What Does the Bible say About Cremation? Should Christians be Cremated?

Most Christians through the centuries have wanted their bodies to be buried after death with a ceremony that proclaims the message of resurrection. This bodily burial has come to be known as “a Christian burial.”

The Bible does not give any specific teaching about cremation. It is interesting to note that in 2 Kings 23:16-20, burning human bones on an altar desecrated the altar. At the same time, the Old Testament law nowhere commands that a deceased human body not be burned, nor does it attach any curse or judgment on someone who is cremated.

Cremation was practiced in biblical times, but it was not commonly practiced by the Israelites or by New Testament believers. In the cultures of Bible times, burial in a tomb, cave, or in the ground was the common way to dispose of a human body.

Is cremation something a Christian can consider? Again, there is no explicit scriptural command against cremation. Some believers object to the practice of cremation on the basis it does not recognize that one day God will resurrect our bodies and re-unite them with our soul/spirit.

However, the fact that a body has been cremated does not make it any more difficult for God to resurrect that body. The bodies of Christians who died a thousand years ago have, by now, completely turned into dust. This will in no way prevent God from being able to resurrect their bodies. (Jeremiah 32:27  Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?)

The method used to dispose of a body is not nearly as important as the truth behind the concept of Christian burial: that the body is no longer housing the person who has died. Paul describes our bodies as “tents,” that is, temporary abodes. “Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands” (II Cor. 5:1). When Jesus returns, Christians will be raised to life, and our bodies will be transformed to glorified, eternal bodies.

While the Bible doesn’t specifically give instructions on how a body should be handled after death, it does provide this interesting information. It involves a telling story of the impending death and burial of Jesus!

Matthew 26:6-7 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7. There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.

Matthew 26:12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.

This story is important for several reasons, but among the particulars is the details of Jesus literal burial, and the fact that Almighty God, the Father of Christ, surely had complete oversight in the death and burial of Jesus, just as certainly as he had providential oversight in his miraculous birth!

For our consideration, Jesus was Buried in a borrowed (Jesus was poor too) tomb! 

Darrell G. Young

Two Ways

There are Two Ways to Live and Two Ways to Die!

  Many people will recall the 1990 movie "Dances With Wolves." It was a Kevin Costner film based upon a story about an army lieutenant who arrives at a destroyed army camp and sets up his post in Indian territory. 

 In the setting, Costner as Lieutenant Dunbar observes a wild coyote that constantly appears on a hill at his outpost scrounging around for food. Lt. Dunbar observed that this coyote has two white paws. He names this coyote "Two Socks."

  Two Socks would daily creep to camp looking for food. Lt Dunbar would tease Two Socks with food, trying to gain his trust, but Ole Two Socks would have none of his entreat.

  The name "Two Socks" stuck in my mind, and over time I concocted the following analogy.

There are Two Ways to live! One way is to live a life that is Right before the Lord! The other way is to live a life that is right to man.

(Proverbs 16:25 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.)

There are also Two Ways to Die. One way is a way that offers Hope! The other way is a way that offers No Hope!

The Way of Hope is Jesus! He offers you the hope of Heaven & the Hope of Eternal Life! Faith in him turns your Hope into absolute Assurance!

The Way of Man (the worldly way or your own way) offers you NO HOPE! No hope of heaven, no hope of eternal life, and with the risk that there really is a Hell to shun!

How do you want to live? How do you want to die?

Are you, like ole Two Socks scrounging around for Hope, and a reason to live?

Romans 8:24 For we are saved by Hope: (faith in Jesus)

Author: Darrell G Young
Focus on Jerusalem Prophecy Ministry

The Facts About America's Founding

Some Fast Facts About America's Founding
Commentary by: Darrell G. Young
July 6, 2020

   Recently, New York City Black Lives Matter chapter president, Hawk Newsome stated in a Fox News interview "that if BLM is not given what they are demanding, they will burn down the whole system and replace it."

  Across the country anarchists are rioting, protesting, and destroying the statues of many of America’s most historic figures. Statues of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, US Grant, Christopher Columbus and countless others have been defaced or toppled.

