AT THE CROSS

This weekend is the anniversary of the death of Jesus, the Messiah, on a Roman cross. This is a song I wrote back in 2003, about the accomplishments of his sacrifice on that cross. I hope you enjoy reading it as a poem.

Have you been to the cross of Jesus?
Have you stood in that place of victory?
If you haven’t knelt there in His presence
Then I invite you to go there with me

At the cross, my sins are forgiven
At the cross, my blinded eyes now see
At the cross, my broken heart is mended
At the cross, I am set free

Have you been to the cross of Jesus?
Have you felt the love that He has for you?
If you haven’t yet felt His forgiveness
That’s one thing that you need to do

At the cross, our sins are forgiven
At the cross, our blinded eyes now see
At the cross, all broken heart is mended
At the cross, we are all set free

At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light
And the burden of my heart rolled away
At the cross, you can have forgiveness
Please go to the cross of Jesus today

At the cross, our sins are forgiven
At the cross, our blinded eyes now see
At the cross, all broken heart is mended
At the cross, we can all be set free

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Song "At The Cross" © 2003 © 2007 Teddy Lynn – BMI All Rights Reserved

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MIRACLE AT LONE OAK

The Sun is shining brightly, but it’s still cold. It’s the latter part of winter in Lone Oak, Mississippi. The last few months have been long and bitter. The promise of spring is in the air, and anticipations are high, but there are some who can only focus on the here and now. In the little two-room house, shared by Hugh and Ellen Spencer, and their eight children, fear fills every heart. 

Twelve-year-old Junie lies unconscious, stricken with a fever. She has been sick for weeks and has been at death’s door for several days now. Her mother has not left her side. She watches over her sweet child and prays for the fever to break. Many prayers are offered up to God as the family wonders if she will survive this ordeal that threatens to tear another child from her arms.

As Ellen places another wet towel on her daughter’s head she notices something that sends a chill down her spine. She shouts to her husband, “Hugh, Hugh, come quick.” As Hugh races frantically to the bedside of his sick child he is thinking the worst. As he enters the room, Ellen shouts, “Junie’s fever has broken! Send for Dr. Williams!”

As the sun shines directly overhead, a strange, but familiar noise grew louder and louder. The eldest son, Ervin, was returning home with the doctor. The strange noise was made by an automobile, which Dr. Williams drove. Not too common in the Lone Oak area, but a welcome site today.

“I heard the good news, Hugh. How’s our girl doing?” With a gleam of cheer in his voice, Hugh said, “Well Doc, That’s what we were hoping you could tell us. Come on In,” he added.

By now Junie was awake and sitting up in bed. The doctor examined her and then turned to address her parents. “Mr. and Mrs. Spencer,” he says with a smile, “Junie’s gonna be fine. Since she’s been cooped up in this room for weeks, I think some fresh air would do her good. You should open the door and window for a couple of hours and let the house air out, but she doesn’t need to be in the direct wind for long, so in the meantime, how would you like to go for a ride in an automobile, Junie?”

The ride was great, and Junie enjoyed it very much. It was an experience she would never forget. She never forgot her parent’s love and care for her either. She never forgot that God had brought her back from death’s door and added many years to her life. 

As I listened to my Grandmother tell this story, I could see the appreciation in her eyes, and hear it in her voice. She longed to see Jesus face to face and thank him, not just for what he did for her that winter, but for all he had done in her life afterward. She loved God and served him until the day she died. I can’t wait to see her again, after the resurrection, and watch the faces of my children and grandchildren light up, as our Grandmother tells this story and many others. I’m looking forward to it.

