“…Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst…” (1 Timothy 1:15)
How did Jesus get the worst sinner to believe in Him?“About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul!” (Acts 1:6)
OK, that would do it - and Paul believed.
How is God going to get the rest of the really bad sinners to believe?
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from His presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened…” (Revelation 20:11-12)
It takes a miraculous act for most sinners to believe in Jesus. The Great White Throne is when most sinners are destined to believe in Jesus. All will "confess" that Jesus is Lord and all will "believe" the good news - and be "saved".
"If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved..." (Romans 10:9-10)
To summarize: Those who die without believing in this age will be "saved" before the "great white throne"- where all will "confess that Jesus Christ is Lord".
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from His presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened…” (Revelation 20:11-12)
It takes a miraculous act for most sinners to believe in Jesus. The Great White Throne is when most sinners are destined to believe in Jesus. All will "confess" that Jesus is Lord and all will "believe" the good news - and be "saved".
"If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved..." (Romans 10:9-10)
To summarize: Those who die without believing in this age will be "saved" before the "great white throne"- where all will "confess that Jesus Christ is Lord".
How do I know? The bible tells me so...
"...every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11)
Paul eventually died after his Damascus road experience and is sleeping in death until the return of Jesus to resurrect him from the dead and change him.
"...every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11)
Paul eventually died after his Damascus road experience and is sleeping in death until the return of Jesus to resurrect him from the dead and change him.
"...we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable." (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).
Unbelievers die the SECOND death after confessing before the great white throne by means of the Lake of Fire. I think it will be painless and instantaneous. They will remain asleep in this second death until "made alive" when the second death will be "abolished" so that "God may be All in all".
"As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive...The last enemy that will be abolished is death...so that God may be All in all." (1 Corinthians 15:22, 26, 28)
It is amazing what you can learn from reading the Bible for yourself.
"For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and humanity, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed as a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying)" (1 Timothy 2:5-6)
"It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance...we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all humanity, especially of believers." (1 Timothy 4:9-10)