The day the Mormons came to my door.

I don't like confrontation, nor do I like to embarrass myself, so typically, I tell the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witness that I am not interested, and they leave, but not today.

For years I have heard others talk about how they have disarmed every statement that the Elders have made. Few ever tell you that the elders gave their hearts to Jesus, but there is some twisted sense of pride, knowing that they dissembled their arguments.

As I stood there, merely trying to be polite, I heard my spirit crying out, God, I have no clue as to what to say. So, I simply listened to their pitch, which was well-rehearsed, about how Jesus called disciples to himself, anointed them to be Apostles and prophets, and how that church grew out of their ministry. But the church went a tremendously long dark time because there were no prophets. At this point, the red flags went up, but I was still constrained by the Holy Spirit.

The two elders alternated in sharing their parts of the story, but essentially, they said that "John the Baptist appeared to Joseph Smith and conferred upon him the Melchizedek or higher priesthood. After this Joseph Smith was directed to organize the Church of Jesus Christ again on earth, ... and that through Joseph Smith, Jesus again called forth the twelve Apostles." (I got the quote directly from their pamphlet, The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.)

They then asked me if I wanted more information on Joseph Smith - the prophet, to which I replied, it isn't about Joseph Smith; it's about Jesus. While it is true that the church did go through a dark time, I made a point of talking about how there were four hundred years between Malachi and Matthew where no one seemed to hear God's voice. But you need to understand something, Mr. Smith is not and was the only prophet on earth. To prove my point, what do you do with the instructions God gave to Moses when Aaron and Miriam rose against him, for they, too, wanted to be deemed prophets.

Numbers 12:6-8 NASB He said, "Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream. (7) "Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful in all My household; (8) With him I speak mouth to mouth, Even openly, and not in dark sayings, And he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant, against Moses?"

I then told them how Jesus had appeared to me in a dream or a vision and laid out my life before me. Shouldn't that, according to God's standard, make me a prophet as well? But don't ask me to tell you what that title prophet means because no one listens to me.

At this point, I brought up the most recent turn of events, as we found out about a year ago that my mother may have had pancreatic cancer. The Doctor would not say affirmatively without a biopsy, and my mother refused the biopsy. The Holy Spirit spoke to me and told me that, at best, I would only have her for six months. Well, no one was willing to hear that. Two months later, the Holy Spirit told me to go say my goodbyes to her as she would be going home within the week. I called one of my brothers, who lives a distance away, and told him that he needed to come quickly. Although he berated me, he still showed up the next day to say his goodbyes to Mom. She died the following Sunday.

As for false prophets and teachers, I know one personally, and today, he espouses that the church MUST suffer through God's wrath - that event in which He pours out His wrath upon Israel and the nations. This conversation then evolved into how I believe that God is out to save people and bring them into the kingdom. This can be seen in Matthew 24 and 25, where the Shepherd calls all the dead to Himself; these are people who were not part of the church and, by church standards, not worthy of God's mercy. He separates the group into those he designates sheep and those he terms goats. The sheep are then invited into the kingdom. Stunned, they ask why? To which Jesus says, because when I was thirsty you gave me water; when I was hungry, you fed me; and, when I was in prison you visited me. In reality, these people lived outside of their selfishness. The goats did none of those things and were cast off into outer darkness to follow their chosen leader - Satan.
I then told the two young Mormon men that I pray for them often, as I do not wish for them to have to endure God's wrath when merely believing in Jesus Christ as their savior was the way into God's eternal kingdom.

This led me to talk about the parable that Jesus told about the ten virgins. Do you realize that He was talking about the church today? I said, in a sense, you and I sit by some of those that make up the fifty percent. I looked into both their eyes. I asked, how is it that upon getting an invitation you would not prepare yourself, especially if you have a written invitation? These virgins ran out of oil, but did they ask politely? No, they demanded oil from the others, and not getting it, they went out into the night and tried to obtain oil from any of the households they could wake up. Obviously, they missed the entrance into the party, and I suppose, had to endure the potential wrath that is to come. I told them, that by the voice of the Holy Spirit, who speaks to me all the time, that I know that they have a comprehension of this Jesus I speak of. I also said I believe you have the potential of being one of those who will be caught up.

There is no Joseph Smith; it is all about Jesus and His word. I love His word, but I don't waste my time with false prophets.

They asked me if I would like them to come back with a book of Mormon, to which I said no, I can get several of those at the second-hand store if I needed one, but I don't because I have Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

I told them that I had chosen to be polite and friendly, just as I must choose Joy or not to be bitter. I told them how my small group had broken up over bitterness and how the remaining brother, because of the Word of God, has talked lately about the changes he perceives God is making in his life.

I thanked them for indulging me and wished them a great day. As they walked away, I wiped a tear from my eyes because having the Holy Spirit speak through me so powerfully always does that to me. I then prayed a prayer out loud that I do not expect you to understand, but I said, God, just wreck their day. To me, that is when He steps into the middle of your life, changes everything, and turns your heart toward Him.

I noticed something about this entire process. Within moments of answering the door, the fear and intimidation left me. All the questions I had in my mind just went away as the Holy Spirit began to speak through me. Honestly, it was such a short time ago and I am struggling to remember what and how I said it. To me, that is a pretty good indication that it was the Holy Spirit because I am not that clever.

Frühstück mit den Jungs

 First written -  Dienstag, 12. Juni 2012

Ich komme spät nach Hause und finde die Bibelstudiengruppe in eine Diskussion über Marinestrategie und japanische Nullen vertieft vor. Außerdem geht es darum, wie ein Mann aus unserer Gruppe einen Kamikaze-Piloten überlebte, der sein Schiff um zwölf Meter verfehlte.

Ich setzte mich hin und sagte nichts – aus zwei Gründen:

1. Ich war nie an Kampfhandlungen beteiligt.
2. Ich hatte keine Ahnung, was der Grund für dieses Gespräch war.

Als ich mein Frühstück beendete, tauchte endlich ein Hinweis auf, was dieses Gespräch ausgelöst hatte –

Lukas 11:21. Schauen wir uns diesen Vers gemeinsam an.

Lukas 11:21 NIV „Wenn ein starker Mann, voll bewaffnet, sein eigenes Haus bewacht, ist sein Besitz sicher.

Wenn Sie dies wörtlich nehmen müssten, was könnten Sie daraus lernen? Es wirkt wie eine starke Position, die möglicherweise das Recht verteidigt, zum Schutz des persönlichen Eigentums Gewalt anzuwenden.

Einer der Männer in unserer Gruppe erklärt schnell, dass ein Senator diesen Vers kürzlich in einem öffentlichen Forum zitiert habe, in dem er Amerikas Recht und Grund nicht nur für die Kriegsführung, sondern auch für den dahinterstehenden Haushalt definierte.

Ich bin mir nicht so sicher, ob wir uns diese Freiheit bei dieser Passage nehmen können. Sehen Sie sich an, was Jesus seinen Jüngern, vor allem Petrus, in der Nacht seiner Gefangennahme sagte.

Matthäus 26:52 AMP Da sagte Jesus zu ihm: „Stecke dein Schwert an seinen Platz; denn wer das Schwert zieht, der wird durch das Schwert sterben.“ [Gen. 9:6.]

Ich neige dazu, Pastoren zu verachten, die bereitwillig sagen: „Das hat er gesagt.“ Aber achten Sie auf die Sprache. Er verurteilt sie nicht als abscheuliche Sünder, weil sie Gewalt in Erwägung ziehen. Er stellt lediglich eine offensichtliche Tatsache fest: Man wird in einem Schwertkampf sterben, besonders wenn man nicht im Umgang damit ausgebildet ist.

Was war die Antwort Jesu an Jakobus und Johannes, als diese anboten, Feuer auf ein Dorf herabzurufen, das die Botschaft ablehnte?

