21/03/10

Are you going to sleep with your fathers after you die?

2 Kings 14:29 - And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel; and Zachariah his son reigned in his stead.


Even when I was reading the Bible I never gave keen interest in the words right from Genesis unto Acts wherein when people died only some of them were written that they 'slept with their fathers' or were 'gathered unto his people' or 'fell asleep'.

It was only when I was made to understand Creation and the different levels of Creation that I understood these words. It is very interesting and important to list these people who slept or were gathered and understand why they were and while the others were not.

It is only after Abraham and the Covenant that our Lord had with Him that people went to sleep. But for those from Noah onwards Jesus went to Hades to preach to their souls so that they could be saved.

It also gives hope to us for some even at the last minute like King Saul went to sleep after he died because of what he did.

Every minute of our life is hope and let us use this every minute that we do not forsake the Lord and not go to sleep after we die, so that when we resurrect for Judgment we are among those who enter Heaven.

We are nearing Resurrection Sunday and it is high time we understand Resurrection so that we really rejoice that Day which we witness unto others.

Give it a thought when we die our spirit does not die only our body does, then why is it called resurrection?

Stephen who died as a martyr just before he died he looked up unto heaven and said Lord receive my spirit, yet it is written after he died he slept. Did God reject his spirit that he did not go to Heaven?

Did Paul not know about resurrection that he spoke about believers sleeping?

When Jesus appeared unto Saul who became Paul, He did not appear in human form but as light. But it is written at the end when He comes to Judge He will come in human form, as man, just as He was seen ascending to Heaven with His wounds.

Is it that our body comes back together with our soul and spirit when we resurrect? This is not so because Jesus said after we die we become like the Angels and Angels do not have a body of flesh.

All the scriptures are very inline with each other but the understanding which man has about resurrection is all vague and confusing that's the reason they err.

(Please go through the reference scriptures)


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord God, You gave us the Word so as to know the Truth and not be mislead. It is because we do not depend on You or your Spirit of Truth but on the words of man. Lord, pour out your Spirit more and more on man so that they see the Truth and walk in your light...

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
Genesis 25:8, 17
8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.
17 And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.

Genesis 49:33
33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.

John 11:11-14
11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

Acts 13:36-37
36 For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:
37 But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.

Acts 7:55-60
55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.
59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

1 Corinthians 11:30
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

1 Corinthians 15:50-55
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 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.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 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.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

1 Thessalonians 4:14
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

Mark 12:25-27 25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.
26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?
27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

1 Samuel 28:8-15
8 And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.
9 And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?
10 And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.
11 Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
12 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.
13 And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.
14 And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.
15 And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.

Revelation 20:11-15
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Revelation 21:7-8
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others.
(All rights are with God)