We Do Not Want You To Be Ignorant Religion Essay

In 1996, Jeanne Calment was the oldest life homo whose age could be verified. On her hundred-and-twentieth birthday, she was asked to depict her vision for the hereafter. “ Very brief, ” she said. Another adult female was asked the benefits of life to the age of 102. After a intermission, she answered, “ No equal force per unit area! ”

The apostle Paul has something to state about decease we all need to cognize in 1 Thessalonians. I guarantee it can promote you.

GNB

Dr. Stringer will be back with that encouragement in merely a minute. Let me take the briefest of minutes to add my welcome to his. I ‘m ( – ) . I ‘m hear to read the transition from the Bible which is the survey part for today ‘s programme.

Word Alive is produced by Good News Broadcasting. We have ten million hearers global. Thank you so much for being one of them today.

Derek has been working his manner through 1 Thessalonians and has reached chapter 4 and verse 13.

The whole series is on Cadmium or cassette and we are doing it available for you. Ask us for inside informations. I will give you our contact inside informations at the terminal of the programme.

Let me read from 1 Thessalonians 4 get downing at verse 13:

( Music Very Quite )

“ Brothers, we do non desire you to be nescient about those who fall asleep, or to sorrow like the remainder of work forces, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose once more and so we believe that God will convey with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. Harmonizing to the Lord ‘s ain word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord will surely non predate those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from Eden, with a loud bid, with the voice of the archangel and with the cornet call of God and the dead in Christ will lift foremost. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to run into the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. ”

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Now, here ‘s our Bible Teacher, Derek Stringer.

Derek Stringer

Thankss really much.

The following major universe event is the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

There are 1,845 mentions in the Old Testament entirely and a sum of 17 books that give it distinction. Of the 260 chapters in the whole New Testament, there are 318 mentions to Christ ‘s Second Coming. That averages one out of every 30 poetries. Furthermore, 23 of the 27 New Testament books refer to the Second Coming.

Interestingly, three of these four books are individual chapter letters, which were written to specific individuals on a individual topic. Another interesting factor is that for every prognostication on the first approach of Christ – when he was born as a babe in Bethlehem – there are eight prognostications on Christ ‘s Second Coming.

You can non truly prophesy the Gospel adequately and disregard this topic. True, the Gospel Centres on the cross. There are about 300 mentions to it in Bible. No other event has every bit many mentions as the cross and the Second Coming of Christ. Our religion looks back to the cross. Our hope looks frontward to his coming. We should populate in love right in the center of these great events. I shall non reply all your inquiries in this chapter. However, we can discourse some fascinating, soothing and disputing information.

Paul preached the whole Gospel to the Thessalonians. He did non desire them ignorant about the future hope of the truster. So aroused was Paul that this might go on in his life-time, he managed to convey that amazing fact. Of class every coevals of Christians hope that they will non go through through the procedure of physical decease. We are looking for the up-taker non the mortician. This was now disturbing some trusters. They were anticipating the Lord to return any twenty-four hours. They felt their loved 1s who had died would non be resurrected until the concluding Resurrection at the terminal of clip. They would non see them once more until that faraway event. Death leaves the feeling that the 1 who has died is out of things. This was worrying the Thessalonians. It was a natural reaction.

Paul wrote to chase away their ignorance. They are traveling to acquire front seats. They will non lose anything.

GNB

Verse 14 says, “ God will convey with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him ” .

Derek Stringer

That takes all the fright off. It will be lovely to travel directly to Jesus. It will be fantastic non to hold to travel through the procedure of decease. A Christian can be torn two ways. Like Paul composing to the Church at Philippi, we may state, “ I am lacerate between two: I desire to go and be with Christ, which is better by far ; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the organic structure. ” Often it is more necessary for us! There is still much that God must make in us and through us before we say our concluding good dark to the universe.

If you could see a individual Christian in glorification you would non desire to draw them back into this universe. You would envy their place. If you have blessing here, that is nil to the benefit of infinity. Therefore, the Christian is non allowed the luxury of worldly grief. We are non. “ To sorrow like the remainder of work forces who have no hope ” .

