The Heart Of Man !

THE HEART OF MAN: As I stated in my last text, Man's soul-- his intellectual and emotional qualities--- is not based upon the physical, but upon the spiritual. And when the body is dead, the spirit of man and women with its soul still exists. (Luke 16:19-31) "There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crones which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he [the rich man] lifted 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,; 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 not on tormented. 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. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham said unto him, they have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto them, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." In this passage, we have a very vivid illustration of man's three parts: spirit, soul, and body. Notice that verse 22 says, "the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom." Before the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, people who died in faith did not immediately go to heaven but went to a place called Abraham's bosom which was a type of heaven. (Matthew 27:50- 55) "Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the spirit. And, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks were split; and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints that slept were raised, and came out of the graves after his [Jesus] resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now, when the centurion and they that were with watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they fear greatly, saying, so, this was Son of God. And many women were there behold afar off, who followed Jesus from Galilee, many screaming unto him, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children." Who was carried away ? The beggar--- not his body--- was carried away. His spirit is the real person, just as your spirit is the real you. His body was put into the grave, but he was in Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died. His body was put into the grave, but "in hell He lifted up his eyes." And, although Abraham's body had been in the grave for many years, the rich man saw him. Also, the rich man recognized Lazarus. Therefore, in the spirit realm, man's appearance is similar to his appearance in this life. You can recognize them that have died in Christ Jesus. You can know who he or she. When the rich man cried out to Abraham, Abraham said to him, "Son remember. . ." Man is a spirit and he has a soul, which lives in a body. We see in this scripture that his soul is still intact when they leave this earth realm. He can still remember. He still has emotions. He is concerned about his five brothers.