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Trailblazer

Veteran Member
That's an excellent point, brother.
In fact, it's so excellent a point, that any logical and reasonable person would have to admit that any claim that Satan is just the lower nature of man, is proven to be unsupported by the Bible.
There is no interpretation under the sun, that could make that verse say Satan is not a person - an individual entity.
A figurative interpretation could surely show that Satan is not a person, a real entity. There is no reason to think that Satan is a real person who exists, unless you insist on a literal interpretation of the Bible.
@Trailblazer's response though, to that is what? 'I do not believe... I believe'.
In other words, what's logical and reasonable, and clearly obvious, don't matter. What matters is 'what I believe'.
Speak for yourself. There is nothing logical about believing that Satan is a real person and no reason to think so.
No, it is not 'clearly obvious' that Satan is a real person, except in the minds of self-limited Christians who insist upon a literal interpretation of the Bible.

All that matters to you is 'what you believe', because of you relinquish the belief that Satan is a real person all your beliefs come crashing down like a house of cards.
I have no problem with a person saying they don't believe the Bible, but I have a problem with a person saying they do, but then dismissing anything the Bible contains, which disagree with what they believe.
Jesus denounced the Pharisees for that.
The whole Bible was never intended to be interpreted literally and in fact much of it is metaphorical, not literal, truth.
 

Sgt. Pepper

All you need is love.
A figurative interpretation could surely show that Satan is not a person, a real entity. There is no reason to think that Satan is a real person who exists, unless you insist on a literal interpretation of the Bible.

Speak for yourself. There is nothing logical about believing that Satan is a real person and no reason to think so.
No, it is not 'clearly obvious' that Satan is a real person, except in the minds of self-limited Christians who insist upon a literal interpretation of the Bible.

All that matters to you is 'what you believe', because of you relinquish the belief that Satan is a real person all your beliefs come crashing down like a house of cards.

The whole Bible was never intended to be interpreted literally and in fact much of it is metaphorical, not literal, truth.

While we don't share the same beliefs about God, we do agree on psychic mediumship and other aspects of the afterlife. I don't talk to many people in real life about what I can do, so it's nice to talk to you online and share my experiences with you. My friend, I wish you the best of luck in contacting and communicating with your late husband. I wish that I could be the medium who assists you, but I won't have the privilege of connecting you with him. Of course, my inbox is always open to you if you have any questions or concerns, or if you just need to talk about how you feel. I'm here for you, my friend.
 

Muffled

Jesus in me
Dead people are dead. Why be so greedy as to want more life than what is available? Ungrateful?

Take the time you have and make that time well spent.
I do not believe it is greed but is simply doing what we were created for.
 

Muffled

Jesus in me
I believe I would include this one in the NT:
Luke 1:17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
 

Muffled

Jesus in me
While we don't share the same beliefs about God, we do agree on psychic mediumship and other aspects of the afterlife. I don't talk to many people in real life about what I can do, so it's nice to talk to you online and share my experiences with you. My friend, I wish you the best of luck in contacting and communicating with your late husband. I wish that I could be the medium who assists you, but I won't have the privilege of connecting you with him. Of course, my inbox is always open to you if you have any questions or concerns, or if you just need to talk about how you feel. I'm here for you, my friend.
I believe the odds of speaking with the dead are very slim since most are either re-incarnated or in Heaven. Also it would be incumbent on the spirit to hang around a person. Proximity matters.
 

Eli G

Well-Known Member
Sure, their bodies are dead, but their spirits are not dead. Otherwise you would not see dead spirits wandering around wondering what happened to them.
Have you ever been taught that there are invisible intelligent beings that were created like that, as spirits, and that they do not die and have never been human, but they were created before humans? If NO, now you know.

Anyway: there are many of them who became evil and they are trying to deceive humans on believing they are dead persons, so they do not believe what the Bible says about the condition of dead (Ecl. 9:5,10). They are deceiving many with that lie, and they are also enslaving them to demonic practices that displease God. They make humans stray from the truth and do things that God condemns.

Don't you think that if the dead were still alive somewhere, their living relatives would no longer suffer and, in short, they would all have agreed to help humanity solve its problems? Obviously they haven't, because none of them really lives, and those who pretend they are, the only thing they do is deceive living humans.
 

Sgt. Pepper

All you need is love.
I believe the odds of speaking with the dead are very slim since most are either re-incarnated or in Heaven. Also it would be incumbent on the spirit to hang around a person. Proximity matters.

