When We Die Are Our Relatives Waiting For Us in Heaven?

When we die, are our relatives waiting for us in heaven? That's just one of the questions we'll be answering on today's edition of CORE Christianity. Hi, this is Bill Meyer, along with Pastor Adriel Sanchez, and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. Our phone lines are open for the next 25 minutes or so, so hop on the phone right now. You can also post your question on our Facebook, Instagram or Twitter accounts.

You can watch us right now on YouTube and message us that way. And of course, you can always email us your question at questionsatcorechristianity.com. First up today, let's go to Billy in Memphis, Tennessee. Billy, what's your question for Pastor Adriel?

Oh yeah, good evening. I have a question. When Jesus sent the two disciples out on the third day prior to Him going into Jerusalem to the cross, why did He get the donkey and His colt when He actually just didn't need a colt because He just rode on one? And the only thing I can think of is maybe He's trying to prove a point about the importance of sending out two by two, but I don't know the answer. That just popped in my mind. But anyway, I just wondered why He got the donkey and His colt.

Yeah. Hey Billy, thank you for that question. So you're referring to what took place in Matthew chapter 21, the triumphal entry, the beginning of that scene. When they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples saying to them, Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied in a colt with her.

Untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, The Lord needs them, and He will send them at once. This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet. And then this is a quotation from the book of Zechariah. Zechariah was one of the minor prophets. Zechariah chapter 9 verse 9, Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king is coming to you, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt the full of a beast of burden.

And so this is really in fulfillment of that prophecy. I mean, that's precisely what Matthew says. And the focus here, I mean, why is Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey? Well, I think what we're given a picture of here is the fact that Jesus is the Prince of peace. He's not riding in on a war horse.

He's coming on this humble animal, if you won't. And doesn't this just fit with the life and ministry of Jesus, born in a manger, riding into Jerusalem as king, not on a great mighty war horse as people were prone to do in those days, but on a donkey. And so going back to that text in Zechariah, that's been quoted in Matthew 21, again, rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king is coming to you, righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt the full of a donkey. And then it says this, I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem and the battle bow shall be cut off and he shall speak peace to the nations. Again, the focus here on Christ being the one who brings us peace. He will speak peace to the nations. His rule shall be from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth as for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Now what an amazing prophecy this is here in the book of Zechariah. Christ is pictured riding into Jerusalem, not on a war horse, but on a humble donkey bringing peace. And what kind of peace does Jesus bring to his people?

He sets them free from the waterless pit. Now that's a very interesting phrase there throughout the Old Testament, the pit, the grave Sheol, it's this picture of death all over the place, especially in the book of Psalms. Essentially what we're being told is this Prince of peace is coming to deliver us from death. And of course, that's precisely what Jesus did by dying and rising again from the dead.

And so that's what is being prophesied there in Zechariah chapter nine, verse nine, is being fulfilled in Matthew chapter 21 as the disciples went out to bring these animals for Jesus to ride in on to in Jerusalem. And so thank you for your question and God bless you, Billy. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adrian Sanchez. And if you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life, our phone lines are open right now. So if you call us in the next 20 minutes or so you can get right through to Pastor Adrian. Here's the number 833-THE-CORE.

That's 1-833-843-2673. Here's a voicemail we received earlier this week. Thank you for being there for me and for others. My wife has died on July the 4th of this year, and now she's with her Lord in heaven. And will she still be with not only her Lord, will she be with the rest of her family that has went before her?

Thank you for your answer. Well, dear brother, my condolences to you. I'm so sorry to hear about the death of your wife. May the Lord grant you his peace and comfort.

Now I want to answer your question, then I want us to pray for you. The answer to your question is yes, she is through faith in Jesus Christ with him now. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So your wife is with Jesus in his presence, but I do believe that we're also with all those who have gone before us, our family members, those departed in Christ who died before us. So I think that is something that scripture teaches, various places in the Bible.

I think of Jesus at one point in Matthew 8, verse 11. He's talking about the kingdom of God, and he says many are going to come from all over the world and sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of God, reclining there. And the picture is that of we're gathering together with our spiritual family, Abraham.

We're the children of Abraham by faith, and so I think it's safe to say if we're going to be with them, then yes, certainly all our family members in Christ, we're going to be with them as well. David, King David, if you remember back in 2 Samuel when his son died, remember the son that he had with Bathsheba? He was praying. The child got very sick, praying, fasting that the child would recover. The child did not recover, and when the child died, I don't know if you recall, but David, King David, he said, look, he's not going to come to me, but I will go to him, suggesting that yes, at one point he's saying, I know I'm going to die, and I'm going to go to my son wherever he is. And so there are various passages of scripture we can point to.

One other one I would say, brother, is the book of Hebrews chapter 12. It paints a picture for us of the saints in heaven, those who have died in Christ or in the presence of the Lord around his throne, worshipping him. That's where your wife is now, in Christ, around the throne of God, worshipping him with unspeakable joy, and with all those who have had faith in Christ as well. So let me pray for you, brother. Gracious God in heaven, would you comfort our brother now as he mourns the recent death of his wife? Lord, we know that your scripture says that we do have sorrow in times like this, but that we do not have the sorrow as those who have no hope. We have a great hope in your son, Jesus, and in the resurrection of the dead, and I pray that that reality would just fill my brother's heart, and that he would rejoice in that truth even as he mourns, Lord, the hope that you give us through your son, Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen. Amen. You're listening to Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez, and by the way, we have a brand new free resource to offer you today, and it's actually one that focuses on one of the most beautiful attributes of God.

