13/12/12

Slept with his fathers

2 Kings 15:7 - So Azariah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.


The second book of Kings chapter 15 give a brief description of Azariah. It speaks of him become king at the age of sixteen. It speaks of him doing right in the sight of the Lord and all according to his father Amaziah (including the mistakes). It also points to the mistake of allowing wrong worship of the Lord (burning incense in high places). Later it speaks of the Lord striking him with leprosy until his death. The reason was taken on our precious message dated 05/12/12-'Beware of leprosy in the Church'. What we see is even though Azariah did wrong and was punished yet the Bible says he slept with his fathers after his death.

As I was studying the Bible I noticed this sentence and started tracking all those who slept with their fathers after they died and also compared their lives. The first person to be recorded as slept with their fathers was David. The other interesting statement which goes on the same line for people who found favour with God was those written as gathered to his people on their death and in it starts with Abraham on his death for it is written about him being gathered unto his people.

All those who found favour with God for reasons like walking in the ways of the Lord or having respect to Him and His holy things were in these 2 categories of slept with their fathers or gathered unto his people.

These terms actually do not start with Abraham but with Noah for the first Covenant with the Lord and man was started with him. Later we find Abraham was written as the first to join. The promise of God not destroying all mankind started with Noah.

Having knowledge of the spirit world, when we really study the covenant God made with Noah we will understand God set the timeline for all mankind and what spoke to Noah was concerning all mankind right unto the end days.

When Adam sinned God had cursed man not to perish only in the flesh but also his spirit would perish, so man after death was send to this prison called Hell which was actually not made for man. In this prison man lives his full spirit life term suffering the sins within him which are described as ever burning coal, or Hell fire, or worms that do not die.

Like all those in the Ark survived, similarly those with the Ark of the Covenant could enter the Promised Land and we see Jesus also said only those who take up the Cross are the ones who will enter the Kingdom of God.

In the New Testament also we see people who died believing in Christ are recorded as slept like in the case of Stephen. Paul and the book of Revelation too states we sleep and rise on the Judgment Day when Christ (Son of Man) comes again to judge all mankind.

Christians are lied to, that after death they go to Heaven because of one scripture 2 Corinthians 5:8 but they do not read the scriptures above 2 Corinthians 5:6 which shows clearly that 2 Corinthians 5:8 does not talk of death but of spiritual state of the inner-man according to its priority, of being carnal or spiritual. When we believe in Christ and walk according to the Spirit, the Lord is with us even though we are in the body, only when we are carnal-minded we are far from God.

The Gospel of John and so also the book of Acts talks of no man has ascended to Heaven other than Jesus Christ. All who die in favour of the Lord do not go to Hell but sleep unto Judgment Day. It is not that they are sinless but the sins inside them do not torment them like those in Hell, which is why the word sleep is used.

When we read the incident of the spirit of Samuel with King Saul we see even though the spirit of Samuel was asleep yet he was aware of what was happening in the world.

God forbid (corrupt) man from communicating with those who are sleep and uses the term 'empty bottles' to describe those asleep. The place they sleep is also referred as Grave. People who are unaware of Grave in their efforts to communicate with those asleep, lands up communicating with evil spirits or fallen angels who come disguised as dead people. Praying to or asking dead people to intercede (leaving Jesus Christ who has resurrected therefore He and His Spirit alone can intercede) lands people communicating with evil spirits. Evil spirits also have powers and these are mistaken works of the Lord. God says in the books of Moses, He allows this to happen to test if His people have His Word in them.

Let us not be deceived because of our lack of understanding of the Word. Let us be rooted in the Word and not into tales of man. Let us not disturb those asleep unless we can transfigure like Jesus Christ who overcame corruption.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, your Word says man perishes due to lack of knowledge. Lord we pray your people stop believing in tales of man and believe in your Word. Let them know You alone are the Way and there is no other way to Heaven...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
Genesis 7:1-4
1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

Genesis 9:8-9
8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

2 Corinthians 5:6-8
6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

John 3:13 - And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is [the tense used here is "historical presents," and such occurrences dramatize the event described as if the reader were there watching the event occur] in heaven.

John 20:17 - Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

Ephesians 4:10 - He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Romans 14:10 - But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:10 - For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

John 5:25-30
25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.



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