September 30, 2026 • 37 mins
Paradise awaits everyone who knows the Lord and has partaken of His amazing grace. It’s a promise for all who have faith in Him. A future hope and promise that will be fulfilled one day. A return to the peace and glory of Eden for eternity with the Lord.
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Firefall Talk Radio episodes are archived, allowing you to download them for future listening or to share with others.
Feel free to share them with others as the Lord leads. Help us spread The Word. If our teachings are a blessing to you, let us know by using the contact button on our website.
If you would like to support what we do, there are ways to do so on the main page for Firefall Talk Radio. We appreciate your support and encouragement.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Firefall Talk Radio Hello, welcome to the porch on Firefall
(00:23):
Talk Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
I'm Richard Grund.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
This is where you find the uncompromised red-letter basics of
the Word of God. We focus on the Book of
Acts Church, the purest, most effective form of the church,
to see how they serve the Lord and to follow
their example. When we do that, we find the church
the Lord intended and not the one man created. The
(00:46):
porch is a non-denominational, full gospel approach to the Bible.
It's based on those examples of the Book of Acts Church,
and it aims to restore the priesthood of the believer
and regain the world-shaking influence that the early church had.
Church age isn't over. The Upper Room experience is as
much for today as it was on the day of Pentecost.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
It's yours if you want it.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
We offer you the word as the apostles would have
to the Jewish and Gentile believers of their day, using
both Yeshua and Jesus when speaking of the Lord. We
prefer to use the term Messiah rather than Christ as
it more accurately reflects how he was referred to by
those who knew him. Getting back to basics, it's not
(01:32):
just our motto, it's a mandate from the Lord. Links
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you need to mail it. We appreciate you, your support,
and your encouragement. Thank you for being a part of
the porch. Contact us if you need prayer. Remember, we
(02:14):
care about you. There are people that want to pray
for you. Start out with praise. I praise the Lord
for my home, my wife, my family, my sons, daughter-in-laws, grandchildren,
furry kids, Possessions, all that I have, come from him.
I praise him for provision and protection, for the dreams
(02:37):
and the visions as we live out Joel 2.28. I
praise him for divine health and healing, for his abiding favor,
for the continuing revelation of the Holy Spirit, and for
being a new creation, allowing me to live in these
prophetic times and to serve him.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
And in doing so, I pray.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
I always pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they
prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls. Prosperity
within your palaces for the sake of my brethren and companions.
I will now say, peace be within you. Psalm 122,
verses 6 through 8. Know this, that how the world
is treating Israel, it will treat the church. It will,
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and is in some places, treating anyone who believes that Jesus,
that Yeshua is Lord. So don't think it's just for
the Jews to suffer like this. We will as well
because we've been grafted into the vine. Pray for the
fatherless and the widows, the persecuted and the martyrs, the
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innocent and those who are victims of injustice. I pray
for divine wholeness, health and healing in me, And my
family and each and every one of you as we
get back to our divine design. Healing for all who
are sick right now in Yeshua's name.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
For protection. For inspiration.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
For the remnant, that's us. To rise up and answer
the call to action. No matter how beat down you feel.
No matter how weighed down or whatever the.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
World is doing to you. Stand up.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Shake it off and be strong in the Lord and
the power of his might. And I pray that those
that have been blessed will be a blessing so that
we can go forth in his name and do what
we've been called to do. To do that, we need
to pray against the schemes of the fallen. We need
to confront the enemy with confidence, purpose, and the power
(04:38):
of the Lord. We have to have that Psalm 91 protection,
which we've talked about in the past, covering us. And
we need to be inspired by his word, by his spirit,
to set the captives free and to destroy all the
work of the enemy. And finally, I pray for the
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provision and the divine abiding favor to do just that.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Abba, Papa, we.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Come to you as your children. We boldly approach the
throne of grace and mercy. We thank you for loving
us even when we were unlovable. We thank you for Yeshua,
for sending your only begotten Son to do what we
never would have been able to do so that we
(05:28):
could come home.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
And be with you. Lord, thank you for that.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Thank you for enduring the cross, the pain, the shame,
everything that was done to you so that we could
be free. And thank you for being alive. The tomb
is empty. You're not there. You are a risen Savior.
And you allow us to sit with you in the
heavenly places. Holy Spirit, I thank you for doing what
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the Lord has asked you to do. To remind us,
to teach us, to walk with us. And I ask
that you do that this day on the porch. Open
our eyes, open our hearts, open our minds. Let us
receive from this word what you want us to receive, Lord.
And I pray all these things in Yeshua's name.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Amen.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
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Speaker 2 (06:55):
Okay, go with.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Me to Luke 23. We'll pick it up with verse 34.
You know that this is the point where he's been crucified.
He's been nailed to the cross. And Yeshua said, Father,
forgive them, for they know not what they do. And
they divided his garments and cast lots, and the people
(07:17):
stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying,
He saved others. Let him save himself if he is
the Messiah, the chosen of God. The soldiers also mocked him.
coming and offering him sour wine and saying, If you
(07:38):
are the king of the Jews, save yourself. An inscription
was written over him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew.
This is the king of the Jews. What a declaration.