Based on what I've experienced, speaking with the dead isn't rare because there are plenty of earthbound human spirits to interact with and communicate with. That's not to mention a spirit portal (such as mirrors, windows, and doorways) or a spiritual vortex (learn about it here) that serve as gateways for spirits (human and nonhuman entities) to travel between the spiritual realm and the physical world. It is my belief as a medium and a spiritualist that the spirit realm is an everlasting existence that is neither bound by space nor time, nor is it limited to heaven or hell. As a matter of fact, I don't believe that there is a heaven or hell, so I don't believe that human spirits are or will be imprisoned in either one for eternity. I don't believe in heaven or hell because I disagree with what the Bible teaches about the afterlife and what it says will happen to people after they die. On the contrary, I believe that human spirits can generally choose whether to cross over or remain earthbound, but there are some spirits who become trapped in the physical world and require the assistance of a psychic medium to cross over. And based on my knowledge and personal experience, I believe that the following factors contribute to why there are earthbound spirits: (1) There are spirits who don’t realize that they are dead because they died unexpectedly and are now confused and don't understand what is happening to them; (2) They are upset and scared about dying unexpectedly and are in denial; (3) They have unfinished business, such as wanting to let their loved ones know that they are okay or feeling obligated to watch over their loved ones; (4) They are angry and are seeking justice or retribution; and (5) They prefer to be around the living because they miss being alive or because they "feed on" the negative emotions of the living.

The last four reasons I listed above are why I believe that a human spirit's experience is often primarily determined by them and can be either positive or negative depending on how they handle their death and even what kind of person they were in life. I've been directly speaking to and interacting with human spirits for several years, and these experiences have demonstrated to me that a person's character in this life can carry over into the afterlife and determine their fate. And, lastly, I believe that human spirits can also attach themselves to a person or a specific object, or they will remain in the location where they died (such as their home or a hospital) or in another familiar location that they frequently visited while they were still alive, and they will even stay near their grave or at the side of a highway if they died there in a vehicle accident. My beliefs about earthbound spirits and the afterlife are founded on my 44 years of personal experience as a psychic medium, the last 16 of which I have spent as a practicing medium and as an experienced paranormal investigator. In my opinion, the evidence of paranormal phenomena that I have recorded or that other paranormal investigators (whom I know and trust to be honest) have recorded validates my experiences as a medium. Finally, I'd like to say that it's entirely your decision whether you accept or reject what I've told you. Frankly, it doesn't matter to me whether you believe me or not because your disbelief doesn't negate the 44 years of experience that I have.
 
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Eli G

Well-Known Member
Based on what I've experienced, speaking with the dead isn't rare ... my experiences as a psychic medium.
You speak with demons who fake being dead humans, not with dead humans.

Since we can know the truth about that matter just if God tells us, and he says in the Bible that: dead people cann't think, talk, or do anything else ... then: who is trying to make you believe the opposite is enemy of God.

Anyway: If you cannot verify who is speaking to you from invisibility, how will you be sure that what they want you to believe is true, even if it is contrary to what God himself tells you in his written Revelation?

Be careful: trying to involve other people in activities related to God's invisible enemies will not go unpunished.

Deut. 18:9 “When you have entered into the land that Jehovah your God is giving you, you must not learn to imitate the detestable practices of those nations. 10 There should not be found in you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, anyone who employs divination, anyone practicing magic, anyone who looks for omens, a sorcerer, 11 anyone binding others with a spell, anyone who consults a spirit medium or a fortune-teller, or anyone who inquires of the dead. 12 For whoever does these things is detestable to Jehovah, and on account of these detestable practices Jehovah your God is driving them away from before you. 13 You should prove yourself blameless before Jehovah your God.
 

Eli G

Well-Known Member
I believe in God's word, and I teach others what God wants to tell them.

I encourage others NOT TO DO what displeases God, because he will judge every living person according to his decrets, and not other people's thoughts or practices. People need to take informed decisions about everything they will believe or do.

PS: this is a Biblical Debates subforum, so I speak Bible.
 

URAVIP2ME

Veteran Member
Dead people are dead. Why be so greedy as to want more life than what is available? Ungrateful?
Take the time you have and make that time well spent.
Since Jesus physically resurrected the dead, loved ones were Not feeling greedy but filled with thankful grateful hearts.
The time given to Adam and Eve was to be time well spent (Gen 1:28) forever and ever on Earth.
Just as there is No 'stepping stone' to somewhere for the angels there is No stepping stone off Earth for the meek who will inherit the Earth.
( Exception are those of Luke 22:28-30 who will govern with Jesus - Rev. 20:6; 5:9-10 )
True, ' take the time you have and make that time will spent ' thus either you will be part of the resurrection of the righteous - Acts 24:15 -
or, be one of the figurative living 'sheep' alive on Earth at Jesus' coming glory time found at Matthew 25:31-34,37
 

Sgt. Pepper

All you need is love.
I believe in God's word, and I teach others what God wants to tell them.

I encourage others NOT TO DO what displeases God, because he will judge every living person according to his decrets, and not other people's thoughts or practices. People need to take informed decisions about everything they will believe or do.

PS: this is a Biblical Debates subforum, so I speak Bible.

