First Death. Second Death.

The Second Death.

Our Savior died for us-- yet we all still die.  Our Savior did NOT die for our first death, He died for the second.  Did you even know there was a second death?

Rev_2:11  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the SECOND death.

Rev_20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the SECOND death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Rev_20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the SECOND death.

Rev_21:8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the SECOND death.

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We are appointed to die the first death--

Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment

There is a time to die--

Ecc_3:2  A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted

We know we shall die--

Ecc_9:5  For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

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Heb_2:9  But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

Jesus tasted death for ALL of US.  Yet we KNOW people still DIE. So to say Jesus died for us it wasn't to prevent us from dying that first death, but the SECOND death.  The second death is permanent wiping out, the first death is a sleep from which all the dead- both good and evil will be raised from.  The second death none of the evil will be raised from. And all of us are worthy of the permanent separation from God except GOD did not want us wiped off the face of the earth, He offered a way to reunite us with HIM, to make us ONE with Him again and that WAY is our SAVIOR and the sacrifice He made for us.  We might die the first death and sleep in our grave, but when our Savior returns we will be raised from that sleep and NOT face the second death because our Savior tasted it for us! He died for ALL of us- making the Way possible for us to live, possible for us to escape the second death.

There will be some alive with Christ returns-

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Rev_7:4  And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

Rev_14:1  And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.

Rev_14:3  And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

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1Co 15:51  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall NOT all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

1Co 15:52  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.

1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

1Co 15:54  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.

1Co 15:55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

1Co 15:56  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

1Co 15:57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1Th 4:15  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.

1Th 4:16  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:

1Th 4:17  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.

1Th 4:18  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

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Our SAVIOR was left in the tomb because He died the SECOND DEATH. 

When we die IN Christ, we die knowing we are safe in our Savior's care. When Jesus died He did NOT die knowing He was safe in God's arms- He did NOT know He would be raised, why? How can I say that? I know He predicted He would rise, He did have the hope that He would rise but He lost that hope--

Mat_27:46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

HE WAS FORSAKEN BY GOD!  Jesus didn't lie as He was dying upon the cross! He was COMPLETELY and UTTERLY separated from His Father.

Luk 23:46  And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

Jesus in the very last moments before death, even though He knew He was separated from the Father, forsaken of Him, cried out to His Father anyway, giving Him His breath of life, that which kept Him among the living human beings. Then after He died He did NOT ascend to HEAVEN! He went into the dark tomb!

Jesus was the SAVIOR but He did not and could not raise HIMSELF from the grave! Jesus could SAVE us and will raise us all from the grave, some to life everlasting and some to death everlasting. Until Jesus was raised from the tomb and given life everlasting we did have a Savior, we were all separated from God. We had the PROMISE of the Savior, the promised He'd given to us, the hope! They had it then, we have it now, and everyone has it until He comes again.

Our Savior died for us a death that by His grace we will NEVER taste, the permanent separation from God.  When we do die and taste death's sleep we can do so safe in Christ's promises.

Please, Heavenly Father, please keep us safe in YOU, in Your love and Your promises of life everlasting in YOUR love!

All by the sacrifice, the grace, the mercy of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ now and forever, amen!

Jesus Dependent Upon the Father

Joh 20:17  Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

This was AFTER He lay in the tomb, long after He'd breathed His last breath that He spoke these words.

Why? Why did He wait?  But it wasn't Him waiting was it?  He did NOT raise Himself from the dead, He couldn't-- He was dead and incapable of raising Himself from the grave. He had to be raised by another.

Act 13:29  And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.

Act 13:30  But God raised him from the dead

God raised Him from the dead.

So the question is, why did God wait?

Gal_1:1  Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)

Eph 1:17  That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

Eph 1:18  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

Eph 1:20  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

Eph 1:21  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

Eph 1:22  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

Eph 1:23  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Jesus was raised from the dead.

Jesus wasn't separated from His body, the spirit form that GOD is, and Jesus WAS, He did NOT become again.  We are NOT separated from our bodies upon death.  Jesus lay in the tomb. Jesus'  spirit form didn't separate and leave His flesh there in the tomb. He didn't leave His body and just hover around in spirit waiting to be reunited with His body. Jesus was dead- His thought perished, He couldn't praise His Father, He knew NOTHING in death like ALL who die know nothing.

Ecc_9:5  For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing

Jesus remained in the grave with His thoughts gone.  He'd taken on human flesh and as a human He died and was subject to a human death.  He didn’t take Himself down from the cross, He didn't save Himself. God the Father saved Him.

If YOU believe in Jesus Christ, You must believe His FATHER raised Him from the dead.  He was dependent upon the FATHER.

HE taught us to pray to the FATHER.

We have to recognize the power of the FATHER. 

Jesus was allowed a human death. 

More on the death of Jesus tomorrow by the GRACE of God!

All in HIS love, now and forever, AMEN!

Jesus is the author of eternal salvation unto all who obey him.

