Participants: Pr. John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000063
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00:22 Hello, friends, and welcome
00:23 to another Wednesday Night Bible Study 00:25 here at the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:28 By the way, our local audience 00:29 wants to welcome you with a hearty amen. 00:31 Can we do that? Amen. 00:33 Thank you for tuning in, 00:35 and I'll thank you all for being here tonight. 00:36 I see you've your lessons and your Bibles, 00:38 and we encourage you also 00:40 to get your lessons and your Bibles. 00:41 If you like a copy of our lesson, 00:43 we're continuing on the topic of the truth about death. 00:46 What does the Bible say about life and death? 00:50 Everyone wants to know 00:51 what the Bible teaches about that. 00:53 But if you want to follow along with the lesson, 00:55 go to this website, don't put www, 00:58 put asf.3abn.org 01:03 and download lesson number 19 01:06 "The Truth about Life and Death," 01:07 and you'll be able to follow along. 01:09 Invite your family and friends and those who are with you 01:12 at your home or your church to sit down for the next hour 01:14 as we continue the topic 01:16 of what the Bible teaches about life 01:19 and what the Bible teaches about death. 01:21 And what happens in between 01:23 and really, what happens when the Lord comes. 01:25 But before we do anything, let's bow our heads tonight 01:28 and invite the Lord's presence to be with us. 01:31 Our Gracious Father in heaven, we thank You that tonight, 01:34 we can open our hearts and open our Bibles 01:36 and thank You for Your presence here 01:39 that will be our teacher 01:41 for Your Holy Spirit that will be our guide. 01:44 For the fact that the truth of God 01:45 is ever unfolding, it's like a book 01:46 that never loses its inspiration, 01:49 but there are some who are tuning 01:52 into this program that may not understand 01:53 everything the Bible says about this very important topic. 01:57 And we want Your truth to be understood 01:59 and to be lovingly shared. 02:01 So speak to our hearts, 02:03 we pray this night in Jesus' name. 02:05 Amen. 02:07 Now by the way, we sing here 02:09 and for those of you who know the song 02:10 "Victory in Jesus," 02:12 we'd like you to join us as we sing our theme song. 02:14 It'll be on the screen for us, and we'll sing 02:16 so that those who are tuning into the program 02:18 can join us with this song. 02:20 Let's sing our theme song for tonight "Victory in Jesus." 02:29 I heard an old, old story 02:33 How the Savior came from glory 02:36 How He gave His life on Calvary 02:40 To save a wretch like me 02:44 I heard about His groaning 02:48 Of His precious blood's atoning 02:52 Then I repented of my sin 02:55 And won the victory 02:59 O victory in Jesus 03:03 My Savior, forever 03:07 He sought me and bought me 03:10 With His redeeming blood 03:14 He loved me ere I knew Him 03:18 And all my love is due Him 03:22 He plunged me to victory 03:26 Beneath the cleansing flood 03:29 I heard about a mansion 03:33 He has built for me in glory 03:37 And I heard about the streets of gold 03:41 Beyond the crystal sea 03:45 About the angels singing 03:48 And the old redemption story 03:52 And some sweet day I'll sing up there 03:56 The song of victory 03:58 Key change. 04:00 O victory in Jesus 04:03 My Savior, forever 04:07 He sought me and bought me 04:11 With His redeeming blood 04:15 He loved me ere I knew Him 04:18 And all my love is due Him 04:22 He plunged me to victory 04:26 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:30 He plunged me to victory 04:34 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:40 Amen. 04:42 That's our theme song. 04:43 And I did say last week that I will put the words up, 04:46 I must rebuke myself tonight, 04:49 I didn't put them on the website yet, 04:50 but they will be up. 04:52 We'll try to get them up tomorrow. 04:53 So for those of you who don't know 04:55 the lyrics to the song "Victory in Jesus" 04:56 and some have asked for the lyrics, 04:58 we'll go ahead and make it available to you. 05:01 But tonight, once again, 05:02 we're talking about the subject of life and death. 05:04 What is the subject? Life and death. 05:07 And, you know, there are a lot of things 05:09 that are being said about this topic in the world. 05:12 Unfortunately, most of it is not true. 05:14 And many of the things that we believe 05:17 are being shaped by what people hear in the media, 05:20 by what they're told, by movies that they watch, 05:24 by maybe a news broadcast. 05:27 Unfortunately, somebody sometimes would be... 05:30 Their life would be taken in a terrible car accident. 05:32 And sometimes, somebody would say, 05:33 "Well, the Lord needed another angel." 05:36 Kind of make God sound like a hit man. 05:38 And these things are not true. 05:40 So we want to make sure that we understand clearly 05:42 what the Bible teaches about what happens 05:44 when a person dies, 05:46 what are we made of, are we a soul, 05:49 do we have a living soul, 05:51 is the body and the soul separate, 05:54 are we three parts, body, soul, and spirit. 05:56 I mean, what actually is going on, 05:58 what survives death if anything. 06:00 And we're going to turn to the Bible 06:02 to make sure that's clear. 06:04 But I want to begin 06:05 by going to one of the most important books in the Bible, 06:07 1 Corinthians Chapter 15. 06:10 What book did I say? 06:11 1 Corinthians and Chapter 15. 06:14 Now the reason this chapter is important 06:18 is this is one of the chapters in the Bible 06:20 where Paul takes as it were 58 verses, 06:26 58 verses, 06:28 and he talks about the resurrection, 06:31 he talks about death, 06:33 he talks about the earthly body, 06:35 the heavenly body, 06:36 he talks about how we are prior to the resurrection, 06:41 how we will be after the resurrection, 06:43 he talks about the first Adam, the last Adam, 06:46 he talks about the spirit, he talks about the soul. 06:49 He makes it very clear what we are. 06:51 And sometimes, 06:53 this great topic about the resurrection 06:55 is often left out. 06:58 In Christianity today, most of the topics, we hear is, 07:01 well, they've died and they've gone to where? 07:03 They've gone to heaven. 07:05 But we have to be clear about what the Bible teaches. 07:07 Now we're all going to go. 07:09 Can you say amen to that? Amen. 07:10 That is if you've given your life to Jesus, 07:12 and you're waiting for the coming of the Lord, 07:14 we are going to go to heaven when Jesus returns. 07:17 But death is not a detour. 07:20 Death is not another exit prior to death. 07:24 In the discourse of Jesus with His disciples, 07:26 Jesus made it very clear, when He said... 07:28 Matter of fact, hold your hand here, 07:30 we're going to spend a lot of time 07:31 in 1 Corinthians 15. 07:33 But I want to just dive into John Chapter 14. 07:36 Go there with me. That's before. 07:39 John Chapter 14. Let's go there. 07:42 I want to show you something what Jesus said, 07:44 okay? 07:47 John Chapter 14. 07:49 Okay? 07:53 Okay. 07:58 Okay? 08:02 And this is probably 08:04 one of the greatest promises ever made 08:08 because Jesus was about to ascend 08:10 and go back to heaven. 