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Adapted from the book “Inspiration For The Journey” by Teddy Lynn

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THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD

The resurrection of the dead is a key doctrine of Christianity, and the blessed hope for all Christians the world over (Titus 2:13, 1 Peter 1:3, Acts 24:15, Romans 8:22, 1 Thessalonians 4:13, 1 John 3:2), but this is another one of those controversial doctrines of the Bible. Even though there are many, many passages of scripture dedicated to it, there are many different teachings on the subject, but there can only be one truth. The only way to know that truth is to study God’s word with a prayerful heart and an open mind, and by putting aside ALL preconceived ideas. With that in mind let’s see what the Bible really says about this very important subject.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 
15. For this, we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not prevent (precede/go before) those who are asleep. 
16. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and THE DEAD IN CHRIST WILL RISE first. 
17. Then, we who are alive and remain will be taken up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will be with the Lord for ever.

These verses tell us a few things that will happen at the second coming of Jesus. Notice carefully verse 15. Paul plainly says that what he is telling us comes from the Lord. He says the Christians who are alive at the coming of the Lord WILL NOT go up before the dead Christians. The LIVING and the DEAD Christians will all be TAKEN UP together to meet the Lord in the air, at the RESURRECTION.

2 Peter 3:10-12 
10 But THE DAY OF THE LORD will come like a THIEF IN THE NIGHT, in which the HEAVENS WILL PASS AWAY with a LOUD NOISE, and THE ELEMENTS WILL MELT with EXTREME HEAT. The EARTH ALSO and the works that are in it WILL BURN UP. 
11 Seeing then that ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE DISSOLVED, what manner of persons should you be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting to the coming of the day of God, when THE HEAVENS BEING ON FIRE WILL BE DISSOLVED, and the elements will melt with extreme heat?

So, at the second coming, the heavens and the elements will be destroyed by fire. This means there will be no atmosphere, which means there will be no air to breathe. So no life can exist on earth after the second coming of Jesus.

Job 14:10-12
10 But man dies and wastes away. Yes, man gives up the ghost, and where is he? 
11 As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decays and dries up, 
12 So man lies down and rises not. UNTIL THE HEAVENS ARE NO MORE, THEY WILL NOT AWAKE NOR BE RAISED out of their sleep.

Job tells us the resurrection will not happen until the heavens “PASS AWAY.” So the resurrection happens at the END OF THE WORLD when the earth and the atmosphere are burned up.

Let’s look at the parable of the wheat and the weeds, then Jesus himself will tell us the meaning.

Matthew 13:24-30
24 Another parable he put forth to them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 
25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went his way. 
26 But when the blade was sprung up and brought forth fruit, then the weeds appeared also. 
27 So the servants of the householder came and said to him, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where then did these weeds come from? 
28 He said to them, An enemy has done this. The servants said to him, Then do you want us to go and gather them up? 
29 But he said, No, lest while you gather up the weeds, you also root up the wheat with them. 
30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the time of harvest, I will say to the reapers, Gather together first the weeds, and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.

Now, look what Jesus said the parable means.

Matthew 13:36-43

36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house, and his disciples came to him and said, DECLARE TO US THE PARABLE OF THE WEEDS IN THE FIELD. 
37 He answered and said to them, HE THAT SOWS the good seed is THE SON OF MAN; (Jesus) 
38 THE FIELD is THE WORLD; THE GOOD SEED are the CHILDREN OF THE KINGDOM, but THE WEEDS are THE CHILDREN OF THE WICKED ONE; 
39 THE ENEMY that sowed them is THE DEVIL; THE HARVEST is THE END OF THE WORLD, and the REAPERS are THE ANGELS.

Jesus said the harvest is the end of the world. Look what he said will happen at the end of the world.

40 Therefore, as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire; so will it be at the END OF THE WORLD.
41 The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and those who do iniquity; (Sin) 
42 And will throw them into a furnace of fire: there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 
43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.

Notice the SAVED and the WICKED both are still here together at the END OF THE WORLD. They are separated AT the END OF THE WORLD. Not Pre-Trib, not Mid-Trib. Not before the end, but AT THE END OF THE WORLD. The Second Coming and the Rapture is the same event; the end of the world.

