TRUNEWS with Rick Wiles - Good News! Christ is Risen. He is Risen Indeed

Episode Date: April 15, 2022

This is the Good Friday edition of TruNews. What is the real true news? The true news is the good news. Jesus Christ was crucified for our sins, buried, descended to the place of the dead, raised Himself from the grave, walked among men and women for 40 days, and ascended to Heaven. Even better, this same Jesus will come again for His Church.Rick Wiles, Doc Burkhart. Airdate 4/15/22Order the second edition of Rick's book, Final Day - http://tru.news/3CY6SGm

The following program is made possible by the faithful prayers and financial support of listeners just like you. To find out how you can help, visit nothing but the truth, so help us God. I'm Rick Wiles. The seven greatest words in the English language are, Christ is risen, He is risen indeed. Welcome to this Good Friday edition of True News. What is the real true news? Well, the true news is the good news. Jesus Christ was crucified for our sins, buried, descended to the place of the dead, raised himself from the grave, walked among men and women for 40 days, and ascended to heaven. Even better, this same Jesus will come again for his church.

I don't have any bad news to report today. Instead, Dr. Burkhardt and I will devote this hour to discussing the greatest event in the history of the universe, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Amen. Absolutely. The greatest event. Nothing, nothing has ever happened in the history of the world that compares to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And it changed the world. Yes. And even the secular world sets time and history itself to the date of the Savior's birth.

That's right. So they have to at least acknowledge the Savior. He lived a life and that he died. We're in the year of our Lord, 2022. Yes. And that's the way people identified the year for many, many years until recent, until the secular humanists started to influence society. The year of our Lord, 2022 A.D. Why?

Why did they mark time based on the death of a man? Because he didn't stay dead. That's why. He came out of the grave. And it is the greatest event. And the next greatest event is this same Jesus, the same Jesus who came out of the grave is coming back in his physical glorified body. That is the next great event that's coming. And so on this Good Friday, we want to talk about this great event, the greatest of all events,

the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I'm going to read a little bit from my book, Final Day, which is available to you, The Ten Characteristics of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It's available. It's $19.95 plus shipping. And if you would like an autographed copy, we're asking for a donation of $100.

You can go to treedews.com and click the banner. It will take you to the page to order the book. Now, I received an email yesterday, and it said, Hi, Rick, I'm studying final day. I'm up to page 134. My favorite page so far is page 126. When I got to that page, I didn't want the book to end. I said to myself, will Rick write another book? I'm hungry for the word of God. This came from Gene in Spain. Well, there must have been something special

on page 126 then. Yeah, yeah. And I remember writing that page too. And I remember the blessing that I had personally in writing that page. There was an anointing that day. I was at my home. It was on a Saturday. And I clearly remember writing the words of that page. And so, Gene, I got to tell you,

your short email brightened my day so much by saying that you're hungry for the Word of God. And I hear you and the Lord hears you. I'm telling you this, this ministry is making a major shift in coming weeks. As we approach our May 24th anniversary, which is celebrating our 23rd anniversary, we're going to make a major change in this daily program. Up until now, I've given you a lot of news and a little bit of Bible teaching. So for the next 10 years, I'm going to flip it around. It's going to be a little bit of news and a lot of Bible teaching. That's for the next 10 years. And we'll see what happens after that, if I'm still here after those 10 years.

Who knows? You may flip back, but I doubt it. I don't think so. But we're going to spend a lot of time talking about the Lord. I've got a new website coming, rickwiles.com. There's nothing there yet. It will be later in May. Rickwiles.com will be my new website and that's where I will be

posting my Bible studies. I'm going to be writing some blogs and I've got a lot of new material and new ways to, you know, I'm still going to give you news but I'm just going to do it differently. There may be short videos on one topic. Or maybe audio conversations. Just audio, right. But there's no way you can completely get away from news in this world. And you've had 20 years of observing news and talking to thought leaders. And I mean, 5,000 interviews over 20 plus years, you pick up something along the way. We're just going to do it differently. We're going to serve you, but we're just going to serve you differently. We're going to serve you, but we're just going to serve you differently.

We're going to mix it up a little bit. I think you're going to like it. We've got some new audio chat technology that will be added to the website later in the year, and I'll be holding live audio chat room meetings with our supporters supporters every week a lot of things on it the blogs i'm very excited about the blogs and i'm actually planning to write two blogs i'm going to start with one and once i get that one going i'm going to start the second blog i have the titles for both of them and one will be about basically bible prophecy, the second coming of Christ, the signs of the age that Christ is coming. The other one will be more news oriented, a reflection of what's going on in the

world, telling you why something is important. It won't be a long in-depth blog about news. It'll be maybe one or two topics, but telling you why that news story is important and how it impacts you. Again, we're just going to do things differently. It's time to refresh the work that we do here. Every, you know, five, seven years, a media program needs a facelift. It needs a refreshing. And if you watch television, you know that it happens. You probably don't even realize it, how they shake things up.

