Second Death...Part 2

God told Jonah to go preach to the Ninevites...and Jonah [the prophet] ran the other way.

Jonah didn't want the Gentiles hearing the gospel of compassion.

What would happen to the Assyrians [Ninevites] if they died in their sins, without God's mercy?

As I said in 'Second death', part one, they would die and during the time before Christ's second coming their bodies would be laid in the grave but their souls would go to the place of torment.

After Christ's second coming, the last day, judgment day, resurrection day, they would be cast body/soul into the Lake of fire, which the bible calls the second death.

Note--Even though it is called 'death' people will be existing and conscious.

The only way we can try to understand is that they will be in a state of 'living/death' or existing/death because they will be forever cut off from all the blessings of God [the source of true life and every blessing].

Back to Jonah...

God sends a storm after the ship that Jonah is trying to flee in.

The storm is so bad that it is about to break up the ship.

To make a long story [well...its not really that long] short...all the sailors cry out to their gods [idols] and get the usual response...nothing.

Finally, Jonah the prophet instructs them to throw him into the waves of this horrible storm...then the storm will subside.

The sailors heed God's voice and throw in Jonah...and the storm flees.

God prepares a great fish to swallow Jonah...this fish becomes Jonah's casket [tomb] for the next three days...as he tastes death...sheol.

For three days, while in the body, Jonah goes to the place of darkness, silence...he goes to the abode of the dead.

How could Jonah breathe for three days?

I don't know...maybe he didn't breath...maybe the Lord sustained him for those three days...so he was in a state of being...the living/dead.

Our minds are so controlled by "scientific" thought these days...instead of being controlled by God's word.

God is Spirit...He doesn't have eyes...but He can see...wait a minute! the scientific mind says...how can you see without an eye?

God created light then He created the light bearers later.

What!? How can you have light...without the light bulb?...impossible!

God is not bound to the "means" He has created and established in the created order.

Jesus really and truly died...and yet His body did not see corruption...it did not begin to rot or decay...but rotting and decaying would be what we normally think would happen right?

Jesus' soul or consciousness or personality went to the Father but his soul went into the ground. There, His non-breathing body lay in the tomb...awaiting its resurrection.

Jonah's body laid in its tomb for three days...again...whether the Lord had air for him to breathe or not I do not know.

But God was having Jonah "taste" what death and Sheol, while still in the body.

The death the Assyrians, and all believers, would experience...in a much more "full" and "final" way...remember Jonah was getting a "taste".

Jonah points to Jesus...not only in the tomb...but also on the cross.

When the Bible speaks of Sheol, it isn't merely speaking about the grave or the burial plot

• One way to think of Sheol...the underworld.

• The Bible describes Sheol by other terms;
• “the pit” [Job 33:24]
• ‘destruction’ [Prov 15:11]
• ‘the place of silence’ [Ps 94:17]
• ‘the land of darkness and the shadow of death’ [Job 10:21]

• Sheol is the opposite of being in ‘the living condition’.

• In Sheols darkness, stillness, powerlessness, lack of knowledge, and inactivity, it is the true ‘abode of death’. [abode–home or dwelling place of;]

I have been pointing out again and again that Jonah went into the place of the dead...in bodily form...not as a disembodied spirit.

But when Jesus body lay in its grave was Jesus Spirit still residing in His body...?

No...on the cross Jesus said to His Father...into Thy Hands I commit My Spirit.

Where did Jesus experience "living/death"?

While He drank the cup of God's wrath on the cross...Jesus was experiencing the wrath of hell while still in His body.

Jonah is a type of Christ.

Because Jesus is 'one of a kind' we will notice that these examples are not straight across the board.

Jonah was thrown into the sea [God's wrath because of sin, Jonah's] and the sea subsided, the sailors who were in the storm had the storm end for them.

Jesus being the perfect sacrifice went into the sea [death and sheol] but the wrath that he stopped was not due to His sin, because He was sinless, it was for our sins that He died.

