The Daily Word of Righteousness

The Release of the Material Creation, #23

And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses [dead bodies] of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. (Isaiah 66:24)

Here we behold a scene of the greatest terror. Those who have transgressed against the Lord are confined to an area of continual corruption and torment. Their bodies always are suffering decay and yet never are destroyed. Those who have been saved are permitted to come and witness the result of disobedience to the Father, and are repulsed by what they see.

It does not state that the saved will witness the torment of the spirits of the transgressors but the torment of their bodies.

Notice also the fate of the Beast and the False Prophet:

. . . These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with sulfur. (Revelation 19:20)

Since neither the Beast nor the False Prophet possess eternal life, the expression "were cast alive" must refer to their being cast into the Lake of Fire in their bodies. Here is another example of the merging of the material and spirit realms. Their bodies are material, while the Lake of Fire no doubt is at least partly spiritual in nature in that it is the eternal home of Satan and his angels, who have no material forms.

We think we have support in the Scriptures for our teaching that both the righteous and the wicked will experience in their material bodies the consequences of their behavior in the present world.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (II Corinthians 5:10)

"Must all be made manifest." "Receive the things done in his body." "Whether good or evil."

Eating of the Tree of Life

Eating of the tree of life brings the eternal life of God into the spiritual nature, and then into the body as God permits.

The tree of life was in the midst of the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9) and today is in the midst of the Paradise of God (Revelation 2:7).

During the new heaven and earth reign of Christ the tree of life will be located in the midst of the street of the new Jerusalem and on either side of the river of water of life. The tree will bear twelve kinds of fruit and yield fruit every month. The leaves of the tree will be for the healing of the people of the saved nations of the earth (Revelation 22:2).

Only those who keep the commandments of God have a right to enter through the gates of the new Jerusalem and partake of the tree of life (Revelation 22:14).

We believe the life that is in the tree of life is the same eternal Life that our Lord Jesus Christ Is:

Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:54)

To be continued.