“As soon as you are washed in Christ’s blood and clothed in His righteousness, you must begin to hew your way through a lane of enemies, right up to the Eternal Throne. Every foot of the way will be disputed; not an inch will satan yield to you.“
Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892)
“A familiar acquaintance with the Scriptures sharpens the discerning powers, and fortifies the soul against the attacks of Satan. The Bible is the sword of the Spirit, which will never fail to vanquish the adversary. It is the only true guide in all matters of faith and practice. The reason why Satan has so great control over the minds and hearts of men is that they have not made the Word of God the man of their counsel, and all their ways have not been tried by the true test. The Bible will show us what course we must pursue to become heirs of glory.
As the heart is opened to the entrance of the Word, light from the throne of God will shine into the soul [Psalm 119:130]. That Word, cherished in the heart, will yield to the student a treasure of knowledge that is priceless. Its ennobling principles will stamp the character with honesty and truthfulness, temperance and integrity.”
Our High Calling pg. 31
“Christ was the Son of God. He became the Son of man that the sons of men might become the sons of God. Galatians 4:4; 1 John 3:1.”
The Consecrated Way to Christian Character pg.47
“The glory of God, the perfection of Christian character, is to be the aim, the purpose, of our life. Christ’s followers must imitate Christ in disposition….Jesus is our helper; in Him and through Him we must conquer…. He will give you grace and strength as you need it if you ask Him….The Spirit of Christ in the heart will be revealed in the character, will develop noble qualities and powers. “My grace is sufficient” (2 Corinthians 12:9) says Christ…Look not at those around you. Look instead at the only perfect pattern, the man Christ Jesus. Beholding Him, you will be changed into the same image.” Our High Calling pg. 29
“…I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
John 8:12 KJV
As the small seedling breaks forth from the soil and strives to find the rays of the sun that it may grow up into a mature plant bearing fruit for the farmer, so must the Christian strive to walk in the light as Christ is in the light, for He is the “Sun of Righteousness” Malachi 4:2 KJV . By following the light of Christ day after day, shall we grow up “unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ”, Ephesians 4:13 KJV, and by this work of transformation and daily sanctification that takes place in us by the Holy Ghost, shall we bring forth fruit for the Husbandman of the vineyard, Isaiah 5:1-3,7; Matthew 21:33.
Scripture teaches us that “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” and if we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, engaging in the works thereof, then “we lie and do not know the truth.” 1 John 1:5-6. Furthermore, Christ has said to us, His Church, that we must follow His example. As He was the light of the world while he dwelt here, working the works of the Father, so are we now called to pick up the baton which He has passed onto us, to work the works of Him that sent us into the world to proclaim the everlasting gospel & His soon return to all men.
Ye are the light of the world…Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 5:14,16 KJV
Christ Himself, veiled His divine nature, and took on human flesh and blood when He came to this earth. He was part of humanity like you and I, the Son of Man, tempted in all points such as we are, yet He committed no sin, Hebrews 4:15. He walked in the light of the Father, and came to reveal to mankind the glory and character of God, because no man can see or shall see the face of God and live, for He dwells in light unapproachable, Exodus 33:20; 1 Timothy 6:16.
Following this example of Christ, we are now called to walk in the light, that we may also reflect His character and His glory to the world. We are to walk as Christ walked, and live as He lived and by doing this, the world shall see Christ in us “the hope of glory” and shall also be led unto Him. 1 John 2:6; Colossians 1:27.
O house of Jacob, come ye,
Isaiah 2:5 KJV
and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
He that followeth after Christ, shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life. His Word shall be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, leading us and directing us into all truth. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. John 8:12; Psalm 119:105; 2 Corinthians 4:6.
But this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, through Christ and through His faithful, obedient followers, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. For everyone that doeth evil deeds, hates the light, neither do they come into the light lest their deeds be rebuked. John 3:19-20. Satan has covered this world in darkness and has covered the minds of its inhabitants in gross darkness. They refuse to heed the light of Christ and as a result they remain captives of the enemy. Therefore as a plant, because of its inability to receive light for a prolonged period of time and is thus covered in darkness, dies, so do all who refuse to walk in the light of Christ die spiritually.
