The recording is now in progress. Okay, let's have a word of prayer and then we'll start our Bible study. Heavenly Father, thank you for letting us get together tonight. Once again, thank you for giving us your word, the Bible. As we study it, I pray that you'll teach us, help us to understand, encourage us, or to give us wisdom to live our lives the way you intend for us to live them. In Jesus name, amen. All right, so we're talking about what happens when we die. Tonight, we're going to talk about the moment, that split-second moment when we leave this earth and we actually die. So we're going to look at several verses, and at the end of the lesson, we're actually going to talk about angels. which I'm a little disappointed that Colin is not here, but Colin, when you listen to the recording, I'm dedicating this one to you, but we are gonna talk a little bit about angels at the end, because I do believe that they could very possibly be a part of this moment when we die. So let's start with 2 Corinthians chapter five, and we're gonna look at verses one through nine, And I'm sharing my screen, so I'm assuming you guys can all see it. Okay. All right. So we're going to start 2 Corinthians 5, 1. Paul is writing, he says this, for we know, and this is real important. Paul's not saying this is something we hope. It's not, it's not something we guess. Paul said, we know this. And of course, remember now, when the writers of the scripture wrote, it's because they were writing what the Holy Spirit told them to write. That's why it's the word of God. So when Paul says, we know, that means this is something that's for certain. This is going to happen. For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down, And then he describes what he's talking about. That is when we die and leave this earthly body. So he's talking about that moment. When we die that split second moment, when we leave this earthly body and we go to be with God. So, and I've got these great big numbers right here. that will tell you straight from the scripture what happens when that moment takes place. So number one, he says, we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. So the first thing that's going to happen when we leave this body is we're going to go to a heavenly body, a house. Now, this body is made for us by God himself. Do you remember when we talked about what Paul said when he said he knew a man one time that went to the third heaven? And he said, whether he was in a body or out of the body, I don't know, but God knows Well, this is what he's referring to. God has made for us an eternal body. And Paul says, when we die, that's where we're going. Now, what it looks like, what it feels like, Paul wrote this after his death experience. So he has already said, I've been there. I've been to heaven. And I couldn't tell if I was in a body or not, but God knows what condition I was in. And so he tells us here, God has now revealed to me, as I write this book of 2 Corinthians, that we will have an eternal body. The moment we leave this earthly body, we're gonna go straight to an eternal body that's made for us by God. Again, what it looks like, what it feels like, he doesn't tell us that. He just says, God made it, okay? So that's the first thing that happens. Then in verse two, he says, we grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. Basically, he's talking about all the heartache and the struggle that we experience in this earthly life. Then in verse three, he says, for we will put on heavenly bodies. This is interesting. Number two, here's the second thing. We will not be spirits without bodies. So when we die and we leave this body, we're not just spirits floating around up in the sky somewhere, okay? So, and remember angels are spirits, okay? But Paul says, that's not what we're gonna be like. When we die, we go to heaven. Number one, we're gonna have a heavenly body. It's one God made. Number two, we're not gonna be just spirits without bodies. We will have some kind of a recognizable body when we get there, okay? And then verse four, while we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh. But it's not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. Here's what he said. I don't I'm not saying I want to die. I'm not I'm not telling God, hey, I'm tired of being here. I just I want to die. Go ahead and just kill me. No, these bodies we live in on this earth, they get sick, they get tired, they experience pain, they experience heartache. The new body we're going to have, they don't experience any of that. So that's the third thing. These dying bodies that we're in now will be replaced with bodies that are swallowed up by life, meaning they will never die. Next week, We're going to look at 1 Corinthians 15. We're going to talk about the resurrection and what our heavenly bodies are like in the resurrection. Number one, they are immortal, which means they don't ever die. So when we leave these bodies through death, we're going to get to heaven and get a heavenly body, and it is full of life and will never die. So that's kind of what he's talking about here. So number one, we get a body. Number two, we're not just spirits floating around without bodies. Number three, our bodies won't die. Once we get to heaven, they're swallowed up by life. Then verse five, God himself has prepared us for this. And as a guarantee, he's given us his holy spirit. So when you and I got saved, He put his Holy Spirit inside of us. That's the guarantee that we're going to heaven, and this is what's gonna happen to us when we die. So as a believer, we've got the Holy Spirit inside of us, and that is the down payment. That's the guarantee that we have that this is actually gonna happen to us when we die. That's why Paul said, we know this. We're confident of this. We're not guessing. We know this is gonna happen, okay? Then in verse six, So, we are always confident, even though we know, here's number four, as long as we live in these bodies, we are not at home with the Lord. So, the fourth thing about when we die, it's the moment that we actually go home to be with the Lord. As long as we're in these bodies, he says, we are considered not at home with the Lord. We're