Participants: Stephen Bohr
Series Code: HWIS
Program Code: HWIS000031
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00:31 Let's Pray.
00:33 Our loving heavenly Father, there is so much confusion 00:38 in the world in general and in the church specifically 00:42 on the issue of what happens when a person dies, 00:47 the issue of the judgment, 00:49 and even concerning the second coming. 00:52 As we study these three doctrines today, we ask 00:56 that You will show us from Your Holy Word 00:59 the truth regarding these matters. 01:02 We want to embrace the truth as it is in Jesus. 01:06 And so we ask that You will guide our thoughts 01:09 and that You will open our hearts that we might receive 01:13 the word of truth. 01:15 And we thank You for hearing our prayer 01:16 for we ask it in Jesus' name, amen. 01:23 There are three doctrines of Scripture that are 01:27 inseparably linked together. 01:31 And they must be understood together. 01:36 If we get one of these doctrines wrong, 01:39 the other two will also be wrong. 01:44 And so, it is vitally important that we understand 01:47 the Bible truth about these three doctrines. 01:52 The doctrines that I'm referring to are, first of all, 01:56 the state of the dead; what happens when someone dies. 02:01 Secondly, the biblical concept of the judgment. 02:06 And third, the second coming of Jesus Christ in power and glory. 02:13 So in our study today, we are going to take a look at 02:16 these three doctrines and how they are related 02:19 with one another. 02:21 And I'd like to begin by reading from 02:23 Genesis chapter 2 and verse 7. 02:27 Genesis chapter 2 and verse 7. 02:30 It says here... 02:38 Now, what aspect of man is composed of dust? 02:42 Our physical body, right? 02:44 Now, we've already noticed in one of our previous lectures 02:46 that God used wet dust. 02:48 He actually used clay, right? 02:50 Because you can't form anything out of dust. 02:53 So God took the dust of the ground, that is, clay. 02:58 He formed a perfect body with all of its organs. 03:03 And it was a perfect body. 03:05 The only problem was, the body had no life. 03:10 The body was lifeless. 03:12 Notice, I didn't say the body was dead. 03:14 Because there was no death. 03:15 The body was lifeless. 03:17 It was missing something so that all of the organs 03:20 of the body could begin to function. 03:22 And so the verse continues saying... 03:24 And breathed in his nostrils. 03:28 What do you use your nostrils for? 03:32 You use your nostrils to breath. 03:35 So it says... 03:43 Or as the King James version says, "...a living soul." 03:48 And so you'll notice here that God created a perfect body 03:54 with all of its parts, all of its organs, 03:57 and He breathed into this body the breath of life. 04:01 And now, all of the parts of the body began 04:04 to fulfill their function. 04:07 And the body began to function in unity. 04:12 Every organ and every aspect of man doing what God 04:17 created it to do. 04:20 Now, inside the head of that body, God placed the brain. 04:24 The brain is the processing center of every person. 04:31 In other words, the brain is that which records 04:35 and classifies all of the information that comes 04:38 through our five senses. 04:41 And basically, as we live, we input information 04:45 through our five senses into our brain. 04:49 And the total accumulation of the information that 04:53 comes through our five senses is what forms our self identity 05:00 or forms our character. 05:03 In other words, our character or self identity is determined 05:06 by the information that we allow to come in through our 05:10 five senses into our brain. 05:13 This gives us our self identity or it gives us 05:17 our personal identity. 05:21 Now we've noticed what happened when God created man. 05:27 Let's take a look at what the Bible says about 05:30 the meaning of death; what takes place at the moment of death. 05:35 Ecclesiastes chapter 12 and verse 7 speaks about 05:39 creation in reverse. 05:42 In other words, it speaks about the phenomenon of death. 05:45 And I want to read Ecclesiastes chapter 12 and verse 7. 05:50 It says here... 06:04 So what happens with the body, including the brain, 06:07 when a person passes away, when a person dies? 06:11 The Bible says that it returns to where? 06:14 It returns to the earth. 06:16 Dust to dust and ashes to ashes, 06:19 as it is said frequently at funerals. 06:23 And it says that the spirit, which energizes the body, 06:28 the breath, it returns... What? 06:32 It returns to God. 06:33 Because God is the Giver of what? 06:36 God is the Giver of life. 06:39 So basically, death is the opposite of the process of life. 06:44 In death, the body returns to the dust 06:48 and the breath goes out of the body. 06:50 And as a result, the body ceases to function. 06:56 Now, does that mean also that the brain ceases to function? 07:01 Absolutely. 07:03 Is the brain part of our physical organism? 07:06 It most certainly is. 07:08 So when a person dies, does the brain process any information 07:13 that comes through the five senses anymore? 07:15 No, your five senses do not function. 07:18 And therefore, the brain does not process 07:20 anything that comes in. 07:22 Because nothing actually comes in. 07:26 Now, let's take Adam as our example. 07:31 The writing of Adam's biography, or Adam's life history, 07:37 came to an end when he was 930 years old. 07:42 The Bible tells us that he lived 930 years and then he died. 07:47 So basically... 07:48 And we're going to use Adam as our example 07:50 quite frequently in our study today. 07:53 Basically, Adam died. 07:56 His body, including his brain, returned to the dust. 08:00 And the breath left the body, because he breathed no more. 08:07 In other words, when he died, his life history was complete. 08:10 His biography was complete. 08:12 The books on his life were closed. 