Participants:
Series Code: HCL
Program Code: HCL150004A
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00:01 Hello, friends, grab your Bible and your friend and sit back
00:04 as we explore God's word together 00:06 on this addition of "House Calls." 00:26 Welcome to 3ABN's flagship Bible program 00:31 of the last... 00:33 How many years, John? Eight? 00:34 Ten. Ten. 00:36 Wow! 00:37 We're enjoying ourselves celebrating 00:39 ten years of communicating with you the word of God, 00:43 and today is another day and another opportunity, 00:45 and thank you for tuning in to join us 00:48 on our excursion through the word of God. 00:52 To my right is my twin, John from California... 00:59 from Spokane, Washington. 01:00 Tell us about yourself? 01:02 Most people know I hangout here at 3ABN. 01:04 You started here, what's happening with you? 01:07 In Spokane, and working for Upper Columbia 01:11 Conference at this point 01:12 and personal evangelism, discipleship, 01:15 and love it, love the area. 01:18 And you love studying the Bible. 01:20 We have been doing this, you know, 01:21 it's actually little over ten years 01:23 we've been doing this. 01:24 We started back in 2004. 01:25 Wow. What a blessing. 01:27 So it's amazing. 01:28 It goes back to the age 01:30 when you and I were talking about would it be great thing 01:31 if we could actually have a program 01:33 where we could study the Bible and... 01:34 Share with the world. 01:36 Share with the world and... 01:37 What an amazing thing. 01:38 We began this in our living room 01:40 and now the Lord has given us 01:41 a living room to share with you, 01:42 and so thank you for tuning in for this wonderful time 01:45 and it is a blessing to us 01:47 and we pray that it is a blessing to you. 01:50 In just a moment, we will tell you about the Bible questions 01:52 and how we both can be of help to you 01:55 and communicating to you 01:56 what God's word says, but before we do any of that, 01:58 we are gonna to have prayer together. 01:59 John, would you pray for us? Yes. 02:02 Father in heaven, again, 02:03 we appeal to you to fill us with Your spirit 02:07 and strengthen our hearts and minds 02:09 as we open ourselves up to you and your voice. 02:11 We're gonna talk about questions 02:13 and we need the answers, 02:14 but these answers are nothing unless you lead us 02:16 to understand your will and your plan 02:19 and all the things about you that we seek to know, 02:22 and so, Father, bless us during this time 02:25 and we be a blessing to you 02:27 as we turn our lives to You and seek to do Your will 02:30 and everything we do in Jesus' name, Amen. 02:33 Amen. 02:35 You know, when we think about that, 02:37 the Bible question portion of our program 02:40 has been such a key factor in your participation 02:43 and whenever you send those questions in, 02:45 we get excited about it 02:46 because we could see and understand those things 02:49 that are relevant and important to you. 02:51 So continue sending them in and here is the information 02:54 that you need to send those questions in, 02:56 the email is housecalls@3abn.org, 03:00 that's housecalls@3abn.org 03:03 and we surely appreciate all the questions you send in 03:06 and it just really... 03:09 it really makes us encouraged 03:12 that we have a viewing and listing audience 03:16 all over the world 03:17 and lot of people always see us sit down, 03:20 but he is my big brother. 03:23 He is 6'9.5". 03:25 I'm just a mere 6'2.5". 03:27 So I got to give way to him. 03:28 So, because of that, his questions go first. 03:33 Right, all right. 03:35 Happy to go though. 03:36 This is from Beverly, from New York. 03:39 Beverly, remember, Beverly? 03:41 Yeah, I remember that, English Beverly. 03:43 All right. 03:44 This question comes to us in regard to Abraham 03:48 and Abraham's dream. 03:51 It says that Paul indicates in Hebrews 11 03:53 that Abraham's dream 03:54 wasn't for a piece of real estate 03:56 in the Middle East but for a city 03:57 which had foundation, 03:59 whose builder and maker is God. 04:01 Can you explain what actually was God's plan or intention 04:06 when He made the promise to Abraham 04:08 to give him a land for inheritance? 04:11 Great, great question. 04:14 Then, she goes into, 04:15 she says lots of Americans believe 04:16 that God will punish America 04:18 if we do not lend support 04:19 to Israel on their survival efforts 04:21 whether the plan is good or bad and she seems to tie... 04:25 she says here that we're tying everything 04:27 as our foreign policy, kind of, 04:29 with a focus on Israel and the Middle East 04:31 and what's happening there. 04:34 Let's talk about God's real plan, 04:35 His designated plan for Abram when he renamed him Abraham 04:42 and what He designed for Abraham to do 04:44 as He gave him and his descendants their own land. 04:49 Let's go to Genesis 12 04:53 and I'm gonna read from verses 1-3. 04:56 Okay, Genesis 12:1-3. 04:58 And this is about Abrams at the time Abram's calling 05:03 and the Lord said to him, "Get out of your country, 05:07 from your family and from your father's house 05:09 to a land that I will show you. 05:12 I will make you a great nation. 05:14 I will bless you and make your name great." 05:17 And then there is a couple things 05:19 I want to pick up on here, 05:20 a couple occurrences of this same phrase and it says, 05:23 "And you shall be a blessing." 05:28 Verse 3, "I will bless those who bless you. 05:30 I will curse those who curse you 05:32 and in you all the nations of the earth shall be blessed." 05:36 That's right. 05:37 God's plan for Abram 05:41 was to send him out from the country 05:42 he was in into his own land 05:44 where he could establish a great nation 05:46 from its descendants, 05:48 but that nation should be a blessing 05:52 to everyone else. 05:54 God was establishing Abraham and Israel, 05:59 his son who is Isaac named Israel 06:02 that followed to make them the conduit of blessing 06:06 Jacob named Israel. Jacob. I'm sorry. 06:08 That's what I meant actually, 06:09 but I was thinking of the son of Abraham. 06:11 So yeah, Jacob, and make them a blessing to all the earth 06:15 through the gospel that was go to the world, 06:17 the gospel and the salvation through Jesus Christ 06:20 and you'll find here then in the Book of Isaiah 06:27 that it says in Isaiah 49:6, "Indeed He says, 06:31 'It is too small a thing that you should be my servant 06:34 to raise up the tribes of Jacob, 06:37 and to restore the preserved ones of Israel, 06:39 I will give You as a light to the Gentiles, 06:43 that you shall be my salvation to the ends of the earth. 06:45 Again, more of the intent behind 06:47 why God set them apart as his people, 06:50 to not only make them a great nation, 06:51 to give them their own land, 06:53 but that land will be a light to the Gentiles. 06:56 Jesus himself said, "who lights a light in the house 07:00 and puts a basket over it? 07:03 Who does that? 07:04 But you should let it shine throughout from the hilltop 07:09 to everyone around you 07:10 and He designed that this nation 07:12 that He was establishing 07:13 was to be a light to the Gentiles 07:15 and to bring salvation to the ends of the earth, 07:19 and then what we do is we go forward 07:21 and see in the Book of Acts 07:22 where Peter himself quotes from this very same passage 07:25 speaking of the church saying that He has caused us, 07:29 He has given us the message to bring salvation 07:31 to the end of the world. 