on the earth doing whatever God put us here to do. Verse seven, where we live by believing, not by seeing. This is important because all this we're talking about, we believe it's going to happen by faith because God tells us. We haven't necessarily see it. It's not because somebody died and went to heaven, came back and told us about it. We actually live because we believe this, not because we've seen it or we've heard from somebody that has. Verse eight, yes, we are fully confident. Once again, he's saying this is going to happen for sure. And we would rather be away from these earthly bodies. Here it is, number five. For the moment that we leave these earthly bodies, we will be at home with the Lord, meaning When we die, we will be in the presence of Jesus Christ. And more than likely, the phrase here literally means the moment we close our eyes in death, the next second when we open them, the first person you're going to see is Jesus. It's not Peter at the gate. It's not your loved ones. The first person you're going to see is Jesus Christ, because that's what makes heaven heaven. Heaven's not heaven because my mom and dad are there, even though that's great. Heaven's not heaven because my brother's there. Heaven's not heaven because a lot of people I love are there. Heaven is heaven because that's where God is. So the first person we're gonna see when we open our eyes in heaven is Jesus Christ. And I'm gonna show you some verses in just a minute that Job talks about that, okay? All right, verse nine, any questions so far? Okay, all right, verse nine. I do have a quick question. Yeah, yeah, Madison. Sorry, I can't remember what verse it was. I think it might've been six. And it said, God prepared us for this. Oh, yeah, verse five. What did it mean by preparing? Is that like when he gave us his Holy Spirit, he was preparing us? Is that what that meant? When we became Christians and we became a part of God's family. When we got saved, the Bible says part of what happened was we were adopted into God's family. We became one of God's children. So all of this that's going to happen when we die, going to be with him, having our heavenly bodies, them not dying anymore, all the wonderful things about that. God prepared us for this to happen to us when he gave us salvation. Because people who aren't saved, this doesn't happen to them. Only those who have been born again are part of God's family. That's who this happens to. So, yeah, you're right. When we got saved, we got the Holy Spirit, that's what he's talking about. God has prepared us for this. The other reason for this is, this is what we were meant to be. Dying, going to heaven, being with God, that's what God meant for us to be, with him. He never intended for us to live on this earth forever, battling sin and heartache and all that. Now, he put us here and he created us, but because of sin, which he didn't create, we struggle here. That's why Paul goes through all that in the previous verses. So when the Bible says, when Paul says God himself, he's prepared us for all this. This is what he wants for us. Part of that is that confidence to let us know you don't have to be afraid to die. Because God has prepared something extremely wonderful for you because you're one of his children. And all death is, is the transportation from this life where we suffer and have pain to our home in heaven where we belong anyway. There's a song that building 429 sings. Um, it is actually one of my favorite songs. And it talks about the fact is all I know is I'm not home yet. This world is not where I belong. And that's what these verses are telling us. We don't belong here. This is not where God intended for us to live eternally. Heaven and what he's talking about in this transition, that's what God really intends for us. And that's where we are going to be perfect. So when the Bible says God has prepared it for us, he's just telling us, look, you don't have to worry about dying. This is what I've intended. I've been waiting for this, for you to come home. But that's really a good question. And it's a great phrase and packs a whole lot in it. Yep. Justin. Yeah. Going back to the first verse and not that it matters or anything, but it says an eternal body will be made for us. uh by god yeah will be made for us by god himself does that mean uh it'll be like the same body we're in or is it going to be someone like something different well it'll be different when we talk about the resurrection next week when jesus returns to earth then our these bodies we're in now will be resurrected and perfected and our soul and spirit will be reunited with these bodies but yet but these bodies will be different they'll be changed. Now, this is just my opinion. I think that we will look like something like this when we get to heaven. I don't know that we'll look exactly like this. And that's just my opinion. I could be totally wrong. And like Paul said, it really doesn't matter because he said, Paul said, whether I was in a body or out of a body, I really can't tell, but God knows. The reality is the Bible doesn't really tell us exactly what that body is going to be like or look like. Other than in first Corinthians 15, when it talks about our resurrected bodies, they will be immortal. They won't die. They will also be sinless. They will never sin. They will never get sick. They will never experience sorrow. They will never cry. They'll be changed. And we actually look at that next week, but you know, the basic answer is the Bible don't really tell us. Right. So, but I do know the Bible talks about the fact that we will recognize each other. You know, we will, the Bible says we will know, even as we are known in first Corinthians 13. So it's, it's very possible that we will look like this, either that, or God's gonna give us the ability to recognize each other. Because when I get to heaven, the truth is, I wanna know you guys. When I'm walking down the streets of gold, I wanna say, hey, Justin, how you doing? Madison, oh, you've lost so much weight since the last time I saw you. Oh, and there's your son or daughter or whatever, or the triplets, there they are. Oh, a little girl, just one. So anyway, I think we know each