A Spiritual Lesson In Toon Language: Lesson 48
Topic: Trumps Or Stinkin’ Butts (Toon Version)
Series: The Ripping Friends, The Simpsons
Episodes: Stinky Butt (The Ripping Friends), Simpsons Bible Stories — (Short III)
Lesson PDF link: 48.pdf
Lesson PDF link (non-media version): Trumps Or Stinkin Butts (original non-media version)
Note # 1: Acknowledgments--First, we would like to acknowledge our late friend Nathaniel Paul Howell III. His gratuitous use of the word “butt” and constant talk about judgment--I will paraphrase “Why would anyone want to go to Hell; all it is, is a big fire that you burn up in and it stinks real bad” inspired this lesson. He was a good friend; R.I.P. our brother in Christ.
Second, we would like to thank our dear friend Geoffrey Britton, who has enjoyed this Toon Language curriculum for years. His urge to have a Toon Devotional in 2011 spawned this lesson's toon version in an impromptu format. (At the time, there were no fresh devotionals for him to enjoy.)
Note # 2: This also has a piece of music from Bill and Gloria Gaither's Precious Memories album and an .mp3 version of The Simpsons episode we're studying (minus Gracie Films “Shush Lady.”
Introduction
What does your sense of smell mean to you? What are the best scents you can think of and then the worst? What if anything do these smells remind you of?
I have been thinking lately about smells and odors that exist in the world today. Some are really good like fresh food, cakes, and cookies out of the oven (in the oven as well). Some smells are not so great: soured milk, rotten food, and trash that needs to be taken out. Some odors are even worse like certain sewers, rendering plants, and feed lots.
It has come to my attention that spiritual things parallel with the smells and odors of the world. In God’s Word there are many parallels with smell. God is personified in some scriptures. In other scriptures, judgment and blessing (especially eternal life and death) are related to smell. In this lesson, we will have some fun discussing these scriptures.
First, I want to show who God is in relation to smell. We are studying Malachi 3: 1-5.
The Bible States In Malachi 3: 1-5:
Mal 3:1 “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty.
Mal 3:2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.
Mal 3:3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,
Mal 3:4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years.
Mal 3:5 “So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me,” says the LORD Almighty.
What is interesting here is the description of God. God is like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. Let’s look at a launderer’s soap. Laundry soap is meant to be a cleanser. Laundry soap cleans and sanitizes clothes and other articles that are dirty and smell bad. Laundry soap usually has a very strong clean scent. No one can mistake this smell. God wants to cleanse evil out of everybody. As the scripture says though, there are people who don’t want to follow any way but their own. With these people, who can stand? In the spiritual sense, these people opt to keep their dirty laundry to wear and refuse to be clean. Of course, dirty laundry has an unmistakable smell too — a bad one. God’s kingdom doesn’t accept unrepentant people who want their own way.
The next step in this study is the smell of us in the spiritual sense. In the Old Testament there are numerous scriptures that have to do with sacrifice, obedience, and disobedience. These are so numerous that this study would become repetitive. There are 34 scripture passages (by my count) that have to do with sacrifice as a pleasing aroma to God.
For These Passages, look in Leviticus 1: 9; 13; 17; 2: 2; 9; 12; (Leviticus 2: 12 is on the con side) 3: 5; 16; 4: 31; 6: 15; 21; 8: 21; 28; 17: 6; 23: 13; 18, Numbers 15: 3; 7; 10; 13-14; 24; 18: 17; 28: 1-2; 6; 8; 13; 24; 27; 29: 2; 6; 8; 13; 36.
For the context of the scripture read the whole of the chapters listed. Basically, there are many kinds of sacrifices used in Old Testament days. These include the burnt offering (seems to be the most talked about), guilt offering, wave offering, fellowship offering, festival offering, and offerings made to ceremonially cleanse items or people. Sacrifice has an odor likening that of incense. Normally, these gifts of sacrifice are great. However, if we do this with wrong motives, the smell of the sacrifice will be overshadowed by the smell of disobedience. This is not what God wants and therefore will be ignored and treated like a bad smell. For this, we look at Leviticus 26: 14-46; and Matthew 23.
