Weekly Devotional 10-12-15 In Reply To A Visitor
Coming home recently we found stuck in our door a brochure from the Watchtower Society. Upon opening it up I read the following about what it claims happens to a human being when he or she dies. It read, “’What Happens to us When We Die?’ The Bible teaches at death humans cease to exist. The dead know nothing at all (Ecclesiastes 9:5). Since the dead cannot know, feel, or experience anything, they cannot harm or help the living (Psalm 146:3-4).” Then in the following paragraph the brochure states the Bible teaches “most people who have died will be resurrected. Jesus promised that those in the memorial tombs will…come out (John 5:28-29). In harmony with God’s original purpose, those resurrected as humans will have the opportunity to live on a paradise earth (Luke 23:24). This promised future includes perfect health and everlasting life for obedient humans. The Bible says: ‘The righteous will possess the earth, and they will live forever’ (Psalm 27:29; Job 14:14-15; Luke 7:11-17; and Acts 24:15).”
They are correct in that there will be some whose bodies will be resurrected. They are also correct that some will possess the earth and will live forever. However, they should also know that there will be some that will be resurrected to face Jesus and be found guilty of rejecting God’s message of salvation while they lived. These also will live eternally, but not in a paradise on earth but in the Lake of Fire “prepared for Satan, the Antichrist and the False Prophet.” This is where there will “sorrow and gnashing of teeth.”
I pray that many (if not all) persons of the Watchtower Society would search out the truth of the passages they quote in their brochure and also closely consider 1st Corinthians 15:50-57; 1st Thessalonians 4:13-17; Revelation 20:4-6 and Revelation 20:11-15.
1st Corinthians 15:50-57 (NKJV) says, “50Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ 55O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’ 56The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.58Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
1st Thessalonians 4:13-17 (NKJV) tells us, “13But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”
Revelation 20:4-6 (NKJV) declares, “4And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”
John also wrote in Revelation 20:11-15 (NKJV), “11Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
The apostle Paul gave his life in defense for what he wrote in his Corinthians and Thessalonians letters. John suffered banishment and exile in his defense of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The spirits of both are currently in the presence of the Lord enjoying His fellowship. Their bodies await the wonderment of 1st Corinthians 15:50-57 (NKJV). Both are experiencing that which Paul spoke of in his second letter to the Corinthians, “1For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.9Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:1-9 NKJV).
This affirms that even though the born again person’s body is separated from all that is living, his soul is conscious and is in the presence of the Lord. It is not so for the unrighteous person, otherwise known as the unregenerate person. Jesus spoke of such a person in His parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Consider, “19There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ 25But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ 27Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, 28for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ 29Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’” (Luke 16:19 NKJV).
I pray that our Watchtower visitors, their associates and all others who reject the entire word of God investigate more fully that word and come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, who gave His life for all who believe.
stevelampman@comcast.net stevelampman.com
Transforming Power; the Work of God on Behalf of Man
www.gbchurch.us