A MATTER OF DEATH AND LIFE

Photo by B Smith from the patio

 

 

350 - 1 A MATTER OF DEATH AND LIFE

April 10, 1977 

Pastor Henry F. Kulp

 

Romans 4: 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

On this day in which we remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is necessary for us to see that Christ Jesus arose bodily from the grave. If you do not see the empty tomb as a vital relationship to the cross, the cross is useless without the resurrection. It is the resurrection that gives meaning to the cross. The empty tomb proves convincingly that the cross was more than just the physical death of a mere man.

1/ The matter of Christianity stands or falls upon the doctrine of the resurrection. How do we know that death didn’t conquer Jesus Christ? We know He came forth from the tomb.

2/ There are those who say Jesus Christ didn’t rise from the dead, and they have an answer for the empty tomb. The enemies of Jesus Christ have certain man-made theories to account for the empty tomb.

3/ There is the theory that Jesus merely fainted or swooned away and afterwards recovered Himself and walked out of the tomb. Men have been known to do that very thing, but each of the four Gospels say that He did die. As we study the Scriptures, we find that the soldiers did not break His legs, which was the general custom, because He was already dead. They did it to hurry up the death of the victim. But they found Jesus Christ already dead. Suppose He was not dead—the embalming process which was carried on by Joseph of Armithea was enough to suffocate Him. One hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes were rubbed into His body and then the bandages were wrapped tightly upon His limbs. His body, His head and His legs. He was then placed in a sealed tomb and guarded for three days according to Pontus Pilate’s instructions. To deny the fact that He was a dead Man is impossible.

4/ Then there is another theory called the vision theory. This theory makes the resurrection of Jesus Christ the creation of love. Because of their love for Jesus Christ, it is claimed that Mary and the other disciples saw what they wanted to see, and overwrought people are often prone to do. They said this is what they wanted to believe, and so they believed it. And told it forth. This is not an honest evaluation under any circumstance.

5/ Then there is the theory that the body was stolen out of the tomb, and of course, this isn’t any more valid than the other two ideas.

6/ THE PROOF OF THE RESURRECTION

The disciples were not expecting Him to rise from the dead. They had heard Him say something about it, but really they never understood Him. And their faith in the resurrection was very vague. The death of Jesus Christ was really a great disappointment to them.

7/ They had expected that He was the One Who would redeem Israel. They were amazed when they found the empty tomb. They had embalmed His body and went back to the tomb to complete the embalming process immediately when the Sabbath Day was over. Why would they go to all this trouble if they really believed that He would come again from the dead? In three days? It is evident that they didn’t believe He would be resurrected and then, of course, you know about Thomas who said, Unless I see and thrust my hands into the wounds, I will not believe.

8/ But, of course, it all comes down to believing the Bible. The Bible is God’s Word, it is infallible, it is perfect in every way, and my great belief in the resurrection stems from the fact that God said so in His Word. There can be no question that the Bible teaches the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the tomb.

9/ Now let me show you what the death of Jesus Christ and the resurrection of Jesus Christ accomplished.

II Timothy 1: 10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

Here we read, But now is made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. What is this appearing? This is the first advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is when He was born of the Virgin and lived upon this earth, went to the cross of Calvary and died and was resurrected from the dead. The word, appearing, is interesting in the Greek EPPE - FAW - NAY - AH. And it means the glorious manifestation—a shining forth. It means A MAGNIFICENT APPEARING. Here was the God-Man Who never sinned, Who never did one thing that was wrong, lived a perfect life, performed all sorts of miracles, even made the dead to rise up, and in this manifestation which He appeared He abolished—the word abolished, KOT - R - GET - O, to cancel, to render powerless. It is hard to express the meaning of this Greek word. If we had a word exactly the opposite of energize then we might be able to understand what Paul was talking about. Paul says Jesus Christ has rendered death powerless, or he has de-energized death. He has taken the heart and the sustenance out of death. He has robbed death of its power. He has brought death from the thing to be feared to a nothing. Death is still here but its force, its energy, its power, its sting is no more.

10/ How can we say this? When death is still as busy as ever, working over the lives of men. Therefore we have to understand the Word Abolish— what it means to render de-energize—powerless.

