David W. Cloud

There is life after death, by the way.

I read in David Cloud's news notes that Arnold Schwarzenegger has been saying this week that heaven doesn't exist.

And he doesn't mean to be nasty, you know, because people have a lot of hope in it, but there's just, you know, there's no hope after the grave.

There's nothing.

The figure of sowing reinforces the Christian belief in the practice of burial.

David Cloud writes, So I encourage you there, think about that.

If you're going to prepare for the day of your death, you better make sure you prepare for burial, make it clear that that's what you desire and follow the biblical practice.

If you don't, well, the Lord will forgive you, I guess, and raise you anyway.

Interesting thought, isn't it? Even within the promised land, he was a stranger and a sojourner.

You know, even later when the people of God inherited the land, guess what God said to them in the book of Leviticus 25-23? God said, where's the effect that you are strangers and sojourners with me? David confessed later in 1 Chronicles 29, 14 and 15 and Psalm 39, 12 that he was a stranger and a sojourner and I find that interesting because some people see Canaan as a picture of heaven, we're not strangers and sojourners in heaven are we? Canaan pictures the victorious Christian life Our inheritance in Christ, the walk of faith.

But isn't it interesting that the walk of faith, the Canaan life, always incorporates this matter of being a stranger and a sojourner.

So Abraham makes negotiations here.

Let me read to you a quote from a Hindu priest here in Australia.

He says, We don't have open fires in Australia but we use the consecrated fire, as we do back home, using clarified butter, the eldest son kindles a fire in a terracotta pot at home.

the fire is then taken to the crematorium and put on top of the coffin as it is pushed into the chamber we chant sets of mantras to cleanse the body and indicate to the soul that it can proceed to the spiritual world we then release the ashes into flowing water so this burning of the body is it is actually an ex an outflow of the eastern idea of reincarnation and of a really what amounts to satanic ritual of releasing the spirit into some sort of spiritual world David Cloud, who ministers in a predominantly Hindu country, recounts his own personal experiences with cremation in his book, Cremation, What Does God Think? Let me just read you this little story.

He says, some years ago I stood three or four feet from a burning corpse with a missionary pastor from Singapore and his wife who were visiting us.

May God bless you.

[piano music] A wonderful, um, song taken out of Psalm 51, [clicks tongue] and it's David's great prayer of repentance there.

If you have your Bibles there this morning, turn with me to I Corinthians chapter 15.

I Corinthians chapter 15, as we continue, uh, our studies in this very, uh, edifying, uplifting, and powerful chapter, uh, dealing with the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and, of course, our future resurrection, uh, by virtue of his, uh, glorious resurrection.

It's associations with people.

It's, [clears throat] it's the wrong kind of fellowship that then obviously involves the wrong kind of communication, the wrong kind of influence.

[clears throat] David Cloud writes, "Evil communications refers to any kind of associations, relationships, [clears throat] communion, conversation, and fellowship that is evil, bad, wrong, or harmful by the standard of God's Word." [clears throat] Evil communications corrupt.

What's that word mean? It means to spoil, pervert, corrupt morally.

Number two, the second order, the saints.

the saints David Cloud explains the resurrection described in first Corinthians 15 23 is called the first resurrection in Revelation 20 verse 6 we believe that the first resurrection will be in two parts first there is the resurrection of church age saints at the rapture first Thessalonians 4 13-17 this will occur prior to the day of the Lord in Daniel 70th week which pertains to Israel Daniel 9 27 Second, there is the resurrection of tribulation and Old Testament saints at the second coming.

Revelation chapter 20, verse 4 through 5.

Daniel was told that he and others would rise after the great tribulation and that the resurrection would be in lots or groups.