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: cremation
Burning Bush! Exodus 3:2
This is not a California wildfire! The bush the Angel appeared out of was burning yet not consumed? Some theologians believe this Angel was Christ! We have some other examples of this in our Bible! Remember Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego? The angry King threw them into the fiery furnace! They were in the fire but not consumed along with the 4th man believed to be Christ! It was the same Angel in the burning bush! Did you know the souls in Hell are not consumed by the fire! However they feel the flames forever! Remember the rich man and Lazarus? The rich man begged Lazarus who was a beggar while on earth to bring some drops of water to cool his tongue! To warn his family still living on earth of his plight! Interestingly when God is in the fire with you there is no burning on your body! I am not a cremation fan because fire represents judgment! In the Old Testament the sacrifices were no good unless the animal was completely consumed! God never allowed human sacrifices because man a sinner could never atone for his own sin! Only God sacrificing himself for us would be enough! Remember Jesus after he was crucified descended to the heart of the earth and preached to the captives! The fire did not touch them! One day soon at the judgment seat of Christ both the living and the dead will stand before Christ! Those who rejected Christ are taken into the Lake of Fire! Where the worm dieth not and the fire is never quenched! Would it not be better to be with Christ in the fire and protected than apart from him and burned forever? Only a fool would reject Christ! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Easter Truth! John 5:28-29
These are the words of Jesus spoken from the Book of John! This is not my opinion! These words spoken by Jesus here are also confirmed by other scriptures including the Old Testament! The truth spoken here by Jesus here says that all will be raised from the dead! The believers and unbelievers! I believe this truth is forgotten in most Easter Messages! We forget the Bible applies to everyone whether you believe it or not! The righteous raised to everlasting life and the unrighteous raised to judgment and the second death or lake of fire! This truth makes the Salvation message even more important! Most of the 21 Century preaching today is a soft petal message of Jesus! Jesus was a lamb at His first coming but will be a lion at His second coming! How does a culture try to deny the truth about what Jesus said in this scripture in John? If you try to deny the grave then you could avoid any resurrection! Right? Three ways those at war with God in American culture do this! First they deny the existence of God! Atheism which includes Darwinism and evolution and the junk science that tries to validate it! Second the grave is denied through abortion! To abort a baby in the womb and cut it to pieces and sell the body parts is to deny this soul’s existence! No grave no resurrection! Abortion is also about money! Money is the root of all evil! Sadly millions of dollars of our tax money is used to do these atrocities on millions of children! Cremation is also a denial of the soul and the grave! Cremation is promoted as a method to save money? Save it for abortion! If you have no body you have no grave! War itself is a denial of the human soul and the sanctity of life! Islam claims it is their duty to kill Christian’s and Jews? Cut their heads off and separate the body and deny the grave! They also claim it is their job to eradicate a whole race of people in Israel? Hitler echoed the same words! He used cremation on 6 million! Rather than try to deny life and the grave would it not be better that your eternity is predicated on what you do with Jesus Christ! When the train blows the whistle and you are not on board it will be too late! Happy Easter! 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