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NASB | John 11:11 This He said, and after that He *said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 11:11 He said this, and after that said, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him." |
Subject: Where was Lazarus for 4 days? |
Bible Note: Greetings Danieln! I promised I would be back! :-) I don't have a lot of time, so I will just respond for now to your first point. I found this quote from Walter Martin?s book, ?Kingdom of the Cults?, pp. 447-448: ?We as Adventists believe that, in general, the Scriptures teach that the soul of man represents the whole man, and not a particular part independent of the other component parts of man?s nature; and further, that the soul cannot exist apart from the body, for man is a unit?. We, as Adventists, have reached the definite conclusion that man rests in the tomb until the resurrection morning. Then, at the first resurrection (Rev. 20;4, 5), the resurrection of the just (Acts 24:15), the righteous come forth immortalized at the call of Christ, the Lifegiver, and they then enter into life everlasting in their eternal home in the kingdom of glory.? (Martin?s source was ?Questions on Doctrine, pp. 515, 520). Allow me to use this as a starting point for this very complex subject. 1) Unity or Parts: I am actually in some agreement with you on this point. I happen to believe as well that man is a living soul, not that he necessarily has a soul. Though, I am open to the opposing view. However, I do believe that this unity is made up of parts. For instance, in Genesis, God breathed (Spirit) into man and he became a living soul. So, at the very least, it would seem that man has both a physical and a spiritual nature, which, while intended to be a unity, can exist separately. What is the evidence for this? I noticed that Cyclist mentioned many of these same passages, but I will repeat some of them here as well: a) 1 Sam. 28: We see Samuel?s spirit coming back after death to speak to Saul. His body is in the ground, but His spirit is aware and talking. b) Luke 16: The account of Lazarus and the rich man is never identified as a parable in the text. So, the implication is that it is a factual account. In this account, spirits are aware. c) Transfiguration: We see Moses and Elijah, both of whom are dead (and never said to be resurrected), present with Christ. d) Phil. 1:23 ? ?To depart and be with Christ? are grammatically connected and indicate that both occur at the same time. e) 2 Cor. 5:8: This verse says that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. This could not be if there was not a spiritual part to man?s nature. f) Many, many Scriptures which separate body, soul, spirit. This will do to start. So, in answer to your question, I would say that references to those who are ?asleep? are simply examples of phenomenological language. Dead people appear to be sleeping, so we refer to them in that way. Yet, Scripture is also clear that our spirits are aware and either present with Him (after His resurrection) or awaiting judgment in Sheol/Hades. I?ll stop here for now my friend while I await your response! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |