The Return of Christ — Charles E. Fuller

We have heard the joyful song, Jesus saved.

Christian Heritage Ministry, in cooperation with Ford Seminary, proudly presents the Old-Fashioned Revival Hour, a broadcast of the Gospel with Dr. Charles E. Fuller. Jesus saved.

...called Holy Manna, just sung by the Old-Fashioned Revival Hour Quartet. Take your song sheets and turn to number one, and stand and sing this song of the believers' hope, Meet Me There. Come on, stand up, every one of you.

Sing the first and second verses on the happy golden shore where the faithful part no more. ...sunshine, and as you sing it, turn around, shake hands with as many as possible. Come on, sing it out, right out into the microphone and the radio.

Happy crowd, now sing it this way, and a little faster, Leland. Come on, heavenly.

Sing it right into the microphone. ...never heard that song before on Footprints of Jesus.

That's one of the old favorites of the church. I love it, don't you? I'm going to ask the chorus choir to sing that third verse, and then right afterwards, the quartet's going to sing This World Is Not My Home.

My, what a wonderful musical program we have today. Go ahead, chorus. I'm just a pastor...

Go ahead, Mrs. Fuller. Greetings, friends from California. Dear Dr. Fuller, two days ago we buried our precious little two-year-old daughter in Fresno. The enclosed check is the tithe of her savings account.

We never tithed on it before, as we wanted to teach her to tithe on her own. We do not know why God took this ray of sunshine out of our lives, but we still have faith believing that all things work together for good.

Her favorite song was Heavenly Sunshine, and it was played at her funeral service. May this little gift from our little daughter be used to send heavenly sunshine out over the world. Friends, let us pray that the God of all comfort may sustain in a most unusual way these dear children of his so yielded to his will.

From a serviceman in the Philippines, dear Reverend Fuller, while tuning in on the receivers and transmitters here at the Army Air Force radio station tonight, how surprised and delighted I was to pick up the familiar voices of the Fuller Hour.

I used to listen regularly in the States and feast on your messages and revel in the fine music. It was a great treat to me to hear this favorite program again, for it has been one of the things that I have missed most since leaving the States.

I enjoyed every song and every word of the sermon, and it brought back memories of home. I had to ask a buddy to take a message on one of the receivers so that I might not have to miss one second of the program.

I think people far away from home enjoy it more than anyone else. From Arkansas, dear Brother Fuller, some months ago I wrote and asked prayers for my husband, and I want you to know that they were answered.

My husband died in April, but thank God he was saved seven months before God called him home. Your program was the only one that he would listen to, and as we all prayed, you preached and the Holy Spirit drew him to God.

It was so hard to give him up, but it was a wonderful thing, after hours of prayer, to be completely and wholly submissive to God and be able to say, May not my will but thine be done. I loved my husband so much, but I know now what scripture means when it says, My grace is sufficient for you.

This last letter is from Philadelphia. Dear Reverend Fuller, you will never know how thrilled I was to hear your voice come over the radio while riding on a train going from the west coast to the east coast on Sunday, August 31.

That train is called the Empire Builder, and as we were nearing Chicago, some jazz was blaring out on the radio. When it went off, I was so surprised to hear your program come on. I sat and held my breath for a moment for fear that they would turn the radio off or change the program.

But instead, people settled down in their seats and all became still, and everybody seemed to enjoy it. The little boy sitting next to me was humming the hymns that were sung, and I bowed my head and prayed that the program might be a blessing and remain on.

It did, for all but about six minutes when we were nearing Union Station and people were getting ready to get off. My prayer is that people may often have the privilege of hearing you on the Empire Builder as I did.

And that is all I shall have time for today, friend.

No one could without my ears.

Stand and sing one verse of number 36. He leadeth me, O blessed thought. Let's stand up and sing out just before the message. Bowed, and every eye closed, we pray with the millions listening in, those that are on praying grounds.

