Participants: John Stanton, John Lomacang
Series Code: HCL
Program Code: HCL110003
|
00:01 Hello friends, grab your Bible and a friend
00:03 and sit back as we explore God's word 00:04 together on this edition of House Calls. 00:21 Hello and welcome to another edition 00:23 of one of the best Bible programs on Television 00:26 at least we believe that, if we didn't, 00:27 we would be here, right John? Amen. 00:30 And we thank you for tuning in today, 00:32 we'd like to encourage you to get to your Bibles, 00:33 get your pens, sit down and take a break for 00:36 the next hour and join us in our excursion 00:39 through the word of God. And we thank you 00:42 for tuning in and we know that this gonna be 00:43 informative program and we'll continue on the 00:46 topic of the state of the died in the context 00:49 of last day events and spiritualism, 00:52 but before we do anything we always like to begin 00:54 with prayer, so John would you lead us before 00:56 the throne of grace today. Let's do that. 00:58 Dear Father in heaven, we're blessed again to be 01:02 able to open your word and to study things out, 01:04 your truths and they're so precious to us. 01:07 We just pray that as we do open your word that 01:10 we will rightly divide that word, by the leading 01:13 of your Holy Spirit, may you transform our lives 01:16 in our understanding that we may give you honor 01:19 and glory in all that we do. 01:20 In Jesus name we pray. Amen, Amen. 01:25 As you also know, when you send us 01:27 a Bible question, that's a significant part of our 01:30 program and we always begin the first half 01:32 of our program trying our best to answer 01:34 your questions, and so if you have any questions 01:36 that come up, you can send them to this program 01:39 through the email that's listed there 01:41 on your screen housecalls@3abn.org 01:44 that's housecalls@3abn.org 01:47 and for those of who still use mail we, 01:50 we still accept mail, you can send them 01:52 to P.O. Box 220, West Frankfort, IL 62896, 01:57 that's 3ABN general address and just go ahead 02:00 and attention those to house calls 02:03 and we'll get those, but John we will start 02:05 with our first Internet question, 02:07 what do you have for us today? Yeah, I've got 02:09 a question that comes from Pam and she's saying 02:13 dear brothers, thank you for your program 02:15 and willingness to take your stand for the right 02:17 each week. My question for you is what is Jesus 02:21 referring to when He twice says in the 02:23 Book of Revelation that a church has the doctrine 02:26 of Nicolaitans, which He says that He hates? 02:30 A good question, one of the things that we find 02:34 identify with the Nicolaitans and what 02:36 they were teaching, this is clearly a doctrine 02:38 they were teaching against the doctrine that 02:40 was taught by Christ, was something called 02:42 antinomianism which is against the law or the lack 02:47 of any kind of law of God having applicability 02:51 in the gospel of faith, in the gospel of Christ. 02:54 And so, when we see that the Nicolaitans which Jesus 02:58 hates he's saying, he hates any kind of doctrine 03:01 that brings this cheap grace kind of approach 03:06 to the forefront, to the gospel which says 03:09 that 'cause I've been transformed by 03:10 grace of Christ, I no longer need to keep 03:12 His Ten Commandments which you find through 03:14 Jesus own words and clearly the words 03:18 of the apostles, that if we love Him we keep 03:21 His Commandments, that's right, but there is a 03:23 couple also, a couple direct responses by, 03:27 one by Paul, one by the book of Jude as they 03:31 write against this antinomianism movement, 03:33 this push here that was coming in the church 03:36 at the end of time. First of all Paul wrote in 03:40 Romans chapter 3 verse 31 he says, 03:44 Do we then make void the law through faith? 03:47 Certainly not, I mean an emphatic no, 03:50 on the contrary we establish the law. 03:52 So far from antinomianism which gets rid of the law 03:56 and it's obligation for Christians Paul says, 04:00 we establish the law through faith and then 04:02 I think probably one of the most pressing 04:05 statements made is, it comes to us from the book 04:08 of Jude and its just 1 chapter verses 3 and 4. 04:12 Jude writes Beloved, while I was very diligent 04:15 to write to you concerning our common salvation, 04:18 I found it necessary to write to you exhorting 04:21 you to contend earnestly for the faith 04:24 which was once for all delivered to the saints. 04:27 So, initially here Jude is saying I want you to 04:31 fight for what you believe, uphold what Christ 04:34 has taught us and hold on to that, be steadfast 04:37 in the doctrine of Christ. And then now verse 4. 04:41 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, 04:45 who long ago were marked out for this 04:47 condemnation, ungodly men, and here's the telling 04:51 thing who turned the grace of our God into 04:54 lewdness and deny the only Lord God 04:57 and our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I'm reading from 04:59 the New King James version, but John 05:02 if I were to pull up here and it will take me just 05:05 a second to do it. Okay, 05:11 NIV of Jude and I go and I read, 05:18 'cause we need to really here establish what. 05:27 That's amaze, you know, that's an amazing 05:28 doctrine while you look that up yeah well 05:30 you're looking that up for me. The doctrine of the 05:32 Nicolaitans, you'll noticed that in the early 05:36 portions of Revelation the Bible talks about that 05:40 and it has quite a bit connected to it, 05:42 and I think you were coming up with it, 05:44 there you go. Yeah, let me just finish my thought 05:46 here my computer wasn't, it was messing 05:49 up on me, but I found it, the grace of our God, 05:51 he's talking about a New King James version says 05:54 lewdness but NIV I like the translation 05:57 here it says, it turns the grace of our God 05:59 into license for immorality. 06:01 So it's this license for sin because of the 06:04 grace of God and we find that pretty prevalent 06:06 today, where many have gotten rid of the law 06:09 and they say well once your saved, 06:10 you're always saved there is no obligation 06:12 to keep the law and that it becomes as it were 06:17 a license for sin to do what's you want to do? 06:19 License for an immoral life and this clearly 06:23 as an opposition to the grace of Christ, 06:27 it says the grace of God turns into a license 06:29 for immorality and it denies Jesus Christ. 06:32 That's right. Now that's strong pretty language, 06:34 but basically it's saying that when you accept 06:36 this antinomianism kind of approach which the 06:39 Nicolaitans were bringing to the church 06:41 and you get rid of the law, you're actually 06:44 denying Christ Himself even though you claim 06:47 to accept His grace. That's right. So that's, 06:49 that's dangerous stuff and that's why Jesus 06:52 says very clearly, I hate the Nicolaitans 06:55 and what they're bringing into the church. 06:57 That's right the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. 07:01 And thank you I, I won't add anything more 07:04 to that I think you did a wonderful job. 07:09 The other question we have here, this is one 07:11 and I appreciate you sending this question 07:14 and it said, to John Lomacang. 