”For in death there is no remembrance of You; In the grave who will give You thanks?“ Psalms‬ ‭6‬:‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I have seen Christian music videos illustrating someone dying and immediately going to heaven and singing in the heavenly choir. But David in the Psalms is quite clear, along with the rest of Scripture, that the dead know nothing and rest in their graves until Jesus comes.

”You hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.“ Psalms‬ ‭104‬:‭29‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

”The dead do not praise the Lord, Nor any who go down into silence.“ ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭115‬:‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Furthermore New Testament Scripture resonates David’s theology about resting in the grave instead of going straight to heaven when we die.

”Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand,“ Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭29‬, ‭34‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Scripture is very consistent from beginning to end that the dead know nothing and rest in their graves until Christ returns. David, Jesus, Peter and Paul never once say anyone dies and goes straight to heaven. But you know who does? The lying serpent in Genesis 3:4, who claims we don’t really die.

Let’s believe the Word of God instead of the lying serpent. Some lies may be fun to believe, but they are never safe to believe. The serpent never tells a harmless lie. Every lie from the serpent is intended for deception and destruction. Yet no one who believes in the Word of God will be deceived. God‘s Word which is truth will keep us safe.

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The post The Mortal Soul in Psalms appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/the-mortal-soul-in-psalms/

Inside Story for Friday 5th of January 2024

By Andrew McChesney

Paul went from home to home to meet people in a European city. With him, he carried a Bible and the holy book of another major world religion.

One day, a man opened the door. His breath smelled of cigarette smoke.

“I would very much like to give you a gift today,” Paul said.

“What kind of gift?” the man asked.

“I have this Bible,” Paul said.

“I don’t want a Bible,” the man said. “I belong to another religion. You are a Christian.”

“I have the holy book of your religion, too,” Paul said.

The man was surprised. He seemed interested. “OK, read something to me but only from my holy book, not from the Bible,” he said.

Paul opened the holy book and read about Jesus. The man’s surprise grew.

“Is this the same Jesus as in the Bible?” he asked.

Over the next few weeks, he studied four lessons about Jesus from his holy book. The man saw that the book does not talk about Jesus being crucified. He saw that the book predicts Jesus will come again. He saw that both people from his religion and Christians were waiting for Jesus to return.

When Paul arrived for the fifth lesson, the man wasn’t home.

A year passed, and one Sabbath the man showed up at Paul’s church.

“I want to come to this church,” he said. “Can I?”

It was Paul’s turn to be surprised.

“I want to follow Christ,” the man said.

After that, the man came every Sabbath. He said his holy book left him feeling empty. It offered no Savior for his sins. He longed to be baptized.

“Jesus says the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit,” Paul said. “Do you want to be free of cigarettes? Jesus said, ‘If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed’ [John 8:36, NKJV]. You have to choose Jesus or cigarettes. You can throw away your cigarettes today if you choose.”

The man looked scared. “It isn’t possible!” he blurted out. But then he reached into his pocket and threw a cigarette pack into a trash can.

“Jesus, give me victory over cigarettes,” he prayed. “I want to be free.”

Late that night, he called Paul. “This is terrible,” he said. “I feel awful. I cannot live without cigarettes.”

The two men prayed together on the phone. God heard the prayer and gave the man victory. He has not smoked in the four and a half years since then. Today, he is an outreach leader for the church.

“He loves people,” Paul told Adventist Mission. He is waiting eagerly for Jesus to return.

Thank you for your support of Adventist Mission, whose Global Mission Centers help train people to share the good news of salvation with precious people from other world religions. For more information, visit globalmissioncenters.org.

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The post Inside Story: Finding Jesus in a Holy Book appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24a-01-inside-story-finding-jesus-in-a-holy-book/