A Better Principle
Book of Hebrews Chapter 11
What does the word “principle” mean?
According to the Websters dictionary the word "principle" means: In a general sense, the cause, source, or origin of any thing; that from which a thing proceeds; as the principle of motion; the principles of action.
We should be able to understand the "principle of faith"!
Let us talk about "the principle of faith".
It is the "principle of faith" that is the foundation of the Church.
1Co_3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Our salvation can come only by "the principle of faith" in the Lord Jesus Christ and the work He has done for our redemption!
Act 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
The "principle of faith" is the same for all people!
Act 20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faith is the only way we can approach God!
When we are in conversation with God, we must have faith and we must show God our "faith"!
Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
It is because of the principle of faith" that we can be forgiven of our sins!
It is true that our only responsibility in our salvation is believing the "Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ" but we need to believe all the Word of God!
Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Jas 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
We must understand that the many different translations of the Scriptures can contain errors, but the "Received Text" has no errors at all, and we need a translation that comes from the "Received Text".
"Saving Faith" involves three things:
1) Knowledge:
There are certain basic truths that must be believed!
We must believe the things that Jesus claimed to be!
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Unless we believe these things, we will die in our sin!
Joh 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: "for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins".
The Apostle John wrote these things by the Holy Spirit.
Joh 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
Joh 20:30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
2) Conviction:
There must be an inner conviction that the things that Jesus has said are the complete truth!
Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Joh 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Joh 16:9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
Joh 16:10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
Joh 16:11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
3) Trust:
As a result of our knowledge of the Lord Jesus, and Holy Ghost conviction that these things are true, then we must place our "trust" in the truth of God, and these things will be settled in our heart.
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, "and shalt believe in thine heart" that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
It is our own responsibility to take our knowledge of the Lord Jesus and our inner conviction and then trust in the Word of God!
God will not do this for us!
We must get up close and personal with the Lord!
It all begins with "faith"!
So, how can we describe faith? The Bible has one definition.
*****Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Heb 11:2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
In this Chapter there are men and women who believed what God has said and the Holy Spirit gave us some of their names.
Without a doubt the key to God having good memories of us depends upon our "faith" in Him!
Here in this chapter of the Book of Hebrews is the only place where the Holy Spirit gives us a definition of "faith".
In the rest of the Word of God, we get to see examples of those who had great "faith" and those who had little or no "faith".
"Faith" is the single most important thing we need in our relationship with God!
We will see that without "faith" we cannot please God, and if God is not pleased with us, He will have no part in our lives!
Along with "faith" we must have "hope"!
Our "hope" lies in the promises of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Our "faith" must be in that "hope" and this "faith" must lead to our "faithfulness" to the Lord our Savior.
"Faith" is our act of believing in the truth of the Word of God!
We have "historical faith" in the fact the character of God does not ever change!
What He has done in the past He will do a similar work in the future according to what He has said.
James says:
Jas_2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Jas_2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Jas_2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
This is not works as in working for salvation!
This is the work of faith being Christian in our thoughts, our ways, and our actions.
Our "faith" is meaningless if we are not growing to be more like Jesus Christ and is therefore dead.
We must understand that with our heart we believe unto righteousness.
We must put action to our "faith"!
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Now our heart does not have to see, yet our "faith" knows these things are true as having seen this truth in the actions of those who have done these things.
We cannot be justified without our work of faith!
Rom 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
Rom 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
A work of "faith" is not like obeying some old law!
Rom 4:4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Rom 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
This is the "faith" that must continue to grow with us, as we grow as Christians, so it is our faith that leads to our growth in sanctification.
Sanctification is the act of being made holy in the eyes of God!
As we grow in Christ, then we need to add to our faith daily, again because our faith lies in the unseen promises of God as if we can see our redemption, which we can!
2Pe 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
2Pe 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
2Pe 1:6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
2Pe 1:7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
2Pe 1:8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The elders of our faith in time past understood these things.
The elders of our faith also knew of our Creator and our Savior being the same person!
*****Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
Heb 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
We know our Lord and Savior is so powerful that He just speaks, and things happen!
We know that our Lord is so powerful that He created all we see and things that we cannot see, out of nothingness.