Luk 11:23  He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

Luk 9:49  And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us.

Luk 9:50  And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.

Jesus KNEW there would be those who would be AGAINST Him.

Satan was and is against Jesus.

There are many people against Jesus.   Being against Jesus is outright choosing eternal death. 

We choose!  Jesus does NOT force us to follow Him, He does not force us to be for Him.  I would NEVER force anyone to choose Jesus. As soon as someone forces another person to choose who they will follow, they are stripping them of their right to choose on their own, and that's something God gives to them the right o choose on their own.

You will NOT automatically be given eternal life. Eternal life is not a birth right. There is an AUTHOR of eternal life.

Heb 5:9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him

Jesus is the author of eternal salvation unto all who obey him.

NOT, Jesus is the author of eternal salvation and gives it to everyone who is born.  People want to believe that after they die they will move on to that eternal existence in spirit form. It's a lie. People who believe this say Jesus died and rose so they must die and rise too. But what they forget is Jesus died and remained in the grave. Jesus did NOT ascend into heaven upon death! Why?! Why did He remain in the grave after dying? After His spirit- His breath left Him, after the spear was thrust in His side and He was lowered to the ground lifeless, after He was placed in His death shroud and put in the tomb, after the stone was rolled in front of the tomb opening, why did He not ascend to heaven?!

Joh 20:17  Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

This was AFTER He lay in the tomb, long after He'd breathed His last breath that He spoke these words.

Why?

More on this tomorrow… by the GRACE of our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD!

Amen.

Troubled about many things

Luk 10:38  Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

Luk 10:39  And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.

Luk 10:40  But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

Luk 10:41  And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

Luk 10:42  But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

We get caught up in good things, needful things so much so we often lose sight of what's truly important. We begin to believe that we are doing God's work when in truth He wants us to LISTEN to Him, not satisfy our desire to be thought highly of by others.  For in truth wasn't Martha desiring the approval of her ability to be hospitable to those guests in their house? She wanted to be a good hostess, a good provider, a good cook, baker.  Martha was CUMBERED about with MUCH SERVING. She wanted to serve not from a place of humbleness but from a different place inside her. A place that is caught up in things not conducive to treasures she could lay up in heaven, the only treasures we can possess which can never be taken from us.

Jesus told Martha-  'Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things.'

Are we careful and troubled about many things? 

Martha INVITED Jesus into her house!  She wasn't barged in upon, she wasn't forced to serve Jesus. Martha invited Him willingly, she wanted Him in her house, but perhaps she wanted the notoriety of having Him there.  No, she wasn't said to be a bad person, but rather careful and troubled about things.  She did want Jesus in her house, she did want to serve Him but she wanted Him to notice her hard work for Him. She was careful about serving Him, about being a good provider. She was troubled that she wasn't doing enough. She wanted help so she could do better. She wanted her sister to stop sitting about and help. But her sister wasn't just sitting about she was learning, she was listening, she was taking in eternal truths and not concerned with the temporal things. 

Are we so caught up in temporal things we neglect the eternal? We have to ask ourselves this and do it often because Satan will change tactics and trick us as often as he can to keep us from God. Satan will make us believe we are doing God's work when in truth we are doing work that separates us from God by filling us with pride in our own works.

Please Lord, we would be like Mary and seek the eternal, not be troubled about many things, help us, bless us, keep us in you!

All through the power of our Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen. 

How do you worship God?

Satan to Jesus-

Mat_4:9  ….. All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

Mat_4:10  Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Fall down. Where was Satan asking Jesus to fall down? Before him, right? Satan wanted Jesus in subjection to Him. Isn't that was falling down symbolizes? Submission.  If I were to fall down before someone in a very deliberate manner...if I prostrate myself before someone why, what could I possibly be doing that for? It's a strange thing to do, yes?  In our modern world it is a VERY strange thing to do. Most of our dignitaries today shake hands as a sign of respect to each other. When meeting a dignitary, as a rule, we just do NOT fall down before them.  In some cultures people do bow to one another, they curtsey, the lower their eyes, there are different signs of respect we give. We do not submit ourselves to these people though.  We do NOT give over our lives to these people.  We do not worship them. Satan told Jesus to fall down AND worship him.  What exactly was Satan asking Jesus to do by falling down and worshipping him?  He wanted Jesus to submit to Himself to him. He wanted Jesus to show him honor, glory, adoration as a superior being.  Is it any wonder we are to ONLY worship God and no other. If we worship any other we are giving them God's rightful place.  No other created us! No other loves us!  A lot of others will pretend they love us and even created us, there are many deceptive gods out there.  Only God created us and those who do not believe this will one day very sadly realize their lack of faith destroyed them.  

We are to SERVE God. In worshiping God we are serving Him.

