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An encouraging thought about Death
Jackie Lee:
Matty I am sorry about your friend, one thing I just learned through Kat post is it is just as easy for Jesus wake us up dead/sleep as when we are actually sleeping.
To me that is comforting.
winner08:
Hello everybody:
I have a question. In the Bible they have a story about when God said (I think) it was Elija who was taken up to heaven so that he would not tast death. Well I know there is no one in heaven. So was he taken as in maby moved one place to another by God and then died? Maby a quick death like a massive heart attack. With a death like this he would not have tasted death he would have just died. One second he is alive and the next he was dead. Could the words taste death mean suffering untill death in which case one would be tasting death. Maby not to taste death could be the (suffering part of death)? Not to taste death maby could mean a sudden death? I really don't know. I read Ray's paper on death but i might not have understood it as I should have. Any thoughts?? OH wait I just had a thought. Could I have missed this completeley? Could this story be a spiritual story and not a physical story. Could it mean that he would not tast death (spiritually)? A spiritual death? Maby he died in faith a true believer in which case he would not have tasted a spiritul death. I just remember Jesus said my words are spirit. Ray said the whole Bible is one big parable. If we do not understand that then we have no chance of understanding the Bible. So could this have been a parable of a spiritual death. He would not tast a spiritul death. Man I though I was confused before.
Darren
Akira329:
--- Quote from: Kat on December 02, 2008, 07:48:14 AM ---
http://bible-truths.com/email16.htm#absent --------------------
[Ray Replies]
Of the millions of times a year that this Scripture in II Cor. 5:8 is quoted, probably only about twice is it ever quoted properly. And THAT is partly the reason why most do not understand this verse.
Paul never said: "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." There is NO SUCH SCRIPTURE.
Let's quote it properly:
"We are confident, I say, and willing rather TO BE absent from the body, and TO BE present with the Lord."
Or as Concordant Literal New Testament renders it:
"...rather to be away from home out of the body and to be at home with the Lord."
There is a giant difference between the two words "is" and "and." Just the fact of being "absent or separated" from our bodies, does not automatically equate with being instantaneously "WITH" the Lord.
First we DIE and thereby become absent from or separated from our bodies--they decay back into the dust of the ground. But some time AFTER our death we are taken home to be with the Lord. Notice how Paul himself understood this. Are we "at home with the Lord" at the instant of DEATH? No. I Thes. 4:16-17--
"For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and THE DEAD in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be [at home] with the Lord."
Notice that all the DEAD in Christ rise at the SAME TIME, at His presence in the air. But, not all of the DEAD in Christ DIED AT THE SAME TIME. Hence they were NOT 'at home with the Lord' at the very time of their death.
Hope that helps your understanding a little better.
Ray
--- End quote ---
Thanks for this post Kat!
I never paid attention to this detail!! :D
Antaiwan
dredroc:
I`ve often thought of death and Resurrection being exactly as you said Jackielee, even before i read Ray`s article and Ecclesiastes 9
Jackie Lee:
Hi dredroc, I am amazed at how God gave Ray all this knowledge and wisdom and he is able to help us learn truth.
This subject of death is comforting when we know truth that no one is in an everlasting hell.
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