When did the sister of Lazarus think the resurrection would be?

John 11:23-24
23 Jesus saith to her, Your brother will rise again.
24 Martha saith to him, I know that he will rise again in THE resurrection at the last day.

Martha believed this because it’s what Jesus taught. (John 6:39, 40; John 6:44, 54; John 12:48)

1 Corinthians 15:51-55
51 Behold, I show you a mystery; We will not all sleep (die), but we will all be changed, 
52 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 will be changed. 
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 
54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, THEN will be brought to pass the saying that is written, DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY.
55 O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?

1 Corinthians 15:26
26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

Compare 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 with the last two passages we just read, 1 Corinthians 15:51-55 and 1 Corinthians 15:26, and you will see something interesting. DEATH is destroyed at the second coming. Add Rev. 20:12-15 and we get a pretty clear picture. This means no one can die seven years later, and no one can die a thousand years later. This is the end. There’s no more death after the second coming, which is the end of the world.

Look at these next few passages carefully.

Luke 14:13-14
13 But when you make a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
14 And you will be blessed; for they cannot repay you: for you will be repaid at THE resurrection of the just.

Acts 24:15
15 And I have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there will be A resurrection of the dead, BOTH of the JUST and UNJUST.

Daniel 12:2
2 And many of them that SLEEP IN THE DUST of the earth will wake up, SOME TO EVERLASTING LIFE, and SOME TO SHAME AND EVERLASTING CONTEMPT.

These few verses have been used by some as proof texts to say there will be two resurrections from the dead. One where the Children of God rise and another where the wicked dead will rise a thousand years later. The Bible does mention the First and Second Resurrection in Revelation chapter 20. In the article called “First and Second Death, First and Second Resurrection” we saw from the Bible that we are all dead in sin, and the First Resurrection is when we are BURIED with Christ in baptism and RAISED as a new creature from the First Death, which Adam brought upon the world by disobeying God. Please read that short study at the link below, to understand this study more clearly.

First and Second Death, First, and Second Resurrection

Seeing that the First Resurrection is Spiritual, then there can only be One Physical Resurrection. As we look at the following verses carefully, we’ll see the last three verses we looked at do not show two separate resurrections, but one resurrection with two different classes of people: the Saved and the Lost.

John 5:28-29
28 Marvel not at this: for THE hour is coming, in which ALL that are in the graves will hear his voice, 
29 And ALL will come forth. They that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

Notice carefully that Jesus said THE hour is coming when ALL will come up out of their graves. Again, this is not two resurrections. It is one resurrection with two different classes of people being raised at the same time; The Saved and the Lost. Read Luke 14:13-14, Acts 24:15, Dan. 12:2 again. Then look at the next verse.

Revelation 1:7
7 Behold, he will come with clouds, and EVERY EYE will see him: even those who pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth will wail before him, Even so, Amen.

Every Eye means every eye. Everyone on earth. Even the dead. This is not a special resurrection for those who killed Jesus, this is the Second Coming when both the Saved and Lost will be resurrected to join the Saved and the Lost who are still alive, and we ALL will witness the return of Jesus in the clouds with power and great glory. (Luke 21:27; Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26)

Look what else Jesus said about THE Resurrection.

Matthew 12:41
41 The men of Nineveh WILL RISE in judgment WITH this generation and WILL CONDEMN IT because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and, behold, One greater than Jonah is here.

Nineveh repented and was Saved. Jesus said they would be resurrected WITH that generation, and condemn it because they had not repented. More proof that the Saved and the Lost rise at the same time. ONE RESURRECTION, TWO CLASSES OF PEOPLE.

Let's look at one more verse to tie it all together.

2 Timothy 4:1
1 So I urge you in the sight of God, and the Lord Jesus, Christ, who will judge the LIVING and the DEAD at his appearing and his kingdom;

It will all take place at the same time: the Second Coming/Rapture. The atmosphere will be destroyed, and both the Saved and the Lost will be resurrected. The Saved will get new bodies. The earth will be destroyed, and the Lost will burn up with the earth. This is Hell Fire. It all happens at The End Of The World.

