The Resurrection: Results and the Reality of Hell Week 8

All right. If you look at page 13 of your notes, we're on letter C where it says results. Now, if you've not been here, we've been going through a whole series in esquetology, things to come, what's going to happen in the future. We're really down to the last um I think it's about four or five pages. We'll be finishing on page 15. And so, it's not very much left to go on it, but I want to continue talking about the resurrection. And u we talked about there's a there's different resurrections. uh the we have the rapture of course for those of us who are saved and will be uh resurrected from the dead and we'll be raised up and those alive will be taken up in the air and then we have after that

you'll have of course you have the other resurrections of the tribulation saints and the old testament saints and so um number C is results uh look at 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse number 54 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse number 54 The the Bible says, "So when this corruptible our bodies have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying is written, death is swallowed up in victory." And so at that time time we'll receive our new body, uh incorruptible body. Uh it'll be immortal uh living for eternity. Uh it'll be our new body.

And we'll talk about that on the next page here about what that's going to look like and and what we can look forward to. But we know that at that point there's no more corruption. Uh you know, I'm 70 years old and as I get older, my body just keeps breaking down. And and I'm looking for that day when I have that new body and there's no more pain, no more corruption, none of that. And then um and and we have the victory over death. Look at Revelation chap 20. Revelation chap 20 and look at verse number six. Revelation chap 20 and verse number six. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection.

On such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years. Then go down to verse number 14. And death and hell were cast in the lake of fire. This is the second death. And so we that are raised in that resurrection, we do not face that second death, which is the final judgment, cast into hell for eternity. And so we may die. Uh if the rapture doesn't happen before uh your your body dies, God's going to raise it up and give it a new body for all eternity. Okay. Number three there, those who are not his uh all the unsaved will stand before God.

Look at Revelation 20 and look at verse number 11. And I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it from whose face the earth and the heaven pass fled away and there was found no place for them. So when an unsaved person dies currently um they are uh they go to a kind of a waiting place called hell in the Bible or shaw we'll talk about that in just a moment but at the resurrection of the the last resurrection when you stand before the great white throne judgment of God we talked about that they will be judged at that point and then that second death they'll be cast into hell uh so they will be judged according to their works look at Revelation 12 20:es 12 and 13.

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were open. And another book was open, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it. And death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged every man according to their works. Now, we do know that we're not saved by our works. Ephesians 2:8:9. For by grace are you saved through faith, then not of yourselves is a gift of God, not of works, let's say boast. We're not saved by our works, but we will if we're not saved, then we will be judged by our works.

And uh if we're judged by our works, we're going to we're going to fail. We're not going to we're not going to pass because we can't be saved by our works. And so those that are lost, those that are unsaved will be judged according to their book their their works. So it says there that there are books that are open. So it's plural. There's more than one book that's open. Uh go to John 12 and verse number 48. John 12 and verse number 48. John 12 verse 48. The Bible says, "He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judges him. The word that I've spoken, the same shall judge him in that le last day."

So the word that Jesus has spoken, of course the word of God will be one of those books that's open. Look at Luke 12 and:es uh 2 and 3. Luke 12. Verses 2 and three. For there's nothing nothing covered that shall not be revealed, neither hid that shall not be known. Therefore, whatsoever you spoken in darkness shall be heard in light, and that which you have spoken in the in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. So the the books that we open, we don't know if there's more than three, but we do know three books that will be open. And the first one is the Bible because we'll be judged according to these words.

And so nobody's going to be able to say, uh, I didn't know, cuz it's all right there in the Bible, and they'll be judged according to those words. Um, you know, I often will talk to people and I'll ask them this question. Can you give me a Bible reason why you know you're going to heaven? Because that's one of the books can be open. Jesus said in John 5 and verse number 39, "Search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me." And so the word of God is going to be open. And if you don't have a Bible basis of your salvation, then you're not going to go to heaven.

