a lovely listener writes from long beach california
and in her letter she asks me to do something
and i shall be most happy to grant her request
to -day please catherine on one of your radio
talks give the answer will we know our loved
ones over there i'll be listening as I never
miss your fireside talks. Oh, isn't that nice?
So whether my talks are heart -to -heart talks
or fireside talks or kitchen talks or living
room talks or traveling talks, whatever they
are, I pray that they shall be most beneficial
to you. Now, before I answer this question outright
as to whether or not we'll know our loved ones
over there, let me just lay the groundwork. Let's
begin with the resurrections. The Scripture speaks
of three kinds of resurrection. Whenever we speak
of... the resurrection of the dead. We always
think of that time when the trump shall sound
and the dead in Christ shall rise first. But
the Bible speaks of three kinds of resurrections.
One is national, and this refers to Israel. And
in the Old Testament, over and over again. Those
of you who are students of the Old Testament
know what I'm talking about. There is a resurrection
that the Old Testament speaks of over and over
again. For instance, the sixth chapter of Hosea.
The first and the second verses. Come, let us
return unto the Lord. For he hath torn, and he
will heal us. He hath smitten, he will bind us
up. After two days will he revive us. In the
third day he will raise us up, and we shall live
in his sight. Now that refers to a national resurrection.
Israel. the same resurrection that ezekiel talks
about in that 37th chapter of ezekiel how well
you know that scripture when the hand of the
lord was upon me and carried me out in the spirit
of the lord and set me down in the midst of the
valley which was full of bones and caused me
to pass by them round about and behold There
were very many in the open valley, and lo, they
were very dry. But something happened to those
bones. There was a time of resurrection. Behold,
I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye
shall live. There's a resurrection. I will lay
sinews upon you, will bring up flesh upon you.
and cover you with skin, put breath in you, and
ye shall live, and ye shall know that I am the
Lord. There's a great national resurrection.
And there's no mystery that here the prophet
is speaking of the national resurrection of Israel.
for he said unto me son of man these bones are
the whole house of israel not a part of israel
but the whole house of israel going back to the
first scripture there are several things in this
passage worth noting first we see from the context
that the words of the prophet are addressed exclusively
to the Jewish people and to the whole twelve
tribes represented by Ephraim and Judah. It's
the whole house of Israel that says, Come and
let us return unto the Lord. It is the cry of
repentance of a nation that has been torn and
smitten by the Lord. and not the cry of persons
dead in their graves. The healing does not refer
to a resurrection from the dead, and the binding
means that the whole twelve tribes now scattered
will be rebound into one nation again in their
own land. The expression will revive us does
not mean a resurrection from physical death.
For the word revive simply means what we mean
when we speak of a revival of religion, which
is a spiritual and not a physical resurrection.
All right? That's one resurrection that the scripture
teaches us. The national resurrection of Israel.
Then there is a second resurrection. Writing
to the Ephesians, Paul says these words, And
you hath he quickened. who were dead in trespasses
and sins, and hath raised us up together and
made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus. I'm reading from the second chapter of
Ephesians. Read the first six verses. They're
thrilling. Paul is not... referring to that time
when we have the resurrection of our physical
body. He's talking here of a spiritual resurrection.
That spiritual resurrection that takes place
before there's the resurrection of the physical
body. The resurrection that every Christian,
every born -again man or woman knows now, before
death ever touches the physical body. Maybe I
should read it again, because this is so vitally
important. You see, you may wonder why I'm so
dogmatic when I say to you that if... you've
ever had that wonderful new birth experience.
If you've been born again, you'll know it. It's
a definite transaction. It's a definite experience.
You'll know it. Sure. If you were once dead in
trespasses and sins, and you've had that wonderful
spiritual resurrection, surely you'll know it.
You're bound to know it. And Paul said, and you
hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses
and sins. And every man and every woman. who
has not been born again, is now dead in their
trespasses and their sins. You remain dead in
trespasses and sins until there has been that
spiritual resurrection. A new creature in Christ
Jesus. old things having passed away, and behold,
old things having become new to you. It's after
that spiritual experience, that spiritual resurrection,
that you literally are a new person. And you,
you've been born again. you who have accepted
the christ as your saviour you who have repented
of your sins you hath he quickened who were dead
in trespasses and sins that all life is gone
and hath raised us up together and made us sit
together in heavenly places in christ jesus oh
that's thrilling then writing to the romans paul
says reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed
unto sin but alive unto god through jesus christ
our lord now the resurrection here refers to
the spiritual resurrection and is a present resurrection.
