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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll-free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

There’s a resurrection of the Bible. There’s more than one. There’s a number of them. We know there’s different judgments that God has and we’ve gone through them before. About the seven judgments, there are also a lot of resurrections that we talk about in the Bible. And so, once you take your Bible and turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, 1 Corinthians chapter 15. This is known as the resurrection chapter, because the gospel is tied in with the resurrection. In the book of John, the gospel of John, the scriptures tell us that these things are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and that by believing you may have life through his name.

So it’s written so that you and I might believe. So the Gospel of John is like God’s little heaven track. And the miracles that were done, the Bible says, the books of the world can’t contain all of them. Now he says that these are given. So as you studied the book of John, you’ll find miracles done. They were done to get us to believe. When we talk about in the book of John chapter 5, there are witnesses that state that Jesus is the Son of God.

Now after Jesus died on the cross, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead kind of puts everything together because the resurrection of Christ is what proves that Jesus was deity. He was who he claimed to be. that he had power over the one thing that most of us fear. He says, the last great enemy is death. It’s the last thing that you and I have to face in this world. Now you’re gonna have financial hardship, social problems and family problems and you name it, health problems, but the one thing you’re gonna have that’ll end all of that is you’re gonna die.

And when you die, you don’t have to worry about paying taxes anymore? You don’t have to worry about eating anymore. You don’t have to worry about how you look anymore, how you dress anymore. You don’t have to worry about anything anymore. You call this world, this life, it’s all over. But it also answers the greatest question that mankind has. When a man dies, shall he live again? Job asked that question. If a man die, shall he live again? Well, the resurrection answers that question.

Man will live again. So here in the book of 1 Corinthians in chapter 15, notice in verse 1, Moreover brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received and we’re in a Yistand, but which also you are saved if you keep in memory what I preached unto you unless you have believed in vain. This bothers quite a few people. If you keep in memory, you know what if I forget? Unless you believed in vain, you mean you can trust in vain?

Believe in vain? It’s right there, just read it. For He says, I delivered unto you, first of all, that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, and that was the end of it. That’s not the end of it, is it? Now look at the last part of that. And that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. He died according to the Scriptures, and he rose again according to the Scriptures.

So, how can a man believe in vain? Well, look there in the next chapter, or same chapter, but look at this also, and he makes his statement. In verse 12, now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how shall he be? shall some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead. In other words, you’re not going to come back from the dead. How can you say that? How can you believe in Christ and not believe in the resurrection?

Or that it wasn’t really a literal death. It was all spiritual. No, no, no, no. Physically, he lived. They saw him, walked with him, talked with him, and they saw him crucified. And when they saw him crucified, they were all witnesses. And at that time the world witnessed the greatest event. Christ was dead. Christ died. The Romans, they made sure he was dead. And the chief priests and all of them there, then he is dead. When they took him off the cross, because he was dead.

So they had people there from both governments knowing that he is dead. the Jews and the Gentiles, he dead. And then he comes back again from the dead. And so his resurrection was seen about 500 at one time, a lot of witnesses. So the greatest power in all the world is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. So we know that a person can live after he dies. I was talking to Ray Stanford one day And this was of course before he died.

And he said, I’m gonna live until I die and then I’m gonna live forever. I’m gonna live until he was 95. He died and he is alive now forever. So the Bible tells us that there is a resurrection and that when a person believes in Jesus Christ, your faith is not in vain, unless Jesus never came back from the dead. See, if he didn’t come back from the dead, who are you trusting to save you? A dead man? He is alive.

Came back from the dead. So my faith is not in vain because he did come back from the dead. Now, if he didn’t come back from the dead, all of us are trusting in vain for no reason. It’s all just nothing but a game. But look what he says. In verse 13, but if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen. And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain and your faith is in vain.

But he says, do you remember when we came to you and we first delivered a gospel unto you, was that Christ died and was buried and rose again from the dead. And that’s why when we believe on Jesus Christ, We’re believing in someone who died on the cross, paid for all of our sins to give us eternal life. So the resurrection of Christ is very, very important. Now, in chapter 15 and verse 20, look what he says in verse 20, but now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that sleep.

Oh, that then that slept. Now, you’ll notice in your notes, the resurrections of the Bible. And you’ll notice that number one, Christ came back from the dead of his own power. Now he had the power to raise others from the dead, but this is the first time somebody brought himself back from the dead. He also makes the statement that God raised him up. It also says he was quickened by the Holy Spirit, and it also says I had the power to lay down my life and I had the power to take it again.

