What is death? Is it the absence of life?

[Azriel]

Hello @Azriel,

I am glad that you have enjoyed your study this morning on this subject.

You refer to the thief on the cross, and I understand why;* but the understanding of that exchange between the Lord Jesus Christ and the thief has been complicated by a wrongly placed comma!! In Luke 23:43, the Lord said, '... Verily I say unto thee today, shalt thou be with me in paradise.' The Lord Himself did not go to Paradise Himself on that day, did He? For He was in the grave, and had not ascended to the Father when He spoke to Mary in the garden following that, so, no, (John 20:17).

* The words 'this day', are used several times throughout Scripture, for emphasis. (see Deut. 4:26). On this occasion it emphasises the solemnity of the occasion.

* At death the body goes back to the dust from whence it came, and the spirit goes back to God who gave it. That applies to all mankind, whether believing or unbelieving. Yes, the spirit (i.e., the breath of life) departs the body, and returns to God. Only at the resurrection, in that time of God's choosing, is the body quickened into life, and is raised to either life eternal, or Judgment. Not at death. Until the resurrection, the believer is spoken of as being, 'asleep in Christ', because of the hope of life in Christ Jesus that he holds. The unbeliever has no such hope. and is referred to as being dead even while he lives: the judgement will determine the fate of all such, and also of those who have never heard (Romans 2).

Thank you, Azriel.
In Christ Jesus
Chris

I have a hard time buying into the misplaced comma explanation. I'm not trying to be a smart alec. But I'm pretty sure the thief knew it was today and didn't need Jesus to remind him. If it was going to be if some future event it seems like it would call for a little more thorough explanation.

As for Jesus being in the Tomb for 3 days:

After Jesus said, “It is finished,” on the cross, “he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30). His dead body remained on the cross until it was taken down and placed in a nearby tomb (John 19:40–42). His spirit, however, was elsewhere. Three days later, His body and spirit were reunited, and He rose from the dead (John 20). There is some speculation about where Jesus was—that is, where His spirit was—for the three days between His death and resurrection.

The clearest indication we have in Scripture of where Jesus was between His death and resurrection comes in His conversation on the cross with one of the thieves crucified next to Him. The believing thief asks to be remembered when Jesus comes into His kingdom (Luke 23:42), and Jesus replies, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (verse 43). So, after His death, Jesus went to the place of blessing where God is—heaven. And that’s where the believing thief went, too. GOT?

 

[civic]

But they were cast out from His presence. Before the Fall, God walked with them daily in the Garden. But after the Fall, they were cut off from His presence, and His presence is Life.

God was walking in the garden after Adam sinned and asking him questions. So nothing changed with Adam and God communicating with one another.

 

[e v e]

and then adam left the garden

 

[Doug Brents]

God was walking in the garden after Adam sinned and asking him questions. So nothing changed with Adam and God communicating with one another.

God was walking in the garden (God did not move), but Adam was hiding from His presence. Adam was cut off from the fellowship he had with God because of his sin. Everything changed in their communication. Where there was fellowship, camaraderie, and open communication, now there was fear, regret, sadness, pain, curses, separation. As God said, in the very day you eat of the Tree you will surely die. Just communicating with God is not relationship with Him.

 

[Rockson]

God was walking in the garden (God did not move), but Adam was hiding from His presence. Adam was cut off from the fellowship he had with God because of his sin. Everything changed in their communication. Where there was fellowship, camaraderie, and open communication, now there was fear, regret, sadness, pain, curses, separation. As God said, in the very day you eat of the Tree you will surely die. Just communicating with God is not relationship with Him.

Different ways of saying too would be it's fellowship in the Spirit. Jesus said about being born again out of your belly (or out of your spirit) shall flow rivers of living water. Jn 7:38 Jesus said too that he that follows me shall not walk in darkness but he shall have THE Light of Life. ,Jn 8:12 living water, Eternal Life, which is a person or God himself. Without him you feel empty and nothing can fill that void except God himself.

Fame, fortune, physical pleasures of different kinds nothing can feel the void except the Living Water Christ. Jesus talked about this with the woman at the well of Samaria.....You can drink all the water (or things of the natural realm) all you want but you'll NEVER be fulfilled.

 

[TedT]

Hello there,

What is death? Is it the absence of life?

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris

A spirit is only dead when it is separated from GOD...

the angels have no body but they are not dead. A body is not dead until the spirit leaves it to RETURN to Sheol (from whence itcame), Ps 9;17, OR to return to GOD, Ecc 12:7.

 

[Complete]

A spirit is only dead when it is separated from GOD...

the angels have no body but they are not dead. A body is not dead until the spirit leaves it to RETURN to Sheol (from whence itcame), Ps 9;17, OR to return to GOD, Ecc 12:7.

Hello @TedT,

Thank you for your response.

'And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; (or spirit)
and man became a living soul.'
(Gen 2:7)

'The wicked shall be turned (returned) into hell, (Sheol = the grave)
and all the nations that forget God.'
(Psa. 9:17)

'They shall lie down alike in the dust,
and the worms shall cover them.'
(Job 21:26)

'All flesh shall perish together,
and man shall turn again unto dust.
(Job 34:15)

'Thou hidest Thy face, they are troubled:
Thou takest away their breath, ('breath of life'; or 'spirit') they die,
and return to their dust.'
(Psa 104:29)

'All go unto one place;
all are of the dust,
and all turn to dust again.'
(Ecc 3:20)

'Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was:
and the spirit (or breath of life) shall return unto God
Who gave it.'
(Ecc 12:7)

In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[Bob Carabbio]

What is death?

