Hello and welcome to another
00:00:20.42\00:00:22.12
Wednesday night Bible
study here at A Sharper Focus.
00:00:22.15\00:00:25.49
We want to thank
you for tuning in.
00:00:25.52\00:00:26.86
We know it's always a
pleasure to have you join us.
00:00:26.89\00:00:29.29
We want you to know
that from our audience,
00:00:29.32\00:00:30.83
can you all say amen?
00:00:30.86\00:00:32.19
Amen.
00:00:32.23\00:00:33.56
And here we are at
the 3ABN Worship Center,
00:00:33.60\00:00:35.36
some say West Frankfort,
00:00:35.40\00:00:36.97
but actually it's
just a few feet away
00:00:37.00\00:00:38.60
is West Frankfort,
but this is Thompsonville.
00:00:38.63\00:00:41.64
But that's not important
00:00:41.67\00:00:43.00
wherever you're joining us from,
00:00:43.04\00:00:44.37
whether from
Australia, from South Africa,
00:00:44.41\00:00:47.08
from the Caribbean,
00:00:47.11\00:00:48.44
from different
parts of the United States
00:00:48.48\00:00:50.15
or some of our friends
from Orlando, or New York,
00:00:50.18\00:00:54.05
or from Pretoria,
00:00:54.08\00:00:55.98
wherever you may
be joining us from,
00:00:56.02\00:00:57.35
we thank you for
tuning in tonight.
00:00:57.39\00:00:58.72
Get your Bibles, get your pens,
00:00:58.75\00:01:00.29
invite your
family and your friends
00:01:00.32\00:01:02.42
to stay with us
for the next hour
00:01:02.46\00:01:03.89
as we continue with the topic,
00:01:03.93\00:01:05.83
"The truth
about life and death."
00:01:05.86\00:01:08.73
And very important topic
00:01:08.76\00:01:10.10
because so much is
taught about life and death
00:01:10.13\00:01:12.83
that's really just not true.
00:01:12.87\00:01:14.87
And here at A Sharper
Focus, we want to remain
00:01:14.90\00:01:17.64
on the cutting
edge of God's Word.
00:01:17.67\00:01:19.44
We don't want to guess,
00:01:19.47\00:01:21.08
we don't want the
media to form ideologies,
00:01:21.11\00:01:23.51
we don't want to be
molded by the society around us
00:01:23.55\00:01:26.31
or the media,
00:01:26.35\00:01:27.68
we want to know what
the Word of God says.
00:01:27.72\00:01:29.15
Amen?
00:01:29.18\00:01:30.52
So tonight, let's bow our heads
before we sing our theme song,
00:01:30.55\00:01:32.79
which is Victory in Jesus,
00:01:32.82\00:01:34.29
and we'll invite
the Lord to bless us
00:01:34.32\00:01:36.16
as we all study together.
00:01:36.19\00:01:37.93
Let's pray.
00:01:37.96\00:01:39.39
Our gracious Father in heaven,
00:01:39.43\00:01:40.76
a blessing comes to us
whenever we open the Word.
00:01:40.80\00:01:43.40
We come face to face
with that which is truth.
00:01:43.43\00:01:46.57
It may be written
on paper, parchment,
00:01:46.60\00:01:50.11
whatever the source,
it even may be digital,
00:01:50.14\00:01:52.94
but it is the living Word of God
00:01:52.97\00:01:55.38
breathed by the Holy Spirit,
00:01:55.41\00:01:57.48
inspired
through the lives of men
00:01:57.51\00:01:59.15
and those who
have walked with You,
00:01:59.18\00:02:00.85
and have been clearly commanded
00:02:00.88\00:02:04.02
and directed to
write and to speak to us
00:02:04.05\00:02:06.55
in these modern times.
00:02:06.59\00:02:07.92
And so, Lord, tonight as we deal
00:02:07.96\00:02:09.62
with a very
delicate but important topic,
00:02:09.66\00:02:12.39
be our teacher we ask,
00:02:12.43\00:02:14.03
in Jesus' name we pray, amen.
00:02:14.06\00:02:17.93
Now our theme song,
00:02:17.97\00:02:19.30
Victory in Jesus,
we all sing together.
00:02:19.33\00:02:21.00
So as the words will
not appear on your screen,
00:02:21.04\00:02:24.37
but you will hear us singing.
00:02:24.41\00:02:25.74
And if you know the song,
00:02:25.77\00:02:27.11
we invite you to join us
as we sing our theme song,
00:02:27.14\00:02:28.88
Victory in Jesus.
00:02:28.91\00:02:30.25
Okay, we'll sing it later on.
00:02:39.35\00:02:42.79
Yes, we have.
00:02:42.82\00:02:44.16
I heard an old, old story
00:02:49.46\00:02:53.07
How the Savior came from glory
00:02:53.10\00:02:56.71
How He gave His life on Calvary
00:02:56.74\00:03:00.51
To save a wretch like me
00:03:00.54\00:03:04.38
I heard about His groaning
00:03:04.41\00:03:08.15
Of His precious blood's atoning
00:03:08.18\00:03:12.02
Then I repented of my sins
00:03:12.05\00:03:15.82
And won the victory
00:03:15.86\00:03:19.49
Oh, victory in Jesus
00:03:19.53\00:03:23.23
My Savior forever
00:03:23.26\00:03:27.14
He sought me and bought me
00:03:27.17\00:03:30.87
With His redeeming blood
00:03:30.91\00:03:34.64
He loved me 'ere I knew Him
00:03:34.68\00:03:38.38
And all my love is due Him
00:03:38.41\00:03:42.18
He plunged me to victory
00:03:42.22\00:03:45.95
Beneath the cleansing flood
00:03:45.99\00:03:49.82
I heard about a mansion
00:03:49.86\00:03:53.50
He has built for me in glory
00:03:53.53\00:03:57.33
And I heard about
the streets of gold
00:03:57.37\00:04:01.00
Beyond the crystal sea
00:04:01.04\00:04:04.91
About the angels singing
00:04:04.94\00:04:08.58
And the old redemption story
00:04:08.61\00:04:12.45
And some sweet
day I'll sing up there
00:04:12.48\00:04:16.15
The song of victory
00:04:16.18\00:04:18.25
Key change.
00:04:18.29\00:04:20.09
Oh, victory in Jesus
00:04:20.12\00:04:23.76
My Savior forever
00:04:23.79\00:04:27.60
He sought me and bought me
00:04:27.63\00:04:31.30
With His redeeming blood
00:04:31.33\00:04:35.14
He loved me 'ere I knew Him
00:04:35.17\00:04:38.91
And all my love is due Him
00:04:38.94\00:04:42.61
He plunged me to victory
00:04:42.64\00:04:46.41
Beneath the cleansing flood
00:04:46.45\00:04:50.29
He plunged me to victory
00:04:50.32\00:04:53.99
Beneath the cleansing flood
00:04:54.02\00:05:00.50
Amen.
00:05:00.53\00:05:02.06
That's why that has
become our theme song.
00:05:02.10\00:05:03.87
You know, we travel
around, and my wife and I,
00:05:03.90\00:05:06.33
we've had people that say,
"Could you send us the words?"
00:05:06.37\00:05:09.27
So what we're going to do
00:05:09.30\00:05:10.64
is we're going to
upload the words to our website
00:05:10.67\00:05:13.71
where you can also
get a copy of the lesson.
00:05:13.74\00:05:16.01
And to get a copy of the lesson,
00:05:16.04\00:05:17.45
to follow us along,
it's go to asf.3abn.org.
00:05:17.48\00:05:22.92
Don't put www,
you won't find it.
00:05:22.95\00:05:25.75
And download lesson number 19,
the truth about life and death,
00:05:25.79\00:05:29.66
which is a part of a new series,
00:05:29.69\00:05:31.09
how to know the
truth about the truth.
00:05:31.13\00:05:33.16
And then on next week,
00:05:33.19\00:05:35.23
we'll upload the lesson
if we go to the next one,
00:05:35.26\00:05:39.17
and also the
lyrics for the song,
00:05:39.20\00:05:41.44
Victory in Jesus.
00:05:41.47\00:05:42.80
Now do you all have your Bibles?
00:05:42.84\00:05:44.97
And do you all have your pens?
00:05:45.01\00:05:46.81
Do you all have your lessons?
00:05:46.84\00:05:48.64
Are you ready to go? So join us.
00:05:48.68\00:05:50.91
Now let me dive into the topic,
00:05:50.95\00:05:52.71
this is the truth
about life and death,
00:05:52.75\00:05:55.48
very important topic.
00:05:55.52\00:05:57.39
And we covered
eight questions so far.
00:05:57.42\00:06:01.06
But I just want to
recap really quickly
00:06:01.09\00:06:02.72
about the truth
about life and death.
00:06:02.76\00:06:05.03
Now the reason why
this topic is so important
00:06:05.06\00:06:07.76
is because a misunderstanding
00:06:07.80\00:06:09.63
of this topic
lays the foundation
00:06:09.66\00:06:11.97
for spiritualism.
00:06:12.00\00:06:13.80
What word did I just use?
00:06:13.84\00:06:15.40
Spiritualism. Spiritualism.
00:06:15.44\00:06:17.21
Spiritualism is simply
when you add ism to a word,
00:06:17.24\00:06:22.78
it changes the
meaning of the word.
00:06:22.81\00:06:24.41
For example, to be
spiritual is a good thing,
00:06:24.45\00:06:26.78
but spiritualism.
00:06:26.82\00:06:29.02
See commune is a good
thing, but not communism.
00:06:29.05\00:06:32.89
See?
00:06:32.92\00:06:34.26
See when you add
ism, it changes the word.
00:06:34.29\00:06:38.26
It doesn't always
make it a bad word
00:06:38.29\00:06:40.80
like advent and Adventism,
00:06:40.83\00:06:42.83
simply meaning the beliefs
of the Adventist movement.
00:06:42.86\00:06:45.63
Communism, the system of...
00:06:45.67\00:06:47.54
A commune of people that have
a specific type of government.
00:06:47.57\00:06:51.91
But spiritual, when
you add spiritualism,
00:06:51.94\00:06:54.51
it gives it a
negative connotation.
00:06:54.54\00:06:56.08
In that, Satan introduced
to the key to spiritualism
00:06:56.11\00:06:59.91
in the Garden of Eden.
00:06:59.95\00:07:01.28
And I want you to go with me
00:07:01.32\00:07:02.65
to the Book of
Genesis 3 tonight.
00:07:02.68\00:07:04.02
I want you to see
what he introduced
00:07:04.05\00:07:05.55
because this has
become the foundation
00:07:05.59\00:07:07.29
for every lie told.
00:07:07.32\00:07:09.29
And excuse me for
using the word lie,
00:07:09.32\00:07:10.83
but I want to be clear.
00:07:10.86\00:07:12.36
It's not just another theory,
it's not just another thought.
00:07:12.39\00:07:15.86
Anything that diverts away
from the truth of God's Word
00:07:15.90\00:07:18.73
is a lie.
00:07:18.77\00:07:20.10
Ain't that right? It's
either true or it's false.
00:07:20.14\00:07:23.24
It's either somebody is
telling the truth in court
00:07:23.27\00:07:25.37
or they're telling a lie.
00:07:25.41\00:07:26.74
And we want the truth
and nothing but the truth.
00:07:26.78\00:07:29.01
Ain't that right?
00:07:29.04\00:07:30.38
So now we're going to Genesis 3,
00:07:30.41\00:07:32.28
and we're going to
look at something that...
00:07:32.31\00:07:36.08
I want to put this
in the proper context.
00:07:36.12\00:07:38.45
This is a satanic
exchange with humanity
00:07:38.49\00:07:45.03
because
according to the setting,
00:07:45.06\00:07:47.36
by this time,
Satan has been expelled,
00:07:47.40\00:07:50.50
expunged, evicted,
whatever you're going to call,
00:07:50.53\00:07:52.60
kicked out of
heaven because he rebelled
00:07:52.63\00:07:54.50
against the government of God.
00:07:54.54\00:07:56.37
And now he's in
the Garden of Eden.
00:07:56.40\00:07:58.11
And what I want to keep in mind
is that he couldn't go to Eve.
00:07:58.14\00:08:01.84
The Lord does not allow,
and this is really important.
00:08:01.88\00:08:04.15
The Lord does not allow
sin to pursue us generally.
00:08:04.18\00:08:08.45
In most cases, you have people
that may come and tempt you,
00:08:08.48\00:08:12.59
and so this is not
just a blanket statement,
00:08:12.62\00:08:14.82
but in many cases the reason
00:08:14.86\00:08:16.62
why people often find
themselves in temptation
00:08:16.66\00:08:18.73
is they go to
where the temptation is.