The very reason there are no creators today, is the fact they cannot create without using something that God has already created.
God is a God of order, and we can only look into the night-time sky and see order in our universe.
We do not see chaos as would have been the case of some Big Bang Theory!
We have a Universe, or some say Cosmos, because "God said" for these things to take place and they took place.
You see, we do not need "a hope so faith" which is in reality meaningless, we need "a know so faith" in order to please our Creator.
Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Notice it was "faith" that Abel offered, meaning much more than the sacrifice that He offered to God.
This has been the same since the beginning of the human race!
Any sacrifice to the Lord is meaningless unless it is accompanied with believing "faith".
Our "faith" is our sacrifice that has meaning to our Savior!
The reward of "faith" is God's approval of the things we do according to the Word of God!
When God approves us, then God accepts us!
God will never approve us when we go against the Word of God, because this immediately shows our lack of "faith".
It seems our politicians do not understand this.
You cannot claim Christ Jesus and go against the Word of God! This is sin that is condemned!
I was not here when God created our world, but I know in my heart that He is my Creator and today I know even more, because I know He is my Savior!
You see, it was not the sacrifice of Abel that God remembers, God remembers His "faith".
God cannot remember anything of Cain because Cain had no faith!
He will hear those dreaded words:
Mat_7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
It is with "faith" that we can see the power of "righteousness"!
The power of faith is what is written in the "Gospel of Jesus Christ"!
Righteousness is the approaching of God, "exactly as He says to approach Him".
It cannot be done in any other way or fashion!
It cannot be done without the shedding of "Blood" as proven by Abel!
Heb_9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
It is by the shedding of blood by the Lord Jesus Christ that we can obtain righteousness!
This was true in the time of Adam and Eve, and it was just as true when the Lord Jesus shed His blood on Mount Calvary, just so we can be saved, but it is our "faith" that makes this true.
I was not there to see what the Lord has done for me, but by "faith" I know He did this for me:
1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Cain may have been religious, but His religion could not save Him!
Most religion is about religion, form, and ceremony and none of these things can make you righteous because they lack "faith"!
They are just mindless rituals!
It is "faith" that gives us the power to have our own daily walk with God and it is faith that will deliver us from the death of the curse because of Adam's disobedience.
Enoch just believed God, everything God said was ok with Enoch, because He believed every Word God said, and this is exactly what God demands of us all today!
Any disagreement with the Word of God is sin!
Just what does it take to please God? It takes "faith" that the Word of God is true!
It takes "faith" enough to believe that God is exactly who He says He is!
*****Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
We will never be able to please God if we cannot believe every Word that He has given to us!
God exist just as He says.
God has done everything that has been written of Him!
We must believe we have a Creator!
We will never be acceptable to God if we cannot believe Him!
It is time for those so-called Christians on the border line of faith to understand this!
The Bible is specific!
Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
This is not so hard to understand!
Many people do not understand the word "condemned"
Oh, they love this verse close to it where it says, "for God so loved the world".
We cannot pick and choose what we believe in the Word of God!
It is an all or nothing Book!
We cannot grow in our "faith" if we have none to begin with!
We must practice that hope mentioned in 11:1.
This is hoping for the things God has promised and them making a personal claim to those things just because God promised them!
We must diligently seek God!
To be diligent is to be seek God until you have found Him, and He is not hard to find for those who believe Him!
Act 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
Act 17:25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
Act 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
Act 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
We must hunger and thirst after righteousness:
Mat 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
We must ask, we must seek, we must knock:
Mat 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Mat 7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
We must seek the Kingdom of Heaven because it does exist.
Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Mat 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
We must pray and fast, we must persevere in our prayer life!
Mat 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Mat 17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Many people pray and pray and pray, never finding the answer to their request, when they do not even have enough "faith" that God can do as He says.
They will never get a prayer answered!
We should understand the greater our need, the greater the time we must spend with our Creator, asking God, conversing with God, listening to God, sharing God, believing God and most important, living for God!
There is always an answer to those who seek God in true "faith"!
The more we stay in touch with God the more our "faith" will grow.
It should be truly clear, God will never reward sinful, carnal trust, nor will He ever reward doubtful trust!