How suffering the universe is about decease.

GNB

A caption on a posting read: “ The first two proceedingss of a adult male ‘s life are the most critical. ” Graffiti underneath exclaimed: “ The last two are reasonably chancy every bit good. ”

Derek Stringer

I doubt that there has been a civilization that has spent more money on decease or less clip and attending to what comes after decease.

Parents in old coevalss would insert their kids in bed at dark and hold them state a small supplication:

“ Now I lay me down to kip,

I pray the Godhead my psyche to maintain.

If I should decease before I wake,

I pray the Lord my psyche to take. ”

Is n’t that a blithe manner to direct a kid off to bed? Did you know there is a 2nd poetry?

“ Our yearss begin with problem,

Our life is but a span.

And barbarous decease is ever nigh,

Sp frail a thing is adult male. ”

“ Good dark darling – pleasant dreams! ” Peoples taught their kid to pray this manner because they wanted them to cognize that decease is existent, but it is non the terminal.

How old were you when you began to gain people decease?

I think that the life rhythm is backwards.

You should decease foremost, acquire it out of the manner.

Then you live in an old-age place.

You are kicked out when you are excessively immature.

You get a gold ticker and you go to work.

You work 40 old ages, until you are immature plenty to bask retirement.

You go to college, you party until you ‘re ready for high school.

You become a small child, you play, you have no duties.

You become a small male child or a small miss.

You go back to the uterus.

You spend your last 9 months drifting.

And you finish off as a glow in person ‘s oculus.

We ca n’t populate in contrary. So, we must fix ourselves for decease and what happens after we die.

GNB

The narrative has been told of a adult male who on a regular basis read the Times Newspaper obituary column and read his ain necrology. He phoned the editor to kick: “ I have merely read my ain obituary in you newspaper. ”

There was a silence before the editor enquired, “ Where are you talking from now ” ?

Derek Stringer

The most certain fact of life is decease. You can state a Christian funeral: there may be cryings, that is natural, – but you know this is non the terminal.

For the Christian it is merely an address alteration.

The fact of decease is unmentionable in some company because we live in a universe without God and without hope. True, we do experience the farewell. Death hurts a truster.

GNB

Steve Brown writes, “ I was talking at a spiritual accent hebdomad at a Christian college. Shortly before I went to talk at the college, a adult female I had known for a figure of old ages died. She had been one of Christ ‘s most faithful retainers. Her informant had literally touched 1000s of people in some exciting and positive ways.

Her girl was a pupil at the college and one eventide after the meeting I noticed her standing in line waiting to talk to me. I was interested in what she was traveling to state. When she got up to me, she said, ‘Mr Brown, I ‘m Sara Clark ( non her name ) . ‘ ‘Sara ‘ , I said, ‘I knew your female parent and I loved her. She was an inspiration to so many of us. I know this must be a hard clip for you ‘ . ‘Not at all ‘ , she said smiling. ‘I know where my female parent is. She is in Eden and her funeral was a informant to how our household is praising God, We saw a figure of people come to cognize Christ at the funeral. Do n’t blow any commiseration on me I ‘m a Christian ‘ .

With uncharacteristic bluntness ( good, possibly a small characteristic ) , I said, ‘Sara do n’t give me that sort of fiddle-faddle. If your female parent ‘s dead and you ‘re happy about that you ‘re non playing with a full deck ‘ .

Make you cognize what happened? She fell apart. The cryings flowed for the first clip in hebdomads. Sara and I spent a batch of clip together that hebdomad speaking about her female parent, how she loved her and how much she missed her. Most of the clip I merely allow her speak and call and be angry. She had found person who allowed her non to be ‘Christian ‘ for a alteration, person who did n’t reject her honest feelings. Sara is making all right now. She still misses her female parent. She knows that her female parent is with Christ and Sara has a much stronger informant to her friends now because it is honorable and free.

Derek Stringer

You can see the point at that place ca n’t you?

