What is God's ultimate punishment? In the mind of God what was the highest form of punishment that he could devise against mankind for sin? Christians the world over imagine an eternity in the fires of hell to be God's highest form of punishment. This is blasphemy! God is not a sadist; he does not find pleasure in torture NOR does it satisfy him. What does God regard as the greatest punishment for sin? Consider:
Genesis 2:17
...but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely DIE.”
Here we see God explaining to Adam the consequences for sin. The answer to the question of God's ultimate punishment is DEATH. It is confirmed by Paul:
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is DEATH...
Romans 1:32
...and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are WORTHY OF DEATH, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
Romans 6:20-21
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? FOR THE OUTCOME OF THOSE THINGS IS DEATH.
So, we see that the highest form of punishment that God meets out to all mankind is death, or said another way the cessation of life. (My post titled 'You shall not surely die...' gives a clear understanding of the effects of death on the human being. In it I show that dead means dead). An understanding of how God punishes with death is essential for grasping the mystery of the 'second death' spoken of in the book of Revelation.
What happens after death?
The scriptures say what happens after death:
Hebrews 9:27
...And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,
Christians assume that judgment takes place immediately after you die, but what does the word of God say:
Acts 17:31
Because he hath appointed A DAY, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained...
God tells us that he has appointed a day when he will judge the world. Judgment does not happen on the day you die but on the 'appointed day in which he will judge the world'. At the time of judgment what happens?
John 5:28-29
Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.
Now, on the day that the wicked are resurrected we see that they are judged. Where does the judgement of God lead them?
Revelation 20:14-15
Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if ANYONE'S NAME was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the LAKE OF FIRE.
So where does the judgment of God lead them? TO DIE AGAIN of course; this is why it is called the SECOND DEATH.
What specifically is the lake of fire?
The Lake of Fire is the wrath of God fueled by his anger (It is important that you read my post on 'The purpose of the Lake of Fire' to get a seamless understanding here) , consider:
Romans 2:5
...But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
Ephesians 5:6
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
Colossians 3:5-6
Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things 'sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience
These verses show that the wrath of God is for the sons of disobedience; the bible also classifies them as 'the wicked'. This wrath is experienced in connection with judgment.
The wrath of God has different effects on different types of people.
This is a strange statement because most people think God an equal opportunity destroyer. But consider that the scriptures make a clear distinction regarding the wicked. All the wicked find their place in the Lake of Fire, but they experience it differently. For the purpose of this post let us offer a classification of the wicked:
Wicked 1.0
Wicked 2.0
The wicked 1.0 is your run of the mill unsaved, unredeemed, unbeliever from all of antiquity up until the time of the beast. The Wicked 2.0 is all those who 'worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand'.
Why was it necessary to use the word 'alive'?
Revelation 19:20
And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown ALIVE into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.
If all who experience this lake of fire are alive when they are cast into it then why is it necessary to distinguish that the beast and false prophet were cast in ALIVE?
Revelation 20:10
...and the Devil, who is leading them astray, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where [are] the beast and the false prophet, and they shall be tormented day and night -- to the ages of the ages.
Where is it EVER written that ALL the people who are wicked are:
1- alive in the fire and brimstone
2- are tormented
The smoke of WHOSE torment ascended up for ages of ages?
Revelation 20:14-15
Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:8
But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
What is the state of those who are thrown into the lake of fire? Are the alive or are they DEAD? Consider Jesus' words:
John 15:6
If anyone DOES NOT ABIDE in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and DRIES UP; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
This drying up is death. This branch is DEAD when it enters the fire to be burned.
Matthew 3:10
The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Matthew 7:19
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
What happens when you cut down a tree? It dies.
Who is ALIVE when they are cast into the Lake of Fire?
1- the beast
2- the false prophet
3- Satan
4- those who take the mark of the beast and worship his image
Revelation 14:9-11
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascends up to ages of ages: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
The church upon reading this assumes that this is ALL the wicked. This is a VERY SPECIFIC GROUP OF PEOPLE! These people receive the WRATH OF GOD WITHOUT MIXTURE! THEY ARE ALIVE in the Lake of fire. Consider the use of the words 'without mixture'. This phrase denotes a CONCENTRATION of wrath. If wrath was only experienced in ONE FORM why would it be necessary to specify 'without mixture'?
THE SECOND DEATH (lake of fire) KILLS THE WICKED 1.0. They enter it DEAD. They are DEAD as the power of God's judgement SALTS them with fire. These are then made alive in Christ since there impurities will be burnt away. Those in the four categories listed above will get the FULL MEASURE OF THE WRATH OF GOD WITHOUT MIXTURE.
What is the end result of all these things?
Zephaniah 3:8-9
“Therefore wait for Me,” declares the Lord, “For the day when I rise up as a witness. Indeed, My decision is to gather nations, To assemble kingdoms, To pour out on them My INDIGNATION, All My BURNING ANGER; For all the earth will be devoured By the FIRE of My zeal. “For THEN I will give to the peoples purified lips, That ALL OF THEM may call on the name of the Lord, To serve Him shoulder to shoulder.
Showing posts with label Death. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Death. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
The purpose of the Lake of Fire
The Lake of Fire is mentioned only in the book of Revelation. Ask any Christian and their imaginations will come alive with ideas about the Lake of Fire. But what exactly is this Lake of Fire or more importantly what is it's purpose? Consider:
Revelation 19:20
20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.
Okay, we see here that the Beast and false prophet are cast into this lake of fire. What else do we know:
Revelation 20:10
10 and the Devil, who is leading them astray, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where [are] the beast and the false prophet, and they shall be tormented day and night -- to the ages of the ages.
Here we see that the devil will be thrown into this lake of fire. What else:
Revelation 21:8
8 But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Revelation 20:15
15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
From these two verses we can see that ANYONE (HUMANS) not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. What else:
Revelation 20:14
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
There you have it; ALL the verses that mention the Lake of Fire. I left Revelation 20:14 until last because it gives us a link to understanding what this lake of fire is and its purpose. John saw where DEATH was cast into the lake of fire. This is important to know because another writer talks about death as well. Consider:
1 Corinthians 15:25-26
25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death.
Paul tells us that Christ must reign until God has put ALL his enemies under his feet. Paul then goes on to say that the LAST enemy will be death. Paul makes sure to say the 'LAST' enemy because there are other enemies that will be abolished. Who are the other enemies? John lists them in Revelation 19:20, 20:10, 21:8 and 21:15 (see above). Altogether the enemies of God are those who REMAIN disobedient in this age. These enemies of God are all to be abolished as Paul says. So how does God abolish death? John tells us how; God abolishes death by casting it into the Lake of Fire. Now here is where the purpose of Lake of Fire is revealed.
John says that Death along with the enemies of God will be cast into the Lake of Fire, Paul says that death and the enemies of God will be abolished. But what does abolish mean?
1 Corinthians 15:25-27
25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death. 27 For HE has put all things in SUBJECTION under His feet.
Paul tells us that the enemies of God will be abolished BY being SUBJECTED under the feet of Christ. Okay, let's look at this:
John says ALL the enemies of God will be cast into the Lake of Fire.
Paul says ALL the enemies of God will be put in subjection under Christ's feet.
Therefore, we MUST conclude that the 'Lake of Fire' and 'Subjection under the feet of Christ' has to be the SAME thing. So how do we find out what is the purpose of the Lake of Fire? We discover its purpose when we understand the meaning of the word 'SUBJECT'. The word subject in this passage is the Greek word 'hupotasso', and this word means, 'TO BRING UNDER CONTROL AND TO MAKE OBEDIENT'. Now we can see the purpose of the lake of fire:
The Lake of Fire is a process used by God to bring ALL His enemies under control thus MAKING them obedient to Christ.
It is AT this point when ALL the enemies of God, that is, everyone not written into the book of life because of DISOBEDIENCE will be MADE OBEDIENT.
Those chosen by God are made obedient NOW, but later ALL will be made obedient. (See post 'Everyone will be salted by Fire')
Revelation 19:20
20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.
Okay, we see here that the Beast and false prophet are cast into this lake of fire. What else do we know:
Revelation 20:10
10 and the Devil, who is leading them astray, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where [are] the beast and the false prophet, and they shall be tormented day and night -- to the ages of the ages.