If God did ever answer a prayer for those who doubt Him, then that person would think they could live their lives as they wish, and God will never so this.
God will certainly answer the prayers of the righteous with a believing heart.
Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
1Co 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
God will never answer any prayer that goes against His Word, nor should we expect Him to!
No one can read the Scriptures with attention, without feeling the intensity of God to produce confidence in His "Mercy" and His "Grace"!
To be a Christian, is to show the character of God to the world.
The world should be able to see our "faith" and our "faith" will set us apart from the world we live in!
We must put action to our "faith"!
When we doubt God's goodness, then we are biting the hand that feeds us!
The work of God is our victory in the Lord Jesus Christ. When we reject this victory, we remain cursed, because we have no "faith" in the truth of God.
We can honestly say that there is really not much faith in this world and in fact when we see all those so-called Churches allowing the immoralities of the world inside the Church, we can truthfully say that there is not much "faith" left in the Church.
Wake Up Church, God's Word does not ever change!
Now God gives us some examples of "faith".
*****Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
We should pay close attention to the things addressed by Noah.
There was a time in the history of this world when this earth had become so wicked that it was filled with corruption and violence.
Humanity had reached such a sinful level that God simply would not tolerate it and God was left with no choice, but to destroy this wickedness.
There was only one man, on earth who was a godly man, and his name was Noah.
God will never destroy the godly with the wicked, so God warned Noah about the coming "judgment" to this world.
Though many doubt the story of the world-wide flood, it is still the complete truth because God said it was and there is much proof of it today.
There is no place upon this earth that you cannot see signs of this worldwide flood!
This is a place where our faith is so important!
We already know that God had made a promise to His Son Jesus before Jesus created this world.
2Th 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
2Th 2:14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
2Ti 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
The world-wide flood happened just as God has said and the evidence proves it!
This is important today because God has said it will happen again.
Not with a world-wide flood, though there certainly be flooding, but this time "with" fire for the exact same reasons and we can see that without a doubt our world is returning to days that were the same in the days of Noah!
Mat_24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Luk_17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
All those with "faith" are expecting this to happen and to happen right after the "Rapture of the Church"
Just as Noah received a warning, the Lord Jesus Christ has warned His Church, but He has also warned this world.
Those without "faith" have been made aware of these things for centuries!
If you do not believe in the world-wide flood, then you are calling the Lord Jesus Christ a liar, and you need the Lord Jesus to be saved.
You are calling the Word of God all lies and you cannot please God so, to those who read this it will be your warning.
After the "Rapture of the Church" you will see a world with all evil, wicked, and immoral people even worse than the days of Noah!
A world that is trying to live by science and corrupt governments, and focused upon pleasure and riches, cannot please God!
*****Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
Heb 11:9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
Abraham also had a faith that is not even understood today!
Abraham was born Abram in what would now be modern day Iraq and Abram was not a Jew and no Jewish nation even existed in all his days.
God made Himself known to Abram and told Abram to leave his homeland and all his kinfolk and go to a land that Abram was not familiar with.
God made some sincere promises to Abram and today we are still seeing the fulfillment of some of those promises.
What did Abram have that few others had in his day.
Abram had the ability to see God as our Creator and Abram believed all the Word of God given to him.
It never appeared that Abram was a poor man, but only later does it say that because of God's blessing he would be considered to be a rich man in his day.
Gen 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
It may not be spoken of Abraham, but Abraham took his beliefs and shared them with his family and all those with him, and it appears that most all of them believed also.
Abraham might not have known that his wife Sarah would go childless when he married her, but God was well aware, and we see the desire of Abraham to have a child.
Abraham learned a valuable lesson from God, and it was when God makes a promise all we need do is believe it and not doubt what God says and also that God will do what He says and He does not need our help, He just wants us to have faith in His truths.
God told Abraham he would be the father of many nations and Abraham did not yet have a child and he was ninety years old.
Gen 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
Gen 17:2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
Gen 17:3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
Gen 17:4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
Gen 17:5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
Gen 17:6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
1) God would cause a people to be born of the seed of Abraham.
2) God would bless all nations through this seed born of Abraham.
