Does hope exist on the
other side of the grave?
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Stick with me
for that's our topic
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on His Voice Today.
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Music...
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Welcome to
another His Voice Today
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with Steve Wohlberg.
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Music...
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Welcome to: Solving the
Mystery of Death, Part 2.
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Let me just do a
little bit of review.
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I imagine that you're
in college or high school
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and it happens a
lot... teachers do it,
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a review of what
they've covered in the past
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so in our last program,
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I talked about how
there are three basic ideas
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about the soul and about
what happens after death,
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The first view is
really the Atheist view
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that when you
die... that's it...
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there is nothing more forever.
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The second view is
called "Immortal Soul View"
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that inside of us,
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there is some...
mysterious something
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that never dies
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that when the body
just goes back to the dust,
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the physical house,
this immaterial something...
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goes on forever,
that's the Immortal Soul View.
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And then there's the third view
with is the "Mortal Soul View"
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that basically
says, "We're mortal...
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when we die... we're dead...
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but there is a
resurrection from the dead
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through Jesus Christ. "
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These are the three views
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and we are here to find
out what the Bible says,
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let me also give
you a quick summary
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of some of the
verses that we looked at,
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in our last program, Part 1,
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in Genesis 2 verse 7, God
created Adam from the dust
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breathed the breath
of life into his nostrils
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and man became a living soul...
that Adam was a living soul...
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the "soul" applied to
him as a total person.
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God warned Adam
that if he sinned,
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he would die and
go back to the dust,
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but his wife chose
to listen to the serpent
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at the tree, she ate the fruit
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with the promise from the
serpent that she would not die,
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she would go on
forever but that was a lie,
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she took the fruit, she ate it,
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she gave it to Adam, he ate it,
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they both sinned and later on
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in Genesis 5 verse 5,
it says that Adam died.
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He died... he went back
to the dust and so did Eve.
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In 1st Timothy
chapter 6 verse 16,
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the Bible says that God is the
only One who has immortality,
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that we are not
naturally immortal
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in Romans chapter 2 verse 7,
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Paul said that we
are seeking immortality
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through the gospel.
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In Ecclesiastes 9
verse 5, Solomon wrote that
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when a person dies... he
said that the dead know nothing
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and in Daniel
chapter 12 verse 2,
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Daniel wrote that at
the end of the world,
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many of those who sleep in
the dust of the earth will awake
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it will be at
resurrection morning,
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now, and so that's
what we covered in Part 1,
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let's continue on...
what did Jesus Christ teach?
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This is what we
really want to know,
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Jesus Christ is
the master of truth,
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He is the good
shepherd, He is the Lord of all,
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and He knows
what happens in death
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and what happens on
the other side of the grave
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and in John chapter 5 verse
28, this is what Jesus said,
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he said,
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So Jesus, here, clearly teaches
that people that have died...
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they are in their
graves and they're waiting
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for His voice... and
when they hear His voice...
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they will come out of the grave,
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two resurrections...
the resurrection of life
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and the
resurrection of damnation,
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which we will be
exploring later on
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in future programs
of His Voice Today.
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In John chapter 6,
Jesus is very clear
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that He taught,
believed and promoted
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the truth of resurrection.
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In John chapter 6 verse 39,
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Jesus said that
those who believe in Him
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will be raised
up on the last day.
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In verse 40... John 6:40,
"Those who believe in Him"
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He said, "I will raise
him up on the last day. "
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Verse 44, "I will raise
him up on the last day. "
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Verse 54, "I will raise
him up on the last day. "
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So, Jesus said four times in
one chapter... John chapter 6,
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that those who believe in
Him, He will resurrect them...
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on the last day at
the end of the world.
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So it's very
clear... Jesus taught
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the concept of death,
burial and resurrection,
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one more... Luke 14 verse 14...
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Jesus said that
you will be rewarded
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at the
resurrection of the just...
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So this is a basic...
basic Bible teaching...
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it's certainly something
that Jesus Christ taught
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and this is what I believe,
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I do not subscribe to
the "immortal soul view"
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where we have
something inside of us
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that just naturally
goes up or goes down
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or comes back around...
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maybe as a mouse or a
person or who knows what,
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I don't believe that my soul
will go into the spirit world
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that I can come back and
scare somebody after I die
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I don't believe
any of these things,
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I believe what the Bible says,
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I certainly don't believe that
when I die, that's it forever
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like the Atheist view,
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I believe that when
I die, I'll be dead,
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I'll be
unconscious, I'll be asleep
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and I will be
waiting for the resurrection
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and to me it's
not a scary concept
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because I'm a
strong believer in Jesus
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and if you think
about it, once you die...
