Randy Green's Blog - Posts Tagged "psalm-24"
Bible Trilogy III – Part 1
Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! [Psalm 24:7]
Today we begin the third portion of our Bible Trilogy. The first portion came from Psalm 22 and had to do with the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. The second portion came from Psalm 23 and had to do with the burial of the Lord Jesus. The third portion, as can be gathered by the Bible quotation above, comes from Psalm 24 and has to do with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
We noted in the first portion that three events marked the Gospel:
1. Jesus’ crucifixion
2. Jesus’ burial
3. Jesus’ resurrection
We direct you to 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 for Biblical affirmation of this truth. Those three events comprise the three portions of our Bible Trilogy. The three psalms (22, 23, and 24) prophetically present the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
On the cross Jesus cried aloud, just prior to surrendering His spirit to the Father’s care and dying, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Then He was placed in Joseph of Arimathea’s new tomb with a humongous stone sealing the entrance. He remained there for three days.
On the first day of the week before sunrise, the humongous stone was rolled away. No, Jesus’ disciples didn’t do it. Neither did the Roman soldiers do it. And the Jewish authorities certainly didn’t do it. They paid the Roman soldiers to claim they did it, so the truth of Jesus’ resurrection wouldn’t get out into public circulation.
In fact the stone wasn’t even rolled away from the entrance of the tomb so Jesus could get out. It was rolled away so man could get in. Man needed to enter the tomb in order to discover that the body of the Lord Jesus was no longer there!
The person who rolled away the stone was an angel of the Lord (cf., Matthew 28:2). He descended from heaven, rolled the stone away from the entrance, and then sat on the stone! According to the account in Matthew 28, when the angel moved the stone an earthquake occurred. That and the angel’s brilliant appearance sent the Roman soldiers scampering like roaches when the lights come on!
God sent the angel to roll away the stone, you see, as a witness of the resurrection. So long as the stone blocked the entrance, no one would know the body of Jesus was no longer in the tomb.
The import of this information is vital. We will explain how so in our next study. For now let’s spend time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Today we begin the third portion of our Bible Trilogy. The first portion came from Psalm 22 and had to do with the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. The second portion came from Psalm 23 and had to do with the burial of the Lord Jesus. The third portion, as can be gathered by the Bible quotation above, comes from Psalm 24 and has to do with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
We noted in the first portion that three events marked the Gospel:
1. Jesus’ crucifixion
2. Jesus’ burial
3. Jesus’ resurrection
We direct you to 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 for Biblical affirmation of this truth. Those three events comprise the three portions of our Bible Trilogy. The three psalms (22, 23, and 24) prophetically present the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
On the cross Jesus cried aloud, just prior to surrendering His spirit to the Father’s care and dying, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Then He was placed in Joseph of Arimathea’s new tomb with a humongous stone sealing the entrance. He remained there for three days.
On the first day of the week before sunrise, the humongous stone was rolled away. No, Jesus’ disciples didn’t do it. Neither did the Roman soldiers do it. And the Jewish authorities certainly didn’t do it. They paid the Roman soldiers to claim they did it, so the truth of Jesus’ resurrection wouldn’t get out into public circulation.
In fact the stone wasn’t even rolled away from the entrance of the tomb so Jesus could get out. It was rolled away so man could get in. Man needed to enter the tomb in order to discover that the body of the Lord Jesus was no longer there!
The person who rolled away the stone was an angel of the Lord (cf., Matthew 28:2). He descended from heaven, rolled the stone away from the entrance, and then sat on the stone! According to the account in Matthew 28, when the angel moved the stone an earthquake occurred. That and the angel’s brilliant appearance sent the Roman soldiers scampering like roaches when the lights come on!
God sent the angel to roll away the stone, you see, as a witness of the resurrection. So long as the stone blocked the entrance, no one would know the body of Jesus was no longer in the tomb.
The import of this information is vital. We will explain how so in our next study. For now let’s spend time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Bible Trilogy III – Part 2
Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! [Psalm 24:7]
Jesus rose out of death physically, which is the only way resurrection can occur in the first place. Man’s spirit is eternal, so it never dies physically. Ergo, man’s spirit does not resurrect out of the tomb. Man’s body alone goes in the tomb, and so man’s body alone resurrects out of the tomb.
Permit me a brief aside at this point of our study. Finite language cannot express spiritual realities fully. This is why I stated that man’s spirit does not die physically. “Spirit” and “physical” are two words which don’t go together. They form an oxymoron!
The trouble is man’s spirit does die, but it dies spiritually. Man is made to have fellowship with the Lord. When man rejects the Lord’s fellowship, he is eternally separated from the Lord. This is spiritual death. Physical death is when man’s spirit is separated from his body. Death means separation. This can be separation from the body or it can be separation from the Lord.
Man is born spiritually dead in his trespasses and sins. This means He is separated from the Lord because of his sins. Thus man needs to be born again, if he would see the Kingdom of God. When a person is born again he becomes alive spiritually, being brought into fellowship with the Lord.
At the rapture a born again person receives his new resurrection body, the same type of body the Lord Jesus now has. Jesus rose out of death on the first day of the week with His resurrection body, and He will have it through all eternity.
