John 3: 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
Revelation 20
1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
Ephesians 2:5 He loved us even when we were dead in sins
Romans 6: 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also LIVE with Him.
Romans 6: 22 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
1 Peter 2:24 "...that we being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness..."
Romans 6:11 Likewise consider yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."
John 3:3,6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
It’s the same with the two deaths spoken of in the bible, the first death is physical and the second death is spiritual.
Revelation 2:11 He that overcometh shall not be hurt by the Second Death.
Rev 20:13-15 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 their works.
Revelation 21:8 But the cowardly and unbelieving and the abominable and murders, and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
For those who do not like Biblical prophesy, you are reminded of Isaiah giving us biblical prophesy of the Messiah.
Psalm 78:2
2 I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter hidden things, things from of old-
Isaiah 9: 6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
This beautiful passage in Isaiah reminds us that Jesus died by suffocation, the government spread his shoulders upon a cross and he died of suffocation. Jewish law, according to the old testament says that any one who dies in this manner, condemned as a criminal...
Deuteronomy 27: 26 "Cursed is the man who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
Galatains 3: 10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them." 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for "The righteous shall live by faith."
The second death is the mercy of God. Jesus overcame the curse of sin. When Jesus came to be the Word of God, that dwells among us full of light and truth, as the Son of the Most High God, He experienced all aspects of life. He was known and esteemed as he grew in stature. God let Him experience what it was to be fully human. God sent his Son, not to condemn the world, but to save it.
Matthew 8: 20
Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."
What would it be like to see His Son condemned for the Most High God?
Luke 20:9-19
[9] He went on to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. [10] At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. [11] He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. [12] He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.
[13] "Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.'
[14] "But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. 'This is the heir,' they said. 'Let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' [15] So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
"What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? [16] He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others."
What would the Son say about His sacrifice?
Luke 23:26-43
26 As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28 Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the time will come when you will say, 'Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!' 30 Then " 'they will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!" ' 31 For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?"
32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."
36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself."
38 There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."
42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom"
43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
Until the sacrifice of Jesus, who chose every day on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane, that he would give his life and wept on Psalm Sunday knowing the true nature of man; He chose that mankind should have redemption. Before Jesus' death, when the physical body died the spirit went to Sheol, the place of the dead. After Jesus' freely given sacrifice, heaven and hell were created for the spirit to exist there. The Father, God Most High, created the second death that Hell might have an escape clause, a mercy.
"...And you he made alive, when you were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. Among these we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of body and mind, and so we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God-not because of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:1-10)
"He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:13-14)
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