3 Resurrections Kathryn Kuhlman

a lovely listener writes from long beach california and in her letter she asks me to do something and i shall be most happy to grant her request to -day please catherine on one of your radio talks give the answer will we know our loved ones over there i'll be listening as I never miss your fireside talks. Oh, isn't that nice? So whether my talks are heart -to -heart talks or fireside talks or kitchen talks or living room talks or traveling talks, whatever they are, I pray that they shall be most beneficial to you. Now, before I answer this question outright as to whether or not we'll know our loved ones over there, let me just lay the groundwork. Let's begin with the resurrections. The Scripture speaks of three kinds of resurrection. Whenever we speak of... the resurrection of the dead. We always think of that time when the trump shall sound and the dead in Christ shall rise first. But the Bible speaks of three kinds of resurrections. One is national, and this refers to Israel. And in the Old Testament, over and over again. Those of you who are students of the Old Testament know what I'm talking about. There is a resurrection that the Old Testament speaks of over and over again. For instance, the sixth chapter of Hosea. The first and the second verses. Come, let us return unto the Lord. For he hath torn, and he will heal us. He hath smitten, he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us. In the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Now that refers to a national resurrection. Israel. the same resurrection that ezekiel talks about in that 37th chapter of ezekiel how well you know that scripture when the hand of the lord was upon me and carried me out in the spirit of the lord and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones and caused me to pass by them round about and behold There were very many in the open valley, and lo, they were very dry. But something happened to those bones. There was a time of resurrection. Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live. There's a resurrection. I will lay sinews upon you, will bring up flesh upon you. and cover you with skin, put breath in you, and ye shall live, and ye shall know that I am the Lord. There's a great national resurrection. And there's no mystery that here the prophet is speaking of the national resurrection of Israel. for he said unto me son of man these bones are the whole house of israel not a part of israel but the whole house of israel going back to the first scripture there are several things in this passage worth noting first we see from the context that the words of the prophet are addressed exclusively to the Jewish people and to the whole twelve tribes represented by Ephraim and Judah. It's the whole house of Israel that says, Come and let us return unto the Lord. It is the cry of repentance of a nation that has been torn and smitten by the Lord. and not the cry of persons dead in their graves. The healing does not refer to a resurrection from the dead, and the binding means that the whole twelve tribes now scattered will be rebound into one nation again in their own land. The expression will revive us does not mean a resurrection from physical death. For the word revive simply means what we mean when we speak of a revival of religion, which is a spiritual and not a physical resurrection. All right? That's one resurrection that the scripture teaches us. The national resurrection of Israel. Then there is a second resurrection. Writing to the Ephesians, Paul says these words, And you hath he quickened. who were dead in trespasses and sins, and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. I'm reading from the second chapter of Ephesians. Read the first six verses. They're thrilling. Paul is not... referring to that time when we have the resurrection of our physical body. He's talking here of a spiritual resurrection. That spiritual resurrection that takes place before there's the resurrection of the physical body. The resurrection that every Christian, every born -again man or woman knows now, before death ever touches the physical body. Maybe I should read it again, because this is so vitally important. You see, you may wonder why I'm so dogmatic when I say to you that if... you've ever had that wonderful new birth experience. If you've been born again, you'll know it. It's a definite transaction. It's a definite experience. You'll know it. Sure. If you were once dead in trespasses and sins, and you've had that wonderful spiritual resurrection, surely you'll know it. You're bound to know it. And Paul said, and you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. And every man and every woman. who has not been born again, is now dead in their trespasses and their sins. You remain dead in trespasses and sins until there has been that spiritual resurrection. A new creature in Christ Jesus. old things having passed away, and behold, old things having become new to you. It's after that spiritual experience, that spiritual resurrection, that you literally are a new person. And you, you've been born again. you who have accepted the christ as your saviour you who have repented of your sins you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins that all life is gone and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in christ jesus oh that's thrilling then writing to the romans paul says reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto god through jesus christ our lord now the resurrection here refers to the spiritual resurrection and is a present resurrection. And it's going on continually. Every time a soul is born again, there is a passing from death unto life. A spiritual