The Word Works!: THE BLESSED HOPE II

See a declaration by Peter: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:3-9). Glory to God! When Jesus died and resurrected, Thomas said he wouldn’t believe until he saw Him. For this reason Jesus said, “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29). Were you there when Jesus had to atone for our sins? No! So the question is, “Do you believe that Jesus died for you?” If yes, then you’re blessed! We have not majored on several things that apply to us. What are you waiting for? Do you want to enjoy them someday in heaven? We need these blessings here on earth, not in heaven.

Oh, blessed are those who die in the Lord. Unlike they that do not believe, the Christian has a blessed hope; we have a blessed hope! We know that Jesus ascended into heaven with the saints that had already died, but what exactly happened on that day? Before His ascension He said, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:8-11). I wonder why some believers are still praying for power, power, power. What’s wrong with them? That’s ignorance gone on rampage! If you’ve received the Holy Ghost, then you’re endued with power. He’s not the source of power; He’s power Himself! “Power” here is the Greek word “Dunamis”, and it’s the dynamic ability to cause changes. With this power you can cause changes in your work, health, businesses, school, family etc. If this inherent power is tabernacled in us, what else do we need?

The Ascension of Jesus

As the disciples watched, Jesus was taken up and disappeared in a cloud. They stood there, staring into the empty sky. Suddenly two men appeared – in white robes! They said, “You Galileans! – Why do you just stand here looking up at an empty sky? This very Jesus who was taken up from among you to heaven will come as certainly as he left." Praise God. Boy! We’re waiting for the return of Christ – what a blessed hope! We’re not helpless at all, for we have hope for the return of Christ. Blessed are they who die in the Lord, for He shall be back as surely as He left.

The Apostle Paul gives a similar revelation. Paul was not taught the Gospel by some man (Galatians 1:11-12). The Holy Spirit taught him the whole thing! Now notice what he says about the return of Christ: “…I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). From this we can conclude that there’s coming a “catching away”. If you want to call it “the Rapture”, fine; that’s scriptural. Paul says he doesn’t want us in the dark any longer. First off, we must not carry on over them like people who have nothing to look forward to, as if the grave were the last word. Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus. We are to comfort those that are mourning.

Jesus promised to send us a Comforter who would abide with us forever (John 14:16). This Comforter is in the person of the Holy Ghost. When He’s come, He’d be our Counsellor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby. The good news is that He’s come, and He’s alive in us today. Paul tells us to comfort those that mourn because He knows what we possess. We have the master Comforter in us, so we can bring comfort to people no matter what they’re going through. That’s why He proclaimed: “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). The Early Church was looking for Jesus to come again. The Church at Thessalonica was looking for Him to come, but in the meantime, some of them had died. We read in other places that Jesus is coming back to the earth, but here we see He’s coming back with His saints. Yes, Jesus is coming back to the earth eventually, but this is not talking about that here. There is coming a “catching away.” Caught up! With whom? With those who already have been raised from the dead in Christ. It says we’ll be caught up together with them in the clouds.

We’re going to be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Paul tells us to comfort one another with these words, letting them know that the grave isn’t the end. That’s why he could confidently say, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). He made similar declarations in 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 and Philippians 1:23-24. These sound foolish, right? Yes. But you see, Paul was looking at something better and eternal: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8). He didn’t fear death, for he knew there was something better and eternal laid up for him in heaven.

Jesus destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil (Hebrews 2:14-15).You need not fear death as a believer. That’s the reason why Jesus tells you to not be afraid of those who kill the body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28). Don't be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There's nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life – body and soul – in his hands. Paul shares more on the resurrection of the dead: “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:52-58). Praise God! Even though the Spirit is saved after salvation, the body still fights the lust in the world. But then, at the return of Jesus it shall be raised incorruptible; we’ll be changed.

But do you know that in reality we do not die, and we’ll never die? This might seem weird but it’s the truth. We were dead in sin but God quickened us together with Christ. God raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6). When Jesus died we died. When He was buried we were buried. When He went to hell and defeated Satan we were right there with Him. And when He resurrected we also resurrected, never to die again (Colossians 2:12-14). Jesus declared in Revelation 1:18, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore…” He died and resurrected, just as we did. How do we die when our life-source never dies?

