Christ In The Psalms

ing in hell? Can they hear Ť their screams? Do souls actually have fingers and tongues as Ť described in the parable? Abraham must have a large bosom to contain Ť all the individuals who go there.

To take the parable Ť literally is to create huge problems. Heaven would be a terrible Ť place if we beheld the constant , ever present suffering of our Ť friends.

Why did Jesus tell this story? What lessons Ť was He trying to teach?

The Jews had a common story Ť describing death as passing through a valley of darkness picturing Ť salvation as fleeing to the security of Abraham's bosom and the Ť eternally lost going to destruction.

Jesus used this Ť story to teach three lessons.

The Jews believed that Ť riches were a sign of God's favor and poverty a sign of His Ť displeasure. In the story, the rich man who the Jews thought was Ť blessed of God ends up in hell and the poor man in heaven. Jesus Ť reverses the expected outcome.

Lesson #1 Riches gained Ť by greed, dishonesty, or oppressing the poor are never a sign of Ť God's favor.

Lesson #2 The parable describes a great Ť gulf that is fixed. There is no second chance or opportunity for Ť growing into God's favor once a person is lost. The decisions made Ť in this life determine our eternal destiny.

Lesson #3 Ť Jesus points out that since the Pharisees had rejected the clear Ť teachings of God's Word regarding salvation, they would also reject Ť a supernatural miracle such as someone rising from the Ť dead.

The Jews Were Always Asking Jesus for a Sign. Ť He Gave Them the Greatest Sign. A Short While Later, He Raised Ť Lazarus From the Dead.

John 11:11-14 These Ť things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Ť Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then Ť said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Ť Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of Ť taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus Ť is dead.

John 11:43-44 And when he thus had Ť spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that Ť was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his Ť face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose Ť him, and let him go.

As a Result of This Mighty Miracle, Ť the Jewish Leaders Became Threatened and Decided to Kill Ť Lazarus.

John 12:9-11 Much people of the Jews Ť therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake Ť only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from Ť the dead. But the chief priests consulted that they might put Ť Lazarus also to death; Because that by reason of him many of the Ť Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.

They Became So Ť Angry at Jesus-They Were So Deceived That They Plotted to Destroy Ť Jesus As Well. They Had Read the Bible with a Veil Over Their Eyes. Ť They Had Failed to Understand That "All Scriptures" Testify of Ť Jesus.

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in Ť them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify Ť of me.

When Jesus Raised Lazarus From the Dead, They Did Ť Not Believe. His Words in Luke 16 Were Prophetic.

Luke Ť 16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the Ť prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the Ť dead.

In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Ť Jesus was using a popular story to make a powerful Ť lesson.

What Does It Mean in Ť Revelation 6 Where It Describes the Souls Under the Alter Crying Ť with a Loud Voice.

Revelation 6:9-11 And when he Ť had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them Ť that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which Ť they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Ť Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on Ť them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every Ť one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet Ť for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their Ť brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. Ť

Personification is a common Biblical method of Ť describing situations with symbolic language. After Cain killed Ť Abel, the Lord said to Cain, "the voice of your brother's blood Ť cries to Me from the ground" (Genesis 4:10). Was Ť Abel's blood really speaking? No! Not literally. The language of Ť this text communicated God's faithful loving, tender concern for His Ť martyr Abel and Cain's accountability for his sinful act. Ť

According to Hebrews 12, the Blood of Jesus Speaks Ť Better Things Than That of Abel.

Hebrew 12:24 Ť And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the Ť blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. Ť

The blood of Jesus communicates forgiveness, mercy, Ť and redemption. Certainly the blood of Jesus is not speak Ť literal words. The language of Hebrews 12 communicates God's message Ť of redemption.

In Revelation 6, God Communicates Ť That He Has Not Forgotten His Faithful Ť Martyrs.

Revelation 6:10 And they cried with a Ť loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not Ť judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the Ť earth?

Their blood symbolically cried out for God to Ť bring justice upon their persecutors and to reward the faithful ones Ť with eternal life.

In the Bible, the Word Soul Ť Often Means "Person Or People".

Romans 13:1 Let Ť every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power Ť but of God: the powers that be are ordained of Ť God.

Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; Ť as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the Ť soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Acts 27:37 Ť And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and Ť sixteen souls.

In Other Places in the Bible the Word Ť Soul Means "Life".

Hebrews 13:17 Obey them that Ť have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for Ť your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with Ť joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for Ť you.

1 Peter 4:19 Wherefore let them that Ť suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their Ť souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Ť Creator.

Matthew 10:28 And fear not them Ť which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather Ť fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Ť

Thus, the passage in Revelation 6 that says "the souls Ť under the alter cry out," could read, "the lives of those people Ť martyred for Jesus, symbolically cry out from the ground for Ť justice," the same way Abel's blood cried out for God to Ť hear.

There will be a final judgment and God Ť Himself will set all things right.

Is Ť the Soul Immortal?

