My grateful thanks to both Steve and Signs Magazine. (JOHN B)
NOTE(JB): This is a very timely subject, as far too many humans think and believe in Satan's lie in Genesis 3:4 where he told Eve she will surely NOT die, even the while God's words still echoed "..ye shall surely die.." in Chapter 2! This only points out Satan M.O. of deceptions, lies and half-truths. God uses only LOVE and TRUTH, but Satan never shall! Steve points out the dangers of this idea poses to those who believe it!
Mr. Wohlberg: [S.W.] Our dearly beloved Brenda went home to be with the Lord, the minister informs his tearful congregation at her funeral." Her suffering is over. She's She's with God now, praising Jesus". On the surface this doctrine seems as "Christian" as the pope being Catholic and a Rabbi being Jewish.Who would dare to doubt such a conclusion? Brenda was firm believer in Jesus Christ. OF COURSE she went to heaven.
It's been a month since Brenda's body was lowered 6 feet under the ground. But for the flickering of a few eerie candles, the room is pitch dark. Madam Sophia-- a psychic medium claiming an ability to contact the deceased--- sits comfortably on a black sofa surrounded by handful of bereaved relatives who are not church goers. The thick smell of incense fill the air. High above the creepy-looking house, the moon shines full. A lone dog howls in the distance, "Whom shall I bring up for you"? Madam Sophia inquires quietly.
"Brenda", her husband Ralph responds nervously. "She died recently and we have some questions to ask her."
Suddenly, a ghost appears in their midst. "Hello Ralph," says the spirit, "What do you want to know?"
A lengthy conversation ensues between the small group of amazed relatives and the glowing entity from "The Other Side", who looks like Brenda, talks like Brenda and and acts exactly like Brenda.
Sound far fetched? Actually it isn't, for similar occurrences are increasingly common, these days.
Please note carefully. In spite their many differences of belief, there One Fundamental Idea, this Pastor and these people hold, is that the dead, are NOT REALLY DEAD! The "SOUL" soars on to another place somewhere, in the universe- heaven-hell- or purgatory, or whatever. It's "Outa this world", and into the next. Alive, Conscious, and aware, still able to communicate!
The large majority of human beings across the planet Earth, including Roman Catholics, most Protestants, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Wiccan, and Spiritualists, all accept the idea that the soul is immortal..
NOTE(JB): This idea goes all the way back to Babylon's religion, paganism!
While each of the above. differ as to where the souls go, at death, they ALL believe that each person's soul is immortal, and can be "Contacted" via a medium, this is known as "Spiritualism."
(JB): How many actually STUDY, no not just reading the Holy Bible, but its study?
Genesis 2:15-18 " And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him."
To this Satan had an ready answer: Genesis 3:3-4 " But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:"
Note: "Ye will surely.....NOT......die, being Satan's answer! He been a liar, from the time he cast out from heaven, to this earth! He has been using this as his door to within YOU!
S.W.-- God added the word SURELY for extra emphasis, and His warning was clear, if they disobeyed, and ate from this ONE TREE, they would die, and be dead, and not alive somewhere else.
WHAT THE SERPENT SAID:
Genesis 3:4-5 "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."
Did Y O U catch that? It was Satan, who used the serpent as a ventriloquist's dummy, which she heard say, "You'll not surely die," in direct contradiction to God, so I ask, "WHO spoke the truth"? Are Adam and Eve, still living among us, or are they in the ground?
Genesis 3:6 "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."
NOTE(JB): Satan is sure to touch all the bases, right? Our self-pride, lust of life, desire to be more than we are. or can be. Plus Adam's lack of trust, i n God, to deal with Eve,mercifully!
S.W. : The resulting sin, is still the pain we feel today, as all shall die, for our hearts are carnal, until ultimately this tiny act, lead to Jesus being born as a God-Man to show us how to live, life, and then to die for our sins, on the cross about 4,000 years later, to fix this sin, and all sins. Look.....
Genesis 3:17-19 "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."
NOTE(JB): How is it even possible, that for nearly two thousand years, of study in the Holy Bible, not one theologian in the Christian faith, has discerned this verse and its meaning? Men are not that stupid nor blind, or are they? In the last sentence of Genesis 3:19, above, who did God speak to but Adam and Eve? Surely not to Satan, agree?
HOW ADAM WAS"MADE" :
Genesis 2:7 " And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."
NOTE(jb): What is there about the word "BECAME", that is so difficult to understand? WE must remember, and know that the words, Spirit, Breath of Life, and soul, are used often as interchangeable in the Word of God!....
Ecclesiastes 12:6-7 " Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."
QUESTION: What happens to any "BODY" that stops breathing? That last breath return to He Who created it! Why is this so difficult to grasp? Is it that which you were taught? Have you not ever learned anything new since your youth? We progress in wisdom, do we not? If you think we don't, are we still living as the cave men? All living life, that moves on it's own power has a soul, even a slug! For all such have the breath of life within, until death!
The results of the world-wide flood:... Genesis 7:21-22 "And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died."
Psalms 104:29-31 " Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth. The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works."