Here we see that the devil will be thrown into this lake of fire. What else:
Revelation 21:8
8 But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Revelation 20:15
15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
From these two verses we can see that ANYONE (HUMANS) not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. What else:
Revelation 20:14
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
There you have it; ALL the verses that mention the Lake of Fire. I left Revelation 20:14 until last because it gives us a link to understanding what this lake of fire is and its purpose. John saw where DEATH was cast into the lake of fire. This is important to know because another writer talks about death as well. Consider:
1 Corinthians 15:25-26
25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death.
Paul tells us that Christ must reign until God has put ALL his enemies under his feet. Paul then goes on to say that the LAST enemy will be death. Paul makes sure to say the 'LAST' enemy because there are other enemies that will be abolished. Who are the other enemies? John lists them in Revelation 19:20, 20:10, 21:8 and 21:15 (see above). Altogether the enemies of God are those who REMAIN disobedient in this age. These enemies of God are all to be abolished as Paul says. So how does God abolish death? John tells us how; God abolishes death by casting it into the Lake of Fire. Now here is where the purpose of Lake of Fire is revealed.
John says that Death along with the enemies of God will be cast into the Lake of Fire, Paul says that death and the enemies of God will be abolished. But what does abolish mean?
1 Corinthians 15:25-27
25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death. 27 For HE has put all things in SUBJECTION under His feet.
Paul tells us that the enemies of God will be abolished BY being SUBJECTED under the feet of Christ. Okay, let's look at this:
John says ALL the enemies of God will be cast into the Lake of Fire.
Paul says ALL the enemies of God will be put in subjection under Christ's feet.
Therefore, we MUST conclude that the 'Lake of Fire' and 'Subjection under the feet of Christ' has to be the SAME thing. So how do we find out what is the purpose of the Lake of Fire? We discover its purpose when we understand the meaning of the word 'SUBJECT'. The word subject in this passage is the Greek word 'hupotasso', and this word means, 'TO BRING UNDER CONTROL AND TO MAKE OBEDIENT'. Now we can see the purpose of the lake of fire:
The Lake of Fire is a process used by God to bring ALL His enemies under control thus MAKING them obedient to Christ.
It is AT this point when ALL the enemies of God, that is, everyone not written into the book of life because of DISOBEDIENCE will be MADE OBEDIENT.
Those chosen by God are made obedient NOW, but later ALL will be made obedient. (See post 'Everyone will be salted by Fire')
Thursday, October 6, 2011
You shall not surely die...
The title statement is the first recorded lie in the bible, and indeed in all of creation. It was uttered by a serpent in the garden and it was directed towards Eve. Not only was this the first lie, but it remains the most ENDURING lie of all time. I say that it endures because this particular lie is the most pervasive lie today. What makes it even more heinous is that this lie now parades itself as a THEOLOGICAL TRUTH.
Well we know what happened, Eve and Adam ate the fruit and just as true as God spoke it death entered the world. I think we can all agree that we have been dying ever since. But what exactly is death? Death was first mentioned by God as punishment for disobeying him. Death literally means the cessation of life or lifelessness. In essence life IS what death IS NOT.
The prevailing Christian thought on death is that at the moment you die, that is your body dies, the 'real' you travels to some other place. If you have been righteous in life you are welcomed into heaven, and if you have been unrighteous in life then you will be cast into a bad bad place. But is it true? Let us look at some problems with this view:
1- The Christian teaching on death assumes that when you die you continue to live. This is based on, depending on who you talk to, presumptions that your body is not you and the real you lives inside of your body. The big problem with this, IF IT WERE TRUE, is that that would mean upon birth in this life you would have IMMORTALITY. Immortality means being unable to die. Think about it, if you die but the real you continues to live then that means that YOU HAVE NEVER EXPEREICED DEATH. That would also mean that you are IMMORTAL. What would be the point of God's punishment for Adam's disobedience? What does the bible say about this?
1 Timothy 6:16
16 (GOD) who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
Paul tells us that God is the ONLY one who possesses immortality, no one else possesses it YET. In fact Paul tells us that we will, IN THE FUTURE, be GIVEN immortality.
1 Corinthians 15:51-54
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
It is NOWHERE written that this process takes place upon ones death. IN FACT PAUL CLEARLY SAYS THAT IT WILL HAPPEN AT THE LAST TRUMPET.