11/ We can understand this and we will use an illustration to prove it. If you have ever read the story of the death of Socrates. I am sure you have studied in school. Compare it with the story of the death of Stephen. Immediately you will see what I mean when I say Jesus Christ has de- energized death. We in the flesh can admire Socrates, His death is a marvel of courage. He girt his loins about him and with great courage he died. But he died. That is all you can say about him. But Stephen when he died, he died a horrible death, but he met it smiling, his face set like the face of an angel, and he said, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

Acts 7: 54 - 59 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

Certainly in Stephen’s case, death had been de-energized. It has been made powerless. It is true it put the body in the grave, but the inward person was with the Lord Jesus Christ.

12/ Then notice, He brought to life and in the Greek FOE—TEED—ZOE and it means to put light on something that is already there. And what is already there? Life and immortality.

11/ Let us look at life. Go to the first verse of II Timothy 1: 1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,

He is our Life. We are born dead without life—spiritually dead. But through His death and resurrection, He has abolished death and brought life to light. This is the age of abiding life—life that has no end. It is real life.

John 14: 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 11:25, 26 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. Believest thou this?

Romans 8:2 For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

Philippians 1: 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

12/ Then notice the next thing that is brought to light. Immortality, and this should be translated incorruptibility. There is a great deal of difference between mortality and incorruptibility.

I Corinthians 15: 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

AMEN

Ref: 04/10/1977 / A MATTER OF DEATH AND LIFE / 09/02/2022

MAN'S FIRST INVENTION

Photo by B Smith from the Patio

 

 

153 - MAN’S FIRST INVENTION

MAY 12, 1963

Pastor Henry F. Kulp

 

 

I Thessalonians 4: 11 - 14 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

Paul brings out three things here that are important for us to see—we must learn to be quiet—we don’t know it by just a natural life, and to be quiet here means to put your complete trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and secondly, he says to mind your own business—there are many who seem to have an ambition to mind every one else’s business but their own. And again this brings strife and discontentment and dissension.

1/ Then Paul says work with your own hands, my how man hates this thought—man is a pleasure-mad being. Work has always been an honorable thing, but man has not always wanted to work. When the Lord God put Adam in his innocency in the Garden of Eden, He told him to dress and to keep it. It has always been God’s program that man was to work. But then because of sin, man must work in the sweat of his face. Now labor is no longer a joy, but it is toil.

2/ God told Adam to get out of the garden because he had sinned. Before God told man that he was to live by the sweat of his face, the first invention of man was brought about because of sin. Do you know what the first invention of man really was? The first invention has been shown to us very clearly in the Bible.

Genesis 3: 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

After Adam and Eve sinned, both of them knew that they were naked. They didn’t realize it before—they were clothed in light. But this light was taken away, and they saw that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. In other words, the needle and the thread were the first invention of mankind, and these two inventions were brought about because of sin. And so man has ever gone on, trying to cover up his life by inventions and devising and, by planning. Have you ever wondered why man with his great inventions does no good to man, but always these inventions are used to the determent of society.

Take atomic energy—it was found because of the need to kill, and today rather than being a blessing, it is driving submarines and posing a great threat to mankind as a tremendous explosion that could destroy many nations.

Take the airplane, that should have been a great blessing, and it is up to a point. But in World War II it struck horror into the hearts of many people because it was used to rain fire down upon them.

3/ Paul is not ashamed to work, when Paul would administer the Gospel and run out of funds, he didn’t wring his hands and say, now, see God has been unfaithful to me. No, he didn’t blame God, he just went ahead and worked with his hands and made some tents. This was perfectly honorable.

Acts 18: 3 And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.

4/ We read, I Timothy 5: 8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

He has denied the faith and worse than an unbeliever—one who has no faith. So work is honorable for the child or God.

5/ Now, starting with the 13th verse But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

Paul talks about the translation of the church and we call it the Rapture of the Church, the catching up of the believers of this age to be with Jesus Christ. Now, many folks say, the word, Rapture, is not in the Bible, and they say that this truth of the Rapture is not a true Bible truth. And we must admit that the word, Rapture, does not appear in the Bible. The English word, Rapture, means to transport to a state of happiness, and this English word comes from the Latin word meaning, to seize quickly or suddenly or to snatch away. Now the word, Rapture, may not appear in the Bible, but it is a good word, for you will notice... I Thessalonians 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.

