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What are some of your thoughts on death?

URAVIP2ME

Veteran Member
I prayed to God I wouldn't be afraid when I die. I went through a lot of hard things but one good side effect was losing the fear of death. Was prayer answered? Some things are more bitter than death. Does time heal all wounds?

If you are speaking about Jesus' thousand-year time ( Isaiah 65:16 B -17) then Yes, that thousand-year time frame will heal all wounds. ( physical , mental, emotional, spiritual ).
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
Thanks for your reply, sorry I was Not more clear, I did Not mean to fear death.
To me there is No need for fear because of the Resurrection Hope the Bible teaches about :)
No harm done:)
Different religious belief give different answers, no need for big arguments across the religions:)
 

URAVIP2ME

Veteran Member
I feel exactly the same way. :(
If we view death as temporary then we can look forward to being re-united with deceased loved ones again:)
Jesus did a lot of re-uniting while on Earth. ALL the resurrections Jesus performed were healthy physical resurrections.
Jesus was giving us a preview, a coming attraction of what he will do on a grand global scale.
In Scripture, death is just a temporary 'sleep' until Resurrection Day of re-uniting with loved ones again.
 
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URAVIP2ME

Veteran Member
Different religious belief give different answers, no need for big arguments across the religions:)
Agree, No need for BIG arguments but to me one should consider what others say before making up one's mind.
I was taught it's either heaven or hell/grave. So, I was pleased to learn that the Bible also teaches about an earthly resurrection.
A resurrection from death's deep 'sleep' back to healthy physical life for many.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
Agree, No need for BIG arguments but to me one should consider what others say before making up one's mind.
I was taught it's either heaven or hell/grave. So, I was pleased to learn that the Bible also teaches about an earthly resurrection.
A resurrection from death's deep 'sleep' back to healthy physical life for many.
I think discussions with questions like, "what does your religion say about X or Y" then when answer is given, the person that asked the question should say, Ah ok is that how you understand it, instead of going on a long rant about how wrong the person is who answer different then others, or different then the person asking the question "thought the answer should be"
Maybe humans must become better in accepting that not everyone will see the world exactly as they them self do :)
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
I view this life on earth as temporary and I look forward to being re-united with deceased loved ones again in heaven.
I ask because i do not know the answer fully. Can we be sure we will meet again our loved once, and how do we recogize them without a physical body?
 

nPeace

Veteran Member
I looked up the phrase "by extension" and got this;

'by extension DEFINITIONS AND SYNONYMS
PHRASE

DEFINITIONS
  1. used for explaining that a particular person or thing is affected by something only because they are connected to what you have just mentioned
    She hates all businessmen and, by extension, me.'

From BY EXTENSION (phrase) definition and synonyms | Macmillan Dictionary

Note from the example given that the individual is considered hated because he is a businessman.

To give an example in my own words;
"The unrighteous shall be resurrected and *by extension* the wicked".

See how that works?
One cannot be part of the unrighteous and wicked unless the two are connected.

But if the unrighteous are they who unknowingly commit sin and the wicked are they who knowingly commit sin the two are unconnected.

In my opinion.
Good to see you are trying, but you seem to be trying too hard to get things to work for you.
That's not working.

No. it doesn't work the way you figure.
"The unrighteous shall be resurrected and *by extension* the wicked".is a statement you created.
The Bible says the unrighteous will be resurrected.
Why have you extended it to the wicked... On what basis?
Your desire to have the text say wicked, would move you to make many adjustments. Like...
Matthew 5:45
New International Version
that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous... and *by extension* the evil (wicked). o_O :(

Then you end up muddling up everything... for yourself.
If that's what you want, I won't try to sway you.

The Bible says there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and unrighteous, and it says there is no hope for the wicked, who will be annihilated forever.