The Bible States:
Lev 26:14 “ ‘But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands,
Lev 26:15 and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant,
Lev 26:16 then I will do this to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and drain away your life. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it.
Lev 26:17 I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you.
Lev 26:18 “ ‘If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. Lev 26:19 I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze.
Lev 26:20 Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of the land yield their fruit.
Lev 26:21 “ ‘If you remain hostile toward me and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your afflictions seven times over, as your sins deserve.
Lev 26:22 I will send wild animals against you, and they will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle and make you so few in number that your roads will be deserted.
Lev 26:23 “ ‘If in spite of these things you do not accept my correction but continue to be hostile toward me,
Lev 26:24 I myself will be hostile toward you and will afflict you for your sins seven times over.
Lev 26:25 And I will bring the sword upon you to avenge the breaking of the covenant. When you withdraw into your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be given into enemy hands.
Lev 26:26 When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will be able to bake your bread in one oven, and they will dole out the bread by weight. You will eat, but you will not be satisfied.
Lev 26:27 “ ‘If in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me,
Lev 26:28 then in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over.
Lev 26:29 You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters.
Lev 26:30 I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I will abhor you.
Lev 26:31 I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings.
Lev 26:32 I will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who live there will be appalled.
Lev 26:33 I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins.
Lev 26:34 Then the land will enjoy its sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths.
Lev 26:35 All the time that it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not have during the sabbaths you lived in it.
Lev 26:36 “ ‘As for those of you who are left, I will make their hearts so fearful in the lands of their enemies that the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. They will run as though fleeing from the sword, and they will fall, even though no one is pursuing them.
Lev 26:37 They will stumble over one another as though fleeing from the sword, even though no one is pursuing them. So you will not be able to stand before your enemies.
Lev 26:38 You will perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will devour you.
Lev 26:39 Those of you who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins; also because of their fathers’ sins they will waste away.
Lev 26:40 “ ‘But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their fathers—their treachery against me and their hostility toward me,
Lev 26:41 which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies—then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin,
Lev 26:42 I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.
Lev 26:43 For the land will be deserted by them and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them. They will pay for their sins because they rejected my laws and abhorred my decrees.
Lev 26:44 Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am the LORD their God.
Lev 26:45 But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the LORD.’ ”
Lev 26:46 These are the decrees, the laws and the regulations that the LORD established on Mount Sinai between himself and the Israelites through Moses.
The Bible States:
Mt 23:1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
Mt 23:2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.
Mt 23:3 So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
Mt 23:4 They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
Mt 23:5 “Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long;
Mt 23:6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;
Mt 23:7 they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’
Mt 23:8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers.
Mt 23:9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.
Mt 23:10 Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ.
Mt 23:11 The greatest among you will be your servant.
Mt 23:12 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Mt 23:13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
Mt 23:15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.
Mt 23:16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’
Mt 23:17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?
Mt 23:18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’
Mt 23:19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
Mt 23:20 Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
Mt 23:21 And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it.
Mt 23:22 And he who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.
Mt 23:23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law— justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
Mt 23:24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
Mt 23:25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
Mt 23:26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
Mt 23:27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.
Mt 23:28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
Mt 23:29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.
Mt 23:30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
Mt 23:31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.
Mt 23:32 Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers!
Mt 23:33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
Mt 23:34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town.
Mt 23:35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
Mt 23:36 I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation.
Mt 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.
Mt 23:38 Look, your house is left to you desolate.