But to those who heed the call of the Spirit and receive the Word of God in their hearts the Prophet Isaiah says, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light:
they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” Isaiah 9:2. Paul in agreement with this also says that we “are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” 1 Thessalonians 5:5. We are children of the light for we are children of God, for “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” , “Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us, that we should be called the sons of God.”
Therefore let us continue to strive towards the light as the plants of nature strive to follow the direction of the sun’s rays, for it is only by this that they shall grow up into their full stature producing fruit. Likewise, as we keep following the light of Christ, pressing on and persevering despite the conditions of life, so also shall we grow up unto the fulness and stature of the True Light, Jesus Christ, bearing fruit for the Master, for by beholding, we become changed.
Jesus is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. His children are the children of light. They are renewed in His image, and called out of darkness into His marvellous light. He is the light of the world, and so also are they that follow Him. They shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. The more closely the people of God strive to imitate Christ, the more perseveringly will they be pursued by the enemy; but their nearness to Christ strengthens them to resist the efforts of our wily foe to draw them from Christ.
Testimonies for the Church, Volume 1, page 405, paragraph 2
Loud Cry Compendium
For I AM the LORD, I change not…
Malachi 3:6 KJV
Throughout the Scriptures, we always find that before God pours out His judgments upon the wicked, He always sends a message of warning, that the wicked may have opportunity to turn from their wicked ways and be saved.
Whether it be Noah preaching to those living before the Flood, Lot warning the inhabitants of Sodom & Gomorrah, Moses admonishing Pharaoh before the great Exodus, Nahum warning those of Nineveh, or the Prophet Jeremiah, warning the children of Judah before their fall to Babylon, God is the same yesterday, today and forever more; He never changes.
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
Hebrews 13:8 KJV
With that being said, do we not expect the God of all the universe, to proclaim a message of warning to this final generation? Will not God have a faithful people living upon the earth in these last days who shall proclaim the present truth for this time, as He had with the Patriarchs and Prophets of old?
Of course He will! For He never changes His ways of working. Therefore, it behooves us to find out what is this message of warning that God has given to us and to heed its call, for “the great day of the LORD is near, it is near and hasteth greatly. Zephaniah 1:14 KJV
By a careful study of the Old Testament, one would observe the way in which God operates when He gives a message of warning to wicked. He first gives the message to His faithful people, who in turn share that message with that particular sinful nation; it is usually always a message of repentance. Generally, we find that the people refuse to repent except a small remnant and God then brings destruction upon the unrepentant whilst saving that remnant who did heed the message and turn from their ways.
We are told that Noah was a preacher of righteousness, 2 Peter 2:5 KJV. He proclaimed to the world a message of repentance in his day, admonishing them to turn from their sinful ways and to seek refuge in the ark because destruction was imminent. However, unfortunately only seven others apart from Noah heeded the call and God destroyed all the others by a global, catastrophic flood. 2 Peter 3:20 KJV.
But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Matthew 24:37 KJV
Likewise, as it was in Lot’s day, so shall it be in the day when Christ is revealed and the unrepentant receive their reward. Luke 17:28-30 KJV. Lot was sorely perplexed by the apostasy that surrounded him day by day as he dwelt in Sodom. 2 Peter 2:7-8 KJV. He preached unto those that dwelt in the land, including his family members, Genesis 19:14 KJV, yet they heeded not the call. Therefore, “the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all“ Luke 17:29 KJV, only Lot and his two daughters were saved.
And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly…
2 Peter 2:6 KJV/Jude 1:7 KJV
Did not Moses give countless warnings to Pharaoh to let God’s people free from bondage or else He would destroy them?
Did not the Lord send countless Prophets, time after time unto the children of Israel, warning them of their harlotries and to turn from their sinful lives? But they rejected the call and even killed many of the Prophets that were sent unto them.
Says the Lord ” O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee…” Matthew 23:37 KJV.
God is merciful and long suffering with us all. He does not wish that any of us should perish but that we all should turn from our unrighteous deeds and be saved through His Son Christ Jesus, For He is the way, the truth and the life. It is for this reason, that He sends countless messages of warning to mankind, throughout all generations.
Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?
Ezekiel 18:23 KJV
One may say that yes, God warned those in the past, but what about us today? Where is the message to this final generation? Friends, God does not change.
This message is found in the Book of Revelation. It is the final message of warning given to mankind before Jesus comes to harvest the wheat and to uproot and destroy the tares (weeds). It is one message with three parts, found in Revelation 14:6-12 KJV. It is the three angel’s messages, a message which must go to all the world, to “every nation and kindred and tongue and people”, Revelation 14:6 KJV.
It is a message of love, for God wishes that we should all accept salvation in His Son and be saved, yet it is also a message of justice because all who refuse to heeds its call, will, like the ancient people of old, be destroyed.
The first message calls us to the time of judgment. It points us to the final work that our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, is doing for us in the Most Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary. He is blotting out our sins and examining the Books to see which of us are fitted for the Kingdom of Heaven, for He says, “Behold, I am coming soon and my reward is with me to give to every man according as His work shall be” Revelation 22:12 KJV. It is quite evident that if Christ is returning to reward every man, both righteous and unrighteous, then there must be a work of investigation before hand. That work of investigation is quickly coming to a close as we can see that Christ’s Second Coming is soon upon us.
This message also points us back to God’s title as the Creator of “heaven and earth and the sea and the fountains of waters”, and all that is in them, Revelation 14:7 KJV.
Know ye that the LORD he is God:
Psalm 100:3 KJV
it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves.
What better way to remember the Creator than by observing that day which He has sanctified and made holy, “because that in it He had rested from all His work” He created and made, Genesis 2:3 KJV.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God… For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it (made it holy).
Exodus 20:8-11
After heeding the first message, we are directed to the second. It warns us of the moral fall of Babylon, that great harlot, who commits fornication with the kings of the earth and by whose trade the merchants of the earth wax rich and the inhabitants of the world are deceived by her false teachings. Revelation 17:1-5 KJV. The warning message goes forth, “Come out of her my people” , Revelation 18:4 KJV. It must be then that God has many people in Babylon, and as result, when His people shall hear the call to come out which shall be preached by His servants, they will then heed the message and come out.
I would suggest a read of our Beginners Bible Study Guide on The Harlot which is free for download. This guide will help to give a better understanding on who is Babylon in our day.
The final message goes forth, warning the inhabitants of the earth not to bow the knee in submission to the beast and its religious laws which shall be set up, for if any do this, then they shall receive the mark of this beast and ultimately shall be destroyed as the wicked inhabitants of the pre-flood world were also destroyed.
The first message calls us to worship God, the third warns us against worshipping the beast & his image for we are to have no other gods apart from the one true God, Jehovah.
Trying times are about to come upon all of God’s people. A time of trouble such as never was, since there was a nation is to come upon all of us that dwell upon the earth, Daniel 12:1 KJV. The serpent is wroth with God’s people and will seek to make war with them to destroy them, Revelation 12:17 KJV, but we must keep our eyes on Christ. No matter the circumstances, let us remain faithful by God’s grace, and give the message of warning to this dying world, which God has given to His faithful servants to give to all mankind.
When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
Ezekiel 33:8-9 KJV
Repent for the kingdom of God is nigh.
Loud Cry Compendium
Onward Christian soldiers, marching onto war, with the Cross of Jesus, going on before.
S. Baring Gould, 1865
The faithful Christian is a soldier in the Lord’s Army. Clothed in the full armour of God, he or she is to go forth under the Blood stained banner of Prince Immanuel, step by step and day by day, gaining the victory until the glorious Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Christian world today under-estimates the power of the enemy and as result they step foot onto the battle field of life unprepared and Satan makes a mockery of them, accusing them before the Lord “day & night”. But hear the words of the Apostle Paul as he writes these words under the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God:
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6:11-12 KJV
Satan despises the children of God. He was not able to defeat Christ at the Cross, for He, Christ, rose again on the third day in glory. Therefore, Satan turned his wrath from Christ, to those who faithfully follow Christ, that is, His Church, His Bride. Throughout the ages of the Christian Church, whether it be during the time of the Apostles and the Early Church, the Middle Aged Church or even today, Satan, working through his various agents, has sought to wipe out the Church of God from upon the face of the earth. Says the Apostle John in the Revelation:
And the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 12:17 KJV
‘The great dragon….that old serpent called the devil and satan’, Revelation 12:9 KJV, has been exceedingly wroth with the Woman or the Bride of Christ throughout all ages and as we near the closing of this earth’s history and the Second Coming of Christ, he seeks to make war with the faithful believers, called the Remnant, that he may destroy them and wipe them from the face of the earth.