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or once you go to sleep
and then when you wake up,
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there's no awareness
of the passing of time,
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when your head hits the
pillow and you're out...
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then the next thing
you know, it's morning,
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my daughter proves
this night after night,
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she's five-years old
and her favorite line
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right before she
goes to bed, she says,
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she's lying in bed and she says,
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"Mommy, Daddy, I'm
going to sleep now"
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and she says this every night
and within just a few seconds,
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she's out... and then the
next thing... it's morning
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and she's awake and that's
what I believe about death
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that if I die
before Jesus comes...
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the last thing I'll
remember boom! is going out...
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and the next thing I'll know
is it's resurrection morning,
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in other words, there's no
concept of the passing of time,
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it's just... you're
dead and then... you're awake
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and so for all
practical purposes,
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if a person dies
believing in Jesus,
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the next thing they know
is they get to be with Jesus
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through death,
burial and resurrection
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because Jesus Christ died...
He was buried and He rose
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and He went to heaven,
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He has the power
to come back again
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and to raise the dead.
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Now, this brings up
quite a few questions
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and in this Part 2,
"Solving the Mystery of Death"
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I want to deal
with these questions
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I want to talk about briefly...
about the thief on the cross...
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also, about the
rich man and Lazarus
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and about Paul's statement,
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"Absent from the body
and present with the Lord"
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but, before I hit those three,
I want to read one more text
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which is so
powerful, in John chapter 14...
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John 14 verse 1, 2 and
3... Jesus is very clear
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about the hope that
we have as believers,
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these are some of the most
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well-known verses
in all the Bible...
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now listen to
this... listen carefully...
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you probably heard this
before, if you know your Bible,
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but maybe we
haven't really understood
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what Jesus is saying
here, John 14 verse 1,
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Jesus said,
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Jesus is talking to His
disciples... His friends...
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that's comforting...
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Jesus said, "I'm going to heaven
to get a place ready for you"
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and then in verse 3, He says,
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He did not say,
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"I'll see you
there when you die"
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no, that's not what He said,
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He says,
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So, based on this verse,
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when do believers
get to be with Jesus?
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He said, it's when
He comes back again,
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that's when He
receives us to be with Him.
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To me this is just an
irrefutably simply Bible text,
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the hope of believers
is the coming of the Lord,
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that's when you
get to be with Him.
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All right, but what about...
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first of all...
the thief on the cross?
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Let's take a look at what
the Bible says about this,
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let's go to the book of
Luke, Luke chapter 23 verse 42,
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these are...
I'm going to look at
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the most common verses
that people wrestle with
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as they try to understand
what the Bible teaches
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about death,
burial and resurrection
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and these verses
seem to say the opposite
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of what the rest
of the Bible says,
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so let's take a look at
them, we need to do this.
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Luke chapter 23 verse 42
is a very famous Bible passage
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where Jesus is talking
about the thief on the cross.
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He's talking to
the thief on the cross
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and in verse 43... a man
that was dying next to Jesus,
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in verse 42... this man
said to Jesus with his...
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one of his last
breaths, and he said,
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"Lord, remember me when
you come into your kingdom... "
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and notice the
question, "Lord, remember me
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when you come back
into your kingdom... "
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that is the
question of the dying thief.
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And in response... in
verse 43, Jesus said to him,
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He said, "Truly I say to you,
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today you will be
with me in paradise. "
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Now, when people read this text,
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they assume that
Jesus is telling the thief
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on the cross next to Him,
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that today... both of us
are going to be in paradise
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which would mean that Jesus
went to paradise the day He died
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and the thief went to
paradise the day he died,
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is that really what
Jesus was actually saying?
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Now, let me shed some
light... some light on this...
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this passage
was written by Luke,
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in my Bible it says,
Luke chapter 23 verse 43,
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now when Luke
originally wrote this,
00:10:47.94\00:10:50.25
believe it or not...
Luke did not write...
00:10:50.28\00:10:53.45
Luke chapter 23 verse 42...
he didn't write verse 43...
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he just wrote the book of Luke,
later on... as people edited
00:10:58.42\00:11:02.46
the gospel of Luke and the
other writings or actually...
00:11:02.52\00:11:06.53
not really edited... but
they put them together...
00:11:06.56\00:11:09.10
somebody... at
some point in history...
00:11:09.13\00:11:11.87
decided that there
should be a Luke chapter 1,
00:11:11.90\00:11:14.67
a Luke chapter 2, chapter
3 and chapter 4, et cetera,
00:11:14.70\00:11:17.97
and I am glad that
somebody did that...
