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The 4 Gospels, Interwoven

The Risen Lord




Author, Roger W. Gruen
Publisher, Commendations Incorporated

Copyright 2017 by Commendations Incorporated
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Chapter 4.

Jesus Empties Paradise

 

 

Just after Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene on the first Easter morning, the Laws of the Universe changed.  As explained in the prior chapter, Jesus ascended to the Throne Room of Heaven where He and the Father and the Holy Spirit certified that His Sacrifice on the Cross was “payment in full” for the sin-debts of all believers of all times.  This triggered a significant change in the Laws that answer the question, “What happens when a saved soul dies?”  The Laws of the Old Testament Covenant were replaced by the Laws of the New Testament Covenant.

 

 

 

What Happened

When a Saved Soul Died

Under the Old Testament Covenant?

 

From the scrolls of the Talmud and from other rabbinical writings, we know what the Jews of Jesus’ day believed about life after death.  The Sadducees, for instance, completely rejected the idea of an afterlife.  They put all their energy into making their days on Earth prosperous and pleasant.

 

The Pharisees and some splinter groups believed that an eternal afterlife followed one’s days on Earth.  They taught, “Upon death all souls go to the ‘abode of the dead’.  It has 2 sectors, Hell and Paradise.”  In some writings they called Paradise “Abraham’s bosom” or “Abraham’s side”.  For the most part, Jesus agreed with the teachings of the Pharisees on this subject. 

 

The Bible deals with this matter via pertinent comments in several passages.  Let’s examine them.

 

 

Passage 1.

Concerning the Deaths Of 2 Men,

a Rich Man And a Beggar.

 

In Luke, Chapter 16, Jesus tells of 2 men who died and went to the “abode of the dead”.  The story is not a parable.  It is an illustration from history.  Jesus said ...

There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom [Paradise]: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.  (Luke 16:19-23)

The rich man had walled off his yard to protect his property and to separate himself from the vulgarities of the world.  He hated seeing Lazarus posted just outside his ornate gate.  “But, what am I to do?” he asked himself.  “If I feed him, other beggars will swarm to my gate.  If I pay him to stay away, others will demand my money.”  He knew who Lazarus was.  He knew his dire circumstances.  And, he did nothing to help him.  He was relieved when Lazarus died.

 

Lazarus’ burial service was austere, but before it occurred he was carried to Paradise by cordial angels.  Unexpectedly, the rich man died too.  He was buried with pompous ceremony and great approbation, but before his body was interred in a splendid sepulcher, he was alone, in torments, in Hell ... longingly looking into Paradise ... seeing Abraham and Lazarus sitting side by side in comfort.  They were in a Garden of Eden, surrounded by greenery, ponds, and bubbling brooks.

... he [the formerly rich man] 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. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 

(Luke 16:24-26)

Notice.  The rich man still has feelings of superiority.  He thinks Lazarus should serve him.  And note, all 3 men have physical bodies.  Abraham and Lazarus are side by side.  The rich man’s mouth is parched.  He wants Lazarus to dip his finger in water and drip some of it on his tongue.

 

When a man died under the Old Testament Covenant, he was clothed in a new body.  Abraham and Lazarus wore  beautiful, “Pre-Rapture” bodies ... bodies they will wear until the forthcoming Rapture occurs.  At that time, their “Pre-Rapture” bodies will be miraculously merged with their resurrected, earthly remains to form the celestial bodies they will wear throughout eternity.  The rich man’s body was, and still is, inglorious.

 

And note, the men retained their intellectual capacities.  They were able to carry on intelligent conversations.  This is good news for those of us who are saved souls.  In the afterlife, we will be able to recall God’s blessings and express our thankfulness to Him in our prayers.  But, it is bad news for the lost, like the rich man.  He will live forever ... in torments ... reviewing his life with regrets ... convinced that God has treated him unfairly.

