They Sleep Until the Resurrection

It was late on the night of January 1, 2001. Outside it was bitterly cold, as freezing drizzle relentlessly fell and the worst ice storm of the year rendered the roads virtually impassible. My wife April and I with our four children were hunkered down in our house way out in the North Texas countryside. Then I got the call. . . . “If you want to see your brother alive one last time you’d better come on tonight,” Jessie said quietly. Then he put Mike on the telephone. My brother’s voice sounded weak and faint on the other end of the line. His mind was blurry because of the morphine he was taking for his excruciating pain. Mike would die the following morning — oat cell cancer.

I faced a very difficult decision. It would be extremely risky to take my family out on the iced-over country roads late at night without snow chains. We had only one automobile and there was a real possibility that the power lines might go down because of the heavy ice load. I could not leave my family there alone in such insecure circumstances. If I left them and the power went down they would be alone in the dark and the cold. I knew where my primary responsibility lay, so I decided to wait until daylight and then make the 130-mile trip to the hospital south of Fort Worth.

We were up early and on the road as soon as possible, but the driving proved difficult and slow on the thickly glazed country roads. It was a tensely focused, stressful driving effort for me. Finally, we arrived at the hospital by late morning.

“I’m so sorry,” the male hospice nurse at the desk said. “Your brother passed away about five minutes ago.” I was stunned. I began struggling with feelings of personal guilt and frustration with God. “Was I wrong for not coming last night?” I grilled myself. “Was I wrong for stopping at the gas station in Dallas to go to the restroom? If only I . . . Lord God! Why didn’t you let Mike live just a few minutes longer? Why was I five minutes too late?” The question echoed in my mind.

The New Testament records a story in which a messenger told Jesus of the imminent death of a very dear friend and urged Him to come quickly. Mysteriously, He deliberately delayed his arrival until four long days after the death of His friend. The family members were devastated, with all kinds of questions and conflicting emotions swirling in their minds. “Lord, if You had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died, ”Martha said, weeping. “Your brother will rise again, ” Jesus replied. (John 11:21b, 23a HCSB)

The first scene in our story opens when messengers bring an urgent message to Jesus regarding the sickness and imminent death of His dear friend, Lazarus.

“Now a certain manwas sick, namedLazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. ² (It was thatMary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) ³  Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. ⁴ When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. ⁵  Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. ⁶  When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. ⁷  Then after that saith he to hisdisciples, Let us go into Judaea again. ^{. . .} Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. ¹²  Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. ¹³  Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. ¹⁴  Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. ¹⁵  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. ^{. . . 17}  Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lainin the grave four days already.

18  Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off: ¹⁹  And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. ²⁰  Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat stillin the house. ²¹ Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. ²²  But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give itthee. ²³  Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. ²⁴  Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. ²⁵  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: ²⁶ And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? ²⁷  She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

28  And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. ²⁹  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. ³⁰ Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him. ³¹  The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there. ³² Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

33  When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, ³⁴  And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. ³⁵  Jesus wept. ³⁶  Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! ³⁷ And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?

38  Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. ³⁹  Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been deadfour days. ⁴⁰  Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? ⁴¹  Then they took away the stone from the placewhere the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up hiseyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. ⁴² And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. ⁴³ And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. ⁴⁴ And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

45  Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.” ( John 11:1-7, 11b-15, 17-45)

Now let’s review this poignant story, scene by scene, to discover what Scripture is telling us about the composition of the human soul, about the state of humans in death, and about resurrection from death to everlasting life. Jesus said to His disciples, “‘Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.’ But His disciples thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead.’”(John 11:11, 13-14). Since there is no need to awaken one who is already conscious, Jesus’ statement “I go that I may wake him up”clearly indicates that He viewed death as an unconscious sleep. Many texts in the Bible refer to death as unconscious sleep. Sleep is the most common explanation for death in the Scriptures.

What is sleep? Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Languagesays that one who sleeps “rests unconscious of what passes around him.” The idea of sleep implies a state of temporary unconsciousness from which one will eventually awaken. Jesus uses the word sleepto describe common death, because it is a temporary state of unconsciousness and inactivity. Because dead people are asleep unconscious of the passing of time, when they awaken at the resurrection it will seem to them that they fell asleep only a brief moment ago.

