Chapter 14.2
Cremation
The Old Covenant
vs. the New Covenant
Freemasons –
Pagan and Heathen Ritual
First
Word
I must admit that
there is not much in scripture that supports cremation, but it’s a topic of
concern for those who cannot afford the $8,000 each in funeral expenses which
includes a plot, marker, services, transportation and burial in a casket with a
steel vault in the ground and then the closure of the plot.
Although cremation accounts can be found in the Bible, it was not common
nor at all accepted for Jews or early Christians to be cremated. Traditional Jews are prohibited under the law
from practicing cremation and some Fundamentalist Christian denominations do
not allow it either.
The Roman Catholic Church condemned
cremation with severe penalties from 1886 to 1892, but then granted permission
for it in 1963. Most of the concerns
about cremation comes from the Christian’s Belief System on
the resurrection of the BODY at the return
of Jesus Christ.
ü In general, in
the Bible Flames
are regarded as condemnation or judgment for Wickedness.
Joshua 7:15 – Cremation is destruction of
Wickedness - OT
15 He who is caught
with the devoted things (Idols) shall be DESTROYED BY FIRE (Cremated), along with all that belongs to him.
NIV
Joshua 7:24-25 – Cremated the whole family for
Wickedness
24 And
Joshua, and all
25 And
Joshua said, why hast thou troubled us? The Lord shall trouble
thee this day. And all
BURNED THEM WITH FIRE (Cremated), after they had stoned them.
NIV
1 Samuel 31:8-12 – Desecrated - Decapitated
bodies cremated
8 And it
came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that
they found Saul
and his three sons fallen.
9 And they
cut off his
head, and stripped off his armour,
10 And they
put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his
body to the wall of Beth-shan. And
when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard of that which the Philistines
had done to Saul;
12 All the
valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his
sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and
came to Jabesh, and BURNT THEM
THERE (Cremated)
NIV
1 Corenthians 13:3 – Cremation not accepted as
anything - NT
3 If I give all
I possess to the poor and SURRENDER MY
BODY TO THE FLAMES (Cremation), but have not
love, I gain nothing.
NIV
Wikipedia
Cremation; derived from
the Latin word "crematus" or "cremare" meaning "to burn up." It is the use of high-temperature burning,
vaporization, and oxidation to reduce human bodies to basic chemical
compounds, such as gases and mineral fragments retaining the appearance of dry
bone.
After the incineration is completed, the dry bone fragments are swept
out of the retort and pulverized by a machine called a Cremulator to process them into
"ashes" or "cremated remains." After final grinding, the ashes are placed in
a container, which can be anything from a simple cardboard box to a
decorative urn. Cremated remains
can be scattered or buried. I have known of people dividing and sending
ashes to relatives around the USA.
The arguments for Cremation are:
A.
It will prevent the corruption of the soil.
B.
Drinking water will be safeguarded against
contamination.
C.
Corruption of the air will be avoided in
localities bordering on cemeteries.
D.
A consequent lessening of the danger of infection
in times of epidemic.
Background
History reveals no trace of incineration among
the Jewish people, except in extraordinary
circumstances of war and pestilence.
The
main objection to cremation is that its roots are entrenched in the pagan
cultures of
those that do not believe in the One God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Church has opposed
the practice of cremation from the beginning; cremation has been utilized chiefly by the
enemies of the Christian Faith.
Cremation is seen as the most
sacrilegious act towards Christians and God;
not simply blaspheming, but physically
declaring a disbelief in the resurrection of the body.[1]
In order to destroy FAITH in the “Resurrection of the Body”, the pagans often cast the corpses of martyred Christians into the flames, believing this would
render it impossible for the resurrection
of the body.[2] In Italy in 1873, it was
the Freemasons
who first obtained “official legislative
recognition” from various
governments for the practice of cremation.
Death
Saying Grace: Where did the expression of “Saying Grace”
come from? It is
in recognition of the food on the table; a plant or animal's giving their life,
providing sustenance and that someday the Prayer Giver, like
every being, will return to earth to give sustenance and life to others. The Bible says that God made man from dust and
to dust he shall return. [3]
Ashes to
ashes is not in the Bible, but Dust to dust is. – Just saying
"Dust
returning to Dust;" Come, Let us reason together;[4]
If God can resurrect a box of dust, He can just as easy resurrect a box of cremated ashes SELAH
Old & New Covenant
There is NO direct scripture in the Bible
forbidding cremation although most of scripture indirectly supports making sure
the bones are treated with respect and dignity, transported and deposited back
where the family lives; it is clear that the body is the temple of God.
