Program 169: The Christian’s Hope!

Many Christians believe the soul goes to heaven at death. However, the Christians’ hope is not death, but resurrection from the dead which only occurs at Yahushua’s return.

Welcome to WLC Radio, a subsidiary of World’s Last Chance Ministries, an online ministry dedicated to learning how to live in constant readiness for the Savior's return.

For two thousand years, believers of every generation have longed to be the last generation. Contrary to popular belief, though, Christ did not give believers “signs of the times” to watch for. Instead, he repeatedly warned that his coming would take even the faithful by surprise. Yahushua urgently warned believers to be ready because, he said, “The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” [Matthew 24:44]

WLC Radio: Teaching minds and preparing hearts for Christ's sudden return.

* * *Part 1: (Miles & Dave)

Miles Robey: Hello! Welcome to World’s Last Chance Radio. I’m Miles Robey and today Dave Wright will be sharing with us some fascinating insights from Scripture that prove what happens at death, and it’s not an immediate welcome into heaven or hell.

Dave Wright: Or purgatory.

Miles: Or purgatory!

So, let’s talk about death. Specifically, what happens when you die. It’s a topic that interests people the world over because, obviously, we all want to know and we hope that, whatever happens, it’s going to be better than here!

Dave: Every culture, every religion has their own ideas of what happens at death and within the Christian culture, it’s no different. The many different denominations within Christianity have differing ideas on what happens at death.

Miles: And everyone thinks their denomination is correct because they can prove their beliefs from Scripture!

Dave: But so can the other church across the street, or down the road, or whatever.

But no. They can’t all be right. Some denominations are correct; others base their idea of what happens on a misunderstanding of Scripture and get way off.

Miles: Oh, yeah! Misunderstandings can lead to really wrong—sometimes hilarious—breakdowns in communication.

I remember seeing this really funny photo online. You know how some bakeries have the ability to print a photo on a cake in edible icing? And it really looks like the photo?

Dave: Yeah?

Miles: Well, apparently this person had given a USB flash drive to the bakery. The flash drive, of course, had the photo on it that they wanted on the cake. But apparently that didn’t get clearly communicated.

Dave: So, what happened?

Miles: Well, when they picked up the cake, they found that the bakery had taken a photo of the flash drive and put that on the cake!

Dave: Talk about a break down in communication!

My wife took a cake-decorating class a few years ago. She’s really good, too. Her cakes and cupcakes are works of art.

Miles: And you’re right there to help consume them!

Dave: Of course! Have to give her a reason to make more, you know!

Anyway, she enjoys looking at photos of decorated cakes online to get ideas. Some of them show utterly amazing creations. Others, spectacular failures.

Miles: Oh? Can you give us an example?

Dave: Well, there was one where the customer had ordered a cake for a going away party. They asked the bakery to write on the cake, “Best Wishes, Suzanne!” And then, underneath that, to write “We will miss you!”

Miles: So, what was written instead? “Goodbye and good riddance”?

Dave: No, no! The bakery had written precisely what was asked. In icing, on the cake, it said, quote: “Best Wishes, Suzanne! Underneath that we will miss you.” Unquote.

Miles: They actually wrote on the cake “underneath that”?

Dave: They did. Another had piped on it, quote: “Say, ‘We will miss you!’” Unquote. While still another had piped across the entire surface of the cake, quote: “Congratulations as small as possible.” Unquote.

Miles: Yeah, I’d say those are some pretty big misunderstandings!

Dave: Well, an even larger misunderstanding has occurred with some people’s interpretation of what Scripture teaches about what happens at death. This isn’t deliberate: no one purposely believes error, but this is a very important topic to get correct. Getting it wrong opens you up to Satan’s end time delusions.

Miles: Also, I’d say there’s more comfort in the truth of what really happens. You know, when you’re bereft and grieving the loss of a close friend or family member, I’ve found that knowing the truth of what really happens is far more comforting than what I used to be taught was the truth. That just left me with a lot of uncertainty.

And, just to clarify, as we’ve covered in previous programs, Scripture is very clear that when a person dies, death is like a sleep. There is no consciousness after death. Ecclesiastes 9:5 stats clearly:

For the living know that they will die,
but the dead know nothing;
they have no further reward,
and even their name is forgotten.

Believing that a person goes immediately to heaven at death might be comforting if you knew for sure that’s where they’d end up, but you don’t know for sure. Maybe great-uncle Rigel is actually frying in hell! You never know!

Dave: But even when people believe their loved ones are in heaven, it’s not as comforting as you’d think. It bothers a lot of people to think that dear old Mum and Dad are watching—everything—you’re doing.

Miles: That’s true.

Dave: So, let’s settle the issue once and for all. Let’s look at what Scripture says. And what Scripture presents is that the resurrection is the great hope of the Christian.

Miles: That’s an interesting distinction. You’re right: the resurrection when Yahushua returns is always presented as the Christian’s hope. But if you had the opportunity to go directly to heaven upon death, why wouldn’t you say that death was the Christian’s great hope?

Dave: Exactly. Paul wrote more books of the New Testament than any other writer and he consistently presented the resurrection of the dead as the great hope to look forward to as well as the great comfort for believers.

He was also very clear the order of events that would surround the fulfillment of this great hope. Turn to Colossians chapter 3 and read verses 2 to 4. This gives an interesting perspective to the subject of consciousness after death.

Miles: All right, it says: “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in [Yah]. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

Dave: So there are a couple of interesting points here. First, verse 3, he says bluntly, “You died.” He’s not meaning a physical death but a spiritual death where their old sinful desires died on the cross with Christ. Now this metaphor would not work if, as so many people believe, there were consciousness after death.

Miles: No, it wouldn’t. That’s true.

Dave: Then, in verse 4, he clearly states precisely when the saved shall be with Christ and when is that?

Miles: When Christ appears.

But, hold on just a second. There’s another way of interpreting this verse. You’re saying that this verse is talking about the resurrection, but other believers say that those who have died and gone to heaven will appear with Christ at his Second Coming. What would you say to someone who interprets this verse that way?

Dave: Well, this is why, whenever we wish to establish a point of doctrine from Scripture, it is vital to take into account everything Scripture says on the subject.

You’re right. This verse I suppose could be twisted to be saying that the dead who’ve gone to heaven will appear with Christ when he comes. But that’s why we must look for an interpretation that doesn’t contradict other passages of Scripture.

Miles: Such as?

Dave: Such as … uh, Revelation 22 verse 12. Why don’t you turn there and read that for us?

Miles: “Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to give to every one according to his work.”

Dave: This is from the very last chapter of the Bible and is one of the last recorded statements of Christ’s in Scripture and what does he say he’s going to bring with him? Saints who have gone before?

Miles: No, his reward.

Dave: “To give to every one according to his work.” There is absolutely no room for prevarication here. The saints’ reward is given when Yahushua returns and not before because he’s bringing the reward with him when he returns!

All right. Let’s look at another passage. Read 1 Thessalonians 4 verses 13 to 18. This passage fills in some of the details. Go ahead and read it once you’ve got it.

Miles:

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Yahushua died and rose again, and so we believe that [Yahuwah] will bring with Yahushua those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of [Yah], and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Dave: So we have a clear distinction between those who are alive at Christ’s coming and those who have “fallen asleep in him.” The Thessalonians weren’t afraid that those living would be left behind. They were afraid that their loved ones who had died before Christ’s return might not be raised back to life, so that’s why Paul was explaining that those who are still alive won’t “precede those who have fallen asleep.”

So, then—

Miles: Well, hold on a minute; hold on a minute. “Slow your roll” as the teenagers say.

Dave: “Hold your horses”?

Miles: That works, too. Um … quick question. I want to take a closer look at verse 14. Let me read it again. It says: “For we believe that Yahushua died and rose again, and so we believe that [Yah] will bring with Yahushua those who have fallen asleep in him.” Unquote.

Wouldn’t this support the belief that the saints who have died have indeed gone to heaven because it says Yahuwah is bringing them “with Yahushua.”

Dave: That’s a fair question. All right. Let’s look at all the evidence. First, the only way for a person to go to heaven (or hell, for that matter) at death is if he or she has an immortal soul. I know that’s a common belief, but it is not based on Scripture. Read Job 4:17 and tell us how it describes human beings.

Miles: Uhh … it says: “Can a mortal be more righteous than Elohim?
Can a man be more pure than his Maker?”

Dave: Now, you always want to be a bit careful when quoting from Job because this is taken from one of Job’s “miserable comforters,” but the point he’s making is a valid one even if, in context, he was using it to hurt and attack Job. What’s he calling humans?

Miles: Mortals.

Dave: Yes. We’re mortal. By definition, that means we …?

Miles: Die.

