This message from Pastor Greg was truly needed and a wonderful way to start the day. My prayers continue for those of us who have loved ones still not with the Lord. I await the Coming of Our Lord for it is just around the corner, so till then I will continue my journey in His Heavenly name.
Thank you Pastor Greg, I went along and read more from Hebrews 9:27-28, continuing after the Apostle Paul's words; "Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgement, So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him." I was moved by this as I was unaware of this verse in the book of Hebrews and feel it is a prophetic verse on the rapture. God bless.
Wonderful message, thank you Pastor Greg....Ironically, I told my husband, if I die before him, to please put on my grave stone and the obituary only these words... For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain”.
I want NO mention of accomplishments, just I walked with my Lord.
My wife of 42 years died from cancer after 3 years of doing her best to do her part to live and yet allow God to do whatever He planned for her. She often said, " God will take me at exactly the right time, not a second early and not a second late." What helped me was to remember two things, one I didn't lose her, she is actually better off than I am. I can trust Him to care for her until we meet again. Two, we are all living between two perfect eternities, for the past was absolutely perfect until Lucifer announced his five "I wills" and the future eternity will be perfect when Christ brings this age to its end and removes every flawed will...keeping only His perfect will. This second point helped me gain a needed perspective that this world not only isn't our home but it's so short...so very short.
God is good, always, and He grants what we need to live the life he has placed before us. I have married another wonderful Godly woman so I can someday thank Him for giving me two wonderful, loving wives to share this time on earth with. God is so good...words cannot express His worth, but it's good to try.
This is a very emotional message...it brought me to tears as I read it. Not sure why? Probably something the Holy Spirit needed me to hear for many reasons. Now to fix my mascara 💦
Ya, I am starting to relate to that age thing. I turn 64 in May, and am having some issues with my back and nerves that are making my legs and ankles go wonky, as Keri would say (I love when she says that). All of a sudden I’m in the Doctor’s and PT offices more than I have ever been in my whole life combined; and moving faster than I had planned toward early retirement. Not to mention the pain. All that to say that looking up and awaiting His return, is getting more and more to be part of the joy that remains. Prayer for healing is a daily petition. Who doesn’t want to be healed? To live is Christ. Our righteousness in Him was dealt with at the Cross. So now, more and more, it is doing what He would do, thinking like He would think, saying what He would say, feeling what He would feel, and letting Him live through me. And knowing that even when I fail Him, His love for me is eternal. To live is Christ, but to die is gain. It is an everlasting relationship, that only gets better from here, with every breath I take until my last, I look to the clouds as if this may be the day. 🌻
Great word Pastor, never heard the saying. Their favorite day of the week is “someday.” But that is so true and how a lot of people live. Pray for the Holy Spirit to change people's hearts to accept Jesus today.
Happy Sunday! I pray you had a blessed day. I love sharing new songs, especially ones about Revelation! This song is powerful and her new album is great too. Brooke Ligertwood’s “Burn” should be our Tipping Point theme song: “Blessed those who read and hear…Knowing that the time is near. Heed in heart what has been written. Turn around and see Seven. Seven stars and Seven circles, Seven lamps and Seven churches, Seven seals and Seven thunders, Seven angels, Seven trumpets…'Til I'm really, truly, wholly Yours. Where I rebel, where I return. The place a thousand fires burn but only one flame will endure, The One that burns for You.”💛💛https://youtu.be/Lf58bnStOSE
This is powerful! For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18
Do suffer with chronic abdominal pain and headaches? I love Jesus very much. I would rather be dead than continue to live like this. I can barely eat. Help
I am so glad that all of you have come together for this ministry. Thank you to all of you. I have watched Jimmy Evans and Greg Laurie for years. This is my first-time watching Dr. Hitchcock. But I love all 3 of you. You each present messages in a different way, but on the same subject.
What exactly does it mean that “the dead in Christ will rise first”? Paul says that to be absent from the body is to be present with Christ. Are their spirits already in heaven and just their bodies get resurrected or were they in some kind of holding place?
15 Now brothers and sisters, let me remind you [once again] of the good news [of salvation] which I preached to you, which you welcomed and accepted and on which you stand [by faith]. 2 By this faith you are saved [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose], if you hold firmly to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain [just superficially and without complete commitment].
