ABSENT OR?

ABSENT OR?

Friday, February 10, 2017

  In yesterday’s DT, A TALE OF REJECTION?, I presented an illustrative story about witnessing and suppression of witnessing. I ended with the questions “ If Samuel and Sarah died that evening would they be absent from the body and present with the Lord?  What do you think?” to which I received 4 responses.

From Diane: Dear Ed,

  Okay what do I think?  Here goes... In my opinion, "If" Samuel and Sarah go to Beautiful Savior "Missouri Synod Lutheran" Bible Church and partook of all the Sacraments (religious procedures instituted by Christ) such as Baptism, Confession, and Holy Communion, they will be saved.

  Most Lutherans are still under the first Pope, Peter, who denied Christ three times and yet Christ restored him to Pope.  The Pope has the Keys to the Kingdom; the power to bind and loosen Satan's grip on congregants.

  However, when Samuel and Sarah are dying... their souls must go immediately to the Light (Jesus) via their faith in Jesus' death for them and the Sacraments of binding and loosening.  If they all of a sudden Samuel or Sarah get convicted (because they denied Christ) and are scared to go to the light to be judged, they could be trapped and end up in Hell or purgatory.  (Yes, I know...Most Lutherans do not believe in purgatory.)  

  However, it cases like this that makes me wonder too if Sammy was scared that his parent's went to Hell.  Let's say he prayed to Jesus for his parent's souls and got them sent to purgatory or if God would allow Satan to torment him by demons the rest of his life by worrying about his parent's actions with visions of them suffering in Hell.  

  Believe me...Satan could use this vision to cause despair and get Sammy to loose his faith too.  That's Satan's job to get Christian souls away from Jesus.  God allows Satan to vet us.  Satan wants Sammy's soul too.

  I worried about my Dad's soul, possibly being Jewish, as he made light of Holy Communion and thought eating and drinking Christ's body and blood was horrendous.  According to my mother, their Lutheran church taught them it was only a symbol and not that important even if the Scripture stating its importance say it is necessary for salvation.  This is the scripture:

  John 6:44-55 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.”

  Scriptures says...many Jews and "non biblical" churches today "could never swallow it" and walked away from this Sacrament.

  Anyway, my husband and I tried to help my Dad on his death bed to believe Jesus died for him.

  As for me, I was given a dream that my Dad is in Heaven with Jesus!  Praise the Lord!

  I pray Sammy gets the same dream...

Love in Christ, Diane (NE)

From Verlyn: Would they be absent from the body and present with the Lord?   Only the Lord, who knows all things, can provide an accurate answer to that question.  The parents did seem to be embarrassed by their son’s spiritual testimony.  It would have been a perfect opportunity to praise their son, and to share what God was doing in their lives at that time (maybe nothing to share, how sad).  Going camping on weekends, would take the family away for spiritual instruction and away from opportunities to serve the Lord.  It’s not looking good for the parents.

Verlyn (AR)

From Jim: Yes I believe they would be absent from the body and present with Jesus. Two reasons, one Sammy junior was able to articulate his beliefs and I don't know that he would have been that clear had he not heard the salvation story at home. The second reason is his parents changed the subject to
Allow the see that was planted to germinate and replace the awkward silence with casual conversation. 

Jim Abraham (NE)

From C.L.: I don’t believe EBB4 was so much asking questions expecting answers to. My thinking is he was provoking us to examine ourselves to whether we are bold faithful Sammy ambassadors or cringing adults ashamed to tell others of Christ’ redemption. I stopped in my tracks and asked God for forgiveness. Paul told at great peril. Am I deterred by fear of social rejection? Verses I looked up - Romans 10:8-11; 2Corinthians 5:14-21. Jesus said “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:38. Also stated in Luke 9:26. Paul said “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; -- And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. -- That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”  Romans 1:16-18; 5:5; 10:9-11.

C.L. (MD)

Any further thoughts?

EBB4