Dave: Right! Okay, turn now to 1 Timothy 6 and read … well, why don’t you start back at verse 13. Paul writes these paragraph-long sentences, so let’s start at the beginning of his sentence so it makes sense, but what I want you to focus on is the description of Yahuwah in verse 16. Go ahead.

Miles:

In the sight of [Yah], who gives life to everything, and of Christ Yahushua, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Yahushua Christ, which [Yahuwah] will bring about in his own time—[Yahuwah], the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

Dave: Yahuwah … who—alone—is immortal. Only Yahuwah has immortality. The rest of us are all mortal.

Miles: Well, even here in verse 13 it says Yah “gives life to everything.” So, yeah. We’re not immortal, and it’s not just our bodies, but our souls as well. There’s no such thing as an immortal soul because the Bible is clear only Yahuwah is immortal.

Dave: The problem with saying that souls are immortal is that it makes no distinction between the holy and the rebellious. Yes, the saints will have immortality, but that is a gift for their obedience. The lost don’t have immortality. Remember what Romans 6:23 says? The wages of sin is …?

Miles: Death.

Dave: “But the gift of Yah is eternal life through Yahushua Christ our lord.” The wages of sin is death, not eternal life in torment. This fact is stated repeatedly throughout Scripture. Turn to John chapter 5 and read verses 28 and 29.

This was after Yahushua healed the cripple at the pool of Bethesda and the Pharisees got angry at Christ for healing—which they claimed was “work”—on the Sabbath. Go ahead and read what Christ had to say. John 5:28 and 29.

Miles: “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.”

Dave: So clearly, before they hear his voice, they aren’t living because Christ says right here that some rise “to live” while others will rise to be condemned or, as we say today, sentenced for their crimes against the kingdom of Heaven. There is nothing here about saints in Heaven hearing his voice and being returned to their graves just so they can come out again. That doesn’t even make sense.

Miles: It’s like play-acting. Just going through the motions. Can’t you see, say, Peter? He’s been living in heaven for 2,000 years but, just so he can be resurrected, he has to hop back in the grave just before the resurrection.

Dave: Yeah, that’s ridiculous. Doesn’t work that way.

The apostles were clear on this point. Turn to the second chapter of Acts. This is from Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost. He’s laying out the logical evidence to prove Yahushua’s messiahship. Read verse 29 of Acts 2. What does that say?

Miles: “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.”

Dave: So! Peter says David’s dead and buried. But maybe that’s just his body. Maybe his soul is up in heaven. Let’s keep reading to see what else Peter has to say about David.

Miles:

But he [David] was a prophet and knew that [Yahuwah] had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. [Yah] has raised this [Yahushua] to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of [Yah], he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,

‘Yahuwah said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand. [Acts 2:30-34]

Dave: The reason Peter is expounding at length on Christ’s resurrection was that it was unheard-of. The Jews did not believe in an immortal soul, and neither did Christ or the apostles. Peter’s saying that David prophesied the Messiah’s resurrection even though David himself … what? Was in heaven, too? Verse 34.

Miles: No. “For David did not ascend to heaven.”

Dave: David did not ascend to heaven at death because he was mortal. He was dead and in the grave! He didn’t have an immortal soul any more than the rest of us do. He’s still sleeping in the grave waiting for Yahushua’s return at which point he, with all those who’ve died believing in the promise of redemption, will be raised back to life.

Paul gives a detailed explanation of that, too. Would you please turn to the fifteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians: 1 Corinthians 15 and verses … uh, well, let’s start at verse 35 and read this passage in context. It’s an interesting read. We tend to just quote verses 51 to 54 but let’s start at verse 35 and you’ll see that Paul’s audience had the same sorts of questions we’re discussing today. Go ahead.

Miles:

But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But [Yah] gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. [Verses 35-38.]

Dave: Basically, he’s saying, don’t get all distracted about unimportant matters. Yah’s got it all planned out.

Miles:

Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. [Verses 39-40.]

Dave: The “heavenly bodies” he’s talking about here are not saints with immortal souls. He’s talking about angels and those who live in heaven. That’s all. Nothing is being said about immortal souls.

Miles:

The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. [Verses 41-44.]

Dave: Notice that there are only two categories here. A mortal—what Paul calls a “perishable” body—and an immortal or “imperishable” one. And when is the imperishable body given? At death?

Miles: No. When it’s raised. It says it’s raised in glory and in power.

