Milk to Strong Meat
Scripture Text: Hebrews 5:12-6:2
Introduction-
Six Principles of the Doctrine of Christ- Heb 6:1; 2John 2:9-Apostle’s doctrine is the doctrine of Christ.
1. Repentance from Dead Works
2. Faith Toward God
3. Doctrine of Baptisms
4. Laying on of Hands
5. Resurrection of the Dead
6. Eternal Judgment
Repentance from Dead Works
Rev. 3:1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
Sardis Church-Dead in spirit, while alive in the flesh.
Rev 3:2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
Sin is not in the temptations, but in yielding to them. All sin consists of voluntarily consenting to the lustful desire. James 1:12-25
You can escape. 1 Cor 10:12-13
Heb. 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
By repentance- Dead works have been purged by God from the conscience housed in the human mind. Dead Works are the impetus for repetitive disobedient thoughts in the mind. They are the fruit of the sins that were committed (James 1:15); therefore they become the seeds (the memories of the unlawful pleasure that sin brought to your flesh) for the next harvest of wrong actions.
Matt 7:21-24 You must do your Father’s will. The Father’s will is found in the Bible and by revelation from the Holy Spirit. Dead works-shows lack of life- kills your relationship with Jesus.
John 17:3 Eternal Life is knowing Jesus.
Class readings-Titus 2:14, Matt: 8:22, Eph 5:14; Rom. 6:13, 22; Heb. 7:27; 10:22;
1Pe 4:2; 1Jo 1:7; Re 1:5.
Faith Toward God
Scripture Introduction:
Heb 11:1 Definition of Faith
1 Cor. 2:5 Faith in the power of God
2 Peter 1:4 Promises are given to us
Heb 11:33 We through faith obtain promises
James 2:14-26 Faith and works tie together. Can faith alone save you? NO!
Faith in the power of God to fulfil His promises, which we have claimed for ourselves by faith! Faith in the power of God to do the works that he has given to us to perform!
Danger of Self- Deception
Faith is conceived in the Heart of Man (Rom 10:10). The heart must be free from self-deception to believe in the promises given to us by God. One must discern truth from that which is deceptive. This involves acknowledging our own efforts to deceive ourselves and choosing to embrace the truth of God. God wants us liberated internally. Self-deception is the obtaining of a belief and holding to that belief in the face of strong evidence to the contrary; self-deception is motivated by desires or emotions that are in favor of the retention of that belief.
We must have objective (Biblical) evidence that we are correct in our beliefs. Only God knows the condition of your heart.
Jer. 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
1Sa 16:7; 1Ch 28:9; Ps 7:9; 62:12; 139:23-24; Ro 2:6; 8:27; Re 2:23
The problem with self-deception is that our carnal-fleshly selves can be so successful at it; that we don’t know we are so successful at it, and don’t realize the damage it does to us. Many people have deceived themselves so long that they have difficulty believing they are deceived.
Biblical principles that teach us how to discern areas were we have deceived ourselves:
1. When we hear and fail to apply the Word of God to our lives. James 1:22
2. When we say we have no sin. 1 John 1:8; Prov 20:9-11, Eccl 7:20, 1 John 2:4
3. When we think too high of ourselves. Ga. 6:3-5; 2:6 Ro 12:3; 1Co 8:2; 2Co 3:5; 12:11
4. Evaluating our wisdom by the standard of the age-rather than by the wisdom of God. 1 Cor. 3:18, Prov 3:7, Is. 5:20-23, Prov. 17:15. Sin bitter Je. 2:19; 4:18, Acts 8:23
5. We deceive ourselves when we think we can sin and then escape the consequences. 1Cor. 6:9, Ga 5:21; Eph 5:5;
Some actions are “minor” sins that people think they can get away with. One thing leads to another and their sins become more severe-it makes a person think they are above the consequences of their sinful actions. What is lost is the fear of God.
John 8: 32 The virtue in any concept that you hold is in its ability to either equip you to do God’s will or draw you to God’s heart.
Ro 6:14, 18, 22; 8:2; Jas 1:25; 2:12
Doubt Is the Enemy of Faith
Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
Lest we think that we can lay all of the blame on Satan, the Bible clearly holds us accountable for our own doubts. When Zechariah was visited by the angel of the Lord and told that he would have a son (Luke 1:11-17), he doubted the word given to him. He logically assumed that he and his wife were too old to have children, and in response to his doubt, the angel said he would be mute until the day God’s promise was fulfilled (Luke 1:18-20). Zechariah doubted God’s ability to overcome natural obstacles – many people today share the same doubt. Any time we allow human reason to overshadow faith in God, sinful doubt is the result. No matter how logical our reasons may seem, God has made foolish the wisdom of the world (1 Corinthians 1:20), and His seemingly foolish plans are far wiser than man’s. Faith is trusting God even when His plan goes against human reason or experience.
Contrary to the humanistic view that doubt is essential to life, the Bible says that doubt is a destroyer of life. James 1:5-8 tells us that when we ask God for wisdom, we are to ask in faith, without doubt. If we doubt God’s ability to respond to our request, what would be the point of asking in the first place? God says that if we doubt while we ask, we will not receive anything from Him, because we are unstable. “He who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6).
James 1:6-8 The doubting one sins against the Lord because he has questioned the character, goodness, and faithfulness of God. Unlike the God who does not change (James 1: 17), the doubting person is "like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind" (v. 6). Such an individual "should not think he will receive anything from the Lord" (v. 7).
Luke 6: 46-49
A Sinking Sand Walk
Matt 7:26 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:
Doubt is a state of uncertainty or lack of conviction. In other words, “sandy ground”.
To conquer doubt there must be an established and active love relationship with Jesus Christ. A live faith is necessary, faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). God gave us the Bible as a testimony of His works in the past, so we will have a reason to trust Him in the present.
False Trust- Shaky Ground- Brings Bad Footing. Makes life insecure. Ps 52:1-9, Ps 146:3, Prov. 11:28; 28:26, Isa. 31:1-3, Isa 47:10, Amos 6:1.
Causes that tend to produce backsliding:
Luke 8:13 Shallowness-lack of root
John 6:63-66 Lack of spiritual insight
2 Tim 4:10 Love of the World
Luke 11:24-26 Emptiness of Life
1 Kings 11:4 Evil associations
Ex. 32:1, 8; 1 Sam15:11 Absence of Spiritual Leadership
2 Chr 25:2, 14; Ps 78:51-57; Hos 6:4 Worldly Success
Faith in God-He will keep you from falling-Jude 24
Matt 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
John 6:67-69, 1Co 2:10; Ga 1:16; Eph 2:8
Doctrine of Baptism
Three sections in this study
Water Baptism
Holy Ghost Baptism
Fire Baptism
Water Baptism
Started with John the Baptist Mk 1:4, Lk 3:3
Purpose of his baptism:
1. To give knowledge of salvation Lk 1:77-78
2. Justify God Lk 7:29-30
3. Guide our feet into the way of peace. Lk 1:79, Matt 3:6
Jesus water baptized-Jn 3:22-26; Jn 4:1-2
Peter & water baptism- Acts 2:37-39; 8:16; 1 Peter 3:20-21
Paul & water baptism- Acts 19:5; 22:16; Rom 6:1-23; 1 Cor 6:11; Titus 3:5
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5)
Christ’s doctrine of the new birth is built upon the promise of Ezekiel 36:25-26: “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”
Jesus divided the new birth into two components in order to explain it. We must bear in mind, however, that the new birth is a single experience (Ephesians 4:5) consisting of two parts; one part is incomplete without the other. There is only one birth, not two.
Eph 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Faith- refers to a belief system, and a set of doctrines.
1 Cor 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
The cloud and the sea symbolize the water and the spirit respectively. You will notice that in Moses day the scripture says baptized; as the sacred rite is treated as one complete unit. Exodus 14:19-31; Acts 10:44-47
Some hermeneutic principles…
The Typical Principle refers to biblical “types.”
A type is a divinely appointed illustration of a particular scriptural truth. It is in the New Testament where Old Testament “types” or illustrations are thus clearly revealed and designated.
