This is Part 2 of a lesson exploring the figurative meanings of breath, death, grave, and resurrection. It reviews the previous lesson’s points about breath representing the word of life, and death representing the state of not having that word.

The main focus is on the figurative meanings of grave and resurrection. A grave represents an organization of false truth where the spiritually dead are gathered. Jesus referred to the Pharisees and teachers of the law as “whitewashed tombs” outwardly appearing righteous but inwardly full of dead men’s bones and uncleanness.

Resurrection represents a spirit coming back to life by receiving the word of life, coming out of the grave of false teachings. The lesson examines Old Testament prophecies like Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones, and how Jesus fulfilled them by giving the word that resurrected those who accepted it at his first coming.

It then looks at prophecies in Revelation about the need for a resurrection and coming out from the false Babylon at the time of the Second Coming, when the sealed words will be opened again to many peoples, nations and languages. The lesson emphasizes the urgency of receiving this word and coming out of spiritual graves of false teachings.

 

Study Guide SCJ Bible Study

Secrets of Heaven Figurative Breath, Death, Grave and Resurrection Part Two

I hope everyone is eager to delve into the word of God today. We will be exploring part two of what we learned in the previous lesson, bringing this study to a conclusion so that we can fully comprehend the current state of the world and what actions we need to take in our time.

About the Test

I want to share my best study tips for the test. These tips have helped me through many tests, and I hope they will assist you as well.

 

1. My first tip for tackling the test is quiz, quiz, quiz.

Quiz yourself repeatedly. Don’t wait for us to conduct an official quiz in the class. You should be quizzing yourself frequently and consistently.

How do you conduct a quiz? Write down the questions on a blank sheet of paper and then answer them. Alternatively, have the questions written on a separate piece of paper, allowing you to take as many quizzes as you desire.

 

2. So, quiz, quiz, quiz. Quiz yourself on five questions at a time.

This approach reduces the mental load that quizzes can impose. Study questions one through five diligently, and then take a quiz. If you miss a question, study those same five questions again and retake the quiz.

Repeat the quiz until you pass all five questions perfectly. Then, move on to questions six to ten, studying them diligently. Quiz yourself repeatedly until you pass them all.

Proceed to questions 11 to 15. By following this method, you will solidify your understanding of questions one to ten, eliminating the need to revisit them.

 

If you attempt all 25 questions at once, you might forget some. This happens because you haven’t practiced the questions enough. You want the official test date to be the hundredth time you’ve taken the test. Then, it will be easy.

You’ll feel confident, thinking, “Oh yeah, I’ve got this. This is easy.” And you’ll breeze through the test.

So, quiz yourself multiple times.

 

3. My best technique for quizzing is to write the questions on one page, keeping the questions separate from the answers.

This approach allows me to avoid rewriting the questions repeatedly. For the answers, I write them on a different page. Then, I set the answer page aside so that I can quiz myself using only the question page.

After attempting to answer the questions, I refer to the separate answer page to check my responses. By having the questions on one page and the answers on another, I can effectively test my knowledge and understanding.

This method of separating questions and answers on different pages is an excellent test-taking technique.

If you follow these three steps, you’ll find the test much more manageable. Oh, there’s one more point to consider.

 

4. Since both the questions and answers are already provided, write down the answers word-for-word.

Accuracy is crucial here. Therefore, try your best not to paraphrase if possible. Simply write as it is written.

The answers are very concise. In this case, these are the four key points:

 

1. Quiz yourself frequently. Even take a quiz tonight on the questions you’ve studied. Attempt five questions at a time to make it easier for yourself.
2. Do not proceed to the next five questions until you have mastered the previous five.
3. To facilitate quick quizzing, put questions on one page alone, so you don’t have to rewrite them repeatedly. Then, have the answers on a separate page that you can refer to after the quiz to check your responses.
4. Word-for-word. Because the answers are already given, you don’t have to come up with them independently.

 

If you follow these four steps, the test will be straightforward.

