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EARNESTLY CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH:
CLARENCE LARKIN:
THE SPIRIT WORLD:
PART 3: CHAPTERS 12-16
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THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS GOD MANIFEST IN THE FLESH. THAT IS WHY HE IS GOD.

Do you know for a fact that if you were to die today that you would not go to hell? If you do not know, click here.

Chapter 12: THE INTERMEDIATE STATE Chapter 13: RECOGNITION AND RELATIONSHIP IN THE SPIRIT WORLD Chapter 14: THE FINAL STATE Chapter 15: THE ABOLITION OF DEATH Chapter 16: SPIRIT TRANSFORMATION XII The Intermediate State Having seen that "Soul Sleep" is not taught in the Bible, let us now inquire into the state of the dead in the "Intermediate State" between the death and the resurrection of the body. THE THREE STATES OF MAN Click Here For A Larger Image 1. It is a State of "CONSCIOUSNESS." In the account of the "Rich Man and Lazarus" (Luk 16:19-31) we have a description of their experience in the "Intermediate State." Both had died and their bodies had been buried on the surface of the earth, what happened to them then happened to them in their "disembodied state." While nothing is said of Lazarus but that he was "comforted," we know that the "Rich Man" could see, for he recognized Abraham and Lazarus, and that he could feel, and thirst, and talk, and remember, proving that he had not lost his personality or consciousness. And the same can be said of both Abraham and Lazarus. The promise of Jesus to the dying thief that he should be with Him that day in Paradise, implied that the thief should not only be in Paradise, but know that he was there, and be conscious of Christ's presence with him, otherwise there would have been no comfort in the promise. Take the words of Paul in 2 Cor. 5 :6-9, "Whilst we are at home in the BODY, we are absent from the Lord." And he adds?"We are willing to be ABSENT from the body, and to be PRESENT with the Lord, wherefore we labor, that, whether PRESENT or ABSENT, we may be accepted of him." The words "Present" and "Absent" as relating to the body are full of significance. The Apostle would not have been willing to be "absent from the body," and "present with the Lord," if he did not believe that in the presence of the Lord he would be conscious, for what possible satisfaction could there be in being unconsciously present with the Lord. THE SOUL'S GUARDIAN AT DEATH Click Here For a Larger Image The Apostle expresses the same truth in Phi 1:21-24, where he says – "For to me to live is CHRIST, and to die is GAIN. . . . For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart (die), and to be WITH CHRIST; which is FAR BETTER: nevertheless to abide IN THE FLESH is more needful for you." What did Paul mean when he said it would be "gain," and "far better," to be out of the flesh and WITH CHRIST, if he did not believe that he would be conscious when he got into Christ's presence? Note that the "strait" Paul was in was "betwixt" LIFE and DEATH, and the cause was the desire of Paul to be WITH CHRIST. Why should Paul want to be "with Christ" in the "Intermediate State" if it was not a conscious state? Death is not a cessation of being. It is simply a cessation of bodily functions that cut off the soul from contact with this present earth. It brings to an end the first "stage" of our existence that we may enter on the second. The cessation of the bodily functions of a man does not include the cessation of his "Soul" functions. The "Soul" does not sleep when the body does, otherwise we would never dream or see visions, or talk in our sleep. It was by dreams and visions of the night that God made known His will to men while they slept. The "Soul," then unfettered, is clearer of vision. Mat 1:20-25; Mat 2:11-13, Mat 2:19-23. Act 27:23-24. The use of the word "sleep," as applied to death, shows that death is not a cessation of existence, for sleep implies an awakening. FIRST EXPERIENCES AFTER DEATH Did you ever stop to think of what happens to the Righteous Soul during the first five minutes after death? Before the funeral has been held, and the body laid away in the cemetery, nay, before the undertaker has been sent for, or the neighbors and relatives notified, or the shades drawn, or the silent watchers at the bedside have realized that you are dead you have been FIVE MINUTES out of the body and reached Paradise and know where you are to spend eternity. Now what will be our experiences in those first five minutes? (1). Our first experience will be that death was so easy. That it was like falling asleep and awaking in a beautiful world. That there was no "Valley of Death," with its hobgoblins, satyrs, and demons to traverse, no "dark river" to cross, but that "Ministering Angels" were waiting to convoy us to Paradise as they carried Lazarus. Luk 16:22. Heb 1:13- Heb 1:14. What a delight it will be to meet our "Guardian Angel," who has watched over us in our "earth life," and who will not desert us in that supreme moment when we shall need a guide to conduct us to our Heavenly Home. (2). Our second experience will be the consciousness that we have left behind our earthly body with all its weaknesses, sufferings, and limitations, and have a body that is absolutely well and fitted in every way for the spiritual realm in which it is to dwell. (3). Our third experience will be that we are being transported swiftly upward through the ethereal space toward a beautiful country whose radiance is brighter than the sun, and as we approach it see coming out to meet us and escort us home, groups of angels who sing?"Blessed are they