Paul said, “Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep” (I Cor. 11:27-30).

Our Lord’s Supper is an ordinance because it was given by Jesus. It looks back on His death and forward to His Second Coming. It has been practiced by every major group or denomination in the church since the church began. It is so widely accepted and practiced that, as a new pastor, I was shocked the first time a church member told me, “I don’t take the Lord’s Supper because I am unworthy and I don’t want to get sick and die.” Since that time, others have said similar things.

I cannot deny that Paul was addressing Christians. He said, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. ” (I Cor. 11:31-32). “We” directs this warning to Christians.

So what are Christians to do because we know that all of us are unworthy? Paul told the Romans, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). I believe the answer to this dilemma is self-examination, self-judgment, prayer and confession. In verse 28 above, Paul said, “let a man examine himself.” In verse 31, he said, “If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” Its our choice: judge ourselves and avoid the chastisement of God or don’t judge ourselves and risk the chastisement of God.

John addressed the subject of self-examination. He said, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us oursins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I Jn. 1:8-9). Acknowledging our sin brings forgiveness and cleansing. Then, instead of taking the Lord’s Supper as unworthy, unforgiven, unclean sinners, we take it in the worthiness of Christ as forgiven and cleansed children of God.

One final thing: Don’t overlook the fact that the Lord’s Supper has been a reminder to the church for 2,000 years that Jesus is coming back. Many are ignoring that today and it should not be.

Prophecy Plus Ministries
Daymond & Rachel Duck

Some people say the grave and hell are the same place. They make this mistake because two different Hebrew words have been translated “grave” in the Old Testament. Both words mean pit. But a study of how the words are used shows that they refer to two different kinds of pits.

The first word, ““Qeber”,” refers to a pit that is a grave, burying place, or sepulcher. The second word, “Sheol,” refers to a pit that is the underworld, subterranean world, or the world of the dead. Notice that “Qeber” and Sheol both mean “pit,” but keep in mind that they refer to different kinds of pits. The body of a lost person might be put in a “Qeber” (a pit called the grave). But the lost person’s soul and spirit will go to a “Sheol” (a pit called hell). There is a big difference.

ABODE OF THE BODY

A study of how the Hebrew word “Qeber” (pit, grave, burying place or sepulcher) is used in the Old Testament shows that:

1. People dug pits called “Qebers” (graves).

2. People touched pits called “Qebers” (graves).

3. People buried people in pits called “Qebers” (graves).

4. People put pits called “Qebers” (graves) on the face of the earth.

5. People don’t know things in pits called “Qebers” (graves).

ABODE OF THE LOST PERSON’S SOUL AND SPIRIT

A study of how the Hebrew word “Sheol” (pit, underworld, subterranean world, or world of the dead) is used in the Old Testament shows that:

1. People never dug a pit called “Sheol” (hell or the underworld).

2. People never touched a pit called “Sheol” (hell or the underworld).

3. People never buried anyone in a pit called “Sheol” (hell or the underworld).

4. People never put a pit called “Sheol” (hell or the underworld) on the face of the earth.

5. People know things in a pit called “Sheol” (hell or the subterranean world).

It is easy to see the difference between “Qebers” (graves or a pit for the body) and “Sheol” (hell or a pit for the lost person’s soul and spirit). But the Old Testament translators were inconsistent. They properly translated the Hebrew word “Sheol” to mean hell about half the time. But they improperly translated it to mean grave the other half of the time. When they improperly translated the word “Sheol” (hell) to mean grave they created a conflict with the Hebrew word “Qeber” (grave). Their improper translation has led to the false teaching that the pit called ”hell” and the pit called “grave” are the same place.

So if someone tells you the grave and hell are the same place, just remember that the confusion is caused by a translation problem.

Prophecy Plus Ministries
Daymond & Rachel Duck