08:12 And there He was facing His disciples, 08:14 and they were wondering, 08:16 "Well, if You're leaving, are You taking us with You?" 08:19 And obviously the answer was what? 08:20 No. 08:22 But He made a statement that I want to break down 08:24 from verse 1 to verse 3, 08:26 and then we're going to look at a number of other statements 08:28 that Jesus made when He said to the disciples, 08:31 "Hey, I know where I'm going, but you cannot come right now, 08:34 you cannot follow Me, you cannot go with Me." 08:37 Look at John 14:1. 08:39 And by the way, just to be very clear 08:41 about who this was directed to. 08:43 This was directed specifically to Peter 08:46 because Peter was just about to deny Jesus. 08:49 Peter was just about to deny Jesus. 08:51 And we know in the Bible 08:53 that there were no chapters and verses. 08:54 So right after Jesus talked to Peter 08:56 about the denial that was going to come. 08:57 He said to Peter, 08:59 "Let not your heart be troubled." 09:01 Now while it applies to all of us, 09:03 it applies with particular force to who? 09:06 To Peter because He's talking directly to Peter. 09:09 But notice what He says. 09:11 Matter of fact, let's read this together. 09:12 It says, "Let not your hearts be," what? 09:15 "Troubled. 09:16 You believe in God, believe also in Me. 09:19 In My Father's house are many," what? 09:22 "Mansions. 09:23 If it were not so, I would have," what? 09:25 "Told you. 09:27 I go to prepare a place for you. 09:30 And if I go and prepare a place for you, 09:32 I will do," what? 09:34 "Come again, and receive you to Myself, 09:38 that where I am, there you may be also." 09:44 And He says in verse 4. 09:45 "And where I go you know, and the way you know. 09:50 And Thomas said to Him, 09:51 'Lord, we do not know where You are going, 09:54 and how can we know the way?'" 09:56 And this is where you find that statement. 09:58 "Jesus said to them or to him, 10:00 'I am the," what? 10:01 "The way, the truth, and the life. 10:04 No one comes to the Father except through Me or by Me.'" 10:10 And so you see clearly, 10:12 couple of things that are pointed out. 10:13 First of all, Jesus says, "I'm going to do," what? 10:15 "Prepare a," what? 10:16 "Place." 10:18 So is there a place being prepared for us today. 10:19 What is that place called? It's called heaven. 10:22 He says, "He's going to get that ready." 10:24 But then He made it very clear, He says... 10:27 How we're going to get there? 10:29 Somebody tell me how we're going to get there? 10:31 Somebody? 10:33 He will come again. 10:36 Now get this, He came the first time, 10:39 and He said He's going to come what? 10:40 Again. 10:42 And when He comes again, 10:43 that's when the gathering is going to take place. 10:46 So lot of times people don't understand 10:48 there's a gathering that's going to happen 10:50 when Jesus comes again. 10:52 And then He says, "That where I am," 10:56 present tense, 10:57 "there you may be also." 10:59 That is going to happen in the future. 11:01 So we have reservations. 11:02 Amen to that? Amen. 11:04 We all got reservations in heaven, 11:05 but we're not going to heaven when we die. 11:08 Oftentimes, we just bypass the process 11:10 of the return of Jesus. 11:12 The good news is Jesus is coming again. 11:15 Say that with me. Jesus is coming again. 11:19 We could never grow weary of that truth 11:21 because when you grow weary of that truth, 11:24 He says in Matthew Chapter 24, 11:26 "In such an hour as you think not," 11:28 what's going to happen? 11:29 "The Son of man is going to come." 11:30 So we're living in a world, we're living in a day and age 11:32 where people are getting... 11:37 When is He going to get here? 11:39 How long is it going to be? 11:43 "Oh, man, would you please hurry up? 11:49 Tired of waiting. 11:50 And then we look at the wars, and disasters, and earthquakes, 11:53 and financial instability, we'll look at death, 11:55 and crime, and violence, and kidnappings 11:57 and all this perversion 11:59 that's going on in the world today, 12:01 and we say how bad does it have to get 12:03 before Jesus comes back. 12:05 But what many of us don't know here in America is this, 12:07 that there are people around the world 12:09 that don't know the name of Jesus yet. 12:11 So He's got to get into all those corners 12:13 of the world 12:15 and doesn't have to take long to do that. 12:17 He's not going to take as long as we think 12:19 because the Bible says, "He will cut the work short 12:21 and finish it in righteousness." 12:24 Finish it for our sake. Amen to that? 12:26 Now let's go to 1 Corinthians 15. 12:29 We want to lay some foundation here 12:31 to get you to see that this whole idea about death... 12:34 And people often use the writing 12:35 of the Apostle Paul to say what he didn't say. 12:39 Even sometimes, people use the writings 12:41 of the Apostle Paul to battle what Jesus said 12:43 because you find Paul says one thing, 12:47 and it appears that Jesus says something else, 12:49 but He doesn't say something different than Paul says. 12:52 He says the same thing 12:54 because he is an apostle of Christ. 12:57 Apostles don't say things that are opposite 13:00 to the one who sends them, all right? 13:03 Now let's go ahead. 13:05 And I want to begin down at verse 12. 13:09 I want to begin down at verse 12 13:11 because there was a big controversy 13:14 among the Corinthians and some of the Pharisees 13:17 had said the resurrection already happened, 13:19 some of them said 13:21 there is no resurrection of the dead, 13:22 so Paul is setting the record straight. 13:25 And what are you going to find in this study, 13:26 particularly, what are you going to find 13:27 as we read this is this. 13:29 You are going to find that Paul talks 13:30 about who was resurrected. 13:33 He's going to talk about 13:35 when we are going to be resurrected, 13:37 that is, if we die before Jesus comes. 13:38 But I told you already, 13:40 I'm praying to be alive when Jesus gets here. 13:42 Anybody else? I thought I have more people. 13:46 Somebody want to be dead? I want to be ready. 13:49 I want to be alive when Jesus comes. 13:51 Anybody else? Yes. 13:52 I hope it's soon. 13:53 I mean, I'm not looking for the Lord to come 13:55 in 200 more years? 13:57 We don't need floating cars before He gets here. 13:59 You know, it's bad enough, you know? 14:02 "Even so come, Lord Jesus," I want to say. 14:04 But it's going to be an amazing challenge. 14:07 But notice verse 12 of 1 Corinthians Chapter 15. 14:11 The Bible says, "Now if Christ is preached 14:17 that He has been raised from the dead, 14:20 how do some among you say 14:23 that there is no resurrection of the dead?" 14:25 Now I'm laying the foundation this week 14:27 because the next topic 14:29 is going to be on the resurrection. 14:30 But I felt it necessary tonight to go and say, 14:33 "Well, why is it that in the Christian world 14:35 the resurrection is kind of left out?" 14:37 Do you hear sermons about the resurrection? 14:40 I watch many televangelists, 14:41 you don't hear sermons about the resurrection, 14:43 but you hear about this alternate route to heaven, 14:45 "Well, they're in heaven now, 14:47 my mom is up there with the Lord, 14:48 my daddy used to sing for Jesus now he's up there in heaven, 14:51 plan the banjo for Jesus." 14:53 I don't want to be irreverent, or don't want to be cynical, 14:56 but it sounds ridiculous and you ask the questions, 14:58 "Well, how did he get his banjo to heaven?" 15:01 Think about it. How did he get up there? 15:03 How did he take all the... 15:04 Playing the piano on the streets 15:06 of the New Jerusalem. 15:08 These are fables. 15:10 Look at the next verse. 15:11 How is it that some people say there's no resurrection. 15:13 Verse 13. 15:15 "But if there is no resurrection of the dead, 15:17 then Christ is," what? 15:19 "Is not risen. 15:20 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is," what? 15:24 "In vain and your faith is also vain. 15:28 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, 15:33 because we have testified of God 15:36 that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up, 15:39 if in fact, the dead do not rise." 15:42 Now I want you to get this. 15:43 There's a text here that's so vitally important, 15:46 the context of this is, who raised up Christ? 15:50 Let me get the answer. Who raised up Christ? 15:53 Say it again, Robert? God raised up Christ. 15:56 If He didn't raise Him up, 15:58 then there is no resurrection of the dead. 16:01 If there is no resurrection of the dead, 16:02 then we need to start preaching. 16:05 Right? 16:06 And our faith is in vain. 16:07 He says, "You've got this hope that means absolutely nothing." 16:10 If there's some place right now 16:12 where the bones of Jesus still is, 16:14 then you are in trouble. 16:15 And I want to declare tonight there is no place 16:17 that has been found 16:19 where the body of Jesus is to this day. 16:21 What do you say? Amen. 16:22 There's no place. The tomb is empty. 16:24 People argue that it's one location or the other. 16:26 It doesn't really matter where it is. 16:28 I know where He is. That's all that really matters. 16:30 But now let's go on. Let's go on. 16:34 And then He says in verse 16, 16:36 "For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 16:41 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile," 16:45 that is in vain, 16:47 "and you are still in your," what? 16:48 "Sins!" 16:50 Let me stop right there and make a point 16:51 of what He's saying. 16:52 He says, 16:54 "Yes, the death of Jesus was important." 16:55 Aren't we glad He died for us? 16:57 But even more than His death is His resurrection 16:59 because lots of religious leaders died, 17:02 but only one conquered the grave. 17:05 Amen? Amen. 17:06 So if He just died for us, then He's like everybody else. 17:12 But Jesus not only died for us, but He rose again. 17:16 You see, death was the payment for our transgression. 17:23 The resurrection was the assurance 17:26 that our transgression won't have the last word. 17:29 You see if Christ just paid the debt 17:31 but could not deliver us, 17:33 it's like somebody buying a car, 17:34 but they can't drive it off the lot. 17:37 Think about it for a moment. 17:38 It's like somebody buying a house, 17:40 but they will never be given the right to inhabit it. 17:42 Let's somebody paying a big prize, 17:44 but it's not yours. 17:45 Jesus not only paid the price for our ransom, 17:49 but He also is victorious over the very thing 17:51 that would have been our sentence 17:54 had He not paid the price for our salvation. 17:59 But He goes on now in verse 18, he says, 18:03 "Then also those who have done" what? 18:06 "Fallen asleep in Christ have," what? 18:08 "Perished." 18:10 Well, now let's see what he means by that. 18:12 "And if in this life only... 18:15 This is one of my most repeated scriptures, 18:18 I like the way that it says in the King James Version, 18:20 I'm going to try to remember that by heart. 18:22 But it says, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, 18:25 we are of all men most miserable." 18:29 Ain't that a terrible word? 18:31 It sounds a little more depressing than pitiable. 18:35 "If we only have hope in this life, 18:36 we are of all men the most," 18:38 say it, "miserable." 18:39 Have you seen miserable people? 18:41 You want to see miserable Christians? 18:43 Tell them that Christ has not been risen. 18:46 And if a Christian believes that, 18:49 it's a miserable existence because here we are, 18:52 I want to just give you a terrible description here. 18:54 Somebody once said, 18:55 "It's a sad thing to miss out 18:57 on all the fun the world has..." 19:02 Now follow carefully, 19:03 I'm going to qualify this in a moment. 19:05 Lot of people says, "It's terrible to miss out 19:07 on all the fun the world has and not have eternal life." 19:10 Let me just tell you this. 19:15 I like the way the songwriter said it, 19:16 "If heaven was never promised to me, 19:19 neither God's promise to live eternally, 19:24 it's been worth 19:25 just having the Lord in our lives." 19:27 Amen somebody? Amen. 19:28 He's made a major difference a sane life, a clear life, 19:33 a sane mind, a respectable individual. 19:36 And what the world is missing today 19:38 is not just people that have a constitution, 19:40 but people that have the presence of Christ 19:42 in their lives. 19:44 Live a healthy life. 19:45 If you only get one, live a very healthy life 19:47 but thank Spirit of God, 19:48 we don't just get one go around, 19:49 we get a second chance because of Christ. 19:51 Amen. 19:53 But let's go on further and see. 19:54 Now Paul is going to get into the specifics. 19:57 He's going to talk about when Christ was rose, 20:00 when Christ was raised, 20:01 and when we are going to be raised. 20:03 Very important. 20:04 "But now," verse 20, 20:06 "Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the," what? 20:11 "Firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." 20:14 That's the harvest language. 20:17 Firstfruits mean when the harvest time comes, 20:19 He's the first one. 20:21 It's like the first crop of apples 20:22 off of the apple tree. 20:24 It's like the first basket of oranges 20:25 out of the orange grove. 20:27 He's the first one, which means, 20:28 He represents a whole lot more that have not yet been picked. 20:32 So Christ is the first one that's been risen, 20:35 that means there's whole lot more 20:36 that have not yet been risen, right? 20:38 He's the firstfruits. 20:39 Now let's go to the next verse 21. 20:41 "For since by man came," what? 20:44 "Death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead." 20:48 Now does your Bible have the word 20:50 the second Man capitalized? 20:52 Yes. 20:54 It should be capitalized 20:55 because that second Man is Christ. 20:57 If both of them are small M's, you want to correct that. 21:00 I like the way the New King James Version 21:01 corrected that. 21:03 The second M should be capitalized. 21:05 "For since by man," small M, "came death," 21:07 that's sinful man, "by Man," that is Jesus, 21:11 "also came the resurrection of the dead." 21:14 And verse 22. 21:15 "For as in Adam," how many die? 21:18 "All die, even so in Christ," 21:20 how many shall be made alive? "All..." 21:23 What's the next word after all? 21:25 "Shall be made alive." 21:28 This is something you've got to get the process. 21:31 Paul is talking about process here. 21:32 "Shall be made alive," 21:35 which means they're not alive yet. 21:36 Where are they then? They are in the grave. 21:39 They shall be made alive. 21:42 The Bible is making it very clear. 21:44 But now this is the crux of the passage. 21:48 Verse 23, "But each one in his own order." 21:54 Who's the first one? 21:56 "Christ the firstfruits, 21:59 afterwards those who are Christ's," when? 22:03 "At His coming." 22:06 1 Corinthians 15:23. 22:08 So one of those who are resting in Jesus 22:11 going to come forth from the grave. 22:12 Say it, really quickly, as the Bible says. 22:14 "At His coming." 22:16 Say that with me, "At His coming." 22:20 Not before. 22:22 Christ was the only one to come out. 22:24 He says in Revelation, 22:25 "I've got the keys of death and of the grave." 22:27 So when is that grave going to be opened up? 22:31 And we're going to find out that in the next lesson. 22:32 When he blows the trumpet, when the earth quakes, 22:36 when the dead in Christ rise first, 22:38 and then we which are alive 22:40 are caught up together with them 22:41 to meet the Lord in the air. 22:42 That means, we haven't met Him yet. 22:44 And to show you that Paul was very clear about this. 22:46 Notice, what he says in the very next verse, 22:48 in the very next verse. 22:49 He ends with the phrase, 22:51 "Those who are Christs at His coming," 22:53 And then in verse 24 just to verify it, 22:55 "Then comes the," what? 22:57 "End, 'when He delivers the kingdom 23:00 to God the Father, 23:02 when He puts an end to all rule and," 23:05 how much authority? 23:06 "All authority for and the power. 23:09 For he must reign till He has put, 23:11 how many? 23:13 "All enemies under His feet." 23:14 And verse 26. Let's read that together. 23:17 "The last enemy that will be destroyed is," what? 23:21 "Death." 23:22 So if that last enemy 23:25 that's going to be destroyed is death, 23:27 how long is death going to reign? 23:31 Somebody tell me? To the end. 23:34 To the end. Until it is, what? 23:36 Until it is, what? 23:39 Look at the verse. Until death is what? 23:41 Destroyed. Say it again. 23:43 Destroyed. 23:44 Death is going to reign until death is destroyed. 23:48 So has death been destroyed yet? 23:50 No. So death still happens. 23:53 All have sinned, 23:56 the wages of sin is what? 23:58 Death. That's the fact. 24:01 Death is still in effect today. 24:02 Sad reality, it's still in effect today. 24:05 But now let's go to the very end 24:07 of this passage. 24:08 I want to show you something. 24:10 I don't want to go to the middle part, 24:11 I'm going to leave that for the major purpose. 24:12 But let's go to the very last verse 24:15 in 1 Corinthians Chapter 15. 24:16 Actually the... 24:22 Okay. 24:23 Yeah, let's go to verse 54, verse 54. 24:29 Okay. Okay. Verse 54. 24:34 "So when this corruptible..." 24:35 No, verse 55. That's the one I'm getting. 24:38 Yes. Are we ready? 24:39 What verse did I say? 24:41 Fifty five. This is the one. 24:42 First of all, death is going to be destroyed, 24:45 and then after death is destroyed, 24:46 notice what Paul writes about death. 24:49 It's almost like he's speaking to death. 24:52 And he says, "O Death, where is your," what? 24:55 "Sting? O Grave, where is your," what? 24:59 "Victory?" 25:00 So let me just make this clear. 25:02 As we talk about the difference between life and death, 25:04 the truth about life and death. 25:06 Let me make it very clear tonight 25:07 at the beginning of the study, 25:09 death will not have the final victory, life will. 25:13 What do you say? Amen. 25:15 The final victory is life. The final victory is not death. 25:20 Death seems to be winning now 25:22 but the last knockout punch is death itself 25:25 is going to be defeated. 25:27 Death itself is going to be eliminated. 25:30 Death itself is going to be destroyed. 25:32 Until then, 25:35 we will have all be in one way or the other 25:38 affected by this stalker 25:41 that walks the planet from home to home, 25:44 from family to family, from situation to situation, 25:47 from life to life, 25:48 and knocks on the door of somebody's house 25:51 at some point in their existence, 25:53 a sad reality. 25:55 But I want to go ahead and dive 25:56 into question number 15 tonight. 25:58 If you have that question... 26:00 Question number 15. 26:01 And if you don't have a copy, we have a few copies down here 26:03 if anybody wants one. 26:06 Question number 15. Notice what the Bible says. 26:10 And by the way, 26:11 last week what we discovered as we read the Book of Job, 26:15 we... 26:16 Matter of fact, go to the Book of Job 26:17 that's where we're going to find our answer. 26:19 I want to bring up question 15 tonight. 26:20 And here it is. 26:23 How long does the Bible teach 26:27 that the dead will remain in their graves? 26:30 How long does the Bible teach 26:32 that the dead will remain in their graves? 26:36 What book did we say? Job. 26:37 We're going to go to the Book of Job. 26:40 Now what I want to do just because of last week, 26:42 I want to reiterate? a couple of passages, 26:44 but we're going to start with Job Chapter 14. 26:47 And I know the answers of verse 11 and 12, 26:50 but I want to begin with verse 10. 26:53 I want to begin with the verse 7. 27:00 Okay, I apologize. 27:02 We did verse 7 and 10 earlier, 27:03 but I want to begin with verse 7, 27:05 and then we're going to get down to verse 12, okay? 27:07 So let's look at this. 27:09 Now if you're thinking about this, 27:11 every one of us has seen a tree cut down before.? 27:14 Have we all? 27:15 Even if you haven't seen it cut down physically, 27:17 you've seen a tree stump 27:20 I'm facing the sad reality that 27:22 last year I had a good friend of ours, 27:25 come to our house, visited us, he's a landscaper, 27:27 and he cut of, 27:28 right by the pond in our backyard, 27:30 right at the base of the pond 27:32 where the water meets the ground. 27:34 You know all these weeds, they just fall into the water, 27:36 and then they just grow before, 27:38 you know, they become a tree, 27:39 and then it gets so big that you can't really 27:41 cut him down easily. 27:42 They start as a small fledgling plant, 27:44 but then they continue growing and growing. 27:46 Well, last year, my pond looks so nice, 27:48 it was clear all along the edges. 27:52 But you know what happened. 27:53 When he cut them, he left the roots in there. 27:56 And he didn't put that killer stuff on top of the... 28:00 He said there's supposed to be something, 28:01 you paint on top of the roots so it dies. 28:03 He didn't put that there. 28:05 And now they're coming back, they're coming back. 28:10 You see the point of the matter 28:11 is when you begin to read this passage, 28:14 Job is going to say, 28:15 "Learn the lesson about life and death from the tree." 28:19 Let's start with verse 7. 28:23 "For there is hope..." 28:25 Job 14:7, 28:26 "For there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, 28:31 that it will sprout again. 28:34 And that its tender shoots will not cease 28:38 Though its root may grow old in the earth, 28:43 and its stump may die in the ground, 28:46 yet at the," what? 28:48 "Scent of water it will bud 28:51 and bring forth branches like a plant." 28:55 Now the question was how long does the Bible teach that man, 28:59 that the dead remain in the graves. 29:01 Look at verse 10. 29:04 "But man dies and is laid away. 29:07 Indeed he breathes his last," 29:10 and what are the next four words? 29:11 "And where is he?" 29:14 Now let's say together. "And where is he?" 29:18 That's the question. "Where is he?" 29:19 When he breathes his last breath, 29:21 you go to the hospital, unfortunately, 29:23 sometimes people gather around the bed 29:25 of their loved ones 29:26 and, it's always a sad thing when the person is expired 29:30 or anything happens in a person. 