First and Second Death, First, and Second Resurrection

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ETERNAL LIFE OR ETERNAL DEATH?

Eternal Life: Have you heard of it? Sure you have. Basically, it means living forever? Does it really exist? If so, are we born with it? If not, how do we receive it?

Have you ever heard that we all have an immortal soul? Well, the bible says only God is immortal (1 Tim. 1:17), and humans are mortal, not immortal (Job 4:17). The Bible tells us in several places that we can live forever with Jesus. If God is immortal and humans are not, then how can we live forever? To answer that question we must first answer a few other questions.

1) WHAT IS DEATH?

John 11:11-14
11. …[Jesus] said to them, Our friend Lazarus is sleeping, but I go, that I may wake him out of sleep.
12. Then his disciples said, Lord, if he sleeps, he will do well.
13. But, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that he was speaking of taking rest in sleep.
14. Then Jesus said to them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

Psalm 13:3
3. Consider and hear me, O Lord my God. Lighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.

ANSWER:
The Bible says Death is a Sleep. The dead are asleep in their graves. So what does that do to the theory that people go to heaven, or hell, or purgatory when they die?

2) WHERE DO PEOPLE GO WHEN THEY DIE?

Job 14:10-12
10. But man dies and wastes away. Yes, man gives up the ghost (H1478), and where is he?
11. As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decays and dries up,
12. So man lies down and rises not. Until the heavens are no more, they will not wake up, nor be raised out of their sleep.

Job 7:9-10
9. As the cloud is consumed and vanishes away, so he that goes down to the grave will come up no more.
10. He will return no more to his house, neither will his place know him anymore.

Daniel 12:2
2. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will wake up, some to eternal life, and some to shame and eternal contempt.

John 5:28-29
28. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves will hear his voice,
29. And will come forth; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of damnation.

Acts 2:29, 34
29. Men and brethren, let me freely speak to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us unto this day.

34. For David is NOT ascended into the heavens:

ANSWER: 
People go to the grave at death, NOT heaven, NOT hell, NOT purgatory, NOR limbo, and they don’t come back to their homes to visit loved ones or to haunt their house. They are asleep. They are Unconscious. They are Dead.

3) WHAT ARE THE DEAD DOING RIGHT NOW?

Ecclesiastes 9:5-6
5. For the living know that they will die: but the dead do not know anything, neither do they have any more reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
6. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy have now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in anything that is done under the sun.

Psalm 146:3-4
3. Do not put your trust in princes, nor in the sons of men, in whom there is no help.
4. His breath goes forth, he returns to the earth. In that very day, his thoughts perish. (We stop thinking the moment we die)

Psalm 30:9
9. What profit is there in my blood when I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it declare your truth? (God’s Truth)

Psalm 6:5
5. For in death there is no remembrance of you. In the grave who will give you thanks? (Talking to God)

Psalm 115:17
17. The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any that go down into silence.

ANSWER: 
The dead are not doing anything. They don’t know anything at all. The day they die, they stop thinking. They don’t remember anything. They don’t praise God. If they were in heaven, they would be thinking AND praising God. They are asleep in the grave. Unconscious. Dead.

4) KING DAVID AND THE REST OF GOD’S PEOPLE ARE ASLEEP IN THE GRAVE. WHEN WILL THEY GO TO HEAVEN?

1 Corinthians 15:51-52
51. Behold, I show you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
52. 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 will be changed.

Job 14:13-15
13. O that you would hide me in the grave, that you would keep me secret until your wrath passes, that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
14. If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my appointed time I will wait until my change comes.
15. You will call, and I will answer you. You will have a desire to the work of your hands.