They get a new format, a new look, new studio. They just do things different to freshen it up. That's what we're going to be doing in the month of May. So I think you're going to be very excited. Well, Jean said that her favorite page so far was page 126. And she said, when I read that page, I didn't want the book to end. So I'm going to read it to you, but I'm going to back up and start at page 124. So the topic is his second coming shall be atmospheric this is the the topic of this chapter the characteristic it's atmospheric it's in the air you're going to see jesus in the clouds so we're going to start at page 124 and And then when I get to the page that Jean said touched her heart, I'll let you know that we're there.

So the clouds will represent something extraordinary for the saints. They herald the magnificent union of the body of Christ with the head of the church. It is in the clouds where the two shall meet and be united forever. Apostle Paul revealed the meeting in the air to Christians in Thessalonica. He desired that they not be ignorant about departed saints who are asleep in Christ. By saying he did not want them to be uninformed about the matter, St. Paul underscored the importance of the message he was about to deliver to them concerning the dead in Christ. The apostle implied that ignoring the momentous implications of his statement

could have far-reaching consequences. This is what he said. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will bring God with them. 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. 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. 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. 1 Thessalonians 4, verses 13 through 17. Amen. Well, Apostle Paul desired that the saints know the truth about the death of their physical bodies. Now, we must not have sorrow, said Paul, because if we believe Jesus died and rose again, we must also assuredly know that Jesus will bring with him the spirits of the saints who are asleep. St. Paul assured the church there is no justification for prolonged grief and no

reason to be stressed and worried about their dead relatives and friends who died in the Lord. Grief, sorrow, and stress over the deaths of family members and friends are for the unsaved, not the church. Spiritually lost people have no hope. Paul said, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again. His choice of words for if implies that Paul knew the saints firmly believed in the resurrection of the saints on the final day. There was no need to teach the doctrine further because it was a settled matter in the churches. The apostle assured the Thessalonian Christians that their departed saints would be there on that grand and glorious day, their bodies will come out of their graves and be in the forefront of the vast fleet of flying saints who ascend through the atmosphere to meet the triumphant King Jesus in the clouds officially. The final day's fleet of flying saints are the people whom Isaiah inquired about regarding their identity. He said, who are these who fly as a cloud and as the doves to their roost? If we have faith and confidence in the resurrection of

Jesus Christ, we can assuredly have faith and confidence that Jesus will bring with him on the final day the spirits of those departed saints who sleep in Jesus. The glorious arrival of King Jesus will guarantee that their dead bodies will be transformed into glorified bodies when they come out of their graves. Sleep. Jesus's gentle euphemism for death was also used in the Old Testament. Now, Doc, this is the page that Jean said blessed her so much. This is page 126 in the final day book. Prophet Daniel was told by an angel about the final day, the day of the Lord. He told Daniel that the angel Michael shall stand up and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that time. The angel said, many of those who sleep in the dust of the

earth shall awaken some to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt. All the saints laid to sleep through Jesus, meaning they died in full communion, still with Christ will be led by him along the same path that Jesus traveled at Calvary. He is the door by which we enter physical death. He descended to the place of the dead. Jesus gently holds our hand as we sink into our place of rest while we await the resurrection of all saints. He will not permit us to be alone and afraid during the transition from this world to our time of sleep. Our Savior leads us on the same path that culminates in the resurrection of our physical bodies on the final day. When we die, Jesus's light illuminates our way made dark by death. Just as Jesus meets us at the time of our physical death and gently escorts us to our new position of rest, so too will Jesus meet us on the final day

to lead us to the resurrection that he experienced on the third day of his death. Thus, God brings our disembodied spirits with Jesus on the final day. Our heavenly father shall complete for us the life cycle that Jesus experienced as the son of man, physical birth, life, death, entrance into the place of the dead, resurrection, eternal life in full fellowship with the heavenly father. His violent death makes our death a gentle sleep. His glorious resurrection makes our sleep a mighty awakening. In the twinkling of an eye, the dead in Christ will enter new glorified bodies that will never die. We shall live then because he lives now. Paul took this message to another level of authority. He said, for this we say unto you by the word of the Lord. He was speaking not

only for himself, but for all apostles. We say implies that all the apostles had received the word of the Lord that Paul was ready to impart to the saints in Thessalonica. We do not know how, when, and where the apostles received the word of the Lord. Paul's choice of words implied that it came to the apostles directly through divine revelation. Did Jesus personally teach it to the apostles during the 40 days between the resurrection and ascension? Did an angel impart the knowledge or did the apostles each receive visions? Again, we do not know. What we do know is that St. Paul emphatically stated that what he was about to teach them came directly from heaven. There could be no debate or discussion about the doctrine. It came from God. And what was the word that came directly from God?