And somebody says, "Well, I did this and I did that." He's going to open the Bible and say, "I never knew you. And and you didn't obviously didn't know me because you didn't know my word because my word says if you want to go to heaven, you've got to trust Christ as your savior." You see John 3 18 and verse number 36 both say that we're condemned already. Without Christ, we're already condemned and we're condemned because of our works. So the Bible will be open and then there'll be a book of works that are open. We saw that in Revelation 20. And so there's some kind of book that God has of our works like we read here in Luke 12.

This will all be revealed. And so there'll be a book of your life, so to speak, is what you might call it. And that'll be open and where you say, "Well, I didn't, you know, all of it's recorded. It's right there. This is how what you did. This is all the things that all your sins." And you know, as I said before, um, if you sin only one time a day, have a bad thought, say something you shouldn't say, do something you shouldn't do, or don't do something you should do, if you only do one wrong thing a day, 365 days a year, take that times your age, that's going to be a pretty thick book. And I know that I do more than one wrong thing a day.

And so that book's a whole lot bigger. Now those that book is only opened if you don't know Christ as your savior because if you know Christ as your savior then his righteousness has washed away our sin. And um we're already judged. We will be judged according to our works as Christians at the beacy. We talked about that. But that's not whether we go to heaven or hell. But that's how we've lived our life. And then the other book that's open is the book of life. And um and and so our names are written and and and I you know I don't think they're written when you get saved. I think they're written when you're born and then your name is blotted out if you don't get saved.

So your name is not in the book of life if you're not saved. That's that's for sure. Now whether God wrote it the day you were born or actually the day you were conceived that you became a a a person of life, your name was written the book of life. But if you don't get saved, it's blotted out of that book of life. And um but either way, you want your name written there. There's a song that we'll sing sometime. There's a new name written down to heaven, and it's mine. Yes, it's mine. Uh there's a lot of people that would sing the song, There's a new name written down in pencil. I think it's mine.

And I'm glad I don't have to think it's mine. It's in it's an indelible ink. It's not in pencil. And uh and I know that my name is written there because I know that I've trusted Christ as my savior. So these three books will be opened at that time and people will be judged out of those three books. And then um it says that hell is cast into the uh lake of fire. Uh we often will say um well you'll be in hell for eternity. That's technically true, but hell the what the Bible really describes is a lake of fire, which is what hell is like, and we'll talk about that in just a moment. It's also called shol.

Um but uh it technically it's not you'll be in hell for eternity. You'll be in the lake of fire for eternity. And so it's a little bit different. And so hell is cast into hell, so to speak. Um and so they will be cast in the lake of fire. Go over to Revelation chapter 20 again. Revelation chapter 20. Now, this is a part of the study that we'd almost rather not study because I don't know about you, but I don't like the idea of hell. I don't like the idea of people being cast into hell for all eternity and have no hope uh getting out of there. But this is the reality. This is what is there is hell.

And God is trying to do everything he can to keep you and I and others out of hell. But if they don't trust Christ as their savior, they're going to be cast into this lake of fire for all eternity. uh Revelation 20 14- 15. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. First death is physical death. Second death is here at this time. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. And so uh we know this lake of fire is an everlasting fire. Look at Matthew chap 25. Matthew chapter 25 and uh verse number 41. Matthew chap 25 and verse number 41.

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil, his angels. Hell, the lake of fire was not prepared for you and I was prepared for the devil and angels. If we go to hell, it's it's it's going to hell uh over his dead body. Uh he died for us to keep us out of hell. And so, but it is a it is a place that's everlasting. And everlasting means simply that, everlasting. Look at chapter 18 of Matthew and verse number 8. Chapter 18 and verse number eight. Where if thy hand or foot offend thee, cut them off and cast them from thee.

It is better for thee to enter into life halt or mean rather than having your hands or two feet to be cast in everlasting fire. So we don't want to go to this hell. You know, a lot of people think of it, well, it's, you know, purgatory. It's only so long and then it'll end. But it doesn't. It never ends. It's everlasting fire. Um, it is an unquenchable fire. Look at Mark 9 and verses 43 and 44. Mark chapter 9:es 43 and 44. And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter in life maim than having two hands to go into hell in the fire that shall not sh never shall be quenched.

