What really happens to you after you die...

[Questioning]

By all MEANS!

 

[Trailblazer]

By all MEANS!

Okay, I will do it now.

 

[Trailblazer]

By all MEANS!

Okay, here it is!

Genesis 2 King James Version

7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

I believe that the story of Adam and Eve is an allegory, not a true story, but I believe the meaning is as follows:

On the day that Adam and Eve ate from the tree they disobeyed God do they died spiritually. We know that even in the story they did not die physically on that day, so that would have made God into a liar, and we know from other Bible verses that God cannot lie.

Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

That means what it says. They will live until they die and then their bodies will return into the ground.
I believe their bodies (and all human bodies) will return to dust, not be raised and come back to life, as many Christians believe.

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

I believe that means that spiritual death entered by way of Adam. I believe that it entered by way of Adam, because humans inherited the propensity to sin from Adam, not because Adam ate an apple from a tree. Rather, when Adam was born, he entered into the world of good and evil, the material world... The attachment to the material world, which is sin, was inherited by the descendants of Adam... It is because of this attachment that men have been deprived of essential spirituality and instead have the propensity to sin.

1 Corinthians 15

24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

I do not know what Paul meant but I believe that verse means that the last enemy that will be destroyed is spiritual death, not physical death.
Physical death can never be destroyed because humans were created to be mortal.

Revelation 20

13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

I do not even try to interpret the Book of Revelation since so much of it is symbolic, and I do not know what all the symbols mean, but a second death would have to be a spiritual death, given that the first death is a physical death.


That is all I will say for now because I have to go eat lunch, but I will be back after that.

 

[Questioning]

Okay, here it is!

Genesis 2 King James Version

7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

I believe that the story of Adam and Eve is an allegory, not a true story, but I believe the meaning is as follows:

On the day that Adam and Eve ate from the tree they disobeyed God do they died spiritually. We know that even in the story they did not die physically on that day, so that would have made God into a liar, and we know from other Bible verses that God cannot lie.

Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

That means what it says. They will live until they die and then their bodies will return into the ground.
I believe their bodies (and all human bodies) will return to dust, not be raised and come back to life, *** many Christians believe.

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

I believe that means that spiritual death entered by way of Adam. I believe that it entered by way of Adam, because humans inherited the propensity to sin from Adam, not because Adam ate an apple from a tree. Rather, when Adam was born, he entered into the world of good and evil, the material world... The attachment to the material world, which is sin, was inherited by the descendants of Adam... It is because of this attachment that men have been deprived of essential spirituality and instead have the propensity to sin.

1 Corinthians 15

24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

I do not know what Paul meant but I believe that verse means that the last enemy that will be destroyed is spiritual death, not physical death.
Physical death can never be destroyed because humans were created to be mortal.

Revelation 20

13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

I do not even try to interpret the Book of Revelation since so much of it is symbolic, and I do not know what all the symbols mean, but a second death would have to be a spiritual death, given that the first death is a physical death.


That is all I will say for now because I have to go eat lunch, but I will be back after that.

You denial of Adam & Eve also denies the reason Christ died....

 

[Trailblazer]

You denial of Adam & Eve also denies the reason Christ died....

It only denies the reason Christians believe Christ died.....

There is a reason why Christ died and I will explain to you WHY I believe that Christ died, after lunch.

Hint: The reason Jesus had to die has nothing to do with 'payment' for an original sin committed by Adam and Eve.
Jesus talked about sin but Jesus did not talk about any original sin committed by Adam and Eve. That is just a Christian doctrine.

 

[Questioning]

It only denies the reason Christians believe Christ died.....

There is a reason why Christ died and I will explain to you WHY I believe that Christ died, after lunch.

Hint: The reason Jesus had to die has nothing to do with 'payment' for an original sin committed by Adam and Eve.
Jesus talked about sin but Jesus did not talk about any original sin committed by Adam and Eve. That is just a Christian doctrine.

I can't WAIT to hear it!

 

[Trailblazer]

I can't WAIT to hear it!

Firstly, I do not go by the Bible if it contradicts what I believe as a Baha'i.

I am not sure exactly what the Bible says about Jesus 'choosing' to be a sacrifice, or whether that was imposed upon Him....
I believe that Jesus chose to be a sacrifice and He besought the one true God to confer upon Him the honor of sacrificing Himself as a ransom for the sins and iniquities of all the peoples of the earth.