The Christian will be fully alive physically when he is clothed in his own resurrection body. The body of death will be gone forever. The body of life will be his thenceforth.
Anyway, back to Psalm 24. After Jesus died on the cross (Psalm 22), and after He was buried for three days (Psalm 23), He then rose out of death (Psalm 24).
This brings up an interesting issue for us to consider. Where did Jesus go when He rose out of death on the first day of the week? For that matter where was Jesus’ spirit during the three days His body was in the tomb?
If I’ve impressed on you a proper approach for Bible study, you know how to answer those questions. Do you? Ah, I see by the look on your face that you’ve learned well. Go ahead then. Answer the questions. That’s right. The question to ask is, “What does the Bible say?” You are a fine student. I’m proud to share the Word of God with you.
Oh, but we must turn aside and take our rest at this time. Allow the Lord Jesus to share the Word of God with you a while. See you tomorrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Jesus rose out of death physically, which is the only way resurrection can occur in the first place. Man’s spirit is eternal, so it never dies physically. Ergo, man’s spirit does not resurrect out of the tomb. Man’s body alone goes in the tomb, and so man’s body alone resurrects out of the tomb.
Permit me a brief aside at this point of our study. Finite language cannot express spiritual realities fully. This is why I stated that man’s spirit does not die physically. “Spirit” and “physical” are two words which don’t go together. They form an oxymoron!
The trouble is man’s spirit does die, but it dies spiritually. Man is made to have fellowship with the Lord. When man rejects the Lord’s fellowship, he is eternally separated from the Lord. This is spiritual death. Physical death is when man’s spirit is separated from his body. Death means separation. This can be separation from the body or it can be separation from the Lord.
Man is born spiritually dead in his trespasses and sins. This means He is separated from the Lord because of his sins. Thus man needs to be born again, if he would see the Kingdom of God. When a person is born again he becomes alive spiritually, being brought into fellowship with the Lord.
At the rapture a born again person receives his new resurrection body, the same type of body the Lord Jesus now has. Jesus rose out of death on the first day of the week with His resurrection body, and He will have it through all eternity.
The Christian will be fully alive physically when he is clothed in his own resurrection body. The body of death will be gone forever. The body of life will be his thenceforth.
Anyway, back to Psalm 24. After Jesus died on the cross (Psalm 22), and after He was buried for three days (Psalm 23), He then rose out of death (Psalm 24).
This brings up an interesting issue for us to consider. Where did Jesus go when He rose out of death on the first day of the week? For that matter where was Jesus’ spirit during the three days His body was in the tomb?
If I’ve impressed on you a proper approach for Bible study, you know how to answer those questions. Do you? Ah, I see by the look on your face that you’ve learned well. Go ahead then. Answer the questions. That’s right. The question to ask is, “What does the Bible say?” You are a fine student. I’m proud to share the Word of God with you.
Oh, but we must turn aside and take our rest at this time. Allow the Lord Jesus to share the Word of God with you a while. See you tomorrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Bible Trilogy III – Part 3
Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! [Psalm 24:7]
When Jesus rose out of death on the first day of the week, where did He go? For that matter where was Jesus’ spirit during the three days His body was in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea? We need to know what the Bible says about these matters, don’t we?
Well, the Bible says that Jesus rose out of death on the first day of the week. Then he spent forty days appearing at times to his disciples and a few other folks. 1 Corinthians 15:5-8 speaks to this matter:
He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
Acts 1:3 adds a tad bit more information for our consumption:
To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.
So we know where Jesus was after He rose out of death and His body was no longer in the tomb. At least some of the time He was on earth appearing to various disciples and followers. Likely He spent the majority of that time at the right hand of the Father in heaven, while He returned to earth for His several appearances for those forty days.
But what about the three days His body was in the tomb? Where was Jesus then? Again, what does the Bible tell us? Uh, it doesn’t…at least not categorically. This being the case, we mustn’t be dogmatic in asserting our opinions and demanding everyone else jump on our bandwagon! Or we could form a new church and name it “The Three Day Church”. Sounds like a plan…
I personally—and remember, I just stated that the Bible doesn’t categorically reveal where Jesus was during the three days when His body was in the tomb, so this is only my educated opinion—but I believe the moment Jesus died His spirit went to be with the Father in heaven. He couldn’t appear to the disciples during that time: He didn’t have a body, so they couldn’t see Him! Why remain on earth?
Also, when Christians die they immediately go into the presence of the Lord in heaven, even though we don’t receive our resurrection bodies until the Rapture. During the period between our death and the Rapture, we are in the same state Jesus was during the three days His body was in the tomb. The Rapture serves as the Christian’s moment of physical resurrection, you see.
The Apostle Paul touched on this truth in 2 Corinthians 5:8. He noted that,
when Christians die, we exult because we
prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
Notice the contrast involved in those words. On the one hand we are “absent from the body”. Those words can only refer to a time when we exist without our bodies. Am I not right? On the other hand we are simultaneously “at home with the Lord”.
