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NASB | John 20:17 Jesus *said to her, "Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'" |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 20:17 Jesus said to her, "Do not hold Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'" |
Bible Question:
If one were to experience a sting upon death (1 Cor. 15:56) because of unatoned sin, what would it feel like after the sting is experienced constantly? Would it feel like a flame or fire? Would this correspond to what the rich man experienced being in the grave, as opposed to Lazarus whose sin was atoned by Christ and there was no "sting of death/sin" and when he died experienced comfort of being in the Presence of God? To put it more succinctly, if at the moment of death you feel a sting, brace yourself... You're not in Kansas anymore. |
Bible Answer: Hi, Jer... That is an interesting question. Perhaps it is lightly touched upon in the parable of Lazarus and Dives (Luke 16:19-31). Using a parable in that fashion, however, tends to result in two significant problems: (1) it teaches a poor parabolic exegetical practice; and (2) it impedes the more knowledgable exegete from being open to the point you are making. Relative to the first item: Remember that parables teach a single point and are addressed to a single person or group. Our Lord's parable of Lazarus and Dives was not an attempt to delve into the interim state of man. Rather it was to address the error of the Pharisees to whom he was speaking, describing them as "those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God." (Luke 16:15b). Relative to the second item: The horrors of the eternal death is referenced directly by our Lord when he sites Isaiah: "Then they will go forth and look On the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm will not die And their fire will not be quenched; And they will be an abhorrence to all mankind" (Isaiah 66:24 NASB). That passage is sited directly in Mark 9:44-49; Revelation 14:11; and, indirectly, in Matthew 3:12. By the way, Jonathan Edwards made your point quite vividly in a sermon he preached in Enfield, Connecticut on July 8, 1741, entitled "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." It is very much worth the read. He affirms your point in words that cause the listener to almost smell the stench of Hell itself, if that were possible. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/edwards/sermons.sinners.html In Him, Doc PS There is a convention in the Study Bible Forum to post as questions only those things that are directed to the forum as a whole. When responding to a post by another person, simply mark it as a note. PSS Have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving! |