Participants: Jac Colon
Series Code: RNN
Program Code: RNN000015
|
00:18 In Revelation 13:11,
00:24 "Then I saw another beast, coming up out of the earth. 00:27 He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon." 00:35 The first beast that came out of the water 00:37 was the medieval church of Rome. 00:40 In 538 till 1798 00:43 when she received the deadly wound, 00:46 we discovered that another beast 00:48 comes up out of the earth with two horns like a lamb, 00:53 that would unite together with her 00:56 in Satan's plan to achieve the allegiance of the world. 01:01 Protestant America would rise in time 01:06 to play a part in the healing of the deadly wound. 01:10 And this Christian nation 01:13 exercise all the authority of the first beast on his behalf 01:17 and he made the earth 01:18 and its inhabitants worship the first beast 01:21 whose fatal wound had been healed. 01:23 The time is coming 01:24 when we see another worldwide global church... 01:35 enforcing, particular brand of worship 01:41 that was established in the medieval church 01:44 at Rome so many years ago. 01:48 And this particular beast coming out of the earth 01:52 was given power to perform miracles and signs. 01:57 Verse 14, "Because of the signs 01:59 he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, 02:01 he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. 02:05 And ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast 02:08 and to worship the image." 02:12 Deception is one of the most powerful tools 02:16 that the devil uses to secure 02:20 the allegiance of unsuspecting people. 02:25 In Revelation 16 02:27 we get another picture of that deception. 02:31 In Chapter 16:12, 02:33 "The sixth angel poured out his bowl 02:35 on the great River Euphrates, its water was dried up 02:38 to prepare the way for the kings from the East. 02:40 And then I saw three evil spirits 02:44 that looked like frogs, 02:45 they came out of the mouth of the dragon, 02:47 out of the mouth of the beast, 02:49 out of the mouth of the false prophet." 02:51 Look, "They are the spirits of demons 02:54 performing miraculous signs, 02:56 and they go out to the kings of the whole world 02:58 to gather them for the battle." 03:00 So in the midst of all the deceptions and the miracles, 03:03 we see unclean demon spirits working spiritualistic miracles, 03:09 deceiving the whole world into following after the beast. 03:19 During the time of the reformation 03:22 led by Martin Luther, 03:25 Juan Diego 57 years old Mexican man 03:31 reported in apparition 'an encounter with Mary.' 03:38 Who of course, had died 03:41 almost 2000 years earlier. 03:46 And because of his report of seeing Mary, 03:52 at the same time that millions of people were protesting Rome 03:58 leaving Rome becoming Protestants 04:00 to stand on the scripture and the scripture alone. 04:03 Over 8 million people follow the apparition 04:08 or the appearance of Mary 04:10 and became a part of the Church of Rome. 04:13 Not based on scripture but based on the miracle. 04:18 And I want to suggest to you that the most powerful deception 04:22 and the most powerful miracle of all 04:25 is the appearance of someone who is supposed to have died. 04:32 That's why it's important for us 04:35 to take some time at Revelation Now 04:38 to understand exactly what does happen when we die. 04:46 What lies beyond the grave? 04:47 Is it possible to communicate beyond the grave? 04:53 We're hearing many stories and reports today 04:56 of people who've died 04:57 and apparently gone to heaven and have seen loved ones 05:01 and then were revived on the operating room table 05:04 and brought back to life. 05:09 Is it possible to communicate from beyond the grave? 05:17 There's only one place that we can really trust 05:23 to find the answer to that question 05:25 and that is the word of God, 05:28 more specifically to Jesus Christ. 05:33 Can you trust Him? Amen. 05:35 Can you trust Jesus to answer that question for you? 05:40 No matter what answer He gives. 05:42 Can you trust Him? 05:45 Revelation 1:18, the very first Chapter of Revelation. 05:52 "John saw Jesus and Jesus said don't be afraid, 05:57 I'm the first and the last. I'm the living one. 06:00 I was dead and behold I'm alive forever and ever 06:04 and I hold the keys of death and Hades." 06:08 If anyone knows what's beyond the grave 06:11 it has to be Jesus Christ. Amen. 06:14 Been there, done that I can tell you all about it. 06:17 He has done it. He has survived. 06:20 He has the keys. He has the answer. 06:24 Turn to Genesis in the 2nd Chapter of Genesis 06:27 on the sixth day of creation in verse 7. 06:31 "The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground 06:35 and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, 06:37 and the man became a living being." 06:40 So we have seen this already creation, six day of creation, 06:44 God formed the body 06:46 from the dust of the ground but it was not alive. 06:49 It was a dead body. 06:50 He knelt down breath into it the breath of life. 06:54 And that body the Bible says became a living being. 06:59 The King James says, "It became a living soul." 07:03 I want you to notice something that the body became a soul. 07:10 God did not put a soul into the body, 07:14 He breathed the breath of life into the body 07:16 that was not living and it became a living soul. 07:21 The soul will consist of the body 07:24 and the breath of life. 07:27 The soul is something that we are, 07:31 it is not something that we possess. 07:34 I do not have a soul, I'm a soul. 07:39 Now the interesting thing about this. 07:41 The Hebrew word that translated here living being 07:45 and in the King James Version soul. 07:47 And we need to have a little Hebrew lesson tonight 07:49 if you really want to understand this topic. 