08:16 But now I'm going to ask a critical question that 08:18 probably nobody has asked you before. 08:21 And that is this. 08:23 What happened to the 930 years of personal self identity, 08:30 or experiences, which Adam developed while he was alive? 08:37 Are you understanding my question? 08:39 While he was alive and his brain was functioning, 08:43 the whole accumulation of his experiences 08:47 were available to him, right? 08:49 He could remember... 08:51 Because he probably had a photographic memory. 08:53 You know, he had much more vitality than we have today. 08:57 He could retrieve any information, 08:58 remember things that had happened. 09:00 In other words, while his brain was active, 09:03 while his body was alive, his live history 09:06 was there in his brain. 09:09 Now the question is, when he died, what happened to 09:12 that life history? 09:14 What happened to his self identity 09:16 or all of his life experiences? 09:18 Well, his brain went to the grave. 09:20 And what happened to his brain? 09:23 His brain decomposed. 09:25 So what happened with all of the record of his life? 09:29 What happened with all of his biography that he had developed 09:33 all during his life? 09:34 Well, it went to the grave, and when his brain decomposed 09:39 all of that life history decomposed along with his brain. 09:44 Now you're saying, "That sounds pretty fatalistic." 09:48 And it does. 09:50 But we're going to notice in our study that God knows that 09:53 because of sin, we're going to die. 09:56 And therefore, God saves a backup of every detail 10:02 of that person's life in the heavenly books. 10:07 So even though the brain and the body disintegrate, 10:12 God has the total life of Adam, from the moment that he 10:18 was created by God till the moment that he died. 10:23 Every detail, God has written in heavenly books. 10:28 In other words, there is another Adam in heaven in written form. 10:33 Not in person. 10:34 There's a record, a written record, of his life in heaven. 10:38 Now, let's read some verses from Scripture 10:41 that show that this is true. 10:44 I'm going to read from 2 Corinthians chapter 5 10:47 and verse 10. 10:49 And I'm going to show you that in the books, plural, books, 10:55 God has written all of our life history. 10:58 And He's writing mine right now as I'm speaking. 11:01 In other words, God is recording everything that I'm thinking 11:05 and everything that I'm saying right now. 11:07 And He's also recording everything that's 11:09 going on in your brain. 11:10 God has another exact transcript of you in heaven in the books. 11:18 All of our actions, all of our motives, all of our words, 11:21 all of our feelings, all of our emotions, 11:23 all of our secrets, all of our thoughts. 11:26 Everything, inside and out, is written in the heavenly records. 11:30 Notice 2 Corinthians 5 verse 10. 11:44 That is, while we're alive on this earth. 11:51 Are we all going to have to appear before the 11:52 judgment seat of Christ? Yes. 11:54 Will we have to render an account for what we did good 11:56 and what we did bad? Yes. 11:58 So does God have a record of what we did good 12:00 and what we did bad? 12:01 Obviously, yes. 12:03 How about our words? 12:04 Is there a record of our words too? 12:07 Oh, that's part of our self identity, isn't it? 12:09 Isn't that part of our life history, 12:10 of our biography, our words? 12:13 Absolutely. 12:14 Notice Matthew chapter 12 and verses 36 and 37. 12:18 Here, Jesus is speaking and He says... 12:33 Does God keep a record of our words? Yes. 12:36 Will they face us again in the judgment? 12:38 According to Scripture, absolutely yes. 12:42 But not only that, our secret things are 12:45 recorded in the books. 12:46 Remember, books; plural. 12:48 In a moment, we're going to come to the Book. 12:49 But now we're talking about the books. 12:51 The books are the records that have the life biography 12:55 or the exact transcript of a person that lived on this earth 12:59 while he or she was alive. 13:02 Notice Ecclesiastes 12 verses 13 and 14. 13:06 Ecclesiastes 12:13-14. 13:30 Does He have our secrets recorded there too? 13:34 He most certainly does. 13:35 Are our actions written there? 13:37 They most certainly are. 13:38 How about our words? 13:40 They are, absolutely. In the books. 13:43 The books contain the biography, so to speak, of Adam 13:49 without missing a beat. 13:51 Every detail of Adam is registered there. 13:55 Notice Daniel 7 verses 9 and 10. 13:58 I'm going to read a couple of more passages. 13:59 Daniel 7 verses 9 and 10. 14:33 What do you suppose is in the books that are opened? 14:37 The record of the lives of people. 14:40 Let's notice also Revelation chapter 20 and verses 12 and 13. 14:44 And I'm only reading a sampling of these. 14:47 Revelation chapter 20 and verses 12 and 13. 14:51 Now, this is speaking about events after the millennium. 14:54 This is speaking about the wicked, but in principle 14:57 it shows how God also judged the righteous 15:01 before the second coming of Christ. 15:03 Revelation 20 and verse 12. 15:05 And now listen carefully to what it says. 15:15 How can dead people stand before God? 15:19 Let's continue reading. 15:20 The passage tells us. 15:36 Is the "book" different than the "books?" 15:38 Absolutely. 15:55 So what is contained in the books? 15:58 The works, or the lives, of every person who lived 16:03 on planet earth. 16:04 Is that different than the "book?" 16:07 Yes, because it says, "books." 16:09 And then it says, "another book." 16:11 So there's a difference between "books" and "book." 16:13 What is in the books is the record of the 16:17 life of the person. 16:19 The self identity that person wrote by what came into 16:23 his or her five senses for the period of their lives. 16:26 God has an exact transcript of that in heaven. 