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Lesson Eight -- The People Who Will Never Die
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we
will all be changed -- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye,
at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will
be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. (Holy , 1
Corinthinans 15:51,52)
Did you know that there are some people who will never die?
"We will not all sleep..." In the Holy , Allah's
Word, it says that there is a group of people who will go directly
from this mortal life to immortality without going through death.
Perhaps these people are even alive today! From the above verse
of Scripture it can be seen that these people will be changed
in this way during the same time period in which the resurrection
occurs, that is, the day of qiyamat.
The day of qiyamat is not just one 24-hour day in length.
Qiyamat will actually be many years in length. Such events as
the fearful rule of , Allah's judgments, the glorious return
of Prophet , and then Prophet Isa's kingdom of peace,
are all part of the day of qiyamat. It is during this amazing
time of qiyamat that this remarkable event will occur in which
many people will be changed from mortal life to immortal life.
They will never die.
Who are these special people? Why is it that they will never
die? How can we possibly become worthy to be one of these people
who will never die? First, let us note some things about these
special people:
Characteristics of the People Who Will Never Die
1. they will be part of the generation that sees qiyamat's
arrival.
2. this group will not include all the people alive at that time.
3. this group will include only followers of Prophet Isa .
4. they will be changed at the same time that dead followers
of Prophet Isa are raised to life.
5. they will escape the great judgments that fall during qiyamat.
6. they will live forever and enjoy Allah's great blessings.
Note that the people who will never die are people who will
be alive when qiyamat arrives. It is possible that qiyamat will
come soon, so then it is also possible that these people are
now walking on the earth. Not all people who will be alive when
qiyamat arrives will be a part of this group however. Only disciples
of Prophet who are alive at the approach of qiyamat
will be part of this group of people who will never die. Prophet
Isa, called "Lord" by his followers, will do many amazing
things when he comes again. One of them is that he will give
life to his dead followers and give immortality to his living
followers:
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud
command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet
of Allah, and the dead in Masih will rise first. After that,
we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together
with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we
will be with the Lord forever. (Holy , 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17)
By now, you have understood that being a follower of Prophet
Isa is more than just believing that he is a special prophet
of Allah. Those who are his true followers, believe in him not
only as prophet but as their intercessor and Saviour from sin.
They believe in him and obey him even if it means they must endure
trouble. It is because of their genuine faith in him that he
will deliver them from having to face death in that day. It is
not to the followers of just any prophet, but only those of Prophet
the Saviour that this promise has been given. He is
a special messenger of Allah and because of that has special
arrangements for his disciples.
Protection from Qiyamat's Troubles
This group of people will escape death. They will also escape
harm in qiyamat. As the Holy says:
Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will
also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon
the whole world to test those who live on the earth. (Holy ,
Revelation 3:10)
Some believe that these people will be protected in the midst
of the troubles of qiyamat. This belief states that those special
followers of Prophet Isa will undergo the great troubles of qiyamat
like everyone else, but that they will receive miraculous protection
from real harm.
Others, including this author, believe that these special
believers will be protected from the troubles of qiyamat by actually
being taken to heaven until the great troubles on earth are over.
Before the onset of the time of great trouble, these believers
will disappear from the face of the earth to meet Prophet Isa
their Saviour in the air to be taken to heaven. But no matter
which of these two beliefs one holds, it is clear that Allah
will protect his people from the judgments of qiyamat.
A Special Place and how to get there
Prophet himself said that when he returns he will
take his people to a special place:
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back
and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You
know the way to the place where I am going. (Holy , John
14:3,4)
Prophet Isa here says not only that he "will come back"
but that he will also "take" his people. Do you know
the way to the place to which Prophet Isa went? If you do not,
then don't worry. Even one of his close companions did not know
the way. Thomas, one of his twelve disciples felt that it was
not clear and so he asked a question:
Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are
going, so how can we know the way?" (Holy , John 14:5)
At that time Thomas did not know where Prophet was
going. We know today that Prophet Isa went to heaven, and so the
question is "What is the way to heaven?". Prophet Isa
Masih answered this question for Thomas and for us:
Isa answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me." (Holy ,
John 14:6)
Prophet Isa himself claimed to be the way to heaven. He claimed
that no one can go to the "Father" except through him.
The "Father" spoken of here is of course, Allah, the
creator of us all. One of the meanings of this term "Father"
is that there exists a spiritual relationship between Allah and
his people. He is their spiritual father and they are his children.
In the same way, those who follow the path of evil can be called
"children of Satan". Satan is the "father"
of the wicked. Allah is the "father" of the righteous.
Prophet Isa said that he himself is the "way" to
heaven. Not only that, but he said that no one can go to heaven
except through him. This is because he is the one whom Allah
chose to be the Saviour of mankind. He will come in the day of
qiyamat and save his followers from death's grasp and from the
troubles of qiyamat. However, you must be one of his true followers
in order for him to come for you in that day. It is not enough
to say that you believe him to be Allah's prophet. He is more
than a prophet. He is the Saviour.
If you say that you believe in him, remember that your faith
is proved by your godly behaviour. This is why there is a very
stern warning to us about the importance of persevering in Allah's
way:
Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation,
drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close
on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those
who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch,
and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to
happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man. (Holy , Luke 21:34-36)
The warning given here is not for true believers who sometimes
fail and sin. The warning is for those who are self-deceived.
Those who say they are disciples of Prophet Isa, but in actuality
are not. There is a promise here though for his true followers.
They will "escape all that is about to happen". They
will escape the trouble that will "come upon all those who
live on the face of the whole earth." In the present age,
followers of Prophet receive enough trouble. If you
are one of followers, take courage. If people even say unkind
words about you, or call you names like "nasara" or
"Christian", then be happy! Your endurance now will
mean comfort in the future, just as Prophet Isa has said:
Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will
also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon
the whole world to test those who live on the earth. (Holy ,
Revelation 3:10)
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QUESTIONS: -- Choose the most correct answers
1. The day of qiyamat will be
a. a 24-hour day
b. years in length
c. none
of the above
2. The people "who will never die"
a.
have already gone
to heaven
b.
are dead and in their
graves
c.
are followers of Prophet
Isa and may be alive today
d.
will die
a martyr's death
3. Qiyamat, the last days,
a. may come soon
b.
will certainly not
come for 100 years
c. has already past
d. will never
come
4. When Prophet Isa returns he will
a.
lead a normal life
and then die a natural death
b.
run for general secretary
of the United Nations
c.
raise
his dead followers and give immortality to his living followers
5. The followers of believe that he is
a.
only a prophet,
albeit a special prophet
b. a powerful angel
c.
prophet,
intercessor, and Saviour from sin
6. Followers of Isa are confident that they will be saved
from their sins because
a.
they are proud
and arrogant
b.
they believe Prophet
Isa is able to save them from their sins
c.
they think
they are better than other people
7. When Prophet Isa returns, he will take his people
a.
to be judged and
punished
b. to Palestine
c.
to be
with him where he is
8. In John 14:6, Prophet Isa claims to be
a.
one way to get
to heaven
b.
trying to get to heaven
himself
c. the only
way to heaven
9. The fact that is returning to earth one day should
motivate me to
a.
get ready for his
coming
b. become his follower
c.
pray for Allah's strength
to be faithful and pure
d. all of
the above
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