07:52 The Hebrew word is Nephesh. 07:56 Say with me. How do you say soul in Hebrew. 08:00 Nephesh, very good. 08:02 Now the reason that's important for you to know 08:04 is it's used in number of times 08:06 in the first few chapters of Genesis, 08:09 the first two chapters of creation story. 08:11 And one of my favorite places 08:14 that I like to use to illustrate this point 08:16 is in Chapter 1:30. Watch this. 08:19 "On the sixth day when God made the creatures of the earth. 08:22 Look verse 30, "And to the beasts of the earth 08:26 and all the birds of the air 08:29 and all of the creatures that move on the ground, 08:34 everything that has the breath of life in it, 08:38 I give every green plant for food." 08:42 Now why is that significant? 08:45 Because the word that translated creatures 08:50 all of the creatures that move on the ground 08:53 everything that has the breath of life in it. 08:57 The word for creatures 08:59 is Nephesh, soul. 09:06 The Bible writers could just have 09:07 easily have translated that verse to read 09:10 to all the beast of the earth, the birds of the air 09:13 and all of the souls that move on the ground 09:16 everything that has the breath of life in it. 09:19 Because that's what a soul is. 09:21 It's a living being, the soul is a person. 09:25 It's not something we posses. It's what we are. 09:28 In Genesis 12, Abraham left his country 09:32 and went to the Promised Land. 09:33 And the Bible says, "He took with him 09:35 all of the souls in his household." 09:39 He did not go with the bunch of ghosts following him. 09:44 He went with people. 09:46 And that's what a soul is, a person. 09:50 I'm a soul. You're a soul. 09:54 A friend of mine who does the same thing I do. 09:56 He is a lot bolder than I am. 09:59 And he-- he on the night before this, 10:02 he tells all the people. 10:03 He says "look tomorrow night 10:04 we're going to do something special. 10:06 In the middle of my presentation 10:07 we're going to turn out all the lights 10:09 and then we're going to shine a spotlight on the stage 10:12 and you're going to see right there a soul. 10:15 I'm going to show you a soul tomorrow night." 10:16 So the next night the whole place 10:18 is just packed with people. 10:22 They want to see that soul. 10:25 And so in the middle of his presentation, 10:26 he stops, turn all the lights out. 10:30 Spotlight comes down on the centre of the stage 10:32 and there he is, smiling big as life. 10:35 So you're looking at a soul that's what a soul is. 10:38 You are a soul. 10:39 The person next to you is a soul. 10:41 He does not have soul, she does not have a soul. 10:44 We do not posses a soul, we are a living soul. 10:49 Now that's what the Bible teaches. 10:51 That may not be what's being taught out there. 10:55 But we have been learning at Revelation Now 10:57 that would seems right 10:58 is not always the same as what is right. 11:00 What is right is what's in here. Amen. 11:04 We are souls. 11:05 Now that we understand that, what happens when we die? 11:08 Well, it's just the opposite. Just the reverse of creation. 11:14 In Ecclesiastes, a little book of Ecclesiastes 12:7. 11:20 "When we die the dust returns to the ground that it came from. 11:25 And the spirit returns to God who gave it." 11:29 So what happens when we die? 11:31 The body goes to dust and the spirit goes back to God. 11:38 Now the word spirit, 11:39 are you ready for your second Hebrew word tonight. 11:41 Lesson number two. The word spirit is 'Ruakh.' 11:48 I want you to say that with me. 11:50 The word for spirit in Hebrew is what. 11:53 Ruakh, Okay, very good. Smart group here this evening. 11:59 So the Bible says, 12:00 "The dust returns to the ground it came from, 12:03 and the Ruakh returns to God." 12:06 Now Ruakh is sometimes translated 12:09 spirit like it is here, sometimes translated breath, 12:14 like the breath of life that God breathed into the body. 12:17 Sometimes it's translated air 12:20 or wind or breath in the nostril. 12:23 So the word Ruakh the spirit, the breath of life, 12:27 the same breath of life that God breathed into the body 12:31 that made it become a living soul. 12:33 That breath of life goes back to God 12:35 and the body goes to dust. Just a reverse of creation. 12:41 It's important to recognize 12:42 that something does go back to God. 12:47 It's my Ruakh, it's my breath of life 12:50 or spirit if you want to call it that. 12:53 I like to look at it like it's a spark of life 12:58 that contains everything about me that makes me, me. 13:03 Because when God put that made that body, 13:06 it wasn't alive, it was dead. 13:09 But he breathed into it that spark of life 13:11 and it became a man with character and personality. 13:17 And that's spark of life goes back to God. 13:21 The body goes to dust. 13:26 Now that spark of life or breath, 13:31 Ruakh, that goes back to God is not the person. 13:39 It's the life that animates that person. 13:44 But it's not the person 13:47 because Jesus said in John 5:28-29. 13:53 Jesus said, "Marvel not 13:55 but the time is coming when all 13:57 who are in the grave will come forth." 14:01 Those who have done good to the resurrection of life, 14:05 those who have done evil 14:07 to the resurrection of damnation. 14:09 So according to Jesus all are where? In the grave. 14:17 My life, my breath of life goes back to God. 14:21 But the person is in the grave. 14:24 That Ruakh is not the person, it's not me. 14:27 That Jesus said we're in the grave, 14:29 both the good and bad. 14:31 The good are awaiting the resurrection of life 14:34 and the bad are awaiting the resurrection of damnation. 14:37 But they're the person according to Jesus is in the grave. 14:39 Do you believe Him? 14:41 Folks, we have to believe Him. 14:44 If we can't then who can we believe? 