3 For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to [that which] the Scriptures [foretold],(A) 4 and that He was buried, and that He was [bodily] raised on the third day according to [that which] the Scriptures [foretold],(B) 5 and that He appeared to Cephas (Peter), then to the [a]Twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, the majority of whom are still alive, but some have fallen asleep [in death]. 7 Then He was seen by James, then by all the apostles, 8 and last of all, as to one [b]untimely (prematurely, traumatically) born, He appeared to me also.(C) 9 For I am the least [worthy] of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I [at one time] fiercely oppressed and violently persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the [remarkable] grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not without effect. In fact, I worked harder than all of the apostles, though it was not I, but the grace of God [His unmerited favor and blessing which was] with me. 11 So whether it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed and trusted in and relied on with confidence.
12 Now if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how is it that [c]some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain [useless, amounting to nothing], and your faith is also vain [imaginary, unfounded, devoid of value and benefit—not based on truth]. 15 We are even discovered to be false witnesses [misrepresenting] God, because we testified concerning Him that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised, either; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless and powerless [mere delusion]; you are still in your sins [and under the control and penalty of sin]. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If we who are [abiding] in Christ have hoped only in this life [and this is all there is], then we are of all people most miserable and to be pitied.
The Order of Resurrection
20 But now [as things really are] Christ has in fact been raised from the dead, [and He became] the first fruits [that is, the first to be resurrected with an incorruptible, immortal body, foreshadowing the resurrection] of those who have fallen asleep [in death].(D) 21 For since [it was] by a man that death came [into the world], it is also by a Man that the resurrection of the dead has come. 22 For just as [d]in Adam all die, so also [e]in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then those who are Christ’s [own will be resurrected with incorruptible, immortal bodies] at His coming. 24 After that comes the end (completion), when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after He has made inoperative and abolished every ruler and every authority and power. 25 For Christ must reign [as King] until He has put all His enemies under His feet.(E) 26 The last enemy to be abolished and put to an end is death. 27 For He (the Father) has put all things in subjection under His (Christ’s) feet. But when He says, “All things have been put in subjection [under Christ],” it is clear that He (the Father) who put all things in subjection to Him (Christ) is excepted [since the Father is not in subjection to His own Son].(F) 28 However, when all things are subjected to Him (Christ), then the Son Himself will also be subjected to the One (the Father) who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all [manifesting His glory without any opposition, the supreme indwelling and controlling factor of life].
29 Otherwise, what will those do who are being [f]baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people even baptized for them? 30 [For that matter] why are we [running such risks and putting ourselves] [g]in danger [nearly] every hour [if there is no resurrection]? 31 I assure you, believers, by the pride which I have in you in [your union with] Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily [I face death and die to self]. 32 What good has it done me if, [merely] from a human point of view, I [h]fought with wild animals at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised [at all], let us eat and drink [enjoying ourselves now], for tomorrow we die.(G) 33 Do not be deceived: [i]“Bad company corrupts good morals.” 34 Be sober-minded [be sensible, wake up from your spiritual stupor] as you ought, and stop sinning; for some [of you] have no knowledge of God [you are disgracefully ignorant of Him, and ignore His truths]. I say this to your shame.
35 But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body will they come?” 36 You fool! Every time you plant seed you sow something that does not come to life [germinating, springing up and growing] unless it first dies. 37 The seed you sow is not the body (the plant) which it is going to become, but it is a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body just as He planned, and to each kind of seed a body of its own [is given].(H) 39 All flesh is not the same. There is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are also heavenly bodies [sun, moon and stars] and earthly bodies [humans, animals, and plants], but the glory and beauty of the heavenly is one kind, and the glory of the earthly is another. 41 There is a glory and beauty of the sun, another glory of the moon, and yet another [distinctive] glory of the stars; and one star differs from another in glory and brilliance.