The divine message contained eight points. We have those eight points here for you. The saints alive when Jesus returns shall not prevent the saints who are asleep from receiving the promise. Jesus shall descend from heaven with a shout. All shall hear the voice of the archangel. God's trumpets shall sound. The dead in Christ shall rise first. Those alive at the second coming shall be caught up together with the risen saints in the clouds. Both groups of saints will meet the Lord in the air, and together they shall forever be with the Lord.

Those are the eight points, Doc, in Thessalonica. In the scripture, in the passage that he delivered, 1 Thessalonians 4, 13-17. Eight key points that Paul said came directly from God to the apostles. So the word of the Lord, the revelation from heaven to the apostles said that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord should not prevent them which are asleep.

Alive and remain literally means those who are left over. Furthermore, shall not prevent means to go before or get the start out. In other words, St. Paul said, heaven authorized him to inform the church that the living saints will not get a head start on the departed saints on the final day. It will be just the opposite. The resurrected saints will go up first and then those saints left over will follow them in the air to meet Jesus in the clouds. The divine message also revealed a trumpet blast and a shout would startle the universe. Everybody will hear it. The trumpet is the signal of the imminent arrival of the divine presence. God's trumpet blast shall silence all other sounds on earth. A hush shall cover the entire world. Commanded by God to sound a trumpet, angels shall notify the entire human population,

dead and alive, that a significant change is about to happen. It shall herald the greatest reset of human civilization. The trumpet blast shall announce that the consummation of all things has commenced and the end of the world has finally arrived. All graves, not some, all graves shall open. Jesus said we must not marvel at this thought. For the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice. Jesus said the dead would come out of their graves, both good and evil. Each group would

experience a resurrection of their dead bodies. Righteous men and women shall receive the resurrection of life, but the wicked, wicked men and women shall receive the opposite. They will receive the resurrection of judgment, meaning eternal punishment in the lake of fire. Some will awaken to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt. That, my friend, is a portion from this book, Final Day. And I want you to have a copy. There are amazing spiritual revelations in this book that the Holy Spirit inspired me to write to help you and me understand His Word. There's never a new word from God. There's only a fresher revelation of His Word. And every generation has to be refreshed.

Because what I've discovered, Doc, is that Christians centuries ago had amazing, deep revelation about the word of God and it was lost over time. Right. And what God does is that he, he brings back to the church the truths that were lost to pre is not new truth. It's just, it's just been lost. Yes. And, and I believe that's what he did in in this book that there were things that what what gene said page 120 what was it 126 she said blessed her so much and it was just talking about that

all the saints laid to sleep through j, meaning they died in full communion with Christ. Right. They will be led by him on the same path that he was led on. Yes. Think about that. He's our shepherd. He's our guide. Whatever Jesus experienced, we will experience the same thing.

Yes. Yeah, he's already led the way on that. And that passage in Thessalonians, Rick, was a response by Paul to the believers there because they were asking questions like, we believe that we're going to see Jesus, but what about those that have died? What about our family and friends that have confessed Christ,

but now they're in the grave? What happens to them? And Paul was making a clarification here, saying you don't have to worry about them. You don't have to fret about them. In fact, they, and I got this word by revelation directly from God as well as the other apostles, we know that they shall see the Lord first.

They get the first opportunity. They go before you. In fact, you're last. The dispensationalists teach that we go first. But the scripture says, really, we go last. And so those who are alive and remain, then we are all caught up and gathered together with the Lord. But the dead in Christ have the opportunity to see Christ first.

That's right. So you made a remark one time, I think we were talking about this passage, that I just want to be alive when the Lord comes back. Well, actually, if you're dead, you get the first opportunity to see the Lord. And the truth is, we never did. It's just your body that's dead. Yes. You're alive.

Yeah, your spirit, you're with Christ. It's just your body that's dead. Yes. So you will see Christ when he returns. That was one of the revelations I had writing this book. We will all see Christ when he returns. That was one of the revelations I had writing this book. We will all see Christ when he returns. Yes. Whether you're in the grave or not,

if you're alive on earth, you will see Christ as a second coming. If you're in the grave, you will see Christ as a second coming. Everybody. Both those who confess Christ and those who did not confess Christ. That's right.

Everybody's going to see Jesus when he returns. But not all are going to be caught up together with him. That's right. Some are going to be snatched away for eternal punishment. So, you know, this passage in 1 Thessalonians 4, we've been talking about it in our own Bible study here at the ministry. And, of course, Rick said the opportunity to expand on this. There's so much in here, so much in this passage, Rick, that is misinterpreted by a lot of the church today.