The brazen serpent- Num 21:1-9; Jn 3:14-15; Jn 12:32 Side note- 2 Kings 18:1-7
Christ speaks of himself portrayed in the Old Testament:
Luke 24:25-44; John 5:39-44
Paul uses sacrificial language speaking of Christ-Eph 5:2
Hebrews 9:9-11, 23-24 – The tabernacle that once was is now realized in a presently heavenly tabernacle of which Christ is the minister of the sanctuary.
New Testament divinely appointed types of water baptism:
Noah’s flood- 1Peter 3:21,
Circumcision- Col 2:11-12
Crossing of the Red Sea- 1 Cor 10:1-2 Four things learned concerning this type about water baptism;
1. All experienced this baptism, not just the priest.
2. This baptism occurred only once; there was no need to repeat it.
3. The baptism was part of their deliverance from bondage
4. They were baptized unto their deliverer, Moses.
First Mention Principle- God indicates in the first mention of a subject, the truth with which that subject stands connected in the mind of God. In general, the first time a concept is mentioned in Scripture it carries with it a meaning which will be consistent throughout the entire bible.
Jesus use of this principle- Matt 19:3-9. Jesus goes all the way back to Genesis 2:24 the first statement ever made about how marriage functions to respond to the Pharisees questions.
The first mention principle in conjunction with the typical principle can be used to reveal scriptural truths concerning water baptism. The first mention of water baptism is in the Old Testament.
1 Peter 3:20-21
20 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.
21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
What we learn...
1. Baptism is salvific (it has to do with salvation)
2. Baptism is not just a physical cleansing
3. Baptism will be the step taken by the person who has a clear conscience towards God.
4. The benefits of baptism are provided by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Progressive Mention principle is the principle by which God makes the revelation of any given truth increasingly clear as the Word proceeds to its completion.
The first mention of water baptism was a typical reference involving the patriarch Noah. Now the second mention of water baptism as we proceed through scripture is Apostle Paul referring to another Old Testament event.
Colossians 2:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
Paul indicates Old Testament circumcision was a symbol of a greater reality: New Testament baptism. This is the second mention of water baptism in the bible due to it being the next chronological event after the world-wide flood that is said to represent baptism. Nothing in this second mention of baptism contradicts the truth that has been revealed unto us from the first mention of baptism. However we gain added insights of truth.
1. Baptism is not a human work (it is “made without hands”).
2. Baptism results in sin being put off.
3. Baptism is burial with Christ.
4. In baptism we are not only buried with Christ; we also join in His resurrection
5. Baptism is valid only by faith
6. The efficacy of baptism is in “the operation of God” (what God does in baptism, not what man does)
The third mention of baptism in scripture:
1 Cor. 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
Third biblical mention of baptism due to this scripture being the third event chronologically, which is identified as symbolizing water baptism. No contradictions with truth that has been revealed before but more insight is gained:
1. Baptism is a mark of deliverance and separation from the old life.
2. Baptism is for all who would experience this deliverance and separation.
3. As Israel was baptized unto her deliverer, Moses, so the church is baptized unto her deliverer, Jesus Christ.
So even if we did not have Acts 2:38; and other similar scriptures- we would know the following from the first three mentions of baptism in the bible.
1. Baptism is salvific (it has to do with salvation)
2. Baptism is not just a physical cleansing
3. Baptism will be the step taken by the person who has a clear conscience towards God.
4. The benefits of baptism are provided by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
5. Baptism is not a human work (it is “made without hands”).
6. Baptism results in sin being put off.
7. Baptism is burial with Christ.
8. In baptism we are not only buried with Christ; we also join in His resurrection
9. Baptism is valid only by faith
10. The efficacy of baptism is in “the operation of God” (what God does in baptism, not what man does)
11. Baptism is a mark of deliverance and separation from the old life.
12. Baptism is for all who would experience this deliverance and separation.
13. As Israel was baptized unto her deliverer, Moses, so the church is baptized unto her deliverer, Jesus Christ.
The Full Mention principle- The principle by which God declares all we need to know upon any subject vital to our spiritual life.
Matt. 3:6, 11, 13;
Mark 1:4- “for the remission of sins”
John 3:22; 4:1-2 Baptism performed under the ministry of Jesus by his disciples, who apparently did the baptizing under His authority (in His name).
Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 8:16; 10:48; 19:5; 22:16; Romans 6:3; 1 Cor 1:13.
The Holy Spirit
God is holy (I Peter 1:16). In fact, God alone is holy in Himself. Furthermore, God is a Spirit (John 4:24), and there is only one Spirit of God (Ephesians 4:4). The Holy
Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4; I Corinthians 3:16-17 with 6:19-20). One of the titles of the Holy Spirit is “Spirit of God” (Romans 8:9).
The titles “Holy Ghost” and “Holy Spirit” are interchangeable, with the KJV ordinarily using the former but sometimes the latter (Luke 11:13; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30).
The original Greek text, however, uses only one phrase, pneuma hagion. All major translations since the KJV have uniformly chosen “Holy Spirit” since it is more
understandable for modern English readers.
This title for God emphasizes His holiness and His spiritual nature. The Bible uses it most frequently in reference to the part of God’s activity among and in mankind that only a Spirit can perform. The New Testament particularly associates the Holy Spirit with God’s work of regeneration and His dwelling in man (John 3:5; 14:16-17).
Holy Ghost Baptism
This is a vital New Testament experience with God. The KJV speaks of being “baptized with the Holy Ghost” (Acts 1:5).
The word baptism means plunging, dipping, or immersing. By using this terminology, the Bible depicts the experience as a complete immersion in the Spirit of God. At the same time, the Bible describes a person who receives this experience as being filled with the Spirit.
These are complementary (not contradictory) illustrations, for when an empty container is completely submerged into liquid it is not only surrounded but also completely filled with the liquid. These descriptions communicate the idea that a person who receives the Holy Spirit achieves a close personal union with God. He lives in constant contact with God, and God becomes a part of his life. He becomes a temple in which God dwells, and the Spirit of God affects his every thought and action.
Biblical Terminology…
The Book of Acts describes the baptism of the Spirit in many ways: “filled with the Holy Ghost” (2:4); “the promise of the Holy Ghost” (2:33); “the gift of the Holy Ghost” (2:38); “the Holy Ghost fell on all them” (10:44); “poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost” (10:45); “received the Holy Ghost” (10:47); and “the Holy Ghost came on them” (19:6). The epistles explain that the Holy Spirit dwells in us (Romans 8:9).
All these phrases simply identify the same New Testament experience in different ways. When empty human vessels are baptized in the Spirit, they are filled with the Spirit. When God pours out His Spirit on people, the Spirit comes on them, they receive the Spirit, and they are filled with the Spirit. When God gives the Spirit, He fulfills His promise and men receive the Spirit.
How to receive the Holy Ghost…
God promises His Spirit to all who ask (Luke11:13), believe (John 7:38-39), and obey His Word (Acts 5:32). The seeker must have faith in God’s promise, for without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). The recipient must totally submit himself to God, willing to do anything God requires. At that point of complete submission and released faith, God pours out His Spirit. Repentance is necessary. For the Holy Spirit to dwell in a life, that person must turn from sin and separate himself from spiritual uncleanliness (II Corinthians 6:16-7:1).
Only God can make him righteous, but he must express a desire to turn from sin and receive pardon, ask for God’s help in turning from sin, and surrender totally to God.
If someone will repent and have faith, God will give His Spirit, even though that person may have some false concepts in other areas, such as water baptism. In such cases, God grants His Spirit to lead the sincere person into further truth. God is not looking for reasons to deny the seeker, but He will give His Spirit to anyone who meets the conditions of repentance and faith as set forth in His Word.
If someone wants the baptism of the Holy Spirit, he should come to God with faith, believing His Word and expecting to receive the promise. He should repent from
his sins by confessing them, asking pardon, pledging to do God’s will (with His help), and totally surrendering to Him. He should determine in his mind that he wants God’s Spirit that very day, regardless of what God may require of him in the future. After he repents and makes this total commitment, he should begin to praise God for hearing and answering prayer. Then, the Spirit will come in, take complete control, and inspire the seekers to speak in a language he has never learned. Often, the laying on of hands after repentance helps the seeker focus his faith at a point in time and receive the Spirit. This was a very common practice in the Early Church, although it was not a prerequisite for receiving the Spirit.
It is not wise to emphasize expectation and praise until the seeker has repented, for no matter how much he praises God he cannot receive the Spirit without repentance.
