THE TRENTON BULLETIN

THE TRENTON BULLETIN

Trenton Church of Christ, Trenton, Florida

A near death experience is exactly that – an experience that brings a person near death. One of the confusing issues surrounding a near death experience is the misunderstanding of the meaning of death. Testimonies are countless that describe those who “die” on the operating table, car or plane crash, heart attacks, murders, etc.; describing seeing a brilliant light and experience an ecstatic love highlighted by seeing God face to face. The question at hand is not whether or not a person sees the things he or she relates upon awakening from but whether what happened to them is death as described by God in His word.

Life began for man when “The Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). When the Lord destroyed the world with a flood, He said He would “destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish” (Genesis 6:17). Job declared his life was from the Lord “In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind … For as long as life is in me, And the breath of God is in my nostrils … "The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 12:10; 27:3; 33:4).

The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Stop regarding man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils” (2:22). Daniel told Belshazzar that God held his breath in His hand and owns all his ways (Daniel 5:23). On Mars Hill in Athens, Paul reminded the Athenians the Lord God is not “served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things” (Acts 17:25). Understanding who gives life helps us to understanding death.

Death comes upon all men as Romans 5:12 declares and cemeteries fill the landscape testify. It was man’s rebellion that caused the Lord to remove him from the “tree of life” in the Garden of Eden and thus death is imposed upon all (Genesis 3:22). James describes death as the “body without the spirit” (James 2:26). When a person dies, the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7). After death, there is no return.

There are a few instances recorded in scripture of those who died and were raised from the dead. Elijah revives the widow’s son (1 Kings 17:17-23); Elisha raises the Shunammite’s son (2 Kings 4:32-37); A man is resurrected when he was let down in the tomb of Elisha 2 Kings 13:21); At the resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 27:52); Jesus raises the widow of Nain’s son (Luke 7:11-15); Jesus raises the little girl (Luke 8:49-55); Lazarus (John 11:43,44); Dorcas (Acts 9:37-40); Eutychus (Acts 20:9-12); Others (Hebrews 11:35). This is called “resurrection” and defined in Greek as a “standing up again.”

A near death experience is not a resurrection. When a person dies and the breath of life is taken from man returning to God, they are dead. The only way a person can return from that state is by a miraculous intervention by God – resurrection.

What people experience today is only a near death event and not death itself. To die and live again is resurrection and the last miracle of resurrection happened as recorded in the New Testament. Since miracles ceased 1900 years ago, no one can raise another from the dead nor can one who dies (spirit returns to God who gave it) return. The phenomenon experienced by individuals today can only be described as an experience that took them near death but life remained in the body. God measures death when the spirit returns to Him – not by a man-made machine. With all his wisdom, man is still limited. God however is unlimited. The Bible explains the difference between death and near death.

“But someone will say, "How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?" (1 Corinthians 15:35).

We believe in the future resurrection from the dead. We are curious to know more about what it will be like. There are questions we sometimes have for which the answers are incomplete, at least at this time. But we know all we need to know, and we'll have to wait until Resurrection Day for greater details. For now, we can speculate on the following questions, but that is about all”: “Will we know one another?" "What will we look like?" "What will we feel like?" "How will our perceptions of our environment change as we gain new abilities and the spiritual equivalents of eyes and ears?" "What will we sound like when we sing?" “Will the spiritual body of one who has died in old age be the same as one who died in infancy?” “Will we still bear scars and wounds?” Lots of questions! I'd like to look at some of the things the Bible says about it all. Facts we can know today about the resurrection body.

All will be raised and judged, and the outcome of that judgment will be fair, righteous, and eternal. The results will be one of two of two possibilities: eternal life or eternal condemnation (John 5:28-29). It will be a day of reckoning, and so we seek to please the Lord with our lives today, because we will be judged according to our deeds (2 Corinthians 5:7-10; Galatians 6:7-8; Hebrews 9:27). The song "Amazing Grace" describes the saved being there 10,000 years "bright shining as the Sun". Certainly this description of the redeemed refers to the words of Jesus (Matthew 13:43). The souls of the righteous dead will return with Jesus; receive their new bodies (this is the resurrection), and then those still alive who are in Christ will be "caught up" to be with them in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

In this life, you are a "package deal". Your body is the package; your soul, or spirit, is the real you (1 Corinthians 5:1;4; 2 Peter 1:13,14). Though body and soul are united in this life, the package (body) is perishable. The body will be laid to rest, but not the spirit. The body will be consumed in some way. It will decay. Without the spirit, it is dead (James 2:26). The part of you that will survive death is that part contained within the package.

