the believer’s life after death

section 1

scriptures before Christ’s death & resurrection

What did the Scriptures speak of even before Christ’s resurrection when describing the life after our deaths?

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ecclesiastes 12:7  esv 

...the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God Who gave it.

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Our spirit returns to God.

notes

luke 16:19-31  nlt 

Jesus said, "There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores.

As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.

The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’

But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’

Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’

But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’

The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’

But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’"

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The grave was a place of restful repose or ongoing torment. On one side was Paradise and on the other was Hades. Each headed to what their faith dictated in life  daniel 12:2 .

notes

daniel 12:2  esv 

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

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psalm 73:23-28  esv 

Nevertheless, I am continually with You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

For behold, those who are far from You shall perish; You put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to You.

But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works.

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Those who had true faith in the Lord were confident and expected to enter into glory with the Lord upon their death as they knew they had a refuge in Him even when they died  proverbs 14:32 . God valued His saints of old and the relationship He had with them and so even their death was precious in His sight  psalm 116:15 .

proverbs 14:32  esv 

The wicked is overthrown through his evildoing, but the righteous finds refuge in his death.

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psalm 116:15  esv 

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.

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notes

section 2

isaiah 57:1-2  nlt 

Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. For those who follow godly paths will rest in peace when they die.

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The righteous would die to spare them the further sorrows of this world not to be condemned. It was revealed and it was anticipated that they would be redeemed from the grave  psalm 49:15  while those who separated themselves from the Lord would be granted their chosen path  psalm 49:13-14 . It was in this knowledge that Job, despite His sufferings and complaints looked forward to the redemption of His body and soul even through the process of death  job 19:25-27 .

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reference scriptures

psalm 49:15  nkjv 

But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, For He shall receive me.

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psalm 49:13-14  nasb 

This is the way of those who are foolish, And of those after them who approve their words. Selah. As sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; And the upright shall rule over them in the morning, And their form shall be for Sheol to consume So that they have no habitation.

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job 19:25-27  csb 

But I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the end He will stand on the dust. Even after my skin has been destroyed, yet I will see God in my flesh. I will see Him myself; my eyes will look at Him, and not as a stranger. My heart longs within me.

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section 3

john 11:25-26  csb 

Jesus said to her, "I am the Resurrection and the Life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?"

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Jesus made some hard-to-understand statements that seem contradictory unless one understands the unseen  ii corinthians 5:7 . Those of the faith may be separated from their perishable bodies, but they would never be separated from their loving relationship with the Lord  romans 8:38-39 , and so, one may die in the body but would never die to the Lord  i peter 4:6 .

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reference scriptures

ii corinthians 5:7  esv 

for we walk by faith, not by sight.

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romans 8:38-39  esv 

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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i peter 4:6  nlt 

That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead—so although they were destined to die like all people, they now live forever with God in the Spirit.

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notes

section 4

john 5:24-29  esv 

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes Him Who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself. And He has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.

Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

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So the resurrection was coming; even before Christ was raised from the dead the resurrection had come because He Himself was the resurrection  john 11:25 . Our resurrection would follow His, as He is our life  colossians 3:3-4 .

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reference scriptures

john 11:25  esv 

Jesus said to her, "I Am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live...

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colossians 3:3-4  esv 

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ Who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

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notes

section 5

the in between

luke 23:43  esv 

And {Jesus} said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

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The thief was promised to be WITH Jesus in paradise THAT DAY because that day Jesus was going to Paradise. As He went to the Grave He proclaimed the victory to His enemies in Hades  i peter 3:18-20  and He preached the Good News to those who were waiting for Him in Paradise  i peter 4:6 . So, Jesus rescued the saints of old from the grave when He rose from the dead  ephesians 4:8-10 ,  psalm 68:18-20 . As a first fruits, deposit and witness  leviticus 23:10-11  of Christ’s victory over death and power of life, many saints were resurrected  matthew 27:51-53  after His resurrection i corinthians 15:20 . Which with another parallel resurrection gives us an indication that we should not get too caught up in the exact timings of the resurrections  revelation 11:7-13  but take heart that the resurrection is sure  i thessalonians 4:18 .

