CALL TO ARMS • SOLDIERSHIP TRAINING FOR THE SALVATION ARMY • LEADERS NOTES
DOCTRINE 11: THE AFTERLIFE
“WE BELIEVE IN THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL; IN THE
RESURRECTION OF THE BODY; IN THE GENERAL JUDGMENT AT
THE END OF THE WORLD; IN THE ETERNAL HAPPINESS OF THE
RIGHTEOUS; AND IN THE ENDLESS PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED”
Big Ideas
→→ The Christian hope for the afterlife is that as God raised
Jesus from the dead so he will raise us also (i.e. physical
resurrection with “upgrades”)
→→ The entire creation will be made new
→→ Immortality of the soul does not mean we will be
disembodied spirits
→→ After the resurrection of the dead then comes judgement
which is the final victory of good over evil
Group Discussion –What do people think about life after death?
What are you expecting? What do you think other people expect?
For Christians, our hope is that as God raised Jesus from the dead, he
will also raise those who believe in Jesus from death to an eternal bodily
existence with him (The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine, p. 223). As we
talked about in Doctrine 4, Jesus’ resurrection was a physical resurrection,
not just a “spiritual” one. After his resurrection he ate and drank, proving
that he was not just a spirit. However, he could also enter locked rooms
without opening the door, appearing and disappearing at will. So there were
some ways in which his physical existence “got an upgrade”.
This is the pattern for our own resurrection. We can expect to be
recognisably ourselves, but with some upgrades. The upgrades are not just
for us. The bible also teaches that the entire creation will be brought back
into right relationship with the Creator, and will be restored and renewed.
Revelation 21-22 talks about the new heaven and earth coming together,
so that God dwells amongst his people. In Revelation 21:5, Jesus says “See,
I am making all things new”. So when we hear the phrases “new heaven”
and “new earth” we should not think he is starting from scratch with a new
creation, but rather that the new heaven and new earth are the fulfilment of
Jesus’ work of restoration and redemption.
So then, what does Doctrine 11 mean when it talks about the “immortality
of the soul”? The Handbook of Doctrine makes it clear that this phrase
should be understood to mean that death is not the end. However, it also
points out that “apart from God’s action there is no part of us that naturally
survives beyond death” (The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine, p. 225.)
RECRUITS
BOOK PAGE 28
CALL TO ARMS • SOLDIERSHIP TRAINING FOR THE SALVATION ARMY • LEADERS NOTES
This does not mean, however, that our hope is for a future as a disembodied
spirit. Instead, as we have seen, the promise of resurrection is for a future as
whole persons.
Jesus promised that everyone will be raised from the dead and then will be
judged, “the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his
voice and will come out—those who have done good, to the resurrection
of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation”
(John 5:28-29 NRSV). The Handbook of Doctrine says that judgement is the
fulfilment of God’s promises, it is the triumph of good over evil, the righting
of wrongs, and the victory of love over fear (p. 227). Judgement also means
we are accountable for our choices and the way we live our lives. We each
choose our eternal destiny; hell—an eternal existence without God, filled
with the anguish of knowing we could have reconciled with God but chose
not to, and it’s now too late, or heaven—an eternity enjoying being in the
presence of God.
Group Discussion – How is this understanding of the end
times and the afterlife similar / different from what you previously
thought? What questions does this raise for the group?
God’s judgement is something to look forward to
In the bible judgement is often spoken about as a good thing. The Psalmists
cried out to God for him to bring judgement on the earth. Were they
just angry and mean people who wanted God to crush their enemies? Is
judgement about revenge or is it about justice for the victims of sin?
Psalm 9:7-9 “the Lord sits enthroned forever, he has established his
throne for judgment. He judges the world with righteousness; he judges
the peoples with equity. The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a
stronghold in times of trouble” (NRSV)
Revelation 6:9-10 “When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the
souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and for the
testimony they had given; they cried out with a loud voice, ‘Sovereign Lord,
holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our blood on
the inhabitants of the earth?’” (NRSV)
From these verses we can see a few key things about judgement; firstly God
is a fair judge. He is not partial to the rich, the famous or the powerful. This
is a source of hope for those who are poor, unimportant, oppressed and
cannot get justice through human channels.
