There are
Three Eternal Destinies of Man
This is written in the hope that it will liberate people to know the true character of the Creator of mankind.
Almost everyone has heard of “heaven and hell,” but the good news we have come to know is that there are not just two, but three eternal destinies for mankind…
Even the terms “heaven” and “hell” (as eternal destinies) are misleading1See Article, “Where is Hell?”. It has been a stumbling block to many people that no matter what kind of person you are, no matter what good you have done, or how sincere or conscientious you may be, “if you don’t believe in Jesus, you are automatically doomed to go to a place of torment called the Lake of Fire.”
This “man-made” doctrine of there being only heaven and hell has repulsed thousands upon thousands of people from the God of the Bible for almost two thousand years. The Creator of the human race has been misrepresented, accused, blamed, and His name maligned – most often by those who claim to know Him.
We want to “re-present” Him to the world in hope that His true nature and heart could be revealed. The Three Eternal Destinies of Man justifies God’s heart toward mankind.
Every person must choose what his or her eternal destiny will be…
What are the Three Eternal Destinies?
Revelation 22:11 reveals that:
All mankind is made up of Three Categories.
Each Category has its own Eternal Destiny.
The First Category contains Two Classifications of people who do evil:
the Unjust and the Filthy.
The Unjust take advantage of others for their own selfish gain.
The Filthy ruin the lives of others with their own moral corruption.
The Second Category is made up of those who do good:
called the Righteous (or Just).
The Righteous are the “good people” of every nation and culture2Acts 10:35 who live according to the dictates of their own conscience.3Rom 2:14-16 They fear God and respect other human beings.
The Third Category is the Holy.
Holy means set apart. The Holy live entirely for the One who redeemed them.42 Cor 5:15 They are members of the Holy Nation which the God of heaven is raising up on the earth.51 Pet 2:9; Dan 2:44
Revelation 22:11 pictures each Eternal Destiny
as the outcome of a way of life:
“He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still;
he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”
This means that the way
a person chooses to live now
is how he will be forever and ever.
This is why it says “unjust still… filthy still… righteous still… holy still.”
Still means always.
For all the people in all the Nations
of the world there will be a judgment.
This judgment will be based on what they have done, regardless of what they claim to believe.
“Do not be surprised at this; the time is coming when all the dead in the graves will hear His voice, and they will come out of their graves: those who have done good will rise and live, and those who have done evil will rise and be condemned.” (John 5:28-29)
“The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done.”
(Revelation 20:13)
“God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.” (Romans 2:6-8)
The people in each of the Three Categories of Mankind will exist eternally in a place that has been prepared:
The Unjust and the Filthy will go to the place prepared for Satan and his angels — experiencing forever and ever a Second Death in the Eternal Lake of Fire.6Matt 25:41,46; Rev 20:14; 21:8
The Righteous will go to the place that has been prepared for them since the world began — enjoying a Second Life in the Nations of God’s Eternal Kingdom.7Matt 25:34; Rev 21:24,26; 22:2
The Holy will experience Eternal Life in the place prepared for God’s very own special people81 Pet 2:9 — they will be His dwelling place forever, metaphorically called the Holy City, New Jerusalem — the Bride of Messiah.9Rev 21:9-12
… practice lying, deceit, greed, laziness, dishonesty, and slander. They pursue their own comfort and advantage at the expense of the suffering of others.