The words “sleep” and “asleep”that the Bible consistently uses to describe human death carry the obvious meaning of continued identity, but in an unconscious state. Contrary to Scripture, philosophers and theologians have reinterpreted the word asleep to mean not asleep but eternally awake. This distortion of meaning confuses Bible readers and makes it virtually impossible for them to understand plain teachings of Scripture. But dear Bible student, asleep doesn’t mean awake and dead doesn’t mean alive!

The Bible is emphatically clear that dead people don’t know anything, their thinking process has ended. Let’s look at some plain, straightforward statements from the Bible now:

“Lest I sleep the sleep of death.” (Psalm 13:3 )

“Now shall I sleep in the dust.” (Job 7:21)

“[Our] rest together [is] in the dust.” ( Job 17:16b)

“For in death [there is] no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?” (Psalm 6:5)

“For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished.” “There is no . . . knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 10 NKJV)

“Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being. Put not your trust in princes, [nor] in the son of man, in whom [there is] no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” (Psalm 146:1-4)

“The dead praise not the Lord.” (Psalm 115:17)

“So man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, They will not awake Nor be roused from their sleep. . . . His sons come to honor, and he does not know it; They are brought low, and he does not perceive it.” (Job 14:12, 21 NKJV)

“For the grave cannot praise thee, death can [not] celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I [do] this day:” (Isaiah 38:18, 19a)

“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Genesis 3:19)

“The righteous perisheth. . . they shall rest in their beds.” (Isaiah 57:1a, 2b)

“From eternity to eternity, You are God. You return mankind to the dust, saying, ‘Return, descendents of Adam.’ . . . You end their life; they sleep.” (Psalm 90:2b-3, 5)

“For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:” (Acts 13:36)

“Men [and] brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. . . . For David is not ascended into the heavens:” (Acts 2:29, 34)

“For this cause many [are] weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.” (1^st Corinthians 11:30)

“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame [and] everlasting contempt.” (Daniel 12:2)

“Thy dead [men] shall live, [together with] my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: . . . the earth shall cast out the dead.” (Isaiah 26:19)

“For I know [that] my redeemer liveth, and [that] he shall stand at the latter [day] upon the earth: And [though] after my skin [worms] destroy this [body], yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; [though] my reins be consumed within me.” (Job 19:25-27)

“And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. And Saul was consenting unto his death.” (Acts 7:60, 8:1a)

“And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead.” (Luke 8:52, 53)

“For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith [is] vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the firstfruits of them that slept.” (1^st Corinthians 15:16-20)

“We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible . . . and this mortal [must] put on immortality. So when . . . this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” (1 ^st Corinthians 15:51-54)

“Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead.” (Ephesians 5:14)

“I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” (Psalm 17:15)

These Bible passages give undeniable testimony that dead souls sleep an unconscious sleep until the resurrection of the whole righteous person to eternal life at the second coming, or the resurrection of the whole wicked person for final punishment 1,000 years later at the third coming. (See Revelation 20) Let’s pull back the curtain now for the next scene described in John 11:20-27.

“Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat [still] in the house. Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give [it] thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.”

In verse 24, we have a very important element introduced into our drama. That is the concept of a resurrection from the dead “at the last day.” Here, Lazarus’ sorrow-filled sister Martha expresses her faith in that future resurrection. Let’s listen again to the poignant discussion between Jesus and brokenhearted Martha in verses 21-24:

“Now Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to Him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’” NKJV

In this emotional conversation Jesus tenderly offers words of comfort to Martha. What are His words? Does He comfort her with the idea that her brother is already enjoying the bliss of heaven as a disembodied soul? No. He comforts her with the blessed hope of the future resurrection . He says simply, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha then responds with her belief that the resurrection would occur “at the last day.” In verse 25, Jesus reassures her that she is indeed correct in her understanding: “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.’”His straight-to-the-point language there explicitly ties the future life to a literal, glorious, bodily resurrection, not to a conscious ghostly entity detached from the body.

Scripture mentions the second coming of Jesus, with its resurrection to life, more than a hundred and twenty times in straightforward language. Clearly then, the resurrection is an exceedingly important event in the mind of God, and He wants the reality of it to become precious in your mind and expectations.

In verse 26, Jesus confidently adds another fascinating element of truth. He says, “And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” This statement refers to a different, permanent form of death, in which the very identity of a lost person will cease to exist forever. In other Scripture passages, Jesus refers to this end of personal identity as “the second death.” (See Revelation 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8) But here in His dialogue with Martha, He is offering comforting assurance that those who believe in Him will never die that awful and permanent death of extinction. His wonderful promise is for you, your family, friends and schoolmates just as much as for Martha and her brother.