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because if they didn't,
it would be very difficult
00:11:19.37\00:11:21.04
for me to tell you
how to find the verse
00:11:21.08\00:11:22.94
that I'm reading...
reading right now...
00:11:22.98\00:11:24.85
but man did that...
00:11:24.88\00:11:26.65
God didn't tell them to put
chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3
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and the same thing
is with the punctuation,
00:11:31.25\00:11:33.49
punctuation...
00:11:33.52\00:11:34.92
the Bible doesn't call
itself "the punctuation of God,"
00:11:34.96\00:11:39.39
it calls itself
"the Word of God"
00:11:39.43\00:11:41.30
and there's a
little point of punctuation
00:11:41.33\00:11:45.70
which is called the "comma"
00:11:45.73\00:11:47.07
and this whole issue of
how do we understand this text
00:11:47.10\00:11:50.41
depends upon the comma...
00:11:50.44\00:11:52.64
if you take the
comma out of verse 43...
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then Jesus said,
00:11:57.35\00:11:58.68
"Verily... or
truly... I say to you today
00:11:58.71\00:12:00.95
you will be with
me in paradise. "
00:12:00.98\00:12:02.98
And depending upon
where you put the comma,
00:12:03.05\00:12:05.42
if you put the comma
before the word "today"
00:12:05.45\00:12:07.82
then Jesus said,
"I tell you the truth,
00:12:07.86\00:12:10.66
today you will be
with me in paradise... "
00:12:10.69\00:12:13.19
meaning... we're both
going there that today
00:12:13.23\00:12:15.73
but if you put the
comma after the word today...
00:12:15.76\00:12:18.27
then you have Jesus saying,
00:12:18.30\00:12:20.07
"Truly, I tell you
the truth today... "
00:12:20.14\00:12:22.77
I'm telling it to
you right now... comma...
00:12:22.80\00:12:25.41
"you will be with
me in paradise... "
00:12:25.44\00:12:27.41
meaning... in the future...
00:12:27.44\00:12:28.88
so, which one did
Jesus mean, did Jesus mean,
00:12:28.91\00:12:32.31
"today we're
going into paradise"
00:12:32.35\00:12:34.48
or did He mean, "I'm
telling you the truth today
00:12:34.52\00:12:37.45
right now, as I'm
hanging upon the cross
00:12:37.49\00:12:39.92
that in the future, you
will be with me in paradise. "
00:12:39.95\00:12:43.69
I'm going to
give you four reasons
00:12:43.73\00:12:45.63
why the comma should have been
placed after the word "today"
00:12:45.66\00:12:51.50
reason number one, Jesus
doesn't contradict Himself
00:12:51.53\00:12:55.10
Jesus said in John 14 that I'm
going up to my Father's house
00:12:55.14\00:12:59.44
and then I'm going to
come back again and get you
00:12:59.47\00:13:01.91
and then you're
going to be with me.
00:13:01.94\00:13:03.28
He didn't say,
00:13:03.31\00:13:04.65
"You'll be with me
at the point of death"
00:13:04.68\00:13:06.01
Jesus said in John 6,
we've already read four times
00:13:06.05\00:13:08.82
that He would
resurrect us on the last day
00:13:08.85\00:13:11.32
so, reason number one is,
00:13:11.35\00:13:12.72
"Jesus doesn't contradict
00:13:12.75\00:13:14.09
the rest of the Bible
and His own teachings. "
00:13:14.12\00:13:15.82
Reason number two is that
00:13:15.86\00:13:17.19
Jesus Christ didn't
go to paradise that day,
00:13:17.23\00:13:18.86
He went into the
tomb... not paradise.
00:13:18.89\00:13:22.43
Reason number three
00:13:22.46\00:13:24.37
is the evidence of
John chapter 20 verse 17,
00:13:24.40\00:13:27.10
on resurrection morning,
00:13:27.14\00:13:28.47
Jesus saw Mary and He
said, "Don't hold on to me
00:13:28.50\00:13:31.74
because I have not
yet ascended to my Father"
00:13:31.77\00:13:34.94
So, Jesus, on
resurrection morning...
00:13:35.01\00:13:37.11
hadn't yet been to paradise
to be with His Father... not yet
00:13:37.15\00:13:41.65
and reason number 4... is
Revelation chapter 2 verse 7,
00:13:41.68\00:13:46.15
it says that
"paradise" is in heaven...
00:13:46.19\00:13:49.29
paradise is in heaven
and Jesus didn't go to heaven
00:13:49.32\00:13:52.99
until after the resurrection,
00:13:53.03\00:13:54.63
so Jesus could not
have said to the thief,
00:13:54.66\00:13:58.03
"I tell you the truth, today
you will be with me in paradise"
00:13:58.07\00:14:01.20
because Jesus Christ
didn't go to paradise that day,
00:14:01.24\00:14:04.67
He went into the grave and then,
00:14:04.71\00:14:07.28
praise the Lord,
on Sunday morning...
