Brian’s Quiet Time Thoughts.

What are some of the heavenly bodies we know about? Well, we have the sun, moon, and stars, but that is all in verse 41. Then we have Angels, Seraphim, and Cherubims. “Seraphim were standing above Him; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭6:2‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ https://www.bible.com/72/isa.6.2.hcsb “Something like a sea of glass, similar to crystal, was also before the throne. Four living creatures covered with eyes in front and in back were in the middle and around the throne. The first living creature was like a lion; the second living creature was like a calf; the third living creature had a face like a man; and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings; they were covered with eyes around and inside. Day and night they never stop, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God, the Almighty, who was, who is, and who is coming.” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭4:6-8‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ https://ww

Paul is trying to get to the point — there is a physical flesh and a spiritual flesh. God is a creative God. He did not stop with one kind of flesh for all living things. He made the flesh of animals with a lot of fur. He made the flesh of the birds with feathers. He made the flesh of the fish with scales. And the flesh of us humans He made with some hair, some more and some less than others. Each flesh has a purpose whether it is for flight, water resistance, heat, or defense. The purpose God made for that flesh is what that flesh does.  The animal kingdom doe not have the free will that we have. They completely obey God. We call this instinct. They do what comes naturally to them. But for us, our fleshly man was changed when our greatest, oldest, father ate the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. He, Adam, no longer was a flesh that obeyed God but became the father of all flesh that would be corrupted and would have to try to obey God. Obeying God no longer comes natur

Thank God He is a God of order! How confusing would it be if every time we plant a seed it would sprout into another kind of plant but then it yielded a different kind of seed. So if you planted a corn kernel and a pumpkin plant sprouted but then you picked an apple from it. That would be confusing we would never know what kind of fruit it would be until it was time for the harvest. But God has determined that a corn kernel would produce a corn stalk and that corn stalk would produce an ear of corn.  The same way with the resurrection of the dead. God has determined what kind of body we will have in the resurrection. I think it will resemble our human bodies but it will be clothed with glory, power, and incorruption (verse 42-44). Right now it is clothed with corruption, weakness, and dishonor but through the power of God given by Jesus’ resurrection and delivered to us by the Holy Spirit, we are able to overcome the corrupted flesh and live for God in incorruption. “Therefore, brother

What does a corn seed look like? Does it look like the corn stalk? Nope, it looks like a kernel of corn. I am no gardening expert, but I do not know of any seed that looks like the plant it will become. A maple seed does not look like a maple tree. A grass seed does not look like a blade of grass. They each have their own seed type and when God restores it to life they all become their own plant and produce their own seed again. So When we are raised we will not have this same old body, but a new spiritual body. We each will have our own different bodies. We will not be raised into a clone army for God, but we each will be unique. We will be recognizable. Everyone who knew the physical Brian will recognize the new spiritual Brian. Those who knew Moses, Peter, and Abraham will recognize each of them whether by the revelation of God or by spiritual recognition. “After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves to be alone. He was transform

Experience in farming for the readers and listeners of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians they would have known that a seed planted in the dirt is dead. But in the correct amount of time and proper conditions, it will spring back to life and produce a plant.  So the seed we sow into heaven has to die to produce a new body for us in heaven. Our time on earth is the sowing process and death is the proper time and conditions for us to spring to a new life in Jesus in heaven.  “Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6:7-8‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ https://www.bible.com/72/gal.6.7-8.hcsb God is not keeping a balance of good seed sown against bad seed sown and whichever is greater that will determine your eternal destination, but He is keeping a log of how much you sow in the spirit to how much you reap in

On the surface, this question looks like a good question. I can imagine the Corinthians sitting in a room writing Paul. They are taking notes on questions to ask. And one person pipes up and says, “How can someone be raised from the dead if their body is all decayed? Will they just be bones walking around? And immediately someone else will pipe up and say, “good question”.  But then the more we think about it I don’t think only the bones will be raised from the dead but the whole body. It would be creepy to see bones walking around heaven.  Do you remember what happened after Jesus’ death in Jerusalem? “The tombs were also opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And they came out of the tombs after His resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭27:52-53‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ https://www.bible.com/72/mat.27.52-53.hcsb On the day Jesus died many people came out of their tombs. it was not bones but bodies. they appeared to many. If a walking

The sin that Paul is wanting them to stop is the belief that the dead are not raised from the dead. Verse 34 ends Paul's discourse on if people are raised from the dead. He is echoing the point Jesus was making about God and the resurrection of the dead. “Jesus answered them, “You are deceived, because you don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven. Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what was spoken to you by God: I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22:29-32‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ https://www.bible.com/72/mat.22.29-32.hcsb Paul has used the first half of this chapter to give practical evidence of why people are raised from the dead. He first based it on Jesus’ resurrection and then how the life of the Christian would be wasted if the dead are not raised.  But now Paul is doin