Where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. So, it's nonquenchable. You know, uh you get burned, you can put water on it, you can put butter on it or whatever treatment on it, you can do something, but with this, there's no quenching. If you've ever been around a a very bad burn victim, you know, it's painful. And uh you know, if there, you know, like we had the last year the fireworks mishap, they sent a bunch of people to the burn unit in um was it Arkansas? No, Arizona. And uh you know, those people went through a lot of pain and suffering. Well, this is unquenchable fire. Um Luke chapter 3 and verse number 17.

Luke 3 and verse number 17. Whose fan is in his hand and he will thoroughly purge his floor and will gather the wheat into his garner, but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. And so it's an unquenchable fire and it is a place of torment. Uh Luke chapter 16 and verse number 28. You know, a lot of people say, "Well, I'll be in hell with my friends and we'll have a party." Not going to happen. Uh Luke 16:28, "For I have five brethren. They may testify to them lest they also come to this place of torment." Now, this was sh this was hell before the lake of fire. And it was a place of torment.

And when it's cast lake of fire, it's going to be eternal place of torment. Um it is also called Geana. Uh look at Matthew chapter 5 and verse number 22. Matthew chapter 5 and verse number 22. But I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without cause will be in danger of the judgment. And who shall say to his brother Raka shall be in danger of the counsel. But whosoever shall say thou full shall be in danger of hell fire. And and this idea this this word here is the look at verses 29 and 30. If thy right hand offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee. For it is profitful for thee that thy that one of thy members should perish, not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee. For it's profitable with thee that one of thy members should perish, not that their whole body should be cast into hell. Now, we don't want to mistake this idea that somehow if I cut off my hands, I can stay out of hell. You the only way to stay out of hell is by trusting Christ as your savior. But he's making a point here. This is not a place you want to be. And if you don't get saved, your sins are going to send you to hell. Uh that's very clear again. Um I look at James chapter 3 and verse number six. James chapter 3 and verse number six.

And the tongue is a fire a world of iniquity. So is a tongue among our members that defileth the whole body and set the fire course of nature instead of fire of hell. Um Guaenna was a was was a literal place in that day. It was the valley of Henan. Uh it was a place outside of Jerusalem where they would uh put all their garbage and they would burn their rubbish. Um you know a lot of places where they um bury the garbage here like here in Hawaii uh over um the the one that I grew up with so to speak when I was here is over on Kyua site. They don't use that much anymore. They they bury it over out by Coalina now.

But uh they tell me that some of that buried garbage is still is burning spontaneous combustion. when they bury it, it it catches on fire and it and it's underground. It's still burning. And this is what this was. It was a place that never stopped burning. Uh it was a constant fire going on there. There was so much garbage piled up. It was just it was just constantly burning. And uh so they would all know when when Jesus used the word hell, that's the picture they had a place of constant fire. And then secondly, um it was also a place of sacrifice. There's a place that at different times they would take like even babies and throw them in there or sacrifice them.

So it it was a terrible place and they all understood that visually in their minds. Um it is also described as a place where the worm dieth not. Matthew chapter 9 and verse number 44. Matthew chapter 9 and verse number 44. Well, that's not Matthew. No, I'm sorry. Mark, I misread that. Mark chapter 9 verse 44. Where their their worm dieth not and fire is not quenched. Um, I've read a number of articles, maybe you have too, about some worms that can live in fire and all. We don't know exactly what it is, but you know what? When I read that, it gives me the heeie-jeebies, you know, thinking of if you ever had bugs crawling on you.

You know what I'm talking about? Well, these are bugs that are going to be crawling in you. It It's just not a good place. Uh exactly what that means and and what that involves. What it does mean is I don't want to be there. And then um it is a place of fire and brimstone. Uh Revelation chap 21 and verse number eight. Sometimes you'll hear a phrase about especially old-time preachers that he's a a fire and brimstone preacher. That means he's a preacher that preaches on hell a lot. Uh the Bible talks about hell more than it talks about heaven. And uh and it's a place of fire and brimstone. Uh Revelation 21 and verse number 8.