So the Father and Son, the Holy Spirit, all involved in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And he says that the Spirit, Holy Spirit of God that lives in Him that quickened His mortal body is the same spirit that lives inside of our mortal body and is going to quicken our bodies one of these days. So look at number two there. Graves were open in Jerusalem. Now we won’t take the time to look at all of these scriptures or we’ll never get done.

But in Matthew chapter 27 the Bible tells us that many of the saints which the old testament saints. These people that were before the cross, when they died, they went to the place of paradise. Their bodies go to the grave. They did not go to heaven because their sins had not yet been paid. This was what we call the lay of way plan. Now all women know what a lay of way plan is.

You lay it away but you’ll pay for it later. They were put here and the payment was going to be made later, so whenever Christ died on the cross… He also made this statement, today shout out, be with me in paradise. So Jesus did not go to hell a place of torment and suffer. He paid for our sins in his own body on the tree. That’s where he paid for our sins. He didn’t go down here to torment and pay for our sins.

He did that on the cross. And the Bible says in Matthew chapter 12 verse 38, 39, and it makes a statement. He says, as an evil and a daughter’s generation, seeketh after a sign, but no sign shall be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the Will’s belly, even so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. And he told the thief on the cross, did they shout, they’ll be with me, where?

Paradise. So he went to paradise. And that’s where he was. And then he said he led captivity captive. He brought those people that were here. and led them out. And so in Matthew chapter 27, it makes the statement that the saints, many bodies of the saints would slip a rose and they walked in the streets of Jerusalem. Wouldn’t that scare you half the death? Granny, what are you doing here? We just buried you last month. And she’s up walking around.

I mean, I’d love to have had a video, Tim, just to record. I’m gonna ask the Lord for a review of that whole situation. But you said, that’s not in the Bible. Yes, it is. And so there were resurrection at that time. So there’s many resurrections. Now look at number three in your notes there, the rapture of the church. And turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter four. 1 Thessalonians chapter four. 1 Thessalonians chapter four, this is on page 1269 in a church Bible.

And notice it says there in verse 13. But I would not have you to be ignorant brethren. And the reason he says that is because are just so many ignorant brethren concerning them which are asleep, in other words those who have died, that you sorrow not even as others which have no hope. See everybody’s going to die. Believers are going to die. Unbelievers are going to die. Unbelievers have no hope. If they’ve never chosen, they have a false hope, believe in a false religion, false truth, which is not the truth, a false gospel.

Will they be surprised that when they die, they don’t go to place a paradise in heaven, they go to a place of torment in hell. Wouldn’t that be a shock to your system? Now let me tell you that, and this is the truth. I wouldn’t lie to you for anything, raise my right hand. Now, I’m sitting there in the hospital, my sister Annette, she’s dying. They don’t give her much time to live. I’ve been up there and I’ve been sitting in the room for, you know what I mean?

It seemed like a week. And so I’m sitting there one night. Everybody’s gone step me and my sister, Ned. And I led Ned to the Lord years ago. But now Ned is laying there in bed and she’s like in a coma. And it’s just a matter of time. So I’m sitting there and I don’t doze off. The TV was on, but I didn’t go on to sleep. I fell asleep sitting there in the chair. And all of a sudden I heard, Yankee, Yankee, Yankee.

Oh, my eyes, and there’s my sister, Ned. She had got on all fours and she’s looking at me like this. And I’m thinking she’s dead, and she’s looking at me like this. Yankee, what? She says, get me out of this bed. I says, Ned, I can’t do that. because it was sighted up on the bed, she was trying to get out. I said, I can’t net. She said, get me out of here. I said, why? She says, because of places on fire.

I thought, oh my goodness, she’s going to hell. I did. I was thinking down in the hell and her feet are getting hot. Something’s going on. And she was like, I mean, she like in tears. The places on fire, get me out of here. Help, get me out of here. Yankie. And I couldn’t understand this. It blew my mind. And I says, there’s no fire here, Ned. She says, yes, there is. I says, where? She says, there. It was on the television.

They had a fire scene going on. I like to die. But once you trust Christ’s Savior, you go to heaven. But we did take her home to our house. And then after a couple days, she passed away. But believe my sister, even though she dies, the body goes to the grave. to be absent from the body present with the Lord. She’s with the Lord in heaven. So he says, there are those who we sorrow, but we don’t sorrow as those who have no hope.