Why does Paul insert this quote into his discussion about the dead being raised? Is it that bad company has influenced the church to believe something that is not the Gospel of God, that is not the Word of God? I would think so. Paul did not preach a message of the dead cannot be raised. Apollos did not preach a message of the dead are not raised. I would be willing to guess it was some Sadducee Jews or someone who has not fully turned from their Greek god and rose to preacher too quickly before knowing God.  So how have we let someone else influenced our church to believe something that is not the Word of God? I cannot speak for every church, but I can speak for the church as a whole across America. We have let homosexuality, abortion, and many other sins penetrate into our churches.  The more we let people in who preach or teach this message the more we let our good morals from the gospel become bad morals from the Devil.  “The one who walks with the wise will become wise, but a comp

“On that day the Lord God of Hosts called for weeping, for wailing, for shaven heads, and for the wearing of sackcloth. But look: joy and gladness, butchering of cattle, slaughtering of sheep, eating of meat, and drinking of wine — “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die! ” The Lord of Hosts has directly revealed to me: “This sin of yours will never be wiped out.” The Lord God of Hosts has spoken.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭22:12-14‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ https://www.bible.com/72/isa.22.12-14.hcsb This “eating and drinking for tomorrow we die” attitude is in contrast to how He wanted the people of Israel to act. For God had wanted them to fast and morn. We too are not to disobey God but if He calls for a time of fasting and prayer we obey and not become rebellious and fest and party instead.  The wild animals Paul faced in Ephesus may have been the riot that started with Demetrius, a silversmith, who made considerable money making silver shrines to Artemis the Goddess of the city (Acts 19:240). For He stirred u

Paul did not die in the flesh every day and then raised to life again. He probably did raise to life on a few occasions after a stoning or whipping, but not every day.  “Five times I received 39 lashes from Jews. Three times I was beaten with rods by the Romans. Once I was stoned by my enemies. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭11:24-25‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ https://www.bible.com/72/2co.11.24-25.hcsb But his death came by being a living sacrifice. He would put himself on God’s altar daily and submit to God’s will and plan every day.  “Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:1‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ https://www.bible.com/72/rom.12.1.hcsb “So then, brothers, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, for if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to deat

If the dead are not raised then why do Christians face persecution? If there was no truth in Christianity then the devil would not fight against us. The devil needs to fight against Christianity because it has the power to destroy His kingdom by winning souls to God as His sons. The devil has to fight against the Jews as a nation because they are God’s holy people. If there were no more Jews and Christians then this world would be free from religious hatred. But that would mean that the Devil has won, and that will never happen. So why are we in danger every hour? Because we have an enemy who whats to see our downfall. But we have a God who wants to see us succeed. Keep your head up, Christian, and focus your attention on Jesus, because your adversary the devil wants to devour you. Keep your head up, Christian, because God has a plan and purpose in your life. Keep your head up, Christian, because the world is watching you to see if your God is real.  “Be serious! Be alert! Your adversa

Before we get too far, I have no exact answer for what baptized for the dead looks like. In some quick research, the Mormons practice it but their theology is wrong. They baptize people on behalf that the person who died may not have made it to heaven. We cannot change the outcome of other’s eternal choices once they have died, but we can influence them to change their destination before they die. My thought on the baptism of the dead is that it is related to being anointed by another ministry to gain some of their ministries into ours. The transference of power from one ministry to another. If I submit under one ministry and I see that they have what I want in the ways of God I can ask the minister of that ministry to anoint me with oil to gain the aspects of their ministry that will help my ministry.  The best examples of this I can find in scripture is: John the Baptist and Jesus.  Jesus could not begin His ministry until He received baptism from John. After that John’s baptism bega

What role will Jesus play in heaven after God has gathered all His children to Himself? “I did not see a sanctuary in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its sanctuary. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because God’s glory illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb.” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭21:22-23‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ https://www.bible.com/72/rev.21.22-23.hcsb Jesus is the sanctuary and the lamp in heaven. God’s glory radiates out of Him and Jesus focuses it to illuminate everything in Heaven. I do believe there will be no shadows or dark corners in heaven because God’s glory will illuminate everything. Jesus sits on His throne at the right hand of God listening to God and enjoying the company of His Father. Jesus' rule is not over but is finally fulfilled. He will look out over the New Jerusalem and will praise God for the brothers and sisters that are with Him. “But He replied to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers? ” And stretch

