In Job 38, verse 17 is the only verse that we want to read tonight, as far as this text is concerned. Job 38, verse number 17. What really takes place at death? You know, when a person dies, when someone else dies, We can't go with them, because when they die, then they go to be with the Lord, but we're still here. You might have seen somebody die, maybe you were with people when they died, but you know, you didn't die. You might think it's a great tragedy when people die, but listen. If you watch somebody die and they're saved, they're in heaven right then. I mean, how long will it take them to get there? I don't think it takes long at all. The Bible says that whenever a person dies, if a saved person dies, they're carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. That's a great thing to think about. And you know, I've been around some people when they died, but I've never seen an angel. I've never seen one, but there were some there because the angels are there all around us all the time anyway. I think sometimes we don't think about that too much. We live in this life and we think that we have control of things. Not too much. Because God is the one in ultimate control. And He's the one that knows about everything. And He knows about our death as well. And He knows that when we die, there's nothing to be afraid of. For a saved person to die, there's nothing to be afraid of. Nothing at all. You say, well, I get kind of anxious about that. Well, that's alright. And somebody will say, well, I don't have any peace of mind. Well, are you dying? Are you dying right now when you think about that? When God gives grace, it's when you need it. He doesn't give grace before time. He gives grace when you need it. He's real good at that. And He knows exactly when we need it. He knows exactly the second. And He always upholds and helps us at that time. But here in the book of Job 38, God is doing the talking and Job has had many complaints throughout this chapter, throughout this book. He has been, he's a man that had everything and yet had it all taken away from him. He had a wife and She told him to curse God and die. He had his sons, his daughters. They all died and various things. He had a great amount of wealth as far as animals are concerned, and God took all those away from him. And he was left with nothing at all. And then he got sick. He had sores all over him and beat himself. He had an old piece of a clay pot that he scraped himself with. Boy, he was down to it. And he wondered about God and all things. But in verse number 1, the Lord answered Job out of whirlwind. He answered Job in particular. He says all these things that he says. This is going down almost to the end of the chapter. But I want to look at verse 17 just for one place here. The Bible says, "...Have the gates of death been opened unto thee?" This is what God said to Job. "...Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? Or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?" Job, as sick as he was, had never seen this. I remember one time that I was looking death pretty well in the face. I remember that. I remember knowing that I was going to die. But didn't they operate on me? I was well. So there it is. But as far as seeing those doors swing open, I never saw that open. I never did. Let's go to the Word of Prayer as we trust the Lord to help us tonight. Heavenly Father, I pray, Lord, you might help me, Lord, to hear this message. Lord, I pray that I might say what I say in such a way that people would really hear it, that they'd be thinking about this subject. Lord, that they might know, Lord, that you have the power over all that. Lord, I pray, Lord, that You might just help tonight. I pray, Lord, forgive and submit my sins. Lord, I pray that You might bless those that listen. Lord, I pray especially for those that do not know You and pray pardon of sin that they might come tonight, that they might truly, Lord, be saved in this night. I ask You, Lord, to watch over us and keep us from harm. In Jesus' name, God, I pray. Amen. The first message I ever heard preached on this Brother Orville Lawson gave me the message. I don't remember the title at all. Orville was always giving out tapes. He listened to them a lot of times. I went to his house one time and I think I was in the process of moving up here or something like that. I think something like that. But he had this I'll tell you if you want me to listen to it, so he gave me the copy of the CD. See, I'm thinking modern terms, and it was a long time ago. I think it was on Real Real, I'm not sure. But Berlin Heisel was preaching this message. He used the same text. What happens at death. He talked about a lot of things that happens when a person comes to the place of death. You really can't know. You really can't know. None of us have passed through those doors of death. I tell you what, I know today that there's a lot of people that say, well, there's a lot of people that say, I have seen the doors of death. I've been through death. I saw the light and the light told me to come back. I don't know. All I know is this. The Bible says here, as God says, Have you ever seen the doors of death? Have you ever seen it? Has thou perceived the breath of the earth declare if thou