Z
Zeno11
Guest
I am a bit obsessed with death as I have now buried all but one of my family. I can’t help wondering where they are, even though they were all devout followers of Christ. This is because I am not sure about the church’s teaching on what happens when we die. As far as I understand it, the church teaches that when we die, we have an immediate judgement before God that sends us to either heaven, hell or purgatory. I have a number of problems with this.
Firstly, we pray for the dead by asking that their souls ‘rest in peace’ which seems to imply that they are ‘sleeping’ in fact, during the Mass, we refer to ‘these, and all who sleep in Christ’ when praying for the dead. This would seem to mean that when we die, we sleep in Christ until the time of the Second Coming, when the dead will arise to judgement. This is verified in this Biblical passage:
1 Corinthians 15:22-24 …‘For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end.’
Also when Jesus resurrected Lazarus and others from the dead, he referred to them as ‘sleeping’. How could he have resurrected them if they had already been judged and sent to hell, for example? Or heaven, for that matter? And how can we be judged at the point of death, and for the sake of argument, sent to hell, only to be removed from hell for the final judgement and then presumably, sent back there again? It doesn’t make sense.
It seems from many sources in the Bible that when we die, we sleep until the Second Coming, that the dust of the earth, or grave, is our home until the resurrection at the second coming of Christ Jesus. The prophet Daniel also confirmed this Bible truth … Daniel 12:2 …‘And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.’
Matthew 27:52 …‘And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose.’ … At Jesus’ resurrection He gave gifts to some and resurrected them also from the dead. But what were they doing before they were resurrected by Jesus? They were sleeping. In other words they were in their graves not knowing anything, awaiting the resurrection.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 …‘But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.’
John 5:28-29 …‘Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.’ … Where are we when we hear His voice? IN THE GRAVE.
Acts 2:29,34 …‘Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. For David is not ascended into the heavens.’
So where did this idea that we are immortal souls who are judged upon our deaths come from? Surely the Bible makes it clear that we ‘sleep’ in our graves until the final trumpet and then arise to judgement, the people of God to the gift of eternal life, and the rest to condemnation?
I would appreciate any light you can give me on this subject.
Firstly, we pray for the dead by asking that their souls ‘rest in peace’ which seems to imply that they are ‘sleeping’ in fact, during the Mass, we refer to ‘these, and all who sleep in Christ’ when praying for the dead. This would seem to mean that when we die, we sleep in Christ until the time of the Second Coming, when the dead will arise to judgement. This is verified in this Biblical passage:
1 Corinthians 15:22-24 …‘For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end.’
Also when Jesus resurrected Lazarus and others from the dead, he referred to them as ‘sleeping’. How could he have resurrected them if they had already been judged and sent to hell, for example? Or heaven, for that matter? And how can we be judged at the point of death, and for the sake of argument, sent to hell, only to be removed from hell for the final judgement and then presumably, sent back there again? It doesn’t make sense.
It seems from many sources in the Bible that when we die, we sleep until the Second Coming, that the dust of the earth, or grave, is our home until the resurrection at the second coming of Christ Jesus. The prophet Daniel also confirmed this Bible truth … Daniel 12:2 …‘And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.’
Matthew 27:52 …‘And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose.’ … At Jesus’ resurrection He gave gifts to some and resurrected them also from the dead. But what were they doing before they were resurrected by Jesus? They were sleeping. In other words they were in their graves not knowing anything, awaiting the resurrection.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 …‘But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.’
John 5:28-29 …‘Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.’ … Where are we when we hear His voice? IN THE GRAVE.
Acts 2:29,34 …‘Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. For David is not ascended into the heavens.’
So where did this idea that we are immortal souls who are judged upon our deaths come from? Surely the Bible makes it clear that we ‘sleep’ in our graves until the final trumpet and then arise to judgement, the people of God to the gift of eternal life, and the rest to condemnation?
I would appreciate any light you can give me on this subject.