We will finish this topic in our next study. In the interim enjoy your time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
When Jesus rose out of death on the first day of the week, where did He go? For that matter where was Jesus’ spirit during the three days His body was in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea? We need to know what the Bible says about these matters, don’t we?
Well, the Bible says that Jesus rose out of death on the first day of the week. Then he spent forty days appearing at times to his disciples and a few other folks. 1 Corinthians 15:5-8 speaks to this matter:
He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
Acts 1:3 adds a tad bit more information for our consumption:
To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.
So we know where Jesus was after He rose out of death and His body was no longer in the tomb. At least some of the time He was on earth appearing to various disciples and followers. Likely He spent the majority of that time at the right hand of the Father in heaven, while He returned to earth for His several appearances for those forty days.
But what about the three days His body was in the tomb? Where was Jesus then? Again, what does the Bible tell us? Uh, it doesn’t…at least not categorically. This being the case, we mustn’t be dogmatic in asserting our opinions and demanding everyone else jump on our bandwagon! Or we could form a new church and name it “The Three Day Church”. Sounds like a plan…
I personally—and remember, I just stated that the Bible doesn’t categorically reveal where Jesus was during the three days when His body was in the tomb, so this is only my educated opinion—but I believe the moment Jesus died His spirit went to be with the Father in heaven. He couldn’t appear to the disciples during that time: He didn’t have a body, so they couldn’t see Him! Why remain on earth?
Also, when Christians die they immediately go into the presence of the Lord in heaven, even though we don’t receive our resurrection bodies until the Rapture. During the period between our death and the Rapture, we are in the same state Jesus was during the three days His body was in the tomb. The Rapture serves as the Christian’s moment of physical resurrection, you see.
The Apostle Paul touched on this truth in 2 Corinthians 5:8. He noted that,
when Christians die, we exult because we
prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
Notice the contrast involved in those words. On the one hand we are “absent from the body”. Those words can only refer to a time when we exist without our bodies. Am I not right? On the other hand we are simultaneously “at home with the Lord”.
We will finish this topic in our next study. In the interim enjoy your time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Bible Trilogy III – Part 4
Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! [Psalm 24:7]
The question to ask is this: when is the Christian “at home (i.e., in heaven—R.G.) with the Lord”, while simultaneously being without a body? Consider that we have a body until we die. We again have a body at the Rapture. Voilà! we are bodiless from the time we die physically until the Rapture occurs.
During that period of time we are at home with the Lord (i.e., in heaven), and we haven’t our new resurrection bodies yet. This means that we will be like Jesus during the three days His body was in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb, but His spirit was in heaven with the Father.
Again, this isn’t revealed categorically in the Bible, so we mustn’t be dogmatic about it. I submit it to help us with the third portion of our Bible Trilogy. Read the Bible verse quoted at the start of this study. A call went out to “gates” and to “ancient doors” to open up, so that “the King of glory may come in”.
Our task is to determine what is referred to as “gates” and “ancient doors”. We also must determine who the King of glory is. The second determination is easy because Psalm 24 reveals it to us in verses 8 and 10. Read them and see. The King of glory is the Lord of Hosts (Yahweh Sabaoth). He is the risen Lord Jesus in all His resurrection glory, dear friends.
I submit to you that the “gates” and “ancient doors” are the entrance to heaven. When Jesus died, His body went into the tomb for three days. Jesus’ spirit went through the gates of heaven (the gates and ancient doors) into the presence of His Father.
Just before dying Jesus declared, “It is finished!” There was no more suffering and dying to be done, in order to pay the penalty for man’s sins. All was finished at that point. Jesus returned to the Father, even as we will do the moment we die.
Don’t start a faction in the church and argue these points, dear friends! Take them in, roll them over the tongue a bit, and savor the flavor afforded by these promising insights. But also be willing to see the potential errors involved because the Scriptures don’t categorically reveal all of these insights. The insights are intimated through a glass darkly, not vividly portrayed in the bright sunlight.
Still, my heart is blessed to consider how the Lord Jesus went first in death in my place. When it is my turn to come home, He can relate to my reservations and lead me safely by the hand into the Father’s presence. I will walk with Jesus through the same “gates” and “ancient doors” as He did circa 30 A.D. How glorious! Thank you, Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The question to ask is this: when is the Christian “at home (i.e., in heaven—R.G.) with the Lord”, while simultaneously being without a body? Consider that we have a body until we die. We again have a body at the Rapture. Voilà! we are bodiless from the time we die physically until the Rapture occurs.
During that period of time we are at home with the Lord (i.e., in heaven), and we haven’t our new resurrection bodies yet. This means that we will be like Jesus during the three days His body was in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb, but His spirit was in heaven with the Father.
Again, this isn’t revealed categorically in the Bible, so we mustn’t be dogmatic about it. I submit it to help us with the third portion of our Bible Trilogy. Read the Bible verse quoted at the start of this study. A call went out to “gates” and to “ancient doors” to open up, so that “the King of glory may come in”.
Our task is to determine what is referred to as “gates” and “ancient doors”. We also must determine who the King of glory is. The second determination is easy because Psalm 24 reveals it to us in verses 8 and 10. Read them and see. The King of glory is the Lord of Hosts (Yahweh Sabaoth). He is the risen Lord Jesus in all His resurrection glory, dear friends.