They didn't realize that they were telling the truth, and
they made sure every language could read it. Verse 39,
(08:00):
And one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed him, saying,
If you are the Messiah, save yourself and us. But
the other, remember they're on either side of him, but
the other answering rebuked him, saying, Do you not even
fear God, seeing that you are under the same condemnation?
(08:21):
And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward
of our deeds. But this man has done nothing wrong.
And then he said to Yeshua, Lord, remember me when
you come into your kingdom. And Yeshua said to him,
assuredly I say to you, today.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
You will be with me in paradise.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Truly I tell you, today you shall be with me
in paradise. Right there. He didn't do anything special. He
didn't pray any special prayer. He didn't have to do
anything more than what he did. And the Lord said, okay,
(09:12):
I'm taking you with me down into Sheol where the
righteous dead are. And then into paradise with me. Now remember,
there was no heavenly paradise at that point. He had
to go down before he first went up, Ephesians 4,
(09:34):
starting verse 8. Therefore, he says, when he ascended on high,
he led captivity captive and gave gifts to men. Verse 9,
now this, he ascended. What does it mean that he
also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?
He who descended is the one who ascended far above
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all the heavens that he might fulfill all things.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
He had to go down.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
He didn't just immediately go to heaven. We know that.
For three days he rises from the grave. Mary sees him.
Don't touch me yet. I have not yet ascended to
my father. And he took with him all the righteous
that were waiting for Messiah. And this criminal got to
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go along with every bit of it because he saw
the Lord for who he is. One criminal mocked him.
If you are the Messiah, save yourself and us. And
the others saw him as Savior, as the Messiah that
(10:44):
they'd been waiting for. Lord, remember me when you come
into your kingdom. So many stories about this young man.
How did he know? How did he recognize him? Some
have taught without any verification that he was the son
of a rabbi and he knew or he was this
or that. Many, many, many years later, some writing gave
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him a name.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
We don't know, but what we do know is what
we have.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
He recognized him as Lord and as a king with
a kingdom.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
They were criminals.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
Some believe, and I believe this part to be true,
that they were insurrectionists with Barabbas. And Yeshua took the
cross meant for Barabbas. Two criminals became a part of history,
one for the right reason, one for the wrong. Isn't
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that the story of mankind? Two different types of sinners.
One who don't see him for who he is and
one who do. Right there, unbelief, mockery, all the things
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being done. And he recognized his own guilt and Yeshua's innocence.
He said, this man has done nothing wrong He must
have known a little bit about him. He didn't follow
in life, but he followed him in death. And even there,
(12:32):
hanging on the cross, bleeding out all that pain, Yeshua
exercised his authority over God's kingdom and granted a place
in it to this young man. Forgiveness and salvation came
through faith not by works. So many people, and I've
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gotten into discussions on social media with some people that
believe works is absolutely necessary and Martin Luther's declaration of
salvation by faith alone.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
No, no, no. You have to do this. You have
to do that. He didn't.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
And if it If that's what the Lord declared and showed,
then that's the example I'll follow. He surrendered and put
his trust in Messiah alone. And God's grace sprang into action.
We cannot forget, ever forget, Ephesians 2.8. For by grace
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you have been saved through faith. and not that of yourselves.
It is a gift of God. God's grace is given.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
It's not earned.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
It's unmerited favor. Now, out of that you will do things.
Faith will inspire you to action. But those good works
are not the basis of, but the evidence of God's grace.
new creative work in us. So, to anyone who believes,
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salvation is available to them by God's grace.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
I know.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
It did it for me. I didn't deserve it. I
just realized I needed a savior. And this criminal, in
his last moments, came to that revelation and was immediately
welcomed into fellowship with the Lord. It also showed the
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Lord's authority that he was.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
A king and he could act in the kingly authority.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
He is the eternal king, able to grant eternal life. Yes,
he was a victim of injustice, but he was so
much more than that. And this story lines up with
the larger New Testament teaching, which proclaims to us Yeshua's
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lordship and his sovereign rule even beyond death. No one's
beyond redemption if they genuinely turn to the Lord with
all their heart. Confess with your mouth. Believe in your heart.
(15:45):
This moment on the cross, this experience, this historical event
showed us that spiritual clarity, moral clarity, whatever you want
to call it, which inspires repentance, will inspire faith even
in the midst of suffering and bring forth Manifest God's
(16:08):
grace over our human guilt and shame. As believers, we
see our own need for mercy. We see our own
need to make this powerful declaration. I know I did.
(16:32):
I know I do every day. That I can't do
this without him. That without his grace, I can't function
because that grace is still amazing. And in the midst
of life's lessons, you learn very quickly how amazing his
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grace is. Martin Luther said, through faith we are restored
to paradise and created anew. concept of paradise has been
on my mind a lot lately the home and bible
dictionary says paradise it occurs in all three new testament
(17:16):
occurrences luke 23 43 which i've read to you second
corinthians 12 4 where paul says i know a man
in messiah who 14 years ago whether in the body
i do not know whether out of the body i
do not know god knows such a one was caught
up to the third heaven And I know such a man,
(17:37):
whether in the body or out of the body, I
don't know. God knows how he was caught up into
paradise and heard inexpressible words, which is not lawful for
a man to utter. We see it mentioned again in
Revelation 2, 7. When speaking to the church in Ephesus,
(17:57):
the Lord says, He who has an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit says to the churches. to him
who overcomes, I will give to eat from the tree
of life, which is in the midst of the paradise
of God. Well, wouldn't that indicate that paradise is the
(18:22):
return to Eden? The Greek Septuagint uses the word paradisos,
which is paradise, the Translating the Hebrew words for the
Garden of Eden in Genesis 2 and 3. So paradise
is a return to that time in the Garden of Eden.
