Problem No.7 The Problem of the After Life

We'll start reading from the 49th verse, verse 49 of 1 Corinthians 15. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery.

We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed 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 steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. I'll turn over, please, to 2 Corinthians, and chapter 5. 2 Corinthians, chapter 5. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God and house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven.

If so be that being clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened, not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the spirit.

Therefore we are always confident, knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Therefore we labor that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. Amen. Well then, this evening we come to our final study in this series on the Christian's problems, and I've entitled the study, The Problem of the Afterlife.

Though in this connection I'm not too sure that the word problem itself is valid, for I find the concept of the afterlife a very fascinating and a very stimulating subject. I'm not at all offended by those who accuse me of being weak-minded, of having some theological notions of pie in the sky when I die. I will not allow their criticisms and their cynical observations to rob me, as a believer in Jesus Christ, of the great joy that there is in contemplating the ultimate destination that is mine and that is yours, if you belong to the Savior.

We read concerning the Lord Jesus Christ that, for the joy that was before him, he endured the shame and despised the cross. For the joy that was before him, he endured the cross and despised the shame, to quote that verse correctly. So you see, within that teaching from the Word of God, within that Scripture, we are justified in thinking about the glories that there are beyond the grave for those of us who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And it was not just our Savior who thought of the joy that was before him. The Apostle Paul, doubtless taking his example from the Lord Jesus, when he was writing to one of the churches that he had an interest in, he encourages them and tells them that the sufferings of this present world are not worthy to be compared with the joy, with the glory that there is in store for each one of us. So it's good for us to consider together, to contemplate upon the great compensations that there are for Christian people in the life beyond the grave.

Someone has summed up these compensations in these words, light after darkness, gain after loss, strength after weakness, crown after cross, sweet after bitter, hope after fears, home after wandering, praise after tears. Well, I argue it's good for us to engage in a study, making an inquiry concerning the afterlife and the things that are in store for those of us who belong to our Lord Jesus Christ. You will recall, as I say, that the Apostle Paul engages in such a study, and it's good for us to make a similar inquiry.

Good for us, for some who perhaps in a short time will be facing that tremendous hour. Good for all of us, because it will help to create within us a feeling of excitement and of thrill at the thought of all that lies beyond the grave. And as we do consider the blessings that are in store, let us always bear at the front of our minds that all these blessings, all that is ours, belongs to us through Jesus Christ.

As the Apostle Paul writes to Timothy, it is the Lord Jesus who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Well then, that just by way of opening preamble, let me pick up the subject where I left it off last week when we were talking finally about surviving death. And it is to me something of a topic for wonder that people can read the New Testament and indeed the Old Testament and deny the doctrine of immortality.

Well, some strange things are abroad today, and one must concede that there are people who claim that the Bible does not teach immortal life, the immortality of the soul. I find this quite incredible. I do so because our Lord Jesus Christ, when he was talking, you remember, to the bereaved sisters at Bethany, makes the observation, he who believes on me will never die.

And the word there in the original is an emphatic word. The one who believes on me shall never, never die. This is what our Lord Jesus Christ says.

And you remember later on in that gospel, he goes on to tell the disciples when he's setting forth teaching on the life beyond the grave, that if it were not so, if there was not a place for them in his father's house, then he would have told them. The fact of the matter is there was a place. It's being prepared for them, prepared before the foundation of the world.

And they are to glory in this, that they are mere sojourners, mere pilgrims going through this world and their ultimate destination is in heaven. It is with their God and Father. And not only do you find this doctrine taught in the New Testament, but it's wedged in the Old.

I will concede, and quite freely, that the development of the doctrine is in the pages of the New Testament, but its antecedents are well entrenched in the Old. And there are many illustrations that could be brought to bear to underline this point. You remember when Moses received his commission to serve his God, this commission, this call to the ministry, if you please, came about quite remarkably as Moses was away from Egypt, and suddenly he spots a bush in scrubland that starts to burn, and yet the bush is not consumed.

And when Moses discovers who the voice is from within the bush, he finds that it is none other than the God of the patriarchs. The voice says, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And we read that Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.