42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead. The [human] body that is sown is perishable and mortal, it is raised imperishable and immortal.(I) 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in strength; 44 it is sown a natural body [mortal, suited to earth], it is raised a spiritual body [immortal, suited to heaven]. As surely as there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written [in Scripture], “The first man, Adam, became a living soul (an individual);” the last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving spirit [restoring the dead to life].(J) 46 However, the spiritual [the immortal life] is not first, but the physical [the mortal life]; then the spiritual. 47 The first man [Adam] is from the earth, earthy [made of dust]; the second Man [Christ, the Lord] is from heaven.(K) 48 As is the earthly man [the man of dust], so are those who are of earth; and as is the heavenly [Man], so are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the earthly [the man of dust], [j]we will also bear the image of the heavenly [the Man of heaven].
The Mystery of Resurrection
50 Now I say this, believers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit nor be part of the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable (mortal) inherit the imperishable (immortal). 51 Listen very carefully, I tell you a mystery [a secret truth decreed by God and previously hidden, but now revealed]; we will not all sleep [in death], but we will all be [completely] changed [wondrously transformed], 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at [the sound of] the last trumpet call. For a trumpet will sound, and the dead [who believed in Christ] will be raised imperishable, and we will be [completely] changed [wondrously transformed]. 53 For this perishable [part of us] must put on the imperishable [nature], and this mortal [part of us that is capable of dying] must put on immortality [which is freedom from death]. 54 And when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then the Scripture will be fulfilled that says, “Death is swallowed up in victory (vanquished forever).(L) 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”(M) 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin [by which it brings death] is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory [as conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord [always doing your best and doing more than is needed], being continually aware that your labor [even to the point of exhaustion] in the Lord is not futile nor wasted [it is never without purpose]."
HOPEFULLY I AM GOING WITH THE UPPER TAKER AND NOT THE UNDERTAKER!
I love this! My husband has always wanted to be an EMT. He has taken the class 4 times now and still can’t pass it. He’s 39 years old. He wonders why would God put that desire in his heart if he can’t pass the class? Any thoughts anyone? Any similar stories to where this happened to you? Someone told him that he’s fighting God.
This message from Pastor Greg was truly needed and a wonderful way to start the day. My prayers continue for those of us who have loved ones still not with the Lord. I await the Coming of Our Lord for it is just around the corner, so till then I will continue my journey in His Heavenly name.
Thank you Pastor Greg, I went along and read more from Hebrews 9:27-28, continuing after the Apostle Paul's words; "Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgement, So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him." I was moved by this as I was unaware of this verse in the book of Hebrews and feel it is a prophetic verse on the rapture. God bless.
Wonderful message, thank you Pastor Greg....Ironically, I told my husband, if I die before him, to please put on my grave stone and the obituary only these words... For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain”.
I want NO mention of accomplishments, just I walked with my Lord.
IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS:)
My wife of 42 years died from cancer after 3 years of doing her best to do her part to live and yet allow God to do whatever He planned for her. She often said, " God will take me at exactly the right time, not a second early and not a second late." What helped me was to remember two things, one I didn't lose her, she is actually better off than I am. I can trust Him to care for her until we meet again. Two, we are all living between two perfect eternities, for the past was absolutely perfect until Lucifer announced his five "I wills" and the future eternity will be perfect when Christ brings this age to its end and removes every flawed will...keeping only His perfect will. This second point helped me gain a needed perspective that this world not only isn't our home but it's so short...so very short.
God is good, always, and He grants what we need to live the life he has placed before us. I have married another wonderful Godly woman so I can someday thank Him for giving me two wonderful, loving wives to share this time on earth with. God is so good...words cannot express His worth, but it's good to try.
This is a very emotional message...it brought me to tears as I read it. Not sure why? Probably something the Holy Spirit needed me to hear for many reasons. Now to fix my mascara 💦
Ya, I am starting to relate to that age thing. I turn 64 in May, and am having some issues with my back and nerves that are making my legs and ankles go wonky, as Keri would say (I love when she says that). All of a sudden I’m in the Doctor’s and PT offices more than I have ever been in my whole life combined; and moving faster than I had planned toward early retirement. Not to mention the pain. All that to say that looking up and awaiting His return, is getting more and more to be part of the joy that remains. Prayer for healing is a daily petition. Who doesn’t want to be healed? To live is Christ. Our righteousness in Him was dealt with at the Cross. So now, more and more, it is doing what He would do, thinking like He would think, saying what He would say, feeling what He would feel, and letting Him live through me. And knowing that even when I fail Him, His love for me is eternal. To live is Christ, but to die is gain. It is an everlasting relationship, that only gets better from here, with every breath I take until my last, I look to the clouds as if this may be the day. 🌻
Great word Pastor, never heard the saying. Their favorite day of the week is “someday.” But that is so true and how a lot of people live. Pray for the Holy Spirit to change people's hearts to accept Jesus today.