The Bible used the word "soul" Ť approximately 1600 times and never once used the expression Ť "immortal soul".

The word mortal means subject to Ť death.

The word immortal means not subject to Ť death.

The Bible Expressly States That the Soul That Ť Sin Shall Die.

Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls Ť are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Ť mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Jesus Said Ť That Both the Body and the Soul Can Be Destroyed in Ť Hell.

Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill Ť the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him Ť which is able to destroy both soul and body in Ť hell.

Immortality Is An Attribute of Divinity. Only God Ť Is Naturally Immortal.

1 Timothy 6:15, 16 Which Ť in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, Ť the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, Ť dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man Ť hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Ť Amen.

Satan's First Lie in the Garden of Eden Was Ť Regarding Death.

Genesis 3:4 And the serpent Ť said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

God's Word Ť Says That Sin Results in Death.

Romans 6:23 For Ť the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life Ť through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Death is the absence of Ť life. Sin does not bring forth eternal life in hell, but, Ť rather, total, absolute, banishment from the presence of God by Ť annihilation.

The Bible Is Clear. Man Is Ť Mortal.

Job 4:17 Shall mortal man be more just Ť than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?

We Ť Seek for Immortality.

Romans 2:7 To them who by Ť patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and Ť immortality, eternal life:

The Righteous Received His Ť Reward at Jesus' Second Coming.

1 Corinthians 15:51-54 Ť Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but Ť we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at Ť the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be Ť raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible Ť must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. Ť So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this Ť mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass Ť the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. Ť

Sinners Receive Their Eternal Reward As Ť Well.

James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, Ť it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth Ť death.

The choice then is between eternal life and Ť eternal death.

What Does Peter Mean Ť When He Talks About Christ Preaching to the Spirits in Ť Prison?

1 Peter 3:19 By which also he went and Ť preached unto the spirits in prison;

To Understand His Ť Text It Is Necessary to Read the Entire Passage.

1 Peter Ť 3:18-22 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Ť just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to Ť death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he Ť went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were Ť disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days Ť of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight Ť souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism Ť doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the Ť flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the Ť resurrection of Jesus Christ: Who is gone into heaven, and is on the Ť right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made Ť subject unto him.

Verse 18 reveals that Jesus the Ť divine Son of God who was put to death for our sins was "made Ť alive" through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Verse Ť 19 makes a transition and declares that it was by this same Holy Ť Spirit that Christ spoke to the spirits in prison. When did He Ť preach to these spirits in prison?

Verse 20 tells us. Ť In the days of Noah, the heart's of men and women were only evil Ť continually. They were in bondage to evil spirits. The same Holy Ť Spirit which raised Jesus from literal death appealed to men and Ť women possessed by evil spirits. As a result, the people of Noah's Ť day were spiritually dead.

The Spirit of Christ Ť Spoke Through Noah Who Preached to the People of That Day Who Were Ť Trapped in Spiritual Prisons.

1 Peter 1:10-12 Of Ť which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, Ť who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching Ť what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them Ť did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, Ť and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that Ť not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which Ť are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto Ť you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the Ť angels desire to look into.

The Mighty Power of the Ť Spirit the Prison of Sin So the Captives Can Go Ť Free.

Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is Ť upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings Ť unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to Ť proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to Ť them that are bound;

The experience of the flood is Ť likened to baptism. Just as the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from Ť dearth to life, just as the Holy Spirit led Noah's family into the Ť ark, preserving them from death and leading them to life, so the Ť Holy Spirit works awakening spiritual life, convicting men and women Ť of sin, providing power for a changed life and leading them through Ť the waters of baptism.

In Noah's day, the Spirit led men and Ť women from death to life. This was possible because of the power of Ť the resurrected Christ that was to come.

What Does the Bible Teach About Ť Re-Incarnation?

Re-incarnation is based upon two premises, Ť neither of which is true.

First: Human beings purify Ť themselves through their own righteous acts.

Second: Ť There is an immortal soul which survives bodily death. Ť

The Bible Teaches That Salvation Is Through Faith Ť in Christ.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye Ť saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of Ť God:

Romans 3:24-31Being justified freely by Ť his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God Ť hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to Ť declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, Ť through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his Ť righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which Ť believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what Ť law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude Ť that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is he Ť the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of Ť the Gentiles also: Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the Ť circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. Do we then Ť make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the Ť law.

Death Is a Sleep Until the Glorious Ť Resurrection.

1 Thessalonians 4:15, 16 For this Ť we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and Ť remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are Ť asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, Ť with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the Ť dead in Christ shall rise first:

1 Corinthians 15:51, Ť 54 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, Ť but we shall all be changed, . when this corruptible shall have put Ť on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then Ť shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is Ť swallowed up in victory.

There Is No Second Chance After Ť Death.

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto Ť men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Now Is the Ť Time for Salvation.

2 Corinthians 6:2 For he Ť saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of Ť salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; Ť behold, now is the day of salvation.

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