Sara had been given a set of criterions that as a Christian she felt she must keep. One of those criterions was that Christians praise God all the clip and ne’er trade with calamity candidly lest they hurt their informant for Christ. By leting people to be human, we give them permission to be free.

We feel and we grieve. But we mourn over our ain loss. “ I ‘m regretful that you have lost your married woman ” , said a friend to a new widowman. “ I have n’t lost her ” , he replied, “ I know precisely where she is ” .

Paul dispels ignorance refering the dead at Christ ‘s coming. For decease Paul used the phrase: “ those who have fallen asleep. ”

That reminds me of the Children Church Teacher who asked her category why it is of import to be quiet in church. One bright small miss replied, “ Because people are kiping! ”

That is non what Paul had in head, of class. The phrase “ fallen asleep ” is used to depict trusters who have died. The term is ne’er used in the New Testament of anyone but trusters. It ne’er says of a non-believer when he died that he “ fell asleep ” . There is a fantastic lesson in that. It shows that decease, for the truster, is nil more than slumber.

When mentioning to Lazarus who had died, Jesus said, “ Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep ; but I am traveling at that place to wake him up ” . By the manner, this word in Greek is where we acquire our word “ graveyard. ” It was the early Christians ‘ optimistic name for a cemetery because they knew it was a dormant topographic point, a residence hall for dead people who will one twenty-four hours be resurrected ;

Have you of all time wondered what it feels like to decease? You pattern it every dark. When you fall asleep you are softly resting. You expect to wake up once more in the same room. One twenty-four hours it will be a topographic point prepared by Jesus.

Some people have wrongly taken the apostle ‘s phrase to intend the dead remain in an unconscious province until Jesus returns. I can non believe that a adult male so alive as Paul would see decease addition if it was less of the witting presence of Christ he experienced on Earth.

The thing we must retrieve in covering with this affair of life beyond decease is that when clip ends, infinity Begins. The Thessalonians, like us today, were projecting the sequence of clip into infinity, We all wrestle with the construct of infinity. We tend to believe of it as clip traveling on limitlessly ; that, as is the instance here on Earth, we must wait for certain events which are yet future. That is how it will be in heaven, we feel, despite the fact that the word of God seeks to demo that clip and infinity are two different things.

GNB

Dr. Arthur Custance, a Canadian scientist makes a helpful remark on this: “ The truly of import thing to notice is that Time stands in the same relation to Eternity in one sense, as a big figure does to infinity. There is one sense in which eternity includes a really big figure, yet it is rather basically different and independent of it. By analogy, decrease of Time until it gets smaller and smaller is still non Eternity. Nor do we make Eternity by an extension of Time to great length. There is no direct tract between Time and Eternity. They are different classs of experience ” .

Augustine understood this. He devoted Book 11 of The Confessions to a treatment of clip. He wrote, “ What so is clip? If no 1 asks me, I know ; if I want to explicate it to person who does inquire me, I do non cognize ” . When asked, “ What was God making before creative activity ” ? he states “ Since God invented clip along with the created universe, such a inquiry is nonsensical and simply betrays the time-bound position of the inquirer. Before clip there is merely infinity and infinity of God is ne’er stoping present ” .

Derek Stringer

Time has sequences: yesteryear, present and future. But infinity has merely one dimension: it is present, now. We struggle with that, as the Thessalonians besides did.

In clip I am in a recording studio at Bawtry Hall in Bawtry, England. In a few yearss clip I will travel and talk at a church service in the South of England, and so over to America to prophesy at a Bible Conference.

That will be true merely of my organic structure. That says nil about where my head may be. Minds are non limited to infinite, or clip, or sequence. They can travel anyplace and see anything at any clip.

Eternity is much more like that. That is why we have great trouble understanding prophetic transitions in Bible in footings of clip when they are truly ageless events. In infinity there is no past or hereafter, merely the present now. Within that now all events will go on.

There likely is sequence of experience in infinity, but it is non based on chronology ; it is based upon religious preparedness.

