Beginning with Adam, every human being who ever lived was given a personal and unique spirit upon receiving his/her first breath into his/her soul (body).  Upon the death of each and every human being: “the dust returns to the earth as it was and the spirit returns to God who gave it” to him/her (Eccl. 12:7).  The soul (Heb.–“nephesh”) of man is his physical body.  The spirit of man is the essence of who and what man is beyond his physical body.  The spirit is like a mold which retains the person’s form, character, memory, personality, intellect, likes, dislikes, etc.  It is each person’s spirit that returns to God upon the death of his/her physical body.  This is true regardless of how good or evil he/she was during his/her human life.  Be it Adolf Hitler or Jesus of Nazareth, Judas or Paul, the spirits of all human beings return to God upon the death of his/her body/soul.  The best proof of this fact is found in the Words of Jesus Christ Himself.  Recall that with His final breath He said: “Father, into Your hands I commit MY SPIRIT.  And having said that, He gave up (committed to God) the GHOST”–His human spirit (Lk. 23:46).  Note that He did not commit His soul (body) to the Father.  His body (soul) was placed into a tomb where, had it been left there, would have decayed like the body of any animal, bird, fish, etc.  The bodies of any living entity is called its “nephesh” in the Hebrew language.   Recall that upon arriving at the tomb of Lazarus, his sister cautioned Jesus about opening the tomb.  She noted that, by that time, “… he stinks.”  Lazarus had been dead four days.  The physical body begins to decay after three days.  Jesus was in the tomb exactly three days–Wednesday sundown to Friday sundown.  He was resurrected at the beginning of the Sabbath (Saturday)–immediately following sundown on Friday.  In ancient times week days were not named, but rather numbered.  Jesus died and was buried at sundown on the fourth day of the week and arose at sundown of the sixth day of the week (Friday), which marked the beginning of the Sabbath (Saturday).  God’s day begins and ends at sundown.  He did not change the day of His Sabbath.  Pope Sylvester I did at the Council of Laodicea in 364 A.D.  Read The Mark of the Beast.  Key word–Beast.

Relative to His spirit returning to his soul, upon being resurrected Jesus looked as He had prior to crucifixion.  Recall that when He appeared to His disciples they immediately recognized Him.  Following their resurrection, God’s saints will look as they had looked prior to their deaths, no matter how long ago they died.  As the Apostle Paul said about his future resurrection, he would know other people and they would know him (1 Cor. 13:12/ 2 Cor. 15:49).

Let us now examine the Great White Throne Judgment.  This is a term used to describe the time following the Millennial (thousand year) reign of Christ on earth.  During the Millennium all who have ever lived but had not known God’s Word and way will be resurrected to mortal life and given His Vision of Holiness.  The term “Great White Throne Judgment” comes from Revelation 20:11-13: “And I (John) saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away: and there was found no place for them.  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books (of the Bible) were opened.  Then another book was opened, which was the Book of Life, and the dead were judged out of (by comparing their lives to) those things which were written in the books (of the bible), according to their works (obedience or disobedience to the books).  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged every man according to his works (of obedience or disobedience to the books in God’s Holy Bible).

The second resurrection is described in Ezekiel 37:1-14.  All those resurrected at that time will be condemned for their sins because all will have sinned.  Yet, at this judgment they will be given the opportunity to repent and to embrace the way of the Lord.  These people will have lived their former lives in ignorance of God’s Word.  Consider the fact that the vast majority, probably less than one percent, of mankind has heard God’s Truth.  Billions have lived and died never having heard the name of Jesus Christ–the only One through which man can be saved.  God will not disqualify multitudes of people for something over which they had no control.  The second resurrection group will include heathen of every sort, including the billions of Catholics and Protestants who, having known about God, will have never heard His Truth.  During the Millennium these multiplied millions will have God’s Truth revealed to them (vss 13,14) and will then be given the opportunity to become a part of God’s kingdom and to live forever on a new earth and under a new heaven.  During the Millennium God’s saints will have taught them His ways by showing them His Holy Vision.  Some of the Very Elect will possibly teach their own relatives and friends who had died in ignorance of God’s Truth.  Following this teaching period the Great White Throne Judgment will take place.

In His incredible mercy God will resurrect the world’s heathen masses who had died not knowing the Truth.  This will include the Very Elect’s relatives and friends, many of whom had been staunch church people.  God will also resurrect serial killers, child molesters and others who lived their lives in ignorance of His Law.  For 1000 years His Saints will teach them God’s Truth.  Those who, having seen the error of their human ways, turn to the Lord in full surrender will be allowed to live in peace and prosperity in an earthly paradise forever.

Immediately following the second resurrection there will be yet another resurrection.  This will consist of those who, during their previous lives, had known the Word of God but rejected it.  They, along with Satan and his fallen angels, will be cast into the Lake of Fire.  Satan and his fallen angels (devils) will live forever in that fiery abyss.  Being spirits, they cannot die.  Instead they will spend eternity remembering why they were sent to that place of torment.  Those humans who will be cast into the fiery abyss with them will burn to ash which will then be scattered upon the earth and walked upon by God’s people (Mal. 4:3).  L.J.