other. But, you know, what we're actually going to, I hope I look a whole lot better than I do now. But anyway, good question. All right. Um, let's see here. Okay. Verse nine. Here's kind of the culmination of everything Paul's talking about. So whether we're here in this body or we're away from this body in heaven, he says our goal is really to please God, to please him. That's our whole purpose in existing is to please God with our life. So whether we're here, while we're here, we need to please him. Once we leave here and we're away from this body in heaven, our goal is still gonna be to please God and serve God, okay? All right, let me show you these verses in the book of Job that talk about the moment that we die. And they're interesting, and I believe they give us another little insight into how wonderful this is gonna be. Most of you will remember, or I hope you will, if not, The story of Job, Job was the wealthiest, wisest, most godly man on the face of the earth at the time he lived. However, Satan went to God and said, the only reason Job serves you, God, is because you give him everything he wants and you don't let anything bad happen to him. So God said, okay, I'm going to prove to you that's not true. I will allow you, Satan. God said, Satan, I will allow you to take away everything he's got, but you can't take away his life. I'm not going to allow you to kill him, but you can take away everything else. He took away his children. He took away his wife. He took away his possessions and he took away his health. And in the midst of all that, here's what Job said. Job chapter 19, verses 25 to 27. But as for me, I know that my redeemer lives and he will stand upon the earth at the last. Even though Satan is bombarding me with all this heartache now, I know when it's all over, Jesus wins. And after my body has decayed, this earthly body is gone. Job said, yet in my body, heavenly body, I will see God. I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. And look at what he says, I am overwhelmed at the thought. The fact that Job knew that one day when he left this earthly body and went to his heavenly body, he knew he was gonna see God for himself with his own eyes. And he said, the thought of that overwhelms me. So if you stop to think about that, the moment we die, we will see God in the person of Jesus Christ in all of his glory, and that is gonna be such a moment that it's probably gonna overwhelm all of us when it happens, but that's how wonderful it is, okay? Any questions about that? All right, let's talk about angels for just a second, and then we'll be done. In Luke chapter 16 and verse 22, we talked about this a couple of weeks ago when we talked about three people that died and what happened to them. The Bible says in verse 22 about Lazarus, finally the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. This is where we had, for those of you that were with us, this is where we had the conversation about whether or not we were going to be angels when we died. And I mentioned that we're not going to be angels. Angels are different than we are. However, angels are real and they do exist. Is it possible that when we die at that moment, that angels will escort us to heaven? Yes, it is possible. Can I say dogmatically for sure? Not really, because the Bible doesn't say that. However, let me show you what the Bible does say about angels and then you can kind of get your own ideas to whether or not you think this is a real possibility. Personally, I think this will happen. I think when I get ready to leave this earthly body and go to my heavenly body to be with the Lord, I think angels are going to be there. Whether they take me by the arm and escort me or not, I don't know. I think they'll be there, though. And let me show you some verses why. First of all, Daniel chapter 7 verses 9 and 10 talks about the fact that angels exist by the millions. Daniel said, I watched as thrones were put in place and the ancient one, which is referring to Jesus Christ, sat down to judge. His clothing was as white as snow, his hair like purest wool. He sat on a fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire and a river of fire was pouring out, flowing from his presence. Millions of angels ministered to him. Many millions stood to attend him. Then the court began its session and the books were open. The Bible says that there are many millions of angels. So in essence, there's a whole lot of these guys. A lot of them. Could there be enough to escort every person every day that dies to heaven and goes to heaven? Absolutely. There's plenty of them. So first of all, We see there's a whole lot of them. Second of all, part of their job is to protect God's children. Psalm 91 verses 9, 10, and 11. The Bible says, if you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you. No plague will come near your home. for he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. Have you heard the idea that you have a guardian angel? That's what this is talking about. You don't have a guardian angel. You got millions of them. Millions. Do you know why Satan and his demons can't touch you without God's permission? Because God's angels won't let them. they are more powerful than satans and god gives his angels charge and says protect my children and they do there's no telling how many battles are fought in the spiritual realm every day to protect you and i paul said in the book of ephesians When he's talking about the armor of God, he says, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Real spiritual battles are fought in a place you and I don't comprehend. It's fought in the realm of God's angels and the demons. And it takes place all the time. But you and I don't see that. and we don't need to see it because God takes care of us. Well, his angels are part of what he uses to do that. By the way, this verse in Psalm 91 and 11, when Jesus went into the wilderness and was tempted by Satan, one of the temptations was Satan told Jesus, crawl up to the top of the temple and jump off. because the Bible says that God will give his angels charge over you to protect you wherever you go. So Satan actually used the Bible out of context with Jesus. Not real