I submit to you that the “gates” and “ancient doors” are the entrance to heaven. When Jesus died, His body went into the tomb for three days. Jesus’ spirit went through the gates of heaven (the gates and ancient doors) into the presence of His Father.
Just before dying Jesus declared, “It is finished!” There was no more suffering and dying to be done, in order to pay the penalty for man’s sins. All was finished at that point. Jesus returned to the Father, even as we will do the moment we die.
Don’t start a faction in the church and argue these points, dear friends! Take them in, roll them over the tongue a bit, and savor the flavor afforded by these promising insights. But also be willing to see the potential errors involved because the Scriptures don’t categorically reveal all of these insights. The insights are intimated through a glass darkly, not vividly portrayed in the bright sunlight.
Still, my heart is blessed to consider how the Lord Jesus went first in death in my place. When it is my turn to come home, He can relate to my reservations and lead me safely by the hand into the Father’s presence. I will walk with Jesus through the same “gates” and “ancient doors” as He did circa 30 A.D. How glorious! Thank you, Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Bible Trilogy III – Part 1
Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! [Psalm 24:7]
Today we begin the third portion of our Bible Trilogy. The first portion came from Psalm 22 and had to do with the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. The second portion came from Psalm 23 and had to do with the burial of the Lord Jesus. The third portion, as can be gathered by the Bible quotation above, comes from Psalm 24 and has to do with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
We noted in the first portion that three events mark the Gospel:
1. Jesus’ crucifixion
2. Jesus’ burial
3. Jesus’ resurrection
We direct you to 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 for Biblical affirmation of this truth. Those three events comprise the three portions of our Bible Trilogy. The three psalms (22, 23, and 24) prophetically present the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
On the cross just prior to surrendering His spirit to the Father’s care and dying, Jesus cried aloud, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Then He was placed in Joseph of Arimathea’s new tomb, with a humongous stone sealing the entrance. He remained there for three days.
On the first day of the week before sunrise, the humongous stone was rolled away. No, Jesus’ disciples didn’t do it. Neither did the Roman soldiers do it. And the Jewish authorities certainly didn’t do it. They paid the Roman soldiers to claim they did it, so the truth of Jesus’ resurrection wouldn’t get out into public circulation.
In fact the stone wasn’t even rolled away from the entrance of the tomb so Jesus could get out. It was rolled away so man could get in. Man needed to enter the tomb in order to discover that the body of the Lord Jesus was no longer there!
The person who rolled away the stone was an angel of the Lord (cf., Matthew 28:2). He descended from heaven, rolled the stone away from the entrance, and then sat on the stone! According to the account in Matthew 28, when the angel moved the stone an earthquake occurred. That, and the angel’s brilliant appearance, sent the Roman soldiers scampering like roaches when the lights come on!
God sent the angel to roll away the stone, you see, as a witness of the resurrection. So long as the stone blocked the entrance, no one would know the body of Jesus was no longer in the tomb.
The import of this information is vital. We will explain how so in our next study. For now let’s spend time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Today we begin the third portion of our Bible Trilogy. The first portion came from Psalm 22 and had to do with the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. The second portion came from Psalm 23 and had to do with the burial of the Lord Jesus. The third portion, as can be gathered by the Bible quotation above, comes from Psalm 24 and has to do with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
We noted in the first portion that three events mark the Gospel:
1. Jesus’ crucifixion
2. Jesus’ burial
3. Jesus’ resurrection
We direct you to 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 for Biblical affirmation of this truth. Those three events comprise the three portions of our Bible Trilogy. The three psalms (22, 23, and 24) prophetically present the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
On the cross just prior to surrendering His spirit to the Father’s care and dying, Jesus cried aloud, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Then He was placed in Joseph of Arimathea’s new tomb, with a humongous stone sealing the entrance. He remained there for three days.
On the first day of the week before sunrise, the humongous stone was rolled away. No, Jesus’ disciples didn’t do it. Neither did the Roman soldiers do it. And the Jewish authorities certainly didn’t do it. They paid the Roman soldiers to claim they did it, so the truth of Jesus’ resurrection wouldn’t get out into public circulation.
In fact the stone wasn’t even rolled away from the entrance of the tomb so Jesus could get out. It was rolled away so man could get in. Man needed to enter the tomb in order to discover that the body of the Lord Jesus was no longer there!
The person who rolled away the stone was an angel of the Lord (cf., Matthew 28:2). He descended from heaven, rolled the stone away from the entrance, and then sat on the stone! According to the account in Matthew 28, when the angel moved the stone an earthquake occurred. That, and the angel’s brilliant appearance, sent the Roman soldiers scampering like roaches when the lights come on!
God sent the angel to roll away the stone, you see, as a witness of the resurrection. So long as the stone blocked the entrance, no one would know the body of Jesus was no longer in the tomb.
The import of this information is vital. We will explain how so in our next study. For now let’s spend time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Bible Trilogy III – Part 2
Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! [Psalm 24:7]
Jesus rose out of death physically, which is the only way resurrection can occur in the first place. Man’s spirit is eternal, so it never dies physically. Ergo, man’s spirit does not resurrect out of the tomb. Man’s body alone goes into the tomb, and so man’s body alone resurrects out of the tomb.
