What prompted me to cover this hot button topic because I heard a Pastor on TBN say it does not matter which way you go! Let us look at some scriptures! Abraham purchased a burial site for himself and Sarah (Genesis 23:9). Joseph commanded his bones be carried out of Egypt (Genesis 50:25). The Lord himself provided for the burial of Moses (Deuteronomy 34:5-6). John the Baptist was buried (Mark 6:29). The rich man (Luke 16:22). Lazarus (John 11:17-19). Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:6-10). Then Jesus himself ((Mark 15:46). Was Jesus cremated? In India even at this time and for thousands of years the Hindus were cremating! During my 3 years in India I used to roll up our car windows even in the tropical heat as we drove through clouds of crematory smoke along the highways! That smell will cause you to throw up! The heathen cremate! What if Jesus would have been cremated? No body! No grave clothes! The tomb is empty but where is the tomb? No disciples running to the tomb! Can you imagine the conspiracy theories after his cremation? Where is the body dudes? No anointing his body with spices! The whole scripture narrative would have been turned on its head! Thomas you cannot see his scars we do not know where he is? He is in a pile of ashes! Fire in our scriptures represents judgment! Hitler cremated the Jews! The popular slogan back in the 1990’s among evangelicals was, “What would Jesus do?” The real question is “What did Jesus do?” I will live, die and be buried Biblically! I know families save money by cremating! However I cannot exchange principle for money! I understand that sometimes our service members in the military were lost at sea or in accidents from fiery aircraft or vehicle crashes! I get that! However if it is in your control be Biblical! The basis for your case or argument must be based on scriptures! When did the first argument start on earth? In the Garden of Eden! Satan told Eve surely God did not say? You will not die! Jesus told Satan for his defense it is written! That is also my defense! Here is the question? Is burial Biblical? Do we have scriptures? Yes! Everywhere in the Bible! Do we have scriptures to support cremation? None! Not one! The closest word we have to cremation in our Bible is the word fire! Judgment! Case closed! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Tag: burial
$30000 Dollar Perfume! Mark 14:5
Would you spend thirty thousand dollars on perfume for your girl friend or wife? How about that much money spent on perfume for a burial! Probably not! Most Christian’s today would have picked up a bottle of perfume at Dollar Tree for Jesus! The pence or denarius was a day’s wage in the first Century! The pence was equal to ten asses or donkey’s and would have the purchasing power to get this many for a day’s wages! The day laborer and the Roman soldier got one denarius or about 20 cents for a day of labor! The denarius was a small silver coin. So the woman that anointed Jesus with this precious perfume spent 300 days labor for this act of love! The average American worker makes about 100 dollars per day wage. So the American worker at 300 day’s labor would spend thirty thousand dollars on Jesus perfume! If you were a millionaire and made 365 million dollars per year then he would spend 300 million dollars on Jesus perfume! Is it any wonder the crowd got upset at this woman? She was making them look bad! The crowd said the money could have been given to the poor! Jesus said the poor you always have with you! Since the 1960’s the American taxpayer has spent hundreds of billions of dollars on programs for the poor but the poor population has grown in numbers since then? Jesus complimented her and told her this anointing was for my burial. What she did stands as a memorial to her forever! You will meet her in Heaven! Today it is just like pulling teeth to get Christian’s to tithe their income to the church? They will not do it unless they get an income tax deduction! Forget about the offering? I find it difficult sometimes when people want God’s Blessings but will not invest into His Kingdom? We get prayer requests for health and prosperity but not a penny investment into God’s Kingdom? The only rationale I can come up with is that they do not believe God exists but in case He does pray for me! It is like playing the lottery! Buy me a ticket in case you win! This woman had wisdom to invest in the Kingdom while she was living on earth that paid eternal dividends! Her memorial stands 2000 years later! Another interesting word us for perfume is spikenard. Two Greek words make up this English word! It literally means a genuine true beloved friend of foreign origin! Are you a true beloved friend of Jesus? Is He like a treasure of foreign origin to you? Like my grandpa used to say put your money where your mouth is! Put up or shut up! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Christian Burial 1 Chronicles 16:1
Verse 1 (Ark) Comment: It is interesting the same Hebrew root word for Ark is also the same word for coffin! It is a sacred box which is kept in the Holy of Holy’s below the Mercy Seat. It originally contained the stone tablets (Ten Commandments), the pot of manna and Aron’s rod that budded! The original intent of the word was to gather together! Remember Joseph’s coffin that was carried out of Egypt during the Exodus! We have the Ark of the Covenant! The Saint’s are gathered together in His Church on earth and will be gathered together in Heaven! Christian burial is not cremation! Fire represents judgment! Jesus was not cremated! The heathen cremate their dead! Let us look at Matthew 27:52 When Jesus died on the Cross many things happened! One thing was that the graves were opened and many bodies of the Saints which slept arose from the dead! John 5:28 says, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all in the graves shall hear His voice!” Remember at the resurrection the dead in Christ will be raised first! Jesus had a coffin or tomb and that tomb was sacred! Why? Because he returned to the grave to be raised from the dead after three days in the heart of the earth! I believe cremation is an attempt by man to escape the grave! One of the big problems with cremation is that you get no closure of the deceased! You have a memorial service with no body? Like being married to a woman that has a spirit but no body! I try to pattern my life after Jesus in living and dying! The money you save in cremation is not worth it! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com