Articles
The Six Stages
The following are all the possible stages a person can experience from conception into eternity:
1) The womb. Reincarnation is doctrinally wrong. We come into existence at conception and not before (John 8:58; also compare the relative ages of John the Baptist and Jesus—Luke 1:36; John 1:15, 30).
Abortion is morally wrong because it fails to respect the sacredness of life in the womb (Gen. 25:21-23; Ps. 139:13-16; Jer. 1:5; Luke 1:41-44).
2) Innocence. Infants and small children have no sin (Deut. 1:39; Matt. 19:14). If they were to die at this stage of life, they would go to be with God.
3) Alienation. When we first sin we are separated from God and are destined for hell, unless we turn to God in faith, repentance, and obedience (Eph. 2:1-13).
4) Reconciliation. New life in Christ begins at baptism (Rom. 6:3-5; Gal. 1:27). We are restored to fellowship with God and now have hope!
5) Hades. At death the spirit separates from the body. The Hadean world is where the spirits of the dead await the Judgment (Luke 16:19-31; 23:43; Phil. 1:21-24). Hades is not the same as hell, the place of punishment after the Judgment.
6) Heaven or Hell. When Christ returns, the righteous dead are raised and are given new bodies (1 Cor. 15:42-58; 1 Thess. 4:13-18). And then to live forever with God! What a glorious destiny awaits the faithful child of God!
But for those who are not prepared . . . . (1 Cor. 6:9-11; Gal. 5:19-21; 2 Thess. 1:6-9; Rev. 21:8)
We’ve all seen a diagram of a building or some other place that has printed on it, “You are here.” On our spiritual journey, where are we?
Anyone reading this article is either in Stage 3 or Stage 4. If we stay in Stage 3, then our Stage 6 will not be heaven.
─David Gibson