knowest it? So, I don't believe any of that stuff. I've read the books, Life After Life and Death After Life. I've read that, those books. I've read about all the people that say they died and come back and all that. I don't know what I think about all that. I really don't know. But I know this. Now if a person really comes to the place of death, they're not coming back. I don't believe they're ever coming back to this earth at all. What really does happen at death? You know, every person has in them three parts. Three parts. Now, there's only one part of you that I can really see. And that's your flesh. You know, I know you and you know me. When I see you a long way off, I know who you are. I know the way you walk. I know sometimes the way you conduct yourself. I can tell who you are, just like you can tell who I am. But that's all I can see about you. is your flesh. That's all I can see with these physical eyes that I have. But there's another part of you. That is, on the inside of you, there's another part. There's the soul of man. The soul is the part of man that has the feelings part of it. And that feeling part is either connected with the Holy Spirit that's within you, your spirit part of you, Or it's connected with the flesh of you. I mean, it's either one way or the other. So you think about that. Oh, I know we're three parts. I know every one of us have three different parts. We're spirit, soul, and we're body. I know that. The Bible says that very plainly, clearly. It says that. So I know that's what happens. When a person dies, their spirit is what leaves the body behind. It is the Spirit that goes through the doors of the shadow of death. That's what happens at death. I want to read to you some of the places in the Bible that talks about people that died and how they went and all that. Now look in the book of Genesis, chapter number 35. This is a time that the Bible speaks about a woman dying. In Genesis 35, and verse number 18. In Genesis 35, let me get the right book, I think it will help me. In Genesis 35 and verse number 18, the Bible here talks about Rachel who passed from this life into the next one. The Bible says in Genesis 35 and verse number 16, and they journeyed from Bethel And there was but a little way to come to Ephraim. And Rachel prevailed, and she had hard labor. And it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said unto her..." Now here you see that the midwife, the one that delivers the child, is talking to her and says, "...fear not, thou shalt have this son also." And so here is a communication that's taking place on this earth. The Bible says, in verse number 18. And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, for she died. Just in case you don't know what happened here, is that she really died, giving birth to the child. Alright? The Bible says, as her soul was in departing. Talking about the soul connected with the spirit, that's when she died. And that's what happens. And she called his name Benoah. That is, before she died, she called his name Benoah. But his father called him Benjamin, verse number 19, and Rachel died and was buried in the way to Ephra, which is Bethlehem. So here we find that Rachel died just like everybody has to come to a place of death. The Bible says very clearly that she died, her soul was in departing, verse number 18 makes it very clear. And it came to pass as her soul was in departing, because that's what happens when a person dies. Now, if you're with somebody when they die, what happens is this. Their soul leaves, or is separated from their body. That's exactly what happens. Their soul and spirit, it leaves them. And you're left looking. That's what happens. The midwife was there. The baby was still alive. The baby's name was Benjamin. It was still alive. The husband was still alive. But the woman had died and the Bible says that they buried her in the way to Ephra, which is in Bethlehem. That's very apparent that that's what happened. That she passed away. She was no more with the people on this earth. Now look again in the book of 1 Kings. The Bible states in the book of 1 Kings that there was a prophet of God, whose name was Elijah, and he raised a child from the dead. Notice in 1 Kings 17. Let's start reading in verse number 17. 1 Kings 17, verse 17, it came to pass after these things that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick. The son fell sick and his sickness was so sore that there was no breath left in him. I think he died. I think that's really what happened. When a child, actually when anybody stops breathing, there's no more life in them. That's what we say. There's no life in the individual anymore. And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God, that thou art come unto me to call my son, my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son? And he said unto her, Give me thy son. Now, Elijah didn't take any mention at all about what she said. She said, You are no good. Have come to me, and you are calling my sin to reverse." What sin it was, I have no idea. I'm not going there. I'm not even guessing at that. She knows what sin she's talking about, but I don't, and so I'm not going there. Elijah didn't pay any mind to that at all. Instead, he said, Give me thy son, and took him