XPost: alt.religion.christian.east-orthodox, alt.religion.christian   
   From: .robert@mu.way   
      
   Death, a most misunderstood topic.   
      
   Because we are in this world, a sinful world, that it appears to most people   
   to be their reality that being dead is when the bodies we dwell in ceases to   
   function. Even so, there appears in the minds of most that there has to be   
   more to ones life than what we currently see, whether or not they are   
   religious, in the christian sense or the asian style religions, Hindu,   
   Buddhist, etc. An innate spiritual sense.   
      
   As a result many are confused and find it difficult to understand this   
   commandment of God to Adam,   
      
   “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden   
   thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,   
   thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt   
   surely die.” (Gen 2:16-17)   
      
   Since most wonder what was meant since Adam clearly lived for hundreds of   
   years after that. Well, to die, death, dead, and its various forms has many   
   meanings. Some literal, to out natural understandings, and many figurative.   
      
   In the above sense it was both literal as well as figurative. Die, in this   
   case meant separation. Separation of created man, from the pure relationship   
   that man had with God from his beginning.   
      
   It was obvious that they, God and Adam, had an ongoing friendship as well as   
   a relationship as they would often walk and talk in the cool of the day. This   
   relationship was a full part of the life of Adam and Eve as the days went on,   
   one that could have continued throughout our existence from that day unto   
   this.   
      
   Alas, it was cut off when Eve was tempted to eat the fruit of the tree of   
   Good and Evil, thus to be as gods.   
      
   Adam, ate of the tree, because of Eve, but did not knowing full well what   
   would occur as to him was the commandment given. This separation, or the   
   death of their full relationship with God ceased at that moment because of   
   their choice and as a result all their offspring was likewise separated from   
   God, as Adam subjected himself to the evil one by choosing to sin. Read   
   Genesis 3:7- the end of the chapter.   
      
   A similar death occurs on occasion between a father and a son, of a Husband   
   and wife, or even amongst friends, in this world. Hence the phrase,   
   “you’re dead to me” when one party of a relationship so totally offends   
   the other via their "sin or offense” against the other is so severe via   
   their choices in life, that they totally shun the other. Even to the point of   
   telling them that they are dead to them. Yes, the offending party still   
   lives, but their relationship is totally killed. So dead is it that when they   
   pass one another on the street, etc. that the offensive party is not   
   recognized as seen or even existing. In most cases their relationships are   
   never redeemed.   
      
   This is the reality of Death, of to Die, etc. It applies as well to the   
   physical death of a body, as they are totally separated from this present   
   reality. There is a ’second death’ but that should be addressed at   
   another time. Yet it too is the final defined separation.   
      
   Here I would like to show you a view of death and life from thru the eyes of   
   God the Father, one view of it via the Old Covenant, and a similar view of   
   the same thing from the New Covenant. Thus showing the continuity of the   
   Creator God and His consistency of purpose and Love of His the ones He   
   created “in their image”.   
      
   Ezk 18:24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and   
   committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the   
   wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done   
   shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his   
   sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.   
      
   Ezk 18:25 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of   
   Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?   
      
   Ezk 18:26 When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and   
   committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done   
   shall he die.   
      
   Ezk 18:27 Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he   
   hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his   
   soul alive.   
      
   This same desire, from the Heart of God, is a full part of the Gospel of   
   Christ thought his redeeming Grace.   
      
   This warning of Jesus/Yeshua, that is found in V24 above is Found in Matthew.   
      
   Mat 13:3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying,Behold, a   
   sower went forth to sow;   
      
   Mat 13:4 And when he sowed, some seedsfell by the way side, and the fowls   
   came and devoured them up:   
      
   Mat 13:5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and   
   forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:   
      
   Mat 13:6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no   
   root, they withered away.   
      
   Mat 13:7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked   
   them:   
      
   Mat 13:8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an   
   hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.   
      
   Mat 13:9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.   
      
   The meaning of it, in case one didn’t get it,....   
      
   Mat 13:18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.   
      
   Mat 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and   
   understandethitnot, then cometh the wicked one,and catcheth away that which   
   was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.   
      
   Mat 13:20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he   
   that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;   
      
   Mat 13:21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when   
   tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is   
   offended.   
      
   Mat 13:22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the   
   word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the   
   word, and he becometh unfruitful.   
      
   Mat 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth   
   the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth,   
   some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.   
      
   Then this also, yet it is only a part of the fullness of the all encompassing   
   Gospel of Christ given to those that walk in the Spirit.   
      
   1Jn 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto   
   you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.   
      
   1Jn 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we   
   lie, and do not the truth:   
      
   1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have   
   fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth   
   us from all sin.   
      
   1Jn 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)