Lukas 9:54-56 NIV Als die Jünger Jakobus und Johannes das sahen, fragten sie: „Herr, willst du, dass wir Feuer vom Himmel rufen, um sie zu vernichten?“ (55) Aber Jesus wandte sich um und wies sie zurecht. (56) Dann gingen er und seine Jünger in ein anderes Dorf.

Die King-James-Bibel (fügt hinzu oder schließt ein): „ Ihr wisst nicht, was für ein Geist ihr seid.“ Die Mehrheit der Texte und Manuskripte lässt diesen letzten Teil aus.

Ich denke, wir haben hier ein Beispiel dafür, wie die Jünger ihre Vorstellung von der Rolle des starken Mannes umsetzen.

Das griechische Wort für Tadel ist epitimaō . Thayers griechische Definitionen zufolge lautet die wichtigste Erklärung „Ehre erweisen“. Ich kann Ihnen versichern, dass Jesus das bei Jakobus und Johannes nicht tat, als sie die Möglichkeit vorschlugen, Feuer auf die Samariter herabzurufen. Aber wenn es, wie Thayer weiter definiert, bedeutet, den Wert derselben Menschen zu zeigen, deren Tod sie wünschten, dann ergibt das absolut Sinn. Und es ist zweifellos ein Tadel.

Alles hat einen Kontext, und das ist keine Ausnahme. Was war also der Kontext von Lukas 11:21?

Dies war eine Aussage, die Jesus machte, als er über den Umgang mit Dämonen sprach.

Lassen Sie uns einen Moment über diese Idee nachdenken.

Gehen Sie zurück zu Lukas 11:14. Was veranlasste ihn, über den starken Mann zu sprechen?

Lukas 11:14 CJB Er trieb einen Dämon aus, der stumm war. Als der Dämon ausgefahren war, redete der Stumme; und die Leute waren erstaunt.

Matthäus erklärte:

Matthäus 12:23 NIV Alle Leute waren erstaunt und sagten: „Könnte dies der Sohn Davids sein?“

Er hatte gerade auf eine Weise zu der Menge gesprochen, die im Herzen eines aufnahmebereiten Zuhörers enormes Vertrauen geweckt hätte, und nun sahen sie, wie Jesus Dämonen aus einem Mann austrieb.

In Matthäus 12 gibt es eine Parallelversion dazu, die einige Erkenntnisse liefert.

Matthäus 12:22-23 ESV Dann wurde ein von Dämonen besessener Mann zu ihm gebracht , der blind und stumm war, und er heilte ihn, sodass der Mann sprechen und sehen konnte. (23) Und alles Volk war erstaunt und sagte: „Kann dies der Sohn Davids sein?“

Warum sollte die Aussage „Kann dies der Sohn Davids sein?“ für die Juden ein Problem darstellen?

Nehmen wir an, sie wussten, wer er physisch war. Jesus von Nazareth, geboren als Sohn Marias, von manchen als Josefs Sohn bezeichnet, und dennoch gibt es diese Aussagen Jesu, in denen er immer wieder behauptet, Gott sei sein Vater.

„Wir wissen, wer unser Vater ist!“

In Johannes 8,14-18 sagte Jesus den Pharisäern, dass er wisse, woher er komme und wohin er gehe. Ihre Antwort:

Johannes 8:19 MSG Sie sagten: „Wo ist euer sogenannter Vater?“ Jesus sagte: „Ihr schaut mich direkt an und seht mich doch nicht. Wie wollt ihr den Vater sehen? Wenn ihr mich kennt, kennt ihr gleichzeitig den Vater.“

Ich hatte bereits zuvor darüber geschrieben, wie Jesus als „Momzer“ bekannt gewesen sein könnte (es scheint mehrere Schreibweisen zu geben). Die tiefempfundene Bedeutung des Wortes ist extrem hasserfüllt und abwertend – es bedeutet „unrechtmäßig“. Genau diesen abscheulichen Hass verbreiteten die Pharisäer in diesem Moment. Sein „Erbe“ stand zeitlebens in Frage. Angesichts dieses Hasses, der ihn die meiste Zeit umgab, ist es kein Wunder, dass die Juden sofort auf jeden Hinweis reagierten, Jesus sei nicht menschlich. Das bedeutete eine vollständige und totale Leugnung der Aussagen Jesu über sich selbst.

Johannes 8:41 NIV: „Ihr tut die Werke eures eigenen Vaters.“ „Wir sind keine unehelichen Kinder“, protestierten sie. „Der einzige Vater, den wir haben, ist Gott selbst.“

„Kann dies der Sohn Davids sein?“

Dies in einem fragenden Ton zu sagen, weist darauf hin, dass der Sprecher implizit davon überzeugt ist, dass Jesus der Sohn Gottes ist und das Recht hat, auf übernatürliche Weise so zu handeln, wie der Vater es tun würde.

Sie wussten, dass nur Gott solche Dinge tun konnte, da sie ihn gerade tun sahen. Es gibt kaum vernünftige Alternativen, aber die Juden hatten noch eine weitere. Da die Menge dazu neigte, ihn für Gott zu halten, schrieben sie seine Werke dem Teufel zu.

Ja, ich weiß, die Juden verwendeten den Begriff Beelzeboul.

Aus Thayers Definitionen: Beelzebub = „Herr des Hauses“ 1) ein Name Satans, des Fürsten der bösen Geister

In den Passagen des Lukas gibt es etwas Bemerkenswertes.

Lukas 11,14-15: Er trieb einen stummen Dämon aus. Als der Dämon ausgefahren war, konnte der Stumme reden, und das Volk staunte. (15) Einige aber sagten: „Er treibt die Dämonen durch Beelzebul, den Obersten der Dämonen, aus.“

Nur Gott hat diese Macht über Dämonen . Mit wem haben wir es also zu tun? Wir können das Offensichtliche nicht akzeptieren, denn es wurden schon zu viele Aussagen gemacht, um ihn zu erniedrigen und zu verleugnen, als dass wir jetzt einen Rückzieher machen könnten. Deshalb machen sie, getrieben vom Gott dieser Welt, das, was Jesus als blasphemische Aussagen bezeichnet .

Lukas‘ Bericht geht völlig an der Reaktion Jesu vorbei, doch in der Version des Matthäus reagiert Jesus barsch auf ihre Aussage: „ Er treibt die Dämonen durch Beelzebul, den Fürsten der Dämonen, aus “, indem er sagt:

Matthäus 12:31-32 AMP Deshalb sage ich euch: Jede Sünde und Gotteslästerung (jedes böse, beleidigende, verletzende Reden oder jede Beleidigung heiliger Dinge) kann den Menschen vergeben werden, aber Gotteslästerung gegen den [Heiligen] Geist wird nicht vergeben werden und kann nicht vergeben werden. (32) Und wer ein Wort gegen den Menschensohn spricht, dem wird vergeben werden, aber wer gegen den Geist, den Heiligen, spricht, dem wird nicht vergeben werden , weder in dieser Welt und in diesem Zeitalter noch in der Welt und im kommenden Zeitalter.

Ich nehme an, dass dies etwas vom Thema abweicht, aber da Jesus es gesagt hat , werde ich darauf eingehen.

Ich habe selten etwas gehört, das die Gotteslästerung, die niemals vergeben werden kann, ausreichend erklärt. Und ich muss immer schmunzeln, wenn Pastor Greg Laurie jemanden beschreibt, der sagt: „Aber Greg, ich habe die unverzeihliche Sünde begangen, und Gott kann mir nicht vergeben.“ Du weißt nicht einmal, was es ist, und hast es trotzdem getan? Die Tatsache, dass Gott dich zu sich zieht, beweist das Gegenteil.

Hier ist es : Die Pharisäer schrieben seine guten Taten dem Teufel zu .

