WEBVTT 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:06.459 a lovely listener writes from long beach california 00:00:06.459 --> 00:00:13.419 and in her letter she asks me to do something 00:00:13.419 --> 00:00:16.320 and i shall be most happy to grant her request 00:00:16.320 --> 00:00:20.519 to -day please catherine on one of your radio 00:00:20.519 --> 00:00:25.100 talks give the answer will we know our loved 00:00:25.100 --> 00:00:30.460 ones over there i'll be listening as I never 00:00:30.460 --> 00:00:37.039 miss your fireside talks. Oh, isn't that nice? 00:00:37.259 --> 00:00:40.500 So whether my talks are heart -to -heart talks 00:00:40.500 --> 00:00:46.399 or fireside talks or kitchen talks or living 00:00:46.399 --> 00:00:51.640 room talks or traveling talks, whatever they 00:00:51.640 --> 00:00:55.659 are, I pray that they shall be most beneficial 00:00:55.659 --> 00:01:02.880 to you. Now, before I answer this question outright 00:01:02.880 --> 00:01:06.239 as to whether or not we'll know our loved ones 00:01:06.239 --> 00:01:14.340 over there, let me just lay the groundwork. Let's 00:01:14.340 --> 00:01:19.280 begin with the resurrections. The Scripture speaks 00:01:19.280 --> 00:01:25.200 of three kinds of resurrection. Whenever we speak 00:01:25.200 --> 00:01:29.959 of... the resurrection of the dead. We always 00:01:29.959 --> 00:01:33.939 think of that time when the trump shall sound 00:01:33.939 --> 00:01:39.659 and the dead in Christ shall rise first. But 00:01:39.659 --> 00:01:43.420 the Bible speaks of three kinds of resurrections. 00:01:46.159 --> 00:01:53.700 One is national, and this refers to Israel. And 00:01:53.700 --> 00:01:58.859 in the Old Testament, over and over again. Those 00:01:58.859 --> 00:02:02.799 of you who are students of the Old Testament 00:02:02.799 --> 00:02:07.959 know what I'm talking about. There is a resurrection 00:02:07.959 --> 00:02:12.039 that the Old Testament speaks of over and over 00:02:12.039 --> 00:02:17.080 again. For instance, the sixth chapter of Hosea. 00:02:18.560 --> 00:02:23.460 The first and the second verses. Come, let us 00:02:23.460 --> 00:02:28.199 return unto the Lord. For he hath torn, and he 00:02:28.199 --> 00:02:32.939 will heal us. He hath smitten, he will bind us 00:02:32.939 --> 00:02:38.680 up. After two days will he revive us. In the 00:02:38.680 --> 00:02:43.900 third day he will raise us up, and we shall live 00:02:43.900 --> 00:02:51.379 in his sight. Now that refers to a national resurrection. 00:02:52.259 --> 00:02:58.030 Israel. the same resurrection that ezekiel talks 00:02:58.030 --> 00:03:02.289 about in that 37th chapter of ezekiel how well 00:03:02.289 --> 00:03:06.990 you know that scripture when the hand of the 00:03:06.990 --> 00:03:09.370 lord was upon me and carried me out in the spirit 00:03:09.370 --> 00:03:12.270 of the lord and set me down in the midst of the 00:03:12.270 --> 00:03:16.370 valley which was full of bones and caused me 00:03:16.370 --> 00:03:20.930 to pass by them round about and behold There 00:03:20.930 --> 00:03:23.530 were very many in the open valley, and lo, they 00:03:23.530 --> 00:03:27.150 were very dry. But something happened to those 00:03:27.150 --> 00:03:32.289 bones. There was a time of resurrection. Behold, 00:03:32.289 --> 00:03:37.210 I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye 00:03:37.210 --> 00:03:43.830 shall live. There's a resurrection. I will lay 00:03:43.830 --> 00:03:48.550 sinews upon you, will bring up flesh upon you. 00:03:48.909 --> 00:03:53.050 and cover you with skin, put breath in you, and 00:03:53.050 --> 00:03:57.629 ye shall live, and ye shall know that I am the 00:03:57.629 --> 00:04:03.629 Lord. There's a great national resurrection. 