that do His Commandments, that they may have right to the Tree of Life, and may enter in through the gates of the city." Rev 22:14. (4). Our fourth experience will be that we are in a new environment whose atmosphere is LOVE. That there is no discord, or lack of harmony in our new home, and that its chief characteristic is HOLINESS. (5). Our fifth experience will be the feeling that we are near Jesus. If we do not actually see Him, we shall have the consciousness of His nearness. (6). Our sixth experience will be that of meeting our loved ones. While the writer does not believe that our loved ones have any direct knowledge of what is going on on this earth, yet he believes that our "Guardian Angel" may communicate with our loved ones and inform them of our coming, and that they will be waiting to receive us. (7). Our seventh experience will be the meeting with the saints who have preceded us to glory, such as the patriarchs, prophets, apostles and Christian leaders of our own day. The experiences named may not all happen in the first five, minutes after death, but they doubtless will happen before our funeral service is over and our body laid to rest in the tomb. 2. It is a State of "REST." "There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary be at rest." Job 3:17. In the Book of Revelation, at the breaking of the "Fifth Seal" (Rev 6:9-11), we have a vision of the "SOULS" of the martyred dead of the "Tribulation Period," and we read that they cried with a loud voice (they were conscious), saying?"How long, O Lord, Holy and True, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth ?" And white robes were given unto every one of them (showing that the "Spirits" of the dead have "Soulish BODIES"), and it was said unto them, that they should REST FOR A SEASON, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. While these martyred dead are not the Martyrs of the Christian Church, but mainly Jews of the "Tribulation Period," the Church having been caught out before this, nevertheless the state of their existence in that "disembodied state," will be the same as that of the Souls of the Righteous dead today. Therefore we see that the state of the Righteous dead in the "Intermediate State" is that of consciousness, and that their "Soulish Body" is clothed, and that they are resting. In Rev 14:13, John says?"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." While this is spoken of those who shall die because they will not worship the "Beast" as commanded in the previous chapter (Rev 13:15), yet it is blessedly true of all the sainted dead. We see from the above passages that the "state" of the dead in their disembodied condition is that of REST. It will be rest from pain and weariness, from care and worriment, from sorrow and bereavement, and all the ills that flesh is heir to. It will be rest from that "Christian Warfare" so vividly described by the Apostle in Rom 7:15-25. It will also be rest from LABOR. Jesus said?"I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is DAY: the NIGHT cometh, when no man can work." Joh 9:4. In this present life we are alive and active. As believers we are engaged in the Lord's work of Evangelism, Teaching and Preaching the Gospel, Christian Stewardship, etc. For us it is DAY. But the "NIGHT OF DEATH" will come when we can no longer work. In 2Co 5:10, we read?"We must all appear before the 'Judgment Seat of Christ'; that everyone may receive the things done IN HIS BODY, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." The "Judgment Seat of Christ" is for the Judgment of the Righteous only, and is not set up until after the Resurrection of the Righteous. See the chapters on the Resurrections and Judgments. If the Righteous are to be judged at that Judgment for the "things" done IN THE BODY, then the inference is, that they do no WORKS in the "Intermediate State," for if they do, why are not those "Works" judged as well as the works they did in the body? From this we see that the "Intermediate State" is a state of REST. But by rest we must not think that it is a state of idleness, that we shall do nothing but sit and sing. There will be much to occupy our time, and we shall have the sweet society of our loved ones and the saints of all ages. 3. It is a State of "BLISS." The word "Paradise" suggests that. We are- told that, "BLESSED are the dead who die in the Lord." Rev 14:13. The word "blessed" means "happy," then HAPPY will be the Righteous in Paradise. And as "happiness" is an emotion that demands consciousness to be experienced, the Righteous must be conscious in Paradise. As it was said of Lazarus that in Paradise he was "comforted," we see that there will be no sadness to mar our happiness. The word Paradise means a "garden" or "enclosed place" like a beautiful park. If the earthly Eden was a Garden of "Matchless Delights," then the Heavenly Paradise must be a place of "Ravishing Beauty." Why did God prepare such a place of enchanting beauty for a home for the soul between the death and resurrection of the body, if it is nothing but a vast "Bedroom" with its inhabitants all asleep ? No; Paradise is the "Beulah Land" in which the Righteous wait for the adoption, to wit, the REDEMPTION OF THEIR BODIES. Rom 8:23. 