Nur wenige Augenblicke später sagte Jesus: „ Lästerung gegen den Geist (vermutlich gegen den Heiligen Geist, da das verwendete Wort pnuema ist, dasselbe Wort zur Beschreibung des Heiligen Geistes).“

Das Markusevangelium untermauert dies und bringt es in noch stärkerem Ton zum Ausdruck.

Markus 3:28-29 NIV Wahrlich, ich sage euch: Den Menschen können alle ihre Sünden und jede Verleumdung, die sie aussprechen, vergeben werden, (29) aber wer den Heiligen Geist lästert, dem wird niemals vergeben werden; er ist einer ewigen Sünde schuldig .“

Einer der Männer in unserer Gruppe, ein Katholik, tat sich wirklich schwer mit dem Konzept der Dreifaltigkeit und sehnte sich danach, dass jemand Passagen finden würde, die dieses Konzept begründen. Jesus demonstrierte die Dreifaltigkeit innerhalb von Sekunden mündlich.
• Nur Gott konnte tun, was er gerade getan hat.
• Jesus hat gerade vor ihren Augen einen Mann von Dämonen befreit und damit bewiesen, dass er Gott in Menschengestalt ist.
• Er sagte ihnen, dass das, was sie sahen, der Geist sei , der dritte Teil der Dreifaltigkeit.

Lukas 11:17-26 NIV Jesus kannte ihre Gedanken und sagte zu ihnen: „Jedes Reich, das in sich gespalten ist, geht zugrunde, und ein Haus, das in sich gespalten ist, fällt. (18) Wenn der Satan in sich gespalten ist, wie kann sein Reich bestehen? Ich sage das, weil ihr behauptet, ich würde Dämonen durch Beelzebul austreiben. (19) Wenn ich nun Dämonen durch Beelzebul austreibe, durch wen treiben eure Anhänger sie aus? Sie werden dann eure Richter sein. (20) Wenn ich aber Dämonen durch den Finger Gottes austreibe, dann ist das Reich Gottes zu euch gekommen. (21) „Wenn ein starker Mann, voll bewaffnet, sein eigenes Haus bewacht, ist sein Besitz sicher. (22) Aber wenn ein Stärkerer ihn angreift und überwältigt, nimmt er die Rüstung weg, auf die der Mann vertraute, und teilt seine Beute auf. (23) Wer nicht mit mir ist, der ist gegen mich, und wer nicht mit mir sammelt, der zerstreut. (24) Wenn ein unreiner Geist von einem Menschen ausfährt, durchstreift er dürre Orte und sucht Ruhe, findet sie aber nicht. Dann sagt er: Ich will in das Haus zurückkehren, das ich verlassen habe. (25) Und wenn er ankommt, findet er das Haus sauber und ordentlich vor. (26) Dann geht er hin und holt sieben andere Geister, die noch böser sind als er selbst, und sie ziehen hinein und wohnen dort. Und der Zustand dieses Menschen ist am Ende schlimmer als am Anfang.

Jesus sprach mehrere Minuten lang davon, den starken Mann, Satan, zu überwältigen.

Hast du das verstanden? Der Zustand des Mannes hätte vieles Mögliche sein können, aber Jesus führt ihn allein auf den Teufel zurück . Ich bin mir nicht sicher, ob wir alles dem Teufel zuschreiben können, aber ich glaube, dass dieser Moment, der in der Heiligen Schrift festgehalten ist, zeigt, mit wem wir es ständig zu tun haben.

Ich habe einen Freund, der mit Depressionen und psychischen Erkrankungen kämpft. Es wird ihm vielleicht nie wieder ganz gut gehen. Wie viele dieser Probleme, mit denen wir zu kämpfen haben, haben einen dämonischen Ursprung?

Ich denke, das bringt mich zu einigen anderen Aspekten der Morgengespräche.

Wenn Sie glauben, dass Lukas 11:21 Sie dazu inspiriert, mit jemandem körperlich zu werden, bedeutet das, dass Sie dazu in der Lage sind oder dass es sogar Ihre Selbstschutzmethoden rechtfertigt?

Jemand wies schnell darauf hin, dass Paulus in einem Korb durch das Fenster hinausgeschickt wurde, um den wütenden Juden zu entkommen, die ihn holen wollten. (2. Korinther 11:33)

Wie viele von uns glauben, sie könnten so reagieren wie Steven Seagal, Chuck Norris oder dieser Internet-Selbstschutzguru Captain Chris? Für mich sind das hochkompetente und scheinbar furchtlose Typen. Jeder von ihnen könnte einen entwaffnen und einem dann ruhig den Arm zurückgeben, aber ich kann das nicht, habe ich nie gekonnt. Es erfordert Schnelligkeit und Agilität, und beides besitze ich nicht.

Aber wir befinden uns hier in einem spirituellen Kampf. Welchen Zusammenhang hat das also?

Wenn ich ein bisschen jünger wäre, würde ich vielleicht für die Zeit trainieren, in der ich auf einen dieser schlechten Momente reagieren muss, indem ich mir ein paar neue Fähigkeiten aneigne, meine Geschwindigkeit verbessere und aktiv übe; im Allgemeinen werde ich geschickter und selbstbewusster.

(Überraschenderweise wurde ich in meiner Jugend zweimal mit Messern bedroht. Ich kann mich überhaupt nicht an Angst erinnern, wusste aber nicht, was ich tun sollte, außer zu reden. Ich erinnere mich, dass ich überraschend ruhig war und nicht wirklich damit gerechnet hatte, verletzt zu werden. Später im Leben gab es Situationen, in denen ich mir wünschte, ich wäre körperlich durchsetzungsfähiger. Ich glaube, viele dieser Gedanken rühren von Idealen her, die uns unsere Altersgenossen aufdrängen, und unserem allgemeinen Wunsch, unsere Freiheiten zu genießen, vor allem, wenn wir niemanden stören.)

Wie wenden wir das, was Jesus getan hat, auf unser eigenes Leben an?; Wie gut fühlen Sie sich gerüstet, um die dämonische Krankheit eines Menschen zu bekämpfen?; Wie könnten Sie Ihre Reaktionsfähigkeit verbessern?

Ganz so eindeutig ist die Sache nicht.

Der Beginn eines solchen Prozesses ist Glaube. Jesus hatte Vertrauen in den Vater, nicht nur in das, was der Vater sagte, sondern auch in das, was er tun konnte. Für den Vater war nichts unmöglich, deshalb war auch für den Sohn nichts unmöglich. Da wir in ihm sind, sollte auch für uns nichts unmöglich sein.

Gott hat uns durch den Tod und die Auferstehung seines Sohnes Jesus Christus in ihn hineingeboren. Unsere Annahme dieser Gnade führt uns in diese Adoption. Die Religion wird ihr Bestes tun, um Sie hier zu verwirren, denn sie will eine völlige und absolute Veränderung in Ihnen sehen, einen augenblicklichen Heiligenschein über Ihrem Kopf und eine schnelle und vollständige Kehrtwende in Ihrem Handeln.

Überlegen Sie einmal: Wenn Sie mehrere Kinder unterschiedlichen Alters adoptieren würden, darunter auch einige Teenager, die Videospiele spielen und MTV schauen, was würden Sie von ihnen erwarten? Sehr langsame Übergänge zu dem, was Sie als normal empfinden. Glauben Sie, dass Gott es mit uns so viel anders meint?

Er hat uns geliebt, so unwürdig wir auch sind, hat einen Preis für uns bezahlt, der keinen Sinn ergibt, und akzeptiert uns als die Seinen, trotz unserer schlechten Einstellung und allem, was wir haben.

Ja, er bittet uns, ab und zu den Müll rauszubringen und abzuwaschen. Das gehört zum Leben in einer Familie dazu, die wir ja sind. Und wir nennen diese Aufgaben Mühen und Plagen. Sicherlich simplifiziert es, aber es sind die inneren Kämpfe, die diese Aufgaben und der Umgang mit anderen mit sich bringen, die Gott nutzt, um uns zu schärfen und uns ihm ähnlicher zu machen, während wir auf dieser Erde sind, in diesen sündenzerrütteten Körpern . Und in diesen sündenzerrütteten, adoptierten Körpern werden wir gebeten, uns zu erheben und Jesus ähnlich zu sein.