But when you just read it for what it says without adding anything else to it, things become suddenly clear. They don't get more complicated. They become simpler and clearer. It's amazing how the Word of God does that, isn't it? I want to take a moment for some of you who may be, particularly if you're in your senior years and you're thinking about death, and you know that it's coming.

It's somewhat amusing to hear people say, well, if I die, what are you talking about if? You mean when you die? It's 100% certain you're going to die. But people say, if I die, no, you're going to die. But if you're in your senior years and you're thinking about the fact that death is soon, you're getting older, and at any day you, it could be your last day. I want you to listen again to what I wrote because this is absolutely connected to this

weekend, our celebration of resurrection day. Maybe you call it Easter. I call it Resurrection Day. I prefer that title, Resurrection Day. But this message in the book is connected to Resurrection Day. I wrote, Jesus is the door by which we enter physical death. He descended to the place of the dead. When he died on the cross at Calvary, he descended to the place of the dead. That he died on the cross at Calvary, he descended to the place of the dead. That's in the Apostles' Creed, that he descended to the place of the dead. Jesus holds our hands when we sink at death,

when our physical body dies, and we sink into our place of rest after our body has died. Jesus holds your hand. He gently leads you into that place of rest. He's already been there, my dear friend. Yes. He's already traveled the road. This is what i want you to understand he already our lord and savior has already traveled that road of leaving this world and entering the place of the dead he's already done it he knows his way you and i don't know the. We've not been down that road yet. He's been, he's traveled that road. And what I'm telling you, this is what I, I remember the Saturday I wrote these words

and what a peace and calmness came over me as I wrote these words, that Christ meets us at the place of death, takes us by the hand and says, don't be afraid. I know my way. I've traveled this road. I'm going to lead you. I'm going to take you to the place where you're going to rest. Rest for what? Waiting on the resurrection. That's where he takes us. He takes us to a place of rest where we wait for the glorious resurrection on the final day, the day of the

Lord. He will not permit us to be alone nor afraid during the transition from this world to our time of sleep. Now listen to this. Our Savior leads us on the same path that culminates in the resurrection of our physical bodies on the final day. When we die, Jesus' light illuminates our way made dark by death. You're not going to be in darkness when you die. Death is dark. Yes. But the light will be standing there with you, holding your hand. He will lead you through the darkness of death and take you to a place to

rest. It says, Jesus, just as Jesus meets us at the time of our physical death and gently escorts us to our new position. So too will Jesus meet us on the final day to lead us to the resurrection. So he comes on resurrection day, the final day, the day of the Lord, to lead us on that final path that he traveled. He was born, human body. He was born. Human body. He grew up. He lived. He died on the cross.

He descended to the place of the dead. He rose from the dead. He was resurrected. He ascended to the Father. Received a glorified body. We go through the entire life cycle with him. Yes. You and I will physically die

unless we're alive in the day he comes back on earth. But we will physically die. He will lead us to the place of the dead where the righteous saints live, where we rest waiting on the resurrection. And then on the final day, he comes for us to do what? To experience the very thing that he experienced. The resurrection from the dead.

He brings our bodies out of the grave and he unites our bodies with our spirits and he experiences, we experience what he experienced on the first resurrection day. We're all going to have a resurrection on that grand and glorious day. And then what do we do? We ascend up into the air

just like he ascended and we meet him into the air just like he ascended and we meet him in the air and we are forever with the lord we're united with our heavenly father it's the same cycle amen he's taking us through the same path i'm telling you i get excited about it. It, it just makes me, it makes me love him even more. Amen. I love him even more as I think about what a wonderful Lord, Savior, and shepherd he is. He is the good shepherd and he is not going to leave you alone. So maybe you're frail, maybe you're, you're, you're sick and maybe you know your days are numbered. I want you to have peace. Yes. I want you to have peace in your heart to know that Christ is going to meet you when your body shuts down in this world. He is going to meet

you at that very moment and escort you to the place he has chosen for you to rest waiting on the resurrection is that a good thought or what amen it is it's a great man it's awesome and resurrection is at the very heart of the gospel there is uh there is no gospel without resurrection rick and it seems like two of the most neglected topics in the church today are the cross and the resurrection. I mean, really, stop and think about it. They'll talk about self-improvement. They'll talk about how to raise your family. They'll talk about how you can be a millionaire if you follow Jesus.