  Even our glorious American flag has been a target of constant attacks. These America hating thugs are burning the flag, stomping on it and condemning America’s Founding Fathers as racists and enablers of White Supremacy. The current mantra is that our founders, Washington and Jefferson were slave owners and therefore America, as conceived in its Constitution is an illegitimate nation!

  On June 3, 2020, former President Barack Obama went before television cameras to urge mayors, governors and congress to stamp out “systemic racism” in America, and in particular within its governing institutions. Two weeks later, Time Magazine ran a feature cover story about “systemic racism” in the institutions of America. Suddenly, 2020 has has become a referendum on America’s founding and its founding fathers! Suddenly, the media and the BLM movement has turned the 2020 presidential campaign into a slanderous attack on the sitting President, Donald Trump and his Make America Great Again supporters!

   It should be noted that the Trump supporters have been called “a basket of irredeemable deplorables,” “the dregs of society,” “ignorant Bible thumpers,”’and “fanatical gun clingers” by his political opponents. It seems to me these libelous statements by Democratic politicians would amount to a sort of systemic discrimination!

   Just what is “systemic racism?” Systemic racism, by definition is the incorporated normal practice of racism in a country’s government, educational system and economic procedure. Proponents of systemic racism are demanding that America’s privileged white citizenry be required to pay reparations to its black citizens; because of the evil founding of the United States!

   In light of these outlandish subversive charges against our United States, a quick review of facts about America’s founding and its founders seems to be in order. What is America’s defense against the divisive forces working overtime this year to debilitate our country. Let’s explore some basics:

   For starters, it should be noted that the United States of America was the absolute first Constitutional Republic ever conceived and birthed into existence in world history. The whole concept of nation-states only commenced after the Peace of Westphalia Treaty in 1648, that essentially broke apart the ancient kingdoms in Europe and established nation-states with defined borders.

   The Westphalia Treaty came 30 years after the British Empire incorporated slavery into North America. The British brought 20 African slaves to America in 1619, and thus slavery was spread in the Western Hemisphere by the Colonial Empires! I would note that this social order preceded the birth of the American Republic by 157 years, so it was not only a gigantic struggle for the USA to win its independence from Britain, but an even bigger struggle to destroy the practice of slavery in our new nation.

   Secondly, the concept of a Constitutional Republic is based upon a code of laws that are deemed to be so excellent, that they are declared essential for the Republics survival. Our Founding Fathers chose to build the American Republic upon the unchanging laws of the Creator of nature. This system of law is known as Natural Law. It was referenced by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Thus our Constitution was based upon the fundamental precepts of Biblical Law as proscribed by Almighty God! It is commonly known as “Divine Law.”

   Thirdly, Founder and Constitution writer James Madison further applied the concept of the “Balance of Powers” into America’s governmental systems. The founders agreed that power could not be entrusted solely to any one individual, and thus created three branches of governance. They became the Judicial Branch, the Legislative Branch, and the Executive Branch. This innovative idea was also derived from the Bible! The following two verses lie at the heart of Madison and Jefferson’s foresight.

Isaiah 33:22  For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.

Jeremiah 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

   The founding fathers knew very well that absolute power would corrupt any man absolutely altogether. They foresaw the possibility that power invested in any man only invites greed, temptation, compromise, and the potential for the subversion of the Republic.

   Moreover, James Madison unequivocally stated: “We have staked the future of our Republic, not on kings, but upon the Ten Commandments of God! George Washington added that our Constitutional Republic rested upon the teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the nations welfare is built upon the idea that the gospel taught men that their ultimate accountability was to God.

  The short story of America’s founding and its founders is that they modeled the American Republic on the Judea-Christian principles of Almighty God and his Word.

  But did that glorious ideal and auspicious founding produce a paradise right away in America? The answer is: No it did not; but it did provide the foundation for the best experience of human governance the world has ever yet seen!