07:18 Thank you so much for your question, 07:19 that's alright, they actually did, good job, 07:22 that's a very good, and this is, 07:23 this is from Canada. Nicolas, I won't give 07:29 the last name because it maybe obvious 07:32 somebody may say Nicolas got his question through, 07:34 on several occasions I heard you mentioned 07:38 that there would not be any animals in heaven, 07:41 they would be in the earth made new. 07:44 My thinking falls on that line to a certain extent, 07:48 but then we have a real problem with such 07:50 a doctrine, here's the problem. 07:53 What then are you going to do in, what then are 07:56 you going to do with Isaiah 11 verse 6 08:00 to verse 9, we'll read that in just a moment I, 08:04 if you say they would, if you say that they would 08:06 be in the earth made new, may I remind you that 08:10 they would be no child or children in the earth 08:14 made new, have to look up that now 08:18 because they would be over a thousands years old 08:22 quiet a conder on isn't it, what answer can 08:26 you give for that one, and he put a question 08:29 mark there. Now here, here is the basis on which 08:32 I made that conclusion. I looked through 08:36 the Bible at all the phrases, all the words, 08:39 animals, heaven, holy mountain and then I looked 08:45 at the creation story which is a very 08:47 interesting point when it comes to concluding 08:50 where the animals are? Now in my understanding 08:54 of heaven I have never read anywhere 08:56 in the Bible where there are animals in heaven 08:58 when you take into consideration the 09:01 significant maintenance that will be responsible 09:05 for having animals. Let's just go ahead 09:07 and put a picture together in the 09:08 real sense. You have dogs, you have elephants, 09:11 you have lions, you have tigers, 09:13 you have giraffes, when I look at the 09:15 creation's story. The Bible tells me that God 09:18 made those on the earth during the creation 09:21 week and then the next question that really 09:23 comes to my mind and we've only applied this 09:26 to human beings, we often say or ask the 09:30 question, are there humans in heaven now? 09:33 Outside of the ones that the Bible talk about, 09:36 other special occasions you know Enoch, 09:39 Moses and, and Elijah outside of those special 09:46 three that Bible mentioned we know that 09:47 everyone is waiting for the resurrection to go 09:49 to heaven or for the second coming of Jesus. 09:52 And so when I began to look at that whole 09:55 picture I begin to see as we read, 09:57 and let me go ahead and read in 09:58 Isaiah 11 verse 6 to 9 and this is the context 10:02 of it and if you have anything otherwise 10:03 I've also looked through the writings of 10:05 Ellen White and I've seen nowhere she says 10:07 animals would be in heaven because the 10:09 question is how do they get there? 10:12 And, and let's look at the couple of possibilities, 10:15 we know that animals don't die and go to 10:18 heaven so that one's out, there was a movie many, 10:22 many years ago, I mean many years ago, 10:25 Pet Cemetery, and there is another one called 10:27 All Dogs Go to Heaven. Well, we know 10:29 that's not true. The second one is, 10:32 I have seen nowhere in scripture where 10:34 they go at the second coming, it talks about 10:37 two categories the dead in Christ rising first 10:41 then we which are live and remain shall be 10:43 caught up, put together with them. 10:46 So but I do see that during the creation week 10:49 what the earth is gonna be after sin is destroyed, 10:51 it's gonna be creation all over again without 10:54 the presence of sin so what was in the creation, 10:58 what was in the creation process in the very 11:00 beginning, our trees, and plants, and oceans, 11:05 and rivers and animals particularly, 11:10 even including the sea creatures, whales, 11:13 and dolphins, and all the things that are in 11:16 the sea, all the birds of the air, all the animals 11:20 of the land, including the from the largest 11:23 elephant to the smallest muskrat, or mouse 11:28 and I ask myself I have seen nowhere in the Bible 11:31 where there's this description of them being 11:34 in heaven and you know, the thing that really 11:35 caused me to look into that is over many, 11:37 many years I've heard an evangelistic series, 11:40 you know in heaven, the lion shall lay down 11:43 by the lamb, when I look at the Bible here 11:45 it doesn't, it doesn't say, heaven, 11:49 look here it is, this is what it says; 11:53 The wolf shall dwell, and I'm reading 11:55 Isaiah 11 verse 6 to 9. The wolf shall also dwell 12:01 with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with 12:04 a young goat, the calf and the young lion 12:08 and they're fatling together; 12:10 and a little child shall lead them. 12:12 The cow and the bear shall graze; 12:14 the young ones shall lie down together, 12:18 the lion shall eat straw like an ox, 12:22 this is verse 7, verse 8 the nursing child 12:25 shall play by the cobra's hole. 12:28 And the weaning child shall put his hand 12:30 in the viper's den, but this is the key verse 12:33 that gave me the reason for not believing 12:35 it's gonna be in heaven, they shall not hurt 12:38 nor destroy in all my holy mountain for the earth 12:42 shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord 12:46 as the waters cover the sea. 12:49 Hey, right there says for the earth shall be full 12:52 of the knowledge of the Lord, the knowledge 12:54 of the God how? Through all of His creation. 12:57 And so, if you find something otherwise 13:00 I'm very open to it, I don't believe this is a 13:03 particular doctrine of salvation or of any, 13:06 of any great and grand importance as to 13:08 whether or not they're going to be there, 13:10 but I have found no scriptural support 13:12 and when you look at the story of Revelation, 13:14 the description of heaven it talks about 12 gates 13:19 and the names of the 12 tribes on the 12 gates. 13:22 Well each person is gonna go through the gate 13:23 that best describes at least I understand 13:26 is the thing they've overcome in their lives, 13:29 but it doesn't describe animals going in any 13:31 of those gates, it doesn't describe animals being 13:34 in heaven at all in the book of Revelation. 13:36 So anyhow if you find something else other 13:38 than that, let me know, but I do appreciate that 13:41 and the reason why this is important to me John 13:43 is I've had a lot of dogs being raised 13:46 and you probably remember the story, 13:49 my wife I used to live up in Northern California 13:51 in Weaverville and ever since our last dog died, 13:55 didn't die of natural causes, it got hit by a 13:58 pick up truck right in front of us. 13:59 One of those tragic heart wrenching things 14:02 that you can experience, to hear the slam and 14:05 to hold your puppy in your hand 14:07 as his head just, as he breathes his last breath 14:09 and his head just drops and it was devastating 14:12 to us. And so I finally understood what 14:14 children meant when they say I lost my puppy 14:16 Spot or Rex, or whatever dog's or cat name is. 14:20 Are they gonna be in heaven? And I said, 14:23 and my response to that is I believe they will be 14:26 in the new earth. Because if animals 14:28 are going to be there why not my doggy, 14:31 you know why not my cat that I love, 14:32 I have no evidence for that, but I find that 14:35 there is stronger support for creation without 14:39 the entrance of sin, without the presence 14:41 of sin and then we will not be afraid of animals 14:44 anymore and why not in the new earth. 