A question naturally arises here: “If the lost one’s personal identity is not destroyed when he falls asleep in temporal death, what happens to it?” The answer is simple and clear. God keeps a record “book”in heaven in which the “name” (individual identity) of each of His faithful children is recorded. Every person who is genuinely born again has his or her name “in the book of life.”(Philippians 4:3) Speaking of God’s future world of peace and paradise the Bible says,

“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither [whatsoever] worketh abomination, or [maketh] a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.” (Revelation 21:27; See also Revelation 13:8)

God also keeps accurate record “books”containing the names of every unfaithful person who is “reserved”for the second death.

“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. . . . and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15)

The Old Testament prophet Daniel saw the exact same scene more than 600 years before the New Testament prophet John saw it.

“I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment [was] white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened.” (Daniel 7:9-10 NKJV)

The following passage says that the wicked dead are not already in hell but are currently reserved in their graves awaiting the judgment.

“The wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath. Who shall declare his way to his face? and who shall repay him [what] he hath done? Yet shall he be brought to the grave, and shall remain in the tomb.” (Job 21:30-32)

So the wicked “remain in the tomb,”“reserved”in “the grave”until “the day of wrath, ”when the fires of hell will be kindled and God will repay them with “destruction”for their stubborn impenitence. “They shall be brought forth TOthe day of wrath.” (Emphasis supplied)

Dear friend, if you are not converted, please talk to Jesus as to a friend. Read about His love and meditate on Him. Don’t let anything deter you from this decision. Just say, “I will put away every trivial time wasting interest and amusement and I will make time for getting acquainted with Jesus and His teachings. My life, my eternal salvation depends on it.” You don’t need Hollywood fantasiesabout so-called ghosts when you can find a realityfar more thrilling and wonderful.

Stay with Jesus day by day; visit with Him in the Bible, listen to Him speak through the Bible and speak to Him in prayer. As you do this He will imperceptibly convert your heart. Then He will place your name in “the Lamb’s book of life.”And if you go to sleep in Jesus, you will rise in “the first resurrection”and will never die “the second death.”(See Revelation 2:11b; 20:6; 21:27) Tell your friends and schoolmates about this so they can experience the same thrill and excitement!

“Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where [is] thy sting? O grave, where [is] thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:51-55)

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

The resurrection is a central theme of the Gospel. As we’ve already noted, the Bible mentions the second coming, at which there will be a resurrection to life and victory over the grave more than a hundred and twenty timesin very straightforward language. This was a major theme of the Gospeleven in Old Testament times! Do you wish to confirm this? Take the time and look up these fantastic promises; they will blow your mind! (See Job 14:12-15; 19:25-27/Psalms 16:9-10; 17:15; 50:3/Isaiah 2:11-12; 11:1-11; 13:6-13; 24:1-3; 24:18-23; 25:8-9; 26:19-21; 29:18; 30:18; 33:17; 40:5, 10-11; 62:11; 66:15/Jeremiah 4:23-27; 8:20; 25:30, 33/Ezekiel 7:19; 37:1-14/Daniel 2:44-45; 7:13-14; 8:19; 12:1-3, 13/Hosea 13:14/Joel 1:15; 2:1-2, 11, 28-32; 3:14/Zepheniah 1:14-15, 18/Malachi 4:5, 6/Matthew 13:38-50; 16:27; 22:23; 24:26-27, 30-31,33, 36-37, 42, 44; 25:13, 31-32, 34, 41; 26:64; 27:52-53;/Mark 8:38; 12:25; 13:21-22, 24-26/Luke 9:26; 12:40; 14:14; 17:26, 30, 34; 18:8; 19:13/John 5:28-29; 6:39-40, 44, 54; 11:24-25, 43-44; 14:2-3; 17:24/ Acts 1:6-7, 9, 11; 3:20-21; 17:18, 32; 24:15/Romans 13:11-12/1^stCorinthians 1:7-8; 4:5; 15:22-25, 51-54/Philippians 1:6; 3:11, 20-21/Colossians 3:4/1 ^st Thessalonians 1:10; 3:13; 4:15-17; 5:2-4, 23/2 ^nd Thessalonians 1:7-9; 2:1-3, 8/2 ^nd Timothy 4:1, 8/Titus 2:13-14/Hebrews 9:28; 10:25, 35-37/James 5:7-8/1 ^st Peter 1:7-8; 5:4/2 ^nd Peter 1:16; 3:10-12/1 ^stJohn 2:28; 3:2/Jude 14-15/Revelation 1:7, 18; 3:11; 6:15-17; 14:14-16; 16:15, 17-18; 19:11-16; 20:6; 22:4, 7-12, 20)

Did you look up every one of those texts? Wow! We refer to the Old Testament prophet Isaiah as the “Gospel Prophet” because of such thrilling statements as the following, which parallels Paul’s rousing passage from 1 ^st Corinthians 15 that I quoted on page 12 of this booklet.

