tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793573695603056525.post797064574690014409..comments2024-01-17T10:24:25.719-05:00Comments on The Latter Days: Hell BentLatter Days Ministryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15405696673350225699noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793573695603056525.post-15149515410351161952011-08-12T12:08:02.183-04:002011-08-12T12:08:02.183-04:00Cont.
Hebrews 12 here refers to the believer in...Cont. <br /><br /><br />Hebrews 12 here refers to the believer in this life having come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect …, thus implying that the dead in Christ continue in fellowship with Him and with each other whilst they await his second coming to earth at the consummation of history.<br /><br />The prospect of paradise was so attractive to Paul that he was keen to enter it as soon as possible:<br /><br /><i>We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8)<br /><br />I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better<br />by far. (Philippians 1:23)</i><br /><br />When a true Christian dies his spirit is released from his body<br />and goes immediately to be with Christ in paradise.<br /><br />“Paradise is a joyous and blessed place of waiting to which those who have died in Christ go immediately after death, and where they remain until the day of<br />resurrection.” (Selwyn Hughes)<br /><br />Those who have fallen asleep.<br />There is one more term associated with the biblical teaching on death and the intermediate state before resurrection – the word ‘sleep’ (see John 11:11-12; 1Corinthians 15:6,20; 1 Thessalonians 4:13 etc.). The object of this metaphor is to suggest that, just as in<br />natural sleep the person does not cease to exist, so in physical death the spirit also continues<br />to exist. Moreover, as sleep is temporary, so also is the intermediate state of all who await the general resurrection.<br /><br />It is important to appreciate that this metaphor applies only to the body, not the spirit of a person. The word ‘resurrection’ is only ever used in respect of the body. In Daniel 12:2 the physically dead are described as those who sleep in the dust of the earth, a term<br />applicable only to the body.<br /><br />The early Christians adopted the word koimeterion (= a sleeping place for strangers) for the place of interment of the bodies of the departed. Our word ‘cemetry’ comes from it.Latter Days Ministryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405696673350225699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793573695603056525.post-69242600347630954972011-08-12T12:07:54.319-04:002011-08-12T12:07:54.319-04:00Cont.
The believer’s spirit goes to paradise (th...Cont.<br /><br /><br /><b>The believer’s spirit</b> goes to paradise (the word originally meant a Persian nobleman’s garden), the abode of the spirits of the righteous dead. Its use in the NT is almost synonymous with heaven. Thus: To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God (Revelation 2:7). And Paul (2 Corinthians 12:4) speaks of being caught up into the third heaven and then refers to it as paradise. In that place the bodiless soul remains in conscious communion with Christ whilst awaiting physical resurrection. A glimpse of this state is given in Revelation 6:9-11.<br /><br />When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain<br />because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.<br /><br />Jesus stopped the Sadducees in their tracks with a reply that said, in effect, that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are even now alive and in communion with God (Matthew 22:31-32); and a similar point is made by the appearance of Moses and Elijah at the transfiguration<br />(Luke 9:28ff). Thus, immediately after physical death the Christian’s spirit is with the Lord in paradise, a state of blessing and active personal communion. He becomes part of that great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1).<br /><br /><i>While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." (Acts<br />7:59)<br /><br />Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord<br />from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labour, for their deeds will<br />follow them." (Revelation 14:13)<br /><br />But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God.<br />You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of<br />the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all<br />men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect … (Hebrews 12:22-23)</i>Latter Days Ministryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405696673350225699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793573695603056525.post-7990790286229427732011-08-12T12:07:28.773-04:002011-08-12T12:07:28.773-04:00Hi Anonymous & AnonyOne,
In terms of near-dea...Hi Anonymous & AnonyOne,<br /><br />In terms of near-death experiences, here is one by Min. Howard Pittman which I believe is an important message for the Body of Christ: <a href="http://thelatterdays.blogspot.com/2009/11/placebo.html" rel="nofollow">Placebo</a> I had the privilege of meeting Min. Pittman some years ago and found him to be very credible and Spirit-filled.<br /><br />The subject of what happens after death (outside of the eternal destiny of those in Christ and those not in Christ), has not been a topic I have spent much time in study. <br /><br />However, I found <a href="http://www.herebhministries.com/pdf/Discipleship/KChap21-30.pdf" rel="nofollow">the following article </a>, which I thought broke it down pretty well. Here are some of the points:<br /><br /><b>What happens between death & resurrection?</b><br /><br />This subject is a matter of endless speculation and much confusion. The NT says<br />rather little about it, but concentrates instead upon our final destiny, namely resurrection to eternal life with God. In this intermediate state there is no opportunity to repent, since the final judgement is based upon what a person did while on earth (e.g. Romans 2:6: God will give to<br />each person according to what he has done). Therefore the scriptures encourage us to make<br />sure of our salvation whilst in this bodily life, and to rest secure in the knowledge that,<br />physically alive or dead, believers shall always be with the Lord, rather than to speculate upon<br />this intermediate state.<br /><br /><b>Body, soul & spirit: a twofold origin.</b><br />The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his<br />nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)<br /><br />This text tells us that our personality has a dual origin. The body is formed from what<br />exists in the natural world (the ‘dust’). The ‘breath of life’ however, is from God. The OT calls<br />this the ‘soul’ but the NT is more precise, describing it as a combination of soul and spirit.<br />However we describe ourselves, the key point is that the personality of man consists of a physical part that originates on earth, and an immaterial part that is from God. At death, the body eventually decomposes, returning to the earth, but what happens to the spirit/soul?<br /><br /><b>For unbelievers</b> the period between death and resurrection is a state of anguish and torment in hades as they await resurrection and final judgment (John 5:28-29).<br />In hell (hades), where he [the rich man] was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus<br />received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. … I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of<br />torment.' (Luke 16:23-25,28)<br /><br />The Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. (2 Peter 2:9)Latter Days Ministryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405696673350225699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793573695603056525.post-77298526112283516022011-07-29T11:09:56.740-04:002011-07-29T11:09:56.740-04:00Anonymous your question made me think of a questio...Anonymous your question made me think of a question I've always had. If our bodies decay in the grave and our souls go to be with the Lord upon death (if we are born again) then why does the scripture state that the dead in Christ will RISE when the catching away occurs?AnonyOnenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-793573695603056525.post-32958442852831056152011-07-28T21:09:53.534-04:002011-07-28T21:09:53.534-04:00I know I may be a bit late but I have just stumble...I know I may be a bit late but I have just stumbled upon your blog and it as been a blessing. This particular blog has answered many questions for me but I still have one more. There are people who have testimonies of being brought in to Hell by the Lord. (Mary K Baxter, Angelica Zambrano, etc.) These testimonies have been controversial, mostly because while some believe that there is eternal damnation for the sinner.. they don't believe that you go directly after death. In other words.. they believe that you sleep in the grave until judgement which cancels out all revelations of hell. I was wondering if you could clarify this for me. I would appreciate this. Thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com