16:31 Now, it's interesting to notice then that I am personally 16:35 on earth, but in heaven I am in books. 16:41 On the other end, Jesus Christ is personally in heaven, 16:44 but on earth He is in 66 books. 16:48 You see, Jesus is up there in person, but on earth 16:52 He's written in books. 16:54 I am here in person, but in heaven my life 16:58 is written in what? 17:00 It is written in books. 17:02 So the heavenly books contain a complete biography 17:07 of every person. 17:09 They contain every act, every word, every motive, 17:14 every thought, every emotion. 17:16 Even every opportunity to do good which we did not 17:20 take advantage of. 17:21 There is a complete record of our lives, inside and out. 17:25 In other words, God has in written form in heaven 17:28 another me. 17:31 Is this clear to you? 17:33 Now, let me read you a statement from Ellen White. 17:36 A couple of statements, actually. 17:38 The first is, In Heavenly Places, page 360. 17:41 She understood this so clearly. 17:44 Page 360, In Heavenly Places, this is what she says. 17:48 "As the artist takes on the polished glass 17:54 a true picture of the human face, so the angels of God 18:00 daily place upon the books of heaven an exact representation 18:07 of the character of every human being." 18:11 That's a fantastic statement. 18:13 Once again, "As the artist takes on the polished glass 18:17 a true picture of the human face, so the angels of God 18:20 daily place upon the books of heaven an exact representation 18:24 of the character of every human being." 18:28 Ellen White also uses this same illustration 18:32 of photography in the book, "Testimonies on Sexual Behavior, 18:36 Adultery, and Divorce," page 62, when she says this. 18:39 "Remember, your character is being daguerreotyped..." 18:44 That's an old word that means, "photographed." 18:47 "...by the great Master Artist in the record books of heaven, 18:52 as minutely as the face is reproduced upon the 18:57 polished plate of the artist." 19:01 Now, I believe that if God was revealing this to a prophet 19:05 today, He would use different terms than 19:08 "books" or "photography." 19:11 I believe that He would be using, "video recorders" 19:15 and He would be using, "computers" to speak about 19:18 the information that God saves in heaven. 19:21 Because the technology of God is far greater than the 19:24 technology of human beings. 19:25 But God speaks about books in biblical times 19:28 because if God said, "computer," they would say, "What's that?" 19:32 And He used photography when He spoke to Ellen White 19:35 because photography was known at that time. 19:38 And it was a way of expressing what was in the books. 19:41 But if God spoke of this today, He would use 19:44 something that would appeal to the minds of people today. 19:48 And I'm going to give you an illustration at the end of our 19:50 study today comparing this whole process with a computer, 19:55 so that we can remember what we're studying. 19:57 Now, is it clear what is contained in the books? 20:00 Is that clear in your mind? 20:01 What is it that in the books? 20:03 An exact transcript of you. 20:06 All of your self identity that you develop during your life, 20:09 all of your personal identity that distinguishes you 20:13 from other people, is written in the books. 20:15 In other words, in heaven there's a complete biography 20:18 of every single person. 20:20 Now let's talk about the Book, singular. 20:23 Because it's a different book, as we read. 20:25 What is contained in the Book? 20:29 In the Book are contained names. 20:34 Not our lives. 20:35 Names. 20:37 Let's read several verses from Scripture 20:39 where this is proven true. 20:42 Let's go to Philippians chapter 4 and verse 3. 20:45 Philippians chapter 4 and verse 3. 20:47 Here, the apostle Paul is referring to some of his 20:52 fellow workers. 20:53 And notice what he says. 21:12 So what does the Book of Life contain? 21:15 It contains names, according to this text. 21:19 Notice Revelation chapter 3 and verse 5. 21:21 We're going to read several verses. 21:22 Revelation chapter 3 and verse 5. 21:26 Here, it's speaking about overcoming. 21:27 And John, the loving apostle, said... 21:38 "Name," singular. 21:41 "Book," singular. 21:47 Once again, what's in the Book? 21:49 Names. 21:51 Notice Exodus chapter 32 and verses 31 to 33. 21:56 Here, Moses is at the top of Mt. Sinai. 21:59 Israel has worshipped the golden calf 22:01 and God is saying, "I'm going to wipe these people out." 22:04 And Moses says, "No, you can't do that, Lord." 22:07 Let's pick up the conversation. 22:08 Exodus 32 and verse 31. 22:32 Was the name of Moses in God's Book? 22:35 It most certainly was. 22:37 Let's notice one more verse. 22:38 And there are others in Scripture. 22:40 I'm only giving you a sampling. 22:41 Daniel chapter 12 and verse 1. 22:44 Daniel chapter 12 and verse 1. 22:47 This is speaking about the event that takes place 22:51 immediately before the beginning of the end time tribulation; 22:54 the great tribulation. 22:55 And it says... 23:16 So what is it that the Book contains? 23:19 Singular, Book. 23:21 It contains what? 23:22 It contains names. 23:25 And what do the books contain? 23:27 They contain the record of what? 23:29 The record of a life. 23:31 Now, the records in the books begin with what being 23:38 who lived on planet earth? 23:40 Whose name do you think is first in the book of life? 23:44 Well, the logical thing would be the first person who lived 23:47 on planet earth, would be the first one 23:50 that would be in the Book. 23:51 Right? 23:53 So who would be examined first in the judgment? 23:57 It would be Adam who would be examined. 23:59 Now, we'll come back to that in a few moments. 24:02 Now, who must appear before the judgment seat of Christ? 24:07 Let's notice several things about the judgment. 24:09 2 Corinthians 5:10. 