Dave: All right. Go on. Let’s read about just when it’s going to be raised.

Miles:

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. [Verses 44-47]

Dave: The second man, of course, being Christ who was the second Adam.

Miles:

As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.

I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of [Yah], nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. [Verses 48-50]

Dave: All right, now he’s going to explain just when this transformation takes place, just when an imperishable body is given and it’s not at death. Go ahead.

Miles:

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” [Verses 51-54.]

Dave: If the saints who had died were already in heaven, then why are they, at the resurrection, being raised “imperishable”? It is only at the resurrection that, verse 54, “the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’” It doesn’t happen at death; it happens at the resurrection from the dead! This is the Christian’s hope!

* * *

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* * *Part 2: (Miles & Dave)

Miles: Annnnd we’re back.

One thing that causes confusion within Christianity is that all denominations claim to be able to prove their beliefs from Scripture. And they can, so long as various passages are taken out of context or other passages are ignored.

Arguing against a specific position, however, isn’t all that compelling if the precise beliefs aren’t addressed. I’d like to take a moment to read a statement from a website called GotQuestions.org. It’s a non-profit website that answers various questions about the Bible and some of their answers are good.

Now, interestingly enough, they actually have a response to the question we’re asking today, “What happens after death?” I’d like to read their response in part and listen to what you have to say in response because it specifically talks about how the resurrection works for those who’ve gone to heaven.

Dave: All right.

Miles: It says, quote: “After death, a person resides in either a place of comfort or in a place of torment. These realms act as a temporary ‘heaven’ and a temporary ‘hell’ until the resurrection. At that point, the soul is reunited with the body, but no one’s eternal destiny will change.” Unquote.

We’re focusing specifically on what happens to believers, though. So this is what it has to say about that. Quote:

For the believer in Jesus Christ, the Bible tells us that after death believers’ souls/spirits are taken to heaven, because their sins are forgiven by having received Christ as Savior … For believers, death is to be “away from the body and at home with the Lord” … However, passages such as 1 Corinthians 15:50-54 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 describe believers being resurrected and given glorified bodies. If believers go to be with Christ immediately after death, what is the purpose of this resurrection?

And then they answer their own question. Here is how they explain this paradox. Quote:

It seems that while the souls/spirits of believers go to be with Christ immediately after death, the physical body remains in the grave “sleeping.” At the resurrection of believers, the physical body is resurrected, glorified, and then reunited with the soul/spirit. This reunited and glorified body-soul-spirit will be the possession of believers for eternity in the new heavens and new earth.

Dave: I think this idea that the “soul returns to God” comes from an extrapolation of Ecclesiastes 12:7. To extrapolate, of course, means “to infer or estimate by extending or projecting known information.” There’s nothing wrong with extrapolating so long as you remain consistent with all known facts. However, it’s easy to veer off course when we extrapolate.

Ecclesiastes 12 verse 7 is in a passage that starts in verse 6 where Solomon is cautioning his readers to remember Yah in the days of their youth before their strength is sapped with age. It’s all very flowery and poetic. Why don’t you go ahead and read it? Ecclesiastes 12 verses 6 and 7.

Miles:

Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,
and the golden bowl is broken;
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
and the wheel broken at the well,
and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
and the spirit returns to Elohim who gave it.

Dave: You know how sometimes you kind of-sort of remember something, but not with precision? I think this verse is one of those. People seem to remember a verse that talks about death, and the body returning to the dust of the ground and the soul returning to Yah who gave it, but that’s not what it says here. It says the … spirit … returns to Yahuwah. Spirit is different from soul.

Go to Genesis 2 verse 7 and let’s read the Biblical definition of a soul.

Miles: “And Yahuwah Elohim formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

Dave: A soul, by this definition, must (A) be living; and (B) be a combination of the spirit or breath from Yah and a physical body. That’s what a soul is. There is no such thing in reality as a disembodied soul because the conscious awareness dies when the body dies. It is at this point that the spirit or breath returns to Yahuwah who gave it. The breath returns, nothing else. And that’s what Ecclesiastes 12:7 is talking about.

Miles: A lot of Christian funerals focus on the belief that a passed loved one is “with the Lord now,” or “resting in the arms of Jesus.” But it really makes very little sense for them, some of whom have supposedly been enjoying heaven for thousands of years, to have to leave heaven and return to the grave just so they can be resurrected. It doesn’t make sense.