(18:45):
We call it heaven. I don't know, is paradise just,
it's something different, it's something special. It's not just a place,
it's how you feel. This is paradise. And as I said,
it became eventually to refer to heaven. And then we
(19:06):
have the opposite of which is Gehenna, the burning furnace
of suffering and judgment. So where'd that word come from?
It's a Persian word, paradise. It means royal park or
the garden of God. The original Persian word indicates an
(19:28):
enclosure or a walled garden. and referred to the royal
parks of the Persian kings. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia says,
In the apocryphal or pseudepigraphical literature, the word is extensively
used in a spiritual and sociological sense, signalizing the place
(19:54):
of happiness to be inherited by the righteous in contrast
to Gehenna, the place of punishment to which the wicked
were to be assigned. Nowhere else in his teachings, nowhere
else in his statements does the Lord use the word paradise.
(20:16):
In the parables, he uses other figures like the marriage
supper and of new wine and Abraham's bosom, which is Sheol,
and of houses not made by hands, eternal in the heavens.
Another scripture I've dwelled on lately. John 14, starting verse 2.
(20:37):
The Lord said to the disciples, In my Father's house
are many mansions, dwelling places. If it were not so,
I would have told you. I go to prepare a
place for you. And if I go and prepare a
place for you, I will come again and receive you
(20:58):
to myself, that where I am.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
There you may be also.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
That's his promise to us who believe that where he is,
we can be also. Whether it's heaven or paradise, which
is synonymous, he's there, then we're there with him.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
Paul said, out of the body, present with the Lord.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
And very much the criminal on the cross was out
of the body and he was present with the Lord. Unfortunately,
the Lord had to go down before he went up.
So the young man went on a little bit of
a journey. And I'm assuming he was a young man.
He could have been an older man. I don't know,
but for some reason I see him as a younger man.
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The promise of paradise given to us in Revelation 2, 7.
To him who overcomes, I will give to eat from
the tree of life, which is in the midst of the.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
Paradise of God. It speaks.
Speaker 3 (22:04):
of the restitution of Eden. Eden was paradise to Adam
and Eve, to all the animals. To us, it's an
everlasting home for believers who have made Yeshua Lord. Everyone
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on this earth would love to find paradise, a place
of natural perfection, endless.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
Provision, and rest.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
Adam and Eve lived in a paradise in the beginning,
and at the end, there'll be another paradise, the new Jerusalem.
Now the Greek and the Roman mythology, you know the
enemies always has to have a counterfeit. Their paradise was
the Elysian Fields, a pleasant part of Hades inhabited by
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the deserving dead, and we can see right there what
they did. They're always presenting a fake, worthless counterfeit to deceive. Oh,
I don't need their paradise. I have this one. I'm
going to the Elysian Fields. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Let me know how that.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
Works out for you. The Gospels refer to heaven as
the abode of God. a place of eternal habitation for
those who have obeyed God and followed Yeshua. Paul says
they went up to the third heaven, and that's always
believed to be where the Lord is, where the throne is.
(23:48):
And there are others that say, oh, there's seven heavens.
There's 14 levels of heaven.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
Come on. Let's just go with what the Bible says.
We have heaven.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
And we have a place of eternal punishment for those
who reject God, which the Bible describes as hell, combining
all the concepts into one word. According to the Holman
Treasury of Key Words, paradise will be restored to the
new earth when the new Jerusalem will be established. The
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blessed participants will experience eternal joy in the presence of
their Savior, Jesus the Messiah. And since Satan and all
evil will be eliminated, there will be no fear of
the devil ruining this paradise as he did the first one.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
I like that part. Paradise is our future hope.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
2 Peter 3.13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look
for a new heavens and a new earth in which
righteousness dwells. Acts 24, 15, I have hope in God,
which they themselves also accept that there will be a
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resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
It's going to.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
Happen one way or the other. You're going to go
one place or the other. If you're listening, more than
likely you've made the right choice. If you haven't made
that right choice, you should. Romans 8, 23, not only that,
but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit
Even we ourselves grown within ourselves eagerly awaiting for the adoption,
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the redemption of our body. We can't take these broken
bodies into paradise.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
No, no, no. We get new ones.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
No scars, no pain, no sickness, no disease. I shared
with you the vision I had of my cousin Bobby
as he stepped over into eternity to meet the Lord.
Bobby had been a street fighter. He had knife scars.
He had been shot. He had bullet holes.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
He had acne.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
He had all the things that the world had done
to him. All the pain, all the bruises, all the suffering.
And when he stepped over, it was all gone. His
skin was perfectly smooth. And he glowed. And he smiled.
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A smile so big. as the Lord wrapped his arms
around him, and for the first time in his life,
in his existence, he was no longer alive, he felt
the unconditional love he'd always sought. Jude, verses 20 and 21,
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But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith,
praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love
of God, Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus
the Messiah, Yeshua HaMashiach, unto eternal life. If you could
tell anybody anything, you don't have to be a preacher.