14:46 Because they were in the earth when God did 14:48 the first creation. So anyway you find 14:50 something more let me know, I' m really open 14:52 to that. Very good, very good. 14:56 Here's a question from, let's see here 15:00 you know I may not even try to pronounce it, 15:03 okay because it's beyond my vocabulary, 15:06 but anyway I just wanna thank you for sending 15:09 in this question, if you recognize it, it says, 15:12 it should be directed to John Lomacang, 15:14 oh, no go ahead, I just did that. 15:16 What does the Bible say about the three 15:19 types of heaven? Where are these heavens 15:22 and who will dwell in each of them? 15:26 Is the prince of Persia of the book of Daniel 15:29 staying in one of them and what about the Queen 15:32 of heaven of the book of Jeremiah 7:18, 15:35 where and who is she? So lots of little questions 15:39 here and new answers, but yeah I know the answers 15:41 to that, but I'll go ahead, yeah please send all 15:43 information to my, via my mail box 15:48 you know let's answer this together because 15:49 I know you've done some study on this too, 15:51 it brings up at least to my mind the passage 15:56 found in I believe its Second Corinthians 12:21 16:02 yeah, Second Corinthians 12, 16:03 there we go and so let me read that for 16:06 you here. Sure. 16:13 Second, is that Second Corinthians 12:21? 16:15 Yeah, okay alright. Verses, verse 21, 21 lest, 16:23 when I come again, my God will humble me 16:25 among you. Is that the one you were talking? 16:28 No, this is Second Corinthians 12 verse 2, 16:32 there, well I was wondering why I was here 16:33 at 12 verse 2 but okay I know a man 16:36 in Christ who fourteen years ago whether 16:38 in the body I do not know, whether out 16:40 of the body I do not know, God know such 16:42 a one who has caught it, caught up to the 16:44 third heaven and so there's a reference here, 16:47 third heaven it's the only place it occurs 16:49 in the Bible okay exactly and so many can make 16:52 this big doctrine out of what that third heaven is? 16:55 And they try to give different levels of 16:58 heaven even that some will achieve 17:00 the first levels, some of second level, 17:02 some of third level you will find that specifically 17:04 in certain denominations they're teaching 17:06 on that subject, but which what you find out 17:09 through out the Bible is that heaven is a very, 17:14 it's a very contextually specific word. 17:18 So, you've got to look at what it's describing 17:20 when you see it, whe you hear or read the 17:23 word heaven and there are three kinds of 17:26 heavens described in the Bible, 17:28 there is the atmosphere our earth which 17:31 we look up, when we see the sky, 17:33 the blue sky and the birds that fly in the heavens 17:36 and you so you will read that contextually, 17:38 the birds that fly in the heavens that's the 17:40 first heaven. And then the second heaven 17:42 would be the stars, the moon, 17:45 and the sun celestial bodies around us those 17:47 things that are being described within the 17:49 universe and so those clearly the Bible makes 17:52 description of as being the heavens include 17:55 within the heavens. And then there is a third 17:58 heaven which is where our God dwells 18:00 it is the only heaven that there is 18:03 and when Paul is talking about this in 18:07 Second Corinthians 12, he introduces the chapter 18:10 by saying It is doubtless not profitable for me 18:13 to boast. I will come to visions and revelations 18:15 of the Lord, evidently when the Prophets 18:18 were taken in vision they were brought out up 18:21 in mind to the third heaven which is where 18:24 God dwells, so God could give, deliver a 18:26 message to them specifically. That's right. 18:29 And so any visit to the third heaven is simply 18:31 a visit to the heaven, a place called heaven 18:34 where God dwells that we will all eventually 18:36 go to when Jesus comes back to take us there, 18:39 but these prophets were able to in mind as 18:42 they were taken in vision to appear in heaven 18:45 before God and they saw these things, 18:47 they describe as being part of the third heaven 18:49 which is not the atmosphere, 18:52 not the celestial bodies not sun, moon or stars 18:55 not the universe, but the heavens, 18:58 the heaven where God dwells. 18:59 I hope that, I mean that's as fast 19:01 and as distinctive as that can be, 19:03 that's, I mean that's just the bottom-line 19:05 because you know, when you think about heaven 19:07 the example used here in Revelation 4 19:10 and verse 1 and when you read that text 19:15 they were saying called up to the third heaven, 19:19 well you can be called up to the first heaven 19:21 as you look at what the Bible describes because 19:23 the first heaven as, as described is write above 19:27 earths, earth's surface with the birds fly, yeah, 19:31 that's the air, that's the atmosphere, 19:33 the troposphere, the hemisphere, 19:34 the ionosphere, all those different layers that 19:37 are right above us. And then you have 19:38 the heavens, the Bible says the powers of 19:41 heaven will be shaken, well the powers of 19:43 heaven are the sun, the moon, the stars, 19:46 and the plants all the things that we see 19:47 that are our part of our galaxy those 19:50 that's a second heaven, but when the Bible 19:54 talks about third heaven in Revelation 19:56 chapter 20 the new Jerusalem coming down 20:00 from God out of heaven that's the third heaven 20:04 and that's where we all are going to be called up 20:06 to one day. So in answer to the question 20:08 no the prince of Persia doesn't exist in one 20:11 and the other party, there were a couple 20:15 others, but there is no spirit, it implies 20:17 there levels where people would dwell in, 20:19 there is just nothing like that taught in the Bible. 20:21 And, and among some denominate 20:23 and among particular denomination they talk 20:27 about different levels, seven levels and, 20:31 but the Bible doesn't support that, 20:32 that's just an isolated teaching. 20:34 They have to relay on extra Biblical material 20:37 to do that, right, so they don't get it from 20:39 scripture they have to get it from Prophets 20:42 or other kinds of writing that are describing 20:44 things that they then take as coming from 20:49 a holy book and teaching spiritual things 20:51 from God, I disagree so I think anything that 20:56 contradicts the Bible itself is not inspired 21:00 by God, but that is, that is my position, 21:02 that's what I base my faith on. 21:07 And I think that the answer is very, very clear 21:09 we don't have, we don't have this place 21:12 that's going to cause us to be separated because 21:15 the Bible also says in Revelation when it talks 21:18 about healing of the nations, not just in the 21:21 physical sense, not just in, in the medical sense, 21:24 but there is gonna be a unity, there is only 21:26 gonna be 12 gates everyone is going through 21:29 those gates notice 12 gates and the 21:32 foundations are 12, not 12 levels, 21:34 but 12 foundations so, if it's not in the Bible 21:38 I would say don't except it as anything 21:41 supportive of various multiple levels of heaven. 