(Acts 1:9-11). After His resurrection, Jesus stressed that He was yet in His flesh to assure apostles it was He; and at other times, doing things that simple flesh cannot do (John 20:26-28; Luke 24:36-44). But we know also that though the apostles watched Him ascend into the cloud bodily, that it was not that body of flesh that went to God's right hand in heaven because flesh and blood cannot go there (1 Corinthians 15:50). We simply do not know what happened above the cloud.

There will be little or no recognizable correlation between the body you now have and the one you will have. The question we have been discussing is not a new one to Christians. Even in the first century, Christians were being asked about the resurrection by often skeptical unbelievers: “But someone will say, "How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?" (1 Corinthians 15:35). Christians had asked Paul about it. What kind of answer should be given? First, recognizing that this question was often not asked out of curiosity, but rather because of doubt of the resurrection, Paul says it is foolish. To deny that there is a resurrection just because we do not know what the body will look like makes little sense (v. 36).

But despite the foolishness of motive, Paul did give some information about it. In a nutshell, there is little or no similarity between the bodies we now have and the bodies we will have. Almost everything you can say about the two stands in stark contrast.

How different is the physical body which we now have from the resurrection body that we will have? Take a watermelon seed; small, brown, lightweight, hard, not very tasty. Then take a watermelon: Large; Green on outside, red inside; heavy; not nearly as hard. Quite tasty. If a watermelon seed could think, and if it pondered what its next body would be like, do you think it could even imagine itself as a watermelon? They are so different! This is essentially how Paul answers the question. He uses an example of a seed being planted (1 Corinthians 15:36-38).

Then, Paul begins to contrast between different bodies. Some of them are very different. He illustrates by noting the difference in the bodies of animals and then the differences between the heavenly bodies: “All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.” (1 Corinthians 15:39-41).

So why is it so difficult to understand that God has a completely different body with a glory far beyond our present body waiting for us? That is how it is: “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).

But Paul isn't done. Here is another contrast; that between how Adam became a fleshly man and how Christ, upon His ascension, became a spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45-49). Remember what John said? We'll be like Jesus as He is now… spirit. We won't be like we are now in the flesh; or like Adam was at his creation. (see Philippians 3:20,21). This change to new, spiritual bodies must take place, and if we have the faith we ought to have in the resurrection, we have a powerful motivator to remain steadfast and always abound in the lord's work. (1 Corinthians 15:50-58).

We believe in the future resurrection from the dead. We are curious to know more about what it will be like. Lots of questions! We've looked at some of the answers. These are things we can know now. But like that watermelon seed would have no idea of the watermelon he would one day become, we will probably have to wait until our change comes. Until then, let us abound in the work of the Lord!

“If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men” (Romans 12:18)

Maybe it is the lawyer in me, but when I read this, I find myself looking for loopholes. It's not my fault if the other person insists on making war, I'm just defending myself. I cannot make peace if it means I must compromise with evil. I am ready to make peace as soon as they admit wrong and repent. So, I went back and read the exhortation in context and began raising some pertinent questions. Next time you are embroiled in bitter controversy and peace is endangered consider the following:

Is my lack of love an obstacle to peace? “Let love be without hypocrisy Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9).

Is my pride standing in the way? “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor” (Romans 12:10).

Am I too stubborn to make the first (second, third, fourth, etc. if necessary) move? “Not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord” (Romans 12:11).

Is the peace broken because I lack patience? “Rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer” (Romans 12:12).

Could peace be achieved if I possessed a generous spirit? “Contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality” (Romans 12:13).

Could peace be achieved if I possessed a gracious spirit? “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse” (Romans 12:14).

Could peace be obtained if I were more compassionate and sympathetic? “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15)

Has my pride given birth to prejudice? Am I "too good" to long for peace with this person(s)? “Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly Do not be wise in your own estimation” (Romans 12:16).

Is my desire for revenge keeping me from forgiving? “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone Respect what is right in the sight of all men” (Romans 12:17).

Do I have enough faith to trust that the Lord will settle accounts with the dishonest and insincere? “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19)

Today's Prayer: "Father when I think of all that You have done to bring peace on earth and reconcile men to Yourself, I know I have a long way to go to be like You. I have often set up barriers to peace when I should have been pursuing peace. Lord, help me to be a peacemaker. Help me so that no blame for splits or schisms or rifts or ruptures may be laid at my feet."