Sie sehen, die Heilige Schrift ist nicht nur eine langweilige Sammlung von Lesestoff; sie ist ein Trainingshandbuch mit anschaulicher Sprache, das Bilder in Ihrem Geist erzeugt und Ihnen zeigt, wie Sie reagieren sollen. Niemand sagte zu Jesus: „ Hier ist ein besessener Mann, der dir alle möglichen Probleme bereitet, die du lösen musst. Tu jetzt etwas mit ihm!“ Jesus tat lediglich, was er in seiner Ausbildung gelernt hatte, genau wie ein Sanitäter.

Kann ich das Selbstvertrauen gewinnen, das Lager des Feindes anzugreifen, indem ich lediglich Zeit in das Wort investiere?

Ich sehe keinen Grund dafür. Wenn das so ist, warum gibt es dann nicht mehr Menschen, die bereit sind, das Werk des Teufels im Leben anderer zu bekämpfen?

Nachdem ich einige Sendungen über Kampfwissenschaft auf dem Discovery Channel gesehen habe, in denen ein paar gesunde junge Männer einen neuen Kampfstil erlernen , der immer mit körperlicher Anstrengung und Schmerzen verbunden ist und bei dem sie von den besseren und vielleicht stärkeren Gegnern heftige Schläge einstecken müssen, während sie die neuen Fähigkeiten erlernen, verstehe ich im Geiste den Schmerz, der mit dem Erlernen einer solchen Sache verbunden ist.

Vielleicht hat Gott den Aspekt der Lernkurve bereits durchdacht.

Natürlich ist nicht alles mit Schmerz verbunden, wie die Kampfkünste, aber es gibt viele Dinge, die naturgemäß mit Schmerz verbunden sind. Alles Neue hat einen Lernprozess; das bedeutet, dass manche Dinge Zeit brauchen, bis man die Fähigkeiten entwickelt, die man braucht, um sie optimal einzusetzen. Übertragen Sie das nun auf den Umgang mit Dämonen. Nur wenige sind gerüstet und bereit, andere durch eine solche Lehre zu führen. Jesus sagte uns, dass manche Dämonen nur durch Vorbereitung, die viel Gebet erfordert, ausgetrieben werden können; das sollte man nicht mitten im Geschehen tun, sondern zu einem Lebensstil werden. Zu sagen, dass Gott vielleicht alles durchdacht hat, nimmt uns enormen Druck, denn obwohl es richtig und notwendig ist, sich vorzubereiten, hat Jesus die harte Arbeit bereits für uns erledigt.

In Lukas 11:22 heißt es:

„ Wenn ihn aber ein Stärkerer angreift und überwältigt, nimmt er dem Mann die Rüstung, auf die er vertraute, und teilt seine Beute unter ihn auf.“

Jemand Stärkeres hat den „starken Mann“ bereits angegriffen und überwältigt; sein Name ist Jesus.

In diesem Sinne besuchte ich kürzlich eine Bibelstunde, bei der wir die letzten vier Kapitel von Paulus‘ Brief an Timotheus lasen. Anschließend wurden wir gebeten, über unseren Lieblingsaspekt der Lesung zu sprechen. Das war zwar etwas überwältigend, aber einige Dinge fielen mir auf.

Dies war einer davon:

1. Timotheus 4:7-8 NIV Halte dich fern von gottlosen Mythen und Ammenmärchen; übe dich vielmehr in der Gottesfurcht . (8) Denn die leibliche Übung ist wenig nütze, die Gottesfurcht aber ist zu allen Dingen nütze und birgt die Verheißung sowohl dieses als auch des zukünftigen Lebens.

Paulus sagt dem jungen Timotheus: „… körperliche Übung ist von gewissem Nutzen, aber die Frömmigkeit ist zu allen Dingen wertvoll und birgt die Verheißung sowohl dieses als auch des zukünftigen Lebens.“ Ich vermute nicht, dass Paulus ihm sagte, er solle sich auf den Tag vorbereiten, an dem sie den Löwen zum Fraß vorgeworfen werden könnten, sondern nur darauf hinwies, dass dies Vorteile hat.

Wir sind so schnell durch diese Passagen geflogen. Ich glaube, jeder liest nur, um hinter sich zu kommen. Seltsam, wie einem etwas ins Auge fällt, aber Vers sieben ist mir sofort ins Auge gesprungen.

„...übe dich darin, göttlich zu sein.“

Was wäre, wenn dieses Buch, das wir Bibel nennen, stattdessen den Titel hätte: „ Übe dich, gottesfürchtig zu sein. “ Wie viele Menschen würden es überhaupt lesen? Einige, aber die meisten nicht. Und doch ist es der Schlüssel zu unserem Leben auf dieser Erde.

Von uns wird verlangt, dass wir gottesfürchtig sind. Wie sieht das aus?

Es ist nicht zwingend, einen langen Trenchcoat aus Kamelhaar zu tragen und wie ein Einsiedler in der Wüste zu leben. Aber Gott verlangt von uns, auch schwierige Dinge zu tun, wie: manchmal den Mund zu halten; nicht wütend zu reagieren; sich in schwierigen Zeiten schnell an den Vater zu wenden und die Dinge, die wir Jesus tun sahen, in Jesu Namen zu sprechen und zu handeln.

In seinem Brief an Timotheus beschrieb Paulus die Voraussetzungen für jemanden, der eine Führungsposition über Gottes Volk einnehmen möchte.

1. Timotheus 3:1-12 Hier ist ein gewiss wahres Wort: Wer ein Aufseher werden will, der wünscht sich eine edle Aufgabe. Der Aufseher aber soll sein:

• über jeden Zweifel erhaben,
• seiner Frau treu,
• gemäßigt,
• selbstbeherrscht,
• respektabel,
• gastfreundlich,
• fähig zu unterrichten,
• nicht der Trunkenheit ergeben,
• nicht gewalttätig, sondern sanft,
• nicht streitsüchtig,
• kein Liebhaber des Geldes.
• Er muss für seine eigene Familie gut sorgen und darauf achten, dass seine Kinder ihm gehorchen, und er muss dies auf eine Art und Weise tun, die vollen Respekt verdient.
• Er darf kein Neubekehrter sein, sonst könnte er eingebildet werden und demselben Gericht wie der Teufel unterliegen.
• Er muss auch bei Außenstehenden einen guten Ruf haben,
• Respekt verdienen,
• aufrichtig,
• Sie müssen mit reinem Gewissen an den tiefen Wahrheiten des Glaubens festhalten.

Wenn ich mir das ansehe, sind das meine Wünsche für mein Leben , und ja, die meisten davon disqualifizieren mich meiner Meinung nach. Manche, wie ich selbst, würden vielleicht sagen: „Ich habe nicht den Wunsch zu führen, deshalb treffen diese Eigenschaften vielleicht nicht so streng auf mich zu.“ Sie könnten also als einige der wichtigsten Dinge betrachtet werden, die ein gottgefälliges Leben ausmachen und eigentlich einfach eine bessere Lebensweise darstellen.

Wäre es nicht schön, wenn mehr Menschen so leben würden?

Was die Qualifikationen angeht – Moses, obwohl gebildet, ermordete einen Mann. Die meisten würden seine schlechten Momente mit dieser Liste vergleichen und ihn ebenfalls disqualifizieren, aber Gott sieht ins Herz und entscheidet, ob jemand führen soll oder nicht. Wenn Gott es will, wird er es geschehen lassen.