21:45 Can you imagine somebody getting into heaven, 21:47 lets play the scenario out to its possible 21:49 conclusion and they say, what do I have to do get 21:52 a next level and the response would be 21:56 well it's too late now, you already made those 21:58 decisions on earth so you will be right here 22:01 and your wife is gonna be on the third level 22:03 I guess that's probably why we're not gonna have 22:05 any wedding up here. I'm not being cynical, 22:09 but it's not a place of division it's a place 22:12 of unity where the Lord will be with his people, 22:16 we would be with the Lord and we will dwell 22:18 in the holy city, the new Jerusalem. 22:21 So thank you for that question, 22:24 been able to get through them pretty 22:26 well today. Okay, okay, here we are. 22:30 Thank you Gordon, Romans 8 verse 11, 22:36 let's go to Romans 8 verse 11 22:37 Gordon's question is, please check out 22:40 Romans 8 verse 11 for the state of the died, 22:45 for the state of the died. Romans 8 verse 11. 22:50 Okay, it says, but if the Spirit of Him who raised 22:56 Jesus from the dead dwells in you, 23:00 He who raised Christ from the dead will also 23:03 give life to your mortal bodies through 23:06 the spirit who dwells in you of course, 23:09 that's not about the state of the died 23:10 that's about those who are dead and trespasses 23:13 in sin, that's what that's talking about, 23:15 the one who raised Jesus from died will one day 23:17 give life to our mortal bodies and, if you wanna 23:20 build on what Paul is saying here, 23:22 he shows us that picture wonderfully 23:23 in First Corinthians chapter 15 23:25 verse 51 to 54, if you wanna go there, 23:28 he talks about giving life to our mortal 23:30 bodies now why is it necessary to give life 23:32 to our mortal bodies because mortal bodies 23:34 are mortal by nature, that means there is 23:37 nothing eternal about them and let's go ahead 23:40 and see when that. I would also add our 23:42 mortal body is all we have right now 23:45 Okay, with God we have to receive the immortal body, 23:48 that's right, to be able to live in heaven 23:51 and let me before I go to, before I go to 23:53 First Corinthians 15 you go there John, 23:55 before I go to First Corinthians 15 23:58 what Paul is talking about here is when we're 24:02 in Christ this is the, this is the whole being 24:06 delivered from the flesh, this is the whole, 24:09 the whole context of this is living 24:11 the Christian life in a mortal body. 24:13 So, so the question is on I think in previous 24:16 program I mention this one of the greatest 24:17 challenges of being a Christian is being 24:19 a Christian, living a Christian life 24:22 in a sinful flesh, that is in this mortal body 24:26 we have to dwell on this defective tent until 24:29 it's replaced with a new body when Jesus comes. 24:32 So the question Paul is addressing here is 24:34 how do you live according to the spirit 24:37 when you're living in the flesh because 24:40 if you go to the verses after that, 24:43 matter of fact even before that I'll go ahead 24:46 and, and look at verse, verse 8, 24:49 so then and I'm in Romans 8 verse 8, 24:52 so then those who are in the flesh that is the 24:56 mortal body cannot please God, 24:59 but you are not in the flesh but in the spirit 25:03 if indeed the spirit of God dwells in you. 25:07 Now if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, 25:09 he is not his and if Christ is in you 25:12 and this is the key here, the body is dead 25:15 because of sin but the spirit is alive because 25:18 of righteousness. In other words what it means 25:21 there is the natural man or the corrupt man 25:25 has lost his power over you, he has lost his 25:29 power over you when you're in the spirit. 25:32 And when you think about that go back to 25:36 Romans 7 very quickly and I'll show you that, 25:39 because this is the continual story 25:43 of being freed from the sinful flesh, the power 25:48 that it has over the spiritual life. 25:53 Let's go and look at verse 2, 25:55 well verse 1 of Romans 7. 25:57 Or do you not know the brethren for 25:59 I am speaking to those who know the law that 26:01 the law has dominion over a man as long as 26:05 he lives, get that picture as long as the man 26:07 is alive the law has dominion over him. 26:09 For the woman who has her husband is bound 26:12 by the law to her husband as long as 26:13 he lives but if her husband dies. 26:15 She is released from the law of her husband, 26:18 what that in essence is saying here is the Bible 26:21 gives the picture of Christ as the husband man. 26:24 But the picture here that is being drawn is 26:27 as long as we're married to that old man, 26:30 which is the human nature, 26:32 he is the one in control. But when we are now 26:35 children of Christ, when we are now when Christ 26:38 is our husband man, now we are under his power, 26:42 we are in his nature now. 26:44 And First Corinthians 15 verse 22 says, 26:46 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ 26:50 all shall be made alive. So this is simply talking 26:53 about not so much the taking over of the body 26:59 now and making it a spirit, a spirit form 27:03 but how to live a Christian life in 27:04 mortal flesh. And I mean we can jump into here 27:07 and hold discussion on the resurrection 27:08 but that's coming up. That's going to come up 27:10 in the program. In an upcoming program. 27:12 So, I don't want to just launch into that. 27:14 Okay, are we done? We're done, 27:16 4 questions 30 minutes. Boy, I tell you that's 27:19 pretty good. How do we do that? I don't know, 27:20 we do that pretty well. Thank you so much for 27:22 your questions and your comments. 27:23 And as we treasure all of your mail. 27:27 Whether it's an email, snail mail, Internet mail 27:32 what ever kind of mail it is, we do appreciate 27:34 any question you sent to us and as you know 27:36 it's not possible for us to get to all the questions 27:40 we're hoping in the not to far distance future 27:43 to implement a process where we can answer 27:45 the questions a lot quicker maybe on a 27:46 day by day basis to those of you want the answers 27:50 to come through the Internet. 27:51 We wouldn't be able to do that by a letter 27:54 but if you have any questions and comments 27:55 you can send them to the email 27:57 housecalls@3abn.org that's housecalls@3abn.org 28:02 and my faithful friend John Stanton will go to 28:07 the Internet. Oh! By the way I don't know 28:09 if you know this, we also have a House Calls 28:13 page on Facebook. You can go to House Calls 28:16 page on Facebook and post your questions 28:19 there and then John or I log in, we could go 28:23 and respond to some other questions. 28:24 We're trying to post some of our individual 28:26 questions we're trying to post them out. 28:28 Its work to do, it takes sometime to do 28:31 and we have to do that ourselves and I haven't 28:33 posted there the any of that stuff in a while 28:35 but I need to get back there and do that. 28:37 Okay appreciate that very much, 28:38 thank you so much for your questions and comments. 