The devil is called ‘the prince of this world’ by Christ in John 14:30 KJV. He usurped the dominion of this earth from Adam, who was first given dominion over it, Genesis 1:26 KJV. As a result, he takes this world to be his own and the inhabitants of it he numbers as his subjects; all prisoners and slaves to sin. However, God always has a faithful people upon the earth who refuse to give their authority unto Satan and it is those faithful individuals throughout all the ages of the Church and more so now at the end of time, that the dragon is wroth with and seeks to make war with them.
A faithful remnant of believers fix their eyes upon their Commander, the ‘Captain of the host of the Lord‘ is their leader. They are clothed in the full armour of God: their loins are girt about with truth, they have on the breastplate of righteousness, their feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. With the shield of faith equipped and the helmet of salvation furnished, they stand firm in the faith of Jesus, bearing arms with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and they follow the Lamb, withersoever He goeth. Ephesians 6:14-17; Revelation 14:4 KJV.
John tells us that “the devil is come down unto you , having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time”, Revelation 12:12 KJV, therefore, it behooves us as professed Christians to be fully clad in the armour of God, that we “may be able to stand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand”, Ephesians 6:13 KJV.
Christ is our Commander, He “shall fight for us and” we “shall hold our peace” Exodus 14:14 KJV, but we need to be fully equipped in the armour of God that we may be able to stand upon the battlefield of life. No one can be victorious without this armour.
We see in the Christian Church today many professed believers who refuse to put on the armour of God. They neglect Bible study, they sit under ministers of the gospel who are not preaching the truth, they do not fix their eyes upon Christ, striving to live as He lived and walk as He walked, their lives do not align with the Biblical standard, rather they follow the worldly standard and they presumptuously run onto the battlefield claiming “we are not under the law but under grace”, as a result satan shoots his fiery darts at them and takes them as his captives. They have no root, their foundation is not built upon Christ, who is the Rock upon which we must stand, but rather they are likened unto the foolish man who built his house upon the sand.
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Matthew 7:26-27 KJV
Friends, now is the time is to awake out of sleep, for now our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light as faithful soldiers in the Lord’s Army.
Loud Cry Compendium
Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?
Luke 18:8 KJV
In the parable of the persistent widow of Luke 18:1-8 KJV, Jesus taught His disciples the importance of persistent prayer and enduring faith. This message was not only spoken to the disciples in His day, but it was spoken unto all generations and with more emphasis unto those followers of Him that shall be upon the earth when He comes.
Scripture teaches us that a woman in prophecy represents the Church, Jeremiah 6:2; Isaiah 51:16 KJV; Revelation 12:1 KJV, Ephesians 5:25-27,32, KJV, Isaiah 54:5-6 KJV, and therefore, symbolically, this widow represents the Church, living in the time of trouble and tribulation, who is constantly harassed and afflicted by the great adversary, Satan. Using his agents in these last days, he will be ‘wroth with the woman’ and will go out to ‘make war with the remnant of her seed, those who keep the Commandments of God and have the Testimony of Jesus Christ.’, Revelation 12:17 KJV.
She is a widow, for in the time of trial and tribulation that is soon to befall God’s people, it will appear as if God has forsaken His people; it will appear as if He has left the marriage covenant and divorced His Bride. Satan will seek with all wrath to wipe those faithful Bible believing Christians off of the face of the earth, for they refuse to depart from the truth found in God’s Word and refuse to worship the beast and its image or receive his mark in their forehead or in their hand, Revelation 14:9 KJV; Revelation 13:15-17 KJV.
Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed:
neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame, for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth,
and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name…For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit…
For a small moment have I forsaken thee;
Isaiah 54:4-8 KJV
but with great mercies will I gather thee.
In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment;
but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee,
saith the LORD thy Redeemer.
Christ desires nothing so much as to redeem His heritage from the dominion of Satan. But before we are delivered from Satan’s power without, we must be delivered from his power within. The Lord permits trials in order that we may be cleansed from earthliness, from selfishness, from harsh, unchristlike traits of character. He suffers the deep waters of affliction to go over our souls in order that we may know Him and Jesus Christ whom He has sent, in order that we may have deep heart longings to be cleansed from defilement, and may come forth from the trial purer, holier, happier. Often we enter the furnace of trial with our souls darkened with selfishness; but if patient under the crucial test, we shall come forth reflecting the divine character. When His purpose in the affliction is accomplished, “He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.” Psalm 37:6.
Christ’s Object Lessons page 174
Many fear the time of trouble spoken of by the Prophets and by the Apostles which is to befall the world before the Coming of Christ, as a result this has lead to many false teachings in the Church today to calm those fears. But perfect love cast out all fear.
Let us take encouragement from the persistent widow, who, in the time of her affliction and in the time of grave trial, held fast and endured, persistently coming before the judge, exhibiting that unshakeable faith, until she was avenged. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith, holding on to Christ, coming before Him day in & day out, seeking deliverance from our adversary.
Yes a time of trouble such as never was is soon to come upon all who dwell upon the face of the earth, Daniel 12:1 KJV; Luke 21:31-32,35 KJV; Mark 13:19 KJV, but we have the countless promises in Scripture not to fear, for Christ will never leave us nor forsake us.
It is in a crisis that the true character is revealed. It is in the time of trouble that all of the ‘fair weather’ Christians shall be shaken out and the true believers shall remain.
When we walk through the fire, we shall not be burned, the flames shall not kindle upon us, Isaiah 43:2 KJV, for Christ shall be with us as our Great Protector, He will not cast off His people, neither will He forsake His inheritance, Psalm 94:14 KJV.
Therefore, let us have a faith that endures, let us pray without ceasing, let us fight the good fight and stay the course, for we have a crown to gain, whom the Lord Jesus Christ shall give to all those who endure unto the very end, James 1:12 KJV; 2 Timothy 4:7-8 KJV.
Here is the patience of the saints, here are those who keep the Commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, Revelation 14:12 KJV
Loud Cry Compendium
For the living know that they shall die, but the dead know not anything…
Ecclesiastes 9:5 KJV
Death is a subject that affects us all in this life; we are born, we live and grow and eventually we die but what actually happens to us after death? This is the question that man has been asking for millennia.
We live in a world where there are so many conflicting views & theories. Some say we are reincarnated and come back to life in another person’s body, others say nothing happens at all, that when we die that is the end of us for all eternity. In addition, these conflicting views are seen not only in the world but also in the Church. Christianity today teaches that when a person dies, they go immediately to heaven or to hell and some say one even goes to a place called purgatory: a sort of limbo, where you remain for a time.
But with so many different views, which one is correct?
As a Bible believing Christian, I believe that we must allow the Bible to have its say on the topic, for it, the Bible, is the inspired Word of God, it is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path Psalm 119:105 KJV, “the entrance of” God’s Word “giveth light, it giveth understanding unto the simple” Psalm 119:130 KJV, therefore, we are to live “by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” Matthew 4:4 KJV.
To understand this topic of what happens after death, we must lay a foundation that things may be made clear.
Scripture teaches us that when Eve was first approached by the devil, who appeared unto her as a serpent, he deceived her with the first lie ever told.
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.
Genesis 3:4 KJV
Satan basically insinuated that it was fine to disobey the word of God, Genesis 2:17 KJV, and eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. For if you eat from it, said he unto Eve, you shall not surely die, i.e., you shall live forever and have immortality, death does not exist.
This first deception sounds a lot like what we hear today, some thousands of years later. How many of us have gone to funerals of deceased loved ones, only to hear that our dead friend or relative is looking down on us from heaven? It is even taught in the secular new age teachings of the day that our dead loved ones become part of the “life force”, whatever that is, to live on in nature. Not to mention the amount of times we see these conflicting views of death in mainstream media and in Hollywood. These are the common teachings of the day.