... he [the rich man] said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.  (Luke 16:27-31)

Surprisingly, in Hell the rich man expressed altruism.  Not every thought of a lost soul is evil.  He wanted Abraham to send Lazarus back from the dead to witness to his 5 brothers.  In response, Abraham promulgated a profound truism, “If your brothers don’t believe the Scriptures, they won’t believe the witness of one who comes back from the dead.”  For sure, Jesus proved this truth; He came back from the dead, and most of the world ignores His warnings about Hell.

 

 

Passage 2.

Concerning the Death

Of Lazarus Of Bethany.

 

Near the end of His ministry on Earth, Jesus was touched by the death of another Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, Lazarus of Bethany.  Jesus came to Bethany on the 4th day after Lazarus had died and raised him from the dead.  But, before doing so, He had a memorable conversation with Martha.  She said ...

Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. 

(John 11:21b-26a)

Apparently, Martha believed that Lazarus’ death had put him into some sort of “soul sleep” and that he would be awakened to a new life on a “resurrection day” in the distant future.  Jesus said, “No.  Believers who expire begin a new life immediately.  They ‘never die’.”  This teaching corresponds, precisely, to what happened to the Lazarus discussed above.  So, we believe that Lazarus of Bethany died, spent a few days in Paradise in a beautiful body, and was called back to his former life when Jesus stood before his tomb and cried, “Lazarus, come forth!”

 

Wow!  What a testimony Lazarus of Bethany had!  He couldn’t stop talking about Paradise, Hell, his resurrection, and the wonderful body he wore for 4 days.  His witness was so persuasive that many Jews became believers in Jesus.  The chief priests, who were plotting ways to put Jesus to death, added Lazarus to their kill list.

... the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.  (John 12:10-11)

Soon after Jesus’ Death and Resurrection, we are told by the writings of early Christians that Lazarus, Martha and Mary moved away from Israel to avoid the wrath of the Jewish rulers.  However, we are not sure where they moved to.  Syria, the Island of Cyprus, and France are mentioned by various writers.  In fact, this trio of siblings may have become missionaries to all of these localities.  Today, you can visit the tomb of Lazarus in a Church built to honor him in Larnaca, Cyprus.

 

 

Passage 3.

Concerning the Death

Of the Repentant Thief

On the Cross.

 

Two criminals were crucified beside Jesus.  Initially, both of them treated Him with contempt.  But, as he suffered on his cross, facing death, one of the criminals repented.  He became convinced that Jesus was, indeed, the Messiah and that in some miraculous way, someday, He would establish His Kingdom in Jerusalem.  We don’t know everything he thought or said, but we do have some of his words recorded in Luke.  He began by scolding the unrepentant thief ...

Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.  (Luke 23:40b-43)

Here again, we notice the immediacy of the transition from this earthly life to life in Paradise.  Jesus said, “Today, you will be with me in Paradise!”  That was the protocol for handling saved souls who died under the Old Testament Covenant, but the protocol changed under the New Testament Covenant.

 

 

 

What Happens

When a Saved Soul Dies

Under the New Testament Covenant?

 

Today, when a believer dies under the New Testament Covenant, he or she is not escorted to Paradise by angels.  No, the Laws of the Old Testament Covenant no longer apply.  Now, new rules prevail.  And, some passages in the New Testament tell us what happens to a saved soul who dies under the New Testament Covenant.

 

 

Passage 1.

When Believers Die,

They Leave Their Earthly Bodies

And Put On Celestial Bodies.

 

Immediately upon death, we Christians put on our new bodies, just as believers who died under the Old Testament Covenant did.  These are marvelous, “Pre-Rapture” bodies.  And, in the future when the Rapture occurs, they will be merged with our earthly remains to form our eternal bodies.  The Apostle Paul explained ...

... we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.  (2 Corinthians 5:1-5 NLT)

 

 

Passage 2.

When Believers Die,

They Are With the Lord

In Heaven, Immediately.

 

Under the New Testament Covenant, when believers die, they go to Jesus’ side in Heaven, immediately.  Paul said ...