(27:14):
You don't have to ask them. You have an eternal life.
Where are you going to spend it? Your soul will
not be destroyed. It will spend eternity somewhere. We're looking
for an eternal life, a place in paradise.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
With the Lord.
Speaker 3 (27:39):
You know, we have what the heroes of faith hoped for.
In Hebrews 11, starting verse 8, By faith Abraham obeyed
when he was called to go out to the place
which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out,
not knowing where he was going. By faith... He dwelt
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in the land of the promise in a foreign country,
dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with
him of the same promise. For he waited for the
city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
He was waiting for the new Jerusalem, the city, the
four square city that's going to be in the air
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above Jerusalem. We see the Lord refer to this in
Mark 10 starting verse 17 when he's speaking to the
young rich ruler. Now as he was going out on
the road, one came running and knelt before him and
asked him, good teacher, rabbi, what shall I do that
I may inherit eternal life? And Yeshua said to him,
(28:46):
why do you call me good? No one is good
but one that is God. You know the commandments. Do
not commit adultery. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do
not bear false witness. Do not defraud. Honor your father
and mother. And the young man answered him, Said, Teacher, Rabbi,
I have all these things I have kept.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
From my youth.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
Then Yeshua, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
One thing you lack, go your way. Sell whatever you
have and give it to the poor, and you will
have treasure in heaven. Come, take up your cross and
follow me. But the young man was sad at this word,
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and he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
He couldn't give up the things of the world for
an eternity with the Lord. You have to give it up.
You can't take it with you. What's the point? But
this young man had so many things, he couldn't just
give it all away and follow the Lord. I will
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tell you this, if you give it all away, you
get so much more. The Holy Spirit helps us. He
walks with us. He shows us, hey, this is the
right decision. You can do this. Galatians 6, 8, For
he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh
(30:20):
reap corruption, like this young man, this rich ruler. But
he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit
reap everlasting life. Everlasting life. When you're young, you don't
(30:40):
think a lot about death. As you get older, you do.
As you watch other people die, it comes glaringly into light.
The eternal life is given by Yeshua and the Holy Spirit,
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a future reality. Some of it we've experienced in a
limited degree in the presence, the elements, the joy. There
are elements of eternity that we feel in the here
and now, but we don't fully get it. All of
(31:30):
it involves our relationship with the Father and the Son
and the Holy Spirit. Fellowship in eternal life means fellowship
with the triune God, the Father and the Son and
the Holy Spirit. The love that held him on the
(31:54):
cross paved the way to paradise for anyone who believes.
Anyone who believes, anyone who makes him Lord of their
life has that door open to him or her. You
and I, we have hope. We have hope of eternal
(32:15):
life with him. And that's what you fixate on in
the midst of what you're going through, in the midst
of the struggles, in the midst of all the pain
this world can give you.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
You set your eyes.
Speaker 3 (32:28):
On things above, and one of those things is paradise
with the Lord, paradise with Him. Titus 3, starting verse 4,
But when the kindness and the love of God our
Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which
we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us,
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through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
whom he poured out on us abundantly, through Jesus the Messiah,
our Savior, that having been justified by his grace, we
should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life,
(33:15):
that we would be justified, made free of the guilt
of sin, by his compassionate, undeserved grace, and that we
should be acknowledged and acceptable to him, made heirs of
eternal life, actually experiencing it according to our hope, which
(33:38):
is his guarantee. There's a hymn from 1862. written by F.W.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
Faber.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
And it says, O Paradise, O Paradise, a greatly long
to see, the special place my dearest Lord is destining
for me, where royal hearts and true stand ever in
the light, all rapture through and through in God's most
(34:19):
holy sight. Paradise with him is his promise to us.
It's the hope that we hold on to for us
and our loved ones. Now tonight's going to be a
little shorter than normal because my family and I are
(34:43):
still going through the reminder of paradise through a loved one.
not ready to talk about it. I will at some
future time. You know I will because I share everything
with you. But just know that he has a promise
(35:12):
that we will be with him in paradise. Lord, let
your will be done. I've done the best I could
do this day. But I know you make it better
through the Holy Spirit. Lord, I pray that everyone that
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needs to hear this message finds it. To touch their heart.
To heal their wounds. Put the palm of Gilead on
it right now. But Lord, so many need hope. And
the inspiration of this message is to go share it
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with others. Hey, there's a paradise I want to tell
you about. And there's someone there who wants to meet you.
So bless us, Lord. Inspire us. Send us forth in
your name with your love, with your grace, with your mercy.
(36:17):
We just thank you for that. I thank you for that.
And I pray all these things in Yeshua's name.
Speaker 2 (36:26):
Amen.
Speaker 3 (36:28):
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the
Lord make his face to shine upon you and be
gracious to you. May the Lord, Adonai Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus
the Messiah, King of kings and Lord of lords, lift
up his countenance upon you and give you peace, give
(36:49):
you shalom. I'm Richard Grund. This has been The Porch
on Firefall Talk Radio.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
Firefall Talk Radio
Firefall Talk Radio Hello, welcome to the porch on Firefall
(00:23):
Talk Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
I'm Richard Grund.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
This is where you find the uncompromised red-letter basics of
the Word of God. We focus on the Book of
Acts Church, the purest, most effective form of the church,
to see how they serve the Lord and to follow
their example. When we do that, we find the church
the Lord intended and not the one man created. The
(00:46):
porch is a non-denominational, full gospel approach to the Bible.