But the fearful and unbelieving and abominable murderers and whoreongers and sorcerers and idolattors and all liars shall have their part in the lake of fire which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death. And that's the idea of sulfur. Uh the smell of sulfur. It's it just has that, you know, when you've been around a fire, it just has that smell to it. And um and again, just not not a good place, not a place you want to be. And uh we need to make sure people understand we you know most time when I'm talking to people about salvation I try to be more positive and say you know you want to go to heaven and if you want to go to heaven you got to trust Christ as your savior but we also need to make it clear if you do not get saved you're going to end up in this place called we call hell uh this place of lake of fire and it's not a good place to be.

Um, it is also a bottomless pit pit. Revelation chapter 9 and verse number two. And you opened the bottomless pit pit and there rose a smoke out of the pit as a smoke of a great furnace and the sun in the air were darkened by reasons of the smoke of the pit. Um, bottomless. I don't know about you, but again, I like to be able to put my feet down on something if I'm the water or whatever, but there's no bottom. There is no no place to you're constantly maybe treading the water. I don't know. But again, not a good description. There is an outer darkness and weeping and nashing of teeth. Uh, Matthew chapter 8 and verse number 12.

Matthew chapter 8 and verse 12. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness. Shall be weeping and nashing of teeth. And verse number 10 or number 10 down there, skip over nine for a moment. Number 10 is this blackness. It's a blackness of darkness. Look at the book of Jude right before Revelation there. Jude in verse number 13. Raging ways of the sea, foaming out their own shame, wandering stars to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. I I mean, how can you have fire and blackness and darkness same place? Uh again, I've read articles where it said fire can burn so hot it it burns away the light even.

And uh it's a place where you can't see as well. And I don't know if you've ever been in a dark place where you can't see, but it's not a fun place to be. And then number to going back to number nine, it is a furnace of fire is how described in Mark 13:46. We won't turn there. Uh but the point I want to make is this is that we know this. It is not a pleasant place. is not a place anybody any of us want to be and it's not a place we want even our worst enemy to go to and and we need to understand that this is a real place. Now we don't like to think of hell likely condemned there for eternity but that's what the Bible teaches.

It wasn't prepared for them but it's the place they're going to end up if they don't trust Christ as their savior. And so we just need to understand that when I was in the military years ago I went in as a 17-year-old boy and I wasn't living for the Lord. I was saved, but I didn't know much about the Bible at all. But I did know I was try supposed to tell people about Christ. And so I was witnessing to one of my fellow um basic training guys and and trying to tell him about the Bible. And I told him, "But there's a you know, you don't want to go to hell." And he says, "Well, where's show me hell in the Bible?"

And and honestly, I I couldn't think of one place to look. I didn't know my Bible well enough to show him any place. Um and uh if I were doing it today, I'd probably take a Revelation chapter 20 right away. Uh but I didn't know that. And I went I went to the chaplain and asked him where does the Bible teach about hell and he didn't know it either. So made me feel a little bit better. It was a sad commentary in that chaplain. Uh but the point is you need to understand this place is real. And if you're not saved, you don't want to go there. But it's also should motivate us. I don't want to say go there.

If you've ever seen a fire, if you've ever if you've ever helped rescue somebody from a fire, you don't want them there. And and that's what we have to realize that. Okay. Now, when we talk about hell in the Bible, again, like I said, hell is going to be cast in the lake of fire. So, what we commonly call hell is not technically. Now, I don't think it's wrong to call it hell because there hell is kind of like a temporary lake of fire. And it's it's pretty much the some of many of the same things, but uh the lake of fire is where they'll end up in real biblically. But we can call I think we can call it hell as well.