Dave: No, it doesn’t. You remember 1 Thessalonians 4 that we read in our last segment: the “comfort” Paul was offering to the Thessalonians was that, when the Lord would return and “descend from heaven with a shout and with the voice of the archangel,” the dead in Christ would rise first. This information was to “comfort” them—verse 18—when they lost a loved one to death. Now, if the loved one, on death, immediately awoke in heaven, he would have said so! He was a well-educated Jew. He certainly had the vocabulary to explain that, but he didn’t.

Miles: That’s true. I don’t know why we always get it into our heads that we need to somehow “read between the lines” to figure out what’s being said. If they had the knowledge to write at all, they had the knowledge to clearly state what they meant. Like you said, he didn’t lack the vocabulary to say the soul goes to heaven at death. For something that important, you’d think he’d state it clearly.

Dave: Let’s look at what Scripture does say. We’re already in 1 Thessalonians. Go to the next chapter and read verse 23 of chapter 5.

Miles: “May [Yahuwah] Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Yahushua Christ.”

Dave: As we saw in Genesis 2, a “soul” is the combination of the breath (or spirit) and a corporeal body. Paul here is expressing his hopes that this unification at the return of the Saviour would be blameless. In other words, that they would be with the saved rather than the lost.

Another eye-opening passage is 1 Corinthians 15. Now what’s interesting about this passage is that it clearly refers to Christ’s death and resurrection and it also pinpoints the precise time when the saints who have died will be reunited with him, and it’s not at death. Start at verse, uh, 20.

Miles:

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. [1 Corinthians 15:20-23]

Dave: There’s a lot in this passage. First, note that Christ is the “firstfruits” of those who will be raised back to life. Now, if they were already alive in heaven, how could Christ’s resurrection make him the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep”?

Miles: It couldn’t.

Dave: Christ became the firstfruits of those who die at his resurrection. At what point is he joined by the others who have “fallen asleep” as Paul refers to their dying? Here a little, there a little as they die off over the millennia only to immediately pop up in heaven?

Miles: No. It says, “then when he comes.”

Dave: This is why the resurrection from the dead is the Christian’s great hope. It hasn’t happened yet, but it will happen when he returns. The resurrection, not death, is our hope.

Christ himself was very eloquent. He taught the truths of Yah’s kingdom and he didn’t skip this point, either. Read John 6 verses 39 and 40 and notice when Yahushua says the saved will be given eternal life. Is it when they die?

Miles: “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

Dave: So, eternal life isn’t bestowed at death. It’s a gift given to all who accept salvation, and it’s given at Yahushua’s return when he raises the dead back to life.

Miles: This statement is really powerful. You couldn’t logically say that an immortal soul that goes to heaven upon death has NOT received the gift of eternal life.

Dave: No, you couldn’t.

Miles: And yet, Yahushua is saying this gift is given “at the last day.” Meaning, when he returns.

Dave: Exactly.

All right. Let’s take a look at some other places in the New Testament that refer to the same thing. Philemon 3 verses 18 to 21. Paul is drawing a comparison here between the saved and the lost. What does it say?

Miles: “Philemon 3”? There is no Philemon 3. There’s only one chapter in Philemon.

Dave: Ah! Can’t read my own handwriting. Philippians. What does Philippians 3:18-21 say?

Miles: That’s better! Uh, it says …

For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Yahushua Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Dave: This transformation happens upon Christ’s return. This is what we eagerly await.

Peter, also, put this eagerly awaited reward at the last days when Christ returns. Read 1 Peter 1:5.

No. That’s the middle of a sentence. Start at verse 3.

Miles:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Yahushua Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Yahushua Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by [Yahuwah’s] power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Dave: We’re shielded by Yah’s power until … when? Until death? Or until the coming of the salvation?

Miles: The coming of the salvation.

Dave: And when does that take place? At death?

Miles: No. “In the last time.”

Dave: That’s another way of referring to Yahushua’s return because, at that point, time as we know it will be no more.

Okay, what does Romans 8 verses 18 and 19 say?

Miles: Uh … “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.”

Dave: See, here again is the theme of waiting for a promised reward. We wait “in eager expectation.” And what are we waiting for? Death?

Miles: The resurrection.

Dave: All right. 1 Corinthians 1:7

Miles: “Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Yahushua Christ to be revealed.”