It's based on those examples of the Book of Acts Church,
and it aims to restore the priesthood of the believer
and regain the world-shaking influence that the early church had.
Church age isn't over. The Upper Room experience is as
much for today as it was on the day of Pentecost.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
It's yours if you want it.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
We offer you the word as the apostles would have
to the Jewish and Gentile believers of their day, using
both Yeshua and Jesus when speaking of the Lord. We
prefer to use the term Messiah rather than Christ as
it more accurately reflects how he was referred to by
those who knew him. Getting back to basics, it's not
(01:32):
just our motto, it's a mandate from the Lord. Links
to all of our social media and streaming sites can
be found on the main page at firefalltalkradio.com. Subscribe to
us wherever you listen so that you know when new
content is posted. If you'd like to support us, and
we hope that you will, at the very bottom of
(01:54):
the main page at firefalltalkradio.com, there are online ways to
to bless us, as well as the P.L. Box if
you need to mail it. We appreciate you, your support,
and your encouragement. Thank you for being a part of
the porch. Contact us if you need prayer. Remember, we
(02:14):
care about you. There are people that want to pray
for you. Start out with praise. I praise the Lord
for my home, my wife, my family, my sons, daughter-in-laws, grandchildren,
furry kids, Possessions, all that I have, come from him.
I praise him for provision and protection, for the dreams
(02:37):
and the visions as we live out Joel 2.28. I
praise him for divine health and healing, for his abiding favor,
for the continuing revelation of the Holy Spirit, and for
being a new creation, allowing me to live in these
prophetic times and to serve him.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
And in doing so, I pray.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
I always pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they
prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls. Prosperity
within your palaces for the sake of my brethren and companions.
I will now say, peace be within you. Psalm 122,
verses 6 through 8. Know this, that how the world
is treating Israel, it will treat the church. It will,
(03:22):
and is in some places, treating anyone who believes that Jesus,
that Yeshua is Lord. So don't think it's just for
the Jews to suffer like this. We will as well
because we've been grafted into the vine. Pray for the
fatherless and the widows, the persecuted and the martyrs, the
(03:43):
innocent and those who are victims of injustice. I pray
for divine wholeness, health and healing in me, And my
family and each and every one of you as we
get back to our divine design. Healing for all who
are sick right now in Yeshua's name.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
For protection. For inspiration.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
For the remnant, that's us. To rise up and answer
the call to action. No matter how beat down you feel.
No matter how weighed down or whatever the.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
World is doing to you. Stand up.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Shake it off and be strong in the Lord and
the power of his might. And I pray that those
that have been blessed will be a blessing so that
we can go forth in his name and do what
we've been called to do. To do that, we need
to pray against the schemes of the fallen. We need
to confront the enemy with confidence, purpose, and the power
(04:38):
of the Lord. We have to have that Psalm 91 protection,
which we've talked about in the past, covering us. And
we need to be inspired by his word, by his spirit,
to set the captives free and to destroy all the
work of the enemy. And finally, I pray for the
(04:59):
provision and the divine abiding favor to do just that.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Abba, Papa, we.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Come to you as your children. We boldly approach the
throne of grace and mercy. We thank you for loving
us even when we were unlovable. We thank you for Yeshua,
for sending your only begotten Son to do what we
never would have been able to do so that we
(05:28):
could come home.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
And be with you. Lord, thank you for that.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Thank you for enduring the cross, the pain, the shame,
everything that was done to you so that we could
be free. And thank you for being alive. The tomb
is empty. You're not there. You are a risen Savior.
And you allow us to sit with you in the
heavenly places. Holy Spirit, I thank you for doing what
(05:55):
the Lord has asked you to do. To remind us,
to teach us, to walk with us. And I ask
that you do that this day on the porch. Open
our eyes, open our hearts, open our minds. Let us
receive from this word what you want us to receive, Lord.
And I pray all these things in Yeshua's name.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Amen.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
These lessons are proprietary information except where note of the
information comes from outside sources. Combination of that information the
matter presented is exclusive, cannot be repeated or used without permission.
The date of this broadcast serves as the registered date
of the following information.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Okay, go with.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Me to Luke 23. We'll pick it up with verse 34.
You know that this is the point where he's been crucified.
He's been nailed to the cross. And Yeshua said, Father,
forgive them, for they know not what they do. And
they divided his garments and cast lots, and the people
(07:17):
stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying,
He saved others. Let him save himself if he is
the Messiah, the chosen of God. The soldiers also mocked him.
coming and offering him sour wine and saying, If you
(07:38):
are the king of the Jews, save yourself. An inscription
was written over him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew.
This is the king of the Jews. What a declaration.
They didn't realize that they were telling the truth, and
they made sure every language could read it. Verse 39,
(08:00):
And one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed him, saying,
If you are the Messiah, save yourself and us. But
the other, remember they're on either side of him, but
the other answering rebuked him, saying, Do you not even
fear God, seeing that you are under the same condemnation?
