This morning I dreamed dream that I was standing in a very tall pulpit preaching. I did not recognize the Church building nor the setting. I knew it was an evening service. I hear my self say this statement: Your soul is going to live forever somewhere…….It was at that point that I looked down and saw someone had walked into the Church that I have not seen in the church for more than 4 years. Someone that I care deeply about but I am afraid has stepped away from the straight and narrow path. But as I looked down from the pulpit into their eyes I could see they had come back to Jesus. I could see that they were going to make it into Heaven. I finished my statement by saying….Your soul is going to live forever with me in heaven. It was at that point my dream ended and I heard the scripture from Mark 9:48, Where Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah and says: 46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
*** I want to begin this morning in Mark 9:33 to see the full context of what Jesus is speaking about when he quotes this passage from Isaiah 66:24. You do not have to turn there yet. We will get there in a little bit….but lets start at Mark 9:33
Mark 9:33-50
33 And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?
34 But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.
35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.
*** Point #1 of the message today: Promotion in the Kingdom of God is for those individuals who recognize the best seat is at Jesus feet, and the highest calling is to be servant to all.
36 And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them,
37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.
***Point #2. Jesus elevated and promoted ministry to Children as direct service to himself and the Father God.
***Think about it. Children’s ministry fits perfectly in the model that Jesus spoke about in Luke 6:33-35
Luke 6:33-35
King James Version
33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
*** I have been a part of Children’s ministry for over a decade now and I will tell you that it is the both the most rewarding and thankless thing I have ever done. But look at Mark 9:37 again:
37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.
***Point #2. Jesus elevated and promoted ministry to Children as direct service to himself and the Father God.
***The most important people in this church are those involved in Children’s ministry.
Continuing in Mark 9:38
38 And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.
39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
40 For he that is not against us is on our part.
****This is something that is hard for us in Church leadership to understand. Not everyone is going to attend your church, and believe exactly the same way that you do. All throughout the word of God we see examples of people who were in relationship with the Lord but were not Jews. They were not following the law of Moses but they were worshipers of All Mighty God in the fullness of the capacity that they understood. Here are just a few examples:
Job: Hailed from the land of Uz (likely Edomite region), known for his righteousness and relationship with God.
Jethro (Reuel): Midianite priest and Moses' father-in-law
Rahab: A Canaanite woman from Jericho who helped the Israelite spies and displayed faith in God.
Naaman: An Aramean commander healed of leprosy who proclaimed there is no God but in Israel.
Caleb: Often associated with the Kenizzites, a Canaanite tribe, but became a leader in Israel.
Cyrus the Great: Persian king called "anointed" by God to restore Israel (Isaiah 45)
Cornelius: A Roman centurion and "God-fearer" to whom Peter was sent (Acts 10).
Luke: Believed to be a Gentile, the author of a Gospel and Acts
***Back to Mark 9:41
41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
***Point #3: Jesus see the way you treat each other and children as the way you are treating him.
Look at verse #42 again; Jesus says here that if you offend one of these little ones that believe in Jesus…..you should be sleeping with the fishes….. You mess with one of the little ones and your earthly life is going to end, mafia style.
This next part here Jesus begins to explain to us how temporary and unimportant our physical body is in comparison to our soul.
43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.
50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
***Point #4: If you reject God’s saving grace through Jesus Christ you will experience torment, pain and suffering for eternity.
***I want you to see the severity of what Jesus in saying. Not once, not twice, but three times Jesus repeats this phrase: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
**One of the things you will observe when studying God’s word is things are repeated that are important. And when they are repeated 3 times they are very important. So what was Jesus saying here? Let’s go back to the Old Testament now and see what the Prophet Isaiah is saying in chapter 66.
Now the sum of Isaiah 66 is the last prophecy recorded by the prophet Isaiah. It begins speaking of how God will respect the righteous. It goes on to speak about the purging of those who rebel against the Lord from the nation of Israel. It speaks of the fulfilment of the Promise that the seed will be delivered and the remnant of those who follow the Lord will be saved. The prophet speaks about the coming Millennial reign of Christ Jesus on this earth for 1000 years before ending the prophecy and the entire book of Isaiah with the promise of the New Heavens and New Earth that are also spoken of in 2nd Peter 3:13 and Revelation Chapters 21-22.
So lets start reading in Isaiah 66 verse 20
Isaiah 66:20-24
20 And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord.
21 And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the Lord.
22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain.
23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.
24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
***Point #5: The enteral judgement of hell will be experienced with a physical body that does not die but is the opposite of eternal life.
***My friends one of the things that you need to know: As awesome that eternal life is, eternal death is equally as horrible.
**As I was studying this passage of scripture in verse 24 today I noted one bible scholar who had this interpretation: “The carcasses here are the bodies of men in eternal hell which will never by destroyed- Bodies that will have been resurrected to immortality or deathlessness so that they may be punished for deeds done in the body before death. These eternal bodies in hell are considered dead carcasses because of being without the life of God given to the resurrected saints.” Let’s search the scriptures to see if we can find support for this interpretation:
Ist we start with the words of Jesus Christ in Luke 16
Luke 16:19-31
19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 And 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;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And 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.
***Jesus describes the man as having body parts that he is using to experience the pain and torments of hell.
25 But 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.
26 And 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.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
John 5:24-30
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
29 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.
30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
**So where else do we see a physical resurrection to damnation in the bible:
Revelation 20
1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
***In closing I want you to turn with me to Matthew 10
Matthew 10:24-33
24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
John 14
King James Version
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
King James Version
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
King James Version
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
*** Point #1 of the message today: Promotion in the Kingdom of God is for those individuals who recognize the best seat is at Jesus feet, and the highest calling is to be servant to all.
***Point #2. Jesus elevated and promoted ministry to Children as direct service to himself and the Father God.
***Point #3: Jesus see the way you treat each other and children as the way you are treating him.
***Point #4: If you reject God’s saving grace through Jesus Christ you will experience torment, pain and suffering for eternity.
***Point #5: The enteral judgement of hell will be experienced with a physical body that does not die but is the opposite of eternal life.