Hell comes from two words either Schaw or Hades and hell is the temporary place in which the dead await resurrection. So if an onsay person dies they they go to this place called Schol the grave or Hades or hell whichever term you want to use. It's their temporary place until the great white throne judgment and then they'll be taken from there and judged before God and cast into the lake of fire. So the word shaw is used 65 times in the Old Testament. So it's it's an Old Testament word used 65 times and out of that letter A there 31 times it's translated the King James Bible as hell. Okay, let's take a couple of quick examples.

Look at Psalms chapter 9 and verse number 17. Psalms chapter 9 and verse number 17. The wicked shall be turned into hell or shaw and and the all the nations that forget God. And then also look at Psalms 18 and verse number five. Psalms chapter 18 and verse number five. The sorrows of hell compass me about. The snares of death prevented me. The shaw. And so it's the idea of uh uh it's translate hell. Then letter B it's translated also excuse me 31 times as grave. It's translated as grave. Uh look at Job chapter 7. Job chapter 7 and verse number nine. As the cloud is consumed and vanishes away so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.

And so shaw is used to refer to the grave. Also look at Job 14 and verse 13. Oh that thou wouldest hide me in the grave that thou wouldest keep me secret until thy wrath be passed and thou wouldest appoint me a set time and remember me. So again it's translated as the word grave. And then three times is translated as the word pit. The word pit. Uh let's look at Job 17 and verse number 16. Job 17 and verse number 16. They shall go down to the bars of the pit when our rest together is in the dust. And so in the Old Testament, somebody could say, well, you know, that's the graveyard, the Shaw yard over there.

They they would refer to the graves as Shaw, but they would also realize it was also a place of torment and a and a place of uh in a pit. And we kind of looked at that earlier, a bottomless pit. And so that's the Old Testament word. And then number three, Hades in the New Testament is always translated hell except for one place. Look at 1 Corinthians 15:55. So generally when you read the word hell in the New Testament, you're reading the word Hades in the Greek. Uh 1 Corinthians 15 and verse number 55. Oh death, where is thy s saying? Oh grave or hell, where is thy victory? And so in that case, it uses the word grave instead of the word hell.

Um, now if you remember back to the story in Luke chapter 16, turn over to there. You remember the story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke chapter 16 and verse number 22. Luke 16 and uh verse number 22 says, "It came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried." And so we have um Lazarus the beggar and you have the rich man that died and they went down uh to hell. And verse number 23, in hell he lift up his eyes being in torment. And so they went down to hell and then you you know I'm not sure why the verse 43. It should be verse 23.

So Luke Luke 16:22 and 23. I'm not sure where the 43 came from but um so anyway Jesus describing story and we believe he was talking about real people. Sometimes in his parables he would just kind of give a story but in this when he especially when he ever he would use names then it would be he would be referring to real people. And so these were two people probably at least the rich man most of would been been familiar with. If if the news said the day Elon Musk died, uh everybody would know who you're talking about. You know that rich guy died. You wouldn't even have to say his name. You know, you you'd be able to understand that.

So it was probably somebody rich had recently died. He's using that person and then Lazarus who probably nobody knew the beggar and using them as an illustration. and they went to a place called paradise or Abraham's bosom. It's called paradise or Abraham's bosom. And uh so look at the story there in Luke 16. Um it says that the beggar died was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom and the rich man also died and was buried in hell he lift up his eyes being in torments and seeth Abraham a far off. So we have the two places there and you go on with the story and later on he calls it paradise and there's a there's a gap between them.

So um paradise is is the waiting place of the old testament saints. This is a place when remember everybody new testament old testament is saved one way by faith are you saved through gra by grace are you saved through faith and in the old testament they had faith in the coming messiah the promise of a savior in the new testament we have faith in the messiah who has already come and died and buried rose again so both of us have faith in the same savior messiah uh but we're just looking from different sides but when the old testament believer died, he didn't go straight to paradise. He didn't go to heaven.