Ich hoffe, ich habe mich einigermaßen verständlich ausgedrückt. Beim Lesen denke ich über das Gelesene nach, und meistens geht es hier um meine eigene Sichtweise. Es fällt mir manchmal schwer, den Überblick zu behalten und konzentriert zu bleiben. Ich arbeite seit über einer Woche an dieser „Arbeit“ und habe schon so viele andere Wege erlebt, auf denen Gott zu mir gesprochen hat. Ich hoffe, Sie finden hier etwas, das Sie anspricht. Bitte lesen Sie die Passagen, das ist einer der Gründe, warum ich sie aufgenommen habe. Ich glaube, es ist so wichtig, dass Sie sie selbst lesen. Das Wort Gottes gibt Ihnen einen besseren Einblick in ihn, als jeder Mensch es Ihnen nur durch bloßes Erzählen von ihm vermag. Ich denke, das bedeutet, Sie müssen seine Stimme selbst hören.

Ich glaube fest daran, dass wir in den letzten Tagen leben. Von diesen Tagen sprach Petrus am Pfingsttag, als er aus Joel Kapitel 2 zitierte. Joel Kapitel 2 spricht vom Ende, insbesondere von der Zeit der Trübsal Jakobs. Aber ich möchte Ihnen Folgendes zeigen: Die Menschen, die Petrus beschreibt, sind erfüllt von der Kraft des Heiligen Geistes Gottes, und durch diese Kraft widerstehen sie dem Feind.

Hier ist ein Beispiel:

2. Könige 1,1-10 NIV Nach Ahabs Tod rebellierte Moab gegen Israel. (2) Ahasja war durch das Gitter seines Obergemachs in Samaria gefallen und hatte sich verletzt. Da sandte er Boten und ließ ihnen sagen: Geht hin und befragt Baal-Sebub, den Gott von Ekron, und seht, ob ich von dieser Verletzung genesen werde. (3) Doch der Engel des HERRN sprach zu Elia, dem Tischbiter: Geh hinauf und triff die Boten des Königs von Samaria und frage sie: Gibt es keinen Gott in Israel, dass du hingehst, um Baal-Sebub, den Gott von Ekron, zu befragen? (4) Darum spricht der HERR: Du wirst das Bett, auf dem du liegst, nicht verlassen; du wirst gewiss sterben. Also ging Elia. (5) Als die Boten zum König zurückkehrten, fragte er sie: Warum seid ihr zurückgekommen? (6) Sie antworteten: Ein Mann ist uns entgegengekommen. Und er sprach zu uns: Geht zurück zum König, der euch gesandt hat, und sagt ihm: So spricht der HERR: Ist denn kein Gott in Israel, dass du Boten sendest, um Baal-Sebub, den Gott von Ekron, zu befragen? Darum wirst du das Bett, auf dem du liegst, nicht verlassen; du wirst gewiss sterben! (7) Der König fragte sie: Was war das für ein Mann, der euch entgegenkam und euch das sagte? (8) Sie antworteten: Er trug ein härenes Gewand und einen ledernen Gürtel um die Hüften. Der König sprach: Das war Elia, der Tischbiter. (9) Da sandte er einen Hauptmann mit seinen fünfzig Mann zu Elia. Der Hauptmann ging zu Elia hinauf, der oben auf einem Hügel saß, und sagte zu ihm: Mann Gottes, der König lässt sagen: Komm herab! (10) Elia antwortete dem Hauptmann: Wenn ich ein Mann Gottes bin, so soll Feuer vom Himmel fallen und dich und deine fünfzig Mann verzehren! Da fiel Feuer vom Himmel und verzehrte den Hauptmann und seine Männer.

Dies geschah zweimal. Beim dritten Mal flehte der Hauptmann, der kam, den Mann Gottes um Gnade an, und Elia kam mit ihm.

Der Tag kommt, und für manche ist er schon da. Finde heraus, wer du bist! Finde heraus, wer Gott in dir ist! Es ist Zeit, den Mund aufzumachen und zu erklären: „Wenn ich ein Mann Gottes bin …“ Was auch immer getan werden muss. Wir kämpfen in erster Linie einen spirituellen Kampf. Vergiss nie: Mensch und Tier werden vor dem Namen und der Macht Jesu Christi niederknien.

Nachdem ich kürzlich die Chroniken von Narnia entdeckt habe, möchte ich Folgendes sagen: Wir sind freie Narnianer, alle adoptiert, aber manche haben es nie erlebt, nicht frei zu sein. Als Könige und Königinnen dieses schönen Landes müssen wir uns auch so verhalten. Wir müssen uns wie die Adligen verhalten, zu denen Gott uns gemacht hat.

Someone I know wrote to me asking if I could contrast and compare the rapture to the cross. To be honest, it did not seem like there is a comparison. I have discovered a depth I did not know.

If I am trying to compare the rapture and the crucifixion, then I have to point out that our focus is on one person, Jesus Christ, and why He went to the cross.

Let's start this one off with a post that my wife recently found on Facebook.

Tracy Moss Philp posted this.

No baptism, no communion, no confirmation, no speaking in tongues, no mission trip, no volunteering, no financial gifts, and no church clothes. He couldn't even bend his knees to pray. He didn't say the sinner's prayer and among other things, he was a thief. Jesus didn't take way his pain, heal his body, or smite his scoffers. Yet, it was a thief who walked into paradise the same hour as Jesus simply by believing. He had nothing more to offer other than his belief that Jesus was who He said He was. No spin from brilliant theologians. No ego or arrogance. No shiny lights, skinny jeans, or crafty words. No haze machine, donuts, or coffee in the lobby. Just a naked dying man on a cross unable to even fold his hands to pray. The man on the middle cross said I could come! Not all will go. Not all will choose Him as Lord and Savior.

If someone were to challenge the salvation of the thief on the cross, the only adequate reply he could give is, “the Man on the middle cross said I could come!” That man was Jesus, and His mission was just beginning.

In both events, the rapture and the cross, there is a catching away. In Acts 1:9 we are told that Jesus was caught up into the clouds.

“And having said these things he was taken up, they beholding him , and a cloud received him out of their sight.” Acts 1:9 Darby

Paul also talked about Jesus being caught up.

“He that descended is the same who has also ascended up above all the heavens, that he might fill all things;” Ephesians 4:10 Darby

And finally, we the church, will be caught up.

“then *we*, the living who remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we shall be always with the Lord.”
1 Thessalonians 4:17 Darby

Jesus' actions, that include the cross, ONLY happened because He also went into the heavenly temple and poured out His blood as a sacrifice for us, just as the high priests on earth were instructed to do, specifically to meet the demands of the law.

Christ went into the Most Holy Place. But it was not the man-made one, which is only a copy of the real one. He went into heaven, and he is there now before God to help us. The high priest enters the Most Holy Place once every year. He takes with him blood to offer. But he does not offer his own blood like Christ did. Christ went into heaven, but not to offer himself many times like the high priest offers blood again and again.
Hebrews 9:24-25 ERV

An interesting thought, which we talked about it in the previous post, how that “the law” was God's moral standard.

All this horror associated with the cross was done to bring about salvation, an act in which He purchased humanity back from Satan (This process of buying us back is what the Apostle Paul labeled redemption.)

It was also the thing that brought forgiveness to all humanity.

As a side note, today's date is 03/11/25 and there is a wanton slaughter of Alawite Muslims and Christians in Syria, not to mention the killings that are going on in Sudan, Nigeria, and many of the other Northern African nations.

So, even though there is a slaughter going on, they will not be judged at a “great white throne” for the murder of innocent people, no one will; they will, however, be judged during the seven years of God's wrath for the blood they spilled.

So Christ was offered as a sacrifice one time to take away the sins of many people. And he will come a second time, but not to offer himself for sin. He will come the second time to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Hebrews 9:28 ERV

After Jesus goes through all the torture that surrounds the cross He bestows righteousness upon all who accept this salvation.

