Dr. Barnhouse and the Bible

Guest (Male): Making God's word plain. The Alliance of confessing Evangelicals presents God's eternal truths with Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse and the Bible.

Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse: When death comes to a Christian, Jesus Christ is there in a sense in which he is not there before. He knows he has come to take his loved one and to take them into glory. And you may be sure of that fact if death it comes to you. If I should happen to be hit by an automobile and die tonight, bury me right here. Don't ship the body any place. I don't care what happens to it after I'm gone. But if you had a funeral here from up in my home in up in natural, well then isn't that proof?

Totally dead, that's natural. But that's not supernatural. With his friendly manner, vivid analogies, and most of all his faithful exposition of the Scriptures, Dr. Barnhouse makes the Bible relevant to modern man. His sermons are no less applicable to those who hear them today than when he first preached them decades ago. The Egyptians buried the Pharaohs with gold and riches to enjoy in the next life. The Greeks believed a boat carried the dead across the River Styx. People today may picture a heavenly afterlife of white robes, clouds, and harps, while others see death as the sudden secession of all consciousness.

With all these different ideas about the afterlife, what does God's word teach us about life after death? This week we turn to 1 John chapter 1 and verses 6 through 10. Here again is Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse with his message Life After Death. A great difficulty in much teaching is that it is derived from little sections of the Bible. Nobody has ever understood the entire doctrine on a subject until you taken a subject and said now does Genesis 1 1 have anything to do with this subject? Now does Genesis 1 2 does Genesis 1 3 does this verse, does this verse, and go right through the whole Bible and carefully balance and analyze the whole Bible on any one subject.

And take out those verses and put them together to form your doctrine. When that is done, then you have correct Christian doctrine. So then when we study the question of life after death immediately we must explain that if this question has to be divided. First as to the death of the body and the death of the soul. Secondly as to this question as it applies in the case of those who do not believe in Jesus Christ and those who do believe in Jesus Christ. Thirdly is the difference between what happened at death before Christ died and rose again and since Christ died and rose again.

Now I do not have to labor the first point that when death comes the body dies. Does it make any difference whether the body dies as a baby or an old man, man or woman, believer or unbeliever? Every human body that dies corrupts and rots and goes back to the primal elements. Every once in a while I get a question what do you think about cremation? And I reply that anthropologists and ethnologists have uh studied and brought forth the fact that there are approximately 27 different ways of disposing of the human body. Uh the Indians wrap them in birch bark and tie them to the top of the trees.

The Incas made post holes, put corn around them, tied them together, and put them in a post hole standing stiff at attention. Other Indians tuck their knees up under their chins and put them in square holes. Out in India they put them out for the birds to destroy. In other places in India they burn the bodies and scatter the ashes on the uh river. It does not make any difference what happens to the human body. The Lord Jesus Christ is going to find me in the resurrection and bring me forth, as it says in Philippians 3, by the power that he has to subdue all things to himself.

Now in the next place let us consider this question from the point of view of what happened before the time of Christ. And to those who were saved and those who were lost. Let's take Cain and Abel as an example. First of all, the Bible teaches that there is a place, the abode of the dead before the time of Christ. It has a name in Hebrew Sheol, s h e o l. The the name of the same place in Greek is Hades, h a d e s. The name in English is hell, h e l l.

This is one and the same place with three different names. Just as uh the name for the capital of Austria is Wien in Austrian and Vienne in French and Vienna in English. So Sheol, Hades, and hell are exactly the same place. Now if we are to understand what happened before the time of Christ, we must realize that before the time of Christ everybody went to hell. Not to the same place in hell. If it'll help you to think, let's call it East Hell and West Hell. Because one end of hell was called torment and the other end of hell was called paradise.

We have this story uh set forth in the 16th chapter of the gospel according to Luke. This says Jesus there was a certain rich man. There was a certain beggar named Lazarus. The beggar died. The rich man died. The rich man in hell lifted up his eyes being in torment. The beggar died and went to Abraham's bosom. And a conversation took place and they could talk across the great gulf that was fixed between them. Now this is the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. And very plainly before the time of Christ this was the disposition of the dead.

In the Old Testament when a believer died he did not go to heaven. So when Cain died he went to torment and when Abel died he went to a place that was blessed. He was conscious. He did not know what was going on on earth just as Christians in heaven do not know what is going on on earth. The things that you think are so important now are totally unimportant when considered in the light of eternity. But the unsafe man while he very definitely do not have memory in heaven of these things. We will remember redemption.

We will remember Christ. We will remember Christian fellowship and things. But it will be on the spiritual plane and we'll be too busily occupied with the tremendous tremendous joys of our tasks of governing the universe. For this is the destiny of believers. The Scripture teaches that we are going to judge angels, that we're going to judge the world, and we're going to rule over cities. God has this in his plan for us. So in the Old Testament none of this was in its eternal state. The lost soul went to torment in hell and the believer went to paradise in hell.