“He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken [it]. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this [is] our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this [is] the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” (Isaiah 25:8, 9)

So, even some people in Old Testament times foresaw this exhilarating reality. The age-old superstitious pagan teaching of the immortality of the human soul is notthe blessed hope referred to in the Bible. In fact, the Bible never uses the term “immortal soul” in reference to humans — not even once! The resurrection at the last day has always been the blessed hope of God’s people. Immortality is something that Christians “seek,”not something that God grants unconditionally to both the righteous and the wicked.

“To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life.” (Romans 2:7)

Immortality is a gift that God’s redeemed children will “put on”at the second coming of Jesus. The encouraging passage from 1 ^stCorinthians 15 that you read on page 12 of this booklet is part of an entire Bible chapter devoted to the glorious subject of the second coming and resurrection to life. We’re going to read all of 1 ^stCorinthians 15 shortly for a captivating picture of the “gospel”of the second coming and the resurrection from death to life. But first let me remind you that your heavenly Father offers eternal life in paradise to you permanently, to your dearest loved ones, friends and schoolmates. And believe it or not, He even offers to forgive your enemies of the rotten things they have done to you if they will be sorry and change their mind. He wants them to have eternal life in Paradise too. What an incredible God! And if they change their mind and start treating you right then you will really be happy for yourself and for them too. Instead of an enemy they will be your new friend and that kind of friend (a friend who used to be an enemy) is really close! Okay, now let’s read 1 ^st Corinthians 15.

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; ²  By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. ³  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; ⁴ And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: ⁵  And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: ⁶ After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. ⁷  After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. ⁸  And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. ⁹  For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰  But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. ¹¹  Therefore whether it wereI or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.

12  Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³  But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: ¹⁴  And if Christ be not risen, then isour preaching vain, and your faith isalso vain. ¹⁵  Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. ¹⁶ For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: ¹⁷ And if Christ be not raised, your faith isvain; ye are yet in your sins. ¹⁸  Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. ¹⁹  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

20  But now is Christ risen from the dead, andbecome the firstfruits of them that slept. ²¹  For since by man came death, by man camealso the resurrection of the dead. ²²  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. ²³  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. ²⁴  Then comeththe end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. ²⁵  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. ²⁶  The last enemy that shall be destroyed isdeath. ²⁷ For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. ²⁸ And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. ²⁹  Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead? ³⁰ And why stand we in jeopardy every hour? ³¹  I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. ³² If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die. ³³  Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. ³⁴  Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak thisto your shame.

35  But some manwill say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? ³⁶  Thoufool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: ³⁷  And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: ³⁸ But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. ³⁹  All flesh isnot the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, andanother of birds. ⁴⁰  There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial isone, and the gloryof the terrestrial isanother. ⁴¹  There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for onestar differeth from anotherstar in glory. ⁴²  So also isthe resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: ⁴³  It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: ⁴⁴  It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. ⁴⁵  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was madea quickening spirit. ⁴⁶  Howbeit that wasnot first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. ⁴⁷  The first man isof the earth, earthy: the second man isthe Lord from heaven. ⁴⁸  As isthe earthy, such arethey also that are earthy: and as isthe heavenly, such arethey also that are heavenly. ⁴⁹  And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. ⁵⁰  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

51  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵²  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal mustput on immortality. ⁵⁴  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. ⁵⁵  O death, where isthy sting? O grave, where isthy victory? ⁵⁶   The sting of death issin; and the strength of sin isthe law. ⁵⁷  But thanks beto God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁵⁸  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (1st Corinthians 15)

Now, let’s take special note of the last part of verse 22 and all of verse 23, which tell us exactly when those who are sleeping in Jesus “shall be made alive:” “But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.” This passage makes it clear that the sleeping saints will be “made alive”in a general resurrection at Jesus’ second coming. Therefore, the bodily resurrection from the dead “at His coming” is the real blessed hope of the Christian.