Here, where it talks about being caught up, and it is the Greek word, Harpazo and it means literally, to carry off by force. So it has the same thought as the Latin word of Rapture—to be seized, to be caught up to be carried off by force. So the church, one of these days will be caught up to be with Jesus Christ.

6/ But let us understand this Scripture, why it was written and the occasion for its writing. Paul had been in Thessalonica a short time, but it is quite clear that he taught the Thessalonian Christians the truth of the Rapture— the catching up of the Church to be with Jesus Christ.

Then as this Epistle makes plain, there had been doubts as to the truth of the coming of Jesus Christ for them. But there is a problem that Paul had not made clear to them, and that they didn’t understand. They expected Christ to come back in their lifetime, to catch them up and have their bodies changed like unto the body of Jesus Christ. But Christ did not come and here and there an individual died, perhaps a sister, a brother, a mother, a father, a son or a daughter, and they took the body out to the cemetery and buried them, and they wondered, now what is going to happen to these people who are dead—what is going to happen to them when Jesus Christ comes, they will not be alive to be caught up and changed like the Lord Jesus Christ, and so this is all changed from the 15th verse. 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.

Paul says that we which are alive and remain until the coming, the Appearing of Jesus Christ, shall not prevent them which are asleep—in other words, proceed them—we shall not go up ahead of them—they shall rise first—in other words, the bodies of those who are dead in Jesus Christ shall be caught up first, then those who are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

7/ It is an interesting thing that we can see here—in verse 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:

Here where it said the dead in Christ shall rise first, that word, first in the Greek is protose—it means file—file leader—it was the same word that we have in I Timothy 1: 15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

Paul says that he is the file leader of all sinners. So again you can see that this word does not mean worse, but it means the leader—the one who is first, the leader of a regiment. So the regiment of resurrection when Jesus Christ descends from Heaven, will be that the dead bodies shall rise first as file leaders, then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together and meet them in the air, and there in the air will be this great rendezvous, and then we shall go up with the Lord Jesus Christ unto the third Heaven.

8/ I can remember when James McGinley was alive, and of course you remember him—he came to Altoona many times for the Bible Conference and taught, he was a very witty Scotsman, and he told of the day that he was in a Bible Conference, and a lady came up to him and said, Why is it that the Bible says the dead shall rise first? He thought it was a stupid question and trying to be funny, he said, It is because they are six feet deeper than the rest of us, they have a longer way to go, and this woman was quite pleased and happy with the answer that he gave, when all the time he meant it for a joke. That is the way some people study the Bible. The thought is that the dead are first of all to have preference here. They are the file leaders. As their bodies are caught up, and then just a shade after that, those who are alive and remain shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. This is the fact that Paul is talking about, driving home to these Thessalonian believers. They are not to sorrow, they are not to weep because folks have died in Jesus Christ, they are still going to take part in this glorious Rapture of the Church.

9/ There is one thing we must bring out very clearly here, and that is that this is not the second coming of Christ. The Rapture and the second coming of Christ are two different events. As we told you, there are two programs in the Bible—one earthly, and one heavenly. This is the climax, the conclusion of the second program, which is the heavenly program, which has to do with the Church which is the Body of Jesus Christ. The Rapture ends this episode in God’s program, and it is finished. We are then caught up to be with Jesus Christ.

And now the second coming of Christ is just one phase in this earthly program. When Christ shall come back with the angelic armies of Heaven, sit upon the Throne of His Father, David, and rule the world for (1,000) one thousand years—called the Millennial Reign of Christ.

10/ Also another thing that would be worth bringing out, is the fact that when one church practically held sway over the world until the time of the Dark Ages, the Middle Ages, this truth was completely lost. People knew nothing whatsoever of it. Then came the glorious Reformation and the Protestant Movement, and men saw salvation by Grace, but they didn’t see this truth.

You can go to my study and read many writings of the older men of that age, and you will not find them talking about the Rapture of the Church. But at the turn of this Century, the great truth of the Rapture was brought to our hearts again. It was rediscovered by men, and they brought forth this truth that is known as the Blessed Hope or the Appearing of Jesus Christ. But the thing that disturbs me today, is that I believe there is a possibility it will be lost again, because men are so mixing it up with the Second Coming. But the Joy of it can be lost, the truth of it can be hidden once again.