Mt 23:39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’’”
Jesus was not too happy with the Pharisees and other religious teachers. They would sacrifice according to the law, but that was it. They didn’t want to follow God’s teaching and be obedient to it. Jesus likened them to beautiful tombs that had nothing but dead bones and decay — in His words “everything unclean.” Their sacrifices might have smelled like incense, but the smell of obedience wasn’t there, but the smell of disobedience, hypocrisy etc.
For the understanding of the righteous smell we will look at 2 Corinthians 2: 12-17.
The Bible States:
2Co 2:12 Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me,
2Co 2:13 I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-by to them and went on to Macedonia.
2Co 2:14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.
2Co 2:15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.
2Co 2:16 To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?
2Co 2:17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.
This is not to say that we can’t make an honest living when we preach or teach. However, if that is the goal (profit), then we miss the whole point.
Cartoon Clip # 1: Look at this clip from The Ripping Friends: "Stinky Butt":
How does this clip help our cartoon Bible Study?
The disciples, when they finally understood what God is all about, preached and taught — not for selfish gain, but for the motive of people needing to hear the gospel. The disciples used their gifts according to God’s plan and many were saved because of the smell of sacrifice and obedience together. This is unlike the Pharisees of their day. Unfortunately, Paul is right about smelling like death to some people. These people don’t know a good spiritual scent to a bad one because they have been desensitized to their own spiritual filth that they don’t even smell bad to themselves anymore. When they smell a good spiritual scent, they think it is a bad one because spiritual sense of smell is messed up. In this cartoon clip, we see Citrocet get judged and then is sentenced to be marooned in a desolate and seemingly ruined part of the center of the earth (known as “the bowels of the earth” in the cartoon) and his butt does the talking literally as he is turned into Stinky Butt. Citrocet loves his foul odor and starts using this powerfully bad gift as a weapon of destruction. This is not unlike the Pharisees in their day. They have a horrible spiritual odor, but they don't perceive it and these Pharisees love it. Jesus smells them right away and authoritatively calls them out on it.
Bible Study II: We are studying Revelation 5, Isaiah, 64: 6, Revelation 3: 1-6, Matthew 24, I Corinthians 15: 35-58, I Thessalonians 4: 13—5: 11 Revelation 14: 6-13; 19: 11-21, 20: 7-10; 11—21: 27.
In Revelation 5, the prayer of saints is noted as incense to God.
The Bible States:
Rev 5:1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals.
Rev 5:2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?”
Rev 5:3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it.
Rev 5:4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.
Rev 5:5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
Rev 5:6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
Rev 5:7 He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne.
Rev 5:8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Rev 5:9 And they sang a new song:“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
Rev 5:10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”
Rev 5:11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.
Rev 5:12 In a loud voice they sang: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”
Rev 5:13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”
Rev 5:14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Without God however, no one smells good at all.
The Bible States In Isaiah 64: 6:
Isa 64:6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
The Bible States In Revelation 3: 1-6:
Rev 3:1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
Rev 3:2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.
Rev 3:3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
Rev 3:4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.
Rev 3:5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.
Rev 3:6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
When the end of time finally comes no one will be expecting it. All attempts to calculate will fail because no one knows when the time comes (except God the Father).
When the end does come there will be angels with an unmistakable trumpet call. But first, a lot of bad things will happen. For the elect, days like this will be cut short so that they survive.
Mt 24:1 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings.
Mt 24:2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
Mt 24:3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Mt 24:4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.
Mt 24:5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
Mt 24:6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
Mt 24:7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
Mt 24:8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
Mt 24:9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.
Mt 24:10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,
Mt 24:11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.
Mt 24:12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,
Mt 24:13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Mt 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Mt 24:15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—
Mt 24:16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
Mt 24:17 Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house.
Mt 24:18 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak.
Mt 24:19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!
Mt 24:20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.
Mt 24:21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.
Mt 24:22 If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.
Mt 24:23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.
Mt 24:24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.
Mt 24:25 See, I have told you ahead of time.
Mt 24:26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.
