Apa itu mati menurut Kristiani and kapan orang mati dibangkitkan

Pastur

Hallo teman-teman saya seorang Katolik. Saya dulu mengira mati hanyalah transisi ke kehidupan berikutnya. Artinya jika mati roh saya tetap hidup langsung dan bisa masuk surga atau neraka setelah diadili mungkin setelah 40 hari seperti Yesus. Tetapi Tuhan mengkoreksi pemahaman saya yang salah mengenai kematian dan setelah mempelajari Alkitab saya menulis hasil pembelajaran saya di forum di negara tetangga yang memakai Inggris. Saya berharap apa yang saya tulis dapat mencerahkan arti kematian dan kebangkitan kita kelak. Bukan untuk menakuti kematian tetapi untuk mengejar keselamatan selama masih diberi waktu untuk hidup.

Kita ini semua orang miskin. Rumah mewah kita bukanlah milik kita, mobil mewah kita bukan pula milik kita, istri cantik kita bukan juga milik kita, bahkan anak2 kita sendiri bukan pula sejatinya milik kita, perusahaan kita juga bukan pula benar2 milik kita, bahkan pikiran dan hati kita juga hanya dipinjamkan selama hidup kita ini. Yang kita semua miliki sejatinya hanyalah waktu.

Dan apa yang kita lakukan selama hidup inilah yang akan menentukan mati atau hidupnya kita kelak nanti. Jika seseorang berkata percaya kepada Yesus tetapi perbuatannya jahat maka sama saja ia orang yang bodoh berpikir ia dapat mengelabui Tuhan padahal ia mengelabui dirinya sendiri. Selamat membaca dan kejarlah keselamatan kalian

Maaf sekarang dalam Inggris jika ada yang berminat membaca tetapi tidak begitu mengerti Inggris PM saya aja lalu akan saya terjemahkan. Tapi harap kasih 1 minggu yah. Jika ada yang ingin menambahkan khususnya dengan api penyucian silahkan tetapi jika dapat ambil referensi dari Alkitab, jika ambil referensi dari luar Alkitab(extra biblical resources) harap juga diberikan tulisan sumbernya. Jangan ditambahin dengan pemikiran sendiri ntar ada 1000 pendapat berbeda yang 1000nya salah atau tidak tepat. Comments are very welcome though!
Ada yang mengomentari tulisan yang saya berikan terlalu Kristen karena tidak dibahas api penyucian. Lah khan Katholik juga orang Kristen. Bukannya ngga mau nambahin tapi ngga ketemu atau belum ketemu sumber informasi api penyucian.

Death and resurrection according to the bible

I used to think that death was just a transition to another life. Though I'm a Christian, I didn't really understand the significance of being raised from death. I thought when I died my spirit would depart my body and would spend some time( a short while like 40 days) wandering on earth as a spirit then I would be judged immediately afterwards and be sent either to heaven or to hell. And since I'm not such a bad person I was convinced that I was going to heaven anyway and didn't think too much about Jesus role in raising me from my death.

One night God gave a a revelation of sort. While I was asleep I was allowed to feel what the dead would feel in the what I now understand as the kingdom of death or the world of the dead. The dead I was allowed to feel was a middle age(early 30s)Chinese women. I was surprised by what I was allowed to feel. The dead(she) wasn't aware of her surroundings(her immediate environment), of herself, of God, and of time In short she wasn't aware of anything at all. It was like as if she had becoming nothing at all. The closest word to describe it is sleeping but there is a difference between sleeping and death that I cannot put into words aside that I can tell you that in a natural sleep there is always perpetual life. This experience bothered me for a day or two. And two days later some Christian men left a brochure on the meaning of death according to Christianity. And that was it. I took both incident as no coincidence and started my bible study to understand what death actually is and when will believers be raised from death.

I hope what I've compiled here would help you not to fear death but to appreciate life and be grateful for when the Lord raise you from your sleep of death.

Death above all without being raised by God is not an immediate transition to another life. If we died our state of mind would be likened to that of a sleeping person. Meaning that we would not be aware of anything including ourselves, our faith and God, time and our relationship with anyone including those who have died. In short the dead would become as if they were nothing.

Here are the verses that support the belief that being dead is likened to sleeping.

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Let me quote Luke 8:40-54 or Matthew 9:18-26 or Mark 5:21-43
It's the story of Jesus who was begged by a man called Jairus to come to his home because his 12 year old child was dying. She was his only daughter.

Begin at verse 49(to make it short)
[read the bible if you want to read the whole story]
While Jesus was speaking, someone came from Jairus's home and said, "Your daughter has died! Why bother the teacher any more?"
When Jesus heard this, he told Jairus, "Don't worry! Have faith, and your daughter will get well."
Jesus went into the house, but he didn't let anyone else go with him, except Peter, John, James, and the girls father and mother. Everyone was crying and weeping for the girl. But Jesus said, "The child isn't dead. She's just asleep." The people laughed at him because they knew she was dead.
Jesus took hold of the girl's hand and said, "Child, get up!" She came back to life and got straight up. Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were surprised, but Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

John 11:1-43, Jesus brings Lazarus to life. I begin at verse 11-14
[read the bible to get the full story]
The he[Jesus] told them, "Our friend Lazarus is asleep, and I'm going there to wake him up."
They replied, "Lord, if he's asleep, he'll get better." Jesus really meant that Lazarus was dead, but they thought he was talking only about sleep.
Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead! I'm glad that I wasn't there, because now you'll have a chance to put your faith in me. Let's go to him.

Verse 23
Jesus told her, "Your brother will live again!"
Martha answered, "I know that he'll be raised to life on the last day, when all the dead are raised."
Jesus then said, "I am the one who raises the dead to life! Everyone who has faith in me will live, even if they die. And everyone who has lives because of faith in me will never really die. Do you believe this?"

Let's look at Job. Job knows what awaits him after death. That he would descend to the kingdom of death until 'the sky disappears' that is until the last day when the Lord promised to raised the believers from their death.
What Job and Martha believes represent what the Jews believe. Jesus and his disciples were all Jewish.

Job 14: 10-12
Humans are different- we die, and that's the end.
We are like streams and lakes after the water has gone;
We fall into the sleep of death, never to rise again until the sky disappears.

Job 17: 13:-16
I could tell the world below to prepare me a bed.
Then I could greet the grave as my father and say to the worms, "Hello, mother and sisters!"
But what kind of hope is that?
Will it keep me company in the world of the dead?

In the following verse Job realizes that the Messiah lives and is coming. That he would be raised from his sleep of death at the end and though his current body would be destroyed, from his new body he would see God.

Job 19: 25:-27
[B]I know that my Savior lives,[/B]
And at the end he will stand on this earth.
My flesh may be destroyed,
Yet from this body I will see God.
Yes, I will see him myself, and I long for that moment

Now the next question that we should ask is when we Christians be raised from our death. Here is what Jesus promised us.

According to Mark, Matthew, Luke and John Jesus promised His believers that He would rise them up on the last day. So it takes the Lord for us to be risen from our death. And Jesus our Lord will raise us up on the last day.
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John 6:22-59 The bread that gives life
Verse 38
I didn't come from heaven to do what I want! I came to do what the Father wants me to do. He sent me, and he wants to make certain that none of the ones he has given me will be lost. Instead, [B]he wants me to raise them to life on the last day[/B].
Verse 43
Jesus told them,
Stop grumbling! No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me makes them want to come. But if they do come, I will raise them to life on the last day.
Verse 53
Jesus answered:
I tell you for certain that you won't live unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man. But if you do eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will have eternal life, and I will raise you to life on the last day.

Now when is exactly this last day.
For talking about resurrection we need to read what Paul had said in 1 Corinthians 15. read the whole of it for your understanding.

1 Corinthians 15:22-24
Adam brought dead to all of us, and Christ will bring life to all of us. But we must each wait our turn. Christ was the first to be raised to life, and his people will be raised to life when he returns. Then after Christ has destroyed all powers and forces, the end will come, and he will give the kingdom to God the Father.

