What Comes After This Present Life?.

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Since I am eighty-one years of age, the following verse is interesting to me: The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. (Psalms 90:10)

According to the Bible, I am supposed to fly away. Because of this, I am very interested in what comes after this present life.

(9/4/2006) I have had an interesting life. God has given me a fine wife, many friends, and a ministry that I have employed to share what understanding I have. Now I am ready to "fly away," according to the Bible. This does not mean to fly up to Heaven in a rapture, because there is no Old Testament support for a rapture, as far as I know. Rather, it means I will pass into the spirit world.

What shall I encounter when I leave my physical body and enter the spirit world? The Bible does not have as much to say about this as one would think, from current preaching.

Recently a real estate salesman said to me, reflecting on our large Internet site: "Because of your ministry you will have a large mansion when you die." Being a seller of houses, the idea of having a large house with no mortgage is his idea of the best future we could have.

However, a large house is not my idea of a desirable future. Once we have no physical body, what would be the benefit of a large house? What would we do in this building, sit around all day and read? I could do that now if I wished.

I enjoy my work, which is that of bringing understanding of the Bible to the believers. But I have always believed that my ministry will cease when I die. There are two passages of Scripture that have left me with the idea my ministry no longer will operate when I die and enter the spirit world.

The first passage has to do with the death of Aaron, the high priest. When Aaron, in obedience to the Lord, went up on the mountain to die, his priestly garments were removed from him and placed on his son. To me this always has meant that when we die our ministry will be removed from us and given to another.

The second passage is the well known "love" chapter, the thirteenth chapter of the Book of First Corinthians. Paul tells us that when that which is perfect comes, the gifts of the Spirit will be done away.

However, the thirteenth verse of the fourth chapter of Ephesians informs us that the gifts and ministries given to the Body of Christ will operate until we all come to the stature of the fullness of Christ, to spiritual perfection.

It is obvious to me, after sixty-one years as a Christian, that few Christians attain to the fullness of Christ before they die. Since the unchanging Scripture declares that Christians are built up into maturity in Christ by means of the gifts and ministries given to the members of the Body of Christ, then the ministries must continue to operate in the spirit world, after we die. How is the Wife of the Lamb, the new Jerusalem, going to arrive at unblemished perfect unless ministry continues in the spirit world?

The idea that the believers will be made perfect by dying physically, or by the coming of the Lord, does not appear to me to be scriptural. In fact, we derive the concept from the thirteenth chapter of Matthew that at the end of the age a great work of redemption will take place in which all sin is removed from the Kingdom of God.

Even though sin and sinners will be removed from the Kingdom at the end of the age, there still is the issue of Christ growing to maturity in us. Deliverance from worldliness, and the lusts of the flesh may take place over a period of time at the end of the age. But the Kingdom of God is the Divine Seed that grows in us, and such growth cannot be accomplished by any period of redemption.

I am left with the idea that ministry continues, and the Body of Christ comes to perfection, in the spirit world after we die. After all, the patriarchs and prophets of Israel who lived prior to the resurrection of Jesus Christ were born again in the spirit world after they died. No one was born again until Christ rose from the dead. Jesus Christ is the Firstborn of the dead, the Beginning of the eternal Kingdom of God.

I like the idea of ministry continuing after I "fly away." It is an exciting concept—far more attractive than the thought of sitting around in a large house doing nothing of significance. Perhaps I am weird and to be pitied because I am not captivated with the thought of a mansion and a backyard filled with diamonds.

But how about Aaron's priestly garments? And how about the coming of "that which is perfect? Don't those two passages mean that our death and the coming of the Lord wil result in the end of our ministry?

Moses removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar. And Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain, (Numbers 20:28)

But when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. (I Corinthians 13:10)

So I was at an impasse. It seemed to me that the Scripture and logic demand that ministry continues beyond the grave. Yet the two passages above appear to suggest that ministry is about to vanish. And we must never go against the Scriptures.

So I went to the Lord about Aaron's garments. I felt the Lord reminded me that Aaron's ministry lasted only as long as he was alive physically, but we, being part of the Body of the great High Priest, have an eternal ministry.

Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; But because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. (Hebrews 7:23,24)

So the first objection was removed. But how about First Corinthians, Chapter Thirteen.

But when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. (I Corinthians 13:10)

As I prayed and asked for understanding, it came to me that Paul's statement here does not mean that a grace is coming from Heaven that will remove the need for ministry. Rather, the perfection that is to come is spiritual maturity. When the gifts and ministries have accomplished their goal in an individual, when he or she has come to maturity, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ, then the ministries and gifts no longer are needed. This makes perfect sense to me.