smart since Jesus is God and he's the one that wrote it. But he tried, and Jesus responded and said, yes, but the Bible also says you are not to tempt the Lord your God. So when the Bible says God gives his angels orders to protect you, that don't mean run out and jump in front of a freight train just to see if it's true. Because I got news for you. God will protect us from those things we need protecting from. Stupidity is not always one of them. So that's what Satan actually used this verse when he was trying to tip Jesus. All right, look at Hebrews chapter one, verses 13 and 14. And God never said to any of his angels, sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet. He's talking here about the fact that Jesus is higher and more powerful than the angels because he's God. That's who he's talking about. Then in verse 14, therefore angels are only servants, spirits sent to care for the people who will inherit salvation. Here's how we know they're not like us. They don't have bodies. They're spirits sent to take care of God's people, but they are God's servants, right? Matthew chapter 26, verse 53. I love this verse. Jesus is in the garden of Gethsemane. The Roman soldiers are coming to arrest him. Peter grabs a sword and chops the ear off of one of the Roman soldiers. Jesus reaches down, grabs the ear, puts it back on and heals the soldier. Then Jesus says this to Peter, don't you realize that I could ask my father for thousands of angels. There's millions of them, but we only need a few thousand. Thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly. Jesus said, Peter, I love you, brother, and I appreciate your enthusiasm. That's Bill Crockett's version. but I don't need you to take care of me. I can ask my father, he'll send a thousand angels and wipe these Roman soldiers out before they even know what happened to them. I don't, we got protection. You don't need to worry about Satan. You don't need to worry about his demons. You don't need to worry about all that because God's army is far greater and far more powerful than anything you're ever going to face. And if we ask for help and that's what we need, he will send them instantly to help us. So God has angels and they are there to protect us. Then this last part I want you to see, this is extremely interesting. You need to be careful because they're around us all the time, even if you don't recognize them. Hebrews 13 in verse 2 says, don't forget to show hospitality to strangers. For some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. Is it possible? that an angel could come and be in the form of a human being and be there to watch over us, to interact with us, to protect us, is that possible? Well, according to this verse, it is. This is Paul, I think Paul wrote the book of Hebrews, the Bible doesn't tell us for sure, but this is later in the New Testament. And this happens. So do I think it's very possible that when we die, angels will escort us into heaven? Yes, I think it's very possible. I personally think it will happen, that they will be there. So angels are a very real part of God's relationship with us. and our part of being a member of God's family. So all of these things kind of give us an idea of what's going to happen that moment, that according to the verses that we looked at earlier, when we leave this earthly body, we go to meet our heavenly body. We have a body. We're not spirits without a body. We're in, we're at home with the Lord. We're in the presence of the Lord and our bodies won't die again. Now, what do they look like? How are they going to, you know, will we recognize? I don't know all that. The Bible doesn't tell us, but God knows because he's prepared it for us. Okay. And that's it. Anybody got any other questions or comments or need to look at any of the other verses again? That last verse is like very interesting to me. Isn't it? And not that I don't like, can't imagine that happening. It's just really cool to see that in the Bible. Um, what, I guess, why do you think that they would be in human form potentially, like just to, uh, I can venture a guess and give my opinion, the Bible that really tell us, I do know this, that there's, I can't find any place in the Bible. where it talks about angels appearing to us in any other form, simply because they're spirits. And you can't, you know, when Jesus met with his disciples after the resurrection, they were afraid of him because they thought he was a ghost. They thought he was a spirit. And Jesus said, reach out your hand and touch my body. feel the nail prints in my hands and the spear-driven hole in my side. A spirit does not have a body like I do. So spirits, we can't see. Human beings, we can't. So if they're here, it's because God allowed them to take on the form of a human body, but he doesn't want us to know that they're really angels. That is so cool to me. I know. I love that. Why does anyone want us to know? I don't know. The Bible doesn't tell us. But the Bible does seem to indicate that they are here. And when you think about just like the verse with Jesus and Peter. Peter, I could ask my father, he'd send a thousand angels. to protect me, knowing that I'm on that side of this battle, that I'm on God's side and he's on my side. The Bible says, if God be for us, who can be against us? Nobody. We are on the winning side. Satan hates that. And he's doing everything he can to get us to jump sides. everything he can. And if he can't get us to jump sides, he wants us to get us not to listen to God so he can ruin our life. But to know that no matter what happens to you, no matter what difficulty you face, God is in control and he's going to protect you and help you. Even if he has to send thousands of angels to surround you to make sure you get through it, he will. But it's really cool. Billy Graham actually wrote a whole book about angels. There's a whole lot more verses in the Bible about angels other than these. I just use these because they were relative to talking about when we die. But Billy Graham actually wrote a whole book on it. It's pretty interesting. Anything else? OK. Then I am going to, where is, I'm going to go ahead and stop sharing now and we'll cut off the recorder.