Receiving the Spirit is only as difficult as the seeker makes it. It takes only as much time as he needs to repent and surrender completely to God, which may be just a moment. Tarrying for long periods of time or seeking many times is not necessary. Those who do not receive the Spirit either lack faith to receive or have not fully repented and yielded every area of their lives to God. The 120 on the Day of Pentecost had to wait seven to ten days for the first outpouring, but since that time the Spirit has been freely available to all.
Work of the Spirit…
When a person is baptized in the Spirit, he receives the Spirit of Christ in his life on a permanent basis (Romans 8:9; Ephesians 3:16-17). He becomes a part of God’s spiritual family, and God’s Spirit begins to guide him. The Bible describes this in several ways:
(1) By the Spirit we are born into the kingdom of God (John 3:5)
(2) The Spirit adopts us into the family of God (Romans 8:15-16; Galatians 4:5-6)
(3) The Spirit baptizes us into the body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:13)
(4) The Spirit sanctifies us (I Corinthians 6:11; I Peter 1:2)
(5) The Spirit is the seal of our salvation (Ephesians 1:13)
(6) The Spirit is the earnest (pledge, guarantee, first installment) of our inheritance (Ephesians 1:14).
In short, receiving the Spirit is part of our salvation. Of course we should not sharply separate the baptism of the Spirit from water baptism since they join together to complete the new birth and bring all the benefits of salvation. In addition to being part of salvation, the baptism of the Spirit brings power (II Timothy 1:7), which includes:
(1) Power to witness and be a living testimony that Christ saves from sin (Acts 1:8)
(2) Power to overcome sin, live righteously, and mortify the deeds of the flesh (Romans
8:4, 13);
(3) Resurrection power when Christ comes for His church (Romans 8:11).
The Spirit brings rest and refreshing (Isaiah 28:11-12; Acts 3:19), and gives a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7). The Spirit becomes a teacher, a guide into all truth, and an illuminator of the Word of God (John 14:26; 16:13). He also becomes our intercessor and way of access to God (Romans 8:26-27; Ephesians 2:18). Finally, the Spirit works in our lives to give the nine fold fruit of the Spirit; namely, love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Galatians 5:22-23; Romans 5:5; 14:17).
Filled with the Spirit…
This phrase appears in Acts as the equivalent of “baptized with the Holy Ghost” with both describing the initial experience of receiving the Spirit of God to dwell in one’s
life.
Some time after Pentecost a number of Spirit baptized believers came together for a prayer meeting and were “filled with the Holy Ghost” (Acts 4:31). God met with these believers in a mighty way and renewed their original experience. When Peter spoke to the Jewish religious council he was “filled with the Holy Ghost” (Acts 4:8). Paul, “filled with the Holy Ghost,” prophesied that the sorcerer Barjesus would be blind for a time (Acts 13:9). From these instances we see that filled may mean a special, momentary endowment of power to one who has already been baptized in the Spirit. Today, many speak of this endowment as being anointed by the Spirit.
Other verses use the term “filled” to describe the continual dwelling of the Spirit in one who has been baptized in the Spirit. The seven men chosen to assist the apostles
were “full of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 6:3, 5). Paul exhorted the Ephesian church to “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). The latter verse is an exhortation to Spirit-baptized believers to let the Spirit continually control them. In this sense, to be “filled with the Spirit” is basically the same as to “walk after the Spirit” (Romans 8:4), meaning to receive daily guidance and power from the Spirit.
Even when a backslider repents, he is not “baptized” with the Spirit again, but refilled. Due to the backslider’s faithlessness and disobedience, he is disinherited, but he is not “unborn.” The historic fact of his regeneration and justification is still a reality. When he repents he does not need to be “born again” another time. He does not experience a second baptism of water or a second baptism of the Spirit, for the original baptism of water and Spirit becomes effective again when he repents. Instead, he is
simply restored to a justified status and entitled once again to inherit eternal life as an obedient son of God.
In sum, the phrase “filled with the Spirit” can convey any one of these three meanings in apostolic church usage: (1) the initial Spirit baptism; (2) the daily guidance
and power that the Spirit grants to Spirit-baptized believers who continue to yield to Him, and (3) subsequent experiences that renew the initial experience.
We must distinguish the baptism of the Spirit from all Old Testament experiences with God. The filling of the Spirit in Acts is different from the filling of the Spirit that
John the Baptist had. It is a new experience for a new church.
Fire Baptism
A Christian must not practice sin- 1 John 3:6-9, 18
Matt 3:11, Luke 3:16-17-John the Baptist speaks that Jesus will baptize with fire.
This is not a separate baptism from the Holy Ghost baptism. The Holy Spirit enters a person and then starts to burn/purge the person making them sinless. Perfecting one as the Father in heaven is perfect. A person becomes sinless or blameless at the point he/she claims by faith the work of the baptism of fire; which allows the Holy Ghost to eliminate the desire to sin. By faith he depends on the Holy Ghost to provide the power to overcome sin, his confession is he has overcome sin.
• Fire baptism is not a different event from the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is working on purifying souls.
Acts 11:15-17
Ac 15:8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
• Jesus said fire would be a part of a Christian’s life.
Mark 9:49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.
50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
Nu 31:23 Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make it go through the fire, and it shall be clean: nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of separation: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the water.
• God uses fire without hurting a person. The fire did not damage the bush.
Ex 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
Acts 7:30; Luke 24:32
• God uses fire to try ones faith.
1 Peter 1:7
• God uses fire as part of Hid judgment against dead works.
1 Cor. 3:11-17
• Fire for purging
Is. 6:1-8; 1:25
• The Holy Ghost is continually burning away sin.
Lev. 6:8-13, Psalm 66:12; Is 43:2-3; Zech. 13:7-9
1. The Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is not the third person in the Godhead. God is Spirit and there is only one Spirit.(Eph. 4:4) The title “Holy Spirit” is used to designate another manifestation of God, another office as He works and moves in the heart and lives of people.
Man possesses a spirit and by this means is able to commune with God; in like manner God communes with man by means of the Holy Ghost. In neither case does it make two persons.
2. God In Emanation: The word “emanate” means to “flow forth from,” to “proceed from.” The Holy Spirit is God flowing forth in blessing, salvation and power. The Holy Ghost is spoken of as falling upon believers (Acts 10:44) and being poured out (Acts 2:17). The Holy Spirit is everywhere present and these terms are used to show that that the Spirit of God is moving forth into the hearts of believers.
3. One Spirit: The Sprit filled believer is filled with God, Christ and the Holy Ghost. Are there three Spirits that fill a believer’s heart? Certainly not. There is one Spirit.
Eph 3:19 “… that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”
Col 1:27 “… which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”
Ac 2:4 “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost…”
The Personality of The Holy Spirit is the Personality of Jesus
This is Jesus Christ dwelling within us in the power of His resurrection life Col 1:27
27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Ro 9:23; 2Co 2:14; Eph 1:1-6:24; 1Ti 1:1
The personal pronoun “HE” is used several times referring to the Holy Spirit, not as an additional “Person” or “God” but as another manifestation of the One True God, “THE HOLY ONE”. Matt.28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: All the fullness of the Godhead is manifested to us in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is an oneness of the Spirit with Jesus Christ:
Rom. 8: 9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
John 3:34; 1Co 3:16; 6:19; Ga 4:6; Php 1:19; 1Pe 1:11
Gal 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
2 Cor.3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Further proof of the Oneness of the Holy Spirit with Jesus Christ may be seen when we consider creation.
Job 33:4 The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
Ge 1:2 “…And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
4. Meaning of the Word “Gifts”
1Cor. 12:7-11
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
Ro 12:6-8; 1Co 14:26; Eph 4:7; 1Pe 4:10-11
8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
1Co 1:5; 2:6-7; 13:2; 2Co 8:7
9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
Mt 17:19-20; Mr 16:18; 1Co 13:2; 2Co 4:13; Jas 5:14
10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
Mr 16:17; Ac 2:4; 10:46; Ro 12:6; 1Co 12:28-29; 13:1-2; 14:1, 29; Ga 3:5; 1Jo 4:1
11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
John 3:8; Ro 12:6; 1Co 7:7; 2Co 10:13; Eph 4:7; Heb 2:4
There is Demonstration and Manifestation.