4. It is a State of "INCOMPLETENESS." The "Intermediate State" is not the "FINAL State" of either the Righteous or the Wicked. While what we have said as to Paradise is true for the Righteous, the reverse is true for the Wicked. The Wicked shall spend the "Intermediate Stage" of their existence in the "HELL Section" of the Underworld. And if Lazarus was "comforted" in Paradise, the Wicked, like the "Rich Man," will be "tormented" in Hell. The picture is not pleasant, but the implication is that the Wicked will be as unhappy in Hell as the Righteous are blissful in Paradise. The "Intermediate State" is a state of INCOMPLETENESS. Death does not usher us into the "Final State." That is, we do not go immediately to "Heaven" or the "Lake of Fire" when we die. We must first get our Resurrection body and be Judged before we can go to either place. The "Intermediate State" is a state of incompleteness because we have no physical body. In it we are only a "duality," having only "soul" and "spirit." We must get back our body before we can again be a "trinity." This accounts for why we must rest and do no work in the "Intermediate State." We need a physical body in which to work, for without it we can have no communication with this or other worlds. Moses and Elijah could not have appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration if they had not had their Resurrection bo lies. This leads to our last thought. 5. It is a State of HOPE. We speak of the "Church Militant" and the "Church Triumphant," meaning the Church on earth and the Church in Heaven. The Apostle Paul speaks of it as the whole "Family" in HEAVEN AND EARTH. There is but one family of God. The family of the "NEW BORN." Joh 3:5. Heb 12:23. Part are in Heaven (Paradise), and part are on the Earth. They both have the same HOPE, the "BLESSED HOPE." They are both looking for the "Glorious Appearing" of the Great God and our Saviour JESUS CHRIST. Tit 2:11-14. The Church on earth is looking for His "Glorious Appearing," that they may be "caught up" without dying and having to pass through the "Intermediate State," and may receive their "Glorified Bodies," and be able to mock "Death" by shouting – "O DEATH, WHERE IS THY STING? O GRAVE, WHERE IS THY VICTORY?" 1 Co 15:55. The Church in Heaven is waiting for the same event, for until Jesus returns there can be no Resurrection of the dead, and the Saints in Paradise must remain in their state of incompleteness, with its limitations. The "Blessed Hope" then is the "Hope" of both the Saints in Glory and the Saints on the earth. XIII Recognition and Relationship in the Spirit World That which makes the other world attractive to most of us is the thought that we shall again meet our loved ones there. As this hope is universal, it must have been implanted in the human breast by God. God would never have paid such a costly price as the "Life" of His Son for our redemption, if it did not carry with it our happiness in the "Spirit World," and our happiness would be incomplete without the recognition of our loved ones. If the inspired Psalmist could say of his son, "He shall not return to me, but I shall go to him," he must have said it because he knew that when he should go to him he would recognize him. What comfort could there have been in the words of Christ to the dying thief, when He said?"This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise" (Luk 23:43), if there was to be no recognition of each other there. Why did Paul say that he had a desire to depart and be with Christ (Phi 1:23), if he were not sure he would know Him. If the disciples recognized Moses and Elijah on the "Mount of Transfiguration," surely they will recognize them in the world to come. In the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, as we have seen, the Rich Man recognized both Abraham and Lazarus. If we have not seen our friends for years, and their personal appearance may have changed, we shall recognize them by their voice, as we so often do in this life. Some object to the doctrine of the "Recognition of loved ones in Heaven" on the score, that if we fail to meet them, we shall be made unhappy by the fear that they are lost. But is that concern likely to be more real and intense there than here? Is it not a sad fact that the lost condition of our loved ones does not concern us much in this life; at least not enough to make us unhappy? While we may not forget them, and may miss them, we shall be reconciled to their absence, and cheerfully acquiesce in what we shall see to be their just punishment for refusing the way of Salvation. As proof of this we have the statement in Luk 16:25, of Lazarus that he was "COMFORTED," that is, was not unhappy or unduly concerned about the affairs of this world, as was the "Rich Man" about his brothers. Luk 16:27-28. The "Rich Man's" concern about his brothers was not so much for their salvation, as the fear that they would come where he was and upbraid him for their eternal undoing. Another objection to the "Recognition of our loved ones in Heaven" is the embarrassing position it may put those in who have been several times married. The Sadducees in Jesus' day did not believe in the Resurrection of the dead, and sought to ridicule the doctrine by asking Jesus whose wife a woman would be in the Resurrection who had had seven husbands in this life. Mat 22:23-30. The embarrassment is based on the supposition that the woman and all of the seven men she married went to the same place in the other world. If, however, the woman went to one place and the men to the other, there would be no embarrassing situation. Jesus in a single sentence swept away the objection of the Sadducees by saying?"In the Resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God." This statement is no proof for the sexlessness of the angels. It simply declares that the angels do not marry. And the reason is evident, for angels never die. Therefore there is no need for them to keep up their numbers by procreation. Now as those who have part in the First Resurrection "cannot die any more" (Luk 20:34-36), there