00:04:06.069 --> 00:04:11.569 And there's no mystery that here the prophet 00:04:11.569 --> 00:04:15.990 is speaking of the national resurrection of Israel. 00:04:17.829 --> 00:04:22.649 for he said unto me son of man these bones are 00:04:22.649 --> 00:04:29.509 the whole house of israel not a part of israel 00:04:29.509 --> 00:04:36.250 but the whole house of israel going back to the 00:04:36.250 --> 00:04:38.889 first scripture there are several things in this 00:04:38.889 --> 00:04:43.149 passage worth noting first we see from the context 00:04:43.149 --> 00:04:48.209 that the words of the prophet are addressed exclusively 00:04:48.209 --> 00:04:52.970 to the Jewish people and to the whole twelve 00:04:52.970 --> 00:05:00.230 tribes represented by Ephraim and Judah. It's 00:05:00.230 --> 00:05:05.310 the whole house of Israel that says, Come and 00:05:05.310 --> 00:05:08.870 let us return unto the Lord. It is the cry of 00:05:08.870 --> 00:05:13.430 repentance of a nation that has been torn and 00:05:13.430 --> 00:05:16.720 smitten by the Lord. and not the cry of persons 00:05:16.720 --> 00:05:22.519 dead in their graves. The healing does not refer 00:05:22.519 --> 00:05:26.800 to a resurrection from the dead, and the binding 00:05:26.800 --> 00:05:32.360 means that the whole twelve tribes now scattered 00:05:32.360 --> 00:05:38.480 will be rebound into one nation again in their 00:05:38.480 --> 00:05:46.420 own land. The expression will revive us does 00:05:46.420 --> 00:05:48.540 not mean a resurrection from physical death. 00:05:49.560 --> 00:05:56.899 For the word revive simply means what we mean 00:05:56.899 --> 00:06:02.220 when we speak of a revival of religion, which 00:06:02.220 --> 00:06:07.579 is a spiritual and not a physical resurrection. 00:06:08.839 --> 00:06:14.810 All right? That's one resurrection that the scripture 00:06:14.810 --> 00:06:23.189 teaches us. The national resurrection of Israel. 00:06:24.529 --> 00:06:30.129 Then there is a second resurrection. Writing 00:06:30.129 --> 00:06:35.970 to the Ephesians, Paul says these words, And 00:06:35.970 --> 00:06:42.529 you hath he quickened. who were dead in trespasses 00:06:42.529 --> 00:06:49.569 and sins, and hath raised us up together and 00:06:49.569 --> 00:06:53.990 made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ 00:06:53.990 --> 00:06:59.350 Jesus. I'm reading from the second chapter of 00:06:59.350 --> 00:07:04.189 Ephesians. Read the first six verses. They're 00:07:04.189 --> 00:07:11.120 thrilling. Paul is not... referring to that time 00:07:11.120 --> 00:07:15.660 when we have the resurrection of our physical 00:07:15.660 --> 00:07:21.639 body. He's talking here of a spiritual resurrection. 00:07:23.579 --> 00:07:27.860 That spiritual resurrection that takes place 00:07:27.860 --> 00:07:33.860 before there's the resurrection of the physical 00:07:33.860 --> 00:07:40.779 body. The resurrection that every Christian, 00:07:41.079 --> 00:07:48.000 every born -again man or woman knows now, before 00:07:48.000 --> 00:07:54.759 death ever touches the physical body. Maybe I 00:07:54.759 --> 00:07:58.300 should read it again, because this is so vitally 00:07:58.300 --> 00:08:02.379 important. You see, you may wonder why I'm so 00:08:02.379 --> 00:08:06.680 dogmatic when I say to you that if... you've 00:08:06.680 --> 00:08:08.519 ever had that wonderful new birth experience. 00:08:09.680 --> 00:08:14.660 If you've been born again, you'll know it. It's 00:08:14.660 --> 00:08:20.459 a definite transaction. It's a definite experience. 