00:08:18.76\00:08:21.26
That's often the case
00:08:21.30\00:08:22.63
where they expose
themselves to the temptation.
00:08:22.66\00:08:25.43
In this case,
that was the scenario.
00:08:25.47\00:08:29.04
The Lord warned Eve not to go
00:08:29.07\00:08:31.17
to the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil.
00:08:31.21\00:08:33.11
He said, "In the day,
00:08:33.14\00:08:34.71
you eat of it,
you will surely..."
00:08:34.74\00:08:36.54
What's the next word?
"You will surely die."
00:08:36.58\00:08:38.81
I mean, you're going to die.
00:08:38.85\00:08:40.62
Now He didn't say,
"You're going to die that day."
00:08:40.65\00:08:42.92
But He said,
"You're going to die."
00:08:42.95\00:08:44.29
He said, "That day death
will come into the picture."
00:08:44.32\00:08:47.69
And what many
people think is that
00:08:47.72\00:08:49.22
because he didn't die that
day, then it really wasn't true.
00:08:49.26\00:08:52.29
But He said, "You
are going to die."
00:08:52.33\00:08:54.20
And so I mentioned
this last week, each of us,
00:08:54.23\00:08:57.47
when we are born,
00:08:57.50\00:08:58.83
you know, we start as an infant,
00:08:58.87\00:09:00.44
we grow up, young child, we
get to an apex in our lives,
00:09:00.47\00:09:03.77
and then we start
going down the other side,
00:09:03.81\00:09:06.31
we begin to die.
00:09:06.34\00:09:07.88
It's a sad truth.
00:09:07.91\00:09:09.41
And at the end of this sliding
board called the other side,
00:09:09.44\00:09:12.11
there's a 6 foot hole,
00:09:12.15\00:09:13.68
and we all slide
into it eventually
00:09:13.72\00:09:15.42
if the Lord
doesn't come before then.
00:09:15.45\00:09:17.35
I'm hoping that He will come
before I slide into the hole.
00:09:17.39\00:09:20.76
That's just my personal desire.
00:09:20.79\00:09:22.12
My wife and I
share that together.
00:09:22.16\00:09:23.49
But look at the conversation.
00:09:23.53\00:09:25.03
I want you to see
it very, very clear,
00:09:25.06\00:09:26.70
and see what happened.
00:09:26.73\00:09:29.16
And...
00:09:29.20\00:09:30.53
Say it again,
what does she calls it?
00:09:30.57\00:09:33.20
The first sermon on...
00:09:33.23\00:09:35.10
The first sermon ever
preached to a human being
00:09:35.14\00:09:38.07
from about the
immortality of the soul.
00:09:38.11\00:09:41.38
Now really the first sermon
00:09:41.41\00:09:42.81
was when the Lord gave
Adam and Eve instruction.
00:09:42.84\00:09:45.91
But this is the first
lying sermon ever told, okay?
00:09:45.95\00:09:49.55
Let's look at Genesis 3:1.
I want you to see this unfold.
00:09:49.58\00:09:53.39
It says, "Now the
serpent was more cunning,"
00:09:53.42\00:09:55.79
or if you have the
King James Version,
00:09:55.82\00:09:57.39
"more subtle than
any beast of the field
00:09:57.43\00:10:00.40
which the Lord God had made.
00:10:00.43\00:10:02.76
And he said to the
woman, 'Has God indeed said,"
00:10:02.80\00:10:07.40
or "ye have God said,
00:10:07.44\00:10:09.44
'You shall not eat of
every tree of the garden?'"
00:10:09.47\00:10:12.27
First thing he
did was make it appear
00:10:12.31\00:10:13.98
as though God wasn't
letting her do anything.
00:10:14.01\00:10:17.58
He said, "Every tree."
00:10:17.61\00:10:19.35
You see, what happens
00:10:19.38\00:10:20.72
is one of the
principles of temptation
00:10:20.75\00:10:23.12
is a person makes it broad.
00:10:23.15\00:10:24.55
Can you do anything?
00:10:24.59\00:10:25.92
Does your mother
want you to do anything?
00:10:25.95\00:10:28.59
Well, no,
there's a lot of things.
00:10:28.62\00:10:29.96
So why are you letting
me stop you to do this?
00:10:29.99\00:10:31.86
See they generally,
00:10:31.89\00:10:33.23
"Can you do anything
after 6 o'clock in the evening?
00:10:33.26\00:10:35.46
Can you watch
anything on television?
00:10:35.50\00:10:37.27
Can you eat anything
other than veggie meat?"
00:10:37.30\00:10:40.00
You see, they broaden it
00:10:40.04\00:10:41.37
before they get
you to narrow it down
00:10:41.40\00:10:42.77
to the real issue at hand.
00:10:42.80\00:10:44.14
Be careful when
somebody comes at you
00:10:44.17\00:10:46.41
and when you've
been told what not to do,
00:10:46.44\00:10:48.08
and they say,
"Can't you do anything?"
00:10:48.11\00:10:50.38
It's what Satan had done.
00:10:50.41\00:10:51.75
Can you eat of any tree,
every tree of the garden?
00:10:51.78\00:10:54.75
"And the woman
said to the serpent,
00:10:54.78\00:10:56.38
'We may eat of the fruit
of the tree of the garden.'"
00:10:56.42\00:10:58.72
Yes, we may.
00:10:58.75\00:11:00.26
"But of the fruit of the tree
00:11:00.29\00:11:01.62
which is in the
midst of the garden,
00:11:01.66\00:11:03.16
God has said, 'You
shall not eat of it,
00:11:03.19\00:11:05.66
nor shall you
touch it, lest you..."
00:11:05.69\00:11:07.10
What? "Die.'"
00:11:07.13\00:11:10.17
So she knew the dangers.
00:11:10.20\00:11:12.87
But I want to make a point here
00:11:12.90\00:11:14.24
before I go to
the very next verse.
00:11:14.27\00:11:16.07
She wouldn't have
had this conversation
00:11:16.10\00:11:17.64
had she not gone
00:11:17.67\00:11:19.01
where God told
her not to go, right?
00:11:19.04\00:11:22.04
If you don't go to the bar,
00:11:22.08\00:11:24.91
you're not
going to have somebody
00:11:24.95\00:11:26.28
there trying to
convince you to get a drink.
00:11:26.31\00:11:29.02
Because chances are,
00:11:29.05\00:11:30.39
then I can be
banging your door down,
00:11:30.42\00:11:31.92
"Hey, I got a drink for
you, open the door," right?
00:11:31.95\00:11:35.42
So what happens is be
careful not to go places
00:11:35.46\00:11:37.56
where temptation is
greater than it could have been.
00:11:37.59\00:11:40.90
Now look at verse 4.
00:11:40.93\00:11:42.26
"And the serpent
said to the woman,
00:11:42.30\00:11:45.50
'You will not surely..."
00:11:45.53\00:11:47.54
What? "Die.'"
00:11:47.57\00:11:49.54
Now when you compare
that with what God said,
00:11:49.57\00:11:52.04
God said to the
woman, "Yeah, you will die."
00:11:52.07\00:11:54.41
And he said, "You will not die."
00:11:54.44\00:11:56.81
So now let me
ask you the question,
00:11:56.85\00:11:58.45
who do we
believe, God or the devil?
00:11:58.48\00:12:00.48
Right.
00:12:00.52\00:12:01.85
Clearly, the
answer is we believe God,
00:12:01.88\00:12:03.92
but what I want you to get here
is the reason why people today,
00:12:03.95\00:12:07.79
and I've said this in
some other prior programs,
00:12:07.82\00:12:09.66
the reason why people today
00:12:09.69\00:12:11.06
won't spend the
night in the cemetery
00:12:11.09\00:12:15.46
is because they
don't really believe
00:12:15.50\00:12:17.40
that everybody in there is dead.
00:12:17.43\00:12:20.84
So somehow this
lie has permeated
00:12:20.87\00:12:24.24
the minds of
even some Christians.
00:12:24.27\00:12:25.94
I had a guy at our church,
one of our other churches,
00:12:25.97\00:12:28.34
I won't tell where,
but he was from a country
00:12:28.38\00:12:31.11
where they
believe in a lot of voodoo
00:12:31.15\00:12:33.31
and all the spiritualism.
00:12:33.35\00:12:35.08
This pervades many countries.
00:12:35.12\00:12:37.35
But he became an
Adventist Christian,
00:12:37.39\00:12:39.09
he believed that you die.
00:12:39.12\00:12:40.72
But I said, "Okay, if
you really believe that,
00:12:40.76\00:12:42.62
spend the night
in the cemetery."
00:12:42.66\00:12:43.99
He said, "Not me.
There will be no way."
00:12:44.03\00:12:46.83
You know what I say,
00:12:46.86\00:12:48.20
"That's the safest
place in your community."
00:12:48.23\00:12:50.63
Because no...
00:12:50.67\00:12:52.00
You could put your wallet down
on the gravestone next to you,
00:12:52.03\00:12:55.84
you can put your cell phone
on this gravestone to the left,
00:12:55.87\00:12:58.31
wake up in the
morning and it will be there
00:12:58.34\00:13:03.14
because you'll find out why.
00:13:03.18\00:13:05.31
But here's the point.
00:13:05.35\00:13:07.05
He said, "You
will not surely die."
00:13:07.08\00:13:09.22
So let's break that down
the way that Hebrews said.
00:13:09.25\00:13:12.12
The Hebrews actually,
00:13:12.15\00:13:13.49
in the way that
Hebrew is saying is,
00:13:13.52\00:13:15.09
"I am sure you will not die."
00:13:15.12\00:13:17.79
Or you will
die, but not surely."
00:13:17.83\00:13:22.96
So in the Hebrew here,
00:13:23.00\00:13:24.33
Satan is saying in the way
that the Hebrew says it is,
00:13:24.37\00:13:27.00
"I am sure you will not die."
00:13:27.04\00:13:30.61
So what happens?
00:13:30.64\00:13:31.97
That gets a person to try drugs
00:13:32.01\00:13:33.34
or anything that
could cause them death
00:13:33.38\00:13:35.51
is because your friend says,
00:13:35.54\00:13:36.95
"Do you think you're
going to die in the first puff?
00:13:36.98\00:13:39.18
I mean really?"
00:13:39.21\00:13:41.18
You think you're going
to die from the first drink?
00:13:41.22\00:13:43.85
You think you're going to die
00:13:43.89\00:13:45.22
from the first trying
of a particular toxic drug.
00:13:45.25\00:13:49.79
But he said, "You
will not surely die."
00:13:49.82\00:13:51.26
So the reason why so
many programs now days
00:13:51.29\00:13:53.76
on television...
00:13:53.80\00:13:55.96
And movie producers can
make you believe anything
00:13:56.00\00:13:58.00
if you believe what
they say or what the Bible,
00:13:58.03\00:14:00.47
they can make it look
like the lights are flying
00:14:00.50\00:14:02.40
toward the sky,
and people will say,
00:14:02.44\00:14:04.27
"Oh, the souls are
going up to heaven."
00:14:04.31\00:14:07.14
They can make it look like,
00:14:07.18\00:14:08.51
you're talking to
your dead loved ones.
00:14:08.54\00:14:10.35
And I'll tell you what actually
is behind that in a moment.
00:14:10.38\00:14:14.02
But here's the reason why
00:14:14.05\00:14:15.38
we have to
understand something here,
00:14:15.42\00:14:16.99
is when God told Adam and
Eve that death would come...
00:14:17.02\00:14:22.49
Let me ask you the question.
00:14:22.52\00:14:24.13
Has death come
upon our soul, right?
00:14:24.16\00:14:28.06
Is death a problem in society?
00:14:28.10\00:14:32.50
Okay, let's go to Romans 6:23.
00:14:32.53\00:14:35.37
Let's just see
what happened here.
00:14:35.40\00:14:37.11
Romans 6:23,
00:14:37.14\00:14:38.67
and then we're going to
dive into question number one,
00:14:38.71\00:14:40.28
this is just a
little bit of foundation.
00:14:40.31\00:14:43.01
Okay.
00:14:43.04\00:14:44.38
Okay.
00:14:48.12\00:14:50.05
And Romans 6:23, we
all know it by heart.
00:14:50.09\00:14:56.76
Paul said, well, "For
the wages of sin is..."
00:14:56.79\00:14:59.39
What?
00:14:59.43\00:15:00.76
"Death, but the gift of God
00:15:00.80\00:15:02.13
is eternal life in
Christ Jesus, our Lord."
