- Oct 27, 2014
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[SIZE=12pt]I suspect we’re pretty much all adults here. And I know we’re all familiar with the ‘Facts of Life’, right?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]But what do we know about the “Facts of Death”?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Well then, let’s see what the Bible can tell about these things. And first among all those things, the Number one, topmost thing with respect to both the facts of life, AND, the facts of death… is that,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“…the living know that they shall die” Ecc. 9:5. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]That requires no further explanation. But I will say this, in debates with infidels and atheists, I point out to them that in at least this respect, the Bible has never failed to get it right; the living die; and when they can, with their un-god manage NOT to die, I will consider giving heed to their atheistic theology. Until then though, God clearly has the upper hand. And I’m sticking with Him…until I die![/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]So, in order to fully understand the facts of death, we need to see just what it is we are, what we’re made of, and from where and whence we came to be. Remember, David asked of God, “What is man?” Psalm 8:4.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]WHAT IS MAN?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]NOTE: Everything we have to say, for the next several paragraphs, is common to all of mankind. In these things, there is no distinction between lost and saved, sinner or saint.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]So what do we have here? We have God forming man, man’s body, his flesh, out of the dust of the ground (for you evolutionists here, note that until the creation of man, God did every act of creation by the simple expedient of speaking it, “And God said…” did all the work. That is, the Word of God was, and is that powerful…however, in the making of man God got His hands dirty. For notice above that it is said that God ‘FORMED MAN’ of the dust of the ground. God actively worked in the forming of mankind…not so the rest of the creation).[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]At that point, man was just a clay figure, a 200 pound doll…and really not very useful to God at all. So God BREATHED into man’s nostrils, the BREATH OF LIFE, and man became A LIVING SOUL.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Two disparate elements, dust formed into a doll, and God’s breath, when mixed together, gave us man, you and me…and the definition changed from dust mixed with breath, to ‘living soul’.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]WHAT IS THE BREATH OF GOD insofar as man is concerned?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Well, whatever it is, it is life giving. When breathed into his nostrils, this substance made man come alive. So we know first of all, that the breath of God is life giving.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Paul though puts it this way, “…the spirit gives life” 2 Cor 3:6. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Jesus agrees, for He says, “It is the spirit that quickeneth (gives life); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Let’s see how that works out in practical life…You will recall that Jesus was called to the house of Jairus, whose little daughter lay at the point of death. In point of fact though, by the time they reached the house, she was dead, dead as a door nail. Let’s let Luke carry through with the narrative here, with,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master. But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole. And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden. And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat.” Luke 8:49-55.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Without parsing out the entire passage, let’s just take note of what exactly happened to bring the little girl to back to life, when Jesus said “Maid, arise”…[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“And her SPIRIT came again, and she arose straightway”. Verse 55. So in this instance at least, we’ve proven that the spirit is the life. The little girl was dead until her spirit returned. Then she lived.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]But not only so, look at the death of the first Christian martyr, Stephen. During the all too common Jewish religious service commonly called the ‘Stoning’, it is said that,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Acts 7:59. What did Stephen call upon God to receive? His body? His soul? No, Stephen called upon God to ‘receive my SPIRIT’.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]And Jesus as well, had this to shout as His last words upon the cross of shame and triumph,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]“And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost[/SIZE].” Luke 23:46. What did Jesus commend to God? His body? His soul? No, Jesus said unto the Father, ‘I commend my SPIRIT’.
[SIZE=12pt]And one last one, just to seal this deal properly. And for that, go to James chapter 2, verse 26. Here James is putting the final touches upon his lesson about how faith is necessarily activated and empowered by works. And in doing so, he tossed in for free, a lasting lesson about the spirit and body, with, [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” James 2:26.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]WHAT THEN, IS DEATH?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Let us hie on back to Ecclesiastes, and see death defined. And naturally, given what we’ve seen above, it will most likely have to do with separating the spirit from the body. And it turns out that is exactly the case, for,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” Ecc 12:7.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]At death, the spirit returns to God, and the body returns to dust, to the ground of the earth, from whence it came.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]And did you know, that this reality, put upon every man, woman, boy and girl, is part and parcel of the curse placed upon Adam and Eve for their sin of disobedience in the Garden of Eden? For in speaking the curse, God said to Adam,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” Genesis 3:19.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]At death, the body returns to the ground, while the spirit returns to God…WHO GAVE IT. The spirit being of course, the life of man. And without the spirit, man is dead, dead, dead.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]And by the way, just for fun, let’s look at how one can, or cannot, control the spirit in the day of death, with,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.” Ecc 8:8.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]In science fiction, man can reach a place to where he can control death. Can manufacture in the lab, immortality…In reality, it’ll never happen. For no man has power to hold on to his spirit. Nor will man ever be given that power. After all, none are ever discharged from service in that war, that war of true life and death. We’d best deal with what we have at hand today, and let tomorrow take care of itself.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]SO, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Can we communicate with one another? Can we talk to Jesus, or to Mary? Will we be conscious, aware and knowing, remembering and thinking?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Well, here again, let us allow the Bible to speak for us. Remember that first verse we opened this discussion with? The one that said, “The living know that they shall die”?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]How about our quoting that entire verse this time? And maybe just a tad more…And let me warn you, it will be a shocker![/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“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.” Ecc 9:5-6.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Talk about being unemployed! [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]You see, the spirit of life, the life within us, contains every single component of what constitutes life in a human being. The spirit is consciousness, conscience, memory, emotion, intelligence, everything that characterizes all that a man is beyond his fleshly body, is spirit. That’s why, when the spirit returns to God, the body is dead.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]And so, no, you won’t be conscious, you won’t have memory, nor emotion…and bless your catholic heart, you won’t be able to talk to Mary, or the various and sundry saints scattered throughout purgatory, or whatever they’re calling it today.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]For where you are, is the exact same place every single human being who ever lived will fetch up, and who shall have ever lived, and died, and who shall ever die. Recall what happens at death? The body returns to the earth, but…the SPIRIT returns to God, (who gave it).[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]So where will we be? Well, if our spirits return to God, then we’ll be wherever God is. But unconscious, unknowing…there to remain in that state until the resurrection, where once more, we will have our spirits joined with our risen bodies, to become once again, living (but immortal) souls. And that dear friend applies to all, to both saint and sinner, to the ancient dead, and to the newly dead.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Let’s get a bit more evidence on all that…[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“For in death there is no remembrance of thee…” Psalm 6:5. No memory, good, bad or indifferent.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]And don’t worry about praying, or praising the Lord…it isn’t going to happen there, for,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.” Psalm 115:17.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]After all, your spirit is at rest, in the presence of God, but unknowing, unfeeling…and there it will remain until the resurrection…[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]With your kind permission, I’ll take a break now, and at a later time, we’ll deal with the resurrection…and with the differences between the Christian and others. In doing that, we’ll be doing a little investigation into just what one particular phrase, found only twice throughout the entire Bible…actually means. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]That phrase is, ‘born of the spirit’, found in John chapter three, two times, and only there. Since it is an integral part of being born again…can you tell me exactly what it means? What is the process by which one is ‘born of the spirit’? What happens to the man, when the man is ‘born of the spirit”? Is it an intellectual exercise? Are you aware of it when it happens? [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]I realize there are many here who can answer these questions…but let the younger folks have at it before you tell them…[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be BORN of water and OF THE SPIRIT, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is BORN OF THE SPIRIT is spirit.” John 3:5-6.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]I’ll check in later…I hope to see others’ thoughts and scriptures on this fairly important matter (after all, we all do die, and it wouldn’t hurt a’tall to know more about it).[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Until then, God Bless you,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]I am and remain sincerely yours in Jesus Christ,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Julabee Jones[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]But what do we know about the “Facts of Death”?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Well then, let’s see what the Bible can tell about these things. And first among all those things, the Number one, topmost thing with respect to both the facts of life, AND, the facts of death… is that,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“…the living know that they shall die” Ecc. 9:5. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]That requires no further explanation. But I will say this, in debates with infidels and atheists, I point out to them that in at least this respect, the Bible has never failed to get it right; the living die; and when they can, with their un-god manage NOT to die, I will consider giving heed to their atheistic theology. Until then though, God clearly has the upper hand. And I’m sticking with Him…until I die![/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]So, in order to fully understand the facts of death, we need to see just what it is we are, what we’re made of, and from where and whence we came to be. Remember, David asked of God, “What is man?” Psalm 8:4.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]WHAT IS MAN?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]NOTE: Everything we have to say, for the next several paragraphs, is common to all of mankind. In these things, there is no distinction between lost and saved, sinner or saint.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]So what do we have here? We have God forming man, man’s body, his flesh, out of the dust of the ground (for you evolutionists here, note that until the creation of man, God did every act of creation by the simple expedient of speaking it, “And God said…” did all the work. That is, the Word of God was, and is that powerful…however, in the making of man God got His hands dirty. For notice above that it is said that God ‘FORMED MAN’ of the dust of the ground. God actively worked in the forming of mankind…not so the rest of the creation).[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]At that point, man was just a clay figure, a 200 pound doll…and really not very useful to God at all. So God BREATHED into man’s nostrils, the BREATH OF LIFE, and man became A LIVING SOUL.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Two disparate elements, dust formed into a doll, and God’s breath, when mixed together, gave us man, you and me…and the definition changed from dust mixed with breath, to ‘living soul’.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]WHAT IS THE BREATH OF GOD insofar as man is concerned?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Well, whatever it is, it is life giving. When breathed into his nostrils, this substance made man come alive. So we know first of all, that the breath of God is life giving.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Paul though puts it this way, “…the spirit gives life” 2 Cor 3:6. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Jesus agrees, for He says, “It is the spirit that quickeneth (gives life); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Let’s see how that works out in practical life…You will recall that Jesus was called to the house of Jairus, whose little daughter lay at the point of death. In point of fact though, by the time they reached the house, she was dead, dead as a door nail. Let’s let Luke carry through with the narrative here, with,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master. But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole. And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden. And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat.” Luke 8:49-55.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Without parsing out the entire passage, let’s just take note of what exactly happened to bring the little girl to back to life, when Jesus said “Maid, arise”…[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“And her SPIRIT came again, and she arose straightway”. Verse 55. So in this instance at least, we’ve proven that the spirit is the life. The little girl was dead until her spirit returned. Then she lived.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]But not only so, look at the death of the first Christian martyr, Stephen. During the all too common Jewish religious service commonly called the ‘Stoning’, it is said that,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Acts 7:59. What did Stephen call upon God to receive? His body? His soul? No, Stephen called upon God to ‘receive my SPIRIT’.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]And Jesus as well, had this to shout as His last words upon the cross of shame and triumph,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]“And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost[/SIZE].” Luke 23:46. What did Jesus commend to God? His body? His soul? No, Jesus said unto the Father, ‘I commend my SPIRIT’.