Figurative Grave

Main Reference

New Testament Prophecy

Jesus provided us with some clues regarding the type of content we are reading here. Right? What did he say in verse 28 again? “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming.”

We know that this represents prophecy, right? A prophecy about a future time that is yet to come.

But which time are we reading about here? Which era is Jesus referring to when he says, “a time is coming”?

 

We are looking at the second coming, also known as the fulfillment of the revelations, the time of the revelations’ fulfillment. That’s the time Jesus is talking about here.

And what will happen during this time?

 

Those who are in graves will come out.

This should hold a different meaning for us now that we are studying graves and resurrection.

At the time of the second coming, those who are in graves will come out. Do not be amazed by this.

1. Physical Characteristics of a Grave (Tomb)

 

A grave or a tomb, you can also say a tomb is the same or very similar to a grave, is the dwelling place for bodies that have died.

 

1. A physical grave is where physical bodies are buried.

A tomb is similar to a grave, but in a tomb, more bodies are buried.

 

2. A tomb is the gathering place of many dead bodies. Many dead bodies are buried in a tomb.

So, considering these two characteristics, we should be able to apply them to a spiritual grave as well. A spiritual grave will share the same characteristics.

A spiritual grave will be where the spiritually dead are buried. The spiritually dead are buried there. This is pretty straightforward.

However, it is a sad reality for those who are buried in this type of place.

So, what is the reality of the tomb at the time of the first coming? We’ll look at the time of the first coming first to really come to a deep understanding of this.

2. Spiritual (True) Meaning of a Grave (Tomb)

ONE – Jesus is rebuking the Pharisees, and this rebuke also includes the Sadducees and teachers of the law. Although Jesus is speaking directly to the Pharisees, his words apply to them all. What is he saying about the Pharisees?

In Matthew 23:27-28, Jesus says, “You Pharisees are like whitewashed tombs. The Pharisees can also represent the Sadducees and teachers of the law in this context. Jesus calls them whitewashed tombs, beautiful on the outside but full of dead men’s bones on the inside.”

 

Jesus is making an important point here. One cannot discern who is righteous by physical appearance alone. If you were alive 2000 years ago and encountered a Pharisee without knowing much about Jesus, you would see someone who appears righteous, well-dressed, and proper in manner.

 

When such a person entered a room, everyone would welcome them, saying, “Oh, a Pharisee has joined us. Welcome, sir, please sit.” You would think, “This must be a truly righteous man.”

 

Look at how everyone reveres and treats them. But there’s something crucial to understand about them. On the outside, they appear like sheep, but on the inside, they are ferocious wolves.

 

Outwardly, they are whitewashed tombs, but inwardly, they are full of dead men’s bones. And what did Jesus also say in verse 28? “In the same way, on the outside, you appear to people as righteous, but on the inside, you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”

 

Appearance is not a reliable tactic for discernment. Disregard appearance immediately. It is the worst possible way to discern who is truthful and who is not.

 

You should not be listening to my words alone. What did Jesus himself say about this? I love the way the book of Luke describes this as well.

TWO – Woe to you, who are like whitewashed tombs or unmarked graves.

An unmarked grave means that you can walk over it without realizing that someone is buried there. There is no marker or indication of the importance of the person beneath. You would not know until you dig up the grave and find the dead bodies underneath.

 

So, if you were to look at the Pharisees and Sadducees, they are like unmarked graves. You cannot discern that they are spiritually dead just by looking at them. You would walk right past them, unaware that they lack spiritual life.

 

Again, appearance alone cannot reveal whether someone is spiritually alive or dead. It is not a reliable method of discernment that we should use. And those who are spiritually dead can harm others around them in a specific way.

 

What would a Pharisee, Sadducee, or a teacher of the law do that could spiritually harm others?

 

What would they do? They would use their words, which represent the true state of their spiritual deadness, to negatively impact others.

Their throats are open graves, and poison comes from their mouths. 