Now, we know that we’re gonna see all of our loved ones again, but the lost, they’ll never see them again. As far as we know, unless they get to the Great White Throne Judgment, and they may see them there. But if they’re lost, they’ll be separated from God for all eternity. So he makes the statement here in verse 14, for if we believe and keep the Ten Commandments and become a member of Calvary Community Church and pay 50%, 50%, it’s going up.

You know, inflation is just terrible. Now he says, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. Now he can’t bring them with him if they’re not with him. So when you die, you are in paradise in heaven. The body is in the grave, but you’re in heaven, that very moment. And then he says here in verse 15, for this we say unto you by the word of Yankee, word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent or go before them which are asleep.

There’s those who have died, the bodies are in the grave. Raptor takes place. The Lord comes in the air, we are changed in a moment, caught up to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. But you see, there is going to be a resurrection. And so it mentions this in the book of 1 Corinthians. So take your Bible real quickly and look in 1 Corinthians. chapter 15, one more time. First Corinthians chapter 15.

Now look at verse 51, because this is where we are. Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. That’s a sign we have over the nursery. We shall all be changed. Anyway, verse 52, in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the for the trumpet shall sound the dead shall be raised, incorruptible and we shall be changed. There is a resurrection that’s going to take place. Our bodies are going to be resurrected, and those that are alive when Christ comes back here, our mortal bodies means are subject to death, are going to be put on immortality, and we will not be subject to death ever again.

But as long as we live in these bodies, we’re going to die. But our hope is our joyful anticipation that one of these days we’re going to get that new body But to get that new body that everybody wants how many of you in here want that new body? You can’t get it unless you die Now, I mean we are ready to die Look at it. Nobody reads a hand. I Think we got a bunch of hypocrites here One day it’s gonna happen.

You see I just never done it before I know I told somebody the other day says, I don’t want to live forever. I just want to live long enough to bury the rest of y’all and I’ll be ready to go. You got to have a preacher. Somebody can bury you. So look at number four. Two witnesses doing the great tribulation pair. Look up here. During this tribulation period, there’s going to be these two witnesses. They’re going to die. And then the Bible says after the three days, they will be standing upon their feet and ascending the heaven and they’re going to watch So there it is, a resurrection.

This year right here, the very next thing to happen, according to God’s timetable, is for a great resurrection. You see, Christ, that was the first fruit. And then now it’s going to be a massive resurrection. When the rest of us are great harvest, and this is why we’re going to be changed in a moment, and a great harvest of souls. We’re going to be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So there’s going to be a resurrection upon this earth.

Now, that could happen at any time. Now, if you have not trusted Christ as your Savior, and the Lord came back today, you don’t get to go. You say, well, who do I go? You go into here. You say, what’s that? Tribulation. Isn’t that wonderful to look forward to? It’s the worst part of time the world has ever known. And I don’t have to worry about being here. And the way things are going in this country the politicians, they’re trying to speed it up I think.

And so we’re looking for the upper taker, not the undertaker. Now I want you to take your Bible because I want you to see this in Revelation chapter 20, Revelation chapter 20, which is the next one, number five there in your notes, but look in Revelation and chapter 20. Look in verse four, and I saw thrones and they set up on them and judgment was given unto them. And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands, and they lived and rained with Christ a thousand years.

This is the first resurrection. See, there’s different phases of the first resurrection because it’s all about the power of God that resurrects the body and gives them a glorified body. and that’s why we’re going to heaven. The second death, there is no power that gives them this glorified body by which they can live in heaven for all eternity. They’re going to be dying for all eternity forever dying and never die. I’ve been to a lot of places and I’ve watched people die forever dying and can’t die forever dying, but can’t end it.

Why don’t you glad you’re going to be forever living? You’re always alive. You’re going to be with the Lord forever. But see, when Christ comes back in power and great glory, there is going to be a resurrection right there. And then He says, those that have died during the tribulation period, they are going to go into the thousand-year reign upon the earth. There will be another resurrection also that will take place. And there’s a resurrection that’s going to take place at the end.

Now, I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of John, the Gospel of John. Gospel of John chapter 5, Gospel of John in chapter 5. The Bible tells us that there’s going to be this resurrection. But look first of all there in verse 24. John chapter 5 verse 24 where he makes the statement, barely, barely I say unto you. He that hereth my word and believe it on him that sent me hath present tense, hath right now everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but his past from death on the life.”