resurrection. and the spiritual resurrection doesn't take place when the old heart takes his last beat now even this very moment i have had a resurrection as a christian that's the reason the word of god thrills my soul i've been risen in newness of life in Christ Jesus. That's the reason when I enter into the very presence of the Holy Spirit, there is something that is so thrilling, something almost overwhelming, because I have had that wonderful spiritual resurrection, and His Spirit bears witness with my spirit. I'm no longer dead in trespasses and sins. But I have been raised up in newness of life. He hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Have you had that experience? Is it thrilling? It's one. All right. Now comes that third resurrection. That's the resurrection that most folks think of whenever we speak of a scriptural resurrection. This is of the dead body. And you know something? One thing that we all have in common, and that is the resurrection of the body. And I'm talking about the physical body. If you are a part of humanity, we all have had our birth. our first birth in common that which is born of the flesh is flesh we have all been born of the flesh and as surely as you have been born of the flesh then as surely as there's a god on his throne there will be a physical resurrection of the body You see, this is the very word of God. This is God's word. The Bible is absolute authority. Now, of course, if you don't believe that, then one man's speculation is good as another. And it really doesn't make any difference what you believe. That's right. If you do not accept the Bible as the very Word of God, as absolute authority, then just accept any man's speculation because one man's speculation is just as good as another. But as for me, I have chosen to believe that the Bible is absolute authority. I have no reason for not believing it. I'm not speculating. There's too much at stake to take a chance for speculation. I have made my decision. i have made my choice i've thought it through thoroughly and in making my choice i have chosen to believe the word of god and have taken it as the very word of god almighty and i believe every word with every atom of my being. There's too much at stake for speculation. And Jesus clearly and distinctly taught a resurrection from the grave. Fifth chapter, John, the 28th, the 29th verses. marvel not at this look at the wording here marvel not at this he knew that this would be hard for some folk to accept remember jesus knew human nature better than you and i know human nature and sometimes we think we know human nature very well jesus knew men better than we know them he knew there'd be those who'd find it most difficult to accept a bodily resurrection marvel not at this For the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth. They that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. and here jesus teaches the resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked the apostle paul taught the same thing the twenty fourth chapter and have hope toward god which they themselves also allow that there shall be a resurrection of the dead both of the just and of the unjust for as in adam all die thats a physical death even so in christ shall all be made alive thats physically yes ma 'am Now remember, we're talking about the physical body. The spirit of man does not die. It goes back to God who gave it. The only thing that goes into the grave is the physical body, and the only thing that comes out of the grave is a physical body. There is no such thing as soul sleeping. I know there are those who believe that the soul lies dormant in the physical body as the body is put into the earth. There's no scripture whatsoever to substantiate such a doctrine or such a belief. There is no such thing as soul sleeping. A soul never has slept. You cannot prove to me by the word of God that the soul has ever slept. Even the Old Testament saints, those who died in the Lord before atonement was made for the soul, before Jesus came and paid the price on Calvary, you cannot Show me where the soul of the Old Testament slept. It was a time of waiting. Not sleeping, but a time of waiting. That's why we had paradise. The soul of the Old Testament saints waited in paradise. and the very last person that we have any record of whatsoever who went to paradise that place of waiting was the thief on the cross who accepted jesus in his dying moments as the very son of god to -day jesus said to him thou shalt be with me where in paradise where the Old Testament saints were waiting for the death, for atonement to be made, that their souls might go all the way from that place awaiting, from paradise, into the very presence of Jesus. There's no longer such a place as paradise. I like to think of a great big for rent sign on the gates of paradise. It's vacant today. That's the reason after atonement had been made. And Jesus went to preach to these wonderful prisoners of hope. And this is exactly what they were, prisoners of hope. and jesus went to set them free after atonement had been made on their way into the presence of almighty god some of them stopped over for a few minutes to visit some of their relatives and some of their loved ones they had a little stop over on their way to glory you know really when it comes to it the ah unbeliever thinks you know that we're a little way out and that we take too much by faith do you realize that the really important things that concern us that god has not let them entirely to our own faith but he has given us previews all along the way i think that's glorious when i think that he permitted us to have just an insight a preview of that great time of resurrection