 

When they speak, they kill the spirits of those listening. This is why Jesus said in Matthew 23, “You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, but when you do so, you make them twice as much a son of hell as you are.” When we say words are spirit, it is because one’s words either have the ability to give life to someone or to bring death to someone.

 

One of the biggest tragedies in our world today is children who never hear words of kindness, encouragement, and love from their parents. Some of us here in this class have gone through that ourselves, where we only heard chastisation, doubt, and discouragement from those who raised us. What does that do to a person’s heart and spirit after time after time of receiving negative words?

 

It destroys them. 

 

Your words are very powerful, Class, and know that the more of the open words you receive, the more powerful your words become. You must speak carefully, and you must not use your words unwisely, and you must consider the spiritual maturity level of the one you are speaking to. Let me say this loudly for everyone in the back.

 

You in this class, after just three and a half months of studying the open word, are more spiritually mature than 90% of believers. That includes pastors. A pastor who does not know the open word versus someone who has only been learning the open word for two months is incomparable.

 

All you have to say is, “A figurative grave represents an organization of false truth according to Jesus,” and someone who hasn’t heard the open word yet will go, “Huh? What are you talking about?” And then you show them the passage, and their mind is blown because they never saw it that way.

 

But someone who is not ready to know this, if you say this to someone who hasn’t been studying, instead of giving them life, you’ll accidentally harm that person, like giving a steak to an infant and expecting the infant to be able to eat the steak. Be careful with your words. Your words are powerful now.

 

Be very careful. Be wise. Speak at a person’s eye level. Give milk to those who are spiritually infants so that they can grow. Then they can receive solid food. We’ll talk about how to do that tonight in small groups, so keep that in mind.

 

But the Pharisees and Sadducees were not careful with their words. They always cursed, they always lied, they always slandered, and they killed people with their words. So this is why Jesus, when he came, said, “You must leave these people. You cannot expect life, and for me, and while we’re still receiving death from them, it doesn’t work like that. You have to come out of these people. You have to leave them, for they are blind guides. All they have for you is death.” So a grave spiritually represents an organization of false truth. Those who teach falsehood bring death.

Figurative Resurrection

1. Physical Characteristics of Resurrection 

One that was once dead now comes to life once again.

 

ONE – The spirit, also known as the breath, returns to the body. This represents the physical characteristics of resurrection. Let us examine how this concept is portrayed figuratively in prophecy and how it finds its fulfilment.

The spirit and the breath returning to the body is a parable representing the resurrection process. We will explore how this word, or lesson, unfolds across different eras, both when it was sealed and when it became open. The false hopes and lies will flee, giving way to the true seed of hope that comes out from the once dead state.

Old Testament Prophecy

So what do we observe here?

Ezekiel has a vision. He said, the hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley filled with dry bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great multitude of bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were extremely dry, indicating that they had been dead for a very long time.

 

He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I replied, “Sovereign Lord, only You know.”

 

Then He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will come to life.'”

 

“‘I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.'”

 

So let’s illustrate what happens here.

 

God speaks to Ezekiel, but He addresses him as “Son of Man,” which is a hint, and He instructs Ezekiel to prophesy.

 

Prophesy has a few meanings. We often think of it as speaking only about the future, which is indeed one meaning of prophecy. However, prophecy can also mean to preach or to speak, depending on the context. So He is telling Ezekiel to prophesy to these dry bones so that they may live again.

The passage describes a figurative prophecy from Ezekiel. As he was instructed, Ezekiel prophesied, and the bones began to come together. Tendons, muscles, and skin formed over the bones. However, there was no breath of life within them. 

 

Then, Ezekiel was told to call upon the breath to enter these forms. When the breath came into them, they awoke as a vast army. This represents their resurrection, the dead coming back to life.

 

The question remains: who are these ones that needed to be resurrected and brought back to life? The parable leaves this open for interpretation, but the key lesson is the hope of resurrection and fulfilment of this prophecy in its appointed time and era. The word is sealed until that moment when the dead shall come out and be revived.