14:50 So my breath goes back to God, my body goes to dust. 14:54 We're the dead. 14:55 According to Jesus all are in the grave. 15:01 Now, I'm going to stop here for a second. 15:06 Because what you have just heard 15:09 is not the same thing 15:13 as what most of us have been taught 15:16 and believed for years and years. 15:19 That when we die if we've been good we go to heaven. 15:25 We've been bad 15:27 or we don't talk about where we go. 15:30 Isn't that right. Isn't that what most people are taught? 15:35 But that's not what Jesus said. 15:39 It is dangerous to study the Bible 15:43 with preconceived ideas of the way things have to be. 15:49 It's much better to pretend you know nothing 15:52 and let God speak to you and tell it how it is. 15:57 Because when we have preconceived ideas, 15:59 we tend to overlook things that contradict what we believe 16:02 and look for things that support it. 16:05 I know human nature. 16:09 So let's do this. 16:11 Let's get our computers out, bring up your word processor 16:15 and click new document. What's on the screen? 16:19 Blank page, blank page, right. 16:23 So let's start with the blank page 16:25 and let God tell us what is true and what is not. 16:29 Are we saved or not. Amen. Amen. 16:31 Okay, second rule. 16:34 I can take a verse from the Bible 16:37 and take it out of context 16:40 and make it say anything I wanted to say practically 16:43 and a lot of people do that. It's like fence post. 16:49 You're seeing fence post 16:50 all lined up nice and prefect inline. 16:53 Let's suppose I have one fence post right here. 16:55 And I step back and I can lineup at fence post 16:58 so it's right at the double doors in the back. 17:02 But if I step over here 17:04 it's pointing at that single door 17:05 over there in the back. 17:07 If I step over here that same fence post 17:10 is pointing at the single door back there. 17:12 If I were to step back there, 17:14 then it will be pointing at that 17:16 flowerpot on the wall behind me. 17:19 You see it depends on where I'm standing, 17:21 it depends on my point of view as to where it's pointing. 17:25 And that's way the Bible is. 17:29 You can take one text, make it say almost anything, 17:33 if you take him out of context. 17:36 The Bible says Judas went and hung himself. 17:42 And then in other place it says now you go do likewise. 17:48 You see what happens when you ignore the context. 17:52 So if we take another fence post 17:55 and put it in front of our first one 17:57 and then another one and another one 17:59 and a few more and step back, 18:01 then all of those fence posts 18:03 are all pointing in the one and the same direction. 18:06 And if I take all the text 18:08 that are talking about the same topic 18:09 comparing scripture with scripture 18:11 and I line them up, 18:13 then they're all pointing in the same direction 18:15 and that's to the truth as it is in Jesus Christ. 18:19 So let's start with the blank page 18:21 on our word processors 18:22 and let's lineup some fence posts 18:26 and see what the Bible has to say. 18:29 So far, the body goes to dust, breath of life back to God. 18:33 Jesus said, "All are in the grave." 18:39 So what are they doing there in the grave? 18:42 Psalm 146 another fence post, let's line them up. 18:45 Verse 4, "When the spirit departs, 18:48 they return to the ground." Same thing we just read so far. 18:52 "On that very day their thoughts perish." 18:56 So when a man dies what happens to his thoughts? 19:00 They perish. So tell me this. 19:02 If a man dies can he think? 19:06 No, why not because his thoughts perish. 19:11 See it's perfectly inline with our fence post. 19:14 Body goes to dust, breath of life back to God. 19:16 The dead are in the grave they can't think. 19:18 So that's not the person that goes to God. 19:21 It's not a conscious awareness 19:23 is nothing there that can communicate 19:25 from beyond the grave. 19:27 There's no possibility of Mary appearing to you 19:30 or to anyone else trying to tell them a message from God 19:34 because her thoughts perished. 19:39 Are you beginning to see why this is important? 19:44 There's another one, Psalm 115. 19:47 Other fence post verse 17. 19:51 "The dead do not praise the Lord 19:53 nor do any who go down to silence." 19:56 Question... You think about it. 20:00 If a Christian dies, does he praise God? 20:05 What does the Bible say, 20:08 "The dead do not praise the Lord." 20:12 Why not? 20:14 Because their thoughts perish, they can't think. 20:19 So they can't even praise God 20:21 because they're not aware of God 20:23 or anything going on, they are in the grave. 20:27 Breath of life goes back to God, it's in the hand of Jesus. 20:31 He is hanging on to it for me. 20:33 And one of these days He is going to put it back 20:35 into a new body not yet. 20:38 But until then no thinking in fact watch this one. 20:42 I say the best one here in this particular sequence till last, 20:46 this is in Ecclesiastes 9:5. 20:49 "For the living know that they will die 20:51 but the dead know nothing." 20:56 When a person dies, does he know anything? 20:59 Why not because his thoughts perish. 21:04 Can he praise God? 21:05 Nope. Why not? 21:06 Because he can't thinks, his thoughts perish. 21:09 There are no thoughts in the grave. 21:11 Watch this verse 6, "Their love, their hate, 21:13 their jealousy have long since vanished." 21:15 Can he love you? No. 21:17 Because he can't think, his thoughts perish. 21:20 Verse 10, "Whatever your hand finds to do, 21:22 do it with all of your might, for in the grave, 21:24 where you are going." 21:28 So where does the person go? To the grave. 21:31 In the grave where you are going 21:34 there is neither working nor planning 21:36 nor knowledge nor wisdom." 