The Bible says “many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves” after Jesus’ resurrection. The Bible also indicates that God raised Moses from the dead in a special resurrection. (See Matthew 27:51-54; Jude 1:9) According to the Bible, those are the only known persons already resurrected from the dead to eternal life. The Bible also records the translation of Enoch and Elijah to heaven bodily and alive without ever tasting death. (See 2 Kings 2:1, 11; Hebrews 11:5) As far as the Bible record is concerned, these are the only redeemed people in heaven now. God has planned a glorious reunion of loved ones when all of the millions of redeemed people of all the ages awaken from their sleep and rise to meet Him together!

“But,” someone might ask, “What about the thief on the cross? Didn’t he go to heaven with Jesus the day they were crucified?

THETHIEFONTHECROSSISNOTINHEAVENYET

No, the subtitle above this section is not a typo! The Greek manuscripts of the New Testament books were originally written in all caps with no breaks between words or sentences and without any punctuation of any kind — just like the subtitle above, only in Koiné Greek and not English. When the English translators began their work about five hundred years ago, they had to separate the words and then figure out where to break sentences and where to put commas. When they came to Jesus’ promise to the thief on the cross recorded in Luke 23:42, 43, they punctuated the sentence according to their preconceptions that the human soul is created immortal and goes straight to its heavenly reward at the moment of death.

The New King James Bible renders the passage as follows: “Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’” By placing the comma before the word “today,” the translators made the passage say the thief would go straight to heaven that day. But they could just as easily have placed the comma after “today” which would have given a completely different meaning to the text. Howard Peth makes the following observation:

“Today” is an adverb of TIME, telling WHEN something happens. It may modify the verb “be” and tell when the thief would be with Jesus in paradise. – OR – It may modify the verb “say” and emphasize when Jesus spoke those words to the thief. ¹

Jesus actually said, “‘Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise.’” Why did He place emphasis on the circumstance of His promise rather than the time of its fulfillment? Jesus was in effect saying,

“Even though I am dying in agony on a shameful cross, and even though My claim to be the Son of God appears false, and even though My own disciples have all forsaken Me, and even though the mob is mocking Me, I still have the authority to make this promise to you, who expressed faith in Me at this unseemly time.” ²

The truth is, Jesus did not go to heaven that day and neither did the thief. In fact, the thief did not die that day. How do we know the thief did not die that Friday? Because the Bible says that his legs were broken at the end of the day because he wasn’t dead. The legalistic Jews did not want to leave the thieves on the cross over the Sabbath. So they had their legs broken before taking them down so that they would be less likely to escape during the Sabbath hours. After the Sabbath, the thieves would have been placed back on their crosses to finish the horrible dying process of crucifixion, which usually took a few days:

“The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and [that] they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:” (John 19:31-33)

According to the Bible, Jesus did not go to heaven that day either. He rested quietly in the tomb over the Sabbath and then early on the first day of the week He rose from the dead in a blaze of glory. When Mary Magdalene came to the tomb to embalm His body, she was shocked to find Him not dead, but alive! In her excitement, she was about to embrace Him when He said, “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father.” (John 20:17a) Based on the trustworthy testimony of Jesus Himself, it would have been impossible for the thief to be with Jesus in paradise on crucifixion Friday because Jesus had not ascended there yet. The hopeful thief, like all believers, ultimately “died in faith, not having received the promises.” (Hebrews 11:13a)

In 1 ^st Thessalonians 4:13-18 Paul gives an explicit description of the awakening of the righteous from sleep to everlasting life. The context of Paul’s encouraging words is that apparently some in the church at Thessalonica were grieving over dead loved ones. Paul does not attempt to comfort them with a silly pagan fable about ghosts of their loved ones floating around consciously in some ethereal heaven. He emphatically does assure them of God’s true promise of a thrilling bodily resurrection of all believers together at the second coming of Christ. He promises that God (the great Master Biologist of the universe) will awaken the sleeping loved ones and friends first, immediately before glorifying the living saints, and thenwill bring them together with Jesus into the air and on to their ecstatic reunion with one another and with God.

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring [up to heaven] with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 ^st Thessalonians 4:13-18 NKJV) (Bracketed words added)

It is clear from this passage that the reason those who are alive and remain until the coming of Jesus will not precede those who are sleeping is notthat they are already in heaven, but that they “will rise first. Thenwe who are alive and remain will be caught up togetherwith them.” (Emphasis supplied) The meaning here is unmistakable.