24:11 We've already read it, but let's read it again. 24:24 So, everyone must appear before the judgment bar of Christ. 24:27 Now, where does that judgment take place? 24:32 It takes place in heaven. 24:33 We already noticed that. 24:35 Notice Daniel chapter 7 verses 9 and 10. 24:38 This is just review. 24:40 It says in Daniel 7:9-10... 25:04 Where does the Ancient of Days live? 25:06 In heaven. 25:08 Where do the ten thousand times ten thousand and 25:10 thousands of thousands live? 25:12 They live in heaven. 25:13 So where is this judgment taking place where it says 25:16 the court was seated and the books were opened. 25:18 It's taking place in heaven. 25:19 So who must appear? 25:21 Everyone. 25:22 Where does the judgment take place? 25:24 In heaven. 25:26 When does it take place? 25:28 Most Christians believe that it's when Jesus comes; 25:31 that's the judgment. 25:32 But the Bible doesn't teach that, according to 25:34 what we've studied. 25:35 The judgment takes place even before the close of probation 25:39 before Jesus comes. 25:41 Notice Revelation 14 verses 6 and 7. 25:43 This is clear there. 25:45 Revelation 14 verses 6 and 7. 25:57 Question, can people be saved while the gospel 25:59 is being preached? 26:00 Can people be saved? 26:02 Is the door of probation still open? 26:04 Has the second coming taken place yet? No. 26:06 Now notice what this first angel who brings the everlasting 26:09 gospel has to say in verse 7. 26:11 "...saying with a loud voice, 'Fear God and give glory to Him, 26:15 for the hour of His judgment will come." 26:18 Ah, it doesn't say, "will come." 26:19 This is a punctual past and it's an aorist in Greek. 26:23 "The hour of His judgment has come..." 26:30 Question, does the judgment begin while the gospel is 26:34 being preached to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people? 26:37 Yes. 26:38 Does the judgment take place then before the close of 26:41 probation and before the second coming of Christ? 26:43 Absolutely yes. 26:47 Now, when do people receive their reward? 26:50 We've studied this before. 26:52 Notice Matthew 16 and verse 27. 26:54 Matthew 16 and verse 27. 26:56 I want you to have these things clear in your mind, 26:58 because we're going to come back to them in a few moments. 27:01 Matthew 16:27 says... 27:10 What coming is that referring to when it says He will 27:13 come in the glory of His Father with His angels? 27:15 Which coming is that? 27:16 The second coming of Christ. 27:17 It says, "...and then He will..." What? 27:24 When does He reward people according to their works? 27:28 When Jesus comes. 27:29 Notice Revelation 22 and verse 12. 27:31 Another verse that clearly expresses this. 27:34 Revelation 22 and verse 12. 27:38 Here, Jesus is speaking. 27:46 What does Jesus examine in the judgment, 27:48 according to what we noticed? 27:49 He examines our what? 27:51 Our works. 27:52 We read that, right? 27:53 Now it says that He brings the reward according to our what? 27:56 To our works. 27:58 So must He have examined what our works were 28:00 before He came to reward us? 28:03 Absolutely yes. 28:04 This is clearly biblical. 28:06 Yet most Christians believe that when a person dies, 28:09 their soul flies off to heaven. 28:13 Or if they were wicked, their soul goes to hell. 28:18 My question is, if people go to heaven when they die, 28:20 why does Jesus have to come again? 28:22 It kind of makes the second coming of Christ 28:25 not very significant. 28:28 Now, I want to show you biblically that both the living 28:32 and the dead will receive their reward at the same time. 28:36 The righteous dead do not receive their reward 28:38 when they die. 28:40 They receive their reward when Jesus comes, 28:41 just like the living do. 28:43 1 Thessalonians 4 verses 15 through 17. 28:46 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verses 15 through 17. 28:51 It says there, "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, 28:54 that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord 28:58 will by no means precede those who are asleep." 29:01 In other words, those who are alive are not going to precede 29:03 those who are what? 29:05 Those who are asleep. 29:06 Precede them to what? 29:09 Precede them to heaven. 29:10 Let's continue reading. Verse 16. 29:12 "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven 29:15 with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, 29:18 and with the trumpet of God. 29:20 And the dead in Christ will rise first." 29:23 What event is being described in verse 16 29:25 when it says, "The Lord Himself will descend from heaven 29:27 with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, 29:29 and with the trumpet of God." 29:30 What event is that? 29:32 The second coming of Christ. 29:33 And what happens? 29:35 It says, "And the dead in Christ will..." What? 29:37 "...will rise first." 29:38 Now listen carefully. 29:39 "Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up 29:43 together with them..." 29:44 Who's that? 29:46 Caught up together with who? 29:48 With those who died and... What? 29:50 ...and resurrected. 29:51 "Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up 29:53 together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. 29:58 And thus we shall always be..." What? 30:01 "...with the Lord." 30:02 When is it that God's people are going to heaven with Jesus? 30:04 Is it when they die or is it when Jesus comes? 30:07 It's when Jesus comes, according to Scripture. 30:09 The Bible is clear on this. 30:11 All throughout the New Testament the hope of the Christian 30:14 is not in some immortal soul flying off at death. 30:16 The hope of the Christian is in the resurrection 30:19 of the dead through the power of Jesus Christ 30:21 when He comes at His second coming. 30:24 Now let's review what we've studied 30:26 so far about the judgment. 