I spent a year driving around Southern California as I attempted to fix appliances. There is no way to avoid frequently being stuck in traffic, so I listened to the “Christian” radio station for encouragement. In doing that, I was reminded of the teaching “from the Cross to the Throne” associated with the faith movement and E.W. Kenyon. As the radio preacher talked about the “journey” that Jesus made during those three days my thoughts would flash back to scriptures I had become familiar with that validated this message. The message about the cross to the throne built my faith and understanding.

One of the speakers on the radio was Hank Hannegraf, “The Bible Answer Man”, and all he seemed to do was to berate the message about the cross to the throne; those that talked about it, and people like me who agreed with that message. I choose to believe that Hank started this radio program, all those years ago, with an honest heart, but he now spent most of his time criticizing those that listen to the message about what happened from the cross to the throne. He used to express how that merely teaching that Jesus went to hell was heresy. Not to worry, he is long since gone.

An aspect of your comparison and perhaps contrast was this statement. “Jesus ascended into hell to catch up the unredeemed spirits and graves opened.”

My response: I have no doubt that Jesus went into hell; I can know this because of passages like Revelation 1:18, where Jesus took the keys to death, hell, and the grave; that sounds like an overwhelming victory to me.

“I am the one who lives. I was dead, but look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” Revelation 1:18 ERV

My wife's father served his military duty in Europe during WW2. This calm, reserved man brought home a souvenir, a German trench knife. For the most part, the enemy did not simply hand over a weapon like this, it was typically taken by force. Now apply this understanding to Jesus obtaining the keys to death, hell, and the grave (as an alternate translation proclaims.) I cannot see Satan putting up an aggressive fight, however, the idea cannot be excluded and we gain our understanding of this from a recollection given by Daniel, the prophet. (Read Daniel 9,10, and you will see the angel Gabriel, as he came to give Daniel a message from God, had been hindered by a fallen angel that tried to prevent him from delivering this message. The angel Michael came to supplant Gabriel in the fight. So, it is possible that Jesus pulled the keys out of Satan's hand.)

The following is a passage from the Torah, long before Jesus was born, that speaks of Jesus ascending and then leading former captives from the depths.

“You have ascended on high, You have taken captivity captive,...”
Psalms 68:18 LSV 

Though we tend to give it no thought, Jesus' death on the cross marked a dramatic shift in the chronology of God's timeline. Our understanding comes from the parable that Jesus told about the beggar and the rich man; both of which were Jews, and both died about the same time. The Jewish audience must have gasped when Jesus described the rich man being in torment, as tradition taught that the rich man would have comfortable conditions in “paradise.” (The IVPBBC tells us that “Some details about the afterlife here are standard features of Jewish tradition;”)

Since Jesus was fulfilling a prophetic part of His actions by spending three days in the belly of the earth. (Here is another piece of Jewish understanding. Three days is a full 24-hour period, and any portion of two other days. Consider that the Sabbath begins at 3 o'clock pm. on the eve prior and ends at 3 o'clock pm on the day after. Jesus told the Pharisees that the only sign they were to get would be the Prophet Jonah, who spent 3 days in the belly of the great fish. That would mean that Jonah did not necessarily spend a full 72 hours in the belly of the fish.)

If Jesus did not go into Hades, then how could He make this statement?

“Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced; moreover, my body also will live in hope, because You will not abandon my soul to Sheol or let Your Holy One see decay.” Acts 2:26-27 TLV

The reference to “You” is directed to God, therefore, the writer is saying that God would NOT leave Jesus soul in Sheol. (Sheol is also known as Hades or hell.) If Jesus did not go to hell then such an assertion would be ludicrous.

The Apostle Paul validated Psalm 68:18 when he referenced this very passage in his letter to the church in Ephesus.

”...When He ascended on high, He led captives away,” Ephesians 4:8 BSB

Let's consider this statement: “he led captivity captive.”

Dake's commentary states that “the captives that were taken to heaven with Christ were the saints who had died from Abel to Christ, and who were held captive by Satan in paradise under the earth until Christ conquered death, hell, and the grave liberating them” (Heb_2:14-15.)

Here is a statement that you should have grasped. Becoming flesh and blood made Him vulnerable, at least momentarily, to hell.

Is that true?

There is a passage that tells us that God cannot be tempted with sin, but our understanding of Jesus informs us that He, too, is God.

Then what happened?

“For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.” Hebrews 2:18 NKJV 

Part of the answer lies in this statement.

“Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, ....”
Hebrews 2:17a NKJV

Made like His brethren?

That would be the Jews first and then us, with an exception. We were born into sin; it was passed down through Adam and Eve. Along with the drive to sin is the attached penalty of death. Jesus, as a fertilized egg from God, was implanted into the willing Mary, and she was merely the surrogate mother. Jesus was not born with the drive to sin nor the attached death penalty.

Then why did He have to die?

A payment for man's treasonous actions against God had to be paid for with blood and the death of God. Jesus was God, but He set aside His majesty to be a common man, minus the human frailties associated with sin. And, since He came from God, He was God in the flesh.

“I and My Father are one." John 10:30 NKJV

Did you ever notice that Jesus intentionally made a whip and drove the money changers and sellers out of the temple courts?

“And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.” John 2:14-15 NKJV

He did all this, and scripture tells us that He never once sinned. Fascinating.

“Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” Hebrews 2:14-15 BSB

I was asked, “Was catching up the unredeemed spirits the only reason He went there?”

Hardly, but then you should have known that. 

Ephesians 4:8-10 NKJV “Therefore He says: “WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVITY CAPTIVE, AND GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.” 9) (Now this, “HE ASCENDED”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10) He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.”

If I may speak freely, this wording, “WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVITY CAPTIVE,” makes no sense. It implies that Jesus took these captives from one captivity to another, which He did NOT. Several versions read just like this, but that does not make it correct. The Good News Bible tells us, “When He went up to the very heights, He took many captives with Him.” In a sense, these alternate translations are more explainable. The usage of the word many indicates that some were not entitled or chose not to go.

What kind of foolishness would motivate a response like that?

Because, even in “hell,” people still have the free will to choose. Consider this: Every righteous person who died prior to the cross waited for their redemption in the region of hades called paradise. Yes, that is a tremendous amount of people.

What of those who were not so righteous?

Ecclesiastes tells us that the dead know nothing, so as yet, they are not in the lake of fire.

“For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing.”
Ecclesiastes 9:5a TLV

This doesn't really explain why there was some cognition of their surroundings when Jesus relayed the parable of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus.

Look at what Hebrews tells us. 

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.” Hebrews 2:9 NKJV

While we must all taste death, the fear is supposed to be gone. If you are having fears about death, I must tell you that fear is a demon working off of a known weakness in you, and fear is a big problem for most of us.

Where did (they) go to suffer death? 

Hell/Hades. The book of Revelation shows us that Jesus took the keys from Satan. I am sure that most perceive Jesus as struggling with Satan, but having God stand before you, would you fight?

“I am He who lives and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” 
Revelation 1:18 NKJV

Note how the NKJV translation uses the terms Hades and Death.

Death is the Greek word thanatos and means death both literally and figuratively.

Since we never really die, is it possible that death implies something else, like an eternal separation from God.?

It is possible. 

While there are certainly souls lying in Hades, I contend that there is NO ONE in hell as yet. Ecclesiastes 9:5 tells us that the dead lie in silence until the final judgment, but we already talked about that. The final judgment only happens at the great white throne; and NO, not everyone before that throne goes to hell. (Read about the sheep and goats in Matthew 25.)

Hades, on the other hand, is “the place (state) of departed souls: - grave.” Strong’s

Some will sharply argue that there is a separation even today. In an effort to respond to this aggressiveness about the usage of the word hell, I give you Matthew 5:22, which says, “Whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.” The CEV translation says, “And if you say that someone is worthless, you will be in danger of the fires of hell.” 