... we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 

(2 Corinthians 5:6-8)

 

 

 

So,

Why Didn’t the Old Testament Saints

Go To Heaven, Immediately,

When They Died?

 

Sinning stains the soul.  So, when someone sins, his or her soul is besmirched by an ugly stain.  And, stained souls cannot enter Heaven.  Until all sin stains are washed away from a soul, that soul is headed to Hell. 
In the Scriptures, “going to Hell for eternity” is called the “second death”.  The “first death” is physical, the second, spiritual.  The Bible says ...

The soul that sinneth, it shall die.

(Ezekiel 18:20)

And ...

The wages of sin is death.  (Romans 6:23)

What we earn for sinning is the “second death”.  To avoid it, we must keep our souls spotless.

 

When a believer feels guilt for sins he has committed or for not doing things he ought to have done, he declares himself to be a “sinner”.  He wants to cleanse his soul.  The question in his heart is, “How can my sin stains be erased?”  The Bible offers 2 answers to this question.  One is described in the Old Testament, the other, in the New.

 

The Old Testament Covenant is obsolete.  Nevertheless, studying it helps us understand the New Testament Covenant.  So, both are discussed here.

 

Under the Old, a sinner transferred his sins to a sacrifice victim which died in his place.  The Bible says ... 

... according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.  (Hebrews 9:22 NLT)

Therefore, to atone for a sin or a set of sins, the blood of someone or something had to be shed.  So, the Old Testament Covenant allowed sinners to restate the rule of Ezekiel 18:20, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die,” to say, “The soul that sinneth may transfer his sins to an appropriate animal that shall die in his stead.”

 

Here’s how the Old system worked.  When a man decided he had sinned, he procured an appropriate animal without any blemishes, usually a beautiful lamb or goat.  He took it to a priest on duty at the altar before the entrance to the Temple.  He laid his hands on the head of his sacrifice victim as the priest asked God to transfer the sinner’s sins to it.  Then, the priest slit the throat of the animal, sprinkled some of its blood about the base of the altar, divided it, and offered it to God as a sin-sacrifice.  It was a gory sight and a disturbing experience.  By this means, the sinner’s sin-stains were erased.

 

Today, the New Testament Covenant is in force.  It is similar to the Old.  A guilt-ridden sinner transfers his sins to a Sacrifice Victim who dies in his place.  The infinite difference between the 2 covenants is this: the Sacrifice Victim of the New Testament Covenant is Jesus, the very Son of God.  He is Crucified on the Cross.  His blood is shed for the forgiveness of our sins.  It is a horrific event.  In prayer, we, who know we have sinned, reach out and touch Jesus as He dies in our place.  Our sins are laid on Him.  His righteousness is transferred to us.  Paul said ...

... God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins. Then, in exchange, he poured God’s goodness into us

(2 Corinthians 5:21 The Living Bible)

 

Pause and consider this!  The New system is far better than the Old.  Christ, its Sacrifice Victim, is of infinite value.  His perfection is without question.  His shed Blood is immeasurably superior to that of lambs and goats.  The writer of Hebrews compares the 2 systems and comes to this conclusion: The sins of those who offered sacrifices under the Old Covenant were not fully forgiven.  Those sins were provisionally “covered” by the blood of sacrifice-animals.  Ultimately, they were completely forgiven when they were laid on Christ.  His Blood was shed to wash them away.  Listen to the Bible ...

... Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.  (Hebrews 9:15b NLT)

And ...

The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared. 

(Hebrews 10:1-2 NLT)

 

God is fully Holy.  No trace of sin is allowed in His Presence.  Since the sins of the Old Testament saints were not fully forgiven until Jesus was Crucified, these saints were placed in Paradise to await the Sacrifice of Christ.

 

 

 

Christ Emptied

Paradise.

 

The Old Testament saints went to Heaven shortly after Jesus’ Resurrection.  By then, their sins had been laid on Jesus and fully forgiven.  The result?  Every saved soul in Heaven, those from the Old Covenant and those from the New, has been  redeemed by the Blood of Jesus.  So, we can sing in unison ...

