Through the Bible with Les Feldick
LESSON 2 * PART 2 * BOOK 36
THE INVISIBLE MAKE-UP OF THE SAVED
Now for starters let’s get right back to Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 1 and Paul is speaking to us believers.
Ephesians 2:1
“And you hath he quickened, who were (past tense) dead in trespasses and sins:”
In the last lesson we went back and reconstructed Adam as he was created. Remember we had the three circles on the board, and in that first circle we had the makeup of Adam as he was created with a perfect body, with no seeds of death. Adam could have lived forever. God gave him a personality of a mind, will, and emotions patterned after the very personality of God Himself. Also in that first circle we found Adam also had that third part the spirit that made him complete so that he could fellowship with God. And with his spirit operating correctly it had an influence on his personality, and it in turn had an influence on the body. So Adam was under a perfect set of circumstances in a perfect body, and with perfect soul and spirit.
But then we went and looked in the second of the three circles at how he ate, and immediately the body begin to die even though he lived 930 years, he still died. We’re talking about physical death with his soul being separated from his physical body. He also lost that third part, the Spirit. Then we pointed out in our last lesson how the moment Adam ate of the fruit became a sin nature. Now the reason I’m using that word is because so often Paul uses the terminology that “we are sin -natured.” The things that we do naturally are not Godly, but rather ungodly. Now that’s just the bent of the old Adamic Nature, but remember the spirit part of Adam died and completely became inoperative, and so every child born from Adam and Eve on are now only a two part being of physical body with a soul, of mind will and emotion, but that soul is a sin -natured creature.
Now we’re going to pursue the lost person a little further, because that’s the format of Scripture. The natural first, and then the spiritual. So we’re going to look at the natural for a little bit yet. This is the person who is living but is spiritual dead, and what is his future if he does not come into God’s saving Grace. Let’s go back to John’s gospel chapter 5, and we’re going to jump in at verse 28. Now this is Jesus speaking during His earthly ministry, and they’re asking Him many questions. But here again Jesus doesn’t give us any doctrine on how all this is brought about, but rather He leaves that for the apostle Paul to reveal. But Jesus does tell us the end result of a person who is nothing more than body and soul.
John 5:28-29a
“Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming (He doesn’t put a date or year on it, but it’s a future point in time) in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice. (that is the voice of God to come forth.) 29. And (they) shall come forth, (there will not be anyone that won’t hear that call to come forth from the grave, whether they’re lost or saved. They will come forth, not the saved and lost at the same time, but all will come forth.) they that have done good,…”
Remember there’s only one way we can please God, and what is it? BY FAITH! Jesus doesn’t come right out and say it here, but the scriptures are so plain that there’s only one way of doing good in God’s eyes, and that is by exercising Faith.
Hebrews 11:6a
“But without faith it is impossible to please him:…” So those who are of faith will come forth.
John 5:29b
“… unto the resurrection of life;…” Now the word eternal is not in there, but it’s certainly implied, because what does John 3:16 say?
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” So that’s always implied that the believer is looking forward to an eternal life situation. Now let’s look at the next part of the verse.
John 5:29b
“…and they that have done evil, (or having no faith) unto the resurrection of damnation.”
Now I could stand here the rest of the afternoon and give you scriptural instances of lost people who were lost only because they would not believe what God said. I can start with Cain. I wouldn’t doubt a bit that Cain was probably a nicer man than his brother Abel. He was probably the kind of guy that people would say, “Isn’t he a swell guy?” But what was his problem? No Faith! He couldn’t believe what God had told him to do, so Cain goes out into eternity lost.
The next person we could use as an example is Esau. Jacob and Esau were twins, they had the same parents, the same environment, and again I wouldn’t doubt that Esau was probably a more likable fellow than Jacob, in fact from a man’s point of view, he was. Because which one of the two did their father Isaac prefer? Esau. Nice guy, good fellow, but what was his problem? No faith! Whatever God said didn’t mean a thing to him, and that’s why he was willing to sell his birthright for a bowl of bean soup. Oklahoma people know all about bean soup. So Esau gave it all up for a bowl of soup, and the reason is no faith, and he’s lost for all eternity. So you can find that all the way up through Scripture, the ones without faith may have been better people, they may have been more moral, but they were destitute of faith, so God calls them evil.