07:33 The church was then giving that responsibility. 07:35 You know, I will go as far as to say that 07:39 if Israel as a people, as a nation, 07:42 had fulfilled God's mission 07:45 which Paul and Barnabas said clearly that they did not, 07:48 they refused to do that. 07:49 The leaders would not follow Christ 07:51 and usher in His ministry as Messiah to all the world, 07:55 but had they fulfilled that purpose, 07:56 there would have been no need for the church. 07:58 Right, you're right, you're right 08:00 The church would have been Israel as the nation 08:03 fulfilling the full plan God had designed for them 08:06 to bring salvation to the end of the world. 08:08 But God chose the church so through the Gentiles now, 08:11 because Israel as a nation, 08:14 the Jews refused to take up that responsibility, 08:17 is using the church to convey that message as well. 08:19 So in many respects the church is fulfilling 08:22 what God originally designed for Abraham 08:25 and his descendants to do. 08:27 What an amazing thought that is and a privilege it is for us 08:29 to be able to serve God in that way 08:32 and to represent Him as ambassadors of Christ 08:35 to the world that needs to hear 08:37 this wonderful message of Christ and His redemption. 08:40 And you know, John, when you talk about that, 08:43 the beauty of the work that God has called us to do 08:46 as Christians and I just want to add the word Christians 08:50 because the Bible does use the word Christians. 08:53 In Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas makes it clear 08:59 and they're speaking to the very nation 09:01 that God chose, 09:02 they're speaking to the leaders of the nation 09:04 that God chose to be a light to the world, 09:07 but they chose to forfeit that opportunity 09:10 and now the Lord instead of saying, 09:12 "Well, I guess we can't reach the world." 09:14 He chose another group of individuals, disciples, 09:19 then becoming New Testament apostles 09:21 and you find in Acts 13:42 09:27 speaking of the sermons 09:29 and when the Jews went out of the synagogue 09:31 the Gentiles begged that these words 09:34 might be preached to them the next Sabbath. 09:38 Now, when the congregation had broken up many of the Jews 09:41 and devout proselytes, that's converts, 09:45 followed Paul and Barnabas who speaking to them, 09:48 persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. 09:52 And now verse 44, "On the next Sabbath 09:53 almost the whole city came together 09:57 to hear the word of God." 09:58 That's what the Lord intended. 10:00 The Lord had plans for the Israelites 10:03 to be witnesses to the Amalekites and Jebusites 10:06 and Hittites and Amorites and Perizzites 10:09 and the list goes on and on, all of the ites. 10:11 The Lord had plans for them 10:12 to bring the gospel to these nations, 10:15 but instead of bringing the gospel to these nations, 10:18 they became like these nations. 10:22 Instead of bringing the gospel to the Babylonians, 10:25 they became like the Babylonians 10:27 and so look what it says down verse 45, 10:30 so the gospel is going forward, 10:32 people want to hear it, 10:33 "But when the Jews saw the multitudes," 10:35 verse 45, "they were filled with envy, 10:39 and contradicting and blaspheming, 10:41 they opposed the things spoken by Paul. 10:45 Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said," 10:47 here is the verse. 10:49 "It was necessary that the word of God 10:51 should be spoken to you first, 10:53 but since you rejected and judge yourselves 10:56 unworthy of everlasting life, behold, 10:58 we turn to the Gentiles."' 11:01 But here was God's commanded in Isaiah 42, 11:04 "For so the Lord has commanded us, 11:06 I have set you to be a light to the Gentiles 11:09 that you should be for salvation 11:10 to the ends of the earth." 11:12 So as you were saying, 11:14 John, that's what Lord chose Israel to do. 11:17 And He says be the light. 11:18 Yeah, and I think that one of the challenges 11:21 that we have today is lot of... 11:23 Most Christians have their eyes on the Middle East 11:28 for prophetic events and what's going to come 11:30 and what's going to happen and the reason for that is 11:34 because of the theology behind it, 11:37 because the situation really is that 11:41 Israel as a nation rejected their mission 11:44 and then Paul and the apostles from disciples 11:48 that turned apostles as you mentioned 11:50 came to the church and then brought that mission 11:52 and that mission is coming through the church. 11:54 What most have adopted as theology 11:57 behind this is what's called Dual-covenant, 12:00 the Dual-covenant theory. 12:02 And that is that God has two concurrently running covenants, 12:05 one with the nation of Israel and one with the church. 12:09 The church is under a new covenant. 12:11 The nation of Israel continues to reside under 12:13 the old covenant of God that originally was made 12:16 through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 12:19 And so these are concurrently running covenants 12:21 and so what's happening is as Christians 12:24 they believe that God has his people 12:27 and is still using His people of Israel 12:30 to workout his purposes throughout the earth 12:32 and so their focus, their eyes on what's happening to Israel. 12:36 When the Bible doesn't speak of that, 12:38 this Bible talks about one everlasting covenant 12:41 and that covenant was initially brought through Abraham 12:44 and then Isaac and then Jacob who was named Israel 12:48 and throughout that nation down to the time of Christ 12:51 and then as they have rejected the Christ, their Messiah, 12:55 it then moves to the heir of the church, 12:58 the same everlasting covenant, 12:59 but the covenant moves to a church or to the church 13:04 and will reside with the church 13:05 till the very end to finish this work. 13:07 Now, Paul talks about how God did not forsake His people. 13:11 They could be grafted back in to that line, 13:15 that line of truth and that the people 13:19 that God had been using from the very beginning. 13:22 But what some... 13:23 probably the clearest way to say it is 13:25 what was Israel as a nation 13:27 before is now Israel, the Church. 13:30 That's right, that's right, that's right. 13:31 Okay, so when we see Israel, 13:33 when the New Testament speaks of Israel, 13:35 when Revelation talks about the people of Israel, 13:38 God's people finishing the work, 13:40 it's not talking about the nation of Israel anymore, 13:44 it's talking about Israel, the Church 13:46 and that is an important thing to remember 13:48 because we're talking about prophecy 13:51 and end time events and those things 13:53 or I should not be on 13:55 what's happening in the Middle East, 13:57 our eye should be on what's focused 13:59 or what's happening with the church 14:02 and God's people and how they are going out 14:04 to the world to finish sharing the gospel. 