Why do the people of the world stand in jeopardy? Because they cannot be saved without their families and their associates. They will continue to stand in jeopardy until the gospel is taken to them in such a way that they are willing either to receive it or reject it.
These things of eternity pertaining to the spirit world and the hereafter were on the mind of the Savior when He was crucified. This is reflected in His statement to the repentant thief, which has puzzled many people:
· And one of the malefactors, which were hanged, railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
· But the other answered him, rebuking him, saying, does not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
· And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds, but this man (the Christ) hath done nothing amiss.
· And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest unto thy kingdom.
· And Jesus said unto him, Verily, I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:39–43.)
What did He mean? He meant exactly what He said. The hours would pass, death would come to them all, they would go into another world and, “Today thou shalt be with me in paradise.”
You will remember also when the woman came to the tomb of the buried Savior, the Savior was not in His tomb. When He met her in the garden, He said, “Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father (in heaven) but … I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God, and your God.” (John 20:17) He had still not been to see His Heavenly Father, so He hadn’t gone directly to the heaven we think of. He had gone to some other place. And then Peter explains to us later just where the Savior went and for what purpose:
· For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit
· By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison …
· For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. (1 Pet. 3:18, 19; 1 Pet. 4:6)
He provided the opportunity whereby they might repent of their sins, change their attitudes and their lives and live according to God in the spirit.
This is the work of the Lord, and He has given it to us. It is our responsibility, our pleasure and our privilege to carry this work forward. In the book of Revelation, John saw that sometime in the future, and it is still in the future to us, those who were faithful and have cleansed their lives will work night and day in the holy temples.
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