And between the two there was a great gulf fixed. When the Lord Jesus Christ lived here on earth that was the condition that still remained. When John the Baptist had his head cut off his spirit and soul immediately were in paradise, conscious and aware of their glory. The time came when they took Jesus Christ and nailed him to the cross. Beside him was a thief. And the thief one of the thieves believed on him. And Jesus said to him today thou shalt be with me in paradise. So there was the announcement that immediately when death came there would be together in paradise.

The Lord Jesus Christ died and he too went to paradise. The Lord Jesus Christ was in paradise and what a wonderful glorious time that was. When Noah saw him, when Abraham saw him, and when those who are on the other side saw him and realized their hatred of Christ, how they hated him. As all men do who are away from God. They are away from God because their hatred grows worse and worse. Don't think that hell has ever been a correct the man. You put a man in the penitentiary and he becomes a hard criminal.

And the older he grows the harder he gets. And people who will have been in hell a million years in their own hearts will be infinitely more hateful and spiteful and vicious than they ever were before. This is the law of nature. Well on the other hand when the Lord Jesus Christ came there was vindication for Noah against the people that had laughed against him. There was vindication for all who had stood for him. And the Lord was with them there in paradise for those three days and three nights. Then when the Sabbath was over the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

And when he rose from the dead he took the spirits and souls of Abel and everybody that had gone to paradise since that uh beginning of it. And he emptied the hell of paradise and took paradise to heaven. So that paradise today is in heaven. It was in hell before the time of Christ. It is in heaven today. Now the proof of this lies in several verses in the Bible. In Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 8 it says that when he ascended on high he took captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. We also read in Matthew that on the day of the resurrection the tombs were opened and the dead walked in the streets of Jerusalem.

The Lord God Almighty permitting some of the people to go back and be seen by those who were there. Furthermore, we have in the book of Acts the tremendous statement concerning the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ was not allowed to remain in hell. This by the way is why in the apostles' creed we preach, we we teach that he suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. Now don't think that he descended into torment in hell. He did not. He descended into paradise in hell. He had nothing to do with torment in hell.

And if someone tries to teach that there's a second chance after death, you have no line in the Bible to teach us after death that there's any chance for any man. The issues of eternity are settled in this life. And when the Scripture says he preached to the spirits in prison, and what he did was if you're going to apply it to a preaching that took place at that moment, it was condemnation to those that were there and released to those who were here as he took them to hell. The proof that paradise is now in heaven is also bound in 2 Corinthians 13 where Paul, you will remember, tells of his vision and was caught up into paradise into the third heaven, into paradise, and saw things that were not lawful to be uttered.

Now the day of vision is past. Today we have the day of the word of God. But God permitted that once there and would not allow it to be spoken what he saw there. But nevertheless it locates paradise for us at the time of Paul. Paradise by that time was in heaven. Furthermore, if you turn to to the book of Acts, you will uh see very definitely that the Lord Jesus Christ was in hell. For David we read in Acts 2 25 in Peter's address on the day of Pentecost. David speaketh concerning him I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand that I should not be moved.

Therefore did my heart rejoice and my tongue was glad. Moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell. Neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption. And then David in the 20th uh Peter in the 29th verse says men and brethren, David is not talking about himself. He descended into hell and his tomb is there to this day. He's dead and we know he's dead. But being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn of an oath that of the fruit of his loins he would raise up the Messiah to sit on his throne, verse 31.

Seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ that his soul was not left in hell. So you may recite the apostles' creed and say he descended in the hell and you may know what you're talking about when you recite it. It does not mean he descended into torment in hell. There was no further chastisement upon him. When the Lord Jesus Christ had spent 6 hours on the cross he cried out it is finished. And all the waves of God had rolled over him and there was no more. From that moment they encased his body in the garments while his soul and spirit were in paradise in hell.

And on the third day he came forth triumphantly vindicating all those who had trusted in him before. And he emptied hell of paradise. And since that moment no believer has ever been separated from God for a moment. For here is the true meaning of a much misunderstood verse where it says upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Now what does this mean? First of all may I say that you got to be extremely careful against taking your theology from the hymn book. There are some hymns that are wonderful.

Some hymns are theologically certain and correct. Some of our hymns are glorious, but in many of our hymns there are lines and phrases and thoughts that are not biblical. The reason of course is this. Somebody feels a poem going up coming on and they start to write a poem. Now you see the theology is quite different from the meter. Because if you start to write a poem it's got to be But the theology may be And you can't put that poetry. So they twist the theology to make it fit the poetry and the result is you get some very very false doctrine.

