Friends, notice in the picture above the great fixed gulf that separates paradise from hell. Every person on planet earth is either gonna spend eternity in paradise with Jesus or in hell and the lake of fire. I pray in Jesus name every person that reads this bible study will get saved and choose to say right now Jesus is Lord and believe in their hearts that Jesus died on the cross for them and rose again and get on the right side of the gulf with Jesus in the peace of paradise forevermore.
Jesus spoke about the gulf when he told the parable about the rich man and Lazarus. Luke 16:22 says And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom (defined as paradise); the rich man also died, and was buried. And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried, and said 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. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted,and thou art tormented. And beside 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.
Friends, when we leave this earth we're gonna either be in Abraham's bosom defined as paradise with Jesus or be in hell with the devil. Consider that when any person leaves this earth they will either drop into hell or they will be carried by the angels to be with Jesus in Abraham's bosom in paradise. Right now if you believe Jesus is your God and died for you on the cross and rose again you will be guaranteed a peaceful place on the blessed side of the gulf in paradise with Jesus.
In the early 1900's a preacher named RL Scarborough preached about the gulf to a saved wife and an unsaved husband. That night the husband said I heard that preacher say that there's a great gulf out yonder and that it's impossible to cross. Is it true wife? The wife said yes and showed him in the bible. He said wife we've been married for forty years and happy and I don't want to be separated from you. I want to get on your side of the gulf. He fell on the side of the bed and gave his heart and life to Jesus. And the next Sunday he walked up front and told the preacher; Now bless God I'm on the blessed side of the gulf with Jesus in peace forevermore.
Notice in the picture above that before Jesus talked about the gulf, the scribes and pharisees taught that there was a thin wall, handbreath, or fingerbreath between paradise and hell separated by a great fixed gulf. This is proven because the rich man in hell could see Lazarus in Abraham's bosom. At the cross, after Jesus told the dying thief today thou shalt be with me in paradise, Jesus went for three days with the dying thief to paradise into the lower parts of the earth beside hell to take paradise up to the third heaven. Friend, paradise ain't down no more. When Jesus descended into paradise for three days before He ascended to heaven, Jesus preached to the saints who lived before the cross and took paradise up. When the first drop of Jesus' blood hit the ground at the cross, the saints in paradise in the lower parts of the earth started to shout praises knowing that Jesus was coming to set them free from the captivity and prison of the devil.
Ephesians 4:8 tells us that Jesus first descended to the lower parts of the earth (defined as paradise by hell) to take the saints in paradise up to glory in the third heaven. Ephesians 4:8 says Wherefore He saith, when He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men; Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth. He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things.
And the scripture that proves that paradise is now up and not down by hell is at 2 Corinthians 12:2 that proclaims that the apostle Paul was caught up not down to the third heaven called paradise. 2 Corinthians 12:2 says I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, whether in the body I cannot tell or whether out of the body I cannot tell, God knoweth; such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, whether in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell, God knoweth; How that he was caught up into paradise; and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
Paradise is up now friends. Jesus has taken all those things from the underground that belonged unto Him and now they're exalted highly in the heavens. When the saints who believe Jesus is God leave this world, they're goin up to paradise and not down. 2 Corinthians 5:8 says We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Now when the saints leave this earth, they won't be waiting for Jesus in the lower parts of the earth; all saints that believe Jesus is God will go straight to glory and up to peaceful paradise immediately after they leave this earth.
As you look again at another picture above of the great gulf, realize that there is a great gulf between man's sin and God's holiness. Isaiah 59:2 says But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear. The bible also says that God's eyes are too pure to look upon sin. Habakkuk 1:12 says Art thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine Holy One. Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity. Notice that the only way to paradise and the holy God Jesus is to have the blood of Jesus cleanse away all our sins.
The following scriptures prove that only the blood of Jesus can remove the separation from God because of our sins. As you read these scriptures look by faith at Jesus crucified and say I am crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20) and the blood of Jesus has removed all my sins allowing me to cross the great gulf to be in peaceful paradise forevermore with Jesus. Revelation 1:5 says Unto Him (Jesus) that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood. 1 John 1:7 says But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Now let me tell you why Brother Bob thinks a great gulf exists to separate paradise from hell. The great gulf is fixed so that people in hell can never get up yonder to Jesus and His saints in heaven and spoil heaven. Also, the great gulf is fixed so that the saints in paradise heaven with Jesus can never get down to hell and get all messed up with hell's crowd. I'm glad there's a gulf that prevents sin from entering into heaven.
OK, you might say what is Brother Bob up to now with pictures of wooden pews separated by a center aisle and a tightrope walker named Charles Blondin who crossed with a wheelbarrow over the Niagara Falls on a tightwire. These pictures show that on this earth people can bridge the gap and walk or run over gulfs or chasms. But after our time on this earth friend, there's a gulf out yonder that is impossible to cross that separates hell from paradise heaven. This great gulf out yonder separating paradise from hell can not be crossed.