“You made him lord over the works of Your hands; You put everything under his feet:” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭8:6‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ https://www.bible.com/72/psa.8.6.hcsb When everything is under Jesus’ feet He will be Lord over everything, but God will still be his father and He will still submit to Him! This is the time when every knee will bow to Him.  But until then everyone will have a choice. We can reject Jesus as our Lord, or we can submit to the Lordship of Jesus. What is the Lordship of Jesus? It is obeying what He tells us to do through the word of God and through the Holy Spirit. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord! ’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name? ’ Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!’” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:21-23‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ https://www.bible.com/72/ma

Sometime in Eternity past God set up a rule that if people sin they will be put to death. And He told the first person that if he, Adam, ate from the tree in the garden, the tree of knowledge of good and evil, he would die. This would be the sin, because Adam along with His wife Eve did exactly what God said not to do, they ate from the tree. So then because they ate death came to the earth to all the people, animals, and plants. So God is ready to return to normal life with no death, so then there would be no more sin. Because if death was done away with then sin the cause of death has to be done away with because it is a law of God that if we sin we will die. Jesus striped death of its power when He descended into the earth and took the keys away from Satan. But could not abolish death at that time because sin was not finished.  This rule cannot apply to Angles and souls, because they are eternal. It only applies to the flesh of our bodies. That is the reason why Satan has never died

Who are the enemies of God?  Death: but we will cover more on that in the next verse. “The last enemy to be abolished is death.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:26‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ https://www.bible.com/72/1co.15.26.hcsb Satan: Satan’s downfall started when He tried to make himself equal to God even though he was created by God. And God removed him from His presence and cast him to the earth and will ban him to the eternal pit of hell. “Shining morning star, how you have fallen from the heavens! You destroyer of nations, you have been cut down to the ground. You said to yourself: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will set up my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of the gods’ assembly, in the remotest parts of the North. I will ascend above the highest clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭14:12-14‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ https://www.bible.com/72/isa.14.12-14.hcsb Satan’s unholy angles: In satan’s attempt to unsurprisingly God’s throne he influenced 1/3 of the angels to join him.

After everyone has risen in the correct order then the end of the world as we know it will happen. Jesus will reign as supreme power abolishing all other rule, all other authority, and all other power.  What will abolishing all other rule look like? It will be that God’s rules are the only in effect. Everyone will live by the 10 commandments strictly. We will have no other God beside God. We will worship only him. We will keep the name of Jesus has holy. We will keep every day holy. We will honor our Father in heaven. We will honor the life that God has given. We will not take what is not ours. We will not lie about any other person. We will be satisfied with what God has given us. We will Love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And then we will love everyone else as God has loved us. What about all other authority? If Jesus was to get rid of all other kings He will be the only King. It will be one solid leadership under the direction of three united people,

We will be made alive in the correct order and time. There is an alive for this earth and then there is an alive for heaven. We are alive in the flesh and our spirit can be alive while we are walking in this life, but there comes a time when we will be with Jesus in all His glory at God’s throne room then we will be ALIVE. Our resurrected bodies will be perfect in the prime of life. Our soul will be unhindered. And our Spirit will be free from the bondage of our earthly bodies. But let us not get in a hurry. We must be made ALIVE in the correct order. Jesus first. The saints who believed Jesus before he came to the earth second. Third, all those who have gone on to glory since Jesus has been raised from the dead. And Last, of all, those who are still alive for Him at His coming.  Will He find faith in us to hang on to Him on the last day? Will we trust Him completely for our provisions and not rely on a man-made plan for handing out wealth and needs.  The closer to the end the more our

Because of Adam, we all have a sinful nature. He was created with a perfect nature, but he disobeyed God by eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil sometime before he and Eve had Cain. “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you? ”  And he said, “I heard You in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”  Then He asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? ” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3:8-11‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ https://www.bible.com/72/gen.3.8-11.hcsb But there is hope. That hope comes through Jesus. Jesus was born with the same perfect nature, but never disobeyed God. Now that He has been resurrected he sits at the right hand of God. We too have hope that our bodies no longer need to be enslaved by sin b

Jesus is our hope in the resurrection. He is the downpayment that we will also raise from the dead. If Jesus did it then we will too.  The firstfruits is a concept that was established at the end of Jacob’s life, also known as Israel. “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength and the firstfruits of my virility, excelling in prominence, excelling in power.” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭49:3‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ https://www.bible.com/72/gen.49.3.hcsb  Here is Reuben the firstborn son of Jacob and He is the firstfruits of his strength and manhood.  Later on, Moses established a firstfruit offering to God. Being that the people were to bring the first harvest of fruit, grain, and livestock to God. They could not save the best for themselves but took it to the church for the use of the pastors and leaders of the church. This was the way of taking care of God’s pastors and those who took care of the church. These people had no land to call their own. They were given cities to be their houses but they had no land.  “The