00:15:02.16\00:15:06.33
Now the reason I
delved to this verse is
00:15:06.37\00:15:08.17
because what I want to
get is a very important point.
00:15:08.20\00:15:10.77
If we really
believe that dead are dead,
00:15:10.81\00:15:12.97
then the dead don't have
continued life after they die.
00:15:13.01\00:15:18.28
So either they die or
they have eternal life.
00:15:18.31\00:15:22.78
We will all have
eternal life those of us
00:15:22.82\00:15:25.12
who believe in the Lord,
00:15:25.15\00:15:26.59
that promise
has been made to us,
00:15:26.62\00:15:28.66
but eternal life does not
begin at the time of death,
00:15:28.69\00:15:31.23
it begins when Jesus returns,
00:15:31.26\00:15:33.29
that's when we
put on immortality.
00:15:33.33\00:15:35.33
We talked about that last week.
00:15:35.36\00:15:37.07
So tonight, the reason why
I've delve into this one is
00:15:37.10\00:15:39.37
because question number nine,
"Where we're going to go next?"
00:15:39.40\00:15:42.90
is so important to understanding
00:15:42.94\00:15:45.07
that nothing survives death.
00:15:45.11\00:15:47.81
You've heard the
arguments, people say spirit,
00:15:47.84\00:15:50.38
some say soul, some
come to the conclusion
00:15:50.41\00:15:53.38
that there is
something about a person
00:15:53.42\00:15:55.62
that just survives,
00:15:55.65\00:15:57.22
and in as far as
television is concerned,
00:15:57.25\00:15:59.72
and many movie
producers, and many books,
00:15:59.75\00:16:02.52
and even many preachers claiming
00:16:02.56\00:16:04.79
to believe the Bible,
00:16:04.83\00:16:06.53
they say, "Well,
they're in heaven now
00:16:06.56\00:16:08.03
or they're looking down
00:16:08.06\00:16:09.40
or your mother is your angel now
00:16:09.43\00:16:11.37
or your daughter is
your new guardian angel."
00:16:11.40\00:16:14.27
They have bought into this lie.
00:16:14.30\00:16:16.24
And one of the reasons
why I say this next statement
00:16:16.27\00:16:18.64
is because here at 3ABN,
00:16:18.67\00:16:20.58
we are committed to
telling nothing but the truth.
00:16:20.61\00:16:25.05
I could tell you
some more after that,
00:16:25.08\00:16:26.65
but let me go to
question over nine.
00:16:26.68\00:16:29.05
I don't want to be too...
00:16:29.08\00:16:31.12
I want to tell you
too much too quickly.
00:16:31.15\00:16:32.95
But look at
question number nine,
00:16:32.99\00:16:34.32
it's where we're
starting tonight, all right?
00:16:34.36\00:16:37.43
How else do we know
that man does not possess
00:16:37.46\00:16:42.26
an immortal soul?
00:16:42.30\00:16:44.60
Let's go to Ezekiel 18:4.
00:16:44.63\00:16:48.40
Ezekiel 18:4, all right?
00:16:48.44\00:16:53.94
And as many of
you already there.
00:16:53.98\00:16:57.71
Okay, we're
going to look at a text
00:16:57.75\00:17:00.65
that makes it very clear.
00:17:00.68\00:17:04.49
Okay, here I am.
00:17:04.52\00:17:08.52
Okay, I am there now.
00:17:08.56\00:17:10.29
Okay.
00:17:13.86\00:17:15.46
Are you ready?
00:17:20.77\00:17:22.24
And the Bible says...
00:17:22.27\00:17:23.64
Clearly, let's
read this together,
00:17:23.67\00:17:25.01
it's on the screen.
00:17:25.04\00:17:26.44
"Behold..." How many souls?
00:17:26.47\00:17:28.84
"All souls are Mine,
the soul of the father
00:17:28.88\00:17:33.31
as well as the
soul of the son is Mine,
00:17:33.35\00:17:36.25
the soul who sin shall..."
00:17:36.28\00:17:38.05
What? "Die."
00:17:38.09\00:17:39.42
Or the soul that sinneth as
the King James Version says,
00:17:39.45\00:17:42.09
you know, right
away it's in my head,
00:17:42.12\00:17:43.46
I could quote it
right off the bat,
00:17:43.49\00:17:45.33
I'm still getting used to
the New King James Version
00:17:45.36\00:17:47.06
after many years of using it.
00:17:47.10\00:17:48.53
But the soul that
sins, it shall die.
00:17:48.56\00:17:52.40
So then here's the question
00:17:52.43\00:17:53.77
that naturally is already
been answered, Can a soul die?
00:17:53.80\00:17:57.41
Okay, now let's go to Genesis 2,
00:17:57.44\00:17:59.24
just a peek back
to see something,
00:17:59.27\00:18:01.04
because the word soul,
00:18:01.08\00:18:02.54
one of the failures
of the English language,
00:18:02.58\00:18:05.81
is that we can't give
the proper qualification
00:18:05.85\00:18:09.75
to the word soul.
00:18:09.78\00:18:11.15
It has a singular
word in the Greek,
00:18:11.19\00:18:12.99
but it means so
many different things.
00:18:13.02\00:18:15.16
And what I'm going to do
00:18:15.19\00:18:16.52
is give you a couple
of examples in the Bible
00:18:16.56\00:18:18.36
where you find
the word soul used
00:18:18.39\00:18:20.10
in many particulars.
00:18:20.13\00:18:22.26
The word soul used
in many particulars.
00:18:22.30\00:18:24.50
Okay, let's go to Genesis
2:7. Is that where we're going?
00:18:24.53\00:18:28.94
Genesis 2:7.
00:18:28.97\00:18:32.97
And the Bible
says in Genesis 2:7,
00:18:33.01\00:18:39.35
"And the Lord God formed
man of the dust of the ground,
00:18:39.38\00:18:44.79
and He breathed
into his nostrils
00:18:44.82\00:18:46.86
the breath of life,
and man became a living..."
00:18:46.89\00:18:49.86
What's the next
word? "Living soul."
00:18:49.89\00:18:52.03
Now the reason I
didn't say what translation
00:18:52.06\00:18:53.90
because I want to create a
little bit of confusion here.
00:18:53.93\00:18:56.00
We had some people saying being,
00:18:56.03\00:18:57.87
we had some people saying soul,
00:18:57.90\00:18:59.73
you know what
they were all saying?
00:18:59.77\00:19:01.10
The same thing.
00:19:01.14\00:19:03.51
Because the word in the
Hebrew is the word nefesh.
00:19:03.54\00:19:08.61
Say that with me, nefesh.
00:19:08.64\00:19:11.65
But now what you'll get here is,
00:19:11.68\00:19:14.75
you're going to
see this word soul
00:19:14.78\00:19:16.28
in various
contexts in the Bible.
00:19:16.32\00:19:19.69
The word is nefesh, but
it's also the word neshama,
00:19:19.72\00:19:24.83
it's also the word ruach.
00:19:24.86\00:19:29.10
And so depending on the context,
00:19:29.13\00:19:32.20
it can either
mean a living being,
00:19:32.23\00:19:34.64
it can mean a person's desire,
it can mean a person's passion,
00:19:34.67\00:19:39.47
it could mean vitality, it
can mean a number of things.
00:19:39.51\00:19:42.24
So...
00:19:42.28\00:19:43.61
But you have to put
the context together.
00:19:43.65\00:19:44.98
And in this particular
context, it means the breath
00:19:45.01\00:19:47.58
that God put into man's nostrils
00:19:47.62\00:19:51.05
is the word neshama,
say that with me, neshama.
00:19:51.09\00:19:55.49
That's a Hebrew word.
00:19:55.52\00:19:56.86
It means not just breath,
00:19:56.89\00:19:58.46
like it comes
from a human being,
00:19:58.49\00:20:00.16
but it means a
breath of vitality.
00:20:00.20\00:20:02.66
When you think of vitality,
the word there is life,
00:20:02.70\00:20:05.77
the breath of life.
00:20:05.80\00:20:07.14
What God put into man's nostrils
00:20:07.17\00:20:08.54
the breath of life was
what brought man to life.
00:20:08.57\00:20:11.31
And in other
words, that's that spot,
00:20:11.34\00:20:12.67
that that divine property
that none of us possess,
00:20:12.71\00:20:16.31
the ability to
give somebody life.
00:20:16.34\00:20:18.38
So, and so...
00:20:18.41\00:20:19.75
Huh? Say it again.
00:20:19.78\00:20:21.12
It's not CPR, that's
right, we can't do it.
00:20:21.15\00:20:23.42
You may be a great physician
00:20:23.45\00:20:25.22
or a person who's got a
certificate in the class,
00:20:25.25\00:20:28.22
but you will never be
able to give somebody life
00:20:28.26\00:20:30.26
after they've been
declared dead, all right?
00:20:30.29\00:20:33.80
But let's look at
a couple of examples.
00:20:33.83\00:20:35.46
Go with me to the
Book of Genesis 34.
00:20:35.50\00:20:40.77
Genesis 34, I want to
show you a couple of examples.
00:20:40.80\00:20:44.57
I'm going to go to my
trusted Bible here on my iPad.
00:20:44.61\00:20:49.38
Yes, I have a Bible on my iPad.
00:20:49.41\00:20:52.58
Okay, we're going to
go and look that word up.
00:20:52.61\00:20:55.62
Where did I say
to go? Genesis 34.
00:20:55.65\00:21:00.49
And I'm going to
do some comparisons
00:21:00.52\00:21:01.86
because I have in
front of me the King James
00:21:01.89\00:21:03.22
and the New King James Version,
00:21:03.26\00:21:04.73
and I'm going to read
it in both contexts, okay?
00:21:04.76\00:21:07.33
Now in the King James Version...
00:21:07.36\00:21:08.90
Let's read verse 3
00:21:14.94\00:21:17.77
of Genesis 34.
00:21:17.81\00:21:22.44
I think one of the reasons
why the King James Version
00:21:22.48\00:21:25.15
has been not
necessarily replaced
00:21:25.18\00:21:27.32
but the New King
James Version has been added
00:21:27.35\00:21:29.05
because we don't
necessarily talk this way today.
00:21:29.08\00:21:32.02
In the King
James Version, it says,
00:21:32.05\00:21:33.46
"And his soul clave unto
Dinah the daughter of Jacob,
00:21:33.49\00:21:37.76
and he loved the damsel,
00:21:37.79\00:21:39.93
and spake kindly
unto the damsel."
00:21:39.96\00:21:43.20
All right, now in the New
King James Version, it says,
00:21:43.23\00:21:46.37
"His soul was strongly attracted
00:21:46.40\00:21:49.94
to Dinah the daughter of Jacob,
and he loved the young woman
00:21:49.97\00:21:52.87
and spoke kindly
to the young woman."
00:21:52.91\00:21:56.78
Now the word there soul
in the King James Version
00:21:56.81\00:22:00.52
is or in the Hebrew
is the same word nefesh,
00:22:00.55\00:22:04.35
but in this
context it means his heart.
00:22:04.39\00:22:10.19
Come on, say that
word with me, his heart.
00:22:10.23\00:22:13.19
You know, when you get
an emotional feeling...
00:22:13.23\00:22:16.33
And I know I was a young man.
00:22:16.36\00:22:18.60
When I first saw my wife,
00:22:18.63\00:22:21.37
now this still
happens periodically.
00:22:21.40\00:22:22.80
I don't want to make
it appear like it dies.
00:22:22.84\00:22:24.57
So even now, then I stand back
00:22:24.61\00:22:25.94
and see how much
God has blessed me.
00:22:25.97\00:22:28.11
But I remember seeing
her for the first time
00:22:28.14\00:22:30.41
when I, as a teenager,
we went to the same church,
00:22:30.45\00:22:33.31
we grew up in the
same church together,
00:22:33.35\00:22:34.68
but I think when
I hit 16 one day,
00:22:34.72\00:22:37.02
as she and her
sister came into church
00:22:37.05\00:22:38.49
after the service had
started just recently,
00:22:38.52\00:22:41.22
they stood in the back.
00:22:41.26\00:22:42.59
And it was in those days
when girls wore long gowns,
00:22:42.62\00:22:45.03
and they looked
like two princesses.
00:22:45.06\00:22:48.00
And I looked at her
from a few aisles away
00:22:48.03\00:22:49.86
and I thought, huh!
00:22:49.90\00:22:52.93
Wow!
00:22:52.97\00:22:54.44
I better not even
try to talk to her
00:22:54.47\00:22:56.57
'cause I am surely
not going to get anywhere.
