Today, points, insights and lessons from the cross are shared on how we describe and understand death. Death is not always bloody, filled with fear, and characterized by physical pain. The carnal state that men account as death upon the earth is a only a preamble to the second death that endures as a seal upon eternity. For those who embrace the death of Jesus and his resurrection as their own, eternal life has already begun. Absence and presence of pain, amounts of blood lost, body counts (we say, death tolls), how directly a cause, outcome or punishment for sin, duration (how long it takes from start to finish), finality, impact, permanence, quantities of courage and fear evoked, and the location or setting of ones death are measurable using finite human senses (e.g., hearing, seeing, tasting, touching). However, there also are aspects of death that can not be measured using the frameworks of space and time. Rightly understood, the completion of mortality is as much a sacred event as any having strong emotional, mental, political, psychological, and social aspects. In the same way, the purity or sin in the lives of two different persons can not be known correctly only upon the basis of things external and surface, what they experience in death—even at the same time and place, appearing as a single incident—can not be known to be the same for both deceased. The fighter at “Yahoo! Answers” using the ID “OmanLittle” (Level 2 with 622 points, a member since January 13, 2016) posted the following:
Why do people say that Jesus suffered the worst death ever when there were 2 other people on the cross?
I've heard of worse stories of death. Just ask Vlad the Impaler. Or victims of the brazen bull in Ancient Greece. Heck, Jesus had it easy in life. If I was born the son of God with people worshiping me 24/7 then I'd find life pretty easy. Christians are so dramatic
THE GOLDEN ARROW: 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? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. (1st Corinthians 15: 50-58, KJV)
THE DOUBLE DAGGER: It Takes the Cross (04/22/2016); The Cross a Human Sacrifice? (04/18/2016); A Guarantee of Judgment? (04/15/2016); Life Is In Blood (12/08/2015); More Than Death Needed (12/07/2015); The Return to Dust? (06/14/2015); Gall Refused on the Cross? (03/20/2015); The Agony of Death? (03/22/2015)
“OmarLittle”, trust that, through operations of the Holy Spirit, blood, correction, and truth from the cross are flowing to here and now. The death of GOD appearing in flesh as Jesus Christ is understood by mature Christian believers as an aspect of the full revelation of divinity whereby Deity must become knowable and known to created beings and living creatures. Eternal life is GOD’s intent, and both blood and death became necessary as GOD’s tools. The elements that describe death go beyond physical pain. There also are emotional, psychological and spiritual agony as well as a form of peace, release, sleep, suffocation, and the separation of flesh and divine Spirit.
The operations of sin oppose the continued existence of divine law, the Law Giver, and all divine order. Sin is no “thing” created by divinity, has no spirit content from the GODhead, and may not be destroyed or eliminated as a common object. Sin has direction, effect, and “presence”, and may dominate awareness and self-will within the living. Sin can not influence divine will, thus, through such sacred operations as water baptism (death of ones inner spirit, rebirth having divine spirit content from the makeup of GOD) mankind is transformed to continue as a “new creation of GOD”. Christian believers become endowed with inseparable aspects of Deity including faith, holiness, joy, longsuffering, wisdom, and wrath against sin.
What we now understand as “death” first appears during the Creation of Adam (while a rib was extracted and fashioned to be a woman); and, there is no indication that death must always be painful, can not be “ended” or reversed, or must occur completely within a moment as opposed to continually over time. Death is effective as a tool to stop sinners from continuing to sin; however, the consequences of their wicked actions, attitudes, and behavior may go on indefinitely long after they are deceased. The removal of sin, therefore, requires atonement, forgiveness, judgment, sanctification, and other sacred operations. The vessels of sin, that have rejected divine mercy, and no longer respond to divine will, finally must be irreversibly destroyed through the Lake of Fire. Consider again how these ideas are shared using language from the Bible:
(1.) Romans 5: 8-11, King James Version (KJV): 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
(2.) 1st Corinthians 15: 20-22, KJV: 20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
(3.) Romans 5: 14-17, KJV: 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. 15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
There is far more to be said, understood, and spiritually taken in. (For example, (4.) Revelation 21: 7-8, KJV: 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.) Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful. Be it unto you according to your faith.
THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC
Washington, DC
No comments:
Post a Comment