Paul the apostle said in 2 Cor 5:8 “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from
the body, and to be present with the Lord.” We know when Jesus died on the cross, according to
Luke 23:46 he said, “... Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he
gave up the ghost.” We also know that before he died, according to Luke 23:43 he told one of the
thieves on the cross beside him, “To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” We have more
insight on the subject with the words of Paul in Phil 1:23 “For I am in a strait betwixt two,
having a desire to depart (Paul is speaking of death here, based on vs.21), and to be with Christ;
which is far better:”

With these passages, it seems evident that on the day a person dies, he or she is immediately with
the Lord. Keep in mind, they put the physical body of Christ in the tomb for three days and
nights, yet his spirit went to heaven immediately upon taking his last breath on this earth. It is
also important to remember that man is made of three parts. He has a soul, a spirit, and a physical
body, as clarified in 1 Th 5:23, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God
your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ.” (This is how man was made in the image of God. God is a triune being, or a trinity. That
is why you find him saying in Genesis 1:26, “Let US make man in OUR image.” The trinity as a
Bible doctrine is confirmed in 1John 5:7.)

So a man has a soul, spirit, and body. When I die, someone will put my body in the ground, or
dispose of it some other way. But the part of me that’s eternal is the spirit and soul. That part of
me will be with Jesus! A study of Luke 16 reveals that a lost man’s soul goes to hell. But that
soul can speak, hear, remember, etc.... That soul has a mouth, tongue, eyes, etc... In other words,
the soul of man is shaped like his body, but is an eternal soul that lives somewhere, forever. So,
when a saved man dies, his soul goes to be with Christ, when a lost man dies, his soul goes to a
place called hell.

Now, with this in mind, let’s look at 1 Th 4:13-17 “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. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with him. 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.”

Before I comment on this passage, let me remind you again of the body of Christ. His spirit went
to heaven, his body went to the grave. (By the way, most refuse to accept the facts, but where his
soul was for three days and nights is clear in Acts 2:31; Ps.16:10.) So, was Jesus Christ’s soul,
spirit, and body separated for eternity? Definitely not. When he came up out of the tomb, he was
once again body, soul, and spirit. (See Luke 24:39)

Have you ever considered the “seed” that produces a child? Like the seed of Gen.4:25 and
throughout the Bible. That seed is “planted” and then produces fruit - The fruit of the womb
according to Ps.127:3. Jesus said in  John 12:24 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of
wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”
This is the “seed” we plant in the ground, and then it comes up! Notice the wording of Rom 6:5, 
“For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness
of his resurrection:” I suspect the human body has a “seed” of some kind that is eternal. Listen to
Paul in 1 Cor 15:35-39, “But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what
body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that
which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of
wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed
his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh
of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.” (You can read the rest of 1Cor.15 for some
real interesting study on the subject of “bodies” and in particular how our body is going to be
CHANGED, from corruptible to incorruptible.)

In conclusion, it looks like a man is born into this world as the fruit of a seed. When he dies, the
“seed” is planted in the ground, while his soul and spirit goes to heaven (if saved). When the
Lord comes back to get the church, he brings the saints with him (that would be their soul and
spirit) and raises up their body in a “new fashion” or incorruptible fashion.

Job said something very interesting on this subject. Job 19:25-27 “For I know that my redeemer
liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms
destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:  Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes
shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.”

One of these days, and only God knows when, Jesus Christ is going to take us out of this world.
The Bible says, “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour,
the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his
glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto
himself.  Ph.3:20-21

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!!!

    Approximately twenty years ago, I was given a great opportunity. I was asked to speak to all the teachers and staff of every school in our county. My text was Psalm 127:4, which says, “As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.” I tried to convey to the teachers the great worth of children and the enormous influence each teacher had on those children. That experience led to another opportunity which would allow me to address what I considered to be some of the DANGERS of our day, especially concerning our youth. For this occasion, I titled my message: “Music, Movies, Machines, and Men.” Please consider these very brief comments as I reflect on what I taught two decades ago, before the technology had advanced to its’ present form.

    I – Music – I am baffled that so many adults fail to see the danger of “un-Christian” music. You need to hear this – MUSIC HAS A SPIRIT BEHIND IT, IN IT, AND THROUGH IT! I am not talking about Rock or Rap, I am talking about ALL MUSIC. Do not forget, Satan is very subtil. Rock and Rap is not a problem for most serious minded Christians. But there is plenty of music that by comparison appears “safe.” However, a steady diet of that music will lead to a fleshy, carnal, sensual spirit. It is a spirit that invites trouble and hinders the Holy Spirit of God. BEWARE OF UN-CHRISTIAN MUSIC! (Eph.5:19; Col.3:16; 1 Sam.16:23; 2 K. 3:15) 

    II – Movies – You will rarely see a movie that is not “backed-up” by music! That alone is cause for concern. But beyond that, once again, the subtil nature of our enemy is evident in Hollywood. I am equally baffled on this subject as so many parents allow their children to watch what would have been rated “R” when I was a child. As I hear children talk about the movies they watch, I ask myself if the parents are ignorant (naïve), uncaring, or just lazy! While I would say some are truly ignorant (not realizing the danger), and some may even be uncaring (they just don’t care enough about the spiritual well being of the child), my personal guess is that most of the problem is LAZINESS. Television (including video movies) has become the “baby-sitter” and replaced the instruction of the father and the law of the mother. (Ps.101:3; Lam.3:51; Ezek.23)

    III – Machines – When I taught this material twenty years ago, it was a warning about the television and what would now be considered archaic video games. Today, I would have to include computers, dvd players, cell phones, and a list I can’t even spell. I could give you lots of scripture on this subject and address what these “machines” of our day are doing to the minds of our youth, but I’ll simply tell you one of the most obvious problems. Modern technology is working hand in hand with modern society to destroy healthy relationships! People don’t talk, they text. They eat meals while watching television. They sit around with their ears plugged with something coming out of one of these machines. What might be a decent tool (like a cell phone) is usually nothing but a toy. America has too many toys! And we don’t own them, they own us! (2 Tim.3:4; Luke 8:14; Deut. 8:11-14 and 28:47.)

    IV – Men – A wise man once said you can tell a lot about a society by the people they esteem. Psalm 12:8 says, “The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.” The heroes of our colonial days in America were military heroes and spiritual heroes. Today, in a society that loves pleasure more than God, our heroes are athletes, musicians, and movie stars! And most of them are vile – morally very loose! What has all this produced to this point and what will it produce in the future? Time will tell, but for certain, we are seeing the development of the most SELF-centered, lazy, dependant, shallow society that America has ever known. (Ps.12:8; Pr.24:1 and 28:7; 2 Chron.19:2; 1 Cor.15:33 and Ezek.11:12).

    America is in serious trouble. God’s people have become so “entangled” in the affairs of this life, that now many of them don’t even see the dangers. May God help us to “look unto Jesus” and may the things of this earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace!