'Life After Death' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them.” vs. 39 Acts 9:36-43 The Christians had been driven out of Jerusalem by Saul’s campaign to search and destroy their community. Of course his efforts were unsuccessful and served only to increase their influence. Many had settled in Joppa…
Daily Devotions
I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.” vs. 17 Psalm 118:17-19 The psalmist had feared that his end was near. We don’t know what kind of crisis he had been caught up in. The context points to a military victory over a longtime enemy, but it could also have been some dread illness, or just one of the many challenges that are faced in the process of aging. At any rate, the prospect…
Daily Devotions
He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more…” vss. 3b-4 Revelation 21: 3-6a Many people wonder about their loved ones when death occurs, and questions abound. We would love to have concrete answers but the best we can do is speculate. Some are comforted by accounts reported by folks…
Daily Devotions
Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever.” vs. 17 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 Some people love the image that Paul chose to describe the great reunion of the living and the dead with the Lord. When taken literally these verses call to mind stories of the rapture that we’ve read about in popular novels…
Daily Devotions
O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him. O fear the Lord, you his holy ones, for those who fear him have no want.” vss. 8-9 Psalm 34:1-10, 22 Today is All Saints Day, the festival set aside for remembering those who have moved from this life to the next, the ones who are said to rest from their labors. We all have memories of such persons, and sometimes our thoughts…
Daily Devotions
They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” vss. 16-17 Revelation 7:13-17 There are some people who don’t particularly like the book of Revelation. They’re literalists and the beautiful metaphors and images don’t touch…
Daily Devotions
I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.” vss. 23-24 Philippians 1:21-26 While in prison Paul began thinking about death and then shared his reflections in this letter to his friends in Philippi. Knowing that death was not the end and that there would be new life for him in Christ, he wasn’t afraid to die.…
Daily Devotions
Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” vs. 15 Romans 14:7-12 Most folks don’t seem to fear standing before the judgment seat of God. They either don’t care or they’ve come to understand the transition from life to death in a different way. Perhaps they now believe that in death they’ll be welcomed home by a…
Daily Devotions
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” vs. 1 Hebrews 11:1-3 Whenever a loved one dies and we proclaim with conviction that they rest in peace or are safe in the arms of Jesus, we’re making an important statement of faith. We have no way of proving what we say and rationalists would likely scoff at our words, but we keep on making the claim because it’s the core of our faith.…
Daily Devotions
‘But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.’” vss. 35-36 1 Corinthians 15:35-38 Among those who believe that there is life beyond death, there is sometimes curiosity about the nature of that new life. People wonder whether their loved ones can see them, some even consult mediums in hopes of making a connection. Often they find reassurance from the…
Daily Devotions
Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead?” vs. 12 1 Corinthians 15:12-14 As part of his proclamation in the early congregations Paul regularly spoke of his personal encounter with the Risen Christ. In that transformative moment he was called to become an apostle and to stop persecuting Christians. So when he ran into believers who claimed that there was no resurrection of the dead…
Daily Devotions
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.” vs. 6 Isaiah 25:6-7 For a long time, back in the days when pot-lucks were regularly held at churches, a familiar table prayer would be sung before the meal. “Be present at our table, Lord, be here and everywhere adored. These mercies bless, and grant that we,…
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