The first passage I always think of when thinking about death or dying is this:
(Hebrews 2:14–18, NIV)”Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Let's look at this passage closely. First it says that it is the devil who held the power of death.
Jesus didn't destroy Satan though. The word translated destroy here actually means "to annul the power they have" or "render powerless". So what Jesus did was to remove any power Satan had to hurt those who are born again. The following verses are also saying that Satan has no more power over us as far as death goes:
(Psalm 8:2, NIV)”From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.
(2 Timothy 1:10, NIV)”but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
We have to remember that death isn't "natural" for us.
(Romans 5:12, NIV)”Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—
Death began when Adam sinned because the wages of sin is death, and has passed to all of us since then. So Satan was the author of sin and he also carries out the sentence of sin on those who have sinned making us his lawful captives. On the opposite side we have the Lord who is the author of our faith, and who has rescued us from Satan's power over us.
(Romans 14:8–9, NIV)”If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
The passage from Hebrews shows that Christ's death not only paid for our sins, but by making that payment, He also removed all the power Satan had acquired over us. It also shows us (and Satan too) that those who are born again belong to Him and to Him alone. Satan is now like a stage magician that has been shown to be fake. He still tries to fool people into believing he can do his tricks...that he still has power over us, but he can't touch us with a ten foot pole!
One other thing I'd like to mention is that when it says in Hebrews that He has freed us who were held in slavery all our lives by the fear of death, the word "slavery" means just what that word pictures. It's a bondage. In fact the word translated that way actually means "subject to bondage; not merely liable to it but enthralled in it!"
Satan uses people's fear of death and/or dying to enslave them to his will. When people are living in bondage or slavery, they're not living the way they want to, but rather the way they think they have to because of their fear.
The Lord seems to be saying then that once we are born again that we have no reason at all to fear. He says that Jesus came as a man, experienced all he did right down to and including death itself, specifically to free us from that bondage as well as to pay for our sins. We no longer belong to Satan, we belong to God; body, mind, heart, spirit and soul!
(Romans 8:15–16, NIV)”For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
(Galatians 5:1, NIV)”It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Maybe it would help to think of it this way, although this isn't nearly as powerful as what God actually did for us. Think of a child who is being abused by their parents. You go and get that child, remove the child from the parents home, and you take the child to your home. You adopt the child and give the child your name. You assure the child that they no longer have to fear being hurt because you love them and you will never hurt them. This is similar to what the Lord has done for us. The problem is that instead of outgrowing our fear as we grow in our love and knowledge of Him, we continue to hang on to it.
What is it about death or dying that causes you fear? Have you ever discussed this with the Lord? Why do you think we continue to hang on to that fear? (if we have) What do you think is the "root" cause of your fear? Actually it might be helpful too to discuss just exactly what we think dying entails. Doing that might give us some insight into what's really going on in our minds concerning this...
Of course always feel free to ask questions about anything I've written too. And if you'd like more scripture references for anything I'll be happy to give you more if you ask.
| Cindy | November 17th, 2010 12:26 PM |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
I used to be afraid of death or more accurately the dying part of it. I'm really not afraid of it any longer though as I've had a number of conversations with the Lord about it over the years.
First I should share that I've worked in health care all my life, generally taking care of the elderly and disabled. Because of that I've been with many many people when they died and that along with other experiences gained from my job has also helped me in my journey to overcome the fear of dying. My first experience as an adult with death though was when my mom died of cancer when she was 47 and I was 20. I was with her when she died too, and this is what would eventually begin my quest.
The first thing the Lord showed me was that verse from Hebrews I shared yesterday. The next thing He showed me was this:
(1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, NIV)”Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 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. Therefore encourage each other with these words.
First let me say that when Paul talks about "those who fall asleep" he's speaking about those who died. I haven't checked the history on this saying, but find it interesting that even back then apparently people didn't like speaking about death. Have you noticed how we come up with all kinds of phrases to use in place of saying someone died? Well that's what Paul is doing too. Instead of just coming straight out and saying that he doesn't want us ignorant about those who have died, he uses the phrase "fell asleep". The fact that people have done this all through history shows me how deeply afraid we are of death. We do practically anything we can to avoid talking about it and if we are forced to, then we'll use phrases designed to make it seem "nicer" or more acceptable somehow.
This is important for us to realize simply because it shows that Satan has used this fear over humans for a very long time and that he has done all he can to both instill this fear in every human and cause it to grow in us. He wants us to be afraid of death, it's his power over us. Let me clarify that though. Death isn't his power over us, but fear IS his power over us, in this case it's the fear of death or dying that's Satan's power over us. So Satan doesn't want us to get over this fear. Instead he wants to implant it so deep within us that we can't possibly get rid of it. He is the one that doesn't want us to think about it or discuss it. He is the one who made it a socially taboo subject. He's done all he can to keep us in the dark concerning this. Thankfully we are God's children and have His light so we can see into all these dark corners and find the truth that will set us free!
Most of us are very familiar with these verses since they're about the rapture. What Paul was trying to get across though was that people who have died are not dead as we think of them. They may not be here on earth with us anymore and their bodies may be in a grave somewhere, but they themselves are alive and with the Lord even now. They don't have their immortal bodies yet, but that doesn't mean that they're "body-less" or floating around on clouds in heaven. I'm sure they're quite busy and quite happy too. What Paul is saying is that at the time of the rapture, everyone who has died in Christ will be given their immortal bodies even before those of us who are alive at the time of the rapture. True, it will only be a nano-second before us, but still he's saying this to let folks know that those who have died in Christ aren't going to miss out on anything. They're going to get to join in the fun too! To me this could be seen like there's going to be a huge party and people are worried that those who have died are going to miss out on the party, even though they figure they'll see them after the party. Paul is saying this isn't true. He's saying that those who are dead will get to go to the party too, so they won't miss out on anything. He's saying too that we'll all be together again in our immortal bodies and will never be separated again.
The people Paul was writing to, already knew that the dead were with Christ, they just weren't sure how or when the dead would get their new bodies. Let me share a couple of other scriptures that assure us of that though. The first verse that probably comes to mind is where Jesus tells the thief that he will be with Him in paradise that very day:
(Luke 23:43, NIV)”Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
(Philippians 1:23–24, NIV)”I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.
(2 Corinthians 5:1–3, NIV)”Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.
(2 Corinthians 5:8, NIV)”We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
(1 Thessalonians 5:9–10, NIV)”For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.
So those who die are not "sleeping" in any way. They're quite awake, aware and active in Heaven with Jesus immediately upon death. (obviously I'm talking about those who are saved) There is no waiting period or waiting room. There is no such thing as "purgatory". They don't have to take a number. Their mansion has been prepared for them in advance and they are expected and greeted with much joy. The only thing they have to continue to wait for is their glorified immortal body which they will receive at the same time we do, at the rapture.
Now, for those who die and go to hell, there is also no waiting period. They too will live forever, but their place of residence won't be with us, it will be in hell. They too aren't sleeping, they're awake and aware although I'm sure they wish they weren't. They won't receive a perfect body like we will and there will be no interaction between those of us in heaven and those in hell. The only thing they're waiting for is their official judgment day at the Great white Throne where their verdict will be pronounced. There is no happy reunion, no party, not rejoicing. There is no joy. What a drastic difference between those who have died in Christ and them!
We who have been saved will be joyfully welcomed into heaven:
(for more about "making our calling and election sure" in this verse please see the thread about the Bema Judgment.)
(2 Peter 1:10–11, NIV)”Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Over the years I've come to view death for believers as being almost identical to the birth of a baby here. I've been blessed to give birth to 5 living children and to be present at the birth of my grandchildren as well. From our perspective, we can't wait until that baby is born. We want to hold them, cuddle them and take care of them and just show them our love. Our hearts are filled with love and joy to the point of bursting when that baby is born.
Yet, have you ever stopped to think what it might be like for the baby? Certainly the baby doesn't have the words to express what they're feeling during this time, but they usually manage to do so anyway once they're actually born. They cry! Here they've been enclosed in a nice warm, comforting, comfortable place for a very long time and all of a sudden it's like an earthquake has hit them! They're comfortable place is pushing them out and it's hurting them! They don't want to leave it, they like it where they are, and they have no idea what's "out there". It's a scary and even painful time for them. Then it's all over and they cry, but find relief and comfort in hands that are gentle and warm blankets and the warmth of the love that surrounds them. And so their journey in this new life begins.
For me, that's what death is like. The major difference is that we now have words to express our fear and minds that can think about it before hand even and feed those fears that have been planted in us and make them grow. Also unlike the baby, we have fears of the "unknown" and there's nothing more "unknown" to us then what happens at death. (in good part because we often don't talk to the Lord about it and find out what we can from Him)
When we begin the actual process of death, it's very much like when the mother's body begins to go into labor. Like the baby, we generally don't like it and don't want to leave where we are. We like it here! Plus, we're scared of what's coming next. (thankfully babies don't have to deal with that at least!) It's just amazing to me how many things we can think of to be scared of about this process. Is there pain? Well just as in the birth of a baby, sometimes there is and sometimes there isn't. Sometimes there's more and sometimes there's less. How long will it last? Same as with the birth of a baby...some are born almost immediately while for others the mother is in labor a long time.
While we may not be able to tell how much it's going to hurt, or how long it's going to take, we can be absolutely positive about one thing. When we die to this world, we are being born into our real lives; lives that will last for all of eternity with our Lord Jesus. We can be absolutely sure that He will be there to greet us, to welcome us to our real home and that we will be surrounded with love. We can be sure that there will be great joy and excitement at our homecoming too! The other thing that's really nice about this is that since we're not "babies" anymore, when we go Home, we'll be able to participate in the joyful celebration of our homecoming! We may not be sure of exactly who all is going to be there to welcome us, but we can be sure that Jesus will be there along with many others we love and many others who already love us that we don't yet know. (again, just like a baby is loved before they're born even though they don't "know" us all yet either)
For me, I've learned to look at death with great anticipation and excitement. Almost like you feel as a child on Christmas Eve. Oh there might be a little pain in the process, but that's no big deal. We know for a fact that God won't give us more then we can handle and we also know that He will be with us and that any pain will be very temporary--just as the pain or discomfort for the baby is temporary. Which brings us to another difference between us and a baby being born. When a baby is born, they feel that pain and discomfort and while it goes away after birth, they've just been born into a life where they will experience much more pain and discomfort all their lives. Pain is a part of being alive on this earth. But when we die, or as I prefer to see it, when we're born into Heaven, we are being born into an eternal life where there won't be so much as a hint of discomfort for us ever again! I don't know about you, but if it take a little pain to get there, I'm ready!
I know pain is a big deal though for many so if you'd like to discuss that more we can.
| Fearnot | November 17th, 2010 02:26 PM |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
I really liked what you wrote:
"Yet, have you ever stopped to think what it might be like for the baby? Certainly the baby doesn't have the words to express what they're feeling during this time, but they usually manage to do so anyway once they're actually born.
They cry!
Here they've been enclosed in a nice warm, comforting, comfortable place for a very long time and all of a sudden it's like an earthquake has hit them!
They're comfortable place is pushing them out and it's hurting them!
They don't want to leave it, they like it where they are, and they have no idea what's "out there".
It's a scary and even painful time for them. Then it's all over and they cry, but find relief and comfort in hands that are gentle and warm blankets and the warmth of the love that surrounds them. And so their journey in this new life begins".
However you touched on a few of the reasons......how long will the process be and how much pain
Opps I am at the library and we have to leave now........
I will be back
"Yet, have you ever stopped to think what it might be like for the baby? Certainly the baby doesn't have the words to express what they're feeling during this time, but they usually manage to do so anyway once they're actually born.
They cry!
Here they've been enclosed in a nice warm, comforting, comfortable place for a very long time and all of a sudden it's like an earthquake has hit them!
They're comfortable place is pushing them out and it's hurting them!
They don't want to leave it, they like it where they are, and they have no idea what's "out there".
It's a scary and even painful time for them. Then it's all over and they cry, but find relief and comfort in hands that are gentle and warm blankets and the warmth of the love that surrounds them. And so their journey in this new life begins".
However you touched on a few of the reasons......how long will the process be and how much pain
Opps I am at the library and we have to leave now........
I will be back
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Wow, this gives me a lot to think about! I never thought about
death and dying as being reborn; Just as when a child is born, I also
never realized that the child felt pain......
I think my problem is that while I'm not afraid of dying because I know that I will be with my Lord and Savior Jesus, death scares me for the reason you have stated about fear of the unknown. Just as I have a fear of not the dark, but the unknown in it.....does that make sense? Let me go back a little bit here if I may. When I was a child, my brothers and I shared a room. My bed was placed right in front of the mantel (or fireplace) as we called it. We never used it and it was only covered by a blanket my dad had put over the side of my bed so I wouldn't be scared of the "monsters" I imagined coming out of it. So as you can imagine, I never slept well as long as my bed was there in front of the mantel. Instead, I spent my nights sitting in the window looking out into the street and watching whoever may be out there walking or driving. Later on when I was in the military, I was in a situation where lucky for me and my fast little legs....I avoided being raped. Since then and before my hubby came back home for good, I never left the house after dark (except for emergencies) and if I did, someone had to follow me home and wait for me to check my house before they could leave. I know this all sounds crazy, but I believe this is where my fear of the unknown started-with these two instances. So now, back to the present and fear of the unknown.......could this really be all it is that I am afraid of? Or maybe that I might see death before I accomplish what God wants me to do? Or that I may not see my gkids grow up? Or because maybe I feel I'm not ready? I also know that my anxiety plays a big part in this as well. Whenever my anxiety strikes, I have constant thoughts of death and dying (just as mant sufferers do). I patiently await your response.....:hug::love: |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
:hug: It looks like you've given this
a lot of thought hon. I do understand what you're saying and I don't
think that being afraid of something is "unreasonable", although God
does say it is a sin. We all have fears, some different, some the
same. We even all have anxiety to a point until we learn to control it
the way God tells us to anyway. Fears can be learned too, and they can
be made worse or better by how well we control our thoughts the way the
Lord teaches us to. But basically
no one "wants" to be hurt, so generally I'd say that fear starts when
we believe that we're vulnerable to hurt and that we somehow have some
control over it or at least try to have control over it. You've asked some really good questions too.
I have to go to my grandsons preschool Thanksgiving brunch so I don't
have time to answer you right now, but will try to when I get back. In
the mean time, let me ask you a couple of questions based on what you
said ok?
Is it possible for someone to die before they accomplish what God wants them to do? Is it possible for God to make a mistake? Do you think that the baby in the mothers womb feels "ready" to be born when they are? Do you think that God was involved in making sure you avoided being raped? Do you think that God is mean or hateful? Do you think that God loves you, that He loves your children, and your grandchildren and that He wants what's best for them? In other words do you think that God loves you so much and is so intimately involved in your life that He knows and loves your family even more then you do and is aware of what they need as well as what they want possibly even better then you are I've got to go get ready to leave, but as I said I'll come back and if it's at all possible I'll try and answer you then. (I might not be able to though as I've been up since 4 am and really haven't had much sleep) |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Do you think that God loves you, that He loves your children, and your grandchildren and that He wants what's best for them?
In other words do you think that God loves you so much and is so
intimately involved in your life that He knows and loves your family
even more then you do and is aware of what they need as well as what
they want possibly even better then you are.
My uncle was a good devote sincere christian. His daughter was murdered. Is this relevant? |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
I think because I almost choked a baby to death when I was a
small child, I must deep down fear, I am being punished for that. on
some level I must believe it can never be forgiven.....
and furthermore, choking and being close to dying over and over with sleep apnea ( is just the start of my punishment) I know at least in part, some of my fear stems from sleep apnea. I stop breathing for approx a minute sometimes..... At some point durning the long apneas...tho I am asleep, I am also aware, a type of conciousness....my brain ( and often satan or a demon) starts telling me I am dead.....(of course I am not) Then there is like a big jolt and almost an "electrical" snap ( in my brain), as I am guessing is my brain trying to wake me up and start me breathing again. However when this weird jolt and sizzling, snapping ( sounds) happens..... I "fear" I have died and am in Hell ( those sounds must remind me of Hell not Heaven). It is hard to explain it exactly. I am always in terror......I 99.9 percent of the time cry out to Jesus and bolt straight up with breathing started again. So one thing I fear is when I really do die....I will find out I did not "trust" the Lord to save me, and so I will go to hell after all. I know in my mind this is a lie...but the "fear" remains. I sometimes try praying about it before going to sleep. And your question: "Do you think that God is mean or hateful"? Is something I think I must be feeling on some level. It makes me so sad to think I feel that about the Lord....I do NOT want to....I hate it that I must. Yet, I also beleive God is loving, forgiving, kind, and He has been helping me all my life. It's like I have 2 sides of my belief.....one really is trusting Jesus ( durning these event I call out to Him while the apnea is happening.....so I am praying that is faith and beleif in Him on the other hand I have this lack of faith....because during that sleep apnea, I am all alone, it is dark, and I don't "feel God is there. I know not to trust in my feelings....but that fear haunts me. Still, I long to go to Heaven and be with Jesus. I fear something is soooo majorly wrong with me being so distrustful. It's like that old saying: I am afraid of living and afraid of dying. Because of my "fears" I choose "fearnot" as my FH name.....I want to "fear Not, nor be dismayed!!!!!!!! I also am thinking many fear death because it was not God's original plan for us.....we know on some level it is because of "sin" that it came into the world...but we were not originally made to die....so on that level of thinking/feeling we are "right" in sense to fear death,,,,, but Jesus over came it |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Part of my fear of death does have to do with pain but also I
have this nagging question that keeps asking me are you really saved?
What if you left something out? Or what if others are right and you can
lose it and you've lost it due to poor performance. I think the devil
likes to whisper this stuff in my ear.
|
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
I guess I fear the 'unknown' of the death process too...but what
Cindy has written makes a lot of sense, and takes the 'darkness' of that
fear and exposes it to Light (Truth).
|
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Cindy, you asked....
"1.Is it possible for someone to die before they accomplish what God wants them to do? 2.Is it possible for God to make a mistake? 3.Do you think that the baby in the mothers womb feels "ready" to be born when they are? 4.Do you think that God was involved in making sure you avoided being raped? 5.Do you think that God is mean or hateful? 6.Do you think that God loves you, that He loves your children, and your grandchildren and that He wants what's best for them? In other words do you think that God loves you so much and is so intimately involved in your life that He knows and loves your family even more then you do and is aware of what they need as well as what they want possibly even better then you are?" My answers are..... 1-I don't believe so 2-No 3-Yes 4-Most assuredly Yes 5-No, not ever! 6-Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes! I asked my hubby these questions and a few more and he says he is not afraid of anything, including death and dying. He says (and I agree) that my fears are more than likely because of my upbringing and the fact that my home was not a loving home. I also would say that we weren't brought up in a very christain like (or Godly if you will) environment. So maybe this is what I need to work on, my fear of the unknown? I am afraid of heights, afraid of tight spaces (like a mri tube.....), and afraid of death (but not dying). Hubby says that death and dying are the same.....but are they? I mean you can die or be dying, yes? Now I ask, fear of heights and tight spaces are not a fear of the unknown because I know what these are but not why they scare me. My daughter use to be scared of spiders, now she has a pet taranchula! So actually what I need to do here is ask God to help me understand why I have these fears and ask Him to help me face them. Does anyone else have fear of something other than the uknown? |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
I have a fear of tight spaces. And I have nightmares about them.
My birth was a very traumatic one and i have wondered if being tightly confined and squeezed is a unconscious memory. |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
:oops: oh dear! I didn't mean for
you to literally answer those questions hon! I was writing in a hurry
as I had to leave so I guess I wasn't specific enough... I just meant
them for folks (everyone) to think on them, even me! And I've been
thinking of them since I wrote them too. It wasn't so much that the
particular answer to the questions were important as it was to lead to
more thought on the subject in general, which it appears to have done
for you anyway so that's good!
I don't know John, but I would say it's certainly possible. Stranger things have turned out to be true that's for sure! JJ, I'm not sure if "unknown fear" is the root of this or not. Or rather "fear of the unknown". Let me try and share some of what I've gotten out of my conversation with the Lord about those questions and maybe together we can all figure this out. First, I think we should all keep in mind that "fear" isn't always bad or sinful. Fear is a natural condition that causes the "fight or flight" syndrome which can save our lives. It's only when the fear we're experiencing is unnatural, and when we allow it to control us that it becomes "bad" or sinful. In this study we're mainly covering fear of death and/or fear of dying, so I'm going to try to stick to that and not get off topic. Before going any further though, I have to say that the basic godly response to any fear that's controlling us is to take the thought(s) captive and replace them with God's Truth. If anyone is having a problem with fear or anxiety and hasn't yet done this study, please, please, make it a priority: Stress,worry,fear etc & the Christian and feel free to ask questions on that thread as well! OK, let me talk to the Lord some more, collect my thoughts and then try and share some of the conclusions I came to yesterday in my next post. |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
First I think I need to share that I
have also experienced panic attacks and I suppose they could be linked
to the fear of death. I was in a car accident (which is how I became
disabled) in the winter on icy roads and after that I was terrified of
even being in a car when I thought the roads "might" even be a little
icy. I did all that I could on my own to overcome this fear. I forced
myself to drive on the ice--on flat roads, on steep hills going up and
down, etc. I did this not just once but for 3 full months, almost every
day after my accident. It didn't work. I could make myself do
it--praying and with tears streaming down my face the entire time, but I
was still just as terrified 3 months later as I was the day of my
accident. That fear did control my life; at least in the winter it did. I
finally gave up forcing myself to drive or even forcing myself to get
into a car when I was afraid, simply because it hadn't done the least
bit of good, so why continue with something that obviously wasn't
working? Since I'd been hurt in
the accident-badly enough to be disabled for life, I was also going
through a great deal mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually
dealing with that as well. I can't begin to share here what all the
Lord worked with me on over the course of the next couple of years but
since much of it was intertwined at places it all had an effect on this
fear.
When I was considering the questions I posted here yesterday, the Lord brought me back to this time in my life and reminded me of a lot of things, including the panic attacks and fear. When all this happened to me, I was a relatively new believer and not at all mature in my faith. I guess if we considered people who were just born again as newborns, and put grades on how mature people were in their faith, by the time this happened to me I'd guess I was probably still in "elementary school"; maybe the 5th grade at best. I think maybe the best way to help others see where I'm going with this is to share with you some of the questions that were on my mind when all this happened. Keep in mind that these questions revolved around my accident which caused my injury and which caused me to become terrified of being in a car on what I considered bad roads after that. These are some of the things I asked the Lord about and the things He taught me about over the next couple of years: Why didn't He answer my prayer for safety that day? Couldn't I count on Him when I was at least "trying" to live the way I thought He wanted me to? Why did He allow me and my friend to be hurt? What was the point of praying and asking Him to keep me and my family and friends safe if He wasn't going to do it? Why should we bother asking? Did you notice that I didn't ask Him anything about death or dying? I'm a very analytical person and I'd reflected on my fear every possible way I could, trying to discover the root of the fear so I could over come it. I'd never considered myself afraid of death or even much afraid of dying before, but that was the one thing at the top of my list of "reasons" for this fear, simply because I couldn't think of anything else it could be. Strangely it never occurred to me to ask the Lord what it was I was afraid of :duh: I guess I was still living in a lot of ways like I had before I was saved and figured I should figure things out for myself for the most part. Thankfully because I was saved, it never occurred to me to abandon the Lord even though I had these questions. Instead I determined that even if I couldn't do anything else at all, my injuries couldn't stop me from praying or from studying the Bible and that's exactly what I spent my time doing. Like anyone else, I had a lot going on in my head during that time even on top of these questions, so I'd say it took a good couple of years before I could say that I fully understood the answers to them. Somehow, even at the beginning I knew the Lord's hand was on me, even though I didn't understand the why's, how's or what's. But going back to those questions, do you get a sense of what the root is behind all of them? The root of all of that is trust. Did I or did I not trust God? Somehow I'd allowed the mistaken idea that as long as I was studying the bible and praying daily, and really trying to live my life for God, that He would bless me, protect me and mine from all danger etc and I'd have basically a "good life". I figured as long as I remembered to pray for safety that I'd be safe. If I forgot to, well that was my fault. I had put God into a box that said He worked by "cause and effect" in a sense, not to mention a few other false beliefs that got mixed into that. None of these were conscious beliefs and if someone had told me I was doing that then, I would have denied it. But I was. With the Lord's help and guidance I was able to learn more and more about two main things that seem to be the underlying issues to this as well as to many other things we have to deal with in life. The first thing as I already mentioned was trusting Him no matter what. The second thing which goes hand in hand with this was understanding His sovereignty. Let me share the definition of that: SOVEREIGNTY — of God, his absolute right to do all things according to his own good pleasure (Dan. 4:25, 35; Rom. 9:15–23; 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 4:11). Easton's Bible dictionary. Here's part of one of those references for you: (Romans 9:14–18, NIV)”What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. So basically I think the root cause of the fear is two things: a lack of trust in the Lord (often because of) and a lack of understanding the sovereignty of God. If you all would like to explore this more with me I'll be more then happy to! |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
1.Is it possible for someone to die before they accomplish what God wants them to do?
I think that, when we die, in one way or another we will have accomplished what God wants us to do. What I fear the most about dying, is not death itself but how much pain and suffering I am going to have til I take my last breath. |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Ok.......I do have a bit of an issue with trust, but only with
those who have hurt or done me wrong. But I have forgiven some and I
know I must forgive everyone.....but I believe in my heart that I trust
in God and whatever His plan is for me.