Ultimately this is good news for anyone who has been sinned against, God
will bring about justice for what people have suffered. However, not such
great news if you are the one who caused the suffering, particularly if you’ve
gotten away with it. The best way to deal with that situation is to repent,
trust in God’s grace, apologise and make reparations now.
CALL TO ARMS • SOLDIERSHIP TRAINING FOR THE SALVATION ARMY • LEADERS NOTES
Putting belief into practice
Keeping hope alive
Knowing God’s plan for the end game helps us keep hope alive. We all
experience insurmountable problems in life, whether it’s an illness that
won’t go away, or a lifetime of poverty or oppression. Sometimes there are
not solutions to these problems in the here-and-now. However, when we
know that God’s final plan is:
• To fully heal and restore us—body, soul and spirit
• To remake and renew the whole creation
• To bring about justice for the poor and oppressed
• To bring an end to evil
We have a hope that will endure the trials of life. When we are confronted
with terminal or chronic illness that will not respond to medical treatment,
even if we are not immediately healed, we know that every prayer for
healing is ultimately answered in the resurrection of the dead. We will all
one day be 100% healthy, no aches and pains, no illnesses, no injuries, no
decay or brokenness—100% healthy and whole—body, soul and spirit.
When we see that the earth is exploited by greedy companies and our
protests fall on deaf ears, we know that in the end God will remake and
renew his precious creation. He loves what he made and he isn’t going to
throw it out and start again.
When we see that people who are poor, or who are in minorities in our
society, are treated with contempt, despite our protests, we know that in
the end God will bring about justice. Those who mistreat or ignore the poor
and the oppressed will be held to account. God will not let evil continue
forever.
And when we see evil, in others, and more importantly in ourselves, we know
that in the end God will perfect the work he started in us. As Song 888 says,
”There will be no sorrow in God’s tomorrow
There’ll be no sadness, doubt or fears
There’ll be no sorrow in God’s tomorrow
For he will wipe away all tears.”
(Sidney Cox)
The book of Daniel foresees this time to come, “at that time your people
shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the
book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake….
And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above;
and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever”
(Daniel 12:1-3 ESV).
CALL TO ARMS • SOLDIERSHIP TRAINING FOR THE SALVATION ARMY • LEADERS NOTES
Making heaven on earth
It might be tempting to sit back and say, well God intends to clean everything
up himself at the end, so I can put my feet up and relax. But as Tom Wright
explains in his superb book, Surprised by Hope, “what you do in the Lord is
not in vain… You are… accomplishing something that will become… part of
God’s new world… every deed which spreads the gospel, builds up the church,
embraces and embodies holiness rather than corruption, and makes the
name of Jesus honoured in the world – all of this will find its way, through
the resurrecting power of God, into the new creation which God will one day
make” (SPCK, 2007, p. 219).
This is why, as William Booth said, “Making heaven on earth is our business”.
The mission of The Salvation Army will find its completion in God’s new
heaven and earth. We believe in a God who passionately pursues the lost
and who wants all people to enter into loving relationship with him. God
has called his church to partner with him in reconciling all people to himself.
This is the Call to Arms. This is what The Salvation Army stands for in a lost
and broken world.
In the Australia Southern Territory we express our understanding of that
mission through our Mission Intentions: Transforming Lives, Caring for People,
Making Disciples and Reforming Society. Each of these Mission Intentions
captures something of what the redeeming mission of God looks like. Each
will be finally fulfilled when Christ returns, and the new heaven and earth
are fully established. This is the mission that you are invited to join as a
soldier; this is your Call to Arms.
Finished running the Call to Arms training?
Please complete our Recruiting Sergeant’s Survey at
sarmy.org.au/c2a_rsergeant