00:08:23.019 --> 00:08:33.679 You'll know it. Sure. If you were once dead in 00:08:33.679 --> 00:08:39.340 trespasses and sins, and you've had that wonderful 00:08:39.340 --> 00:08:45.559 spiritual resurrection, surely you'll know it. 00:08:47.960 --> 00:08:54.679 You're bound to know it. And Paul said, and you 00:08:54.679 --> 00:09:01.820 hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses 00:09:01.820 --> 00:09:07.539 and sins. And every man and every woman. who 00:09:07.539 --> 00:09:14.419 has not been born again, is now dead in their 00:09:14.419 --> 00:09:21.340 trespasses and their sins. You remain dead in 00:09:21.340 --> 00:09:26.279 trespasses and sins until there has been that 00:09:26.279 --> 00:09:34.700 spiritual resurrection. A new creature in Christ 00:09:34.700 --> 00:09:41.590 Jesus. old things having passed away, and behold, 00:09:41.730 --> 00:09:48.169 old things having become new to you. It's after 00:09:48.169 --> 00:09:51.730 that spiritual experience, that spiritual resurrection, 00:09:51.990 --> 00:10:00.009 that you literally are a new person. And you, 00:10:00.169 --> 00:10:06.379 you've been born again. you who have accepted 00:10:06.379 --> 00:10:10.759 the christ as your saviour you who have repented 00:10:10.759 --> 00:10:17.919 of your sins you hath he quickened who were dead 00:10:17.919 --> 00:10:25.139 in trespasses and sins that all life is gone 00:10:25.139 --> 00:10:33.740 and hath raised us up together and made us sit 00:10:33.740 --> 00:10:39.340 together in heavenly places in christ jesus oh 00:10:39.340 --> 00:10:44.759 that's thrilling then writing to the romans paul 00:10:44.759 --> 00:10:50.980 says reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed 00:10:50.980 --> 00:10:57.120 unto sin but alive unto god through jesus christ 00:10:57.120 --> 00:11:04.360 our lord now the resurrection here refers to 00:11:04.360 --> 00:11:10.759 the spiritual resurrection and is a present resurrection. 00:11:11.539 --> 00:11:17.340 And it's going on continually. Every time a soul 00:11:17.340 --> 00:11:22.919 is born again, there is a passing from death 00:11:22.919 --> 00:11:31.190 unto life. A spiritual resurrection. and the 00:11:31.190 --> 00:11:36.169 spiritual resurrection doesn't take place when 00:11:36.169 --> 00:11:42.649 the old heart takes his last beat now even this 00:11:42.649 --> 00:11:50.409 very moment i have had a resurrection as a christian 00:11:50.409 --> 00:11:55.049 that's the reason the word of god thrills my 00:11:55.049 --> 00:11:59.460 soul i've been risen in newness of life in Christ 00:11:59.460 --> 00:12:05.460 Jesus. That's the reason when I enter into the 00:12:05.460 --> 00:12:10.539 very presence of the Holy Spirit, there is something 00:12:10.539 --> 00:12:13.700 that is so thrilling, something almost overwhelming, 00:12:13.700 --> 00:12:21.679 because I have had that wonderful spiritual resurrection, 00:12:21.879 --> 00:12:27.080 and His Spirit bears witness with my spirit. 00:12:28.009 --> 00:12:36.710 I'm no longer dead in trespasses and sins. But 00:12:36.710 --> 00:12:41.970 I have been raised up in newness of life. He 00:12:41.970 --> 00:12:48.309 hath raised us up together and made us sit together 00:12:48.309 --> 00:12:53.370 in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Have you 00:12:53.370 --> 00:12:56.509 had that experience? Is it thrilling? It's one. 00:12:58.870 --> 00:13:05.549 All right. Now comes that third resurrection. 00:13:07.549 --> 00:13:13.330 That's the resurrection that most folks think 00:13:13.330 --> 00:13:21.009 of whenever we speak of a scriptural resurrection. 00:13:22.629 --> 00:13:26.169 This is of the dead body. And you know something? 