So according to Paul the dead would be raised in 3 phases or batches.
1. The first phase or the beginning is the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord, the first to be raised from among the dead.
2. The second phase is when Christ returns the second time to raise His people. Who are his people. We get to that later. When will he return? Again later
3. The last or third phase is when at the end. The end here is referring to the end of time.

Now we need to know where in the bible that tells us Jesus second coming.
Here's the second coming of Christ as foretold in

Revelation 19:11-16

The rider on the white horse,
I looked and saw that heaven was open, and a white horse was there. Its rider was called Faithful and True, and he is always fair when he judges or goes to war. He had eyes like flames of fire, and he was wearing a lot of crowns. His name was written on him, but he was the only one who knew what the name meant.
The rider wore a robe that was covered with blood, and he was known as "The Word of God." He was followed by armies from heaven that rode on horses and were dressed in pure white linen. from his mouth a sharp sword went out to attack the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod and will show the fierce anger of God All-Powerful by trampling the grapes in the pit where wine is made. On the part of the robe that covered his thigh was written, "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."

That foretold the second coming of Christ.
And just as what Paul had said, this second coming of the Lord is the first phase when the Lord would raise his people.

Revelation 20:4-6 The thousand years

I saw thrones, and sitting on those thrones were the ones who had been given the right to judge. I also saw the souls of the people who had their heads cut off because they had told about Jesus and preached God's message. They were the same ones who hadn't worshipped the beast or the idol, and they had refused to let its mark be put on their hands or foreheads. They will come to life and rule with Christ for 1000 years.
These people are the first to be raised to life, and they are especially blessed and holy. The second death has no power over them. They will be priests for God and Christ and will rule with them for 1000 years.
No other dead people were raised to life until 1000 years later.

So Jesus in his second coming would raise his people who are especially blessed and holy. Those who refused to worship the beast or the idol. And those who were martyred. So Jesus came the 2nd time to raise His chosen people.
What about the rest of us who may not be so holy or blessed? Those people would have to wait for the third phase that Paul had said. The end. Here is what the bible tells us about the end.

Revelation 20:11-15 The judgment at the great white throne

I saw a great white throne with someone sitting on it. earth and heaven tried to run away, but there was no place for them to go. I also saw all the dead people standing in front of that throne. every one of them was there, no matter who they had once been. Several books were opened, and then the book of life was opened. The dead were judged by what the book said they had done.
The sea gave up the dead people who were in it, and death and its kingdom also gave up their dead. Then everyone was judged by what they had done. afterwards, death and its kingdom were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Anyone whose name wasn't written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire

The sea refers to a plane below the earth, it's the same plane of the world of the dead or the kingdom of death. It doesn't necessarily be below the earth surface but it means that the state of life there is lower than in the higher plane because there is no life in it. Just like the earth is a lower plane than the heaven.
So according to this verse all the dead are judged at the end of time that is on the last day where the kingdom of death finally gave up their stock of dead people. And the dead would be gathered to be judged. In the end anyone whose name wasn't written in the book of life was thrown into hell. So it's either heaven or hell in the end. And what kind of people whose name would not be in the book of life? Read the following,
Revelation 21: 8
But I will tell you what will happen to cowards and to everyone who is unfaithful or dirty minded or who murders or is sexually immoral or uses witchcraft or worships idol or tells lies. They will be thrown into the lake of fire and burning sulphur. This is the second death.

So make sure my brothers and sisters that you are not among those who would be thrown into the lake of fire that was meant to punish satan and his angels. In the end the kingdom of death would be left empty. The dead would either be condemned to hell or be allowed to live eternal life(to eat the fruit of life) and live wit God. Knowing this I hope what I wrote here serve a meaningful purpose for your life as a Christian. I'm not perfect too and while compiling this I've made my decision to try to be a better Christian. Trying to catch the first plane out of the kingdom of death would be nice.

God bless and always be strong in Christ.

PS: Uda nanya ke Romo Katolik katanya secara teologi oreang mati tidak langsung dibangkitkan tetapi ada periode beristirahat. Jadi ini tidak bertentangan dengan ajaran Katolik.

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