00:22:56.60\00:22:58.87
There's no way
anybody that pretty is going
00:22:58.91\00:23:00.54
to pay any attention to me.
00:23:00.58\00:23:02.04
So I never even made an attempt.
00:23:02.08\00:23:03.61
At that time, I just
looked at her from a distance,
00:23:03.65\00:23:05.65
so I understand what
it means when it says,
00:23:05.68\00:23:08.65
"His soul was
strongly attracted to Dinah,
00:23:08.68\00:23:11.05
the daughter of Jacob,
00:23:11.09\00:23:12.42
he loved the young woman
and spoke kindly to her."
00:23:12.45\00:23:14.89
And there the
word soul means heart.
00:23:14.92\00:23:18.29
It means what? Heart.
I'm giving some examples.
00:23:18.33\00:23:20.93
Now let's go, one more example.
00:23:20.96\00:23:23.30
Let's go to the Book
of Leviticus Chapter 6,
00:23:23.33\00:23:27.54
Leviticus Chapter 6.
00:23:27.57\00:23:30.47
And this is an
exercise to help us see that,
00:23:30.51\00:23:34.84
you know, when the Bible speaks,
00:23:34.88\00:23:37.91
the English
language is a new language,
00:23:37.95\00:23:40.82
it's not nearly
as old as Hebrew,
00:23:40.85\00:23:42.92
surely not nearly as
old as Greek and Aramaic,
00:23:42.95\00:23:45.85
these ancient languages.
00:23:45.89\00:23:47.36
But Leviticus 6:2, all right?
00:23:47.39\00:23:51.03
Let me go there in my, my...
00:23:51.06\00:23:54.06
Okay, here we are,
Leviticus 6:2, okay?
00:23:54.10\00:23:59.83
Now I'm going to read it
from the King James first,
00:23:59.87\00:24:01.84
then I'm going to read
it in the New King James.
00:24:01.87\00:24:03.84
It says, "If a soul
sin, and commit a trespass
00:24:03.87\00:24:08.28
against the Lord,
00:24:08.31\00:24:09.64
and lie unto
his neighbor in that
00:24:09.68\00:24:11.98
which was delivered him
to keep, or in fellowship,
00:24:12.01\00:24:16.08
or in a thing
taken away by violence,
00:24:16.12\00:24:18.35
or hath deceived his neighbor."
00:24:18.39\00:24:21.02
Now let me read the same passage
00:24:21.06\00:24:22.39
in the New King James Version.
00:24:22.42\00:24:25.09
In the King James
says, "If a soul sin,"
00:24:25.13\00:24:27.63
and the New King
James says, "If a..."
00:24:27.66\00:24:29.40
What? Next word."
If a person sins."
00:24:29.43\00:24:33.30
So there it doesn't
mean heart, it means what?
00:24:33.34\00:24:35.87
Person.
00:24:35.90\00:24:37.24
So you have first of all,
living being, heart, person,
00:24:37.27\00:24:42.88
vitality, it also means
desire, it also means desire.
00:24:42.91\00:24:49.48
And so when you go
through all the meanings
00:24:49.52\00:24:51.29
for the word nefesh,
you'll find it's just abundant,
00:24:51.32\00:24:55.06
you have to look at the context.
00:24:55.09\00:24:56.96
And so when the Bible says,
"Man became a living soul."
00:24:56.99\00:25:00.53
That means body,
that's the dust of the ground,
00:25:00.56\00:25:03.90
plus the vital breath
of life which is from God,
00:25:03.93\00:25:07.20
when that was
combined, man became.
00:25:07.24\00:25:09.90
What word did I
just say? Became.
00:25:09.94\00:25:11.31
Say that word, became.
00:25:11.34\00:25:13.11
That means he
didn't have a living soul,
00:25:13.14\00:25:15.74
he became a living soul.
00:25:15.78\00:25:17.91
So get this now.
Here's a picture of the soul.
00:25:17.95\00:25:20.32
When the man
dies, what separate?
00:25:20.35\00:25:24.65
He no longer has
the breath of life.
00:25:24.69\00:25:26.65
He's just a body. And
what happens to that body?
00:25:26.69\00:25:30.09
It goes back, it decays.
00:25:30.13\00:25:32.19
And we found out
last week where this goes
00:25:32.23\00:25:34.56
because this is
the breath of life.
00:25:34.60\00:25:37.43
And the breath of life
that came from the Lord
00:25:37.47\00:25:39.93
goes back to the Lord,
that means He still owns,
00:25:39.97\00:25:43.04
He still possesses
the breath of life.
00:25:43.07\00:25:44.94
That's why when He returns,
00:25:44.97\00:25:46.71
He's going to call
us forth from the grave.
00:25:46.74\00:25:49.34
He's going to be the
one that gives us the power
00:25:49.38\00:25:51.45
to be resurrected, all right?
00:25:51.48\00:25:54.25
Okay, I think that was
clear. Any questions anyone has?
00:25:54.28\00:25:57.15
I want to open it up,
so you could ask questions.
00:25:57.19\00:25:58.52
Any questions, anyone has?
00:25:58.55\00:26:00.12
All right,
let's go to number 10.
00:26:00.16\00:26:02.06
Let's go to number 10.
00:26:02.09\00:26:03.43
Now we're going to
dive right into this.
00:26:03.46\00:26:05.29
So the answer is,
"Behold, all souls are Mine,
00:26:05.33\00:26:08.83
so the soul who sin shall die."
00:26:08.86\00:26:12.00
Can...
00:26:12.03\00:26:13.37
Does a soul have...?
00:26:13.40\00:26:15.70
Can a soul die? Yes or no? Yes.
00:26:15.74\00:26:17.81
Okay, so how else do we know
00:26:17.84\00:26:19.47
that a man does not
possess an immortal soul?
00:26:19.51\00:26:21.18
Because souls die. Souls die.
00:26:21.21\00:26:25.11
Okay, here we go,
question number 10.
00:26:25.15\00:26:28.15
Okay, "When a person dies,
00:26:28.18\00:26:30.19
do they continue to
live somewhere else?"
00:26:30.22\00:26:34.02
Do they move
00:26:34.06\00:26:35.42
from the United States
to Australia or to England?
00:26:35.46\00:26:42.40
Do they show up in a
different neighborhood?
00:26:42.43\00:26:44.70
Do they go to heaven right away?
00:26:44.73\00:26:47.64
Do they go to hell right away?
00:26:47.67\00:26:52.97
Where do they go?
00:26:53.01\00:26:55.24
I've never been to a
funeral where a pastor said,
00:26:55.28\00:26:58.28
"They're down there now."
00:26:58.31\00:27:02.08
They have somehow
assigned everyone to heaven.
00:27:02.12\00:27:06.15
No matter how bad
they are, they all go.
00:27:06.19\00:27:09.19
Let's see what the Bible says.
00:27:09.22\00:27:10.66
Ecclesiastes,
00:27:10.69\00:27:13.13
Ecclesiastes 9:5-6,
00:27:13.16\00:27:19.13
Ecclesiastes 9:5-6,
00:27:19.17\00:27:25.67
all right?
00:27:25.71\00:27:27.58
Wow, really wonderful passage.
00:27:27.61\00:27:29.98
It takes away all the confusion.
00:27:30.01\00:27:32.31
Now I want us to
read this together,
00:27:32.35\00:27:33.68
and it's going
to be on the screen.
00:27:33.72\00:27:35.05
Let's look at this together,
00:27:35.08\00:27:36.42
and then we'll stop
and pause along the way.
00:27:36.45\00:27:39.39
"For the living..."
00:27:39.42\00:27:40.99
What's the next word?
00:27:41.02\00:27:42.36
"Know that they will
die, but the dead know..."
00:27:42.39\00:27:47.03
How much?
00:27:47.06\00:27:48.40
"Nothing, and they
have no more reward,
00:27:48.43\00:27:51.87
for the memory of them is..."
00:27:51.90\00:27:53.64
What? "Forgotten."
00:27:53.67\00:27:55.50
Now, I want to go ahead
00:27:55.54\00:27:56.87
and add some other
components to that.
00:27:56.91\00:27:58.97
The living know
that they shall die,
00:27:59.01\00:28:00.64
but the dead know not anything.
00:28:00.68\00:28:03.01
I want to go out and
hit through verse 6 here.
00:28:03.04\00:28:05.58
Verse 6 says, "Also their love,"
00:28:05.61\00:28:10.35
on the screen, "their
hatred, their envy have now..."
00:28:10.39\00:28:14.56
What?
00:28:14.59\00:28:15.92
Perished, nevermore
will they have a share
00:28:15.96\00:28:18.56
in anything done under the sun."
00:28:18.59\00:28:21.26
Okay, now here's the
key, this is very important.
00:28:21.30\00:28:22.63
And this is of...
00:28:22.66\00:28:24.00
Actually one of,
there's the gentlemen
00:28:24.03\00:28:25.90
that was at one of
our evangelistic series
00:28:25.93\00:28:27.97
in Vallejo, California.
00:28:28.00\00:28:29.80
And for years, he had
believe that people die
00:28:29.84\00:28:32.07
and continue to live.
00:28:32.11\00:28:33.68
And in a very sad way,
00:28:33.71\00:28:35.04
he thought that his friend
was in hell being tormented.
00:28:35.08\00:28:37.61
And that evening
after he learned this truth
00:28:37.65\00:28:39.61
about what the Bible teaches,
00:28:39.65\00:28:41.32
he came up to us
with tears in his eyes,
00:28:41.35\00:28:43.18
we say, "What happened?"
00:28:43.22\00:28:44.55
He says, "For the first time,
00:28:44.59\00:28:46.19
I could actually
go to bed at night
00:28:46.22\00:28:48.52
and not feel bad for my friend.
00:28:48.56\00:28:50.89
I thought all these years
00:28:50.93\00:28:52.26
he was in hell
burning and being tormented."
00:28:52.29\00:28:55.40
He said, "You don't know
00:28:55.43\00:28:56.77
how much of a burden
has been lifted from me."
00:28:56.80\00:29:00.30
And that's why this text says,
"Also their love and their...
00:29:00.34\00:29:03.74
What? "Hatred."
00:29:03.77\00:29:05.11
So if somebody loves you,
00:29:05.14\00:29:06.47
they don't go on
loving you after that.
00:29:06.51\00:29:08.98
If somebody hates you,
00:29:09.01\00:29:10.35
they don't go on
hating you after that.
00:29:10.38\00:29:12.88
Every human emotion,
00:29:12.91\00:29:14.32
every human
characteristic ceases to exist
00:29:14.35\00:29:18.39
at the time of their death.
00:29:18.42\00:29:20.72
Their hatred, their love,
their envy have now perished.
00:29:20.76\00:29:24.93
And if you go back to
the verse right before this,
00:29:24.96\00:29:28.36
it also says, "For
the memory of them."
00:29:28.40\00:29:30.17
I want to just go
back here for our audience,
00:29:30.20\00:29:31.83
"For the memory of
them is forgotten."
00:29:31.87\00:29:34.24
Now, let me ask you this, right?
00:29:34.27\00:29:35.60
Do you forget your loved ones?
00:29:35.64\00:29:36.97
Have anybody here
forgotten loved one?
00:29:37.01\00:29:38.77
No, you know what it
is saying, their memory,
00:29:38.81\00:29:41.84
for the memory of
them, their memory,
00:29:41.88\00:29:45.58
they're not sitting on thinking,
00:29:45.61\00:29:46.95
"I wonder, I
wonder how Dan is doing?
00:29:46.98\00:29:50.89
I wonder if he got
that car he wanted."
00:29:50.92\00:29:53.29
They're not down
in the grave thinking,
00:29:53.32\00:29:55.26
they're not wondering
how long is it going to be.
00:29:55.29\00:29:58.23
Matter of fact,
the reason why it says,
00:29:58.26\00:29:59.59
the memory of them is forgotten,
00:29:59.63\00:30:01.33
let me give you an illustration.
00:30:01.36\00:30:02.70
Somebody...
00:30:02.73\00:30:04.07
Okay, I'll just tell
you very quick, my dad.
00:30:04.10\00:30:06.23
He's deceased
now, I want to tell
00:30:06.27\00:30:07.90
a kind of
interesting story about him.
00:30:07.94\00:30:10.57
My dad, I was raised by my dad
00:30:10.61\00:30:13.68
who really was
tight financially,
00:30:13.71\00:30:16.08
I mean really he was tight.
