Who can best answer this question? Not some man, however renowned he might be. Rather, Jehovah, the Creator of all life “in the heavens and upon the earth, the things visible and the things invisible,” has the answer. (Colossians 1:16) He created angels to inhabit the spirit realm and man and animals to live on the earth. (Psalm 104:4, 23, 24) Life everywhere is dependent on Him. (Revelation 4:11) Consider, then, what God’s own Word, the Bible, says about death.
Jehovah was the first to speak of death. He warned that Adam and Eve would die if they disobeyed him. (Genesis 2:17) What did that mean? Jehovah explained: “Dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19) At death the body disintegrates; it goes back to the dust. Life ceases.
Adam and Eve were willfully disobedient and were therefore sentenced to death. They, however, were not the first to die. Their son Abel was. His older brother, Cain, murdered him. (Genesis 4:8) Cain did not fear that his dead brother could take vengeance. Rather, Cain was apprehensive about what living men might do to him.—Genesis 4:10-16.
Many centuries later, King Herod was agitated when astrologers informed him that a “king of the Jews” had been born in his realm. Bent on eliminating this potential rival, Herod schemed to have all boys in Bethlehem two years of age and under slain. But an angel warned Joseph to take Jesus and Mary and “flee into Egypt.”—Matthew 2:1-16.
When Herod died, the angel told Joseph to return to Israel, “for those who were seeking the soul of the young child [were] dead.” (Matthew 2:19, 20) The angel, a spirit himself, knew that Herod could harm Jesus no more. Joseph had no fear of the dead King Herod. However, Joseph was afraid of what Herod’s tyrannical son, Archelaus, could do. So Joseph settled his family in Galilee, outside of Archelaus’ jurisdiction.—Matthew 2:22.
Why not check the Scriptures here?
BIBLE ON LINE
No comments:
Post a Comment