28:40 Now we segue into our topic that 28:43 we're continuing and John go ahead 28:45 and take us there. Well we've covered quite 28:48 a few things here in last couple of programs 28:52 and again this is the subject of the state 28:54 of the dead. What happens when we die? 28:56 In the context of last day events and spiritualism 29:01 and the battle that the enemy is fighting 29:04 from his angle which is a battle of deception, 29:07 lies, deception, things that will draw people 29:11 or gather them into his camp. 29:13 And he does that primarily through a 29:15 misunderstanding of the nature of man, 29:18 what happens when we die because essentially 29:21 what we found is that scripture is telling us 29:23 that the spirit world is alive and well 29:25 and is pulling mankind all in every way possible 29:29 to get them into its camp for fighting that 29:33 last green battle known as the battle of Armageddon 29:36 and so John what we entered with last time 29:40 is that we began to look at the subject of death. 29:44 And to find out what the Bible specifically 29:45 says about it. That's right. 29:47 So we're doing basically a couple of programs 29:49 here on just throwing out the multitude of texts 29:53 about death and letting the Bible speak for itself. 29:57 And we made the statement here 29:58 that there maybe 2 or 3 texts that 30:01 appear to be, may be allude to 30:07 us to being in heaven at some point. 30:09 But we'll look at those a little bit later 30:12 and see that in fact what many teach about 30:13 them is not exactly what those texts are saying. 30:16 Okay. Because remember the Bible harmonizes 30:19 with itself there is not a contradiction 30:21 here in what it teaches on death 30:23 and the authors are very, very, 30:25 so synched on this matter. So we're 30:28 looking at the hundreds, oh we're not cover 30:30 hundred but multitude of texts 30:32 that are on the subjects, just so 30:34 we can lay the ground work, 30:35 you have to ignore these. Right. 30:37 To conclude the way that most of Christiandom 30:39 does about the other text. That's good 30:42 and the other thing that was a spark to get 30:46 this program done was there is such an 30:48 atmosphere being developed in the 30:49 last days in our day particularly 30:52 which we believe is the last days on deception. 30:56 It is training you to come to your Bible 30:59 conclusions based on what's happening 31:01 in the media, shows about people dying 31:04 and going to heaven. About communicating 31:06 with the death, about people dying 31:07 and having a second chance, touch by 31:10 an angel in the out field, those probably 31:13 all the programs. See I don't keep up 31:15 with these things but I do know that every now 31:17 and then you know when you're watching 31:18 television a commercial comes up, 31:20 six feet under or there was one I saw 31:23 previously where a guy was, his little brother 31:26 or the older brother got killed and he came back 31:30 in the spirit form and was communicating 31:32 with his younger brother or the way around. 31:35 And it's really amazing how so many threads 31:38 are being developed in our mind 31:40 and truly Satan is the deceiver, 31:43 he wants to deceive the whole world, 31:45 Revelation chapter 13 he wants to deceive 31:48 those who dwell on the earth. 31:49 All of humanity whose minds are not guarded 31:53 by an understanding of the Bible, 31:54 so take us to that place where could look 31:58 at this topic. Yeah, let me give you 31:59 this quick scenario. That's right. 32:01 Where you know how do these psychics 32:02 and all these Sooth Sayers and then with 32:05 their crystal ball and you go 32:06 and meet with them and you says 32:08 what is my future look like, 32:09 they read your palm. How can they know so much? 32:13 Let me give you a quick scenario, 32:14 let me tell you what's happening behind 32:16 the scenes. I do believe that these individuals 32:19 are connected with a spirit world. 32:22 But what I don't agree with is 32:24 what that spirit world is? They believe 32:27 its loved ones who are passed on, 32:29 that's the devil intent, I believe that the Bible 32:33 is telling us if its Satan and his demon 32:35 host communicating with a masquerade. 32:41 Communicating with those who are open to that, 32:44 the things that they want them to share 32:48 with others and so for instance someone 32:50 goes in and has their palm read 32:52 and they're sitting across the table from 32:55 man or woman who says that they're going 32:58 to then seek to communicate with their 33:00 past loved ones or the spirit world 33:02 who will give them some information about them. 33:04 So they sit down and they never met him 33:05 before and this individual whether 33:08 they go into a trance or they're going to 33:10 some kind of a trance or something 33:12 to find information, they seek information 33:15 from the spirit world. Then they come back 33:17 and they say let me tell you a little bit 33:18 about your life. And they start to spell out 33:21 all these things about your life 33:22 that you've never told them, 33:23 no one's have ever told them 33:25 and you are blown away, how could they know 33:28 so much. This has got to be true, 33:30 I never communicate with this person before 33:32 but they know so much. Well, let me ask you 33:35 a question, does Satan and his angels 33:38 do they know about you. They've been around 33:40 for 6000 years plus do you think they know 33:43 a little bit about your life. Do you think 33:45 they can communicate to this individual, 33:46 exactly what to say about your life, 33:49 that would impress you to be open 33:51 to the spirit world, of course, 33:53 this is their emo, this is with they're good 33:55 at doing. They're also good at seeing 33:58 the progress of your life and predicting 34:01 in the future what will happen, 34:03 they know those that you know. 34:05 And they also know what they're talking about 34:07 and how those secret circumstances 34:09 might come together for your future. 34:11 So a prediction can even be made about the future 34:13 in your life. These things are so simple 34:17 to Satan and his host, that they must even 34:20 just chuckle and laugh when people are 34:22 so blown away and amazed by it, 34:24 when it is a simple thing for them to 34:26 just channel through someone else, 34:28 the Soothsayer, you know psychic, 34:30 whatever it is to give information 34:33 and to predict the future of your life. 34:35 So if you'd have that experience 34:37 and you've been just amazed by it 34:38 don't be this is no big deal 34:41 for the spirit world, for Satan 34:43 and his host which is one reason 34:45 why Jesus says very clearly never contact 34:48 the dead. He doesn't say never contact 34:50 the dead because I don't want you communicating 34:52 with your grand mother. He says never 34:53 contact the dead because the dead 34:55 aren't who you think they are. 34:57 They're just pretending to be them, 34:59 they are Satan and his host looking to deceive 35:02 and mislead. So that really John 35:06 and a quick synopsis and I share that 35:08 because there maybe some here listening 35:10 and viewing this program and that have 35:12 experienced that. They need to know exactly 35:15 what's going on behind the scenes 35:17 Bible indicates exactly what's happening. 