14:07 You know, John, this topic is so vitally important 14:09 because a lot of policies have been made with Israel in mind 14:14 and in our country, obviously, 14:17 politically and they are allies, 14:20 nothing wrong with that and we support that. 14:23 I think that is good to have allies out there any nation 14:25 but part of a driving factor is 14:29 that Israel is seen as the chosen people of God 14:33 and so when it comes to the evangelical world, 14:36 if you listen to the other Christian leaders 14:39 they continually refer to Israel, 14:41 the literal Israel today in the Middle East 14:43 as the chosen of God, the people of God, 14:46 the chosen nation of God 14:49 and truly they were chosen in the sense... 14:51 as you made it really clear, 14:52 I don't want to go over that ground any longer, 14:54 but, yes, God chose them to be heirs of salvation, 14:58 but the Bible says, He didn't chose them 15:00 because they were better than anyone else, 15:04 but He chose them to make them a special people 15:06 like He gives, like today, 15:08 if a person gets a job at the post office, 15:10 well, when he is not working, he is just like you and me, 15:12 but when he is at work, 15:14 he has a job to get the messages 15:15 and then mail delivered that's what made them unique 15:17 over the other nations, 15:19 but now to give you a couples of passages 15:21 to show that the church show that the inheritance of Abraham 15:25 is a spiritual inheritance, not a national inheritance. 15:29 Galatians 3: 29, 15:34 "And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, 15:39 and heirs according to the promise." 15:42 That is if you are in Christ, 15:43 then this promise that I made to Abraham, I make to you. 15:47 Romans 2:28, 15:49 "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, 15:54 nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh." 15:59 So those who say, 16:01 well, because of my national heritage, 16:02 because of my lineage age that I am the chosen of God, 16:07 the Bible does not support that and then Romans 9:6. 16:12 In other words, the Bible does not support 16:13 that in an exclusive sense 16:15 that they are the only one accessible to the gospel. 16:18 Romans 9:6 is another one, 16:20 "But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. 16:24 For they are not all Israel who are of Israel." 16:30 So you may be born in the nation, 16:32 but you are not necessarily 16:33 Israel in the sense of the promise 16:35 because when Jacob's name was changed to Israel, 16:38 it means those who have overcome 16:40 and that clearly as Revelation 12, verse... 16:44 I believe, verse 10 and 11 points it out, 16:46 "They have overcame by the blood of the Lamb." 16:49 So when Jesus Christ is not in the mixed as Israel 16:52 has rejected Jesus as the Messiah, 16:54 then the promise of Abraham 16:57 is no longer imparted or imputed to them, 17:01 but so now it comes down to the church. 17:03 Any further comments? 17:04 Yeah, I want to do one quick comparison. 17:07 Look up Revelation 1:5 and 6. 17:11 I'm going to read Exodus 19:5 and 6. 17:15 Okay, I do Revelation. 17:16 So, here is the Lord speaking to the nation of Israel 17:20 from Exodus 19:5 and 6. 17:22 It says, "Now therefore, 17:23 if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, 17:26 then you shall be a special treasure to Me 17:29 above all people, for all the earth is Mine 17:31 and you shall be to Me 17:33 a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." 17:38 So first of all, this is conditional, right? 17:41 If you obey Me, then you shall be a nation 17:44 that is designed specifically for Me to use you, 17:47 a kingdom of priest and a holy nation. 17:50 Now, read Revelation 1:5 and 6. 17:54 Revelation 1:5 and 6, "And from Jesus Christ, 17:57 the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, 18:00 and the ruler over the kings of the earth. 18:04 To Him who loved us 18:10 and washed us from our sins in His own blood." 18:13 And verse 6, "And has made us kings 18:17 and priests to His God and Father, 18:21 to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. 18:23 Amen." 18:25 This is a letter to the church. That's right. 18:28 And the church has been made, what? 18:31 Kings and priests. 18:33 In fact, Peter, in 1 Peter 2:9 said, 18:35 "But you are a chosen generation, 18:37 a royal priesthood, a holy nation, 18:39 His own special people." 18:41 Peter is quoting from Exodus 19:5 and 6. 18:44 That's right. 18:46 So when you say there is this concurrently running covenant 18:50 that is for both, that's not biblical. 18:52 It's not the biblical view. 18:54 Peter and Paul and everyone that associated, 18:58 that was part of the work of the early apostolic church 19:01 connected the church's work as a fulfillment of the promise 19:05 given to the nation of Israel. 19:08 And so you can't keep your eyes focused on 19:11 what's going on over there because they are no longer 19:13 as a corporate people, God's people. 19:17 The church is God's people. 19:20 Now, those that are Jews can accept Christ 19:22 and be grafted back in 19:24 and became part of the body of Christ 19:25 and the church of God, Israel, the Church, 19:28 but there is no indication at all with the New Testament, 19:31 keeps the focus on the nation of Israel 19:34 after Christ's death and resurrection. 19:36 I think the point is really clear but that's the big, 19:39 that's the big, hot button today in the world 19:43 and the exclusivity of it is what causes so much controversy 19:47 because I know, I was raised in New York City 19:50 and there are large, large gaping communities 19:53 where Jewish congregations are established, 19:56 the synagogue is there, and, John, 19:59 that's one of the reasons why when you look at that, 20:01 when you see the diversity or the controversy 20:07 between Judaism and Christianity 20:10 which Judeo-Christianity is scriptural, 20:14 but when you see the controversy 20:15 between those who have accepted Christ 20:17 and those who have not, 20:19 then you begin to understand the great controversy 20:22 that exists here, but in reality, 20:27 national heritage is not the exclusive right 20:32 that makes us sons and daughters of God. 20:34 It is a promise by faith that God extended 20:38 through Abraham that said, 20:41 "Through you all the nations of the earth will be blessed." 20:45 And truly that's a spiritual promise. 20:47 It was intended for Israel, 20:49 but in the rejection of the Messiah 20:51 that promise has now been conveyed to the church 20:54 as it stands today. 20:55 Very clear point. 20:57 Thank you for bringing that out, John. 20:59 One more question. 21:01 This is from Andrea, 21:05 doesn't say where she is from, but it says, 21:07 "Why do we draw images of Christ and Satan 21:11 and all those prophets and angels 21:14 when the word of God said not to?" 21:17 Let me go ahead and read the passages in the Bible. 21:20 Very good question. 21:21 Thank you so much, Andrea. 21:24 Let me read the Bible 21:25 and particularly the verse I believe 21:28 or the verses that you refer to is in Exodus 20:46. 21:32 Do you have that, John? 21:34 I like you to read 21:35 that as I am preparing some commentary here. 21:36 Exodus 20:4-6 and you don't have to read all of 6, 21:41 but I think middle of 5 is good. 21:44 Okay. 21:46 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, 21:49 any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, 21:51 or that is in the earth beneath, 21:53 or that is in the water under the earth, 21:55 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. 