If Christ has not been raised from the dead then there will be no life in Heaven, then we will be serving God for this life only to face persecution, beatings, hatred, and death. Why would anyone face those things just for loving God who cannot give us eternal life? But rather we do have a God who can give us eternal life! And because the world knows it is true they will hate us, beat us, persecute us and even rejoice when we die by their hands. We may not face this here in America, yet, but the rest of the world and especially the closer you get to the Middle East the more the Church of Jesus faces this every day. For more information on the persecuted church visit Voice of the Martyrs at https://www.prisoneralert.com/vompw_persecution.htm I do believe persecution is coming to America. And when it does and the church loses the members who will not stand with Jesus we will start growing as a strong faithful bride of Jesus. The churches that live in persecuted countries are growing. And

If Christ has not been raised then He has no power to raise the saints who have fallen asleep since Him. All souls would be lost forever either to hell or completely erased from existence.  Because He has been raised then all His followers have a hope to raise up to Heaven one day.  “Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also.” ‭‭John‬ ‭14:1-3‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ https://www.bible.com/72/jhn.14.1-3.hcsb “I assure you: Anyone who believes has eternal life.” ‭‭John‬ ‭6:47‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ https://www.bible.com/72/jhn.6.47.hcsb Jesus assured those who were listening to Him early in His ministry that whosoever will believe in Him will experience eternal life. Some people doubted that this son of a carpenter could accomplish this. While others d

How does Jesus’ resurrection affect our sins? First, If Jesus’ resurrection did not happen then Jesus was a man just like us with sin in His life. And because if He had sin then He would not be the perfect lamb of God. And therefore could not save us from our sins. “For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1:18-19‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ https://www.bible.com/72/1pe.1.18-19.hcsb Second, If Jesus had not been raised from the dead the disciples would have never told his message past the first opposition. One or two people would be able to keep a tight lip about a coverup, but out of 12 or 120 people someone would slip and spill the beans that Jesus’ resurrection was a hoax and the Christian faith would have lost traction before the week was up.  “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have

Did God raise Jesus from the dead on the third day? To us, I think that is a quick yes. That is why we call our selves Christians. But the Corinthian church was not sure because some people, as we talked a few verses ago, have brought a theology that does not raise up dead people. So now they have to ask themselves did God really raise up Jesus on the third day? The answer Paul is saying is yes. And if you don’t believe it then you are making God out to be a lier.  But then God can’t lie. “God is not a man who lies, or a son of man who changes His mind. Does He speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?” ‭‭Numbers‬ ‭23:19‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ https://www.bible.com/72/num.23.19.hcsb “in the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.” ‭‭Titus‬ ‭1:2‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ https://www.bible.com/72/tit.1.2.hcsb So if God cannot lie did He say that Jesus would rise up form that narrowed tomb? “For You will not abandon me to Sheol; You will not allow Your Faithful One to see decay.”

‬‬At the core of Christianity is the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead. Remember what Paul said in verse 4? “that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:4‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ https://www.bible.com/72/1co.15.4.hcsb If Jesus’ tomb was still filled or that he raised from the dead but then 33 years later died again then our whole religion would be a lie.  And this is how the anti-christian groups what to portray Christianity. They want us and the rest of the world to view Christianity as a lie. But outside of the Bible, there is plenty of evidence to back up the truth of the Bible. Lee Strobel in “The Case for Christ” points to the evidence behind the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. J. Warner Wallace in the movie “God’s Not Dead 2” explains the eye witness accounts of the resurrection of Jesus line up with exactly what He would discover with any other eye witness accounts of any other investigation. Then there is the empty

The Church at Corinth must have had influence from either the Sadducees or another religion that did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. The Sadducees believed that there would be no resurrection of the dead and tried to stump Jesus. “The same day some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came up to Him and questioned Him: “Teacher, Moses said, if a man dies, having no children, his brother is to marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first got married and died. Having no offspring, he left his wife to his brother. The same happened to the second also, and the third, and so to all seven. Then last of all the woman died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will she be of the seven? For they all had married her.”  Jesus answered them, “You are deceived, because you don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in hea

They are the apostles. So whether it was Paul or the apostles that proclaimed the Gospel to us the most important thing is that we have believed. So it does not matter how we heard the gospel it is most important that we responded to the Holy Spirit’s leading to the Gospel.  “Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send Him to you. When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment:” ‭‭John‬ ‭16:7-8‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ https://www.bible.com/72/jhn.16.7-8.hcsb We are not saved because of Billy’s or Peter’s or Paul’s message. We are saved because we have heard Jesus’ message.  “What I am saying is this: Each of you says, “I’m with Paul,” or “I’m with Apollos,” or “I’m with Cephas,” or “I’m with Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was it Paul who was crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name?” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭1:12-13‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ https://www.bible.co