Well... Since you asked... I'll be happy to explain what I believe and my motives in a "brief" way.
I believe a lot in the Bible, and the reason I believe it has to do with prophecies that have been fulfilled throughout history, the wide distribution and translation of it despite powerful organizations trying to prevent the translation and distribution of the translation; practical advice, scientific knowledge ahead of its time, inner harmony despite having been written over 1500 years by people of different backgrounds, plus a commitment to the truth that its writers have shown that they don't even hide their own mistakes or of the nation of which they were a part. So, I believe that the Bible writers had divine direction in their writing.
That said, I know that over time many religions have tried to interpret biblical truths in different ways. I know that there were attempts to change the content... But I know that scholars from different countries have made comparative studies of thousands of manuscripts that have withstood time, allowing us to identify intentional and unintentional errors and the large amount of biblical translations available today, allows us to see the result of this work carried out by independent organizations, often organizations that disagree with each other on the way to interpret the Bible. Although the way of understanding what is written may vary, the work of these organizations has produced biblical texts that contain the same message.
After reading and rereading the biblical text several times, I understand that there is only one simple conclusion about what happens after death.
Here are some examples of excerpts:
Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6,10 (American King James Version) - "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... Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, where you go.
Note the same excerpt from the Jewish Publication Society:
Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6,10: 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. As well as their love, their hatred and their envy, is long ago perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun... Whatsoever thy hand attaineth to do by thy strength, that do; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
Even in the New Testament, death is compared to sleep. Note the words of Jesus Christ about a friend of his named Lazarus, who had died.
John 11:11-14: 'After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up."
His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better."
Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead" '
So, in addition to saying that the dead are really dead, the Bible also talks about the hope that the dead have. And she calls that hope the resurrection. Instead of continuing to live after life, or being born again, one who dies can simply come back to life. Speaking of which Jesus Christ taught:
John 6:44 - "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day." (New International Version);
John 6:44 (American King James Version) - "No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day."
Even in the Old Testament this same hope is taught, as in Daniel 12:3 (Jewish Publication Society AT):
"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to reproaches and everlasting abhorrence."
In fact, in the New Testament, Jesus used very similar words in John 5:28,29 (American King James Version):
"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, to the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, to the resurrection of damnation."
So, on the basis of all this, I believe that those who pass away are in a state of death. And in the future they hope to live again. Of course, there is more information that confirms and expands these concepts, involving the whens, hows and whys. But basically, the Bible portrays death as something bad that needs to be defeated in order for us to be happy. The doctrine of reincarnation preaches that things are going fair somehow. The Bible shows that things are not right the way they are and will be corrected. For example. 1 Corinthians 15:26 says, "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."
So, according to the Bible, death is something bad for humans, an enemy. On the other hand, eternal life will be a gift that God gives to those who strive to please Him. According to the Bible, humans are not inherently immortal. For example, in explaining one reason for coming to earth, Jesus Christ said in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believed in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." So I don't think it takes much thought to understand that the Bible's message on this subject is that to gain eternal life something must be done, and it's not something we take for granted. If we were simply beings that were alive after death, we wouldn't have to do anything... I mean, not even God would need to do anything to give us eternal life, because we would already be immortal anyway... So in a "short" way, that's what I believe in.
Sept 22, 2023 15:06:31 GMT -5
Sept 22, 2023 15:06:31 GMT -5