Between Death And Resurrection

Ephesians 4: 8Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

9(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

10He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

Psalm 24: 7Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

8Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.

9Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

10Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

· *Many people have lived a lot longer then Jesus lived.

· Nobody has ever come close to having the impact Jesus had.

· There was a debt that He came to pay because of the sin of Adam and Eve.

· *Because of the sin of Adam and Eve society was put us in a unique situation.

· God demanded that the debt be paid.

· God made a way that once a year a sin payment could be made.

· This yearly sacrifice was really an “interest only payment”.

· *This paid the interest on the debt but the principle was never paid in full.

· Lamb, turtledove, bullock what ever it was would be sacrificed and that blood would run and the Priest would say.

· The sin debt was never being rolled away. The debt would remain the same.

· *There came a day when God almighty said I’m tired of only receiving the interest I want it to be paid in full and The Blood of Jesus did so.

What about all those people who died before that debt was paid?

The Bible teaches us that there was a place in the heart of the Earth called Paradise.

*Luke 16: 20And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

21And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

22And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

23And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

25But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

26And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

· Jesus told the story of how Lazarus would lay and beg from the table of the rich man.

· The dogs would come and lick his sores.

· Jesus went on to tell how Lazarus died and the rich man died.

· When Lazarus died he was comforted in Abraham’s bosom.

· The rich man died and lifted his eyes in hell.

· The rich man began to cry and said, “Father Abraham, would just send Lazarus to dip his hand in water to cool my tongue for I am tormented in the flame.”

· Abraham said, “no and besides there is a great gulf fixed so that no one can pass from here to there.”

*Matthew 12: 40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

*Acts 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

The lower part was a place of torment.

The upper part was a place of rest.

There was one person who held the keys to both places and that was Satan.

He received them when Adam and Eve sinned along with the keys to death because after sin it was appointed unto man once to day.

I want us to take an imaginary journey today and think about this place called Paradise and everyone through the thousands of years who may have been there.

· The first person there was no doubt Able. Whom the Lord accepted his sacrifice, but he was murdered by his brother Cain.