Psalms 146:4 " His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish."
As of this day, who has immortality, as per the Bible?
1 Timothy 6:15-16 "Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen."
Yet look again at His Words: Romans 2:6-8 "Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,"
Note(JB) This life in these flesh bodies, is our time to learn, to surrender to to God's love. B-I- B-L-E.. Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth! Only on the day of Christ's return to this earth, shall God's own take on immortality, by God's grace and love.
1 Corinthians 15:50-55 "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"
Who now has immortality? Enoch, Moses and Elijah, and all three members of the Godhead, and the holy angels.
SO WHAT, YOU MIGHT ASK?
Now, here's the scary part. If Christians believe that their deceased loved ones are not really dead, but are alive somewhere, then this makes them vulnerable to being deceived by demons impersonating their dead relatives. After all if Brenda really DID go to heaven, then why could not her ghost return at Madam's Sophia's beckoning to communicate, instead, directly with her relatives, and at any time? The Bible answers not that she could, but that she could not!....
Ecclesiastes 9:4-6 " For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun."
So what do the dead know?
The dead know not anything! That's the why no communications are possible with those deceased, because they know not anything!
Psalms 115:17 "The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence."
They await for the last day.....John 5:28-29 "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."
John 11:23-24 " Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
BUT...BUT WHAT ABOUT THE NEW TESTAMENT?
Wait a minute! You may be thinking, "What about the New Testament?" It has passages such as:
2 Corinthians 5:8 "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." {or Luke 16:19-31 or the Savior's promise, to the thief in Luke 23:43?}
"Do not these texts, teach that at our death we go to heaven"? NO, they do NOT!
Regarding 2 Cor. 5:8, considering what Paul has already endured, if this was Y O U, would you not invite death, and have the peace and the rest the grave offers? What about this, today's gross and sin filled live all around us today? Turn on the news and become nauseous? Is this life worth living in these times, without Jesus? Is it not abundantly clear, taking in the whole Bible, that Paul, as I, are waiting for the Day of Resurrection? And NOT before..... 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 " For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit."
NOTE(JB) Who is willing to be so bold, to proclaim themselves as being holy? Only the Biblically Illiterate.
Please read: 2 Corinthians 5:8 with verse 4 and then with 1 Cor. 15:51-55, it will become clear, that Paul's "away from the body", meant that the believers will be "present with the Lord," on Resurrection day, AND NOT BEFORE 1Thess. 4:7-8.
The story [JB a parable] of the rich man and Lazarus, please compare these two passages:
Luke 16:19 " There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:"
Luke 16:11-12 " If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?"
As a parable, and NOT an actual account, for how else can it be explained Lazarus ascending into "Abraham's Bosom?"
Finally, if you know, that the Bible's punctuations were added in the 1500's or over 1400 years AFTER the last book of the New Testament was even written! Look at these two versions of the same passage:
Luke 23:43 "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise"
Now read it again, with noting the comma in its correct place..
Luke 23:43 " And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee to day, shalt thou be with me in paradise."
Do not many know that Jesus did not go directly to heaven at death, but was placed into the rich man's tomb? On that Friday afternoon? Resting in the ground on the Sabbath, [Luke 23:52-53] and [ John 20:17} and rising up on the Sunday morn? Then He went to heaven to show Himself to the Father-God, and came back to earth for the next 40 odd days? All this, misinformation, and lies, are the workings of Satan led "Scripture Lawyers!"
There's a saying among men: "While truth is still putting on its boots, a lie is already half-way across the world." Yes the idea of the human "immortal soul" is popular, but it is still a lie!, first uttered by Satan using the serpent as his dummy! Eve believed him, and rebelled against God Word. As do so many today!
The Holy Bible gives us a warning: about the Great Dragon... that serpent of old called the Devil and Satan...
Revelation 12:7-9 "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
NOTE(JB) Can you see, ans understand the why I say, this passage belongs in between Genesis chapters two and three? But then again, the Bible is really made to make us think and study it! Why else did HE created such a magnificent organ as our brain?
THE DEVIL'S DOOR;
Many of the medieval churches, still standing in England, have one Special Door built into the North side, and is called "The Devil's Door". Reasons vary, but one thing is sure: "If you believe in the "immortal soul" doctrine, such a belief can easily become, "the devil's door" and bring you into Spiritualism duping you through Lucifer's legions, impersonating dead people.....
Deuteronomy 18:10-12 "There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee."
Job 7:9-10 "As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more."
Revelation 16:13-14 " And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty."
Please accept the advice of both Steve and myself: "Believe in God and Hie Word, regarding what He told Adam about sin and death, and decline any mediums invitation to step through the "Devil's Door".
Thanking Y O U for your time. Questions? Comments? John at Servant@frontier.com
Want/Need more? Visit your Seventh-day Adventist Church, any Saturday/Sabbath at 9-10 AM, Learn just how much Jesus loves YOU! Wanting Y O U with Him forever.
Other sites: BLBN.org AFTV.org Amazingdiscoveries.org itiswritten.com servantsite@wordpress.com
jb
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