Happy Sunday! I pray you had a blessed day. I love sharing new songs, especially ones about Revelation! This song is powerful and her new album is great too. Brooke Ligertwood’s “Burn” should be our Tipping Point theme song: “Blessed those who read and hear…Knowing that the time is near. Heed in heart what has been written. Turn around and see Seven. Seven stars and Seven circles, Seven lamps and Seven churches, Seven seals and Seven thunders, Seven angels, Seven trumpets…'Til I'm really, truly, wholly Yours. Where I rebel, where I return. The place a thousand fires burn but only one flame will endure, The One that burns for You.”💛💛https://youtu.be/Lf58bnStOSE
This is powerful! For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18
Wow, what a powerful message and reminder! I want to live each day with purpose and passion. Every breath is a gift.
Do suffer with chronic abdominal pain and headaches? I love Jesus very much. I would rather be dead than continue to live like this. I can barely eat. Help
I am so glad that all of you have come together for this ministry. Thank you to all of you. I have watched Jimmy Evans and Greg Laurie for years. This is my first-time watching Dr. Hitchcock. But I love all 3 of you. You each present messages in a different way, but on the same subject.
What exactly does it mean that “the dead in Christ will rise first”? Paul says that to be absent from the body is to be present with Christ. Are their spirits already in heaven and just their bodies get resurrected or were they in some kind of holding place?
Great article today! Does any of my tp friends have any additional trusted end times teachers? I’m on fire and can’t get enough!
WORD OF GOD SPEAK:
1 Corinthians 15:1-58
Amplified Bible
"The Fact of Christ’s Resurrection
15 Now brothers and sisters, let me remind you [once again] of the good news [of salvation] which I preached to you, which you welcomed and accepted and on which you stand [by faith]. 2 By this faith you are saved [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose], if you hold firmly to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain [just superficially and without complete commitment].
3 For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to [that which] the Scriptures [foretold],(A) 4 and that He was buried, and that He was [bodily] raised on the third day according to [that which] the Scriptures [foretold],(B) 5 and that He appeared to Cephas (Peter), then to the [a]Twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, the majority of whom are still alive, but some have fallen asleep [in death]. 7 Then He was seen by James, then by all the apostles, 8 and last of all, as to one [b]untimely (prematurely, traumatically) born, He appeared to me also.(C) 9 For I am the least [worthy] of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I [at one time] fiercely oppressed and violently persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the [remarkable] grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not without effect. In fact, I worked harder than all of the apostles, though it was not I, but the grace of God [His unmerited favor and blessing which was] with me. 11 So whether it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed and trusted in and relied on with confidence.
12 Now if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how is it that [c]some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain [useless, amounting to nothing], and your faith is also vain [imaginary, unfounded, devoid of value and benefit—not based on truth]. 15 We are even discovered to be false witnesses [misrepresenting] God, because we testified concerning Him that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised, either; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless and powerless [mere delusion]; you are still in your sins [and under the control and penalty of sin]. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If we who are [abiding] in Christ have hoped only in this life [and this is all there is], then we are of all people most miserable and to be pitied.