How many times in the Bible do we read about people and other gods, worshipping idols and false gods, bowing down to them, sacrificing to these strange gods? A  lot, we read about it a lot. Worship is choosing to serve, to honor, to glorify what you are worshipping. There is no sense in saying you worship something if you have nothing to do with that something, right?  How ludicrous would it be to say I worship pizza, but I never eat it, never have anything to do with it. Would that make any sense at all? Where is the worship?  Worship is an activity, it's not a word void of meaning.  If I worship pizza I would love it, I would eat it, I would talk about it, everyone would know of this love for pizza if I truly worshipped pizza. If I worship the ground someone walks upon as the saying goes, what am I doing? I'm adoring that person, yes?

Do we worship God, really worship Him? Do we set time aside for Him specifically? Do we adore Him? How do we reveal our adoration? How do we serve Him?  We need to think about these things.

Our God commands us to set aside a full day in which we are to REST from all our own comings and goings so we can focus on the realization that the day set aside has been made holy, has been blessed by the God we are to worship, the God who created us. We MUST never forget we are CREATURES.  We are creatures and our Creator created us out of love.

How do you worship God?

How should we worship God?

In song? In prayer? In writing? In praying? In contemplation?  How?

By the grace of God may we WORSHIP Him as He would have us worship Him, teaching us to worshipping Him as we should.

Please Father, teach us.

In the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ and the love you both have for us. Please let the Holy Spirit guide us in worship of You!

Amen.

What manner of spirit are you?

What manner of spirit are you?

Luk 9:51  And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,

Luk 9:52  And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.

Luk 9:53  And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.

Luk 9:54  And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?

Luk 9:55  But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.

Luk 9:56  For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

Our Savior REBUKED His disciples when they asked Him if they should command fire to come down from heaven and consume the Samaritans because they wouldn't make themselves ready for Jesus, they knew Jesus wanted to go on to Jerusalem so why would they bother to honor Him? Was that worthy of rebuke? Yes, but not DEATH! Our Savior did NOT want death even for His worst enemies, let alone those who were too lazy to honor Him because they were not in His final destination.  Our Savior REBUKED His disciples-

Ye know NOT what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is NOT come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.

His disciples were closest to Jesus and here He was teaching them that their spirit was NOT His! They had a different spirit in them contrary to Jesus' spirit.  He told them they didn't know what their OWN spirit was.  Jesus knew their spirit was NOT His and if not His He knew the only other spirit it could be- Satan's.   Jesus wanted His disciples to have HIS spirit, not satan's. Jesus revealed His spirit in all that He did including this-

For the Son of Man is NOT come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.

Jesus did not want to destroy anyone, and if we are HIS we must not want to destroy anyone either.  The spirit of destruction when you have the chance to reveal the spirit of Christ and salvation through Him, is not Christ's way. Only when all probation is up and every human being has had a chance to choose salvation or no salvation will Christ allow all evil to be destroyed and NOT before then.

We need to know what manner of spirit we have.

Please heavenly Father, please help us to have YOUR SPIRIT in us! We don't want the spirit of destruction. All in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Worship Believe

Jer 29:13  And ye shall SEEK ME, and FIND ME, when ye shall SEARCH FOR ME WITH ALL YOUR HEART.

Searching for something with all your heart.  What does this mean to you? What do you do when you search for something in general, without your heart being involved? 

If you search for a pair of socks chances are you're going to find them in your sock drawer or the laundry, or maybe even a store. You know where to look for what you're searching. If you search for something less tangible like love, happiness, and the like there is no store to buy those things at, they don't reside in a drawer or a washing machine.  How do you search for love?  You seek another person with whom you're compatible and you choose to love. You commit to that person. We fall out of love with people when we no longer commit to them.  Is it any wonder our Savior told us to love our enemies? He knew that love is a choice and we can choose to love those that despitefully use us, even the loved ones that hurt us the most sometimes.

When we search for love we can find it, if we choose to live love. If you're looking for happiness, again, your definition of happiness depends on what makes you happy and God's word tells us about happiness-

Pro_3:13  Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.

Joh 13:15  For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

Joh 13:16  Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.

Joh 13:17  If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

If we count happiness in sinful things, we don't know true happiness at all.

But we are talking about searching for God with all our heart and how we do that.

We pray- we communicate with God. He is REAL, and we must know that He is real, live as He is real. He needs us to communicate with Him.  If we are searching for Him with all our hearts then we will talk to Him as we search. We will do ALL we can to live as He would have us live and HE tells us in His word how that is. 

Our whole duty is to believe in God, this is our WORK-

Joh_6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

How can you WORSHIP God without believing in Him, fully, wholly believe in Him? And if you do believe in Him, you must worship Him- you must make that belief REAL!

And that belief will be real if you LIVE in Him- truly worshipping Him constantly, not just once in awhile.  Worshipping God by BEING with GOD- having God with you in ALL YOU DO! Seriously, with ALL YOU DO.

Please, Father in Heave, help us WORSHIP You, seeking You with ALL our hearts, Believing in You fully! Your righteousness, not ours!

All in the name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ!

Amen.