00:30:16.11\00:30:17.45
He'd send you to
the store with a dollar
00:30:17.48\00:30:18.81
and he try to split it
00:30:18.85\00:30:20.18
before he sends you to make sure
00:30:20.22\00:30:21.55
there's not two stuck together.
00:30:21.58\00:30:22.92
So I was at a tough
place in life growing up
00:30:22.95\00:30:25.25
and I called him
and asked him I said,
00:30:25.29\00:30:28.42
"Dad, I'm in a tight bind,
00:30:28.46\00:30:29.79
could you help me
out with some money?"
00:30:29.82\00:30:31.16
He said, "No."
00:30:31.19\00:30:32.53
And so...
00:30:32.56\00:30:33.90
But his wife said, "Yes."
00:30:33.93\00:30:35.26
And his wife was...
00:30:35.30\00:30:36.63
Second marriage,
first wife had died.
00:30:36.67\00:30:38.03
His wife said,
"Yes." And he said, "No."
00:30:38.07\00:30:40.20
But his wife said, "Okay,
00:30:40.24\00:30:41.57
I'll lend it to
you from my money.
00:30:41.60\00:30:42.97
It's okay."
00:30:43.00\00:30:44.34
And she did and went
ahead and lend to us.
00:30:44.37\00:30:45.71
And so after his wife died,
00:30:45.74\00:30:47.41
he said, "But you, you
almost finished paid off,
00:30:47.44\00:30:51.11
so pay me the rest."
00:30:51.15\00:30:52.48
I said, "No, I owe her.
00:30:52.51\00:30:56.42
That debt is over."
00:30:56.45\00:30:59.69
He looked at me
and kind of chuckled.
00:30:59.72\00:31:02.26
I said.
00:31:02.29\00:31:03.93
If he is going to call
her to have pay CS bill.
00:31:03.96\00:31:06.80
Is she going to be paying
00:31:06.83\00:31:08.16
any more light bills after this?
00:31:08.20\00:31:09.60
Is anybody going to be
sending her birthday card?
00:31:09.63\00:31:11.27
No, everything she
owed or is owed her
00:31:11.30\00:31:13.70
has just been canceled.
00:31:13.74\00:31:15.60
And he stopped bothering me.
00:31:15.64\00:31:17.34
Now I don't suggest that
you say that to everybody,
00:31:17.37\00:31:20.51
that was for my dad.
00:31:20.54\00:31:21.88
We have that
kind of relationship
00:31:21.91\00:31:23.31
because some people go
into it together as a partner.
00:31:23.35\00:31:26.31
And I don't want you
guys to feel complacent
00:31:26.35\00:31:28.85
that you run to
the kitchen and say,
00:31:28.88\00:31:30.89
"Mom, I don't owe
you anything more."
00:31:30.92\00:31:32.85
That's not what I'm suggesting.
00:31:32.89\00:31:34.22
But the point of matter is this,
00:31:34.26\00:31:37.33
whatever you had that
happened before you died...
00:31:37.36\00:31:41.20
My mother...
00:31:41.23\00:31:42.56
My wife may remember this.
00:31:42.60\00:31:44.17
My mother, when
my mom passed away,
00:31:44.20\00:31:47.10
I got a call from
a company that she...
00:31:47.14\00:31:52.17
They said, "She owed a debt."
00:31:52.21\00:31:54.64
And I said, "My
mother has been dead
00:31:54.68\00:31:56.64
for a number of years."
00:31:56.68\00:31:59.08
Now I know that
people sometimes would say
00:31:59.11\00:32:00.92
that to debt collectors.
00:32:00.95\00:32:02.28
That's a sad truth.
00:32:02.32\00:32:03.65
But they said, "Okay, sir,
00:32:03.69\00:32:05.02
could you give us a phone number
00:32:05.05\00:32:06.39
where we can reach her."
00:32:06.42\00:32:07.76
That is after I told.
00:32:07.79\00:32:09.12
I said, "Sir, my
mother has been dead
00:32:09.16\00:32:10.53
for a number of years."
00:32:10.56\00:32:12.56
And they kept pushing.
00:32:12.59\00:32:13.93
I said, "Sir,
let me just make it
00:32:13.96\00:32:15.36
very clear to you, I'm a pastor.
00:32:15.40\00:32:17.23
I did not make lie to the
fact that my mom has died.
00:32:17.27\00:32:20.40
If you want, you could go down
00:32:20.44\00:32:22.47
to the Virgin
Islands in St. Thomas,
00:32:22.50\00:32:24.57
I'll tell you
where she's buried."
00:32:24.61\00:32:26.64
And after I got really specific
00:32:26.68\00:32:28.11
and very, very non
joking on the phone with them.
00:32:28.14\00:32:31.11
I said, "Sir, my
mom has been dead,
00:32:31.15\00:32:32.91
and I mentioned how many years."
00:32:32.95\00:32:34.28
He said, "So, so..."
00:32:34.32\00:32:35.78
And for whatever reason,
00:32:35.82\00:32:37.15
they just didn't seem to
want to let that go, and I said,
00:32:37.19\00:32:40.02
"Okay, if you can go
down to mention the cemetery,
00:32:40.06\00:32:44.89
and collect the debt, I feel...
00:32:44.93\00:32:47.60
If that's what's
going to satisfy you,
00:32:47.63\00:32:48.96
then go right
ahead and do that."
00:32:49.00\00:32:50.57
It was one of those
arrogant bill collectors.
00:32:50.60\00:32:52.33
And I don't know
00:32:52.37\00:32:53.70
where they get
their training from,
00:32:53.74\00:32:55.17
but they just won't
accept the fact that she died.
00:32:55.20\00:32:57.51
But you know what?
"Never more," the Bible says.
00:32:57.54\00:33:00.51
How more?
00:33:00.54\00:33:01.88
"Never more will
they have a share
00:33:01.91\00:33:04.31
in anything down under the sun."
00:33:04.35\00:33:06.08
So how much do the living
know? No, you didn't hear me?
00:33:06.11\00:33:10.39
How much do the living know?
00:33:10.42\00:33:13.22
I want to see if
you're listening.
00:33:13.25\00:33:14.96
We could know anything
we want to know, right?
00:33:14.99\00:33:17.19
I believe you can
stay up 24 hours a day,
00:33:17.23\00:33:18.79
and go to
Wikipedia, and in the end,
00:33:18.83\00:33:20.16
and just learn
whatever you want,
00:33:20.20\00:33:21.53
you can sit in the library
until you're 90, 100 years old,
00:33:21.56\00:33:23.87
and learn
whatever you want to learn.
00:33:23.90\00:33:25.33
But when you die,
00:33:25.37\00:33:27.04
your library
card has been expired,
00:33:27.07\00:33:30.01
you will not be showing up
to any house, any gatherings,
00:33:30.04\00:33:33.84
it's all done you can put.
00:33:33.88\00:33:35.44
Matter of fact, go
to the next question,
00:33:35.48\00:33:36.95
we can even give this
even more solid details, right?
00:33:36.98\00:33:41.05
So the answer to number nine is,
00:33:41.08\00:33:43.05
when people die do
they continue to live
00:33:43.08\00:33:44.42
somewhere else?
00:33:44.45\00:33:45.79
The answer is what?
00:33:45.82\00:33:47.16
No, they don't
live anywhere else,
00:33:47.19\00:33:48.52
they're in the grave.
00:33:48.56\00:33:49.89
That's why we have
things like Memorial Day.
00:33:49.92\00:33:51.36
And by the way, when
you go to the cemetery,
00:33:51.39\00:33:54.10
you may talk to the stone,
00:33:54.13\00:33:55.80
but I want you to
know they don't hear you.
00:33:55.83\00:33:58.77
No disrespect,
they don't hear you.
00:33:58.80\00:34:00.57
I'll give you some
Bible for that in a moment.
00:34:00.60\00:34:02.80
All right, now here's
the question number 11,
00:34:02.84\00:34:05.14
"How does the Bible confirm
00:34:05.17\00:34:07.51
that the dead
ceased to be active?
00:34:07.54\00:34:11.15
Same book, Ecclesiastics 9,
00:34:11.18\00:34:14.22
and we're going to
look at verse 10, all right?
00:34:14.25\00:34:19.42
Ecclesiastics
9:10, and the Bible says,
00:34:19.45\00:34:24.53
here it is on the screen.
00:34:24.56\00:34:25.96
"Whatever your hand finds
to do, do it with your..."
00:34:25.99\00:34:30.00
What? "Might."
00:34:30.03\00:34:32.20
In other words, put
everything you got into it,
00:34:32.23\00:34:34.24
"for there is no work or device
00:34:34.27\00:34:37.41
or knowledge or
wisdom in the grave..."
00:34:37.44\00:34:40.81
And say the last four
words, "Where you are going."
00:34:40.84\00:34:45.28
Say it one more time,
"Where you are going."
00:34:45.31\00:34:48.75
Okay, so now TV audience,
let's say, where we're going?
00:34:48.78\00:34:52.89
Give me the word,
where we're going?
00:34:52.92\00:34:54.69
To the grave.
00:34:54.72\00:34:56.06
When we die, we're
going to the grave.
00:34:56.09\00:34:57.43
Have you seen those
lights on the highway,
00:34:57.46\00:34:59.59
they're all lined up together
with their headlights on,
00:34:59.63\00:35:01.70
with a hearse in the
way, and a black Cadillac,
00:35:01.73\00:35:04.30
and a couple
more following them,
00:35:04.33\00:35:05.67
and all those
people, if you follow them,
00:35:05.70\00:35:08.40
you'll know exactly
what this text mean.
00:35:08.44\00:35:10.47
They're going to the cemetery.
00:35:10.51\00:35:13.54
They're going to lay
that body down in the ground,
00:35:13.58\00:35:16.71
and they're going to wait
for some event in the future
00:35:16.75\00:35:19.08
for that body to have any chance
00:35:19.11\00:35:20.98
of coming back to life again.
00:35:21.02\00:35:22.48
So how should we do the things
00:35:22.52\00:35:24.82
that we do on earth
with all of our, what?
00:35:24.85\00:35:27.06
All of our might.
00:35:27.09\00:35:28.42
In other words, do it your best
00:35:28.46\00:35:29.79
because when you
die there is no work,
00:35:29.82\00:35:32.69
there's no device,
00:35:32.73\00:35:34.26
knowledge or wisdom in the grave
00:35:34.30\00:35:36.23
where you are going.
00:35:36.26\00:35:37.63
How does the Bible confirms
00:35:37.67\00:35:39.03
that the dead
cease to be active?
00:35:39.07\00:35:43.97
No work, no device, no knowledge
00:35:44.01\00:35:48.08
or wisdom in the
grave, where you are going.
00:35:48.11\00:35:51.71
Nothing continues
there, nothing at all.
00:35:51.75\00:35:54.85
That's why it
always troubles me.
00:35:54.88\00:35:56.22
And I don't know
how many of you feel,
00:35:56.25\00:35:57.59
but sometimes it troubles me
when I hear terrible reports,
00:35:57.62\00:36:01.56
and I know some
people try to console,
00:36:01.59\00:36:03.59
but I think it's better...
00:36:03.63\00:36:04.99
I think there's a
better way to console people
00:36:05.03\00:36:06.80
than to tell them something
00:36:06.83\00:36:08.16
that's not true,
don't you think so?
00:36:08.20\00:36:10.07
Because when they find
out that it's not true,
00:36:10.10\00:36:12.90
like when I first found out
that there was no Santa Claus.
00:36:12.93\00:36:17.24
I know this is not the
program, but I kind of...
00:36:17.27\00:36:21.11
I always want to find out
00:36:21.14\00:36:22.48
where these
gifts were coming from?
00:36:22.51\00:36:25.31
And I finally found
out that UPS brought them
00:36:25.35\00:36:31.02
the night before December 25th.
00:36:31.05\00:36:34.66
Different topic altogether,
00:36:34.69\00:36:36.59
but I tell you we need to
know the truth about the truth,
00:36:36.62\00:36:39.39
we don't need to
tell a person something
00:36:39.43\00:36:42.56
that's not true to
bring them consolation.
00:36:42.60\00:36:45.33
I think the best consolation
00:36:45.37\00:36:46.70
is not that
somebody says to you,
00:36:46.74\00:36:48.77
"Oh, your
mother's looking down."
00:36:48.80\00:36:50.14
I got a phone call
00:36:50.17\00:36:51.51
from a little
boy once in Florida.
00:36:51.54\00:36:54.18
My sister-in-law
met this young man,
00:36:54.21\00:36:56.68
and he talked
about an experience
00:36:56.71\00:36:58.05
he was having that he
was having apparitions.
00:36:58.08\00:37:01.35
He said, "He kept
seeing his mother in his room."