I am thinking besides what I went thru groing up to the time I finally got smart....and accepted the Lord into my heart does have a bit to do with my fears. I'm glad to know that fear is not a sin, but I must get over this fear as it is really kinda messing with me and I think that my anxiety is my biggest problem. I don't want to go back on pills because while they do help, they only mask the problem...in my opinion....I will read the post you suggested and get back to you with my thoughts/questions. Did I open a bag of worms here with all this talk of fears or what???? I mean I'm not sorry cause I have these questions and I'm glad I'm not the only one but at the same time I hope I haven't opened any old wounds or anything like that for anyone. It's just comforting to know I can be open here about what I'm feeling. |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
ooops! Just so there's no misunderstanding let me clarify a couple of things. Here's what I actually said in my other post:
Quote:
1. Fear can be a sin. I said that fear is natural and normal when it happens to us because of a legitimate reason--such as if someone is holding a gun on you. Now that's a legitimate reason to be fearful. You feel "fear" because your body is dumping adrenaline into your system giving you that "flight or fight" response that could save your life. Sitting here worrying about what you'd do if something like that happened and feeling fearful about it, is not legitimate and is a sin. This is also where trust comes in. 2. When I spoke of trust, I wasn't in anyway speaking about trusting any human being. I was only speaking about trusting God and Him alone. Fear IS a sin when it's not a bodily reaction to an immediate threat. In fact, ultimately we're told that we shouldn't even have that initial reaction if we truly trust God. The Lord says we are not to fear, we are to trust in Him and rely on Him instead. (Psalm 46:1–3, NIV)”God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. (Romans 8:15, NIV)”For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” (Psalm 91:1–5, NIV)”He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, (Psalm 112:7–8, NIV)”He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes. What these verses and many more like them are saying is that when we totally and completely trust the Lord and understand His sovereignty, then we will not fear. Nothing will be able to shake us up enough to cause us to fear because we will know that the Lord is in control, He's watching over us and absolutely nothing can happen to us without His say so. Having that kind of faith, that kind of trust in the Lord should be everyone's goal. When we think of the great hero's in God's Word, like Abraham, David, Noah, Stephen, Paul, Moses, Daniel, etc. they all had this kind of faith and trust. They all understood the sovereignty of God. As I said there are many passages and even whole chapters that show us this. One of my favorites is the story about Daniel's 3 friends. Remember when the king told them that if they didn't worship the statue of him that they would be thrown into the furnace? Listen to how they replied to him. (this is my goal--to have a faith so strong that I too could sincerely say this and mean it) (Daniel 3:16–18, NIV)”Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Notice that they said that they knew that God was greater then any man including the king and that He could save them. They didn't boast that God "would" save them from it, only that He could if He chose to. They knew that no matter what happened to them physically that God was in control, not the king. If it was God's will for them to survive, that was great, but if it wasn't, that was OK too. They would still worship and love Him and Him only regardless of which way the Lord chose to handle this situation. That's what understanding the fact that God is sovereign will do for us. Of course we know that the Lord saved them and they came to no harm at all. This is something really neat though that I found in the Lord's Word about it. First look at what the King says about God saving them: (Daniel 3:28, NKJV)”Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! Now look at what Paul says in Romans which explains how Daniel's friends were able to do what they did: (Romans 12:1–2, NKJV)”I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. They were able to have that kind of faith and trust in God, and understand that He is sovereign because they did not allow themselves to be conformed to the world (of Babylon then) but instead regularly renewed their minds with God's Word so that they were able to prove what His will was. (You'll learn more about "renewing your mind" in the other study Stress,worry,fear etc & the Christian ) Isn't that neat? But over and over God's Word tells us we're to fear nothing except He Himself. (Psalm 146:3, NIV)”Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. (Isaiah 2:22, NIV)”Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he? The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and is really all we need to be concerned with. (Psalm 111:10, NIV)”The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. Remember how Jesus put it? (Luke 12:4–7, NIV)”“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. First Jesus tells us we shouldn't even be afraid of someone that can kill us. Then He adds that the only one we should worry about is God Himself who has the power to send us to Hell. Finally He then links this with His sovereignty by reminding us that God is very aware of what's happening to us at all time and it is God that is in control of it all. So knowing all this, I'm not entirely sure that any kind of fear for any reason is acceptable to the Lord (except for fear of Him) because any fear shows a lack of trust in Him. Obviously some people like Stephen and Daniel and his friends and others, trusted God so completely that they had no fear at all, so I would have to think that our goal should be to have that kind of faith ourselves. OK I've rambled on way too long but I hope it helps some... like I said if anyone wants to look into God's sovereignty more too just let me know as I have a feeling that's another key to overcoming fear. |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Is 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
I learned something new today!! I never knew fear, to be a sin!! You said that Fear IS a sin when it's not a bodily reaction to an immediate threat.
In fact, ultimately we're told that we shouldn't even have that initial
reaction if we truly trust God. The Lord says we are not to fear, we
are to trust in Him and rely on Him instead.
How is it possible to stop being fearfull? |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Ok, I think I'm beginning to understand somewhat. Tho I didn't
realize that fear (unless it because someone has threatened you) is a
sin, I do know that we should fear God only. Death is nothing to be
feared because while we know it will happen one day, we will only loose
our earthly bodies which have been loaned to us while we are hear on
earth. And even as our bodies die, we won't because we will be going to
live with our Father in Heaven.
Now while stress and anxiety play a part in us having fear, we need to learn to let it go, And the only way to do that is by trusting in God with all our heart, mind and soul, and asking Him to release us from these trials. So I am understanding the trust, it is the "sovereignty" I don't quite understand, so could you please go into a bit more on this? |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Quote:
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I'd love too! I promise I'm not nit picking but let me share something with you about what you said here:
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Re: Death, Dying and Fear
If we were to pick just one person to
study to learn how to deal with trials, fear, even the good possibility
of death and dying, it would be Paul. He is a perfect example of
someone who was willing to pick up his cross daily and follow Jesus.
In fact Paul tells us no less then 3 times to follow his example. We
know from the rules of scripture that the more often something is
mentioned, the more important it is, so this is something that the Lord
(not Paul) wants us to do.
(1 Corinthians 11:1, NIV)”Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. (1 Corinthians 4:16, NIV)”Therefore I urge you to imitate me. (Philippians 3:17, NIV)”Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. Let me share what one of my books says about Paul so that everyone will know that he was intimately acquainted with trials and frequently expecting to die. Enduring every species of hardship, encountering every extreme danger (II Cor. 11:23–27). Assaulted by the populace, punished by magistrates (Acts 16:19–24; 21:27). Scourged, beaten, stoned, left for dead (Acts 14:19–20). Expecting wherever he went a renewal of the same treatment and the same dangers (Acts 20:23). Driven from one city, he preached in the next (Acts 13:50–51; 14:5–7, 19–21). Spent his whole time in missionary work, sacrificing to it his pleasures, his ease, his safety (Acts 20:24; Rom. 1:14–15; Phil. 1:20; 3:8). Persisted in this course to old age, unaltered by the experience of perverseness (Acts 28:17); ingratitude (Gal. 1:6; 4:14–20); prejudice (II Cor. 12:15); and desertion (II Tim. 4:10, 16). Unsubdued by anxiety, want, labor, or persecution, unwearied by long confinement, undismayed by the prospect of death (Acts 21:13; II Cor. 12:10; Phil. 2:17; 4:18; II Tim. 4:17). MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (c1995.). The Power of Suffering Paul has always been fascinating to me and I've always felt like I could relate to many of the things he went through and felt. The more I've studied him and the books he authored in the NT, the more I've learned and the closer to both Paul and the Lord I've felt. In this next passage I want to post, Paul purposely doesn't try to hide, cover up or gloss over the problems he's been through recently. Instead, he actually highlights them and points them out. He does that not so the folks will feel sorry for him, but instead so they (we) will understand that we too can go through similar things in our lives with the very same confidence, peace and strength that he did. (2 Corinthians 1:8–11, NIV)”We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. When we study Paul we find he never gets down about his trials, he never complains, he never despairs, He never whines, he's never afraid! My question too was "how does he do it????" "Is he superhuman or something???" No, he's not superhuman, he's saved, just like we are! The difference between us and Paul is that Paul lived his faith 100% of the time. He knew he had to trust God or he might as well just lay down and die as his life was worthless. We know that before Paul was saved, he was already a very strong believer in the one True God. He knew the OT scriptures well, in fact he had the entire OT scriptures memorized, probably before he was even a teenager. He sat under one of the greatest Jewish teachers (rabbis) of the time. So he knew God's Word very well. Knowing God's Word is the probably the first prerequisite for us to overcome fear of death and dying, of living victoriously the way Paul did. But remember, Paul didn't live victoriously until after he was saved, so what changed? It was his new relationship with God and his new ability to understand God and His Word once he was saved that made that difference! Paul himself explains what happened: (2 Corinthians 3:14–18, NIV)”But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. So before he was saved, he knew the scriptures, but there was a veil over them so he couldn't really understand them or God. Once he was saved however, the Holy Spirit indwelt him and gave him the understanding he so desperately needed. Not only that but with the Holy Spirit doing his job in Paul, Paul knew that he was being transformed daily to be more and more like Jesus. Everything that happened to Paul happens to us too at salvation. The big difference is that we don't grab hold of it and run with it like Paul did. Like Paul, I too knew the scriptures before I was saved but they didn't do me any good at all other then to convict me of sin. It wasn't until after I was saved that the Lord removed the veil and I was able to begin to understand them. For those who didn't know the scriptures before salvation, the only difference is that they begin to understand as soon as they start to read instead of having to wait. (at least they do if they're relying on God to give them understanding instead of trying to do it in their own intellectual powers) I realize this is getting long and I've really only covered some of the reasons we're going to be looking at Paul to help us understand God's sovereignty and how to have that kind of faith and trust in God that we need. Just so you'll know though that Paul really did understand about death and dying let me share some of his personal thoughts about it with you. Obviously Paul knew about all kinds of trials, but they did include many close brushes with death including the one I already posted above...but this way we can get an idea of what his attitude was about it. (Philippians 1:19–26, NIV)”for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me. In this next passage, Paul wasn't necessarily dying but I wanted to include it so you'd get a picture how exactly how Paul handled it when he was in dire circumstances: (Acts 16:22–34, NIV)”The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family. Now here are Paul and Silas after being severely beaten; they have their arms and legs stretched far apart locked in stocks in a dirty, dingy, jail cell. What were they doing? Moaning in pain? Crying to God to save them? Afraid of infection and certain death from that from their wounds? Afraid of what was going to happen the next day? Terrified of the earthquake? I hardly think that any of us would fault them if they were doing all those things! But they weren't! They weren't praying to God to save them, nor were they crying, or even fearful of anything at all! Instead they were rejoicing! The words that are translated, "singing hymns" is literally "singing praises"! Here's what one commentary says about it: literally, “praying, were singing praises”; that is, while engaged in pouring out their hearts in prayer, had broken forth into singing, and were hymning loud their joy. As the word here employed is that used to denote the Paschal hymn sung by our Lord and His disciples after their last Passover (Mt 26:30), and which we know to have consisted of Ps 113:1–118:29, which was chanted at that festival, it is probable that it was portions of the Psalms, so rich in such matter, which our joyous sufferers chanted forth; nor could any be more seasonable and inspiring to them than those very six Psalms, which every devout Jew would no doubt know by heart. “He giveth songs in the night” (Job 35:10). Though their bodies were still bleeding and tortured in the stocks, their spirits, under “the expulsive power of a new affection,” rose above suffering, and made the prison wails resound with their song. A commentary, critical and explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments well I know this is already super long so let me start a new post. |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
I understand I think.... We must live our Faith 100 %, We must
know God's Word!! Ok, I am going to re-read this again in the morning
because, once again, there is alot of very important information here. I
don't want to miss anything!!
|
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
I'm afraid I'm falling behind, but
that's probably for the best lol. I've been studying all day but I
don't think I'm going to get a chance to post about it till tomorrow...
so feel free to ask questions in the mean time!
|
| Cindy | November 23rd, 2010 02:04 PM |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Ok, let's continue looking at how Paul dealt with the idea that he could die any time.
My hope is that when you read all the books Paul wrote in the NT, that
you'll be noticing these things about him as well from now on! I know I do!
Paul showed confidence in 4 things that helped him live without fear of death or dying. Let's look at what those were, because we can use these same 4 things to help us in our lives. That's why God included them in His Word.
First he had confidence in God's Word. Obviously to have confidence in it, he also had to know it, so really for us, we need to break this one down into two parts.
A. We have to first know God's Word. The only way we can do that is by studying it. The more we read and study it, the better we'll know it. There is simply no shortcut or any other way. Now, for those people who live in an area where they do not have bibles, God deals with them slightly differently as we discussed in the study of the Bema Judgment and other study threads. I only mention it here because often, in order to get out of reading and studying their bibles, people will ask, "well what about them?". God has blessed us abundantly by giving us easy access to His Word, so it is truly a slap in His face when we ignore it.
B. Second, once we "know" His Word, we need to have confidence in it. To have confidence in it, we must be able to trust that God will keep His Word and do what He says.
(Philippians 1:19, NIV)”for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.
Paul is actually quoting Job when he says that:
(Job 13:16, NIV)”Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance, for no godless man would dare come before him!
The word translated "know" in both verses actually means "to know with certainty"
One thing I've noticed too is that many of us take God's promises to us out of context and then we whine and say, "well, He didn't deliver like He said He would!" In order to receive God's promises though, we must first know what they're saying and we must obey the prerequisites for them. For almost every single one the prerequisite is that we are living in His Will and being obedient to Him.
(Psalm 34:17–19, NIV)”The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;
(Psalm 37:39–40, NIV)”The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
(Psalm 97:10–11, NIV)”Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.
Are you seeing the prerequisites? Now this doesn't mean we must be totally perfect in any way! No! That's impossible! What it does mean is that in order to claim God's promises for ourselves we must be living in His Will and not our own. We're all familiar with obvious example of people who don't receive God's blessing, such as someone who is living in sin, perhaps as an active homosexual, or perhaps living with someone without the benefit of marriage etc. Yet they "claim" God's promises and then have the gall to get upset when God doesn't seem to answer their prayers! In fact, I know someone that is doing just exactly that. She's living with a man without marriage and is praying that God will give her a baby! (she had her tubes tied a long long time ago) :duh: Something that obvious, I would hope we can all see how they are not living in God's Will and aren't "eligible" to receive His promises. Yet this is exactly what we do too when we sin and ask God to bless it! For example, when we know that God has shown us in His Word how to deal with something we have a problem with, and instead of doing the work and doing things His Way, we pray and ask Him to "deliver" us from the problem. He already has delivered us! It's in His Word! The problem is that we don't want to have to actually do something to help ourselves. We'd much rather take a pill or have some miraculous healing or deliverance from our problem or trial. That's not how the Lord works though. (Oh sure He does sometimes give us miracles, but I guess I should have said that's not the "usual" way He works.) The Lord's purpose is to grow us up to be like Jesus. We won't grow up if we have things handed to us on a silver platter. Just as we wouldn't do our children's homework for them, so the Lord's not going to do ours for us either. He will help us, He will guide, and teach us, but we have to do the actual work.
So, back to "confidence in His Word". We have to study it to know it. We have to realize that being a disciple of Jesus is a full time job and not something we can do in our spare time. The great thing about studying His Word with His help and guidance is that the more we do it, the closer we get to Him too. We build our relationship with God through studying His Word and talking to Him about it. Just as with a human friend, we learn to trust God and be confident of what He says, the better and more we know Him and His Word. So the bottom line here is that to have confidence in God and in His Word, we must study, study, study!!!
The more we study the more we'll understand God and that includes understanding His sovereignty too. The effect of studying God's Word with His help is that it causes us to grow up spiritually, we become mature in our faith. The more mature we become, the more fruit of the spirit and the fruit of righteousness will be seen in our lives. This is God's goal for us once we're saved and we'd do well to work with Him in it! Do you remember what the fruit of the spirit and the fruit of righteousness is?
Tomorrow we'll look at some of the other things that gave Paul confidence.
Let me also share from a couple of my commentaries about this before I end. I'll also leave you with some other passages to reflect on afterward.
In the Old Testament, the words “confidence” and “assurance” are different forms of the same Hebrew word. Isaiah adds the concept of “quietness”: “In quietness and confidence” (Is. 30:15) we find our strength. Isaiah also tells us that “quietness and assurance” are the effect of righteousness (Is. 32:17). In the New Testament, the Greek words translated “assurance” (Col. 2:2), “persuaded” (Rom. 8:38), and “convinced” (Rom. 14:5) convey the same idea as similar words in the Old Testament. Assurance is not based on optimism about your own abilities. Rather it is an inward peace based on God’s righteous work in you. Such confidence is not self-confidence, for that would be false security and reliance on something unreliable (Prov. 14:16; Jer. 9:23, 24). Scripture states that those who have confidence in their own strength (Is. 30:12), beauty (Ezek. 16:15), or righteousness (Ezek. 33:12) are to be considered fools (Prov. 28:26).
True confidence—rooted in the Lord’s capabilities and His relationship with His children—is a quiet strength that brings “great reward” (Heb. 10:35, 36), a lasting security that is fully satisfying. See also Ps. 115:8–11; 118:8; Jer. 17:5, 7; Col. 4:12; 1 Thess. 1:5; Heb. 6:11; 10:22; notes on Access to God (Rom. 10); Boldness (Prov. 28); Fruit of the Spirit (Rom. 5)
Woman's study Bible
(Isaiah 32:17, NIV)”The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.
Believers must go on to maturity, and God has made it possible for us to do so. If we start to drift from the Word (Heb. 2:1–4), then we will also start to doubt the Word (Heb. 3:7–4:13). Before long, we will get dull toward the Word (Heb. 5:11–6:20) and become lazy believers.
The Bible exposition commentary (Heb 6:13).
(Hebrews 6:11–13, NIV)”We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself,
Paul showed confidence in 4 things that helped him live without fear of death or dying. Let's look at what those were, because we can use these same 4 things to help us in our lives. That's why God included them in His Word.
First he had confidence in God's Word. Obviously to have confidence in it, he also had to know it, so really for us, we need to break this one down into two parts.
A. We have to first know God's Word. The only way we can do that is by studying it. The more we read and study it, the better we'll know it. There is simply no shortcut or any other way. Now, for those people who live in an area where they do not have bibles, God deals with them slightly differently as we discussed in the study of the Bema Judgment and other study threads. I only mention it here because often, in order to get out of reading and studying their bibles, people will ask, "well what about them?". God has blessed us abundantly by giving us easy access to His Word, so it is truly a slap in His face when we ignore it.
B. Second, once we "know" His Word, we need to have confidence in it. To have confidence in it, we must be able to trust that God will keep His Word and do what He says.
(Philippians 1:19, NIV)”for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.
Paul is actually quoting Job when he says that:
(Job 13:16, NIV)”Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance, for no godless man would dare come before him!
The word translated "know" in both verses actually means "to know with certainty"
One thing I've noticed too is that many of us take God's promises to us out of context and then we whine and say, "well, He didn't deliver like He said He would!" In order to receive God's promises though, we must first know what they're saying and we must obey the prerequisites for them. For almost every single one the prerequisite is that we are living in His Will and being obedient to Him.
(Psalm 34:17–19, NIV)”The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;
(Psalm 37:39–40, NIV)”The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
(Psalm 97:10–11, NIV)”Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.
Are you seeing the prerequisites? Now this doesn't mean we must be totally perfect in any way! No! That's impossible! What it does mean is that in order to claim God's promises for ourselves we must be living in His Will and not our own. We're all familiar with obvious example of people who don't receive God's blessing, such as someone who is living in sin, perhaps as an active homosexual, or perhaps living with someone without the benefit of marriage etc. Yet they "claim" God's promises and then have the gall to get upset when God doesn't seem to answer their prayers! In fact, I know someone that is doing just exactly that. She's living with a man without marriage and is praying that God will give her a baby! (she had her tubes tied a long long time ago) :duh: Something that obvious, I would hope we can all see how they are not living in God's Will and aren't "eligible" to receive His promises. Yet this is exactly what we do too when we sin and ask God to bless it! For example, when we know that God has shown us in His Word how to deal with something we have a problem with, and instead of doing the work and doing things His Way, we pray and ask Him to "deliver" us from the problem. He already has delivered us! It's in His Word! The problem is that we don't want to have to actually do something to help ourselves. We'd much rather take a pill or have some miraculous healing or deliverance from our problem or trial. That's not how the Lord works though. (Oh sure He does sometimes give us miracles, but I guess I should have said that's not the "usual" way He works.) The Lord's purpose is to grow us up to be like Jesus. We won't grow up if we have things handed to us on a silver platter. Just as we wouldn't do our children's homework for them, so the Lord's not going to do ours for us either. He will help us, He will guide, and teach us, but we have to do the actual work.
So, back to "confidence in His Word". We have to study it to know it. We have to realize that being a disciple of Jesus is a full time job and not something we can do in our spare time. The great thing about studying His Word with His help and guidance is that the more we do it, the closer we get to Him too. We build our relationship with God through studying His Word and talking to Him about it. Just as with a human friend, we learn to trust God and be confident of what He says, the better and more we know Him and His Word. So the bottom line here is that to have confidence in God and in His Word, we must study, study, study!!!
The more we study the more we'll understand God and that includes understanding His sovereignty too. The effect of studying God's Word with His help is that it causes us to grow up spiritually, we become mature in our faith. The more mature we become, the more fruit of the spirit and the fruit of righteousness will be seen in our lives. This is God's goal for us once we're saved and we'd do well to work with Him in it! Do you remember what the fruit of the spirit and the fruit of righteousness is?
Tomorrow we'll look at some of the other things that gave Paul confidence.
Let me also share from a couple of my commentaries about this before I end. I'll also leave you with some other passages to reflect on afterward.
In the Old Testament, the words “confidence” and “assurance” are different forms of the same Hebrew word. Isaiah adds the concept of “quietness”: “In quietness and confidence” (Is. 30:15) we find our strength. Isaiah also tells us that “quietness and assurance” are the effect of righteousness (Is. 32:17). In the New Testament, the Greek words translated “assurance” (Col. 2:2), “persuaded” (Rom. 8:38), and “convinced” (Rom. 14:5) convey the same idea as similar words in the Old Testament. Assurance is not based on optimism about your own abilities. Rather it is an inward peace based on God’s righteous work in you. Such confidence is not self-confidence, for that would be false security and reliance on something unreliable (Prov. 14:16; Jer. 9:23, 24). Scripture states that those who have confidence in their own strength (Is. 30:12), beauty (Ezek. 16:15), or righteousness (Ezek. 33:12) are to be considered fools (Prov. 28:26).
True confidence—rooted in the Lord’s capabilities and His relationship with His children—is a quiet strength that brings “great reward” (Heb. 10:35, 36), a lasting security that is fully satisfying. See also Ps. 115:8–11; 118:8; Jer. 17:5, 7; Col. 4:12; 1 Thess. 1:5; Heb. 6:11; 10:22; notes on Access to God (Rom. 10); Boldness (Prov. 28); Fruit of the Spirit (Rom. 5)
Woman's study Bible
(Isaiah 32:17, NIV)”The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.
Believers must go on to maturity, and God has made it possible for us to do so. If we start to drift from the Word (Heb. 2:1–4), then we will also start to doubt the Word (Heb. 3:7–4:13). Before long, we will get dull toward the Word (Heb. 5:11–6:20) and become lazy believers.
The Bible exposition commentary (Heb 6:13).
(Hebrews 6:11–13, NIV)”We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself,
| Pathwalker | November 24th, 2010 10:44 PM |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
How many hours a day do you study? Between Prayer and reading my
Bible daily, and reading FH threads almost everyday, how much time
should I be studying my Bible? Isn't spending time reading these Bible
Studies, and looking up scripture, a part of my daily studies? There are
times were my wife has to pry me from my office, because I am always
reading or researching information ( Bible related topics).
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
I wondered that also Pathwalker...if our time spent reading these
Bible studies, could count towards being a part of our daily studies?
For example, I have fallen way behind in this most helpful Bible study, ( due to computer dying 2 times in less than 2 weeks apart, grandchildren computer hogs, etc. etc.)...my point being I spent the last hour and a half reading and really absorbing Cindy's eye opening commentaries. Anyway so many things jumped put at me: Firstly, the scripture "present your bodies a living sacrifice".....gave me cause to wonder if we are also a type of "sacrifice" as we draw our last breath? And then the scripture which states: we are not to have a spirit which makes us slave again to fear.... Is saying that fear keeps us as slaves then? But also because one part of my "fear", of the dying process, is drawing my last breath... and so when I read this verse again ( it's been awhile since I read it), it jumped out at me: Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils When we die we no longer fit that discription of having breath in our nostrils... God breathed into Adam's nostrils yes? ( I would look up the verse but am on a neighbor's throw away dinosaur slowest computer in the world.....so it would take 5 mins on this old hunk of plastic) :bang: But another major fear of death always comes via sleep......It's when I am having an apnea ( stop breathing for up to a minute while asleep) that I am most weak to fear of dying and/or being dead but not in Heaven, or demons pulling me into Hell) (this is in my dreams at the same time I am having an apnea) but you know.......I 90 percent of the time call out to the Lord..tho asleep and He saves me from my dreams, apnea and fear.....but I am so depressed that I did NOT trust Him really. But I know it's because I am still not Study Study studing.....I am so glad you repeat over and over and over...it's how we build our relationship with Him. It's beginning to sink in.... My fears would probably be.... no.. most certainly. be less in my nightmares.....if I had spent hour upon hours in His word!!! |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
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Before I became disabled, Studying God's Word wasn't the "most important thing in my life" however; but the Lord was already leading me in that direction. Let me think a minute....Ok, prior to becoming disabled I spent an average of 2 hours a day in Bible study. (meaning I was studying the bible myself not what someone else said about it) Then perhaps you could add another hour or so reading things on the web that like you said were about Bible related topics. So that's 3 hours. If we include concentrated prayer time, (I'm putting it that way because I "talk to the Lord constantly all day, so by "concentrated" I mean when my mind is totally on Him and I'm doing nothing else but praying) you could probably add another hour; so that would make a total of 4 hours. Since I became disabled and could no longer work, I spend approximately 5 hours a day studying the Bible and then say another 3 hours a day reading material that others have written about it like on the articles posted here on FH, and spend maybe an hour and half in concentrated prayer time; (for a total of about 9 and a half hours) but my "talking to God constantly" has also increased even more too. While I've always talked to Him off and on all day, now it really is just about constant. In fact the only times it's not constant is probably between the hours of 4pm and 9pm, although I do still talk to Him during those hours--it's just not constant like it is the rest of the day and night. But see, there's no "right amount of time" to spend doing this. In other words, I can't tell people that if they don't spend at least X number of hours studying the Bible and X number of hours in prayer that they're not doing enough. When we try and do that, then we get into being legalistic. It's not a "legal" or "works" issue though, it's a heart issue. Just because I spend that amount of time in the Bible doesn't make me a better Christian then someone who only spends one hour a day in the Bible. I spend that much time in it, for a couple of reasons. First, because that's what the Lord has told me to do, and second because I really want to. Thankfully for me what the Lord wants me to do and what I want to do, just happen to be the same thing. (at least most of the time :laughing:) Those two reasons however are what everyone needs to go by. First, we have to do whatever the Lord tells us to do each day. Now He may tell someone that they are to work at a job 8 hours a day and maybe studying on lunch break or before and/or after going to work etc. He may tell them to do any number of things, and as long as they are doing what He's told them to do, then they can feel good that they're being obedient. Second, when we're saved, the Lord puts a hunger for His Word in our hearts, so that we "want" to read and study it. This is an area that Satan, the world and our flesh (our 3 enemies) attack constantly. We get all kinds of thoughts and feelings about it, such as, "I'm too tired tonight", "I don't feel good", "I hurt too much today", "I can't understand it so I feel frustrated" "It's to hard for me to understand so God won't mind", "I've already read it once, why should I bother reading it again", "It's boring", "it's dry", "there's not enough time in the day" "besides I'll hear what God has to say at church"; etc. BUT, when you boil it down to the nitty gritty, we still feel well enough to watch TV, watch a movie, read a fiction book, draw, paint, whatever. So there really is plenty of time for everyone to study, it's quite simply a matter of what's most important to each of us. When something is really important to us, we make the time to be sure we can do it. The bottom line is that you should study your bible as much as you can and however long the Lord leads you to do so. I suppose that if I was "forced" to give an exact amount of time someone should spend at a bare minimum I would say at least an hour a day. One thing you can be sure of: You can't study it "too much"! Well, that's not quite true though...if someone comes to you and needs to talk and you send them away because you want to study your bible, then that would be going to far and would be defeating the purpose. God wants us to help others, so in a case like that, it's time to stop studying and take the time to talk to the other person and help them like God says too. But as long as we're applying what the bible says to our lives, then we can't study too much.