Doesn’t this smell of road rage? 

And if it is a crime in God’s eyes, then we are all guilty. So the word you did not see here in the Revelation, and a relatively common word that the Bible translators used, is hell. 

Hell, is the Greek word geenna, pronounced gehenna. 

“Gehenna, the basis for the word hell, was a place just outside the walls of Jerusalem, the valley of Hinnom. “This is the valley the idolatrous Israelites devoted formerly to the horrid worship of Moloch, 2Ki_16:3; 2Ch_28:3. In that worship, the ancient Jewish writers inform us, the idol of Moloch was of brass, adorned with a royal crown, having the head of a calf, and his arms extended as if to embrace anyone. When they offered children to him, they heated the statue within by a great fire, and when it was burning hot, they put the miserable child into his arms, where it was soon consumed by the heat; and, in order that the cries of the child might not be heard, they made a great noise with drums and other instruments about the idol.” (Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible.) 

The place became a trash dump, burning constantly and smelled horrible.

The name Gehenna or the word hell are both indicative of everlasting punishment, and everlasting punishment is also understood to be eternal separation from God, which we see when people are finally cast into the lake of fire, which burns forever.

However, since one event changed everything - Jesus and the cross, “hell” also changed. 

What changed in hades that day?

Remember the rich man and Lazarus, the poor Jewish beggar. Both died, and we find that the rich man is now in torment, and Lazarus, the former beggar, is being described as being comforted in Abraham’s bosom. 

This parable is important because it, like the others, was bathed in Jewish tradition and in their understanding would have put the rich man in Abraham’s bosom merely because he was presumed to be righteous and was a devout Jew. To those hearing this parable, righteousness and riches went together. 

Jesus, by His words and actions, undid that tradition.  

I can say, by His words, because He told them that the system they expected to find in Hades was in opposition to what they believed. His actions were that He took the keys of death, hell, and the grave. In so doing, He removed Satan’s control and effectively removed the fear of death, and He eliminated this split system that we see in the Lazarus narrative. 

Why did that happen? 

Jesus became the serpent upon the pole that we are to look upon and live. 

“And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” 6)  So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. 7) Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8) Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten when he looks at it, shall live.” 9) So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.”
Numbers 21:5-9 NKJV

Another way to convey what Jesus did was to become sin.

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV

The benefit for the follower of Christ is that when someone dies now, having already looked upon Jesus, they are effectively into the arms of Jesus. Those who refuse to look upon Jesus, and this applies to those in captivity that day, are merely lying there asleep; they know nothing. They will be awakened and brought to judgment at the great white throne or, as many who are so entrenched in religious tradition will refuse to consider, the sheep and goat judgment of Matthew 25. 

At the cross, all time changed, and the potential for all to have life in Him became available that day. Death is no longer to be feared.

So, these levels or separations that people see in hell were removed. Mind you, much of this so-called perception about hell came from the author Dante Alighieri and his book The Inferno, where he, as the author, created stages, levels, and varied punishments in hell, where he put corrupt politicians of his day, alongside corrupt leaders from the Catholic church.

The person who asked me these questions stated, “Jesus ascended into hell to catch up the unredeemed spirits...” 

I am sure you mean to say descended, but that is irrelevant. Since Jesus preached to the captives, one might assume that everyone there was a captive, but we cannot yet assume that anyone there was redeemed. 

I came to this understanding because there was no one in Christ. This, too, is an assumption, seeing as He had not gone up to the Father yet, and the Holy Spirit had not come.

“Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which is to say, Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.' " John 20:16-17 NKJV

Once Jesus did this, offered His blood on the heavenly altar for the remission of our sins and those He bore on His own body, then He could be touched.

“For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
Hebrews 9:13-14 NKJV

The Apostle Paul spoke of this very thing.

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”
Ephesians 1:7 NKJV

And we have been sanctified through His blood.

“By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Hebrews 10:10 NKJV

And though it seems too simplistic, I will say it, there was no church to make converts.

So, does the rich man, who was now in torment, fall under the category of unredeemed? 

The answer to this question must have driven the Jewish audience crazy. I suspect that was a part of Jesus’ intent. If someone fell under the category of redeemed, I would imagine the beggar Lazarus was your man. 

But what about King David? 

You should not be able to give him the righteous award as he was quite the scoundrel when it came to Bathsheba. 

How about King Saul? 

This man had the Spirit of God on him and lost not only it but his mind as well. 

I suppose the point here is our inability to determine who is righteous and deserving of God’s redeeming grace and who should remain under punishment; this is precisely why the forgiveness of sin is extended to everyone, including Saul and Judas (Yes, I said Judas. I threw him into the mix because I do see repentance in his words and actions toward the end.

Now, to say that someone has unforgivably condemned themselves to hell,

1. prematurely judges that person and

2. moves us into the category of being a judge, and that is NOT our job, as all judgment has been given unto the Son, NOT YOU. Read John 5:22.) 

Imagine what Jesus must have preached to these “captives.” 

Could there have been some who turned Him down? 

Any answers we have to this question are pure conjecture on our part, seeing as we have no definitive answer.

“People previously dead were alive and walking among the living.”

“The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After Jesus’ resurrection, when they had come out of the tombs, they entered the holy city and appeared to many people.” 

Matthew 27:52-53 BSB

Who were these people?

Perhaps the answer as to who these people, coming out of their entombments, is this: 

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” 
John 11:25 NKJV

We do NOT know who these people were except that they were called saints by the Apostle John. Perhaps John made a broad assumption. The question you should be asking is, what did Jesus preach to these “captives” who were lying in silence? 

Your best guess would be to say that He preached the good news, which is defined as life, freedom, hope, and eternity with the Father is now available, and you can have all that if you follow me. If the message was merely life, it would appear that many believed and, therefore, emerged from their grave sites.

The first thing we deal with when we look at Matthew 27:52-53 is the number of people who emerged from their tombs. This narrative is one of the major events that solidifies our apologetic as we defend our belief that Jesus is real and His word is credible. This is NOT the only piece of evidence, and books like “Evidence that Demands a Verdict” by Josh McDowell are filled with validations of God's word.

The Greek word translated as many is polys, which means great in magnitude or quantity. 

It is difficult to even imagine, as Jerusalem suddenly became inundated by people who had previously been dead. (I also assume it was a localized event, but we have NOTHING to tell us that it only happened in Jerusalem.) 

To make this a bit more interesting, let’s discuss Lazarus, Jesus’ friend who died. (Read John chapter 11.) So many struggle to explain why Jesus waited four days to come and raise him up. The reason lies in the Jewish tradition that says the soul leaves the body after three days. Jesus waited that long to ensure that these religious zealots could not say that what Jesus did was easy or a cheat because Lazarus’ soul was still in his body. Add to this argument the fact that Jesus used the Prophet Jonah to describe what He would do. Jonah, too, was detailed as having been in the belly of the fish for three days. The time frame here is physiologically beyond the 4,305 minutes in which Jonah would have scientifically been declared dead. And yet, traditional church beliefs want to argue that Jonah was alive through the entire process.

“Recently..., hearing that the (“dead in Christ will rise first “), I immediately thought we who are born again are not dead in Christ even after we die in flesh.”

“Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3 NKJV

Born. gennao. Meaning: to be begotten. Metaphorically of God making Christ the center of your life. Regenerated. 

Again,  It is the Greek word anōthen and means from above, anew. A second time, once more.

Paul, writing to the church in Corinth, discusses this transition that we, as corruptible mortals, must undergo. We don’t talk about this transition that we have to make to cross over to heaven because it is death, and death makes people squirm because they fear death. As I have pointed out, we no longer have to fear death, so let’s dive in. 

Becoming “born again” does NOT kill the flesh or make sin disappear. It is like pushing the reset button on your spirit, but you cannot eliminate that one flawed processing chip. If you could go and buy another, you would find that they all used that one faulty chip; therefore, the machine will eventually fail in a similar manner.