00:37:01.38\00:37:04.65
But he was afraid.
00:37:04.69\00:37:06.19
And polite little southern
boy, he kept saying, "Sir..."
00:37:06.22\00:37:11.09
And he was
explaining to me, "Sir and..."
00:37:11.13\00:37:13.43
And I said, "Well,
how do you feel it?"
00:37:13.46\00:37:14.80
"Well, sir." "You
know, how you see?
00:37:14.83\00:37:16.46
Does it look like
your mom?" "Yes, sir."
00:37:16.50\00:37:18.13
"Did you talk?" "Yes, sir."
00:37:18.17\00:37:19.50
"How do you feel
when this happened?"
00:37:19.53\00:37:20.87
"I'm afraid."
00:37:20.90\00:37:22.24
And I said, "Have you been...
00:37:22.27\00:37:23.61
Were you afraid
of your mom?" "No."
00:37:23.64\00:37:26.14
And I said, "Let me
tell you why you are afraid."
00:37:26.17\00:37:27.64
And I explained to him
about familiar spirits,
00:37:27.68\00:37:30.35
how the devil can conjure up
00:37:30.38\00:37:34.28
what your mother, or father,
00:37:34.32\00:37:35.65
or your brother, or your sister,
00:37:35.68\00:37:37.02
or relative, or
friend look like.
00:37:37.05\00:37:39.25
These are familiar spirits,
00:37:39.29\00:37:41.22
that's why the Bible
uses the word familiar,
00:37:41.26\00:37:42.89
from which we
get the word family.
00:37:42.92\00:37:44.86
And I said, "Next
time you see it..."
00:37:44.89\00:37:46.23
And I told him what to do.
00:37:46.26\00:37:47.60
And he did that, we
spoke a few months later on,
00:37:47.63\00:37:50.33
and he said, it
never happened again.
00:37:50.37\00:37:52.43
Because the dead
cannot contact you.
00:37:52.47\00:37:54.90
And he tries.
00:37:54.94\00:37:56.27
In some cultures people say,
00:37:56.30\00:37:57.64
"I smelled his cologne
two days after he died."
00:37:57.67\00:38:00.48
Well, you need to say
to your brother or sister,
00:38:00.51\00:38:01.84
"Put the cologne away."
00:38:01.88\00:38:03.51
Because he didn't
come back and sprayed.
00:38:03.55\00:38:05.31
Somebody said,
"I smelled a rose."
00:38:05.35\00:38:07.92
I tell you the
devil has been playing
00:38:07.95\00:38:09.88
with people's minds
00:38:09.92\00:38:11.25
just like which
still trying to figure out
00:38:11.29\00:38:12.82
whether UFOs are
coming from another planet.
00:38:12.85\00:38:16.19
The devil is busy, is he not?
00:38:16.22\00:38:18.29
And he will fool us
00:38:18.33\00:38:19.66
if our minds are not safeguarded
00:38:19.69\00:38:21.43
by what the Word of
God says, all right?
00:38:21.46\00:38:24.13
Question number
12, question number 12.
00:38:24.17\00:38:27.40
How can we be
certain that dead relatives
00:38:27.44\00:38:30.81
do not return to visit us?
00:38:30.84\00:38:34.18
How can we be
certain that dead relatives
00:38:34.21\00:38:37.68
do not return to visit us?
00:38:37.71\00:38:40.05
Job 7,
00:38:40.08\00:38:42.12
Job 7:9-10.
00:38:42.15\00:38:48.12
Got to be certain
00:38:48.16\00:38:49.49
because, you know,
people die every day,
00:38:49.52\00:38:52.39
people die all the time.
00:38:52.43\00:38:54.93
It's one of the
sad lots of life,
00:38:54.96\00:38:56.87
but I like that
text in Revelation 21:4,
00:38:56.90\00:39:00.07
"There shall be no more death,
no more death, no more sorrow,
00:39:00.10\00:39:05.57
no more crying,
00:39:05.61\00:39:06.94
neither shall
there be any more pain,
00:39:06.98\00:39:09.84
no more, no more."
00:39:09.88\00:39:13.45
Okay, here I am.
00:39:13.48\00:39:15.05
I was just in Job 5,
00:39:15.08\00:39:17.09
I was wondering why
it looked different.
00:39:17.12\00:39:19.39
Okay, here it is.
00:39:19.42\00:39:22.22
The Bible says, "As
the cloud disappears
00:39:22.26\00:39:27.03
and vanishes away,
00:39:27.06\00:39:29.66
so he who goes down to
the grave does not come up.
00:39:29.70\00:39:35.97
He shall never
return to his house,
00:39:36.00\00:39:40.11
nor shall his
place know him anymore."
00:39:40.14\00:39:44.95
Now come on, can
somebody say amen?
00:39:44.98\00:39:47.22
Is that clear?
00:39:47.25\00:39:49.32
Can you find a
text clearer than that?
00:39:49.35\00:39:53.19
He goes down to the
grave, he does not come up,
00:39:53.22\00:39:59.29
he shall never
return to his house,
00:39:59.33\00:40:02.10
nor shall his
place know him anymore.
00:40:02.13\00:40:07.17
So whatever is happening
00:40:07.20\00:40:08.54
in some of these strange places,
00:40:08.57\00:40:09.90
we know that
there are evil spirits,
00:40:09.94\00:40:12.17
we know the Bible says
00:40:12.21\00:40:13.54
that they're going
forth to deceive the world,
00:40:13.58\00:40:16.14
we know that demons
and devils are very busy,
00:40:16.18\00:40:19.51
that's why let me just
add another component here,
00:40:19.55\00:40:21.02
that's why...
00:40:21.05\00:40:22.38
I know this is not
the program either,
00:40:22.42\00:40:23.75
that's why we should
never celebrate Halloween.
00:40:23.79\00:40:26.35
Can I get an amen?
00:40:26.39\00:40:27.82
'Cause that's a devil's holiday,
00:40:27.86\00:40:30.29
that's as demonic
as you want to get.
00:40:30.33\00:40:32.33
That's when they used to believe
00:40:32.36\00:40:33.70
all these spirits and souls.
00:40:33.73\00:40:35.06
And I tell you,
in the dark world,
00:40:35.10\00:40:36.90
well, there's some evil
things that are going places,
00:40:36.93\00:40:39.47
there are evil things
that are happening around you,
00:40:39.50\00:40:40.87
but, you know what?
00:40:40.90\00:40:42.37
My wife and I have
been married for 30 years,
00:40:42.40\00:40:45.17
we never had a visit.
00:40:45.21\00:40:47.21
Nobody ever woke up us at
night and said, "Move over."
00:40:47.24\00:40:50.01
Nobody move
things in our houses.
00:40:50.05\00:40:51.81
We've gone places, I've
slept in the house by myself,
00:40:51.85\00:40:53.98
she slept by herself, nothing.
00:40:54.02\00:40:55.58
Do you know why?
00:40:55.62\00:40:56.95
Because the angels of
the Lord encamps around
00:40:56.99\00:40:59.85
about those that fear him, amen?
00:40:59.89\00:41:02.52
If the devil could do
that, he would twist our minds
00:41:02.56\00:41:04.33
to make us think certain things.
00:41:04.36\00:41:07.16
But when the Word of
God is your safeguard,
00:41:07.20\00:41:09.66
here is the key why the
Word of God is important.
00:41:09.70\00:41:11.67
When the Word of
God is your safeguard,
00:41:11.70\00:41:14.44
your mind doesn't
even go down that path.
00:41:14.47\00:41:17.61
Your mind is not even open
00:41:17.64\00:41:18.97
to that like my good
pastor C.D. Brooks said,
00:41:19.01\00:41:22.24
he said,
somebody once said to him
00:41:22.28\00:41:24.05
when they were
discussing the Sabbath, he said,
00:41:24.08\00:41:25.81
"Can you have an open mind?"
00:41:25.85\00:41:27.48
He said, "When it comes
to the truth of the Sabbath,
00:41:27.52\00:41:29.38
my mind is closed.
00:41:29.42\00:41:31.42
You don't have to open
your mind to everything."
00:41:31.45\00:41:34.82
The devil suggested to Eve,
00:41:34.86\00:41:36.26
"Come on, let's
have an open discussion
00:41:36.29\00:41:38.53
about this issue."
00:41:38.56\00:41:39.89
Can you have an
open mind about it?
00:41:39.93\00:41:41.36
And that's why he
was able to deceive her
00:41:41.40\00:41:43.53
about what happens
when the Lord told her
00:41:43.57\00:41:46.47
that death
would be awaiting her,
00:41:46.50\00:41:49.34
if in fact she disobeyed.
00:41:49.37\00:41:51.54
So the answer to
number 12 is what?
00:41:51.57\00:41:54.94
How can we be
certain that dead relatives
00:41:54.98\00:41:56.71
do not return to visit?
00:41:56.75\00:41:59.78
They don't come
back, they don't come back,
00:41:59.81\00:42:03.28
they don't come back.
00:42:03.32\00:42:06.39
I have never...
00:42:06.42\00:42:07.76
I don't want to be lighthearted,
00:42:07.79\00:42:09.12
but I've never left the cemetery
00:42:09.16\00:42:10.49
and had the
person follow me home.
00:42:10.53\00:42:13.56
And it better never happen.
00:42:13.60\00:42:16.06
Matter of fact,
to be very frank,
00:42:16.10\00:42:17.50
it won't ever happen, right?
00:42:17.53\00:42:21.04
Don't look for it.
00:42:21.07\00:42:23.24
All right,
number 13, here we are.
00:42:23.27\00:42:26.37
When we visit the cemetery,
00:42:26.41\00:42:28.68
do our deceased loved
ones know that we are there?
00:42:28.71\00:42:32.85
We have Memorial Day,
I think Memorial Day...
00:42:32.88\00:42:35.65
Do we just had it, Memorial Day?
00:42:35.68\00:42:37.45
We have Memorial Day...
00:42:37.49\00:42:39.09
Labor Day, sorry, I
get them all mixed up.
00:42:39.12\00:42:41.46
In all my life,
I've never been able
00:42:41.49\00:42:42.82
to Memorial Day and
Labor Day in the right place.
00:42:42.86\00:42:44.56
I know where Thanksgiving
is 'cause there's food.
00:42:44.59\00:42:49.30
But I always get it mixed
up Labor Day, Memorial Day,
00:42:49.33\00:42:51.03
I say Labor Day in...
00:42:51.07\00:42:53.87
But people have
times of the year
00:42:53.90\00:42:55.74
where they
remember their loved ones.
00:42:55.77\00:42:57.27
And it's done differently
in different cultures.
00:42:57.31\00:42:59.24
In America, it's
called Memorial Day,
00:42:59.27\00:43:02.98
and also Veteran's
Day for various reasons.
00:43:03.01\00:43:06.51
Okay, so let's
go to the question.
00:43:06.55\00:43:08.72
When we visit the cemetery,
00:43:08.75\00:43:10.09
do our deceased loved
ones know that we are there?
00:43:10.12\00:43:12.29
And the answer is
found in Job 14:21.
00:43:12.32\00:43:17.16
Job 14.
00:43:17.19\00:43:18.53
A lot of people don't
know that Job says a lot.
00:43:18.56\00:43:21.73
Job says a lot
about what happens
00:43:21.76\00:43:25.30
when a person dies, all right?
00:43:25.33\00:43:28.60
And the reason why
I'm giving you verse 21,
00:43:28.64\00:43:30.81
we're going to jump up
00:43:30.84\00:43:32.17
to a few verses
in just a moment,
00:43:32.21\00:43:34.18
but I want to give you verse 21.
00:43:34.21\00:43:35.54
And as we go back
into earlier verses
00:43:35.58\00:43:37.65
in the Book of Job 14,
00:43:37.68\00:43:39.31
we'll see that the
whole topic is about death.
00:43:39.35\00:43:42.22
The entire topic is about death.
00:43:42.25\00:43:44.25
Okay, what does
it say in Job 14:21?
00:43:44.29\00:43:47.92
It says, "His
sons come to do..."
00:43:47.96\00:43:50.03
What?
00:43:50.06\00:43:51.39
"Honor, and he does not know it.
00:43:51.43\00:43:54.10
They are brought..."
00:43:54.13\00:43:55.46
What?
00:43:55.50\00:43:56.83
"Low, and he does not..."
00:43:56.87\00:43:58.20
What? "Perceive
it." Doesn't know it.
00:43:58.23\00:44:00.47
Nobody knows what's going on.
00:44:00.50\00:44:02.20
They're there,
and out of respect,
00:44:02.24\00:44:04.51
people do that.