So, in conclusion.
One who is unrighteous, unjust, is not by necessity wicked.
The usage of the word unrighteous, unjust, can be, if so implied, apply to the wicked. Not implied by danieldemol. :)
If unrighteous was used with reference to the wicked, we would know. The expression might be something like this... "Oh man, full of every unrighteous act!" Wicked... by implication.
The words are used appropriately to convey particular expressed thought.
They are not the same.
Since they are different, we would not expect an educated Jew, like Paul, to use a Greek word to mean one thing, if he meant something else.
Paul might have well said, "...there is going to be a resurrection of everyone - wicked and all."
However, he did not say that. He was specific... for the reason that he knows there is no hope for the wicked - those considered to be such, in God's eyes.

The end.
Sorry danieldemol, but this doesn't require a whole lot of long talk. Moving on to other things. :)
However, feel free to stick to what you want... if you want. :)
 

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
I ask because i do not know the answer fully. Can we be sure we will meet again our loved once, and how do we recogize them without a physical body?
I'm sure because I have absolute faith that what is in the Baha'i Writings is true. We won't have physical bodies in the next world but we will have spiritual bodies and I believe we will recognize our loved ones by who they were spiritually.

Union in the Next World

"...the possibility of securing union with his beloved in the next world is one which the Bahá'í Teachings are quite clear about. According to Bahá'u'lláh the soul retains its individuality and consciousness after death, and is able to commune with other souls. This communion, however, is purely spiritual in character, and is conditioned upon the disinterested and selfless love of the individuals for each other."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to the National Spiritual Assembly of India, March 10, 1936: Dawn of a New Day, p. 58, in Lights of Guidance, no. 694)
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
I'm sure because I have absolute faith that what is in the Baha'i Writings is true. We won't have physical bodies in the next world but we will have spiritual bodies and I believe we will recognize our loved ones by who they were spiritually.

Union in the Next World

"...the possibility of securing union with his beloved in the next world is one which the Bahá'í Teachings are quite clear about. According to Bahá'u'lláh the soul retains its individuality and consciousness after death, and is able to commune with other souls. This communion, however, is purely spiritual in character, and is conditioned upon the disinterested and selfless love of the individuals for each other."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to the National Spiritual Assembly of India, March 10, 1936: Dawn of a New Day, p. 58, in Lights of Guidance, no. 694)
Thank you for your reply @Trailblazer :)

I do have one more question, and again, not to put you off, i in any way debunking your belief.
The question is. What if we end up on different levels of wisdom in paradise? what if you for example did gain a higher/more pure understanding of the truth than let say your mother, would you still end up in the same part of paradise?
 

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
Thank you for your reply @Trailblazer :)

I do have one more question, and again, not to put you off, i in any way debunking your belief.
The question is. What if we end up on different levels of wisdom in paradise? what if you for example did gain a higher/more pure understanding of the truth than let say your mother, would you still end up in the same part of paradise?
According to my understanding of the Baha'i Writings, we will gravitate towards those souls who are are at the same level of spiritual development as we are because we will have an affinity for them. The souls that are at the same level of spiritual development will be fully aware of one another’s capacity, character, accomplishments and merits. They that are of a lower level, however, will be incapable of comprehending adequately the station, or of estimating the merits, of those that rank above them. Each shall receive his share of bounty from God.

However, just because we are on different levels, that does not mean that we will not be able to see those above and below us.
I believe that we will see them.

"As to thy question regarding discoveries made by the soul after it hath put off its human form: certainly, that world is a world of perceptions and discoveries, for the interposed veil will be lifted away and the human spirit will gaze upon souls that are above, below, and on a par with itself. It is similar to the condition of a human being in the womb, where his eyes are veiled, and all things are hidden away from him. Once he is born out of the uterine world and entereth this life, he findeth it, with relation to that of the womb, to be a place of perceptions and discoveries, and he observeth all things through his outer eye. In the same way, once he hath departed this life, he will behold, in that world whatsoever was hidden from him here: but there he will look upon and comprehend all things with his inner eye. There will he gaze on his fellows and his peers, and those in the ranks above him, and those below." ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, sec. 145, p. 171)
 