John 5:29b
“…and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”
A better word for damnation would be condemnation. In other words every lost person from Cain, who left this life when their body died, their soul continued to live. So many times Paul uses the word “sleep” when he refers to those who have died. In fact let’s look at the Scriptures so you’ll know what I’m talking about. So turn with me to I Corinthians 15, he also uses it in I Thessalonians chapter 4. Let’s just drop down to verse 51.
I Corinthians 15:51
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not sleep, (to die physically) but we shall all be changed.” Now let’s take time to also read the one over in I Thessalonians.
I Thessalonians 4:13
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as other which have not hope.”
And all Paul is talking about is believers who have died. Now there are cults who have taken that to mean that when a believer dies he goes into an unconscious state, and some cults even feel that the soul stays with that body in the grave, and it is merely asleep. Listen the soul never sleeps! The soul of a lost person, as we’re going to see here in a minute, goes immediately to Hell.
Now people don’t like to hear that expression anymore, but you see I’m not afraid of that. I’ve always said the if people don’t like the way I teach, then they can push the off button. If the money stops coming in for our television time, then I quit coming up here each month to record these lessons, and that will give me more time with my cattle. Now I’m sure the Lord doesn’t want it that way, but I’ve got that option, so it doesn’t scare me that I’m going to lose a retirement if I can’t keep doing what I’m doing like it would other preachers and teachers who are depending on a denomination retirement pension. So I’m going to teach it just like the Bible puts it, and if people don’t like it, then that’s tough. The lost person is going to go to Hell!
All right, the soul never sleeps, but what about the body? We can refer to it as being asleep because what’s going to happen one day? It’s going to be resurrected, it’s going to be waked up, it’s going to be changed. I guess the best example I ever had of that, and it’s only happened once in my life. I came in one noon hour, and I was so exhausted, but yet I had a lot of work to do that afternoon. So I told Iris that I was going to take a 30 minute nap, and then I’ve got to get going again. You know from the time my head hit the pillow until Iris woke me it seem like it was only a split second.
Have you ever had that happened? Now that’s exactly what physical death is. The old body is put in the grave, and it’s really asleep. But before it knows that time has even gone by, what’s going to happen? The Lord’s going shout, and the trumpet of God is going to sound, and that body is going to be raised from the dead, and will be awake in a split second. But always remember, “the soul never sleeps” OK so let’s deal with the lost person first and then we’ll come back and look at the believer.
So the lost person’s body dies, his old sin nature, which has never gotten right with God, goes out into eternity, to Hell, the place that is waiting for the resurrection of the lost person. Now let me take you back to Ephesians chapter 2 for a moment and then we’ll go to Matthew.
Ephesians 2:2-3
“Wherein (that is in trespasses and sins) in time past ye (believers) walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, (Satan) the spirit(small s so it’s not the Holy Spirit) that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3. Among whom also we (including ourselves) all had our conversation (manner of living) in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”
Now turn with me to Matthew chapter 7. These are verses that you don’t hear much any more. Most teachers and preachers just skip over them. My, when I was young I heard this quite often. I haven’t heard about this for a long time, but these verses are still in the Book. And on top of that this is what the Lord said Himself.
Matthew 7:13-14
“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, (not eternal life, but rather eternal condemnation) and many there be which go in thereat: (why do many take the broad way?) 14. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, (eternal life) and few there be that find it.”
Years ago I had a fellow who did a lot of buying from me and so forth, but he was a member of one of the largest religious systems in the world, and he was trying to implore me to become a part of his religious system. And I said to him, now wait a minute, my Bible tells me that based on numbers alone you’re going the wrong direction, and I don’t want to be part of it. He said, “What do you mean?” I said, “Have you ever heard about the verse in the Bible that says, “broad is the way, and many go in thereat, but narrow is the way that leads to eternal life, and few there be that find it.” I said, “Tell me something, does your particular religion qualify for many, or few?” He said, “Well we’re many.” I said, “Then according to that where are you?” He said, “On the way to destruction?” I said, “You named it.”