00:44:04.54\00:44:05.87
I used to go to...
00:44:05.91\00:44:07.24
In New York, we went
into the cemetery quite a bit
00:44:07.28\00:44:09.31
on Memorial Day,
and we take flowers,
00:44:09.34\00:44:11.78
and clean up the
gravestone, and wash it off,
00:44:11.81\00:44:14.22
and just kind of out of respect,
00:44:14.25\00:44:15.88
you know, we want to make sure
that dust doesn't get overrun
00:44:15.92\00:44:17.99
because I'll tell you,
00:44:18.02\00:44:19.35
the cemeteries in
New York are huge.
00:44:19.39\00:44:21.02
Unless you pay
somebody to do that, you've got,
00:44:21.06\00:44:23.86
you know, millions
of people in that place.
00:44:23.89\00:44:27.33
By that, and now out here,
00:44:27.36\00:44:29.00
we drive down
south Thompsonville Road,
00:44:29.03\00:44:31.70
and they're just wide open.
00:44:31.73\00:44:33.13
You know, and every now
00:44:33.17\00:44:34.50
and then you can
pull over and read.
00:44:34.54\00:44:35.87
And sometimes,
we used to do that.
00:44:35.90\00:44:37.47
We haven't done
it in a long time,
00:44:37.51\00:44:38.84
but sometimes my
wife and I would go
00:44:38.87\00:44:40.21
and read the gravestones
and find out how long
00:44:40.24\00:44:42.91
that person's been dead.
00:44:42.94\00:44:44.71
And up in Michigan
up in the northeast,
00:44:44.75\00:44:46.65
you find some cemeteries
that are like a 1700s,
00:44:46.68\00:44:50.75
way back, huh?
00:44:50.79\00:44:54.09
And in Manhattan.
00:44:54.12\00:44:55.96
Lower...
00:44:55.99\00:44:57.33
That's right, by
the World Trade Center,
00:44:57.36\00:44:58.69
right at the church
that was across the street,
00:44:58.73\00:45:02.40
from the World Trade Center.
00:45:02.43\00:45:03.77
That church
00:45:03.80\00:45:05.13
that didn't get
destroyed when it fell,
00:45:05.17\00:45:06.63
old gravestones, 1700s.
00:45:06.67\00:45:09.50
And you can see
00:45:09.54\00:45:10.87
some of the
stone is fading away,
00:45:10.91\00:45:12.24
but the dates are there.
00:45:12.27\00:45:13.61
But the Bible says,
00:45:13.64\00:45:14.98
"When people
come to honor them..."
00:45:15.01\00:45:16.91
As has been the case
00:45:16.95\00:45:18.71
even just not to
date this program,
00:45:18.75\00:45:20.52
but since it's live, I
can go and mention that.
00:45:20.55\00:45:22.22
Today is September 11th.
00:45:22.25\00:45:24.19
And the entire nation remembers
00:45:24.22\00:45:26.32
what happened on September 11th.
00:45:26.35\00:45:28.09
And the names of
all 3,000 people that...
00:45:28.12\00:45:30.23
Plus that lost their
lives unfortunately down
00:45:30.26\00:45:33.09
at the World Trade
Center in Washington DC,
00:45:33.13\00:45:35.40
and in these terrible plane
accidents, and the terrorism,
00:45:35.43\00:45:39.13
the names were read today
alphabetically, a memorial.
00:45:39.17\00:45:44.01
But this whole
memorial was not witnessed
00:45:44.04\00:45:47.68
by anyone that died.
00:45:47.71\00:45:50.05
None of them knew that
they were honored today.
00:45:50.08\00:45:53.05
And, but then their
memory goes on in the hearts
00:45:53.08\00:45:56.18
and lives of
their family members,
00:45:56.22\00:45:57.89
but they
absolutely know nothing.
00:45:57.92\00:46:00.06
And it's good, God knows best
why that in fact is the case.
00:46:00.09\00:46:04.96
So let's put the
answer down there
00:46:04.99\00:46:06.83
for question number 13.
00:46:06.86\00:46:09.03
When they visit,
00:46:09.06\00:46:11.33
do the loved ones
know they are there?
00:46:11.37\00:46:12.87
Just put one
answer. What's that?
00:46:12.90\00:46:14.54
No, no, they don't know
00:46:14.57\00:46:17.54
because the dead
know not anything, right?
00:46:17.57\00:46:20.08
The living know, they're
gone, but the dead know nothing.
00:46:20.11\00:46:23.68
I remember growing
up, we used to always ask,
00:46:23.71\00:46:26.58
"Momma, how long are we
going to be in the cemetery?"
00:46:26.61\00:46:29.45
I must tell you a story
00:46:29.48\00:46:31.55
because I'll, Momma
got so tired of me asking
00:46:31.59\00:46:34.66
that when there was Momma,
00:46:34.69\00:46:36.89
and Nina, that was her
mother, and my sister and I,
00:46:36.93\00:46:40.70
we were in the cemetery,
00:46:40.73\00:46:42.06
and they close at 5
o'clock in New York,
00:46:42.10\00:46:45.67
the gates close.
00:46:45.70\00:46:47.64
Because in the cities,
you know, people vandalize.
00:46:47.67\00:46:49.54
It's not the same as
countries like out here,
00:46:49.57\00:46:51.74
the small country
roads of Thompsonville.
00:46:51.77\00:46:54.41
5 o'clock came
00:46:54.44\00:46:55.78
and we were
still in the cemetery.
00:46:55.81\00:46:59.48
We went to walk
out to catch a cab,
00:46:59.51\00:47:03.22
and the gates were locked.
00:47:03.25\00:47:05.55
And little all spike me,
00:47:05.59\00:47:07.66
I had to climb
the gates to get out.
00:47:07.69\00:47:11.63
You should have seen it.
00:47:11.66\00:47:13.60
Somebody eventually got
the attention of somebody
00:47:13.63\00:47:17.20
in the cemetery.
00:47:17.23\00:47:18.57
I don't
remember all the details.
00:47:18.60\00:47:19.93
But thankfully,
00:47:19.97\00:47:21.30
Momma didn't have
to climb the fence.
00:47:21.34\00:47:22.67
And her grandmother,
00:47:22.70\00:47:24.44
and her mother didn't
have to climb the fence.
00:47:24.47\00:47:26.11
It would have been a
horrible thing to see a lady
00:47:26.14\00:47:28.58
in her 60s and her mother
00:47:28.61\00:47:31.41
in the middle of her
80s climbing a fence.
00:47:31.45\00:47:34.28
I was able to climb the fence.
00:47:34.32\00:47:36.82
And I think my message
was clearly received that day.
00:47:36.85\00:47:40.16
How long are we going
to stay in a cemetery?
00:47:40.19\00:47:42.42
And we never
stayed in there again
00:47:42.46\00:47:44.66
after the gates locked.
00:47:44.69\00:47:46.66
But Job says, "They don't know."
00:47:46.70\00:47:48.46
Let us even go further
00:47:48.50\00:47:50.27
because the Bible
continues to unfold,
00:47:50.30\00:47:51.87
what you're finding
out, friends, here is this.
00:47:51.90\00:47:54.14
The Bible, the
Bible, the Bible, the Bible.
00:47:54.17\00:47:56.84
What words did I
just use? The Bible.
00:47:56.87\00:47:58.87
You've got to have
a point of reference.
00:47:58.91\00:48:00.71
You can either
choose to believe a program
00:48:00.74\00:48:02.64
on television.
00:48:02.68\00:48:04.75
You can choose to
believe a magazine
00:48:04.78\00:48:07.92
or you could
even choose to believe
00:48:07.95\00:48:10.09
what your preacher
says over the Bible.
00:48:10.12\00:48:12.62
I choose the Bible
00:48:12.65\00:48:14.26
rather than the
human source, right?
00:48:14.29\00:48:16.52
That's what you have to do.
00:48:16.56\00:48:18.23
That's exactly what you must do.
00:48:18.26\00:48:20.46
Now, let's look
at another question.
00:48:20.50\00:48:21.96
Question number 14,
00:48:22.00\00:48:24.40
what description
does the Bible give
00:48:24.43\00:48:26.40
for the resting
place of the dead?
00:48:26.43\00:48:30.94
Job 17:13, what
description does the Bible give
00:48:30.97\00:48:34.28
for the resting
place of the dead?
00:48:34.31\00:48:35.91
It's got a description.
Okay, now, this is powerful.
00:48:35.94\00:48:42.15
This has
revolutionized a statement
00:48:42.18\00:48:44.25
that is often
made by many preachers.
00:48:44.29\00:48:47.39
Okay, Job 17:13, very
short but to the point.
00:48:47.42\00:48:52.19
And Job is making a point here.
00:48:52.23\00:48:54.06
He says, "If I wait..."
00:48:54.10\00:48:55.43
I'm reading the
King James Version.
00:48:55.46\00:48:56.80
"If I wait, the
grave is mine..."
00:48:56.83\00:48:59.33
What? "House.
00:48:59.37\00:49:01.04
I have made my bed in..."
00:49:01.07\00:49:03.07
What? "Darkness."
00:49:03.10\00:49:04.71
He said, "If I
wait, if I wait..."
00:49:04.74\00:49:06.51
And that's how...
00:49:06.54\00:49:07.88
That's the point we make.
00:49:07.91\00:49:09.24
Just wait long enough,
00:49:09.28\00:49:10.61
the grave is
going to be your house.
00:49:10.65\00:49:11.98
Now, I've heard
preachers say this.
00:49:12.01\00:49:13.42
And this is a
new phrase nowadays.
00:49:13.45\00:49:15.48
First phrase was we're here
to celebrate the person's life.
00:49:15.52\00:49:18.99
But there's a new phrase now
00:49:19.02\00:49:20.36
that has invaded
the Christian world.
00:49:20.39\00:49:22.36
We're having a
home going service.
00:49:22.39\00:49:24.23
Have you heard that?
There's a new phrase now.
00:49:24.26\00:49:26.66
Now, you won't hear
00:49:26.70\00:49:28.03
that at the
Seventh-day Adventist funeral
00:49:28.06\00:49:29.40
because the only place
they're going to is the grave.
00:49:29.43\00:49:31.70
But there's a new phrase now
that's pervaded Christianity.
00:49:31.73\00:49:34.97
We're having a
home going service.
00:49:35.00\00:49:37.34
And I finally agree with them.
00:49:37.37\00:49:38.97
They're going home to the grave
00:49:39.01\00:49:42.44
because the
grave is their house.
00:49:42.48\00:49:46.01
Not going home to heaven,
they're going to the grave.
00:49:46.05\00:49:51.99
Clear?
00:49:52.02\00:49:53.69
So when people say
home going service,
00:49:53.72\00:49:55.59
I know what they mean.
00:49:55.62\00:49:57.06
But that's not
what the Bible means.
00:49:57.09\00:49:58.79
We're going to go home
when Jesus comes, right?
00:49:58.83\00:50:01.30
And I peak at that text just to,
00:50:01.33\00:50:03.70
just if this is the only program
00:50:03.73\00:50:05.07
you get a chance to see,
I want to give you that text
00:50:05.10\00:50:06.60
before the program is done.
00:50:06.63\00:50:07.97
Matter of fact,
let's go there right now.
00:50:08.00\00:50:09.77
Let's go there right now. Okay?
00:50:09.80\00:50:12.24
Don't lose Job
because we're going
00:50:12.27\00:50:13.61
to go right back
to Job very quickly,
00:50:13.64\00:50:15.01
but let me show you
the home when we go home.
00:50:15.04\00:50:19.18
When we go home,
00:50:19.21\00:50:20.58
where you think
we are turning to?
00:50:20.62\00:50:21.95
Somebody tell me.
00:50:21.98\00:50:25.55
No, we're going
to 1 Thessalonians.
00:50:25.59\00:50:28.32
Good try, but that's
good too. Revelation is great.
00:50:28.36\00:50:31.83
But we've got a
1 Thessalonians 4.
00:50:31.86\00:50:35.06
Okay?
00:50:35.10\00:50:36.43
Paul makes it so
clear, 1 Thessalonians 4.
00:50:36.46\00:50:40.34
He makes it so
clear, so, so clear.
00:50:40.37\00:50:43.71
And so the answer
to question number 14,
00:50:43.74\00:50:45.27
"What description
does the Bible gives
00:50:45.31\00:50:46.91
for the resting
places for the dead?"
00:50:46.94\00:50:49.28
House, grave, grave. Okay.
00:50:49.31\00:50:54.68
That's what it's
called, the grave.