They do all these things. But do they talk about the cross and they talk about the resurrection? They're neglected topics in the pulpits, at least of America today. I was looking and considering a few scriptures about the resurrection and everything coming up as far as this weekend is concerned, And I came to the conclusion that resurrection is much more than an event or a singular point in time. Jesus himself is the resurrection. He is resurrection. In fact, we read in John 11, 25,

Jesus said unto her, this is the woman at the raising of Lazarus, said, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. Jesus says, I am the resurrection. Not there's going to be a resurrection. She recognized, Martha recognized

that there was a resurrection. Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection. He didn't say, I'm going to be resurrected. I'll be there on the resurrection day. He said, I am the resurrection. Just like he said to Abraham, I am. Yes. I am.

He is the great I am. Go. I am. He is the great I am. Go ahead, doctor. And so Jesus also said in John chapter 10, therefore doth my father love me. And how does he know that? Well, he goes on to explain. Because I lay down my life that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.

I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my father. Amen. Right there, there is the scriptural proof that he resurrected himself from the grave. He said, I have the power to lay my body down in the grave and I have the power to lay my body down in the grave, and I have the power to take it back up. Amen. He resurrected himself, Doc. That's right. How do you do that? Because God, the Father, told it to him.

He said, this is what's going to happen. You're going to raise yourself up from the dead. But how? I mean, our finite mortal human minds can't figure that out. Your physical body's dead. It's in a tomb. You are in, your spirit is in the place of the dead. Yes. With all these other spirits of dead people. And how do you say, I'm leaving, I'm going back up and get my body, and my body's going to be glorified. I'm leaving captivity behind. How do you say, I'm leaving, I'm going back up and get my body, and my body's going to be glorified? I'm leaving captivity behind.

How do you do that? Because he's God. He's God. Isn't that awesome just to think about it? And if he can raise himself from the dead, he can raise you from the dead too. It goes on to say there, this is in the Revelation to John in chapter 1, verse 18, on the Isle of Patmos. It says, I am he that liveth and was dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore.

Amen. I have the keys of hell and of death. In other words, he's got the keys to the whole thing, folks, including death itself. You know, I was reading 1 Corinthians today, chapter 15. It says that Jesus sits on the throne of David right now, serving as a King until when? Until death is conquered. Yes. When is death conquered? On the final day. On the final day, Jesus actually leaves his kingdom behind. A lot of people don't realize this. He leaves it. He doesn't take up his kingdom.

He leaves his kingdom and gives it back to the Father. And the Father turns around and gives it to us. And sin and death are the last two things conquered. Right. And it has to be in that order. Sin is conquered first, then death. Why? Because sin came first and it brought death.

So in that order, he will, at the final day, he will first abolish sin, conquer sin, and then he will conquer death. The one phrase, he will kill death. Yes, death has to die. How do you kill death. Yes, death has to die. How do you kill death? What do you use to kill death?

Is it raid? I mean, is it some kind of spray? What is it? But he does it, right? He kills death. And he has to kill sin first and then death because if he killed death first, we would be forever trapped in our sin. Yes. And so it's important to understand that there's an order to this process here. and then death, because if he killed death first, we would be forever trapped in our sin.

And so it's important to understand that there's an order to this process here. Sin had to be dealt with. The sin of mankind had to be dealt with before death could be dealt with, or else we'd be forever trapped in our sin. And so Jesus made it very clear. And so if anyone has any doubts about where Jesus stood on things, about his resurrection, he prophesied his own death, his own burial, and his own resurrection. In Mark 8, 31, he said, and he began to teach them that the son of man must suffer many things

and be rejected of the elders and of the chief priests and scribes and be killed and after elders and of the chief priests and scribes and be killed. And after three days rise again. And so his disciples, he was teaching right from the very beginning that he would be killed. And then three days later, rise again. Now, of course, many in these early days didn't fully understand that fully graphs that until after the resurrection. And then suddenly the scriptures came alive to them. Mark 9 31 says, for he taught his disciples and said unto them, the son of man is delivered into the hands of men and they shall kill him. And after that he is

killed, he shall rise the third day. Mark 10 34, they shall mock him and shall scourge him and shall spit upon him and shall kill him. And the third day he shall rise again. And then the angel on resurrection day said, he is not here. He is risen. As he said, come see the place where you're laid. Come look at the empty tomb over here. He told you he wasn't going to be here. He's risen. He's alive. As he said. As he said.

Glory. Oh, my. What a moment that had to have been to see that empty tomb. I mean, at first, it was probably a moment of confusion. In fact, it was. They were saying, where have they taken him? Where's his body?

Where is it? And they had to have direct revelation from God. God had sent an angel. Look, he's not here. He is risen. Just like he told you he was going to be. And even then, it took him a while to fully grasp what was

going on. And so it's amazing that for three years, Jesus sat with his disciples and told them that he was going to be killed, that he'd be in the grave for three days and that he would be resurrected, but they still didn't fully grasp it and believe it. And I think that's important for us because there's a lot of people watching or listening today. You may have been constantly told and taught all these very important things. And you may have a working knowledge of it.