The Order of Resurrection
20 But now [as things really are] Christ has in fact been raised from the dead, [and He became] the first fruits [that is, the first to be resurrected with an incorruptible, immortal body, foreshadowing the resurrection] of those who have fallen asleep [in death].(D) 21 For since [it was] by a man that death came [into the world], it is also by a Man that the resurrection of the dead has come. 22 For just as [d]in Adam all die, so also [e]in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then those who are Christ’s [own will be resurrected with incorruptible, immortal bodies] at His coming. 24 After that comes the end (completion), when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after He has made inoperative and abolished every ruler and every authority and power. 25 For Christ must reign [as King] until He has put all His enemies under His feet.(E) 26 The last enemy to be abolished and put to an end is death. 27 For He (the Father) has put all things in subjection under His (Christ’s) feet. But when He says, “All things have been put in subjection [under Christ],” it is clear that He (the Father) who put all things in subjection to Him (Christ) is excepted [since the Father is not in subjection to His own Son].(F) 28 However, when all things are subjected to Him (Christ), then the Son Himself will also be subjected to the One (the Father) who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all [manifesting His glory without any opposition, the supreme indwelling and controlling factor of life].
29 Otherwise, what will those do who are being [f]baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people even baptized for them? 30 [For that matter] why are we [running such risks and putting ourselves] [g]in danger [nearly] every hour [if there is no resurrection]? 31 I assure you, believers, by the pride which I have in you in [your union with] Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily [I face death and die to self]. 32 What good has it done me if, [merely] from a human point of view, I [h]fought with wild animals at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised [at all], let us eat and drink [enjoying ourselves now], for tomorrow we die.(G) 33 Do not be deceived: [i]“Bad company corrupts good morals.” 34 Be sober-minded [be sensible, wake up from your spiritual stupor] as you ought, and stop sinning; for some [of you] have no knowledge of God [you are disgracefully ignorant of Him, and ignore His truths]. I say this to your shame.
35 But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body will they come?” 36 You fool! Every time you plant seed you sow something that does not come to life [germinating, springing up and growing] unless it first dies. 37 The seed you sow is not the body (the plant) which it is going to become, but it is a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body just as He planned, and to each kind of seed a body of its own [is given].(H) 39 All flesh is not the same. There is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are also heavenly bodies [sun, moon and stars] and earthly bodies [humans, animals, and plants], but the glory and beauty of the heavenly is one kind, and the glory of the earthly is another. 41 There is a glory and beauty of the sun, another glory of the moon, and yet another [distinctive] glory of the stars; and one star differs from another in glory and brilliance.
42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead. The [human] body that is sown is perishable and mortal, it is raised imperishable and immortal.(I) 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in strength; 44 it is sown a natural body [mortal, suited to earth], it is raised a spiritual body [immortal, suited to heaven]. As surely as there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written [in Scripture], “The first man, Adam, became a living soul (an individual);” the last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving spirit [restoring the dead to life].(J) 46 However, the spiritual [the immortal life] is not first, but the physical [the mortal life]; then the spiritual. 47 The first man [Adam] is from the earth, earthy [made of dust]; the second Man [Christ, the Lord] is from heaven.(K) 48 As is the earthly man [the man of dust], so are those who are of earth; and as is the heavenly [Man], so are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the earthly [the man of dust], [j]we will also bear the image of the heavenly [the Man of heaven].
The Mystery of Resurrection
50 Now I say this, believers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit nor be part of the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable (mortal) inherit the imperishable (immortal). 51 Listen very carefully, I tell you a mystery [a secret truth decreed by God and previously hidden, but now revealed]; we will not all sleep [in death], but we will all be [completely] changed [wondrously transformed], 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at [the sound of] the last trumpet call. For a trumpet will sound, and the dead [who believed in Christ] will be raised imperishable, and we will be [completely] changed [wondrously transformed]. 53 For this perishable [part of us] must put on the imperishable [nature], and this mortal [part of us that is capable of dying] must put on immortality [which is freedom from death]. 54 And when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then the Scripture will be fulfilled that says, “Death is swallowed up in victory (vanquished forever).(L) 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”(M) 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin [by which it brings death] is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory [as conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord [always doing your best and doing more than is needed], being continually aware that your labor [even to the point of exhaustion] in the Lord is not futile nor wasted [it is never without purpose]."
HOPEFULLY I AM GOING WITH THE UPPER TAKER AND NOT THE UNDERTAKER!
I love this! My husband has always wanted to be an EMT. He has taken the class 4 times now and still can’t pass it. He’s 39 years old. He wonders why would God put that desire in his heart if he can’t pass the class? Any thoughts anyone? Any similar stories to where this happened to you? Someone told him that he’s fighting God.