will be no occasion for the continuance of the "Marriage Relation" in Heaven. While doubtless we shall know each other in the same relation we bore to each other in the "Earth Life," as husband and wife, father and mother, son and daughter, the carnal nature will be swallowed up in the Spiritual and we will be bound together by love and friendship, for jealousy and ill-feeling cannot exist in the atmosphere of Heaven, which is pure LOVE. If angels and evil spirits recognize each other in Heaven, as they do, then we when we become like angels should recognize each other also. The torment of the lost will be intensified by their recognition of the righteous in the other world. "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall SEE Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the Prophets, in the Kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out." Luk 13:28. If our Heavenly Father's house is a HOME, then it will have all the features of a home, and they include the recognition of the members of the family. "Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face; now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." 1 Co 13:12. XIV The Final State The Scriptures speak of two places, "Heaven" and "Hell," where the "righteous" and "wicked" respectively are to spend eternity. The one demands the other. There can be no Heaven without its counterpart Hell. If there is no Hell there is no Heaven, for the same Book speaks of both. HEAVEN Heaven is a "PLACE," it is not a state or condition. The New Jerusalem is not Heaven, though it is a city of Heaven. The Apostle John tells us that he saw it "coming down from God OUT OF HEAVEN." Rev 21:2. It is the "PLACE" that Jesus told His Disciples He was going away to prepare for them. Joh 14:2. It did not exist at the time Jesus was on earth. It was built between the time Jesus ascended in A. D. 30, and the time when John saw it in vision descend from Heaven in A. D. 96, or if not yet built, it will be built before the Rapture of the Church, for it is to be the Residence of the Bride, the Lamb's Wife. Rev 21:9-10. Of Abraham we read?"He looked for a City which hath foundations, whose 'builder' and 'maker' is GOD." Heb 11:10. The New Jerusalem is that City. The Apostle says?"Here we have no continuing city (permanent abiding place), but we seek one to come." Heb 13:14. The Scriptures speak of three Heavens. (1). The Heaven of the earth's atmosphere. "God gave you rain from heaven." Act 14:17. (2). The Heaven of the Stars. The "High Places" where the "Principalities and Powers" of evil have their abode. Eph 6:12. (3). The Heaven where God dwells. It was to this "Third Heaven" that the Apostle Paul was caught up, when at Lystra he was stoned and his spirit apparently left his body. Act 14:19-20. Paul calls it both the "Third Heaven" and "Paradise." 2 Co 12:1-4. The two then must be identical, or "Paradise" be a part of the "Third Heaven." It is to this "Paradise Section" of Heaven that the "Soul" and "Spirit" of the Righteous go since the Resurrection of Christ. From this we see that we must distinguish between Heaven proper, and its suburb Paradise, and the New Jerusalem. HEAVEN Click Here For A Larger Image The description of Heaven and the New Jerusalem as given in the Book of Revelation from the third chapter to the end of the Book, is still future, and the things there described will not come to pass until after the Rapture of the Church, so what is said of the New Jerusalem and its occupants does not apply until after the Judgment of Believers. Heaven then is our "Father's House," it is a HOME, and a place of "many Mansions." Joh 14:2. It will be delightful to go there. Some people live in fear of death (Heb 2:15), and cannot bear to think of it, but those of us who know that Heaven is to be our Eternal Home ought not to fear "Death," for it is "Death" that opens the door for our "Exodus" from earth to glory. When Jesus comes back it will be in "Two Stages." First He will descend into the atmosphere of our earth, bringing with Him the "Souls" of the Righteous dead now in Paradise. 1Th 3:13, 1Th 4:14. While Jesus tarries in the upper air, the "Souls" of the Righteous dead will continue on down to the earth and get their bodies, for the "Dead in Christ" shall rise FIRST. 1 Th 4:13-17. This is the First Resurrection. See the Chapter on the Resurrections. Then we (the Saints) which are alive and remain when Christ comes back, shall be "caught up" without dying (like Enoch and Elijah), with the Resurrected Saints to join the Lord in the air. From that place of meeting we shall go to the "Judgment Seat of Christ" (2 Co 5:10), where we shall be judged, not to find out whether we shall be saved, for that was settled at the Cross (see the Chapter on the Judgments), but that we may receive our reward for our earthly services for our Lord. From there we shall go to the "Bridal Hall" of Heaven, where in the presence of the "Friends of the Bridegroom" (the Old Testament Saints) and the Angelic Hosts of Heaven, we shall be united, as the Church, the "Bride of Christ," to our Heavenly Bridegroom, the ceremony being performed by God the Father. After the Wedding the Bride, the Church, shall take up her residence in the "New Jerusalem," and all that is descriptive of the inhabitants of that "Holy City," as given in chapters 21 and 22 of the Book of Revelation, has reference to the Saints after they have received their Resurrection bodies and been Judged, and not to their condition in the "Intermediate State." See the Chart of "The Church." THE CHURCH Click Here For a Larger Image When Christ returns to the earth at the "Second Stage" of His