You may acknowledge it. You may say, yes, that's in the Bible. But do you believe it? Do you believe it? Because even the disciples didn't believe it even after the resurrection until Jesus himself walked in on them and presented himself. I'm here. It's me. I'm risen. You know, the giant stone in front of the tomb was rolled away. Right. And it's important that you understand Jesus didn't roll the stone away to get out. The angel didn't move the stone so Jesus could get

out. He's alive in there. He can't get out. Yeah. He resurrected. You can imagine that. He managed to get out of the place of the dead, but they couldn't get out of the tomb. No, the stone was rolled away, not so Jesus could get out, but so Mary could go in. Yes, because Jesus was walking through walls a couple of days later. Do you think he could walk through a stone if he wanted to?

Of course he could. The stone being rolled away was so everyone can see it's empty here. He's gone. He's risen. Just as he said, he told you what he was going to do and he did it.

Amen. So in understanding all of this, there's two essentials to the gospel. It's the cross and the resurrection. You can't have one without the other. And the cross is essential for our salvation. Acts 2.23, Him being delivered by the determinate counsel

and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. That's the testimony of Peter on the day of Pentecost, acknowledging that this man, you all know he was crucified. You all know he was killed. You all know he was crucified and you all know he was dead. So he's making that testimony clear. 1 Corinthians 1.23, but we preach Christ crucified unto the Jews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishness. Now they continued to press

the case of Christ crucified and the Jewish people saw that, acknowledge it as real, but it was a stumbling block to them and the Greeks couldn't it, so they counted it as foolishness. First Corinthians 2.2, for I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified. So convinced now was Paul the apostle, after having fought Christianity, so convinced now by this time in his letter to the church of Corinth that there was nothing else to know besides Jesus Christ and his crucifixion. That's how convinced he had become. Even though he, and I don't know, maybe he did see the crucifixion.

We don't know. It's possible he did. You mean he wasn't reading the times of Corinth? No, he was getting his revelation directly from God. He wasn't watching Corinth cable news? The Corinth News Network? Yes. No, that's really what he's saying.

I don't, there's nothing I want to know. Except Jesus Christ and him crucified. That's the heart of everything right there. He also wrote to the Galatians, but God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world.

And so convinced was Paul about what happened to Jesus Christ and how essential to the gospel the cross was that to him, let the whole world, the world is crucified to me. It's all lost to me. And yet the cross is neglected in a lot of the doctrine, a lot of preaching that goes on in many churches around our country. And so. Doc, you can't understand salvation if you don't understand the resurrection. That's right.

It's just that simple. Because that is the promise of the gospel. I mean, what else is the gospel about except resurrection? First, we have to be crucified just like Jesus was. And then we have to be resurrected exactly like Jesus was. But the good news is Jesus gave us the promise of resurrection. He says, John 14, 19, he has these words, yet a little while, he said this to his disciples, the world seeth me no more, but ye see me because I live,

ye shall live also. That is our promise. That is our promise. Because Christ died and because he now lives, we have the promise that when we die, we shall live also. In 1 Corinthians 15, 26, this resurrection, the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. That's the very last one. And that occurs on the final day. Paul goes on to say in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, so when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, and probably some of the most poetic words in Scripture. Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting?

O grave, where is thy victory? Romans 4.25, Jesus, who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification. And so the resurrection, Rick, is more than just being raised to new life. It's being raised to a justified life. In other words, sin no longer has its control over us. We no longer have the hooks of our fences tied into our flesh anymore. Why?

Because we have new flesh. We're raised to new life. We've cast everything aside now. We have new bodies because we're going to be living in a brand new world, a world where sin does not exist, where sin has no room. There's no place for it. It doesn't have a mailing address. It doesn't have a street address anymore. Sin no longer exists. It doesn't have a tempter. That's right. The reason there's no sin is that there's no tempter anymore.

Satan himself will be forever trapped in the lake of fire. Doc, those words from 1 Corinthians 15, death is swallowed up in victory. Oh, death, where is thy sting? Oh, grave, where is thy victory? Those words probably are the most quoted scriptures in funerals of any scripture that's read in scriptures. How many millions of funerals do you think in 2,000 years have preachers quoted those verses? It is to comfort us.

