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NASB | Ezekiel 37:4 Again He said to me, "Prophesy over these bones and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.' |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ezekiel 37:4 Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.' [John 5:28] |
Bible Question:
A friend of mine recently asked a question regarding what the bible says about the condition of our human bodies after we die. Should we be cremated after death or buried in our human body after death. My friend referred to a chapter in Ezekiel talking about this but could not refer to the exact chapter. I looked it up and found that this chapter (Dry Bones) talked about the spiritual aspect of our souls, not our bodies. Could you help point me in the right direction so I can mentor my friend who is searching for answers. Thank you. Yours in Christ Jesus, Sandra Dee |
Bible Answer: Dear Sandra Dee, Welcome to the forum! You are correct about the proper passage in Ezekiel. The Bible does not give explicit instruction for the disposition of the human body after death. We know that humans were created to be a union of physical and spiritual being. We know that death is a consequence of the fall. Furthermore, we know that these same bodies will be raised again in the resurrection -- although we do not understand all the particulars of these facts. Nevertheless, we see in Scripture narrative the respectful and honorable handling of bodies. For example, in the OT, think of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, etc. Even the handling of the body of our Savior in the New Testament was a careful act of honor. The Jews in the time of Jesus practiced excarnation. They would wash the body, apply a variety of materials to aid desiccation, along with linen wrapping. As part of the funerary activities, the body would them be placed in a stone slot of the family tomb, sealed against scavenging animals. A year later the family would return to the tomb, in a kind of second funeral. At that time, the bones of the dead family member would be cleaned and placed in one of the family ossuaries. The ossuaries, containing many other family members, would be placed in a deeper niche within the tomb. In Western culture, of course, the dead are generally interred. In modern Jewish practice, embalming is regarded as interfering with the process of the body returning to the earth from which man was created. I am uncertain as to the reasons behind the Western tradition to preserve the body from decay. Nevertheless, cremation is an old practice used throughout our history. In the United States, during the Unitarian debate, the non-Christians actively denied the vast majority of Biblical doctrine. They denied the fall, judgment, and the resurrection. In order to hedge their bets, though, many chose cremation rather than burial, in the belief that this would make their resurrection impossible. :-) Nowadays, I do not think that many Christians regard the final disposition of the body as a crucial matter. Given the incredible power of our sovereign God in all its myriad manifestations, nothing will interfere with His eternal purpose. Note that it is not a matter of our not caring about the body, but rather an understanding that God will effect the resurrection regardless of what we do. I hope that these few thoughts are helpful to you. In Him, Doc |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Ezek 37:4 | Author | ||
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birth | ||
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Sandra Dee | ||
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DocTrinsograce | ||
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justme | ||
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John Ryals | ||
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DocTrinsograce |