Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
Where is that in the Bible? What does the Bible teach us concerning this?
These are our focal points after we become a Christian.
In the Old Testament the people mourned for Moses 40-days. In John 11, Lazarus had died and the Jews mourned and wailed and visited his tomb.
But what did they do after the resurrection of Jesus?
The resurrection and the hope of the resurrection changed everything concerning death.
The apostle Paul instructed us as follows:
I Thessalonians 4:13-18 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep (dead), that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with HIM.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede) them which are asleep (dead).
For the Lord HIMSELF shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
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* concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
Before they died, my father and my mother were both born again. When my dad died, I said, "Good" when they told me he died. Now he was free from his physical body and the partially debilitating stroke which had kept him in a type of physical prison.
When my mother died, I felt happy for her. She was 97, could no longer speak, could no longer feed herself, had to just lie in bed all day. Death freed her.
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But I am a Christian and believe the things of the Bible concerning death and resurrection.
I spoke by phone with my favorite aunt before she died. She was in hospital in another city from where I lived. She asked me, "What do you think happens to us when we die?" I replied, "We fall asleep." She said, "That is what I believe."
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Concerning death and what death means and what happens in death, we have the example of Lazarus.
John 11:1-14 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)
Therefore his sisters sent unto HIM, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.
When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
When HE (Jesus) had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where HE was.
Then after that saith HE to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again.
His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?
Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.
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.
Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
Jesus shows in this scripture that to die is to fall asleep.
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My cousin's husband died. She told me this: "Thurman reached over and patted my hand and then fell asleep."
That is what death is: falling asleep
I told my cousin what Bible says about death.
She then replied, "Then it really doesn't matter where we are buried."
I said, "That's right."
At one point, she spoke of going to decorate Thurman's grave. I said, "Why, who are you trying to impress. Thurman is asleep and doesn't know you are there decorating his grave. So who is it you are trying to impress?"
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There is a worldly saying of having a voice that wakes the dead.
Jesus has that voice that wakes the dead. When Jesus comes "with a shout" the dead in Christ will awaken and rise from their sleep!
We see this pattern in Lazarus also.
When Jesus knew of Lazarus' illness, Jesus remained where HE was for two days while Lazarus died.
Then Jesus went to the place where Lazarus lived with his two sister, Martha and Mary.
John 11:21-28 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.
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.
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.
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Lazarus was dead. Jesus went to the tomb of Lazarus and told them to take away the stone at the grave.
John 11:39-40 Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.
Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
And when HE thus had spoken, HE cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. John 11:43-44
Jesus was showing the people how the resurrection of the dead was through HIM, through Jesus.
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When the dead are raised, they will not have these fleshly bodies. I Corinthians 15
The problem of this current life is the body, the flesh that we have, which is subject to disease and pain.
The body given us by God after the resurrection of the dead will be a different form from these current bodies. I Corinthians 15
That resurrected body will not be subject to pain nor disease nor decay nor change nor corruption of flesh for it will not be flesh but spirit. I Corinthians 15
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The world teaches you to mourn for the dead person. Paul says, "Sorrow not."
When a person sorrows over the dead person, he sorrows for himself not for the dead person.
For the dead person has no problem. The dead person is simply asleep.
Therefore your sorrow is for yourself. We escape that worldly sorrow by believing various parts of what Bible says and by making ourselves focus on Bible and depending on God to lead us forth and to fill our lives daily.
The truth is, you are afraid for yourself and not for the one who dies, when you mourn. You are trying to keep that person alive by your mourning so you will have him in your life. But which is better? This life or that which is to come? The dead person has taken a step toward the life that is to come! How can you sorry for him when you understand these Biblical truth?
You are entering into a temporary new life on this earth. To look back and wish for the life you once had with the person who is now dead is like Lot's wife looking back. To look back is your own death.
Instead go forward in Christ, calling on God in time of need, depending on God, overcoming through that which God gives you.
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I have a cousin who has been Church of Christ member all her life. She might not be born again however.
Her husband died. She told me this.
"They said it would get better in time, but two years have past and it is as bad now as it was the day Charles died."
She did not understand the spiritual principles of death nor of life for the one left on this earth.
We enter in by focusing on the spiritual principles and going forward in spiritual truths with the concept of the resurrection always in our thinking.
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The world teaches many pagan things concerning death. They dress in black. (not in Bible) They visit graves and take flowers to graves. (not in Bible) They focus on death, not on truths from Bible about death which is the resurrection through Jesus.
We who are Christians should not be this way. We should not participate in worldly, pagan rituals concerning death. We speak the resurrection to those around us. We speak Bible truths and fight down these worldly teachings.
And we go forward living in Bible truths, firmly believing in the resurrection of the dead through Jesus.
And by this, we recover.
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But we, who are Christians, celebrate Jesus Christ's life who gave the dead life.
To celebrate the fleshly works of the human is death.
Jesus is life. Focus on HIM and what HE did.
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Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12
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