[Biblemat] HILLIARD BULLETIN for April 2008
GLClair at aol.com
GLClair at aol.com
Wed Apr 2 15:48:43 CDT 2008
HILLIARD BULLETIN
Published by the church of Christ
P.O. Box 96 – 4840 Cemetery Road
Hilliard, Ohio 43026
Phone: (614) 876-4089
ELDERS
Owen Gary Brewer – (614) 832-2569
John Buchanan – (614) 893-3277
Preacher and Editor: Garreth L. Clair
Phone: (614) 850-7252
===================================================================
Volume 10 Number 4
April 2008
===================================================================
WHAT IS NEXT?
The most important thing that may occupy the mind of man is the events that
may occur after physical death. Now, physical death happens to all living
creatures, whether male or female; every living thing will eventually die. The
end of man is the time in which he/she expires [I.e. physically dies]. When a
person dies, that person will eventually turn to dust, the same as if they
had never lived. The great problem for people today who are still alive is, “
What Happens After Death?”
The evidence of physical death is present in every breath that a person
takes. As I go from place to place in my travels, I have observed the burial
places of many people. There are gardens of stone [I.e. burial sites] everywhere,
these sites attest to the fact that men and women of all ages, sexes, and
nationalities die and are buried somewhere.
WHAT IS MAN’S PURPOSE?
One of the great questions that continues to occur in man’s mind as he/she
lives on the earth is, “what am I to do and where am I to ultimately go?”
Indeed, the questions that surfaces as people live from birth to the death bed
is “what is ahead after I die” is there life or some form of existence after
I have expired? How many times in our lives have we contemplated this age-old
question? Indeed, many times the answer to this question is elusive in our
world because of the free moral agency [I.e. ability to make choices between
two or more possibilities}.
TO ANSWER THE QUESTION
{I.e. to arrive at a conclusion}
The answer that the humanist, atheist, and skeptic accept is; “man is an
animal just like a dog, sheep, monkey or lizard, when he dies he ceases to exist.
” This philosophy is the most prevalent mind set for humankind since the
dawning of human existence. There is a degree of satisfaction for these people
especially if they live and interact like a dog, a sheep, a monkey or a
lizard. If this is all that mankind is and all is consummated at death there is
nothing wrong with this concept that man has concocted from within his own mind
[i.e. human wisdom has dictated this concept to them].
Yet, there is one thing wrong with this concept of man’s state after he
dies; what if there is something after physical death? Indeed, whatever a person
dies with as a resume of his/her past life they must ultimately face after
death, if there is an after life.
CAN I KNOW FOR SURE?
While we may choose the life and end of the humanist, we will also
experience the after-death existence predicated upon whatever conditions are prevalent
in that state.
While man cannot know what is after physical death for sure he can know that
there is another view of death and the after death state of all humanity,
Indeed, every person from the first man to the last man on earth will face a
great trial after death sometime in the future of mankind.
IS IT POSSIBLE?
Is it possible that GOD EXISTS? Indeed, if God exist then everything is
different for everyone who has ever lives on the earth; Adam, Eve, King David,
The Sodomites of the plain cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, the great flood is a
reality, and everything in the Bible is true. As the apostle, Paul has stated
well, “What shall be the end of those that obey not the gospel of God’s
son, Jesus Christ?”
{2 Thessalonians 1:6-10, “6 if so be that it is righteous thing with God to
recompense affliction to them that afflict you, 7 and to you that are
afflicted rest with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the
angels of his power in flaming fire, 8 rendering vengeance to them that know not
God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus: 9 who shall
suffer punishment, (even) eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from
the glory of his might, 10 when he shall come to be glorified in his saints,
and to be marveled at in all them that believed (because our testimony unto
you was believed) in that day.“ ASV
WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE
THAT IS IT IMPOSSIBLE?
The truthfulness of the claim that God exist and that the Bible is given to
man directly from God cannot be denied. To affirm that the Bible is not from
God or that God does not exist is just as believable as the big bang theory
atheists say brought the earth into existence from nothing. Indeed, how can a
person believe that the theory of evolution is possible and deny that God
exist and that the Bible has been preserved for man so that after physical death
he/she may find a paradise to live in rather than accept that physical death
is all that there is and that when man dies all is gone, everything is lost.