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reference scriptures

i peter 3:18-20  esv 

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which He went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.

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i peter 4:6  nlt 

That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead—so although they were destined to die like all people, they now live forever with God in the Spirit.

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ephesians 4:8-10  esv 

Therefore it says, "When He ascended on high He led a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men." (In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that He had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He Who descended is the One Who also ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

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psalm 68:18-20  esv 

You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in Your train and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there. Blessed be the Lord, Who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah

Our God is a God of salvation, and to GOD, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.

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leviticus 23:10-11  esv 

Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.

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matthew 27:51-53  esv 

And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

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i corinthians 15:20  esv 

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

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notes

revelation 11:7-13  esv 

And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them,

and their dead bodies will lie in the street...

For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb...

But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.

Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here!" And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.

And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of Heaven.

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i thessalonians 4:18  esv 

Therefore encourage one another with these words.

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section 6

scriptures for after Christ’s death & resurrection

ii corinthians 4:16-5:10 (6-8)  esv 

So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

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Our present circumstances are temporary, but we should look forward to being at home with the Lord FOREVER even if that means death from our bodies.

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philippians 1:21-23  esv 

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

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To die is to gain because we would be in the direct presence of the Lord without any encumbrance.

revelations 6:9-11  esv 

When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of God and for the witness they had borne.

They cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before You will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"

Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

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Believers are not asleep in unconsciousness, but rather asleep to us here looking at their perishable body. They are very present and in communion with the Lord.

i peter 4:6  nlt 

That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead—so although they were destined to die like all people, they now live forever with God in the Spirit.

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The perishable body dies, but the spirit lives on with the Lord.

notes

romans 8:18-25  esv 

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him Who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

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As we live in the tent of the perishable body we wait and long for the imperishable redemption of not only our souls but body to be revealed in Christ.

ii corinthians 4:14  esv 

...knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into His presence.

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There is coming a day when TOGETHER we will be presented to the Lord  hebrews 11:39-40 .

hebrews 11:39-40  esv 

And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

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notes

section 7

i thessalonians 4:13-18  esv 

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

Therefore encourage one another with these words.

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Those who have died {fallen asleep,  john 11:11-14 } in Christ will not have to wait for those who are raptured, rather they have preceded us. But it seems that at that resurrection trumpet they shall be raised in the procession of God’s victory over death  i corinthians 4:9 ,  ii corinthians 2:14 ,  isaiah 25:6-9 , i corinthians 15:54-57  in their rightful turn i corinthians 15:20-23  so that we ALL may marvel in His majesty  ii thessalonians 1:10 .

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reference scriptures

john 11:11-14  esv 

After saying these things, he said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him."

The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover."

Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He meant taking rest in sleep.

Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus has died...

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i corinthians 4:9  esv 

For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men.

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ii corinthians 2:14  esv 

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere.

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isaiah 25:6-9  esv 

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And He will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations.

He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of His people He will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.

It will be said on that day, "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, that He might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for Him; let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation."

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i corinthians 15:54-57 esv 

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."

"O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

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notes

i corinthians 15:20-23  esv 

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a Man has come also the resurrection of the dead.

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ.

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ii thessalonians 1:10  esv 

...when {Jesus} comes on that day to be glorified in His saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

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notes:

section 8

i thessalonians 5:10  esv 

...{Jesus} Who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with Him.

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So while alive we are with Him through the Holy Spirit  john 14:16-20 , but we shall be with Him and like Him when we fall asleep or He returns for us  i john 3:2-3 .

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reference scriptures

john 14:16-20  esv 

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

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i john 3:2-3  nlt 

Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but He has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as He is pure.

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notes:

section 9

ii corinthians 5:10  esv 

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

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All will be judged by God, but believers will be judged for rewards  ephesians 6:8  either to the gain  luke 19:17  and keeping of rewards  i corinthians 3:14 ,  john 12:25  or the loss of them  i corinthians 3:15 . Those rewards being the genuine, loving relationships with others we gained in serving the Lord faithfully  i john 5:1-3 ,  i corinthians 3:12-16 ,  psalm 16:1-6 ,  luke 16:9 ,  philippians 4:1 ,  i thessalonians 2:19-20 ,  ephesians 1:18 ,  colossians 1:12 .