00:14:07.31\00:14:09.81
on the first day of
the week, the angel said,
00:14:09.84\00:14:12.05
"He is risen from the dead"
00:14:12.08\00:14:13.42
and then He went
to heaven after that
00:14:13.45\00:14:16.05
and He said in
John 14 verses 1 to 3,
00:14:16.08\00:14:18.52
that He's going to
come back and take us...
00:14:18.55\00:14:20.89
and take us home to be with Him
00:14:20.92\00:14:23.12
when He returns.
00:14:23.16\00:14:24.99
All right, now
what about the story
00:14:25.03\00:14:27.33
of the rich man and Lazarus?
00:14:27.36\00:14:29.73
This is another
question people have,
00:14:29.76\00:14:31.63
it's in Luke chapter 16,
00:14:31.67\00:14:33.00
and I'm just going to
go through this briefly
00:14:33.03\00:14:35.24
because we have
another meeting in the future,
00:14:35.27\00:14:37.31
we're going to spend a whole
probably a Part 1 and a Part 2
00:14:37.34\00:14:41.21
I call the hot topic
of hell on His Voice today
00:14:41.24\00:14:44.58
where we're going to go
into detail about this subject
00:14:44.61\00:14:46.82
and look at the pros
and cons... objections...
00:14:46.85\00:14:49.52
and what the
Bible actually says,
00:14:49.58\00:14:51.39
but let me just tell you
briefly that in Luke chapter 16
00:14:51.45\00:14:54.26
verse 19, Jesus said,
there was a certain rich man,
00:14:54.29\00:14:57.23
a certain rich man... and he
told the story about this man
00:14:57.26\00:15:00.40
who died and he went
into Hell, into fire...
00:15:00.43\00:15:05.27
and the poor man died
and was carried by the angels
00:15:05.30\00:15:09.24
up into the bosom of
Abraham and this was Lazarus
00:15:09.27\00:15:13.17
and then they
had a conversation...
00:15:13.21\00:15:14.94
Lazarus... or actually Abraham
starts talking about Lazarus
00:15:14.98\00:15:20.62
to the rich man who's in hell
00:15:20.65\00:15:22.78
and both of them go back
and forth with quite a dialogue,
00:15:22.82\00:15:26.12
now let me give you some
reasons why this is actually
00:15:26.15\00:15:29.42
what the Bible
called a parable...
00:15:29.46\00:15:31.59
I believe that hellfire is real
00:15:31.66\00:15:33.73
which we'll talk about in the
future in a future meeting...
00:15:33.76\00:15:35.66
but let me give you
reasons why this is a parable,
00:15:35.70\00:15:38.33
in Luke chapter 16 verse 19,
it starts out where Jesus said,
00:15:38.37\00:15:42.27
there was a certain
rich man in Luke 12:16...
00:15:42.30\00:15:45.24
the Bible says that
Jesus spoke a parable
00:15:45.27\00:15:48.18
about a certain rich man,
00:15:48.21\00:15:49.68
in Luke 16:1, he
told another story
00:15:49.71\00:15:52.71
a parable about a
certain rich man...
00:15:52.78\00:15:55.72
and told the parable
of the unjust steward.
00:15:55.75\00:15:58.02
In Luke 19:11 and 12,
00:15:58.05\00:16:01.06
Jesus spoke a parable
about a certain nobleman
00:16:01.09\00:16:04.43
and in Luke 20 verse
9, Jesus told the people
00:16:04.46\00:16:07.73
this parable about a certain
man who planted a vineyard,
00:16:07.76\00:16:11.80
so, reason number one is... it
starts out just like a parable,
00:16:11.83\00:16:14.77
when Jesus told the
story of a certain rich man,
00:16:14.80\00:16:17.41
that's the way that Luke wrote
00:16:17.44\00:16:19.54
that Jesus
described His parables,
00:16:19.57\00:16:22.74
look at the context.
00:16:22.78\00:16:24.21
Reason number two...
00:16:24.25\00:16:25.61
is that the poor man
was carried by the angels
00:16:25.65\00:16:28.98
and he was placed in
the bosom of Abraham.
00:16:29.02\00:16:31.65
Now, we can't
actually take that literally,
00:16:31.69\00:16:34.12
or if we take it
literally, that means that
00:16:34.16\00:16:36.52
Lazarus was deposited
in the chest of Abraham.
00:16:36.56\00:16:39.86
Obviously, this is a metaphor.