amorphous_constellation

Well-Known Member
Well in my dream, what happened after I died is that I woke up lying on an alien planet, on my back and on the ground.. And then something like a giant aardvark/opossum came, and smothered my face with slobbery kisses
 

nPeace

Veteran Member
I ask because i do not know the answer fully. Can we be sure we will meet again our loved once, and how do we recogize them without a physical body?
I like your question really.
Can we be sure? If God exists - which is evident, don't you think God would want us to be sure? If God cares (is love) - which is evident, would he not be sure to make it known to his children? If God is all powerful, would there be any reason why he could not reveal answers to his children who wants to know... especially living in a world where deceit is almost like breathing?

How would one resurrected as spirit, recognize another?
Think of this age of technology. Is there AI that can tell twins apart; identify an individual's speech patterns, walk, etc.?
If human design can do all of that, what of way more advanced life forms?
A spirit can see through our very bone, and tell us if it has any disease.
Recognizing who we are, even in a different body, presents no problem for them.
We human only know the fringes of God's ways.
(Job 26:14) Look! These are just the fringes of his ways; Only a faint whisper has been heard of him! So who can understand his mighty thunder?. . .

That's why living forever is a delightful prospect. We cannot imagine the knowledge that would be made available then.
Our current understanding is surely 10 to the ************ (infinite ammount) power compared to spirit beings.

Of course, the Bible does not say everone righteous will go to heaven. So because people want to, that does not mean they will.
God made the earth to be inhabited by righteous people, and according to God's promise, they will be.
(Psalm 37:11, 29) 11 . . .the meek will possess the earth, And they will find exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.
29 The righteous will possess the earth, And they will live forever on it.

(Proverbs 2:21) For only the upright will reside in the earth, And the blameless will remain in it.

The Bible does not say they will go to heaven for a vacation either. :)
 

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
Any thoughts abut 1 Corinthians 15:55; Hosea 13:14; Isaiah 25:8 ________________

1 Corinthians 15:55-57
New International Version

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”a]">[a]

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.


It is obvious that 1 Corinthians 15:55 is referring to spiritual death from reading in the verse that follows “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law” because sin leads to spiritual death

Hosea 13:14
New International Version

14 “I will deliver this people from the power of the grave;
I will redeem them from death.
Where, O death, are your plagues?
Where, O grave, is your destruction?

“I will have no compassion,


I believe that these verses are referring to spiritual death, as being redeemed from death is being redeemed from spiritual death. Being asleep in the grave means being spiritually asleep waiting to be born again, which means spiritually awakened.

Isaiah 25:8
New International Version

8 he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
from all the earth.
The Lord has spoke


It is obvious to me that swallowing up death forever refers to putting an end to spiritual death, in which case everyone would be spiritually alive and there would be no more tears or disgrace.. The verse has nothing to do with physical death which is unavoidable since physical bodies were created to be mortal, not immortal.
 

cataway

Well-Known Member
1 Corinthians 15:55-57
New International Version

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”a]">[a]

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.


It is obvious that 1 Corinthians 15:55 is referring to spiritual death from reading in the verse that follows “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law” because sin leads to spiritual death

Hosea 13:14
New International Version

14 “I will deliver this people from the power of the grave;
I will redeem them from death.
Where, O death, are your plagues?
Where, O grave, is your destruction?

“I will have no compassion,


I believe that these verses are referring to spiritual death, as being redeemed from death is being redeemed from spiritual death. Being asleep in the grave means being spiritually asleep waiting to be born again, which means spiritually awakened.

Isaiah 25:8
New International Version

8 he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
from all the earth.
The Lord has spoke


It is obvious to me that swallowing up death forever refers to putting an end to spiritual death, in which case everyone would be spiritually alive and there would be no more tears or disgrace.. The verse has nothing to do with physical death which is unavoidable since physical bodies were created to be mortal, not immortal.
do people leave the Baha'i faith ? when they do are they considered spiritually dead?
 
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