35:19 Not what the people are telling them 35:21 is happening. One of the most familiar texts 35:23 that we quote often times is 35:25 Isaiah chapter 8 verse 20 but I want you to see 35:31 the context of that because this is 35:32 one of those passages that if you just 35:35 read prior to that, you will began to see 35:37 you know what I'm talking about John. 35:38 Oh yeah. Why don't you go there 35:40 and read that for us and then what I like to do 35:42 today to lay the foundation, 35:43 to let you see how deceptive 35:45 this really is, we wanna go to a story 35:47 very familiar story that is often used by people 35:51 that wanna established this teaching to make 35:53 you think that yes you can contact the dead, 35:56 you see the verse that I am talking about 35:57 verse 19. Yeah. Read that for us. 36:00 All right, Isaiah 8:19 and 20 when they say 36:03 to you seek those who are mediums and wizards, 36:06 who whisper and mutter, should not a people seek 36:10 their God. Should they seek the dead 36:12 on behalf of the living, and then he adds 36:15 to the law and to the testimony 36:17 if they do not speak according to this word 36:20 it is because there is no light in them 36:23 and John simply put, if they're not speaking 36:27 in accordance with the testimony of God, 36:29 to his word, there was no light in these 36:32 mediums and wizards and predictors 36:36 of the future, because God is not there. 36:39 It is the demonic host, it is something 36:42 entirely different. And you know what's talked 36:45 about it says do not seek the death 36:47 on behalf of the living where possibly 36:52 could Isaiah the Prophet have gotten 36:53 such an idea from? One of the most famous 36:56 stories in the Bible is the story of Samuel, 36:58 the story of Saul, the story of Witch of Endor 37:03 the woman and he said let me, 37:05 let's go and look at that story real quickly 37:06 and what we're going to find out here 37:08 when it says do not seek the dead 37:10 on behalf of the living. John pointed out 37:12 a moment I was listening to your conversations 37:14 pretty well. You're having a conversation 37:16 with those who are watching and listening 37:17 to the program, television 37:19 and radio obviously but the Bible talks about 37:23 familiar spirits coming from the Hebrew word 37:26 which we get the word family and. 37:29 Those that are familiar to us. 37:32 Those we are, those that are familiar to us 37:34 and those that we are familiar too, 37:36 so when the person says that I saw my mom. 37:39 Oh you didn't see your mom but spirits 37:41 have been able to conjure up a familiar 37:44 resemblance of who you may have known. 37:47 Leviticus chapter 19 by the way the Lord gives 37:51 some strong counsel as to what should be done 37:54 with people that conjure up evil spirits. 37:56 Well, Leviticus chapter 19 verse 31, 37:58 Give no regard to mediums and familiar 38:02 spirits; do not seek after them, 38:05 to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God. 38:09 So right away this is just not something 38:13 that the people of God should be involved in 38:16 and you know John when you think about Babylon, 38:18 remember Babylon is referred to as the 38:23 Harlot Revelation chapter 17. 38:25 a Harlot is another word for a prostitute 38:28 you see and some people will argue, 38:30 some pay, and some are free but the whole 38:33 process is the same thing. Illicit, 38:35 immorality and when the Lord talks about 38:40 familiar spirits. He says that a person 38:43 when they go after familiar spirits 38:46 it's like they're prostituting themselves 38:48 and here's the text, Leviticus chapter 20 38:50 verse 6 and the person who turns to mediums 38:53 and familiar spirits to prostitute 38:56 himself with them. I will set my face against 38:58 that person and cut him off from his people 39:02 and one last one before we read this story here 39:04 in First Samuel and I'll have you start 39:06 into this story but the next one, 39:09 Leviticus chapter 20 verse 27. 39:11 A man or a woman who is a medium 39:14 or who has a familiar or who has familiar spirits 39:20 shall surely be put to death, 39:22 they shall stone them with stones, 39:25 their blood shall be upon them. 39:28 Not upon the person who does the killing. 39:30 Their blood because of the fact that they are 39:32 connecting themselves to evil forces is gonna be 39:34 on their own head and so when you read this story 39:37 now you're gonna see three all those 39:39 components of familiar spirits, the person, 39:43 The person who prostitutes himself 39:45 with them and the one who knows that 39:47 this is an art that causes a person 39:50 to be in danger of being put to death. 39:52 Yeah and the other thing you'll see 39:54 too as you read throughout scripture 39:55 is that the spirit world that usually 39:58 talks about, you should stay away 39:59 from is spoken of its coming from the beneath, 40:02 thank you, from the bottom never 40:05 from coming from God down, the spirit world 40:08 is always spoken of, that you should avoid 40:09 is in reference to coming out from beneath, 40:12 that's right, and so you'll see that as well 40:16 in this which is really a key. 40:18 All these things that you just read John are 40:20 a key to understanding this passage, 40:22 very good and by the way lot of people talk about 40:24 Lazarus being in heaven, there is whole doctrine 40:27 that a particular denomination 40:30 talks about, I even heard a preacher, 40:31 very familiar preacher on television, 40:33 very well known he talked about when God 40:36 and he put this in very dramatic way 40:39 when God said Lazarus, Lazarus came down 40:43 from heaven. Well you know that's not true 40:45 that's not supported anywhere in the Bible, 40:48 that's a folklore fairy tale lie, untruth. 40:53 The fact of the matter is when Lazarus came out 40:56 of the tomb Lazarus didn't say why did you 40:59 bother me, why did you interrupt 41:02 my conversation I was having in heaven. 41:04 He didn't say oh! So wonderful there 41:06 matter of fact he didn't give any account of 41:09 being anywhere, which is evidence that he was not 41:12 in heaven, right, but now lets go to the story 41:14 here because this is a very powerful, 41:15 very, very powerful story and this shows you 41:19 the level of what the enemy wants to do 41:22 and how dangerous it is to put yourself 41:25 in the same category here. Let me add 41:27 the context here, there is a spiritual 41:29 application of this to, very much so, 41:31 because Saul who was now in a rejecting 41:34 state by God, remember he had done 41:36 and he opposed the ways of God 41:38 and he was not willing to follow what God 41:40 wanted him to do as a King and so God had 41:43 chosen David anointed him through Samuel, 41:46 that's right, so Saul has given up now, 41:48 so he's gonna prostituted himself, 41:50 that's right and who does he come to a woman, 41:53 what does a woman represent? 41:56 Well it depends, a woman that is defiled 41:59 represents a false system of worship, 42:02 Revelation 17 the harlot, right, 42:04 a woman who is pure and holy and standing 42:06 on God's word represents Christ true church, 42:09 that's right. So there is an end time 42:11 scenario here and see if you can pull 42:12 some of that out of that is well, 42:13 because I want to keep this program 42:16 that we are doing remembering 42:17 the context of the last days and so this story 42:20 helps us do that, okay. Verse 7, then, 42:22 actually, actually, actually just read 42:26 verse 3-6, okay, let's go ahead, 42:29 I read verse 3-6 you start at verse 7, 42:31 it says, now Samuel dead, and all Israel had 42:35 lamented him and buried him in Ramah, 42:38 his own city. And Saul had put the mediums 42:43 and the spirits out of the land. 42:45 So, he knew it was wrong, he put them 42:49 out of the land, spiritists, 42:50 the spiritists out of the land. 42:52 Then the Philistines gathered together 42:55 and came and camped in Shunem. 