Some mistakenly assume that the words “God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus” means that Jesus will be bringing conscious bodiless ghosts of saints who have died down from heaven and re-inserting these naked souls into resurrected bodies so that He can then turn around and take them backto heaven. But the text says nothing about re-insertion of filmy-ghosts or naked unclothed souls into resurrected bodies. The text clearly says that Jesus is going to resurrect the sleeping saints and thenbring them with Him to heaven.

We Shall Not be Found Naked

One of the most misunderstood and abused texts in the New Testament is 2^nd Corinthians 5:8, which reads as follows: “We are confident, [I say], and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” This verse says absolutely nothing about naked, unclothed souls entering into the presence of the LORD in a conscious state at the death of the body. Such an idea is based on popular preconceptions but not based on the text itself. The text taken in its context actually teaches the exact opposite. Let’s review Paul’s introductory statements beginning at verse 1, in order to get the context.

“For we know that if our earthly house of [this] tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in [this] tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.” (2 ^ndCorinthians 5:1-4)

Paul does not say that he desires anyone to be absent from the body but present with the LORD as an unclothed or naked spirit. Nowhere does he say such a thing. He is very clear “that being clothed we shall notbe found naked.” (verse 3 italics supplied) Paul goes on to say that we who are in this body “do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.” (verse 4) Obviously Paul didn’t think existence as a bodiless mind would be much fun. It certainly wasn’t something he would look forward to. Paul ties life to being gloriously clothed with a new beautiful, magnificent immortal body, not to being unclothed as a blank, empty disembodied spirit.

The Bible nowhere teaches that mortality is replaced with immortality at the moment of death — nowhere! When does the Bible say that mortality shall “be swallowed up of life”? The Bible teaches that Jesus will bestow immortality at His second coming. Let’s review 1^st Corinthians 15:49-54 again.

“And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”

This passage is clearly saying that every faithful believer will “put on immortality” when “the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible.” This language is almost identical to 1 ^st Thessalonians 4:16, which says, “ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise.” Clearly i t is at the second coming of Jesus that “the trumpet shall sound”and “death is swallowed up in victory.” This statement “ “death is swallowed up in victory” from 1st Corinthians 15:54 is almost identical language to 2nd Corinthians 5:4b, which says, “ mortality might be swallowed up of life.” Obviously, all of these encouraging passages are referring to the same event, which takes place at the second coming and not at the moment of death.

Jesus explicitly promises that He will come again to receive us unto Himself. “I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also.” (John 14:3b) Wouldn’t it be nonsensical for Jesus to say that He would come and receive us to Himself if we are already with Him? Scripture teaches that all believers from all time are asleep, awaiting the resurrection, which will occur at the second coming.

But don’t worry, death is nothing to fear. For the believer, it will seem only like a flash of time between the moment she goes to sleep to the moment she is resurrected at Jesus’ second coming. Even if many years have passed she will not have experienced that passing of time. It will be a split second from going to sleep to waking up so far as her experience is concerned. Wow!

When we take 2nd Corinthians 5:1-8 in its proper context, we must understand it as a continuation of the theme in chapter 4. How do we know that it is a continuation of the theme of chapter 4? Because chapter 5 begins with the word “for.” In chapter 4, Paul has already focused in on the resurrection as the Christian’s hope for immortality. “Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present [us] with you.” (2^nd Corinthians 4:14) Paul builds on this thought in his opening remarks in verse 5. Please notice that all believers receive immortality together as a group at the resurrection and not one at a time at death. This is emphasized with the words “shall present [us] with you” in 4:14. We will all be raised together and presented together at the second coming, as we already showed from 1^st Thessalonians 4:13-18.

We have established from Scripture that faithful believers receive immortality at the resurrection and not at death even though it will seem to them like only a split-second has passed between the moment of death and the moment of resurrection. They are unaware of the passing of time.

God’s feelings about human sorrow and death are revealed in an emotional scene recorded in John 11:32-35. In this scene, we hear a poignant conversation between Jesus and Lazarus’ grieving sister Mary.

“Then when Mary was come where Jesus was . . . she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept.”

