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Li gkt on 8 Puzz l i ng Passages and Probl ems É By R. A . T O R R E T i
earth had ever ascended into heaven, and He had been there, and therefore knew what He was talking about. He did not say that no man had ever ascended into heaven, He is simply talk ing about the men who were then teach ing on earth, not the man who in times past had lived, and of all other teach ers but Himself on earth at that time He said, “No man hath ascended into heaven but he that came down out of heaven that is Himself. It is true that Jesus Christ is the first fruits from the dead, the first man to be raised from the dead, but Elisha had not died, and therefore, of course, was not raised. Every believer in Christ departs to be with Christ the moment he passes through that experience which men call death (Phil. 1:21-23; 2 Cor. 5:1-8), but he does not have a bodily ascension into heaven until the Lord comes again and his body is raised. “Where will the spirits of saints rest until the judgment?” We have really answered this ques tion in answering the first one. The spirits of believers in Christ depart to be with Christ at the moment of what we call death (Phil. 1:21-23), and they remain with Him, but they are not clothed upon with their resurrection bodies. As far as the judgment is con cerned for believers in Christ judgment is already passed (John 5:24), i. e., judgment as regards their salvation. They are, however, to be judged as regards their works and their rewards. “ Did Paul’s conversion occur when he fell to the earth?” No, his conversion began then, and he was then ready to accept the Jesus whom he had persecuted, as his Lord, but he did not come out fully as a
“ Did any one go to heaven before Jesus ascended?” The Word of God answers this very plainly in 2 Kings 2:11, where we are told that “ It came to pass, as they (i. e., Elijah and Elisha) still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, which parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” Probably the one who asks the ques tion had in mind John 3:12, where the Lord Jesus is reported as saying, “ And no man hath ascended into heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man, which is in heaven.” But this verse does not teach that no man had ever ascended into heaven. The context makes it very clear that the Lord Jesus is setting forth His authority in regard to heavenly mat ters* as being greater than that of any other teacher then living on , earth for the reason that no other teacher on (Continued from page 1040) His beauty. And as we look around on all the glories of heaven we will say “ Amen” here, and “ Amen” there, and “ Amen” and “ Amen” to everything! And through all the ages of eternity we will be saying a glad Amen to everything God does.——“ O Thou Infin ite One, Amen.” Amen to all that HE is,— Amen to all He thinks and plans, Amen to all He says,—Amen to all His will, and Amen to all His grace,— O Thou Infin ite One, Amen! And as you and I go forth from this Conference, may our faces be uplifted, smiling up to His smile, praising Him, glorifying Him, serving Him, suffering for Him, and suffering with Him, in one continual “ Amen, O Lord.”
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