[SIZE=12pt]And one last one, just to seal this deal properly. And for that, go to James chapter 2, verse 26. Here James is putting the final touches upon his lesson about how faith is necessarily activated and empowered by works. And in doing so, he tossed in for free, a lasting lesson about the spirit and body, with, [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” James 2:26.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]WHAT THEN, IS DEATH?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Let us hie on back to Ecclesiastes, and see death defined. And naturally, given what we’ve seen above, it will most likely have to do with separating the spirit from the body. And it turns out that is exactly the case, for,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” Ecc 12:7.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]At death, the spirit returns to God, and the body returns to dust, to the ground of the earth, from whence it came.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]And did you know, that this reality, put upon every man, woman, boy and girl, is part and parcel of the curse placed upon Adam and Eve for their sin of disobedience in the Garden of Eden? For in speaking the curse, God said to Adam,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” Genesis 3:19.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]At death, the body returns to the ground, while the spirit returns to God…WHO GAVE IT. The spirit being of course, the life of man. And without the spirit, man is dead, dead, dead.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]And by the way, just for fun, let’s look at how one can, or cannot, control the spirit in the day of death, with,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.” Ecc 8:8.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]In science fiction, man can reach a place to where he can control death. Can manufacture in the lab, immortality…In reality, it’ll never happen. For no man has power to hold on to his spirit. Nor will man ever be given that power. After all, none are ever discharged from service in that war, that war of true life and death. We’d best deal with what we have at hand today, and let tomorrow take care of itself.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]SO, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Can we communicate with one another? Can we talk to Jesus, or to Mary? Will we be conscious, aware and knowing, remembering and thinking?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Well, here again, let us allow the Bible to speak for us. Remember that first verse we opened this discussion with? The one that said, “The living know that they shall die”?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]How about our quoting that entire verse this time? And maybe just a tad more…And let me warn you, it will be a shocker![/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“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.” Ecc 9:5-6.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Talk about being unemployed! [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]You see, the spirit of life, the life within us, contains every single component of what constitutes life in a human being. The spirit is consciousness, conscience, memory, emotion, intelligence, everything that characterizes all that a man is beyond his fleshly body, is spirit. That’s why, when the spirit returns to God, the body is dead.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]And so, no, you won’t be conscious, you won’t have memory, nor emotion…and bless your catholic heart, you won’t be able to talk to Mary, or the various and sundry saints scattered throughout purgatory, or whatever they’re calling it today.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]For where you are, is the exact same place every single human being who ever lived will fetch up, and who shall have ever lived, and died, and who shall ever die. Recall what happens at death? The body returns to the earth, but…the SPIRIT returns to God, (who gave it).[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]So where will we be? Well, if our spirits return to God, then we’ll be wherever God is. But unconscious, unknowing…there to remain in that state until the resurrection, where once more, we will have our spirits joined with our risen bodies, to become once again, living (but immortal) souls. And that dear friend applies to all, to both saint and sinner, to the ancient dead, and to the newly dead.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Let’s get a bit more evidence on all that…[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“For in death there is no remembrance of thee…” Psalm 6:5. No memory, good, bad or indifferent.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]And don’t worry about praying, or praising the Lord…it isn’t going to happen there, for,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.” Psalm 115:17.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]After all, your spirit is at rest, in the presence of God, but unknowing, unfeeling…and there it will remain until the resurrection…[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]With your kind permission, I’ll take a break now, and at a later time, we’ll deal with the resurrection…and with the differences between the Christian and others. In doing that, we’ll be doing a little investigation into just what one particular phrase, found only twice throughout the entire Bible…actually means. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]That phrase is, ‘born of the spirit’, found in John chapter three, two times, and only there. Since it is an integral part of being born again…can you tell me exactly what it means? What is the process by which one is ‘born of the spirit’? What happens to the man, when the man is ‘born of the spirit”? Is it an intellectual exercise? Are you aware of it when it happens? [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]I realize there are many here who can answer these questions…but let the younger folks have at it before you tell them…[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be BORN of water and OF THE SPIRIT, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is BORN OF THE SPIRIT is spirit.” John 3:5-6.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]I’ll check in later…I hope to see others’ thoughts and scriptures on this fairly important matter (after all, we all do die, and it wouldn’t hurt a’tall to know more about it).[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Until then, God Bless you,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]I am and remain sincerely yours in Jesus Christ,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Julabee Jones[/SIZE]