WHAT HAPPENS
AFTER PHYSICAL DEATH?
The spirit leaves the dead physical body and returns to God. Eccl 12:6-7, “
6 before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the
pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, 7 and the
dust returned to the earth as it was, and the spirit returned unto God who
gave it.”
David was confident even in his day that the soul will survive through
physical death as is shown in the Psalms:
NOTE the following passages of Scripture:
Psalms 16:10, “For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol; neither wilt thou
suffer thy holy one to see corruption.” ASV
Psalms 25:13, “His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the
land.
Psalms 30:3, “O Jehovah, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol; Thou hast
kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.” ASV
Psalms 33:19-20, “19 to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them
alive in famine. 20 Our soul hath waited for Jehovah: He is our help and our
shield.” ASV
Psalms 49:15, “But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol; for he
will receive me. (Selah)” ASV
Psalms 23:1-6,
“1 Jehovah is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside still
waters.
3 He restores my soul: He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his
name's sake.
4 Yea, thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no
evil; for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
5 Thou prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou hast
anointed my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6Surely goodness and loving-kindness shall follow me all the days of my
life; and I shall dwell in the house of Jehovah for ever.”
THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS
A CASE OF LIFE AFTER DEATH - THE SOUL [i.e. SPIRIT] CONTINUES ON, THE SPIRIT
IS CONSCIOUS DURING THIS PERIOD ACCORDING TO THE TEXT HERE IN Luke 16.
Luke 16:19-26,
“19 Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine
linen, faring sumptuously every day:
20 and a certain beggar named Lazarus was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 and desiring to be fed with the (crumbs) that fell from the rich man's
table; yea, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and that he was carried away
by the angels into Abraham's bosom: and the rich man also died, and was
buried.
23 And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham
afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send
Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I
am in anguish in this flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime received thy
good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things: but now here he is
comforted, and thou art in anguish.
26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed,
that they that would pass from hence to you may not be able, and that none may
cross over from thence to us.”
EDITOR’S COMMENTS:
Verse 22, tells us that THE BEGGER WAS IN PARADISE AFTER HE DIED
Verse 23, 24, tells us that the rich man was in a place of torments [plural]
Verse 25, 26 tells us that the two souls {i.e. the rich man & Lazarus] were
in the same state but were separated from each other by an impassable gulf
[I.e. great gulf].
>From research through the years I am convinced that there is a place
prepared by God to receive the soul [i.e. spirit] of each person, reserving them for
the great day of judgment that will occur someday yet future; cf. Rev
20:13-15, “13 And the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and Hades
gave up the dead that were in them: and they were judged every man according to
their works. 14 And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is
the second death, (even) the lake of fire. 15 And if any was not found
written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.”
John 12:48, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one
that judgeth him: the word that I spoke, the same shall judge him in the last
day.”
After the trumpet of God sounds, all that are alive will be changed, the
dead small and great will arise, then death [i.e. the grave] and Hades will give
up their dead,
1 Thess 4:15-5:1,
“15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are
alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them
that are fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall
rise first;
17 then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught
up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with
the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” ASV
1 Cor 15:51-53,
“51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We all shall not sleep, but we shall all
be changed,
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the
trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed.
53 for this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put
on immortality.” ASV
EDITOR’S CONCLUSIONS
So far as I can understand the following are the events that will take place
after physical death:
1. The eternal spirit returns to God - Eccl 12:7, “and the dust returneth to
the earth as it was, and the spirit returneth unto God who gave it.“
2. The soul is reserved in either paradise or torments in Hades [I.e. the
unseen abode of all the dead of all ages] ---- Luke 16:19-26 [I.e. page 3]
3, The resurrection someday in the future - 1 Cor. 15:22-26
4. The assignment of the righteous and the wicked to their final [I.e.
eternal abode] - Rev. 20:10-21”8
DO NOT TAKE A CHANCE!