Second Coming, to rule and reign over the "Millennial Earth" as KING, He will bring His Bride, the Church, with Him; and we shall reign with Christ from the Heavenlies for 1000 years. This we could not do if we did not have our Resurrection bodies. After the Millennial reign of Christ we shall return with Him to the New Jerusalem, which will then descend from Heaven (Rev 21:1-2) and take up its position on the New Earth, and we shall spend the countless Ages of Eternity with Christ. THE FINAL STATE OF THE WICKED While the Righteous dead shall be raised at the Second Coming of Christ, the Wicked dead shall not rise until 1000 years later, that is, not until the end of the Millennium. The Resurrection of the Righteous is called the "Resurrection of LIFE," that of the Wicked, the "Resurrection of DAMNATION." Joh 5:28-29. See the Chart on "The Resurrections." Like the Righteous, the Wicked as soon as they are raised are summoned to Judgment, but not to the same Judgment Seat. The Wicked are to be judged at the "Great White Throne" Judgment. The Judge is the same, but the Court is different. See the Chart of "The Judgments." They will not be judged to see whether they are entitled to "Eternal Life," for their destiny was fixed at death, but to ascertain the "degree" of their punishment. That being fixed they are sentenced to the "Lake of Fire," which is the "SECOND DEATH." Rev 20:11-15. THE SECOND DEATH It is said of the "Righteous Dead" that after their resurrection they can "DIE NO MORE." Luk 20:36. But it is said of the "Wicked Dead" after their resurrection and Judgment that they shall "DIE AGAIN." Rev 20:12-15. What is this "SECOND DEATH"? What was their "First Death"? It was the separation of their "Soul" and "Spirit" from their "Body," so that their "Soul" and "Spirit" could exist in the flames of the "Hell Section" of "The Underworld" as did the "Soul" and "Spirit" of the "Rich Man." Luk 16:24. But as the Wicked after Judgment are consigned to the "LAKE OF FIRE" where a physical body would be consumed, it is necessary that they "DIE AGAIN," that is, lose their resurrection body, and go only "Soul" and "Spirit" into the "Lake of Fire," for "Soul" and "Spirit" can exist in flames. This explanation permits the "Lake of Fire" to be a Lake of LITERAL FIRE, and is in harmony with Christ's teaching to that effect. From this we see that the Wicked are not to be annihilated or restored but are to survive for all Eternity in a disembodied form in the Lake of Fire. Dear reader, in which place will you spend the "Intermediate State"? Will it be with Christ in "Paradise" awaiting the "Resurrection of Life," or in "Hell" with the Rich Man awaiting the "Resurrection of Damnation"? Is your name written in the "Book of Life"? Will you be caught out at the "First Resurrection"? XV The Abolition of Death From the time when Adam and Eve bent over the murdered form of their son Abel, down to the present time, death has reigned over the human race, and no one, except Enoch in the Age before the Flood, and Elijah in the Jewish Dispensation, has escaped Death's power, from the King upon the Throne, to the pauper upon the dunghill. But the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ – "HATH ABOLISHED DEATH, and hath brought LIFE and IMMORTALITY to light through the GOSPEL." 2 Ti 1:10. THE TRANSLATION OF ELIJAH Click Here For A Larger Image What is "Death"? Death is the "departure" (Exodus) of the "Soul" and "Spirit" from the "Body," leaving the "Body" to corruption and dissolution. What does the word "Abolish" mean? The Standard Dictionary's definition is?"To do away with; put an end to; annul, destroy." Naturally then you ask if Jesus Christ has abolished Death, why do men still die ? The answer is – DEATH HAS BEEN ABOLISHED BY PROCLAMATION. When God planted a Garden in Eden, and placed man in it, He promulgated a "Law" forbidding the eating of the fruit of the tree of the "Knowledge of Good and Evil." The penalty for breaking the "Law" was DEATH. The "Death" was twofold. First it was "Spiritual Death," for Adam and Eve died "Spiritually" the moment they broke the Law, and secondly it was "Physical Death," Adam dying physically 930 years after the Fall. Death then was introduced into the world by the sin of Adam?"Wherefore, as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and 'Death' by sin; and so 'Death' passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Rom 5:12. This "Law of Death" is still in force because it has never been repealed. A law however may be nullified, or made of no effect (abolished) by the enactment of a law, that, when it goes into effect, will counteract it. So the "Law of Death," though it has never been repealed, has been ABOLISHED by the "Law of Resurrection." Jesus Christ abolished "Death" when He arose from the dead. And death will be abolished for all who are Christ's at the "Rapture." Then the "Dead in Christ" shall rise from their graves, and all the living "in Christ" shall be "caught up" with them without dying to meet Him who abolished Death, in the air (1Th 4:13-17), and those who shall be thus "caught up" shall be able to say – "O Death, where is thy STING? O Grave, where is thy VICTORY?" 