One may demonstrate because of the blessing of God upon them- Laugh, sing, shout clap, dance, jump, run. The way a person reacts to God’s blessing depends upon the person’s emotional disposition and the way they have been taught. Same Spirit of God with a variety of human reactions.
Manifestation is the operation of the gifts of the Spirit as a direct result of the exercising of the spiritual gifts.
The gifts of the Spirit are born on demand to meet a definite need, to minister to the church or the individual. The gifts of the Spirit are separate and individual. The gifts are in the body (church) and are given to the individual members as the Lord wills. The gifts are the work of the Spirit outward.
The word “gift” in the New Testament is translated from four different words in the original text.
1. Gratuity or giving to a pauper, used when the gift of salvation is mentioned.
John 4:10
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Isa 12:3; 44:3; Jer 2:13; Zech 13:1; 14:8; Acts 2:38; Lu 24:47; Ac 3:19
2. Present or offering. The faith to believe is God’s gift to us in the same way a present is given.
Eph. 2: 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Mt 16:17; John 6:44, 65; Ro 3:24; 4:16; 10:14-15,17; Eph 1:19; 2:5; Php 1:29; 2Ti 1:9
3. Distribution. The church, the body of Christ has many members. In order that the manifestation of the Spirit of Christ be in the body, the Lord distributed the multiple workings of the gifts to all the body.
Eph. 4:7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Ro 12:3, 6; 1Co 12:11
4. Endowment of miraculous faculty. This is the word used for the gift of prophecy and gifts of healing where that is given enables one to speak with divine unction.
1 Pet. 4:10-11; Rom 12:6-8
LAYING ON OF HANDS
Old Testament Examples:
The common thread throughout these examples is the symbolism of spiritual transfer. Jacob transferred blessings to his grandchildren, Moses transferred authority and anointing to his successor, the high priest transferred sins from the people to the scapegoat, and the individual penitent transferred his sins to the sacrificial animal. These qualities did not flow magically or physically by means of the hands, but the laying on of hands represented what God would do spiritually and helped people to believe and accept the invisible act of God.
• Genesis 48:14-Jacob blessed Ephraim and Manasseh; he laid his hands on their heads
• Numbers 27:18-20; Deuteronomy 34:9-Moses ordained Joshua to be his successor; he laid his hands on him
• Leviticus 16:21-On the Day of Atonement, the high priest used two goats to take away the sins of the nation. He sacrificed the first goat. Then he laid his hands on the second goat, confessed the sins of the people, and let this goat escape into the wilderness.
This “scapegoat” symbolically carried away their sins, never to be seen again.
• Leviticus 1:4; 4:4-when an individual brought an animal sacrifice for his personal sin, he laid his hand on the animal’s head.
New Testament Examples:
In the New Testament the laying on of hands fulfilled the same purposes of symbolizing a spiritual transfer and inspiring faith. Jesus, the apostles, and early believers laid hands on people for blessing, healing, receiving the Holy Spirit, and consecration or ordination
to service.
Laying on of hands did not occur in all such cases, however; thus it is not mandatory. (See, for example, Matthew 8:5-13; Acts 2:1-4; 10:44; 14:9-10.) The key to receiving these benefits is faith, not a physical act as such, but the laying on of hands is a divinely appointed act that helps the recipient to focus faith to receive.
Blessing
• “But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to ME, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.’ And He laid His hands on them and departed
from there” (Matthew 19:14-15).
Healing
• “Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them” (Mark 6:5). Jesus did not perform many miracles in Nazareth because of the people’s unbelief, but when He found a few who believed He laid hands on them and healed them. Clearly, the laying on of hands is not effective apart from faith, but its value is in encouraging people to believe.
Luke 4:40; Acts 28:8
Receiving the Holy Spirit
• “Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:17)
Acts 19:6
Consecration or Ordination to Service
• “Whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them” (Acts 6:6). The apostles consecrated the seven men chosen to assist them
in the distribution of food to needy saints; these men were apparently the first deacons.
• “Then, having fasted and prayed and laid hands on them, they sent them away” (Acts 13:3). The elders at Antioch commissioned Paul and Barnabas as missionaries to the Gentiles. God called them, but the church recognized their calling and approved of their going at this time.
• “Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery” (I Timothy 4:14). “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (II Timothy 1:6). Paul reminded Timothy of the gift he had received by the laying on of hands of the elders (“presbytery” in KJV), including himself. These two passages apparently refer to Timothy’s ordination to ministry, at which time he received a prophecy as well. The gift here is probably a special anointing for ministry that he received from God at his ordination.
Based on these two references, some have supposed that at their discretion they could grant spiritual gifts to others through the laying on of hands or prophecy. But as we have already seen, I Corinthians 12 clearly states that God is the one who gives the gifts. God often works through the prayers of others, but He bestows spiritual gifts at His initiative and of His choosing, not theirs. A minister whom God has called and whose calling and qualifications the church has examined, should expect a special anointing and blessing when the elders ordain him by the laying on of hands.
• “Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure” (I Timothy 5:22). Timothy had the responsibility of organizing churches and appointing elders in them. Paul admonished him not to ordain people to the ministry too quickly, for if they were not qualified the one who ordained them would bear some responsibility for their failures.
Purpose and Significance
First, the laying on of hands symbolizes the transfer of blessings from God to us. This practice is particularly helpful in praying for (1) blessing, (2) healing, (3) reception
of the Holy Spirit, and (4) ordination to and anointing for service.
Second, the practice signifies the joint work of God’s Spirit and God’s church to bring these blessings to individuals. While God is sovereign and can perform these works without human hands, He wants to move through His church. While the blessings come from God, the church proclaims them and inspires people to have faith to receive them.
Third, it represents submission to God and His church. In everyday life, touching another person’s head expresses intimacy or authority. A typical example is when an adult pats a child on the head. It is rare for one adult to touch another adult’s head in public. When we allow elders to lay hands on our head in prayer, we demonstrate our submission to God and to godly leaders.
Prayer by itself acknowledges our need of God, but prayer with the laying on of hands acknowledges our need for both God and the church. Moreover, since the Bible teaches the laying on of hands, our acceptance of it is an act of obedient faith.
Fourth, the practice represents consecration to God. Humble submission over time leads to consecrated service. When those who seek the Holy Spirit receive the laying on of hands, they express not only their desire to receive the Spirit but also their new dedication to God. At an ordination service, the recipients not only seek the blessing and anointing of God upon their lives but they also signify their consecration to Him and His church.
Fifth, the laying on of hands is a powerful tool that focuses people’s faith to receive a promise from God at a particular time. An alter workers account: When I was a teenager in Korea, an American soldier visited one of our camp meetings. It was his first time in a Pentecostal service, and he wanted to receive what we had, so I explained repentance to him. Then I instructed, “When you have fully repented and surrendered everything to God, open your heart in faith. You will feel a sense of relief because of the confession of your sins. At that moment, begin thanking and praising God. As a sign
that you have reached this point, raise your hands in worship. When I see you praising God, I will ask a Korean minister to lay hands on you as in the Book of Acts, and
by faith you will receive the Holy Ghost.” Sure enough, when we laid hands on him and prayed, he immediately began speaking in tongues.
In order for the laying on of hands to have maximum effect in building faith, we should not practice it indiscriminately or casually. It is most effective when people
understand its significance and when they are ready to receive something specific from God.
Because laying hands on people’s heads symbolizes authority, in public settings it is usually best to reserve the exercise of this practice for people in spiritual leadership— the elders (ministry) or those they designate. In the biblical accounts, it was always spiritual leaders who laid hands on others. The recipient can more easily have confidence and faith if he knows that the person who lays hands on him is a recognized, proven leader. If a leader is not available, however, other believers can also lay hands on people who need an answer from God. (See Mark 16:17-18.) An option that helps communicate support and faith in a nonauthoritative manner is for a believer to lay a hand on a seeker’s shoulder or arm when praying with him.
Isaiah 10:27 And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.
Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,…
Psalm 92:10 But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.
There are Levels of anointing. All anointing is not the same. Jesus had certain specific anointings.
Prophet- Acts 3:22
Priest-Hebrews 7:26
King- Rev 19:16
Christ is both head and body of the church.
There are numerous references in the Scripture where the Spirit of God would come on individuals, and they then would be enabled, empowered, anointed to speak, to do, to work, to heal, to build, etc… by God.