Permit me a brief aside at this point of our study. Finite language cannot fully express spiritual realities. This is why I stated that man’s spirit does not die physically. “Spirit” and “physical” are two words which don’t go together. They form an oxymoron!
The trouble is man’s spirit does die, but it dies spiritually. Man is made to have fellowship with the Lord. When man rejects the Lord’s fellowship, he is eternally separated from the Lord. That is spiritual death. Physical death is when man’s spirit is separated from his body. Death means separation. It can be separation from the body or it can be separation from the Lord.
Man is born spiritually dead in his trespasses and sins. This means He is separated from the Lord because of his sins. Thus man needs to be born again, if he would see the Kingdom of God. When a person is born again he becomes alive spiritually, being brought into fellowship with the Lord.
At the rapture a born again person receives his new resurrection body, the same type of body the Lord Jesus now has. Jesus rose out of death on the first day of the week with His resurrection body, and He will have it through all eternity.
The Christian will be fully alive physically when he is clothed in his own resurrection body. The body of death will be gone forever. The body of life will thenceforth be his.
Anyway, back to Psalm 24. After Jesus died on the cross (Psalm 22), and after He was buried for three days (Psalm 23), He then rose out of death (Psalm 24).
This brings up an interesting issue for us to consider. Where did Jesus go when He rose out of death on the first day of the week? For that matter where was Jesus’ spirit during the three days His body was in the tomb?
If I’ve impressed on you a proper approach for Bible study, you know how to answer those questions. Do you? Ah, I see by the look on your face that you’ve learned well. Go ahead then. Answer the questions. That’s right. The question to ask is, “What does the Bible say?” You are a fine student. I’m proud to share the Word of God with you.
Oh, but we must turn aside and take our rest at this time. Allow the Lord Jesus to share the Word of God with you a while. See you tomorrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Jesus rose out of death physically, which is the only way resurrection can occur in the first place. Man’s spirit is eternal, so it never dies physically. Ergo, man’s spirit does not resurrect out of the tomb. Man’s body alone goes into the tomb, and so man’s body alone resurrects out of the tomb.
Permit me a brief aside at this point of our study. Finite language cannot fully express spiritual realities. This is why I stated that man’s spirit does not die physically. “Spirit” and “physical” are two words which don’t go together. They form an oxymoron!
The trouble is man’s spirit does die, but it dies spiritually. Man is made to have fellowship with the Lord. When man rejects the Lord’s fellowship, he is eternally separated from the Lord. That is spiritual death. Physical death is when man’s spirit is separated from his body. Death means separation. It can be separation from the body or it can be separation from the Lord.
Man is born spiritually dead in his trespasses and sins. This means He is separated from the Lord because of his sins. Thus man needs to be born again, if he would see the Kingdom of God. When a person is born again he becomes alive spiritually, being brought into fellowship with the Lord.
At the rapture a born again person receives his new resurrection body, the same type of body the Lord Jesus now has. Jesus rose out of death on the first day of the week with His resurrection body, and He will have it through all eternity.
The Christian will be fully alive physically when he is clothed in his own resurrection body. The body of death will be gone forever. The body of life will thenceforth be his.
Anyway, back to Psalm 24. After Jesus died on the cross (Psalm 22), and after He was buried for three days (Psalm 23), He then rose out of death (Psalm 24).
This brings up an interesting issue for us to consider. Where did Jesus go when He rose out of death on the first day of the week? For that matter where was Jesus’ spirit during the three days His body was in the tomb?
If I’ve impressed on you a proper approach for Bible study, you know how to answer those questions. Do you? Ah, I see by the look on your face that you’ve learned well. Go ahead then. Answer the questions. That’s right. The question to ask is, “What does the Bible say?” You are a fine student. I’m proud to share the Word of God with you.
Oh, but we must turn aside and take our rest at this time. Allow the Lord Jesus to share the Word of God with you a while. See you tomorrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Bible Trilogy III – Part 3
Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! [Psalm 24:7]
When Jesus rose out of death on the first day of the week, where did He go? For that matter where was Jesus’ spirit during the three days His body was in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea? We need to know what the Bible says about these matters, don’t we?
Well, the Bible says that Jesus rose out of death on the first day of the week. Then he spent forty days appearing at times to his disciples and a few other folks. 1 Corinthians 15:5-8 speaks to this matter:
He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
Acts 1:3 adds a tad bit more information for our consumption:
To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.
So we know where Jesus was after He rose out of death and His body was no longer in the tomb. At least some of the time He was on earth appearing to various disciples and followers. Likely He spent the majority of that time at the right hand of the Father in heaven, while He returned to earth for His several appearances for those forty days.