Now, when the Lord Jesus Christ quotes the same sentiments, the same words of the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, he does so, and we find the reference in Matthew's gospel, by underlining the fact that God is the God of the living, and not the God of the dead. Let me read the reference, Matthew 22 and verse 32. I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

So the Lord Jesus Christ says, God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. And if you read the context of that statement, you find that Jesus is demonstrating the doctrine of the resurrection, the doctrine of immortal life. Coming through to the New Testament, we recall the words of our Savior when he says, I am the resurrection and the life.

He that believeth on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die. You go to the epistles, the epistles that bear the name of John, and you find in 1 John chapter 2 and verse 17, the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of the Father abideth forever.

So you see, I've selected, and I've jotted them down in the notes that you have been handed, just a few references that show the teaching that I'm presenting to you this evening is well justified by Scripture. Men and women do survive death, do survive physical death. This is the teaching of the Bible, the Old Testament, and the New.

And really there is no gain saying this. You have to manipulate Scripture. You have to have a scissors approach to Scripture and cut out passages if you deny this particular doctrine.

So we glory in the fact that man does survive physical death. But it's at this stage in our discussion this evening that I want to talk to you about the moot question of soul sleep. There are some, and I respect their opinion, though I differ from them, who suggest that when a person dies physically, he really goes out of existence until the second advent.

He has no experience at all, no sensitivity. There is just nothing, nothing until the second advent, apart of course from his decaying remnants in the graveyard. Now I appreciate that these folks who teach this particular view logically say that when a person dies, they perchance move outside the regular time scale, and thus when the Lord Jesus Christ does come back in one sense, their resurrection is instantaneously secured.

They have no concept of anything at all after the moment of physical death until the advent of the Lord Jesus. They cease to exist, and they instantaneously are raised at the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. But between that, those two events, well, they go out of existence.

They're in a state, if you like, of soul sleep. Well, as I say, I respect very much the opinion of those who accept this particular view, but I find myself unable to embrace it, and I argue this for several reasons. The first being that I claim to find within the Bible the teaching that when the body dies, the spirit returns to the Lord who originally gave life to the body.

In the Psalms, the 73rd Psalm, there is a belief cherished by the psalmist that when he dies, he will go to heaven. He says, thou wilt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. And the context of that psalm, I would argue, presupposes that this is instantaneous.

Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel here on this earth, and when that great day comes, when I no longer live on this earth, when my body dies, well, thou wilt receive me to glory. I argue from the Old Testament. I also argue from the New Testament that there is scriptures which indicate that when the body dies, the spirit returns to the Lord.

But the reason why a number of people feel that they must argue for soul sleep, for the body being, if you like, in a state of suspended animation until the second advent, is because in the New Testament particularly, there are many references made to sleep as a description of what happens when the body dies. 1 Corinthians chapter 11 and verse 30, Paul, you recall, has been setting down certain teaching concerning the Lord's Supper. And he goes on to say that people who have not prepared themselves, have not prepared their hearts to receive this meal, to take the bread and the wine, are in effect engaging in an act that is offensive to the Lord.

And says the Apostle Paul, it is for this reason that some are sickly among you, and some sleep. And by sleep there, he is referring to bodily death. In 1 Corinthians 15, you will find there a number of references made to the sleep of those who are dead.

Look for instance at the sixth verse, 1 Corinthians 15 verse 6. After that, he was seen of about 500 brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. Look at the 18th verse. Then they also, which are fallen asleep in Christ, are perished.

Look at the 51st verse. Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.

And so we could go on, bringing together all the references in the New Testament that describe the state of the body at death, in terms of a sleep. But notice what I said, because I purposely selected my words in the last sentence. The body is described in the state of a sleep.

And this metaphorical use of the verb sleep to describe physical death is appropriate, as those of you will know if you've had loved ones who have died. Here in Worthing, it's often my privilege to minister to people at the point of death, and indeed to be present after they have died. And to the physical eye, at any rate, there seems to be little difference between sleeping and the first moments, the first hour or so after death.