2-Jesus NEVER taught this. In fact Jesus confirms that when you die you are in fact DEAD, not alive somewhere else but DEAD. Consider these words:
John 14:3
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
This one is a doozy! Jesus is comforting his disciples by telling them he is going to prepare a place for them. Now Christians teach that upon death we go to heaven to be with the Lord. How can this be when in the above verse he says:
...I will come again, and receive you unto myself; THAT WHERE I AM, THERE YE MAY BE ALSO.
Does anyone see the contradiction here? If when you die you go to be with Jesus in heaven how is it that he tells you that he 'will come again to RECEIVE you unto myself'. But they teach that you are already in heaven with Jesus! Then he continues, 'that where I am THERE YE may be also'. Wow! This being with Jesus DOES NOT EVEN HAPPEN UNTIL AFTER HE RETURNS!
Jesus even goes further when he says the following:
John 5:28-29
28 Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.
Do you see this? Let's ask Jesus some questions:
Christian teacher: Mr. Jesus, Sir, where are dead christians right now? In heaven right?
Jesus: No they are in their graves
Christian teacher: but we teach that when you return christians who have died will come back with you because they are already in heaven with you.
Jesus: No, upon my return the dead will hear my voice FROM WITHIN THEIR TOMBS
Christian teacher: errr.... Jesus we don't teach that.
Jesus: well guess which one of us is right.
3-The concept of resurrection is negated if we CONTINUE to live upon death. Just think about it. The word resurrect means to RESTORE TO LIFE. Why would we need to be resurrected of we are not dead. But beyond that consider how the bible uses the term:
Luke 20:35-36
35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: 36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.
Do we REALLY read the bible? JESUS tells us here those who are resurrected FROM THE DEAD cannot die ANYMORE. Why would he say this if they were living with him in heaven? Why would he say that if they were NEVER REALLY DEAD? Additionally, Christians today believe that when you die we will be translated into our spiritual bodies, but Jesus says that we will only be EQUAL to the angels AFTER THE RESURRECTION. Paul tells us as much:
1 Corinthians 15:44
44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
Why do we continue to teach error even in the presence of CLEAR truth?
1 Thessalonians 4:16
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Who is it that will rise first? And what will they be raised to do? The very next verse tells us that they will 'MEET the Lord in the air, AND SO SHALL WE EVER BE WITH THE LORD'. THIS IS THE POINT WHEN THE DEAD WILL FIRST meet Jesus. If you think that's mind-blowing, guess what. PAUL IS STILL DEAD AND HE HASN'T MET THE LORD YET, neither has ANY OTHER Christian who has died.
Where did this teaching come from?
To those who believe the prevailing Christian thought on death, this teaching comes from the same verse you have been probably shouting at you computer since you started reading this post. The verse is:
2 Corinthians 5:8
8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
Ahhh, you say, doesn't this verse tell us that if we are absent from the body we will be present with the Lord. Let us examine this. To what does Jesus and Paul liken death?
1 Corinthians 15:51
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep...
John 11:11
11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
1 Corinthians 11:30
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
I believe that the comparison of death to sleep was divinely inspired by God to convey to us an understanding of death. Most people when they go to sleep at night they wake at morning. If you are a sound sleeper like most you can go to sleep at 10 pm and awake at 6am. Here is the marvel of sleep, 8 HOURS WOULD HAVE PASSED AND YOU WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AWARE OF ANY OF THEM. Your last memory would be of you falling asleep and then presto you are awake. This is EXACTLY how death is. For the believer they die (fall asleep) and their NEXT conscious thought is hearing the voice of Jesus FROM THEIR TOMBS. They would NOT BE AWARE OF ONE SECOND of any length of time that might have passed. So Paul is correct in his assertion that ABSENT FROM THE BODY he will be PRESENT WITH THE LORD. After all we have these witnesses:
Ecclesiastes 9:5
5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing...
And
Psalms 6:5
5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee:
The summation of the matter is that when you die you are DEAD. You are not somewhere else with wings or looking down from some great cloud. You are DEAD. Death makes you dead.
Well we know what happened, Eve and Adam ate the fruit and just as true as God spoke it death entered the world. I think we can all agree that we have been dying ever since. But what exactly is death? Death was first mentioned by God as punishment for disobeying him. Death literally means the cessation of life or lifelessness. In essence life IS what death IS NOT.