But what about the three days His body was in the tomb? Where was Jesus then? Again, what does the Bible tell us? Uh, it doesn’t…at least not categorically. That being the case, we mustn’t be dogmatic in asserting our opinions and demanding everyone else jump on our bandwagon! Or we could form a new church and name it “The Three Day Church”. Sounds like a plan…
I personally—and remember, I just stated that the Bible doesn’t categorically reveal where Jesus was during the three days when His body was in the tomb, so this is only my educated opinion—but I believe the moment Jesus died, His spirit went to be with the Father in heaven. He couldn’t appear to the disciples during that time: He didn’t have a body, so they couldn’t see Him! Why remain on earth?
Also, when Christians die they immediately go into the presence of the Lord in heaven, even though we don’t receive our resurrection bodies until the Rapture. During the period between our death and the Rapture, we are in the same state Jesus was during the three days His body was in the tomb. The Rapture serves as the Christian’s moment of physical resurrection, you see.
The Apostle Paul touched on this truth in 2 Corinthians 5:8. He noted that,
when Christians die, we exult because we
prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
Notice the contrast involved in those words. On the one hand we are “absent from the body”. Those words can only refer to a time when we exist without our bodies. Am I not right? On the other hand we are simultaneously “at home with the Lord”.
We will finish this topic in our next study. In the interim enjoy your time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
When Jesus rose out of death on the first day of the week, where did He go? For that matter where was Jesus’ spirit during the three days His body was in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea? We need to know what the Bible says about these matters, don’t we?
Well, the Bible says that Jesus rose out of death on the first day of the week. Then he spent forty days appearing at times to his disciples and a few other folks. 1 Corinthians 15:5-8 speaks to this matter:
He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
Acts 1:3 adds a tad bit more information for our consumption:
To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.
So we know where Jesus was after He rose out of death and His body was no longer in the tomb. At least some of the time He was on earth appearing to various disciples and followers. Likely He spent the majority of that time at the right hand of the Father in heaven, while He returned to earth for His several appearances for those forty days.
But what about the three days His body was in the tomb? Where was Jesus then? Again, what does the Bible tell us? Uh, it doesn’t…at least not categorically. That being the case, we mustn’t be dogmatic in asserting our opinions and demanding everyone else jump on our bandwagon! Or we could form a new church and name it “The Three Day Church”. Sounds like a plan…
I personally—and remember, I just stated that the Bible doesn’t categorically reveal where Jesus was during the three days when His body was in the tomb, so this is only my educated opinion—but I believe the moment Jesus died, His spirit went to be with the Father in heaven. He couldn’t appear to the disciples during that time: He didn’t have a body, so they couldn’t see Him! Why remain on earth?
Also, when Christians die they immediately go into the presence of the Lord in heaven, even though we don’t receive our resurrection bodies until the Rapture. During the period between our death and the Rapture, we are in the same state Jesus was during the three days His body was in the tomb. The Rapture serves as the Christian’s moment of physical resurrection, you see.
The Apostle Paul touched on this truth in 2 Corinthians 5:8. He noted that,
when Christians die, we exult because we
prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
Notice the contrast involved in those words. On the one hand we are “absent from the body”. Those words can only refer to a time when we exist without our bodies. Am I not right? On the other hand we are simultaneously “at home with the Lord”.
We will finish this topic in our next study. In the interim enjoy your time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Bible Trilogy III – Part 4
Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! [Psalm 24:7]
The question to ask is this: when is the Christian “at home (i.e., in heaven—R.G.) with the Lord”, while simultaneously being without a body? Consider that we have a body until we die. We again have a body at the Rapture. Voilà! we are bodiless from the time we die physically until the Rapture occurs.
During that period of time we are at home with the Lord (i.e., in heaven), and we haven’t our new resurrection bodies yet. This means that we will be like Jesus during the three days His body was in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb, but His spirit was in heaven with the Father.
Again, this isn’t revealed categorically in the Bible, so we mustn’t be dogmatic about it. I submit it to help us with the third portion of our Bible Trilogy. Read the Bible verse quoted at the start of this study. A call went out to “gates” and to “ancient doors” to open up, so that “the King of glory may come in”.
Our task is to determine what is referred to as “gates” and “ancient doors”. We also must determine who the King of glory is. The second determination is easy because Psalm 24 reveals it to us in verses 8 and 10. Read them and see. The King of glory is the Lord of Hosts (Yahweh Sabaoth). He is the risen Lord Jesus in all His resurrection glory, dear friends.
I submit to you that the “gates” and “ancient doors” are the entrance to heaven. When Jesus died, His body went into the tomb for three days. Jesus’ spirit went through the gates of heaven (the gates and ancient doors) into the presence of His Father.
Just before dying Jesus declared, “It is finished!” There was no more suffering and dying to be done, in order to pay the penalty for man’s sins. All was finished at that point. Jesus returned to the Father, even as we will do the moment we die.
Don’t start a faction in the church and argue these points, dear friends! Take them in, roll them over the tongue a bit, and savor the flavor afforded by these promising insights. But also be willing to see the potential errors involved because the Scriptures don’t categorically reveal all of these insights. The insights are intimated through a glass darkly, not vividly portrayed in the bright sunlight.