Different Words for “Anointed” or “Anointing”
First dimension of the corporate anointing is revealed in the Hebrew word cuwk or suk, which means:
“to smear over(with oil)anoint.”
To “pour out.”
Second dimension of the corporate anointing is revealed in the Hebrew word mashach, which means:
“to rub with oil, to consecrate, also to paint”
In other words, it means to “smear on”
Third dimension of the corporate anointing is when God is rubbed into our very being. The third is the Greek word chrio, which means to “rub in.”
The Function of the Anointing
• To change surroundings by releasing the presence of God
• To bring life to surroundings over-run by demonic influence
• To draw gifted people and empower their gifts (fisher of men) to Kingdom work; to manifest the Kingdom of God in the earth.
• To bear fruit that will edify and heal surroundings (“their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing”)
What is Humility?
According to the world’s standards a humble man walks around with his head down, shoulder slouched and doesn’t say much. A quiet person is not necessarily a humble person. One can be silent, yet rebellious; quiet and yet selfish. By the same token a man that knows who he is, is not all together arrogant. Confidence is not pride. Consider the confident servant waiting boldly to carry out his masters directions, he is confident yet at the same time, yielding to the authority of another.
Proverbs 15:33
The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.
Prov.16:19; 29:23; 11:2
In the above verses, the Bible says that “humility” is lowliness or the act of being lowly. To be humble is to be submissive. It means to take your authority, power and independence and yield them to another. Becoming totally obedient to a higher authority. To step down in order to look up.
You refuse to move until you find out where He wants you to go, when He wants you to go and what He wants you to do when you get there. A humble man has no plans, programs, or ideas of his own. He simply adopts with all his heart the plans, programs and ideas of the one in which he is submitted.
Pride is totally the opposite nature. A prideful man has a conceited belief in his superiority over others. He exalts his plans, programs and ways of doing things above God’s. When you are prideful you do what you want, the way you want to do it and when you want it done. You live as if you are independent of god’s hand and authority.
I Know Not
Solomon’s request 1Kings 3:7-9.
God’s response- 1Kings 3:12-14
Childs key to greatness- Matt. 18:3-4, Romans 14:17, Amos 3:3
Get Dressed
1Peter 5:1-11
1Kings 18:46
Micah 6:8
Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD
A. Definition of Death: Physical death is the separation of the soul and spirit from the body. It introduces man to ETERNITY and the unseen world.
B. Descriptions of Death: The Bible Speaks of death in the following terms-
1. Sleep Duet. 31:16; John 11:11
2. Earthly house being dissolved 2Cor. 5:1
3. Putting off this tabernacle 2 Peter 1:14
4. God requiring the soul Luke 12:20
5. Going the way whence there is no return Job 16:22
6. Being gathered to one’s return Gen. 49:33
7. Yielding up the ghost Gen 49:33; Acts 5:10
8. Going down into silence Psalm 115:17
9. Returning to the dust Gen 3:19
10. Being cut down Job 14:2
11. Departing Philippians 1:23
a. Death is universal
b. Death is terrible-it fills people with fear
c. Death is penal; the righteous punishment by a holy God of unholy people.
d. Death is not final; does not end a person’s existence.
Prov. 11:19; Ezekiel 18; 4; James 1:15;
Three Principles to Ponder
Man Created in the Image of God:
Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7; 1 Cor. 11:7 - Without being divine man was created with qualities that enabled him to be and to do in a finite way what God is and does in an infinite way. Being made in the image of God makes man man. Man was created as an intelligent, rational, personal, moral and spiritual being, as a visible replica of God.
The word for being is the Hebrew word nephesh. There was a point in creation when Adam’s body was complete, but lifeless and motionless until God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. The soul (nephesh) enables the body to breathe, move, think, see-to live.
Man is a psychosomatic unity; physically he is a body, spiritually he is a soul. Man is not a soul plus a body nor a soul in a body; he is both soul and body. The Bible sometimes uses the word “soul” to mean the whole person. Nephesh is translated “members” and the Greek word for soul is translated persons (Gen. 36:6, Acts 27:7).
The bible at times uses the words “soul” and “spirit” interchangeably. Where there is a difference, it is one of operation and not of substance. The term “soul” is generally used in terms of a man’s relationship with his body and his natural, physical environment, and “spirit” in terms of his relationship with God.
Man Created as a Moral Being:
Man was a true reflection of God’s holy character (Gen 1:13; Eccl 7:29). Man was not only innocent but positively good. Our planet was a perfect environment inhabited by perfect people living in a perfect relationship with each other and with God.
Man Created a Rational Being:
Not merely having the ability to think, reason, draw conclusions, and make sensible decisions but also having the gift of freewill. He had both the ability to obey God and the freedom to disobey Him.
C. Death conquered:
Romans 5:12-21
1Co 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
2Ti 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
Death is the first visible effect of sin and it will be the last effect of sin from which we shall be saved. Jesus has abolished death and in Him we may have eternal life and immortality.
D. Physical Death certain to Every Man:
Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
The only persons who will escape physical death are those living saints at the time of the coming of Jesus. These will be translated, but all others will die. Although the redemption of the body has been provided for at and purchased on Calvary, yet only at the First Resurrection shall we be able to enter into this full physical redemption.
E. After Death What?
1. Intermediate State- The righteous do not enter into their final reward nor the wicked into their final punishment until after their respective resurrections. The righteous are in conscious rest in Paradise but the unrighteous are in conscious unrest and torment in Hades.
2. The Resurrection- The soul and spirit of the dead is united with the resurrected body.
3. The Judgments - Just as there is no escaping death there is no escaping the judgment which follows (Heb. 9:27). The righteous receive their rewards and the unrighteous receive their punishment.
4. Eternity – There are only two final destinies for man: a heaven to gain, and a hell to shun. Which will it be?
F. The Location of Paradise and Hades:
Before the resurrection of Jesus Christ these two places were separate compartments of Sheol. They were located adjacent to one another with a gulf fixed between them (Luke 16:26). Because of this when Jesus died, He visited both places (Luke 23:43, Acts 2:31). This explains 1 Peter 3:19-20. When Jesus arose He emptied one compartment and changed the location of Paradise to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2). What the witch of Endor was able to do with the spirit of Samuel (1 Samuel 28:14) can never be done with the departed spirits of the redeemed since the resurrection of Jesus; for Paradise and Hades no longer have adjacent locations in Sheol. Jesus led captivity captive (Eph. 4:8).
FALSE TEACHINGS
A. Regarding the intermediate state:
1. Purgatory: This teaches that the faithful need a process of purification before becoming fit to enter God’s presence.
The Bible teaches the immediate happiness of the dead in Christ. There are only the saved and the unsaved and the destiny of each is determined in this life. Death closes the period of probation and then follows judgment.
Luke 16:22; Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:6-10; Heb. 9:27
a. The doctrine of purgatory distinguishes between sins that are mortal (“any great offense against the law of God” which kills the soul and subjects it to eternal punishment and those which are venial (“small and pardonable sins against God and/or our neighbor”). The bible makes no such distinction. Some sin is greater than others, but the bible is clear that all sin is mortal; that is fatal (James 1:15). There are no small sins in the bible because all “sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4), and rebellion against God.
b. It states there is hope of recovery and restoration after death, which the bible explicitly denies. The bible pictures death as a storm uprooting a tree. “Where it falls, there it will lie” (Eccl 11:3).
c. It states that man’s good works have saving merit. The bible declares “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). We can’t be saved by human works (Eph. 2; 8-9).
d. It implies that the church holds the keys to the place of punishment in the afterlife, the bible says that Christ alone holds “the keys of death and Hades” (Rev 1:18).
e. It infers that we need to make sacrifices for sins, however when Christ died on the cross he “offered for all time one sacrifice for sins”
2. Spiritism: This teaches that we may communicate with a departed spirit through a “medium.”
The Bible forbids consulting such spiritist, there is evil and danger in the practice. In Luke 16 the account of the rich man and Lazarus proves that the departed are not permitted to communicate with the living.
Leviticus 19:31; Lev. 20:6; Isaiah 8:19.