So both scriptural obstacles to the idea of ministry continuing beyond the grace have been removed, at least to my way of thinking. This thought brings joy to me. Since I am about to "fly away," I am not faced with the prospect of sitting in an ornate house, doing nothing of significance (something like a retirement community, the thought of which appalls me).Rather, my ministry will continue without interruption. As the Lord promised, I shall never die.

Think of the unimaginable number of people who have entered the spirit realm and have little understanding of the Bible. These are my future students. Wonderful beyond all wonders!

My primary students will be the members of the Body of Christ—God's elect. The promise that we all will come to full maturity in Christ is made to the elect.

Because of past excesses, the idea of election has fallen into disrepute in many quarters. This is because of an ignorance of the fact that there are two groups of saved people. One group consists of the members of the Body of Christ, the royal priesthood. These are the new Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb. They are God's Israel.

The other group of saved people includes the remainder of mankind who will accept the Lordship of Jesus Christ. They must believe, repent of their wickedness and be baptized in water, just as the Scripture teaches.

Until we grasp that the Bible is written to God's people, His elect, and that their role is to represent the people of the world to God, and God to the people of the world, the overall sense of the Scriptures, both Old Testament and New, is lost.

Notice that the new covenant, the only covenant that takes the place of the Law of Moses, is made only with Israel. Notice also that what is preached today as the covenant that replaces Moses is quite different from the scriptural covenant.

This is an awesome fact, isn't it? What is being preached today as the covenant that supersedes the Law of Moses is a patchwork constructed from several verses taken out of context. The covenant that we say supersedes Moses is, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will go to Heaven when you die." The actual covenant that supersedes Moses is the writing of God's law in our mind and heart. How did we get so far off base?

Notice that the new covenant is not made with the people of the world, only with God's elect. God's elect is Israel, that is, all who are part of Jesus Christ whether Jewish or Gentile by physical birth.

But God found fault with the people and said "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah." (Hebrews 8:8)

What is the nature of the new covenant?

This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.I will be their God, and they will be my people. (Hebrews 8:10)

In order for an individual to not be destroyed in the Day of Wrath he or she must believe in Christ and be baptized in water. However, the actual plan of salvation for God's elect, His Israel, consists of God writing His laws in our mind and heart. This is another way of saying that Christ, the Word of God, is formed in us.

Notice that every one of God's elect shall be ministered to until he or she knows the Lord. This is "that which is perfect."

No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, "Know the Lord,"’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. (Hebrews 8:11).

The gifts and ministries shall continue into the spirit world until every member of God's elect, the Body of Christ, God's Israel, has come to spiritual maturity. I believe I am correct in maintaining this. As I said, this pleases me and gives me something happy to look forward to.

According to the Apostle Paul, each Christian believer has been given a portion of grace, a gift, a ministry. We must go to the trouble of finding out what our particular contribution is to be.

Now, we know from the parable of the talents that if we are diligent with the Divine grace that has been given to us, we will enter joy when we die. We will be given additional responsibility because we have faithfully used what we have been given.

However, if we do not go to the Lord to find out what our contribution to His Kingdom is to be, or having found out what it is do not set aside our other interests as necessary that our gift may be used fully, then, when we pass into the spirit world, our gift will be taken from us, given to someone who has been more diligent, and we ourselves will find ourselves confined to the outer darkness.

No member of God's elect chose Christ. Christ chose us. They all originally belonged to the Father, and He gave them to Christ so that Christ might give them Divine Life.

Christ then gives them something to do in His Kingdom The Holy Spirit is active in the giving and operating of various gifts and ministries. Every member of the Body of Christ has a specific function, just as every member of the human body has a specific function.

Christ expects each one of us to function in the building of His Kingdom. If any member does not function, having been attracted to the world, his or her ability to contribute to the Kingdom will wither and die, just as any part of the human body that is not used withers and dies.

Those who seek the gifts of grace Christ has for them, and then diligently use them, will have the joy of never dying. At the time of physical death the diligent saint will step right along in the spirit world, continuing to minister as Christ directs.

Those who prefer the attractions of the world rather than the attractions of Christ will not assign a high priority to discovering what their role is in the Body of Christ. Even if they do know somehow what they are supposed to be doing in the Kingdom, they will treat their responsibility casually, being taught that they will go to a lovely mansion when they die and be treated with every imaginable delight.

What a terrifying awakening will be theirs when they die and face a frowning Christ! Their abilities will be removed from them and given to another, and then they will be lead away into the dark caverns, their to share their fate with people like themselves.

I think the Lord spoke this message to me clearly, and I proclaimed it to the congregation Sunday. It truly has some terrifying implications.

It rejoices my heart to realize that when my body goes to sleep, my eternal spiritual nature will continue as ever, ministering to God's elect as they have need, and perhaps also to the great sea of people whom God intends to save but who are not part of His elect.

You can hear the morning sermon at morning. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

You can hear the evening sermon at evening. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

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