   Whereas both Washington and Jefferson had inherited slaves from the previous social order; they each in turn later freed all their slaves. Yet the forces of dark profits still lurked in America’s underbelly, a fatal flaw that would exact a heavy price on our young Republic 84 years later in a war that would pit brother against brother; when Abraham Lincoln and US Grant reconciled the soul of America to its founding precepts that all men are created equal.

   Unfortunately, like Satan, the forces of divisiveness, hatred of liberty and freedom, despisers of critical thinking and the mockers of the gospel of Jesus Christ never cease in their demonic conspiracy to enslave all mankind; by destroying the Divine Law of God, and those rare exceptional nations that attempt to live up to its principles!

   America was and is still the most exceptional nation among the long roll call of kingdoms, empires, sheikdoms, caliphates, tribes, and social structures in history! No other nation has been so blessed by its Divine Creator, or done so much for his creatures!

   To those who would burn down America, pervert its history, change its laws, and mock its flag and anthem, I challenge you; “You will kneel before God someday and wish that you could Bless a place like America.”

  

The Soul of America

The Soul of America 

Commentary by: Darrell G. Young

July 4, 2020

  The Soul of America is in the cross-hairs of Hell’s fury today; just as much as it was in 1861 and 1941. The survival of Liberty in America is at stake this year!

  But just as assuredly as Hell is frothing at the mouth to take America down, Almighty God amidst this onslaught is undertaking a move towards his judgement upon our nation.

  Isaiah 60:12 For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.

  Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.

 Psalms 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord: and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

  Be forewarned Americans: (Psalms 9:17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all nations that “FORGET” God.)

  America cannot claim an ignorance of God; for we have definitely known him! Thanks to our founding father’s, America was conceived upon the light of Christianity. But to whom much has been given; much is required!

  For a nation to abandon God, and his law is a far worse fate than it might be for a nation that has never known him. Yet, our courts and our nations lawmakers have perverted the natural law of the our Creator, and sent God to the closet.

  America’s long culture war is coming to a head this year. I have no doubt that this is the reason for the current societal cancer eating away at our nations body politic!

  In 1858, Abraham Lincoln, prior to the horror of the Civil War forewarned Americans that “A nation divided against itself cannot stand.” In America today in 2020, we stand as a nation, “Divided!”

  We are Divided principally because as a nation we have forgotten God. Secondly we are divided because Satan is using his princes of darkness to subvert our people into accepting a godless, socialistic anti-American subculture of God haters!

  The Soul of America is at stake, right now, this very year! It’s time for all Gods chosen people to wake up and take a stand. May God have mercy upon our nation.

Bind Up The Nations Wounds

Bind Up The Nations Wounds

Commentary by: Darrell G. Young

June 30, 2020

  On March 4, 1865, upon winning a second term as president, Abraham Lincoln gave his second inaugural address. In his remarks, President Lincoln stated the following as he anticipated the soon end of America’s long nightmare of a Civil War.

“With malice toward none, with charity for all with firmness in the right as God gives to see the right, let us strive to finish the fight we are in; to Bind Up the Nations Wounds,” (a mere 41 days after encouraging people to help bind up the nations wounds, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated)

  With the conclusion of the fight Lincoln mentioned in his address; slavery was defeated forever across America! Over 700,000 soldiers died in that awful struggle. The nation was indeed severely “Wounded” over the fight to abolish slavery. But while America suffered a grievous Wound; its soul was saved.

  On January 1, 1863 Lincoln had plainly spelled out the goal of Union victory. It was Emancipation for America’s 1,500,000 Black people, many of whom had been enslaved for many years before the United States was even formed.

  Today; although there has been no slaves in America for 155 years; many people are only too anxious to reopen those Old Wounds, and wreak devastating harm to our national Body!

  America doesn’t need to re-fight the Civil War. Re-fighting the Civil War will only Wound our nation more, and perhaps even lead to its death. And make no mistake about it, there are many forces that are salivating over that prospect.

  Freedom still rings loud and true for anyone who dreams the American Dream. America is still the shining light set on a hill. Though there be gathered many dark forces today that would put it out, it still shines out through countless proud Americans!