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So if you've found a good teacher and you know they're good because you've double checked what they say with what the Bible says, you've asked the Lord about them and He's given you the go ahead, they aren't on a list of "questionable teachers" etc. then I'd say yes, that time could count toward your "bible study time" if you are always checking the bible yourself for what's said on that subject and talking to the Lord about it too. No one should never just read (or listen to) what a bible teacher, pastor, etc (this most definitely includes me) has to say about something and assume that they're correct. I don't care how long you've known them, how many degrees they have, how sincere they are, how loving they are, or anything else. We always, always, need to check with the Lord and His Word before deciding if something is correct or not. So as long as you're talking to the Lord about what you're reading in the bible study, and checking the bible for yourself as well, then I would be comfortable saying that yes, this could count toward your study time. I know when I write these studies for instance, it's always with the hope that people will use the scriptures I post as a jumping off place to see what the Bible says for itself.
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Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Thanks Cindy for your response!! I know that I at least spend 1
full hour a day, at the very least, studying. Is reading the Bible
online, the same as opening up the Bible? Anotherwords, is it the same
thing? For Example, I own many Bibles, but I perfer to do most of my
reading, online. Is this wrong?
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Re: Death, Dying and Fear
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Not really hon, what Paul is saying is that our lives as we live them are to be a sacrifice to God. Think of it this way; When we're saved, we've been "bought with a price"; our lives are no longer our own, they belong to God, right? Jesus tells us too that we're to pick up our cross and what? Deny ourselves and follow Him. Many people assume Jesus means that we're supposed to give up things like chocolate or some other thing like that, but that's not what Jesus is talking about. What Jesus is talking about is denying ourselves the right to live our lives the way we want to or the way we "feel like" doing. Instead we are to live our lives for Him. It's no longer about us, it's now about Him. When we wake up in the morning, do we eat breakfast and go to work or whatever, or do we ask the Lord what His Will is for us today? He's not going to control us by remote control or anything like that. Instead He expects us to be willing to go where He sends us, do what He tells us, say what He says to, etc. That's not once a week on Sunday, or just when we have a "strong urge" to do something, it's 100% of the time. We belong to Him, literally. Just like a slave would belong to their Master. (1 Corinthians 6:19–20, NIV)”Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. Remember too that when we're saved, we all become "priests" (1 Peter 2:5, NIV)”you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (Revelation 1:5–6, NIV)”and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. Those things all being true, everything we say, think, and do should be sacrificing our will for that of God's Will. We want to swear, but the Lord says "no", so we don't. That is offering our bodies as willing sacrifices. We want to have extra marital sex, but we don't, because it goes against God's Will for us, so that is offering our wills our bodies as a living sacrifice. Let me share what one of my commentaries says: The word “bodies,” mindful of the Old Testament sacrifices, represents the totality of one’s life and activities, of which his body is the vehicle of expression. A believer’s offering of his total life as a sacrifice to God is therefore sacred service. In the light of Paul’s closely reasoned and finely argued exposition of the mercies of God (Rom. 1-11), such an offering is obviously a desirable response for believers. The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures
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(Leviticus 17:14, NIV)”because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, “You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.” But I think your point was that because you equate living with breathing that you fear "taking your last breath". For us breathing is normal, natural and involuntary. We breathe whether we want to or not most of the time. We can hold our breaths but we will either eventually breathe or we'll pass out and then we'll breathe anyway. But for a baby in the womb, breathing is NOT natural, normal and involuntary. They are very much alive and even aware as I'm sure you know, but they don't breathe. They take their first breath when they're physically born. The baby isn't afraid of not breathing and they're not afraid of breathing either once they start. Both ways are normal. What's happening to you is that you're allowing your thoughts to come up with all these fearful scenarios that are unrealistic, then focusing on them and thinking about them, instead of taking them captive and replacing them with God's Truth. Normally when a person dies, (other then in violent instances where someone is being smothered etc) taking that last breath is quite normal and natural, but then, like the reverse of when a baby is born, not taking the next one is also natural and normal. It doesn't "hurt", there is no struggle, etc. So it's kind of like the child that's afraid of loud noises. A couple of my grandchildren have had that fear. We took one to the racetrack and he was terrified of the cars because of the noise they made. He was afraid they would hurt them. He overcame that fear because he trusted Grandma and Grandpa and knew that we would never let something hurt him. So even though he was still scared some, he let us take him right up to the fence and after a few moments of watching the cars whiz by, noise and all, he realized for himself that the noise wouldn't hurt him. So it is with us. We can be afraid of taking that last breath, or we can trust the Lord and know that He wouldn't hurt us or make death to be something horrible like some kind of nightmare. That's not in His nature. So we take His hand and stand by the fence and watch the cars whiz by and realize that we're safe after all. I hope that helps some hon... :hug: |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
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Re: Death, Dying and Fear
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You are right, I forgot that life is in the blood, not in breathing. Your explainging about the "last" breath was sooooo reassuring, thank you! I have only seen one death ( that I can remeber anyway) and that was of my beloved Airedale....but you are right, she did not seem in any pain, or terror draing that last breath ... Of course, she was a dog, and not a human....but even so, she seemed peacefully dying. This was so right on..."thinking" about the last breath has been a "nightmare" but I prefer your choice: "We can be afraid of taking that last breath, or we can trust the Lord and know that He wouldn't hurt us or make death to be something horrible like some kind of nightmare.[/B][/COLOR] [COLOR=DarkGreen] That's not in His nature.[/COLOR |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
I'm glad it's helped hon. Working
with the elderly all my life, I've been with so many people when they
died that I literally lost count, including my own mother (who wasn't
elderly as she was only 47 when she died). Every one of them died
peacefully. There might be a lot of frantic activity going on around
them (in some cases by doctors etc) but the person dying, was peaceful.
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Re: Death, Dying and Fear
I wanted to pick up from where we left off here, but if you have any questions about this part, please feel free to ask:
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(James 5:16, NIV)....The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Why are the prayers of the righteous so much more powerful? Because those people who are called "righteous" are the ones that are living in God's Will. They're the ones that are not just reading His Word, but they're applying it to their lives and doing their very best to live in such a manner that will please the Lord. So while others may pray out of "duty" just as they may read their bibles (or not) out of duty, those God calls righteous, pray continually and read their bibles because they are always hungering to know God even better. It is the prayers of these people that God honors above all others. Third, Paul had confidence in the provision of the Holy Spirit. Let me share 2 versions of the following verse: (Philippians 1:19, NKJV)”For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, (Philippians 1:19, NIV)”for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. The word that's translated "supply" in the KJV and NKJV and "help" in the NIV and "provision" in the NAS, actually means, "bountiful supply-liberal or provided abundantly" or "full resources". So this is saying that God will literally give you all the resources or help you could possibly need. He isn't going to hold anything back, but will spend them freely to help us. Since everyone that's born again has the Holy Spirit dwelling within them, this is true for all of us. All we have to do is ask! However, we must ask in God's Will. Notice that Paul only asked God to save him from a particular trial once and that time God said "No". (Well he asked 3 times about that one trial) It was when he asked this that he learned to accept his circumstances. Let's look at what happened. Prior to this passage, Paul had just revealed some astounding revelations and visions that God had given him: (2 Corinthians 12:7–10, NIV)”To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Here God reveals something amazing to Paul and to us. He tells us that it's when we can't do something, when we can't possibly handle something ourselves etc. that He is glorified in us because it is then that even to others it's obvious that it is God working in us that is getting us through the trial and not we ourselves. Paul's reply to that is one we should all have. He tells God that if when he is weak, or in trouble that's when God works best through us, then he will no longer feel upset when he has troubles, instead he will rejoice that God will make him strong and be glorified! After learning this himself, Paul tells us: (Philippians 4:11–13, NIV)”I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Paul wasn't saying how great he was that he'd learned this, but rather how great God was that God had taught him to rely on Him all the time in all circumstances. He had learned that God would supply all his needs with His bountiful, never ending supply, so he had no need to worry about anything. (2 Corinthians 9:8, NIV)”And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (1 Timothy 6:6, NIV)”But godliness with contentment is great gain. Paul had learned that God was really His provision for everything. This is often really hard for us to learn in our day, at least it was for me. We're used to relying on ourselves and that's what the world teaches us to do. We don't want "handouts" or "charity" etc. and we will earn whatever we get on our own. There's certainly nothing wrong with wanting to earn your own way and carry your weight, in fact even Paul said that was a good thing. The problem begins though when we think that we really are doing it "on our own". I don't care what job you have, you have it because God gave it to you. Your employer has money to pay you because God gave it to him. You get raises, demotions, whatever, etc ultimately because of God, not because of your "boss". But today we usually don't make that connection, especially if what happened to us is something we consider "bad". We tend to view all this separately from God. Here are some verses to reflect on about this. All of this also concerns the sovereignty of God. (John 19:11, NIV)”Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” (John 3:27, NIV)”To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. (Romans 9:16, NIV)”It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. (Job 2:10, NIV)”.... Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. (Job 1:20–22, NIV)”At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. (Lamentations 3:38, NIV)”Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come? Paul was content/happy no matter what his circumstances were. We've already seen him singing for joy in dark, dirty jail cell which really shows that his outward circumstances didn't control how he felt. He knew that God would provide for Him and was perfectly happy and willing to accept that God knew better then he did as to whether he should live or die, have money or be poor, be a prisoner, or go free, etc. He knew that no matter what his circumstances his job was to honor God with every word, every thought and every action he made. Just like Daniel's three friends that we spoke of before, what God chose to do with him or for him wasn't as important to him as making sure that he did his part. He knew that God would do His part and that regardless of what he thought about his circumstances, regardless of whether or not he understood what the Lord was doing or why, that God would work all things together for his good. We can know that too, but this is already too long so we'll talk more about it tomorrow. |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
To me, Paul is probably one of my favorite Disciples of the
Bible, that I always love to study and read about. I see the confidence
that Paul had and I try to be as confident as Paul, but I feel that
there are times that I slip off that particular path. I know that God is
in control, but sometimes my confidence level is not like Paul's. I
always thought that nobody can teach you how to be confident and that it
comes from your heart and desire, to have the confidence to do. Again,
God is in control of everything and I suppose thats the lesson I am
learning.
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Re: Death, Dying and Fear
There are actually two different ways
we can be confident. One way is the way the world teaches us: to be
confident in ourselves. We call it, "self confidence". That's not
God's way however. God wants us to admit that we're weak and be
confident in Him instead. So what we're learning (or supposed to be
learning) from the time we're saved is to be confident in God, not in ourselves. It never ceases to amaze me how totally opposite of the worlds ways, God's way are!
We can learn to to confident in God through always striving to have a deeper, more personal relationship with Him, and through studying His Word. It's also very helpful to have a role model to emulate. God knows this and He's given us a number of wonderful role models, including Paul, to help us see what having a close relationship with the Lord and being confident in Him looks like. It's important to remember though that we are not learning "self confidence", instead we're learning "God confidence". We want to get rid of the self confidence and admit we're weak and unable to do things on our own. The better we are at doing that, the more God's grace can work through us and we'll see Him meet our ever need. OK, here's a recap of what we've learned from Paul so far:
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2 Corinthians 3:4–6, NIV ”Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Here, Paul is saying that his confidence doesn't come from the world, from himself, from being "intelligent" or having degrees from an University etc, but rather it comes from God because He's doing what God has told him to do. He knows that as long as he's obedient, the Lord will enable him to do what he's been called to do. In this verse Paul tells us one of the reasons he is so confident that God will do all He has promised: 2 Corinthians 1:20–22, NIV ”For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Being a student of the holy scriptures, Paul knew about the Messiah and all that had been promised by God. He knew all the things that God had done in the past and had said in the past by His prophets. To then learn that the one promise that he and all the Jews had been longing for for centuries had finally been fulfilled was just extraordinary. It's one thing to hear or read that someone has always kept their promises, so you can trust them, but to see for yourself a promise they had been longing for fulfilled in his lifetime was a miraculous confirmation that all he had learned about God was true. God really does keep His promises! Because God sent Jesus, Paul could then be confident that everything else God has ever said, would also be fulfilled. We too can have that same confidence in God. He has never lied and cannot lie. He has fulfilled every promise ever made up to this time and done so over centuries, not just over a few years. How then can we doubt Him or think that maybe He's tired of fulfilling them and will stop now? As both Jesus and Paul said, we even have His Spirit dwelling within us to guarantee what is to come! Look at what these words actually mean: "a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." These last seven words are a translation of one Greek word arrabōna, a down payment which obligates the payer to make further payments. The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures This phrase is used in two other places: 2 Corinthians 5:5, NIV ”Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Ephesians 1:13–14, NIV ”And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. Because He knew the scriptures then, Paul knew what God had promised. Before his salvation he knew all about God, His laws, righteousness etc. When he met Jesus, he then learned about another side of God that he'd heard of before but hadn't experienced yet, and that was God's love. The veil was removed from Paul's eyes and mind when he was saved and he saw all the scriptures he already knew in a new light and with new understanding. Suddenly, this awe inspiring, powerful, mighty God he worshiped, became personal to him instead of just something no one could ever touch or understand completely. He knew God has promised to never leave or forsake us and Jesus had promised that no one could snatch any of us out of His Hand. Once he became saved, Paul knew that he was loved, that he would never be alone again and no one and nothing could ever separate him from God. All of these truths and promises are ours as well. Like Paul though we often see them as dusty, dry, unrealistic things that are in a book, instead of things that apply to us personally. I think often children understand it better then adults--I know I did, at least until I grew up and "out grew" my childish reasoning. It wasn't until I was saved that I realized that as a child I'd "gotten it" but had thrown it out thinking it wasn't realistic when I grew up. It was then I understood what He meant by: Matthew 18:3, NIV ”And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Little children don't have "self confidence" that's something children learn. What they have though if they have good loving parents is trust. They trust that their parents will feed them when they're hungry, warm them when they're cold, keep them dry and comfortable, help them, teach them, guide them, and love them. Parents are very much like God in the minds of little ones. Little children are in awe of their parents. They love them yes, but they also fear them. They know they will be disciplined if they misbehave. So little children don't have "self confidence", instead they have "parent confidence". That's what Paul had and what we need to learn. We need "God confidence". What are some ways you can think of that would give you confidence in God? What are some things that undermine it in your life? |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Now I am a bit confused here, isn't self confidence, given to us
from God? Its just like an athlete, for example, prays before going out
onto the football field, before the start of a game. The game is
deadlocked at 0-0, with 4 seconds left in the game. So he has to kick a
field goal. He Prays and Ask's God to help him make this kick. so his
team can win the game. My question is, is he praying that God will give
him the confidence to make the kick, that is self confidence? Does God
allows us to be self confident? Because we need to be God confident
before we can be self confident. Not trying to be disrespectfull, but I
am confused here.
I used the word "supposed ', earlier in my question, I could have chosen a better word but I sometimes do not think before I post!! |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
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It's like the old military saying that there are no atheist in foxholes, dying brings the reality of God to the forefront. |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
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Developing Biblical Self-Esteem and God willing, I'll get back to you tomorrow with a reply ok?
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I'm sorry to let you all down, but I appreciate the replies... |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Hope you feel better!! This will give me a chance to re-read the entire thread!!
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Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Well I'm feeling a bit better today so let's see if I can answer both you better.
As far as self esteem goes Mark, let me quote something from that other thread for you that will probably explain it better then I can:
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Re: Death, Dying and Fear
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Proverbs 1:33, NIV ”but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.” Actually, no, His Word doesn't promise to keep me safe from everything. What I was guilty of was taking His Word out of context and trying to make it say what I wanted it to say. We know that His Word doesn't contradict itself, and Jesus told us that we would have problems in this world and He was talking to the faithful that were following Him! Since I used that proverb to make my point, let me quickly explain what it's talking about. You need to go and read the entire chapter to get it in context but I'm not going to post the whole thing here. That particular chapter is talking about the consequences of not listening to the Lord, or not growing in spiritual maturity etc. Yes, it says we will live in safety and without fear of harm, but He did not say nothing bad would happen to us. Those who fear the Lord learn not to have fear of anything or anyone else, that's what He's talking about there. We won't fear harm because we will trust that no matter what happens to us, God will see us through it. Because we trust God no matter what happens to us, we actually do live in safety no matter what. That's what Paul was talking about too. Even though he had been severely beaten and tossed in a dirty jail cell, he was able to literally rejoice in God and sing His praises. He knew that regardless of what it looked like to others, he was actually quite safe; God was in charge and He could trust God with his life. That's what this verse/chapter are talking about too. This is what understanding God's sovereignty does for us. Paul wasn't the least bit "self confident", instead he was totally confident in God. This is probably the hardest thing of all for us to learn in our time, although I suspect it wasn't easy in any time for that matter. God's word tells us frequently to test ourselves and examine ourselves, but I would imagine He knows we tend to not do that as much as we should. So as gosaints said, and as we've discussed in other studies, God will often bring about conditions that force us to examine ourselves. Just as He did with my accident/disability, or when Bruce was laid off for 20 months. While those certainly weren't fun situations to be in, I can't begin to tell you how much He taught me from them. Now I could have done what the verses prior to the one I posted in proverbs say--I could have just thrown up my hands and given up on God, or deserted Him so to speak. I could have said, "well you let me get hurt, (or whatever) so now I'm not going to listen to you anymore or try to live for you--it's not worth it!" :pout: Or I could have done something in between that and turning totally to Him as I did, like maybe still "believing" but no longer studying or praying like I should and allowing our relationship to go stale. I know it wasn't "me" that chose the "right way" to respond to the situation, it was all His doing, and I praise Him for leading me in His ways all the time. But the reason He did, was because I was already listening to Him before hand, and already had established a good relationship with Him. So although I was upset, my first inclination was to see what He would say about it, not to ignore Him. To learn to be confident in God and trust Him in all things, to understand His sovereignty, we start just as children do with little steps in little things. That's how he raises us up to be like Jesus. He's constantly teaching us, every single day, no matter how routine and normal that day may look like to us or to others. Once we're aware that He's doing that, we can talk to Him about it and study His Word as we're discussing it with Him each day. That's how (at least one of the ways) He will let us know what it is He's trying to teach us each day. 2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV ”And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
The kind of self-esteem that says, “I’m worth something because I am doing well and others look up to me”
is a black hole from which many people never escape. If your feelings
of self-worth are based on how you see yourself, or how others see you,
then you are hooked to the wrong star. You will spend your life climbing
the ladder of success only to find it was leaning against the wrong
building
Wow, I used to be this person!! I know that this is going to sound strange but I have been reading and re-reading this part for the past few hours. I have to explain this because I ran a sales crew for 2 decades, and my Senior manager, the man, that taught me to how to sell and how to manage a crew, always had the nice cars, homes, Jewelry, etc.. Always had this kind of self-esteem, I followed the way I was taught. ( Minus the money) , anotherwords, I acted exactly like this for years. I feel really convicted now!! I hope and pray that I never act this way again. I am not kidding Cindy, this has been bothering me since I read it at a glance this morning, when you posted this. I just felt the need to share this!! |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
don't feel badly Mark. That's what
everyone has been taught for generations now and what people are still
taught by the world today. Most people don't know that the worlds view
of "self esteem" goes totally against scripture and consequently they
don't understand what's wrong with them or their worldview. The worlds
view of self esteem is crammed down our throats literally from the
moment of our birth because parents have and are constantly admonished
to be careful not to damage their child's self esteem and to be sure to
build it up etc. So they do, because they think they're doing what's
right. I did it too. I believed it hook,line and sinker. It wasn't
until I was in the accident and became disabled that I finally learned
the truth from the Lord. The only reason I learned it then was because I
became severely depressed thinking my life was over--my children (all
but one) were grown and living on their own, so I wasn't a "mom" anymore
and not needed that way really. I couldn't work, so I wasn't a "health
care worker" any longer, etc. I felt like I was "nothing", "nobody".
What could I even do for the Lord??? So I turned to Him and asked Him.
That's when He explained that I wasn't any of those things I thought of
myself as in the first place. I had to re-learn who I really was in
the Lord. That was one of my first big lessons that began the journey
that eventually led me to study to become a biblical counselor. It's
one of the reasons I so often say that it never ceases to amaze me just
how totally opposite of God's Word the ways of the world are.
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Re: Death, Dying and Fear
I had a fall recently and I know I am not to be afraid, but
everytime I get in the shower, I wonder in the back of my mind, if this
is going to happen again. This fall, that happened to me, really shook
me up. I Pray everytime I go in and everytime I get out because I guess,
I have a fear of falling. How do I overcome this obstacle? Does this
mean I am losing my confidence in God because I am scared everytime I
take a step in the shower? I hope and Pray not!!
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Re: Death, Dying and Fear
I keep re-reading all these posts, and each time, I see or learn
something different.....and then I think of more questions. Before I
post my questions, I gotta look again :shock:. The self confidence, the
breathing/breath, and again, back to the fears thing. As soon as I can
look again at all the posts, I will pose my questions.
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Re: Death, Dying and Fear
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See I had the mistaken idea that if I stayed out of cars when the weather was bad or when I thought the roads might be bad, then I'd be safe--which is why I was afraid to get in them during those times. For you, you think that if you don't get in the shower, you'll be safe. But if we were to go back and look at all the times in our lives that we've been injured or that family members have been injured, we'd discover that they weren't always injured in the shower or the car. Some are injured outside, some inside, some at work, some at home, and in different rooms, under different conditions, doing different things. So you see, the danger isn't in the shower for you, and it's not in the car for me. Danger is everywhere and we have no way of knowing when or if we're going to be hurt again. Ok, so now we have a choice. We can roll ourselves up in bubble wrap and climb into bed and be afraid to ever move again since obviously injuries can happen anywhere, anytime, or we can trust God to help us deal with any injury that may come our way. I'm sure that you've thought many of the same things I did after my accident: that it could have been much worse; that I could have been killed--in fact should have been; that help arrived quickly and could have taken much longer, etc. Those are all ways that the Lord was with us when we were hurt. We both know that. He didn't leave us, nor did He let us down. In fact, He protected us. We both had and have lessons to learn from our accidents, one of which was/is to "slow down" :laughing: but the biggest or one of the biggest is that we don't need to fear the shower or the car, because it's really pointless. We can't keep ourselves safe from injury. Not taking a shower or bath isn't going to keep you safe, anymore then not getting in a car will keep me safe. Whatever is going to happen, is going to happen. So we can either live in constant fear of it, or simply accept that we have no power over it and live in the peace God offers knowing He will take care of us no matter what happens. I saw a TV show, Dr Quinn Medicine Woman, recently about this very subject. In the show, Dr Quinn gets shot in her clinic by a guy who hates women doctors. After she's recovered, she finds herself terrified of leaving her house to go to her clinic (or anywhere else for that matter) For weeks she suffered severe panic every time she tried to go back to work. She just couldn't do it because she was so afraid of getting hurt again. They tried everything to help her overcome it and nothing worked. Finally one day, she's bathing her baby and getting her ready for bed. There's a bad storm outside and suddenly a huge tree gets blown over and crashes through the ceiling landing right over where she'd been with her baby just seconds before. Talk about terrifying! But that cured her of her fear of leaving home because she finally realized, you can't prevent yourself from being hurt; that can happen anywhere, anytime. Your only choice is to either live in constant fear of being hurt or live in peace willing to accept that God will take care of you. Yes, she did get shot, but she survived because God took care of her. Yes the tree fell on the house, but again she survived because God took care of her--letting her know in the process that it wasn't the house that made her safe, it was Him. I hope all that helps Mark. I know it's long but it's something I find very hard to explain and I'm not sure I did a very good job of it, but I tried ....
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Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Your right Cindy, this is between me and the Lord!! For the
record, I still take showers everyday, but its in the back of my mind, I
need to be very careful climbing in and out of the tub. Thank-you for
explaining this and I see things more clearly now. My wife bought a
special mat to lay down on the floor of the tub, so I dont slip and
fall. Knowing that its there, helps me to relax more, when its time to
get in and out of the shower.
I will say I am learning alot and I do understand the difference now between God confidence and self confidence. |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
I'm glad I was able to help a bit
Mark. You're way way ahead of me bro! It took me literally years to
learn that after my accident! Well it took that long to get it to go
from "head knowledge" to "heart knowledge" anyway lol But that's what's
so neat about being in the family of God. We get to share with each
other when we have problems and when we've found answers too and help
each other grow.
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| Pathwalker | December 3rd, 2010 09:04 PM |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
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Originally Posted by Cindy
(Post 674579)
I'm glad I
was able to help a bit Mark. You're way way ahead of me bro! It took me
literally years to learn that after my accident! Well it took that long
to get it to go from "head knowledge" to "heart knowledge" anyway lol
But that's what's so neat about being in the family of God. We get to
share with each other when we have problems and when we've found answers
too and help each other grow.
|
Cindy, I want you to know that if I had the kind of accident that you had, I most likely would never get behind the wheel of a car. I am not completely over my experience, but I do know that the Lord is there for me, everytime I get in and out of the shower. I kinda have no choice but to put my faith in God, daily, because I have to take a shower, daily. So, I am learning not to be afraid of falling. It's not easy!!
| Cindy | December 4th, 2010 11:11 AM |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Nope, it's not easy and you know what? I don't think we could do it all without God's help!
