2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
In these verses Paul contrasts the earthly perishable body subject to sickness, disease, and death, with the glorious, eternal, immortal body which God has prepared for us when we are taken to heaven. The expression "absent from the body" means absent from the mortal body with its earthly infirmities. The expression "present with the Lord" means present in the glorious immortal body received at Jesus Second Coming.
In 1 Corinthians 15 as well as 2 Corinthians 5, Paul longs for Jesus Second Coming.
First, God's Clear Command Through the Entire Old Testament Period Was That Spiritualists Be Driven Out of the Land of Israel.
Notice What the Witch Says She Sees and What Saul Perceives.
Philippians 1:23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
The Bible does not contradict itself. Paul doesn't say one thing in one place and something different in another place.
1 Corinthians 15:51-54 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, [52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. [53] For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. [54] So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
Paul longed for the Return of Jesus when he would see his Lord's face and be ushered into eternity. In this case, it is easy to see why Paul would say death is gain. For him it would mean freedom from pain, deliverance from bondage in a Roman prison, and security from the temptations of Satan. To Paul, death was a sleep with no conscious passage of time. The next event for him after closing his eyes in the sleep of death was to depart this earth and be with the Lord. Since there is no conscious passing of time from death to Christ's Second Coming, for Paul, death meant closing his eyes in sleep and waking up to be with the Lord.
It is important to notice that this is a parable. It is the fifth of a series of parables (the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost boy (luke 15), and the unjust steward (luke 16:1-11). Parables are designed to teach great moral principles. Each feature of the parable is not taken literally. We do not have the features of the sheep, or the properties of the coin. The question to ask while studying each parable is what are the great moral lessons? It becomes a problem when we take each aspect of a parable literally rather than seeking the lesson Jesus is teaching. Let's assume that the parable of the rich man and Lazarus is a literal story. Do people actually have conversations between heaven and hell? Can those in heaven see people burning in hell? Can they hear their screams? Do souls actually have fingers and tongues as described in the parable? Abraham must have a large bosom to contain all the individuals who go there. To take the parable literally is to create huge problems. Heaven would be a terrible place if we beheld the constant, ever present suffering of our friends. Why did Jesus tell this story? What lessons was He trying to teach? The Jews had a common story describing death as passing through a valley of darkness picturing salvation as fleeing to the security of Abraham's bosom and the eternally lost going to destruction. The Jews believed that riches were a sign of God's favor and poverty a sign of His displeasure. In the story, the rich man who the Jews thought was blessed of God ends up in hell and the poor man in heaven. Jesus reverses the expected outcome. Lesson #1 Riches gained by greed, dishonesty, or oppressing the poor are never a sign of God's favor. Lesson #2 The parable describes a great gulf that is fixed. There is no second chance or opportunity for growing into God's favor once a person is lost. The decisions made in this life determine our eternal destiny. Lesson #3 Jesus points out that since the Pharisees had rejected the clear teachings of God's Word regarding salvation, they would also reject a supernatural miracle such as someone rising from the dead.
John 11:43-44 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. [44] And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus was using a popular story to make a powerful lesson.
Next Bible Study: 27-Millennium - 1000 Years of Peace
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