Do you also recall that Jesus said He’s the vine and we’re the branches? (John 15:5). A mango tree does not bear fruit to a pineapple and vice versa. As long as I know, the same life that flows through the vine flows though the branches! The indestructible life of Christ flows through us. That’s why the Bible says we’re more than conquerors and have overcome all things, because greater is He that lives in us than he that’s in the world (Romans 8:37; 1 John 4:4). You see, when Paul said they which sleep shall be raised up, he wasn’t talking about their spirit sleeping. Their spirit wasn’t asleep. Paul is talking about their bodies being asleep.

I love what Spurgeon says concerning this subject: “Let us not imagine that the spirit sleeps in insensibility. “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise,” is the whisper of Christ to every dying saint. They “sleep in Jesus,” but their spirits are before the throne of God, praising Him day and night in His temple, singing hallelujahs to Him who washed them from their sins in His blood. The body sleeps in its lonely bed of earth, beneath the coverlet of grass. But what is this sleep? The idea connected with sleep is “rest,” and that is the thought which the Spirit of God would convey to us.

Sleep makes each night a Sabbath for the day. Sleep shuts fast the door of the soul, and bids all intruders tarry for a while, that the life within may enter its summer garden of ease. The toil – worn believer quietly sleeps, as does the weary child when it slumbers on its mother's breast. Oh! Happy they who die in the Lord; they rest from their labours, and their works do follow them. Their quiet repose shall never be broken until God shall rouse them to give them their full reward. Guarded by angel watchers, curtained by eternal mysteries, they sleep on, the heritors of glory, till the fullness of time shall bring the fullness of redemption.

What an awaking shall be theirs! They were laid in their last resting place, weary and worn, but such they shall not rise. They went to their rest with the furrowed brow, and the wasted features, but they wake up in beauty and glory. The shrivelled seed, so destitute of form and comeliness, rises from the dust a beauteous flower. The winter of the grave gives way to the spring of redemption and the summer of glory. Through death the divine power disrobes us of this work-day garment, to clothe us with the wedding garment of incorruption. Blessed are those who “sleep in Jesus.””

When Lazarus died Jesus said, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep” (John 11:11). In this case Lazarus had died, but Jesus referred to him as sleeping. That’s how God sees the dead. Is waking up someone up from sleep difficult? No! It is not difficult for God to resurrect someone from the dead just as it’s not difficult to wake up a person from sleep. I believe you remember the story of Ezekiel and the dry bones. God's Spirit took up Ezekiel and sat him down in the middle of an open plain strewn with bones. He led him around and among them – a lot of bones! There were bones all over the plain that Ezekiel testified, “…lo, they were very dry.” Do you get the picture? The dead bodies had rotten to the extent that they had become one with the dust!

All left were dry bones! God asked Ezekiel if the bones could live and he answered, “O Lord GOD, thou knowest.” Then the Lord said to him, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” So he spoke this message, just as the Lord had told him.

Ezekiel and the Dry Bones

Suddenly as he spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. Then as he watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them. Then the Lord said to him, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’” He spoke the message as he was commanded, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet – a great army (Ezekiel 37:1-10).

God can do anything, so don’t try to figure out with your mind how He’s going to fix things. That’s why He’s God! On the last day, you hear a blast to end all blasts from a trumpet, and in the time that you look up and blink your eyes – it's over. On signal from that trumpet from heaven, the dead will be up and out of their graves, beyond the reach of death, never to die again. At the same moment and in the same way, we'll all be changed. In the resurrection scheme of things, this has to happen: everything perishable taken off the shelves and replaced by the imperishable, this mortal replaced by the immortal. I can’t wait! Oh, death, who's afraid of you now? We don’t fear you!

Keep in mind that we’re the children of God. We come from the nation of our Father, and the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God (Romans 8:16). We’ve been empowered to become children of God. God decided to give birth to us. We’re not born of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12-13). When you became born again, the life you received from your parents was supplanted by the very life of God. Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God's living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself!

That's why the prophet said, the old life is a grass life, its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers; Grass dries up, flowers droop, God's Word goes on and on forever. This is the Word that conceived the new life in you (1 Peter 1:23-25). I hope you now get it when I said we do not die. Someone might say, “But the body dies.” Oh okay. You see, man is a spirit, he has a soul and lives in a body. Your body is just a container that houses you. Your body gives you the right to function in the earth. Have you seen a dead man living somewhere else? I don’t think so! So when you become born again, it’s your spirit that is born again because that’s what is most important to God.

Consider these scriptures: “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (Philippians 3:20-21; 1 John 3:1-2). Glory to God!