Here we see Jesus experiencing deep emotional pain, openly weeping, at the sight of Lazarus’ grieving loved ones. On another occasion, Jesus said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14:8, 9) In other words, “As the Son of God, I am the expression of the way the Father feels about you.” “The Father himself loveth you, ” says Jesus. (John 16:27)

It is love that heals and redeems every wounded soul. The more deeply we love the greater our capacity for suffering emotional pain. We cannot fathom the depths of God’s love for His hurting children. God loves deeply and therefore suffers deeply — more deeply than we can begin to understand. When you suffer, He suffers with you; His heart aches with yours. His love for you is deep and strong.

L et’s return now to the final dramatic scene in the story of Lazarus. The amazing scene is described in very vivid language.

“Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been [dead] four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone [from the place] where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up [his] eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said [it], that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.” (John 11:38-45)

What an astonishing event! But, mark this point, the Bible talks more about Lazarus later and yet never mentions anything about a so-called out-of-body experience while his body lay dead in the tomb. Don’t you think the Bible would have mentioned it if it had occurred? The Bible’s silence on this point would be incredible if Lazarus had been conscious during death. After all, how many people have died and livedto tell about it?! This Biblical silence is exactly what we would expect if “the dead know not any thing,” and if “their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished,”and if “there is no . . . knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” (See Ecclesiastes 9:5-10)

The Bible records several instances of dead people brought back to life, besides Jesus’ own resurrection. There is no Biblical record of any of those people remaining conscious while they were dead. The Bible is not confusing on this subject; it is very consistent. We only become confused if we attempt to filter Scripture through superstitious errors. Social culture saturates us with spiritualistic lies. We need to shed those lies like hair off a dog. Here’s the real straight truth.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” (John 5:25-29)

I recall attending the funeral after Jack, a neighbor and friend of mine had died. As his wife Donna sat weeping in anguish, a preacher took the podium and quoted John 14:2 where Jesus says, “In my Father's house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”The preacher then closed his Bible and proceeded to describe how happy Jack is now as he smiles down on Donna from heaven. ³But how could Jack possibly be happy while seeing his beloved Donna suffering so much emotional pain? And how can Donna be comforted believing that Jack is so insensitive to her suffering as to actually be happy while she is in pain?

Don’t you think that Donna’s grief is troubling and saddening to Jesus? “When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled. . . Jesus wept.”(John 11:33, 35)

Oh, if only Donna would turn from superstitious traditions to the Bible, she would be comforted knowing that Jack is sleeping peacefully, awaiting the resurrection at the second coming of Jesus. What a peace of mind she could have knowing that she and Jack will meet Jesus together when the trumpet sounds at the second coming and resurrection. They will ascend to heaven together, not separately.

When the preacher quoted Jesus promise “ I go to prepare a place for you,” why did he close his Bible without quoting the rest of Jesus’ promise? “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also.”(John 14:3) And i f believers go straight to be with Jesus at the moment of death, why did He promise, “I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also.”?

Did Jack go to be with Jesus at the moment he died? Such a notion makes complete nonsense out of Jesus’ promise. But of course, such notions are not true. Jack will go to be with Jesus when he is resurrected at the second coming.

When Jack gave his heart to Jesus, his name legally passed from judgment to the “book of life.”(Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5; 20:12; 21:27) Jesus gave Jack a reassuring promise; that promise is for anyone who believes in Jesus. Let’s read the promise:

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:24)

God confirmed the promise to Jack. How did He do that? Jack was “sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.”(Ephesians 1:13b-14a)

This promise of sealing with the earnest of our inheritance was written by Paul to the 1 ^stCentury Ephesian Christians. But while Paul didn’t write the promise tous (21 ^st Century Christians) he, as a penman for God, did write it forus. The earnestof our inheritance comes from God and is for you and me today just as much as for the ancient Ephesians. What is this earnestthat you and I receive when we accept the conditions of salvation through Christ? Please let me illustrate.

When I bought some land several years ago I demonstrated my intent to follow through on the purchase by applying a portion of the purchase money in an escrow account. This portion is known as earnestmoney. This illustrates how God deals with us. When we come to Him in faith and repent of our sins He writes forgiven against our names and grants us an earnestof the Holy Spirit as a seal or promise of our eventual full salvation. This earnest is His pledge to complete the transaction at the second coming of Jesus ifwe remain faithful to our part of the agreement by continual confession of sin and faith in our Savior which bears fruit of obedience. Paul makes this point clear in another letter.