00:16:39.89\00:16:41.80
Reason number 3 is that
people in heaven and in hell
00:16:41.86\00:16:44.93
can't carry on a conversation,
00:16:44.97\00:16:46.63
they can't talk back and
forth like... they were talking,
00:16:46.67\00:16:50.14
and reason number four
is the rich man's request,
00:16:50.21\00:16:53.27
he said, "Father Abraham,
send Lazarus to take his finger
00:16:53.31\00:16:56.28
and dip my tongue
with a little bit of water
00:16:56.31\00:16:59.11
because I'm being
tormented in this flame... "
00:16:59.15\00:17:02.75
if we think about it,
if a person was really...
00:17:02.78\00:17:04.85
really
literally being tormented,
00:17:04.89\00:17:06.25
what would a little bit of water
00:17:06.29\00:17:07.62
on the tip of his tongue...
00:17:07.66\00:17:08.99
what kind of
comfort would that bring?
00:17:09.02\00:17:10.89
There are other
reasons why this is a parable
00:17:10.93\00:17:13.80
and I'll explain this more later
00:17:13.83\00:17:15.63
when we get to
the hot topic of hell
00:17:15.66\00:17:17.33
the main reason
why Jesus told this
00:17:17.37\00:17:18.97
was because He was
talking to rich Pharisees...
00:17:19.03\00:17:20.80
look at the context...
00:17:20.84\00:17:22.17
who were mocking
Jesus with their tongues
00:17:22.20\00:17:24.17
about His teaching about money
00:17:24.21\00:17:25.87
and then Jesus
told them the parable
00:17:25.91\00:17:28.61
about the rich man going down
and who wanted to be comforted
00:17:28.64\00:17:32.38
because he was in the fire and
wanted some water on his tongue
00:17:32.41\00:17:36.12
and Jesus was
warning those Pharisees,
00:17:36.15\00:17:38.32
"Your tongue is going to
lead you into the fire... "
00:17:38.35\00:17:41.06
So there are other
reasons but the main point,
00:17:41.09\00:17:43.83
I wanted make here
is that Luke chapter 16
00:17:43.86\00:17:46.86
is a parable... and
all the evidence points
00:17:46.90\00:17:49.90
in that direction.
00:17:49.93\00:17:51.33
There was a real
man named Lazarus
00:17:51.37\00:17:54.34
that Jesus talked
about in John chapter 11
00:17:54.37\00:17:59.41
and this was not a parable.
00:17:59.44\00:18:00.88
Jesus' friend Lazarus
had died and in John 11:11,
00:18:00.91\00:18:06.18
Jesus said, "Our
friend Lazarus is sleeping"
00:18:06.21\00:18:08.68
Jesus clarified that he's asleep
and the disciples thought,
00:18:08.72\00:18:11.85
"Oh good, he's... he's
going to get better then"
00:18:11.89\00:18:14.06
but that's not what Jesus meant,
00:18:14.09\00:18:15.42
in John 11 verse 14...
00:18:15.46\00:18:17.69
the Bible says that
then Jesus said to them
00:18:17.73\00:18:20.83
plainly without a
parable, "Lazarus is dead. "
00:18:20.86\00:18:23.90
So, Jesus used
sleep to describe death,
00:18:23.93\00:18:28.37
and Lazarus...
00:18:28.40\00:18:29.74
the real Lazarus... not
the "parable Lazarus" was dead
00:18:29.77\00:18:33.88
but Jesus then
went to the tomb...
00:18:33.91\00:18:36.11
told the women and the
men to remove the stone
00:18:36.14\00:18:39.18
and then He looked into
the darkness of that tomb,
00:18:39.21\00:18:42.18
and that's in John
chapter 11, verse 44
00:18:42.22\00:18:48.36
where He said, "Lazarus... "
00:18:48.39\00:18:50.96
He looked into
the tomb and he said,
00:18:50.99\00:18:53.40
"Lazarus, come
forth... come forth... "
00:18:53.43\00:18:55.76
He didn't look up and
say, "Lazarus, come down... "
00:18:55.80\00:18:57.63
because Lazarus wasn't up
there, Lazarus was in the tomb
00:18:57.67\00:19:00.70
and Jesus said,
"Lazarus, come forth... "
00:19:00.74\00:19:02.77
and the Bible says that
00:19:02.80\00:19:04.51
"he who was dead came
forth and he was alive. "
00:19:04.57\00:19:09.21
So, Jesus' teaching
about the real Lazarus
00:19:09.24\00:19:11.41
showed that he was
dead... he was asleep...