The Nearness of Christ’s Return and the Believer’s Security

Heavenly Father, we realize more and more as we see the foreshadows of the day of the Lord, events coming to pass that we believe unmistakably tells us that the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. O how we thank thee that in these days of chaos and confusion and world unrest that we have been hidden away in the rock of ages, in the wounded side of Christ, safe for time and eternity.

We thank thee for the assurance of salvation and for the safety and security of salvation. We feel sorry, Heavenly Father, for those that have no assurance. We know that we have passed from death unto life.

We thank thee for it. And now as the message goes out in a few moments, may hearts be turned to the Lamb of God and we'll give thee all the glory for we ask it in Christ's name. Amen. Open on the old-fashioned revival hour to the fourth chapter of 1 Thessalonians.

May we just sit at the Lord's feet and like Mary of old, drink in what he has for us. I'll read from the 13th to the 18th verses. 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 under the coming of the Lord shall not precede 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 arise 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.

Wherefore, comfort one another with these words. In the first part of this fourth chapter of I Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul writes on the general subject of brotherly love. The living of a life as a believer, that he should live his life in quietness, not in reveling, not in rioting, not in drunkenness.

That a believer ought to walk to please God, warning the believer, especially in verses 1 to 8, against the committing of two cardinal sins. And it's very interesting to note that this is mentioned right in connection with the Lord's return.

As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it also be in the days of the Son of Man, I believe is the hint. The two cardinal sins are spoken of there in verses 1 to 8 as follows. Uncleanness, that is, one should keep himself morally clean.

And second, covetousness or greediness. And then in verses 9 to 12, Paul exhorts the believer not to be restless, fussy, meddling in the affairs of others, not to be idle. What was the reason? Simply this, that in those days the Thessalonican believers, having had the truth of the nearness of the Lord's return, that the Lord might return at any moment, they became restless and fussy and meddlesome, selling their goods and wandering about from house to house.

And they said in so many words, why labor? Why toil? Why lay up anything for a rainy day? The Lord's coming, why work? And so Paul tells them not to be idle, not to be on relief, but to work, thereby be able to help the weak, the afflicted, and the needy.

The Resurrection, Reunion, and Reception at Christ’s Return

And then right after speaking upon this general subject of brotherly love, Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, turns now upon the blessed hope of the believer. What will happen to the saints at the second coming of Christ?

Now, some of the believers then were deeply concerned what would happen to their loved ones that had died. And so Paul, under the inspiration of the Spirit, begins to instruct them on the blessed hope and what will happen to the believers at the second coming of Christ.

Now in these five verses, I'm going to take two or three Sundays on them, my thoughts will center around four words, the return of Christ. And then we have the resurrection, the dead in Christ arising first.

And then we have the reunion. And then we have the reception, caught up to meet the Lord in the air. And so may we turn our attention now to the thirteenth verse. And in these messages we'll attempt to answer some questions as follows.

Is the soul of man immortal? Does man's personality continue to exist after death? Shall we recognize our loved ones in heaven? Where is the believer's soul and spirit between death and resurrection? In what kind of a state does the believer exist in between death and resurrection?

And then does the soul sleep between death and resurrection? Now tell your friends to tune in from Sunday to Sunday, for we're going to spend two or three Sundays on these five verses and answer some of these questions that come so often to us in the Word.

Now please note in the thirteenth verse, but I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren. He's directing these words to the brethren, members of God's family that are closer than brothers in the flesh.

And to we who are in Christ, we are closer to one another, knit so together that we are closer than brothers in the flesh. If you can get that picture of brethren in Christ, how we ought to be tenderly affectionate one to another, speaking good of one to another, and building one another up in the faith instead of criticizing and tearing down.

And so Paul, first of all, is speaking to the brethren of the household of faith, not to the unsaved. They have no hope. And if you're outside of Christ today, you are without hope, without Christ, without God, dead in trespasses and sin.

And so with that in mind, we know to whom, therefore, these words are directed. Now this is the thing that he wanted to get across to them. He said, I would not have you, through the lack of knowledge, be ignorant concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

Now we want to find out what it means when it speaks of asleep to the believers. Well, will you notice, please, this is more of a Bible study today. In the 13th verse, we have the word asleep. In the 14th verse, sleep in Jesus.