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
I'd like to share yet another way God
teaches us through Paul not to fear suffering, dying or death. I put it
that way because often when we say we're afraid of dying, it's the
"suffering" part that we're actually afraid of. We've
already talked about how terribly Paul suffered. He suffered both
physical illness, as well as pain; he suffered persecution by his own
people, the Jews as well as from false teachers. That persecution took
just about every form it can take--from name calling, derogatory remarks
about him and his teaching, to being arrested and threatened with
death, to being beaten etc. So how did Paul handle all of this, besides the ways which we already talked about? He
did exactly what the Lord tells us to do, he took his (and everyone
else in the process) focus off himself and his problems and put it
directly on God where it belonged. Look how he does that here by contrasting his own weakness with the great power of God: (I want to quote it in context so you'll know what he's talking about)
2 Corinthians 4:5–7, NIV For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. So Paul compares himself to a jar of clay that's filled with "this treasure". What treasure is he talking about? The treasure is that when we're born again the Lord gives us His light, His Holy Spirit, who teaches us and guides us into all truth so that we can understand and have "the knowledge of the glory of God in Christ". In other words, because we're saved and have the Holy Spirit, we can now understand God's Word and understand the gospel of Christ, God's plan of salvation. If you go back further you'll see that Paul explains how unbelievers can't understand the truth. So to Paul, what he saw as "his treasure", the most important thing in his life, we today pretty much ignore or take for granted. Next Paul shows us that when we take the focus off ourselves and put it on God a most remarkable thing happens. He shows us how God enables us because of our human weakness. Remember that verse where God tells us that His strength is made perfect in weakness? Well this next passage shows that in action: 2 Corinthians 4:8–12, NIV We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. Here Paul shows again that He trusted God to always show him a way out of every situation. He didn't fight against suffering, he simply rolled with the punches, knowing God was in control. This shows us that Paul believed that he suffered for a reason and since he knew God's Word and had a close relationship with the Lord, he also knew that God didn't "enjoy" making people suffer, but instead that God would allow it for that persons good, for their spiritual growth, and for the good and spiritual growth of others in the body of Christ. I just have to share with you something from one of my books about this. When it talks about the 4 paradoxes, it's talking about that first verse above that I underlined--the one about being "hard pressed" etc. Paul’s four paradoxes in the face of suffering give us additional reason to marvel at his testimony. They are also reminders that we do not realize power by avoiding suffering but by enduring it. Paul was completely committed to tenacious perseverance through any difficulty. Certainly he knew the truth and reality of the Prophet Isaiah’s words concerning God’s care for His own: But now, thus says the Lord, your creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Isa. 43:1–3). MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (c1995.). The Power of Suffering (81). Victor Books. No one likes to suffer, and I'm sure Paul didn't enjoy it anymore then any of us would. So how in the world did he endure it for so long? First as I said before he endured because he never doubted for a moment that anyone, not himself, not Satan, not the world or circumstances etc were in control other then God. Like Job, he figured if God ordained it, then it must be for a good reason, and who was he to argue with God? That's one of the biggest differences I find in our culture today and the culture of those who lived in the days of Jesus or the days of the Old testament. I know I brought this up in another study as well, but as you read the old testament, you see over and over again that people didn't doubt that God was behind what happened to them, regardless of whether what happened was good or bad. Today we're quick to admit that it's God if the thing happening is good, but many would rather cut out their tongues then imply that God could send bad things into our lives. (Or at least what we consider bad things) For those that might not have read that other study were we discussed this, let me just point out some examples. When you read them, think about what people today would say if they were in the same position and you'll see what I mean. Remember the story of Joseph? How his brothers sold him as a slave and he wound up in Egypt? Joseph went from being a wealthy mans beloved son, to being a lowly slave, and from there to being in a prison for a couple of years, so he suffered a great deal and for quite a long time before Pharaoh released him from prison and made him his first hand man. When his brothers went to Egypt to buy food, Joseph set them up, remember? He had the guards put their money back in their sacks. You can imagine what someone would say when they discovered something like that today! But here's what the brothers said: Genesis 42:27–28, NIV At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. “My silver has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.” Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, “What is this that God has done to us?” There are examples like that all through the Bible. When his brothers realized who Joseph was when they went to Egypt to buy food, they were terrified because they assumed that Joseph would want to pay them back for what they did. Here's what Joseph said: Genesis 50:19–21, NIV But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. I think Job describes this belief quite well when he says: Job 2:10, NIV He replied, ... Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. It simply didn't occur to people then that anyone or anything other then God would be the cause of any problems they might be having. Where today we're very quick to blame another person or the government or the weather, or Satan, back then people knew and understood that it was God who was ultimately in control. I don't have to tell you what others including Christians will say today if you try to tell them that now! :scared: People today have been so infected with ideas about "God is love" that they no longer understand that although He is love, He is also Holy, just, righteous etc. But Paul understood this, so he didn't try to fight it when he suffered. Like I said, he just rolled with the punches, fully expecting that because he was living for God and doing His Will that God would eventually provide a way out each time. And as we know, God always did. God doesn't change even though people's ideas about Him do. So the God that never let Paul down is not going to let us down either. We can trust Him, just like Paul did and for the same reasons. Based on what we've learned about Paul so far and how he suffered, what do you think Paul thought were the reasons he was suffering? In other words, if we were to have lived back then and we asked him, "Paul, why is God letting you suffer like this?", what do you think Paul would say? |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
I just have to share with you something
from one of my books about this. When it talks about the 4 paradoxes,
it's talking about that first verse above that I underlined--the one
about being "hard pressed" etc.
Am I missing something here? What are the 4 Paradoxes? |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
There are actually 7 paradoxes, but I believe the 4 Cindy is talking about are as follows:
BURDENS-Gal. 6:1-10 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted........ As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all [men], especially unto them who are of the household of faith. BLESSING-GAL.6:3 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. PRIDE-Gal. 6:3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. MONEY-I Tim. 6:3-10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Another words, Paul basically lived by these 4 particular paradoxes. Tho his burden was heavy, he knew if he lived by God's word, wasn't proud, and didn't live for money, that he would be blessed. Much of the same applies to us today. If we are to live by God's word, we can not be worldly, we must be willing to suffer, we must help one another, but most of all, we are to trust in God for all things. Cindy, please feel free to correct me because as you know I am still a young lamb...... In answer to the question what do you think Paul would say? I think he would say....because I know and trust Him and tho I may suffer at times, I learn to be a stronger person in God. |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Thanks Jj for explaining these but may I ask, what the other 3 are so I can add them to my notes?
I think Paul would say, that no matter how much suffering we endure, God is always with us every step of the way and as long as we put our Faith in Him, He will provide for our needs. |
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1. hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; 2. perplexed, but not in despair; 3. persecuted, but not abandoned 4. struck down, but not destroyed The paradox is that while we may be weak, God is strong so while we go through these trials, fears etc (or in this case as Paul does) while what we and the world sees with our physical eyes are all the troubles, trials, crises etc, we also see that while the person going through them may be having a rough time, they aren't crushed, despairing, abandoned or destroyed. Instead they're rejoicing over God's provision, over God's comfort and encouragement, etc. We know we can do that, be joyful even in the midst of trials, because we know the Lord loves us and will take care of us, so all is well with our souls. An example if I may: During the 20 months that Bruce was unemployed, I was very very aware of God's provision for us and very thankful. At the same time however, the sinful part of me, wanted more, and still whined at times about it. It wasn't until recently when I saw how bad off some other people were that I realized just how well the Lord had provided for us. I've been totally amazed by this since then that He would do this for us. Of course it makes me even more embarrassed about the times I did get down and whine about it, and I certainly hope I've learned that lesson for good. I'm sure that Paul didn't realize just how much his sufferings would help others or how many other people he would help by what he went through. He must be amazed and humbled even now that the Lord used him in this way. But what he did know and trust was that the Lord would bring good from it and that it was something that was worthwhile for him to go through both for his own growth and for the growth of others. That's the lesson we need to remember. That no matter what we're going through, no matter how bad it looks to us, that it's something we need to go through, otherwise we wouldn't be going through it. And if it's something we need to go through, it's much better for us if we pay attention to the Lord and try and learn what He's trying to teach us and show us. Sorry I guess I should have been more explicit there. I can explain more about that if you want me to. |
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Re: Death, Dying and Fear
No, I understand Cindy!! I am having a huge problem lately with
staying focused and I am afraid that I have been reading this thread and
I find myself missing important messages. After, I re-read your posts I
seem to understand things more clearly. It could be that I need to
change my Bible Study time because I need to have a clear mind, when
studying and learning here.
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don't worry about it Mark. I don't
mind repeating things. Remember, God does things for a reason,
including having people ask questions. There may very well be a lurker
that needed that pointed out and there may have been one that needed the
information that JJ posted too. All things work out for our good and
the good of all other believers. So please, never think it's wrong to
ask.
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Generally when people fear death or
dying, it's because they fear the suffering they might have to go
through to get the job done so to speak. We've already seen that Paul
is a great role model for us as far as how to deal with suffering so
let's continue to look at how he handled it. It's one thing to handle a
day or week or even a month of suffering, but Paul handled it for many
years. Let's look at how and why he was able to have the endurance to
handle such severe suffering with joy for so long. Because ultimately
if Paul could do it, so can we!
In this passage Paul gives three reasons he can endure suffering: 2 Corinthians 4:16–18, NIV Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Today most people prefer instant gratification and short term results as this is what the world teaches us to look for. God however wants us to look at the long term implications of things and look for long term results. We can see from the above passage that Paul doesn't look at just the short term. Instead he sees things from an eternal perspective or the long term results. Each of Paul's 3 reasons stresses the value of what's lasting over that of what is really fleeting in this life. So whenever we become overwhelmed by the immediacy of any kind of trial of suffering we're going through, including dying, we can instead switch our perspectives to view the eternal results this suffering is creating for us. Another thing that Paul realized that we often tend to forget is that everything that we go through here in this life, including (If not especially) the suffering we go through has a direct impact on our spiritual lives as well. That impact can be for good or bad depending on how we react to the suffering. God wants the impact to be for our good of course and if we are living for Him, it will be. Looking at the above passage what do you see are the 3 reasons Paul could endure such suffering for so long and remain positive and joyful? |
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The three reasons are
1) Paul's Faith 2) Paul , although suffering knew and believed that he was going to have Eternal life. 3) Hope |
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In this passage Paul gives three reasons he can endure suffering:
2 Corinthians 4:16–18, NIV Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
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The 3 reasons Paul could endure were: 2 Corinthians 4:16–18 1. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. Paul could see that. his physical body was quite literally wasting away due to all the beatings, torture, and even the hard use he'd put it through with all his traveling and work, as well as the effects of aging itself. He says that even though he could see that, he also knew that in direct proportion to that, he was being renewed inwardly/spiritually in his "new self" every day too. So the worse his body was, the more pain etc that he had to endure, the more his inward spiritual man was renewed. This wasn't "blind faith", to him it was a fact and it should be to us as well. Paul knew that God had promised to do this and since God had said it, it therefore must be true. He could of course also see it for himself in the fruit he was producing and in his spiritual growth as well. That doesn't mean that every time a believer is in physical pain or suffering of any kind that God is going to automatically renew them inwardly. God's promises are for the believers that are actually obeying Him, not those who have been saved and are just living like they always did more or less and waiting till they die to present their ticket to heaven. Those believers are like the man in the parable of the talents who was given a talent but buried it. No the ones God is renewing day by day are those who are like the men who received 2 and 5 talents in that parable. (Matthew 25:15-30) Since God was of the utmost importance in Paul's life and mind, to him being renewed daily in his new self, his new nature, was much more important then any physical suffering every would be. It's not easy to do as Paul did and take our eyes off ourselves and what's happening to us, yet that's exactly what the Lord wants us to do: Colossians 3:1–4, NIV Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 2. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. Paul understood from scripture that this life wasn't all there was. Further, he knew that our "real" lives don't even start until this one is over! This is more like basic training for our real lives or our school days if you will. When compared to all eternity which is before us, this life, even if we live to be 100 is nothing but a drop in the bucket. Over and over God tells us in scripture, through Paul and many others that any suffering in this life will achieve blessings 100 fold over what we suffered! (again this is always for those who are living for God not for themselves) Paul says it again here: (and I could post many many scriptures about this--in fact why don't you guys see how many you can find?) Romans 8:18, NIV I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. So you see, it wasn't just that Paul knew he had eternal life, it was that he was looking forward to what he was earning for that life. (so to speak) As the Lord tells us to store up treasure for ourselves in heaven, this is what Paul was doing and what we all do when we are living for Him and are suffering in any way. As our suffering draws us closer to Him, draws us to study His Word more, and we are renewed in our inner man, or our "new self" and we grow in spiritual maturity, this adds treasure to our account in heaven, for we are being obedient to Him. Let me share something here from my book: All our troubles and sufferings have a causal effect on our future glory. This effect is not meritorious but productive—it produces an eternal weight of glory. The Greek word (barus) translated “weight” more precisely means “heavy.” It’s as if Paul’s sufferings were building up a heavy mass on one side of an old-fashioned scale. The mass represents the eternal weight of glory that is tipping the scale in favor of the future over the present. In essence Paul could tolerate the present pain as long as it had a positive impact on his future glory. According to Scripture there is always a corresponding relationship between present suffering and future glory. Even Christ, as we shall see in greater detail in the next chapter, is an example of this principle. Philippians 2:8–9 says, “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name.” The greater the suffering the greater the eternal reward. To the degree that we as believers suffer now, we will rejoice when we arrive in heaven because we will see the reward of our suffering (1 Peter 4:13). And that reward has nothing to do with sheer external bonuses (fancier crowns, larger heavenly dwelling places), but it relates to our increased capacity to praise, serve, rejoice, and glorify God. That was Paul’s lifelong desire, and it should be ours as well. MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (c1995.). The Power of Suffering (86). Victor Books. 3. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Last, Paul knew that everything physical in our lives here is only temporary as we said earlier. The only thing in our current lives on this earth that has any value at all are the things that add treasure to our heavenly accounts. So it is our spiritual lives, our inner man/new self that is important in this life, not our physical self. For example, it doesn't make a bit of difference to our eternal lives if we go to school or go to college but it makes a huge difference if we don't know God's Word. It doesn't matter one bit to our eternal lives if we make $5 a hour or $30 an hour at work, but how we treat others makes a huge difference in our eternal lives. It doesn't matter at all if my grandchildren don't get any Christmas gifts this year, but it matters a great deal that they begin (or continue-- depending on their ages) to know, learn and grow in the knowledge and love of Jesus. So for Paul and for all who are born again, when we put our focus, out thoughts, on eternal things, on God, then our troubles, suffering and everything else is much easier to bear. So again, Paul's 3rd reason is that he knows that he is running this race here to get a prize that will last throughout eternity, so he keeps his thoughts on that instead of on the suffering here. I also want to share with you all a key passage that promises that the Lord will give us the endurance we need as we look away from the physical and toward the spiritual. Of course Paul was very aware of this scripture too and I'm sure he often thought of it: Isaiah 40:28–31, NIV Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Can you see how these three reasons helped Paul face suffering with endurance? Do you think they'll help you too? Can you see ways you've used these reasons in your life already? |
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Cindy, Can I have an extra day to review what we have done so far before you add more to the study ?
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Go for it Mark! I may add some more
today though simply because I don't think I'll have the time to do it
tomorrow...so either way you'll still get the extra day ok?
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Remember how we said earlier that Paul
had told us to follow his example? I'm sure I quoted this verse then
too but want to point it out again. Paul told us to follow his example
because he was following the example of Christ. He was showing us what
it looks like to be a Christian:
1 Corinthians 11:1, NIV Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. We've seen that God used Paul in mighty ways and that Paul is a very good example for us to follow especially when it comes to suffering. However, since Paul was following Jesus, then obviously the very best example to follow would be Him, and Peter tells us that here. In the process of telling us that though Peter also shows us so that we can have no doubt at all about it, that there is no truth at all to the word of faith claims that we're all supposed to healthy and wealthy all the time or the claim that when someone is suffering it's because of sin in their lives. While that certainly can be one reason, it's not the only reason or even the main reason. Look at what Peter says: 1 Peter 2:19–22, NIV For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” Knowing that Jesus was/is sinless and yet He suffered terribly by His Father's Will, tells us that we too can suffer just as much and be 100% in God's Will. We also know because Paul told us, that the way Paul got through his suffering was by "keeping his eyes on Jesus" So while we can use Paul and Stephen and others as role models and it's good to do so, we need to remember that ultimately the answer is to keep our eyes (our thoughts, our minds) on Jesus Himself. Jesus is "one of us" so to speak. He's been there, done that. He went though severe persecution and even more severe torture and death itself. He understands. He walked that road to show us the way, as an example to us. I don't know how many times as a parent, and now as a grandparent, that I've done things in order to show the children how to do it; or how often I've done things to show them that they didn't need to fear something or that something would only hurt for a moment and then be over, that there was an end and at the end a new beginning. This is what Jesus has done for us. He walked the walk to show us how to do things, to show us we didn't need to fear, to show us that it will only hurt for a moment--that there is an end and at the end a wondrous new beginning. Hebrews 2:14–15, NIV Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. As a last encouragement today I'd like to leave us with the thought that the Lord doesn't expect us to do this on our own. He's shown us the way, given us examples, and role models to follow, He's given us His Word to strengthen and sustain us and on top of that, He promises to always give us the strength and the endurance we need when we need it. These are some of the promises that God will support us in our trials and troubles. We will have the strength and endurance when we need it. Isaiah 40:29–31, NIV He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Romans 15:4–5, NIV For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 1 Peter 5:10, NIV And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 2 Corinthians 1:3–7, NIV Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. Revelation 1:9, NIV I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Ephesians 2:14, NIV For he himself is our peace, 2 Thessalonians 3:16, NIV Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. |
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Thanks Cindy:hug:There is so much here, that I don't want to miss anything, but I am caught up now!!
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Cindy-if I may, touch on God's
sovereignty.....I am thinking I understand this now. While Paul is a
very good example because "Paul told
us, that the way Paul got through his suffering was by "keeping his
eyes on Jesus" So while we can use Paul and Stephen and others as role
models and it's good to do so, we need to remember that ultimately the
answer is to keep our eyes (our thoughts, our minds) on Jesus Himself", I
also found Job to be inspiring as well......for everything that Job
went through, he never once questioned God nor lost faith or trust in
Him.
The book of Job gives us two important insights, when disasters and suffering assail us in the physical realm, there may be something bigger and more important going on in the unseen spiritual realm. Second, God never gives Job an answer to his demand to know the "why": He just says, "I am the sovereign Lord, acting in ways you cannot understand. You just need to trust Me, that I know what I'm doing." The fact that God is in control, that He allows all pain and suffering for a reason, is the great comfort that we need to remember when it seems like the angels have forsaken us. They haven't, because God hasn't. With this being said, God's sovereignty is just this, Trust in Him and Him alone. Rather than sit and worry about how bad we think our lives might be, or be fearful of certain things (like death), we need to remember that God is the one we need to not only trust, but let go and let God for only He knows our true needs as well as our destiny. Is this right? |
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The paradoxes.....Someone asked me to post these and I have been
doing some reading and studying on some other things so I didn't forget,
I just kinda sorta fell behind....
Cindy-Please correct me if I got any of these wrong...Thanks! 1. EXALTATION THROUGH HUMILITY (Phil. 2:8-9) God has never been pleased with the proud, boastful and over confident. We know that, Lucifer in his madness became Satan. He wanted to be exalted like God but he fell! The Most High God sees to it that all who will desire to be exalted out of His will & timing will ultimately fall. What a contrast Satan & his children are from Christ who humbled himself but was exalted! 2. STRENGTH THROUGH WEAKNESS (II Cor. 12:10) In this passage we see that, of all the apostles, Paul received an abundance of revelation than all the others combined. Paul wrote 14 NT books including Hebrews or about 1/3 of the entire NT! With all his God-given privileges & advantages; there was always the possibility of being proud and over confident. So God allowed a "thorn in his flesh" which kept him lowly and ever dependent in God. Thrice he prayed for removal of the thorn but God said that His grace is ever sufficient. In this Paul rejoiced! Would you like the world to see the power of Christ rest in you? Then serve God faithfully in spite of sickness, trials, troubles. Rejoice in God! We all have weaknesses which God can use to make us aware of our limitations, and keep us humble and useful! 3. RECEIVING THROUGH GIVING (Acts 20:35) The ultimate test of love for God & man is in giving something that we hold so dear. Giving is quite foolish to selfish people. The world’s philosophy is – It’s much better to work & work, save, earn all you can, get rich, keep & withhold! Some of the most miserable people on earth are those who take & take. Some of the happiest people are givers for they manifest God in their unselfish attitude. God Himself is the greatest giver (John 3:16). God will bless you beyond what you need so you may have the chance of becoming His channel of blessing! You may cheerfully & willingly give your time, talent, treasure for God’s glory and in return receive love, joy, peace, satisfaction, respect from men! 4. FREEDOM THROUGH SERVITUDE (Rom. 6:18) Men think they are free since they are outside prison cells. The truth is there’s another form of imprisonment & bondage which is spiritual & moral in nature. Many are enslaved by fear, doubt, hatred, vices, and sin that add to life’s hardship. Friend, if today you are enslaved by sin & doubt, you can be free in Christ! Only in personally knowing Christ as Lord & serving Him can you be truly free from the devil, sin & the bondage they bring (John 8:32,36) 5. GAINING THROUGH LOSING (Phil. 3:7-8) Materialism and love of money have always been the greatest hindrances to a personal living relationship with the Lord. People who are materialistic never have any thoughts of sacrificing & offering anything for Him who died & gave Himself ... for them. After receiving Christ as Lord & Saviour, we need to accept the fact that we are to live a life of service and sacrifice for Him. Only then can we be truly satisfied. You can gain the whole world but lose your own soul (Mark 8:36; 10:29-30) or like Paul you can lose earthly opportunities but gain Christ & lay up treasure in heaven! 6. LIVING THROUGH DYING (John 12:24) Jesus was foretelling his death. The corn of wheat that falls to the ground and dies also grows and becomes productive. This is an agricultural and a spiritual principle as well. Death to the old self is the first step to Christian growth and this principle is found in all the NT (Rom. 8:13). Death to the sinful nature means to be willfully against the works of the flesh, the mentality, philosophies and damnable superstitions of the world. God says that the flesh must be crucified with its sinful lusts (Gal. 5:24). The more you die to SELF the more CHRIST is seen in you! John the Baptist said that Christ must increase and we must decrease! (John 3:30). 7. FINDING THROUGH LOSING (Matt. 10:39) People try to find the meaning of life in earthly pursuits, in trying to succeed & prosper, & in trying to enjoy their material possessions – only to find out too late that nothing on earth really satisfies the soul. Friend, without Jesus… life is meaningless for Jesus is the very essence of life. He is everything that your poor lost soul has ever longed for. Jesus will still be Lord and King even without you, but friend you are NOTHING without Jesus! |
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Wow! Thanks Cindy and jjboehle for some great "meat" to chew on!
I have to agree with Mark,Pathwalker that you need to take time to absorb all of this great truth from the Bible! Pain and suffering have very negative thoughts to us.Maybe it started when we disobeyed our parents we felt pain because we were being punished. Pain can be a good things, it can warn us of danger! I understand those who have leprosy feel no pain so when when a person who has leprosy touches something hot, he or she does not feel pain and the results are damaging because they lose a finger or two as the fire destroys their finger. Or when a rat gnaws on their feet, they do not feel the pain. Good stuff in these postings! Thanks so much!! |
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Job is another great role model for this I agree! We did talk a lot about him in this study: Suffering So yeah you're doing great JJ! It's such a deep subject though that every time I think I've got a handle on it the Lord shows me something in His word that yanks the rug out from under me lol and I have to start all over again. Well not really "all over" and I find when I'm finally done investigating what He's shown me that my understanding was right before and still is, but that I simply hadn't "widened" it enough to include whatever it was He was showing me. I know that probably doesn't make a lot of sense but I don't know how else to explain it lol
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Hon, I replied to you already about these but I guessed you missed my reply... I replied directly to you and then answered the rest of the question in the next post:
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Here's the link to that sermon and I'll add it to your post so we don't get in trouble: http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons...576.asp?Page=1
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I have a question that I am not quite sure how to ask, but here goes? Do pets or animals have a fear of dying?
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Cindy-Thanks, I knew I needed to post where I got my info but got
so deep into reading that I forgot.....:oops:, my apologies. Sometimes,
I get to reading and studying that I get excited about learning
something new and I guess I just kinda get carried away, you know what I
mean. I'm so glad you are here to help me learn and correct me when I
am wrong, how else could I learn so much????
When I use to do Bible study with a friend of mine, I could tell that she sometimes got a little irritated with me because I often went a little too deep into what ever we were studying because I wanted to really understand it (the Word) and so we don't study anymore....I'm so glad to be here with you and everybody here!!! So with that being said, if I start getting too deep, please remind me to stay on level :yes::amen:? |
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:itsok: no problem JJ, it takes time to learn to remember all the stuff we have to when posting on a public board like this.
As far as "getting to deep" hon you couldn't possibly do that to me! :laughing: I absolutely LOVE it when people get so invloved that they forget time and place and just keep digging for more! That's exactly what happens to me too. The only difference is that since I have to post for these studies the Lord always brings me back to reality so I can finish lol but it's often hours later. I usually open a "reply" to start my post and often will post some, get to studying and then an hour later post a little more, and then still leaving it open get lost in His Word again until he reminds me to finish up :laughing: So trust me, you can't get too deep for me! Often when I'm studying one subject, the Lord will show me yet another facet of it which is like what He did with you on the paradoxes. Since we need to keep the actual studies on topic, what I'd suggest is that you start a new thread when that happens. That way we can give what you learned the focus it deserves and actually discuss it more ok? And again, don't worry about doing that "too often" lol you can't. If you started seven new threads a day, as far as I'm concerned, I'd be thrilled! |
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Animals usually have very strong instincts. It's something the Lord has given them even more then He gave us. Although they too live under the curse of sin, (not that they sin, but their bodies are under the same curse as the rest of the earth) Their instincts tell them as babies what to do to survive, how to get the milk they need etc. Their instincts help keep them alive, especially in the wild. But even the domesticated animals instincts are stronger then average. As I said though I've never seen an animal afraid of dying. I've seen them afraid when they were in danger, but even if they were injured by that danger, once the injury was inflicted and the danger was over, the fear is gone, even if they're dying. The Bible actually has a lot to say about animals so let me quote some passages here that you can look up if you want to and study later. I'll add some thoughts to some of them too. Job 12:7–10, NIV “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. Psalm 50:10–11, NIV for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. The above are simply affirming that the Lord determines when each of us and when each animal dies and of course that He created each as well; and the second lets us know that we all, people and animals alike, belong to Him. Psalm 147:9, NIV He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call. Psalm 145:15–16, NIV The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. I love these because it tells us that the Lord didn't just create the animals and birds and forget them. He loves them and listens to them too, providing for their needs. The following ones reassure us of this as well as telling us that He listens and provides for us as well. Matthew 6:26, NIV Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Matthew 10:29, NIV Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. Luke 12:24, NIV Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Remember what I said about instincts? Well it looks like the animals because they pay more attention to their instincts then we "civilized" people do, have kept closer to the Lord. Isaiah 1:2–3, NIV Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth! For the Lord has spoken: “I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” Jeremiah 8:7, NIV Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know the requirements of the Lord. In the above verses the Lord is telling us that even the animals and birds know when it's time to return to Him but his people often don't do what their own instincts tell them. Isaiah 43:20, NIV The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, He says that even the animals honor Him. This whole chapter of Job, God shows us just how familiar He is with the animals and how He's always watching over them etc. Job 39:1–30, NIV “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn? Do you count the months till they bear? Do you know the time they give birth? They crouch down and bring forth their young; their labor pains are ended. Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds; they leave and do not return. “Who let the wild donkey go free? Who untied his ropes? I gave him the wasteland as his home, the salt flats as his habitat. He laughs at the commotion in the town; he does not hear a driver’s shout. He ranges the hills for his pasture and searches for any green thing. “Will the wild ox consent to serve you? Will he stay by your manger at night? Can you hold him to the furrow with a harness? Will he till the valleys behind you? Will you rely on him for his great strength? Will you leave your heavy work to him? Can you trust him to bring in your grain and gather it to your threshing floor? “The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, but they cannot compare with the pinions and feathers of the stork. She lays her eggs on the ground and lets them warm in the sand, unmindful that a foot may crush them, that some wild animal may trample them. She treats her young harshly, as if they were not hers; she cares not that her labor was in vain, for God did not endow her with wisdom or give her a share of good sense. Yet when she spreads her feathers to run, she laughs at horse and rider. “Do you give the horse his strength or clothe his neck with a flowing mane? Do you make him leap like a locust, striking terror with his proud snorting? He paws fiercely, rejoicing in his strength, and charges into the fray. He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing; he does not shy away from the sword. The quiver rattles against his side, along with the flashing spear and lance. In frenzied excitement he eats up the ground; he cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds. At the blast of the trumpet he snorts, ‘Aha!’ He catches the scent of battle from afar, the shout of commanders and the battle cry. “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread his wings toward the south? Does the eagle soar at your command and build his nest on high? He dwells on a cliff and stays there at night; a rocky crag is his stronghold. From there he seeks out his food; his eyes detect it from afar. His young ones feast on blood, and where the slain are, there is he.” This last one again shows us that the Lord created and continues to create every animal, every creature; that He loves them and takes care of them: Psalm 104:24–30, NIV How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small. There the ships go to and fro, and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there. These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. And just as a reminder, remember that God made His covenant with both men and the animals: Genesis 9:12–16, NIV And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” I love this next one because it shows that just as the Lord created the animals and birds in the beginning, so again during the Millennium, He once again returns the animals and birds to the way He intended them to be before Adam sinned: Isaiah 11:6–9, NIV The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. So while there is no passage that says that animals don't fear when they die, I think these and the many others show us that God is well aware of all His creations and that the animals use the instincts He gave them as I said before. It shows that then animals weren't like some kind of "after-thought" of the Lord. They are important to Him and He loves them. I was going to say that I can't imagine that He would have given them an instinct to fear death and the second that thought came a verse replaced it in my mind lol I have no doubt it's from the Lord: While because of sin, people are subject to the spirit of fear until we're saved, animals aren't. (I'm not suggesting this next verse applies to animals, it's doesn't because they can't be "saved". I'm only posting it to show that we came under this fear because of sin. Romans 8:15, NIV For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Animals know instinctively that death isn't a "punishment", so they have no fear of it. 1 John 4:18, NIV There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. I hope this gives you some peace Mark. |
| jjboehle | December 12th, 2010 06:00 PM |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
The info about the animals brings up a good point and revelation so to speak......"Animals know instinctively that death isn't a "punishment", so they have no fear of it".
