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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Are all Christians going to heaven? | Matt 7:21 | Morant61 | 10634 | ||
Greetings Appleseed! Those refered to as "asleep" in this passage are those who have literally died in Christ. In 1 Thess. 4 and 5, Paul is dealing with various issues. The issues breakdown in the following way: 1) 1 Thess. 4:1-8: Sexual Purity 2) 1 Thess. 4:9-10: Brotherly Love 3) 1 Thess. 4:11-12: Quietness of Life 4) 1 Thess. 4:13-18: Rapture of the Church 5) 1 Thess. 5:1-11: Second Coming of Christ 6) 1 Thess. 5:12-28: Final Instructions The passage you have been referring to (1 Thess. 4:13-18) is Paul's attempt to correct some false teaching that the Thessalonicans had received. There were some who had falsely taught that those who had died previous to the return of Christ would miss out on the blessings of His return. Paul corrects this teaching by pointing out that those "who are asleep" would actually go in the Rapture before those who are alive. The word translated "those who are asleep" is the Greek word 'koimao.' It is used 18 times in the New Testament. In 13 of it's occurances, it obviously refers to physical death. Mt. 27:52, Acts 7:60, 13:36, 1 Cor. 7:39, 11:30, 15:6, 15:18, 15:20, 15:51, 1 Thess. 4:13, 4:14, 4:15, and 2 Peter 3:4. The other 5 occurances refer to physical sleep, though two of these are used symbolically in reference to Lazarus. Mt. 28:13, Lk. 22:45, John 11:11, 11:12, and Acts 12:60. The context makes it clear that physical death is referred to in this passage. The are not to sorrow or grieve as those who have no hope. For just as Christ died and rose again, so God will raise those who have died in Him. So this passage does not refer to Christians who are asleep in their walk with Christ, but to Christians who are literally dead. I hope this helps! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
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2 | What happens to Christians that die 2day | Matt 7:21 | Appleseed | 10638 | ||
Thanks. Building on to the discussion. What happens to those who die today in Christ? Do they go to Heaven or do they remain asleep until Jesus comes? | ||||||
3 | What happens to Christians that die 2day | Matt 7:21 | Makarios | 10643 | ||
Good question, Appleseed, although this has been covered before on the Forum. What actually happens at the moment of death? From a biblical perspective, human beings are made up of both a material aspect (the physical body) and an immaterial aspect (the soul or spirit). When a human being physically dies, his or her spirit departs from the body (2 Corinthians 5:8). The NT word for "death" carries the idea of 'separation.' At the moment of physical death, man's spirit separates or departs from his body. This is why, when Stephen was being put to death by stoning, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (Acts 7:59). At the moment of death "the spirit returns to God who gave it" (Ecclesiastes 12:7). Verses such as these indicate that death for the believer involves his or her spirit departing from the physical body and immediately going into the presence of the Lord in heaven. Death for the believer is thus an event that leads to a supremely blissful existence (see Philippians 1:21). For the unbeliever, however, death holds grim prospects. At death the unbeliever's spirit departs from the body and goes not to heaven but to a place of great suffering (Luke 16:19-31). Both believers and unbelievers remain as spirits (in a disembodied state) until the future day of resurrection. And what a glorious day that will be! God will reunite believers' spirits with their resurrected physical bodies. These bodies will be specially suited to dwelling in heaven in the direct presence of God- the perishable will be made imperishable and the mortal will be made immortal (1 Corinthians 15:53). Unbelievers will also be resurrected, but they will spend eternity apart from God. Blessings! Nolan |
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4 | What happens to Christians that die 2day | Matt 7:21 | Aslans_Friend | 187061 | ||
According to 1 Thess 5:23 the nature of man is spirit, soul, and body. I quote from THE SPIRITUAL MAN by Watchman Nee: The body is the "world-consciousness," the soul is the "self-consciousness," and the spirit is the "God-consciousness." There are five organs in the body which afford man the five senses. This physical body enables man to communicate with the physical world. This is why it is called the "world- consciousness." The soul comprises that part in man known as the intellect, which makes man's existence possible. The part of love generates affections toward other human beings or objects. Affections originate from the senses. All these are parts of man himself; they form the personality of man. Hence, they are called the "self-consciousness." The spirit is the part with which man communicates with God. With this part man worships God, serves Him, and understands his relationship with God. Hence, it is called "God-consciousness." Just as God dwells in the spirit, the self dwells in the soul, and the senses dwell in the body. The soul is the meeting point; here the spirit and the body join. Man communicates with God's Spirit and the spiritual realm through the spirit and receives and expresses power and life in the spiritual realm through this spirit. He communicates with the outside world of senses through the body; the world and the body interact with one another. The soul lies in between these two worlds and belongs to these two worlds. On the one hand, it communicates with the spiritual realm through the spirit, and on the other hand, it communicates with the physical world through the body. The soul has the power of self-determination; it can make decisions concerning the things related to it in the environment and can choose or reject them. It is impossible for the spirit to control the body directly; it requires a medium. This medium is the soul, which was produced when the spirit touched the body. The soul is in between the spirit and the body; it binds the spirit and the body together as one. The spirit can rule over the body through the soul and subject it under God's power. The body can also induce the spirit through the soul to love the world. The soul is the seat of personality; man's will, intellect, and emotion all lie in the soul. The spirit is the part with which man communicates with the spiritual realm. The body is the part with which man communicates with the physical realm. The soul is in the middle of these two parts. It exercises its judgment to determine if the spiritual realm is to rule or if the physical realm is to rule. Sometimes the soul rules through its intellect and senses; when that happens, the psychological world rules. Unless the soul yields its rule to the spirit, the spirit cannot rule. Hence, the soul has to authorize the spirit to rule before the latter can rule over the soul and the whole body. The reason for this is that the soul is the origin of man's personality. The soul is the master of a person because man's will is part of the soul. When the spirit controls the whole being, it is because the soul has yielded itself and has taken a lower position. If the soul rebels, the spirit will not have the power to control it. This is the meaning of "free will" in man. Man has the absolute right to make his own decisions. He is not a machine which turns according to God's will. He has his own faculty of deliberation. He can choose to obey God's will, and he can choose to oppose God's will and to follow the devil's will. According to God's arrangement, the spirit should be the highest part and should control the whole being. Yet the main part of man's personality, the will, is of the soul. Man's will (soul) has the power to choose to let the spirit rule, to let the body rule, or to let the self rule. Because the soul is so powerful, the Bible calls it "a living soul." |
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