00:19:11.45\00:19:13.58
and then He resurrected him
00:19:13.62\00:19:15.02
by calling him forth
out of a clammy grave.
00:19:15.05\00:19:18.22
Now, let's look at one
other major point of controversy
00:19:18.25\00:19:24.89
which is in the book of
00:19:24.93\00:19:27.16
2nd Corinthians
chapter 5 verse 8,
00:19:27.20\00:19:30.73
this is probably the mother text
00:19:30.77\00:19:32.83
that people struggle
with if what they say...
00:19:32.87\00:19:35.84
"Steve, if everything
you're saying is true,
00:19:35.87\00:19:37.51
what about Paul's statement
about being absent from the body
00:19:37.54\00:19:41.54
and present with the Lord?
00:19:41.61\00:19:43.75
Let's find out...
00:19:43.78\00:19:47.42
good question... big question...
00:19:47.48\00:19:50.59
in 2nd Corinthians chapter 5
00:19:50.62\00:19:54.66
Paul is talking
about his hope of heaven
00:19:54.72\00:19:56.89
about going to be with the Lord
00:19:56.93\00:19:59.93
and getting out
of this sinful body
00:20:00.00\00:20:02.23
and I want to find it right here
and read it from my own Bible.
00:20:02.26\00:20:06.13
Here it is, 2nd
Corinthians chapter 5 verse 8,
00:20:06.20\00:20:10.17
Paul wrote, he said,
00:20:10.21\00:20:14.31
Now, Paul is definitely
talking about a transition
00:20:21.62\00:20:24.72
from the body... which
refers to the sinful body
00:20:24.75\00:20:27.82
and the sinful life where we...
00:20:27.86\00:20:30.06
we just can't wait to get
out of this mess that we're in
00:20:30.09\00:20:33.23
and then he talked
about the transition...
00:20:33.26\00:20:35.40
is to be present with the
Lord, which will be wonderful.
00:20:35.43\00:20:39.90
Now, a lot of people
look at this and they say,
00:20:39.93\00:20:42.64
"See, there it is... Paul said,
00:20:42.67\00:20:44.27
'as soon as you die
you're absent from the body'
00:20:44.31\00:20:47.54
and then you get
to be with the Lord"
00:20:47.58\00:20:49.94
but that's really
not what Paul is saying
00:20:50.01\00:20:52.31
and the question is...
00:20:52.35\00:20:53.75
is... "When does the
transition take place,
00:20:53.78\00:20:56.52
does it take place at death
00:20:56.55\00:20:58.09
or does it take place
when Jesus comes again,
00:20:58.12\00:21:01.32
when do we get
to be with the Lord,
00:21:01.39\00:21:03.16
when we die or on
resurrection morning?"
00:21:03.19\00:21:06.29
That's the question
and what's the answer?
00:21:06.33\00:21:09.36
I'm not going to just guess
or just tell you my opinion,
00:21:09.40\00:21:13.87
I'm going to give
you a Bible answer.
00:21:13.90\00:21:15.37
When you back up... to verse 4,
00:21:15.40\00:21:18.11
Paul talked about
the same transition
00:21:18.14\00:21:19.97
and he said that that
transition happens when
00:21:20.01\00:21:23.01
mortality is
swallowed up by life
00:21:23.04\00:21:25.88
so, absent from the body
and present with the Lord
00:21:25.91\00:21:30.39
happens when mortality
is swallowed up by life
00:21:30.42\00:21:34.89
that's verse 8 and then verse 4,
00:21:34.92\00:21:37.43
now, then the next question is,
"Well, when does that happen?"
00:21:37.46\00:21:40.46
And Paul gives a
very clear answer
00:21:40.50\00:21:43.03
backing up in 1st
Corinthians chapter 15.
00:21:43.06\00:21:46.00
Let's look at what Paul says,
here he answers the question.
00:21:46.03\00:21:50.14
15:51...
00:21:50.21\00:21:53.68
and this
mortal... " there it is...
00:22:08.42\00:22:10.99
"this mortal must
put on immortality.
00:22:11.03\00:22:13.53
So when this corruptible
shall have put on incorruption,
00:22:13.56\00:22:16.67
and this mortal shall
have put on immortality... "
00:22:16.73\00:22:20.10
Paul says... "then
shall be brought to pass
00:22:20.14\00:22:24.61
the saying that is written,
00:22:24.64\00:22:26.81
Death is
swallowed up in victory. "
00:22:26.84\00:22:30.48
It happens then... so
in 2nd Corinthians 5:8,
00:22:30.51\00:22:34.22
Paul talks about the transition
00:22:34.25\00:22:36.05
from this body
to be with the Lord,
00:22:36.08\00:22:39.19
in verse 4, Paul
says that that happens
00:22:39.22\00:22:42.12
when mortality is
swallowed up by life
00:22:42.16\00:22:44.99
and then in 1st
Corinthians 15:51 to 54,
00:22:45.03\00:22:47.90
Paul clarifies that
then death is swallowed up
00:22:47.93\00:22:53.23
in victory when
the trumpet sounds
00:22:53.27\00:22:55.90
when Jesus Christ comes down
00:22:55.94\00:22:58.34
and when the dead
are raised from the dead
00:22:58.37\00:23:00.68
and we are changed...
