LESSON 17:
Your Body Immunities
1: How is your security right now? No, I am not talking about how strong the bars are on the windows of your homes, I am not talking about whether or not you have hired guards to stand near your place of business or your home. I am talking about something more valuable than houses and business. I am talking about your body defense against certain kinds of germs.
2: God had provided us with several built-in lines of defense against germs which cause infections. In earlier lessons we mentioned some of these defenses, such as White Blood Cells that surround and literally swallow up germs that enter the body. You will recall that we discussed how these policemen of the body rush to the scene of invasion when even so small a thing as a sliver enters the body?
3: Another line of defense is our lymph nodes which are scattered all over the body. Your tonsils are the best example of these. Inflamed tonsils are the reaction of the body to germs that enter through the nose or mouth. Swollen lymph nodes under the arm or on the neck are proof of infection in other parts of the body.
4: We also mentioned earlier about your general body resistance as another means of defense. We can have high general resistance against disease by keeping in good health through following basic health habits.
5: Now, I want to mention another type of resistance of which you should be aware. This is a special kind of resistance against certain germs. Whenever germs invade your body, they act as a stimulus to cause your body to produce special chemicals called antibodies. These antibodies are against the germs. They destroy the germs or also neutralize their poisons in which case they are called antitoxins. Antibodies kill germs. Antitoxins neutralize the poisons put out by germs.
6: Now, the kind of protection that these antibodies give you is called immunity. Some diseases produce temporary immunity in the body. Other diseases produce immunity for as long as you live. For example, after you get over a cold, it may be a short or long time (depending on your general resistance) before you get another cold or even though you are in continual contact with cold germs. On the other hand, if you have had a disease such as mumps or chicken pox, it is not likely that you will have that disease again the rest of your life!
7: For a few weeks or months, a new born baby usually has the same immunities that the mother has; he gets special immunities from his mothers milk. This is fortunate, for in this way the child has the opportunity to grow and develop and get some resistance of its own.
8: Many times as you come in contact with germs, your body builds immunity without your even realizing what is going on. When you go from your home to another country, you may find that you quickly come down with certain diseases that are not troubling the people in the area so much. This is because they have already built up an immunity to them. In the same way, people coming here to our country from other countries come in contact with germs that their bodies have never met before, and they may have diarrhea, or fever, or other problems until their bodies have developed some immunity.
9: But there are some diseases for which we need to have resistance, and immunity without getting those diseases! For example, who wants his child to get polio in order to be immune to polio? Who wants to have the bad scars of smallpox in order to be immune to smallpox?
10: Actually, there is no disease we want to get! While diseases may give us antibodies, at the same time they lower our natural and general resistance and can be dangerous and crippling. Not only that, anyone with a communicable disease is a public enemy number one! Before he even knows for sure that he has the disease, he has already spread it to many others and can be the cause of starting or spreading an epidemic. And by the way, you should always remember that many dangerous diseases start with common symptoms such as sore throat, a runny nose, or vague aches and pains.
11: Not so many years ago, such diseases as smallpox, typhoid, and plague, killed hundreds and thousands of people. Why? Because people were ignorant about germs and how they spread, and also because science had not discovered that it is possible for people to have an unusual amount of immunity to a disease without having to have the disease. This can be done through sanitation, careful living, proper diet, rest, exercise, abstemiousness, sunlight, fresh air and trust in divine power.
12: Now comes the question I asked you at the beginning: How is YOUR security?
13: When one travels there are vital documents which must always be presented to the authorities upon entering a foreign land. You must present an officially stamped health card showing you have been properly vaccinated and immunized for entry, and a valid passport with visa for the country you are entering. Without these documents you will be declared unfit to enter another country. You could be rejected.
14: With the holy men of old, the true Christian is tired of this sin-cursed, polluted, worn out world and desires "a better country, that is an heavenly.." But, before we can enter that heavenly land, we must be checked to see if all is in order. Our lives must be examined to determine whether we will be a blessing or a curse to that better land called heaven.