21:38 All of our texts are lined up like a fence post 21:41 pointing in the exact same direction. 21:43 There is no conscious awareness 21:45 of anything happening in the grave. 21:53 I was reading this verse, "Living know that they will die, 21:56 but the dead know nothing." 21:57 First time I read the Bible through after I got saved, 21:59 there happened to be a living Bible. 22:00 I didn't know if that was just a paraphrase, 22:04 not a real translation. 22:05 That's all right, I was reading anything God was blessing me. 22:08 When I came to that verse and it said verse 5, 22:11 "The living know that they will die, 22:12 but the dead know nothing." 22:13 And I noticed there is a footnote there. 22:16 And I said to myself, hmm. 22:18 I wonder what that footnote says. 22:20 So I looked down at the bottom of the page and I read it 22:22 and I just dropped my jaw open, couldn't believe it. 22:26 Do you want to know what it said? No. 22:29 Well, I will tell you anyway. 22:34 It said these words 22:36 are Solomon's own discouraged opinion 22:41 and does not reflect God's truth on this subject. 22:49 I read that again and I said what. 22:53 That's just Solomon's discouraged opinion. 22:56 What's it doing in the Bible? 22:59 I thought that Bible was a word of God. 23:02 Now listen to me. 23:04 Some of you may be struggling with the verses 23:06 I'm reading right now. 23:08 May be going wow man, 23:09 this is not what I have always believed. 23:13 So when we read a verse like this, 23:14 "The dead know nothing, their thoughts perish." 23:18 We have to just make a decision 23:19 just like whoever wrote the living Bible 23:22 had to make a decision. 23:23 We can say, well, that's not the way I understand it, 23:26 I better change the way I understand things 23:29 to lineup with the scripture or we're going to say. 23:32 Well, that must not have come from God, it disagrees with me. 23:35 So I'm going to tear that page out. 23:36 That didn't come from God. 23:39 But before you start tearing pages out of your Bible, 23:44 you have to be prepared to answer another question. 23:48 How do you know which ones to leave in? 23:52 Can a human being decide is this the word of God or not. 23:56 Folks, this is the same Bible Jesus had 23:58 when he was here, the same Old Testament. 24:02 And it didn't bother Him. 24:05 So we should embrace it too. Amen. 24:07 This is the Bible from Genesis to Revelation or its not. 24:13 Living know they would die, the dead know nothing. 24:17 Let me show you how Jesus looked at it. 24:19 We can trust Him. 24:20 Remember that we agreed at the beginning. 24:23 Jesus tell us, what's it like when we die. 24:26 Jesus had being working with His disciples 24:28 and some people came up to Him. 24:31 They said your friend Lazarus in Bethany is about to die. 24:34 He is sick. 24:36 And so on the way to Bethany, 24:38 Jesus said in John 11:11 24:40 "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, 24:43 but I am going there to wake him up. 24:46 And the disciples said, "Well Jesus 24:49 if he is sleeping then he is going to get better." 24:55 Verse 13, "Jesus had been speaking of his death, 25:00 but the disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 25:06 And so Jesus told them plainly in verse 14, 25:09 "No, Lazarus is dead." 25:16 Why did Jesus say that Lazarus was asleep? 25:27 Because that's the best word to describe 25:31 what happens when we die. 25:34 The body goes to dust, 25:36 the breath of life goes back to God, 25:39 thoughts perish. 25:41 It's like a deep comfortable, 25:45 warm, cozy sleep. 25:51 That's the best description that Jesus could come up with. 25:55 He liked it, why shouldn't we. 26:00 Lazarus is asleep. 26:04 I like that picture 26:06 of what it's like when we die. 26:12 Some people tell me, well, I don't like that preacher. 26:15 It sounds cold to me. 26:18 Well, I don't know about them but I sleep in a warm bed. 26:24 And it's warm and comfortable and cozy 26:27 and it feels good and I like to sleep. 26:33 And when I'm asleep, I'm not aware of anything going on. 26:39 My-- our oldest son 26:44 when we would-- when they were little 26:45 and they traveled with us 26:46 Dina would always have him sit in the front row. 26:48 And when she finished singing she would take him to the back 26:51 and had a couple of cots back there 26:53 and they would go to sleep. 26:55 After the meeting we go pick him up. 26:57 Put him in the car drive home, put him in the bed. 27:02 One morning our oldest boy woke up 27:05 and he said momma. 27:07 Why am I always waking up somewhere else? 27:15 And that's exactly what it's like. 27:18 Body goes to dust, breath of life back to God, 27:22 we're asleep. 27:25 And we wake up somewhere else. 27:34 Jesus got to the tomb 27:35 and he saw the two sisters of Lazarus, 27:38 Mary and Martha. 27:39 They were crying and shortest verse in the Bible 27:41 John 11:35 "Jesus wept." 27:44 Even though He knew what He was about to do. 27:46 That's how compassionate He is. 27:51 And so then He told them, He said roll away the stone. 27:54 Oh, no don't do that. He has been dead four days. 27:56 The odor will offend people. 28:02 Jesus said, "Roll away the stone." 28:08 So they rolled it away. 28:11 And then Jesus stepped forward 28:14 and He looked inside the tomb. 28:20 And he said, "Lazarus come out." 28:27 They heard a rustling sound inside 28:30 and they saw Lazarus coming out. 28:39 There is life after death. 