The Rich Man & Lazarus - Part 2

Transcription

[music]

Announcer:  He that ascended took captivity captive. What did Jesus do?

Michael Pearl:  "When he [Christ] ascended up on high, he led captivity captive." You look up that phrase, that means you're taking those who someone else captured. You're capturing them from the one who captured them and you're leading them out of captivity. If you were to raid a prisoner of war camp and haul out the prisoners, you'd be leading captivity captive. You'd be taking captive those who previously were captives. It said, "He led captivity captive and gave gifts onto men." Listen, "Now he that ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?" (Ephesians 4:9)

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, which occurred on the morning of his resurrection, about an hour afterwards, when he said to Mary, "Touch me not, I've not yet ascended to my Father." He said, "I ascend to my Father and to my God."

Now, an hour or two later, he comes back and he says, "Touch my hands, my side," and he invited being embraced. He ascended to the Father after his resurrection. Prior to that ascension, he descended into the lower parts of the earth. "And he that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things."

The Bible sees as significant the descent of Christ prior to his ascent. And the decent, he said, was to capture those who previously been captured and lead them out into heaven where he'd be going. It says in Matthew 27:52, "And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints [bodies] which slept [that was where Lazarus was, and Abraham, in that sleep state] arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."

There was a resurrection of Old Testament saints right after Christ's resurrection. When he came out of the grave, it's like he fractured the pit of darkness. It's like he fractured the gate of death that kept the souls behind it, and when he fractured it, he had the hands of all previously dead saints, and he carried them with him through that wormhole, through that fracture. He took them immediately into the presence of God, with a very short stop in Jerusalem.

I'm sure some of them said . . . Jesus went down into paradise, and there, the Bible tells us, that they anointed his head with oil, that his cup runs over. As he sat there, feasting with the saints, with Abraham, announcing to them that he had died, that he was buried, that he was about to be resurrected, and some of them said, "Lord, are you taking us with you?"

He said, "Yes, we're going to leave here. Won't be down on this earth anymore. I paid the price, the blood's been shed, and when I get out of here, I'm going to be taking that blood and placing it before the throne of God. And so, you are going with me."

When hell opened its gates, Jesus took them with him, and they said, "Could we stop in Jerusalem? It's been a long time." And so, they stopped off, and walked around viewing the city. "Boy, it’s changed a lot, hasn’t it?" He said, "It's time to go. We've been here and . . . " into heaven they go. That's early in the resurrection morning.

Then he comes back without them. They're in heaven, getting their orientation program, [jokingly] and he's down on earth now, finishing up his last 40 days with them, before he goes back to join them.

Announcer:  We are happy you could listen today and hope you enjoyed it. Please remember to check out our great current specials.