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NASB | Acts 7:59 They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Acts 7:59 They continued stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, "Lord Jesus, receive and accept and welcome my spirit!" |
Bible Question:
Makarios(:- My very dear friend is a Seventhday Adventist. He says there is no place in Scripture thatclearly states when we die we go directly to heaven. SDA believe in death sleep. Frankly I have looked very long for such a text. How would you dialogue with him. He is now 83 and it;s foing to take the Holy Spirit to convience him as well as sharing Scripture. His wife died last year so this is very inmortant to share with my fried. Thanks for your help or anyone else who has some suggestions. justme |
Bible Answer: Greetings Justme! I'm sorry to hear about your aging friend who lost his wife. Adventism is based on the conviction that the Second Advent of Christ is the sole hope of the world. By 1844, Adventist groups could be distinctly recognized from traditional Protestant churches because of their intense focus on the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. William Miller (1782-1849) of New York, a veteran of the War of 1812, was famous for coming up with dates (that came and went) for the Second Coming. (Source: pages 25-28 of "Handbook of Denominations in the United States", 11th Edition, Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill, 2001 Abingdon Press) With that said, since the history of the Adventist movement and their current state as "Adventists," being so focused on Christ and His Return, then you can begin and end with Christ the Savior. Perhaps you could emphasize the words of Jesus in Luke 23:46 - the One so eagerly anticipated, stating an immediate reunion with God the Father at the point of His death - along with the words of Stephen - an ordinary, spirit-filled disciple like us - in Acts 7:59 who also expected an immediate reunion with the Lord at the point of his death, could serve as a basis and have the most weight in a theological discussion, along with Ecclesiastes 12:7 for Old Testament support, for debunking the theory of "death sleep." I'm assuming that the entire "death sleep" notion has its roots in such verses as 1 Kings 2:10, where it says that "David slept with his fathers" and John 11:11 where it says "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep." But even Jesus had to tell the disciples plainly in John 11:14 that Lazarus had died. Frankly, it takes more faith to believe in such a thing as "death sleep" which cannot be proven Biblically than it would take to believe that a part of us will go and be with Christ, much like Moses and Elijah in the Transfiguration (Mark 9:1-8), which happened years after Moses died (Deut. 34:5-6). With prayer and an emphasis on the words of Christ, whose Second Coming still remains as an intense focus point for Adventists, I remain confident that the Holy Spirit can work to reach and comfort and give peace to your friend. Blessings to you, Makarios |