1 Co 15:55. By slaying Christ, Death potentially slew himself, for he opened the door for Christ to enter into his dominions, the grave and the Underworld. We can picture "Death" saying to Captain Sepulchre, "Hold on to that man in Joseph's Tomb until 'corruption' shall have seized upon Him, for if He comes out He will make a breach in the walls of Hades (the Underworld) through which all the prisoners of Hades will escape." But it was not "Death" that had taken Christ captive. Christ simply pursued "Death" into his own dominions, and then conquering him- came forth leading captivity captive, and crying – "I am the RESURRECTION and the LIFE." And when Jesus appeared to John on the Isle of Patmos He said – "Fear not; I am the First and the Last: I am He that LIVETH, and WAS DEAD; and, behold, I am ALIVE FOR EVERMORE, Amen; and have .the 'KEYS' of HELL and of DEATH (the Grave)." Rev 1:17-18. In this Proclamation we see that Christ has abolished Death, that He has the KEYS of "The Underworld" and of the "Grave," and sooner or later He will open their "Gates" and free their captives, and "Death" the last enemy shall be destroyed (1 Cor. 15 : 26), and there shall be no more DEATH. Rev 21:4. THE IMMORTALITY OF THE BODY But Jesus not only "Abolished Death," He brought LIFE and IMMORTALITY to light through the Gospel. It was the immortality of the BODY, not the soul, that Jesus brought to light. The immortality of the soul is not questioned in the Old Testament, but the immortality of the body was in doubt until Jesus revealed it, and proved it by His own resurrection from the dead. Once the bodies of the Righteous are raised they can never die again, "for they are equal unto the angels (that never die); and are the 'Children of God,' being the Children of THE (the First) Resurrection." Luk 20:36. But this is not true of the bodies of the Wicked. The bodies of the Wicked shall rise again at the Second Resurrection, and after Judgment shall be sentenced to the "SECOND DEATH." Rev 20:11-15. The "First Death" was separation of the soul from the body, and so will the "Second Death" be. That is, the Wicked shall lose their resurrection body which will be destroyed by the flames of the "Lake of Fire," but their "soul" and "spirit" will exist forever in the "Lake of Fire," because "soul" and "spirit" are indestructible by fire. This throws light on Mat 10:28?"Fear not them which kill the 'BODY,' but are not able to kill the 'Soul'; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy BOTH SOUL AND BODY IN HELL." The word here translated "Hell" is the Greek word "GEHENNA," which means the "Lake of Fire." We must distinguish between the word "kill" and the word "destroy." To "kill" is to take away life or existence. To "destroy," in the Bible use of the word, is not to take away existence, but to change the state of existence. We see then that while men can "kill" the BODY, God can "destroy" both SOUL AND BODY in the "Lake of Fire." Destroy the "body" by consuming it, and causing it to pass into a gaseous state, and destroy the "soul" by changing the form of its moral existence, the permanency of which is eternal. From this we see that the "Second Death" disembodies the "Soul" of the Wicked for all Eternity, and teaches that the "Immortality of the Body" is conditioned on whether the "Soul" that indwells it is Righteous or Wicked. CHRIST'S FIRST APPEARANCE TO THE DISCIPLES Click Here For A Larger Image XVI Spirit Transformation By "Spirit Transformation" is meant the power of "Spirit Beings" to change from an invisible to a visible form, as the angels did when they appeared to men in Old Testament times, and as Jesus did when He appeared to His Disciples after His Resurrection. Let us examine the "Spirit Transformations" of Jesus. Take first His fifth appearance after His Resurrection. It was in the evening of the Resurrection Day. The Disciples, except Judas and Thomas, with a few others, were assembled in a house in the City of Jerusalem. They were intently listening to the report of the two disciples to whom Jesus had appeared on the road to Emmaus, when Jesus, in some unaccountable manner (for the doors were shut for fear of the Jews, Joh 20:19) appeared in their midst. At first they were "terrified and affrighted" and supposed that they had seen a "Spirit," but Jesus said unto them?"Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I MYSELF: handle me, and see; for a 'spirit’ hath not FLESH and BONES, as ye see me have. And when He had thus spoken, He shewed them His hands and His feet (that they might see the nails- prints). And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, He said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave Him a piece of broiled fish, and of an honeycomb, and He took it, and did EAT BEFORE THEM." Luk 24:37-43. The first question to settle is, when did Jesus get His GLORIFIED BODY? Did He get it when He arose from the dead, or not until His Ascension? Between the "Resurrection" and "Ascension" there was an interval of 40 days, during which time Jesus appeared 11 times to His disciples, every time in His human body. If Jesus was glorified when He arose from the dead how are we to account for these human appearances? On the other hand, if He was not glorified until His Ascension, how are we to explain His mysterious comings and goings, and where did He spend the intervening time? It is the clear teaching of the Scriptures that Jesus was the "First-fruits" of them that slept (1Co 15:20-23), and it is natural to suppose that His Resurrection was the pattern of our resurrection, and we know that the bodies of the Saints are sown in corruption, and raised in INCORRUPTION; they are sown in dishonor and raised in GLORY; they are sown in weakness, and raised in POWER; they are sown a natural body, and raised a SPIRITUAL body. 1 Co 15:15, 1Co 15:42-44. Therefore if Jesus is the "First- fruits" of the Resurrection, and a sample of the resurrection of the Saints, He must have received His "Glorified Body" when He arose from the dead. There is no statement or inference in the Scriptures that would lead us to believe that the resurrected bodies of the saints are first raised corruptible, and then after a longer or shorter time glorified. In fact the very opposite is taught. "Behold, I shew 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." 