In the column of "Half-hour sermon on the theme of the Bible", Pastor Sun specially shared how the Bible describes the state of people after death.
Pastor Sun raised several big questions at the beginning: Are there really dead people looking down on us in the sky? Will people be conscious after death? What does the Bible say about the state of death?
Some people say that they have been to heaven or hell, and everyone has a different experience of heaven. Are there many places in the kingdom of heaven? Pastor Sun emphasized that only the Bible is the truth, and other people's theories and experiences are not the truth. It is important for us to know what the Bible says.
"If you believe in non-biblical truth, you will open the door to the devil's temptation. What if a dead relative shows up and tells us it's not biblical? Do you want to believe in the Bible, or do you want to believe what ghosts say? We must believe the words of the Bible. " Pastor Sun keeps reminding everyone.
"Make them holy with truth, and your words are truth."-About 17: 17.
The word of God is the truth, not the witness or experience of man, nor the place where man goes after death. Only the word of God is true.
Genesis chapter 1 says that God created man from dust and blew life into his nostrils. God's life is vitality and breath. The spirit of sin must die, and our vitality and breath will belong to God after death.
What is the state after death?
"As soon as he swallowed his last breath, he returned to the dust, and what he planned was destroyed that day." -Poetry 146:4
"Planning" means thinking in English. If a person dies, he will lose consciousness as if he were asleep.
"The living know that they will die, the dead know nothing, they will no longer be rewarded, and their names will not be remembered. Their love, their hatred and their jealousy have long since disappeared, and they will never have a share in everything they do under the sun. " -Ecclesiastes 9:5-6
The Bible says there are two kinds of resurrection. The righteous fall asleep after death, and will be resurrected for eternal life when Jesus Christ comes again, while the wicked will be resurrected in the last judgment and suffer eternal extinction. The dead were asleep until Jesus came again, underground and in the grave.
O Lord my God, look after me and answer me, and make my eyes bright, lest I die of sleep. -Poetry 13:3
"David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David."-King 2: 10
"Brothers, I can clearly tell you about the ancestor David. He died and was buried, and his grave is still with us today. David did not ascend to heaven, but said, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand. -Acts 2:29, 34
Peter said that David didn't ascend to heaven, but he is still sleeping, and now he is still in the grave. This is the state of God's servant after his death.
When Jesus had said this, he said to them, Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, and I will go and wake him up. His disciples said to him, Lord, if he sleeps, he will be well. This is what Jesus said about his death. They think it means sleeping as usual. Jesus told them plainly that Lazarus was dead. "-About11:11-14
Our creator himself said these words. Jesus said Lazarus was sleeping and described the state of death as sleeping, without any consciousness. And when Jesus comes again, on the morning of resurrection, they will wake up as if they had slept for a short time and wake up on the day of resurrection.
Pastor Sun explained: "So the Bible doesn't teach us that after death, the soul will wander around, go to heaven and go to hell. If what we believe is not in conformity with the Bible, we must change and only believe the word of God. " However, without resurrection, our faith will be in vain. Resurrection brings us hope. Resurrection is a very important truth.
For example, Pastor Sun said, how would a mother feel if she could see her child's car accident from the sky after her death? Then what is heaven?
"People will fall asleep unconsciously after death. This is God's grace, so we should thank God. If you feel nothing and know nothing when you die, then go to sleep quietly and close the door for him with peace of mind. This is something to be thankful for.
What would Lazarus do if his soul went to heaven? When Jesus shouted at the tomb door, "Lazarus, come out." Then Lazarus might say, "Lord, I don't want to go out." The kingdom of heaven is so beautiful, why should I return to a world full of pain? "
But as soon as Jesus shouted, "Lazarus, come out," he came out. He didn't say anything about going to heaven because he fell asleep quietly in the grave.
"The dead can't praise the Lord. You can't be silent. " -Poetry 1 15: 17
When people die, they return to the dust. Life and breath belong to God. The original Greek text says that "breathing" means "spirit". Our spirit is in the nostrils, and when it comes out of the body, it stops breathing. When the vitality of the Lord goes out, we feel as if we are asleep. What's the use of Jesus' resurrection if the soul goes to heaven or hell after death?
Paul, an apostle of the gospel and truth, said, "Now we will tell you something according to the word of the Lord. We who live until the arrival of the Lord must not be in front of those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a cry, the voice of an archangel, and the trumpet of God. Those who died in Christ will be raised first. In the future, we who are alive and alive will be lifted up with them into the clouds and meet the Lord in the air. In this way, we will be with the Lord forever. So you should comfort each other with these words. " -4: 15- 1: 1
Christians have the hope of resurrection after death. As Paul said, those who died in Christ will first be resurrected and lifted up into the clouds with the living.