11/ Now it is necessary for us to see that this Rapture, the snatching away of the Church which will end the earthly program of God as far as the Church which is His Body is concerned, is described in the Bible as a mystery.

I Corinthians 15: 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

Now, the word, mystery, means a truth that up to this point has been kept secret. It does not mean something that cannot be understood, but something that has been withheld as a secret until the time of its revelation.

Until the Apostle Paul came, this truth was not known—it was a secret, it was withheld. But God gave it to Paul, and Paul has given it to us.

12/ In the Old Testament and the Gospels we have much about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, but we have nothing concerning the Rapture of the Church of Jesus Christ. For example, as I read about David as he draws his fingers across the golden harp strings, we can hear him sing as he lifts his voice.

Psalms 96: 13 Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

And there we are told, He cometh, He cometh to judge the earth. This is the Second Coming. This is not the Rapture of the Church.

13/ Then as the Old Testament comes to a close, in the very last chapter, we have the Lord’s Second Coming, not His Appearing for the Church, the Rapture.

Malachi 4: 2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

An example of what the folks knew during the time of the ministry of Jesus Christ, is brought out to us in John 11: 23, 24 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.

Here we have Martha answering Jesus Christ by saying, I know that my brother shall rise again in the resurrection of the last day.

This is all she knew about was the revelation of Jesus Christ, the second coming, she did not know about the Rapture of the Church. And Jesus Christ did not correct her, and say, Well, now, that is not true, I am going to come in the air for the Church which is My Body. She didn’t know anything about the Rapture.

14/ Then notice, Verse 13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

Paul does not rebuke these believers for sorrowing when they lost a loved one in Christ Jesus. There is bound to be sorrow with death, it is hard to lose a loved one and to know that you will not see a loved one on this earth again, but He says they are not to sorrow as others who have no hope—in other words there will be no reunion here, but there is not one reason for us to sorrow for those who have died. Oh yes, our sorrow is usually a selfish thing. But our sorrow should never be for those who have died in Jesus Christ.

15/ The believer loses absolutely nothing when he dies.

16/ Then you will notice in this 13th verse But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

The believer is described as being asleep, and there is one thing you should know is this term asleep, is never used in connection with the unbeliever. You cannot find the Bible speaking of the unbeliever as being asleep. The term, asleep has only reference to the believer. The one who has died outside of Jesus Christ is dead and eternally separated from God —Beyond any hope of salvation. We know that this term, sleep, has to do only with the physical body, and so the physical body has been put to sleep until the time when it will be awakened.

17/ Paul has a very unique way of talking about the body in its manner of sleeping in death.

I Corinthians 15: 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

Here the believer’s body is spoken of as sown—it is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory.

Did you notice the word that God uses here to describe our action with the body of the believer when it dies? He does not say we bury it—we do, of course, but he doesn’t say, we put it in the ground. He says we sow it as seed. And from the sowing of the seed there is going to be a harvest—a harvest that is as different as the bulb is from the flower when it finally is grown. As different as the tulip is from that dead looking thing that we bury in the ground. So the dead body of the believer is going to be transformed like unto the body of Jesus Christ, and so the believer’s body is planted, not buried. So therefore, being planted, he is put to sleep. What a wonderful figure we have here for the body of the child of God.

18/ In verse 14 we have the basis for this hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again—if we are Christians, we do believe that. In other words, we are not Christians, we are unsaved if we do not believe this as this is the very foundation truth of Christianity.

19/ When Paul says, we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep, we recognize that the English word, prevent, has changed its meaning in the last 380 years or more. When the Bible was translated in 1611, to prevent meant to go before. A good example of this may be found in Psalms 119: 147 where David said, I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word.

He did not mean He prevented the sun from rising, but that He was up and praying before the sun arose. The word, prevent now means hinder, but it did not mean it when this word was translated from the Greek.

Nothing will hinder the Lord Jesus Christ from snatching away His children —the Rapture of His Body the Church before the Tribulation begins. We will be delivered—snatched away—before the WRATH OF GOD is poured out on this sin-cursed earth.

Are you ready?

AMEN

Ref: 05/12/1963/ 153 - MAN’S FIRST INVENTION / 08/28/2022