“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if [any man] draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” (Hebrews 10:35-39)

This principle is symbolized by my real estate transaction. If the seller (representing the professing Christian) had proved to be disingenuous, and the property had proved not to be as advertised, the deal would have been broken and I (in the illustration representing God) would have recalled my earnest money. But the land was as advertised and a few weeks after applying earnest money I followed through with the final purchase. I had the full payment in hand all along but the deal wasn’t final until all the records had been checked and a title policy issued guaranteeing that the property would belong to me fully and finally without any encumbrances. The transaction was then completed.

God has had the full payment for every individual’s salvation in hand ever since Jesus shed His blood on the cross. He gives each professing Christian an earnestof that payment to assure and hold us until the records are checked at the end to see if we were genuinely sorry for our sins as we claimed and to make sure that we remained repentant to the end. “He that endureth to the end shall be saved.”(Revelation 10:22b)

In the investigative judgment now going on in heaven those who prove disingenuous will have their earnest of God’s seal withdrawn, from them. Is it possible for a professing Christian to have his or her name removed from the book of life? According to Scripture it can and does happen.

“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” (Revelation 3:5)

“And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life.” (Revelation 22:19a)

Bite-a-Book™ chapter 6, There Will Be a Resurrection of the Dead, Both of the Just and the Unjustexplains the books of heaven.

A “title policy” with no exclusions is issued to every repentant soul who remains faithful to the end. At death your name comes up for final judgment. Then the words of Revelation 22:11-12 are fulfilled.

“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”

When do professing Christians receive the full payment? According to Jesus, “you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”(Luke 14:14b NKJV; See also Matthew 24:45-47; 25:21-23; Luke 19:17; Ephesians 1:1-23; Revelation 2:10) Jack, my brother Mike, and all who die as faithfulbelievers will live again at the resurrection! Be there my friend. Don’t miss the first resurrection

Bonus for My Young Readers

This next little anecdote from my life really doesn’t have anything directly to do with the subject of this chapter but I am writing for young people as well as adults and I think my young readers will like this little story. Besides I have two blank pages to fill in here and I hate waste!

I had a wreck in my 97 Chevy Z71 Off Road pickup truck a couple of months ago. I turned it over on its side, flipped and totaled a 16’trailer that I had borrowed from a friend and did several thousand dollars damage to a rented tractor that was on the trailer. The trailer flew so high in the air that it hit a telephone line and brought it down. At first I didn’t think I was hurt very badly but later I had severe swelling in both legs and it looks like it is going to take at least several months to heal.

When the truck finally came to a rest lying on its side I was dangling from my seat belt in mid air like a spider in a web. My young friend, wear your seat belt. Seat belts are life savers! If I had not been wearing mine I probably would either have had my body torn all up inside the truck or possibly even been thrown out of the truck. Automobile accidents involve very powerful forces and no matter how tough you think you are you are no match for those G-forces.

I might suggest that if you ever find yourself dangling from a seat belt in a turned on its side truck think it through before you push the release button on the seat belt. I added a few extra injuries when I fell to the bottom when I released the belt. I’m not one to let grass grow under my feet but I should have waited a few moments longer to try to figure out how to have a little softer landing.

I wasn’t afraid of dying during the moments the wreck was happening. I was frustrated with myself for falling asleep at the wheel and I felt that I was disappointing God by forcing Him to protect me unnecessarily because of driving when I knew I was too tired.

As I’ve already mentioned I have been battling stage IV cancer. My oncologist (cancer Doctor) put me on a very mild dosage of steroids to help reduce swelling in my lower back. I have cancer in the L2 region of my lower back and it is putting bilateral pressure on my sciatic nerves going down both legs. It got so painful and constant (24/7) that I decided to try the steroids. BIG MISTAKE! Steroids are terrible! They tore me up! Those steroids did more harm to me than anything else I’ve tried in my efforts to beat the cancer.

The steroids kept me wired and kept me awake at night so I couldn’t get enough sleep. I knew I was drowsy while driving. I was consciously telling myself to stay awake and even talking out loud to myself and singing when I just flat-out fell asleep. I’ve never done anything like that before in my life. My mind could will it but my body simply could not perform it. I fell asleep at the wheel while willing myself not to. (See Romans 7)

That was a wake-up call for me. I don’t want to endanger other people on the road and I don’t want to force God to have to protect me because of presumptuous foolhardiness on my part. So I have decided that I will not drive while sleepy anymore. And don’t you do that either. I love you. ☻ ☺

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