A Separation. initially from physical existence, and secondly for the unsaved, a separation from God.

 

[Complete]

A Separation. initially from physical existence, and secondly for the unsaved, a separation from God.

Thank you, @Bob Carabbio,

Yes, death is the absence of life: for the 'breath of life' or 'spirit' of all mankind, both believing and unbelieving, at the death of the body, goes back to God who gave it, and the body goes back to the dust from whence it came (Eccl. 12:7).

In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[Pancho Frijoles]

A Separation. initially from physical existence, and secondly for the unsaved, a separation from God.

Separation from God is a bad and sad thing.
Separation from our physical bodies, however, is part of creation. Part of God's plan to nurture all living beings.

A baby does not lament having losing contact with the placenta. Does it?
Such detachment was necessary, and the placenta will recycle its components so that other living beings can profit. Same when we die biologically.

I thank God for the body He gave me, and I know I will hand it over to Him so that He can continue his creative work on earth.
That kind of death cannot separate me from the love of God.

 

[e v e]

God did not create this perishable body nor this type of biology nor this earth.

 

[Pancho Frijoles]

God did not create this perishable body nor this type of biology nor this earth.

If God is the creator of all we observe, then the recycling of matter is part of God's creation, and it is a good thing.
Stars die. Planets die. Species die. Our cells die every day. All that matter is recycled in a continuous act of creation.

Your body and my body are not the same with which we were born.
All those cells that we had as newborn babies have died. Our current cells come from the biological deaths of plants, animals, microbes and other people.
Our bodies are a continuous act of creation and re-creation.

 

[e v e]

If God is the creator of all we observe, then the recycling of matter is part of God's creation, and it is a good thing.
Stars die. Planets die. Species die. Our cells die every day. All that matter is recycled in a continuous act of creation.

Your body and my body are not the same with which we were born.
All those cells that we had as newborn babies have died. Our current cells come from the biological deaths of plants, animals, microbes and other people.
Our bodies are a continuous act of creation and re-creation.

there are two realms. God's is not Death.

 

[Pancho Frijoles]

there are two realms. God's is not Death.

There is no realm outside God’s realm

 

[e v e]

There is no realm outside God’s realm

... in fact all of prophets say His destroy
this earth. why de lard something good only
to destroy it? Different lands meant.


His He declared good.

This one He will destroy.

 

[Pancho Frijoles]

... in fact all of prophets say His destroy
this earth. why de lard something good only
to destroy it? Different lands meant.


His He declared good.

This one He will destroy.

God also creates by destroying.
Please take a look at the beautiful flowers of your photo profile. They reflect the glory of God.
If my body or your body did not decompose in its elements, to nurture the soil, those flowers would not exist.

 

[e v e]

God also creates by destroying.
Please take a look at the beautiful flowers of your photo profile. They reflect the glory of God.
If my body or your body did not decompose in its elements, to nurture the soil, those flowers would not exist.

in this degraded physics - Death - it's true ..

in God's reality what you say does not apply.

 

[e v e]

Ests cosmología no es la realidad de Dios.

 

[Pancho Frijoles]

Ests cosmología no es la realidad de Dios.

Gracias por hablarme en mi lengua. Lo aprecio mucho, Eve.

I try to understand what you say.

Gnostics thought that God had not created this world, because it is corruptible: full of death and decay. They came to believe it was evil. To get closer to God's reality we had to reject this perishable realm of reality.
Gnostic Christians took some words from the gospels and Paul letters to support their claim. Some of them came to reject sex, and enjoying food, pleasures in general, and chose isolation from their communities.

The term "world" is used in two different contexts in the Bible.

One is the sense of humanity. In that sense, God loves humanity, and works for humanity through us. We must love humanity and work for our brothers and sisters. We must be the salt of this world, the light of this world, and for that purpose we must remain in the world, learning about their needs and problems. In that sense we are also part of the world.

Another use of the term world" is to refer to the evil things from the political, social and economic systems. In this sense we shouldn't love the world. In this sense "Satan" is the prince of this world, and this world will be destroyed.

 

[e v e]

Gracias por hablarme en mi lengua. Lo aprecio mucho, Eve.

I try to understand what you say.

Gnostics thought that God had not created this world, because it is corruptible: full of death and decay. They came to believe it was evil. To get closer to God's reality we had to reject this perishable realm of reality.
Gnostic Christians took some words from the gospels and Paul letters to support their claim. Some of them came to reject sex, and enjoying food, pleasures in general, and chose isolation from their communities.

The term "world" is used in two different contexts in the Bible.

One is the sense of humanity. In that sense, God loves humanity, and works for humanity through us. We must love humanity and work for our brothers and sisters. We must be the salt of this world, the light of this world, and for that purpose we must remain in the world, learning about their needs and problems. In that sense we are also part of the world.

Another use of the term world" is to refer to the evil things from the political, social and economic systems. In this sense we shouldn't love the world. In this sense "Satan" is the prince of this world, and this world will be destroyed.

the first and basic definition is - this planet.

i'm not gnostic but i've been accused of that. The only few gnostics I spoke to in forums I could not relate to.

The main problem I saw is seeking truth and knowledge whereas God is a being. Not a concept.

It doesn't matter in that all the sects make mistakes, including the gnostic one. including the evangelical one. True some are more dominated by the satanic realm type souls (esaus).

De nada. Nací en cuba aun ya no me importa tanto... casi ni pienso en esta vida... de veras me cansa este lugar.