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reference scriptures

ephesians 6:8  esv 

knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.

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luke 19:17  esv 

And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’

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i corinthians 3:14  esv 

If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.

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john 12:25  esv 

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

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i corinthians 3:15  esv 

If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

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i john 5:1-3  esv 

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

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i corinthians 3:12-16  nlt 

Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value.

If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward.

But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.

Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?

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notes

psalm 16:1-6  esv 

Preserve me, O God, for in You I take refuge. I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You."

As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.

The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

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luke 16:9  nlt 

Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.

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philippians 4:1  esv 

Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

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i thessalonians 2:19-20  esv 

For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.

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ephesians 1:18  esv 

having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints...

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colossians 1:12  esv 

...giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

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section 10

i corinthians 15:35-58

Turn In Your Bibles...just too long for the notes.

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Our resurrected bodies are glorious bodies like Christ. Jesus was flesh and blood as He dwelt among us  john 1:14 , but His resurrected body was a different kind of body  i corinthians 15:39-45  as it was not made the natural way, but the supernatural way  john 2:19-22   mark 14:58   john 1:12-13 . Christ’s resurrected body was flesh and bone  luke 24:37-39  not flesh and blood  i corinthians 15:50 . The new life is Christ Himself  john 6:57   i corinthians 15:45  rather than an intermediary of blood  leviticus 17:14 . Thus, His body was no longer subject to the basic principles of this world  colossians 2:20   romans 6:8-10 , so those elementary principles are no longer masters  hebrews 2:14-18   galatians 4:1-9  but servants  zechariah 12:8   john 20:19, 26   luke 24:31   i corinthians 15:42-44 . Take comfort as we shall be like Him in His glorious body  philippians 3:21   i corinthians 15:49 .

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reference scriptures

john 1:14  esv 

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...

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notes:

i corinthians 15:39-45  esv 

For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is 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. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

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john 2:19-22  esv 

Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

The Jews then said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?"

But He was speaking about the temple of His body. When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

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mark 14:58  esv 

"We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’"

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john 1:12-13  esv 

But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

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luke 24:37-39  esv 

But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit.

And He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Touch Me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have."

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i corinthians 15:50  esv 

I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

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john 6:57  esv 

As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on Me, he also will live because of Me.

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i corinthians 15:45  esv 

Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

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leviticus 17:14  esv 

For the life of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.

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colossians 2:20  nkjv 

Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations--

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notes

romans 6:8-10  esv 

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death He died He died to sin, once for all, but the life He lives He lives to God.

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hebrews 2:14-18  esv 

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through deathHe might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

For surely it is not angels that He helps, but He helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore He had to be made like His brothers in every respect, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because He Himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.

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galatians 4:1-9  esv 

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?

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zechariah 12:8  esv 

On that day the LORD will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the LORD, going before them.

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john 20:19, 26  esv 

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."

Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."

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luke 24:31  esv 

And their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. And He vanished from their sight.

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i corinthians 15:42-44  esv 

So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is 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. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

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philippians 3:21  esv 

...Who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself.

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i corinthians 15:49  esv 

Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the Man of Heaven.

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section 11

john 17:3  esv 

And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent.

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So we have much to hope for and nothing to fear. No matter how your perishable body is done away with you will be with the Lord and receive a glorious body  i corinthians 15:35-38   revelation 20:13 . We must conclude that some details and particulars are perhaps beyond our understanding  i corinthians 13:12  or haven’t even been fully revealed  i corinthians 4:6   deuteronomy 29:29 , but we can take great courage and heart that unlike those who reject God and are shut out of His presence  ii thessalonians 1:9  our eternal life is secure and that it is not where we go but WHO we go to i thessalonians 4:17 .

reference scriptures

i corinthians 15:35-38  esv 

But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?"

You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as He has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.

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revelation 20:13  esv 

And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.

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i corinthians 13:12  esv 

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

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i corinthians 4:6  esv 

I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.

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deuteronomy 29:29  esv 

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

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ii thessalonians 1:9  esv 

They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might...

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i thessalonians 4:17  esv 

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

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notes