All That Died Before

Brother Fred R. asks:

I was wondering: Before the rapture of the church, all that died before, are they asleep body and soul in the grave or are they at a waiting place? Or are they just dead spirit and soul till the rapture? I'm a little confused. The thief on the cross was promised paradise that day. Why did Jesus not say heaven, or with Him and His Father?

I have a few thoughts, and then I welcome all of you to use the Comments section to add to my reply.

First, the thief on the cross was promised, "today you will be with Me in Paradise." So that answers part of the question. Jesus did say the thief would be with Him.

Second, Pastor Whipple taught as follows about the thief and the current residence of the dead in Christ:

After His death, the soul of Jesus Christ went down to [the paradise section of sheol, which the Jews called "Abraham's bosom"] ... for three days and three nights (Luke 23:43) to claim those whom He had purchased with His own blood. It was then that He consummated their salvation by moving all of them to the new paradise located in the third heaven (Eph. 4:8, 2 Cor. 12:4). The thief on the cross was the last known person to have entered paradise in the heart of the earth before it was moved to the new location far above the universe (Luke 23:43).

The soul of all saints who have died since the time of the cross have gone directly to the paradise in the third heaven; because all their sins were paid for by Christ on the cross before they died. [The Matthew Mysteries, pp. 93-94]

I hope that starts to answer your questions, Brother Fred. Check back here for what others had to say.

If Faith Then Works

Catholic View:	FAITH + WORKS
Protestant View:	FAITH + 0
Our View:	FAITH ⇒ WORKS

 

At the church I attend, we recently had a series on the differences between Catholics and Protestants. It was an excellent presentation, well thought out with plenty of solid Biblical references.

At one point, the pastor drew on a whiteboard the diagram you see above, minus the last line. I stared at that diagram for much of the service and liked it, but something about it bothered me.

There is a problem with the Protestant equation, although it is technically correct if we are talking about justification -- or what Pastor Whipple called "first tense salvation." It is the tendency of Protestants to stop judging themselves. My Dad once described it as "crossing your arms and waiting for the Rapture." Or to use Paul's race analogy (1 Corinthians 9:24-27): Stopping at the side of the track whenever you like, for as long as you like. Hey, worst-case scenario, you're on the track and can't be asked to leave, right?

My pastor concluded his sermon with a beautiful truth: Because of Christ's sacrifice, we can draw near to God without worrying about whether or not we're adequate. We can confidently approach God's throne (Hebrews 4:16). But then he went on to describe why we should do good works -- just for the joy of it.

It's a wonderful notion, and one that is completely at odds with what we know, and what the Bible teaches, about human nature. Someday, in our glorified bodies, we will be motivated by the joy of serving God. But in our fallen bodies? Our motivations will always be selfish: laziness at best, self-glorification more likely, and the desire for power and wealth at worst.

That's why I think the third equation above is the correct one, and the one that is most in-line with what the Word teaches -- that is, if we see past justification (merely qualifying for the race) to the finish line (the Kingdom). The logic experts say that arrow represents "if A then B." If it is true that we are justified by grace (A), then it is also true that we must do good works (B). Not to earn our justification (the traditional Catholic view), but to earn our place in the Kingdom (Revelation 3:21).

We shouldn't just cross our arms and wait until joy motivates us to be productive (the traditional Protestant view). Because if we do, we may just find ourselves in the stands at the next event -- or worst yet, outside of the stadium altogether.

- Jordan

Leave a comment

Others Have Done The Hard Work

This passage from John struck me today. Jesus said:

"[O]pen your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor." (NIV, John 4:34b-38)

Posted by Jordan

Leave a comment