Because you see all through, has God ever had the “many?” Never! That’s a doctrine that you can follow all the way from Genesis to Revelation, and I call it the “Doctrine of the remnant.” Now those women who go to the fabric shops, what do you like to find? A remnant.” It’s just a little bit left of the whole bolt. Well you see that’s what God has kept all the way through human history, is that little remnant. Once it got so small He could hardly see it, like at the end of the first 1600 years of human history, we had the event of the flood. How many were saved from the flood? 8 out of probably 4,000,000,000.
Then you come to the next graphic description and that is when Elijah was confronting the prophets of Baal up there on Mount Carmel. And then Elijah ran scared from Queen Jezebel clear down to the south end of the Sinai peninsula. He hid under a Juniper tree, and what was his graphic statement? “Lord I’m the only one left.” But what did God say? “Elijah I have 7000 who have not bowed their knee to Baal.” In other words these 7000 were still believers. Now that sounds pretty good, but you see Israel has always had a population coming out of Egypt running between 7-10 million. Do you know what the percentage is of 7000 out of 7 million? It’s .01. Not 1/10th, but rather it’s one, one hundredth of one percent. It’s a pretty small remnant isn’t it? And it’s always been that way, and it’s that way today. We’re getting down to a smaller and smaller percentage everyday. But is God surprised? Why of course not, because it’s always been that way. So this is what Jesus meant when He said this is Matthew chapter 7 and verse 13.
Matthew 7:13b
“…for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:”
And that’s where most people are headed. Because they’re going out into eternity with nothing more than that physical body that’s now been laid in the grave, it’s a sleep waiting for the resurrection that Jesus talked about in John chapter 5. And they went out with a rebellious sin -natured soul that is one day going to be called up to the Great White Throne Judgment, and that judgment is only for the lost. Now in the few minutes we have left let’s come back to Revelation and follow these lost people.
Now if you doubt me that lost people go to Hell consciously just read Luke 16 about Abraham, Lazarus, and the rich man. The Scripture gives us just one little window of opportunity for information, and it’s the only time we have this account in Scriptures, but again the Lord Himself refers to it. And through that little window we found Abraham conversing with the rich man who was in Hell. The rich man was in torment. The rich man was conscious even though he wasn’t there in body, but rather only in the area of the soul, the mind, the will, and emotions. Yet the conscience was so real that what did he ask Abraham to do? Somehow dip his finger in water and cool his tongue, because he was in torment in the flames. Now the Lord Jesus Himself used that. That didn’t come from story tellers.
So we know that the lost is in a torment situation, but that’s not the end, because they’re going to be resurrected out of Hell, because Jesus said they would. After they’re resurrected out of Hell, they’re going to be given a body, not fit for glory, but rather a body fit for their next abode which is found in Revelation chapter 20.
Revelation 20:4
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment (or rule) was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” I think this includes the believers of all ages, as well as the Tribulation believers who will have been martyred. Now verse 5. Now we look at the lost being resurrected.
Revelation 20:5a
“But the rest of the dead…”
Well if you’ve got all the believers involved up here in verse 4, then naturally who are the rest of the dead in verse 5? Lost people all the way from Cain, and Esau, and all the way on up through when there was a time of opportunity. Now continuing on.
Revelation 20:5a
“But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished…” So there’s coming a day when they’re brought back on the scene to have their day before our Lord to see what degrees of punishment they will receive in the Lake of Fire.
Revelation 20:5b
“This is the first resurrection.”
Now this is always confusing, because it’s not talking about the rest of dead in the first part of verse 5, but the ones up in verse 4. They were in the first resurrection which was the resurrection unto life.
Revelation 20:6
“Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: (the believers) on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priest of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” Now come on down to verse 11.
Revelation 20:11-15
“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, (which will be Christ) from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12. And I saw the dead, (the lost who have been down in Hell in torment ever since they died) small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead (those spiritually dead who never entered into salvation) were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (remember a believer will never face second death, because we experience our second death when we identified with Christ when He died on the cross. Remember Paul says, `we are crucified with Christ!’) 15. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
So these unbelievers will be resurrected out of Hell and given a body that is fit for the Lake of Fire. That sounds horrible doesn’t it? But that’s what the Book says.