29:32 And somebody once said, "There's always that point 29:35 where they breathe their last breath." 29:38 Some people have said, "I was right there, 29:40 when he breathed his last breath. 29:42 I was right there, 29:43 when she breathed her last breath." 29:45 So Job is saying, 29:47 "When he breathes his last breath, 29:50 where is he?" 29:53 Because this is the point where the preachers have said, 29:56 "Oh, he's on his way to heaven." 30:01 This is what you've heard on the news, 30:03 this is what preachers have taught in your churches. 30:05 Many of you that are watching this program, 30:06 this is what your preacher may have said just last week. 30:08 "They're in heaven now, they are absent from the body, 30:12 they're present with the Lord." 30:14 We'll discuss that passage in a moment. 30:15 And by the way, it's just a hint, 30:17 that passage says nothing about death, 30:19 not a single word death is mentioned 30:21 in that entire passage. 30:23 So Job's answering, "Where is he?" 30:25 Look at verse 11. 30:27 "As water disappears from the sea..." 30:30 This is the verses on the screen. 30:32 "As water disappears from the sea, 30:34 and a river becomes," what? 30:37 "Parched and dries up, so man lies down and," what? 30:43 "Does not rise." 30:46 He, what? "Does not rise." 30:51 "Man lies down and does not rise 30:55 till the heavens..." 30:57 And I'm reading the Bible verse here. 30:58 "Till the heavens are no more, 31:00 they will not awake nor be roused 31:04 from their sleep." 31:07 Is that clear? 31:08 "They will not awake nor be roused 31:10 from their sleep." 31:11 So where they're going to be? 31:12 They're not going to be awaken, nobody's going to wake them up. 31:14 They're going to be there. 31:15 They're going to stay in that grave, 31:17 they will not be awakened nor roused from their sleep. 31:20 What does that mean roused? 31:22 Has anybody have been roused from their sleep? 31:25 Somebody tell me? What does that mean? 31:28 Awaken. Wake up? 31:31 And what you do when you wake up? 31:36 When you wake up, do you say, "Oh, why do you wake me up, 31:39 I was just on my way to the mall?" 31:42 Did you say that? 31:44 But according to what happens when we die, 31:46 we make it appears that when a person dies 31:48 they had all this new activity going on. 31:50 "Wait, wait, wait, wait, don't wake me up now, 31:52 I'm just singing a song to Paul or singing a song to Jesus." 31:56 They kind of talk like the moment you die, 31:58 "Hey, oh, I'm so glad to be here." 32:01 That's not what the Bible teaches. 32:03 "They will not awake nor be roused 32:07 from their sleep." 32:09 And I want to go ahead. So let's answer question 15. 32:12 How long does the Bible teach that the dead 32:14 will remain in their graves? 32:16 Till the heavens are no more. Till the heavens are no more. 32:22 And the Bible talks about the coming of the Lord. 32:24 The heavens will pass away with a great noise 32:28 and the elements will melt with fervent heat, 32:32 until that day, 32:33 that's at the second coming of Christ, 32:35 until that day they're going to be in that grave. 32:39 Until that day, they're not going anywhere. 32:43 They're right there. 32:45 So let me encourage you because somebody may be saying, 32:49 "I've just found this out. 32:50 I've just learned this for the first time. 32:52 What do I do about the fact that I've been thinking 32:54 my mama's up there all these years?" 32:56 Let me encourage you. 32:58 You and your mama are going to go to heaven 32:59 to see Jesus together. 33:01 Can we say amen to that? Amen. 33:02 Mamas up there saying, 33:04 "Oh, man, I wonder whatever happened to Jeffrey." 33:08 And what's even worse, what's even worse 33:12 is that they make it appear 33:13 as though mom is looking down on us. 33:17 Well, let me tell you about my mom, 33:19 when my mom was alive, 33:20 she couldn't see around the corner, 33:22 she couldn't see through walls. 33:24 Anybody else? Come on. 33:28 If I was on a block, the best I could do is, 33:31 "Can't tell who that is." 33:32 But all of a sudden, now this is the devil's lie. 33:34 All of a sudden, now that you die, 33:36 you've got this super human ability 33:39 and that's the lie he told to Eve. 33:41 "You will be like God. You will be like God. 33:46 If you disobey, you'll be like God. 33:48 You won't really die." 33:51 Genesis 3:4, "You won't really die." 33:54 That's a lie. Adam died. 33:56 I want to say what somebody said last week, 33:58 and this is great. 33:59 I think Kim talked to me about this last week. 34:01 She said, "How long is a day for God?" 34:04 While the Bible says, Peter says, 34:06 "A day with the Lord is as a 1,000 years, 34:10 and a 1,000 years is as a," what? 34:12 "Day." 34:13 Now we're not saying a day and a 1,000 years 34:14 are the same thing but for the Lord, 34:16 a day is like a 1,000 years, a 1,000 years is like a day. 34:19 And the Lord says, 34:20 "In the day you eat thereof it, you shall surely die." 34:22 And old was Adam when he died? 34:25 Nine hundred and thirty, he died within the day. 34:28 Did you get that? 34:30 If a day for God is like a 1,000 years, 34:31 and a 1,000 years is like a day, 34:34 Adam died before the day was over. 34:36 He didn't even make it to 1,000 years. 34:39 Methuselah got really close 969, 34:43 but he didn't make it, 34:45 he died within the day. 34:46 The point of the matter is death reign to all, 34:50 for all have sinned. 34:52 Death reign to all because all have sinned. 34:55 So according to the answer here, 34:58 how long will they be in there? 34:59 Tell me the answer? Till the heavens are no more. 35:04 Till the coming of the Lord. 35:05 Now question number 16. Question number 16. 35:10 What does the Bible say... 35:12 What does the Bible say 35:14 we must pass before the dead are raised... 35:17 Sorry. 35:19 What does the Bible say must pass 35:20 before the dead are raised? 35:22 I looked at my own question 35:23 and added another word in there. 35:25 What does the Bible say 35:26 must pass before the dead are raised? 35:30 Stay in the Book of Job. Stay in the Book of Job. 35:35 Some of you guys are really on top of it tonight. 35:38 Job answers the question. 35:39 You know what? Well, let me just say, 35:41 isn't it good to know the Bible has the answers? 35:42 Can you say amen to that? Amen. 35:44 It's so good to know 35:45 that we don't have to sit and say, 35:46 "Well, now let me see, 35:48 what does my theological professor say? 35:49 What does the pastor say on television? 35:51 What does that church say? 35:52 What does that denomination say?" 35:53 No. What does the Bible say? 35:55 Whatever happened to the Bible? Forget about, it sounds good. 36:00 If it's a lie, it shouldn't sound good. 36:02 Never allow a lie to sound good. 36:05 Amen. "Well, it's so comforting." 36:07 Don't get comfort from a lie. 36:12 And what's happening in our world today 36:13 I've seen this on television. 36:14 There are some channels on television 36:16 that will lie to you and ask you to send the money. 36:18 Let me say something, 3ABN will not lie to you, 36:20 and ask for your financial support. 36:22 Amen somebody? Amen. 36:23 This is the channel of truth. 36:26 The whole truth and nothing but the truth. 