I do not believe your soul "sleeps". I've sat with people who lay dying and their actions lead me to believe they were seeing and communicating with those who went before them. That would not occur if the soul sleeps.

 

 

They were seeing what they wanted to see. At the time of death, the "wanting" becomes very powerful- powerful enough to see it through the mind's eye. The mind is indeed a very powerful elixir. Mind over magic!

In my understanding of Scripture, a person's spirit departs from their body when they die. The spirit will then go to either a place of peace or a place of anguish. The place of peace I believe is the present Heaven, but I don't believe that to be the same place where people will live eternally. The "new heaven" does not become reality until Jesus returns.

 

I don't believe in soul-sleeping primarily because of Jesus' statement to the thief on the cross & because of Paul's statement that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

 

The bolded summarizes my feeling, and I think a person's mental state while on Earth plays the major role in which of the above the spirit rests.

They were seeing what they wanted to see. At the time of death, the "wanting" becomes very powerful- powerful enough to see it through the mind's eye. The mind is indeed a very powerful elixir. Mind over magic!

 

Very very doubtful, in fact I will say just about impossible, in the case of two of them.

Some people believe everything came from a space daddy.

Even the most noted scientists. But I'm sure you already knew that.

The bolded summarizes my feeling, and I think a person's mental state while on Earth plays the major role in which of the above the spirit rests.

 

And I'm screwed...

"For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep [are dead]. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-16).

I by no means am a biblical scholar but this sums up my beliefs on the dead and if they go to Heaven immediately.

 

In my understanding of Scripture, a person's spirit departs from their body when they die. The spirit will then go to either a place of peace or a place of anguish. The place of peace I believe is the present Heaven, but I don't believe that to be the same place where people will live eternally. The "new heaven" does not become reality until Jesus returns.

 

I don't believe in soul-sleeping primarily because of Jesus' statement to the thief on the cross & because of Paul's statement that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

Paul wrote Thessalonians.

 

To me Jesus did not say that they would be in Paradise together that day but rather that day he is saved thus he is with Him.

 

Luke 23:43

"Jesus said to him, 'Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'"

I think it is easier to understand if the comma is placed after "today."

 

"Jesus said to him, 'Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with me in Paradise.'"

FWIW to the people who say Big Bang Theory and Evolution are proponents of "we came from nothing" (and you may not be saying that):

 

I would say most Christians support evolution. I know I do. I just believe it started with God, and 7 days to God could be equivalent to 13.8 billion years (or however long the universe has existed). But as I said in post #4 , there is no concept of time to God.

 

Also, the Big Bang Theory was thought of by a Jesuit [Catholic] priest. Since there is a definite beginning of our universe, I think that means something had to create it (First Mover). JMO.

Paul wrote Thessalonians.

 

To me Jesus did not say that they would be in Paradise together that day but rather that day he is saved thus he is with Him.

 

Luke 23:43

"Jesus said to him, 'Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'"

I think it is easier to understand if the comma is placed after "today."

 

"Jesus said to him, 'Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with me in Paradise.'"

 

Most who hold to soul-sleeping would need the comma to be placed where you have it in Luke. I disagree, but I'm aware of the thought process.

 

I think there is ample evidence of the spirit going to be with God upon death. The two references I already mentioned, plus Jesus' story about the rich man & Lazarus. In Revelation (6: 9-11), John seeing the souls of people who had been martyred for their faith and they are pictured as being with God, but life is still continuing here on earth.

 

Regarding the 1 Thessalonians passage, I believe Paul is communicating that when Jesus returns, the spirits of those who have died in Christ will return with him (verse 14). The spirits will then return to their bodies & they will be resurrected & changed in the "twinkling of an eye" (1 Cor 15). Jesus said there is coming a day when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out. I believe 1 Thessalonians 4 is the fulfillment of what he was talking about. So the dead in Christ will receive their bodily resurrection and then those who are still alive on earth will be caught up with them to meet the Lord in the air.

I thought the Big Bang theory was Stephen hawking

I thought the Big Bang theory was Stephen hawking

 

According to "Georges Lemaître - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia" :

 

Lemaître also proposed what became known as the Big Bang theory of the origin of the Universe, which he called his "hypothesis of the primeval atom" or the "Cosmic Egg".[9]

Otherwise known as evolution.

 

Been a while since I studied evolution but I don't think evolution says there was nothing 14 billion years ago, just that it was all clumped together until the big bang. Now science has not been able to answer exactly what caused the big bang, they just feel it or something like it did happen.

Very very doubtful, in fact I will say just about impossible, in the case of two of them.

 

What happened?

When a person dies, I truly believe they go on to an eternal life with Christ. Assuming they lived their life in a way he lived his.

 

I'm sure some will mock that and say it's illogical, and that's fine. I don't need approval or reassurances from others to have confidence in my beliefs.

They were seeing what they wanted to see. At the time of death, the "wanting" becomes very powerful- powerful enough to see it through the mind's eye. The mind is indeed a very powerful elixir. Mind over magic!

 

Wow. Mind over magic, it's that simple I guess. They just see what they want to see. :idunno:

They were seeing what they wanted to see. At the time of death, the "wanting" becomes very powerful- powerful enough to see it through the mind's eye. The mind is indeed a very powerful elixir. Mind over magic!

 

I actually agree with this statement except for the "wanting" part. The mind is very powerful and it is difficult to assess what we experience as we are near death. Not sure how the word "Magic' applies but I actually agree with the overall idea that Science Friction has written in this message.

 

I do not believe people who die for a few minutes and are brought back to life have actually made a quick trip to heaven or hell. But I do believe them when they say they have experienced something powerful.