With the exception of those in who have been convicted of a crime (ie, murder-where death is a punishment), maybe thats how we should all look at death.....Because for us, it's not a punishment, Amen?
With the exception of those in who have been convicted of a crime (ie, murder-where death is a punishment), maybe thats how we should all look at death.....Because for us, it's not a punishment, Amen?
| Marianne | December 12th, 2010 08:40 PM |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Cindy,:hug: thank you for this wonderful study I've spent today
reading these threads.. and thank you everyone for your questions...
what got my attention was this..
When my husband John of 16 years of marriage died in 1991..of
cancer.. he suffered for many months.. we lost our home and had to move
away.. to where my parents were living, it was a very hard time for me
and my two sons.. I wasn't close to the Lord at that time..(never read
His Word, or prayed) even though I accepted Jesus, ten years prior to
that.. I was living for material things only.. and busy with my gardens,
crafts and raising my children..
One day I cried out to Jesus to help me.. help me become the person He wanted me to be, and do His will on this earth.. that's when I realized that all these things that happened to me, was because Jesus wanted me to be closer to Him.. and the only way, was to change my life..
Jesus was in all that was happenening to me.. just to bring me back to Him.. I use to cry so much, missing my husband.. until one day.. I had this dream about my husband.. it was a wonderful dream.. and I felt in my heart that He was with Jesus and was suffering no more..
So, instead of self confidence.. and relying on my own feelings and wants.. I put my confidence in Jesus.. but still had a lot to learn.. and that was to wait on the Lord.. instead of doing things my way.. that took me a long time to learn.. and I made mistakes along the way..(and I made many) I became rebellious at times, but continued to pray and ask God to help me to obey His Word and live righteously and wait on Him..
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That's one of the biggest differences I find in our culture today and the culture of those who lived in the days of Jesus or the days of the Old testament. I know I brought this up in another study as well, but as you read the old testament, you see over and over again that people didn't doubt that God was behind what happened to them, regardless of whether what happened was good or bad. Today we're quick to admit that it's God if the thing happening is good, but many would rather cut out their tongues then imply that God could send bad things into our lives. (Or at least what we consider bad things) For those that might not have read that other study were we discussed this, let me just point out some examples. When you read them, think about what people today would say if they were in the same position and you'll see what I mean. |
One day I cried out to Jesus to help me.. help me become the person He wanted me to be, and do His will on this earth.. that's when I realized that all these things that happened to me, was because Jesus wanted me to be closer to Him.. and the only way, was to change my life..
Jesus was in all that was happenening to me.. just to bring me back to Him.. I use to cry so much, missing my husband.. until one day.. I had this dream about my husband.. it was a wonderful dream.. and I felt in my heart that He was with Jesus and was suffering no more..
So, instead of self confidence.. and relying on my own feelings and wants.. I put my confidence in Jesus.. but still had a lot to learn.. and that was to wait on the Lord.. instead of doing things my way.. that took me a long time to learn.. and I made mistakes along the way..(and I made many) I became rebellious at times, but continued to pray and ask God to help me to obey His Word and live righteously and wait on Him..
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Dear brothers and sisters;
Thank you for this topic and your discussions allowed me to remember my thoughts about death, dying and fear. I would like to share a witness I experienced with another; Years ago there were moments when I would catch myself thinking, deeply, what if, suddenly I drove off the side of a cliff while driving. My commute to work is along the side of a cliff overlooking the beach. What if I was suddenly attacked from nowhere and was stabbed or shot? My ministry includes urban missions and am in the heart of some of the most undesirable places in the city. It would scare me, of course, and after reading the scriptures you shared, Cindy, would all have fallen short at that moment. Does fear from lack of faith versus fear from human reaction when life is threaten by death all equate to sin? I'm being rhetorical because I ask God this question in my personal devotion with Him 15 years ago. And in His time revealed to me in my personal witness and experience of another; Mom came down with leukemia in November 2002 and by February my siblings and I were at her dying bed. I asked Mom about her faith and, had she received Jesus Christ as her personal Savior? You see, I underestimated her belief. She looked me straight in my "puppy eyes", (I was only 46 then, folks) and calmly answered, yes. She had received Jesus Christ in her life many years earlier and repented in the last days she was at her dying bed. Point. I could see no fear in her, instead, a peace in her eyes and a smile because when this was all over, she didn't have to deal with the ways of the world. She was ready to pass the baton to whoever was willing to continue the race. She was ready to meet her Maker. Mom knew she would be judged but forgiven and had eternal life with her Savior. Wow. My Mom. Though she was in pain from the cancer she told me she wasn't afraid. Even at her dying bed Mom still could still read me like a book. She knew I doubted her faith in Jesus. Mom told her children she loved all of us, then she passed the baton to me. That was my last conversation with her. Mom's witness to me was her confidence, not in herself, but in our Father who would overcome her death, dying and fear. It went a long with my wife and me. I miss Mom and was afraid at times because I could no longer pickup the phone at random and talk with her. But now when I am faced with darts and arrows (fear, low self esteem, insecurity and trembling) I don't claim them. Instead I'll claim Jesus. Don't get me wrong. I love my life. It's precious from God and I'll fight for it. Only now my faith has given me peace and wholeness when I'm faced with the thought of death, dying and fear. This topic uplifted me and was blessed by it. Your brother in Christ Jesus. |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Bobinfaith, First of all, Welcome to our Bible Study!! I am so
very sorry for your loss of your mother, but she is most definetly in a
much better place and without all the pain and suffering. Praise The
Lord!!
Marianne, I am also very sorry for your loss and you are always in my prayers. Jj. meant to thank-you for posting about the 7 Paradox's. Cindy, thank-you for the awesome explanation about animals and pets. The scripture, you found, really helped me understand more about what God says about animals and pets, when it comes to death, dying and fear. Again thank-you :hug: |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
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Hebrews 2:14–15, NIV Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For us, death isn't punishment, it's freedom! Freedom and the start of our "real" lives! While nature and the animals are also under the curse of sin, they don't have to deal with the "punishment" of sin as far as going to hell goes so for them there is nothing to fear in death.
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Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Marianne and bobinfaith (Welcome to our forum bob), Thank you for
sharing your stories. I know (all too well) its hard to talk about the
lose of a loved one and I think it's wonderful how you both not only are
able to talk about your loved ones, but to know that they are no longer
suffering.:hug::hug::hug:
Cindy, Thanks! After reading the post about the animals it really got me to thinking. I too want to thank you for this post as it has been most helpful and enlightening.:hug::hug::hug: |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Thank you Cindy and JJ.. I know I came into this study late..
but, the Lord gave me the time, to read through all these teachings..
and it's very comforting to me, I feel at peace reading all these
posts.. all your questions and answers have been very helpful.. May our
Lord's blessings be upon you all..
Bob, your post about your mom, was amazing.. reminded me of my mother when she was about to meet Jesus face to face.. she spoke of Jesus.. still she was in a lot of pain from the cancer.. and asked my sister to hold her hand.. and they talked about Jesus and that my mom would see him soon.. she went peacefully, because she knew as she took her last breath, she would see Jesus.. Cindy, thank you so much for answering Mark's question about the animals.. it was so very helpful.. one of my cats was sitting on my lap as I read out loud and he was just gazing at me.. taking in every word I was saying.. |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Thank you all for discussing the
subject with me. That's what helps me learn. Funny you said that about
your cat Marianne because my cat Sunny was sitting on my lap while I
was typing that part about animals. lol he was sitting in my lap with
his arms over my arm as I typed and just purring away lol
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Re: Death, Dying and Fear
They are very sweet Marianne!
If anyone has any questions on this topic please feel free to ask! |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
I may have 2 or 3 hours to be on FH, as Hossanah just got her library card ( but will never use it every day.....
so I can also use her card for many days and therefore, get an extra hour on library computer///( I didn't think to ask for her library card # today, and hubby is on line today so I just have 2 hour today sniff! the same for hubby's card.... tho he comes to the library at lot more In any case, I want to use a good part of my time in Bible Studies here. That being said, and starting to re-read this thread I especially like reading: "Satan has used this fear over humans for a very long time and that he has done all he can to both instill this fear in every human and cause it to grow in us. He wants us to be afraid of death, it's his power over us. Let me clarify that though. Death isn't his power over us, but fear IS his power over us, in this case it's the fear of death or dying that's Satan's power over us. So Satan doesn't want us to get over this fear. Instead he wants to implant it so deep within us that we can't possibly get rid of it. He is the one that doesn't want us to think about it or discuss it. He is the one who made it a socially taboo subject. He's done all he can to keep us in the dark concerning this. I am leaning more and more on what God said when I have night terrors of being in hell ( know they might be from satan, or a bad pickle.....) but in any case....no matter how terrible...they are just feeling And I know I can trust Jesus, because after every time I thought I was dead and in Hell...Jesus immediately woke me up or came to me in the dream, as I remember somd scripture So I will be looking at all the verses you posted again and again ( I need to bring a pad and pen to the library to write what verse I need to look at home! Thank you Cindy!! |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
You're very welcome hon! What amazes
me is how all of these studies really fit together...like pieces in a
puzzle. Maybe I think like that because I've always like jig saw
puzzles lol I've really been enjoying doing these though and have yet
another planned in the back of my mind!
|
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
This verse was so helpful to me yesterday!!!!
When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.. My "fear" when it attacks me is always when I am asleep, so after awhile I have from time to time, been afraid to lie down and go to sleep. However it is not going to be forever with the Lord that I am afraid of... I think I sometimes sin, wishing I could "hurry up" the process, and be away from this sorror filled world. I do love the beauty of it, and Jesus has been so kind to me ( I daily am given blessings), but still, the is so much pain, and sorrows also that to be where there is no sin ( especially in me...I can not wait) and to feel completely secure and loved.) I know I am love and secure even now....but it will be so complete in heaven....never to sin again.....what a joy and to have Jesus actually put His arms around me ( the worst of sinners) well.....I so look forward to that. I often wonder why Jesus, Father, the Holy Spirit want me to stay alive.....every day, I continue to blow it and sin...... But THANK YOU sooooooooooooo much for this thread! |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Fearnot, I was blessed reading your testimony.
You are so honestly-fresh and it is refreshing to see how you are so open to the Lord, of course we can not hide anything from Him anyway! May the Lord bless you with better health and meet your needs. Yes, God loves His sinners and He is very patiently with each one of us, including me. Heaven is going to be wonderful and full of God's love, mercy and grace!! |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
:wow: I just have to share this on this thread! Please check out today's devotions! Here's a link that will take you straight to it:
http://www.fresh-hope.com/forums/sho...221#post684221 |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Father, thank You for this study and
helping us to know You and Your Word better. Please fill us with the
knowledge of Your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so
that we may walk in a manner worthy of You. Please don't ever let us
substitute our own judgment and intelligence for Your wisdom and the
Bible’s authority. Help us to discipline ourselves for godliness;
Please give us both the wisdom and the courage to take advantage of
all the spiritual resources that are available to us each day. Please
also give us a greater sense of fervency in prayer and help us to
pray in such a way that pleases You. I pray that we will be
continually controlled by the life-transforming knowledge of Your
will, which the Holy Spirit imparts as we prayerfully study and
meditate on your Word. Thank You Father, In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen
§184. Life After Death (Luke 16:16–17:3a) Since we're only wanting to study Lazarus right now, I'm going to leave out the first couple of verses and the last couple--we'll include all of it when we actually get to this study later. Don't forget to talk to the Lord about this as you study! Luke 16:19–16:31 —“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. *And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, *who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. *The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, *and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. *And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ *But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. *And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ *And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— *for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ *But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ *And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ *He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ” This exegesis is important to read today! Remember too, to put notes in your bible next to the verse about anything you want to remember about these verses! Exegesis v 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, carried = this word denotes a very positive carrying away (in different contexts it can be rendered ‘taken by force’). buried = this verb is also passive, as is ‘carried away’; the contrast is that the rich man was carried to his grave, Lazarus into his gift. v 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. being = this is not the regular word for ‘to be,’ but includes an element which means ‘be at the disposal of.’ The verb is a present active participle which indicates that the rich man is still being tormented. saw = he sees (also present tense). The souls in Hades can continually see what they have missed. v 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. remember = this is an imperative, an order! in your lifetime = (lit.) in your life. (It seems to indicate, by contrast, that he is in an eternal state of dying now.) received = an intensive verb emphasizing all that the rich man had received. evil things = (or) the bad (in contrast to good); i.e., worthless (‘things’ cannot be evil). v 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ testify = this is an intensive form of the verb ‘witness’; ‘so that he may urgently witness to them.’ Don't forget to talk to the Lord about this as you study! Purpose This narrative is a solemn warning of the eternal cost of rejecting God’s provision, and also that riches do not save (nor are an indication of salvation). Exposition The story of the rich man (theologians name him ‘Dives’—Latin for ‘rich’) and Lazarus is probably not a parable as it names one of the characters, something which none of the parables specifically classified by Scripture as such do. The issue which gave rise to our Lord describing this event is found in v. 14 —The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. The Pharisees had recognized the point of the Parable of the Unjust Steward, and especially the condemnation of wealth, and scoffed at Jesus. They taught that wealth and happiness were indications of God’s blessing, they exalted wealth, but Jesus said this was an abomination in the sight of God (v. 15 —And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. —which is probably another reason why He was unpopular with the Pharisees!). Verses 16–18—“The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it. *But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void. *“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery. seemingly introduce the narrative of the rich man and Lazarus (why else are they there?), so presumably Lazarus was converted under John’s ministry, and the rich man was not only wealthy but had divorced his wife to remarry. Presumably, too, these two men were known to the Pharisees. The Gospels are not disconnected jottings but demonstrate the dynamic of cause and effect. So Jesus would have had sound cause to include v. 18 “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery. and it was thus probably related to the context on either side of it (it certainly had to be related to the context on one side of it!). Jesus had earlier taught that unless one’s righteousness exceeded that of the Pharisees, one would not enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt 5:20), and then gave six examples of the required standard of righteousness, one of which had to do with divorce (Matt 5:31–32). This instruction, too, was connected with the unalterable nature of the Law (Matthew 5:18 —For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. ). Here He linked Dives with complying with the Pharisaic standard of righteousness, but not meeting the standards of the Kingdom of God, for he was excluded from it on his death. So I conclude that Dives had married a divorcee, or was himself divorced and remarried, or both, situations condoned by the Pharisees who would then have construed his continuing material prosperity as proof that their doctrine was correct. This premise provides a common thread which links all of §182–185 into a logical unit of instruction (this teaching could well be the foundation for Hebrews 13:4 —Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. * ; 1 Corinthians 6:9 —Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, *; Galatians 5:19–21 —Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, *idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, *envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. *). We should recognize that a standard of righteousness which exceeds that preached by the Pharisees is only found in imputed righteousness, a righteousness only found in placing saving faith in Jesus Christ for which God imputes the righteousness of Jesus Christ on a believer. All sins can be forgiven, so it was not Dives’ attitude toward divorce that doomed him, but his reliance on a Pharisaic standard of work’s righteousness rather than faith in God. The scene set in vv. 19–21 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. *And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, *who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. is remarkably graphic—Dives decked out in purple clothes, and even the finest linen for underwear. He denied himself nothing, celebrating his riches daily with every appearance of comfort and mirth. The contrast to Lazarus could not be more stark—chronically plagued with ulcers, not strong enough to sit, tossed down by those obliged to care for him, only dogs showing compassion to him, for they bestowed on him the only medication they know-licking the sore. Despised and ignored by mankind, his only friends the dogs. Mark well that dogs are known for an uncanny ability to divine the goodness of man; they thus highlight Lazarus’ character. The English translation does not capture Lazarus’ hunger as graphically as the Greek text; he longed to devour the scraps that fell from Dives’ table, for in the custom of the day, he could see the feasts but not partake. He watched men who had no need to eat gorging themselves, while he, who was literally starving to death, could not even touch the sumptuous repast. There is something grossly callous about a man who in his luxury can look on the unfortunate and merely complement himself on not being in their state. This was a typical Pharisaic hypocrisy, and Jesus’ narrative highlighted this failing. Then death entered the scene and a wondrous transformation took place. The verb ‘carried away’ in v. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, is passive, thus indicating that Lazarus was the recipient of an unavoidable transport. The wonderful truth is that not Satan nor even Lazarus himself could prevent the consequence. He had died a righteous man, and nothing could prevent him from being transported by angels to Abraham’s bosom. Dives’ death and burial is reported, but his transport into eternity is lonely and bleak; as the lack of report indicates, it was simply a fact. Don't forget to talk to the Lord about this as you study! We must consider the possibility that Dives was cunningly trying to manipulate Abraham into sending Lazarus to his brothers. Surely, with his heightened spiritual perception, he knew there was no escape from Hades nor any comfort available for him, so he seems to have been trying to make Abraham feel that as he could offer him no relief, at least he should acquiesce to a request on behalf of the five brothers. Even the request for cooling (v. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ ) was a reminder of the most memorable day in Abraham’s life (it echoed the ‘remember’ of v. 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.), the day Abraham comforted his Lord in person (Genesis 18Genesis 18:3–5 —and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. *Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, *while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” * ), for the Greek word rendered ‘cool’ is only used here in the New Testament, and only once in the Greek translation of the Old, in Gen 18:4. Moreover, the request for Lazarus to visit his brothers had precedent, for Samuel returned to address Saul (1 Samuel 28); so it was not just wishful thinking, it was possible. The Greek word translated ‘persuaded’ (v. 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ” ) means ‘convinced, won over, conciliated, (and even) have trust, confidence,’ so it compresses into one word meanings which accurately portray the emotions which a supernatural visit from the dead would evoke in a human. The big question in the mind of the visitee would be ‘Can I trust it?’And Satan surely would raise that question! The Greek text makes plain some of the awesome terror of Hades. It is remarkable how factual Jesus was, and His restraint in not chastising or actively frightening the Pharisees should be an example to us. He did not seek to frighten people into the Kingdom, yet He did not refrain from painting a factual picture of the consequence of rejecting Him as Savior. Consider the facts we are given about Dives (we must use the present tense for him because he is still in Hades, still experiencing these things): i) He is fully conscious, indeed probably more so than in his life. ii) He is suffering physical pain (even though without a body). I remember the torment of a friend who had a leg amputated when that amputated leg started to itch and he had nowhere to scratch. This is a frightening reality, enough to drive one insane, yet the relief of insanity is not available. iii) He is all too aware of what he has missed. iv) He recognizes the source of mercy but cannot reach it; yet to add to his torment, he can communicate with it and confirm his inability to reach it. v) Lazarus on earth was comforted by dogs, but Dives in Hades has absolutely no being to comfort him. vi) Dives is unaware of any company in Hades; he only sees those in Paradise. vii) Dives has a heightened spiritual perceptivity and a new evangelistic zeal, but he cannot even derive any satisfaction from that, for even that wish torments him with his inability to do anything but suffer pain. viii) He is reminded of Moses and the prophets whose teachings he knew and despised (like his brothers), in consequence of which he is now in Hades. ix) He is utterly incapacitated. x) Mentally, spiritually and physically he is more perceptive than ever in his life, yet all this enhanced awareness combines to torment him in his utter inability to do anything but suffer. xi) There is fire in Hades and it burns fearsomely. This is the only description we have of Hades in the Bible and it is notable that it comes from the lips of our Lord, so the detail is incontestable. Hades is not Hell; Hell only comes into use after the final great white throne judgment of Revelation 20:11–15 —Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. *And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. *And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. *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. * when, after the resurrection of the unsaved, death and Hades are cast into the lake of fire (i.e., Hell—Rev 20:14 underlined above). (The KJV confusingly uses ‘hell’ for both ‘hades’ and ‘gehenna’ in Greek.) Remember too, to put notes in your bible about anything you want to remember about these verses! Jesus did not paint a lurid picture of Hades but all the detail is there for a thinking person to follow. The rich man found himself in Hades immediately after death (there is no soul sleep!) and Lazarus likewise in Abraham’s Bosom (which is apparently another name for Paradise which is distinct from Heaven). Reflect on the rich man’s condition, physical, mental and spiritual, in Hades. The man’s physical pain is indicated (v. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ ). Imagine, for a moment, the psychological torture of knowing what you want to do, and also knowing that it will haunt you eternally and that you cannot avoid it or do anything about it (vv. 27–28 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— *for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ ). This is just one of the many frightful, fearsome aspects imbedded in this narrative. Spiritually, the rich man is fully perceptive now that it is too late-indeed, he is now a red-hot evangelist, but to no avail; in Hades he does not doubt the necessity of salvation for one moment. He is still there, his condition is unaltered, and his only prospect is the final judgment and then Hell, a place which must be even worse than Hades if it will consume Hades. Don't forget to talk to the Lord about this as you study! The scriptural teaching on the eternal destiny of souls is diagrammed. The following explanations may help you follow the diagram: i) I understand the Hebrew word ‘Sheol’ to encompass the abode of the dead, whether righteous or unrighteous. ii) Luke 16 depicts two separate divisions in that abode, one called Abraham’s Bosom and the other Hades. iii) The dying thief on the cross was to be with Jesus in Paradise on that same day, yet Jesus had not ascended to Heaven three days later; so Paradise seems synonymous with Abraham’s Bosom (Luke 23:43 —And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” * ; John 20:17 —Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” *). So Jesus went to Paradise, not Heaven, immediately after the crucifixion. iv) Those believers who die after the ascension are immediately with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8 —Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. * ) Who is in Heaven (Acts 7:56 —And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” * ). So we do not go to Paradise but to Heaven, for Jesus is no longer in paradise but in Heaven. v) Ephesians 4:8 —Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” * indicates that those who were held captive (waiting for the fulfillment of their salvation) in Paradise accompanied Jesus at His ascension into Heaven. So Paradise has been emptied and its previous occupants are now in Heaven! vi) Tartaurus (2 Peter 2:4 —For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; * ) is the prison of some sinning angels who await the final judgment. It seems synonymous with the Abyss of Revelation 20:1–3 —Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. *And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, *and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. * . vii) At the final judgment death and Hades will be thrown into Hell (the lake of fire) as will the souls and resurrected bodies of all unregenerate men, as well as Satan (Revelation 20:5 —The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. * , Revelation 20:13–15 —And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. *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. *). viii) The only occupants of Hell before the final judgment will be the Beast and his lieutenant who will be thrown alive (i.e., in their bodies) into Hell without judgment (Revelation 19:20 —But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. * ; Revelation 20:10 —and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. *). Apparently, their sin will be so vile, their guilt so unarguable, that no trial will be remotely necessary for them. This narrative was thus both a most solemn warning to the Pharisees that their riches did not guarantee eternal life, and of their present eternal prospect. http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...tos/Heaven.gif Don't forget to ask the Lord now to bring it to your mind throughout the day so you can reflect on this during the day too! Mills, M. S. (1999). The Life of Christ: A Study Guide to the Gospel Record (Lk 16:16–17:3a). Dallas, TX: 3E Ministries. More Information on these scriptures: Don't forget to talk to the Lord about this as you study! The suggestion that a rich man would be excluded from heaven would have scandalized the Pharisees (see note on Matthew 19:24 —Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” * ); especially galling was the idea that a beggar who ate scraps from his table was granted the place of honor next to Abraham. **note on Matthew 19:24: it is impossible. Jesus was underscoring the impossibility of anyone’s being saved by merit. Since wealth was deemed proof of God’s approval, and those who had it could give more alms, it was commonly thought that rich people were the most likely candidates for heaven (see note on Mk 10:25). Jesus destroyed that notion, and along with it, the notion that anyone can merit enough divine favor to gain entrance into heaven. Then who can be saved? This was the right question to ask; it showed that they got Jesus’ message. Salvation is possible only through divine grace. ** “Hades” was the Gr. term for the abode of the dead. In the LXX, it was used to translate the Heb. Sheol, which referred to the realm of the dead in general, without necessarily distinguishing between righteous or unrighteous souls. However, inNT usage,“Hades” always refers to the place of the wicked prior to final judgment in hell. The imagery Jesus used paralleled the common rabbinical idea that Sheol had two parts, one for the souls of the righteous and the other for the souls of the wicked—separated by an impassable gulf. But there is no reason to suppose, as some do, that “Abraham’s bosom” spoke of a temporary prison for the souls of OT saints, who were brought to heaven only after He had actually atoned for their sins. Scripture consistently teaches that the spirits of the righteous dead go immediately into the presence of God (cf.Luke 23:43 —Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” * ; 2 Corinthians 5:8 —We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. * ; Philippians 1:23 —I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; * ). And the presence of Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration (Luke 9:30 —And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, * ) belies the notion that they were confined in a compartment of Sheol until Christ finished His work. Christ pictured Hades as a place where the unspeakable torment of hell had already begun. Among the miseries featured here are unquenchable flame; an accusing conscience fed by undying memories of lost opportunity; and permanent, irreversible separation from God and everything good. The rich man retained a condescending attitude toward Lazarus even in hell, repeatedly asking Abraham to “send” Lazarus to wait on him. The flames of hell do not atone for sin or purge hardened sinners from their depravity. They have Moses and the Prophets. I.e., the OT Scriptures. This speaks powerfully of the singular sufficiency of Scripture to overcome unbelief. The gospel itself is the power of God unto salvation. Since unbelief is at heart a moral, rather than an intellectual, problem, no amount of evidences will ever turn unbelief to faith. But the revealed Word of God has inherent power to do so. The MacArthur study Bible Don't forget to talk to the Lord about this as you study! The rich man was able to converse with Abraham. He first begged to have Lazarus sent over to give him some water. Abraham replied that that was not possible and that he should remember that during life he had everything he wanted while Lazarus had had nothing. Even so, the rich man had never helped Lazarus during the course of his life. Furthermore, a great chasm separated paradise and hades so that no one could cross from one to the other. The rich man next begged that Lazarus be sent to earth to warn his brothers. It was his contention that if one came back from the dead then his brothers would listen. Abraham replied that if they refused to listen to the Scriptures (Moses and the Prophets represent all the OT), then they would refuse to listen to one who came back from the dead. Jesus was obviously suggesting that the rich man symbolized the Pharisees. They wanted signs—signs so clear that they would compel people to believe. But since they refused to believe the Scriptures, they would not believe any sign no matter how great. Just a short time later Jesus did raise a man from the dead, another man named Lazarus. The result was that the religious leaders began to plot more earnestly to kill both Jesus and Lazarus. The Bible Knowledge Commentary The rich man’s fate was irreversible and eternal. The chasm or “great gulf fixed” was unbridgeable. The rich man was kept in misery in Hades, and Lazarus could not cross over the chasm to help him. Upon death, the respective destinies of the rich man and the poor man had been sealed for eternity. The Woman’s Study Bible “Moses and the prophets” is the customary way of referring to the O.T. Scriptures. Clearly Jesus recognized the Scriptures as a wholly sufficient guide for anyone legitimately seeking the truth. In reply to the rich man’s argument that a resurrection from the dead would be convincing to his brethren, Abraham notes that the problem is attitude, not evidence. If they have not believed the Scriptures, then they will not believe even one raised from the dead. Believer’s Study Bible. Don't forget to talk to the Lord about this as you study! This is the true account of a real history of two men, even though it is used much like a parable, i.e., to teach a particular lesson or to emphasize some principle. Some, however, contend that this is a parable saying that (1) the name Lazarus means “God helps” and is figurative or perhaps was intentionally chosen later because another Lazarus did come back from the dead; (2) it begins exactly as the preceding “parable” in Luke 16:1 (which incidentally is also not called a parable in the text); (3) it is used in parabolic fashion to prove a main point; (4) facts are presented in symbolic form; (5) it is in the context of other parables in Luke 15–18; (6) Christ would not have divulged such truths to unbelieving Pharisees; (7) the ability to see, hear, and communicate between heaven and hell after death is not possible; (8) the rich man would not have known Abraham and Lazarus by sight; and (9) in real life the names of rich men are given, while beggars’ names are unknown. Some of these points are well-taken, but none prove that this account was only a parable. There are numerous arguments for this account being a real history. (1) Parables are hypothetical illustrations and never name specific individuals. Here not only Lazarus is named, but also Abraham and Moses. (2) Jesus said “there was a certain rich man.” Harry Ironside noted, “Was there, or was there not? He definitely declared that there was.” (3) Moses, Abraham, and the prophets are real people, whereas parables never refer to specific Old Testament saints. (4) Luke does not call this a parable as he does in thirteen other clear cases of parable so designated. (5) It is narrated like a real history. (6) Parables deal with the commonplace of what is known to be true to illustrate moral lessons, and come from natural life. This does not. (7) Hades is a reality, not a figure of speech. (8) There is no reason why Jesus could not have had in mind a particular case. He is describing what took place after death in the cases of two men for the moral profit of His hearers. (9) The conversation between the rich man and Abraham does not seem to lend itself to parabolic format. (10) Even a case history, as this is, could be used in parabolic fashion to teach a precise moral truth. Between death and resurrection the immaterial part of man goes either to be with the Lord, if he is saved (2 Corinthians 5:8 —We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. *; Philippians 1:23 —I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; * ), or into conscious torment as here. Resurrection reunites the body to the soul, and the state of existence continues to be either with Christ, or in the punishment of eternal duration (Matthew 25:41 —“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. * Matthew 25:46 —And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” * ). Once a person passes from this life his probation is ended, and his eternal destiny is fixed. It has been appointed by God that once a man dies, then comes the judgment (Hebrews 9:27 —And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, * ). Several additional teachings about hell are contained in this brief history. Memory and personality continue there even in the midst of untold anguish, misery, and suffering. There is no returning or sending back of messages from hell; thus, no reincarnation, nor spiritism as it is thought of by those who are thereby deceived. KJV Bible Commentary 2 Corinthians 5:1–9 —For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. *For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, *if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. *For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. *He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. *So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, *for we walk by faith, not by sight. *Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. *So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. * Paul spoke here about an intermediate state (“at home with the Lord,” v. 8) between death (putting off “this tent”) and resurrection (“put on our house from heaven”). Of course, the soul’s disembodiment is not ideal (it is compared to being “naked”); the fullest, richest existence is an embodied one. This intermediate state is strongly implied elsewhere in the NT (see Luke 20:37–38 —But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. *Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.” * ; Luke 23:43 —Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” * ; Philippians 1:23–24 —I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. *But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. * ). The Apologetics Study Bible Don't forget to ask the Lord now to bring it to your mind throughout the day so you can reflect on this during the day too! |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Father, please help us each to seek You