John 5:28-29
28. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves will hear his voice,
29. And will come forth; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of damnation.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-16
15. For this, we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who are asleep.
16. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first:

ANSWER: 
The dead in Christ, those who have been born again, who are asleep in the grave, will be raised from death and will meet Jesus in the air at his second coming.

5) WHAT ABOUT THE SOUL? DOESN’T THE SOUL LIVE FOREVER, EITHER IN HEAVEN OR HELL?

Ezekiel 18:20
20. The soul that sins, it will die. (A soul can die)

Ezekiel 18:4
4. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sins, it will die.

Revelation 16:3
3. And the second angel poured out his vial on the sea, and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.

Jeremiah 2:34
34. Also in your skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: (A soul has blood)

Revelation 18:11-13
11. And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her; for no one buys their merchandise anymore:
12. The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all kinds of vessels of ivory, and all kinds of vessels of most precious wood, and brass, and iron, and marble,
13. And cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

ANSWER: 
A soul is alive. (Revelation 16:3) 
A soul can die. (Ezekiel 18:4, 20) 
A soul can be bought and sold. (Revelation 18:11-13) 
A soul has blood. (Jeremiah 2:34)
A soul is not immortal. (Job 4:17)
Only God is immortal. (1 Timothy 1:17)

6) SO WHAT EXACTLY IS A SOUL?

Genesis 2:7
7. And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. (Man IS a soul)

Psalm 104:29-30
29. You hide your face, they are troubled. You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.
30. You send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.

Job 33:4 
4. The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

Job 27:3 
3. All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit (breath) of God is in my nostrils; (spirit = breath in this verse)

Isaiah 2:22 
22. Cease from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?

ANSWER:
Man does not “HAVE” a soul, Man “IS” a soul. The Body plus the Breath of Life equals a LIVING SOUL. Humans are MORTAL. That means we do not have eternal life. No one will live forever unless God gives us Immortality. He only gives immortality to the faithful who have been born again, then we will live forever. That is our reward for being faithful and following him. Those who are not saved CAN NOT live forever. That brings up another question.

7) WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE UNSAVED SOULS AT THE SECOND COMING?

John 3:16
16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Romans 6:23 
23. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ezekiel 18:20
20. The soul that sins, it will die.

ANSWER:
These verses tell us there are only 2 choices. LIVE FOREVER or DIE. ETERNAL LIFE or DEATH. Strong’s Concordance says the word “PERISH” means to DIE, or BE DESTROYED, TO BE NO MORE (No Longer Exist). We’ve already seen that ONLY GOD is IMMORTAL. He only gives IMMORTALITY to the righteous, not the wicked, and if our sins are not forgiven we will DIE. This death is the second death from which there is no resurrection. Not just eternal separation from God, but eternal DEATH.

8) WHAT ABOUT THE SECOND DEATH?

Revelation 2:11 
11. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He that overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.

Revelation 20:6
6. Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection. On such the second death hath no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.

Revelation 20:14 
14. And death and hell (the grave) were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Revelation 21:8 
8. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whore-mongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars will have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

ANSWER:
The Bible is clear. We are not immortal. Only God is. Eternal life is a gift from God to those who follow Him.

So, at the second coming of Jesus, the saved who have died will be resurrected with new bodies. The bodies of the saved who are still alive at that time will be changed and made new. This is the reward of the faithful. Eternal Life.

Those who are not saved will receive their reward at this time. They will DIE in hell fire. Not burn forever, as some believe, but DIE. Malachi 4:1 says they will be burned up. Destroyed. In verse 3 Malachi says they will be ashes. Jesus took the penalty for our sins. He DIED. The wages of sin is DEATH, not burning forever. Hell fire is not the penalty for sin. Death is. Hell fire is just the means that God will use to destroy sin. There are only two choices. We will either live forever, or we will be destroyed.

For more about Hell, go to http://www.helltruth.com

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My Blogs
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com
https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

© 2014 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @ 
https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6