Dave: Now, obviously, Christ had already been “revealed” during his public ministry on earth, but that’s not what Paul’s talking about. He’s talking about Yahushua’s return from heaven. Now if people joined Christ in heaven at death, why would they need to “eagerly wait for our Lord Yahushua Christ to be revealed”? Wouldn’t they already see and know him?

Miles: Of course!

Dave: Now turn to Titus 2, verses 11 to 13 and, as you read this, I want you to ask yourself if this would be an accurate statement if, at death, the saved immediately find themselves in heaven.

Go ahead.

Miles:

For the grace of [Yahuwah] has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God, and Savior Yahushua Christ.

Dave: The “blessed hope” we’re all waiting for is the appearing of the glory of Yah when our Saviour returns because it’s at that point that the living will be gifted with higher natures and their bodies changed “in the twinkling of an eye,” and it’s when those who have died will be raised with new, incorruptible bodies to live forever more.

If we went to heaven at death, death is what we’d be eagerly awaiting, but that’s not what it says here.

Turn now to 1 John 3 and read the first three verses. This is a really fascinating passage because it introduces another element of what we’re waiting for: 1 John 3:1 to 3.

Miles:

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of [Yah]! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of [Yah]; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Dave: This is part of what creates anticipation, part of what we’re waiting for: to see Yahushua “as he is.” This is important because the saints “will be like him when he appears … at his coming.” Just a few verses earlier, in 1 John 2 verse 28, John wrote, quote: “And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.”

The only reason anyone would have for being ashamed at his coming is if he or she did not resemble Christ’s character. The saved won’t be ashamed because they’ll be “like” him at his return.

Obviously, if the dead saints had already known Christ in heaven, hundreds if not thousands of years before his return to earth, there’d be nothing to look forward to in the promise that at his return, we shall “see him as he is.”

Miles: That’s true. We’re only going to be like Christ when we have both unfallen nature and new, glorious bodies. And that’s not happening until the resurrection.

Dave: This is why Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:50, said: “I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of [Yah], nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.” You have to be like Christ to be a co-inheritor with him and that takes place only at his return. Not at death or any subsequent time. You can’t “skip the line” so to speak and get into the kingdom early.

Miles: Well, no, because it’s not even going to be established until Yahushua returns.

I know we’re used to thinking of “going to Heaven” but, as we’ve covered in previous programs, Scripture actually reveals that Yah’s kingdom will be established on earth after Yahushua’s return. Not after a thousand years, but right after his return. So, yeah. The saved enter Yah’s kingdom when it’s established at Christ’s return, not before.

Dave: And that is when the saved of all ages will see the glorified and risen Christ for the first time. They’ll be able to see him “as he is” because they will be like him. They’re given immortal bodies and then living and resurrected saints alike are caught up to meet him in the air.

Miles: You know the majority of the saved will be those who died before Yahushua returns. There’d be no point in having this big event—the resurrection—if they’d already met and seen Yahushua “as he is” in heaven.

Dave: Scripture is clear as to the order of events. We put it all together and what we find is that Yahushua returns “from heaven with a shout, … and the dead in Christ shall rise … and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” That’s 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and 17. Then in 1 Corinthians 15, 51 to 53 we read, quote: “We shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, … and the dead shall be raised incorruptible … For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” The dead are raised and both the resurrected and the living behold Christ as he is. The dead were raised with glorified new bodies and new, higher natures and the living are transformed in an instant to have the same.

This is the hope we’re to wait for!

Miles: Obviously, Paul’s not speaking of immortal souls because just a few verses earlier, in 1 Thessalonians 4 verse 13, he refers to “them which are asleep.” Then, in verse 14, he refers to “them also which sleep in Yahushua” and in verse 16 he speaks of the “dead in Christ” rising, not descending.

Dave: Read verse 15 again. There’s a point here we need to notice.

Miles: “According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.”

Dave: Again, both the dead who’ve been resurrected and the living enter together. One doesn’t precede the other.

Miles: Look at verse 17: “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” The way we’re “with him” is together. Not one preceding the other.

Dave: The average Christian believes that judgment follows death, then you get your reward—heaven or hell—and only when Yahushua returns do you get resurrected, but this is all …

Miles: Confusion? Yeah, it doesn’t make sense.

Dave: I was going to say “out of order” but confusion works, too. In Luke 14, Christ taught that we should help and host those who can’t reciprocate, and he concluded, verse 14, by saying, “and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

Miles: It would have been so easy for him to say, “You’ll receive your reward at death.” It would be logical for him to say that if it were true, but he didn’t.