out of her bosom, and carried her up into a loft where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. So he carried this lifeless body up and laid it on his bed. And he cried, that is, he talked loudly, he shouted to the Lord and said, Oh Lord my God. See, he didn't have anything to hide. Nothing at all. He didn't do it in secret. He laid the child on his own bed, but he wasn't holding back any grief that he had himself. He let it be known that only God could raise his child again. He said, Oh Lord, my God, hast Thou also brought evil upon the woman with whom I sojourned by slaying her son? I mean, this was his cry unto the Lord because he was thinking like she was thinking. There it is. The Bible says he scratched himself upon the child three times. I think he was rather restless, don't you? He scratched himself upon the child three times. Not once. Not twice, but three times he scratched himself upon the child and cried. Here again is the word cry. He was in great anguish about this. He cried unto the Lord and said, O Lord, my God, I pray Thee, Let this child's soul come unto Him again. Here's what happened in verse 22. And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah. The Lord heard the voice of Elijah when he cried unto the Lord with great anguish. I tell you what, God hears our pleas unto Him when only God can answer. He didn't dial 9-1-1. There was no 9-1-1. They didn't have a bunch of people come in and resuscitate him at all. But the Lord was the one that heard the voice of Elijah, and the soul of the child came in him again, and he revived. That's a miracle. I mean, that is a miracle that had happened. That could happen today. I'm going to tell you something. In the Bible, this is what happened. The Bible said that in verse number 22, that the soul returned again. In verse number 23, the Bible said, And Elijah took the child and brought him down out of the chamber into the house and delivered him unto his mother. And Elijah said, See, thy son liveth, thy son And evidently, God had a reason for all of this. Because in verse 24, the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God. You mean she didn't know it before? You read it. All I'm saying is you need to read it. And that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is true. So what happens at death? The Bible makes it very clear here, in these two places that we've read, that what happens at death is that the soul, that is the spirit part of man, and on all the feedings of man, that all leaves. It goes either to God or it goes to the devil. Either one way or the other. This is what happens. Now, let me read another example of this. There's some more. Acts chapter 7, and I'm not covering every example that the Bible gives about a soul that is revived or whatever. But Acts chapter 7, notice here in verse number 59, what Stephen cried when he said, when he was facing death at the hand of the people that did not want to hear the testimony of Jesus Christ. Notice what happened here. In Acts chapter 7 and verse number 59, Stephen was a right man. I mean, he was dead on right, and the Pharisees were dead on wrong. And they killed him in spite of this. The Bible says that they stole Stephen, and he was calling upon God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. You think that's what happened? I think that's exactly what happened. Because as Stephen felt those stones hit his body, he knew they were stoning him. He knew that. He knew that he was going to die for the cause of Christ. He knew that. And he said, Lord Jesus, I'm dying now. Lord, I pray that you would receive my spirit. That's an excellent thing that we ought to pray for. The Bible says in verse 60, "...and he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice." As he was dying, he cried with a loud voice. Notice what he said, "...Lord, You get him good." No. He said, "...Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." And when he said this, he fell asleep. This is a Bible example of a person that is dying and what happens to them when they die. We read to you that about Rachel, how that she died, whether she was saved or not, I don't know. I have no idea. Whether the little boy, that Stephen, or that Elijah raised from dead, I don't know if he was saved or not. I don't know. But I know that he was brought back to life. I think that Stephen was saved, and he went on to be with the Lord. He said, Lord, receive my spirit. That's a clear indication. I tell you what, when it comes time for your death, and you will die just like I will die, we'll be ready to meet the Lord. We'll be ready to meet the Lord. Listen, I don't know when the time is coming, I have no idea. But I tell you what, in that day, don't be saying that I'm banking on all of my religious things that I've done to get me saved. Take me to heaven. Don't be thinking about that. Notice here what Stephen said. Stephen said, Lord, receive my spirit. So he was looking to the Lord. That's what you need to look to. Don't be thinking that just because you're a member of this church that you're OK, because you might not be. If you're lost, you're not OK. I mean, that's it. You need to be saved. And God can bless and God can keep. Notice what Jesus Christ did in the book of Luke chapter 23 and verse 46. Luke 23 and verse number 46. When Jesus Christ Himself died, here's what He said. He said almost the same thing that Stephen said. Stephen said, Lord, receive my spirit. And here Jesus Christ says this. In Luke chapter 23 and verse 46, when the Lord came to the time of death, they said almost the same thing. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, we find a lot of similarities there. He said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. And having said thus, he gave up the ghost. That tells us exactly What happens when a person dies? A saved person dies. They ask the Lord to receive them, and the Lord does. But notice this, that there's a little bit of difference between when a lost person dies. Look in the book of Luke 16. In the book of Luke 16, we find this concerning the Rich man and Lazarus. Jesus Christ gave this story. It is not a parable. I've heard it called a parable before, but it's not a parable. In a parable, a man's name is given. It's never given, but here it is. Lazarus was called. The rich man's name was not given at all. I don't know who he was. The Bible said in Luke 16, verse number 19, There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day. Here's a man that had a lot of things going on in this world in which he lived. Just like you might have a lot of things that's good going on with you as you're living, alright? And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus. This is particular. which was laid at his gate full of sowers, and designed to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. More of the dogs came and licked his sowers." Notice in verse 22, the Bible gives us here what happened to Lazarus. What happened to him was a real good thing. His death was a real good thing. Notice. The Bible says it came to pass that the beggar died. It didn't say here what happened to his body. It didn't say at all. Usually they throw his body away in a pit outside of Jerusalem. I don't know if that was that time or not. I don't know where he lived either. I have no idea. But he was carried by the angels. When he died, he was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. That tells us something. That tells us here that Lazarus, he died, but he was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. This is a great thing. You know, there's angels all around us. We're not even aware of them. But there's angels all around us. Maybe one of these days we'll see those angels. When Moses died, do you think he saw those angels? You figured that all out. I think he did. I think he did. Myself, I think as soon as he died. The angels were there to carry him away. But they didn't just carry him away and dump him in a garbage dump somewhere. No. They carried him away into Abraham's bosom. They carried him away into a special place of comfort and peace that he could have. The rich man also died. He was buried. But the Bible says in verse number 23, notice here, And in hell, he left up his eyes. Let me ask you a question. How did the rich man get to hell? How did the rich man get to hell? We'll talk about that. But this rich man was not carried by the angels down there. No. But when Lazarus, when he died, when he took his last breath, the heartbeat for the last time, the angels were standing there, they were waiting on him, And they carried him into a place of safety and refuge. Well, this is what happened to everybody here. This is what happened to everybody. Me too. I'm looking forward to that time. Until then, I'm going to work right here. That's my plan. God may have other plans. I don't know. I want to do what He tells me to do. He's my eternal King. He's my eternal Savior. He's the one. But the Bible says that the rich man also died and he was buried. That's all it says about him. And in hell, he left with his eyes. You think about it. Which one had the most glorious funeral? I think the rich man did. Myself. I don't know. Because I wasn't there. So I don't know. I know when a rich man dies, a lot of people are sorry for that because he's the source of wealth for them too. I mean, that's the way it is. But nobody would care about the beggar. He'd just be one more leech on society, kind of like me. That's the way it'd be. I'm glad that God cared about the beggar. Until the rich man died, he could have been saved. That's my opinion. But after he was saved, after he died, there was no more chance of that at all. He could never be saved after he died. I mean, that's finished. There's no such thing as purgatory. There's no such word in the Bible at all. No such thought at all. And in hell, he lifted up his eyes, being tormented. The word torment is a plural word. That's more than one. Because he was facing that. How long is he going to be in hell? Listen, as far as our thinking about it is, I know the lake of fire is there, but the lake of fire in hell Hell is cast into the lake of fire. I understand that. How long is the rich man going to be in hell? He's still there. He will be forever and ever and ever. And there's no time in hell. I mean, it's eternity. It's eternity away from God. To be burned and suffering and all that. The Bible said he was in hell, being in torment. He saw Abraham afar off and lies in his bosom. Abraham was afar off. The