God is the God of the Living!

God is the God of the living

Luke 20:37, 38 “But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.”

God created man in His image and in His likeness for fellowship as He walked with them in a pure Garden of Eden.

He warned Adam that he would die if he ate of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

As soon as they had eaten, they felt guilt, shame and fear; causing them to hide themselves from God. As they were escorted out of the garden, they died spiritually to God’s Presence and fellowship. As they toiled with the soil to produce their food, they realized that they were dying physically a little each day.

The wages of sin are death; a death that is twofold:

A spiritual death to the things of God: for the natural man cannot know them, for they are spiritually discerned, and the natural mind of man hates the things of God because the things of God convict him of what he is doing wrong and that he is out of fellowship with his Creator.  (I Corinthians 2:14, Romans 8:7)

A physical death: because man is given a limited number of years to live in this body, before he has to give an account to his God. (Romans 14:12, Job 14:5-7)

Death cannot, and does not, dwell with God. God is the God of the living, not of the dead. Anything, and anyone, who is dead, has to be cast out of the Presence of Life. Jesus said that anyone who believes in Him will never die, but live eternally with Him and His Father in heaven. (John 11:25, 26) Heaven has no death, no suffering, no sickness, no sorrow, and no one out of fellowship with their Creator.

The second death is spiritual and eternal 

Revelation 20:14-15, “Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

The first death is physical and temporary

The first death is the body aging toward the grave. Dust going back to dust, while the spirit returns to God for judgment. “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,” (Hebrews 9:27)

The death rate for humans is 100%. No one escapes the dying process. All bodies will go back to dust. Money, fame, power, exercise, or eating the right foods, will not prevent your body from going to the grave.

The concern of all, or at least it should be, is where will your spirit and soul go once your body takes its last breath?

Ecclesiastes 12:7, “For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.”

In Luke chapter 16, Jesus told the story of two people: a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus.  They both died. Both bodies were buried in the ground, but their spirits retained their soul’s personalities, determining their eternal destiny. The rich man had abused Lazarus, while on earth, and now the rich man was reaping what he had sown. Lazarus, who has served his master under harsh circumstances with an obedient and submissive heart, was now reaping the true character of his spirit-man, while resting in peace in Abraham’s Bosom.

Abraham’s Bosom was where the righteous dead went until Christ conquered death, hell and the grave. When Jesus descended first into the lower parts of the earth, He led these righteous souls out of Abraham’s Bosom, up through the grave, and then into Paradise, where He told the repentant thief of the cross that he would be with him today. (Luke 13:43)

These righteous souls, who had served God in their bodies while on earth, died a physical death; but their spirits and souls lived beyond the grave in peace, comfort and rest, in a place called Abraham’s Bosom. Now Abraham’s Bosom has been done away with; and these souls, and those who die believing in the Lord since Christ’s Resurrection, are in Paradise with the Lord. (II Corinthians 12:4) Christ is the God of the living, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob! The God of all who die believing in the Lord as their God!

Jesus told Nicodemus that man had to be Born Again to be able to enter into the Kingdom of God, a New Birth of Water and of Spirit. That which is born of flesh is flesh, and dies physically, and will spend eternity in a place of spiritual death. That which is born of Spirit, is Spirit, and will spend eternity in a place of eternal life. (John 3:7)

Jesus said that we will never die spiritually, by believing in Him, and that He was going back to His Father’s House to prepare a place for us, and then He was coming back to take us to be where He is dwelling with His Father. (John 14:2-3)

He also promised the Holy Spirit as our Comforter who would dwell in our spirits and give us the desire and spiritual understanding that He was with us always. (John 14:16-27)

Acts 1:8-11 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.  Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.  And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

Paul said if we are away from these earthly bodies in death, as believers, we shall be at home with the Lord.

II Corinthians 5:8, “Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.”

As we await the Lord’s soon return to snatch His Bride out of this world and up to heaven with Him, we can be assured that Jesus is with us as He promised, for His Holy Spirit is dwelling in our spirits and gives witness that we are His Children. (Romans 8:16)

His Spirit has sealed our spirits, guaranteeing our eternal inheritance with Him for eternity.

Ephesians 1:13 “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

This seal, or mark of God’s Spirit on our human spirit, is the first payment on what He has promised to give to us when He returns for us in the Rapture.

II Corinthians 1:22, “and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.”

Death of Unbeliever 

When an unbeliever in Christ dies, his body goes to the grave and back to dust. His spirit and soul returns to God, for assignment to comfort or torment, until the White Throne Judgment at the end of time. (Revelation 20:11-15)

Death of Believer

When a believer in Christ dies, his body goes to the grave and back to dust, to await the Rapture, when his body will be raised a spiritual and incorruptible body like the Lord’s Glorified body after His Resurrection.

The believer’s spirit and soul return to God for assignment to Paradise, where He is at ‘home’ with the Lord in peace and comfort. At the Rapture, His spirit and soul join his body raised from the grave to stand before the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ. This judgment is for rewards for what has been done for God, and not to determine whether one is saved or not. If you are standing at the Judgment Seat of Christ, you are already saved, or you would not be standing there.

“God is the God of the living” means that those who believe in Christ as their Lord and Savior are alive in spirit and soul, even when their bodies of flesh are buried in the grave and returning to dust from whence it came. When He returns at the Rapture, He will quicken those dust particles back into a body fashioned like unto His; able to dwell in His fellowship for eternity!                   (I Thessalonians 4:17 and I Corinthians 15:52)

He that believeth in me, shall never die!!