00:23:00.74\00:23:03.65
when the dead are raised out of
their graves and we're changed.
00:23:03.68\00:23:05.81
So, when you put
all the pieces together,
00:23:05.85\00:23:08.25
when you look at
the thief on the cross
00:23:08.28\00:23:10.69
and you put the
comma in the right place
00:23:10.75\00:23:12.95
and you look at the context
00:23:12.99\00:23:14.32
that Jesus didn't go to
paradise the day that He died,
00:23:14.36\00:23:17.83
He just comforted
the thief and said,
00:23:17.86\00:23:19.96
"Today I'm telling you, you
will be with me in paradise"
00:23:20.00\00:23:23.23
just like the thief
said, "Lord, remember me
00:23:23.26\00:23:26.07
when you come into your kingdom"
00:23:26.10\00:23:27.57
and you look at the
rich man and Lazarus
00:23:27.60\00:23:29.54
and you look at the context
and you see over and over
00:23:29.57\00:23:32.27
again in the book of Luke
00:23:32.31\00:23:33.68
that that's the way
Jesus started parables.
00:23:33.71\00:23:36.08
It was a parable... and
you can't take a parable
00:23:36.11\00:23:39.15
and make it
contradict the rest of the Bible
00:23:39.21\00:23:42.68
and then you look at
2nd Corinthians 5 verse 8
00:23:42.72\00:23:46.15
where Paul longed to be absent
00:23:46.19\00:23:48.29
from this body and to
be present with the Lord
00:23:48.32\00:23:51.39
and you compare that
with 1st Corinthians 15
00:23:51.43\00:23:54.33
51 to 54... and
it's very clear...
00:23:54.36\00:23:56.80
that that transition
happens on the great day
00:23:56.83\00:24:00.34
when Jesus comes
to give us new bodies,
00:24:00.37\00:24:02.84
to resurrect the
dead, to change us
00:24:02.87\00:24:05.27
so that we can then
be with Him forever.
00:24:05.31\00:24:07.88
This is what the Bible says
00:24:07.91\00:24:11.18
when you put all
these pieces together
00:24:11.21\00:24:13.31
it solves the mystery of
death and that's our topic,
00:24:13.35\00:24:19.12
"Solving the
Mystery of Death... "
00:24:19.15\00:24:20.66
we're all going to
die one of these days
00:24:20.69\00:24:22.49
unless we're
alive when Jesus comes
00:24:22.52\00:24:24.19
which is what I
would like to be,
00:24:24.23\00:24:25.59
my little girl, my
five-year-old Abigail...
00:24:25.63\00:24:29.30
when we have
our evening worships
00:24:29.33\00:24:32.13
with my wife Kristin
and my son Seth who's eight
00:24:32.17\00:24:34.97
and Abby who's five...
00:24:35.00\00:24:36.34
we all pray at the end
of the day... every evening
00:24:36.37\00:24:39.34
and I ask for prayer requests
and almost every evening,
00:24:39.37\00:24:43.91
Abby's prayer request is
that Jesus will come soon
00:24:43.95\00:24:48.38
and that's my... the
desire of my heart...
00:24:48.42\00:24:51.19
and let's go back
to 1st Corinthians...
00:24:51.25\00:24:53.96
I'm sorry...
correction... 1st Thessalonians
00:24:53.99\00:24:57.56
chapter 4... and
I'll finish with the text
00:24:57.59\00:25:01.10
that I opened
with when we started
00:25:01.13\00:25:03.40
"Solving the
Mystery of Death, Part 1,"
00:25:03.43\00:25:06.33
1st Thessalonians
chapter 4, very, very clear...
00:25:06.40\00:25:10.67
a relative
recently died in my family,
00:25:10.71\00:25:14.14
and I look to verses like
this to bring comfort and hope
00:25:14.18\00:25:19.78
in time of loss.
00:25:19.81\00:25:21.32
1st Thessalonians
chapter 4 and verse 16,
00:25:21.38\00:25:25.52
Paul said that
the Lord Himself...
00:25:25.55\00:25:28.69
someday it's going to happen...