21:59 For I, the Lord your God, I am a jealous God, 22:01 visiting the iniquity of the fathers 22:02 upon the children to the third and fourth generations 22:04 of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, 22:08 to those who love and keep My commandments." 22:09 Right. 22:10 So the point I want to bring out here 22:12 is the carved images, 22:14 carved images which is still a practice 22:16 in many cultures today. 22:18 I've traveled to India, I have been to Asia. 22:20 I have been to various parts of the world. 22:23 When I went to India, I was amazed 22:25 as I am driving during the night, 22:28 I would see this big bright light 22:31 near the freeway and as I passed by, 22:34 I saw people, I mean, late at night, 22:38 they are in front of a statue, 22:39 either there are lot of candles there 22:41 or there are electric floodlights 22:43 pointing at this image and they are there, 22:48 some of them are faced to the ground 22:49 and they are bowing down and they are worshiping 22:51 these images and then I went to a Hindu temple 22:55 and a Buddhist temple and then 22:57 you see these massive columns carved of images 23:00 going as high up like an obelisk 23:03 and you walk into these temples 23:05 where they say remove your shoes, 23:06 I want to go see inquisitively 23:08 looking at some of these things in other cultures 23:12 and there is a reverence for these images 23:17 that cannot possibly do a God can do 23:22 and when the Bible talks about, 23:25 "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images." 23:28 It is not saying, it's not talking 23:30 about pictures per se or it's not even talking about, 23:33 like if somebody in a garden setting, 23:36 I have seen this done in some church parking, 23:39 some church gardens or in the front of cathedrals 23:42 or in front of, you know, cemeteries, 23:45 there will be an image of Christ 23:47 holding the commandments or holding a cross in his hand. 23:51 "When these images become the focus of worship 23:57 which has been the case in countless cultures 24:02 that's when the Lord, 24:03 His jealousy is revealed, for I, the Lord, your God, 24:07 I am a jealous God." 24:09 In other words, 24:10 don't give the worship of God to those of idols 24:14 and He illustrates that in the Book of Psalms 115:2. 24:20 Let me go ahead and read this here. 24:23 Psalm 115:2 starts by here, 24:26 "Why should the Gentiles say, 'So where is their God?' 24:30 "Now in this context, He is speaking about Israel. 24:33 So why should the Gentiles says where is their God? 24:36 "But our God is in heaven. 24:39 He does whatever He pleases." 24:43 Now, look at this comparison. 24:44 "Their idols are silver and gold, 24:48 the works of men's hands. 24:50 They have mouths, but they do not speak, 24:54 Eyes they have, but they do not see, 24:56 They have ears, but they do not hear, 24:58 Noses they have, but they do not smell, 25:01 They have hands, but they do not handle, 25:03 Feet they have, but they do not walk, 25:05 Nor do they mutter through their throats. 25:09 Those who make them are like them, 25:12 So is everyone who trusts in them. 25:17 O Israel, trust in the Lord, 25:19 He is their helper and their shield. 25:21 So the Bible is making very clear comparison, 25:23 and you know, John, today in our world 25:25 if you are watching, 25:26 and maybe I want to try to put this in the context the way 25:29 I understand the question. 25:30 Sometimes an evangelistic series is being given 25:32 or sometimes somebody will draw painting 25:34 like a very famous artist Nathan Greene. 25:37 He has some beautiful paintings, 25:39 one of those where surgeons are working 25:42 in an operating room 25:43 and he has in the background a picture 25:46 of what he thinks Christ may look like 25:50 and kind of residing over this operation, 25:55 guiding the hands, so to speak of the physicians. 25:57 Then, there is another one where there is a picture 26:00 of a black sheep and then, 26:01 see Christ in the wilderness setting 26:04 and He is carrying this lost sheep back home. 26:07 So there are various images. 26:09 Those are not for the purpose of worship, 26:11 but those are illustrating the compassion 26:13 and the blessings of the Lord 26:15 but never should they be used to be an object of worship 26:20 and that's what the Bible is talking about. 26:22 Because when you go on in scripture, 26:26 the Lord and I'll find the passage for you, 26:28 the Lord on a rod, 26:30 He put a brazen serpent and He said, 26:33 "All those who look at this will live." 26:36 Why a serpent when the serpent is a symbol of Satan. 26:41 The Lord used it as a symbol. 26:42 He said, "If you look at this, 26:44 you will look at this and live." 26:46 It was in fact later on 26:48 when they started to venerate it 26:50 that He said destroy it. 26:52 Destroy it, exactly. 26:53 So when He said look, He wasn't saying worship. 26:56 He was saying just look to live 26:57 because it was a representation of the healing power of God, 27:02 but also the One who would bring healing, 27:04 but also die on the cross. 27:06 So it was, it pointed to Jesus. 27:09 So clearly it was a representation of Christ, 27:12 but yet it became an object of worship that He had to say, 27:15 you know, that needs to be destroyed 27:16 and they finally did destroy it. 27:18 No one knows where it is to this day. 27:19 And you find in the Bible a lot pf comparisons, 27:22 you know, the brazen serpent representation of Christ, 27:24 but the serpent of all, Satan. 27:26 The lamb slain from the foundation of the world 27:28 Christ, the lamb like Satan. 27:31 Yeah, in fact, the whole sanctuary service 27:33 centered around images 27:34 that were representation of things in heaven, 27:38 but they didn't worship them. 27:39 They were representations to help show us 27:41 the pattern of salvation and what God was doing 27:44 through the history of time and through His people, 27:47 and so clearly the second commandment 27:49 is about creating something for the purpose 27:52 of bowing down and worshiping it. 27:54 It's not just about a picture or a carved image. 27:57 That's we can't reduce it just to that. 28:01 It's got to be in regard of the context of worship. 28:04 And so when the Israelites rebelled in the wilderness, 28:07 one of the rebellion points was, they said, 28:10 "Make us Gods that we may return to Egypt 28:14 and Aaron made a God of the beaten gold. 28:19 He made a golden calf, but now later on 28:22 when the sanctuary was build, the temple services, 28:25 you find over the mercy seat, 28:27 you have two angels made of gold, 28:30 but the Lord never intended 28:32 for those to be objects of worship 28:34 because in Revelation 19:10 28:37 when John the Revelator is seen in looking in vision 28:41 and he is about to bow down and worship the angel, 28:45 the angel said, "Oh, see that you do not do that, 28:49 I'm of your fellow servant and your brethren, 28:52 worship God." 28:54 He pointed him. 28:55 So when these pictures are used in illustrations 28:58 or evangelic series or you see it in the halls of churches, 29:01 those are not articles of worship, 29:03 but in some churches and some movements, 29:06 they do make them objects of worship. 29:08 That's why you have to be able to use the discretion 29:11 that God has given to you. 29:12 Illustrations compare to objects of worship. 