30:27 First of all, how many must appear? 30:29 All must appear. 30:30 Where does the judgment take place? 30:33 In heaven. 30:34 When does it take place? 30:36 Before the second coming. 30:37 When does Jesus reward those who went through the judgment? 30:42 At the second coming of Christ. 30:44 Now, here's a very important question. 30:48 Where are the dead between the time of their death 30:53 and when Jesus comes to reward them. 30:57 Let's go to John 5:28-29 and listen to the 31:00 words of Jesus Christ. 31:02 You think we could trust Jesus? 31:04 I think we can trust what Jesus says. 31:06 John 5 verses 28 and 29. 31:09 Jesus says... 31:11 "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which 31:16 all who are in heaven or in hell will hear His voice..." 31:20 No. 31:22 It says, "For the hour is coming in which all who are..." Where? 31:26 "...in the graves..." 31:44 So where are the dead from the point of death 31:48 until the point of the second coming of Jesus? 31:51 The Bible says that they are in their what? 31:54 In their graves. 31:55 Now, after a person dies and before Jesus comes, all of 32:00 God's people must stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 32:03 Right? We read that. 32:05 All of us must stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 32:07 Now here's the big question. 32:09 Did Adam have to appear before the judgment seat of Christ? 32:14 We noticed that the date for the judgment began when? 32:18 In 1844. 32:19 Adam is the first one who appears before the 32:22 judgment seat of Christ. 32:23 Now you're saying, "Now wait a minute, Pastor Bohr. 32:24 You're contradicting yourself. 32:26 Because you just said that Adam died and he's in the grave 32:32 until Jesus comes. 32:33 So how could Adam appear before the judgment seat 32:35 of Christ in 1844?" 32:39 Are you understanding my question? 32:41 It sounds like a complicated question, but it really isn't. 32:44 Now let me read you a statement from 32:46 Great Controversy, page 482. 32:48 Great Controversy, page 482. 32:51 Ellen White explains here... 32:56 This is the judgment of God's people before the second coming. 33:09 Who is contemplated in this judgment? 33:12 All of those who what? 33:14 Not unbelievers. 33:15 We already noticed the millennium. 33:17 And after the millennium takes care of those. 33:28 So who would be the first one? 33:30 Adam. 33:44 Now, I ask the question once again. 33:46 How is it possible for Adam to appear before the 33:49 judgment seat of Christ, first in 1844, 33:52 because he was the first that lived on planet earth? 33:55 How could he appear there if he was in his grave 33:57 waiting for the second coming of Jesus Christ? 34:00 I think you know the answer. 34:02 He appeared before the judgment seat of Christ, 34:05 not in person, but through the record of his life in the books. 34:11 Now let me read you a statement here. 34:13 Great Controversy, 482. 34:15 You know, Ellen White understood this so clearly. 34:18 If Christians would just read the book, The Great Controversy, 34:21 with an open mind, all kinds of dots would be connected. 34:24 And they would understand how all of the doctrines of the 34:27 Bible fit together in a perfect and harmonious whole. 34:32 And it's not just a collection of doctrines, you know, 34:35 which when you look at them carefully, 34:36 one doctrine contradicts another. 34:38 No, all of the doctrines of the Bible are in perfect harmony. 34:42 Now notice what she says, Great Controversy, 482. 34:50 Is that biblical? Sure. 35:12 Are you following me? 35:14 It is so simple. It's not complicated. 35:16 It's not rocket science. 35:18 The Bible makes it simple. 35:21 Now it want to talk to you about something that even 35:24 most Seventh-day Adventists have not fully understood. 35:29 You say, "What? 35:31 Not even Seventh-day Adventists have fully understood this?" 35:34 Absolutely. 35:35 We read that the Bible says that when a person dies, 35:39 the spirit returns to what? 35:42 The spirit returns to God. 35:44 Now, there more there than just the breath returning to God. 35:49 Because some people say, "Oh, you say that the 35:51 spirit is the breath. 35:53 So when a person breathes his last, God grabs the breath 35:56 and He saves it in heaven?" 35:58 No, they say it facetiously. 36:00 But the fact is, the spirit is more than the breath. 36:04 The spirit is the record of the self identity of the person 36:09 that is recorded in God's books. 36:11 Let me give you some biblical examples, 36:13 and then we're going to put it all together. 36:16 Notice Luke chapter 8 verses 52 through 56. 36:20 This is the story of the resurrection 36:21 of the daughter of Jairus. 36:23 And I want you to notice this very interesting story. 36:26 Here, Jesus is going to resurrect her. 36:29 It says... 36:50 And now listen carefully. 36:51 Sometimes, you know, even though I have large print, 36:54 I read things wrong. 36:56 So you're going to correct me if I read it wrong. 36:58 "Then the spirit returned..." 37:03 Thank you very much. 37:04 It doesn't say, "the spirit." It says what? 37:07 "...her spirit returned..." 37:18 Let me ask you, do you think that this little girl, 37:20 when she resurrected, recognized her parents? 37:24 Do you think she remembered the last events of her life? 37:28 The Bible gives us the impression that she was 37:30 even hungry when she died. 37:32 Because the first thing that Jesus says is, 37:34 "Give her some food." 37:36 In other words, what does this mean when it says that 37:40 "her spirit" returned to her? 37:42 Did God give her back only her breath? 37:44 Or did God give her back her self identity, 37:47 who she was while she was alive? 37:50 He returned to her who she was when she was alive. 37:53 In other words, our spirit becomes personalized. 37:58 Now, it's not that the spirit is alive or anything. 