(08:21):
And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward
of our deeds. But this man has done nothing wrong.
And then he said to Yeshua, Lord, remember me when
you come into your kingdom. And Yeshua said to him,
assuredly I say to you, today.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
You will be with me in paradise.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Truly I tell you, today you shall be with me
in paradise. Right there. He didn't do anything special. He
didn't pray any special prayer. He didn't have to do
anything more than what he did. And the Lord said, okay,
(09:12):
I'm taking you with me down into Sheol where the
righteous dead are. And then into paradise with me. Now remember,
there was no heavenly paradise at that point. He had
to go down before he first went up, Ephesians 4,
(09:34):
starting verse 8. Therefore, he says, when he ascended on high,
he led captivity captive and gave gifts to men. Verse 9,
now this, he ascended. What does it mean that he
also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?
He who descended is the one who ascended far above
(09:56):
all the heavens that he might fulfill all things.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
He had to go down.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
He didn't just immediately go to heaven. We know that.
For three days he rises from the grave. Mary sees him.
Don't touch me yet. I have not yet ascended to
my father. And he took with him all the righteous
that were waiting for Messiah. And this criminal got to
(10:22):
go along with every bit of it because he saw
the Lord for who he is. One criminal mocked him.
If you are the Messiah, save yourself and us. And
the others saw him as Savior, as the Messiah that
(10:44):
they'd been waiting for. Lord, remember me when you come
into your kingdom. So many stories about this young man.
How did he know? How did he recognize him? Some
have taught without any verification that he was the son
of a rabbi and he knew or he was this
or that. Many, many, many years later, some writing gave
(11:05):
him a name.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
We don't know, but what we do know is what
we have.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
He recognized him as Lord and as a king with
a kingdom.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
They were criminals.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
Some believe, and I believe this part to be true,
that they were insurrectionists with Barabbas. And Yeshua took the
cross meant for Barabbas. Two criminals became a part of history,
one for the right reason, one for the wrong. Isn't
(11:41):
that the story of mankind? Two different types of sinners.
One who don't see him for who he is and
one who do. Right there, unbelief, mockery, all the things
(12:07):
being done. And he recognized his own guilt and Yeshua's innocence.
He said, this man has done nothing wrong He must
have known a little bit about him. He didn't follow
in life, but he followed him in death. And even there,
(12:32):
hanging on the cross, bleeding out all that pain, Yeshua
exercised his authority over God's kingdom and granted a place
in it to this young man. Forgiveness and salvation came
through faith not by works. So many people, and I've
(12:56):
gotten into discussions on social media with some people that
believe works is absolutely necessary and Martin Luther's declaration of
salvation by faith alone.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
No, no, no. You have to do this. You have
to do that. He didn't.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
And if it If that's what the Lord declared and showed,
then that's the example I'll follow. He surrendered and put
his trust in Messiah alone. And God's grace sprang into action.
We cannot forget, ever forget, Ephesians 2.8. For by grace
(13:41):
you have been saved through faith. and not that of yourselves.
It is a gift of God. God's grace is given.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
It's not earned.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
It's unmerited favor. Now, out of that you will do things.
Faith will inspire you to action. But those good works
are not the basis of, but the evidence of God's grace.
new creative work in us. So, to anyone who believes,
(14:21):
salvation is available to them by God's grace.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
I know.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
It did it for me. I didn't deserve it. I
just realized I needed a savior. And this criminal, in
his last moments, came to that revelation and was immediately
welcomed into fellowship with the Lord. It also showed the
(14:54):
Lord's authority that he was.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
A king and he could act in the kingly authority.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
He is the eternal king, able to grant eternal life. Yes,
he was a victim of injustice, but he was so
much more than that. And this story lines up with
the larger New Testament teaching, which proclaims to us Yeshua's
(15:22):
lordship and his sovereign rule even beyond death. No one's
beyond redemption if they genuinely turn to the Lord with
all their heart. Confess with your mouth. Believe in your heart.
(15:45):
This moment on the cross, this experience, this historical event
showed us that spiritual clarity, moral clarity, whatever you want
to call it, which inspires repentance, will inspire faith even
in the midst of suffering and bring forth Manifest God's
(16:08):
grace over our human guilt and shame. As believers, we
see our own need for mercy. We see our own
need to make this powerful declaration. I know I did.
(16:32):
I know I do every day. That I can't do
this without him. That without his grace, I can't function
because that grace is still amazing. And in the midst
of life's lessons, you learn very quickly how amazing his
(16:54):
grace is. Martin Luther said, through faith we are restored
to paradise and created anew. concept of paradise has been
on my mind a lot lately the home and bible
dictionary says paradise it occurs in all three new testament
(17:16):
occurrences luke 23 43 which i've read to you second
corinthians 12 4 where paul says i know a man
in messiah who 14 years ago whether in the body
i do not know whether out of the body i
do not know god knows such a one was caught
up to the third heaven And I know such a man,
(17:37):
whether in the body or out of the body, I
don't know. God knows how he was caught up into
paradise and heard inexpressible words, which is not lawful for
a man to utter. We see it mentioned again in
Revelation 2, 7. When speaking to the church in Ephesus,
(17:57):
the Lord says, He who has an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit says to the churches. to him
who overcomes, I will give to eat from the tree
of life, which is in the midst of the paradise
of God. Well, wouldn't that indicate that paradise is the
(18:22):
return to Eden? The Greek Septuagint uses the word paradisos,
which is paradise, the Translating the Hebrew words for the
Garden of Eden in Genesis 2 and 3. So paradise
is a return to that time in the Garden of Eden.
