Can you talk to dead people?
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I know you can't :)
again - your quote:
1 Kings 8:27
“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built.
1 Kings 22
19 Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left. 20 And the Lord said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. 21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ 22 The Lord said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said, ‘You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.’ 23 Therefore look! The Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the Lord has declared disaster against you.”
2 Chronicles 6:18
“But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!
2 Chronicles 18:18
Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right hand and His left.
Nehemiah 9
You alone are the Lord; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it,The seas and all that is in them, And You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.
7 “You are the Lord God, Who chose Abram, And brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans, And gave him the name Abraham;
Job 11
“Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty? 8 They are higher than heaven— what can you do?
Deeper than Sheol— what can you know? 9 Their measure is longer than the earth And broader than the sea.
Psalm 11:4
The Lord is in His holy temple, The Lord’s throne is in heaven;
Psalm 102
This will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to be created may praise the Lord. 19 For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary; From heaven the Lord viewed the earth, 20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner, To release those appointed to death, 21 To declare the name of the Lord in Zion,And His praise in Jerusalem,
Psalm115
The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; But the earth He has given to the children of men. 17 The dead do not praise the Lord, Nor any who go down into silence. 18 But we will bless the Lord From this time forth and forevermore.
Matthew 8
11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.
Matthew 18:10
“Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 22
29 Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. 31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.
Matthew 23
21 He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. 22 And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.
Mark 1
9 It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. 11 Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Mark 16
19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.
Luke 24
46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
John 14
14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms;[G3438] if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
G3438 - monē rooms - mansions
From G3306; a staying, that is, residence (the act or the place): - abode, mansion.
Acts 7
54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
2 Corinthians 5:1
For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
Ephesians 4:10
He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.
Philippians 3
17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. 18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
Hebrews 4
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 7
24 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
Hebrews 9:24
For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
Note the verse below. These were those who lived by faith before Christ's work on the cross...
Hebrews 11:13
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
16But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.
Revelation 13:6
Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.
again - your quote:
I believe them because I believe the bible, " for it is written by men, inspired by God".
1 Kings 8:27
“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built.
1 Kings 22
19 Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left. 20 And the Lord said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. 21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ 22 The Lord said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said, ‘You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.’ 23 Therefore look! The Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the Lord has declared disaster against you.”
2 Chronicles 6:18
“But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!
2 Chronicles 18:18
Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right hand and His left.
Nehemiah 9
You alone are the Lord; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it,The seas and all that is in them, And You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.
7 “You are the Lord God, Who chose Abram, And brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans, And gave him the name Abraham;
Job 11
“Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty? 8 They are higher than heaven— what can you do?
Deeper than Sheol— what can you know? 9 Their measure is longer than the earth And broader than the sea.
Psalm 11:4
The Lord is in His holy temple, The Lord’s throne is in heaven;
Psalm 102
This will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to be created may praise the Lord. 19 For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary; From heaven the Lord viewed the earth, 20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner, To release those appointed to death, 21 To declare the name of the Lord in Zion,And His praise in Jerusalem,
Psalm115
The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; But the earth He has given to the children of men. 17 The dead do not praise the Lord, Nor any who go down into silence. 18 But we will bless the Lord From this time forth and forevermore.
Matthew 8
11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.
Matthew 18:10
“Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 22
29 Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. 31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.
Matthew 23
21 He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. 22 And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.
Mark 1
9 It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. 11 Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Mark 16
19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.
Luke 24
46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
John 14
14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms;[G3438] if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
G3438 - monē rooms - mansions
From G3306; a staying, that is, residence (the act or the place): - abode, mansion.
Acts 7
54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
2 Corinthians 5:1
For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
Ephesians 4:10
He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.
Philippians 3
17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. 18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
Hebrews 4
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 7
24 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
Hebrews 9:24
For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
Note the verse below. These were those who lived by faith before Christ's work on the cross...
Hebrews 11:13
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
16But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.
Revelation 13:6
Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.
Ecclesiates 9:5-6 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.
Ecclesiates 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
Psalm 146:4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
Psalm 115:17 The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence.
Job 14:10-12 But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.
From the top, the living know that they shall die, but the dead don't know anything. In other words, we have conscience knowledge while we are yet alive that we shall die. But the dead, they don't know anything. They have no more reward, and they have nothing to do anymore with anything under the sun. To be able to talk to the dead, would give them the ability to be able to have something else to do under the sun. Let's not forget, the dead 's anger, love, and envy have no perished. So lets consider a dead saint, and a dead wicked man. A dead wicked mans envy and hatred have now perished. Some could misinterpret this and say all that exists is pain, because of hellfire. But again, realize, the dead have no love either. Saints die, clearly, and their love is now gone as well. Therefore you are admonished to do anything you can while you live, with strength and diligence, because you will not retain such strength and diligence when you die. Not convinced?
In Psalms it speaks of men saying, that on the day they die, their breath goes from them (yielding up the ghost), they return to earth (for dust ye are, and dust ye shall become) and in that very day THEIR THOUGHTS PERISH. Does this refer to only the wicked? No, it refers to the righteous as well. As it says in an earlier Psalm, the dead Praise not the Lord. The righteous dead would clearly Praise the LORD, IF THEY COULD. But because there are no thoughts when you die, no, they cannot praise the LORD.
Often Jesus refers to death as sleep, and so does Paul. But who also called death sleep? Job did. Job explains that man dies, and gives up the ghost, and then where is he? Is he alive burning in flames, or alive in hell? Trick question, he's not alive. He's dead. And where does that mean he is? According to Job, the grave. Now Job ALSO says that when you lie down for death, you shall not get up again, until the heavens be no more. In other words, you are dead until Christ comes to resurrect you.
Let's consider another fact. Where is King David right now? In flames burning, or in heaven? Trick question again, David is neither. He is still DEAD, waiting for his appointed time to resurrect when Jesus Christ comes. Don't believe me? Read the Scriptures:
Acts 2:34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
So for certain, where is David?
Acts 2:29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
"Jesus went to heaven on the day he died with the Thief on the cross" - No he didn't.
Luke 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
"Aha, see proved it!" - No, you didn't.
John 20:17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
Jesus three days later said He had not yet ascended into Heaven. So what gives, did He lie to either Mary or the thief? No, simply the comma was completely out of place in Luke 23:43. Commas were added AFTER the Bible was made. Punctuation is not inspired. It is just what we gave to our language to make it understandable. The Comma should go AFTER the word today.
For those who simply just cannot and will not believe a word I'm saying, have you ever considered why Jesus calls death, sleep? What happens when you have dreamless sleep? Are you aware that you're asleep? No, not in the slightest. You don't realize until you wake up. And that's exactly how it's going to happen Resurrection Morning. You will have no clue that you were dead for how ever many years. All you know is, the next moment, you hear that sweet voice telling you to arise, and the trumpet, and there you are. Awake.
"Wait a minute. Paul says to be absent from the body, is to be present with the LORD."
2 Corinthians 5:6 - Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
Don't just stop there.
2 Corinthians 5:8 - We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
The problem is not whether we shall be present with the LORD. It's WHEN we shall be present with the LORD. Some say immediately at death. But the previous verses should be sufficient in proving that when you are dead, you cannot even Praise the Lord. So, when shall we be present with the Lord forever?
1 Thessalonians 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 with the Lord.
Exactly. At the second coming. That's when we shall ever be with the LORD.
"What about the souls under the altar?" - This is not literal. It is spiritual, much like it was when Cain slayed Abel.
Revelation 6:9-10 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
Notice, they are crying out, talking about avenging their blood. Now let's look right back in Genesis.
Genesis 4:9-10 And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
The blood of those poor souls who were martyred, their blood is simply crying out to the LORD to avenge their deaths. Their blood is not literally crying out, but symbolically, and spiritually crying out, "Avenge our deaths O'LORD".
Anything else I missed?
Ecclesiates 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
Psalm 146:4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
Psalm 115:17 The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence.
Job 14:10-12 But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.
From the top, the living know that they shall die, but the dead don't know anything. In other words, we have conscience knowledge while we are yet alive that we shall die. But the dead, they don't know anything. They have no more reward, and they have nothing to do anymore with anything under the sun. To be able to talk to the dead, would give them the ability to be able to have something else to do under the sun. Let's not forget, the dead 's anger, love, and envy have no perished. So lets consider a dead saint, and a dead wicked man. A dead wicked mans envy and hatred have now perished. Some could misinterpret this and say all that exists is pain, because of hellfire. But again, realize, the dead have no love either. Saints die, clearly, and their love is now gone as well. Therefore you are admonished to do anything you can while you live, with strength and diligence, because you will not retain such strength and diligence when you die. Not convinced?
In Psalms it speaks of men saying, that on the day they die, their breath goes from them (yielding up the ghost), they return to earth (for dust ye are, and dust ye shall become) and in that very day THEIR THOUGHTS PERISH. Does this refer to only the wicked? No, it refers to the righteous as well. As it says in an earlier Psalm, the dead Praise not the Lord. The righteous dead would clearly Praise the LORD, IF THEY COULD. But because there are no thoughts when you die, no, they cannot praise the LORD.