The prevailing Christian thought on death is that at the moment you die, that is your body dies, the 'real' you travels to some other place. If you have been righteous in life you are welcomed into heaven, and if you have been unrighteous in life then you will be cast into a bad bad place. But is it true? Let us look at some problems with this view:
1- The Christian teaching on death assumes that when you die you continue to live. This is based on, depending on who you talk to, presumptions that your body is not you and the real you lives inside of your body. The big problem with this, IF IT WERE TRUE, is that that would mean upon birth in this life you would have IMMORTALITY. Immortality means being unable to die. Think about it, if you die but the real you continues to live then that means that YOU HAVE NEVER EXPEREICED DEATH. That would also mean that you are IMMORTAL. What would be the point of God's punishment for Adam's disobedience? What does the bible say about this?
1 Timothy 6:16
16 (GOD) who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
Paul tells us that God is the ONLY one who possesses immortality, no one else possesses it YET. In fact Paul tells us that we will, IN THE FUTURE, be GIVEN immortality.
1 Corinthians 15:51-54
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
It is NOWHERE written that this process takes place upon ones death. IN FACT PAUL CLEARLY SAYS THAT IT WILL HAPPEN AT THE LAST TRUMPET.
2-Jesus NEVER taught this. In fact Jesus confirms that when you die you are in fact DEAD, not alive somewhere else but DEAD. Consider these words:
John 14:3
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
This one is a doozy! Jesus is comforting his disciples by telling them he is going to prepare a place for them. Now Christians teach that upon death we go to heaven to be with the Lord. How can this be when in the above verse he says:
...I will come again, and receive you unto myself; THAT WHERE I AM, THERE YE MAY BE ALSO.
Does anyone see the contradiction here? If when you die you go to be with Jesus in heaven how is it that he tells you that he 'will come again to RECEIVE you unto myself'. But they teach that you are already in heaven with Jesus! Then he continues, 'that where I am THERE YE may be also'. Wow! This being with Jesus DOES NOT EVEN HAPPEN UNTIL AFTER HE RETURNS!
Jesus even goes further when he says the following:
John 5:28-29
28 Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.
Do you see this? Let's ask Jesus some questions:
Christian teacher: Mr. Jesus, Sir, where are dead christians right now? In heaven right?
Jesus: No they are in their graves
Christian teacher: but we teach that when you return christians who have died will come back with you because they are already in heaven with you.
Jesus: No, upon my return the dead will hear my voice FROM WITHIN THEIR TOMBS
Christian teacher: errr.... Jesus we don't teach that.
Jesus: well guess which one of us is right.
3-The concept of resurrection is negated if we CONTINUE to live upon death. Just think about it. The word resurrect means to RESTORE TO LIFE. Why would we need to be resurrected of we are not dead. But beyond that consider how the bible uses the term:
Luke 20:35-36
35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: 36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.
Do we REALLY read the bible? JESUS tells us here those who are resurrected FROM THE DEAD cannot die ANYMORE. Why would he say this if they were living with him in heaven? Why would he say that if they were NEVER REALLY DEAD? Additionally, Christians today believe that when you die we will be translated into our spiritual bodies, but Jesus says that we will only be EQUAL to the angels AFTER THE RESURRECTION. Paul tells us as much:
1 Corinthians 15:44
44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
Why do we continue to teach error even in the presence of CLEAR truth?
1 Thessalonians 4:16
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Who is it that will rise first? And what will they be raised to do? The very next verse tells us that they will 'MEET the Lord in the air, AND SO SHALL WE EVER BE WITH THE LORD'. THIS IS THE POINT WHEN THE DEAD WILL FIRST meet Jesus. If you think that's mind-blowing, guess what. PAUL IS STILL DEAD AND HE HASN'T MET THE LORD YET, neither has ANY OTHER Christian who has died.
Where did this teaching come from?
To those who believe the prevailing Christian thought on death, this teaching comes from the same verse you have been probably shouting at you computer since you started reading this post. The verse is:
2 Corinthians 5:8
8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
Ahhh, you say, doesn't this verse tell us that if we are absent from the body we will be present with the Lord. Let us examine this. To what does Jesus and Paul liken death?
1 Corinthians 15:51
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep...