(18:45):
We call it heaven. I don't know, is paradise just,
it's something different, it's something special. It's not just a place,
it's how you feel. This is paradise. And as I said,
it became eventually to refer to heaven. And then we
(19:06):
have the opposite of which is Gehenna, the burning furnace
of suffering and judgment. So where'd that word come from?
It's a Persian word, paradise. It means royal park or
the garden of God. The original Persian word indicates an
(19:28):
enclosure or a walled garden. and referred to the royal
parks of the Persian kings. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia says,
In the apocryphal or pseudepigraphical literature, the word is extensively
used in a spiritual and sociological sense, signalizing the place
(19:54):
of happiness to be inherited by the righteous in contrast
to Gehenna, the place of punishment to which the wicked
were to be assigned. Nowhere else in his teachings, nowhere
else in his statements does the Lord use the word paradise.
(20:16):
In the parables, he uses other figures like the marriage
supper and of new wine and Abraham's bosom, which is Sheol,
and of houses not made by hands, eternal in the heavens.
Another scripture I've dwelled on lately. John 14, starting verse 2.
(20:37):
The Lord said to the disciples, In my Father's house
are many mansions, dwelling places. If it were not so,
I would have told you. I go to prepare a
place for you. And if I go and prepare a
place for you, I will come again and receive you
(20:58):
to myself, that where I am.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
There you may be also.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
That's his promise to us who believe that where he is,
we can be also. Whether it's heaven or paradise, which
is synonymous, he's there, then we're there with him.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
Paul said, out of the body, present with the Lord.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
And very much the criminal on the cross was out
of the body and he was present with the Lord. Unfortunately,
the Lord had to go down before he went up.
So the young man went on a little bit of
a journey. And I'm assuming he was a young man.
He could have been an older man. I don't know,
but for some reason I see him as a younger man.
(21:47):
The promise of paradise given to us in Revelation 2, 7.
To him who overcomes, I will give to eat from
the tree of life, which is in the midst of the.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
Paradise of God. It speaks.
Speaker 3 (22:04):
of the restitution of Eden. Eden was paradise to Adam
and Eve, to all the animals. To us, it's an
everlasting home for believers who have made Yeshua Lord. Everyone
(22:24):
on this earth would love to find paradise, a place
of natural perfection, endless.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
Provision, and rest.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
Adam and Eve lived in a paradise in the beginning,
and at the end, there'll be another paradise, the new Jerusalem.
Now the Greek and the Roman mythology, you know the
enemies always has to have a counterfeit. Their paradise was
the Elysian Fields, a pleasant part of Hades inhabited by
(23:01):
the deserving dead, and we can see right there what
they did. They're always presenting a fake, worthless counterfeit to deceive. Oh,
I don't need their paradise. I have this one. I'm
going to the Elysian Fields. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Let me know how that.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
Works out for you. The Gospels refer to heaven as
the abode of God. a place of eternal habitation for
those who have obeyed God and followed Yeshua. Paul says
they went up to the third heaven, and that's always
believed to be where the Lord is, where the throne is.
(23:48):
And there are others that say, oh, there's seven heavens.
There's 14 levels of heaven.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
Come on. Let's just go with what the Bible says.
We have heaven.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
And we have a place of eternal punishment for those
who reject God, which the Bible describes as hell, combining
all the concepts into one word. According to the Holman
Treasury of Key Words, paradise will be restored to the
new earth when the new Jerusalem will be established. The
(24:23):
blessed participants will experience eternal joy in the presence of
their Savior, Jesus the Messiah. And since Satan and all
evil will be eliminated, there will be no fear of
the devil ruining this paradise as he did the first one.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
I like that part. Paradise is our future hope.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
2 Peter 3.13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look
for a new heavens and a new earth in which
righteousness dwells. Acts 24, 15, I have hope in God,
which they themselves also accept that there will be a
(25:09):
resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
It's going to.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
Happen one way or the other. You're going to go
one place or the other. If you're listening, more than
likely you've made the right choice. If you haven't made
that right choice, you should. Romans 8, 23, not only that,
but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit
Even we ourselves grown within ourselves eagerly awaiting for the adoption,
(25:38):
the redemption of our body. We can't take these broken
bodies into paradise.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
No, no, no. We get new ones.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
No scars, no pain, no sickness, no disease. I shared
with you the vision I had of my cousin Bobby
as he stepped over into eternity to meet the Lord.
Bobby had been a street fighter. He had knife scars.
He had been shot. He had bullet holes.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
He had acne.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
He had all the things that the world had done
to him. All the pain, all the bruises, all the suffering.
And when he stepped over, it was all gone. His
skin was perfectly smooth. And he glowed. And he smiled.
(26:31):
A smile so big. as the Lord wrapped his arms
around him, and for the first time in his life,
in his existence, he was no longer alive, he felt
the unconditional love he'd always sought. Jude, verses 20 and 21,
(26:53):
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith,
praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love
of God, Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus
the Messiah, Yeshua HaMashiach, unto eternal life. If you could
tell anybody anything, you don't have to be a preacher.