Question.—In verse 22 of chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians it is written: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” What is the meaning of these words?

Answer.—Know that there are two natures in man: the physical nature and the spiritual nature. The physical nature is inherited from Adam, and the spiritual nature is inherited from the Reality of the Word of God, which is the spirituality of Christ. The physical nature is born of Adam, but the spiritual nature is born from the bounty of the Holy Spirit. The first is the source of all imperfection; the second is the source of all perfection.

The Christ sacrificed Himself so that men might be freed from the imperfections of the physical nature and might become possessed of the virtues of the spiritual nature. This spiritual nature, which came into existence through the bounty of the Divine Reality, is the union of all perfections and appears through the breath of the Holy Spirit. It is the divine perfections; it is light, spirituality, guidance, exaltation, high aspiration, justice, love, grace, kindness to all, philanthropy, the essence of life. It is the reflection of the splendor of the Sun of Reality.

All sin comes from the demands of nature, and these demands, which arise from the physical qualities, are not sins with respect to the animals, while for man they are sin. The animal is the source of imperfections, such as anger, sensuality, jealousy, avarice, cruelty, pride: all these defects are found in animals but do not constitute sins. But in man they are sins.

Adam is the cause of man’s physical life; but the Reality of Christ—that is to say, the Word of God—is the cause of spiritual life. It is “a quickening spirit,” meaning that all the imperfections which come from the requirements of the physical life of man are transformed into human perfections by the teachings and education of that spirit. Therefore, Christ was a quickening spirit, and the cause of life in all mankind.

Adam was the cause of physical life, and as the physical world of man is the world of imperfections, and imperfections are the equivalent of death, Paul compared the physical imperfections to death.

But the mass of the Christians believe that, as Adam ate of the forbidden tree, He sinned in that He disobeyed, and that the disastrous consequences of this disobedience have been transmitted as a heritage and have remained among His descendants. Hence Adam became the cause of the death of humanity. This explanation is unreasonable and evidently wrong, for it means that all men, even the Prophets and the Messengers of God, without committing any sin or fault, but simply because they are the posterity of Adam, have become without reason guilty sinners, and until the day of the sacrifice of Christ were held captive in hell in painful torment.

This is far from the justice of God. If Adam was a sinner, what is the sin of Abraham? What is the fault of Isaac, or of Joseph? Of what is Moses guilty?

Bahá'í Reference Library - Some Answered Questions, Pages 118-121

I selected the most important points in the chapter but I suggest you read the entire chapter which is on the link above. It's not that long.

 

[Questioning]

Firstly, I do not go by the Bible if it contradicts what I believe as a Baha'i.

I am not sure exactly what the Bible says about Jesus 'choosing' to be a sacrifice, or whether that was imposed upon Him....
I believe that Jesus chose to be a sacrifice and He besought the one true God to confer upon Him the honor of sacrificing Himself as a ransom for the sins and iniquities of all the peoples of the earth.

Question.—In verse 22 of chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians it is written: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” What is the meaning of these words?

Answer.—Know that there are two natures in man: the physical nature and the spiritual nature. The physical nature is inherited from Adam, and the spiritual nature is inherited from the Reality of the Word of God, which is the spirituality of Christ. The physical nature is born of Adam, but the spiritual nature is born from the bounty of the Holy Spirit. The first is the source of all imperfection; the second is the source of all perfection.

The Christ sacrificed Himself so that men might be freed from the imperfections of the physical nature and might become possessed of the virtues of the spiritual nature. This spiritual nature, which came into existence through the bounty of the Divine Reality, is the union of all perfections and appears through the breath of the Holy Spirit. It is the divine perfections; it is light, spirituality, guidance, exaltation, high aspiration, justice, love, grace, kindness to all, philanthropy, the essence of life. It is the reflection of the splendor of the Sun of Reality.

All sin comes from the demands of nature, and these demands, which arise from the physical qualities, are not sins with respect to the animals, while for man they are sin. The animal is the source of imperfections, such as anger, sensuality, jealousy, avarice, cruelty, pride: all these defects are found in animals but do not constitute sins. But in man they are sins.