1 Co 15:51-52. As further proof that Jesus received His "Glorified Body" when He arose from the dead we have the account of His appearing to Mary Magdalene, who, when she recognized her Lord, wanted to touch Him, but He forbade her, saying?"Touch me not; for I am not yet ASCENDED TO MY FATHER." Joh 20:17. Yet in less than an hour He met the other women returning from the Sepulchre and permitted them to HOLD HIS FEET and WORSHIP Him. Mat 28:9. Where was He between those two interviews? Where could He have been, to be consistent with His refusal to let Mary touch Him until He had ascended to the Father, but to the Father? And how could He have made the passage if He had not received His "Glorified Body" when He arose from the dead? THE TWO DISCIPLES AT EMMAUS Click Here For A Larger Image This leads to the following PROPOSITION: THAT THE RESURRECTION BODY IS ENDOWED WITH THE CAPACITY OP TRANSFORMING ITSELF AT PLEASURE INTO A PHYSICAL BODY AND BACK AGAIN INTO A SPIRIT BODY. This is the only solution of the miraculous appearances of Jesus to His Disciples during the 40 days that elapsed between His Resurrection and Ascension. Take His fourth appearance, the one to Cleopas and his companion on the road to Emmaus. Jesus assumed a physical body and walked with those two, and talked with them, yet they did not know Him because "their eyes were holden," but when He sat down to meat with them, they knew Him in the breaking of bread, that is they recognized His physical body, probably by the pierced hands or by the voice, and the next moment He VANISHED out of their sight. That is He changed His "physical body" back into His "Spirit Body" and disappeared from human vision. Take Jesus' fifth appearance, when He entered the closed room in Jerusalem. He entered it in His "Spirit Body." That was why they were "terrified and affrighted" and supposed that they saw a "spirit" Luk 24:37-43. But when He spoke and said unto them, "Why are ye troubled?" He assumed His physical body, and as proof called on them to behold His "hands" and His "feet" (that had been pierced), and to "handle Him," for said He a "spirit hath not FLESH and BONES, as ye see me have." And as further proof that it was His physical body that they saw He called for something to eat, and when it was handed to Him, He ATE BEFORE THEM. Then after He had talked with them awhile, He breathed on them and said – "RECEIVE YE THE HOLY GHOST," and then He disappeared as suddenly and mysteriously as He came. THE TRANSFIGURATION Click Here For A Larger Image Take the sixth appearance of Jesus. It occurred eight days later. The- conditions were the same. Joh 20:26-29: The Disciples were in the same room, the doors being shut, only this time Thomas, who had been absent on the first occasion, was present. Jesus entered as suddenly and mysteriously as before, but the Disciples were not surprised this time. Jesus had a twofold purpose in this second visit, first to reprove the unbelief of Thomas, and secondly to give additional proof that He had risen from the dead and was present in His physical body. This He did by demanding that Thomas put his finger in the nail holes in His hands, and thrust his hand into the wound in His side made by the Roman soldier's spear. Then after a few words to Thomas He again disappeared as mysteriously as before. Without stopping to consider Jesus' other appearances to His Disciples we pass to His Ascension. It clearly proves that He had at that time His "Glorified Body," for He could not have ascended in His "physical body" if it had not been endowed with Resurrection POWER, for the change from the "physical" to the "Spirit Body" did not take place until after He had passed beyond the cloud. Act 1:9. As the SAME Jesus is to come back in LIKE MANNER (Act 1:11), He is not only to reappear from the Heavens in a cloud at His Second Coming (Luk 21:27), but it will be the SAME Jesus that ascended. That is, the physical body that Jesus shall assume when He comes back will be the same "nailed pierced" body in which He appeared to His Disciples, for when He comes back at the "Second Stage" of His Coming and reveals Himself at the Mount of Olives (Zec 14:4) to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, "every eye shall see Him, and they also which PIERCED Him (the Jews)." Rev 1:7. The return of Jesus in His "nailed pierced" body is necessary for His identification by the House of Israel. Zec 12:10. Joh 19:37. While the body in which Jesus arose was the same body that was laid in the tomb and had not seen corruption (Act 2:25-27), it does not follow that our resurrection body will be the same that we possessed at death, though it will be the same in identity. CHRIST WALKING ON THE SEA Click Here For A Larger Image As further proof of the transforming power of the Resurrection body, we have the visit of Moses and Elijah to the earth, when they appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration to Jesus and three of His Disciples. Luk 9:28-36. Moses had died and been resurrected and had his Resurrection body (Jude 9), otherwise He could not have appeared with Elijah, who had been caught up without dying and had his "Glorified Body" (2Ki 2:11), for the spirits of the dead cannot return to the earth until they get their Resurrection body. Their appearance on the Mount in bodily forms that were recognized by Peter (Mar 9:5) was proof that they could transform their "Spirit Bodies" into visible material