(27:14):
You don't have to ask them. You have an eternal life.
Where are you going to spend it? Your soul will
not be destroyed. It will spend eternity somewhere. We're looking
for an eternal life, a place in paradise.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
With the Lord.
Speaker 3 (27:39):
You know, we have what the heroes of faith hoped for.
In Hebrews 11, starting verse 8, By faith Abraham obeyed
when he was called to go out to the place
which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out,
not knowing where he was going. By faith... He dwelt
(27:59):
in the land of the promise in a foreign country,
dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with
him of the same promise. For he waited for the
city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
He was waiting for the new Jerusalem, the city, the
four square city that's going to be in the air
(28:21):
above Jerusalem. We see the Lord refer to this in
Mark 10 starting verse 17 when he's speaking to the
young rich ruler. Now as he was going out on
the road, one came running and knelt before him and
asked him, good teacher, rabbi, what shall I do that
I may inherit eternal life? And Yeshua said to him,
(28:46):
why do you call me good? No one is good
but one that is God. You know the commandments. Do
not commit adultery. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do
not bear false witness. Do not defraud. Honor your father
and mother. And the young man answered him, Said, Teacher, Rabbi,
I have all these things I have kept.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
From my youth.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
Then Yeshua, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
One thing you lack, go your way. Sell whatever you
have and give it to the poor, and you will
have treasure in heaven. Come, take up your cross and
follow me. But the young man was sad at this word,
(29:35):
and he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
He couldn't give up the things of the world for
an eternity with the Lord. You have to give it up.
You can't take it with you. What's the point? But
this young man had so many things, he couldn't just
give it all away and follow the Lord. I will
(29:59):
tell you this, if you give it all away, you
get so much more. The Holy Spirit helps us. He
walks with us. He shows us, hey, this is the
right decision. You can do this. Galatians 6, 8, For
he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh
(30:20):
reap corruption, like this young man, this rich ruler. But
he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit
reap everlasting life. Everlasting life. When you're young, you don't
(30:40):
think a lot about death. As you get older, you do.
As you watch other people die, it comes glaringly into light.
The eternal life is given by Yeshua and the Holy Spirit,
(31:06):
a future reality. Some of it we've experienced in a
limited degree in the presence, the elements, the joy. There
are elements of eternity that we feel in the here
and now, but we don't fully get it. All of
(31:30):
it involves our relationship with the Father and the Son
and the Holy Spirit. Fellowship in eternal life means fellowship
with the triune God, the Father and the Son and
the Holy Spirit. The love that held him on the
(31:54):
cross paved the way to paradise for anyone who believes.
Anyone who believes, anyone who makes him Lord of their
life has that door open to him or her. You
and I, we have hope. We have hope of eternal
(32:15):
life with him. And that's what you fixate on in
the midst of what you're going through, in the midst
of the struggles, in the midst of all the pain
this world can give you.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
You set your eyes.
Speaker 3 (32:28):
On things above, and one of those things is paradise
with the Lord, paradise with Him. Titus 3, starting verse 4,
But when the kindness and the love of God our
Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which
we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us,
(32:51):
through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
whom he poured out on us abundantly, through Jesus the Messiah,
our Savior, that having been justified by his grace, we
should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life,
(33:15):
that we would be justified, made free of the guilt
of sin, by his compassionate, undeserved grace, and that we
should be acknowledged and acceptable to him, made heirs of
eternal life, actually experiencing it according to our hope, which
(33:38):
is his guarantee. There's a hymn from 1862. written by F.W.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
Faber.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
And it says, O Paradise, O Paradise, a greatly long
to see, the special place my dearest Lord is destining
for me, where royal hearts and true stand ever in
the light, all rapture through and through in God's most
(34:19):
holy sight. Paradise with him is his promise to us.
It's the hope that we hold on to for us
and our loved ones. Now tonight's going to be a
little shorter than normal because my family and I are
(34:43):
still going through the reminder of paradise through a loved one.
not ready to talk about it. I will at some
future time. You know I will because I share everything
with you. But just know that he has a promise
(35:12):
that we will be with him in paradise. Lord, let
your will be done. I've done the best I could
do this day. But I know you make it better
through the Holy Spirit. Lord, I pray that everyone that
(35:33):
needs to hear this message finds it. To touch their heart.
To heal their wounds. Put the palm of Gilead on
it right now. But Lord, so many need hope. And
the inspiration of this message is to go share it
(35:55):
with others. Hey, there's a paradise I want to tell
you about. And there's someone there who wants to meet you.
So bless us, Lord. Inspire us. Send us forth in
your name with your love, with your grace, with your mercy.
(36:17):
We just thank you for that. I thank you for that.
And I pray all these things in Yeshua's name.
Speaker 2 (36:26):
Amen.
Speaker 3 (36:28):
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the
Lord make his face to shine upon you and be
gracious to you. May the Lord, Adonai Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus
the Messiah, King of kings and Lord of lords, lift
up his countenance upon you and give you peace, give
(36:49):
you shalom. I'm Richard Grund. This has been The Porch
on Firefall Talk Radio.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
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