It is to make us know that the grave cannot hold us. Death cannot entrap us. If you are found in Christ, if Christ is in you, your name is in the book of life. The grave can't hold you down. Death cannot grip you when Christ comes back. His glorious appearance will bring all the saints out of their graves and up into the air to meet him. It is the most magnificent promise that any of us can have. And we should cherish it. We should think about it all the time. This wonderful promise that we will be united with Jesus Christ. Now, Rick, there's a lot of people that try to separate

the death of Christ from the resurrection of Christ, or they try to dismiss or diminish the death and resurrection of Christ. But Paul put the highest priority on these two things go hand in hand, like a hand in glove. You cannot separate death from the resurrection. You can't preach them separately. The Bible joins death and the resurrection of Christ into one package. You cannot have one without the other. Jesus' entrance in the tomb is as important as his exit from the tomb. So in 1 Corinthians 15, 3 through 5, we read,

For I delivered unto you first of all, this was the first thing he taught. This is it. This is the foundation message of the gospel. I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he was seen of Cephas, and then of the twelve. And so for Paul, when he was delivering the gospel message to people,

his first message, Rick, was the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That was the priority. It wasn't, you know, how to be a better businessman. It wasn't, you know, how to make friends and influence people. It wasn't how to get rich in 20 days. It was, first of all, I taught you Jesus died according to the scriptures. So he used the word of God. That he rose again according to the scripture. Once again, the word of God. And so for Paul, and I would assume for the rest of the apostles, the first priority was always the gospel message. And how many times, Rick, has modern preachery today neglected the first of all?

That's right. The first of all. You know, for many years, there was what they called the seeker-sensitive movement. Rick Warren's book, The Purpose-Driven Church and Everything, probably did one of the biggest disservices

to the gospel in 2,000 years because it set something else more important than the gospel message itself. It said, how did people feel about coming to church? Was more important. Was more important than the refining of the message. The message had already been watered down. So what was the decision to do to get more people in?

Water it down some more. When really the scriptural solution, what the scripture teaches is you refine the message. You get it down to its core principles. And Paul said, the first thing I taught you, Corinthians, that when I first got there, what did I teach you? Christ crucified and resurrected. Christ crucified and resurrected according to the scriptures.

Doc, I know you know because you study the early church. But in the early centuries of the Christian church, I think you could classify most sermons and most letters that we have of the early church fathers, basically into three categories. They preached what was called two ways. It was a very, very common message. Preachers everywhere had their version of the two ways. There are two ways. There's the way to righteousness. There's the way to death. There's the right way. There's the wrong way. There's the way to eternal life. There's the way to eternal death. And it was called two ways. So that was one category. and then the cross was the second category, and the resurrection was the third category. And almost all sermons fell into one of those three categories.

Today, as you said, very little preaching on any of those three. They'll hit it on holidays holidays like Resurrection Day. Right. But the rest of the year, there's very little preaching about the cross and the second coming and the resurrection. And Rick, really, that is really the foundation stone of the apostles' doctrine.

Yes. I mean, I believe that we should teach on other things. I, you know, uh, you know, how to raise a godly family, how to be godly men, all these things, they're absolutely important, but they're not the message. They are not the message. The message is Christ crucified and risen again. That is the core principle right there. And if you are wrong about preaching that core message, let God judge you for that. But as for me, as for my pattern,

what I see in the scripture, this was the first of all thing for Paul. It was very important. And one other thing that was going on in church in Corinth, Rick, was that there was some discussion about how that resurrection was going to take place. Okay. Because there had been this kind of seeping into different churches along the way that our bodies were evil. Okay. So then if we're resurrected to new life, how can these evil bodies be resurrected to new life?

They had every, they believed Jesus Christ, you know, they believed in that resurrection, but how was it that we would be resurrected? Paul had to clarify that with the church in Corinth. He said, in our resurrection, our bodies will be like Christ. So he's making this very clear. He says in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, he says, and that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain,

it may chance of wheat or some other grain, but God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. And so what he's doing here is he's drawing a picture. When you plant a seed in the ground, when it matures, it doesn't remain a seed. It becomes something else. It becomes something much more glorious than the seed. But the seed has to die and be buried

in order to become something else. God gives it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. It goes on to say, later on that chapter in 1 Corinthians 15, and as we have borne the image of the earth, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. That was the promise that Paul was giving to the church in Corinth. In other words, our bodies will be the same bodies as Jesus has.

Yes. The very same body. It's not some different class. It's not some other thing, but the same, this very same thing. And another point that's very important that goes with that scripture, 1 Corinthians 15, 49. It's very important it goes with that scripture. 1 Corinthians 15, 49. The Jesus who's coming back is the same Jesus who left.

Over the last couple of decades, from time to time, there had been some, there had been preachers who have stretched the truth and tried to come up with some explanation about the second coming. Right. Who is coming back? Or how does Jesus come back? Does he come back in our consciousness? Do we become better people?

And I've heard from time to time, I've heard these ridiculous teachings. But in the book of Acts, and I'm reading right now from my book, Final Day. In the book of Acts, and when he had spoken these things, while beheld this is chapter 1 verse 19 to 9 to 11 he was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sight and while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up behold two men stood by them in white apparel, which also said, ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus. Yes. This same Jesus. Not another Jesus, not another version. This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven shall also come in like manner. The way he went up, he's coming back in the clouds. In that body.

