Waiting For The Dead
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There is a sad scene pictured in Judges chapter
five in the victory song of
Deborah and Barak over Sisera and the Canaanites.
Sisera’s mother is said to be looking out of her window waiting
for her son who is already dead to return safely from battle.
Her ‘wise ladies’ added to her false hope.
Spiritually, many who do not have the proper knowledge of the
scriptures sadly have false hope. This
false hope is aided by ‘wise false teachers’ who teach false
doctrines. Let us
consider some of the false hopes (waiting for the dead)
in the religious world. Many of the
Jews are waiting for their
Messiah. In John 4:25-26
Jesus told the woman at the well that He was the Messiah.
In John Some wait
for a second chance of salvation after death. Hebrews 9: 27 tells us
“..it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment.”
Romans 2:7-11 informs us that tribulation and wrath awaits those
who do not obey the truth and in 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 Paul Christ is
coming to take vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the
gospel. Our eternal fate is
sealed at death. Often a
part of the idea of a second chance is associated with Christ coming to
earth again to reign in a physical kingdom on earth for a thousand
years. The New Testament church and the kingdom are one and the same
(Matt.
Some are waiting for Heaven to act in their salvation.
Some are waiting for an “experience”
a “better felt than told feeling” or a miraculous gift of faith
as an assurance of their salvation. The Bible teaches that the gospel is
God’s power to save (Rom. 1:16-17) and faith come by hearing (Rom.
10:17) and Paul says we are called by the gospel (2 Thess. 2:14).
Some are waiting to ‘pray through’ to be saved. There is no such
teaching in the scriptures. When we study the Acts (the book of
conversions) we see in every example that those converted were first
taught the gospel, they believed, repented and were baptized for the
remission of their sins (i.e. to be saved). There is not even a hint of
an example of
a better felt than told experience, miraculous faith, of one
praying through to salvation or saying ‘the sinner’s prayer.’
Heaven has already acted in regard to man’s salvation, Jesus
Christ came, lived, died on the cross, arose from the grave, ascended
back to heaven and there now reigns as Lord and Savior over His
church-kingdom. John in 1
John 2:4 says that if one says he/she knows God/Christ and does not obey
His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
Acts 8:29-40 gives us a Bible example of the process of salvation
and the feelings associated therewith.
Philip was instructed to go meet the eunuch on his way home from
worshipping in Jerusalem. Philip begin from the book of Isaiah
and preached Jesus unto him, as they went on their way, the
eunuch said, see here is water what hinders be to be baptized. Philip
told if he believed with all his heart he could be baptized. The eunuch
confessed his faith in Christ and they stopped the chariot and went down
into the water and Philip baptized him (for remission of sins, Acts
2:38) and the eunuch came up out of the water and went on his way
rejoicing. That is the
Bible feeling of salvation! 3)
Some are waiting for a convenient time.
In Acts 24:25 when Paul reasoned with Felix of righteousness,
temperance and judgment to come he trembled and told Paul he would call
for him at a “more convenient season.”
One waiting for a convenient season is waiting for the dead. 4) We
should be looking for Christ coming when He will call all in to
judgment. See Acts 1:11, 2 Thess. 1:6-10, Rom. 8:23-25,
1 Thess. 4:13-18, Acts 17:30-31.
We are not waiting for the dead when we wait for Christ (1 Cor.
15:15-58). |