The
Hindus seeking to get to their
next body ASAP through re-incarnation would destroy the old one immediately after death by cremation.
When I read in the Old Covenant, all the indirect scripture about
the practices of the heathen pagan nations,
I absolutely WOULD NOT raise my hand in support of cremation. It is a practice born out of the pit of hell
which profanely desecrates the human body. Christian Martyrs were burned
at the stake for their Christian belief.
However; The New Covenant is where I must hang my hat.
ü
I desire to observe “the Lord Supper”
ü
I desire the same baptism as Jesus Christ
ü
I desire to be buried in the same manner as Jesus
was buried.
ü
I desire the same resurrection.
What I read indicates that none of the promises of the OT
or NT
will be done away with, but
It’s the decisions you make with your body during your lifetime that
makes a difference. When your body has returned
to room temperature; it’s all over; what happens to your body does not affect
your salvation. John the Baptist was separated from his head, but at Christ’s
return, he will get a whole new incorruptible and spiritual body. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ paid for the forgiveness of
Let’s Reason
Come let us reason together.[5] It’s been some 6,000 Bible years since the
Creation and people have been buried at sea;[6]
bodies have been decapitated, some have been consumed by animals, bones have
been carried off by dogs, others have been buried and decomposed back to dirt
and even spread about by erosion and hurricanes and even a plow.
The Bible teaches that God is Omnipotent;[7]
all powerful and making people out of dust is something that He has already
done before; it’s His Specialty. We “Sort
of” have an example when Ezekiel had a vision of the Nation of Israel
coming together; like a vast number of dry bones in
a valley.[8] God knew where each bone should be joined
together and added the flesh and the breath of life to them.
FIRE... Just because
a loved one was burned up in a house fire doesn't mean God can't resurrect it
to newness of life and reunite it with the soul and spirit of the believer. If God will NOT do this, then all believers who have ever
died in a fire are without hope of receiving their heavenly bodies. Our resurrected body is not our old body of
flesh and blood, but is a heavenly body; a new and spiritual body.[9]
The Take Away
FINANCES... Having a public Christian burial was
important to my family and many years ago we
On the issue of cremation, I find no words of condemnation by Jesus
Christ, so perhaps we should not either.
If you can provide a Christian burial, I think by all means you should
do so, however, if your best option is cremation, then do that.
Running with the New Covenant, in my BS, I CANNOT see how it makes any difference on what happens
to your body after death, whether you are a Christian or not; when you die, the
“Die” has already been cast for
where you will spend eternity... and you chose it.
The Believer is not with the body anyway;[10] when
we leave our body, we are present with the Lord. At the resurrection, the
Believer will be raised with a NEW incorruptible
body. [11]
ü
If your hat is hung on the LEAGALISM of the OT, then you will not agree with
this study
ü
If you are under the NT; then you are
You are
One last word... Everybody will live forever SOMEWHERE.
It’s what you do with
your body on this side of death that determines where you are going; thus the
die is cast.
Life’s decisions have
eternal consequences.
It’s Jesus Christ plus nothing else.
[1] John 11:25-26 – Jesus is
the Resurrection and the life, He who believes in me will live, even though he
dies
[2] 1 Thessalonians 4:16 –
The dead in Christ will be Resurrected
[3] Genesis 2:7 – God formed
the man from the dust of the ground -- Genesis 3:19 – You
are made of dust and to dust so you will return
[4] Isaiah 1:18 - Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD
[6] Revelation 20:13 – At the
return of Christ, the Sea will give up its dead
[7] Revelation 19:6 – GOD IS
[8] Ezekiel 37:7-10 – Ezekiel
had a vision of dry bones coming together and breath entered them; they came to
life and stood up on their feet-a vast army
[9] 1 Corenthians 15:35-44 –
The body that is sown is perishable, but it is raised imperishable, in glory, power,
spiritual -- 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 – The dead will rise and be caught up to
heaven to meet the Lord in the air
[10] 2 Corenthians 5:8 – We
are not in our old body anyway
[11] 1 Corenthians 15:22-23 –
Those who belong Him will be made alive -- 1 Corenthians 15:51-52 – The
believing dead get an incorruptible new body
[12] John 8:36 – The Son has set us
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