Like a dishonest lawyer who makes a living defending the guilty, and an unrighteous judge who condemns the innocent, a lazy “homeless” person unwilling to work for a living, or a journalist who makes a career out of lying…
… give themselves over to degrading acts of immorality. They use and abuse others in order to fulfill their own base appetites for pleasure and indulgence…
Although there are differences between the two, the “Unjust” and the “Filthy” both love and practice deeds that violate their own conscience… Rom 2:8-15, Isa 24:5-6
Their Eternal Destiny will be in the Lake of Fire… (Revelation 21:8)
… are those whose lives are characterized by faithfulness in their relationships, diligence in their work, and kindness toward those whose lives they touch…
Although “all have sinned and fallen short”, these people suffer to do the good they know in their Conscience, even at the cost of personal discomfort or rejection. Resisting the sway of evil in society is truly a struggle, but the righteous use their will to overcome Selfishness. Gen 3:16-19. 9:1-7 Having died once to pay for their sins, they are raised from the dead and judged… Heb 9:27, Rev 20:11-15
Their Eternal Destiny is a Second and Unending life
among the Nations in the Eternal Age…
(Rev 21:3-4, Rev 21:24-26, Gen 1:26-29, Isa 55:10-11)
… the Eternal Dwelling Place of God…
By His death, the Son of God re-opened the way to the Tree of Life so that a people could walk in the same way that He did. Those who are weary of their own sin and the death sentence it merits, upon hearing and believing in Him, obey His commands to leave everything behind to follow Him – not just their sin, but everything including family, career, and possessions. These become a set-apart people, sharing all they have together in community, together they become His visible, tangible Body on earth, living together and loving one another just as He loved them…
Their Eternal Destiny is to be the Holy City, the Wife of the Lamb, to rule with Messiah in mercy over the Nations of the Eternal Age…
(John 13:34-35 & 17:23, Acts 2:44 & 4:32, Luke 14:33, Rev 21:3-4, Eph 2:22, Ps 16:3)
The judgment of those who do Evil will be fair.
No one is born unjust or filthy. People make themselves that way by the things they do. All are born with the knowledge of God in their conscience. They instinctively know right from wrong. The unjust and the filthy do not like to retain that knowledge.10Rom 1:28; Gen 3:22 Both classes break the Everlasting Covenant of conscience11Isa 24:5,6; Gen 3:16-19; 9:1-7 and callous their hearts by ignoring the truth. As a result, they hurt others and lead others astray from doing what is right. Thus they earn for themselves the fate of Satan and his angels. At the judgment,12Rev 20:11-15 the Second Death will be their Eternal Destiny.13Matt 25:46
The judgment of those who do Good will be fair.
The Righteous stay within the boundaries of conscience. They are born in a fallen state, and so they DO sin,14Rom 3:23 but they do not reject the instinctive Knowledge of Good and Evil within them.15Rom 1:28 Instead they obey their conscience; they do not sin so as to ruin others. So, after paying for their sins in death16Rom 6:23 they will rise from the First Death to face judgment.17Heb 9:27 They will not go to the Second Death because they do not deserve it. They do not practice the deeds which the Bible describes as worthy of the Second Death.18Rev 21:8; 22:15 Since they persevere in doing good19Rom 2:7 their Eternal Destiny will be a Second Life in the Nations.20Rev 21:24; 22:2
The judgment of the Holy will also be fair.
The Holy have already been judged worthy of Eternal Life. They do not need to face the judgment that decides a person’s Eternal Destiny.21John 5:28,29 They will not go to a Second Life in the Eternal Nations or to a Second Death in the Lake of Fire. They have already passed out of Eternal Death and into Eternal Life.22John 5:24 This is evident from the daily life of self-denying love that they lead.231 John 3:14,16; Acts 2:44,45; 4:32-35
Seeing that they would be willing to do His will,24John 7:17 God redeemed them with the death of His Son,25Isa 53:10; Acts 2:24; 2 Cor 5:15 Messiah Yahshua and set them apart for His very own plan and purpose. (He did this not because of any good thing that they had done, but only because of His mercy. Most of those He has redeemed were actually on their way to the Second Death.) Their response of wholehearted devotion shows that His suffering in Death for them was worthwhile. He said they will prove themselves worthy of Him by obeying the gospel and leaving behind their own life, property, possessions, family, etc. to become His disciples.26Matt 10:37-39; Mark 10:29-30; Luke 14:26-33 Those who do not respond this way judge themselves as unworthy of Eternal Life.27Acts 13:46 He makes those who do respond into a New Nation who live their lives entirely for Him. Those who obey Him fully will never see death at all, not even the First Death.28John 8:51 In Eternity they will be Citizens of the Holy City,29Rev 21:10-12 still part of the Holy Nation that they entered in this age.30Eph 2:12,13 They will rule with Messiah Yahshua over the Nations in the Eternal Kingdom of God. 
Scriptural References and Other Footnotes
