Jesus Then and Now, Today, Sets Captives Free!!!
From the first man Adam, to Jesus, Old Testament men, women, boys and girls {with the exception of Enoch and Elijah}, were bound by sin to be held captive by satin in hell/Hades, once their physical body expired or died, and their true self or spirit man passed from this life to the next.
According to the words of Jesus, hell or Hades, was divided into different sections or areas. The souls that would become heirs to salvation after the finished redemptive work of the Messiah, Jesus, on the Cross at Calvary, were separated from those souls who would not ever come to repentance to receive salvation. The souls of the heirs of God's salvation were comforted and cared for in hell/Hades, until Jesus, whose blood {life} on the cross at Calvary, was sacrificed to pay the penalty for their sins, and for the sins of all mankind, once and for all time. Jesus went into hell, saved and set captive souls free to go with him to Heaven.
Luke 16:19-31 NIV *The Rich Man and Lazarus 19/ “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20/ At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21/ and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22/ “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23/ In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24/ So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 25/ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26/ And besides all this,between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28/ for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29/ “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30/ “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31/ “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
1 Corinthians 15:20-22 NIV * 20/ But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21/ For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22/ For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
BECAUSE OF THE LIFE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST, TODAY WHEN THE MORTAL BODY OF A CHRISTIAN DIES, THEIR SOUL AND/OR SPIRIT PASSES IMMEDIATELY INTO THE BLESSED PRESENCE OF JESUS IN HEAVEN. THEIR MORTAL BODY BURIED AT DEATH, WILL COME UP OUT OF THE GRAVE TRANSFORMED TO IMMORTAL AND WILL BE INHABITED BY THEIR SOUL OR SPIRIT THAT PREVIOUSLY WENT HOME TO HEAVEN TO BE WITH JESUS. THIS TRANSFORMATION OF OUR PHYSICAL BODIES WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE SECOND COMING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
2 Corinthians 5:1-10 NLT * ***New Bodies*** 1/ For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2/ We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3/ For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. 4/ While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. 5/ God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. 6/ So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7/ For we live by believing and not by seeing. 8/ Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. 9/ So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. 10/ For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.
WHEN JESUS RESURRECTED FROM THE DEAD HE HAD A BODY THAT COULD BE TOUCHED AND FELT, UNLIKE A SPIRIT. ONE DAY WE TOO WILL HAVE AN IMMORTAL BODY JUST LIKE HIS.
1st CORINTHIANS 15 :45 thru 49 * 45/ THE SCRIPTURE TELLS US, "THE FIRST MAN, ADAM, BECAME A LIVING PERSON."* BUT THE LAST ADAM--THAT IS, CHRIST-- IS A LIFE-GIVING SPIRIT. 46/ WHAT CAME FIRST WAS THE NATURAL BODY, THEN THE SPIRITUAL BODY COMES LATER. 47/ ADAM, THE FIRST MAN, WAS MADE FROM THE DUST OF THE EARTH, WHILE CHRIST, THE SECOND MAN, CAME FROM HEAVEN. 48/EVERY HUMAN HAS AN EARTHLY BODY JUST LIKE ADAM'S, BUT OUR HEAVENLY BODIES WILL BE JUST LIKE CHRIST'S. 49/ JUST AS WE ARE NOW LIKE ADAM, THE MAN OF THE EARTH, SO WILL WE SOMEDAY BE LIKE CHRIST THE MAN FROM HEAVEN.
LUKE 24:39-43, 51 KJV *39/ BEHOLD MY HANDS AND MY FEET, THAT IT IS I MYSELF: HANDLE ME, AND SEE; FOR A SPIRIT HATH NOT FLESH AND BONES, AS YE SEE ME HAVE.40/ AND WHEN HE HAD THUS SPOKEN, HE SHOWED THEM HIS HANDS AND HIS FEET. 41/ AND WHILE THEY YET BELIEVED NOT FOR JOY, AND WONDERED, HE SAID UNTO THEM, HAVE YE ANY MEAT? 42/ AND THEY GAVE HIM A PIECE OF A BROILED FISH, AND OF AN HONEYCOMB. 43/AND HE TOOK IT, AND DID EAT BEFORE THEM. 51/ AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHILE HE BLESSED THEM, HE WAS PARTED FROM THEM, AND CARRIED UP INTO HEAVEN.
ACTS 1:9 KJV * WHILE THEY BEHELD, HE WAS TAKEN UP; AND A CLOUD RECEIVED HIM OUT OF THEIR SIGHT.
BELOW SEE OUR FAITH STATEMENT #12, ALSO LOCATED ON "ABOUT US " PAGE
12. WE BELIEVE that when the Christian dies, he or she passes immediately into the blessed presence of Christ, there to enjoy conscious fellowship with the Savior until the day of the resurrection and glorious transformation of the body. The saved will then forever dwell in blissful fellowship with their great Triune God. We also believe that when the unbeliever dies he/she is consigned to hell, there to await the Day of Judgment when he/she shall be punished with eternal separation from the presence of God. Matthew 25:41-46; Luke 16:19-31; John 5:25-29; 1 Corinthians 15:35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10; Philippians 3:20-21; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10; Revelation 20:11-15; 21:1-8; 22:14-21.
The bodies of Enoch and Elijah did not die and were not buried in the ground. Father God Himself translated them to Heaven while they were still alive in their physical bodies.
Genesis 5:24 KJV- 24/ And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
Hebrews 11:5, 6 KJV - 5/ By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6/ But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
2 Kings 2:1, 11 KJV - 1/ And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. * 11/ And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
After the death of Jesus Christ's body on the cross at Calvary, He passed from this life to the next, immediately descending into the underworld of hell to preach to the spirits who were bound there, and to set captives free.
Matthew 12:40 NKJV * 40/ For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Ephesians 4:8-10 NIV * 8/ This is why it says: “When he ascended on high,
he took many captives
and gave gifts to his people.” 9/ (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10/ He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)
* *Christ’s Suffering for Us* 1 Peter 3:18-19 NKJV 18/ For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19/ by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison,
* Hebrews 10:26-31 NLT * 26/ Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. 27/ There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies. 28/ For anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29/ Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us. 30/ For we know the one who said, “I will take revenge.
I will pay them back.” He also said, “The LORD will judge his own people.” 31/ It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
*Colossians 2:8-15 NIV * 8/ See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. 9/ For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10/ and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He {JESUS} is the head over every power and authority. 11/ In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12/ having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13/ When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14/ having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15/ And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Revelation 1:18 KJV * 18/ I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
IN JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD, WE HAVE A SAVIOR WHO LOVES US ALL SO VERY MUCH. HE FOUGHT, SHED HIS BLOOD, AND DIED FOR US. HE CONTINUES TO FIGHT FOR US TODAY.
*Hebrews 7:24-25 NIV* 24/ ... because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25/ Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
*Revelation 1:5-6 NKJV * 5/and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6/ and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.