Mt 24:27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Mt 24:28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
Mt 24:29 “Immediately after the distress of those days “ ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
Mt 24:30 “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.
Mt 24:31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
Mt 24:32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.
Mt 24:33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.
Mt 24:34 I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
Mt 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Mt 24:36 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Mt 24:37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
Mt 24:38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;
Mt 24:39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
Mt 24:40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.
Mt 24:41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
Mt 24:42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
Mt 24:43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.
Mt 24:44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Mt 24:45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?
Mt 24:46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.
Mt 24:47 I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
Mt 24:48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’
Mt 24:49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.
Mt 24:50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of.
Mt 24:51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
For the reader’s information, I am referring to the second coming. This is what I like to call the “Trumps” portion of this lesson. Of course, like everything else, it is highly debated by man. All I can say is what the Bible says — and it is definitely enough for anyone if they just trust In God’s wisdom.
The Bible States In I Corinthians 15: 35-58
1Co 15:35 But someone may ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?”
1Co 15:36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.
1Co 15:37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else.
1Co 15:38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.
1Co 15:39 All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another.
1Co 15:40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another.
1Co 15:41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
1Co 15:42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;
1Co 15:43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;
1Co 15:44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
1Co 15:45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being” ; the last Adam, a lifegiving spirit.
1Co 15:46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.
1Co 15:47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven.
1Co 15:48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.
1Co 15:49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.
1Co 15:50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
1Co 15:51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—
1Co 15:52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
1Co 15:53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
1Co 15:54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
1Co 15:55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
1Co 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Co 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
The Bible States In I Thessalonians 4: 13—5: 11:
1Th 4:13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.
1Th 4:14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
1Th 4:15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
1Th 4:17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
1Th 4:18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.
1Th 5:1 Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you,
1Th 5:2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
1Th 5:3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
1Th 5:4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.
1Th 5:5 You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.
1Th 5:6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.
1Th 5:7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.
1Th 5:8 But since we belong to the day, let us be selfcontrolled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
1Th 5:9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Th 5:10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.
1Th 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. The dead in Christ will rise first. Then the living saved will rise with them.
Unfortunately for the lost, we have the other side of the gospel or the “Stinkin' Butts” portion of this lesson.
The Bible States In Revelation 14: 6-13
Rev 14:6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people.
Rev 14:7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
Rev 14:8 A second angel followed and said, “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”
Rev 14:9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand,
Rev 14:10 he, too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.”
Rev 14:12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.
Rev 14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”
No good thing (including rest) in the end will come to those who are not of Christ. However, for the righteous there will be rest.
The Bible States In Revelation 19:11-21:
Rev 19:11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.
Rev 19:12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.
Rev 19:13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.
Rev 19:14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
Rev 19:15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.
Rev 19:16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Rev 19:17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God,
Rev 19:18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great.”
Rev 19:19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army.
Rev 19:20 But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
Rev 19:21 The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
Jesus will eventually make war on all the unbelievers who won’t come to Him in repentance and humility. The birds of the air will play cleanup.
The Bible States In Revelation 20: 7-10
Rev 20:7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison
Rev 20:8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore.
Rev 20:9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.
Rev 20:10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Much like Citrocet (not learning the right way even through his sentence, Satan obviously will not learn any lesson even after being imprisoned for 1,000 years. His fate was sealed from the beginning.
The Bible States In Revelation 20: 11—21: 27
Rev 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
Rev 20:13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done.
Rev 20:14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.
Rev 20:15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Rev 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
Rev 21:2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
Rev 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
Rev 21:4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Rev 21:5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Rev 21:6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.
Rev 21:7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
Rev 21:8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Rev 21:9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
Rev 21:11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
Rev 21:12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Rev 21:13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west.
Rev 21:14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Rev 21:15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls.
Rev 21:16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long.
Rev 21:17 He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man’s measurement, which the angel was using.
Rev 21:18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.
Rev 21:19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,
Rev 21:20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
Rev 21:21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.