36:29 So if you don't want the truth, then watch some other channels. 36:34 But if you want the truth, you're at the right one. 36:35 Come on say amen. 36:37 Because we're going to tell it like it is. 36:38 The comfort is knowing this that when Jesus comes back, 36:42 everybody who is in the grave resting 36:44 will go to heaven together to meet the Lord. 36:47 That's why we look forward to the second coming of Christ. 36:53 I apologize if I'm excited tonight. 36:56 But I like to the truth. Anybody else? 36:57 Amen. Nothing but the truth. 37:00 So let's answer the question. 37:02 Job 14:13, 37:04 and it's going to be on the screen. 37:06 Look what Job says, 37:07 "Oh, that You would," do what? 37:09 "Hide me," where? 37:11 "In the grave, 37:12 that You would conceal me until Your wrath is," what?" 37:16 "Past, that You will appoint me a set time, and," what? 37:20 "Remember me!" So here's the answer. 37:24 What does the Bible say must pass 37:27 before the dead are raised? 37:29 Say it? God's wrath. 37:32 God is going to hide Job. Now, I want to get this. 37:35 This is a powerful statement. 37:37 When you read the Book of Job, the Bible says of Job, 37:41 there was not a person in the earth like him. 37:45 He's a righteous man. 37:46 So if anybody qualified based on that 37:52 to go right to heaven was what? 37:53 Job. 37:55 The Bible says, "He was a man that shunned evil, 37:58 he was a righteous man." 37:59 And He even said to the devil, 38:01 "Have you considered my servant Job 38:03 that there is none like him on the earth." 38:07 But Job is not in heaven. Yes. 38:09 And the thief on the cross said... 38:11 Okay. 38:13 See my wife is right on top of that. 38:14 See we lived together 30 years, I know where she's headed. 38:17 She knows where I'm headed. 38:19 Now I want to get this now. 38:20 The very same thing that Job said 38:23 is the very same thing the thief on the cross said. 38:28 We often look at the phrase where he says. 38:32 Where Jesus responds and says, 38:34 "Today you will be with Me in paradise." 38:35 We know that the comma has been incorrectly place 38:38 because that's not the answer to the question 38:42 that the thief asked. 38:43 He said to Jesus, 38:45 "Remember me when You come into Your kingdom. 38:51 Remember me when you come into Your kingdom." 38:53 Did we just read in 1 Corinthians 15 38:54 where Paul says, 38:56 "Then the kingdom is delivered up " when? 38:59 "At the end." 39:01 Then comes the end 39:02 when the kingdom is delivered up. 39:03 And the thief on the cross said to Jesus, 39:06 "Remember me when You come in Your kingdom." 39:09 And Jesus made the promise to him that day 39:13 that He will be with him in paradise. 39:14 He didn't say, "You are going to paradise 39:16 with Me that day." 39:17 But somebody may say, "But, yes, He did." 39:19 Well, let me ask you the question. 39:21 Did Jesus go to heaven that day? 39:23 Yes or no? No. 39:25 Because after He was raised, 39:26 and Mary was there in the garden, 39:28 and she began to hold on to Christ 39:30 when she recognized Him by His voice. 39:32 He said to Mary, "Do not cling to Me, 39:36 I have not yet," what? 39:38 "Ascended to My Father and to your Father. 39:43 I haven't gone yet, this is third day. 39:45 I haven't gone yet." 39:47 So how could Jesus say it to the thief, 39:48 "We're going today."? 39:51 He didn't say that 39:52 because when He rose on the third day, 39:55 Jesus Himself said, "I haven't gone yet. 40:01 I haven't gone, don't hold me, Mary, 40:03 I haven't gone to My Father and to your Father." 40:06 So the Bible is clear, 40:07 when the wrath of God is passed, 40:09 then the Lord... 40:11 And get this, the text says, 40:13 "Appoint me a," what type of time? 40:16 "A set time." What is that set time? 40:18 Somebody tell me? I know you got your hats on. 40:19 What's the set time? Second coming, resurrection. 40:23 Thank you. Say it together. Second coming, resurrection. 40:26 If you said either one of those, 40:27 you're correct. 40:28 The set time is the second coming 40:30 and the resurrection. 40:31 That's the set time. That's the set time. 40:34 God's got His time set. 40:36 It's like, "Okay, time to wake up." 40:39 The time is set. 40:41 He's got that divine alarm and voice is going to be loud, 40:46 voice is going to be loud. 40:48 David says in, I think in Psalms 25:9. 40:51 I think it is, 40:53 "My Lord shall come and shall not keep silent." 40:57 What does Paul say He's going to do 40:58 when He come back? 41:00 He's going to come back with a trumpet, 41:02 the voice of the archangel, with a shout. 41:05 That's the set time. 41:07 He is going to wake up everybody that's resting in. 41:09 Amen? Amen. 41:11 Let's go to the next one. Nothing is secret. 41:13 Okay, nothing is secret about that. 41:15 That's right. Nothing is secret about that. 41:17 My wife is helping me teaching. I praise the Lord. 41:19 My wife is on fire tonight. She's excited about the topic. 41:22 I appreciate that, honey. 41:24 Question number 17, 41:25 how does the Bible describe the condition of Adam? 41:29 How does the Bible describe the condition of Adam 41:32 to be after his death? 41:34 Okay? 41:35 Little typo there but that's all right. 41:39 How does the Bible describe the condition of Adam 41:42 after his death? 41:43 Take out the word be. 41:45 I was getting excited and typed faster 41:46 than I thought I should have. 41:48 Genesis 3:19. Genesis 3:19. 41:53 All right, let's go there. 41:55 Genesis 3:19. Got to go quickly. 42:01 Okay, here it is. It's on the screen. 42:04 Look at what the Lord said to Adam, Genesis 3:19. 42:08 He says, "In the sweat of your," what? 42:12 "Face you shall eat bread till you," 42:15 say it together, "return to the ground," 42:19 and get this, "for out of it you are," what? 42:23 "Taken for dust you are, and to," what? 42:26 "Dust you shall return." 42:29 Did you see the word return, return twice? 42:31 Return, where he's going? 42:33 Returning to where he came from. 42:34 Where did Adam come from? The ground. 42:35 He's not returning to heaven 42:37 because Adam didn't come from heaven, 42:39 God came from heaven. 42:40 We're going to go to heaven, we're not returning to heaven. 42:44 But there are some denominations 42:45 that teach that this, 42:46 they started in heaven as some spirit babies, 42:49 they came down and inhabited bodies. 42:51 I'm going to tell like it is tonight. 42:53 Spirit babies all populated up in heaven 42:57 waiting for another body, and they came down 42:59 and went to the body to learn their lesson, 43:01 then they go back and complete the cycle. 43:03 That's not true. That's not scriptural. 43:06 We didn't start in heaven, 43:07 God started in heaven. Amen? 43:10 The only one that came out of heaven, 43:12 that's not God, it's the devil and his angels. 43:15 They got kicked out. They got evicted. 43:20 And by the way, 43:21 they are not able to procreate. 43:24 We had no beginning there. 43:26 The Lord formed us from the dust of the ground 43:28 and that's why He says, "From dust you are..." 43:31 "For dust you are, 43:32 and to dust you shall," what? 43:34 "Return." Very, very clear. 43:37 Is that correct? Very clear. 43:39 So where're we going? Where're we going? 43:42 We're going back to the ground. 43:44 That's why we go to the cemetery. 43:46 We return people to the ground. 