15: Because heaven is a beautiful place and there is only peace and joy and happiness; nothing that causes any disturbance will be permitted. Every one that goes there has to be thoroughly tested and tried lest he pollute the heavenly atmosphere.
16: Let us read a few passages from our Bible which will help us to understand this important truth about judgment, so that we all can stand the test and be ready for any question we might be asked. "Rejoice, 0 young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth and walk in the ways of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes; but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment." Ecclesiastes 11:9. God is our judge. "God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing whether it be good or whether it be evil." Ecclesiastes 12:14. All our works will be judged whether good or bad. God knows all our secrets and we cannot hide anything from Him.
17: Jesus once said, "But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." Matthew 12:36. Even our words, that we utter will be judged. All will have to give their accounts to God individually. No one will escape God's judgment. We read, "They were judged every man according to their work. Revelation 20:13. Notice the words every man.
18: In the book 2nd Corinthians the 2nd chapter and verse 10, we read, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." Yes, God is going to judge us by Jesus Christ." "In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ." The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The Son shall not bear the iniquity of the Father, neither shall the Father bear the iniquity of the Son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him." Ezekiel 18:20. In Romans 14:12, it says, "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."
19: Everything that we do or say or think is recorded in the books of heaven. These recording angels keep an accurate record of all that we do. In the Bible we read of the book of Remembrance where all our good deeds are recorded. Then we read of the book of Death where all our sins are recorded. Then we have the book of Life where the names of those who accept Jesus as their Saviour are written.
20: What would be the standard of our judgment you might ask. Let the Bible answer this for you, 'So speak ye, and so do as they, that shall be judged by the Law of God." But we are all sinners. And the wages of Sin is Death.
21: But having realized that we have broken God's law, we confess our sins to Jesus for cleansing and forgiveness and right then all our sins are taken from us. From that point on we would try to walk upright by Christ's strength. If there will be even one sin unconfessed, we cannot pass the test and be ready for eternal life. All our sins must be confessed and forsaken; so that our names might be retained in the Book of Life.
22: When we accept Jesus as our Saviour, He will keep us from falling; that is to say from sins, such as idolatry, blasphemy, unholiness, disobedience, stealing, adultery, killing, telling lies, covetousness and the like.
23: As we learned in our last study, the great time prophecy of the 2300 day-years in Daniel 8 foretells the time when this great judgment was to begin in heaven. Beginning in 457 B.C., (and its interpretation is proved by the time of the death of Christ) this period goes to 1844. At that time began the work in heaven of examining the life records of all who had professed to believe in the true God. This is the great judgment of Daniel 7. It is going on right NOW. This is why God's true message for now is found in Revelation 14:6. "The hour of His judgment is come."
24: All those who have died from the time of Abel, claiming to be believers in the true God, will be judged. Any day your name or my name will be called for judgment. Are we ready for it? Have we confessed all our sins to Jesus? Have we given up all our past sins, our bad ways of living?
25: We cannot take even one sin with us to heaven. Please listen "know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators, effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind. Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of God. " 1 Corinthians 6:9,10.
26: Friends, what is your response tonight? Do you want to have your sins covered with the Blood of Jesus? Do you want to enter into the bliss of Eternal life? All that you have to do is to accept the Plan of God.
27: Accept the atoning sacrifice of Christ on your behalf. Acknowledge Him as your Saviour NOW. Confess your sins to Him and by His grace live a new life dedicated to Him. You don't have to worry about the judgment. In Christ you can have the hope of eternal life now.
28: He has given His life, His precious blood for the remission of your sins. He wants you to be saved. Hear His pleading voice, "I stand and knock at the door of your heart. Today, if we will hear His voice, harden not your hearts. Tomorrow might be too late. What you have is today. Give your heart to Him right now. He will uphold you.
Here is additional information on the Investigative Judgment:
"I am God, . . and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things not yet done." Isaiah 46:9:10.
"God . . hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world." Acts 17.30:31.
"I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like the pure wool: His throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire.
"A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him: thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.'' Daniel 8:9:10.
"He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life." Revelation 3:5.