It seems to be a reasonable description to say that the person is asleep. And I put forward this opinion, that when the Bible refers to sleep, when it's describing death, it is speaking metaphorically of the state of the physical body. It is not speaking of the soul or the spirit, which as I say, I argue, has gone to be with the Lord.

Now, let me further substantiate my argument and build up my case as concretely as possible, so that none of you can knock it down, because I believe this most sincerely. Take the case of the Lord Jesus Christ, as He engages in prayer. It's what we call the High Priestly Prayer, and it's recorded in the seventeenth chapter of John's Gospel.

And in that prayer, He has a lot to say, not only about Himself, but about His disciples and about the Church of Jesus Christ throughout all ages. Now, in the twenty-fourth verse of John's seventeen, Jesus makes a request. And as I say, He's making this request concerning the disciples and all who shall come to place their faith in the Savior.

What is that request? Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me, where I am, that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world. Let me repeat that. It's a marvelous verse.

I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me. Now, what was He asking for? If words mean anything at all, surely I'm right in paraphrasing this, in saying that the Lord is requesting from the Father that those who are saved will be with Him, will be in His company. And therefore, I say that this statement itself substantiates my argument that when the spirit of the believer, when the body of the believer dies, his spirit is taken to be with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let me approach the whole thing from another angle. Let's refer to the experience of the Apostle Paul. Here he is in jail, and he's writing a letter to the Philippians.

You remember the incident. Paul is awaiting the verdict of the Roman court, a verdict which could mean that he's set free, or he's condemned to death for spreading an illegal religion, and presumably for flying in the face of Roman law. Now, when the Apostle writes to the Philippians, he tells them he's got a problem.

What is the nature of the Well, says the Apostle, I don't really know what to hope for. I don't know what verdict I really want, because if I'm found to be not guilty, if I'm allowed to go free, well, yes, I'll have the privilege of proclaiming the gospel further. But if I am found guilty, if I am executed, if I am done to death, then what happens? Well, I shall go into the immediate presence of the Lord.

Let's read this from the 23rd verse of Philippians 1. For I am in a straight betwixt two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. Now, I argue that logically, if the Apostle Paul had been thinking in terms of soul sleep, of when he died, being in suspended animation for centuries, albeit he has no concept of time himself, he could hardly say that that would be a better state than existing on this earth and knowing spiritually, at any rate, the presence of the Lord Jesus.

It seems to me what he's arguing is this, that when my body dies, then my spirit will go directly into the presence of the Lord God, and I will enjoy Jesus Christ in a way that I've never enjoyed him here on this earth. Therefore, to be with Christ is far better, and if it's a choice between life here or life in heaven with the Savior, then says the Apostle, my preference is for the latter. Are you convinced? Well, if not, let me pile up the argument even more.

Come back to 2 Corinthians chapter 5, the verses that I was reading to you a little while ago. The Apostle is speaking of the tremendous faith that he has as to what will happen when his tabernacle, that is his body, his outer man disintegrates, when it wears away. I'll read the verse, verses 1, 2, and 3 again.

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, and house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven. If so be that being clothed, we shall not be found naked.

Now come down to the eighth verse. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Well, it seems to me from his argument that these are events which follow one upon another, absent from the body, present with the Lord.

And so, one could go on bringing together certain passages of Scripture, which I reckon underline the doctrine that I'm seeking to put before you. And to those who advocate so sleep well, let me put one or two questions. What about the rich man who was in hate, who was in torment? The parable you remember that our Lord taught, could you say that he was pleading whilst he was asleep? When are the surpassing glories of heaven to be revealed? These glories to which Paul makes reference as he's writing to the Romans.

When they are asleep, are they to think that the sufferings of this present age are not worthy to be compared to the glory that is to be revealed when they are asleep? What about the general assembly and church of the firstborn in heaven, referred to in Hebrews chapter 12? Are they a congregation of sleepers or are they awake, as I trust you are at the moment? What about the souls who we read of in Revelation? The souls under the altar who cry with a loud voice, do they do this when they're asleep? Well, enough of the doctrine of soul sleep, it tends to make me drowsy. Absent from the body is present with the Lord. So, I go on at this juncture in my study to put up another question to you, another query.