00:50:54.72\00:50:56.79
1 Thessalonians 4, let's
see how we get to heaven.
00:50:56.82\00:51:00.72
Now we're going to
go to heaven, right?
00:51:00.76\00:51:02.59
If you believe in Jesus,
you're going to go to heaven.
00:51:02.62\00:51:04.49
If you've died and
you're resting in Christ,
00:51:04.53\00:51:06.33
when He comes back,
we're going to heaven.
00:51:06.36\00:51:08.10
But let's see how we
get there, all right?
00:51:08.13\00:51:11.27
You're going to
find a word continually
00:51:11.30\00:51:13.03
repeated over and over
and over again, verse 13.
00:51:13.07\00:51:18.14
"But I do not want
you to be ignorant,
00:51:18.17\00:51:20.28
brethren concerning
those who have fallen asleep.
00:51:20.31\00:51:25.61
Lest you sorrow as
others who have no hope.
00:51:25.65\00:51:30.62
For if we believe that
Jesus died and rose again,
00:51:30.65\00:51:32.89
even so God will bring
with Him those who do..."
00:51:32.92\00:51:36.16
What? "Sleep in Jesus."
00:51:36.19\00:51:38.39
Let me pause and
make this text very clear.
00:51:38.43\00:51:41.16
The same way that Jesus
was brought back to life,
00:51:41.20\00:51:44.73
when the Bible says,
"Your father calleth you."
00:51:44.77\00:51:47.87
In the very same way,
00:51:47.90\00:51:50.04
the Lord that called Jesus
is going to bring with Christ,
00:51:50.07\00:51:53.81
those who are sleeping in Jesus.
00:51:53.84\00:51:55.64
Now, get this.
00:51:55.68\00:51:57.41
They're not, He's
not sending with Christ.
00:51:57.45\00:52:00.48
He's bringing with Christ.
00:52:00.52\00:52:02.72
Some people read this
text and think this means
00:52:02.75\00:52:04.89
He's sending with Christ.
00:52:04.92\00:52:06.69
No, He's bringing with Christ.
00:52:06.72\00:52:08.32
And all you've got to
do is read 1 Corinthians 15
00:52:08.36\00:52:10.79
and you see verse 20-22.
00:52:10.83\00:52:12.86
"Those who are resting in Jesus
will come forth at His coming."
00:52:12.89\00:52:16.46
So this is not
sending, but this is bringing,
00:52:16.50\00:52:19.43
that is bringing back.
00:52:19.47\00:52:20.80
For the very next
verse verifies this.
00:52:20.84\00:52:23.54
Verse 15, "For
this we say to you
00:52:23.57\00:52:26.11
by the word of the Lord,
00:52:26.14\00:52:28.74
that we who are alive and remain
00:52:28.78\00:52:32.11
until the coming of the
Lord will by no means precede
00:52:32.15\00:52:35.52
those who are asleep."
00:52:35.55\00:52:38.69
Asleep, sleep,
asleep, three verses.
00:52:38.72\00:52:41.69
Sleep, asleep, sleep.
00:52:41.72\00:52:43.73
Verse 16 now,
00:52:43.76\00:52:45.53
"For the Lord
Himself will descend
00:52:45.56\00:52:46.90
from heaven with a..."
00:52:46.93\00:52:48.26
What?
00:52:48.30\00:52:49.63
"Shout, with the
voice of an archangel,
00:52:49.66\00:52:51.40
and with the trumpet of God.
00:52:51.43\00:52:52.80
And the..."
00:52:52.83\00:52:54.17
Next word. "Dead in
Christ will," do what?
00:52:54.20\00:52:57.97
"Rise, first."
00:52:58.01\00:53:00.78
You've got to get that
00:53:00.81\00:53:02.14
because now
here's the point, friend.
00:53:02.18\00:53:03.51
If they were already in
heaven, they wouldn't rise.
00:53:03.55\00:53:05.58
And in fact, this very
teaching was the one that...
00:53:05.61\00:53:10.19
Let me finish the passage
00:53:10.22\00:53:11.55
and then I'll
tell you the story.
00:53:11.59\00:53:12.92
When the Lord shouts,
when the trumpet is blown,
00:53:12.95\00:53:17.66
when the Lord descends,
then that shout like the call,
00:53:17.69\00:53:24.17
Lazarus come forth.
00:53:24.20\00:53:25.53
Remember he didn't
say, "Lazarus come down.
00:53:25.57\00:53:28.27
Lazarus come forth."
00:53:28.30\00:53:29.64
And Lazarus gave
no account about him
00:53:29.67\00:53:31.71
being in heaven anywhere.
00:53:31.74\00:53:33.07
Preachers try to
dramatize that and say,
00:53:33.11\00:53:34.91
"Lazarus was in
heaven having a conversation,
00:53:34.94\00:53:36.91
and all of a
sudden he disappeared."
00:53:36.95\00:53:38.28
And I've heard
preachers dramatize that.
00:53:38.31\00:53:39.71
You can tell a
lie through drama,
00:53:39.75\00:53:41.32
and many preachers do that.
00:53:41.35\00:53:42.75
But it says here that
when the trumpets blown,
00:53:42.78\00:53:44.89
the Lord descends and He shouts
00:53:44.92\00:53:46.86
with the voice of the archangel.
00:53:46.89\00:53:48.22
That's the call
of the life giver,
00:53:48.26\00:53:50.79
then those who are
sleeping in Christ rise first.
00:53:50.83\00:53:54.10
But now look at verse 17,
"Then we who are alive...:
00:53:54.13\00:53:58.10
And what's the
next word? "Remain."
00:53:58.13\00:54:01.27
Boy, pay attention now.
00:54:01.30\00:54:03.61
"Shall be caught up..."
00:54:03.64\00:54:06.07
How? "Together."
00:54:06.11\00:54:08.08
Say that word
again, together. Together.
00:54:08.11\00:54:11.15
Those who never die,
00:54:11.18\00:54:13.65
those who were dead
and came back to life,
00:54:13.68\00:54:17.49
together, caught up.
00:54:17.52\00:54:20.49
To do what?
00:54:20.52\00:54:23.86
Just say the word meet
00:54:23.89\00:54:26.26
because they
haven't met Him yet.
00:54:26.29\00:54:28.00
The living haven't met Him,
and the dead haven't met Him,
00:54:28.03\00:54:31.77
and we meet Him together.
00:54:31.80\00:54:33.54
So here's my point.
00:54:33.57\00:54:34.90
If your mother passed away,
00:54:34.94\00:54:36.44
and you are alive
until Jesus comes,
00:54:36.47\00:54:38.91
you haven't met
Jesus, I know that,
00:54:38.94\00:54:41.24
neither has your mother.
00:54:41.28\00:54:42.61
He's going to allow
you and your mom to meet
00:54:42.64\00:54:44.48
the Lord at the same time.
00:54:44.51\00:54:46.08
Amen? Amen.
00:54:46.11\00:54:47.52
Meet.
00:54:47.55\00:54:48.88
We always go meet the Lord,
but I want to break it down.
00:54:48.92\00:54:50.39
Meet the Lord where? In the air.
00:54:50.42\00:54:55.46
You don't meet Him in
heaven. You meet Him in the air.
00:54:55.49\00:54:58.36
And then the
journey begins to heaven.
00:54:58.39\00:55:01.93
So that's the key.
Now, let's go ahead.
00:55:01.96\00:55:04.67
"We meet the Lord in the
air and thus we shall always..."
00:55:04.70\00:55:08.77
What? "Be with the Lord."
00:55:08.80\00:55:11.31
And that's why verse 18 says,
00:55:11.34\00:55:12.67
"Therefore comfort one
another with these words."
00:55:12.71\00:55:17.08
What do we get
out of that? Comfort.
00:55:17.11\00:55:19.28
What do we get out of that?
00:55:19.31\00:55:20.65
Comfort.
00:55:20.68\00:55:22.32
There is comforting
because when the faithful...
00:55:22.35\00:55:25.45
Go to Hebrews very quickly.
00:55:25.49\00:55:26.82
I'm giving you
some extra credit here.
00:55:26.86\00:55:28.52
When those who were
tortured and sawn asunder,
00:55:28.56\00:55:34.50
they lost their lives...
00:55:34.53\00:55:36.73
We always talk
about the faithful,
00:55:36.77\00:55:38.83
and those who
are serving the Lord
00:55:38.87\00:55:40.40
and everything was hunky dory,
00:55:40.44\00:55:42.10
but there were some
that died that were not...
00:55:42.14\00:55:44.61
They were
faithful, but they died.
00:55:44.64\00:55:46.24
Look at Hebrews 11,
Hebrews 11 very quickly.
00:55:46.27\00:55:50.35
Hebrews 11, okay?
00:55:50.38\00:55:53.21
And I want to read,
00:55:53.25\00:55:54.85
I want you to read verse
00:55:54.88\00:55:59.39
35 first, 13:35.
00:55:59.42\00:56:04.49
"Women receive their dead raised
00:56:04.53\00:56:05.89
to life again.
00:56:05.93\00:56:07.26
The Lord allowed
some to be raised to life.
00:56:07.30\00:56:09.63
Others..."
00:56:09.66\00:56:11.00
And the Bible talks
about that in the Book of John.
00:56:11.03\00:56:12.83
"And others were tortured
not accepting deliverance
00:56:12.87\00:56:16.54
that they might obtain a..."
00:56:16.57\00:56:18.41
What? "Better resurrection."
00:56:18.44\00:56:22.54
Not a better funeral.
00:56:22.58\00:56:25.25
Now, let's go down to verse 39.
00:56:25.28\00:56:28.35
"And all these having obtained
a good testimony through faith,
00:56:28.38\00:56:32.62
did not receive the promise."
00:56:32.65\00:56:34.96
Well, how is this
promise going to be fulfilled?
00:56:34.99\00:56:36.69
Verse 40, God having
provided something better for us
00:56:36.73\00:56:41.10
that they should
not be made perfect..."
00:56:41.13\00:56:44.33
What? "Apart from us."
00:56:44.37\00:56:46.80
So here's my point.
00:56:46.84\00:56:48.17
They ain't, they're
not in heaven perfect,
00:56:48.20\00:56:50.41
and we're not perfect.
00:56:50.44\00:56:51.87
We're going to be
made perfect together.
00:56:51.91\00:56:53.61
When we continue to study,
00:56:53.64\00:56:54.98
you're going to
see one of the reasons
00:56:55.01\00:56:56.41
why we're waiting for
the coming of the Lord
00:56:56.44\00:56:58.51
as Paul says in Philippians,
00:56:58.55\00:57:00.35
"We are looking to the heavens
from whence our Lord comes
00:57:00.38\00:57:02.55
who will change our lowly bodies
00:57:02.58\00:57:05.82
that it may be fashioned
like unto His glorious body."
00:57:05.85\00:57:09.62
It hasn't changed yet.
00:57:09.66\00:57:11.39
We are one day
going to be immortal.
00:57:11.43\00:57:13.26
That's why Jesus
said to the disciples,
00:57:13.29\00:57:15.83
"I go to
prepare a place for you,
00:57:15.86\00:57:17.87
and if I go and
prepare a place for you..."
00:57:17.90\00:57:20.94
What's the words? I
will come again, what?
00:57:20.97\00:57:24.24
And receive you to Myself
that where I am presently,
00:57:24.27\00:57:29.51
there you may be also.
00:57:29.54\00:57:31.45
And when you read the rest
of the verses right after that,
00:57:31.48\00:57:33.35
He said to the disciples,
00:57:33.38\00:57:35.08
"Where I'm going,
you cannot come now."
00:57:35.12\00:57:37.72
Peter said, "Why can't we go?"
00:57:37.75\00:57:39.65
Because Peter
wasn't ready to go.
00:57:39.69\00:57:41.59
Some of us are
not ready to go yet.
00:57:41.62\00:57:42.99
That's why the
Lord is giving us time
00:57:43.02\00:57:44.36
to be sanctified to
become more like Him.
00:57:44.39\00:57:45.73
So when the time
comes, we are ready to go.
00:57:45.76\00:57:48.10
So, friends,
continue studying the topic,
00:57:48.13\00:57:51.50
continue trusting God's Word
00:57:51.53\00:57:53.40
because, you know, it
doesn't always make sense,
00:57:53.44\00:57:55.90
but if you keep
trusting God's Word
00:57:55.94\00:57:57.57
and put that first, one day,
00:57:57.61\00:57:58.94
whatever is not clear
will come into A Sharper Focus.
00:57:58.97\00:58:02.68
God bless you.
00:58:02.71\00:58:04.21