43:49 Except if you have ashes, 43:50 you know, in an urn or somebody may have 43:53 an above ground crypt like in the Virgin Islands. 43:55 You can't dig too far down because you'll hit ocean, 43:59 lot of water. 44:00 When you live on an island that's only 32 square miles. 44:02 Hello, all those in the Virgin Islands. 44:04 That's my hometown, my family there. 44:06 When you're in a place that is shallow 44:08 as the Virgin Islands, 44:09 you don't dig six feet under, 44:11 your relatives will float away or they'll be in water. 44:16 And the coffin would, 44:17 you know, corrode from the moisture. 44:19 They built it above the ground so they build up. 44:23 But as it is, the Bible makes it clear. 44:26 We came from dust when He formed us in Genesis, 44:30 when He breathed into our nostrils, 44:31 the breath of life. 44:33 And then when that breath of life ceases, 44:34 we go back to the place that we've come from. 44:37 All right, now let's go to question number 18. 44:40 When we cease to breathe and we die where do we go? 44:46 We just got the answer. But you know what? 44:48 We want to see with the Bible says 44:49 in other places. 44:50 Don't you know that? 44:52 When we cease to breathe and we die, 44:56 where do we go? Psalms 104:29. 45:01 Where do we go? Where do we go? 45:03 Let me see how quickly you can get there. 45:05 Where do we go? That's right. 45:08 David the psalmist said it so clearly. 45:11 Psalms 104:29. 45:12 Okay, here it is on the screen. 45:14 Just for the benefit of all of those 45:15 of you are here. 45:16 He says, the Lord says, "You hide Your," what? 45:18 "Face, they are," what? 45:20 "Troubled. You take away their," what? 45:23 "Breath, they," do what? "Die and return to," what? 45:26 "Their dust." 45:28 Their dust because that's where we came from. 45:31 I hope I'm not being repetitious here. 45:33 I'm using various Bible verses. 45:36 You see one of the principles of establishing truth 45:40 is that you don't just use one verse 45:41 and build an entire house on it. 45:43 You go from verse to verse to verse to verse, 45:46 Isaiah 42:21. 45:47 Here a little, here a little, there a little, there a little, 45:51 line upon line, line upon line, 45:54 precept on precept, precept on precept. 45:56 And from the Old to the New Testament, 45:58 it's very clear, 45:59 that they die and return to their dust. 46:01 That's why the Lord calls us out of the dust 46:04 when He returns. 46:05 Let's look at another one. Psalm 115:17. 46:10 Psalm 115:17. Wow! This is so clear. 46:16 Man, I didn't know these were here. 46:17 I've heard people teach 46:19 on the subject of death before... 46:20 You know what I've also discovered, 46:21 they have left out 99% 46:25 of what the Bible teaches about death. 46:27 You never hear them teach. 46:28 Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, 46:30 "The living know that they will die, 46:31 but the dead know nothing." 46:33 You never hear those verses. 46:34 But look at Psalm 115:17. 46:36 The Bible says, this is powerful, 46:39 "The dead do not," what? 46:41 "Praise the Lord, 46:42 nor any who go down into," what? 46:45 "Silence." 46:46 Notice, down into silence not up into praise. 46:50 In heaven praising God, uh-oh, they will be, 46:54 but they are not now. 46:57 We're going down into silence. 46:59 And by the way, there is no block party 47:01 going on in the grave. 47:03 Nobody passing out CDs in the graveyard. 47:06 Nobody saying, "Hey, how long you've been here?" 47:08 "Well, it's been like 750 years, I think. 47:10 Check the calendar." 47:12 There's no communication in the grave. 47:14 None whatsoever. They're silent. 47:16 Go to the graveyard at night. 47:19 For those of you who believe the dead are really dead, 47:21 you should fear nothing. 47:22 And take a tape recorder 47:24 and record all the conversations 47:26 happening in the graveyard. 47:28 You're going to come home with a blank cassette, I hope. 47:34 Because the devil could play tricks on you. 47:37 I'm not going to give him any glory at all. 47:39 But I've been to cemeteries, and I tell you, 47:41 it's the quietest place in the city of New York. 47:44 You want to get some quiet, go to Evergreens Cemetery, 47:48 go to Cypress Hill Cemetery, it's going to be quiet. 47:51 If you want to get away from the hip-hop music 47:52 and the rock music, go to the cemetery, 47:55 no parties in there. 47:56 Amen somebody? 47:58 Because they go down into what? Silence. 48:00 You could be the most prolific singer. 48:01 You ain't singing when you die. 48:04 You could be the most wonderful dancer, 48:05 you're not dancing after you die. 48:07 When you go to heaven you might. 48:09 And that's a glorious stance. 48:10 You think they would be hip-hopping 48:12 on the streets of gold. 48:14 But until that happens, 48:15 we'll all be down at the silence, 48:18 one day we'll all ascend, and we'll all together 48:21 when we meet the Lord in the air, 48:22 we'll be up on the praise. 48:24 Amen? Amen. 48:25 Number 19. Let's move on. We just got two more. 48:27 We're going to get it. 48:30 When death comes 48:32 do the righteous and wicked go to separate places? 48:35 When death comes 48:37 do the righteous and wicked go to separate places? 48:41 I tell you, this is a beautiful passage. 48:43 What I like about it is, Solomon includes in this, 48:47 the fact that the Lord made the righteous, 48:50 the Lord made man differently than He made beast. 48:55 Look at Ecclesiastes 3:20. 49:01 All right? 49:03 Here it is on the screen just for the benefit of time. 49:05 And I think we'll have a little bit time 49:07 to move around here because I want to add 49:08 a few more verses to this, okay? 49:10 Look at Ecclesiastes 3:20. Let's read this together. 49:15 "All go to," what? "One place. 49:18 All are," what? 49:20 "From the dust, and all," do what? 49:22 "Return to dust." 49:26 What do we all come from? Dust. 49:29 Now, is there a difference between man and animal, 49:32 please somebody say yes? 49:34 Oh, yes. Okay. Say yes. 49:37 There is a difference between animal and man. 49:40 Now we're animals formed in the image of God. 49:44 Yes or no? No. 49:46 So how did they get here? 49:47 He spake and it was done, 49:49 He commanded and it stood fast. 49:51 Animals were called into existence, 49:54 but God literally formed man. 49:56 Did God breathed into the nostrils of animals? 49:58 Yes or no? No. 50:00 He simply called them into existence. 50:01 So that's why the breath that God gave to us 50:05 came from Him, 50:07 but the breath that keeps animals alive, 50:08 God simply called into existence, 50:11 He spake and it was done. 50:14 I want to say this reverently. 50:15 There is no animal breath going back to God 50:18 because they are of a different fabric than us. 50:22 They are of a different method of creation. 50:24 By the way, just to emphasize that, 50:26 look at this. 50:27 Look at verse 19 and verse 20 and then verse 21. 50:31 "For what happens to the sons of men 50:34 also happens to the beasts. 50:36 One thing befalls them, as one dies, so," what? 50:40 "Dies the other. 50:42 Surely, they all have," what? 50:45 "One breath, man has no advantage 50:47 over beasts, for all is," what? 50:49 "Vanity. 50:50 All go to one place, all are from the dust, 50:53 and all return to the dust." 50:54 And then he adds in verse 21. 