Church of God News

God’s plan includes a way to redeem all who have suffered and died in the past without understanding why they suffered. Billions of men, women and children have lived and died throughout history without knowing God or realizing His purpose. The majority of these never heard of Jesus during their lifetimes. They lived and died ignorant of why He came and with no comprehension of God’s plan.

The Bible reveals that, 1,000 years after Jesus returns, God will bring back to life all who ever lived but received little or no understanding of God’s purpose. He will resurrect them to a temporary physical life and give them a final opportunity to exercise their free will—but this time with an understanding of true spiritual knowledge in a world in which God’s way, not Satan’s, holds sway.

At that time they will have to choose, or knowingly reject, God’s way of life. Their choice will determine whether they will receive eternal life or perish in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15).

This will be their first opportunity for salvation, because they were previously alienated from God through the deception of the devil (2 Corinthians 4:3-4; 1 John 5:19; Revelation 12:9).

With Satan blinding them, they never comprehended God’s purpose. When God resurrects them into a world in which His truth will be freely available (Jeremiah 31:34; Isaiah 11:9), they will reflect on the immense suffering that sin caused down through history and can choose anew, this time with full understanding of the consequences of sin and the suffering it brings. Most will begin to make right choices and accept Christ as Savior—a path, if chosen, that will lead them to eternal life.