The vision of the dry bones in the book of Ezekiel is a figurative representation of the people of Israel or the house of Israel. These were individuals who once lived in the Promised Land but had long since become dead, both physically and spiritually.

 

However, God prophesies through Ezekiel that a time will come when He will open their graves and bring them out, resurrecting them from their dead state. He declares that He is the Lord, and they will come to celebrate and acknowledge Him as such. 

 

As Ezekiel is a book of prophecy in the Old Testament, we know that the words spoken here must find their fulfilment at the time of the first coming. 

 

Let us now examine how this prophecy of the dry bones being revived found its true realization during the era of the first coming.

First Coming Fulfillment

So, what do we see here? Jesus said something interesting. Did you catch what he said in verse 24?

“I tell you the truth. Whoever hears my words and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed over from death to life.”

 

What else?

“I tell you the truth. A time is coming and has now come.” What did Jesus do there?

He’s talking about two times here, isn’t he? What two times is he talking about?

 

The time when he’s literally speaking at this very moment, but also a future time. So, keep that future time in mind. “A time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the son of God, and those who hear it will live.”

 

“For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.” And because he is the Son of Man, he represents the reality of what Ezekiel saw.

 

So, Jesus here is someone like Ezekiel because the thing that Ezekiel saw in a vision, Jesus lived out in reality. Ezekiel was like a living parable, you could even say. Remember OPAGH: objects, people, animals, geographic locations, and historical events.

 

Ezekiel was the “People” in this case. Jesus lived out the words of Ezekiel. So, Jesus spoke to the people of Israel.

 

And as he spoke to them, those who listened came to life again. So, what happened to these people?

 

Let’s read verses 28 and 29 once again. Jesus said, “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out. Those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.”

 

So, those who are in their graves will come out of their graves and will exit their graves.

 

So, two things need to happen here:

 

1. To hear the word
2. To come out

 

Because it doesn’t make sense for someone who comes to life to recognize they’re in a grave and willingly stay in the grave. What a horrific experience! “Get me out of here. Whatever it takes. Stick your hand in the dirt. I’m out of here.”

 

“I’m not staying here. This isn’t a place for me to dwell anymore.” One who is resurrected must come out of the grave that they were in when they recognize where that grave is.

 

They have to come out. Okay. So, this was at the time of the first coming.

 

Now, let’s look at the time of the second coming. When the resurrection must take place in the same way that it happened at the time of the first coming.

New Testament Prophecy

THREE – We have a state of a people described here.

First, we see an angel from heaven come down, and he shouts with a loud voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great.” Now, this is in the book of Revelation. Revelation is a vision for a future time.

The nation of Babylon has long since, for thousands of years, been extinct, right? The nation of Babylon does not exist anymore today. Will the nation of Babylon appear once again and call themselves “We are Babylon,” announcing it at the UN? No, that is not what will happen.

 

If we understand how prophecies work, we’ll realize that the name “Babylon” is being used figuratively, meaning that a place or places will appear that will have similar characteristics to the original Babylon. What did Babylon do? Well, at the time of kings like Solomon, the nation of Babylon was strong and powerful.

 

When the Israelites sinned against God, broke His covenant, and worshiped idols in Israel during Solomon’s time, God was very angry with those people. He allowed the nation of Babylon to consume them. Assyria consumed the north, and Babylon consumed the south. The Israelites were enslaved in that location for 70 years. That’s what happened in history. So, the fact that God is naming Babylon in Revelation means a place will appear that will do a very similar thing.

 

It will capture those who belong to God, and it will hold them tight.

But we see here in Revelation 18 that it says, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon,” which means that Babylon is going to be judged. Glory to God! But what is Babylon? What is this place?

 

Because this place is a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit. And at this place, a particular type of food is given, maddening wine.

 

We have actually looked at the figurative meaning of wine before, haven’t we?

 

Figurative wine represents the word, but maddening wine or wild wine represents Satan’s lies.

 

Is the maddening wine Hinduism? Is the maddening wine Islam? Is the maddening wine Taoism? Is the maddening wine Buddhism? No, it is not.