He he went to this place called paradise. He didn't go straight to heaven. And so he was the this is where they were waiting on Abraham's bosom side, the paradise of it side of it. Um and so we have if if you describe it, we know this down. I we'll fill in these blanks here, but we know it's down because we talk it talks about that going down to this place. So both of them were down in the earth. Um how far down we don't know. We we know that drilling we've you know barely touched pardon the pun the surface of the earth and uh you know and and so there's a long lot of down there with with lava and everything else.

And so somewhere down there there was this place and if you died and you were saved you were a believer you went to paradise. And if you died, you were not a believer. You went to this place called hell or shaw or hades. And there's a gap between them. So let's take a look at that. It it was a paradise was a place of comfort. Look at Luke 16:24. And he cried and said, "Father Abraham, mer have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip his the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I'm tormented as flame." And Abraham said,"Remember that thou in thy lifetime received thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things, but now he is comforted, and thou are tormented."

And so he is a place where now he's comforted. It's it's a nice place. It it's a it's paradise. Now, if we take the word paradise, we can kind of relate that back to the Garden of Eve. And so, I don't think it was just a big cave. I I think it was a beautiful place that God had had fixed up and and prepared for them. Uh and uh so they had this place and this place was separated from hell by a great gulf. Look at Luke 16:26. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed to with the which that which would pass from hence to you cannot. Neither can they pass us that would come from vents.

And so there was a gap between the two. Now I believe that that gap except for Abraham in this case there was no they couldn't see it. I don't think it would be paradise if I was, you know, on my balcony looking over and seeing people being tormented in hell. Uh I I don't think that describes paradise. So I I I think that the believers as a rule could not see Abraham because he was in charge. It seems like God put him in charge of this place. He had ability to see across and talk across. But I don't think there was any communication across. I don't think there was ability to see those in paradise.

But those in hell could because wouldn't that be part of the torment is you could see I could be there if I just trusted Jesus if I just believed in the Messiah I I could be there. And so they they seemed that that they could see across. Um so on one side you've got hell shaw Hades. On the other side you've got this place called paradise or Abraham's bosom. You've got the gulf in between them. And uh and and so what happened to that? Well, go over to let's start with Acts chapter 2 and verse number 27. Before we do that, let let's jump ahead here. Go to letter B there and look at uh No, let's go with Acts chapter 2.

You're right there. Acts chapter 2. We'll just stay with that. So, Acts chapter 2 and verse number 27. How many of you like putting together puzzles? Raise your hand. Jigsaw puzzles. Anybody here like that? My wife loves it. She could spend hours doing it. I could do one and I'm done. You know, I I don't I just look at, you know, I I just don't enjoy it that way. But there's a lot of things in the Bible are look like putting together a puzzle. You take a piece here, you take a piece there, and you put them together, and okay, those fit. And then you take another piece, put the gap between them, and you're assembling them all to get the bigger picture.

But the thing is, have you ever bought a puzzle, a used puzzle, and it turned out there was pieces missing? That's frustrating, isn't it? And there are some of these things that we do not have the complete picture. We've got some of the pieces of the puzzle, especially in esquetology. We don't have a complete picture of heaven. I don't think we have I don't think we'd know this much about heaven. If we knew what heaven was really like, you know what we'd be doing? Killing ourselves to get there. we'd say, "I'm not waiting. Is that good?" And so, we don't know a lot about heaven. We don't know a lot about many other things either.

We can just take pieces. This is one of those areas. This is putting together some pieces of a puzzle to give us a little bit of understanding. And then we have to kind of fill in a lot of gaps. Okay? So, look at Acts chapter 2 again. Look at verse 27. says, "Because thou will not leave my soul in hell or Hades, neither will thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption." Now, Jesus would have never gone to hell like we think about it, right? So, Hades included paradise. Hades was not just hell. It was both sides at that time. Okay, look at verse number um verse number where am I at here again? Find my place here.

Verse number 31. It says he seen this before spake of the resurrection of Christ that his soul was not left in hell neither his flesh did see corruption. That's talking about Christ. So remember when Christ died, he rose again three days later. Now where was he during those three days? He wasn't in the grave. He wasn't in that tomb. He was in hell, Hades, Shaw, paradise. He was on the paradise side there. And and so that's where he was during that time. Look at Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4 and verses 9 and 10. Now, let me make it clear. I'm going to give you some verses. Now, I'm going to try to fill in some of the gaps.