with all our hearts, minds and strength. Help us to put You and Your
Word first in our lives. Please, write Your Word on our hearts and
minds and cause it to dwell in us richly. I know that in order for
that to happen, the soil of our hearts and minds must be prepared to
receive it, so I ask Father that you would do that as well. Soften
our hearts, open our eyes and ears to Your Word and help us to
understand and obey You. Help us to be "God centered" instead of
"self centered" and enable us to apply Your Word so that we're doers
of Your Word and not hearers only. We want to make You proud of us
Lord, but we can't do that in our own strength, we need You for that
as well. Thank You Father for saving us and growing us up too. We
love You! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
§186. Jesus Resurrects Lazarus (John 11:1–44) Don't forget to talk to the Lord about this as you study! John 11:1–44 (ESV) —1 * Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. *2 * It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. *3 * So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” *4 * But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” *5 * Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. *6 * So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. *7 * Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” *8 * The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” *9 * Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. *10 * But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” *11 * After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” *12 * The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” *13 * Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. *14 * Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, *15 * and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” *16 * So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” *17 * Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. *18 * Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, *19 * and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. *20 * So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. *21 * Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. *22 * But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” *23 * Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” *24 * Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” *25 * Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, *26 * and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” *27 * She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” *28 * When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” *29 * And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. *30 * Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. *31 * When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. *32 * Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” *33 * When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. *34 * And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” *35 * Jesus wept. *36 * So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” *37 * But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?” *38 * Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. *39 * Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” *40 * Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” *41 * So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. *42 * I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” *43 * When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” *44 * The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” * Purpose The purpose of this miracle is to present irrefutable evidence that Christ has power and authority over death. Introduction Jesus’ previous miracles of resurrection had taken place in Galilee; this miracle occurred in Judea, outside the village of Bethany, which the Holy Spirit is at pains to point out was less than two miles from Jerusalem (v. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, ; 15 stadia are approximately 3,000 yards). This miracle took place under the very noses of the Sanhedrin, and as §187 makes plain, they were painfully aware of it. We have followed the chronology of this last phase of Jesus’ life and can see that this miracle must have taken place in the last two, or at most three, months of His life. Jesus, who, in His divinity, foreknew all events (v. 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”), used this miracle to direct the course of the final phase of His ministry, for it was Lazarus’ restoration to life that triggered the final flood of hate which culminated in His crucifixion, and thus His glorification through His death and resurrection. This is Jesus’ own explanation of the purport of this event (v. 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”). Let us now look at the gospel record in some detail, and in order to facilitate our study of this rather long passage let us subdivide it into smaller units. Remember too, to put notes in your bible about anything you want to remember about these verses! A. Jesus Times His Arrival (John 11:1–16) Exegesis v 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” love = (‘phileo’) i.e., ‘of whom you are the friend.’ v 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” for = (or) for the purpose of. (Note that the glorification of God and the glorification of Jesus are equated.) v 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. loved = in contrast to v. 3, this is ‘agapeo’ not ‘phileo.’ v 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. twelve hours = Jesus drew attention to the fact that a day is of fixed duration, a duration fixed by God. His life, too, was of fixed duration. v 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” sleeps … wake = the usual words for natural sleeping and waking. Don't forget to talk to the Lord about this as you study! Exposition Jesus had visited Lazarus, Martha, and Mary’s home previously, so they were His personal friends (v. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” ). Scripture tells us that Lazarus was not dead when the two sisters sent for Jesus (v. 3), that Jesus specifically tarried for two days after receiving the news before setting out for Bethany (v. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. ), that Lazarus was dead when He set out (v. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died,), and that Lazarus had been dead for four days when Jesus arrived in Bethany (v. 17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. ). This information requires that Jesus was a two-day, or more, journey from Bethany, so no opportunity for fraud existed. We can reconstruct the sequence of events of vv. 3–17 (above) and a minimal timetable for them as follows: http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w.../timetable.gif One could argue that v. 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” could allow that Lazarus had not yet died when Jesus received the message, in which event Jesus was at least a three day journey from Bethany, as Lazarus, in this understanding, would have died no earlier than the day on which Jesus received the news. In Jesus’ time there was a Jewish superstition that the spirit of a dead person hovered around the corpse for three days after death before departing for Sheol, the abode of the dead. It seems that Jesus purposely timed His arrival to accommodate this superstition. Jesus’ statement that Lazarus’ sickness was not ‘to death’ (v. 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”) can just as correctly be translated ‘for the purpose of death’; indeed, the context requires that it be understood that way, for the purpose of death is to bring temporal life to a close, and Lazarus’ sickness (or weakness, to be more precise) was not for that purpose, but rather for the purpose of glorifying God. The ‘so’ of v. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. refers to the glory of God and the Son (v. 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”), and not to the love Jesus bore for the family (v. 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.); so v. 5 is a parenthetical thought, and would best be either enclosed in parenthesis, or, like the NIV and NEB, by beginning with ‘even though.’ Note, too, the change in words for ‘love’ (vv. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.”, 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.); Mary and Martha would not presume to use the deeper word, yet the Holy Spirit reveals that Jesus had this deepest love for their family, a love that transcends friendship. This is not surprising, for God has this deep love for all humanity (John 3:16 uses ‘agapeo’). Verse 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” refers to §172, 175–176 (all of which occurred in the preceding month), as well as all the earlier evidences of hate, and reminds us of the Jewish leader’s vicious antagonism to Jesus. But their time had not yet come, as v. 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. indicates, so Jesus and His disciples had nothing to fear by going to Bethany. The tone the Greek text’s report of Jesus’ escape in §172 (John 10:39 — Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. ) is unhurried as well as unconcerned, and v. 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. can readily be seen as a commentary confirming this. Jesus, the ultimate Passover lamb, had to die at Passover, so He had no need for concern until then. Mankind, despite its vicious hate, was impotent until God’s time came for the crucifixion. This circumstance confirms the truth of John 3:16 — “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. —‘God gave,’ for He permitted Jesus’ crucifixion. Verse 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” gives an interesting insight into the character of Thomas—ever the pessimist, but deeply attached to His Lord (Jesus requires only one virtue in a person, and that is faith). Thomas had understood the lesson of §180; Jesus’ teaching was bearing fruit! Mills, M. S. (1999). The Life of Christ: A Study Guide to the Gospel Record (Jn 11:1–16). Dallas, TX: 3E Ministries. Don't forget to talk to the Lord about this as you study! The Disciples (John 11:1–16) We sometimes think of the disciples as “supersaints,” but such was not the case. They often failed their Lord, and He was constantly seeking to increase their faith. After all, one day He would leave them and they would have the responsibility of carrying on the ministry. If their faith was weak, their work could never be strong. Jesus was at Bethabara, about twenty miles from Bethany (John 1:28;10:40). One day, a messenger arrived with the sad news that our Lord’s dear friend Lazarus was sick. If the man had traveled quickly, without any delay, he could have made the trip in one day. Jesus sent him back the next day with the encouraging message recorded in John 11:4. Then Jesus waited two more days before He left for Bethany; and by the time He and His disciples arrived, Lazarus had been dead for four days. This means that Lazarus had died the very day the messenger left to contact Jesus! The schedule of events would look something like this, allowing one day for travel: Day 1— The messenger comes to Jesus (Lazarus dies). Day 2— The messenger returns to Bethany. Day 3— Jesus waits another day, then departs. Day 4— Jesus arrives in Bethany. When the messenger arrived back home, he would find Lazarus already dead. What would his message convey to the grieving sisters now that their brother was already dead and buried? Jesus was urging them to believe His word no matter how discouraging the circumstances might appear. Don't forget to talk to the Lord about this as you study! No doubt the disciples were perplexed about several matters. First of all, if Jesus loved Lazarus so much, why did He permit him to get sick? Even more, why did He delay to go to the sisters? For that matter, could He not have healed Lazarus at a distance, as He did the nobleman’s son? (John 4:43–54) The record makes it clear that there was a strong love relationship between Jesus and this family (John 11:3, 5, 36); yet our Lord’s behavior seems to contradict this love. God’s love for His own is not a pampering love; it is a perfecting love. The fact that He loves us, and we love Him is no guarantee that we will be sheltered from the problems and pains of life. After all, the Father loves His Son: and yet the Father permitted His beloved Son to drink the cup of sorrow and experience the shame and pain of the Cross. We must never think that love and suffering are imcompatible. Certainly they unite in Jesus Christ. Jesus could have prevented Lazarus’ sickness or even healed it from where He was; but He chose not to. He saw in this sickness an opportunity to glorify the Father. It is not important that we Christians are comfortable, but it is important that we glorify God in all that we do. In their “prayer” to Jesus, the two sisters did not tell Him what to do. They simply informed Him that there was a need, and they reminded Him of His love for Lazarus. They knew that it was dangerous for Jesus to return to Judea because the Jewish leaders were out to destroy Him. Perhaps they hoped that He would “speak the word” and their brother would be restored to health. Our Lord’s message to the sisters did not say that their brother would not die. It promised only that death would not be the ultimate result, for the ultimate result would be the glory of God. (Note that once again, Jesus called Himself “the Son of God.”) He wanted them to lay hold of this promise; in fact, He reminded Martha of this message when she balked at having the tomb opened (John 11:40). When we find ourselves confronted by disease, disappointment, delay, and even death, our only encouragement is the Word of God. We must live by faith and not by sight. Their situation seemed hopeless, yet the sisters knew that Jesus was the Master of every situation. The promise in Psalm 50:15 finds a parallel here: “And call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.” Don't forget to talk to the Lord about this as you study! What about our Lord’s delay? He was not waiting for Lazarus to die, for he was already dead. Jesus lived on a divine timetable (John 11:9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. ) and He was waiting for the Father to tell Him when to go to Bethany. The fact that the man had been dead four days gave greater authenticity to the miracle and greater opportunity for people to believe, including His own disciples (see John 11:15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” ). When our Lord announced that He was returning to Judea, His disciples were alarmed, because they knew how dangerous it would be. (Bethany is only about two miles from Jerusalem.) But Jesus was willing to lay down His life for His friends (John 15:13). He knew that His return to Judea and the miracle of raising Lazarus would precipitate His own arrest and death. The Lord calmed their fears by reminding them that He was on the Father’s schedule, and that nothing could harm them. As we have seen, this is an important theme in the Gospel of John. But the disciples not only misunderstood the schedule, they also misunderstood the reason for the visit. They thought that, if Lazarus was sleeping, he was getting better! It was another example of their inability to grasp spiritual truth. “If he is sleeping, he must be improving—so let’s not bother to go to Bethany!” Then He told them openly that Lazarus was dead. He did not say He was glad that His friend died, but that He was glad He had not been there; for now He could reveal to His disciples His mighty power. If Thomas’ attitude was any indication, the faith of the disciples certainly needed strengthening! The name Thomas means “twin” in the Aramaic language; the Greek equivalent is Didymus. We do not know whose twin he was, but there are times when all of us seem to be his twin when we consider our unbelief and depressed feelings! It was Thomas who demanded evidence before he would accept the truth of our Lord’s resurrection. Thomas was a doubting man, but we must confess that he was a devoted man: he was willing to go with Jesus into danger and risk his own life. We may not admire his faith, but we can certainly applaud his loyalty and courage.Don't forget to ask the Lord now to bring it to your mind throughout the day so you can reflect on this during the day too! The Bible exposition commentary Things to reflect on: 1. Consider how difficult this must have been for our Lord. Two people He loves dearly, far more then they could ever love Him, come to Him with a very serious problem--a crisis as they see it. This is one of those "bad" things, "terrible tragedies" at least as we usually see things. It was no different to them, then it would have been to me if i had gone to the Lord because my husband was dying. Consider how we would feel under those circumstances. We so concerned about this life, and when death threatens someone we love, or even ourselves, everything we know about God, eternity, etc, just flies out the window. All we know, all we can think of is that we don't want this horrible thing to happen. Then there's Jesus. He knows all things, and knows that "death" really isn't horrible or tragic or the end. He knows that it's really a glorious beginning, just as the birth of a baby is for us here. And yet, these two women whom He loves are terrified and hurting so badly. It makes me think of when my children were little and were afraid of the dark. I knew there was nothing there to harm them, but their little minds just couldn't grasp that yet. Only because they trusted me was I able to calm them so they could sleep. And so with Martha and Mary too--they went running to the only one who they knew could calm them. The only one who could "fix" things and make them "right". How our Lord's heart must have ached for them! He also knew that they're sorrow would be turned to joy soon, but first, they would doubt Him and doubt His love for them. How like all of us! when something we see as "tragic" happens, we too often doubt His love, doubt His timing. And yet, eventually, if we persevere, our sorrow is also turned to joy, and we discover that He really did love us after all. We often consider Martha, Mary, even the disciples when we think of this story, but what about Lazarus? He'd been sick for some time and obviously near death, so he wasn't feeling too good and was probably in pain as well. Consider what must have been going through this good mans mind and heart during all this time. If Jesus was God, didn't He know he was sick? Wouldn't He come on His own? Why did his sisters have to inform the Lord? Couldn't He do something to help Him??? Jesus knew all this too, although we're not told in His Word about it. Yet our Lord knew every ache, pain, and bad feeling Lazarus was going through. He also knew of course that Lazarus too would have his pain and illness, doubts and sorrows turned to joy very soon. Consider Martha, Mary, Lazarus, the disciples and all the different feelings, doubts, questions, etc that went through their hearts and minds. They couldn't yet know the outcome of any of this, and yet if it hadn't happened this way, it wouldn't be in our Bibles for us to learn from. I'm not suggesting that was the only reason for this, as it clearly wasn't; yet it was certainly one of the reasons, which just shows us how long ranged our Lord's plans are and how He thinks of all of us even long before we're born. There's just so much to consider from this story that I could write forever, but I'll let you guys take it from here..... |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
I pray Lord, that we will be continually
controlled by the life-transforming knowledge of Your will, which
the Holy Spirit imparts to us, as we prayerfully study and reflect on
Your Word. Thank You for Your all sufficient Son and the resources
that are ours in Him. Please help us to remember and recognize those
resources and apply them to every situation we face today. Please
give us each a heart constantly set on pursuing excellence for Your
glory today. Fill us with the knowledge of Your will in all spiritual
wisdom and understanding, so that we may walk in a manner worthy of
You”. Please don't ever let us substitute our own judgment and
intelligence for Your wisdom and the Bible’s authority. You alone can
keep us from falling Lord, so please uphold us according to Your
Word. Keep us alert and watchful as You guide us in all our ways, so
we will always please You. Grant us wisdom and discernment that we
might always know Your Will. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen
B. Jesus Claims to Be the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:17–27) Don't forget to talk to the Lord about this as you study! John 11:17–27 —Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. *18 * Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, *19 * and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. *20 * So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. *21 * Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. *22 * But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” *23 * Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” *24 * Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” *25 * Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, *26 * and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” *27 * She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”* Exposition Verse 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. is significant, for it informs us that the Jewish leaders were present (John usually uses ‘Jews’ to designate the Jewish leaders). So the nation’s leadership witnessed Jesus’ claim to deity in vv. 25–26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, *26 * and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” , as well as Martha’s clear testimony to His person in v. 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”. This all took place before the resurrection; so logically they were placed in the position of accepting that if Jesus could resurrect Lazarus, this miracle would vindicate His claim to be the Messiah (Christ), to be the provider of eternal life, and to be the resurrection and the source of life (i.e., God Himself). The Jews, by their presence, verified the death of Lazarus; all that remained to be done to substantiate Jesus’ claim to be the divine Messiah was to resurrect Lazarus. Jesus, however, had one more detail to establish in order to make assurance doubly sure: He invoked the Father in vv. 41–42 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. *42 * I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” to confirm His claims. We cannot be precise in our understanding of the time span of the four days of v. 17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days., for Jews counted any part of a day as a whole day. This is evident when we consider that the three days Jesus spent in the tomb comprised part of Friday (until sunset-day 1), all of Saturday (until sunset-day 2), and from sunset on Saturday to the time of His glorious resurrection on Sunday morning (presumably between 5 and 6 a.m.—Day 3). So Jesus was in the tomb on three distinct days by Jewish reckoning, though His body was dead for only about 39 hours. Likewise, Lazarus could have been buried on the afternoon of his death, and as Jesus was at least a two day journey from Bethany, He would most probably have arrived in the afternoon, or even late afternoon, of that second day. So Lazarus would have been in the tomb for no less than 72 hours, but, of course, he would have been dead for longer. Don't forget to talk to the Lord about this as you study! Verse 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” is an interesting declaration, for it either displays a literal understanding of scriptures like Job 19:25 —For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. * ; Isaiah 26:19 —Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead. * ; Daniel 12:2–3 —And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. *And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. * , or it indicates that Jesus’ public teachings on the resurrection, which have only appeared thus far in §71 and §178 (John 5:28–29 —Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice *and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. * ; Luke 14:14 —and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” * ), were widely known (it could also indicate that Jesus had taught this truth more extensively than the Gospels have reported thus far). Verses 25 and 26 * Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, *26 * and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” present the enigma of the Christian promise, death is not death; and even though you may die you really never die. Of course, the answer to this riddle is found in distinguishing between the body and the soul; the former dies but the latter never dies. This teaching, which sounds so improbable and unbelievable to the skeptic, was authenticated by the incontestable miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus. It is noteworthy that this miracle is attested to by Jesus’ enemies (§205—the plot to kill Lazarus John 12:9–11 —When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. *So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, *because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. * ). Martha’s confession in v. 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” gives us an indication of what Jesus had been calling on people to believe during His ministry, for this is Martha’s statement of faith. She believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. This is the foundation stone of the gospel; her declaration is the same as Peter’s (§125—Matthew 16:16 —Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” * ). Note, too, that Martha said, “I have believed”; she had become a convert to Christ at some time in the past!Don't forget to ask the Lord now to bring it to your mind throughout the day so you can reflect on this during the day too! Mills, M. S. (1999). The Life of Christ: A Study Guide to the Gospel Record (Jn 11:1–16). Dallas, TX: 3E Ministries. EXTRA ABOUT CUSTOMS: This is different then what I posted in our other thread, and I'll have to have this be in place of what to reflect on today: This may be a convenient place for adding to the account already given, in connection with the burying of the widow’s son at Nain, such further particulars of the Jewish observances and rites,2 as may illustrate the present history. Referring to the previous description, we resume, in imagination, our attendance at the point where Christ met the bier at Nain and again gave life to the dead. But we remember that, as we are now in Judæa, the hired mourners—both mourning-men (for there were such) and mourning-women—would follow, and not, as in Galilee, precede, the body. From the narrative we infer that the burial of Lazarus did not take place in a common burying-ground, which was never nearer a town than 50 cubits,a dry and rocky places being chosen in preference. Here the graves must be at least a foot and a half apart. It was deemed a dishonour to the dead to stand on, or walk over, the turf of a grave. Roses and other flowers seem to have been planted on graves. But cemeteries, or common burying-places, appear in earliest times to have been used only for the poor,b or for strangers. In Jerusalem there were also two places where executed criminals were buried.d All these, it is needless to say, were outside the City. But there is abundant evidence, that every place had not its own burying-ground; and that, not unfrequently, provision had to be made for the transport of bodies. Indeed, a burying-place is not mentioned among the ten requisites for every fully-organised Jewish community.6 The names given, both to the graves and to the burying-place itself, are of interest. As regards the former, we mention such as ‘the house of silence;’ ‘the house of stone;’f ‘the hostelry,’ or, literally, ‘place where you spend the night;’ ‘the couch;’ ‘the resting-place;’ ‘the valley of the multitude,’ or ‘of the dead.’ The cemetery was called ‘the house of graves;’ or ‘the court of burying;’ and ‘the house of eternity.’ By a euphemism, ‘to die’ was designated as ‘going to rest;’ ‘being completed;’ ‘being gathered to the world’ or ‘to the home of light;’ ‘being withdrawn,’ or ‘hidden.’ Burial without coffin seems to have continued the practice for a considerable time, and rules are given how a pit, the size of the body, was to be dug, and surrounded by a wall of loose stones to prevent the falling in of earth. When afterwards earth-burials had to be vindicated against the Parsee idea of cremation, Jewish divines more fully discussed the question of burial, and described the committal of the body to the ground as a sort of expiation. It was a curious later practice, that children who had died a few days after birth were circumcised on their graves. Children not a month old were buried without coffin or mourning, and, as some have thought, in a special place.b In connection with a recent controversy it is interesting to learn that, for the sake of peace, just as the poor and sick of the Gentiles might be fed and nursed as well as those of the Jews, so their dead might be buried with those of the Jews, though not in their graves. On the other hand, a wicked person should not be buried close to a sage.d Suicides were not accorded all the honours of those who had died a natural death, and the bodies of executed criminals were laid in a special place, whence the relatives might after a time remove their bones. The burial terminated by casting earth on the grave.f But, as already stated, Lazarus was, as became his station, not laid in a cemetery, but in his own private tomb in a cave—probably in a garden, the favourite place of interment. Though on terms of close friendship with Jesus, he was evidently not regarded as an apostate from the Synagogue. For, every indignity was shown at the burial of an apostate; people were even to array themselves in white festive garments to make demonstration of joy. Here, on the contrary, as we gather from the sequel, every mark of sympathy, respect, and sorrow had been shown by the people in the district and by friends in the neighbouring Jerusalem. In such case it would be regarded as a privilege to obey the Rabbinic direction of accompanying the dead, so as to show honour to the departed and kindness to the survivors. As the sisters of Bethany were ‘disciples,’ we may well believe that some of the more extravagant demonstrations of grief were, if not dispensed with, yet modified. We can scarcely believe, that the hired ‘mourners’ would alternate between extravagant praises of the dead and calls upon the attendants to lament;h or that, as was their wont, they would strike on their breast, beat their hands, and dash about their feet, or break into wails and mourning songs, alone or in chorus.k In all probability, however, the funeral oration would be delivered—as in the case of all distinguished persons—either in the house, or at one of the stations where the bearers changed, or at the burying-place; perhaps, if they passed it, in the Synagogue.b It has previously been noted, what extravagant value was, in later times, attached to these orations, as indicating both a man’s life on earth and his place in heaven. The dead was supposed to be present, listening to the words of the speaker and watching the expression on the faces of the hearers. It would serve no good purpose to reproduce fragments from these orations.d Their character is sufficiently indicated by the above remarks. When thinking of these tombs in gardens, we so naturally revert to that which for three days held the Lord of Life, that all details become deeply interesting. And it is, perhaps, better to give them here rather than afterwards to interrupt, by such inquiries, our solemn thoughts in presence of the Crucified Christ. Not only the rich, but even those moderately well-to-do, had tombs of their own, which probably were acquired and prepared long. before they were needed, and treated and inherited as private and personal property.e In such caves, or rock-hewn tombs, the bodies were laid, having been anointed with many spices, with myrtle,g aloes, and, at a later period, also with hyssop, rose-oil, and rose-water. The body was dressed and, at a later period, wrapped, if possible, in the worn cloths in which originally a Roll of the Law had been held. The ‘tombs’ were either ‘rock-hewn,’ or natural ‘caves’i or else large walled vaults, with niches along the sides. Such a ‘cave’ or ‘vault’ of 4 cubits’ (6 feet) width, 6 cubits’ (9 feet) length, and 4 cubits’ (6 feet) height, contained ‘niches’ for eight bodies—three on each of the longitudinal sides, and two at the end opposite the entrance. Each ‘niche’ was 4 cubits (6 feet) long, and had a height of seven and a width of six handbreadths. As these burying ‘niches’ were hollowed out in the walls, they were called Kukhin. The larger caves or vaults were 6 cubits (9 feet) wide, and 8 cubits (12 feet) long, and held thirteen bodies—four along each side-wall, three opposite to, and one on either side of the entrance.k These figures apply, of course, only to what the Law required, when a vault had been contracted for. When a person constructed one for himself, the dimensions of the walls and the number of Kukhin might, of course, vary. At the entrance to the vault was ‘a court’ 6 cubits (9 feet) square, to hold the bier and its bearers. Sometimes two ‘caves’ opened on this ‘court.’ But it is difficult to decide whether the second ‘cave,’ spoken of, was intended as an ossary (ossarium). Certain it is, that after a time the bones were collected and put into a box or coffin, having first been anointed with wine and oil, and being held together by wrappings of cloths. This circumstance explains the existence of the mortuary chests, or osteophagi, so frequently found in the tombs of Palestine by late explorers, who have been unable to explain their meaning. This unclearness3 is much to be regretted, when we read, for example, of such a ‘chest’ as found in a cave near Bethany. One of the explorers4 has discovered on them fragments of Hebrew inscriptions. Up to the present, only few Hebrew memorial inscriptions have been discovered in Palestine. The most interesting are those in or near Jerusalem, dating from the first century B.C. to the first A.C. There are, also, many inscriptions found on Jewish tombs out of Palestine (in Rome, and other places), written in bad Greek or Latin, containing, perhaps, a Hebrew word, and generally ending with shalom, ‘peace,’ and adorned with Jewish symbols, such as the Seven-branched Candle-stick, the Ark, the festive emblems of the Feast of Tabernacles, and others. In general, the advice not to read such inscriptions,c as it would affect the sight, seems to imply the common practice of having memorial inscriptions in Hebrew. They appear to have been graven either on the lid of the mortuary chest, or on the Golel, or great stone ‘rolled’ at the entrance to the vault, or to the ‘court’ leading into it, or else on the inside walls of yet another erection, made over the vaults of the wealthy, and which was supposed to complete the burying-place, or Qebher. These small buildings surmounting the graves may have served as shelter to those who visited the tombs. They also served as ‘monuments,’ of which we read in the Bible, in the Apocrypha,e and in Josephus. 1 In Rabbinic writings they are frequently mentioned, chiefly by the name Nephesh, ‘soul,’ ‘person’—transferred in the sense of ‘monument,’b or, by the more Scriptural name of bamah, or, by the Greco-Aramaic,4 or the Hebrew designation for a building generally. But of gravestones with inscriptions we cannot find any record in Talmudic works. At the same time, the place where there was a vault or a grave was marked by a stone, which was kept whitened, to warn the passer-by against defilement.d We are now able fully to realise all the circumstances and surroundings in the burial and raising of Lazarus. Jesus had come to Bethany. But in the house of mourning they knew it not. As Bethany was only about fifteen furlongs—or about two miles—from Jerusalem, many from the City, who were on terms of friendship with what was evidently a distinguished family, had come in obedience to one of the most binding Rabbinic directions—that of comforting the mourners. In the funeral procession the sexes had been separated, and the practice probably prevailed even at that time for the women to return alone from the grave. This may explain why afterwards the women went and returned alone to the Tomb of our Lord. The mourning, which began before the burial, had been shared by the friends who sat silent on the ground, or were busy preparing the mourning meal. As the company left the dead, each had taken leave of the deceased with a ‘Depart in peace!’e Then they had formed into lines, through which the mourners passed amidst expressions of sympathy, repeated (at least seven times) as the procession halted on the return to the house of mourning. Then began the mourning in the house, which really lasted thirty days, of which the first three were those of greatest, the others, during the seven days, or the special week of sorrow, of less intense mourning. But on the Sabbath, as God’s holy day, all mourning was intermitted—and so ‘they rested on the Sabbath, according to the commandment.’ In that household of disciples this mourning would not have assumed such violent forms, as when we read that the women were in the habit of tearing out their hair, or of a Rabbi who publicly scourged himself.b But we know how the dead would be spoken of. In death the two worlds were said to meet and kiss. And now they who had passed away beheld God.d They were at rest. Such beautiful passages as Ps. 112:6, Prov. 10:7, Is. 11:10, last clause, and Is. 57:2, were applied to them. Nay, the holy dead should be called ‘living.’ In truth, they knew about us, and unseen still surrounded us.g Nor should they ever be mentioned without adding a blessing on their memory. In this spirit, we cannot doubt, the Jews were now ‘comforting’ the sisters. They may have repeated words like those quoted as the conclusion of such a consolatory speech: ‘May the Lord of consolations (בעל נחמות) comfort you! Blessed be He Who comforteth the mourners!’ But they could scarcely have imagined how literally a wish like this was about to be fulfilled. For, already, the message had reached Martha, who was probably in one of the outer apartments of the house: Jesus is coming! She hastened to meet the Master. Not a word of complaint, not a murmur, nor doubt, escaped her lips—only what during those four bitter days these two sisters must have been so often saying to each other, when the luxury of solitude was allowed them, that if He had been there, their brother would not have died. And, even now—when it was all too late—when they had not received what they had asked of Him by their messenger, it must have been, because He had not asked it, though He had said that this sickness was not unto death; or else because He had delayed to work it till He would come. And still she held fast by it, that even now God would give Him whatsoever He asked. Or, did they mean more: were they such words of unconscious prophecy, or sight and sound of heavenly things, as sometimes come to us in our passion of grief, or else winged thoughts of faith too soon beyond our vision? They could not have been the expression of any real hope of the miracle about to take place, or Martha would not have afterwards sought to arrest Him, when He bade them roll away the stone. And yet is it not even so, that, when that comes to us which our faith had once dared to suggest, if not to hope, we feel as if it were all too great and impossible—that a very physical ‘cannot be’ separates us from it? It was in very truth and literality that the Lord meant it, when He told Martha her brother would rise again, although she understood His Words of the Resurrection at the Last Day. In answer, Christ pointed out to her the connection between Himself and the Resurrection; and, what He spoke, that He did when He raised Lazarus from the dead. The Resurrection and the Life are not special gifts either to the Church or to humanity, but are connected with the Christ—the outcome of Himself. The Resurrection of the Just and the General Resurrection are the consequence of the relation in which the Church and humanity in general stand to the Christ. Without the Christ there would have been no Resurrection. Most literally He is the Resurrection and the Life—and this, the new teaching about the Resurrection, was the object and the meaning of the raising of Lazarus. And thus is this raising of Lazarus the outlook, also, upon His own Resurrection, Who is ‘the first-fruits from the dead.’ And though the special, then present, application, or rather manifestation of it, would be in the raising of Lazarus—yet this teaching, that accompanied it, is to ‘all believers:’ ‘He that believeth in Me, even if [though] he die, shall live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall not die for ever’ (unto the Æon)—where possibly we might, for commentation, mentally insert the sign of a pause (—) between the words ‘die’ and ‘for ever,’ or ‘unto the Æon.’ It is only when we think of the meaning of Christ’s previous words, as implying that the Resurrection and the Life are the outcome of Himself, and come to us only through Him and in Him, that we can understand the answer of Martha to His question: ‘Believest thou this? Yea, Lord, I have believed that Thou art the Christ, the Son of God [with special reference to the original message of Christa], He that cometh into the world [‘the Coming One into the world’=the world’s promised, expected, come Saviour]. What else passed between them we can only gather from the context. It seems that the Master ‘called’ for Mary. This message Martha now hasted to deliver, although ‘secretly.’ Mary was probably sitting in the Chamber of mourning, with its upset chairs and couches, and other melancholy tokens of mourning, as was the custom; surrounded by many who had come to comfort them; herself, we can scarcely doubt, silent, her thoughts far away in that world to, and of which the Master was to her ‘the Way, the Truth, and the Life.’ As she heard of His coming and call, she rose ‘quickly,’ and the Jews followed her, under the impression that she was again going to visit, and to weep at the tomb of her brother. For, it was the practice to visit the grave, especially during the first three days. When she came to Jesus, where He still stood, outside Bethany, she was forgetful of all around. It was, as if sight of Him melted what had frozen the tide of her feelings. She could only fall at His Feet, and repeat the poor words with which she and her sister had these four weary days tried to cover the nakedness of their sorrow: poor words of consolation, and poor words of faith, which she did not, like her sister, make still poorer by adding the poverty of her hope to that of her faith—the poverty of the future to that of the past and present. To Martha that had been the maximum, to Mary it was the minimum of her faith; for the rest, it was far, far better to add nothing more, but simply to worship at His Feet. Edersheim, A. (1896). Vol. 2: The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah (316–320). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software. |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Father, help us to put
spiritual/eternal values above earthly ones and to keep You first in
our lives above everything and everyone else as You have
commanded us to. Help us to realize that we can only do
that when we also place Your Word first in our lives.
Please protect our study time with You so that it's not
interfered with by people or circumstances. Remind us that
You have exalted Your Name and Your Word above all things and
have promised us Your Holy Spirit to guide us and help us
to understand what we study. Sharpen our spiritual eyes
and ears to Your guidance today. Thank You Lord! In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.
C. Lazarus’ Life Is Restored (John 11:28–44) Don't forget to talk to the Lord about this as you study! John 11:28–44 (ESV) — When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” *29 * And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. *30 * Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. *31 * When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. *32 * Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” *33 * When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. *34 * And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” *35 * Jesus wept. *36 * So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” *37 * But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?” *38 * Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. *39 * Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” *40 * Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” *41 * So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. *42 * I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” *43 * When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” *44 * The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” * Exegesis v 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. groaned = was deeply moved (with sympathy?). The word often indicates indignation. troubled = (or) disturbed; (lit.) He troubled/disturbed Himself. Don't forget to talk to the Lord about this as you study! Exposition In Jesus’ time it was customary to bury the dead quickly because, with no refrigeration, a decaying corpse became objectionable within twenty-four hours. The custom of the day was to wrap the cadaver with long strips of linen, tightly binding it until it resembled a cocoon at the end of the process. The interment took place without a coffin, the corpse being laid in a tomb and not buried in a grave. A skeptic could question whether the subjects of Jesus’ previous two resurrections were simply in a coma, but this is denied in Lazarus’ case, for if he had been in a coma when he was interred, the tight wrappings (v. 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” *) would have suffocated him long before four days had passed. The similarities between Lazarus’ grave and the tomb in which Jesus would shortly be laid are notable. Mary and Martha had a special place in their lives for Jesus; Martha only had to say, “The Teacher is here!” for Mary to know whom she meant. Note, too, that this statement was made secretly; this information not only dramatizes their grief but does more, for it also reveals a true believer’s instinctive desire to be alone with his or her Lord in moments of grief. Ironically, the Jews who were trying to comfort Mary (v. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. ) would soon be clamoring for Jesus’ execution, thereby causing her her greatest grief; too, they were comforting her while she was en route to the Source of all comfort. Cemeteries in Jesus’ time lay outside the town, so He may have been waiting for Mary near the cemetery. The Jews are mentioned again in vv. 33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. * and 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” *, so we are being told repeatedly that they followed every step of that day’s momentous proceedings. Clearly, they only rejected the Christ because they chose to, not because of lack of proof. No wonder Jesus groaned in His spirit and was troubled (v. 33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. *). This may well be the correct cause of Jesus’ weeping, for it clearly is more sensible to reason that He wept over the blindness of mankind to the salvation He offered (vv. 25–27Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, *26 * and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” *27 * She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” ) than that He sorrowed over a dead person whom He knew would be alive again in a moment. With this understanding, v. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” * dramatizes the height of the spiritual blindness of mankind. Don't forget to talk to the Lord about this as you study! There is deep irony in v. 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?” which has its precedent when Jesus healed the blind man (v. 37 refers to a particular blind man and the last one mentioned in this Gospel was healed just four months previously in Jerusalem) when Jesus met with violent opposition because He healed on the Sabbath. He ended that confrontation with a discussion on significant blindness; i.e., spiritual blindness (John 9:39–41 —Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” *Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” *Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains. * ). Now the Jews said, “Surely He Who healed the blind could have cured Lazarus.” Are they who previously opposed Him now acknowledging Him? Maybe they were simply suggesting that if He is who He said He is, He would have come earlier and averted this death; either that, or they were making the simple and still prevalent error of being prepared to turn to Jesus when it suited them and reject Him when it did not suit them. Either way, it is ironical that they recognized He can heal physical blindness, yet rejected His oft repeated offer to heal their spiritual blindness. This contradictory irony is clearly involved, for their shortsighted (!) answer caused Jesus to ‘groan’ again (v. 38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.). The circumstances surrounding this miracle are both interesting and instructive. Verse 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” *indicates that Mary and Martha exercised the faith which restored Lazarus’ life, so it suggests that they could exercise faith on behalf of dead Lazarus. Then note that v. 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. is in the past tense; Jesus had already been heard by God, so He, the Son of God, had prayed beforehand for this miracle. How much more ought we frail humans to wrap our every endeavor in prayer? Verses 41 and 42 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. *42 * I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” are of the utmost significance, for, coming before the restoration of Lazarus, they must be understood as an appeal to God to confirm that Jesus is indeed the Son of God and that He has the power to resurrect the dead and also to endow eternal life. The only giver of life is God Himself (who can deny this?), so when Lazarus was re-granted life, God confirmed the claims that Jesus had made a few minutes earlier (vv. 25–27 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, *26 * and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” *27 * She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” ). If Jesus had not been God, He would have challenged God by this sequence of events, proved He was superior to God and won His challenge (and a good question would then have been, “Does that not, then, make Jesus God?” So whichever way one argues this miracle, logic drives one to conclude that He is God). Technically, Lazarus was restored to life, not resurrected as the Church now understands resurrection, for he was not resurrected in the eternal sense of 1 Timothy 4:16 —Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. *. Lazarus was not given a resurrection body but life was simply restored to his mortal body, for he, like the widow of Nain’s son and Jairus’ daughter, would die again. So his life was restored; he was not resurrected. Don't forget to talk to the Lord about this as you study! This narrative does not report Lazarus’ experiences while he was dead, but it is clear from §205 that the men of his generation shared our curiosity about this. On the other hand, Jesus had revealed, probably not more than a month before this event, what happens to the souls of men when they die (§184). So it is plain that Lazarus’ soul would have been in Paradise (Abraham’s Bosom), as when he was dead, his soul could not have been in his body so could only have been in Paradise. Moreover, just a month or so later, Jesus would say to the believing thief, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise”; and this harmonizes perfectly with 2 Corinthians 5:8 —Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. * which promises post-ascension believers that to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord. It seems more that coincidental that both men were named Lazarus, as this seems to link the two narratives. It certainly seems plain to me that Lazarus would have been disappointed to be called back from the perfect bliss of Paradise to continue his earthly pilgrimage. Consequently, the reaction in §205 The Plot To Kill Lazarus, is startling, especially as we can surmise that Lazarus would have told the Jews that he had seen his namesake, the beggar, in Abraham’s Bosom, and that Dives was indeed in torments in Hades. Clearly, his confirmation of the accuracy of Jesus’ description of the next life did nothing to bring men to their spiritual senses; but this is just what Abraham had said (Luke 16:31 —He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ” * ). (The embargo of 2 Corinthians 12:4 —and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. * refers to what Paul heard, not to what he saw in Paradise.) Mills, M. S. (1999). The Life of Christ: A Study Guide to the Gospel Record (Jn 11:28–44). Dallas, TX: 3E Ministries. This is more from the book I posted yesterday: And now they were at the cave which was Lazarus’ tomb. He bade them roll aside the great stone which covered its entrance. .... Don't forget to talk to the Lord about this as you study! It was the common Jewish idea that corruption commenced on the fourth day, that the drop of gall, which had fallen from the sword of the Angel and caused death, was then working its effect, and that, as the face changed, the soul took its final leave from the resting-place of the body. Only one sentence Jesus spake of gentle reproof, of reminder of what He had said to her just before, and of the message He had sent when first He heard of Lazarus’ illness, John 11:4 —But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” * but, oh, so full of calm majesty and consciousness of Divine strength. And now the stone was rolled away. We all feel that the fitting thing here was prayer—yet not petition, but thanksgiving that the Father ‘heard’ Him, not as regarded the raising of Lazarus, which was His Own Work, but in the ordering and arranging of all the circumstances—alike the petition and the thanksgiving having for their object them that stood by, for He knew that the Father always heard Him: that so they might believe, that the Father had sent Him. Sent of the Father—not come of Himself, not sent of Satan—and sent to do His Will! And in doing this Will, He was the Resurrection and the Life. One loud command spoken into that silence; one loud call to that sleeper; one flash of God’s Own Light into that darkness, and the wheels of life again moved at the outgoing of The Life. And, still bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face with the napkin, Lazarus stood forth, shuddering and silent, in the cold light of earth’s day. In that multitude, now more pale and shuddering than the man bound in the graveclothes, the Only One majestically calm was He, Who before had been so deeply moved and troubled Himself, as He now bade them ‘Loose him, and let him go.’ Edersheim, A. (1896). Vol. 2: The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah LAZARUS he brother of Martha and Mary of Bethany (John 11:1). One long account in the Gospel of John tells about his death and resurrection at the command of Jesus (John 11). A second account in the same gospel describes him as sitting with Jesus in the family home after the resurrection miracle (John 12:1–2). Because of the publicity surrounding this event, the chief priest plotted to kill Lazarus (John 12:9–11). Traditional tomb of Lazarus, who was raised from the dead by Jesus http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...bofLazarus.gif Nelson’s new illustrated Bible dictionary. Don't forget to talk to the Lord about this as you study! The raising of Lazarus in Jn. 11 plays a key role in both the theological and the historical sequence of John’s narrative of Jesus. It is the greatest of the series of ‘signs’ which Jesus performs in the first half of the Gospel. John refers to the miracles of Jesus as ‘signs’, because they are acts of divine power whose purpose is to signify something even greater than the miracles themselves: Jesus’ power to communicate eternal life. The raising of Lazarus is the most remarkable of the miracles. John emphasizes this by pointing out that Lazarus had been dead and buried for 4 days. According to popular Jewish belief, the spirit of a dead person did not finally desert the body until 3 days after death. So Lazarus is unambiguously dead. As a miracle of resurrection, this is the ‘sign’ which indicates most clearly that Jesus’ mission is to give eternal life. Although Lazarus returns only to mortal life, Jesus’ conversation with Martha (11:21–27) shows that the ‘sign’ points to the eternal life Jesus gives to believers. By stressing both Jesus’ love for Lazarus and his sisters (11:5, 36) and the fact that Jesus risks his own life by helping them (11:8, 16), the narrative foreshadows the way Jesus is soon to sacrifice his own life in order to give eternal life to those he loves. The remarkable stress on Jesus’ emotions (11:33, 35, 38) may indicate not only his participation in the sorrow of the family he loves, but also his awareness that his act of helping them is going to lead to his own death. In the sequel to the raising of Lazarus (11:45–53), it becomes the event which determines the decision of the Jewish authorities to put Jesus to death. It also leads to a plot against the life of Lazarus himself (12:10-11). If Lazarus represents all those whom Jesus loves and for whom he gives his life, then there is perhaps the implication that followers of Jesus also risk their lives for him. New Bible dictionary The Jews believed the spirit hovered over the dead body until the fourth day, when decomposition became evident (v. 39). 11:24–26 Mary is familiar with the O.T. teaching on the resurrection (see Dan. 12). Jesus’ additional revelation (His fifth “I am” statement) concerns His identity as the One who raises the dead, who guarantees that those who believe in Him may die physically, but it will not last forever (v. 26). Physical death will be openly and finally defeated at the future resurrection. The raising of Lazarus is a foreshadowing of that great event (cf. 1 Cor. 15). 11:33, 34 The word “groaned” indicates a deep-seated agitation, a snorting sound because of His indignation at sin’s ravaging effects. The word is sometimes used to describe the snorting of a horse. Verse 34 reveals our Lord’s readiness to engage this most powerful enemy of mankind (death) and demonstrates His lordship even over it! 11:35 This shortest verse in the Bible must be understood in its setting. Though it is interpreted by the Jewish spectators as sympathy, Jesus knew He would presently raise Lazarus. He does not weep in this deep-seated, almost inaudible fashion for Lazarus—that would not harmonize with Jesus’ view of death as just stated. He weeps over human unbelief in His ability, as the Resurrection and the Life, to deal with the present problem. As His deity was previously affirmed in this chapter, it is now His humanity which we clearly observe in the shedding of tears. 11:42–44 Jesus’ prayer demonstrates His claim to unity with the Father in His purpose and works, and it allows those standing by to learn the purpose for what He is about to do with Lazarus’ corpse: “that they may believe that You sent Me.” Believer’s Study Bible. Note that the raising of Lazarus serves as something of a foreshadowing of the power to resurrect all believers one day to fellowship and eternal life in Christ. Unlike Lazarus, who was raised only to die again, Christians will be raised to eternal life. Holman Bible Handbook Jesus’ weeping differed from that of the people. His quiet shedding of tears (edakrysen) differed from their loud wailing (klaiontas, v. 33). His weeping was over the tragic consequences of sin. The crowd interpreted His tears as an expression of love, or frustration at not being there to heal Lazarus. 11:38-39. Disturbed emotionally, He came to the tomb. Tombs were often cut into limestone making a cave in the side of a wall of rock. A stone was placed over the entrance. Jesus commanded that the stone door be taken away. To do so was to risk defilement. But obedience was necessary if Jesus’ purpose was to be realized. The scene was highly dramatic. The crowd watched and listened. Mary was weeping and Martha objected because after four days putrefaction had set in. On other occasions Jesus had said that men would hear His voice and come out of their graves (5:28) and that His sheep hear His voice (10:16, 27). After His brief prayer He called (ekraugasen, lit., “shouted loudly”) in a loud voice. Jesus shouted only three words: Lazarus come out! Augustine once remarked that if Jesus had not said Lazarus’ name all would have come out from the graves. Immediately, the dead man came out. Since he was wrapped in strips of linen, a special work of God’s power must have brought him out. Jesus’ directive to the people, Take off the grave clothes, enabled Lazarus to move on his own and at the same time gave evidence that he was alive and not a ghost. This event is a marvelous picture of God’s Son bringing life to people. He will do this physically at the Rapture for church saints (1 Thes. 4:16), and at His return for Old Testaments saints (Dan. 12:2) and Tribulation saints (Rev. 20:4, 6). Also He now speaks and calls spiritually dead people to spiritual life. Many who are dead in sins and trespasses believe and come to life by the power of God (Eph. 2:1-10). The Bible Knowledge Commentary Burial Chamber Floor Plan: http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...rfloorplan.gif At the time of Jesus, graves (from the 1st century CE) typically had an entrance area from which one came to a large antechamber. From here some shafts were dug into the deep, where the deceased persons were buried. However, also their ossuaries could be placed here. Often such chambers were connected to several others by passages, so that it became a large grave complex with many burial chambers. Nelson’s new illustrated Bible dictionary. Death and burial 1087 Two attitudes to death predominated. On the one hand it was accepted that everyone is destined to die sometime (cf. Heb 9:27); Paul, on the other hand, pointed out that death is to be feared because it is the punishment for sin (Rm 6:23). 1088 Jewish funerals in the time of the New Testament differed little from those described in the Old. We find references to the following details: the corpse was washed (Ac 9:37), anointed (Mk 16:1), and wrapped in linen after it had been treated with fragrant oil (Jn 19:40), and finally the limbs were wrapped in a winding-sheet, with a head-cloth bound over the face (Jn 11:44). 1089 Billerbeck distinguished four stages or aspects in a typical funeral: the personal showing of compassion by being present, the bewailing of the dead, the removal of the dead to the burial site and the burial itself. It was considered everybody’s duty to show solidarity. Already in Tobit to bewail and bury the dead was seen as a good deed. The bewailing of the dead and beating of the breast was very typical of a Middle Eastern funeral. Often professional mourners were employed. The ‘crowd making a tumult’ of Mt 9:23 (cf. Mk 5:38) probably refers to these (female) mourners. This same verse also mentions flautists. These probably introduced the wailing which took place at the home of the dead, but also at various stations during the funeral procession. Although the burial preferably took place on the day of death because of the hot climate, the time of mourning usually lasted a week. 1090 Normally cemeteries were outside a city or town. Although individual or family-crypts were used, there were also communal graves, as we see in Mt 27:7. The corpse was usually borne to the grave on a simple bier (cf. Lk 7:12 and 14). 1091 Cremation was never the custom among Jews, and many were simply buried in graves dug in the ground, of which some were not even marked (Lk 11:44). The wealthier classes gave their graves a more permanent appearance, and, like Joseph of Arimathea, even had them prepared beforehand. Graves built from dressed stone were commissioned by some, while others had graves carved out of rock. It was customary to have a family-crypt, where the deceased could be buried with their forebears. Such a grave could have more than one room. If the grave became too full, the bones were often placed in stone coffins (ossuaria). It was a great shame not to be buried. When a corpse was left to lie in the open, or thrown onto a waste-dump, it was known as an ‘ass’s funeral’. 1092 Graves were often decorated and supplied with inscriptions. Often they were also painted white (cf. Mt 23:27) so that one could plainly see and avoid them, for touching them would make one impure. As a precaution against wild animals and robbers, the grave could be locked with a hinged door, or else the mouth of the grave was covered with a great circular stone which could be rolled back and forth (cf. Mt 27:60). du Plessis, I. The social and economic life of the Jewish people in Palestine in the time of the New Testament. In A. du Toit . Vol. 2: The New Testament Milieu. Guide to the New Testament. Don't forget to ask the Lord now to bring it to your mind throughout the day so you can reflect on this during the day too! And I think we all have more then enough to reflect on from all of this! |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
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There are 2 ways of looking at it. One way says that Paradise and and Abraham's bosom are just other words for Heaven. The other way says that Paradise and Abraham's bosom are different from heaven and is where the righteous people went when they died before Jesus' resurrection. Those who believe that Abraham's bosom is a different place then Heaven believe that all who died before Jesus' resurrection went to Sheol, which is divided into two parts: Hades and Paradise. The good went to paradise and the bad went to Hades. They believe that when Jesus died, he went to Sheol and announced to all there that He was the Messiah and led all the righteous souls from paradise to Heaven with Him. Hades and Hell are the same thing and is where all the unsaved go when they die. There are 2 beliefs about this too though. One belief says that Hades and Hell are simply another name for the Lake of Fire, and the other belief is that Hades and Hell are where all the unsaved go until judgement day when they will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. Scripture seems to verify this when it says that the unsaved dead and Hell/Hades are thrown into the Lake of Fire after they've been judged: Revelation 20:12–15 —And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. *The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. *Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. *If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. * |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
I think I forgot to say I read this and it was a great help.
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Re: Death, Dying and Fear
I'm glad it was helpful Barbara!