Often Jesus refers to death as sleep, and so does Paul. But who also called death sleep? Job did. Job explains that man dies, and gives up the ghost, and then where is he? Is he alive burning in flames, or alive in hell? Trick question, he's not alive. He's dead. And where does that mean he is? According to Job, the grave. Now Job ALSO says that when you lie down for death, you shall not get up again, until the heavens be no more. In other words, you are dead until Christ comes to resurrect you.
Let's consider another fact. Where is King David right now? In flames burning, or in heaven? Trick question again, David is neither. He is still DEAD, waiting for his appointed time to resurrect when Jesus Christ comes. Don't believe me? Read the Scriptures:
Acts 2:34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
So for certain, where is David?
Acts 2:29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
"Jesus went to heaven on the day he died with the Thief on the cross" - No he didn't.
Luke 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
"Aha, see proved it!" - No, you didn't.
John 20:17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
Jesus three days later said He had not yet ascended into Heaven. So what gives, did He lie to either Mary or the thief? No, simply the comma was completely out of place in Luke 23:43. Commas were added AFTER the Bible was made. Punctuation is not inspired. It is just what we gave to our language to make it understandable. The Comma should go AFTER the word today.
For those who simply just cannot and will not believe a word I'm saying, have you ever considered why Jesus calls death, sleep? What happens when you have dreamless sleep? Are you aware that you're asleep? No, not in the slightest. You don't realize until you wake up. And that's exactly how it's going to happen Resurrection Morning. You will have no clue that you were dead for how ever many years. All you know is, the next moment, you hear that sweet voice telling you to arise, and the trumpet, and there you are. Awake.
"Wait a minute. Paul says to be absent from the body, is to be present with the LORD."
2 Corinthians 5:6 - Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
Don't just stop there.
2 Corinthians 5:8 - We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
The problem is not whether we shall be present with the LORD. It's WHEN we shall be present with the LORD. Some say immediately at death. But the previous verses should be sufficient in proving that when you are dead, you cannot even Praise the Lord. So, when shall we be present with the Lord forever?
1 Thessalonians 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 with the Lord.
Exactly. At the second coming. That's when we shall ever be with the LORD.
"What about the souls under the altar?" - This is not literal. It is spiritual, much like it was when Cain slayed Abel.
Revelation 6:9-10 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
Notice, they are crying out, talking about avenging their blood. Now let's look right back in Genesis.
Genesis 4:9-10 And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
The blood of those poor souls who were martyred, their blood is simply crying out to the LORD to avenge their deaths. Their blood is not literally crying out, but symbolically, and spiritually crying out, "Avenge our deaths O'LORD".
Anything else I missed?
[SIZE=10pt]Mark 16:19[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] tells us that Jesus resides in Heaven.[/SIZE]domenic said:
[SIZE=10pt]1 Thess. 4:17[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] tells us that we will be with Jesus forever after the end of the world.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]1 Thess. 4:17[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever[/SIZE].
[SIZE=10pt]In John 14:2, Jesus states that in His Father's house there are many dwellings - and that He (Jesus) was going there to prepare a place for us. God resides in HEAVEN[/SIZE].
Revelation 5:8 shows the Elders in heaven bringing our prayers before God.
[SIZE=10pt]As for Hell:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt](Is. 33:11, 14) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]"[M]y spirit shall consume you like fire. . . . On Zion sinners are in dread, trembling grips the impious: 'Who of us can live with the consuming fire? Who of us can live with the everlasting flames?'" [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Mark 9:47–48[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]"It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, where the worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched."[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Matt. 25:31-34, 41, 46[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]"He will separate them one from another. . . . Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. . . .' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels . . .' And these will go off to ETERNAL punishment, but the righteous to eternal life"[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Luke 3:16-17[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]"He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn in UNQUENCHABLE fire"[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt](2 Thess. 1:6-9)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]"For it is surely just on God's part to repay with afflictions those who are afflicting you. . . . at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his mighty angels, in blazing fire, inflicting punishment on those who do not acknowledge God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of ETERNAL ruin, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power."
(Matt. 26:24)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]"The Son of man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born." [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]WHY [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]would Jesus say this about Judas? You anti-hell advocates believe that hell is only temporary[/SIZE]. If that were the case, Judas would only suffer "temporarily", so it wouldn't be better that he had never been born.
[SIZE=10pt]**Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines the following words:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]ETERNAL[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] - (having infinite duration; everlasting)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]UNQUENCHABLE[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] - (unending or un-ceasing)[/SIZE]
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