... Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness! For theirs is the kingdom of God [paradise]. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me! Rejoice and be glad! Because great is your reward in heaven [the hereafter], for in the same way they persecuted the Prophets who were before you." (Matthew, 5:2-12)

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven [the hereafter]?" He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven [the hereafter]. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven [the hereafter]. (Matthew, 18:1-4)

I know that His [God's] command leads to eternal life [paradise]. So whatever I say is just what God has told me to say." (John, 12:50)

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life [paradise] to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Timothy, 6:12)

Therefore, since the promise of entering His rest [paradise] still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the Gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. Now we who have believed enter that rest [paradise], just as God has said, "So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter My rest [paradise]'"... (Hebrews, 4:1-3)

It still remains that some will enter that rest [paradise], and those who formerly had the Gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. (Hebrews, 4:6)

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest [paradise], so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. (Hebrews, 4:11)

And again in the passage above he says, "They shall never enter my rest [paradise]." (Hebrews, 4:5)

... And to whom did God swear that they would never enter His rest [paradise] if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. (Hebrews, 3:18-19)

... Away from me, all you evildoers!' "There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets in the kingdom of God [paradise], but you yourselves thrown out. (Luke, 13:27-28)

Then they will go away to eternal punishment [hell], but the righteous to eternal life [paradise]..." (Matthew, 25:46)

But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him. (2 Peter 3:13-14)

For in the Gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live [in paradise] by faith." (Romans, 1:17)

... Whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life [paradise]. (John, 3:16)

I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the Gospel [for God's approval] will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life [paradise]. But many who are first will be last, and the last first." (Mark, 10:29-31)

Belief in Hell

But I will show you Whom you should fear: Fear Him Who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him. (Luke, 12:5)

... into the darkness [hell], where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew, 22: 13)

As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age... [God] will send out His angels, and they will weed... everything that causes sin and all who do evil... They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth... "Once again, the kingdom of heaven [the questioning in the hereafter] is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace [hell], where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew, 13:40-50)

... [The wrath of God] will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place [hell] with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew, 24:50-51)

And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths [hell]. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you. (Matthew, 11:23-24)

Then they [the wicked] will go away to eternal punishment [hell], but the righteous to eternal life [paradise]." (Matthew, 25:46)

... Away from me, all you evildoers! "There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. (Luke, 13:27-28)

And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths [hell]... But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you. (Matthew, 11:23-24)

The time came when the beggar died... The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, '... Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here [paradise] to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there [hell] to us.' (Luke, 16:22-26)

You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill... others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. (Matthew, 23:33-34)