28:46 But only at the voice of the life giver, 28:50 Jesus Christ, through the resurrection of life. 28:58 Notice something else. 29:01 Jesus didn't go looking in that tomb. 29:04 He say, Lazarus 29:07 you've been burning down there long enough, come on up." 29:11 Is that what He said? No. 29:15 He didn't go looking in that tomb and say, Lazarus 29:19 you've been up there in heaven long enough, come on down. 29:23 I don't want to come down. Too bad, come one down. 29:27 That would have been a dirty trick, aha. 29:30 I mean who wants to come back here 29:31 after being up there. No. 29:36 He looked into the tomb and He spoke to a friend 29:38 that was asleep in the grave 29:39 and he said, Lazarus come out and Lazarus came out. 29:46 Life after death at the resurrection 29:52 by the words of Jesus Christ. Wow. 29:58 What a precious hope we have. 30:01 Now I want you to understand 30:03 for those of you who that are little uneasy 30:05 with what you're hearing. 30:07 In one sense, one sense 30:10 what I'm saying is not lot different 30:11 from what we have all believed for a long time. 30:16 And that is that when we die we go up if we've been good, 30:20 when we've been bad. 30:22 Not a lot different from the point of view 30:27 of the person who dies. 30:32 Because when they die, they're asleep, 30:35 they don't know anything. 30:36 They're not aware of any passing of time. 30:39 Is like my son. 30:40 They just wake up somewhere else. 30:43 When the person that dies from their point of view 30:46 in one sense it's almost like dying 30:50 and instantly being raised again to go 30:53 and to be with Jesus. 30:55 So from that sense it's not a lot of difference. 31:00 But the difference is for those of us 31:02 who are left behind. 31:04 Because if we believe that the dead are not dead 31:08 but living somewhere else up or down, 31:11 then there is always the possibility 31:14 of being deceived by the appearance 31:16 of someone supposedly to have been dead. 31:20 And the devil can impersonate the dead 31:23 just as much as he can impersonate an angel of light. 31:28 And that explains the apparitions that you see. 31:34 What a powerful deception. 31:38 Lady lost her little girl, three years old. 31:43 After the funeral she was home just lying on her bed, 31:47 not wanting to do much of anything 31:48 when she heard a sound. 31:51 A door opened 31:53 and there was her little girl 31:55 standing in the center of the floor 31:56 arms outstretched, same yellow dress 31:58 she was buried and a twinkle in her eyes, 31:59 saying mommy, mommy I'm back. 32:03 She said everything inside of her, 32:04 wanted to race over there and embrace that little girl. 32:08 And it took every ounce of faith that she could muster and say 32:11 "you're not my daughter, get out of here." 32:16 And instantly she turned into a hideous looking monster 32:19 and vanishing away into the darkness. 32:24 Those supposed appearance of those who have died 32:27 is most powerful deception the devil can conjure up. 32:33 That's why we need to stand on a solid word of God. 32:40 How long do they stay 32:42 or we stay should we sleep before he comes. 32:46 1 Corinthians 15, this is one of the favorite text, 32:49 favorite funeral text. 32:51 Verse 51, Listen, "I tell you a mystery, 32:53 we will not all sleep." 32:55 Notice Paul likes to use exact same words Jesus did. 32:58 Tell me why not. Jesus picks the best words. 33:02 "We'll not all sleep but we will all be changed. 33:08 In a flash he says, in the twinkling of an eye." 33:12 When? "At the last trumpet. 33:16 Because the trumpet will sound 33:18 and the dead will be raised imperishable, 33:22 and we will be changed. 33:26 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, 33:30 and the mortal with immortality. 33:33 And when the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, 33:36 and the mortal with immortality, 33:39 then the saying that is written will come true. 33:42 Death has been swallowed up in victory. 33:45 Where, O death, is your victory? 33:47 Where, O death, is your sting?" 33:51 When? 33:52 At the last trumpet, not when we die. 33:58 But when Jesus comes and the trumpet sounds, 34:02 then the dead will be raised imperishable 34:07 up until that time they are perishable. 34:11 And we will be changed 34:13 and this mortal man will put on immortality. 34:17 Mortal means that we are subject to die 34:21 not that we go on living after we die but we die. 34:25 Immortal means we will no longer be subject to death 34:28 but we will not be immortal until the last trumpet sounds 34:34 How can God say it any clearer than He has. 34:42 But in 2 Corinthians 5, 34:48 Paul writes verse 7, "We live by faith not by sight." 34:52 Verse 8, "We are confident, I say, 34:54 and would prefer to be away from the body 34:56 or at home with the Lord." 34:59 Or as King James says, 35:01 "To be absent from the body to be present with the Lord." 35:06 Now it sounds like he is saying that 35:08 when we depart the body, we go to be with Jesus. 35:13 In a sense that's true. 35:18 When we die, Sour breathe goes back to God. 35:22 And it's in the hand of Christ. Our life is hid in Christ. 35:26 And when He shall appear we too shall appear. 35:31 That's clear 35:33 but that's not what Paul speaking about right here. 35:37 We have a fence post it looks like it's out of line. 35:40 And when you got a fence post out of line, 35:41 it's best to go back and look at it in this context. 35:45 So let's do that. 35:46 Chapter 5:1 "We know that if the earthly tent 35:49 that we live in is destroyed, 35:51 we have a building from God 35:52 and eternal house in heaven not built by human hands." 35:55 Now, what is the earthly tent that he is talking about? 35:59 This body that you're looking at right now. 36:02 The perishable body subject to decay, 36:04 subject to disease, this is my earthly tent. 36:08 If it's destroyed I have a new heavenly tent. 36:11 Where is that one, what is it? 36:13 My new heavenly body that Jesus gives me 36:16 after this whole world is done 36:18 and He raises me up to be in heaven 36:21 or changes me to be imperishable and immortal. 