Dave: Turn to Acts 24:15 and while you do that, I’m going to read from Acts 23. This is Paul speaking and notice what he says he’s looking forward to: “Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, ‘Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.’” [Acts 23:6]

Now if he believed he’d immediately wake up in heaven upon death, he wouldn’t be looking forward to the resurrection, would he?

Now what does Acts 24:15 say?

Miles: Uh, starting in verse 14 it says: “But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust.”

Dave: This was a reoccurring theme with Paul. His focus, his longing was for the resurrection because that was when he expected to be with Christ, not before.

Shortly before Gethsemane, Yahushua was comforting his disciples that, although he was leaving, he was going to come back. Read the first three verses of John 14.

Miles: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in [Yah]; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

Dave: If Yahushua believed that they would be going to heaven at the moment of their death, there’d be no point in him telling them that he would “come again and take” them to himself.

Miles: That’s true. How can he “receive” them at the resurrection if they’re already with him?

Furthermore, what’s the point of him coming again at all if they’re already with him?

Dave: Good point.

One final point. In Revelation 1, John was overcome by the sight of his risen lord in vision. What did Yahushua say to him? Revelation 1:17 and 18.

Miles: “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”

Dave: This is an intriguing statement. The reason it’s important that Yahushua is the holder of the keys of death and Hades is because those who pass away actually die. They don’t go to heaven. So, it’s both important and a comfort to know that Yahushua has triumphed over death and holds the keys to Hades, which is the metaphorical house of the dead.

It’s because he holds these keys that we have hope in—not death—but the resurrection which occurs at his return.

The great hope of Christians is not death, but resurrection from the dead and that will only take place at Yahushua’s return.

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You are listening to World's Last Chance Radio.

WLC Radio: Teaching minds and preparing hearts for Christ's sudden return.

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“Cognitive dissonance” occurs when a person holds two mutually exclusive, conflicting beliefs. This can create a lot of stress, confusion and mental pain if not resolved.

One area of Christian belief that has caused a lot of confusion for many believers are the passages of the Bible where Yahuwah orders the utter destruction of certain nations, telling the Israelites that they are to slay every man, woman, and child. It sounds like such a blood-thirsty command to give!

On the other hand, 1 John chapter 4 verse 8 tells us that Yahuwah is love. How are we to reconcile these seemingly conflicting statements? And we do need to reconcile them. Sadly, some believers have pointed to these Old Testament commands as reasons why they gave up faith in Yah.

English anthropologist, biologist and philosopher, Herbert Spencer, once observed, quote: “When a man’s knowledge is not in order, the more of it he has the greater will be his confusion.” Unquote.

Don’t let your faith stumble through lack of knowledge. There are very wise and beneficial reasons why a loving God would issue the command to utterly wipe-out certain nations. To find out more, look for the previously aired radio program entitled “Is Yahuwah a Murderer?” [Program 59] Satan loves to instill doubt, so don’t give him the opening! Look for “Is Yahuwah a Murderer?” on our website or on YouTube. Your faith and love will be strengthened as you see that, in everything, Yahuwah truly is … love.

* * *Daily Promise

Hello! This is Elise O’Brien with today’s daily promise from Yah’s word.

I don’t recall at which airport this occurred, but the situation was that a flight had been cancelled. Not just delayed: cancelled. This, of course, causes lots of stress for travelers trying to make connecting flights. It’s probably fair to say that it causes just as much stress for airline employees tasked with finding other flights for unhappy passengers.

One passenger in particular was very rude in his unhappiness at the state of affairs. He was loudly and angrily berating the hapless agent who was working as hard and as fast as she could to find other flights for all the passengers.

He finally summed up his rant with what he clearly thought would be an effective threat: “If I miss my connecting flight due to this cancelation, I’m going to take my business elsewhere!”

Without lifting her eyes from her monitor, the agent responded with a wistful, “Promises, promises, promises!”

I’ve always loved it when people can think fast on their feet and come up with appropriate verbal responses! Although saying just the opposite, the woman was calling him on what she knew was an empty threat, not a promise at all.

Promises are important. Promises broken destroy trust. However, promises kept increase our trust and lay a foundation for faith, which is simply taking someone at his or her word. This is why Yahuwah never breaks His promises. He always keeps them! He wants us to know that we can always trust Him to do what He says.