Still, my heart is blessed to consider how the Lord Jesus went first in death in my place. When it is my turn to come home, He can relate to my reservations and lead me safely by the hand into the Father’s presence. I will walk with Jesus through the same “gates” and “ancient doors” as He did circa 27 A.D. How glorious! Thank you, Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The question to ask is this: when is the Christian “at home (i.e., in heaven—R.G.) with the Lord”, while simultaneously being without a body? Consider that we have a body until we die. We again have a body at the Rapture. Voilà! we are bodiless from the time we die physically until the Rapture occurs.
During that period of time we are at home with the Lord (i.e., in heaven), and we haven’t our new resurrection bodies yet. This means that we will be like Jesus during the three days His body was in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb, but His spirit was in heaven with the Father.
Again, this isn’t revealed categorically in the Bible, so we mustn’t be dogmatic about it. I submit it to help us with the third portion of our Bible Trilogy. Read the Bible verse quoted at the start of this study. A call went out to “gates” and to “ancient doors” to open up, so that “the King of glory may come in”.
Our task is to determine what is referred to as “gates” and “ancient doors”. We also must determine who the King of glory is. The second determination is easy because Psalm 24 reveals it to us in verses 8 and 10. Read them and see. The King of glory is the Lord of Hosts (Yahweh Sabaoth). He is the risen Lord Jesus in all His resurrection glory, dear friends.
I submit to you that the “gates” and “ancient doors” are the entrance to heaven. When Jesus died, His body went into the tomb for three days. Jesus’ spirit went through the gates of heaven (the gates and ancient doors) into the presence of His Father.
Just before dying Jesus declared, “It is finished!” There was no more suffering and dying to be done, in order to pay the penalty for man’s sins. All was finished at that point. Jesus returned to the Father, even as we will do the moment we die.
Don’t start a faction in the church and argue these points, dear friends! Take them in, roll them over the tongue a bit, and savor the flavor afforded by these promising insights. But also be willing to see the potential errors involved because the Scriptures don’t categorically reveal all of these insights. The insights are intimated through a glass darkly, not vividly portrayed in the bright sunlight.
Still, my heart is blessed to consider how the Lord Jesus went first in death in my place. When it is my turn to come home, He can relate to my reservations and lead me safely by the hand into the Father’s presence. I will walk with Jesus through the same “gates” and “ancient doors” as He did circa 27 A.D. How glorious! Thank you, Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Bible Trilogy III – Part 1
Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! [Psalm 24:7]
Today we begin the third portion of our Bible Trilogy. The first portion came from Psalm 22 and had to do with the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. The second portion came from Psalm 23 and had to do with the burial of the Lord Jesus. The third portion, as can be gathered by the Bible quotation above, comes from Psalm 24 and has to do with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
We noted in the first portion that three events mark the Gospel:
1. Jesus’ crucifixion
2. Jesus’ burial
3. Jesus’ resurrection
We direct you to 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 for Biblical affirmation of this truth. Those three events comprise the three portions of our Bible Trilogy. The three psalms (22, 23, and 24) prophetically present the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
On the cross just prior to surrendering His spirit to the Father’s care and dying, Jesus cried aloud, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Then He was placed in Joseph of Arimathea’s new tomb, with a humongous stone sealing the entrance. He remained there for three days.
On the first day of the week before sunrise, the humongous stone was rolled away. No, Jesus’ disciples didn’t do it. Neither did the Roman soldiers do it. And the Jewish authorities certainly didn’t do it. They paid the Roman soldiers to claim they did it, so the truth of Jesus’ resurrection wouldn’t get out into public circulation.
In fact the stone wasn’t even rolled away from the entrance of the tomb so Jesus could get out. It was rolled away so man could get in. Man needed to enter the tomb in order to discover that the body of the Lord Jesus was no longer there!
The person who rolled away the stone was an angel of the Lord (cf., Matthew 28:2). He descended from heaven, rolled the stone away from the entrance, and then sat on the stone! According to the account in Matthew 28, when the angel moved the stone an earthquake occurred. That, and the angel’s brilliant appearance, sent the Roman soldiers scampering like roaches when the lights come on!
God sent the angel to roll away the stone, you see, as a witness of the resurrection. So long as the stone blocked the entrance, no one would know the body of Jesus was no longer in the tomb.
The import of this information is vital. We will explain how so in our next study. For now let’s spend time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Today we begin the third portion of our Bible Trilogy. The first portion came from Psalm 22 and had to do with the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. The second portion came from Psalm 23 and had to do with the burial of the Lord Jesus. The third portion, as can be gathered by the Bible quotation above, comes from Psalm 24 and has to do with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
We noted in the first portion that three events mark the Gospel:
1. Jesus’ crucifixion
2. Jesus’ burial
3. Jesus’ resurrection
We direct you to 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 for Biblical affirmation of this truth. Those three events comprise the three portions of our Bible Trilogy. The three psalms (22, 23, and 24) prophetically present the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
On the cross just prior to surrendering His spirit to the Father’s care and dying, Jesus cried aloud, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Then He was placed in Joseph of Arimathea’s new tomb, with a humongous stone sealing the entrance. He remained there for three days.
On the first day of the week before sunrise, the humongous stone was rolled away. No, Jesus’ disciples didn’t do it. Neither did the Roman soldiers do it. And the Jewish authorities certainly didn’t do it. They paid the Roman soldiers to claim they did it, so the truth of Jesus’ resurrection wouldn’t get out into public circulation.