00:13:28.110 --> 00:13:36.090 One thing that we all have in common, and that 00:13:36.090 --> 00:13:43.350 is the resurrection of the body. And I'm talking 00:13:43.350 --> 00:13:48.470 about the physical body. If you are a part of 00:13:48.470 --> 00:13:58.789 humanity, we all have had our birth. our first 00:13:58.789 --> 00:14:03.269 birth in common that which is born of the flesh 00:14:03.269 --> 00:14:09.929 is flesh we have all been born of the flesh and 00:14:09.929 --> 00:14:13.070 as surely as you have been born of the flesh 00:14:13.070 --> 00:14:19.950 then as surely as there's a god on his throne 00:14:19.950 --> 00:14:26.470 there will be a physical resurrection of the 00:14:26.470 --> 00:14:35.360 body You see, this is the very word of God. This 00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:45.080 is God's word. The Bible is absolute authority. 00:14:47.340 --> 00:14:50.440 Now, of course, if you don't believe that, then 00:14:50.440 --> 00:14:54.000 one man's speculation is good as another. And 00:14:54.000 --> 00:14:55.759 it really doesn't make any difference what you 00:14:55.759 --> 00:15:02.370 believe. That's right. If you do not accept the 00:15:02.370 --> 00:15:08.990 Bible as the very Word of God, as absolute authority, 00:15:09.429 --> 00:15:16.590 then just accept any man's speculation because 00:15:16.590 --> 00:15:25.649 one man's speculation is just as good as another. 00:15:26.490 --> 00:15:32.929 But as for me, I have chosen to believe that 00:15:32.929 --> 00:15:39.629 the Bible is absolute authority. I have no reason 00:15:39.629 --> 00:15:47.710 for not believing it. I'm not speculating. There's 00:15:47.710 --> 00:15:53.929 too much at stake to take a chance for speculation. 00:15:55.230 --> 00:16:00.330 I have made my decision. i have made my choice 00:16:00.330 --> 00:16:08.269 i've thought it through thoroughly and in making 00:16:08.269 --> 00:16:12.909 my choice i have chosen to believe the word of 00:16:12.909 --> 00:16:24.950 god and have taken it as the very word of god 00:16:24.950 --> 00:16:30.509 almighty and i believe every word with every 00:16:30.509 --> 00:16:35.789 atom of my being. There's too much at stake for 00:16:35.789 --> 00:16:43.149 speculation. And Jesus clearly and distinctly 00:16:43.149 --> 00:16:50.529 taught a resurrection from the grave. Fifth chapter, 00:16:50.629 --> 00:16:57.759 John, the 28th, the 29th verses. marvel not at 00:16:57.759 --> 00:17:06.559 this look at the wording here marvel not at this 00:17:06.559 --> 00:17:13.180 he knew that this would be hard for some folk 00:17:13.180 --> 00:17:20.059 to accept remember jesus knew human nature better 00:17:20.059 --> 00:17:24.190 than you and i know human nature and sometimes 00:17:24.190 --> 00:17:29.089 we think we know human nature very well jesus 00:17:29.089 --> 00:17:37.950 knew men better than we know them he knew there'd 00:17:37.950 --> 00:17:42.170 be those who'd find it most difficult to accept 00:17:42.170 --> 00:17:52.099 a bodily resurrection marvel not at this For 00:17:52.099 --> 00:17:56.759 the hour is coming in the which all that are 00:17:56.759 --> 00:18:05.500 in the graves shall hear his voice and shall 00:18:05.500 --> 00:18:11.819 come forth. They that have done good unto the 00:18:11.819 --> 00:18:15.319 resurrection of life and they that have done 00:18:15.319 --> 00:18:21.170 evil unto the resurrection of damnation. and 00:18:21.170 --> 00:18:24.230 here jesus teaches the resurrection of both the 00:18:24.230 --> 00:18:30.769 righteous and the wicked the apostle paul taught 00:18:30.769 --> 00:18:34.890 the same thing the twenty fourth chapter and 00:18:34.890 --> 00:18:42.589 have hope toward god which they themselves also 00:18:42.589 --> 00:18:48.309 allow that there shall be a resurrection of the 00:18:48.309 --> 00:18:58.630 dead both of the just and of the unjust for as 00:18:58.630 --> 00:19:06.849 in adam all die thats a physical death even so 00:19:06.849 --> 00:19:15.210 in christ shall all be made alive thats physically 00:19:15.210 --> 00:19:23.589 yes ma 'am Now remember, we're talking about 00:19:23.589 --> 00:19:27.849 the physical body. The spirit of man does not 00:19:27.849 --> 00:19:35.910 die. It goes