And it's going on continually. Every time a soul
is born again, there is a passing from death
unto life. A spiritual resurrection. and the
spiritual resurrection doesn't take place when
the old heart takes his last beat now even this
very moment i have had a resurrection as a christian
that's the reason the word of god thrills my
soul i've been risen in newness of life in Christ
Jesus. That's the reason when I enter into the
very presence of the Holy Spirit, there is something
that is so thrilling, something almost overwhelming,
because I have had that wonderful spiritual resurrection,
and His Spirit bears witness with my spirit.
I'm no longer dead in trespasses and sins. But
I have been raised up in newness of life. He
hath raised us up together and made us sit together
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Have you
had that experience? Is it thrilling? It's one.
All right. Now comes that third resurrection.
That's the resurrection that most folks think
of whenever we speak of a scriptural resurrection.
This is of the dead body. And you know something?
One thing that we all have in common, and that
is the resurrection of the body. And I'm talking
about the physical body. If you are a part of
humanity, we all have had our birth. our first
birth in common that which is born of the flesh
is flesh we have all been born of the flesh and
as surely as you have been born of the flesh
then as surely as there's a god on his throne
there will be a physical resurrection of the
body You see, this is the very word of God. This
is God's word. The Bible is absolute authority.
Now, of course, if you don't believe that, then
one man's speculation is good as another. And
it really doesn't make any difference what you
believe. That's right. If you do not accept the
Bible as the very Word of God, as absolute authority,
then just accept any man's speculation because
one man's speculation is just as good as another.
But as for me, I have chosen to believe that
the Bible is absolute authority. I have no reason
for not believing it. I'm not speculating. There's
too much at stake to take a chance for speculation.
I have made my decision. i have made my choice
i've thought it through thoroughly and in making
my choice i have chosen to believe the word of
god and have taken it as the very word of god
almighty and i believe every word with every
atom of my being. There's too much at stake for
speculation. And Jesus clearly and distinctly
taught a resurrection from the grave. Fifth chapter,
John, the 28th, the 29th verses. marvel not at
this look at the wording here marvel not at this
he knew that this would be hard for some folk
to accept remember jesus knew human nature better
than you and i know human nature and sometimes
we think we know human nature very well jesus
knew men better than we know them he knew there'd
be those who'd find it most difficult to accept
a bodily resurrection marvel not at this For
the hour is coming in the which all that are
in the graves shall hear his voice and shall
come forth. They that have done good unto the
resurrection of life and they that have done
evil unto the resurrection of damnation. and
here jesus teaches the resurrection of both the
righteous and the wicked the apostle paul taught
the same thing the twenty fourth chapter and
have hope toward god which they themselves also
allow that there shall be a resurrection of the
dead both of the just and of the unjust for as
in adam all die thats a physical death even so
in christ shall all be made alive thats physically
yes ma 'am Now remember, we're talking about
the physical body. The spirit of man does not
die. It goes back to God who gave it. The only
thing that goes into the grave is the physical
body, and the only thing that comes out of the
grave is a physical body. There is no such thing
as soul sleeping. I know there are those who
believe that the soul lies dormant in the physical
body as the body is put into the earth. There's
no scripture whatsoever to substantiate such
a doctrine or such a belief. There is no such
thing as soul sleeping. A soul never has slept.
You cannot prove to me by the word of God that
the soul has ever slept. Even the Old Testament
saints, those who died in the Lord before atonement
was made for the soul, before Jesus came and
paid the price on Calvary, you cannot Show me
where the soul of the Old Testament slept. It
was a time of waiting. Not sleeping, but a time
of waiting. That's why we had paradise. The soul
of the Old Testament saints waited in paradise.
and the very last person that we have any record
of whatsoever who went to paradise that place
of waiting was the thief on the cross who accepted
jesus in his dying moments as the very son of
god to -day jesus said to him thou shalt be with
me where in paradise where the Old Testament
saints were waiting for the death, for atonement
to be made, that their souls might go all the
way from that place awaiting, from paradise,
into the very presence of Jesus. There's no longer
such a place as paradise. I like to think of
a great big for rent sign on the gates of paradise.
It's vacant today. That's the reason after atonement
had been made. And Jesus went to preach to these
wonderful prisoners of hope. And this is exactly
what they were, prisoners of hope. and jesus
went to set them free after atonement had been
made on their way into the presence of almighty
god some of them stopped over for a few minutes
to visit some of their relatives and some of
their loved ones they had a little stop over
on their way to glory you know really when it
comes to it the ah unbeliever thinks you know
that we're a little way out and that we take
too much by faith do you realize that the really
important things that concern us that god has
not let them entirely to our own faith but he
has given us previews all along the way i think
that's glorious when i think that he permitted
us to have just an insight a preview of that
great time of resurrection