3. Soul Sleeping: this teaches that the soul is unconscious until the resurrection
a. Scripture teaches that there is immediate conscious rest in Paradise for the saved and a conscious torment in Hades (hell) for the lost. The bible never teaches that either the soul or the body falls asleep as separate entities. What falls asleep is the person, in the sense that he or she is taken out of operation as far as earthly activities are concerned. Lazarus and the rich man were both conscious. Why did Jesus visit both Paradise and Hades if the souls were unconscious?
Isa. 14:9-11; Psalm 16:10; 2 Cor. 5:8; Philip. 1:23-24; Revelations 6:9-10; 7:15.
b. The bible nowhere speaks of the soul falling asleep; this fact points to when the bible uses the word “sleep” in connection with death, it is employing it as a picture or metaphor and not to make a theological statement.
c. Multiple places in scripture indicate the soul is not unconscious in after death. “…and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” (Eccl 12:7). Graphic way of stating separation of soul and body. The soul returns to God who gave it.
B. Regarding the Final State:
1. Universalism: This teaches that everybody will finally be saved, that God is too loving to exclude anyone from Heaven.
This in error. It is in reality a mercy that God excludes the sinful from Heaven for it would be a hell to them and their presence would soon make it a hell to the redeemed.
Proverbs 29:1; John 3:36; Romans 6:23; and Luke 16:19-21
2. Restorationism: This teaches that hell is not eternal but a temporary experience for the purpose of purifying the sinner to fit him for heaven. If this were the case then the fires of hell would have more power than the blood of Christ. Experience teaches that punishment in itself is not regenerative - it can restrain but not transform. Those who believe this error contend that the word “eternal” in the Greek means “age-long” and not endless duration. According to Matthew 25:41-46 if punishment of the wicked man has an end, so does the bliss of the righteous. God will no more force a man to be saved in the future than He does in the present.
C. Second Probationism: This is very similar to the above. It teaches that man will have another chance or opportunity to accept salvation between death and the resurrection. Scripture teaches that man’s destiny is fixed. (Eccl 11:3, Heb. 9:27)
D. Annihlationism: This teaches that the wicked will be annihilated. Those who believe this
error point to 2Thess 1:9 and other passages which state that the wicked will be destroyed. However, this does not mean annihilation but ruin. In this scripture if it meant annihilation then the word “eternal” would be useless. They also point to death as the penalty for sin. This means separation from God and not the ceasing to exist. God’s promise of life does not mean the promise of existence; for all men have that. Therefore the opposite is true, death as a penalty does not mean the mere loss of existence.
Four main false human philosophies drive the “annihilationist theory.”
1. Atheism- We will comment on this false conclusion within three words by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche: “God is dead.” The concept that God is dead, which implies that He never existed, rules out the supernatural and degrades humanity by denying it ever had a Creator. By inference, rules out the possibility of human existence after death.
2. Materialism- It’s concept is that only physical matter is real. Most pervasive, selfish driven philosophy of our day. The only things that exist is what you can taste, touch, smell, hear and see. Death is the end, therefore we must adopt the philosophy to “eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”
3. Existentialism- Believes individual experience is everything, but has no explanation. British author Colin Wilson existentialistic comment “Man is a useless passion. It is meaningless that we live, and it is meaningless that we die.”
4. Secular Humanism- Puts man at the center of everything.
A. The Resurrection Taught in Scripture:
1. Old Testament
a. In word- Job 19:25-27; Psalm 16:9; 17:15; Dan. 12: 1-3
b. In figure – Gen. 22:5 with Heb. 11:19
c. In prophecy- Isaiah 26:19; Hosea 13:14
d. In reality – 2 Kings 4:32-35; 13:21
2. New Testament
a. In word
Jesus – John 5:28-29; 6:39-54; Luke 14:13-14
Paul - Acts 24:15; 1 Corinthians 15; 1 Thess. 4:14-15
John- Revelations 20:4-6, 13
b. In reality
Resurrection of Lazarus John 3:11
Resurrection of Old Testament Saints Matthew 27: 52-53
Resurrection of Jesus Matthew 28
B. Nature of the Resurrected:
1. Redemption of the Body: The redemption of the Body is included in our complete redemption
Romans 8: 11-23; 1 Cor. 6:13-20; John 6:39; Job 19:25-27
2. The Redeemed and Resurrected Body:
a We shall be like Christ.
Who will transform and fashion anew the body of our humiliation to conform to and be like the body of His glory and majesty. Phil 3:21 Amp.
b. when he shall appear, we shall be like him; 1John 3:2
c. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 1Cor 15:49
3. What was the Nature and Likeness of Christ’s resurrection body which our resurrection body is to resemble?
a. a real body- Luke 24:39
b. a recognizable body- Luke 24:31
Characteristics of the believer’s resurrected body are set forth in 1 Cor. Chapter fifteen.
Incorruptible - verse 42; no sickness, decay or pain (Matt. 17; Rev 1:13-17).
Glorious – verse 43
Powerful – verse 43; not tired or weak
Spiritual – verse 44
Heavenly – verses 47-49
Real Body – verses 50-51 (Heb. 2:14; 2 Cor. 5:1-6).
Relationship to the old – like a grain of wheat verse 36-37
The resurrected body will be able to travel at lightening speeds and penetrate solid substances.
C. Order of the Resurrection:
“But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 1Co 15:23
24 Then cometh the end…”
Everyone will not be resurrected at the same moment. There is a definite order that takes place as to respect of time.
1. The First Resurrection: This is the resurrection of those who are in the Kingdom of God and who shall reign with Christ during the millennium (Rev. 20:5-6). They shall not appear before the White Throne Judgment. Three distinct phases to this resurrection:
a. First-fruits……….. Christ
b. Harvest…………. At the Rapture of the Church
c. Gleanings………. The Tribulation Saints
3. The Second Resurrection: This is the resurrection of those who are not in the Kingdom of God. They shall appear before the White Throne Judgment and be judged according to whether or not their names are in the book of life (Rev. 20:11-13)
----------------------------------------------- Glossary ---------------------------------------------------
Glossary from the Berean Bible Society article “Hell, Sheol, Hades, Paradise, and the Grave”, W. Edward Bedore, Th.D.
Gehenna: The Final Hell
The Greek word Gehenna, which is always translated hell and used in reference to the Lake of Fire. It is found in Matthew 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43,45,47; Luke 12:5; and James 3:6. This Lake of Fire, or Hell is a literal place of everlasting fire that was originally created by God as a place of punishment for Satan and the angels that followed him in his rebellion against God (Mat. 25:41). Because it is referred to as the place of “outer darkness” (Mat. 8:12; 25:30), we believe that it is most probably located at the farthest reaches of the creation. Gehenna is described in Scripture as a “furnace of fire” (Mat. 13:42); “everlasting punishment” (Mat. 25:46); “the mist [gloom] of darkness” (II Pet. 2:17); the “hurt of the second death” (Rev. 2:11 cf. 20:6,14; 21:8); “a lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Rev. 19:20; 20:10; 21:8).
While Hell was created for Satan and the other fallen angels, the unsaved of humanity from all ages will be with them in this place of torment where “there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Mat. 13:42). This is the “everlasting reward” of all that die in their sins.
Sheol/Hades: The Present Hell
Scripture passages in which Gehenna is used should be distinguished from those using Hades, which refers to a place of temporary torment that we might refer to as the immediate, or present, Hell. What we mean by this is that, at the time of death, the souls of the lost go directly to Hades, where they suffer in torment until the time of the Great White Throne Judgment when they will be resurrected and cast into the Lake of Fire. The souls of all the lost who have already died are presently there and those who die in their sins immediately go there to join them.
Hades is the New Testament equivalent of the Old Testament word Sheol. The Greek and Hebrew words speak of the same place, the present Hell. However, this is problematic because Sheol has been translated “grave” as often as it has “hell” and some have mistakenly taught that Sheol and Hades are only references to the grave rather than Hell. This erroneous teaching leads to the denial of the existence of an immediate or present Hell. The false doctrine of soul-sleep, and other ideas that teach the unconscious state of the dead between death and resurrection, spring from this error.
Examples Showing That Sheol Is Not A Burial Place:
1. After selling Joseph into slavery, his brothers stained his coat with blood and used it to convince their father that he had been killed by a wild animal (Gen. 37:26-36). Jacob’s sons and daughters tried “to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, `for I will go down into the grave (Sheol) unto my son mourning’. Thus his father wept for him” (v. 35).