When a person dies, to where does his spirit go? Where does his spirit go? Well, the answer that I bring to you from the Word of God, as I understand it, is simple and sensational. He goes to heaven or she goes to heaven. Now, not everybody accepts this.

There are those who would teach that when the spirit leaves the body, the spirit goes to a place called purgatory. I can see no justification in either Old Testament nor in the New Testament for the concept of purgatory. I find its root in the imaginations of men, and it certainly helped some sections of the so-called established church to bring in a lot of money by teaching that particular doctrine.

Neither do I find any problems at all in the admitted fact that the New Testament refers to the afterlife in terms of paradise and Abraham's bosom, and there are some who would make a distinction here between heaven and paradise and Abraham's bosom. I can find no scriptural justification at all for making such a differentiation. Let's take this word paradise.

It's used many times in ancient history. The Persians used to employ this word to describe the great parks of the Persian kings. The Old Testament, we read of Eden, the Garden of Eden as being a veritable paradise.

And when you come into the New Testament, well, this word is only used on three occasions. No prizes if you know them. The first was the words of our Lord Jesus Christ to the thief on the cross, today thou shalt be with me in paradise.

The second occasion was when the apostle Paul was speaking of a remarkable experience that he'd had some twelve years or so ago. He's writing to the and the twelfth chapter. And this is what the apostle says from the second verse onward.

I knew a man in Christ about fourteen years ago, whether in the body, I said twelve years, I missed two out. I knew a man in Christ about fourteen years ago, whether in the body, I cannot tell, or whether out of the body, I cannot tell. God knoweth such an one caught up to the third heaven.

And I knew such a man, whether in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell. God knoweth how that he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. You see there there's an interrelationship, an exchange of terms, heaven and paradise.

You get a further illustration of this in the book of Revelation, where the word paradise is referred to. Revelation chapter 2 and verse 7. And what does John, as he's writing from the isle of Patmos, have to tell us about paradise? Well, he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Now tell me what was John describing in the book that we call the Revelation? He was describing, surely, the glories of heaven. And here we find this description conveyed in the terminology, the paradise of God. So I say that there's no problem here at all, paradise and heaven synonymous, interchangeable, certainly after the resurrection of our Lord Jesus.

And with regard to the other, the other phrase that is sometimes used to describe the afterlife, Abraham's bosom, well again, no problems. Abraham's bosom is a merely a Jewish term, a rabbinic term, that refers to life beyond the grave. And Abraham should know something about this life after all, it's called Abraham's bosom.

Now, where did Abraham finish up? Well, we're glad to discover from the New Testament, though we had our sneaking suspicions from the old, that he didn't finish up just decaying on the earth, certainly his body did. But as far as his spirit's concerned, what happens? Well, the writer of the Hebrew epistle tells us regarding Abraham that by faith, I'm reading from the 11th chapter and the 8th verse, by faith when he was called to go out into a place which he should have to receive for inheritance, obeyed, and he went out not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, he's in the land of promise, but as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles, a tent, something that's impermanent, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.

For he, that is Abraham, looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Come down to verse 16, if you're still not convinced about the destination of old Abraham. But now they desire a better country, that is a heavenly country.

Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a city. My friend, it's so clear, it's so obvious, if there's not a hallelujah in your heart, then I don't really understand, because I get a little bit excited at the thought that Abraham made heaven, and he's only one of many, many thousands and thousands of people, who are with the Lord in the celestial city. And if anyone should object that a disembodied spirit can't get into heaven, well that didn't seem to provide any problems for the Apostle Paul, when he had a premature visit, did it? Because he said, I knew a man in Christ above 14 years ago, whether in the body I cannot tell, or whether out of the body I cannot tell.

