Will we carry on living after death?

greendawn

Is there life after death or does everything end there until the resurrection?

All ex JWs were at one time taught that there is no life after death except for a tiny elite group who are destined to never taste death by immediately entering into a spiritual angel like body and will carry on living albeit in a different dimension. Far from dreading death to them it is a blessing since it sends them into a new far more glorious life. They believe that this became possible since 1919, before that even all the saints died, fell into sleep. The rest of dead humans cease to exist until the next resurrection.

However 2 000 years ago Jesus in no uncertain terms said that whoever eats of his body, the bread that descended from heaven, and keeps his words will never die. And in Revelation the souls of the saints are with God by his throne.

Everyone believes that death was defeated on the cross and at some time it will altogether cease to exist.

daystar

Man, it would be nice, I think, were something like this true. Or, more precisely, were I to see any evidence that it were true.

I am not prepared to believe anything of such import just because someone else says so.

greendawn

Daystar it depends what sort of authority you want to validate this view, but Jesus did say that in john 6:50, 8:51, and 11:25,26

daystar

it depends what sort of authority you want to validate this view, but Jesus did say that in john 6:50, 8:51, and 11:25,26

Yes, and I recognize the wisdom of some of the things Jesus was purported to have said. However, a show of miracles is not alone evidence that everything else one is reported to have said is Truth - Mat 24:24. With a sense of skepticism, I might apply that verse to Jesus himself as well, as a test.

Whether we're talking about Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, or anyone else purported to be one of the Elect, I, for one, would question and test before believing. The Buddha is attributed with having performed many miracles. And yet, that does not make reincarnation true.

Even were I to find some things to be true to my experience, that does not mean it all will be.

Again, just because someone, anyone, says it's true, does not immediately make it so. Faith is far, far too often ill-placed, and far, far too often misused.

jaffacake

Eternal union with God has often been portrayed by religious groups as the resurrection of the body - the whole person who lived on planet Earth.

Bible teaching is however explicit and clear. However fundamentalists systematically misinterpret it and even contradict what it plainly says. Consequently they get into silly questions like how old will the body be, how will atoms scattered across the universe be reassembled etc etc.

The Bible unambiguously denies that these bodies will ever be reassembled (1 Cor 15:37) The clearest ressurrection teaching is in 1 Cor chapter 15. (see 1 Cor 15:50) "flesh & blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God."

When the Saducees questioned Jesus about the resurrection of the dead, he replied that God was not a God of the dead but of the living. He did not comment on where or in what state Abraham Isaac & Jacob were, but they were clearly 'alive'.

The resurrection is the foundation stone of Christian faith. The absolute uniqueness of Jesus lies not in his teaching, or his life or death, but in his resurrection.

Just my hurried comments.

Elsewhere

There is a very simple way to find the answer to this. I like to call it "The Shotgun Experiment".

Just follow these simple steps:

Load shotgun with big game shells
Place barrel of shotgun in mouth
Pull trigger

Within a few milliseconds you will have your answer.

Nate Merit

"Everyone believes that death was defeated on the cross and at some time it will altogether cease to exist."

EVERYONE?

Carmel

"...Steeped in the literal interpretation and imitating the beliefs of fathers and ancestors, they failed to understand ...."

(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 291)

Consider the symbolical meanings of the Words and teachings of Christ. He said, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever." When the Jews heard this, they took it literally and failed to understand the significance of His meaning and teaching. The spiritual truth which Christ wished to convey to them was that the reality of Divinity within Him was like a blessing which had come down from heaven and that he who partook of this blessing should never die. That is to say, bread was the symbol of the perfections which had descended upon Him from God, and he who ate of this bread, or endowed himself with the perfections of Christ, would undoubtedly attain to everlasting life. The Jews did not understand Him, and taking the words literally, said, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Had they understood the real meaning of the Holy Book, they would have become believers in Christ.

All the texts and teachings of the holy Testaments have intrinsic spiritual meanings. They are not to be taken literally. I, therefore, pray in your behalf that you may be given the power of understanding these inner real meanings of the Holy Scriptures and may become informed of the mysteries deposited in the words of the Bible so that you may attain eternal life and that your hearts may be attracted to the Kingdom of God.

(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 459)

camel

moshe

If we survive the grave, it will be because of the existence of natural laws we can't explain and not due to following a certain religious belief system. Could it be that the dimension of time is somehow an illusion to mortal man? Perhaps reincarnation does exist.

peace,

Moshe

tetrapod.sapien

Is there life after death or does everything end there until the resurrection?

by golly! that is just such an interesting question! wow-wee!

is there life after death? jeepers. i am just so interested in what the answer might be!

keep 'em comin'! what's next? is there a god? is there meaning to existence? are we more than the sum total of our parts?! are the jw's right? are xians right? are buddhists right? are atheists right? is it wrong to eat poo?

does anyone want to meet a ghost? it's easy! proof of life after death right at your gullible finger tips! all you have to do is find a "crazy" person, who is willing to say to you that they are already "dead", and presto! instant ghost! wow, they walk and they talk, and they seem alive... but they said they're dead!

praise god! life after death! alrighty then, let's play by his rules since he says we will live after we die. amen!

TS

Will we carry on living after death?

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