There are biblical transitions that seem to back up this. For case, in Revelation 18:8, “ The Lamb that was slain from the creative activity of the universe ” . The cross happened at a peculiar minute in universe history ; we can day of the month it. We know when the Lord Jesus Christ was slain as the Lamb of God. Yet Bible says it occurred from the creative activity of the universe. How can you explicate how this historical event took topographic point at a certain clip on Earth, but is said to hold occurred before the Earth was decently working? If you try to project all the ideas and relationships of clip into infinity, you are certain to hold existent trouble with this. But if you remember that in infinity all things are present at one clip, so of class it is no job.

Take another illustration. Paul states, “ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the celestial kingdom with every approval in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creative activity of the universe ” . How do you explicate that? Merely when you see eternity non as a series of events in a sequence of clip, but as associating to us in a different manner, can you explicate it.

When a truster steps out of clip, he is in infinity. The large event of the hereafter is that Jesus is coming once more for the truster. Surely it is this event which welcomes every believer the minute he dies. It may be many old ages before it happened in clip. However, this individual is no longer in clip but infinity. In the experience of that truster, does non go forth anyone behind. All his loved 1s who know Christ are at that place every bit good. This includes his Christian posterities who were non born when he died! Since there is no past or hereafter in Eden, this must certainly be true. Even those who, in clip, stand beside a grave and weep and so travel place to an empty house, are in his experience, with him in Eden.

GNB

Dr. Custance grounds further, “ The experience of each saint is shared by all other saints, by those who have preceded and those who are to follow. For them all, all history, all intervening clip between decease and the Lord ‘s return is all of a sudden annihilated so that each one finds to his astonishment that Adam, excessively, is merely deceasing and fall ining him on his manner to run into the Lord: and Abraham and David, Isaiah and the Beloved John, Paul and Augustine, Hudson Taylor and you and I – all in one fantastic experience run intoing the Lord in a individual blink of an eye together, without precedency and without the slightest consciousness of hold, none being late and none excessively early. ”

Derek Stringer

I am cognizant of a job transition in this connexion in Revelation 6: 9-11. John is shown a scene of “ The psyche of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They call out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, sanctum and true, until you judge the dwellers of the Earth and revenge our blood? ‘ Then each of them was given a white robe and they were told to wait a small longer, until the figure of their fellow-servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. ” Does this contradict what I have written? Here are souls in heaven necessitating to wait for God to revenge them. What is the account? I think that this is best understood by the fact that these martyred trusters are sympathizing with the conditions of Earth. They are in infinity. They have moved into ageless relationships, but they are concerned about what is go oning on Earth. On Earth there is ever the consciousness of clip, hold and waiting. Since John is still on Earth ( on the island of Patmos ) their look of concern must be voiced in the linguistic communication of clip.

I believe that Paul knew the difference between clip and infinity, but he reassures the Thessalonians, without going academic, that the life and the dead will be together when our Lord returns. That is the point at issue. He says, in consequence, “ Yes, you will see your loved 1s instantly when the Lord returns. Whether you join that event when you die or whether the Lord comes while you are yet alive your loved 1s will be with him. ” That is the focal point of his ideas.

Our recording studio here at Bawtry is n’t far from the topographic point where John and Charles Wesley had their childhood. It reminds me that many of our great anthem were produced to assist the trusters die good.

GNB

Charles Wesley ‘s glorious words:

“ Happy if with my latest breath

I may pant his name

preach him to all

and call in decease:

Behold! Behold, the Lamb ” .

Derek Stringer

You can non hold a more admirable aspiration than to decease good. Christianity non merely teaches you how to populate but how to decease. If you are in Jesus what happened to Jesus will go on to you. When he died he committed his spirit to the Father and he rose once more. We will all be together make non be concerned about that. You will happen your loved 1s once more when the Lord returns.

How will it go on?

