Dusty road

My wife’s dad passed away over the weekend and we will attend his funeral later this afternoon. We appreciate the prayers and our family has felt them and they have helped. He was old and feeble and suffering and now he is in paradise. Or is he?

His wish was to be cremated and his ashes spread in a river near his birthplace. There is some controversy from some of the family members about this because they believe that we “sleep” in our graves until Christ returns and at the sound of the trumpet will rise to meet the Lord at the Rapture. If their theory is correct, he has yet to join the Lord in paradise and is asleep. Their desire is contrary to his request to be cremated, and they want him to be buried in a traditional manner, whereby he will sleep and await being raised in the Rapture.

So which is it? Do we sleep in our graves until the Rapture? Or when we die, do we instantly go to be with the Lord?

The Bible is a little hazy on this subject and it can be interpreted both ways. A literal look at some Scripture seems to verify the sleep and Rapture theory and yet there is more evidence, at least in my mind, to support the statement that the referenced Scripture is more figurative in nature and is not to be taken literally and that other parts of the Bible indicate that, “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord”, and clearly indicate that the moment that we die we join the Lord. Jesus said to the thief on the cross, “This day’ you will be in paradise”. He did not say, because of your faith, at the Rapture when the trumpet sounds you will be raised and join me in paradise.

Whatever I do not find this as something of great importance. Even if the sleep theory is correct it would be insulting to God to think he could not work it out. If someone is to be cremated I’m sure God will take care of that person wherever the ashes end up. Otherwise what would have become of those who were vaporized in the terrorist attack of 911, or those devoured by wild animals or lost at sea, or a myriad of other such deaths whereby the person is not buried in a traditional manner? To me it is silly to argue such points. The Bible is clear that we should not argue these gray areas of the Bible, particularly if it is disturbing to someone else, as it serves no Godly purpose and can divide and cause angst among Christian brothers and sisters.

I have read the Bible numerous times and am convinced that we instantly go to be with the Lord. I can dig up the Scripture to back that up and the Seventh Day Adventists and others can dig up Scripture to back up their position. In the end, the important thing is that we believe that Jesus Christ died on a cross as a perfect sacrifice and payment for our sins in order that we might live and spend eternity with Him and that without Him we will be eternally separated from God.

As for cremation, I don’t really care. It sounds like a good practical thing to me, but I do not want to impose my wishes in that regard on my family. Burials are for the living not for the dead. My soul will be long since be departed from my lifeless body by the time they get around to that stage. Whatever gives them the most comfort and peace is fine with me. Our lifeless shells will simply return to dust one way or the other, either in the grave on perhaps along some dusty road. The soul and spirit go on living and will reside for eternity either in heaven or Hell, entirely dependent upon one’s acceptance or rejection of Jesus Christ the only Son of God… That is what is important. Thanks so much for the many prayers!

John 3:16
For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish, but have
everlasting life.
For God did not send His Son into
the world to condemn the world; but
that the world through Him might be
saved.