29:16 I think we are done for our questions today. 29:18 Yeah, I think so. 29:19 All right, we are going to take a little more time 29:20 on our regular topic, but if you have any question 29:22 you like to send whether by letter or by e-mail, 29:25 here is the e-mail that you can send them 29:27 to housecalls@3abn.org, 29:30 that's housecalls@3abn.org. 29:33 If you want to send it to the snail mail 29:37 and you don't have computers because some people 29:38 write me and say I don't have computers, 29:40 you can send them to 3ABN, P.O. Box 220, 29:45 West Frankfort, Illinois 62896, attention House Calls. 29:51 John, let's dive back into our topic 29:53 and go ahead and we have been talking about this topic 29:55 of is there an afterlife in the context 29:57 of what's happening in our world today. 29:59 Yeah, we have kind of reproached it 30:00 from a practical perspective, 30:01 from a temporary perspective is as of today 30:04 recognizing that there is more and more an increasing number 30:08 of programs on TV, movies everywhere, 30:11 subjects you can look up online 30:14 of things that involve the spiritual world, 30:17 life after death and trying to connect in with that. 30:20 And of course, we can read from scripture 30:22 that God clearly said and commanded His people 30:27 to don't ever seek of anything that has already died, 30:32 because He knew that as a substitute 30:34 for that thing that has as died 30:36 or that person or individual that has died, 30:38 you will get a demonic power 30:40 who will pretend or will come in 30:43 as a representation of that individual 30:45 and so we are seeing practical aspects of that. 30:47 John, I was talking to my wife who is a teacher 30:51 and in an Adventist schools, 30:53 you'll often find many non-Adventists students 30:57 coming through from families 30:58 who want their children to get good Christian educations 31:01 and it's amazing how many times 31:04 when they bring this subjects up 31:05 of what the Bible says about life after death 31:09 that these students talk 31:12 about how sprits have appeared in their homes. 31:17 She said it's almost like after several times 31:21 of going through this, 31:22 it became a kind of regular occurrence 31:24 where they were happy to see 31:26 what the Bible said about it because their family 31:29 either their mom or their dad or their grandparents 31:32 or something would talk about some event 31:34 where this had happened, 31:36 a family member or someone they knew or loved came back 31:39 from the grave and appeared to them. 31:41 And so, this is something that people are interested in 31:46 and I believe because of that interest, 31:49 the devil is responding in a way 31:51 that he has not responded before. 31:53 We are seeing more and more 31:56 not only programming and so forth, 31:58 but it is a consumer society, 31:59 we're seeing more and more of this stuff 32:01 because people are seeking it out. 32:03 And so, this is one of the reasons 32:05 why we felt this program was necessary at this time. 32:08 And, John, you know, it goes way back 32:11 when you think of the foundation, 32:12 foundations have a lot to do with what's happening today. 32:15 When we were growing up, 32:17 at least when I was growing up in a way little, 32:20 you know, we are not far apart in age, 32:22 but it was all put in the context of comedy, 32:27 Casper the Friendly Ghost, friendly! 32:31 And then they have Bewitched, Sabrina the Teenage Witch. 32:38 You know, they tinkling the Disney 32:40 and all these other programs, 32:42 they made it kind of palatable and hospitable 32:46 and then the Monsters and then The Addams Family 32:51 and then all this programs that kind of chiseled away 32:57 and planted the idea, 32:58 like I remember watching Bewitched years ago and, 33:05 you know, one of the actors in the show say, 33:08 "Oh, I did this 500 years ago." 33:12 And so, people get the idea that that don't read the Bibles 33:15 that somehow these beings existed centuries ago 33:20 and they have this continue ongoing life fact 33:23 to which many of them referred to 33:25 as the soul of the sprit continuing. 33:27 And then there are these modern shows 33:29 like this one called Suburgatory 33:33 like sub purgatory. 33:36 It comes from the spin off of the phrase purgatory 33:39 which is kind of this ethereal place 33:42 in Catholicism people are taught 33:44 that they go to purgatory when they die, 33:47 but because it's happening in the suburbs, 33:50 it's a place where dead people... 33:54 dead people live and hangout, the suburbs. 33:58 So they modernize it to reach the audiences like you and me 34:02 or the yuppies and the buppies and the, 34:04 you know, the people that are just 34:06 the cell phone generation. 34:09 Then, there is one called Six Feet Under, where... 34:14 and then years ago 34:15 there was a one with Warren Beatty 34:16 called Heaven Can Wait and all dogs go to heaven. 34:19 And these constant thoughts, 34:21 these bombardments of people that don't read their Bible, 34:24 they have no safeguard, 34:26 so they don't have anything to measure it against. 34:29 So once somebody shows up, I know, I need to say, 34:33 I know an Adventist family 34:35 that attended one of our churches 34:36 that we passed in California and after church 34:38 one Sabbath, they were laughing, 34:40 laughing together and when I said to one of the guys, 34:43 "Hey, what's so funny," 34:44 after church people are gathering outside 34:47 and they were talking about this ghost, 34:50 this ghost that shows up at their dinner table 34:52 while they are eating dinner and they said, 34:54 "Oh, it's a funny ghost," it's not a... 34:57 and one of their sons 34:58 who had received recent conversion said, 35:01 "This is not funny dad, this is not funny." 35:05 They laughed, they said, "Oh, we laugh when it shows up 35:07 and it does little funny things in the kitchen like, 35:09 it will knock over a cup, or throw a fork at our table. 35:13 Oh, we have seen it. Yeah, we have seen it. 35:15 He is in kitchen." 35:17 And I'm thinking, you guys got to be kidding me 35:20 and I went over and visited with them 35:23 and we prayed and these things ceased to happen. 35:25 But that was happening and I thought that some of us 35:29 as Adventists are shielded from that, 35:32 but if you don't have the word of God, 35:34 no matter what your denomination, 35:35 these things can happen. 35:37 That's true. 35:38 And this doctrine, this idea, this thought, 35:41 this teaching has come into the church 35:45 through Greek philosophy and mythology 35:49 and most don't know it, most don't know 35:52 where this originated from and its the original teaching 35:55 was from the Greeks that perceived the body 36:01 and a spirit as separate. 36:02 They believed that the body had was the evil part. 36:07 It was a place that you sowed and did bad things 36:10 that drove you to do bad things and that the spirits itself 36:13 was the good part and then when you died, 36:15 you lived on in your goodness, okay, 36:19 and so what happened was, 36:21 you know, you heard the term Hellenistic. 36:26 The whole Middle East had become Hellenistic. 36:27 In other words, 36:29 they become Greek philosophized so to speak, 36:32 a Greek influenced that whole area 36:35 and the Jews at the time were not immune to this. 36:40 They also experienced this because the Roman Empire, 36:44 as it conquered the Greeks, it actually expanded 36:48 the Greek influence and the ideas 36:50 even in its culture and its design of its buildings 36:54 and things you have a Romanesque 36:57 kind of representation of what the Greeks had originated. 37:02 So it's very influenced by the Greeks, 37:04 but so is the theology, 37:06 and this was carried right into the early church 37:08 especially as the pagans began to come in 37:14 to the church in droves. 37:15 They brought this theology with them 37:17 and this is where it comes from. 37:18 So, you know, we think of it as just, well, 37:20 this is the Bible's teaching from the very beginning, 37:22 but we don't realize, no one had an original time and place 37:25 where it came into the church and it became a doctrine. 37:30 And in fact, I believe that Paul, 37:33 as he wrote to the church in Corinth was alluding to this. 37:37 When he said in 2 Corinthians 11, 37:40 you know this text, John. 37:42 He is talking about the truth versus error. 37:45 The ministers that were ministering in truth 37:48 and those who were ministering 37:49 in unrighteousness or wickedness 37:52 and so then he says in 2 Corinthians 11:13, 37:58 "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, 38:03 transforming themselves into apostles of Christ." 38:06 So there are people who claim to be apostles 38:09 of Jesus who actually were false workers. 38:12 And then notice this, 38:13 listen to how He ties in their error, 38:17 "And no wonder, 38:19 For Satan himself also transforms 38:22 himself into an angel of what, light." 38:26 Therefore, it's no great thing if his ministers also transform 38:29 themselves into ministers of righteousness 38:31 whose end will be according to their works." 38:33 Paul is associating what Satan was doing 38:37 coming in the likeness of good things 38:40 with what the ministers were doing. 38:42 This is a bridge that was happening 38:44 that Paul was talking about between the theology 38:47 that was coming into the church by false workers 38:49 and the stuff the church 38:51 was trying to do to remain pure in its form the biblical truths 38:53 which are that these inflows, these manifestations, 38:58 these things around were not of God. 39:01 They were not the people what that they claim to be. 39:03 They weren't the things that they were representing 39:06 themselves to be and to this stage, John, 39:08 we the church at large, for the most part, 39:12 still is indoctrinated with this error 39:17 of the immortal soul and life beyond death 39:22 with people that have passed away, 39:23 they come back to life and even speaking of them 39:26 as "They are my angel" 39:28 who is guiding me along through life. 39:30 I have relatives and I often, 39:34 you know, when someone, they will put on Facebook, 39:38 "Oh, so and so just died. 39:40 He is my angel. 39:41 He is lighting over me. 39:42 Say a prayer for me. 39:44 Speak to this person for me, send a message." 39:47 And then one person once said to me 39:49 they were sitting at church service. 39:51 This was about five months ago. 39:52 They said, and it really threw them, 39:54 they went back to the church that they used to attend 39:56 and the preacher was preaching and he says, 39:58 "Hey, got a postcard from heaven recently" 40:02 and he said it just made the hair 40:03 on their shoulders stand up 40:05 and I said why were you there? 40:06 Well, I like the music. 40:08 They went back because they like the music 40:10 and the worship styles and all that. 40:12 And I said, see, when you are going back 40:13 to the very place you know darkness exists 40:15 and what happens is 40:16 when you don't receive a love for the truth, 40:18 you set yourself up to become deceived by all these facets, 40:21 but this teaching, John, 40:23 that pervaded the New Testament church 40:25 was called Neo-Platonism which was a teaching 40:30 that separated the body from the soul, from the spirit. 40:36 You know, you find body, soul, and spirit. 40:37 The Bible speaks about the entire man 40:40 and when the Bible speaks about the body, 40:42 it was talking about the physical self. 40:44 When it spoke about the soul, 40:45 it was talking about the intellectual self. 40:48 When it spoke about the spirit, 40:50 it's talking about the life force 40:52 and God breathed into man's nostrils the breath of life. 40:55 Job 27:3, "The spirit of God is in my nostrils." 40:58 It was not talking about some ethereal 41:01 other self existing in there. 41:03 And so, when a person passed away, 41:06 you know, the phenomenal teaching of Neo-Platonism 41:09 was the soul as a moving essence generates 41:14 the corporal or the phenomenal world 41:17 and so when a person dies, 41:20 according to Neo-Platonism, 41:22 there is a separation from body and soul 41:25 and it goes on to this phenomenal world 41:28 and there they gather and that's the reason 41:33 why the afterlife is so embraced today. 41:36 People believe that these shadowy images 41:40 that they see are visitors from the phenomenal world. 41:43 These voices that they hear are visitors 41:46 from the phenomenal world that really does not exist, 41:49 but Neo-Platonism, and you know, 41:52 one of the things that Jesus did 41:53 to try to destroy this doctrine because it pervaded the church 41:56 through the Greeks and then to the Jews of Jesus' day 41:59 was when Lazarus died, 42:02 He stayed away for four days. 42:04 And when you think about why would He stay away 42:06 for four days and even Mary and Martha 42:08 were somewhat upset with Him because he... 42:10 She said, "If you had come early 42:11 my brother would not have died." 42:14 Jesus stayed away for four days, four days 42:16 because the teaching that soul like a mosquito 42:20 trying to get into your house made attempts for three days 42:23 to get back into the body 42:24 and if it was successful 42:25 the person would come back to life. 42:27 That's the way the Jews explained things 42:29 that were being done by Jesus through the resurrected force. 42:33 They were counteracting all of his miracles by saying, 42:36 "Oh, the soul just returned" 42:37 and was commonly called Neo-Platonism. 42:39 That's the term used today. 42:42 But, Jesus stayed away for four days 42:45 to completely destroy that theory and concept 42:49 and when Jesus said, 42:50 "I am the resurrection and the life." 42:52 And the news got back to the Pharisees 42:54 that Lazarus was back alive. 42:57 Lazarus didn't come down. 42:59 Lazarus didn't return from a different location. 43:01 Lazarus didn't hear His voice 43:03 while He was talking to people in heaven 43:05 and said I got to go. 43:07 Lazarus came forth from the tomb 43:08 wrapped in grave clothing 43:11 and he had said nothing about a prior existence. 43:14 From that day on, the Bible says 43:16 they determined that Jesus must die. 43:19 That's how they wanted that teaching to go on 43:22 and today it does not represent Christ. 43:25 It's a false teaching that Jesus debunked 43:28 and those who embraced it did not accept 43:30 Christ, false apostles. 43:31 That's right. 43:33 And, so you might say, well, what does the Bible 43:34 then say about how life is created, 43:37 how are we made up, 43:38 how is the body comprised, how is the soul comprised, 43:42 when we're talking about when the Bible speaks of a soul 43:45 and you find that in Genesis 2, right? 43:47 That's right, Genesis 2:7. 43:49 So probably just revisit that really quickly 43:51 and then the reverse happens at death 43:53 and we'll go to Psalm 146 for that one. 43:56 Well, actually some... 43:57 yeah, that's a very good one and then Ecclesiastes 12:7. 44:02 Let's go to Genesis 2, if you get to read for me, 44:04 okay, I'm there. 44:05 Here it is. 44:07 Genesis 2:7 and the Bible says, 44:08 "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, 44:12 and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, 44:16 and man became a living being." 44:18 Now, I like the New King James Version 44:20 because as a living being 44:22 the license to talk about soul, notice, he became 44:28 and the King James says he became a living soul. 44:32 I want to reiterate, he wasn't given a living soul, 44:36 he became a living soul. 44:38 The combination of the body 44:40 and the breath of God made him now a living soul. 44:44 All right? 44:46 So now the reverse of that. 44:47 Go to the reverse of that. 44:48 And the reverse of that would be upon death 44:51 the psalmist speaks in Psalm 146:4 44:54 that His spirit departs, 44:56 that the same breath that God breathed into Adam 45:00 when he first created him, the spirit departs, 45:02 he returns to his earth, 45:04 that's the body becoming dust again, 45:06 in that very day his thoughts or plans perished. 45:12 So the reverse of exactly what God was doing 45:14 to create Adam happens at death and say, 45:18 well, okay, so then, 45:19 you know what, what about this spirit departing 45:24 or the breath going back to God, 45:25 what is that speaking off? 45:26 Well, God knows each and everyone of us intricately 45:30 and He retains, He reserves the right 45:33 and He has the right to raise up everyone 45:36 and to give them back that which they had, 45:38 life but in a better life, an eternal life 45:42 that is given to each one 45:43 who accepts His Son as their Savior 45:46 and their Lord and so the reason, 45:49 he is talking about the spirit departing, 45:50 the breath going back up 45:52 is because there is an element that is part of man, 45:55 you mentioned the soul as this cognitive, 45:57 this thinking, this conscious, this... 46:00 The whole man, the whole thinking function there. 46:02 The whole person and how it functions together. 46:04 Well, that part is reserved and retained by God Himself 46:07 to restore a man upon the resurrection. 46:09 Right. 46:10 The reason why there is a resurrection 46:12 at the end of time is because God is the one 46:14 that has the life giving power to bring back 46:17 those who have died. 46:19 If you're already in heaven, 46:20 there is no reason to bring you back 46:23 or bring you somewhere that you already exist 46:27 and so clearly we're finding here 46:28 in the Bible a consistency, what I just used? 46:30 What word is that? 46:32 Consistency. Consistently. 46:33 There is consistent methodical way 46:35 the Bible works through, all of its topics, 46:38 and this topic on the giving of life 46:41 and the ending of life is consistent throughout it. 46:45 And so, when the spirit returns to God, 46:47 you know, his breath goes forth, 46:48 he returns to this earth 46:49 and that that very day his thoughts perished. 46:51 I'll read another one and a couple up... 46:52 Go to Job, John, Job 34:14 and 15. 46:56 It shows clearly and it makes very distinct 47:00 differentiation between the body 47:03 and the spirit because people that 47:08 have embraced the idea that the soul does not go on 47:11 and the soul is not immortal, they try to find other avenues. 47:14 You know, when you destroy one avenue, 47:16 they try to add another avenue to that. 47:17 I'm gonna read Ecclesiastes 12:7. 47:21 The opposite of the dust that received the spirit of life, 47:26 now what happens to the dust? 47:27 Verse 7 of Ecclesiastes 12, 47:30 "Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, 47:33 And the spirit will return to God who gave it." 47:36 And the spirit, there is the breath of life 47:39 that God breathed into man's nostrils." 47:41 Job 27:3. 47:43 Now, read these verses in Job 34:14 and 15 47:47 that really clarifies exactly why people die. 47:50 Go ahead read that. 47:52 "If He should set His heart on it, 47:53 if He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath, 47:57 all flesh would perish together, 47:58 and man would return to dust." 48:01 Is that clear? Yeah. 48:02 So if the Lord would take His spirit 48:04 and His breath away, 48:06 all flesh would perish together and man would return to dust. 48:13 That's exactly what happens when... 48:15 that's why when, you know, man cannot give life, 48:18 man cannot put breath in us to bring the body to life, 48:23 but whenever, you know, you are about to slip away 48:26 and they do the CPR, 48:27 they are trying to keep the flow of air 48:29 into the organs to keep them functioning, 48:31 but when a person, when you go to cemetery 48:34 we can't bring up a set of paddles 48:36 to shock the heart and we can't bring people 48:40 don't go and give these corpses mouth-to-mouth resuscitation 48:43 and bring them to life. 48:44 Only God can do that. 48:46 Are you still in Ecclesiastes? Yeah, I'm there. 48:48 Read Ecclesiastes 3:19. 48:50 Sure, okay, here I am, 3:19, here it is. 48:55 "For what happens to the sons of men 48:59 also happens to beasts, one thing befalls them all: 49:02 as one dies, so dies the other. 49:05 Surely, they all have one breath, 49:08 man has no advantage over beasts, for all is vanity. 49:12 All go to one place: all are from the dust, 49:16 and all return to the dust." 49:19 Okay, in verse 21, "Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, 49:23 which goes upward, and the spirit of the beasts, 49:26 which goes down to the earth?" 49:29 And the point you were making there, 49:31 why does the spirit of man go upward? 49:34 Because it's returning to God who gave it. 49:36 And He is gonna give it again? 49:37 He is gonna give it again and He is gonna give it 49:39 at the first resurrection. 49:41 Sadly enough, there will be those 49:43 who get it at the second resurrection, 49:44 those are the one's that will be destroyed, 49:45 but this breath that came from the Lord returns to God. 49:48 It is the same breath that the animals 49:51 have in life that we have. 49:54 We have no advantage over animals. 49:56 So if you say, well, this breath or the spirit, 50:00 both interchangeable in the Old Testament 50:01 in many translations, 50:03 is actually a soul that goes to heaven, 50:05 it's conscious, then you must believe 50:07 then that the breath leaves animals 50:09 and all of their consciousnesses 50:11 is also in heaven. 50:12 Matter of fact, you know, in Ecclesiastes 9:5 50:15 where it says, "The living know that they will die, 50:17 but the dead know not anything." 50:19 Ecclesiastes 9:4 says, 50:21 "For to him who is joined to all living there is hope, 50:25 for a living dog is better than a dead lion." 50:29 You see, the comparisons there are just amazing, 50:31 but this whole idea and reiterate 50:33 what you just said a moment ago 50:35 about the fact that this God breathed 50:40 into man's nostrils the breath of life, 50:42 God called the dogs into existence. 