My good friend Pastor Sonny Mull said that when the old timers used to have a shoutin good time, they would run down a wooden pew pictured above and jump over the center aisle and land on another wooden pew. It was a lot of fun and the old timers used to call it bridging the gap. Brother Bob and all of us need to try this once on this earth and rejoice as we leap happily over pews. But the gulf out yonder is a gap that can not be bridged.
The great gulf fixed out yonder is bottomless and impossible to cross. No rocket can fly across it; No ship can sail across it; No rock climber can climb across it; No jumper can jump across it; Evil Kneival can't do it; No car can drive across it; No runner can run across it; No swimmer can swim across it.
Now watch this. No tightrope walker can walk across the great fixed gulf out yonder. Take time to read this illustration of a true story about a great tightrope walker named Charles Blondin who could walk on a string just about anywhere. In 1862, he stretched a tightwire from Niagara Canada across to America across the Niagara Falls. He told the people how many believes I can walk this tightwire with a balancing stick across the Niagara Falls? The people said Naw nobody can do that. He gets his stick and he walks across it; Everybody's cheering Oh look at what he did; Oh, it's a miracle, Oh he's great. Blondin says now how many believes I can go across it without a balancing stick and just with my hands. The people said No No nobody can do that. He throws the stick down, walks across with nothing but his hands.
He gets on the other side and says now how many believes I can roll a wheelbarrow across this tightwire? The people said no way nope. He gets a wheelbarrow, he rolls that wheelbarrow across it; He gets to the other side and the people are clapping saying Oh God this man can do anything. He's invincible, He's perfect. He knows what he's doing; We believe anything you say.
Then Blondin says now who believes I can roll a 100 pound bag of feed across the tightwire in this wheelbarrow. The people said No we change our mind; you can't do that. He puts the 100 pound bag of feed in the wheelbarrow and rolls it across that wire. When he gets to the other side, the people say we believe anything you say. Anything you say we believe. We don't doubt nothing. You say it; we believe it. Blondin says OK, how many believes I can roll a man across this tightwire in this wheelbarrow. The people say Yea yea, we believe you can. Blondin says get in.
Friends reading this, do you really believe that Jesus can carry you across the gulf to be in paradise and peace with Jesus forevermore; Get in now today. Get saved. People say Oh God you created the heavens, you created the earth, the birds fly in the sky; the fish swim in the ocean; the worms dig through the dirt; the elephants run; and the stars testify. Oh God we believe that you are real and exist. OK get in right now and be saved saying Jesus you are God and I believe in my heart that you died for me on the cross and rose again. I claim in Jesus name for all those reading this that as they get up and get in right now and become saved that they will rejoice as Jesus takes hold of their lives and gets them across any gulf to eternal peace in paradise with Jesus.
Friends, you might say wow Brother Bob what are the three pictures above trying to say. As you look at the three pictures above remember that the great gulf exists out yonder and that there's gonna be a separation out yonder of the just from the wicked. According to the first picture, when Jesus returns to set up His kingdom, the angels will separate the just represented as wheat from the wicked represented as tares. Matthew 13:30 says Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers; Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.
The second picture shows us that when Jesus returns to set up His kingdom, Jesus will separate the just represented as sheep from the wicked represented as goats. Matthew 25:32 tells us And before Him shall be gathered all nations and He shall separate them one from another; as a shepherd divideth His sheep from the goats. And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the king say unto them on His right hand; Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Matthew 25:41 goes on to say Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand; Depart from me, ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Finally, the third picture shows us that when Jesus returns to set up His kingdom, His angels shall separate the just represented as good fish from the wicked represented as bad fish. Matthew 13:47 tells us Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind; which when it was full, they drew to shore and sat down and gathered the good into vessels but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world; the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just; And shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
To conclude this bible study today, I pray all my friends everywhere will read closely 2 Corinthians 13:5 that says Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves; know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? Surely no one reading this bible study in any country is a reprobate? Consider Jesus living in you today as your God, believing in your heart that Jesus died on the cross for you and rose again as you become saved. I believe Lord Jesus that this little bible study will save multitudes all over this earth and guarantee that they will forever be on the blessed side of the fixed gulf out yonder with our Lord Jesus.
As always, it is a blessing to write these bible studies. I pray in Jesus name that they bless many people in many nations with peace and joy. Feel free to contact Brother Bob anytime at rz9tlm@gmail.com or write to Brother Bob Malkin, 2233 Pinetree Lane, Apt. N., Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068. (614) 604-7133. Till we all meet again soon to lift up our Lord Jesus, everyone have a blessed day in Jesus name.
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