The 15th verse, which are asleep. Now one of the finest ways to find out what the Bible teaches is to compare Scripture with Scripture. Don't take a verse out of its context, but compare. And I will say that the Scriptures throw a great deal of light upon the doctrines of the Word.

The Resurrection of the Dead in 1 Corinthians 15

Now with your Bibles, will you turn with me for a moment to the 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians. I'm giving this so that you'll have, thus saith the Lord, the Word of God to stand upon in the hour of sorrow, in the hour when some loved one may slip away to be with the Lord.

Now in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul said he declared unto them the gospel concerning the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ from the dead. Then he goes on to give the arguments and the witnesses of the resurrection of Christ from among the dead.

And then we have these verses, 13th of 1 Corinthians 15. But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen. 14th verse,. And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

17th verse,. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain, ye are yet in your sin. The 18th verse,. Then they which are fallen asleep in Jesus are perished. And then the 20th verse, these words,. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

And then right at the end of the chapter, Paul says, Now listen, behold, 51st verse, I show you a mystery. And here in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul is emphasizing the fact that when the Lord returns, there will be many believers living.

While in 1 Thessalonians 4, he is telling the living believers what will happen to those that have died in the faith. Now here it is, We shall not all sleep. That is, not all believers will be dead when the Lord returns, but we shall all be chained in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trump.

For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead, those that are asleep in Jesus, will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be chained. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

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, Death, that awful enemy, death will be swallowed up in victory.

Now, Paul never speaks of the death of a believer in so many words that the believer died. He speaks of the death of a believer as a departure to be with Christ, which is far better. Now let's make it practical and write down.

Your loved one who loved the Lord Jesus with all of his heart died recently. What happened? Simply this, that the soul and spirit of that beloved one left the body, the earthly tabernacle, to depart to be with Christ, which is far better.

Conscious Fellowship with Christ After Death

And immediately when that soul departed to be with Christ, it was clothed upon with the tabernacle eternal, not made with hand. For we know, II Corinthians 5, that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, go back to dust, we have a building of God, a house not made with hand, eternal in the heaven.

Now listen, when the body has been put away in the grave, it speaks of the body as a sleep, never the soul and spirit. There is not one single verse of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation that teaches soul sleep.

The soul after death is conscious, living just as much as it is conscious and living in the earthly tabernacle before death. And when a believer dies, the soul and spirit, let me repeat, depart to be with Christ, which is far better.

The body is laid away asleep to return to the dust awaiting the first resurrection. Turn to Matthew 27, 52. This is the authority that the body slept. And then I'll have you turn for a few moments to the 16th of Luke.

Now notice the 27th of Matthew, beginning at the 51st verse. And behold, the veil of the temple was rent entrained from top to the bottom the morning of Calvary, and the earth did quake and the rocks rent, and the graves were opened, now notice this, and many bodies of the saints, bodies which slept, arose.

And there you have the scriptural authority that it refers to the body and not to the soul. My mother is just as conscious today in the glory clothed upon with her heavenly tabernacle as she was in the days of her flag.

And you'll know each other in glory. I'll give you the scripture for it in some other broadcast. But now wait. What about the death of those that die outside of Christ? I want you to just read this with me for just a moment, the 16th of Luke, beginning at the 19th verse.

The Fate of Those Who Die Outside of Christ

Will you follow carefully, please, and be able to give a reason for the hope that is within you? What takes place, friend of mine, if you die in your sins tonight? If you die a godless, cursing sinner, what will happen to you, your soul and spirit?

I'll give you God's word for it, and may you plead to the offer of grace in Christ before it's too late. We're told here, and I'll remember, this is a description of the place of departed spirits before Calvary, before the resurrection of Christ from among the dead, about a rich man and Lazarus.