Now that verse says that he that heareth my word, got to hear it, and believe it, hath everlasting life. You see, the gospel must be believed. So to obey the gospel is to believe the message. He says, going to all the world and preach the gospel so everybody can hear, but what are they supposed to hear? Well they need to hear about the cross. They need to hear that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever in the whole world would not perish but have everlasting life.

So from the first person to the last person that will ever be, the first sin to the last sin ever committed and all sins in between Christ died on the cross and paid for. That’s why I have this read all the way through here because from the first man to the last man, everyone has always been saved the same way. For by grace are ye saved through faith in the cross. That means you believe that when Christ came into the world, He was who He came to be.

He was God in the flesh, that He died on that cross to pay for all the sins of the world. But it wasn’t over. He had to be buried and come back from the dead. Coming back from the dead was God’s stamp of approval upon who he claimed to be. The Bible says in John chapter 17 that when you put me on the cross, Jesus says, my Father will tell you who I am. He says, I’m the light of the world.

They say, you’re not the light of the world. You say you’re the light of the world. But Jesus says, I am the light of the world. And he says, I am the way. I am the truth, but they didn’t believe that. They wouldn’t listen to him. And so whenever Christ was on the cross and when He died, the veil in the temple was rent from the top to the bottom, because He said, I am the way unto the presence of God.

And no man cometh unto the Father except through me. And He was the veil. In the book of Hebrews in chapter 10, talk about the veil. And then he says, I am the light of the world. They said, you’re not the light of the world. But when Christ was on the cross, the Lord through the main switch of heaven and all lights went out. It was dark upon the earth for three hours. He said, my Father will tell you who I am.

Now he claimed to be all of that and he was just that. So Jesus Christ not only died on the cross but he was very, and rose again from the dead. Him coming back from the dead with the scars in his hands and in his feet is your proof of payment. It’s like he is my receipt. You go to the store and you get something they give you a receipt, get gas, gotta receipt. That means it’s paid for. Jesus is my ever living proof of payment, my payment for my sins.

So I have a payment for my sin and he said, He’ll never leave me and never forsake me. So wherever I go for all eternity, I have this payment for my sin. Christ was the payment for my sins. He died for me to give me eternal life. So him coming back from the dead is the foundation upon which Christianity stands. You take away the resurrection of Christ, there is no Savior. There is no payment for sin. There is no hope.

And we are all men most miserable. Because if this isn’t true, then everything else He talks about isn’t true either. But if that happened just like He said, then everything else He says must be true. Wouldn’t you believe that? So I believe Jesus is coming again. He’s more real to me than the clothes I got on my back. I know the Lord and I love the Lord. But now look what He says back here in verse 24. Verily, verily I send to you, he that hears my word, believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life, shall not come into condemnation, but his past from death under life.”

Then he says in verse 25, Verily, verily I send to you, the hour is coming, and now is when that dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that here shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself, and have given him authority to execute judgment also because he is the son of man. He is who he claimed to be. So he talks about there’s going to be a resurrection.

But now notice this resurrection and how confusing it might seem when you first look at it. Look at verse 28. Verse 28, Verse 28, marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice. All that are in the grave shall hear his voice. So whether they’re saved or lost, everybody dies, their bodies are in the grave. Some of the Old Testament saints are now in heaven. Well, they’re all of them, I don’t know.

There may be some here at the resurrection at this time. But those who have trusted Christ as Savior since Pentecost, until the rapture, all of us make up a certain body of believers. We’re called the church. We are a body and we will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. And so we’ll all be together. Are you a new listener to Bibleline? Do you enjoy the teachings of Dr. Arnold? Well, if If you’ve never contacted us before, we want to give you Dr.

Arnold’s book, The Gospel Driven Man. Every day we receive many emails from folks who have questions about repentance and salvation, about faith in works, and about how to share the gospel with friends and loved ones. This book, The Gospel Driven Man, covers all those topics, and we want all new listeners of Bibleline to receive a free copy. There’s no obligation, no donation necessary, simply call us at 1-800-576-3771 or write to us and request your free copy of the Gospel-Driven Mail.

The mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Again, don’t forget to include your mailing address, and God bless you and thank you for listening to Bibleline. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. And a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The truth will sound and we will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord and the air.

Hold it today and end it. The Lord is coming soon, and just keep in looking up.