bodies. And the fact that Jesus as He prayed was "Transfigured" (Transformed) before the Disciples, that is was seen in the "TRANSITION STAGE," His "Soul- ish Spirit Body" illuminating his physical body, thus revealing His DEITY, just as when an electric light is turned on it illuminates the receptacle in which it is confined, and to whose shape it conforms, is evidence that Jesus, as the Son of God incarnate in the flesh, had the power, before He died and rose from the dead, of transforming Himself. For only on this supposition can we account for His walking on the sea. Note the similarity of His appearance on the sea, to His appearance to His Disciples in the upper room at Jerusalem. In both instances He first appeared as a "Spirit," and then visualized Himself in His physical body. Mat 14:26-27. Mar 6:49-50. As the sea was stormy, "tossed with waves" (Mat 14:24) by reason of a "great wind" (Joh 6:18), and the Disciples were in the "midst" of the sea, or halfway across, the inference is that Jesus by changing from His "physical body" to His "Spirit Body" transported Himself from the shore to the middle of the Lake, and it was while still in His "Spirit Body" that His Disciples first saw Him and thought He was a "Spirit," and then, as He spoke the words?"It is I; be not afraid," He again assumed His physica1 body. As to His and Peter's walking on the water in their physical bodies, we have no explanation, other than it was miraculous, Jesus having employed some higher law of which we as yet know nothing. We must not forget in this connection that Jesus as the "ANGEL OF THE LORD" had the power before His Incarnation of assuming bodily form. Gen 16:7-14, and other references. That the power to transform or change the "Spirit Body" into a "physical body'" and back again is a LAW OF THE "SPIRIT WORLD" is clear from the fact that all angelic beings seem to possess it, as seen in the visits of angels to Abraham (Gen 18:1-8), Lot (Gen 19:1-3), Daniel (Dan 8:15-17), Zacharias (Luk 1:11), Mary (Luk 1:26-35), the shepherds (Luk 2:8-15), the women at the Tomb (Mat 28:5-7), Peter (Act 12:5-10), and John (Rev 1:1, Rev 17:7). The change or transformation is made somewhere within the limits of the earth's atmosphere. Take for illustration the appearance of the angel to Manoah, the father of Samson. Jdg 13:15-20. When the angel ascended he went up in the "FLAME of the altar," showing that the change in his bodily form began as he entered the flame, otherwise his "physical" body would have been consumed. This is additional proof that the "Spirit" body is not affected by fire. It is also worthy of note that the transformation may be only of a part of the body, as in the case of the "Hand-writing on the Wall," when only the "fingers" appeared. Dan 5:5. Back of the fingers, but invisible, must have been the person of the one who wrote, for fingers cannot write of themselves. The "Law of Transformation" will also account for a number of occurrences otherwise unexplainable. For instance, the "Catching Away" of Philip. Act 8:39-40. After the baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch we read that the "SPIRIT OF THE LORD" caught away Philip and transported him to Azotus, some 25 miles away. From this we see that the "Spirit of the Lord" has the power to make invisible and transport a human being from one place to another. This is confirmed by the experience of the Prophet Ezekiel. In Eze 3:14-15, we read – "The SPIRIT lifted me up, and took me away," and the Prophet found himself at Tel-abib, on the river Chebar, among those of the Captivity. This "catching away" of Philip and Ezekiel may explain how Paul was "CAUGHT UP" to Paradise. 2 Co 12:1-4. Paul tells us that when he was caught up he did not know whether he was "IN his body," or "OUT of his body." As Paul tells us that the event happened 14 years before he wrote his second Letter to the Corinthians, which was about the time he was stoned at Lystra and dragged out of the city as dead, but arose and re-entered the city (Act 14:8-20), some suppose that while Paul's body lay as dead, that only his soul and spirit were caught up to Paradise, while his body remained in a state of "suspended animation," or that he actually died and was resurrected. If the event occurred at the time of his stoning at Lystra, Paul was not caught up in his body, for his disciples never lost sight of his body (vs. 20). If however the event occurred at a time when there were no witnesses, Paul may have been "caught up" as was Enoch and Elijah and then brought back to the earth. The Apostle John while a prisoner on the Isle of Patmos tells us (Rev 4:1-2) that a "DOOR WAS OPENED IN HEAVEN," and a voice said – "COME UP HITHER," and that immediately he was "IN THE SPIRIT," that is, his body took on its "SPIRIT FORM" and he was "caught up" to Heaven. Later on in the seventeenth chapter (Rev 17:1-3) John says that one of the "Seven Angels" which had the "Seven Vials" said to him?"Come hither; I will show unto thee the Judgment of the 'Great Whore' that sitteth upon many waters," and adds?"So he carried me away IN THE SPIRIT into the Wilderness." The time required for John to see all he describes in the Book of Revelation shows that it was more than a mere vision, that John was transported "IN THE SPIRIT," that is, in his "SPIRIT BODY," to Heaven, where there was revealed to Him in "Motion Picture" form the things that are to come to pass in the "Day of the Lord." The difference however between Paul's experience and John's is, that Paul heard things that it was "unlawful" (forbidden) for him to utter (2Co 12:4), while John was commanded to write what he saw and heard. Rev 1:19.