back to God who gave it. The only 00:19:35.910 --> 00:19:41.150 thing that goes into the grave is the physical 00:19:41.150 --> 00:19:45.690 body, and the only thing that comes out of the 00:19:45.690 --> 00:19:50.759 grave is a physical body. There is no such thing 00:19:50.759 --> 00:19:54.759 as soul sleeping. I know there are those who 00:19:54.759 --> 00:20:03.059 believe that the soul lies dormant in the physical 00:20:03.059 --> 00:20:08.079 body as the body is put into the earth. There's 00:20:08.079 --> 00:20:10.619 no scripture whatsoever to substantiate such 00:20:10.619 --> 00:20:13.859 a doctrine or such a belief. There is no such 00:20:13.859 --> 00:20:18.660 thing as soul sleeping. A soul never has slept. 00:20:20.329 --> 00:20:24.210 You cannot prove to me by the word of God that 00:20:24.210 --> 00:20:30.250 the soul has ever slept. Even the Old Testament 00:20:30.250 --> 00:20:37.470 saints, those who died in the Lord before atonement 00:20:37.470 --> 00:20:42.589 was made for the soul, before Jesus came and 00:20:42.589 --> 00:20:48.289 paid the price on Calvary, you cannot Show me 00:20:48.289 --> 00:20:52.130 where the soul of the Old Testament slept. It 00:20:52.130 --> 00:20:59.990 was a time of waiting. Not sleeping, but a time 00:20:59.990 --> 00:21:09.369 of waiting. That's why we had paradise. The soul 00:21:09.369 --> 00:21:13.710 of the Old Testament saints waited in paradise. 00:21:16.680 --> 00:21:19.779 and the very last person that we have any record 00:21:19.779 --> 00:21:24.619 of whatsoever who went to paradise that place 00:21:24.619 --> 00:21:29.539 of waiting was the thief on the cross who accepted 00:21:29.539 --> 00:21:35.259 jesus in his dying moments as the very son of 00:21:35.259 --> 00:21:40.619 god to -day jesus said to him thou shalt be with 00:21:40.619 --> 00:21:46.849 me where in paradise where the Old Testament 00:21:46.849 --> 00:21:57.089 saints were waiting for the death, for atonement 00:21:57.089 --> 00:22:02.569 to be made, that their souls might go all the 00:22:02.569 --> 00:22:06.150 way from that place awaiting, from paradise, 00:22:06.430 --> 00:22:12.130 into the very presence of Jesus. There's no longer 00:22:12.130 --> 00:22:16.509 such a place as paradise. I like to think of 00:22:16.509 --> 00:22:21.289 a great big for rent sign on the gates of paradise. 00:22:23.250 --> 00:22:28.089 It's vacant today. That's the reason after atonement 00:22:28.089 --> 00:22:34.329 had been made. And Jesus went to preach to these 00:22:34.329 --> 00:22:37.529 wonderful prisoners of hope. And this is exactly 00:22:37.529 --> 00:22:42.880 what they were, prisoners of hope. and jesus 00:22:42.880 --> 00:22:45.440 went to set them free after atonement had been 00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:50.839 made on their way into the presence of almighty 00:22:50.839 --> 00:22:55.940 god some of them stopped over for a few minutes 00:22:55.940 --> 00:22:57.980 to visit some of their relatives and some of 00:22:57.980 --> 00:23:00.619 their loved ones they had a little stop over 00:23:00.619 --> 00:23:05.660 on their way to glory you know really when it 00:23:05.660 --> 00:23:12.099 comes to it the ah unbeliever thinks you know 00:23:12.099 --> 00:23:15.859 that we're a little way out and that we take 00:23:15.859 --> 00:23:20.980 too much by faith do you realize that the really 00:23:20.980 --> 00:23:27.400 important things that concern us that god has 00:23:27.400 --> 00:23:34.559 not let them entirely to our own faith but he 00:23:34.559 --> 00:23:41.529 has given us previews all along the way i think 00:23:41.529 --> 00:23:45.890 that's glorious when i think that he permitted 00:23:45.890 --> 00:23:52.769 us to have just an insight a preview of that 00:23:52.769 --> 00:23:55.829 great time of resurrection