You will acquire baffled if you regard the coming of the Lord, as though it were a individual event, an immediate and once-for-all appearance. The coming of the Lord is a series of events. This series has a dramatic beginning, as Paul describes here, with Jesus coming to take his life and dead trusters to be with him. It has an even more dramatic stoping when as Jesus himself said, he would happen himself to the full universe:

GNB

It says in Revelation 1, “ He is coming with the clouds and every oculus will see him. ”

Derek Stringer

And that is a different event from the one here described. You can non do those fit together. In between them is a period of clip during which Jesus is present on the Earth though non ever visibly so.

When Bible negotiations about the coming, ( Grecian word, Second Coming ) it sometimes looks at the beginning of that series, sometimes it looks at the terminal of it or mediate.

The Second Coming of Jesus is a series of events.

His first coming lasted around 30 old ages and included a assortment of events. After our Lord ‘s Resurrection for 40 yearss Jesus was here on Earth. He appeared to the adherents in Jerusalem and in Galilee. People heard studies that he was about but cipher could happen him except when he chose to be seen. That is the same status that will predominate on Earth during this clip of the coming of the Lord. If we comprehend that it will assist us greatly to hold on what is described.

There are three sounds connected with this initial appearance of Jesus. These sounds affect different groups.

First: the bid of the Lord.

GNB

“ The Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud bid. ”

Derek Stringer

This is a military term that was issued when the military personnels were “ at easiness ” and it was clip for them to “ fall in. ” Who is that call addressed to? Jesus himself said, “ A clip is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will populate ” .

When Jesus stood before the grave of Lazarus, he: “ called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus come out ‘ ” ! To the astonishment of the crowd the dead adult male appeared at the room access of the grave. As many observers have pointed out, if Jesus had non said “ Lazarus ” , he would hold emptied the cemetery!

GNB

Person one time described Jesus as “ The universe ‘s worst funeral manager – he broke up every funeral he of all time attended, including his ain. ”

Derek Stringer

But the hr is coming when all the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and come out! That is what Paul is speaking about here.

Stanley Spencer has painted a churchyard scene with organic structures coming out of their grave. Some think it inexorable. Those with eyes to see are excited. The call of bid is addressed to the dead ; to those in the grave who had “ fallen asleep in him. ”

The 2nd sound is the voice of the Archangel. The lone angel in the Bible called an archangel is Michael. Though Gabriel is a great angel he is non called an archangel in the Scripture. Michael has a particular duty towards Israel. An angel said to Daniel, “ At that clip Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will originate ” . “ Your people ” means Israel. Michael is ever connected with Israel. Michael will originate and so there shall be a Resurrection.

As Jesus comes down with his dining bid, Michael ‘s voice is repeating behind him. Those who are in the grave will come out. Besides, the populating state of Israel will be summoned to a new relationship with God.

GNB

The inside informations of this event concern the 144,000 Hebrewss, twelve folks of Israel are in Revelation 7 and 14.

Derek Stringer

These will be called into a fresh relationship with Jesus to follow him wheresoever he goes on Earth during the clip of his presence. He is unperceivable to the universe but seeable to them. That all Begins when Jesus returns for his church and the archangel calls Israel into a new relationship with the Lord.

The 3rd sound is the cornet call of God. The Bible is filled with mentions to huntsman’s horns and they have a figure of different significances. In Exodus a really loud cornet was used to name the people out to run into with God. In Zechariah, a cornet was used as a signal that the Lord was about to deliver His people. The cornet sounds Forth at the Rapture because God ‘s people are called out in order to be rescued. The universe will non hear this call merely those to whom it is addressed.

GNB

Paul pinpoints those in 1 Corinthians 15:51, “ We will non all sleep but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the blink of an eye of an oculus, at the last cornet ” .

What an first-class poetry for a Church Creche,

“ We will non all sleep but we will all be changed ” ! But this poetry is particularly addressed to populating trusters.

Derek Stringer

We are non wholly traveling to decease, but we shall all be changed. The biggest Christian meeting of all time is coming. No admiration it will be in the air. There is non a bowl on Earth that could incorporate it.