Go ahead and "speak Bible," but perhaps you shouldn't state your preferred Christian beliefs as a definitive matter of fact since members are required to include "I believe/feel/think" and/or without references, as specifically detailed in Rule 8 of the forum rules, which prohibits preaching and proselytizing.
 

Eli G

Well-Known Member
That's why I like to quote biblical texts, so readers can verify them on their own Bibles:

Ecl. 9:
4 There is hope for whoever is among the living, because a live dog is better off than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing at all, nor do they have any more reward, because all memory of them is forgotten. 6 Also, their love and their hate and their jealousy have already perished, and they no longer have any share in what is done under the sun.
7 Go, eat your food with rejoicing, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for already the true God has found pleasure in your works. 8 May your clothing always be white, and do not fail to put oil on your head. 9 Enjoy life with your beloved wife all the days of your futile life, which He has given you under the sun, all the days of your futility, for that is your lot in life and in your hard work at which you toil under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do with all your might, for there is no work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the Grave, where you are going.

Everybody can read the Bible as I do. :)
 

Eli G

Well-Known Member
Psalm 88:10 Will you perform wonders for the dead? Can those powerless in death rise up to praise you? (Selah)
... 115:17 The dead do not praise Jah; Nor do any who go down into the silence of death.
...146:4 His spirit goes out, he returns to the ground; On that very day his thoughts perish.

Isaiah 38:18 For the Grave cannot glorify you, Death cannot praise you. Those who go down into the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness.

John 11:11 After he said these things, he added: “Lazʹa·rus our friend has fallen asleep, but I am traveling there to awaken him.”
 

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
Have you ever been taught that there are invisible intelligent beings that were created like that, as spirits, and that they do not die and have never been human, but they were created before humans? If NO, now you know.
No, I have never heard that, and I do not believe it. I guess that comes from an interpretation of Bible verses that I do not interpret that way.
Anyway: there are many of them who became evil and they are trying to deceive humans on believing they are dead persons, so they do not believe what the Bible says about the condition of dead (Ecl. 9:5,10). They are deceiving many with that lie, and they are also enslaving them to demonic practices that displease God. They make humans stray from the truth and do things that God condemns.
What do you think those Bible verses mean?
I think Ecl. 9:5 means that dead bodies know nothing. Of course they know nothing, since their bodies are dead so their brains are dead.

Ecclesiastes 9:5-10
New International Version
5 For the living know that they will die,
but the dead know nothing;
they have no further reward,
and even their name is forgotten.
6 Their love, their hate
and their jealousy have long since vanished;
never again will they have a part
in anything that happens under the sun.
7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. 8 Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. 9 Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

I agree with the following interpretation of Ecl. 9:5. Every person will spend eternity with God in heaven or apart from Him in hell. Each person will have feelings, thoughts, and abilities that exist in eternity.

What does it mean that the dead know nothing (Ecclesiastes 9:5)?

Answer


Ecclesiastes 9:5 reads, “For the living know that they will die, / but the dead know nothing; / they have no further reward, / and even their name is forgotten.” This verse is sometimes used as a proof text for annihilationism, but that concept is not what is being communicated here. The “dead know nothing,” but in what way?

First, it is clear from other places in the Bible that this verse cannot mean the dead have absolutely no knowledge. For example, Matthew 25:46 speaks of everlasting consciousness: “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Every person will spend eternity with God in heaven or apart from Him in hell. Each person will have feelings, thoughts, and abilities that exist in eternity.

In fact, Luke 16:19–31 offers an example of human capabilities in the afterlife. Lazarus is in paradise in eternal joy, while the rich man is in torment in hell (called “Hades”). The rich man has feelings, can talk, and has the ability to remember, think, and reason.

Second, Ecclesiastes 9:5 cannot contradict Ecclesiastes 4:2. There, Solomon states that the dead are “happier than the living.” However, when a person is dead, the opportunities to enjoy things on earth no longer exist.

The key to understanding the statement “the dead know nothing” is found in the theme of the book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes is written specifically from an earthly perspective. The key phrase, repeated throughout the book, is under the sun, used about thirty times. Solomon is commenting on an earth-bound life, “under the sun,” without God. His conclusion, also repeated throughout the book, is that everything from that perspective is “vanity” or emptiness (Ecclesiastes 1:2).

When a person dies “under the sun,” the earthly perspective, without God, is that it’s over. He is no longer under the sun. There is no more knowledge to give or be given, just a grave to mark his remains. Those who have died have “no further reward” in this life; they no longer have the ability to enjoy life like those who are living. Eventually, “even their name is forgotten” (Ecclesiastes 9:5).

Ecclesiastes 9:5 displays a chiastic structure (ABBA format) like this:

A “For the living know that they will die,
B but the dead know nothing;
B they have no further reward,
A and even their name is forgotten.”