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That's 833-843-2673. Let's go to Ashley calling in from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ashley, what's your question for Pastor Adriel? Hey, gentlemen. How are you guys doing today? Doing well. Thanks for giving us a call, brother.

What's your question? Something that I kind of struggle to comprehend or understand is in the Bible when it talks about, you know, we talk about the God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit being one. But in the Bible, you know, it talks about when Jesus prays to the Father, Jesus is at the right hand of the Father. You know, that's like second person. And so I just, you know, God sent His Son to die for us, things like that. You know, that's like second person. So I understand the Trinity, but I also, as we say, if they say they're one, then why does He speak in second person like that? I struggle to understand that. Yeah.

Well, you're not alone. This is the great mystery of the Christian faith, and many, many faithful people have struggled to understand this in the early church. You know, you think of, you know, the revelation that was given by God to His people, in particular in the New Testament. And as they're coming to grips with these statements, you know, given to us, places like John chapter one, verse one, speaking of Jesus, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, a very clear statement to the deity of Jesus Christ.

You have that distinction there. He was with God, that is, with God the Father, and He was God. And so, you know, Christians for years were wrestling with, how do we best articulate this? And that's where we get the doctrine of the Trinity. It's from the clear teaching of Scripture, trying to communicate what God has revealed to us.

Now, you're right. God is one. Deuteronomy chapter six, verse four.

This is the sort of heartbeat of Hebrew piety. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And yet, this one God exists eternally in three persons, reveals Himself in these three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

And these three persons are distinct from each other, from one another. And so, the way in which we sometimes talk about this, Ashley, is we say God is one in essence, in substance, in terms of, you know, the Godhead, the nature of deity, if you will. There's one God, but there are three distinct persons in the Godhead, and that's just what Scripture reveals to us. And actually, the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter eight, he references that passage I mentioned earlier in Deuteronomy chapter six, verse four. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And he says this, 1 Corinthians chapter eight, verse five. For although there are maybe so-called gods in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many, quote, gods and many, quote, lords, yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

What's fascinating about this is Paul takes Deuteronomy six, four, essentially, and he inserts Jesus into it. Jesus, the eternal word of the Father, is the one God, a part of the one God, if you will, the Godhead. And so, again, the doctrine of the Trinity is we believe in one God, one in essence, three distinct persons, and this is just how Scripture, how God reveals himself to us in Scripture. And it is a great mystery, but it's not a contradiction because we're not saying that God is one person and three persons. We're saying God is one in essence and three distinct persons. If we were saying God was one person and three persons, that would be a contradiction. No, God is one in essence, but the one God reveals himself as the three persons of the Holy Trinity. And so I sympathize with you, brother, because this is a mystery.

This is something that, I mean, more to be adored than speculated about. We're just receiving how God has revealed himself to us in Scripture, and we're saying amen, and we're worshiping Father, Son, and Holy Spirit because that's what the Bible says to do. And that's what the ancient church did as well. So we've received that, we've inherited that, and we submit to it as God's revelation, even though we might struggle to comprehend it.

Let me just say this. Any God that we could perfectly comprehend or wrap our minds around probably would not be worth worshiping and would probably be an invention of our minds. And in fact, that's what you see all around us today. But that's not the God of Scripture. The God of Scripture reveals himself to us as one God, three distinct persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Thanks, Ashley, for your question.

Great explanation. And as you said, Adriel, that's one of the most mysterious things about God's nature, is trying to figure out the Trinity. And some of the examples that we're often given kind of fall short, don't they?

They do. And frankly, I mean, we're talking about the uncreated God. And so when we try to create sort of human examples or illustrations, a lot of times they sort of veer into false teaching related to who God is because, again, right, illustrations, they just fall short of grasping the glory of this doctrine. And that's why it's best to stick with the language of Scripture, the language of the historical creeds and confessions of the Christian church as men and women wrestled through these things and understanding the Bible and then articulated very clearly, I think, what we do see in the Scriptures, which is that doctrine of the Trinity. I remember when I was in camp as a kid, they tried to describe the Trinity as an apple. You know, you have the skin and you have the flesh and you have the core. And boy, that confused me more than anything else.

Yeah, stay away from those illustrations, I'd say. Okay. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Let's go to Scotty calling in from North Carolina. Scotty, what's your question for Adriel? Hey, Scotty, you there? Yes, can you hear me? I'm sorry. Yeah, I can hear you now. Thank you for giving us a call.

Okay, thank you. I'm sorry, I'm a little nervous. I am a married man with two children and just starting out in ministry and I'm facing a very difficult struggle that I've faced my entire life and that is feelings of homosexuality. And I'm very conflicted in my spirit, in my mind, and I've tried to devour what the Bible says about it from my own feeble attempts. And I've been told so many different things from family and even my pastor made the comment that he believes there will be plenty of homosexuals in heaven just not practicing homosexuals.