For instance a Presbyterian minister in Scotland a hundred years ago wrote a hymn about heaven where congregations ne'er break up and Sabbaths have no end. Isn't that horrible? 11 o'clock Sunday morning forever. Only a Scotch Presbyterian minister could have ever imagined that was heaven. Brother, not for me. You see? And then I want to be an angel and with the angel's dagger crown upon my forehead, a harp within my hand. Not me, brother. I don't want to be an angel. The Bible says they're domestic servants of heaven. I'm a child of God, an heir of God.

My destiny is not to be an angelic servant messenger, but to be seated on the throne of God and part of the bride, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. Well company wrote onward Christian soldiers and said the gates of hell shall never against that church prevail. We have Christ's own promise and it cannot fail. Oh what's that mean? Well someone that means the devil is never going to get a victory over the church. What are you talking about? The devil has won so many victories over the church that it isn't funny. If you don't believe it travel to Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colossae, and Thessalonica.

The churches to which Paul wrote his epistles. You you go to Galatia for instance and you find a great And that's all that there is there. The city was destroyed, the Mohammedans occupied it. There's not one Christian left. The devil definitely won a victory over and the devil won victories over many churches. When I die soul and spirit immediately with the Lord. After two days the body which is sleeps is buried. Sleep when the Lord says sleep it's talking about the body. It's not talking about the soul and spirit. Now let me enact for you in slow motion what is going to happen in the resurrection.

1 Thessalonians 4 13 to 18. We read this. I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them who are asleep, the body, that you sorrow not as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again from the dead, even so them also which sleep in Jesus God will bring with him. I want you to notice that the resurrection, our resurrection is two two directional. The resurrection is up and down. It is two direction because the resurrection has to do with the body and with the soul and spirit.

For it says not ignorant of them which are asleep that you sorrow not as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so them the body which sleep in Jesus God will bring with bring with bring with bring with bring with bring with him. For the Lord himself shall descend descend descend from heaven with a shout and the dead in Christ shall rise, their bodies. And what is going to happen is that we shall have two bodies. And the Bible says that our new bodies will be like the body of the Lord Jesus Christ.

When we die in this body it's a physical body that dominates and is robbing away. Our whole being is kept together by the body. But when we rise from the dead we have a spiritual body. A body that's dominated by the spirit. Jesus had it when he rose from the dead. When they rolled away the stone from the door they did not do it to let Jesus out. They did it to let the disciples in. He was already out. He had come through the grave clothes. He had passed through the stone walls. When the disciples were in the upper room Jesus came in when the doors were closed.

He had a body. He ate fish. It was a real resurrection. He said in Luke 24 39 handle me and see, a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me to have. Flesh and bones. He passed through a wall. He had a body, but it was a body that was a new body on new principles. And yet it was the same body. Now this is what is going to happen to us. The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout. And the dead in Christ shall rise and we which are alive shall be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

Oh beloved, this is the hope of the church that you sorrow not as others who have no hope. Death is going to come. It doesn't make any difference whether it comes when we're young or old. It's his plan and he's ready to take it. As long as he leaves you here he leaves you here for his purpose. And you must be as Paul said it's all right, father, if you want to leave me here I'll go about my work. If you want to take me home to heaven I'd sure be delighted to come. Are we really Christians?

Do we really believe what we say? Well then for God's sake and for your sake and for the sake of your witness. When sickness comes to a Christian loved one or to you if you're a believer, look straight in the face and say oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin. The strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Death cannot keep its prey. Jesus my savior. He tore the bars away. Jesus my Lord up from the grave he arose.

And when he comes we will be like him for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself.

Guest (Male): Christ has won the victory over Satan, sin, death, hell, and the grave. And in Christ we shall live eternally. You've been listening to a message by Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse entitled Life After Death. Humanity throughout the ages has feared death. What is on the other side of the grave? What should we expect as we step into eternity? Our free gift offer to you is Dr. Barnhouse's booklet Death is Swallowed Up in Victory. Dr. Barnhouse reviews all the fears and false thinking that have concerned Christians regarding death. He explains death using words like sleep, rest, departure, and Exodus.

Finally he assures us and comforts us that as believers our sure destination is the presence of the Lord. Request your copy of Death is Swallowed Up in Victory when you call 1 800 488 1888. We deeply appreciate your prayers and your financial support, both of which enable us to continue sharing Dr. Barnhouse's plain biblical insight through radio and the Internet. You may make a single contribution or better yet consider becoming a monthly supporter. Contact us through alliancenet.org or call 1 800 488 1888. And our postal address is 600 Eden Road, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17601. Thanks in advance for your support.

Dr. Barnhouse and the Bible is a radio and Internet ministry of the Alliance of confessing Evangelicals. To connect with and review our many broadcasting, publishing, online, and event ministries visit alliancenet.org. And once again, if you would like to receive the booklet Death is Swallowed Up in Victory call 1 800 488 1888. Join us again next week as Dr. Barnhouse shares how the precious blood of Jesus Christ is the double cure that cleanses every believer from the guilt and power of sin. That's next week as we return to the teaching of Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse as he makes the eternal truth of God's word plain.