  And Americans don’t need to take a knee for any football players or any singular race of people; or any politician. America’s Declaration of Independence, it’s Constitution and it’s flag recognizes the value of all life, and stands for the liberty of all mankind and provides for the social sanctuary that all men can be availed the opportunity for the pursuit of happiness!

  The only knee we as a nation and as a people need to be taking is a “Knee in Prayer” before Almighty God, to ask God to help us to see the Godly Right, President Lincoln cited; and to ask God, once again to “Bind Up Our Nations Wounds.”

The Politics of Hate and Envy

The Politics of Hate and Envy

Commentary by: Darrell G. Young

June 25, 2020

  The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned these famous words: “There is nothing holier in this life of ours than the first consciousness of Love; the first fluttering of its silken wings.”

  Truly it is that there is nothing holier than love. Love is of God. Apart from God, love in any form among human beings would not even exist. The evidence for the existence of God is love, and the fact that love ultimately overcomes hate!

  The architect of hate and envy is none other than Gods arch enemy, Satan. Satan pleasures himself in sowing seeds of conflict amongst the human race. His whole ambition is to cause people to hate one another, and to be envious of what others are blessed with.

   Sadly, the political stage is a prime venue for Satan's craftsmanship at inciting hate and envy. Unfortunately, today in America, we have too many politicians willing to assist and profit from the facilitation of the satanic system of hatred and envy.

   Divide and Conquer! It has always been the modus operandi of covert dark forces seeking to overcome the forces of love, the rule of law, peace and harmony.

   Such is the case today across America! The forces of Hatred and Envy are on the march. They march and protest because they are insecure. They march because they possess hate! They march because they hate the rule of law! They march because they know not the essence of love, nor the fluttering wings of the First Consciousness of Love! 

   But mostly, they march and act out in lawlessness and Hate because they hate the God that Loves everyone, and know not the inner peace he can bring into any environment.

  1 John 4:18-21 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19. We love him, because he first loved us. 20. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21. And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

Longfellow was right: “There is nothing holier in this life of ours than the first consciousness of Love;

The Real Roots of Racism and Slavery

The Real Roots of Racism and Slavery

Commentary by: Darrell G. Young

June 24, 2020

  Racism and slavery are subjects of trending news today. The plague of slavery has always been a curse on humanity wherever it has been implemented by the powers of this world. It has always caused hatred, envy, strife, and chaos!

  Can you list the number of nations in world history that have engaged in Slavery? The answer is ALL of them! A few nations (very few) finally dissolved their practice of slavery by legislation, as soon the Gospel Christ began to influence their culture. Great Britain, for example, after using slavery to build their empire, finally in 1807 rejected slavery.

  Can you list the nations in world history that actually fought a civil war (brother against brother) to absolve their nation from the evil practice of slavery? The answer is only one nation!

  That nation was the United States of America! (About 400,000 white Union soldiers and about 30,000 black Union soldiers died fighting to abolish slavery “nationwide” in America’s horrible civil war)
Slavery was institutionalized in America’s southland, not by the United States; but by European Colonial powers; 150 years before the United States was even conceived. It was the United States Declaration of Independence (based upon Christian beliefs) that stated that “all men are created equal” that ultimately led to the American revolt against racism and slavery!

  The practice of slavery is as old as the world. Ever since God pronounced his sentence on sinful man for his disobedience, mankind of all nations and races has sought to escape Gods sentence of hard labor for his earthly sustenance! (Genesis 3:17-19 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.)

  The easiest way for sinful man to avoid sweat and backbreaking toil was to force servitude on his fellow man; an effort thereby to circumvent Gods sentence for his Sin. Such has been the practice of nations, kingdoms, empires, state and tribal powers as humanity increased and spread.

  America is not a racist country, as many are trying to imply today. America has fought long and hard against the plague of slavery and racism. It paid a terrible price to halt the spread of slavery! (700,000 lives lost....1/20th of the entire population of the US in the 1860"s) There are racists in America, as there are in every nation of the world.

  Racism and slavery is simply the byproduct of the evil emanating from the heart of man; and not from his skin!