36:24 My new body that will not see decay, it will not die. 36:28 It will not perish, it will not do anything bad. 36:33 So what is Paul saying we have two bodies? 36:36 One that we're living in right now, earthly tent. 36:40 Oh, but I don't want to be in that one. 36:41 I want to be in my heavenly tent. 36:44 Don't you? 36:47 Watch this, verse 2. "Meanwhile." 36:50 What is meanwhile between the earthly and the heavenly? 36:53 "Meanwhile we're grown longing to be cloth 36:56 with our heavenly dwelling." 36:58 So what does he want? He wants to have his new body. 37:02 I can understand that in everyday 37:04 and every year that goes by, 37:05 I understand it better and better. 37:09 And every morning when I have to crawl out of bed 37:11 and the old creeks and the aches and the pains. 37:13 I think man. Hurry up Jesus I want my new body. 37:16 It won't ever ache anymore. Amen. 37:20 No more eyeglasses. No more hearing aids. 37:22 No more feet hurting. 37:25 You want that body. Amen. 37:27 So no wonder Paul is groaning 37:30 longing to be clothed with his heavenly dwelling. 37:33 Because, when we're cloth we're not be found naked. 37:36 Now watch this. 37:38 He is in his earthly body groaning to be clothed 37:41 with his heavenly body so that he won't be naked. 37:43 Does he want to be without a body? No. 37:47 Does he want to die and go to heaven without a body? 37:50 That's not what he is saying. What does he want? 37:52 He wants to have his new body. 37:55 It says while we're in this tent, 37:56 we groan and we're burden 37:57 because we do not wished to be unclothed 38:00 but to be clothed with our heavenly. 38:01 I don't want to be without a body. 38:05 I want to die and go heaven without a body. 38:07 That's not what I'm asking for. 38:08 No, I want to be in my new heavenly body. 38:12 So that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. 38:16 Therefore, now as long as we're at home in this body, 38:20 we're away from the Lord. 38:21 I'm in my earthly body, I'm not there with God. 38:25 "We live by faith not by sight. 38:27 We're confident and I say 38:29 and we're preferred to be away from the body 38:31 and at home with the Lord." 38:32 Now what is he is saying. 38:33 Do I want to be out of this body 38:35 and without a body at home, naked with God. 38:37 No, he wants to be out of this body 38:40 because when he gets out of this body, 38:42 the next thing he knows he will be in his new body 38:45 with Jesus at the last trumpet. 38:49 And all of our fence posts line up. 38:52 They're all line up. Here's another one. 38:55 And this is one of my favorite texts. 38:57 1 Thessalonians 4:13, 39:02 "We do not want you to be ignorant 39:05 about those who fall asleep 39:06 or to grieve like the rest of man who have no hope." 39:10 So he is wanting us to understand 39:14 what happens when people fall asleep, right. 39:19 What was the problem at Thessalonica? 39:23 People were teaching and you see in a second, 39:26 there were false teachers there teaching 39:29 that when you die it's all over. 39:32 They are done. And you'll never see them again. 39:35 And there's no hope for them to go to heaven. 39:37 They're finished. Wow. 39:40 What would that do to our Christian faith? 39:44 We have a hope, don't we? 39:48 We have hope far greater than that. 39:50 So Paul says, "I don't want you to 39:53 grieve like the rest of men 39:54 about those who have fallen asleep." 39:56 They have no hope. 39:57 I don't want you to be like that. 39:59 Verse 14, "We believe that Jesus died and rose again. 40:03 And so we believe that God will bring with Jesus 40:05 those who have fallen asleep in him." 40:07 So they're not done, they're not finished. 40:10 Jesus died, He rose again and He is going to come 40:12 and bring them with Him back to heaven. 40:15 That's what he is talking about. 40:17 How do I know that? Look at verse 15. 40:20 In verse 51, "According to the Lord's own words." 40:22 Can we trust Him? 40:24 "According to the Lord's own words, 40:26 we tell you that we who are still alive 40:29 who are left until the coming of the Lord 40:31 will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep." 40:36 We're not going to heaven before those who died. 40:38 Don't let anybody tell you that. 40:41 They're going to be there. 40:43 We're not going before those who have fallen asleep. 40:46 See he uses that same word again. 40:48 Why not verse 16. Here it comes. 40:51 "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven 40:55 with a loud command, 40:57 with the voice of the archangel, with the trumpet call of God." 41:02 It sounds like a lot of commotion 41:04 going on when Jesus comes. 41:06 "And the dead in Christ." 41:10 Christians who have died will rise first. 41:14 From where? From the grave. 41:17 Where they've been sleeping all this time. 41:20 So when Jesus comes for us, they're going to rise first. 41:26 And then after that verse 17, 41:28 "We who are still alive and left, 41:30 we will be caught up together with them 41:33 in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." 41:36 And so we will be with the Lord forever. 41:38 Therefore encourage each other with these words. Amen. 41:41 All our fence posts line up. 41:44 Jesus is going to bring them with Him to heaven 41:47 those who are asleep in Christ, how? 41:48 When He comes with a loud command, 41:50 trumpet call of God, the dead in Christ will rise up. 41:53 Hey, you know, what I have often thought. 41:56 Wouldn't it be neat to be near a cemetery 42:03 when Jesus comes? Amen. 42:07 Watch those graves open up and the saints come out. 42:15 Wouldn't you love to see an angel fly down 42:22 to a little hole in the ground. 42:26 Bend over and take out a little baby 42:31 and fly up to the mother. 