And I don't really know what that means. I know what it would mean to my family if this came out, if I truly embraced what I feel, but I don't know what to do. I don't know where to turn and I'm terrified for my future.

Well, Scotty, thank you for giving us a call. We will pray for you. The gospel is big enough to deal with whatever our struggles are, whatever our disordered desires are, and everyone has disordered desires.

And I would say homosexuality, those feelings, those are disordered desires that it sounds to me like you really wrestle with. Well, let me just say the grace of Christ is sufficient for you and for the forgiveness that you need, that we all need. And so I would say that the first thing that we do is we confess those things to the Lord. And know that when we confess those things to the Lord, know that when you confess this to the Lord, these feelings that you have, this struggle that you experience, that God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, that we go to him. I mean, I think of Paul in Romans 7. We go to him broken, weighed down by the flesh, the struggles we experience, and we think, man, who will deliver me from this body of death?

And you think of what the apostle Paul said there in Romans 7. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ. And so I want you to know that it's not hopeless.

It's not hopeless for you that there is grace for you. And I think even just being able to talk about these kinds of things and be honest, transparent, is really, really important. And you can be transparent because Christ does not cast us out when we confess our sins.

When we confess those deep feelings that we might feel, experience, things that we know. I don't understand why this is happening, why I feel this way. I know that this isn't the right thing to feel.

That is not an ordered desire in line with God's word. And yet I go to God, broken as I am, and I receive his grace and mercy. And you can receive that. And I pray that you do, that that is a comfort to you to know that that is the grace of Christ for you. And then I think it's really important that you do have a community around you where you can be honest about the feelings that you have, and you're going to be met with the truth of the gospel.

That's key. It sounds like you spoke a little bit with your own pastor and maybe others, but I just want to ask, is this something that you've been able to speak with people about openly, even in your own family? Just a couple. Certainly not my family. I know that it would destroy my wife, and I don't know how to approach her with it. And I grew up in a very fundamental Baptist upbringing that, of course, this is just, you know, they're sending me straight to hell. And I just believe God's bigger than that, but I don't know how to face my family with this. And I know confession's a big part, but I just don't know what to do.

I don't know where to turn. Yeah. Well, you're right. You know, confession is a big part, and this is a very complex issue. And so, you know, sometimes it's not helpful to say, you know, sometimes the way in which I think churches can approach this can be really, really unhelpful. But you know what the scripture teaches, Scotty. Paul, in 1 Corinthians chapter 6, does talk about, you know, practicing homosexuality. So there's a difference between confessing it and talking to your family or even your pastor and saying, hey, this is a real struggle that I need encouragement, brotherly love, the people of God around me to help me in and to encourage me to be faithful to the Lord. And ultimately, more than anything, what we need is the grace of the Holy Spirit. Paul says it's by the Spirit that we put to death the sinful deeds of the body, those disordered desires that we experience. And you know, sometimes we just, I don't know where that's coming from. It's only through the grace of the Holy Spirit that we grow.

And so that's what I want to pray for you. Resources, a friend of ours, you know, Sam Albury, he's written a number of things on this topic. You might consider checking out some of his books. He has a book called Is God Anti-Gay? That's a really helpful little book.

It's a short read. But I would recommend you check that book out, Scotty. And let me just, let me pray for you right now. Father, thank you for Scotty. Thank you that he gave us a call.

And Lord, I pray that the burden that he feels right now, that as he confesses to you, Lord God, his struggle, as he says, God be merciful to me, extend your grace to me, that he would experience Lord Jesus, that grace, that love, that mercy that you have for him, the lifting of the burden, that you would surround him with a community of faith that can encourage him and walk with him, that isn't going to push him away or ostracize him because of this struggle. Lord Jesus, you are big enough. You are gracious.

You are good. You are merciful. You welcome us when we come to you, no matter what it is that we're loaded down by, no matter what it is that we're struggling with, Lord, you welcome us when we turn to you. And so as Scotty turns to you, every day even, Lord, would he experience that grace and mercy. And I pray that you would give him wisdom, wisdom in talking to his family, wisdom in talking to others, and God, that by the grace of your Holy Spirit, Lord, we know on our own we can't do it, we don't have the strength, we don't have the power, but by the grace of the Holy Spirit that you would work in him, sanctifying him, drawing him closer and closer to you, and filling him, Lord, with your love and with a sense of peace even. We ask these things, gracious God, in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Scotty, thank you so much for your call and for your honesty, your bravery in calling in, and we will continue to pray for you.

And if we can get your contact information, we'll even send you some resources that may be helpful. I'm so glad you talked about the difference between sexual attraction and acting on that, a big difference to understand. Yeah, and we can bring anything to the Lord, confess to him, and know that his grace is big enough to forgive us. Thanks for listening to CORE Christianity. To request your copy of today's special offer, visit us at corechristianity.com and click on Offers in the menu bar, or call us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 833-THE-CORE. When you contact us, please let us know how you've been encouraged by this program. And be sure to join us next time as we explore the truth of God's Word together.