Adam is the cause of man’s physical life; but the Reality of Christ—that is to say, the Word of God—is the cause of spiritual life. It is “a quickening spirit,” meaning that all the imperfections which come from the requirements of the physical life of man are transformed into human perfections by the teachings and education of that spirit. Therefore, Christ was a quickening spirit, and the cause of life in all mankind.

Adam was the cause of physical life, and as the physical world of man is the world of imperfections, and imperfections are the equivalent of death, Paul compared the physical imperfections to death.

But the mass of the Christians believe that, as Adam ate of the forbidden tree, He sinned in that He disobeyed, and that the disastrous consequences of this disobedience have been transmitted as a heritage and have remained among His descendants. Hence Adam became the cause of the death of humanity. This explanation is unreasonable and evidently wrong, for it means that all men, even the Prophets and the Messengers of God, without committing any sin or fault, but simply because they are the posterity of Adam, have become without reason guilty sinners, and until the day of the sacrifice of Christ were held captive in hell in painful torment.

This is far from the justice of God. If Adam was a sinner, what is the sin of Abraham? What is the fault of Isaac, or of Joseph? Of what is Moses guilty?

Bahá'í Reference Library - Some Answered Questions, Pages 118-121

I selected the most important points in the chapter but I suggest you read the entire chapter which is on the link above. It's not that long.

That 1st sentence was enough for me...

 

[Trailblazer]

I can't WAIT to hear it!

Below is another explanation of how Adam caused the fall of humanity and how Jesus saved humanity, not only by His sacrifice on the cross, but also by giving us His teachings.

What Adam did, how he caused the fall of humanity:

“The meaning of the serpent is attachment to the human world. This attachment of the spirit to the human world led the soul and spirit of Adam from the world of freedom to the world of bondage and caused Him to turn from the Kingdom of Unity to the human world. When the soul and spirit of Adam entered the human world, He came out from the paradise of freedom and fell into the world of bondage. From the height of purity and absolute goodness, He entered into the world of good and evil.” (Some Answered Questions, pp. 123-124)

What Christ did to save humanity:

“…those who turned toward the Word of God and received the profusion of His bounties—were saved from this attachment and sin, obtained everlasting life, were delivered from the chains of bondage, and attained to the world of liberty. They were freed from the vices of the human world, and were blessed by the virtues of the Kingdom. This is the meaning of the words of Christ, “I gave My blood for the life of the world” 6 —that is to say, I have chosen all these troubles, these sufferings, calamities, and even the greatest martyrdom, to attain this object, the remission of sins”
(Some Answered Questions, p. 125)

Those were excerpts from a chapter entitled ADAM AND EVE. You can read the entire chapter on this link:

Bahá'í Reference Library - Some Answered Questions, Pages 122-126

 

[Trailblazer]

That 1st sentence was enough for me...

Does that mean that YOU go by the Bible?

 

[Muffled]

When I die my self will be obliterated and what constitutes my consciousness will enter into higher transcendent state of existence. Like seafoam that returns to a wave which returns to ocean the illusion of separateness will cease forever. At least that is what they told me.

I believe that is false.

 

[Muffled]

I find No 'higher transcendent state of existence' in death but rather unconscious sleep - Ecclesiastes 9:5 ; Psalm 115:17; Isaiah 38:18
' seafoam/wave/ocean ' never ceases because the created ' water cycle ' will never cease - Job 36:27-28
Earth will never cease - Ecclesiastes 1:4 B; Psalm 14:5
What will cease are the unrepentant wicked people - Psalms 92:7; 104:35; 145:20; Proverbs 2:22; 2nd Peter 3:9
Thus, the only way for consciousness to return is by way of Resurrection ( being restored back to live life again - Acts 24:15 )
Being awakened from death's sleep because of being in God's memory ( No DNA needed ) - John 11:11-14
This is what the Bible tells us

I believe sleep makes a lot of sense if it is a long time between death and re-incarnation up until Jesus told us we could go to Heaven. However some spirits are restless ghosts because of trauma.

 

[Muffled]

and which God do you thank each and every day
Jesus thanked his God, and wants us to pray that his God's name be hallowed ( held sacred / sanctified )

I believe I thank my God in the flesh, Jesus that I am not a JW.