42:34 Put that baby in her arms. 42:40 So we have hope or not. 42:44 I don't want you to be ignorant like the rest of men. 42:48 The Lord is going to come with a loud command, 42:50 the trumpet call, the dead in Christ are going to rise. 42:53 And we are going to be caught up to meet Him in the clouds 42:59 and so we will be with the Lord forever. 43:04 Doesn't it make more sense? 43:07 I think it does. The word and so. 43:11 The Greek word Hutos, 43:13 it means in this way, in this manner. 43:16 This is how we're going to be with the Lord. How? 43:19 In the loud command, trumpet call of God. 43:21 The dead are raised up 43:22 and us together with them are going to go. 43:24 Hey, tell me something. 43:26 When you do something fun, may be you watch the movie 43:29 or may be you go skiing 43:32 or may be you go hiking 43:33 to your favorite spot up in the mountains 43:35 or out by the coast. 43:37 Tell me, is it more fun to go all by yourself 43:42 or to enjoy it with other people that you love. 43:47 Now the greatest event 43:49 and the most fun event in the history 43:53 of the whole universe is going to happen when Jesus comes. 43:59 He is going to take us. 44:01 And all together we're going to be caught up to meet Him. 44:05 And he is going to take us to that place 44:07 that he has prepared for us. 44:08 And all together we're going to walk 44:10 through the gates of that city 44:12 and see the lamb and the throne 44:14 and walk the streets of gold together. 44:19 Not one at a time 44:20 all by yourself here there whenever you die. 44:24 But we're asleep and then the next thing 44:26 we know the voice of Jesus is calling us. 44:28 And together we walk through the gates, 44:31 so encourage each other with these words. 44:35 That's encouraging to me. 44:41 Makes more sense to me. Jesus said John 6:40. 44:45 "He who believes in me has everlasting life. 44:50 And I will raise him up on the last day." 44:55 Now the moment you accept Jesus Christ 44:56 at that moment you have life. 44:58 But that life is here in Christ 44:59 and when He appears, we appear with Him. 45:03 We have that everlasting life. 45:05 But how can Jesus raise him up on the last day 45:08 if he is already up there with Jesus. 45:12 That never made sense to me? 45:15 And I'll tell you something else that used to bother me. 45:19 Did you ever go to a funeral? 45:21 And the pastor reads this verse. 45:24 "The Lord himself will descend with a loud command, 45:27 trumpet call, the dead in Christ will rise." 45:32 Have you ever heard that at a funeral, 45:34 they always use it? So you go to funeral. 45:37 And the pastor usually says something like. 45:42 "My dear brothers and sisters 45:44 we're here to pay our last respects 45:45 to our dear brother 45:49 who is now in heaven with Jesus." 45:54 So why is everybody so sad? 45:59 No more backaches, no more pain, 46:01 no more heartaches. 46:03 Why is everybody so sad? 46:05 Sure we miss him. Sure we do. 46:08 He is now in heaven with Jesus. 46:10 And then he reads this verse. 46:12 According to Lord's own words, 46:14 loud command, trumpet call of God 46:16 and our brother in Christ is going to rise up. 46:18 How can he rise up if he is already there? 46:21 It never made sense to me. 46:26 And there is something even worse about this. 46:31 How many of you believe that every church member, 46:36 everyone who has their names on the church books 46:38 when they die they all go to heaven. 46:43 Is there anybody who believe that? 46:45 Of course not. 46:46 We're not saved because we belong to a church. 46:49 No matter what church it is. 46:51 We're saved because we believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord. 46:56 But if you have ever been to funeral 46:57 when the pastor says, "Well, my dear brothers and sisters, 47:00 I'm so sorry to say to you that our brother is now... 47:06 down there." 47:08 Have you ever heard that? Of course not. 47:12 Where does every church member go when they die? 47:17 To heaven. 47:18 But you and I know that that's not true, 47:21 so who is getting duped. 47:25 And further more how does the pastor know. 47:32 He is not the judge. He is not God. 47:36 How does he know? 47:40 I know that I have eternal life 47:43 because I know I'm trusting in Jesus Christ. 47:45 But you don't know that. 47:47 I could be the biggest phoney you ever saw. 47:50 But God would know but no man would ever know, 47:54 no pastor would ever know. How does he know? 47:57 Who is saved and who is lost. 48:00 Isn't that better to just leave them in Jesus' hands 48:02 and leave that up to God. 48:05 You're asleep. We have hope. 48:13 Two years ago, we were doing Revelation Now 48:17 in Anchorage, Alaska 48:19 and it was being filmed for television. 48:25 And I will never forget it was the same day 48:28 that I was getting ready to do the same presentation. 48:32 We were standing in a little apartment 48:34 just across the street, across the parking lot from the church. 48:39 And my mom had been sick. She had lung cancer. 48:45 And I was on the way over to the church 48:48 and my phone rang. 48:52 And I took out of my pocket, it's my sister. 48:57 She said, "Jack, 49:01 I don't think she is going to make it 49:02 through the night." 49:06 What do you want to do? I couldn't leave. 49:12 You know you had this film crew, 49:13 they flew all the way up to Anchorage. 49:16 And I knew she wouldn't want me to leave. 49:18 She loved Jesus and wanted people 49:21 to hear about Jesus. But I was torn. 49:26 She said, "You want to talk to her." 49:29 I said, "Let me talk to her." 49:32 Her voice was really weak, 49:34 could barely make out the words. 49:36 But I knew what she said because it was the same thing 49:38 she said every time I talked to her on the phone. 49:41 She had a little dementia and you know what it's like 49:44 the same thing over and over. 49:48 So I picked up the phone, I said mom. 49:52 And she said something barely 49:55 able to understand it but it was Jack. 50:04 When am I gonna see you again? 