“Some to Shame and Everlasting Contempt.”

“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Daniel 12:2 ESV)

The days after the resurrection brought hope and reassurance, showing that everything had changed because of Jesus Christ and His resurrection. Today, people may still wonder what happens after death, but the resurrection assures us of eternal life.

In Daniel’s prophetic writing, he told us of the awakening of those dead; some to everlasting life and some to hell. Looking at Daniel 12:1, which talks of the “Time of the End”, Daniel wrote, But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. This book is the Book of Life of the Lamb who was slain (Revelation 13:8).

We live in the time of the end, the days of birthing pains, the awaiting of the second coming (Matthew 24:8). The time of the end began with the resurrection, marking the start of these prophetic days, as Jesus conquered sin and death and now awaits His return to defeat the enemy once and for all.

Daniel's words in today’s text ring true and are revealed in Matthew 27:52: “The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.” Before Christ, those who died rested in the ground, the notion of “resting in peace.” There was no resurrection, because none had occurred, until Jesus’s resurrection. Lazarus, the widow's son, and Jairus’s daughter were all resurrected to human bodies, not eternal ones. However, at the time of the resurrection, when we entered the end times, Matthew tells us that the dead rose from their tombs, just as Daniel prophesied.

The writer of Hebrews told us, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” When we die and leave this shell, there is no resting. We will stand before the white throne of judgment to answer to God for our lives, both the evil and the good. A daunting thought, is it not? All the things you do in your life before and after accepting Christ as your Savior, or refusing Him, you will answer to God. If you are a non-believer, are you that confident that the words of scripture are not true, that God did not give these words through His servants? Are you willing to “roll the dice” with your eternity?

Christ came in the incarnation, lived and died on the cross, shedding His cleansing blood, and rising again in fulfillment of the very words many laugh at so that you could be set free from your sins, made righteous before God, and find eternal life in Christ Jesus. Are you not worried, are you not curious as to what the Lord who is all-powerful and merciful can do for you?

Seek Christ today, for eternal life is found only in Him. There is no other way; only faith in the risen Son of God can secure your salvation before the trumpet sounds and the call comes.

Grace and Peace