But what does Scripture say?
…our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality…
1 Timothy 6:14-16 KJV
Before the mountains were brought forth,
Psalm 90:2 KJV
or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world,
even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
The Word of God teaches us clearly that God is the only one that has immortality, and man, being created by the very Creator Himself, is not immortal, he is a mortal being, that returns to the grave at death.
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
Genesis 3:19 KJV
Shall mortal man be more just than God?
Job 4:17 KJV
Shall a man be more pure than his maker?
But having said all this, what actually happens to us when we die? This is the topic of discussion today.
The Bible teaches us that when a person dies, they are in a state of sleep in the grave. They return unto dust to await their reward. That reward is given by Christ to every single person who has ever lived upon the earth, according to our works done in the body.
As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away:
Job 7:9-10 KJV
so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.
He shall return no more to his house,
neither shall his place know him any more.
Consider and hear me, O LORD my God:
Psalm 13:3 KJV
lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.
Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
John 11:12-14 KJV
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Revelation 22:12 KJV
By accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, the only acceptable offering for our sins, John 1:29 KJV, and by living a life that reflects the principles of God’s kingdom and His character, in total obedience to Him, we shall receive the reward of eternal life at the Second Coming of Christ.
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: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 KJV
…for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1 Corinthians 15:52-53 KJV
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished…. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Revelation 20:5,11-13 KJV
If the dead are indeed already in heaven or hell, why then would they need to be raised again? It’s a serious question to consider because if one is already in heaven for example, why then is Christ returning?
On the other hand, if we reject the call of mercy to surrender our lives unto Christ, and to repent of our sins and continue to live a life of wickedness, then we shall receive the reward of eternal death and punishment in the lake of fire and brimstone.
For, behold, the LORD will come with fire,
Isaiah 66:15-16 KJV
and with his chariots like a whirlwind,
to render his anger with fury,
and his rebuke with flames of fire.
For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh:
and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
Jude 1:14-15 KJV
The primary reason for this teaching that our loved ones are already in heaven and not in the graves as Scripture makes clear, is that many misinterpret the meaning of what a soul is. A popular teaching among Christianity today is the the soul is a distinct and separate entity from the human body. However, this is contrary to the Scriptures.
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Genesis 2:7 KJV
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
1 Peter 3:20 KJV
The soul that sinneth, it shall die
Ezekiel 18:20 KJV
The Bible shows us that man and the soul are not separate, but in fact, the lifeless body plus the breath of life which coms from God creates a soul. The soul is the living person. It is not a free flowing spirit floating around as we see taught today. Notice what God says.
The soul that sinneth, it shall die
Ezekiel 18:20 KJV
Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 KJV
As we can see, when the breath of life, also called the spirit, is removed from an individual, that person or soul ceases to exist. The physical body with the breath of life in it refers to the living soul; the soul in itself is not a separate entity as is falsely taught.
All the while my breath is in me,
Job 27:3 KJV
and the spirit of God is in my nostrils.
If persons, therefore, had a much clearer understanding on what the Bible says on this topic, they would not be deceived by a lot of these false teachings that are in the world today, which have also found themselves in the Church. We need to study the word of God more and make the effort to search the Scriptures for ourselves, for it is “a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path”, making clear the way which God would have us to walk.
If we open up ourselves into believing that the dead are in fact not truly dead, then we are no different that Eve, who believed the word of satan, who said that “you shall not surely die.” Not only this, but we open up ourselves to be deceived by the many spiritists and mediums in the world, who claim that they can communicate with the dead or even worse off giving the devil an opportunity to deceive us even further by manifesting himself to us in the form of one of our dead relatives or loved ones.
Friends, Christ is coming and coming quickly and He has a reward with Him to give unto all of us according to the works done in this life. Some of us may die before that time comes for we don’t know when God will require the breath of life from us, therefore, let us turn to God and put away the sinful pleasures of this life. Let us set our minds on things above, that heavenly reward, and not upon the fleeting things of this earth which shall pass away.