50:08 She said that every time. 50:12 And I said mom, won't be long. 50:21 She passed away that night. 50:26 One of these days Jesus is going to come. 50:32 And I believe and its all right to believe that, 50:37 we don't know but we can believe. 50:40 I believe she is going to come up out of that grave. 50:45 And I'm going to walk over there. 50:48 And I will take her hand. 50:51 And I'm gonna say, "Mom, 50:53 I told you it wouldn't be long. 50:58 Let's go see Jesus." 51:03 What a hope. 51:07 What a hope we have in Jesus Christ. 51:13 It makes more sense, doesn't it? 51:16 To believe what Jesus said. 51:21 I know what some of you are thinking. 51:23 But pastor what about the thief on the cross. 51:26 He died and Jesus told him that day 51:28 that he would be in heaven. 51:30 Oh, oh, now we have the fence post out of line. 51:34 So what we are going to do about that. 51:38 You know the story in Luke 23:42, 51:42 Jesus said, "Remember me to the thief." 51:46 And the thief said to Jesus. 51:48 "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. 51:51 And Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, 51:55 today you will be with me 52:00 in paradise." 52:03 So that is what it says. 52:06 If Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, 52:09 today you will be with Me in paradise." 52:13 Well, if He said, "I tell you the truth 52:18 today you will be with me in paradise." 52:20 We have a fence post out of line. 52:25 If He said, "I tell you the truth today, 52:28 you will be with Me in paradise, 52:32 then all the fence post line up again. 52:37 See it depends on when Jesus took a breathe. 52:42 I tell you the truth, 52:46 today you'll be with Me in paradise. 52:49 Or I tell you the truth today, 52:54 you'll be with Me in paradise. 52:57 So when did He breathed. 52:59 You see that's the question. 53:00 You say, well the comma is not there. 53:02 The comma says, I tell you the truth today. 53:05 Today I'll tell you the truth 53:06 today you'll be with me in paradise. 53:08 But there were no commas when the Bible was written. 53:11 It wasn't written in English. 53:13 It wasn't written in King James. 53:14 It was written in Greek 53:16 and they didn't even separate verses and chapters 53:18 they didn't even separate sentences, 53:19 they didn't even separate words. 53:21 You had to know where one word ended 53:23 and the next word began paper was scarce. 53:25 They jammed it all together. 53:28 And they put the commas in there, 53:30 just a few hundred years ago, 53:33 not when the Bible was written. 53:34 They put it in the wrong place. 53:36 How can I be so sure? 53:38 Because that's out of line with the rest of the fence post. 53:40 Number 1 and number 2 even worse 53:43 Jesus himself did not go to heaven that day. 53:48 Well, how do I know that? You know the story. 53:50 Mary and Martha, Sunday morning 53:52 went running to the tomb. 53:53 And they found it empty and they were all discouraged. 53:56 Oh, what happened? 53:57 So they were going back all discouraged 53:59 and they encountered Jesus. 54:01 And so Mary went running to Jesus, 54:03 you remember the story with her arms outstretched, 54:05 embraced Him and Jesus said, 54:07 "Don't touch me." Why not. 54:09 Because I have not yet ascended to the Father. 54:15 Sunday morning and He had not yet ascended to the Father. 54:21 So how could He have told the thief on Friday 54:23 I will tell you the truth today, 54:26 you will be with me in paradise 54:27 because He didn't get there yet by Sunday morning. 54:32 Nope, they put the comma in a wrong place 54:35 and the fence post is out of line. 54:38 But when we put the comma in the right place, 54:40 the thief is hanging on the cross and he said, 54:42 Jesus remembers when you come into your kingdom 54:45 and Jesus answered him. 54:46 "I will tell you the truth today, 54:48 you will be with Me in paradise." 54:53 Napoleons armies were sweeping across Europe. 54:57 It looked like nothing was going to stop him. 55:02 And the English sent their ships 55:05 with Lord Wellington down to Waterloo 55:07 to fight against Napoleon. 55:11 This was before the days of CNN 55:14 and embedded reporters. 55:17 So no one in England knew what was happening. 55:22 If Wellington lost and Napoleon won, 55:26 then England was history. 55:28 It's their last chance. 55:31 So they're looking and waiting and watching 55:33 and finally they see the ships 55:34 coming down the English Channel. 55:38 And they're wondering what happened. 55:41 They turned their glasses on to the ships 55:43 and there's a man standing on a bow of the lead ship. 55:46 And he is sending a message with the flags and semaphore. 55:51 W-E-L-L ah, Wellington. 55:58 D-E defeated. 56:04 And just seen a there dense clouds bank 56:07 settled in on the English Channel. 56:10 And the message was over. 56:14 Wellington defeated, all hopes was gone. 56:22 There was nothing to look forward to anymore. 56:26 But the cloud bank lifted and the message came again. 56:32 Wellington defeated Napoleon 56:39 and the gloom turned into rejoicing. 56:45 And so it was on that Friday evening 56:49 when they took the body of Jesus 56:51 down from the cross and buried it in the tombs, 56:54 sealing it so He couldn't get out. 56:56 The message came loud and clear, 56:59 Jesus Christ defeated 57:03 the disciples had fled, Peter with his last words 57:07 to Jesus still ringing in his ear. 57:10 I don't know that cursed man. 57:14 All hope was lost. 57:21 Until Sunday morning when the cloud and fog lifted. 57:28 And the tomb was empty 57:30 and the message came again, 57:33 "Jesus Christ defeated death." 57:41 And He is alive. He is alive. |
Revised 2014-12-17