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Re: Death, Dying and Fear
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Yes, it really is Barbara and Satan greatly desires to make people afraid of dying. It's one of his biggest, most important lies he's told since the beginning. Know why? I'll tell you at least one reason to start with. If people are afraid of dying, what are they going to think about? They'll think about dying and ways to avoid it of course. And of course they'll link "age" with dying, which is another lie, because age really has nothing to do with death. But because they'll link age with dying, they'll spend a lot of time thinking of ways to avoid "aging" as well. Now if they're spending all their time or at least a lot of time, thinking about ways to avoid aging and death, and ways to at least look younger, what does that do to them? It leaves them practically no time to think about the one thing that really matters: God; and it leaves them practically no time to study His Word and find out the truth about death and dying and aging. I imagine you've probably latched onto what I said about age having nothing to do with death and are wanting to know what in the world I mean :laughing: Well, the Bible teaches that God is in control of everything right? When you have time, read this thread: Have you experienced or seen a major miracle? If you read the above thread and think about it some, you'll realize that many, many people die before they have time to get "old". We call it a "miracle" when someone escapes death narrowly, because we have been trained to think of death as something that's "bad" and to be avoided. (by the way, in the "old days", many people didn't think that way at all! They knew the truth, but then, they studied their bibles more back then too) You know of course that God formed you in your mother's womb. What we tend not to think of is that at the very moment He formed us, He also determined when we were going to "die". For some that meant that they would never experience life outside the womb; for others, it meant that they would never grow out of babyhood, and others would never grow up to be a teen and still others would never grow to adulthood; etc. Some would live to be 104, and others would live to be 60. We have no idea when we're going to die, because the Lord doesn't tell us that. All we know is that one day we will. Knowing that, when you look at people that "escaped death" miraculously, you begin to realize that the reason they "escaped was simply because it wasn't their time to die. I realized this many years ago and because of it, I've never been afraid of things like flying because I knew that even if there was an accident, I wouldn't die unless it was my time to go; and if it was my time to go, I'd die no matter where I was or what I was doing. Now, take that thought to our bible study. Remember how Jesus was never concerned about the people killing Him, even though they tried to a number of times? Why wasn't He concerned? Because He knew it wasn't His time to die. He wasn't going to die until He was nailed to that cross, so He didn't have to worry about it. Of course, He was God and He knew how He would die and even approximately when, but even He had to live by faith just like we do. Hebrews 2:14–15 —Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— *and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. * Jesus is our example in all things, including death, and He wasn't a bit afraid of dying. He knew what lay on the other side of it, and He wants us to know too. We often say we're not really afraid of dying, just of the pain it might involve, right? Again, Jesus is our example for that as well, and so are many of the other people in the bible that died. Jesus wasn't afraid of the pain of dying either. You say, but what about when He prayed in the garden before He was nailed to the cross? He was obviously upset then! Yes, He was, but He wasn't upset about physical pain, He was upset because He knew He would be separated from the Father for the first time in eternity, and that's a terrible thing for anyone to have to endure, but even more so for a member of the Trinity to endure! Because He went ahead and went through with it though, we will never experience that separation! That's one thing He saved us from! I would think it would be painful to be stoned to death, wouldn't you? It sure doesn't sound like Stephen's in a lot of pain though, and it didn't look like he was in pain either: Acts 7:59–60 —While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” *Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. * "He fell asleep", sounds very peaceful doesn't it? If you hadn't read the above lines, you'd probably think he died a sweet peaceful death without any pain at all wouldn't you? Think of all the martyrs and what they "endured" before death. You know what the worst thing they endured was? If they had any fear beforehand, that fear itself was the worst thing they experienced! The Lord always gives us what we need, when we need it and not a second before hand. The only thing fear does is rob us of our peace and of time that could have been better spent. Because of my job which I actually began working at when I was 16, I've been with a countless number of men and women when they died. Some "old", some not. Some had been sick for a long time, some hadn't. They died in all kinds of places, at all kinds of times and ages. Those who were elderly and Christian, tended to have a great deal of peace when they died. I was surprised by one woman who used to say every day that she couldn't die now because she had a lot of praying to do and she meant it. I thought if anyone would fight to stay alive it would be her, but she didn't. She welcomed it like an old friend. I watched people who had alzheimers or senility that kept them confused so they couldn't remember people and things, and their eyes would suddenly show such clarity it was amazing! It was as though a literal veil had been removed from their minds and they walked into eternity with such joy and peace....makes me cry to think of it! I was very blessed in that most of the people I worked with were truly saved. Not one of them died alone. Of course, I was there, but I wasn't talking about me. They could have cared less about me at that point :laughing: In fact, there was only one out of all that I was with, that paid any attention to me at all when they died. She was really something else too :laughing: Most people couldn't handle her and didn't understand her, but I didn't have any problems at all with her. I think it was because she knew I really cared about her. Anyway, one thing she used to do that scared people and made them think she was nuts, was that she saw "angels" and would talk to them. I couldn't see them, but I figured if she did, that was great. The first time I went into her room, she was talking to the angels and I'd gone in to give her her meds. No one could get her to take her meds so of course everyone was betting that I wouldn't be able to either :laughing: She was as sharp as a tack though LOL so when I came in, she told one of the "angels" that she bet I was going to try and make her take that nasty medicine. Well, I didn't know if there were really angels there or not, but figured anything was possible, so I turned to where she'd been looking when she talked to them, and calmly explained to the "angels' that she really needed her medicine and that we were getting worried because she hadn't taken it in several days, and then asked them if they'd please talk to her about it and get her to take it for me, as it really was important. Her eyes got so big while I was talking to her angels :rotflol: Afterward, I simply stood there and waited thinking that if there really were angels there, they'd need a couple of minutes to talk to her. LOL I don't think I've ever seen anyone's eyes get as big as hers did LOL She finally turned to look at me and said, "you think you're pretty smart don't you?" At first I thought she was angry, but then I saw the twinkle in her eyes, and knew I'd won. She said they'd asked her to take the meds and she did! She said she'd only do it for me, but by the time it was time for me to have a day off, I'd convinced her to let others give it to her as well. :laughing: I never knew for sure if there were really angels there or if it was all in her heard...not till she died anyway. When she was dying, just a few seconds before she was gone, she looked at me and said, "Jesus said I could tell you the angels really are here, and they'll help you anytime you need them too". Enough going down memory lane for me though lol, the point is that our Lord promised us that He would NEVER leave us. That means He is with us right now; He will be with us when we're dying and the very instant this body is dead, we will see Him! So we can know for absolute sure that we will NOT be alone. Our Lord will be with us, because He never leaves us! I don't know who else will be there, but I know He will! As far as experiencing pain before we die...so what? Barb, you and I live with severe pain every single day. Do you realize that the pain that we live with is what other people are afraid of experiencing when they die?????? :rotflol: So what's left for us to be afraid of? That our pain might get worse? Yeah, maybe, but then we've already experienced that fairly regularly too haven't we? Ok, then what could there possibly be to be afraid of? We already know all about pain and we're not afraid of it. We don't like it, but we're not afraid of it. It's just another part of life for us. Because I don't believe for a minute that you wake up each day in the kind of pain that I know you do and lay there being scared to death of the pain and not knowing what to do about it. No, you wake up knowing the pain will be there, and in fact, if it's not or not as bad as usual, you're more likely to react to that fact then to the pain being there as usual, and so am I. And that my dear is probably part of what you and I will experience when we die. We'll probably instantaneously realize that we see Jesus and at that same instant realize that our pain is gone. Talk about a wonderful gift! You know what else? There is no "transition". Think of it this way. We tend to think it's a "blessing" when people die in their sleep because they don't "feel" any transition. But that's just another falsehood. It's the same for all of us no matter how or when we die. For me and you, one second we'll be in pain as usual, seeing whatever or whoever is around at the time, and the next instant, the pain will be totally gone and we'll also see our Lord Jesus. There won't be so much as an instant in between those times. There is no "transition". You will not know any difference between this body and what you call your spiritual body until after you've been there awhile. You're going to be way to busy just looking at Jesus at first, lol. And the first things you'll notice like I said, are going to be that you're not in pain, you can do anything you want to...run, jump, whatever - without pain, and ...you can see Jesus!!!!!!!!!!!! You can hug Him!!!!!! You can worship Him! You can thank Him!!!! And you don't hurt!!!!! Do you see then that there's absolutely nothing to fear? That in fact, there's everything to look forward to??? Hon, I can't wait till I die! Truly! I look forward to it! And no, I'm not suicidal! :laughing: To me it's like when I was a little girl and I looked forward to Christmas and couldn't wait for Christmas morning. Those last few days before Christmas came seemed to just crawl by and it seemed like Christmas would never come. Then, all of a sudden, it was here!!!! That's exactly how I feel about dying. I can't wait!!!! That's how Paul felt too, and I can really relate to him that way too. The part I underlined below, is Paul saying just what I just did...that he can't wait to die and wishes that he already was dead. 2 Corinthians 5:6–10 —Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. *We live by faith, not by sight. *We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. *So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. *For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. * But then, so no one misunderstands and thinks he's suicidal lol, he says, "but, as long as I'm here, I make it my goal to please the Lord, because I know that we all will stand before Jesus to receive our rewards for what we've done since we've been saved, and I don't want to lose any of mine." Actually he says his goal of pleasing the Lord will be the same even when He's finally Home in heaven, which is another reason to want those rewards, because the more rewards we receive the more our Lord will be pleased! No, there's no reason at all to fear and every reason to look forward to our deaths. (I wouldn't advise telling your doctors that you do though as they wouldn't understand :laughing: ) |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
I just wanted to let you know I read your reply and I want to
thank you ever so much!! It was truely beautiful and extremely
comforting! It really really took away many of my fears about death.
You made me laugh when you wrote: "I imagine you've probably latched onto what I said about age having nothing to do with death and are wanting to know what in the world I mean ." I guess that is the only thing I had a different take on....in that, each day that goes by, you day of death comes closer.....so if youuu should live to 180....it would seem each day statistically is closing down your earthly life and the dawn of eternity is very nigh...no? But that is just a small technical....I prefer every single bit of your way of thinking about it. |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
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My point is that we tend to glorify this life and everything about it, when this is nothing more then a dress rehearsal so to speak, for the real thing. This is where we learn and grow and where the wheat gets separated from the chaff, so that the wheat can then be safely brought into the barn. Everything good about this life will be so much better in Heaven that we can't even imagine it and everything bad about this life won't be in heaven at all. Why in the world would anyone want to hang onto this stage of life when they KNOW what is waiting for them in the next stage? Well, obviously, the unsaved would want to since the next stage of their life won't be good at all, but that's their own fault. Those of us who are saved however, shouldn't want to stay here. You know how when a young child goes to stay with a friend overnight for the first time, they'd get homesick and insist they wanted their Mommy; and their parents would have to go get them? Well, that's how it is for us, or how it should be anyway. That's how it would be too if Satan hadn't fooled us with his lies that the worldview has brainwashed so many of us with. The Lord actually tells us quite a bit about Heaven and what our lives will be like, although He also leaves a lot out because we simply couldn't understand it now. But even if He didn't tell us a single thing about it, and the only thing we knew was that Heaven is where He is, then I'd still feel the same way and I'd long to be there. I long to be with my Lord and frankly, I could care less how I get there, just so long as I do and hopefully sooner then later! I'm Homesick and I want my Daddy! And you know what? Since my Daddy just happens to be God, I know that He isn't going to let anything hurt me during that journey of birth that lasts less then a second, that we call death. No, I'm not suicidal and yes, I love my life here. I love my husband, my children, my grandchildren, my friends, including those here at FH and my pets and the many blessings the Lord's given me. But if He gave me the choice and said, "Daughter, it's up to you, if you want to come Home now, you can", I'd be there in a heartbeat! (unless He indicated He would prefer to have me stay here for awhile longer -then, I'd be sad, but I'd stay) But what about all the people I love? What about them? They'll be joining me there too one day and I won't have time to miss them while I'm waiting for them. Sorry, there's simply nothing negative or bad about what we call death as long as you're saved. |
| Fearnot | November 28th, 2012 02:59 AM |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
Thank you for that final technicality.....I see what you mean.....
it does seem like a countdown to the horrible thing called death...
rather than..
the wonderful countdown towards the glorious thing called eternal life with Father God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
You know, I have noticed a subtle shift in my life....based on what we have been talking about. It has opened my eyes, and my 'ship' has been turned in a different direction.
Well, being saved, I have always been going in the new beautiful direction of Heaven.
But the shift, is a calmer, more peaceful, even at times joyful awareness of this fact.
It's so weird, most people I don't think would find a nice long chat about death to be sooooo uplifting, but that is exactly what you have made it. I am so grateful!
it does seem like a countdown to the horrible thing called death...
rather than..
the wonderful countdown towards the glorious thing called eternal life with Father God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
You know, I have noticed a subtle shift in my life....based on what we have been talking about. It has opened my eyes, and my 'ship' has been turned in a different direction.
Well, being saved, I have always been going in the new beautiful direction of Heaven.
But the shift, is a calmer, more peaceful, even at times joyful awareness of this fact.
It's so weird, most people I don't think would find a nice long chat about death to be sooooo uplifting, but that is exactly what you have made it. I am so grateful!
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
:laughing: true lol and that's a shame because it shows how much progress Satan has made in the world.
For those of us who are saved though, the more we grow in our faith, the less fear we have of death, until finally, as our relationship with the Lord grows stronger, there is no fear at all, for we know that death means being with Him and that's nothing to fear, that's wonderful!
For those of us who are saved though, the more we grow in our faith, the less fear we have of death, until finally, as our relationship with the Lord grows stronger, there is no fear at all, for we know that death means being with Him and that's nothing to fear, that's wonderful!
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
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this |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
There is only one way to know
for sure that you are saved and only one way to know for absolute sure
that you cannot lose your salvation, and that is through daily studying
God's Word with Him. Jesus told us that we cannot live on physical
bread alone. We must live on God's Word. It is His Word that
strengthens us, calms us, takes away our fears, grows us up to spiritual
maturity, etc. But, lest you misunderstand me, it's not His Word
alone...we cannot study His Word the way we did our school books...using
our knowledge and understanding. We must rely on Him and allow Him to
guide us and teach us. That's why I try to never just say, "Study His
Word", but always say, "Study His Word WITH HIM". I'm also not talking
about spending 5-15 minutes a day, doing a dutiful quick reading of a
devotional book or reading 1 or two chapters dutifully a day. I'm
talking about sitting down with the Lord and His Word and studying it
with Him every day for the rest of your life and making Him and your
time with Him, a priority in your life.
Satan and the world are always going to try and throw doubts at us, but the Lord tells us what to do when that happens. He tells us to take those thoughts captive and replace them with the Truth from His Word, bringing them into obedience. How do we do that? It's really quite easy. As soon as you realize that you're entertaining a doubt, you immediately stop that thought (take it captive) and you replace it with the Truth, by reminding yourself of what God says about that subject. In this case you might replace it by repeating Romans 10:9 to yourself; or you might remind yourself that God gave His Holy Spirit to you as a guarantee of your salvation and since you know you have His Spirit, you know you are saved, etc. Last, but not least, you don't allow yourself to continue dwelling on the doubts. If it persists, then you go to the Lord, tell Him the problem and ask Him to teach you and show you His Truth about it. Then study His Word with Him. Jesus always replied to Satan using God's Word and that's what we should also do. But, I'm afraid there is no shortcut for spending time daily with the Lord in His Word. It's only through knowing Him better and knowing His Word better that we can be fully assured of our salvation and of His Will and His plan for us. |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
I have recently been being more consistent with this. And at
first I felt bad because I wouldn't wind up reading much. But because I
am doing it consistently, that "little bit" is being blessed mightily
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Re: Death, Dying and Fear
:thumbright: Amen! The Lord is so
good...every tiny step we take in obedience, He blesses us mightily for
it! To be honest with you, I can literally spend hours just studying
two verses, and have! So, like you said, it really is not quantity or
amount studied, the the quality of what you've studied with Him. The
most important thing in this world is our relationship with Him and of
course studying His Word with Him, just brings us so much closer to Him
it's unbelievable! You're welcome
to join us on any of the studies here. I always try to do the studies
in such a way as to encourage everyone to do them not just with me, but
with Him too, and show people how to do that. I have a study in my
bible library that I felt did a fantastic job of not only guiding people
through the gospels, but of showing people how to study with Him, and
have been posting that regularly. There's 4 threads with this study so
far and different people are on each thread because they all started at
different times lol, but I love it! So you're welcome to join us in
that as well. The first thread is this one: #1 A Gift For You, Take 2 (thread #1)
Last night I was thinking about heaven and it reminded me of a thread that snugsy did. I thought maybe I'd post what I'd said there on this thread since knowing what Heaven's like also helps people overcome their fear of death. It's not so much just knowing what it's going to be like, but more knowing that our God made it that way for us, because He loves us so much. Knowing what His Word says about Heaven, helps us know Him better too....know what I mean? Now, I'm not talking about the books, articles etc written by people that have supposedly "been there and back". Those are not scriptural and shouldn't be taken that way. Besides, once you know what His Word says about it, they pale in comparison. Which reminds me, I have a study I posted about that subject too and it's not one I did but is rather an appendix of the gospel study that I told you about above. If anyone's interested in that one, here's a link to it: LIFE AFTER DEATH or Our Eternal Life In fact, I'll probably be adding to that myself in a while. Here's more threads for you too: (some are in Christian Chat and some are in the bereavement forum. If you need access to the bereavement forum to read them, just send me a PM) Why do we hate and fear death so much? Dream from God Prompted Man to Record Video Before Death A Couple's Perspective on the Death of Children "How should Christian parents handle the death of a child?" "How do I find comfort and peace when I have lost a loved one to death?" Death....Help for the Grieving.... If you or a loved one have a fear of death ~death~ But for now, let me share what I wrote on snugsy's thread about what I look forward to in Heaven: What are you looking forward to in heaven? Most of all, being with our Lord and equally, finally seeing Him receive all the glory, honor and praise He's always been due! Experiencing having my new body and increased mental capacities. Being able to be active again (physically I mean) without pain, without having to take breaks constantly etc. And at the same time, experiencing what it will be like to finally never sin again. Getting to meet all the wonderful people I've studied about in God's Word for so long and get to talk to them and find out if they're really the way I've imagined that they are and just get to know them as another member of our family. Finally, really getting to see New Jerusalem and finding out just what surprises the Lord has in store for us that He's told us are so wonderful that they're far beyond our ability to even imagine! Getting to meet all of you guys and introduce you to my other earthly family members and getting to meet yours and getting to really know each other even better and enjoying each others company. http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...join20us-2.gif The Bema judgment and finding out how much glory I've been able to bring to our Lord since I've been saved. (I sure hope it's lots and lots because He sure deserves it!) And getting to see each of you get your rewards and being able to cheer you on as we discover how much glory we've brought to the Lord while we were here. http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...otos/crown.gif The wedding banquet!!!!! I can't wait to see what foods will be served! I bet the food is going to taste better then anything we've ever tasted before too! And imagine the dinner conversation between everyone, including our Lord! Imagine the size of the tables and the number of them :laughing: Wow! Talk about a party!!! There's never been anything anywhere near it here on earth and never will be again. What an amazing time that will be! Speaking of time, I can't wait to see what it'll be like to not be tied down by time and space anymore. :shock: :oops: OK, I know this one is going to sound really weird, but I can't wait to study God's Word when we're there, maybe even with the Lord Himself and/or the disciples or others who've been featured in it. But even by myself sometimes, as there's just nothing I enjoy more. http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...blereading.gif Finding out what job the Lord will have for me during the Millennium. I'm really hoping He'll allow me to help teach the children born during the Millennium and the women. But I know whatever job He gives me, it will be just perfect for me and I'll love it. Getting to worship God together with everyone else there--what an amazing experience that's going to be! :laughing: And thinking of singing, I can't wait to be able to actually sing and sound good! http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...icChor04HL.gif To experience life in a world filled with other true believers and with our Lord, where there's no more sin or temptation, just love and trust.... no more going around a corner only to see someone wearing a t-shirt with something disgusting on it; or searching for a Christian graphic and seeing something blasphemous; or hearing heretical teaching; or hearing about or seeing disasters or tragedies; no more heart aches, pain or sorrow; no more filthy TV shows or movies; never having to hear another lie again; never having to deal with people thinking that we're stupid for believing what we do, or having to deal with them putting us down or persecuting us for what we believe. To finally have people be able to truly know me, to know my heart and my love for them. For both friends and family to finally know all that was ever in my heart for them during this life. To never, ever, hear a lie again or gossip, slander, swearing, or foul language. To see a newspaper full of only good news because that's all there is. It's hard to even imagine life like that, but I like to try and can't wait till the day it's finally true! http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...adingpaper.gif To get to see and even eat from the Tree of Life http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w.../treeswing.gif To get to see and talk to angels, the living creatures, etc. http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...c/007angel.gif to have a garden with NO weeds!!! http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...miles/3357.gifI honestly can't wait to see what this world will look like when God recreates it for us. I've often wondered what Eden looked like and how beautiful it must have been. Even now creation is beautiful to me and it's full of decay from sin, so the original must have been amazing. But our new world will be even better then that...it's going to be truly wondrous ! To see the Crystal Sea http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w.../12848B110.gif To be able to be around, see, touch, play with and love all God's animals, birds and fish, including all the pets I've had during my time here, and all those we consider "wild" animals now and maybe even be able to understand them- not necessarily their "words" when they talk, but more like understanding the meaning behind what they're saying...I can't put what I mean in words though lol . http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...F1CatAgrey.gifhttp://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...s/piggy_27.gif http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...iles/pony6.gif http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w.../goldfish3.gif http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...es/rabbit2.gif http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...es/parrot5.gif http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...miles/dog1.gifhttp://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a98...ics/kitty3.gif http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...les/0003-1.gif http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...21u2Jep8XA.gifhttp://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...ials/tiger.gif http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...squirrel_2.gif Just being Home, and O so much more!!! http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...esweethome.gif http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...s/hooray52.gif http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...epTheFaith.gif http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/w...c/BLOWIN13.gif A few days later, talking to the Lord as I studied, I had to ask Him about something about heaven: Whenever I'm praying and worshiping the Lord, the tears seem to flow like the Holy Spirit turns on a water faucet! :oops: I don't really mind, but when it happened again this morning, I found myself telling the Lord that I really hoped that we wouldn't get stuffed up when it happens in heaven! (no more tears means no more sadness, not that we won't cry tears of joy) He reminded me then that since there won't be any effects of sin in heaven, that that wouldn't be a problem! :laughing: Of course that made me laugh and it was like I could feel Him laughing in joy too. I just thought I'd share it with you guys and hopefully brighten your day too. |
| Cindy | December 12th, 2012 10:37 PM |
Re: Death, Dying and Fear
I just have to share what I realized
when I saw something on TV tonight. We were watching the show called,
The Walton's and Grandpa Walton was talking to another elderly man. The
man told Grandpa it was his birthday and he was 64 that day. Grandpa
laughed and said, "Congratulations! Now you can finally start growing
young again!" The man looked at him like he'd lost his mind, and said,
sorrowfully, "No, I can't do that. You see, I've spent my whole life working at growing old so I can retire". Grandpa and I were both shocked then, Grandpa said, "That's the difference between us and city folk I guess, here we never stop working and don't retire till we die."
and the show continued with Grandpa giving him some wise advice about
leaving the ways of the world behind and growing young anyway. I
don't think you can get what Grandpa meant by that from what I've
written, but let me try to explain, because it really hit me as being so
true. What he was saying was that he, and others like him, didn't
consider "work" to be bad. Work is a good and healthy thing and
something that God calls for all of us to do in one form or another.
Work is not a punishment and shouldn't be seen that way, nor is it
something to get out of as soon as we can. Many people who "retire"
find themselves depressed because they have nothing to do all of a
sudden and have lost touch with their co workers and friends and just
don't know what to do with themselves. That's
all because of what the world teaches about age and work. The world
teaches that getting older is bad; and it teaches that work is bad. It
teaches us to get away from or find ways around both if possible.
That's not what the Bible teaches though. The bible teaches us that work is good and work is necessary for us. Work did not come about because of the curse. The curse caused work to be harder, but not bad. Nor did age come because of the curse. Adam and Eve "got older", their bodies just didn't deteriorate before the curse. The curse caused the decay and deterioration and death, but not "age". God teaches us that age is to be considered honorable; that the older a person is, the more honor they deserve. They don't deserve that honor because they've outsmarted death a long time, but simply because through length of years they've become spiritually mature and have much experience and wisdom to offer younger individuals - or should have.
The reason Grandpa was joyful about getting older and talked about "growing young", was because he realized that the hardest years we have are the years learning how to live God's way. But by the time we're "seniors" we can "start growing young" because we now know the "how to's, we've acquired some experience and wisdom along the way, and now can relax and enjoy life more because we no longer have to work so hard trying to figure it all out. Practice has made perfect, I guess you could say. (although not really perfect lol) So, for example, while the younger people are still worrying and struggling to learn how not to worry and how to trust the Lord, we older folks have already learned what God teaches about that, practiced it for quite some time now and can relax and just enjoy not having to worry anymore.
The bottom line is to recognize that age is a good thing. We try to cover our grey hair, but God says it's a crown of splendor that He's given us. Why are we covering up our crowns???? I absolutely refuse to do that! I tell my kids that I earned every grey hair I got and I'm showing them off! Of course I know I didn't really "earn" them. My grey hairs have been given me by my loving Father as a crown of splendor though, and so I choose to let the world see the crown He's given me.
Proverbs 16:31 —Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life. *
Proverbs 20:29 —The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old. *
Grandpa Walton knew the truth about death too. It isn't something to be feared or shy away from, but something to welcome and look forward to. It's what they used to call, "going to my reward". In fact, I heard an old southern gospel song today too, that was talking about death. Many of them did, and they were all joyous! I loved this one though because in the song, the man was dying and looking forward to walking on the streets of gold etc, but while he was waiting for his time to come, he said he was trying to get a peek at what's on the other side. It made me think of a child at Christmas time, looking at all the gifts and trying to get a little peak at them before they were allowed to open them.
That's not what the Bible teaches though. The bible teaches us that work is good and work is necessary for us. Work did not come about because of the curse. The curse caused work to be harder, but not bad. Nor did age come because of the curse. Adam and Eve "got older", their bodies just didn't deteriorate before the curse. The curse caused the decay and deterioration and death, but not "age". God teaches us that age is to be considered honorable; that the older a person is, the more honor they deserve. They don't deserve that honor because they've outsmarted death a long time, but simply because through length of years they've become spiritually mature and have much experience and wisdom to offer younger individuals - or should have.
The reason Grandpa was joyful about getting older and talked about "growing young", was because he realized that the hardest years we have are the years learning how to live God's way. But by the time we're "seniors" we can "start growing young" because we now know the "how to's, we've acquired some experience and wisdom along the way, and now can relax and enjoy life more because we no longer have to work so hard trying to figure it all out. Practice has made perfect, I guess you could say. (although not really perfect lol) So, for example, while the younger people are still worrying and struggling to learn how not to worry and how to trust the Lord, we older folks have already learned what God teaches about that, practiced it for quite some time now and can relax and just enjoy not having to worry anymore.
The bottom line is to recognize that age is a good thing. We try to cover our grey hair, but God says it's a crown of splendor that He's given us. Why are we covering up our crowns???? I absolutely refuse to do that! I tell my kids that I earned every grey hair I got and I'm showing them off! Of course I know I didn't really "earn" them. My grey hairs have been given me by my loving Father as a crown of splendor though, and so I choose to let the world see the crown He's given me.
Proverbs 16:31 —Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life. *
Proverbs 20:29 —The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old. *
Grandpa Walton knew the truth about death too. It isn't something to be feared or shy away from, but something to welcome and look forward to. It's what they used to call, "going to my reward". In fact, I heard an old southern gospel song today too, that was talking about death. Many of them did, and they were all joyous! I loved this one though because in the song, the man was dying and looking forward to walking on the streets of gold etc, but while he was waiting for his time to come, he said he was trying to get a peek at what's on the other side. It made me think of a child at Christmas time, looking at all the gifts and trying to get a little peak at them before they were allowed to open them.
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