In that body, as ye have seen him go into heaven. And what I wrote, this is page 116 of Final Day. Who is coming again? This same Jesus. The angel's words are great promise of hope for humankind. The triumphant and victorious Jesus who went up will be the same Jesus who will come down. He will not be a facsimile, a replica, a clone, an impersonator, an imitation, a lookalike, a double, stand-in, mirror image, remake, virtual avatar, or holographic image. The second coming of Jesus Christ shall not be a metaphysical phenomenon nor a mystical religious experience.

He will not appear in virtual reality. His appearance shall be authentic. The king who returns will be the only begotten son of God who came to earth as God in human flesh was crucified, died, buried, and resurrected from the dead. He will be the real deal. That's who's coming back. The same Jesus who was here 2000 years ago, he's coming back in the same body he left this earth in. You'll be able to touch that body. It'll be a glorified

physical body, but it's real. He's not some mystical spirit that's going to be hovering in the air. He has a body. And when you and I, when our eyes see Jesus, when we see him in his glory, when our eyes see him in his glory, we are instantly changed in the twinkling of an eye to become glorified just like him. And we are lifted up into the air in new glorified bodies to meet our savior in the air and the church triumphant that comes out of the graves and the church militant that's on the earth at that time are united in the air for a great meeting in the air with our King Jesus Christ, who is going to return in the clouds in his glorified body. It is awesome. Absolutely awesome. I can't wait for it. Oh, I hope, I wish it would happen today. I would be so excited if it happened today. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Doc, you have any final words before we close? Well, just that we can have the confidence of knowing that when we meet Jesus, even if we've gone ahead to the grave, that that body that's been planted in the ground is just seed. And that seed is going to be transformed and changed into the glorified body. In fact, the Word of God says this body gets changed

into the same type of substance that Jesus is now. Why? Because in order for us, you know, when you go into outer space, you have to wear a space suit. Why? Because the environment is different in space than it is here. You have to have a pressurized suit with air and reflective glass because the sun's so bright. Because if you did not have all that protection and you did not have everything that was needed for life, you would die instantly in space. Well, in the new space that is to come,

the new heavens and the new earth, these bodies can operate there. It's a whole new atmosphere. It's a whole new light that shines. It's a whole new ground that we walk on. A space suit won't work. We need whole new bodies for where we're going to live. Jesus has already adapted to that environment.

In fact, he's bringing that environment here. I just thought about it. I never thought about this, Doc. We need new eyeballs that can see that much light. Yes. In fact, it says that in the New Jerusalem, Jesus himself will be the temple, and he will be the light in that.

He will be the light in that city. He'll be the light. The Ray Bans aren't going to cut it there. In the Old Testament, no man could see God because they die. Right. It's because our physical bodies just can't handle that much light. But in the New

Jerusalem, every man will see God so they can live. So we get new eyeballs that are capable of seeing the most brilliant light there is in anywhere, in the new universe, not in this old universe, in a brand new universe. Rick, isn't the good news a lot more exciting than the bad news?

It is. I'm ending this edition of True News Today smiling and lifted up and encouraged. I hope you are, too. This is the new direction we're going in later next month in May. And I'll be telling you more about it as we approach that time. We're still going to talk about the news. We're just going to do it a different way. Doc and I, we may put out short videos about particular topics

when we know that there's something that's important for you to know. It may be written. It may be that we're sending out emails. We'll get the information to you. We're just not going to make it the main thing. We're going to make this the main thing, the word of God, because knowing more news is not going, it's not going to get you through this life successfully. And it's certainly not going to prepare you for the next life. So why are we spending so much time studying what the devil's doing in this world. Let's, let's study what our Lord is doing

and be prepared for the world that he is bringing. He wants us to be full of his word because he knows the evil that's coming to this world before he comes. And knowing news is not going to strengthen you to deal with the evil that's coming. This word is what you need. If you're a prepper, you need to prep this word. You need to store this word in your mind, in your heart. How much of the word of God have you stored away? You've got beans and bullets and bullion. Do you have the word? Store it away. That's where we're at right now.

And I'm very excited about the changes that are coming. And I know many of you are also excited because I'm getting emails from you saying, yes, we want more of the word of God. Have a awesome, wonderful resurrection day. Enjoy the day with your family. Tell everybody you know, do you know what this day is? This is the day we celebrate Jesus coming out of the grave. He's alive and he's coming back someday. It's an awesome time to tell people.

We love you very much. God bless you. See you next week. God bless you. See you next week. God bless you. The preceding program was made possible by the faithful prayers and financial support of listeners just like you. To find out how you can help, visit www.truenews.com.