00:25:28.72\00:25:30.83
"the Lord Jesus
Himself shall descend"
00:25:30.86\00:25:34.66
He is going to come
down, He was here once,
00:25:34.70\00:25:37.17
He was born in Bethlehem,
He lived a perfect life
00:25:37.20\00:25:39.27
He died on the
cross for our sins,
00:25:39.30\00:25:40.84
He went to the grave
00:25:40.87\00:25:42.24
and He rose from the
dead and He went to heaven
00:25:42.30\00:25:44.44
and He is going to
descend from heaven with a shout
00:25:44.47\00:25:47.61
"with the voice
of the archangel,
00:25:47.64\00:25:49.94
and with the trumpet of God:
00:25:50.01\00:25:51.35
and the dead in
Christ shall rise first... "
00:25:51.38\00:25:54.42
resurrection... that's
the hope of the Bible...
00:25:54.45\00:25:57.62
"then we who
are alive and remain
00:25:57.65\00:26:00.22
shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds,
00:26:00.26\00:26:02.72
to meet the Lord in the air:
00:26:02.76\00:26:04.93
and so we shall
ever be with the Lord. "
00:26:04.99\00:26:08.83
I heard about a
saint on his death bed...
00:26:08.86\00:26:11.80
he said, "If you
miss me, don't dismay...
00:26:11.83\00:26:14.50
I may have to rest
in a mound of clay...
00:26:14.54\00:26:16.84
but when I hear
the trumpet sound...
00:26:16.87\00:26:19.14
I'm coming out of
the cold, cold ground. "
00:26:19.17\00:26:22.61
Hallelujah...
00:26:22.64\00:26:23.98
"we will meet
the Lord in the air
00:26:24.01\00:26:25.78
and so shall we ever
be with the Lord... "
00:26:25.81\00:26:28.55
and then verse 18, Paul closes,
00:26:28.58\00:26:30.79
"wherefore comfort one
another with these words. "
00:26:30.82\00:26:35.92
You've just
heard His Voice Today.
00:26:35.96\00:26:39.83
We hope you've
enjoyed this timely message
00:26:39.89\00:26:42.80
from Pastor Steve Wohlberg
00:26:42.83\00:26:44.27
and we want you to
know that White Horse Media
00:26:44.30\00:26:46.84
is deeply committed
00:26:46.87\00:26:48.20
to bringing you
many more simple messages
00:26:48.24\00:26:50.57
straight from the Bible
designed to educate the mind,
00:26:50.61\00:26:53.58
inspire the heart...
and help bring our Viewers
00:26:53.61\00:26:55.98
and their
families... closer to God.
00:26:56.01\00:26:58.11
To learn more
about White Horse Media
00:26:58.15\00:27:00.12
or to watch more
of Pastor Steve's
00:27:00.15\00:27:02.08
television programs online,
00:27:02.12\00:27:03.82
including his powerful new
series of two-minute talks,
00:27:03.85\00:27:06.89
visit hisvoicetoday. com
00:27:06.92\00:27:09.62
that's: hisvoicetoday. com
00:27:09.66\00:27:12.33
If you have any prayer requests,
you can e-mail them to us
00:27:12.36\00:27:15.33
at: prayerrequests@hisvoicetoday
.com
00:27:15.36\00:27:18.50
If you would like a free copy
of Steve Wohlberg's audio CD,
00:27:18.53\00:27:22.10
"Behold the White Horse"
00:27:22.14\00:27:23.51
you can call us
at 1-800-78-BIBLE
00:27:23.57\00:27:27.01
that's 1-800-78-BIBLE
00:27:27.04\00:27:30.45
We hope you will join us
next time for another inspiring
00:27:30.48\00:27:34.02
His Voice Today presentation
with Steve Wohlberg.
00:27:34.05\00:27:36.72
What happens when we die?
00:27:36.75\00:27:38.42
Do we enter the spirit
world on the other side?
00:27:38.45\00:27:40.96
What about reincarnation?
00:27:40.99\00:27:42.62
Learn the Biblical
facts in today's free offer:
00:27:42.66\00:27:45.39
"Solving the Mystery of
Death" by Steve Wohlberg
00:27:45.43\00:27:48.10
To request your free copy,
00:27:48.13\00:27:49.90
call us at 1-800-78-BIBLE
00:27:49.93\00:27:53.47
that's 1-800-782-4253
00:27:53.50\00:27:56.94
you may also write to
us at: White Horse Media
00:27:57.01\00:27:59.81
PO Box 130
Priest River, ID 83856
00:27:59.84\00:28:03.78
or online at:
whitehorsemedia. com
00:28:03.85\00:28:07.75