42:58 So, Saul gathered all Israel together 43:03 and they encamped in Gilboa. 43:05 When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, 43:08 he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly. 43:12 And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord 43:15 did not answer him, neither by dreams 43:18 or by Urim or by prophets. Okay now, 43:22 catch that quote, okay, the Lord did not answer 43:27 that's right him by the prophets, that's right. 43:31 So the Lord is not going to answer him 43:34 by any prophet let me ask you a question 43:36 with Samuel the prophet, yes he was, 43:39 so the Lord is not going to even if Samuel 43:42 was alive in heaven going to sent 43:45 Samuel to talk to Saul, it wasn't 43:47 going to happen. So we know that 43:49 who comes is not from God and that big 43:51 if is I mean what I say even if, big if yeah, 43:54 even if he was there, that's right, 43:55 he wouldn't send him. So, we know 43:57 by the fact that he appears that 43:59 he's not in heaven and he is not sent. 44:01 And you made a point which you have to 44:02 mention now from which direction if people 44:05 are in heaven they would come what down, 44:06 right, okay but now notice this follow 44:08 the story very carefully and Samuel 28 still, 44:11 verse 7, Then Saul said to his servants, 44:14 find me a woman who is a medium 44:17 that I may go to her and inquire of her. 44:21 And his servants said to him, 44:22 in fact there is a woman who is a medium 44:24 at Endor. Remember that, remember that 44:27 show Bewitched, yeah, here mother 44:29 is called Endora, see right from here, 44:31 a witch, let me not read verse word for word, 44:35 verse by verse, I wanna cover some sections here 44:38 because we don't have a lot but first aid 44:39 is important. Okay so, Saul disguised himself, 44:42 and put on other clothes, and went, 44:44 he and two men with him, and they came 44:45 to the woman by night; and he said, 44:48 please conduct a seance for me and bring out 44:50 for me the one I shall name to you. 44:52 Not as people have séances nowadays, 44:54 lot of people have séance. You notice that 44:56 spiritual application you because John say 44:58 there is a spiritual lesson here, 44:59 notice what he did. He put on other clothes, 45:03 which means he is no longer the man of God 45:05 anytime you see the bible talk about clothes 45:07 like the Lord for example he put clothing 45:10 on Adam and Eve, Jesus did his own clothing, 45:14 his righteousness but Paul was a King 45:17 he took off his kingly garment 45:18 and put on other clothes and then he did 45:22 something else. He went to the woman by night 45:25 okay, okay, then the woman said to him 45:31 look you know what Saul has done, 45:34 how he has cut off the mediums 45:35 and spiritists from the land. Why then do you 45:39 lay a snare for my life to cause me to die. 45:41 And Saul vowed to her by the Lord, saying, 45:44 As the Lord lives, no punishment shall 45:46 come upon you for this thing. 45:48 Then the woman said, Whom shall I bring up 45:51 for you? Who shall, And he said, 45:54 Bring up Samuel for me. When the woman saw 45:58 Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice; 46:01 and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, 46:03 you have you deceived me? For you are Saul. 46:05 And the King said to her, Do not be afraid; 46:09 but what do you see? And the woman said to Saul, 46:13 I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth. 46:17 And told us there a spirit, spirit, 46:21 she says I didn't see Samuel, 46:22 she says earlier that a woman saw Samuel 46:25 but now this becomes more specific here, 46:28 I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth. 46:30 So he said to her, What is the form 46:34 or what is his form? And she said, 46:36 An old man is coming up, and he is covered 46:39 with a mantle. And Saul perceived 46:42 that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face 46:45 to the ground and bowed down. 46:48 Now Samuel said to Saul, Why have you disturbed 46:51 me by bringing me up? And Saul answered, 46:54 I'm deeply distressed; for the Philistines 46:57 make war against me, and God has departed from me 47:00 and does not answer me anymore, 47:01 neither by prophets nor by dreams. 47:06 Therefore I've called you, that you may reveal 47:09 to me what I should do. You know this is really 47:11 important because if you run past verse 15 47:13 people will say see the Bible says 47:15 so Samuel said, well remember 47:17 familiar spirits. I received phone calls 47:21 on a number, I mean not a whole lot 47:23 but I've received a number of phone calls 47:25 where people have said I saw my mother 47:27 and if they didn't tell me what her name was 47:29 but in this context is saying Satan is so able 47:33 to deceive, that's why Jesus 47:36 when he talked about the signs of the last days 47:39 in Matthew 24, he said if they say to you here 47:43 is the Christ do not believe it and this is, 47:47 that's how powerful Satan is able to 47:51 duplicate or personate or impersonate, 47:55 this is if they say to you here is the Christ 47:58 and then Satan will go so far as 48:00 Second Corinthians, 11 says, 11 verse 13 48:05 he says he will appear as an angel of light. 48:09 So right now what's happening here 48:11 as you know that God is not responding to Saul 48:14 he's not talking him by prophets so then how 48:17 is he able to "get a prophet of God to talk 48:21 to him" when God is not allowing the prophets 48:23 to talk to him, that's right, 48:25 a spirit now mimics the prophet of God 48:29 and starts using the voice even of Samuel 48:32 to start talking to Saul and Saul is convinced 48:36 that it is Samuel. Also you know notice that 48:39 ascending out of the earth there is a 48:41 reference to this very phrase in the 48:43 book of Revelation. Ascending out of the 48:45 bottomless pit and it seems to there is only 48:49 one spirit that comes out of the earth 48:54 or out of the bottomless pit that's right, 48:56 that is Satan and his host. 48:59 So anyway in verse 14 where she says 49:03 or he says that he perceived that 49:05 it was Samuel, that is essentially saying that 49:08 Saul was deceived. He was deceived 49:13 by this spirit into thinking that it was 49:15 Samuel, he did not like what Samuel 49:18 is going to tell him. Samuel "Samuel." 