Read: Daniel 12.1-4
Bonus Reading: Matthew 25.31-46; 1 Peter 1.6-12; Revelation 20.11-15
Introduction: What do you think of our “heavenly reward”? Do you think this is a good motivation for doing good works? Is there a better motivation you can think of?
Information: This is the only place in the Old Testament that describes a double resurrection of the dead. When will this resurrection happen? What are the two possible results for those who are resurrected?
Introspection: C.S. Lewis wrote about this resurrection: “All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal“ (The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses, 15). What does it mean to you to consider that everyone we interact with (or choose not to) is headed to one of these two destinations? How might you change the way you talk to someone if you remember that they are not “a mere mortal”?
Impression: Ask God to give you a heavenly perspective of your “neighbor” today. What do you hear God say to you?