Jesus paid in all. 

All to Him I owe. 

Sin had left an crimson stain.

He washed it white as snow. 

 

In Paul’s letter to the Church in Ephesus, he wrote ...

... [God] has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. That is why the Scriptures say,

“When he [Christ] ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.”  (Psalm 68:18)

Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself. Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.  (Ephesians 4:7-12 NLT)

So, Paul documented 2 things that happened shortly after Christ’s Resurrection:

1.  He gave spiritual gifts to the Christians He

 left on Earth to form the New Testament

 Church.

2.  He led a “crowd of captive” from Paradise to

 Heaven.  Yes, they were in a Garden of Eden,

 but they were eager to move up to Heaven. 

 

 

Exactly When

Did Christ Empty Paradise?

 

Christians disagree when asked to pinpoint the precise moment when Christ led the saints of Paradise into “Pre-Millennial” Heaven.  Some say it happened during the morning of the first Easter, right after Jesus told Mary Magdalene He was about to ascend to the Father.  Did He take the saints of Paradise with Him at that time?  Perhaps so.  But, that Easter was a very busy day, and the purpose of that trip to Heaven was to proclaim Christ’s Sacrifice in the Throne Room of Heaven.  We can all have our opinions about this, because the Bible does not state a specific answer to the question.

 

 

 

Believers Bodies

Will Be Changed

During the Forthcoming Rapture.

 

The Rapture is often misunderstood.  At first glance, the Scriptures describing it seem to have deceased believers in 2 places at once.  Let’s examine the events of the Rapture in order.

 

When the Rapture begins, all deceased believers of all times will come with Christ to the upper atmosphere of our planet.  They will remain in the clouds with Him.  These believers will be wearing their wonderful, “Pre-Rapture” bodies.

 

Below them, scattered upon the face of the globe, will

be all the living inhabitants of Earth, the saved and the lost.

 

Abruptly, all believers’ bodies will be changed.  The deceased believers will be changed.  Then, the living believers will be changed.

 

First, a great shout will echo around the world.  Speaking to the earthly remains of the deceased believers with the glorious voice of an archangel, Christ will command, “Come forth!”, as the trumpet of the Lord resounds.  The earthly remains of each deceased believer will come out of his or her grave and will rise up and will merge with the “Pre-Rapture” body to which he or she belongs.  Thus, the “Pre-Rapture” bodies of the deceased believers will be changed into eternal, celestial bodies.  Just as Jesus did not leave His earthly remains in His grave, so the earthly remains of deceased believers will not be left on Earth.

 

Then, quickly, the believers who are on the surface of the planet will be changed.  Their earthly bodies will be transformed into eternal, celestial bodies and they will rise to meet the Lord in the air.

 

Paul discussed these changes in 2 of his letters.  He wrote ...

... as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 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. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 

(1 Corinthians 15:49-53)

And ...

... when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 

(1 Thessalonians 4:14b-17 NLT)

The details revealed in these passages are fascinating.  Paul says we believers began our lives in an earthly, corruptible, mortal body comprised of flesh and blood.  That body is not fit for eternity, so we must all don a heavenly, incorruptible, immortal body.  And, he says we will not all “sleep”, indicating that some Christians will be living on Earth when the Rapture occurs.

 

 

 

When Christ Appears

At the Rapture,

All Believers

Will Become “Like” Him.

 

Until the Rapture, believers who have died will be living with Christ in “Pre-Millennial Heaven”.  They will be wearing “Pre-Rapture” bodies.  Believers who are alive when the Rapture occurs will be wearing their earthly bodies.  However, during the Rapture, all believers will be changed, and all believers will become “like” Christ.  For sure, we cannot fully appreciate what this means, but it surely means our bodies will be greatly enhanced.  We will be suited for eternity.  John says ...

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 

(1 John 3:2)






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