49:22 Look at verse 19, this is the spirit speaking 49:26 back to him, Moreover the Lord will also 49:28 deliver Israel with you into the hand of the 49:31 Philistines, which was true and tomorrow 49:34 you and your sons be where? With me. 49:38 Where is me, well Saul may think well 49:42 I get to go to heaven with Samuel but remember 49:45 this spirit was coming up from the earth 49:47 that means Saul will not go up 49:50 but he will go down and he knew. 49:53 He knew that mind of dreadful thing he knew 49:54 this was not a good outcome because 49:57 if you look at his response in verse 20, 49:58 read that verse 20, Saul's response 50:02 was one of sheer disappointment 50:05 and fear because he knew that okay 50:06 if I'm gonna be with Samuel, 50:08 "by this time tomorrow I'll be dead" 50:12 yeah he didn't say I was gonna be in a nice place 50:15 like they say in funerals well I'm 50:17 gonna be in a better place as they say 50:19 but you know he's now the dead 50:20 and the devil said to him in literally he had 50:23 the evil spirit said to him what kind of spirit 50:26 it could have be if it is under the control 50:28 of a medium, yeah, of a witch it is not 50:33 God's spirit. People and this is the thing 50:36 John I think we pulled all we could 50:38 out of the story wait I'm go through 50:39 just make an eloquent sermon but what we want 50:42 to pull out of this is this do you notice 50:44 how easy and how convincing 50:46 Satan's deceptions are that is what this story 50:50 is bringing out. If you want to give your eyes 50:53 the job of verifying what you see right here 50:56 Saul saw Samuel, if you said well okay 51:01 its not just what I see but this is voice also, 51:04 Saul was deceived as a spirit brought up 51:08 from the pits of hell by a medium used the voice 51:14 of Saul, I mean used the voice of Samuel 51:16 and the appearance of Samuel to bring 51:18 destruction and demise to Saul 51:22 and something you mentioned earlier John 51:24 by this time God had already departed 51:28 from Saul. He already cut off his connection 51:32 with God. When you see what the Bible says 51:35 you see they are clearly this could not have been 51:37 this could by no means had been Samuel 51:40 and Saul was not talking to somebody who had 51:43 departed and was in a different location 51:47 having a different life while they were in the 51:50 state of death, doesn't support anything 51:53 the Bible says. You have a scripture 51:55 you want to bring to us, no I like to finish up 51:57 our topic here really quick on, sure, death, 51:59 as I want to get into our, in our last 52:00 program, yes, the resurrection, 52:02 we really need to connect that, okay. 52:04 So as a segue to the resurrection 52:09 which we talk about here next time, 52:12 I like to read here from Genesis 3:22-24 52:19 and this is speaking of right after the fall, 52:21 alright, and it says the Lord God said Behold, 52:25 the man has become like one of us, 52:27 to know good and evil: And now, lest he put 52:30 his hand, out his hand and take 52:32 also of the tree of life and eat 52:34 and live for ever: Therefore the Lord God 52:37 sent him forth from the garden of Eden, 52:38 to till the ground from whence he was taken. 52:40 So he drove out the man; and he placed a Cherubim 52:44 at the east of the garden of Eden, 52:45 and a flaming sword which turned every way, 52:49 to guard the way of the tree of life. 52:52 So, the situation here is that as the fall of 52:58 Adam and Eve they were banned from the 53:01 tree of life because the tree of life 53:03 would impart to them, would give them 53:04 immortality, that's right, they did not part 53:08 take of it so they were immortal 53:09 which why we call ourselves moral beings. 53:11 Man, the teaching today is that, 53:15 that is not true the we're inherently 53:19 immortal inside, we don't need 53:21 the tree of life and that we can live forever 53:24 outside of whether or not that tree was barred 53:28 from Adam and Eve eating from it, 53:30 that's right, and I want you to understand 53:31 this teaching here, until we partake 53:34 of this tree, until we receive immortality 53:37 and that comes to the resurrection 53:38 that's our next program we will not live 53:41 forever again. This side of the resurrection, 53:45 so those who have died before have not passed 53:49 on to eternal life yet, they are waiting 53:53 for the resurrection and so I'll end 53:55 with this quick verse here and then John 53:57 you can take yourself, what is God doing 54:01 what has he done with our life 54:04 that has gone back to Him, well let me share 54:08 this with you from First Peter 1:3, 4 54:11 that God has an inheritance 54:13 incorruptible and under file that will 54:16 not fade away and that it is a reserved 54:19 in heaven for you. God is waiting for this 54:22 moment in time John, where he can give 54:25 all of his people who put their trust 54:27 their faith in Him. He is waiting for a time 54:30 to bring them to heaven to give them 54:31 all that he has promised them, that's right 54:33 and this side of the promise we can't 54:35 inherit that. I wanted to emphasis something 54:38 also to just nail down this story 54:40 so that you could make sure in your mind 54:41 you're clear about the fact that 54:42 what was happening in the story of 54:44 Saul and Samuel and witch of Endor 54:46 was not an actual communication between 54:47 Saul and Samuel not at all. Here is a text that 54:51 will really put that to rest. 54:53 Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6 and 10, listen to this 54:58 very carefully, For the living know 55:00 that they will die, but the dead know nothing. 55:05 So if Samuel, since Samuel had already died, 55:09 the prophet died was buried in Ramah 55:11 since he died he knows nothing and says also 55:17 and they have no more reward, 55:20 for the memory of them that's forgotten. 55:22 What it means is not that you forget them 55:24 but their memory seizes to function 55:27 here's the verse that emphasis that. 55:29 Also their love, their hatred and their envoy 55:33 have now perished and this is very important 55:37 because remember Saul was having a 55:40 conversation with an evil spirit 55:42 that mimics Samuel but look at what he says 55:45 about those who die, never more 55:47 will they have a share in anything done 55:51 under the sun. So when you die you're not 55:53 coming back to give counsel to people 55:54 that are under the sun, right, you don't have 55:56 any dealings with anything that's 55:57 happening now under the sun, 55:58 you have no more should never more will 56:01 they have a share in anything done under 56:04 the sun and that's why verse 10 is so widely 56:06 important. Ecclesiastes 9:10, Whatever 56:10 your hand finds to do, do it with your might, 56:16 remember for there is no work, or device, 56:19 or knowledge, or wisdom in the grave 56:21 where you are going. Where did Samuel 56:23 get wisdom to give Saul advice? 56:26 It wasn't Samuel, it was an evil spirit who knew 56:29 that God had rejected Saul and he was 56:32 repeating what God had already told him, 56:34 God has departed from you and he knew already, 56:37 the devil and evil angels knew already 56:39 that any dealings with mediums meant 56:42 certain death and he pronounced on him. 56:44 That's what the devil does, 56:45 he gets you in trouble then he strips you 56:48 and causes you to see that all along 56:51 he intended to kill you. You know 56:53 and I think this statement is clear 56:54 also in Psalm 6:5, okay, which says 56:58 For in death there is no remembrance, 57:01 in other words you memory doesn't function, 57:04 there is nothing that you have any knowledge 57:06 of and it goes on to say in the grave 57:09 who will give you Lord, who will give you 57:11 thanks? And the answer is no one. 57:13 So if the people are in the grave 57:15 and there are in heaven then there is no 57:17 knowledge, there is no giving thanks, 57:19 what good are they. That's right. 57:21 They are not in the heaven talking to us 57:22 down here on earth they are not giving us 57:24 any messages from God. And so friends stick 57:26 to the Bible follow us for our next program 57:28 where we unseat this false lie and give you 57:32 only what the word of God says. 57:34 God bless you too, we'll see you again. |
Revised 2014-12-17