Rev 21:22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
Rev 21:23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.
Rev 21:24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.
Rev 21:25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.
Rev 21:26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.
Rev 21:27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
So, what will it be? Will it come up “Trumps Or Stinkin’ Butts” for you? At the end, all dead are judged from the beginning of time and whoever isn’t listed in the Lamb’s book of life joins the devil or Satan in an eternal (for forever) stinking and fiery pit that is called Hell. This pit of Hell will never be quenched and obviously will never get better in its smell. If anything, Hell gets worse in its torment and stench as eternity marches. Just picture the worst stench from someone’s butt that can possibly be thought of, then picture its potency × a googolplex — pictured below
and then picture even more as eternity rolls. Then tack on an unquenchable fire that feeds on the now invincible sin that causes that smell on one that is in this pathetic shape and there you have a possibly good picture of Hell. The sin that would be forever attached to someone would be like lighter fluid and would have this horrible smell when the lost person would be thrown into this lake of fire already burning with invincible (never depleted) sulfur. Stench gets thrown into fiery stench. Sin carries with it the very smell of Hell. Hell is unrepentant sin’s home. Need I say more? Now, to put home the point even more we will see our second cartoon clip.
Cartoon Clip # 2: — Simpsons Bible Stories — Short III (The End When The Simpsons Wake Up):
What have we learned? How is this cartoon similar to the scriptures?
The Simpson family evidently is Hell-bound. Evidently, they have many sins that are not repented for and are now being punished. However, Lisa looks like she is bound for Heaven. Homer then acts like the Pharisees talked about in one of our scripture passages and prevents her from going into our Lord's Kingdom. Maggie is interesting here. Evidently, she too is Hell-bound. We know in reality, babies are innocent and won't go there. For the sake of how this series runs however, look at what Maggie does earlier in the series. In Season Six of this series, she shoots archvillain Mr. Burns for what he was doing to her and to Springfield. If this was considered sin and she is somehow found to be unrepentant, then that is where she would head. She is said in the series to be a genius in the series and also appears to know a lot of times full-well what she does. This is interesting cartooning. It's also interesting that Hell was alluring with its odor to Homer until he found out that Hell had no beer and then had no hot dogs and seemingly nothing but German potato salad. Hell had nothing appealing for him or his family in the end. To add insult to injury, Bart uses the restroom on himself because of fright and if Hell is Hell, there won't be any underwear and/or diaper changes for any of them in this eternally trapped family (Bart and Maggie included)
Now, in contrast to the cartoon, for the saved, there is a beautiful place where rest is given and not one thing is in decay or stinking. This place will smell like the incense of sacrifice and obedience. The Bride of Christ will live there (the church as the conglomerate of true believers). Just picture it, the Bride of Christ ornamented in fine linen and sweet perfume of righteousness. This is where God wants everyone. We are all invited, unfortunately, many won’t join this mighty throng because they are deceived to the core and they die like that. We must bear witness to and with Christ and help to heal the world of sin and the stench of spiritual decay that goes with it.
To recap, if you are in the “Stinkin' Butts” group you are on the wrong road:
Listen to this audio clip which happens to be the actual end credits of the episode Simpsons Bible Stories--in audio form (It plays AC/DC: Highway To Hell).
Music Link:
http://toonspirit.net/lessons_and_studies/l48/Highway_To_Hell.mp3
In Contrast to the above, if you are in the “Trumps” Group, You are on the right road:
Listen To This piece of music from Bill and Gloria Gaither's Precious Memories album:
Music Link:
http://toonspirit.net/lessons_and_studies/l48/Highway_To_Heaven.mp3
Stay on the right road, or please get on it. Accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and believe and have faith in the purchase that He made. He died on the cross for your sins and was resurrected on the third day of being in the tomb. The grave is empty now so we may live.
May God be praised forever and ever in Jesus’ name! Amen!