50:44 That's why their spirit doesn't go up 50:46 because they are not coming forth 50:47 in the first resurrection. 50:51 Can I clarify something real quick? 50:52 Go. 50:55 In the new earth, this is hit record, right now. 50:59 Okay, hit record. It is already on record. 51:02 In the new earth there will be animals, 51:06 horses of various kinds 51:09 and various descriptions in the new earth, 51:13 but there will not be animals in heaven. 51:16 We're going to have it for a thousand years 51:19 to settle the issues of the judgment. 51:22 At the end of the thousand years, 51:24 and this is about heaven, the saints return, 51:27 the new Jerusalem comes down to the earth, 51:29 the saints enter into the new Jerusalem 51:31 and then the second resurrection takes place, 51:34 then the judgment on the wicked 51:36 and then they are destroyed 51:38 in the fires that rain from heaven, 51:40 that's the second death. 51:42 There will be no animals in heaven because so many... 51:45 When I hear this topic over and over, 51:47 I've heard this delineated, 51:49 I mean, communicated, and articulated, 51:52 that's the word I'm looking for, 51:54 but many people communicate that 51:56 without asking the question, 51:57 how are these animals going to get to heaven? 52:00 They don't go on the first resurrection. 52:03 They don't go on the second resurrection 52:04 and they don't go at death, 52:06 but these animals will be in the new earth. 52:09 So only man will go in the first resurrection. 52:14 The Lord himself, the dead in Christ rise first, 52:17 1 Thessalonians 4. 52:19 So this idea that there will be animals in the new earth, 52:22 but there not gonna be animals in heaven. 52:24 I want to be very candid, 52:26 animals in heaven for thousand years 52:27 defecating on the streets of gold. 52:31 I mean, let's get realistic in that. 52:33 There will be animals in the new earth 52:35 but not in heaven. 52:36 You don't find any scripture support for that. 52:38 When Bible says they will not hurt 52:41 or destroy anymore my holy mountain, 52:43 that's referring to the new earth. 52:44 When the earth is made new and the meek inherit the earth, 52:47 that's not referring to heaven. 52:49 Animals are not in heaven. 52:51 I rise and fall on that point. 52:54 Script to support it. 52:55 I would like to kind of conclude this subject 52:57 with the resurrection issue. 52:59 Oh, beautiful. 53:01 Because I think that if your theology 53:04 isn't right about what happens when you die and the afterlife, 53:10 then the resurrection doesn't make sense 53:13 and it's interesting, I was preparing, 53:15 I'm putting together, kind of a chart, so to speak, 53:20 showing the dispensational view and the Biblical view 53:27 that is prevalent today amongst many churches 53:30 and some have a little mixture of both, 53:32 but the ones that are, your pure dispensational view, 53:36 they have this line of a story that they're telling and then 53:42 they get down to about the resurrection time 53:44 and they run into all kinds of trouble 53:47 because there are people going to heaven at different times, 53:50 the rapture isn't of all saints throughout history, 53:53 the rapture is only of the church, 53:55 the saints from all the prior history 53:57 get raptured in the second resurrection 53:59 and that's the predominant view, 54:01 so I'm seeing out there today. 54:03 And then you have discussions 54:06 about why the resurrection even happens. 54:08 Right and then you have those who are left behind. 54:11 Yeah, and then they get confused 54:12 about that and when you don't follow the Bible 54:14 and read it for what it says, 54:16 plain thus says the Lord, 54:17 this is where you run into trouble. 54:19 And by the way, we're just communicating 54:21 what is being said. 54:22 We're not communicating this as though it's factual. 54:24 Right. Just want to make that clear. 54:25 Yeah, and hopefully we can have that program 54:27 where we show the two, the definite two, 54:29 but the resurrection, there are two of them, 54:36 and the first resurrection 54:38 is of all the saints throughout all of history. 54:42 God raises His people who have trusted in Him 54:46 from Adam and Eve to very last one 54:49 that gives their heart to Jesus. 54:50 That's right. 54:52 And they go with Jesus to heaven to live with Him 54:54 for a thousand years, the millennium, 54:56 and then after the millennium 54:58 they come down in the new Jerusalem, 55:01 in that great city, to set on the earth, 55:03 then the second resurrection occurs 55:06 and that resurrection is of the wicked. 55:08 That's right and you'll hear it's in John 5:28 and 29, 55:15 "Do not marvel at this, for the hour is coming in 55:20 which all who are in the graves will hear His voice." 55:24 All, who are in the graves will hear his voice 55:28 and verse 29, "And come forth, those who have done good, 55:33 to the resurrection of life." 55:34 So the good are in the grave. 55:36 "And those who have done evil, 55:38 to the resurrection of condemnation." 55:40 So the wicked are in the grave, 55:42 that's where we took them at the last funeral. 55:44 And the only question 55:46 is when do those resurrections happen. 55:49 That's the only thing to resolve. 55:51 Two resurrections, one of the righteous, 55:53 one of the wicked, when do they occur? 55:56 And Revelation answers that question. 55:57 That's right, Revelation 20 and the Bible says, 55:59 "The rest of the dead live not again, Revelation 20:6, 56:02 I am quoting as I'm turning there, 56:04 "The rest of the dead live not again 56:05 until the thousand years are finished." 56:08 Here it is, yeah, 56:10 "Blessed and holy is he who has part 56:11 in the first resurrection." 56:13 Revelation 20:6, 56:15 "Over such the second death has no power." 56:18 Now Revelation 20:5, 56:20 "But the rest of the dead did not live again 56:22 until the thousand years were finished." 56:24 The resurrection talked about in verse 4, 56:26 this is the first resurrection. 56:28 So the saints that ascend to heaven 56:30 are in the first resurrection. 56:31 The rest of the dead don't live again 56:33 until the thousand years are finished, 56:35 the end of the millennium. 56:36 So another point, no body is alive on earth. 56:39 We'll get into that on the topic later on. 56:41 And then it brings up how the judgment occurs, 56:45 the judgment of the wicked 56:46 who are raised in the second resurrection 56:48 and in that judgment it says fire comes down out of heaven. 56:50 Fire is not kindled from beneath. 56:53 Fire comes down out of heaven and devours sin and death 56:57 and the wicked that have held on to their sin 57:01 and held on to their life to the very end, 57:03 and then we know at that point the earth is recreated. 57:07 That's right. 57:08 And so that is truly the sequence 57:10 of what will happen and what we can expect 57:12 here in the near future. 57:13 That's right and so friends you know 57:14 we believe in studying God's word 57:16 and we try to make it as clear as we possibly can. 57:18 Thank you, John, for those insights. 57:20 We're like a two-cylinder engine. 57:21 We're firing on both cylinders and praise God 57:23 our thoughts have been united by the Holy Spirit. 57:26 So continue studying God's word, 57:27 so when the House Call comes 57:29 you'll be ready to answer the Lord in truth. 57:32 God bless you. |
Revised 2016-07-11