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Category Archives: sleep of death
hidden… and remembered
Job 14 Job laments that human beings are not like trees. A tree may be cut down, but given the right conditions, it may sprout back again from the apparently dead stump. But, Job complains, human beings are not like … Continue reading
trapped
Job 3 Job had only one thing left. He had his life, and he cursed the day of his birth. Life had been precious to him, and now he saw it as a prison. Seeing how much people suffer, … Continue reading
disturbing an old man’s sleep
1 Samuel 28 The Bible consistently describes the intermediate state between death and resurrection as an unconscious sleep, from which good and evil must be awakened before beginning to experience their eternal destiny. This story seems to contradict that theology, … Continue reading
in retrospect: the end
Deuteronomy 34 Why did God not let Moses cross over the Jordon to set foot in the promised land before he died? Partly it was because of his sin, but there is more to it than that. Moses’ life serves … Continue reading
Israel: losing the favorite son
Genesis 37. Israel had many sons, but Joseph was his favorite. Imagine the sorrow he must have felt when his other sons brought him the coat that he had given Joseph – battered and bloodied. No wonder he put on … Continue reading
Isaac: other sons sent away
Genesis 25:1-18. Here we learn that Abraham had another concubine besides Hagar. Her name was Keturah, and God gave Abraham five sons through her (1). Like Ishmael, these sons of Abraham are significant historically, but they do not figure into … Continue reading
Posted in Abraham, Isaac, Jesus Christ, resurrection, sleep of death
Tagged Genesis 25
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Abraham: Machpelah
Genesis 23. Princess Sarah falls asleep in the LORD, and Abraham, whom the Hittites call a “prince of God” negotiates with them a burying place. He wanted the field of Ephron, son of Zohar. He purchased the field and the … Continue reading
Posted in Abraham, Jesus Christ, resurrection, second coming, sleep of death
Tagged Genesis 23
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Abram: dreadful and great darkness
Genesis 15. Abram had just rejected the reward offered him by the king of Sodom. Next, the LORD promises that his “reward shall be very great” (1). The LORD gives him a glimpse into his ultimate future by showing him … Continue reading
Jesus went where no one else could go
John 13. In this chapter, Jesus revealed to his disciples that he was going to go away – someplace his disciples would not be able to go. He was talking about heaven. He went to heaven at his ascension. He … Continue reading
Jesus: the resurrection and the life
John 11:1-54. This magnificent story from the life of Jesus has much to teach us about reality. Death is real. It is not some mysterious departure into another world. Death for Lazarus was a cold, hard, unconscious sleep in the … Continue reading
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