And it came to pass, 22nd verse, the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. Now notice, and the rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades he lifted up his eyes. He had eyesight.

Being in torments, he could feel and see if Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, he could speak. No soul sleep here. Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.

These are not my words, but if you die in your sins, you cannot go where Christ is. Abraham said, Son, remember yet memory, that thou in thy lifetime receivest good things. And besides all this between us and you, there is a great gulf fixed, so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot.

Neither can they pass to us that would come from thence. And when Christ rose from the dead, what happened? He led, or rather emptied, Abraham's bosom of all the Old Testament saints, Abel and Enoch and Abraham and David and Jonathan.

He took all the Old Testament saints up with him into heaven where Jesus and the saints are now living. And this side of the resurrection, if you die in Christ, the soul and spirit depart to be with Christ, which is far better.

The body sleeps until the resurrection morn. But if you die outside of Christ, the Old Testament place for the departed wicked dead is still in existence. You'll go where Jesus is not. God says, Why will you perish?

Why will you die? I'm not willing that any should perish. And someday, God forbid, if you die in your sin, your body will be laid away, awaiting the second resurrection, the resurrection of the wicked dead.

And you'll be reunited with that old sin-cursed body of yours. Stand before the judgment of the great white throne. Be rewarded according to the deeds done in the body, or punished, I should say, and then cast into the lake of fire which burneth forever, a place prepared for the devil and his angels, not for human beings.

God grants that you may come today, while you have life and breath and memory and free will, come and accept the Christ of eternity as your personal Savior. Let's bow our head in prayer. Our Father, we thank thee for thy word, the entrance of which giveth light, light beyond this wilderness journey, this sojourn up here upon this earth.

And we thank thee for those that are in Christ as the blessed hope, that those who have died in Christ some day, whose bodies are asleep, will be raised incorruptible. But, O Father, while the day of grace is still open and now holding back the day of judgment, we plead with men to come to the foot of the cross and accept thy offer of grace in Christ.

For thou hast said to as many as receive him, to those that receive him, thou wilt give the power to become the sons of God. Thou art not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

And may many out in radio land come today, and may they kneel by the radio and look up into thy face and say, Father, receive me in Christ. I am now accepting thy beloved Son as my own personal Savior.

God bless you wherever you are making the decision. While our heads are bowed in the quietness of the closing moments of this broadcast, here in Long Beach, how many will quickly put their hand up and say, by the uplifted hand, Brother Fuller, pray for me.

I here now want to accept Christ as my personal Savior. Will you put your hand up any place in this audience and say, pray for me. Quickly, God bless you. Anyone else? Just while we are bowed in prayer.

Anyone else? Any place? Yes, God bless you. God bless you back there. God bless you under the balcony. Up in the balcony to my right, anyone up there, put your hand up and say, pray for me. God is speaking to you.

God bless you up there in the balcony to the rear. On the balconies there, anyone, put your hand up and say, pray for me. Balconies to the left, this is between you and God. Put your hand up and say, Brother Fuller, pray for me.

Yes, I think I see a hand up there. Anyone else? Any place? Here on the lower floor, will you put your hand up and say, pray for me. Anyone else? God bless you back there. Anyone else? God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repent.

Is there one more to put their hand up and say, pray for me? Where are you? Yes, a sailor boy, God bless you. Anyone else? We'll wait just a moment. Come now, let us reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.

Anyone else? Just before we close and go off the air. One more hand to go up. Oh, we'd love to see. One more soul saved today here in the visible audience. We'll wait for you. Where are you? Is there another hand to go up and say, pray for me?

Any place? Any place? I'm waiting for you just before we close the broadcast. I feel checked that there's just one more to come before we close the broadcast. Is there another hand? Where are you? God bless you.

I'm so glad I waited for you. God bless you back there. Our Father, we thank you for speaking to so many hearts here today. We trust for God's grace to be with you next Lord's Day on the Old-Fashioned Revival Hour.

Let's continue in prayer as we go off the air. And friends in Radioland, you pray with us as we go into the short altar service.