Act 2:34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
Act 2:35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
Act 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Psa 110:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
'The LORD said unto my Lord'
Who was to sit at God's right hand?
Mar 16:19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
Act 7:55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God
Act 7:56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
Col 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
1Pe 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
1Pe 3:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
1Pe 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
1Pe 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
1Pe 3:22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
Act 2:34 For David is not ascended into the heavens
David, King David, David who had been dead for many, many, many years was NOT IN HEAVEN according to this verse. Yet people insist upon believing the dead go directly to heaven. Some argue well...since Jesus died people go to heaven right when they died. Those people are wrong. Jesus was dead and risen when this verse was spoken. 'David is not ascended into the heavens.'
Act 2:29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
Dead and buried, not risen. Yet Christ a descendant of David's did die and was raised from the grave. Christ's flesh saw no corruption. David prophesized of Christ. David foresaw that One would come who would sit at the right hand of God. Jesus, our Lord, our Savior, our Messiah was to sit at the right hand of God in heaven.
The Scriptures do not support immediate transition from death to life, if it did the fact Jesus rose from the dead would be so much more less powerful. If all people transition immediately as their breath of life is taken and their heart stops beating the fact that our Lord did the same only waited a few days to have His physical form raised with Him is the important factor here. Conquering death and keeping His physical form is that really what His sacrifice was for? So we could keep our physical forms after death? Think about it. If a transition from death to life is automatic then having the forgiveness of our Lord, accepting a new life in our Savior just makes us assured of a quick and easy transition straight from death to spirit life in Christ. But wait... for thousands of years before Christ people died, their breaths returned to God who gave it, and they look forward to the coming Messiah but Christ hadn't come yet, Christ hadn't lived in the flesh of a man and died, only to raise up in that uncorrupted flesh after death. David, a beloved of God...
1Ki 2:10 So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.
David, a beloved of God slept with his fathers.
Death is a sleep not instantaneous transitioning from life to new life as a knowledgable spirit form flying about to heaven. It's important to realize this on many levels because Satan would diminish Christ and His amazing sacrifice, His miraculous life after death, in any way He can. By believing their is instant life after death we believe Satan's first lie to Eve... 'thou shalt not surely die'. We need to believe that when we die, when our loved ones die, we are all sleeping in death and the next thing we will know will be our resurrection to new life in Christ- our bodies will be changed from corruptible to incorruptible in a twinkling of an eye as we are raised from death to meet Christ in the air. This is new life in Christ, not some disembodied spirit knowing all that takes place. We will be raised as Christ was raised, we will be raised by Christ at His triumphant return to once and for all do away with death's sleeping hold over those that are His.
Some argue that Christ told the thief on the cross he'd be with him in heaven that day... well, Christ wasn't in heaven that day was He? He was in the grave in death's sleep. Christ did tell the thief THAT day, that he would be in heaven with Him. Just like I could tell you today that I'll be in heaven with Christ- does it mean that I'll be there right then, that day, or is the fact I'm telling you 'today' the point, not the fact that today I'll be there. A simple comma can change the meaning of a group of words so much.
Satan will stop at nothing to deceive people and this is one of his greatest deceptions- immediate life upon death. He uses it all the time to deceive the most loving people into believe their loved ones can talk with them, communicate with them in some way. Harmless you have been led to believe, but it's far from harmless to be deceived.
The people that hear Christ say to them- 'I never knew you, depart from me'
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
The people that hear those words from Christ will be shocked because they've been deceived into believing they really are following Christ, that they are doing the will of the Father, but it's not the will of the Father to follow deception- to close our hearts and minds to truth so that we may comfort ourselves in false beliefs holding fast to them because they are familair to us and the thought of giving them up appalls us. People want to believe it's harmless to hold fast to beliefs because God knows and understands. What God knows and understands is that those who truly love Him will walk in His truths and not cling to cherished fantasies, traditions of lies, allowing themselves to however sincerely be deceived by Satan. Once light shines upon a path we are accountable to walk in that light not turn it off and pretend we never saw light there. Satan has many great deceptions and he'll use them in every way he can to deceive as many as he can especially as His time grows shorter and shorter. May our prayer be that God opens our hearts and minds to ALL truth and that we through the power of the Holy Spirit accept that truth and walk in that truth no matter how difficult it may be.
By the grace!
By the mercy!
By the LOVE of our Savior!
In HIS righteousness now and forever!
Amen.
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