Determine to choose God’s Way
You must choose whether to follow humanism or follow God in your life. You
cannot make a choice after you have died; you must choose to serve God now
before it is too late. The time that we have to make a decision is relatively
short; let us make the decision before our time runs out. Let us make the
decision to serve God today. “Today is the day! --- _glclair at aol.com_
(mailto:glclair at aol.com)
… REBELLION …
[Defining the subject]
Dictionary definitions and near synonyms relating to the word rebellion; we
get a broad view of the wickedness of rebellion against God as we examine all
these shades of meaning.
1) _Sedition. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language:
Fourth Edition. 2000._ (http://www.bartleby.com/61/24/S0212400.html)
...Conduct or language inciting rebellion against the authority of a state.
2. Insurrection; rebellion. Middle English sedicioun, violent party strife,
from Old French...
2) _Rebellious. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language:
Fourth Edition. 2000._ (http://www.bartleby.com/61/63/R0076300.html)
...Prone to or participating in a rebellion: rebellious students. 2. of,
relating to, or characteristic of a rebel or rebellion: rebellious behavior.
3. Resisting treatment...
3) _Insurgence. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language:
Fourth Edition. 2000._ (http://www.bartleby.com/61/46/I0174600.html)
...The action or an instance of rebellion; an insurrection....
4) _Rebellion. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language:
Fourth Edition. 2000._ (http://www.bartleby.com/61/62/R0076200.html)
...Middle English, from Old French, from Latin rebellio, rebellion-, from
rebellre, to rebel. See rebel....
5) _Mutiny. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language:
Fourth Edition. 2000._ (http://www.bartleby.com/61/21/M0502100.html)
...Open rebellion against constituted authority, especially rebellion of
sailors against superior officers. Inflected forms: mu·ti·nied, mu·ti·ny·ing,
mu·ti·nies To...
6) Rebellion against God (A combination of all the above)
* Moses foretells of the calamity that will befall Israel because of
their rebellion against Jehovah.
Deut 31:27-29,
“27 for I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet
alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against Jehovah; and
how much more after my death?
28 Assemble unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I
may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to
witness against them.
29 For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and
turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in
the latter days; because ye will do that which is evil in the sight of
Jehovah, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
* To King Saul of Israel God’s Prophet Samuel spoke to Saul and said, “
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft…”1 Samuel 15:23, “23 For
rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim.
Because thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, he hath also rejected thee
from being king.” ASV
King Saul simply refused to do as God
instructed him and did something of his own personal choosing, this said
Samuel is rebellion.
* Solomon, in his proverbs states a great truth about rebellion,
Proverbs 17:11, “An evil man seeketh only rebellion; Therefore a cruel messenger
shall be sent against him.” ASV
* Hananiah the prophet prophesied a lie and encouraged the children of
Israel to believe it. As a result of the lie Jeremiah says to Hananiah, “
Hear now, Hananiah: Jehovah hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to
trust in a lie. --- Therefore thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will send thee
away from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast
spoken rebellion against Jehovah”
Jeremiah 28:15-17,
“15 Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now,
Hananiah: Jehovah hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a
lie.
16 Therefore thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will send thee away from off the
face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast spoken
rebellion against Jehovah.
17 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.” ASV
CONCLUSION:
Rebellion is a quality of character that no true Christian wants to possess.
The true Christian will always submit to God’s instruction in all things
[i.e. to submit to God’s instruction is called “being faithful.” ----
glclair at aol.com
… THE VALUE OF TRUTH …
If it were possible to make an estimation on the worth of truth, one could
honestly say, “truth is one of the great qualities that builds character”.
Jesus in speaking of “truth” says:
John 8:32, “and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
John 17:17, “Sanctify them in the truth: thy word is truth.”
John 12:47-48, “47 And if any man hear my sayings, and keep them not, I
judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 He
that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the
word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day.” ASV
**************Planning your summer road trip? Check out AOL Travel Guides.
(http://travel.aol.com/travel-guide/united-states?ncid=aoltrv00030000000016)
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20080402/c2c78594/attachment-0001.html
More information about the Biblemat
mailing list