Lines 1 and 4 are parallel thoughts in the sense that the living know death is coming while those who remain after a person dies quickly forget those who have died. The second and third lines lay down associated ideas in parallel: the dead know nothing, and the dead can no longer enjoy or be rewarded for their activities in this life.

The saying “the dead know nothing” seems to be a negative sentiment, but it is not without a positive message. Solomon encourages his readers to live life to its fullest, knowing life is short. In the end, the fullest life is one that honors God and keeps His ways (Ecclesiastes 12:13–14).

What does it mean that the dead know nothing (Ecclesiastes 9:5)? | GotQuestions.org
Don't you think that if the dead were still alive somewhere, their living relatives would no longer suffer and, in short, they would all have agreed to help humanity solve its problems? Obviously they haven't, because none of them really lives, and those who pretend they are, the only thing they do is deceive living humans.
Those who have died physically are alive in heaven in a spiritual body. That is what the Bible says.

After the physical body dies the soul (who is the person) is raised and continues to exist forever as a spiritual body and goes to heaven where it continues to live forever.

The physical body cannot exist in the Kingdom of God in heaven. That is why it needs to be transformed into a spiritual body.

1 Corinthians 15 New Living Translation
40 There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies.
44 They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.
50 What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.
51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed!

Even though those who have died physically are still alive in heaven in a spiritual body, their living relatives will still grieve over the loss of their loved one, since they are temporarily separated from their loved ones.

Those who are left on earth are responsible for solving humanity's problems. However, according to my religious beliefs, the pure and sanctified souls who have passed on to the Kingdom of God in heaven will provide the impulse to help humanity solve its problems.

“The light which these souls radiate is responsible for the progress of the world and the advancement of its peoples. They are like unto leaven which leaveneth the world of being, and constitute the animating force through which the arts and wonders of the world are made manifest. Through them the clouds rain their bounty upon men, and the earth bringeth forth its fruits. All things must needs have a cause, a motive power, an animating principle. These souls and symbols of detachment have provided, and will continue to provide, the supreme moving impulse in the world of being.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 157
 

Eli G

Well-Known Member
Scriptures are clear about the condition of the dead. They even compare "being dead" with "being sleeping" and that is without dreming, of course. "Sleeping dead" will be awaking in the resurrection:

John 5:
28 Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.

We have an example of what is coming on what Jesus did in the case of his friend Lazarus:

John 11:
11 After he said these things, he added: “Lazʹa·rus our friend has fallen asleep, but I am traveling there to awaken him.” 12 The disciples then said to him: “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will get well.” 13 Jesus, however, had spoken about his death. But they imagined he was speaking about taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus said to them plainly: “Lazʹa·rus has died, 15 and I rejoice for your sake that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples: “Let us also go, so that we may die with him.”
17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazʹa·rus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethʹa·ny was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. 19 And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary kept sitting at home. 21 Martha then said to Jesus: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 Yet even now I know that whatever you ask God for, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her: “Your brother will rise.” 24 Martha said to him: “I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who exercises faith in me, even though he dies, will come to life; 26 and everyone who is living and exercises faith in me will never die at all. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him: “Yes, Lord, I have believed that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” 28 When she had said this, she went off and called Mary her sister, saying privately: “The Teacher is here and is calling you.” 29 On hearing this, she got up quickly and went to him.
30 Jesus had not yet come into the village, but he was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with Mary in the house consoling her saw her get up quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 When Mary arrived where Jesus was and caught sight of him, she fell at his feet and said to him: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he groaned within himself and became troubled. 34 He said: “Where have you laid him?” They said to him: “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus gave way to tears. 36 At that the Jews began to say: “See, what affection he had for him!” 37 But some of them said: “Could not this man who opened the eyes of the blind man prevent this one from dying?”
38 Then Jesus, after groaning again within himself, came to the tomb. It was, in fact, a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said: “Take the stone away.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to him: “Lord, by now he must smell, for it has been four days.” 40 Jesus said to her: “Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took the stone away. Then Jesus raised his eyes heavenward and said: “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 True, I knew that you always hear me; but I spoke on account of the crowd standing around, so that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice: “Lazʹa·rus, come out!” 44 The man who had been dead came out with his feet and hands bound with wrappings, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them: “Free him and let him go.”

There are not concious spirits of the dead anywhere ... according to the Scriptures. Spiritualists and their acolytes believe something else that Scripture denies. Since this is a subforum on what the Bible teaches, now you know what it says about "where are the dead?" They are nowhere ... just in the memory of God, who will rise them again to life at some point that is still future.
 

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
I believe in God's word, and I teach others what God wants to tell them.
To be clear, you believe in your personal interpretation of the Bible, but not everyone interprets the Bible to mean what you believe it means.
That is why Christians disagree on the meaning of the Bible and why there are so many divisions within Christianity.
 
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