Isaiah 49 verses 15 and 16 says:

Can a woman forget her nursing child,
And not have compassion on the son of her womb?
Surely they may forget,
Yet I will not forget you.
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.

The ancient Greek playwright, Aeschylus, wisely observed, “It is not the oath that makes us believe the man, but the man the oath.” In other words, we believe someone’s promise based on who makes it, not on the promise itself.

The same is true for Yahuwah’s promises. You can always trust them. They’re His gift to you, to provide for, protect, and strengthen you for now and forever. So study them! Learn what He has promised. You can rest your whole weight upon them. He will never fail to keep His word to His children.

We have been given great and precious promises. Go and start claiming!

* * *Part 3: (Miles & Dave)

Miles: I have to confess, I’m one of those who didn’t find the thought of the dearly departed going directly to heaven to be a very comforting belief. Aside from the fact that you could never know for sure that they did indeed make it to heaven, there was that fear of being spied on, you know?

Dave: Oh, I do know! I felt the same way. But the truth—that we sleep in the grave until Yahushua returns, bringing his reward with him—is very comforting.

Miles: It is.

Dave: And this is the Christian’s great hope! Not death—because then you get to go to heaven. But the resurrection at Yahushua’s return.

Miles: It reminds me of this hymn. It’s not a very well-known hymn but it says it really well. Give me just a second to look it up here really quick. It’s not very long, but the lyrics really state it well …

Here we go. It says, quote:

We have this hope that burns within our hearts,
Hope in the coming of the Lord.
We have this faith that Christ alone imparts,
Faith in the promise of His Word.
We believe the time is here,
When the nations far and near
Shall awake, and shout and sing
Hallelujah! Christ is King!
We have this hope that burns within our hearts,
Hope in the coming of the Lord.

Dave: That’s beautiful.

Miles: And then, the second verse, talks about Christ coming to claim his bride. It says:

We are united in Jesus Christ our Lord.
We are united in His love.
Love for the waiting people of the world,
People who need our Savior’s love.
Soon the heav’ns will open wide,
Christ will come to claim His bride,
All the universe will sing
Hallelujah! Christ is King!
We have this hope, this faith, and God’s great love,
We are united in Christ.

That’s Scriptural. The Bible doesn’t talk about Christ’s bride returning with him. Instead, it talks about Christ returning to claim his bride.

Dave: And that is why it is the resurrection that is the Christian’s hope. It’s not death, but resurrection from the dead that comforts the grieving and gives strength to martyrs.

Miles: Because the life sacrificed to Yah’s service will be restored.

Dave: Exactly.

Miles: You know, it just struck me: another Bible story that wouldn’t make any sense whatsoever if the soul went to heaven at death is the story of Lazarus. Scripture is clear that he died. He wasn’t in a coma. He was dead, and Martha’s very pragmatic statement that the body was going to be stinking because it had been in the grave several days just confirms that.

Dave: Right.

Miles: Now can you imagine what Lazarus would have had to say to them had he’d been enjoying the pleasures of heaven after death only, three days later, to be yanked back down to earth just to keep living in a sinful world and have to go through death all over again?

I don’t know about you, but if I were Lazarus, I’d be mighty unhappy!

Dave: That’s a good point. Lazarus’ resurrection was a gift precisely because he had been “sleeping in the grave.” If he’d been in heaven, it wouldn’t have been a very kind thing to return him to earth.

Miles: The truths of Scripture are so much more logical, more powerful, and more comforting than any twist or spin Satan puts on his errors.

Dave: That’s why it’s so important to really dig into Scripture, compare Scripture with Scripture, until you arrive at an interpretation that is harmonious.

Miles: Because truth is harmonious. It will never contradict itself.

Well, it looks like we’re out of time for today, but we hope you can join us again tomorrow, and until then, remember: Yahuwah loves you . . . and He is safe to trust!

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This program and past episodes of WLC Radio are available for downloading on our website. They're great for sharing with friends and for use in Bible studies! They're also an excellent resource for those worshipping Yahuwah alone at home. To listen to previously aired programs, visit our website at WorldsLastChance.com. Click on the WLC Radio icon displayed on our homepage.

In his teachings and parables, the Savior gave no “signs of the times” to watch for. Instead, the thrust of his message was constant … vigilance. Join us again tomorrow for another truth-filled message as we explore various topics focused on the Savior's return and how to live in constant readiness to welcome him warmly when he comes.

WLC Radio: Teaching minds and preparing hearts for Christ's sudden return.