From Jacob’s words it is clear that he fully intended to eventually be reunited with his son in a tangible way. Obviously then, he did not simply have in mind the idea of joining him in burial as he believed that Joseph’s body had not been buried at all, but was eaten by an animal (v. 33). This being the case, it was impossible for Jacob to think he would join Joseph in burial. Obviously, he looked forward to being reunited with him in the place of the departed dead, not in burial. The word rendered grave in this passage is Sheol, the abode of the souls of those who have died.
2. After Jacob died, Joseph had his body mummified, a process that took forty days, then took him back to Canaan for burial (Gen. 50:1-14). When we add to that the thirty days of mourning (Gen. 50:2-4), and the time it took to travel to Canaan for the funeral (Gen. 50:5-13), we see that it was several weeks after Jacob was “gathered unto his people” (Gen. 49:33) before his body was placed in the cave that served as his burial place. Considering that he had been dead for well over two months before his body was buried and that the Scriptures state that at the time he died he was “gathered to his people” (Gen. 49:33) is telling. This shows that at the time of physical death, when “he yielded up the spirit,” his soul immediately departed his body to be with Isaac and Abraham. This cannot be a reference to his body being gathered together with their bodies, as that did not take place for over ten weeks. This is strong proof that Sheol does not mean a burial place for the body, but is the place where the souls of the departed reside.
3. That communication takes place in Sheol/Hades tells us that something other than a burial place is in view. In Isaiah 14:4-20, we find the prophet foretelling the eventual defeat and death of the king of Babylon. The nation that would eventually send Judah into captivity will itself be defeated and its mighty king will find himself among “the chief ones of the earth…the kings of the nations” (Isa. 14:9) who preceded him in death. These are the kings of nations that he had conquered with the sword and ruled over with a cruel hand (Isa. 14:6). These same men will serve as a welcoming committee for this once great “world ruler” when he arrives in Sheol/Hades. In mock surprise, they will ask this once powerful king, “Art thou also become weak as we? Are thou become like unto us?” (Isa. 14:10). They then taunt him by pointing out that the pretentious display of magnificence that he had demonstrated as the king of Babylon now meant nothing (Isa. 14:11).
All of those who find themselves in this section of Sheol/Hades, like the king of Babylon and the kings who greeted him, will be faced with the reality of how helpless and hopeless they are. One of the boasts these kings make against him is that, while their bodies have been placed in their respective tombs, or graves, he was not honored by a respectable burial, “But thou are cast out of the grave (queber) like an abominable (despised) branch…thou shalt not be joined with them in burial” (Isa. 14:18-20). Obviously, if his body was not in any grave at all, he was not simply joining them in burial.
What we see here is this man going into Sheol, while at the same time his body is cast out of its grave. Obviously then, Sheol cannot be the grave here as the body and soul are in different places, the soul going to Sheol while the body remains unburied, or outside of the grave (vs. 20) to be infested by maggots (vs. 11). It is true that this is a prophetic passage; and there are various opinions as to the identity of the person in view here (verses 12-15 are commonly thought to refer to Satan, the power behind the Gentile kings). But, regardless of who this prophecy is about, or whether it has already been fulfilled or not, does not change the fact that Sheol and the grave are to be regarded as different places in this passage of Scripture.
4. In the case of Samuel and Saul, we find another example of the Scriptures making a distinction between Sheol/Hades and the grave. In his conversation with King Saul, Samuel, whom the Lord had sent back from the dead to deliver a message to Saul, said that Saul and his sons would be with him the next day (see I Sam. 28:15-19). As foretold, Saul and his sons did die the next day while in battle with the Philistines (see I Sam. 31:1-6). However, their bodies were not buried the next day, so they did not join Samuel in the grave but their souls went down to Sheol/Hades where the person, or soul, of Samuel was. As it is said that Samuel “came up” it seems obvious that he went back down after speaking with Saul (I Sam. 28:8,11,14). As for the bodies of Saul and his sons, their remains were not buried for several days. As Samuel had said, they died the next day (I Sam. 31:1-6). But it was the day after they died that their bodies were taken by the Philistines and hung on the wall of Beth-Shan (I Sam. 31:7-10). After hearing of this, valiant men from Jabesh-Gilead went by night and removed their bodies, took them to Jabesh, burned them, and then buried their bones. All this took place at least three days after Saul had died, and probably longer. Saul and his sons joined Samuel in Sheol/Hades the day they died and the flesh of their bodies was burned with only their bones being placed in a grave several days later. Obviously Sheol/Hades and the grave are not the same thing, nor are they in the same place.
The story of the Rich Man and Lazarus that is found in Luke 16:19-31 gives us the record of a remarkable conversation that took place in Hades between the Rich Man and Abraham. Obviously, these two men could not have had this conversation at all if Sheol/Hades is only a place where dead bodies are buried. First, there could be no communication between lifeless, decaying corpses and second, Abraham’s body, which was buried in the cave of Machpelah over 1800 years earlier, had long since decayed. Also, the rich man’s body, regardless of whether it had decayed or not, would not have been buried in the burial cave of Abraham. From the context, it is obvious that these men were in the place of departed souls rather than a burial place.
DEATH AND SHEOL
Death and Sheol/Hades are linked together at least thirty-three times in the Scriptures. In these, we see a general distinction between the “outward man,” which is the body and the “inward man,” which is the soul (cf. II Cor. 4:16). In this sense, death, or the grave, claims the physical part of man, the body, while Sheol/Hades claims the separated, spiritual part of man, the soul. This is exactly the meaning of Psalm 16:10: “For Thou wilt not leave my soul in Hell (Sheol); neither will Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption.” In his Pentecostal address, Peter left no room for doubt that this was a prophetic pronouncement concerning the time between the Lord Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross and His resurrection. First, he quoted Psalm 16:8-11 (Acts 2:25-28) and then made direct application of verse 10 to Christ (Acts 2:31). Not only was the Lord Jesus’ soul not left in Sheol/Hades, but neither was His body left to rot in the grave. That Peter used Hades, the place of Sheol, in this quotation shows that they are identical in meaning.
Of course, the Lord Jesus Christ is exceptional because He had the power not only to lay down His life on our behalf, but also to take it up again (Jn. 10:17,18). This is not so of any other man, as the Psalmist points out when he asks, rhetorically, “What man is he that liveth and shall not see death? Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave (Sheol)?” (Ps. 89:48). Because of the curse of sin, all of mankind faces the reality of physical death. None can evade it by their own power, nor can any man or woman escape from Sheol/Hades on their own. We know that since the Cross the souls of those who die “in Christ” do not go to Sheol/Hades, but to heaven. However, this is through the merit of Jesus Christ and His power, not their own. For those “in Christ,” death has no sting and Sheol/Hades has no victory because their body and soul will be united in a resurrection unto life (see I Cor. 15:19,20,51-57). This is as certain as the fact of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. This is not so for those who die without Christ for they face a resurrection unto judgment, which is referred to as the “second death” (Rev. 20:13,14; 21:8).
Psalm 89:48 speaks of the time when the soul is separated from the body. The body is given over to death where it will decay, while the soul is assigned to Sheol/Hades to await the final judgment. It is clear that the body and soul of the lost will be reunited at the time of the Great White Throne Judgment of the unsaved dead, when “death and Hades” will deliver up the dead that are in them. That is, their bodies will be raised from the grave, or death, and reunited with the soul, which will come out of Sheol/Hades to be judged by Jesus Christ at the Great White Throne (see Rev. 20:11-15; cf. Jn. 5:28,29).
When the Lord Jesus said that “as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Mat. 12:40), He was saying that He would spend the time between His death and resurrection in Sheol/Hades. We know from Psalm 16:10 and Acts 2:25-32 that the Lord’s soul, which was made an offering for sin (Isa. 53:10), was in Sheol/Hades, and we know from Matthew 12:40 that He was in the heart of the earth, which is where we believe that Sheol/Hades is located.
