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Fifth, they see angels guarding the homes of other souls in complete silence.
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Sixth, they recognize that they must soon be tormented.
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Seventh, and worst of all, when they see the glory of God Most High, they are sick with remorse and shame. They cringe in fear, because while they were living they sinned against him. And now they are about to come before him to be judged on the last day.
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"Now let me explain about those who followed the ways of God Most High and what will happen when the time comes for them to leave their mortal bodies.
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While they lived on earth, through constant difficulty and danger, they served God Most High and carefully kept the Law given by the Lawgiver.
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This is what they will receive:
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They will rejoice when they see the great glory of God. He will receive them, and they will enter their rest in seven stages of joy.
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The first joy is to have struggled hard and won the victory over the evil impulse which was formed in them, but which did not succeed in leading them from life into death.
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The second is to see the endless wandering of the souls of the wicked and the punishment that is waiting for them.
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The third is to know what a good report their Maker has given about them, that during their lifetime they kept the Law that was entrusted to them.
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The fourth is to appreciate the rest that they are to enjoy in the places where they have been brought together, guarded by angels, in complete silence, and with the glory that is waiting for them at the last day.
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The fifth is to rejoice that they have now escaped the corrupt world and that they will receive the future life as their possession. They can see both the narrow, troubled world from which they have been freed and the spacious world they will receive and enjoy forever.
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The sixth is to be shown how their faces will shine like the sun and how they are to be like the light of the stars that never die.
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The seventh joy, and best of all, is when they rush to meet God face-to-face, with perfect trust and happiness, without any fear or shame. They served him during their lifetime and now they will receive from him their reward in glory.
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These rewards that I have been telling you about are those that have been prepared for the souls of the righteous. I described to you earlier the torment that the rebellious will suffer."
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Then I asked, "When the souls of the righteous are separated from their bodies, will they be given time to see what you have told me about?"
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"They will be free for seven days," he answered, "and during that time they will be able to see the things I have told you about. After that they will be brought together with the other souls in their homes."
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Then I said, "Sir, please tell me whether the righteous will be able to ask God Most High to show mercy on the unrighteous on Judgment Day.
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Will fathers be able to pray for their children, children for parents, brothers for brothers, relatives for those near to them, and friends for those dear to them?"
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"I will be happy to tell you," he replied. "Judgment Day is final and sets the final seal on truth for all to see. You know that in this age a father cannot send his son to be sick for him or sleep or eat or be healed for him. An owner cannot send his slave to do these things for him, nor can a person send his best friend.
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In the same way, on that day, no one will be able to pray for another person. Each person will receive the punishment or reward for his own sinfulness or righteousness."
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"If that is so," I answered, "how can we explain what we find in the Scriptures? Abraham prayed for the people of Sodom, and Moses for our ancestors who sinned in the desert.
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Later, Joshua prayed for the people of Israel in the time of Achan,
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and Samuel prayed for them in the days of Saul. David prayed at the time of the epidemic, and Solomon prayed for those who were going to worship in the Temple.
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Elijah prayed that the people might have rain and for a dead person to come back to life.
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Hezekiah prayed for the people during the time of Sennacherib. And there are many other examples.
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If righteous people prayed for the unrighteous during such times when corruption increased and injustice multiplied, why won't the same thing happen at the Judgment Day?"
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"The present age is not the end of everything," the angel answered. "Even in this age, the glorious presence of God is not always seen. That is why the strong have prayed for the weak during this age.
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But the Judgment Day will be the end of the present age and the beginning of the future age. Then all corruption will end,
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self-indulgence and disloyalty will be eliminated. Righteousness and truth will reach their full maturity.
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So on Judgment Day, no one will be able to have mercy on those who have been condemned, and no one will be able to harm those who have been acquitted."
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I answered, "I made this point before, and I will make it again. It would have been better if the earth had never produced Adam, or when it had done so, if it had made him so that he could not sin.
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What good is it for any of us to have life in the present age, when it is full of misery and when all we can look forward to after death is punishment?
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O Adam, what have you done? Your sin was not only your own downfall; it was also the downfall of all of us who are your descendants.
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What good is it to us that we have the promise of immortal life, when we have committed sins that condemn us to death?
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What good is the hope of eternity, when we find ourselves in such a completely hopeless situation?
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What good is it that safe and secure homes have been prepared for us in the future world, when we have lived such wicked lives?
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What good is the promise that the glorious presence of God Most High will protect those who have lived pure lives, when our own lives have been so full of sin?
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What good is it that Paradise is shown to us, that its imperishable fruit can heal us and provide all we need? We can never go there
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because we have lived unacceptable lives.
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What good is it that the faces of those who practice self-control will shine more brightly than the stars, when our own faces will be blacker than the night?
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Never in our whole lives, when we sinned, did we think about what we would have to suffer after death."
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The angel replied, "Here is the meaning of the conflict that every person on earth must endure:
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If he is defeated, he must suffer the things you have just told me about, but if he is victorious, he will receive the rewards that I have just mentioned.
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That is why Moses long ago urged the people to choose life so that they might live.
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But they did not believe him or the prophets who came after him, and they did not believe me when I spoke to them.
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So the sadness over their destruction is nothing compared to the great joy over the salvation of those who believe."
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I answered, "Sir, I know that God Most High is spoken of as merciful because he shows mercy to those who have not yet entered this world.
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He is called compassionate because he shows compassion to those who repent and obey his Law.
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He is thought of as patient because he is patient with his own creatures who have sinned.
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He is known as generous because he prefers to give rather than to demand.