In fact the stone wasn’t even rolled away from the entrance of the tomb so Jesus could get out. It was rolled away so man could get in. Man needed to enter the tomb in order to discover that the body of the Lord Jesus was no longer there!
The person who rolled away the stone was an angel of the Lord (cf., Matthew 28:2). He descended from heaven, rolled the stone away from the entrance, and then sat on the stone! According to the account in Matthew 28, when the angel moved the stone an earthquake occurred. That, and the angel’s brilliant appearance, sent the Roman soldiers scampering like roaches when the lights come on!
God sent the angel to roll away the stone, you see, as a witness of the resurrection. So long as the stone blocked the entrance, no one would know the body of Jesus was no longer in the tomb.
The import of this information is vital. We will explain how so in our next study. For now let’s spend time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Bible Trilogy III – Part 2
Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! [Psalm 24:7]
Jesus rose out of death physically, which is the only way resurrection can occur in the first place. Man’s spirit is eternal, so it never dies physically. Ergo, man’s spirit does not resurrect out of the tomb. Man’s body alone goes into the tomb, and so man’s body alone resurrects out of the tomb.
Permit me a brief aside at this point of our study. Finite language cannot fully express spiritual realities. This is why I stated that man’s spirit does not die physically. “Spirit” and “physical” are two words which don’t go together. They form an oxymoron!
The trouble is man’s spirit does die, but it dies spiritually. Man is made to have fellowship with the Lord. When man rejects the Lord’s fellowship, he is eternally separated from the Lord. That is spiritual death. Physical death is when man’s spirit is separated from his body. Death means separation. It can be separation from the body or it can be separation from the Lord.
Man is born spiritually dead in his trespasses and sins. This means He is separated from the Lord because of his sins. Thus man needs to be born again, if he would see the Kingdom of God. When a person is born again he becomes alive spiritually, being brought into fellowship with the Lord.
At the rapture a born again person receives his new resurrection body, the same type of body the Lord Jesus now has. Jesus rose out of death on the first day of the week with His resurrection body, and He will have it through all eternity.
The Christian will be fully alive physically when he is clothed in his own resurrection body. The body of death will be gone forever. The body of life will thenceforth be his.
Anyway, back to Psalm 24. After Jesus died on the cross (Psalm 22), and after He was buried for three days (Psalm 23), He then rose out of death (Psalm 24).
This brings up an interesting issue for us to consider. Where did Jesus go when He rose out of death on the first day of the week? For that matter where was Jesus’ spirit during the three days His body was in the tomb?
If I’ve impressed on you a proper approach for Bible study, you know how to answer those questions. Do you? Ah, I see by the look on your face that you’ve learned well. Go ahead then. Answer the questions. That’s right. The question to ask is, “What does the Bible say?” You are a fine student. I’m proud to share the Word of God with you.
Oh, but we must turn aside and take our rest at this time. Allow the Lord Jesus to share the Word of God with you a while. See you tomorrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Jesus rose out of death physically, which is the only way resurrection can occur in the first place. Man’s spirit is eternal, so it never dies physically. Ergo, man’s spirit does not resurrect out of the tomb. Man’s body alone goes into the tomb, and so man’s body alone resurrects out of the tomb.
Permit me a brief aside at this point of our study. Finite language cannot fully express spiritual realities. This is why I stated that man’s spirit does not die physically. “Spirit” and “physical” are two words which don’t go together. They form an oxymoron!
The trouble is man’s spirit does die, but it dies spiritually. Man is made to have fellowship with the Lord. When man rejects the Lord’s fellowship, he is eternally separated from the Lord. That is spiritual death. Physical death is when man’s spirit is separated from his body. Death means separation. It can be separation from the body or it can be separation from the Lord.
Man is born spiritually dead in his trespasses and sins. This means He is separated from the Lord because of his sins. Thus man needs to be born again, if he would see the Kingdom of God. When a person is born again he becomes alive spiritually, being brought into fellowship with the Lord.
At the rapture a born again person receives his new resurrection body, the same type of body the Lord Jesus now has. Jesus rose out of death on the first day of the week with His resurrection body, and He will have it through all eternity.
The Christian will be fully alive physically when he is clothed in his own resurrection body. The body of death will be gone forever. The body of life will thenceforth be his.
Anyway, back to Psalm 24. After Jesus died on the cross (Psalm 22), and after He was buried for three days (Psalm 23), He then rose out of death (Psalm 24).
This brings up an interesting issue for us to consider. Where did Jesus go when He rose out of death on the first day of the week? For that matter where was Jesus’ spirit during the three days His body was in the tomb?
If I’ve impressed on you a proper approach for Bible study, you know how to answer those questions. Do you? Ah, I see by the look on your face that you’ve learned well. Go ahead then. Answer the questions. That’s right. The question to ask is, “What does the Bible say?” You are a fine student. I’m proud to share the Word of God with you.
Oh, but we must turn aside and take our rest at this time. Allow the Lord Jesus to share the Word of God with you a while. See you tomorrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