38:01 But somehow, God saves the record in a way of technology 38:06 that's far greater than any of us can understand. 38:08 And when a person dies, when he resurrects that person, 38:12 He takes the record of the life and inputs it into the person, 38:16 and gives the breath of life to that person. 38:18 And that person picks up where he or she left off. 38:21 Are you with me or not? 38:23 That's why it says, "her spirit." 38:25 Not any old spirit, not just the spirit, not just the breath. 38:28 Her spirit. 38:29 Now notice another biblical example. 38:31 Acts chapter 7 and verses 57 to 60. 38:33 This is talking about the stoning of Stephen. 38:36 Acts 7 and verses 57 through 60. 38:54 "And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God 38:57 and saying, 'Lord Jesus, receive the spirit.'" 39:02 Thank you very much. 39:03 It doesn't say, "receive the spirit." 39:05 It says, "receive my spirit." 39:20 You know, it could have been written, "he died." 39:23 Oh, that sounds so terrible; "he died." 39:24 No, he went to sleep. 39:26 You know, death is just a little bit longer sleep 39:28 than when we sleep at night. 39:33 So what returned to Stephen? 39:36 He said, "my spirit." 39:39 When Stephen resurrects, do you think he's going to 39:41 remember Saul of Tarsus? 39:44 Do you think he's going to remember this sermon that 39:46 he gave in Acts chapter 7? 39:48 You better believe it. 39:49 He's going to pick up where he left off. 39:51 Because God is not only going to return his breath, 39:54 but his breath was who he was while he was alive 39:57 with his own self identity. 39:58 His personalized spirit, if you please. 40:01 Now, let's notice one final example. 40:03 And then I'll read you a statement from Ellen White 40:04 which is very interesting. 40:06 Luke 23 and verse 46. 40:08 This is dealing with Christ. 40:10 Luke 23 and verse 46. 40:13 It says, "And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, 40:16 He said, 'Father, into Your hands I commit the spirit.'" 40:23 No, that doesn't say, "the spirit." 40:25 It says, "I commit My spirit." 40:34 So what did Jesus commend to his Father? 40:36 Only His breath? 40:37 No, it was His breath along with His what? 40:40 With His self identity. 40:42 With who He was during His life. 40:44 Now let me read you an amazing statement from a woman who 40:47 had two and a half years of primary education. 40:51 Because that's all of the formal education Ellen White had, 40:53 was two and a half years of primary elementary education. 40:57 Listen to what she had to say. 40:59 This is found in the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, 41:02 volume 6, page 1093. 41:17 Because God doesn't have to recuperate every little 41:19 particle of matter to put us back together again. 41:22 She continues saying... 41:28 And here comes the key portion. 41:39 What is it that God preserves? Only our breath? 41:42 No, He preserves what? 41:44 Our character, which is the record of our lives. 41:47 Our self identity, who we were while we were alive. 41:50 So she says... 42:01 Wouldn't that be something if God gave me the breath 42:03 of life and I was Rick Torres? 42:08 No, God is going to return to me my spirit. 42:11 I like Rick, but I don't want to be Rick. 42:16 I want to be myself. 42:19 Now, let me give you an illustration of what this means. 42:22 Let's suppose that you have a video camera 42:24 and you've been taping some events, some family events, 42:28 and you shut off the camera. 42:30 And for ten years, the camera, you don't use it. 42:34 It's in the closet. 42:36 After ten years, you take it out. 42:38 And you decide that you're going to take some family pictures. 42:41 And so you turn on the video camera and you keep on taping. 42:45 Let me ask you, when you watch the video, 42:48 do you find any indication that there was any interval of time 42:51 between when the camera shut off and when the 42:53 camera picked up again? 42:55 Absolutely not. 42:56 The camera was off for ten years. 42:59 The camera, if you please, had no history 43:02 during those ten years. 43:03 It picked up where it... What? 43:06 ...where it left off. 43:07 The same is true with our lives. 43:09 See, as we live, the video camera is rolling. 43:12 God is taping, so to speak, our lives. 43:15 When we die, what happens? 43:16 The video camera shuts off. 43:18 What happens at the resurrection? 43:20 At the resurrection, the video camera starts rolling again. 43:23 What happened during the interim, all of that period 43:26 between when the camera was shut off 43:28 and when the camera is turned on again? 43:32 God's people were sleeping. 43:34 That person had absolutely no history. 43:37 Because that person was what? 43:40 That person was dead. 43:41 Or that person was sleeping. 43:43 Are you following me or not? 43:44 Now, let's read Job 19:25-27. 43:47 This is a very interesting passage. 43:49 Here, Job is speaking about his own experience. 43:54 Job 19 verses 25 through 27. 43:58 This is one of those moments where he expresses 44:00 a high degree of faith in the midst of his suffering. 44:03 He says there, "For I know that my Redeemer lives, 44:08 and that in the end, He will stand upon the earth. 44:12 And after my skin has been destroyed..." 44:15 In other words, "After I decompose." 44:17 Now notice the terminology. 44:19 "After my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh 44:24 I will see God. 44:26 I myself will see Him with my own eyes. 44:31 I, and not another." 44:33 So nobody else is going to see Jesus when He comes 44:35 because Job says, "Me, and no one else." 44:38 What is Job really saying? 44:40 He's saying, "When I resurrect, I am going to be..." What? 44:45 "...I am going to be Job. 44:48 I myself, after my skin decomposes, I myself 44:52 am going to see..." What? 44:53 "With my own eyes and not another." 