Jonah went into the grave [sea/fish]for three days and His body did not rot.
Jesus died and His body was laid in the tomb for three days and yet His body did not see corruption.

Jonah tasted was death and sheol were while still in the body, he went into a state of living/death [separation, judgment]

Jesus drank the full cup of God's wrath, while His body hung on the cross. Jesus cried out to God "why have you forsaken Me" because He truly was forsaken for God, because of our sins.

God shows His great compassion...if you are having trouble seeing it, pick up the cross and look through it.

The Second Death

The Bible tells us that death and hell will be cast into the lake of fire...this is the second death.

If your name is not found in the Book of life, then you will go, forever, into the lake of fire.

In other words, if you do not trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, Lord, King, God, then you will forever exist in eternal death.

Do not be mistaken...this does not teach that the rebellious will cease to exist...that they will no longer have consciousness.

Hell is like a Remand Center today.

The Remand Center is where you go [jail] to await your trial and sentencing.

Once you are tried and sentenced you then leave the Remand Center to go to the permanent prison that will be your new home.

When an unbeliever dies today [before the second coming of Christ] his body goes into the ground but his soul will go to hell [Remand Center]...it is still a place of torment [Luke 16]...

...but not the final destination.

When Jesus returns, on the last day, there will be a general resurrection...all will raise [bodily] from the grave.

Men's bodies and souls will be reunited forever.

Some will go [body and soul] to be with the Lord in never ending bliss...and others will go [body and soul] to never ending damnation.

Men will not live forever without their bodies...this is just a temporary condition that happens at death...until Christ's second coming...

More later...

The Body

I am so thankful...my lower back is starting to feel better again.

I hurt it a few weeks ago...then I re-injured it...slipping on an icy street.

As I delivered mail for the last two weeks my back was hurting greatly.

I have gravity boots [Tim Gallant calls me Batman...I hang upside down in my basement] and I have been using them twice aday.

Thank the Lord that He has begun to heal my back...this Saturday I could get out of bed and actually stand straight up!

When you injure your body, other parts of your body immediately begin to pick up the slack...if the injury is long term then those other members begin to hurt...because of the extra work they are doing.

This should be a reminder to us...that yes, Church is a place where we go to be fed...to be strengthened...REMINDER...but it is also a place where we are called...


TO strengthen and build others up.

Its NOT that Big a deal

Here is a problem that is rampant in the church today.

We call it venting.

God calls it gossip.

It looks something like this.

"I have this problem...so and so has said this... and done that to me", says person with a problem... to their friend [not to the person who wronged them].


The cure.

"You should go and talk with "so and so" about this problem...and if you already have, I will go with you as support." says the friend [venting board].

Now, comes one of two possible answers.

The first shows that the person really doesn't want to find resolve...but merely wants to complain behind the other person's back...gossip...destructive.

The second is the proper response.


First response of a person being encouraged to go and talk to the person they are bothered with...

"Well, it really isn't that big of problem"

Answer.

It was big enough for you to come and talk to someone else about. If it isn't that big then don't talk to others about it [except God].

The Second response.

"I will go and talk to the person about it"

The Iron Thread

I may have used this example before...if so...endure because it is a worthy truth.

Take a spool of sewing thread for the follow experiment.

Wrap the thread around your wrists once and see if you can break it...come on now...its only once...even a baby could break a thread only wrapped once...right?

Now, wrap it twice and see if you can break it.

Now, three, four, ten, fifty, etc.

Keep wrapping until you finally can't break it.

On that time you couldn't break it...the difference between the time before...when you could break it...was only "once" around the ol' wrists.

We think that we will only do something 'bad' once...and then when we get away with it [we easily break the thread]...this makes it easier to do it again.

As you call in sick to work...when you really aren't sick [or whatever the sin] "just this once"...you are setting yourself up to do it again.

And finally when your wrists are wrapped tight...you realize that those tiny, thread like decisions [for the bad or good] actually make you "who you are" over the years.

Either you are growing to be a man of integrity or growing to be a worthless man.

Either way...you are growing, slowly...one thread at a time.