 

And it’s certainly not a wine we should drink, don’t get me wrong, but it is not the maddening wine of Revelation 18.

 

Who is Satan’s main target? Can Satan get you with Hinduism? Well, can Satan get you with Buddhism? Oh, he can’t? Well, what can he get you with? Lies, but not just any lies. What kind of lies? That’s his greatest tool, the twisting of God’s word.

 

That’s the easiest tool that will get the people he’s trying to go after. Non-believers aren’t his target. He already has them. They’ve already been consumed. Who are his targets? Those who are trying to get closer to God.

 

You are his target. I am his target. He’s coming for you. As an angel masquerading as light, like 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, you are his target. 2 Thessalonians 2:9, who sets himself in God’s temple to be worshipped as God.

 

You’re his target. As you noticed in the Old Testament, Satan’s tactics evolved over time. In the early days, it was physical idols, like the golden calf, that he went after the people with. Eventually, the people became wise to those things. So what did he do?

 

He used the nations around them to entice them into sin. Then after that, he came to people and gave them dreams. And then those people would say, “I had a dream from the Lord. I had a dream for the Lord.” And now the people are confused. “Wait, is he right or is he right? This guy says his word is from the Lord, and so does this guy. Who do we follow?” His tactics evolved to grab the people of that time. So what about today?

 

What are his tactics today? Are we in the clear? Or is there a bunch of maddening wine today that many are drinking?

 

When someone is drunk, they don’t know that they’re drunk. Oftentimes, they’ll claim, “No, I’m okay. I’m doing just fine. No, I can do it. I can walk down the stairs. No, no, I can do it myself. Okay, here we go. Right? Oh, I can drive. No problem. I got this. I only had a few drinks.” You put down 10 drinks, bro. Right? You don’t take his keys. He can’t discern whether or not he’s ready to drive or not. “No, you’re drunk. I’m not drunk.” A person who is drunk does not claim that they are drunk, oftentimes. And they lose the ability to discern. Their decision-making becomes hampered.

 

So what is God saying? “My people, my people are drunk with the maddening wine, everyone. My people.” And not just some nations. What does he say? Back to Revelation 18:3. What does the first few verses of Revelation 18:3 say? “For some of the nations. For most of the nations. All. All nations.”

 

All nations. No exceptions. All nations are drunk on the maddening wine of adultery. All nations. All nations but mine. Mine is fine. My nation’s doing well. Right? We tend to do that, don’t we? “No, I’m doing great. I’m in the right. But I didn’t know these things, but I’m in the right.”

 

Let us not have thoughts like that. All nations are drunk on the maddening wine of adultery. So what needs to happen in our time? What Jesus promised. Jesus’ words must be fulfilled. And how will they be fulfilled? What must take place to remedy this situation?

Second Coming Fulfillment

The revelation of Jesus Christ, as stated in Revelation 1:1-3, is what must take place. God gave this revelation to Jesus to show His servants the events that will soon occur. Jesus made it known by sending His angel to His servant John, who testifies to everything he saw. 

 

This is the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

 

Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy aloud. And blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, for the time is near for these prophesied events to happen.

 

As prophesied in Revelation, this revelation needs to take place exactly as it is written. It comes from God, to Jesus Christ, to the angel, to John, and then to be shared with many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.

You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings. It sounds a lot like Ezekiel 37, doesn’t it? Speak to the valley of dry bones.

The logic is the same. This is how God has always done things. Come to one, speak to many, bring them out.

Come to one, speak to many, bring them out. That’s God’s pattern. It was the case with Moses, Joshua, Jonah, and Jesus.

That’s how God has always worked. He comes to one person, speaks to many through that person, and brings them out. It’s like that.

 

For they don’t realize they’re in captivity. So let us come out. As Revelation 18:4 says, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.”

 

And if someone is still in Babylon when Babylon is being judged, I don’t want to know what happens. So let’s not be there.

Memorization

Let’s Us Discern