place of safety and refuge was a long way off. He saw Lazarus and he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy upon me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame. Well, he was. How much water did he want? How much water did he want? He wanted one drop. One drop for all eternity. That's all they wanted. Would you ever be satisfied with just one drop of water? If you was real thirsty? How about just one drop? I don't think so. I want more than just a drop. But this rich man was only going to get one drop of water for all eternity. I mean, that's it. But you know what? He didn't even get that. Not even one drop. He got no relief at all. There's no relief in hell. There is nothing in hell that's good at all. But you think about people in this world today. They might have great fame. They might make a name for themselves. even make videos of themselves, or perhaps they're in movies. Maybe some stars you've seen in Hollywood that have died. Maybe some just died this week. I don't know. But do you think those Hollywood stars would now say that they were right? I tell you what, I don't know what they're going to say. I know this, that the judgment they face of God is a terrible thing. It's more, it's worse than we could ever believe, we could ever understand that it is. This rich man just wanted one drop of water, one drop of water. He was reminded that in this life, you get all the good things, and life's got all the bad things. But God changed all that around, alright? Beside this, he said, there's a great guff, it can't be changed. The license can't come over there and bring a good gulp of water on the tip of his finger to cool your tongue. That can't happen because there's a great guff between the two. Somebody said, a great guff, that must mean water. No, it's a great separation place. That's all it means. There's a great place of separation there. help for his five brothers that he knew were lost. You see, in verse number 27, he said, send him back to my father's house. In verse 28, I have five brethren. Listen, there's no prayer request answered in hell either. There's none of that. None of that whatsoever. This tells about the condition of people I tell you what, if you die lost, you'll be eternally separated from the most holy one in all, that's God. You think about it. That's the condition of those that are lost. Besides that, there's another thing that happens to unbelievers. Unbelievers are forced out of this world. Look in the book of Proverbs 14 and verse 35, 32. Proverbs 14. Proverbs 14 and verse number 32. I want you to see the difference here in the two. Of being forced away or gladly going away. This is the way it is. Because a lost person will hang on to their life as long as they can hang on to it. Because the best thing that a lost person has is right here upon this earth. That is the best that there is for them. Even though they're wracked with pain, even though they're taking medications or whatever, the best they ever have is right here upon this earth. Listen, if you're lost tonight, you need to be saved. You need to trust Christ. You need to recognize before God that you don't have anything at all. And you need to repent that you're a sinner and trust God that He can save you in the world. So look what the Bible said in the book of Proverbs. Let's see, where am I at? Proverbs 14 and verse number 32. The Bible said, The wicked is driven away in his wickedness, but the righteous have hope in his death. I think he's talking about two different people here. He's talking about the wicked, and then he's talking about the righteous, all right? The wicked, they're driven away in His wickedness. The Bible says that the one that is lost, the one that is wicked before God, that he is actually driven away. That doesn't mean that he has a chauffeured limousine to take him away. It means that he's forced to leave. The lost die not looking forward to anything at all. But they look forward to going eternally into destruction. There's not a person here that would willingly and freely stick their hand into a burning fire. There's not a person here that would do that. self-destructive. We wouldn't do that. It's exactly what the lost person faces when they face death without Jesus Christ. They face it, not just their hand burning, but they face their whole body being immersed in flames, and they can't get away at all. I mean, they're there. And they have died and there's no coming back at all. They're dead for eternity. They're away from God. And they're put there into hell itself. The Bible said they're driven away. And then the Bible says this, in His wickedness. What does that mean? That means that there's no turning about for them. It's His own personal wickedness. It's Him, that individual. Whatever wickedness they have, they die with it. And it all belongs to them. None of it's anybody else's. It's all theirs, you see. But the Bible says, look at it in verse 13, what a difference it is. But the righteous have hope in His death? The saved person, the person that dies and is saved, what do they think about death? What do you think about death? I ask you a question here. What do you think about death? You know, do you have any hope in your death? Do you have any hope at all? It's