44:55 In other words, I'm not going to be another person. 44:58 I am going to be the... What? 45:00 I am going to be the same person. 45:02 Now, let me give you an example from the experience 45:07 of the wicked outside the Holy City after the thousand years. 45:11 How do the wicked resurrect? 45:13 Righteous? 45:15 No, they resurrect wicked. 45:17 Listen to another statement from Great Controversy, page 664. 45:21 Amazing statement. Great Controversy, page 664. 45:25 Here, she's referring to the wicked outside the Holy City 45:27 after the millennium. 45:57 What does "resume" mean? 46:00 It means they start where the video camera 46:03 went off when they died. 46:17 So when the wicked resurrect, are they 46:19 going to resurrect wicked? 46:21 Are they going to pick up where they left off? 46:23 Are they going to be just as rebellious? 46:25 So what is Jesus going to return to them? 46:27 Only the breath of life? 46:28 No, He's going to return to them the breath of life 46:31 along with the record that they had while they were alive. 46:36 That is the spirit. 46:37 It's not only the breath. 46:39 It's the record of the life that is inputted into the person 46:44 along with the breath of life. 46:46 Is this clear in your mind? 46:47 It's extremely important. 46:49 Most Adventists, you know, they have this idea 46:51 that the spirit that goes to God is the breath. 46:55 And that's good. 46:56 But it's not the total picture. 46:59 The total picture is that when you die, simply, God in heaven, 47:04 He closes the books on you. 47:07 And He saves you up there. 47:09 He saves the record of your life. 47:11 Because in the resurrection, He's going to return to you 47:14 who you were while you were alive. 47:18 Let me give you an example. 47:19 How many of you have seen that little clip 47:22 of the assassination of John F. Kennedy? 47:24 That little Zapruder film. 47:26 You've seen it? 47:27 Where the presidential limo is coming around, 47:31 turning onto Elm Street, and coming down. 47:33 And John F. Kennedy sitting there and 47:35 Jackie's in her pink dress, and they're waving at everybody. 47:38 Let me ask you, when you watch that clip of video, 47:41 is John Kennedy alive or is he dead? 47:45 Every time I ask that question, people say, "alive," "dead," 47:49 "alive," "dead," because it all depends. 47:52 When you're watching the clip, he is what? 47:55 No, when you're watching the clip, he's dead. 48:00 But when the clip was made, he was what? 48:04 He was alive. 48:05 You're looking at the record after his what? 48:08 After his death. 48:09 But you're seeing the experience while he was what? 48:14 Alive. 48:15 That illustrates how God does it in heaven. 48:18 In the judgment, He says, "Steve Bohr, appear before 48:20 the judgment seat of Christ." 48:22 So what do the angels do? 48:24 The angels run and they bring the books. 48:27 And by the way, "books" is very inadequate. 48:30 They bring the DVD, if you please. 48:34 And then God has this huge screen. 48:36 He says, "Now we're going to look at the life of Pastor Bohr 48:39 from beginning to end." 48:41 And so the life of Pastor Bohr, in all of its details 48:44 that was made while I was alive, is examined. 48:47 Is there a certain sense, then, that I am appearing alive 48:50 before the judgment seat of Christ? 48:52 Yes, I'm appearing after I died, but the records were made 48:55 while I was alive. 48:57 So in other words, the record that is there is the 49:01 record of my life. 49:02 In a certain sense, I'm appearing there alive. 49:05 Even though after I died. 49:07 Are you understanding my point? 49:08 It doesn't mean that I'm personally alive there. 49:10 It means that the records were made while I was what? 49:14 The records were made while I was alive. 49:19 Now, the Bible explains this process. 49:21 Revelation 20 and verses 11 through 15 49:25 speaks of this process. 49:27 It says there, "Then I saw a great white throne 49:31 and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth 49:34 and the heaven fled away. 49:36 And there was found no place for them." 49:38 This is speaking about during the millennium. 49:39 "And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God..." 49:44 How can those dead people stand before God? 49:46 Through their DVD, if you please. 49:50 "...and books were opened." Notice. 49:52 "And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. 49:56 And the dead..." 49:57 Notice that they're dead at this point. 49:58 They're not alive. 50:00 "And the dead were judged according to their works, 50:03 by the things which were written..." Where? 50:06 "...which were written in the books." 50:10 Now, let me compare this with a computer. 50:14 Let's imagine what is was like for Adam to appear before 50:17 the judgment seat of Christ. 50:19 God says, "Adam appear before My judgment seat." 50:22 And so, where is Adam in 1844? 50:26 Well, his brain decomposed. 50:28 All the record is decomposed. 50:30 But the angels bring what? 50:32 So to speak, the DVD. 50:34 And the heavenly beings see the whole life of Adam 50:37 that was made during his life. 50:40 And where is Adam's name? 50:43 In the Book of Life. 50:45 And God is going to ask the heavenly jury, 50:46 He's going to say, "Now the name of Adam is in the Book of Life. 50:49 You have watched his life. 50:51 You saw how he repented of his sin. 50:54 He confessed his sin. 50:56 He loathed himself. 50:58 He was meek and humble. 51:00 He claimed My blood by offering the sacrifice. 51:03 What do you think, folks? 51:06 Should we call Adam home at the moment of the resurrection? 51:09 What do you think?" 51:11 And the heavenly beings will say, "Yes. 51:14 Let's chalk him up to a resurrection 51:17 in the first resurrection." 51:20 So what happens when Jesus comes? 51:22 When Jesus comes, Adam is what? 51:25 Resurrected, and he's given the reward that was determined 51:28 in the judgment beforehand. 