I may or may not be fully right, but to me, this is one of the exciting things about reading your Bible. You get to try to do some of that. God God wants you to think, you know, and and and and make you work a little bit too. Ephesians chapter 4 and:es 9 and 10. Now that [clears throat] now that he ascended, what it is is it but that he also descended first in the lower parts of the earth. He that descended the same also that ascended up far above all heavens that he might fill all things. So Jesus ascended ultimately he went to heaven but before then he descended he went down to lower parts of the earth which is where Hades or Shaw or the grave where this waiting place was.

And so he went there uh down to the grave. He was there for those three days between when he was crucified and when he rose again. Okay. And then um go to 1 Peter chapter 3 and verse 19. So what did he do down there in 1 Peter 3:19? It says, "By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison." So what we understand as best we can understand Jesus was crucified. His body was laid in the grave, but he went into paradise. And what he did there is preach. Here's what I think happened. Remember in the Old Testament believers, they didn't understand fully what Jesus was going to do. They didn't understand how he was going to have to die and be buried, rose again.

They didn't understand all of that. But what they did understand is God will send a Messiah and I will trust in that Messiah to come. That's what they did understand. So when Jesus died, he went down paradise and said, "I'm here." And this is when then he opened up the scriptures and preached to them and explained to them the gospel and what he had done and showed them all the Old Testament scriptures that he was fulfilling and all the rest of it. It was a great three-day revival service. Can you imagine Jesus coming? Well, now I understand. And and he's telling them this is what I did and this is what happened and all the rest of it.

So they had three days of revival there. He preached to the captive. He preached to those that were in this waiting place. Okay. And then look at Ephesians chapter 4 and verse number eight. Ephesians chapter 4 and verse number eight. Wherefore he saith when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. So what does that mean? He led captivity captive. What we believe is that he took this place we called that he called paradise, Abraham's bosom. He took it and all of those in it and took them up to heaven. He took all these from down here and now paradise is up in heaven.

What did he say to the thief on the cross? This day thou shalt be with me where? In paradise. And our promise is to be absent from the body is to be where? Present with the Lord. So, what we believe is that that he took paradise and now it's no longer down in the earth, but now it's up in heaven. It's a it's a room, a section, an area of heaven that's reserved for his believers. Okay? And and and so here's the here's the interesting part, and we can't read too much of this, but go to Matthew chapter 27. Matthew chapter 27 and verses 52 and 53. Matthew 27:52, "And the graves were opened, and many bodies of saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the Holy Spirit, appeared onto many."

So somewhere in this process, these people were raising from the dead out of the graves. And what exactly that was, we just don't know. I I kind of think that maybe a couple of people said, "Jesus, can I stop over real quick and say hi to my family?" I don't know. Uh we don't know if it was just a temporary thing that they were seen and then they went on to rest way up, just got a stopover or if it was a permanent thing like Lazarus when he was raised from the dead and they got to stay raised for a little longer and then died again. I I don't think I'd want that. I mean, once I'm dead, I don't want to do it again.

uh the people in the Bible that got raised from the dead. I think that was cruel, you know, in some ways. Uh it's like, why do I have to come back, you know, and do this all over again? I'm going have to die again, you know. Uh but here these guys for whatever reason, cuz remember Jesus also stopped over and we'll talk about that. He you remember the the Mary saw him and and the w and and she said, "Don't touch me because I've not yet ascended my father." And so if you put a timeline on it, Jesus died. His body was buried in the tomb. He went down to paradise, preached to them, and I think the ones in hell got to hear the message as well and realized, "I blew it.

