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Was there death before the Fall?

...stead of "human being", as the same nephesh word is used of animals too in the Creation account - but that's another topic!). To the Hebrews, the body and soul were one 'unit' that worked together, rather than two separate entities; there was "no idea of an immortal soul living a full and vital life beyond death" and many Psalms and older Biblical texts reflect this idea too (cf. Psalm 6:5; Psalm 88:3-12; Psalm 146:4; Psalm 115:17; Job 14:10-12; Job 3:11-19). The fall depicted in the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo With that in mind, the threat of death by God makes more sense since Adam and Eve would actually be able to comprehend such a concept...

The Coming of Jesus: Daniel's 70 Weeks

...ed not by human hands, and which would last forever. That was the time which God had given his people, and those who rejected it would suffer what was prophesied about in the final "week". Dan 2:44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall this kingdom be left to another people. It shall crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever 2 Peter 1:11 For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you Jn 18:36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this worl...

The Author of Life Knew Death For Our Sake!

...known to human history. And then his followers for centuries afterwards celebrate this day and even call it “Good Friday”! What’s so good about Good Friday though if the saviour is barbarically killed on this day? I wondered that for many years when I was younger, until one day it ‘clicked’. It may not have been a very good day as far as Jesus was concerned, by the fact he was being flogged, beaten and nailed to pieces of wood, but in terms of what he accomplished through his death – that is what makes Good Friday so very good! The death of Jesus is a very central point to our faith, though only made sense of by the resurrection. This is the Gosp...

Lent Day 24: Athanasius: Life of Anthony: Chaps. 31-40

...face, or human persecutions, this saying rings true: Romans 8:3 Nothing shall separate me from the love of Christ I hope this has encouraged you to stay strong in Christ whatever the circumstances....

Creedal Christians: Introduction

...as born a human being and not one of the brutes; Next, that I was born a man and not a woman; Thirdly, a Greek and not a barbarian” (A quote attributed to Socrates or Thales; Diogenes Laertius, Thales 1.33). “Blessed are you, Lord, our God, ruler of the universe who has not created me a woman.” (This appears as part of a sequence of blessings found in the Talmud, which men would recite in their morning prayers) There’s also other examples of early New Testament creeds, of various lengths, which can be found in: 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 Corinthians 11:23-29; Romans 1:3-4; 10:9; 1 Timothy 3:16, 2 Timothy 2:8; and possibly the more well known one, in P...

Christians and the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

...ds of the human race, to see whether they who are in health tend the sick… Around the year 260 AD, Dionysius the Great (Patriarch of Alexandria), wrote in one of his letters about this plague, describing how badly “the heathens” treated their sick in contrast to the Christians: But among the heathen all was the very reverse. For they thrust aside any who began to be sick, and kept aloof even from their dearest friends, and cast the sufferers out upon the public roads half dead, and left them unburied, and treated them with utter contempt when they died, steadily avoiding any kind of communication and intercourse with death; which, however, it was not eas...