51:30 Is that so complicated? 51:32 It's actually simple. 51:34 You see how the state of the dead and the judgment 51:37 and the second coming are very closely intertwined 51:40 one with another? 51:42 Now listen carefully. 51:43 I want to compare this with a computer so that you'll 51:45 always remember this and never forget it. 51:47 Okay? 51:49 Let's compare a computer with the body. 51:52 Is a computer a material object? 51:56 Is it composed of matter? 51:57 It most certainly is. 51:58 Does the computer have a brain? 52:01 So to speak. 52:02 Yes, it has a processor. Right? 52:04 Everything goes through the brain. 52:06 What you download and what you input and so on. 52:12 You know, the processor does all of that. 52:16 In order for the computer to function, does it have to be 52:18 plugged into a power source? 52:21 Of course it does. 52:22 And so, when you go to the store and you buy a computer, 52:25 the computer is basically blank, isn't it? 52:27 So you buy the computer, you take it home. 52:33 Are any two computers alike after one year? 52:37 No, because they're your PC. 52:39 What determines the difference between 52:40 one computer and another? 52:42 What you inputted, right? 52:45 My email or whatever. 52:47 What you inputted determines. 52:49 Does each computer take on its own self identity, so to speak? 52:53 Of course it does. 52:55 Now, let's suppose that at some point while you're not home, 53:00 praise the Lord, the roof caves in. 53:03 And your computer is smashed to smithereens. 53:06 It disintegrates. 53:09 You're in trouble now, right? 53:11 Because everything that was in your computer, 53:13 all of the information that you put in your computer 53:16 during five or six years is gone. 53:19 But you know what smart people do? 53:22 They know that this might happen. 53:24 And so they save the information in a backup system. 53:31 Because they know that something might happen to their computer. 53:34 Is that the same thing that's going to happen 53:36 to the human body? 53:38 Is it going to disintegrate along with its brain? 53:40 Is it going to be unplugged from the power source 53:43 at the moment of death? 53:44 That is, if Jesus doesn't come while we're alive. 53:46 Absolutely so. 53:47 And so, what happens? 53:48 It disintegrates. 53:50 But what has God done? 53:53 He saved a backup. 53:55 That's right. 53:57 He saved a record in the heavenly disks, so to speak. 54:03 So let me ask you, when Jesus comes again, 54:07 can He raise me up with an even more powerful processor 54:12 and a much more sophisticated and powerful computer, 54:15 and input all of the information that I had in my first computer? 54:20 Can you program that into the new computer? 54:22 Of course you can. 54:24 Can you plug in that computer and you have all of the memory 54:27 of that original computer back? 54:29 Yes or no? Absolutely. 54:31 That's what happens when a person dies. 54:33 When you die, your computer disintegrates 54:36 along with its processor, the brain. 54:39 It's off, it's unplugged from the power source. 54:41 You breathe your last. 54:43 But God has saved what? 54:45 He saved a backup in heaven in the books. 54:51 And then what does He do? 54:52 When Jesus comes, He's going to resurrect His people. 54:57 They're going to be immortal and incorruptible. 54:59 Must more powerful computer, so to speak, than before. 55:03 And what is Jesus going to do? 55:05 He's going to take all of the information in the books. 55:07 And what is He going to do? 55:09 He's going to put it in those who resurrected. 55:14 Will they be the same people what they were in life? 55:16 Yes. 55:18 But there's one exception. 55:20 The computer has a delete key. 55:24 How many of you have things in your record that you would not 55:27 like to get back? 55:30 Raise your hand. 55:32 Those that didn't raise your hand, you just have 55:34 one thing now. 55:37 And that's lying. 55:39 Because we all have. 55:41 Right? 55:42 We all have something there. 55:44 Or many things there that we would not like to get back. 55:47 You know what God is going to do during the judgment? 55:49 As He examines our lives and the sins are in the sanctuary, 55:54 like we noticed. 55:55 But the sanctuary is covered by what? 55:57 They're covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. 56:00 He's going to say... 56:01 This super computer... 56:03 And I'm using just our imagination 56:04 so we can understand. 56:06 He's going to say, "Now, that sin was confessed 56:09 and that sin was repented of. 56:11 And by the power of God, it was overcome." 56:14 Delete. 56:16 And so when the record, when He finishes examining the record, 56:20 He will return to me everything except for all of the sins 56:26 that were on my record. 56:28 Now, isn't that good news? 56:30 That's great news. 56:32 Listen, some people say, "Adventists don't believe 56:34 that you can have assurance of salvation because they say 56:37 your sins are written up there in the sanctuary." 56:39 Folks, my greatest assurance is to have my sins 56:42 covered by the blood up there. 56:44 Because if they're not covered by the blood up there, 56:47 they are here because they never entered there. 56:52 And there's hope for the greatest of sinners. 56:54 Even for Saul of Tarsus, who was a murderer 56:57 and a persecutor of the church. 56:59 Who knows how many people he killed. 57:01 The Bible says he repented and he confessed his sins, 57:03 and he was baptized. 57:06 And the Bible says that he washed away all his sins. 57:10 So there is no one that is so sinful that he cannot have, 57:14 or she cannot have, his or her record totally deleted 57:19 from the heavenly record when the name 57:21 comes up in the judgment. 57:23 Is this good news? 57:25 I don't only think it's good news, I think it's great news. |
Revised 2014-12-17