I didn't believe in that." But he preached to the captive. They took the captivity, took them up, stopped over, saw Mary, then went to heaven, presented himself to God as a sacrifice, then came back down to earth, and that's when the disciples got to see him, and he was around for a number of weeks after that point. So, that's the timeline, kind of speak. So, we don't want to read too much into this because this is it's one of those little passing tidbits. just like what you know and uh we don't know all the details of it but somewhere somehow or another some people got to come out of the grave and and um and and and they were seen of many and during that time and then so look at John 20 and

verse 17 just what I just talked about John 2017 Mary sees him there in the garden she thought at first he was the gardener and then when she realized who was she was she kind of wanted to reach out and touch And Jesus saith them, "Touch me not, for I'm not yet ascended to my father, but go to my brethren and say unto them, I ascend unto my father and your father and to my God and your God." And then look at verse number 27. Then saith, Thomas, reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands, and reach thy hand and thrust in my side, and be not faithless, but believing. So from one point to another, he says, don't touch me.

And then he says, touch me. And in between those two points is when we believe that he ascended up to heaven, presented himself as a sacrifice to the father to fulfill what was needed to be fulfilled and then came back down and presented himself to disciples and had this incident and he ate with them and other things as well. Okay, so that's kind of the timeline we're looking at there. And then letter D, um, and I don't know where page 15 starts, Ricky, so make sure you pass them out when I get to there. Okay, letter D. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. If I was an Old Testament believer, to be absent from the body, I'd be down in paradise waiting.

But today, I have that promise. Um, in Luke 23:43, this day thou shalt be with me in paradise. Look at 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse number 8. 2 Corinthians 5 and verse number eight. We are confident, I say, and willing willing rather to be absent from the body to be present with the Lord. And then look at Philippians chapter 1 and verse number 23. Philippians chapter 1 and verse number 23. For I'm a stray between two. I have a have a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better. So, we do know that we'll be with him. But we also know, we're going to talk about just in a moment, we don't get our new body until when?

The rapture. Those that are buried will be changed and then those of us are alive will be changed. So, we don't get that new body at the point we die. But we're not waiting in the grave, the physical grave in the ground. We're not waiting in the place called paradise down below anymore. But he he he took paradise as a whole and brought to heaven. So what I believe and uh many of the people I've read on believe this is that in heaven there's an area called paradise and we're limited to that. We can't we don't have access to everything yet but we are in this place called paradise. We do have access to Christ.

So it's a it's an area of heaven. It's a limitation. We don't have a new body. Uh again the Bible doesn't tell us what we have. Maybe a temporary body. Uh, I I don't know. There's there's nothing I found in scripture that gives me a clear answer on that. But somehow or another, I don't think we're spirits floating around. I believe we do have some kind of a physical body, but some kind of a temporary body because we don't get that new body until we're raptured and and and doing that. So, but we do know this to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. There's no question on that. I'm not going to be sitting around in the ground or floating on as ashes on the sea and all the rest of it.

I'm going to be with him. Okay. All right. And then number one under that. So a lot of people ask what what will we be like when we get to heaven. Okay. Um this is talking about our permanent body not temporary. Okay. So we do know when the rapture comes we'll be changed. So how will what will we look like? Look at Philippians chapter 3 and verse number 21. Philippians 3:21. Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body according to working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. So he's going to change this vile body, this this mortal corrupt body.

He's going to change it to be like him. So that's the key thing we know. will be like Christ. Look at 1 John chapter 3 and verse number two. 1 John chapter 3 and verse number two. 1 John 3:2. Beloved, now are we the sons of God. It does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for he shall see him. We shall see him as he is. So Paul, John even here says we don't know exactly what we're going to be like. We we we we have a little bit of a glimpse, an idea. If you look at what Jesus was like, that's what we're going to be like. And so, we'll be like him.

And then 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse number 49. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and I think we're on page 15 now. I do not know if that got on to online. I hope it did, but if not, I'll get it there next week for those watching online. 1 Corinthians 15:49, "As we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." So, we'll be like him. So, what does that mean? I I think if we look at Jesus after his resurrection, are we out of time? Oh, we're over time. Uh, good. All right. Thank you for reminding me. We'll have to stop there. We'll leave a cliffhanger right there. Right.