Satan is called: “ the prince of the air ” . On that twenty-four hours the air will belong to the truster. This is a statement of precedence. That would hold calmed the concerns of the Thessalonians. Notice that it is the dead “ in Christ ” who are raised. This is merely a Resurrection of trusters. The cursed are left in their Gravess to be raised at the Great White Throne judgement one thousand old ages subsequently.

GNB

That ‘s recorded in Revelation 20 poetry 5.

Derek Stringer

What a fantastic hope we have. “ Therefore promote each other with these words ” says Paul.

This is the ultimate household reunion. Revel in the comfort it brings in old age as the hr of decease becomes more a witting idea.

Few feel encouraged in their late old ages. The antonym is far more common.

“ There are a batch of work forces who

weirdo into the universe to eat and kip

and cognize no ground why they ‘re born

salvage merely to devour the maize,

devour the cowss, staff of life and fish

and go forth behind an empty dish ;

and if their gravestones, when they die,

were to blandish or to lie,

there ‘s nil better can be said

than that they ‘ve eaten up their staff of life,

imbibe up their drink and gone to bed. ”

We sing our saddest vocals longest if we live and die without a sense of intent. Unlike the empty commiserations of the pagan in the face of decease, these words comfort as nil else can because they overflow with the existent hope. Jesus died and rose once more. He said that he would run into me on the other side of the grave or if I am still alive at the clip, when he comes for his church.

GNB

What a hope. And it ‘s non based on desirous thought but the solid stone of Jesus Christ who died, rose once more, ascended and promised he will be back!

Derek will be back in merely a minute to wrap this programme up, so do n’t travel off.

I promised to give you some contact inside informations so that you can acquire in touch. We do like to hear from you. We like to pray for you every bit good. I ‘ll give you those address inside informations in merely a minute. Dr. Stringers complete series through 1 Thessalonians is called A Fresh Hope. We are doing it available on Cadmium or cassette.

Now here ‘s Derek with a shutting narrative.

Derek Stringer

I love the narrative I heard in a recorded message by Bishop Ken Ulmer, the curate of a church in Los Angeles, USA. He told about two work forces who were in an art museum looking at a picture of a chess game. One character looked like a adult male ; the other character looked a batch like the Devil. The adult male is down to his last piece on the chess board. The rubric of the picture is Checkmate. One of the two work forces looking at this picture was a chess title-holder, and something about the picture fascinated him. He said to his friend, “ Something about this picture fusss me. I want to analyze it a small longer. You go in front and roll around. ”

As he looked more carefully, his caput started nodding, and his custodies started traveling. When his friend returned, he said, “ The adult male who painted this image must either alter the image or alter the rubric because the King still has one more move.

May I encourage you with these words: The King still has one more move.

A adolescent named David is up against a might, traveling mountain of musculus named Goliath. He tried King Saul ‘s armor but disappears into it. He ca n’t even manage an grownup blade. It looks like Checkmate, but – The King still has one more move.

Daniel is thrown into a lair of king of beastss, because he refuses to halt praying to his God. The king of beastss are hungry. He is in there all dark. As morning interruptions, King Darius calls down. He discovers it has becomes the king of beastss in Daniel ‘s lair! Daniel is all right because – The King still has one more move.

Moses convinces a state of oppressed slave to run off organize the most powerful adult male on Earth. Pharaoh came after him. They have the Red Sea in forepart of them and the greatest ground forces of its twenty-four hours behind them. The people say to Moses, “ It ‘s all over. We ‘re traveling to decease. ” Moses says to God, “ Over to you ” because – The King has one more move.

Music Starts ( Softly )

Two people were walking to a small town called Emmaus about seven stat mis off from Jerusalem. Jesus had died and with him their hopes. Jesus himself came up and walked along with them ; but they did n’t recognize him. By the clip the journey was over they knew who he was. Their Black Marias burned within them. They knew, decease had non been cheated but conquered. Because – The King has one more move.

“ Promote each other with these words. ”

GNB

Thankss Derek. Contact inside informations. . . information about following hebdomads programme etc.