50:55 The fact that this spirit 50:57 that God put into our nostrils came from God, 50:59 and it returns to God at death. 51:02 Ecclesiastes 12:7, and we also read in Job 27:3. 51:06 "All the while my breath is in me, 51:09 and the Spirit of God is in my nostrils." 51:12 So the breath that God put there, 51:14 the living breath of life returns to God. 51:17 Look at the verse that says. Now look at verse 21. 51:21 "Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, 51:23 which goes upward, and the spirit of the beast, 51:27 which goes," what? 51:29 "Down to the earth? 51:30 So I perceive that there is nothing better 51:33 than that a man should rejoice in his own works, 51:36 for that is his heritage. 51:38 For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?" 51:45 No one can. So watch this now. 51:48 When man dies, his spirit returns to God. 51:52 Follow carefully, 51:53 his spirit returns to God and where is the Spirit of God? 51:57 In His nostrils, 51:58 not a separate entity floating around roaming the earth. 52:03 Job 27:3, you must look at that. 52:05 "All the while my breath is in me, 52:09 and the Spirit of God is in my nostrils." 52:11 Now I'm going to try to be heroic 52:13 and hit the last two questions. 52:15 And I think we can do that. Question number 20. 52:18 Here it is. Question number 20. 52:22 What must happen to determine the destination of those 52:24 who have, that have died? 52:26 What must happen? What must happen? 52:29 John 5:28 and 29. Can I turn there? 52:33 John 5:28 and 29. 52:37 And if I have time, I want to include 52:38 what happened to David the patriarch. 52:40 If not this week, next week. 52:42 Very powerful passage. Here it is. 52:44 The Bible says in John 5:28, "Do not marvel at this, 52:48 for the hour is coming in which all who are," where? 52:52 "In the graves will hear His voice and," 52:54 will do what? 52:56 "Come forth." 52:58 What has happened to those, after that, 53:00 "Those that have done evil, to the resurrection of life, 53:05 those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, 53:08 and those who have done," what? 53:10 "Evil, to the resurrection of," what? 53:14 "Condemnation." 53:15 I didn't have it on my screen, 53:16 but they have it on 3ABN's screen. 53:18 Praise the Lord for that. 53:19 "Those that have done good, to the resurrection of," what? 53:21 "Life, those that have done evil, 53:23 to the resurrection of," what? 53:24 "Condemnation." 53:26 How many conditions will there be 53:27 in the resurrection? 53:34 I just threw you a curve, there can be two resurrections, 53:37 there be two conditions, the resurrection of life, 53:40 the resurrection of condemnation. 53:43 You're only going to be in one condition 53:44 in the resurrection. 53:46 You got to be in the resurrection of, what? 53:47 Life, on the resurrection of, what? 53:50 Death. That's it. 53:51 The second death. 53:53 Revelation 20:6. Blessed and holy... 53:56 Go quickly now. You got to get this. 53:59 Tonight, we are turning our Bible pages very quickly. 54:02 Revelation 20:6. 54:07 It says, "Blessed and holy is he 54:10 who has part in the first resurrection. 54:14 Over such the second death has no power, 54:18 but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, 54:20 and shall reign with Him," how long? 54:22 "A thousand years." 54:23 So which resurrection do you want to be in 54:27 if you die? 54:28 First. Come on say first. First. 54:29 That's the one we want to be in. 54:31 Now let's go ahead and get question number 21, 54:34 question number 21. 54:36 We're going to wind this up tonight. 54:38 Through what event does the Bible say 54:41 that the dead will come back to life? 54:43 Through what event? Through what event? 54:46 Let's look at that together. 54:48 We're going to go to John 11:24. 54:52 You know what's so wonderful about the friends of Jesus, 54:54 Mary, Martha and Lazarus 54:56 is they understood the topic of death, 54:58 they made it so clear. 54:59 Jesus had no earthly home, but Mary, Martha 55:02 and Lazarus were close friends of His. 55:05 So when Lazarus died, 55:08 she knew as she met Jesus as He returned, 55:11 as He came to their home 55:12 after Lazarus had been dead for four days, 55:14 they had this discussion about Lazarus 55:16 and his whereabouts. 55:18 And they never said Lazarus was in heaven. 55:20 Matter of fact Jesus said, "Show me the place 55:21 where he lay." 55:23 And then Mary, I mean, Martha discussed the topic 55:26 that was very clear, 55:28 she was clear about what would happen. 55:32 So through what event does the Bible say 55:33 the dead will come back to life? 55:35 Look at it. 55:36 "Martha said to Him," that is to Jesus. 55:38 Come on together. "I know that he will," what? 55:42 "Rise again in the resurrection at the," what? 55:45 "Last day." 55:47 See, that's when he's coming back to life, 55:49 not before that time. 55:51 Matter of fact, write this down for extra credit. 55:54 If you can turn your Bibles quickly there, 55:55 I'll give you time, I'm going to do that. 55:57 Acts Chapter 2, Acts Chapter 2. 56:00 You Bible students, you know exactly where that is, 56:02 Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts. 56:05 Acts Chapter 2, look at what the Bible 56:06 says about David. 56:08 "Men and brethren..." What verse? 56:10 Verse 29. Acts 2:29. 56:13 "Men and brethren," he says, 56:14 "Let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David 56:18 that he is both dead and buried, 56:20 and his tomb is with us to this day." 56:23 Somebody says, "Well, his tomb is there, 56:24 but he's not... 56:26 I'm not done reading. 56:28 Verse 34, 56:29 "For David did not ascend into the heavens, 56:35 but he says himself, 'the Lord said to my Lord,' 56:38 'Sit at My right hand, 56:40 till I make Your enemies Your footstool.'" 56:42 So what does the Bible say, "David," what? 56:44 "Did not ascend into the heavens." 56:47 The Bible said, "David was a man 56:49 after God's own heart. 56:50 Job was a righteous man." 56:52 Job said, "Hide me in the grave until your wrath is passed. 56:55 Appoint me a set time and remember me. 56:57 Men will lie down and will not rise again 56:59 till the heavens are no more." 57:00 Is the Bible clear? Can you say amen? 57:02 Amen. 57:03 Friends, what all we've got to do 57:05 to understand the difference between truth and error 57:08 is read the Bible, study the Bible, 57:13 trust the Bible. 57:14 There's no other book. 57:16 No matter how wonderful it sounds... 57:18 As one young lady said to me, 57:19 "If it's not from the Bible, it's not for me. 57:22 If it's not from God's Word, it's not for me." 57:25 So here's the point, 57:26 you may have a loved one that has been laid to rest. 57:29 Comfort yourself with the fact 57:31 that they are not in heaven today without you, 57:34 they're not rejoicing, 57:36 there is no party going on in heaven, 57:39 there is no celebration in your absence, 57:42 they're not looking down wondering whether or not 57:44 things are going just fine for you, 57:46 they're not sad that you're not there, 57:48 they are waiting in the grave until Jesus comes. 57:50 And you know what? 57:52 Together with them, if you are faithful, 57:54 you will rise to meet them in the air. 57:55 So, friends, keep studying God's Word. 57:57 And let me tell you, if it does not make sense, 58:00 keep on studying and one day it will become A Sharper Focus. |
Revised 2019-01-28