"To Abraham and His Seed" 6       This is an edited version of the lecture titled, "To Abraham and His Seed," which was preached on June 16th, 2007.       After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."    Genesis 15:1       The Senses that God Has Given to ManIn what manner did God create man? I often think that God made man in a unique manner.Through our flesh, we can feel certain sensations that God has allowed man to feel. We can see, hear, and taste. We can smell herbs, and we can feel the breeze against our skin. We can be in a certain place where we can enjoy the taste of something, hear certain music, see what is in front of us, and feel with our hands, all at once. These sensations have a combined effect on our brains. As a result of what we perceive through our senses, we come to feel a certain emotion. In light of this, we can see that God made us "fearfully and wonderfully", (Psalm 139:14) as the Bible says.When certain signals from the body reach the brain, they affect not only our physical bodies but also our minds. Therefore, we should be quite careful and thoughtful when we listen to music or when we sing.What will happen to what we see with our eyes, hear with our ears, and feel, when we leave this flesh and resurrect? We may refer to it as resurrection or a change. When it comes to the hope of resurrection, we think of it simply as not dying and living forever, but as I continue to read the Bible, the question of what this "change" means lingers in my mind. The Bible refers to the sound of the trumpet. One day, at a certain moment, when the age of the Church ends and the remainder of the Jewish history unfolds in the world, before the tribulation overtakes this world, there will be the sound of the trumpet, as it says in First Corinthians and in First Thessalonians (see 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16). The sound of the trumpet that these Bible verses refer to is the sound that people of this world cannot hear. Only the people that have the definite experience of being born again in their hearts and of having God's life transplanted in them can hear this sound. The sound of the trumpet that will be heard after the seven years of tribulation, when Jesus returns to the Mount of Olives, is the sound that everyone in the world will be able to hear. However, the sound that has been given to the Church is a special sound that only the spirits of born-again individuals can hear. That is not the sound that you can hear because you want to hear it.Sound is something special. If you do not want to see something, you can simply close your eyes. If you do not want to touch something, you do not have to touch it. However, you cannot avoid hearing a sound even if you do not wish to hear it. Man's ears are not such that you only hear what you want to hear and do not hear what you do not want to hear. Even when you plug your ears, you can faintly hear the sounds around you.However, as the Bible says, if you turn your back on God and go far away, then you cannot hear the voice of God. That is the "voice." Jesus said to our spirits, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (Luke 14:35). The Bible promises us a day when life swallows up death in its entirety. On the day that eternal life - which is contained in the blood of Jesus Christ - consumes us, who live in the flesh and thus have no choice but to die, we will hear a sound. When we hear that sound and have our flesh, in which we live, be transformed at the same time, what kind of joy will we feel?When man hears beautiful music that suits a beautiful scene of nature, he naturally feels good. Even though we live in the flesh that is destined to die, God has created our flesh in such a way that we can taste, but for a moment, the joy that He has prepared for us. Being able to feel joy while seeing and hearing something simultaneously is a tremendous gift from God. This is true for unsaved and saved people. That is why the Bible says, "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord" (Psalm 150:6).Unfortunately, however, what kind of music is heard in the world these days? Just as our lives go on aimlessly, there is a tendency to compose music in a careless manner. We are confined by time and space. We feel that time is passing by, but we ignore it as we live our lives. Even the people that have found an answer in the Bible sometimes forget about the precious blessing that they have as they live their lives.As I listen to music and feel that the music is good, I wonder if that moment exists in the world. The music plays on, and the moment in which I feel that the music is good is neither the present, nor future, nor past. As you listen to music that you hear through your ears, you can decide whether you like it or not. However, you cannot hold on to the time in which you live. We live our lives that are quite distanced from the present, yet we make the mistake of thinking that the present is the combination of the past and the future. However, I acknowledge a certain verse in the Bible. That verse is, "I AM WHO I AM" (Exodus 3:14). "I AM WHO I AM" are the words of God. God, who exists in the present at all times, was speaking to Moses and called Himself, "I AM WHO I AM," the One that always exists, the One that always is. We live within the confines of time, yet we do not know what the present is. When we listen to music, we hear how the melody that was just played and the melody that will be played go together, and we decide whether we like the music or not. This is the reason we get bored when we listen to the same song repeatedly. We know what kind of melody will follow, so we get bored if we listen to the same song many times even if the song is good. The same is true of works of fine art, which we see with our eyes. I like to draw and I own a collection of paintings. When I buy a new painting and hang it on a wall for the first time, I like to look at it. The moment I take my eyes off it, however, the painting is no longer mine. Even though a person may look at a painting and like it, once he turns away from the painting, he instantly forgets exactly what the painting looked like. Only when he is looking at it does he know exactly what it looks like. He may enjoy the painting when he is looking at it, but when he is not looking at it, he merely remembers that he has seen it before; he does not appreciate the painting as much anymore. I like to look at the sky. Since I was little, I really liked looking at the sunset. Whenever I look at a sunset, I realize that art as I know it is nothing in front of God. When I look at the sky, which is constantly changing and does not stop changing even for a moment, I think to myself that God who created the heavens and the earth is the artist of artists. We think that paintings on canvases and sculptures are works of art, but the exquisite changes that we see every day in the beautiful nature are the best works of art, which God has given to man as a gift. They are priceless and they cannot be created by man, but even they cannot be seen if we close our eyes, or when we are sleeping. They are only in our memories.    When We Are Transformed into Perfect BodiesThere is a reason that I am saying all this. I wonder how it would be when our flesh is transformed, and I look forward to it.We will turn to First Corinthians chapter 13.   For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. (Verses 9-12)   We find this tremendous promise in the Bible. People use the words from First Corinthians chapter 13 and sing, "Love is kind" (see verse 4). A young man may sing this song for the girl he loves, but we should give some deep thought to these words in the Bible:For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.The Bible says, "When that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away." With our eyes, we see and perceive the th

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