So, assuming that you realize that you were born from above and are made in the image of the Father, then you know that this all happens independently of death. 

Look at 1 Corinthians 15:50-53, and you will see things like flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. 

“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” 1 Corinthians 15:50-53 NKJV

Well, guess what? 

If you are reading this, you are flesh and blood. It would seem that these air-breathing bodies cannot inherit the kingdom of God. 

So, what’s the workaround? 

These bodies have to die, and No, that is NOT your job; it is God’s, and this is part of the MYSTERY that Paul speaks of. As you can see above, we will be changed in the twinkling of an eye.

Surprise, you will most likely shed this corrupted, mortal body as you migrate upward. Those dead people, believers, will have already gone through this and will pass us by momentarily as we put on our immortality. 

I keep thinking about the guy who died but came back to life. One of the dominant things he could remember was that he felt a good site better while he was in heaven.

“So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY."
1 Corinthians 15:54 NKJV

Our being in Christ Jesus is a product of our simplistic faith in Jesus Christ, and we will never become separated from this life that we have in Christ, even if it involves death. 

Here are a few verses to help strengthen your knowledge of Him.

“Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:11

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:26

“Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” Colossians 1:28

Put something like the Blue Letter Bible app on your phone and then do a search for “in Christ Jesus,” you will find a vast number of passages that may help to assist you in your understanding, and that will help you hold on to the truth that you, because of your belief are in Christ, and never to be separated.

A part of your challenge was “… Who might qualify as dead in Christ?” 

Anyone who has come to a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ and died. 

Before the cross, no one could come to a knowledge of Jesus Christ. However, two people in the New Testament challenge my understanding of how we know Jesus Christ: 

Simeon – the old but devout and holy man that the Spirit led to come to the temple at the exact moment that Joseph and Mary brought Jesus for His bris - circumcision.

The other person was Anna – the elderly prophetess.

These two spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. Now, consider that Jesus lived for 33 more years. 

Did Simeon and Anna die and go to the Father or Hades, the place of departed souls? 

Because of their age, it is a safe assumption that they soon died. As I just mentioned, Jesus lived on for 33 more years, so Simeon and Anna, both of which appear to be righteous, would have rested in Abraham's proverbial bosom until Jesus came and took the keys from Satan. Hades may have been the holding place for both of them, not to mention a few others that God pronounced as righteous in the Old Testament. On the day Jesus showed up in Hades, their location changed as He offered them a one-way ticket into the Father’s arms by preaching to the captives. 

Consider, if they were righteous, as Jesus was, then Satan holding them there in Hades would have been an illegal move on his part. If Satan held them, they were captives until Jesus set them free. At that moment in time, they became the dead in Christ.

In the statements above, I focused on qualifications. Now, let’s define what it is to be “dead in Christ.”

Search for the term dead in Christ; it only comes up once, 1 Thessalonians 4:16. 

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16 NKJV

Dead is the Greek word nekros, which means corpse (literally dead). The Word Study Dictionary defines it as a deceased person. 

Although I am not dead now, it is apparent that death is required. Seeing as life is vital for the work of God. (I am scratching my head as I say that.) I suspect that even God sees a purpose for our being born, as it allows for our gifts and free choice to Worship the creator – God. But flesh carries with it a problem, as the Apostle Paul told us that flesh and blood CANNOT inherit the kingdom of God. 

“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.” 1 Corinthians 15:50 NKJV 

This air-breathing body is corrupted because it carries a broken genome that drives our selfish impulses – the impulse to sin. (I say it this way because it is the only thing that makes any sense.) and Heaven has no corruption in it, which is why flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. So, we, in these bodies, cannot enter into heaven. Obviously, something will have to change, and we will shed these earth suits. But until then, Jesus gives us the right to consider ourselves dead to sin. I get to practice that one daily. 

“I surmise that those pre-crucifixion believers had not been redeemed until that day.”

It is often difficult to see some of these characters as righteous. Samson is called righteous, but he did many things outside of what we are told was God’s will. Strangely, it turns out it was God’s will, but we could barely see it until the last page of the narrative.

Lot was willing to give his daughters to the rabble pounding on his door, and then the angels had to drag Lot and his family out of town to safety. You, of course, noticed that the young men who had been engaged to Lot's daughters did not come with them and died in the fires.

And what about the guy I consider the biker of the Bible, Jephthah? God called them all righteous. 

When we use the word redeemed, there is a mountain of religious rules and regulations attached to it, and there is the assumption that we will walk away from the situation with a bright, shiny face. I can tell you that I walked away from a few things while dragging my exhausted behind out of there, and my face was NOT shining. I can look back now and see how God called me righteous, but few may have picked up on God’s plan and hope for me. 

“They were the dead in Christ that rose first.” 

As I pointed out above, it would seem that the people God called righteous were illegally held captive against their will. Since Christ preached to the captives, He changed their status to being in Christ. Thank God they were already dead because they got to rise first. I have nothing more than what I have proposed here to prove that, but what a great story. 

“Where does that leave us? ...”

If your life is hidden in Christ, then, at the moment, you are ALIVE in Christ and living inside an earth suit, and you get to deal with a thousand different feelings, most of which were a gift from God. Obviously, Satan managed to corrupt those feelings, but soon, we will shed those suits, put on our new robes, and spend eternity with the Father. 

“The end will see a battle in which God destroys all his enemies...”

Revelation 19 shows us one of the last great battles, where Jesus comes riding back on a white horse, and He will have a sword coming out of His mouth. He is followed by the saints of heaven. This sword is the Word of God but notice something; you never see Him swing it, nor do you see the armies of heaven engaged in battle. That Word does all the killing and kills all who choose to fight against Him in seconds.

If He kills all infidels, who would be left to rule over? 

Think about this: After killing the combatants, we are told that He will rule over the nations for a thousand years. I have used words like chose and combatants. I did so because not everybody chooses to fight and, therefore, lives on in the 1000 years.

“And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.” Revelation 21:24 NKJV)

The New Testament has the Old as its foundation, so here is a passage from the Old.

“Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore. O house of Jacob, come and let us walk In the light of the LORD.”
Isaiah 2:2-5 NKJV)

He and those slaughtered saints from the seven years will sit on thrones in judgment during the 1000 years. How appropriate. 

“Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4 NLT)

Okay, that battle is over. Who is thrown into the lake of fire? 

Satan – for 1000 years, and the only two humans there, the antichrist and the false prophet; that’s it. 

“And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.”
Revelation 19:20 NLT)

“and binds them a thousand years.”

No one human is bound by God.

Remember, all sins were forgiven on the cross, so NO ONE is being judged for sin. Now, there will be a time of judgment, but that judgment is based upon what you did with Jesus, and that happens at the great white throne (Which is the same judgment seat that we see when He judges between the sheep and the goats of Matthew 25. This is the only place and time this will happen. 

Fast forward a thousand years. What happens next?

Satan is released and once again deceives the nations. Those poor fools, many of them, will attempt to surround the Holy City (The 1500-mile square city where all the righteous live) with the hope of killing us, Jesus, and God. God, on the other hand, kills all who join in this stunt with a quick fire bath. Those dead people join all the other dead from the beginning of time who have not gone up in the rapture (this is where Matthew 25 kicks in), and some are shown mercy (This group receiving mercy is probably not among those that Satan deceived at the end of the 1000 years.) Those not afforded mercy are then judged and thrown into the lake of fire, where they are forgotten and permanently separated from God.

Notice that I am NOT taking the time to explain how the nations would then enter the eternal kingdom. Keep in mind that they DO NOT get to bring their broken earth suits into God's kingdom. Hint, there are those trees that provide healing for the nations, that line the river that comes from under the throne of God.

After the dust settles, all the rest of us join Jesus and the Father in eternity, never to be troubled again.