Although it didn't really make any difference, he went there and you know, the proof of the pudding as they say. Here we are in heaven, because we belong to Jesus Christ, and when our bodies decay, when our heart is unable to pump the blood round anymore, when our earthly tabernacle is unable to support our life as we now know it, the Spirit returns to God, His or her Maker. And listen to the certainty of the psalmist, as it comes through again, I'm going back to Psalm 73, Thou will guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

And Paul in the epistle that I've just read to Corinthians 5 verse 1 to 4 says, for we know that when our earthly tabernacle dissolves, we have a building that is eternal in the heavens. So to the question, where does the spirit or soul go when it departs the body? The glorious sensational answer is this, he or she goes to heaven. And at that stage perhaps I ought to use the word it, because we lose our sexual differentiation, our sexual distinction.

So let me put up another question at this stage, what's it like? What's it like to go to heaven? Well I don't know, because I haven't been. But what I can say is that I've got some idea, because to some extent I have known experiences of heaven on earth with my Savior, and everything that I have enjoyed here will be heightened infinitely in heaven. I hath not seen nor hear ear heard the things that God hath prepared for them that love Him.

And yet you know that verse at face reading doesn't seem to be true, at first reading doesn't seem to be true, because I have experienced something of God's joy. There have been moments in my life when I think I've had some understanding of what Peter meant when he spoke about joy unspeakable and full of glory. But Paul says with regard to the life beyond the grave, I hath not seen nor ear heard.

So all that I have known of joy and happiness and satisfaction and meaning and purpose, all that I've known just at this point is going to be heightened beyond compare, so that when I look back upon my earthly experience, I'm going to realize how impoverished I really was. And I think that's a tremendous thought. My knowledge of that life is small, the eye of faith is dim, but tis enough that Christ knows all, and I shall be with Him.

What's it like to be in heaven? Well the book of Revelation tells us that those who are dead in the Lord, I'm looking now at chapter or trying to find chapter 14 and verse 13, those who are dead in the Lord are blessed. Why are they blessed? Because they rest from their labors. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, write, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth.

Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors and their works. Do follow them. So those who are with the Lord in heaven now are at rest.

All the tensions and anxieties, all the perplexing problems of this life are now over as far as they are concerned. They rest in the Lord. And they have an ability to do what you and I cannot, not in such clear measure at any rate.

They gaze on the Lord. He whom they have not seen yet loved, they now see, and their love is increased immeasurably. But what about their sensibilities? What are they able to do? What do they know? How can they act? Well I would suggest to you that Revelation particularly gives us the right to conclude that these who have gone beyond the grave can worship God.

The whole of the inhabitants of the celestial city are engaged in praising God. There is a thunderous note that resounds through heaven of the praise of God's created beings. And surely to their voices are added those of the righteous dead, those who are with the Lord at the moment.

Worship surely is not precluded from them. But what about knowledge? What knowledge do they have? What knowledge do they have of us? Here we run into some difficulty. I quote in the notes I gave you the opinion of Dr. Scroggie and the opinion of an American theologian, a very godly man by the name of Hendrickson.

And they both inquire into the verse in Hebrews which talks about us being encompassed by a great crowd of witnesses. Dr. Scroggie seems to lean to the opinion that this is referring to those who've gone on before, and they have some knowledge therefore of our activity here on this earth. I rather tend to think that Dr. Hendrickson is right here and that the reference is not to any immediate knowledge that they have of us.

I say that because, you see, in the Father's house there is joy, and at His right hand there are pleasures forevermore. And I don't really see how anyone could be terribly happy or joyful if they had a panoramic view of all that's going on in this world. Does that therefore mean that they have no knowledge of us? Well, I didn't say that.

I didn't say that they lose all recollection of ourselves. I don't think that this is the case, quite frankly. Maybe here I'm engaged in a little bit of conjecture, but I've got my reasons for my conjectures, but I'm not preaching dogmatically.

I'm making suggestions, and my suggestion is this, that they retain a knowledge of us. Let me develop my argument. What is the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ at this moment? Well, He's in heaven.

He's at the Father's right hand. What is He doing? He is interceding. For who? For you and for me.

Now, according to the book of Revelation, the spirits who are under the throne of God are enabled to pray to the Lord. Now, I do not in any sense believe in praying for the dead, but I've got a shrewd suspicion that those who are dead in Christ Jesus, and therefore their spirits are with the Lord, have an ability to join in the intercessory ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ on behalf of those of us who are here on this earth. I'm not preaching dogmatically.