John 11:11
11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
1 Corinthians 11:30
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
I believe that the comparison of death to sleep was divinely inspired by God to convey to us an understanding of death. Most people when they go to sleep at night they wake at morning. If you are a sound sleeper like most you can go to sleep at 10 pm and awake at 6am. Here is the marvel of sleep, 8 HOURS WOULD HAVE PASSED AND YOU WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AWARE OF ANY OF THEM. Your last memory would be of you falling asleep and then presto you are awake. This is EXACTLY how death is. For the believer they die (fall asleep) and their NEXT conscious thought is hearing the voice of Jesus FROM THEIR TOMBS. They would NOT BE AWARE OF ONE SECOND of any length of time that might have passed. So Paul is correct in his assertion that ABSENT FROM THE BODY he will be PRESENT WITH THE LORD. After all we have these witnesses:
Ecclesiastes 9:5
5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing...
And
Psalms 6:5
5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee:
The summation of the matter is that when you die you are DEAD. You are not somewhere else with wings or looking down from some great cloud. You are DEAD. Death makes you dead.
Monday, August 8, 2011
The myth of control: Contemplating death.
One of the most
deceptive concepts held in the minds of men is the concept of control. It is common for people to hold to the idea
that they at least have some modicum of control over their lives. This deception arises out of the myth of free
will, and it leads us to believe that somehow we can control certain aspects of
our lives. I laugh at these notions and
I am sure that God does too. Consider
some of the aspects of life over which we think we have control:
·
Where we live
·
Who we marry
·
How many children we will have
·
Retirement
The futility of these
notions is bad enough but one of the most ridiculous of these is the idea that
we have ANY control over our own death.
I begin by asking a question:
COULD YOU CONTROL YOUR OWN BIRTH?
This may seem a
ridiculous question to which you would likely answer 'of course not'. And you would be right; so what makes you
think that you have control over the day you DIE. We THINK that if we diet, exercise, get
enough sleep and drink enough water that somehow this hodgepodge of activity
has SOMETHING
to do with how long we live. Ah the vanity
of our human thoughts! All these things
listed are touted as being essential to good health and necessary for long
life. I can tell you with ALL certainty
that these things do not have ANYTHING to do with the length of our sojourn
here on earth.
I laugh when from time
to time some centenarian that has achieved the elusive age of 100 talks about
their steady diet of pork fat and cigars. Why do these stories attract attention? It is because we are supposed to ONLY be able
to achieve this status by exercising five times a week, but here we have this
walking chimney living longer that Florence Joyner.
Some thank God that
they are not in some war-torn region or a land besieged by famine; yet even in
these regions people continue to live well into their eighties and nineties in
the midst of slaughter, terror and poverty.
But if you STILL
believe that YOU can, with ANYTHING you do, stave off death consider this:
Since
his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; And HIS LIMITS
YOU HAVE SET SO THAT HE CANNOT PASS. Job 14:5
For
what does he care about the family he leaves behind when his ALLOTTED MONTHS come
to an end? Job 21:21
Look at some key words
in the above verses: DETERMINED, LIMITS, ALLOTTED. These verses and in
particular these words in their context show that it is GOD who DETERMINES how
long we live and he will not give his glory over to celery. More proof:
…your
eyes saw my unformed body. All the DAYS ORDAINED for me were written in your
book before one of them came to be. Psalms 139:16
This verse is AMAZING
as it tells us that ALL are days are ORDAINED before you were even born! This means that God set a day for your birth
AND a day for your death. HE ORDAINED
THEM!! And again,
…and He made from one man every nation of mankind to
live on all the face of the earth, having DETERMINED THEIR APPOINTED TIMES and
the boundaries of their habitation. Acts 17:26
Here the scriptures
show us that God has determined our appointed times. The key verse in this study is the one we
began with and that is Job 14:5 where God tells us that the days are set and He
says that we CANNOT pass them. Well now
isn't that a kick in the head! Let this
not be a discouragement to healthy living but let it serve to kill our illusion
of control.
These verses are
important to understand because death is indeed harsh and something that we can
never get used to but even if it is at the hand of a gunman or a blockage in
the heart know that:
See now
that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I
wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. Deuteronomy
32:39
God is in control of
EVERYTHING!!!!!
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