coming. I don't know when. I don't know when mine's coming either, but I know that it's coming. The Bible says, but the righteous have hope in his death. What is our hope in? In what we do? No, no. Our hope is in Jesus Christ who has already died for us. Our hope is in Him. Our hope is in Him. And even though we die, Even if we die and laid outside and the skin worms divide this old body, we know we're going to be with the Lord. I mean, that's it. You know why? Because He has saved my unworthy soul. He's touched me with His grace and His kindness and His love toward me. But notice again, in the book of Job 18 and verse number 18, And sometimes when you read the book of Job, you need to be real careful. Don't base too much theology on this book unless you understand who is doing the talking. And here in the book of Job 18 and verse number 18, Bildad the Shuttite is speaking. And here's what he says. And he says it right right here. He shall be driven from light into darkness and chased out of the world. See, the Bible goes on here and says, talks about what Bildad thought about it all, about when a person dies. He shall be driven from the light into darkness. That's what happens. Because now you can see. Now you have the opportunity to do what God wants you to do. But the coming of day, well, that's going to be cut off. He's chased out of He's driven. He's forced to go. That's why a lost person is forced to leave the light and go into darkness. And he's chased out of the world. That's what it says. He's chased. He's forced to leave. That's what the Bible says. No peace in that at all. And so far, in Job 20, in Job chapter 20, verse number 8, he says almost the same thing. He shall fly away as a dream and shall not be found, yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night. It's almost the same thing. But look again, I think I read Proverbs 14, right, I read that one. Notice that it is such a dramatic thing for a person to die. It really is. People die all the time. I pray that you might be able to die as Jesus Christ died because He knew where He was going. He knew. Look in the book of Luke 23 and verse number 46. I think I read this to you before. I'll read it to you again. Luke 23 and verse number 46. Luke 23. Oh, here it is. Luke 23, verse 46, And Jesus, when he cried with a loud voice, said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. Having said thus, he gave up the ghost. It would be real good if each of us would know exactly where we're going to spend eternity. You may not expect it when you die. You may think you're going to live for a long time. And you might. But you might die tonight. We don't know. We just don't know. It's time to be ready to meet the Lord. I will read you this poem. It's called Perspective. And I think it's a real good poem about death. But think about this. I am standing on the seashore. A ship spreads her sails to the morning breeze and starts for the ocean. I'm watching her until she fades on the horizon and someone at my side says, she's gone. Gone where? The loss of sight is in me, not her. Just at that moment when someone says, she's gone, There are others watching her coming. Others take up the glad shout, Here she comes! That's what dying is. We've got to leave this world. I'll tell you what, for the person that's saved and dies, that is a glorious thing indeed. It really is. It's an evidence. of the greatness, the power, the grace, the mercy of Almighty God. But the lost are driven, they're forced to leave this world. They're forced to leave. I'll tell you what. I was with my father-in-law at the doctor because I always take him to the doctor. And he has a colostomy. And on the colostomy, there was a little sore there. It got worse, got bigger and bigger. He had the thing for 30 years or better. I think it's longer than that. I've been 40. I'm not sure how long he had it. The doctor was sure it was cancer. He told him, he said, this is a cancer. We won't take it off. And we work all that. Jim says, well, you got to, you got to. I tell you what, that doctor had no more than closed that door when he left. He had no, I don't think that doctor would even close the door. He turned to me and Jim says, I'm ready to go. I'm ready to go. Listen, can you say that? Death is coming. Are you ready to go? Are you ready to meet the Lord? We've come here, we've preached, we've talked about Jesus Christ, and He's the only one that can make it right with you. But if you're at loss tonight, if you're lost, then understand that Jesus Christ is your great Savior. He died on the cross of Calvary. And all he says to you is, I want you to repent and believe. That's all he says. Recognize you're a sinner and trust me. That's it. Piece of cake, right? Do it. If you're lost, trust Jesus Christ. And let Him wash away your sin. You can do it. Our prayers are for you, okay? Brother Brian, if you'd just play us a song, if you would. And as we stand and we sing, we pray that we might be able to worship the Lord tonight. And know that He is God. He's the one that's ready to watch over us and protect us. He's the only one, again, who can help us and our children. He's the only one who can guide us and lead us. We need the Lord. If you're lost, trust Him tonight that you might be saved.