I'm putting to you a conjecture, but I think it's a very reasonable conjecture and a very wonderful thought that those who have gone on before can pray for those that they have left behind. I'll bring another argument, if you like, to substantiate my conjecture, seeing as I've got just a little bit of time in hand. You remember the parable of of Dives and Lazarus? He is the rich man in his condition of torment, and he is able to recognize Abraham.

I'll come back to that. That's an interesting thing, but that's not the point I'm angling for at the moment. He's able to recognize Abraham, but what is his request? Well, he wants some water to alleviate his thirst, if you remember, and then he also is concerned that his brethren, possibly his own brothers, don't live in the careless fashion that he's lived, and therefore finish up in his state of being eternally lost.

He remembered his brothers. Interesting, isn't it? He had a recollection of his brothers. Have not those who've gone on before retained a recollection of us? And are they able to pray for us? It's a lovely thought to reflect upon at any rate, and I've told you where my leaning has its bias, but it's up to you as to whether you accept my conjecture or not.

So then I say that these who have gone before, who have gone through the experience of physical death, have an ability to worship the Lord, and they have certain knowledge, possibly, of ourselves. Now let me wind off my study for this evening. I hope that you're getting a little bit excited.

I get excited about heaven, and I would argue with anyone who says that I have a melancholy disposition. I remember singing a chorus at Sunday school, away far beyond Jordan, we'll meet in that land, that beautiful land. Had to do actions, and it got to one point in the chorus, if I remember it.

If you get there before I do, look out for me, because I'm coming too. Away far beyond Jordan, we'll meet in that beautiful land. Well, I think the person who wrote that chorus had biblical justification for getting kiddies excited about such an experience.

I have not time this evening to discuss the impact of the second advent of our Lord Jesus Christ on those who are remaining when he returns, and those who have died in Christ, and who he brings with him. I have no time to deal with the resurrected body at the time of the advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. All these things, perhaps, we can put on one side for future studies as we gather around the Word of God, sufficient to say that there's going to be one day a tremendous gathering, a tremendous reunion, and whether you agree with me concerning soul sleep or not, or whether you hang on to this particular view, all of us unite to look forward to this tremendous event when our Savior shall return, and it's good for us to look forward.

Good for us to look forward to him, because he is the one who has atoned for our sins and vouchsafed our salvation. But also, I think it is justifiable on our part to look forward to our reunion to with those who have gone beyond. I don't feel that this is wrong to engage in yearnings, to meet up with beloved friends.

I gather from the New Testament that the Lord Jesus Christ was honored in the fellowship that the Christians enjoyed, one together, one with each other on this earth, so surely he too will be honored by the joy that there is in that tremendous reunion. Some say to me, will we know one another in heaven? Will I be able to identify you? Will you be able to identify me? Well, I reckon that this is the obvious teaching of Scripture, that we shall be able to recognize one another. I haven't time at this stage, although I'd love to, I'm getting a little bit too excited now perhaps, to dip into Matthew's gospel, but you remember the parable that our Lord taught of the great banquet, and here he's displaying in a wonderful fashion the events at his second advent, and here is this tremendous banquet, and who do we find there? Well, Jesus names Abraham, he names the patriarchs.

If he names them, then we must be able to recognize them. So, I suggest that recognition of one another is something that we can look forward to. Paul writing to the Thessalonians, he's speaking of the second advent of the Lord, and what does he say about the Thessalonian Christians on that day of the return of the Savior? Well, he says, when this happens, when the second advent occurs, and I look across at you, I'll rejoice.

Listen to Paul. For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy. 1 Thessalonians 2 verse 19.

What is our hope at his coming? What is going to be an additional thing for us to engage in rejoicing about, notwithstanding the return of the Lord Jesus? Are not you, you in his presence. Paul logically is arguing that he's going to see the Thessalonian converts, the ones that he led to the Lord Jesus Christ, and he's going to rejoice that they're there on that day, and that he was instrumental on the human level in their salvation. So, I put it to you, my friends, that when our Lord returns, there's going to be a great day of reunion and rejoicing.