| Genesis 2:17,3:24 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat; for on the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."1 [ Adam and Eve did die to the Life of God, not to the life that we know. The life we have in this physical world of earth, to where and what Adam and Eve were banished, is a death; we are dead to the life of God and thereby cursed, but without knowing how much better the life of God is, we cannot fully see our sad state.] 24 So he drove the man out; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden the Cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. [Thus men passed from life to death, having lost the life of God, which is the light of men; and all men then walk in darkness, unless they are restored to the image of God — pure, perfect, holy, and righteous — passed from death to life — back to eating from the tree of life in paradise. Until restoration, all men are mostly deaf to the voice of the Lord, blind in darkness out of the light of God, lame in ability to walk with God, and dumb with inability to speak virtuous words as directed by God. From the Word of the Lord within: "Obedience leads to restoration of life."] | Proverbs 21:16 16 The man who wanders out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.2 [The congregation of the dead is the assembly of those who are still sinning and think they are righteous and favored by God because they believe. They are dead to the life of God, just like the demons who believe in God and Jesus and are dead to the life of God.] | Matthew 8:22 22 But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead." [Dead people cannot bury the dead. Until restored to the life of God, all men are dead — dead to the life of God, unable to eat from the tree of life, from which Adam and his sons were expelled, and which is protected by a flaming sword. To be restored to the life of God and eat from the tree of life, one must pass through the flaming sword — the baptism of fire from the Holy Spirit.] | Revelation 3:1 1 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, These things says he who has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know your works, that you have a name that you live, but you are dead. [Jesus is telling the people in this church that although they live on the earth, they are dead, still sinning, and so dead in their sins, dead to the life of God, just like the demons who believe in Jesus and God and are dead to the life of God. The people in this church have not yet seen their salvation brought to them by Jesus.] | Ephesians 2:5-6 5 And when we were dead in our sins, He brought us to life in union and fellowship with Christ;2 it is through grace that you are saved; [but you have not been saved by grace until you have been brought to life in union and fellowship with Christ, having been raised up together with Christ into heaven. From the Word of the Lord within: "Saved by grace; but what about the rest of that chapter? You have not experienced grace until you have been raised with Him. Salvation occurs when you are one with Christ and God. Once you are in union, it is permanent." We die in our sins through the baptism of death. From the Word of the Lord within: "There is a dying. One actually dies to enter the camp. You are raised to a new life, not just an imitation; He is one with us and ever-present." For detail on the baptism of fire and death, see the footnote to Matthew 3:11-12 on this site.] 6 And has raised us up together [with Christ], and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.3 [This is to have experienced being translated into the kingdom of heaven, where you are with Christ in sight and consciousness. From the Word of the Lord within: "I work with the blind; but if you think you can see, and you are not with me in heaven, I will make you a laughingstock."] | John 5:25 25 Truly, truly, I say to you, 'The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear shall live. [There is no one-time resurrection of the dead for all men of all ages that Christianity teaches, for as Paul wrote: "And when we were (past tense) dead in our sins, He brought (past tense) us to life in union and fellowship with Christ; it is through grace that you are saved; And has raised (past tense) us up together [with Christ], and made (past tense) us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Eph 2:5-6. Paul and some of the Ephesians had already been resurrected from being dead in their sins. To pass from death to life, we first have to listen to the Holy Spirit and the word of the Lord within to hear and obey His many teachings and commands. Then with long persistence and patience in doing obedient works of repentance, we experience the baptism of fire and death, to then hear the Voice of the Lord like thunder over waters as we pass over from death to life and into the kingdom. You lose your life at the conclusion of your crucifixion of self, with many many acts of commanded repentance, several trials with suffering, and then the baptism of fire, which is the baptism of death. From the Word of the Lord within: "There is a dying. One actually dies to enter the camp. You are raised to a new life, not just an imitation; He is one with us and ever-present. These are not paths of glory traveled lightly." For detail on this baptism of fire and death, see the footnote to Matthew 3:11-12 on this site. | Ephesians 5:14 14 Therefore he said, "Awake you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light." [The meaning of dead is: when Adam disobeyed God in the garden, he lost the life of God and was cut off from the tree of life; thus he and all his descendants passed from life (of God) to death in the life of God. So we are dead until we are restored to the Spiritual image of God in all righteousness and holiness, which only occurs in those who have crucified the selfish, sinful spirit within them, which is then replaced by the Spirit of Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. With Christ in us, controlling our words and deeds, we have the Life of God; but not until then. So, Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light. For in him is the Life, and the Life is the light of men; the true light that enlightens all men who come into the world. John 1:4,9.] | Luke 24:5,9:60 5 And as they were frightened and bowed down their faces to the earth, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? 60 But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their dead; but you go and preach the kingdom of God."5 | Romans 6:13 13 Neither yield your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but yield yourselves to God, as those that are raised alive from the dead, and your members for instruments to be used for righteousness by God.3 [You lose your life at the conclusion of your crucifixion, with many many acts of commanded repentance, several trials with suffering, and then the baptism of fire, which is the baptism of death. From the Word of the Lord within: "There is a dying. One actually dies to enter the camp. You are raised to a new life, not just an imitation; He is one with us and ever-present." When raised, God will guide your thoughts, words, and works. We are then a fit instrument for his hand to show the world the love of God, to shake the nations, and to hold out the word of life. Walking under the Spirit's total control, we walk as Jesus walked, and we do works of righteousness as Jesus worked righteousness; then, and only then, are we righteous. Little children, let no man deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. 1 John 3:7] | |