hypocrisy #5: death = life

The first lie that we find in the Bible is from the serpent in the Garden of Eden. He spoke against the fact that man would die, when he would eat of the forbidden fruit. He asserted that man would not die, but on the contrary, his eyes would be opened correctly. Since then, the denial of death is a characteristic lie in all religions. Whether one teaches that man reincarnates, or whether he lives on as an immortal soul, in both cases, man is not really dead, but continues to live in a different manner. In other words, they say “death”, but they mean (another form of) life. In the Bible, death is the end and the opposite of life. This explains why the Bible warns against spiritism: it opens the door to deception. People may think they’re calling up the dead, but in reality, they are consulting lying spirits. Praying to, or the invocation of deceased saints (e.g. Mary) falls into the same category. For all the dead, thus far, are resting in the grave. At present, there is only one Man immortal: the Firstfruits, Christ Jesus (1Cor.15:22). The denial of death is a lie with serious consequences. It attacks the core of the Biblical message. If death does not mean death, then Christ did not really die, either. It also makes the resurrection of the dead unnecessary. If people continue to live in a “blissful afterlife|”, why would they still have to be resurrected? What would be the meaning or necessity for that? God’s answer to death (according to Scripture) is resurrection and vivification (=the making alive beyond the reach of death). Apart from resurrection, there is no hope or expectation and it would mean, “also for those who have fallen asleep in Christ, that they are lost” (1Cor.15:18). The denial of death is therefore also a denial of the significance of the resurrection, wherewith the Evangel stands or falls. Because, without a resurrection, Paul says, “our preaching is vain, and your faith is also vain” (1Cor.15:14). Where we are confronted with dying and death, we should not comfort each other with an afterlife, where the deceased will continue to live, but with the expectation of a future resurrection and vivification (1Thes.4:16-18). “Each one in his own order…” (1Cor.15:23).

Delen: