Today's Passage - John 5:25-29

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english John 5:25-29   Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.  "Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out - those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.   People often ask this question: Where do we go when we die?  To those who believe in the Lord, we will go to paradise after we pass away.  When Jesus was nailed to the cross, one of the robbers beside Him asked: ""Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!"  Jesus said to him: "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."  In other word, those who believe in the Lord will enter paradise, and we will be together with the Lord; it's a joyful scene that we should look forward to!   To those who have not accepted the Lord, they will fall into hell after they pass away.  The Lord used a parable to describe the hell in Luke 16.  In the parable, both the rich man and Lazarus have died.  Lazarus was taken to be with Abraham while the rich man went to hell and was suffering there.  Rich man saw Lazarus with Abraham and eagerly asked Lazarus to get him some water with his finger tip onto his tongue so that he would feel cooler, because the fire in hell was really tormenting him.  Those who don't believe in the Lord will end up in hell, until the great white throne is established by Lord Jesus and all the dead bodies will be turned up by earth and sea.  In other word, all dead people, believers and non-believers alike, will be resurrected.  Our bodies will be transformed and become ever-lasting bodies.   To those who believe in the Lord, we will be with the Lord forever, which is what we call heaven.  To those who don't believe in the Lord, however, they will be suffering forever in the lake of fire.  Lord Jesus said that "a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live."  When the throne of God is established, those who have heard will live; those who have done good will rise to live and those who have done evil will be condemned.  The "good" here doesn't mean doing good deeds to help people, but rather to do things that God wants you to do.  May God help us to choose the path of Jesus Christ, to follow Him daily until He comes back!              Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, I thank you, because not only are you the Lord who judges, you are also the Lord who saves.  May our hearts turn to you while we still can, and may your grace of salvation flow thru us to bring us freedom and joy!  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!