Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.
Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!
In the New Testament the phrase "second death" refers to the real or total death of a soul, and the first death is the illusory or transitional death when this mortal physical body we are in dies. Those that pass through the first death in Christ's words are generally "asleep" -- meaning it seems, they are in the in-between state of this temporary body dead, but not yet awakened to the day of accounting. He was able, or could call on God, as we read, to awaken those 'asleep'. E.g. --Is the first death the spiritual death? Spirit being entombed in the earthly body?
And the second death is the physical death which is the birth of the spirit?
2 Corinthians 5:8
1 Corinthians 15:51–54
Is the first death the spiritual death? Spirit being entombed in the earthly body?
And the second death is the physical death which is the birth of the spirit?
2 Corinthians 5:8
1 Corinthians 15:51–54
In the New Testament the phrase "second death" refers to the real or total death of a soul, and the first death is the illusory or transitional death when this mortal physical body we are in dies. Those that pass through the first death in Christ's words are generally "asleep" -- meaning it seems, they are in the in-between state of this temporary body dead, but not yet awakened to the day of accounting. He was able, or could call on God, as we read, to awaken those 'asleep'. E.g. --
Luke 8:52 Meanwhile everyone was weeping and mourning for her. But Jesus said, "Stop weeping; she is not dead but asleep."
Luke 8:53 And they laughed at Him, knowing that she was dead.
Orgasm and similar altered states of consciousness are the first death. La petite mort - Wikipedia
Death itself is the second death, but death as we conceptualize it is non-existent, there is no death but only life.
NO.Is the first death the spiritual death? Spirit being entombed in the earthly body?
NO again.And the second death is the physical death which is the birth of the spirit?
NO.
NO again.
Interpretation is everything if we are to truly understand scripture. So what do we discern about the two scriptures you provided?
2 Corinthians 5:8
"But we are of good courage and would prefer to be absent from the body and to make our home with the Lord."
What was Paul talking about? It was only after their anointing at Pentecost that the faithful disciples of Jesus learned that their destination was heaven. As Jews, they had no such hope originally....the Kingdom of God was very much an earthly affair with Israel being restored to their land and the Messiah ruling God's nation and re-establishing his priesthood. They believed in a restoration of something like they had before...only better. The disciples parting word to Jesus indicated this.
Acts 1:6...
"So when they had assembled, they asked him: “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?"
But at Pentecost, some days later, the holy spirit anointed 120 of Christ's disciples for life in heaven, granting them spiritual 'gifts'. For them it would mean a physical death, but a spiritual resurrection...i.e. being given a new body so as to be able to dwell in the presence of God....something human flesh and blood cannot do. They yearned for that time to come, but no one knew when.
This is what Paul spoke about. The holy spirit created in them an inordinate desire to leave all attachments on this earth and join their Master in his heavenly kingdom. What were they to do there? Revelation 20:6 tells us...
"Happy and holy is anyone having part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and they will rule as kings with him for the 1,000 years."
The opportunity held out to these ones was a place in the heavenly Kingdom as "kings and priests". Kings need subjects and priests need sinner for whom to perform their priestly duties....so, since there are no sinners in heaven and kings do not rule over other kings....who are their subjects?
Revelation 21:2-4 answers...
"I also saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”
This heavenly "city" is God's Kingdom with Christ and his "bride" bringing their rulership to "mankind" on earth. So the Jewish expectation was correct, but Jesus just revealed more details about who will rule in it.....and from where....and for how long.
So what about 1 Corinthians 15:51–54....
"Look! I tell you a sacred secret: We will not all fall asleep in death, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the blink of an eye, during the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised up incorruptible, and we will be changed. 53 For this which is corruptible must put on incorruption, and this which is mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this which is corruptible puts on incorruption and this which is mortal puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will take place: “Death is swallowed up forever.”
"The last trumpet" gives us a timeframe....according to Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18....he locates this trumpet call at Christ's second coming....the time when he comes to take his co-rulers "home" to be with him in heaven....
"Moreover, brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who are sleeping in death, so that you may not sorrow as the rest do who have no hope. 14 For if we have faith that Jesus died and rose again, so too God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in death through Jesus. 15 For this is what we tell you by Jehovah’s word, that we the living who survive to the presence of the Lord will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep in death; 16 because the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a commanding call, with an archangel’s voice and with God’s trumpet, and those who are dead in union with Christ will rise first. 17 Afterward we the living who are surviving will, together with them, be caught away in clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we will always be with the Lord. 18 So keep comforting one another with these words."
These ones are still "sleeping in death" when Christ comes, and he resurrects them "first" (as it says in Revelation) Then it speaks of those still alive on earth when he finishes what he started here, and also takes action towards them. These ones do not need to "sleep" but will shed their physical bodies and be transformed into spirit creatures so that all of the "chosen ones" will be ready to take over the earth's rulership when God's kingdom replaces all the failed human rulerships. It will "come" and crush them out of existence. (Daniel 2:44)
If you read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 again you will see exactly what Paul was talking about.
Though unrelated to the cited scriptures, the "first death" is inherited from Adam (Romans 5:12) and we are all its victims. The "second death" is the one from which no one is resurrected.....the first death is what Christ came to redeem mankind from....but the second death means that one has been considered unworthy of life....it means eternal death. Whatever God wants eternally destroyed, goes into "the lake of fire"....that includes death and hades (which is the grave). (Revelation 20:13-15)
This is what JW's believe.
Is the first death the spiritual death? Spirit being entombed in the earthly body?
And the second death is the physical death which is the birth of the spirit?
2 Corinthians 5:8
1 Corinthians 15:51–54