1. I believe in the certainty of death. There
are three different types of death that are described in Scripture: spiritual
(Ephesians 2:1-2), physical (Hebrews 9:27), and eternal (Revelation 20:14).
Death does not mean annihilation. “When the Bible speaks of death, it refers to
the physical death of the body, not the soul” (MHT 383); the soul—the life
principle of man—lives on eternally. Spiritual death and eternal death are equated
with separation from God whereas physical death is gain for the believer
(Philippians 1:21) and entry into Heaven.
2. I believe in the physical, literal place of
Heaven. In Luke 23:43, Jesus promised the repentant thief on the cross that
he would be with Jesus in Paradise—this is in reference to the intermediate
Heaven (MHT 387). Believers will not receive their resurrection bodies until
the rapture, but there are physical bodies in the intermediate Heaven because
Moses and Elijah had physical bodies on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew
17:3-4). The New Heaven will come at the end of Christ’s millennial reign in
the form of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:1-2).
3. I believe in the physical, literal place of
Hell. There are many words in the Bible that describe Hell: Sheol (Psalm
16:10), Hades (Matthew 11:23), Gehenna (Matthew 23:33), and Abyss (Luke 8:31).
Jesus taught that Hell is a place of eternal fire (Luke 16:23-28) and a place
of darkness (Matthew 25:30). There are degrees of punishment in Hell according
to the knowledge the unbeliever had (Luke 12:47-48). “There is no suggestion in
Scripture that those who enter Hell ever emerge from it (NBD 464).
4. I believe that Jesus Christ will rapture
His beloved Church. The rapture is distinguished from the second coming of
Christ. “It is inconceivable that the church will be on earth to experience the
full wrath of God” (MHT 416) because the church is the object of Christ’s love,
not His wrath (Ephesians 5:25). The details of the rapture are described in 1
Thessalonians 4:16-17, 1 Corinthians 15:51-57, and John 14:1-3.
5. I believe that there will be a literal seven
year tribulation. The Bible clearly tells us that there will be seven years
of tribulation which is sparked when the Beast makes a covenant to protect Israel
(Daniel 9:27). The Tribulation will involve the judgment of God upon the
unbelieving world as detailed in Revelation 6-19. The tribulation “also
signifies that at the completion of the seven years, Christ’s return is imminent”
(STV3 577).
6. I believe that Jesus Christ will judge
justly. Jesus will judge believers for how they lived their life on earth
(2 Corinthians 5:10). “The term judgment
seat (Gk. bema) is taken from the
Grecian games where successful athletes were rewarded for victory in athletic contests”
(MHT 418).
7. I believe that Jesus Christ will return
bodily to usher in the Millennium. When Jesus Christ returns to earth, He
will establish Himself as King in Jerusalem, sitting on the throne of David
(Luke 1:32-33). This second advent is the fulfillment of the Abrahamic
covenant, Palestinian covenant, Davidic covenant, and the New covenant” (MHT
418-19). The Millennium will be a perfect environment physically and
spiritually as well as a time of true peace (Micah 4:2-4).
8. I believe that there is an eternal state.
Following the end of the Millennium, the heavens and the earth are judged (2
Peter 3:10) because of a Satan-led rebellion against God. Our King, Lord Jesus,
will defeat the powers of evil and the eternal state of the redeemed will begin
timelessly (Revelation 21-22) (MHT 419).