3) God would give Abraham a promised land which in fact was the land of Canaan.
What did God ask of Abraham?
He asks Abraham just to have faith in what was told to him.
Abraham had a decisive, obedient faith.
He obeyed God and did as God ask him to do.
What did Abraham not do?
He did not hesitate.
He did not argue.
He did not question.
He did not waver back and forth.
Note: Abraham did not know where he was going, and this was not important to Abraham.
Abraham did not know where following God would lead him.
Abraham just believed the promises of God, and this is all God asks of us today and God has given to us much more information than what Abraham had.
We should clearly understand, we cannot say we believe God and then live our lives in disobedience!
To be true, no person can know where his faith may lead him, but we must not fear following God!
How did the Lord Jesus Christ put it?
Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
You see Abraham was not looking for the things of this earth!
*****Heb 11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Abraham lived in a tent and a tent does not require a foundation.
Abraham had seen the things that were built in his day and none of them were great masterpieces of construction because man had built them.
Abraham understood much more than we give him credit for!
Abraham could live his life without the things of this world that hold us in peril most all our days.
You see obedience is in our hands and providence is God's business!
As far as being a witness, we take God's seed and scatter it where the Holy Spirit is working and God Himself is in charge of all results.
Our job then is simply to obey!
Obedient "faith" is the only way to eternal life and good preachers cannot even preach this message today without making their congregation mad at them so, many do not preach salvation at all.
Obedient "faith" creates a life which many will want to copy. This is why the Lord ask us to live by faith.
This is why the Lord will give more "Grace" to those have "obedient faith"!
By "faith" Abraham gave up the known world and rested on the promises of God!
Abraham was not called because he was any better than others.
Abraham answered the call of God simply because God called him.
1Co 1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
1Co 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1Co 1:29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
1Co 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
1Co 1:31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
Abraham believed God and God accounted it righteousness for Abraham.
Rom 4:13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
It is the wicked and evil riches of this world that has caused so many to end up in Hell, and Abraham knew if you could see it here, then it would not be in the City of God.
Why was the promise to Abraham so important to us today?
Because the promise God made to Abraham was the promise God made to us all through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
I am not looking forward to seeing Jerusalem here on earth though it would be great to visit the land where Jesus walked.
I am looking forward to seeing the New Jerusalem that is in the City of God!
The same city Abraham was looking for!
*****Heb 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
Heb 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
There are great rewards that come by "faith" in the promises of God!
We can be encouraged when we read about these Old Testament saints of God.
We know that God was encouraged because He has written these things down for us.
Their faith was an encouragement to the early Church.
Their faith pointed others to God and still does today.
Their faith was their greatest testimony!
These things are the greatest testimony we can leave behind once we have left this world and joined the Lord in Heaven.
What was this great faith based upon? The future promises of God.
We must get it through our thick skulls that the God's promises are in the future!
No doubt a Christian life does have its many rewards, but it is our future life where we will reap those greatest rewards.
So, with "faith", its best blessings are in the future.
Just as with the Old Testament saints the object of our faith is still in our future.
The faith of the Old Testament saints looked forward to the promise of salvation.
The Church looks back to the work that the Lord Jesus has done for our salvation.
We should remember when the Old Testament saints died, they entered into a place called Abraham's Bosom having to wait for the fulfillment of the Messiah.
Abraham’s Bosom
Before the finished work of the cross, everyone who died and believed in the Messiah went to a separate place in hell known as “Abraham’s bosom”.
This was also referred to as “paradise” in another scripture.
It was separated from Hell by a fixed gulf that could not be crossed by either side!
Just before the Lord Jesus died on the cross with the two thieves, He promised one of them he would meet him in Abrahams Bosom the very same day.
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Luke 23:43 KJV
The bible tells us Jesus descended to the lower depths before He walked with the rest of the saints in town for 40 days.
This means Jesus went into Hell but into Abraham's Bosom, to free those who believed in him and took them out before he ascended to heaven along with those more than five hundred saints that came out of those graves.
The saint of God that dies today goes directly to be with the Lord having being made perfect at death.
Our death now turns to eternal life in the glory world!
Amen