Surrender your lives over to the Creator of the heaven, the earth, the sea and all that in them is, that we may receive “the crown of life which He has promised to them that love Him.” James 1:12 KJV
Loud Cry Compendium
For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.
Hebrews 2:11 KJV
What comes to mind when you think of a ‘next of kin’? A father, a mother, a brother, a sister? Someone who is our closest blood relative perhaps?
Well, indeed you are right. Webster defines a ‘next of kin’ as:
“one or more persons in the nearest degree of relationship to another person”
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
This definition does not only relate to our earthly family, but the Scriptures themselves teach us that Christ Himself, is our next of kin.
We are taught that Christ died for our sins and that through Him we have salvation, which is true, I won’t negate this, however it is a bit deeper than this.
Christ did die for us, suffering the punishment required by the Law for the transgression of that same said Law, which is death, eternal death. But why did He choose to die? why did He take the form of fallen man, could He not have redeemed us from Heaven? why did He choose to suffer temptations as we also suffer temptations?
All of these are viable questions to the ‘thinking’ Christian.
The fact of the matter is this, we could have never had salvation through Christ Jesus, unless He had not become our next of kin.
Let me explain.
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
1 John 3:4 KJV
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23 KJV
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:23 KJV
Scripture teaches us that anyone who transgresses or breaks the Law of God is a sinner, for sin itself is the transgression of God’s Law. It further teaches that all of us have transgressed the Law of God and therefore are sinners and the wages or reward given to all sinners is death, viz, eternal death at the last day. However, despite all of this, the Father, in showcasing His immense love for fallen humanity gave His only begotten Son, who in nature & substance is Himself also God, that whoever should believe on the merits of His Son, shall not suffer this eternal death but have eternal life, John 3:16 KJV.
However, being in the very nature and substance God, John 1:1-3,14 KJV, Christ Himself could not suffer as we suffer or endure the temptations of the devil as we go through daily being God, so “in all things, it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren“, Hebrews 2:17 KJV.
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
Hebrews 2:9 KJV
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same…
Hebrews 2:14 KJV
He therefore, had to be made like unto us, partaking of literal flesh and blood, born of a woman, in the fallen sinful nature of man, a descendant of Adam. “He, also, Himself, likewise, took part of the same” nature as us.
It is by doing this, that He became our next of kin, He became our blood relative, for we are all one family, descendants of our first two parents, Adam & Eve, and therefore took on their sinful propensities after they sinned. Christ, after taking on human nature, having been made like unto us, his brethren, was now able to suffer as we suffer, be afflicted as we are afflicted, tempted as we are tempted, and by His righteous, blameless life and the blood He shed for us, we can now be redeemed.
For the Law states that if any man be sold into slavery, he can be redeemed by his next of kin.
…if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by thee, and thy brother that dwelleth by him wax poor, and sell himself unto the stranger… After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him…any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be able, he may redeem himself.
Leviticus 25:47-49 KJV
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Matthew 5:17-18 KJV
We have been sold into bondage to sin because we in our very fallen nature are sinners, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And contrary to the wisdom of the world, we are not able to redeem ourself for we are like the poor slave, there is only one Way, one Truth, and one Life and that is Christ Jesus. He therefore, being made like unto us, His brethren, became our next of kin that He might be able to redeem us. For Christ has not come to abolish or do away with the Law of God, as some falsely claim, rather, He came to fulfil the requirements of the Law.
The Law of God demands that a next of kin redeem him that has been sold into slavery, therefore, Christ, became our next of kin, that He may redeem us as the Law required. If the Law of God had been abolished, why then would Christ have to become like us and suffer like us and even die for us? The Law requires not only that there be a next of kin, but it also requires death for the transgressors, for the wages of sin is death. Christ Himself, came and took the death that we deserved and bore all of our sins upon the Cross, that we might be redeemed from the hands of the devil. Therefore, fulfilling the requirements of the Law, not one jot or tittle was passed from the Law.
As a result, Christ suffered for us, being tempted like we are, and is thus able to help and strengthen us as we are tempted. For we have not an high priest (and a next of kin) which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16 KJV.
Loud Cry Compendium
Loud Cry Compendium 