When we speak of the heart of something, we are not referring to that which is superficial or only skin-deep. Symbolically, the heart signifies the innermost character, feelings, or inclinations of a man. The heart is also used when referring to the center, or core, of something. For example; it is sometimes said, “the heart of a watermelon is the best part,” meaning that the center part of the watermelon tastes better than the part closer to the rind. If we say that we have a “heart-felt desire” for a particular area of ministry, we would be speaking of a yearning to do the Lord’s work that comes from our innermost being as opposed to a superficial desire based on the emotions of the moment. When used figuratively in the Scriptures, the word “heart” is used in a similar fashion, thus the heart of the earth gives reference to something much deeper than a simple place of burial for a man’s body barely under the surface of the earth. That it is said that before His ascension the Lord Jesus first descended “into the lower parts of the earth” (Eph. 4:9) affirms this. In a Psalm of thanksgiving for being delivered from death, David makes reference to this by distinguishing between Sheol/Hades (rendered grave in the KJV) and Queber (rendered pit in this passage) (Ps. 30:1-3).
Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
ETERNAL JUDGEMENT
A. The Judgments: Scripture teaches that the judgments differ as to time, place, subjects, purpose, etc..
1. At the Cross:
“For he that made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin.” (2 Cor. 5:21)
“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree.” (1Peter 2:24)
All sin has to be judged. The sins of the redeemed have been judged at Calvary. Christ took the penalty for our sins.
2. A daily judgment in the life of the saint:
“For if we judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” (1 Cor. 11:31-32)
There is a continual self-examination on the part of a child of God; also a chastisement as God deals with him in perfecting him.
3. A future judgment of the saint for rewards:
“Behold, I come quickly and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” (Revelation 22:12)
The judgment seat of Christ is not for the purpose of judging sin for no sin will enter there. It is a judgment of works when rewards will be given according to faithfulness, motives etc.
4. Judgment of living nations: Matthew 25:31-36 – This judgment will take place at the coming of Christ with his saints. It is a judgment of living nations in the setting up of Christ’s millennial reign on earth.
5. Great White Throne: Revelation 20:11-15 – This is the final judgment at the close of the millennium. All those who were not in the church (Kingdom of God) are resurrected and judged on the basis of whether or not their names are written in the book of life.
6. Judgment of the Fallen Angels: 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6- the saints have part in this judgment. 1Cor. 6:3.
B. The Rewards For The Faithful: Rewards will be handed to the saints chiefly on the basis of faithfulness. The parables of the talents (Matthew 25: 14-30), the pounds (Luke 19:11-28), and the laborers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-13) make this fact plain.
1. Crowns:
a. Of Life James 1:12; Rev. 2:10
b. Of Glory 1 Peter 5:4; Heb 2:9
c. Of Righteousness 2 Timothy 4:8
d. Of Rejoicing 1 Thess. 2:19
e. Of Gold Rev. 4:4
f. Incorruptible 1cor. 9:25
g. Thy Crown Rev. 3:11
2. Rewards to the Overcomers: Revelations chapters 2 and 3
a. Eat of the Tree of Life.
b. Stone with a new name written.
c. Authority over Nations
d. Shall not e hurt of the Second Death.
e. Eat of the Hidden Manna.
f. Arrayed in White Garments.
g. Pillar in the Temple of God.
h. Write on him a new name.
i. Sit down with Him in His throne.
C. Nature of Heaven: the righteous are destined to eternal life in the presence of Jesus. He created man to know, love, and serve Him in this present world, and to enjoy Him forever in the world to come.
1. Names Describing Heaven:
a. Paradise- (Rev. 2:7; 2 Cor 12:4). The meaning of this word is a “garden” reminding us of our first parents as they walked with God. Actually this is the place where the spirits and souls of the just await the resurrection.
b. Father’s House – (John 14:2). This name with its many mansions conveys the thought of home, rest and fellowship.
c. Heavenly Country – (Hebrews 11: 13-16). This speaks of a Promised land like Canaan to which Israel travelled.
d. A City – (Heb. 11:10). This suggests the idea of an organized society.
e. New Jerusalem – (rev. 21:2). This is the eternal dwelling place of the church.
2. Three Phases:
a. Intermediate state of rest in paradise awaiting resurrection
b. Judgment for faithfulness and works (2 Cor. 5:10; Rev. 22:12)
c. New Jerusalem the eternal home of the church (Rev. 21)
D. Necessity of Heaven: The history of man discloses the fact that the human soul instinctively believes that there is a heaven. This instinct has been implanted within the soul of man by God Himself, the Creator of human instincts.
E. Blessings of Heaven:
1. Light and Beauty: (Rev 21:23; 22:5). Human language at its best is inadequate to portray the realities of the life to come. In the last two chapters of Revelation language is used which helps us to gain a slight conception of the beauties of the world to come. One writer used the illustration of a mole burrowing in the ground not being able to understand the life of an eagle. So it is with man.
2. Fullness of Knowledge: (1 Cor. 13:12). Man is surrounded by mystery and hungers for knowledge. In heaven this thirst for knowledge will be perfectly satisfied; the mysteries of the universe will be made plain; perplexing theological problems will shine as clear as day.
3. Rest: (Rev.14:13; 21:4). Weariness, pain, strife, and grief cannot enter here.
4. Service: (Rev. 7:15; 22:3). God gave Adam instruction to keep and dress the first paradise and He will not leave him inactive in the second paradise.
5. Joy: (Rev.21:4) The greatest earthly happiness increased a million fold but feebly expresses the enjoyment awaiting God’s children.
6. Permanence: Heaven’s happiness will be forever. Permanence is necessary to complete happiness.
7. Social Joys: (Heb.12:22-23; 1 Thess. 4:13-18). Man by nature is a social being. A solitary man is abnormal and exceptional. In heaven there will be no misunderstandings, no strife and everyone will be good and beautiful.
8. Fellowship with Jesus: (John 14:3; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23). We shall see Jesus face to face. He who shepherded His people through this vale of tears will in heaven lead them from joy to joy, from glory to glory, from revelation to revelation.
The Intermediate State of the Wicked:
“ And death and hell (Hades) were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” (Rev. 20:14). When the wicked die their souls go to Hades which is a prison house where they remain in conscious torment until the final resurrection and the White Throne Judgment. A vivid picture of Hades is given in the story of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31).
F. The Second Death: The destiny of the wicked is eternal separation from God, and the eternal suffering of his wrath, known as the second death. Because of its terrible nature it is a subject from which one naturally shrinks; yet it is one which must be faced because it is positive truth of Divine revelation. The Christ of gentleness and love warned men against the sufferings of hell.
Romans 6:23a “For the wages of sin is death…” death spoken of here does not mean cessation of existence any more than eternal life means the beginning of existence. Eternal life does not mean to live forever, but to live in a state of blessedness forever. Eternal life does not deal with quantity as much as quality of existence. Even in this life death can coexist with life (Ephesians 2:1; 1 Timothy 5:6). What men call life, God calls death. There are two things a child of God gets: (1.) at the new birth, eternal life;
(2.) At their resurrection, immortality; but the person already possessed existence. So it is in the case of the wicked; the second death does not mean cessation of the wicked person’s existence - for he is dead now in this life. It means the eternal separation from God (Revelations 20:14-15; 21:8).
G. Nature of the Lake of Fire: The nature of Hell is described by the scriptures that describe both Hades (the prison house) and Gehenna (lake of fire). Both are similar in nature.
1. Extreme suffering Rev. 20:10
2. Memory Luke 16:25
3. Unsatisfied desire Luke 16:24
4. Remorse Luke 16:27-28
5. Shame and contempt Daniel 12:2
6. Worm dieth not Mark 9:46
7. Fire is not quenched Mark 9:46
8. Bottomless Revelation 20:3
9. Darkness Matthew 25:30
10. No rest Revelation 14:11
There will be no light, no music, no sight, no honor, and no hope in hell. What a dreadful fearful place!
H. Hell was Prepared for The Devil and His Angels:
“Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matthew 25:41)
Hell was never prepared for man. God made it for the devil and his followers. God has done everything He can do to stop man from going to this dreadful place. The Cross of Calvary is a roadblock stopping man from his slide down into a lost eternity. Christ died to stop men and women from going there. In the justice of God, hell was designed for the devil. If man willfully chooses to be a follower of Satan, he definitely will spend eternity with Satan.
I. Fire: In the parable of the Tares (Matthew 13:36-43) Jesus explained every figurative word of the parable. He did not explain “fire.” Why was this word left without explanation? There can be only one answer. The word “fire” was not figurative.
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