russ@ihuxi.UUCP (Russell Spence) (09/24/84)
> -- Jeff Sargent > {decvax|harpo|ihnp4|inuxc|seismo|ucbvax}!pur-ee!pucc-h:aeq > "Jesus looked Death in the eye, and Death blinked first." I've seen this on Jeff's sign-off line a couple of times now, and every time I saw it, it bothered me. To me, Jesus and Death do not belong in the same universe. To use both of them in one sentence is simply farcical. (Jeff, if it was meant to be humorous then I have no problem with it, and I would hate to alienate another netter over something as silly as a sign-off line). Death (with a capital D. you know the scythe wielding, black robed skeleton) is something of a mythical or symbolic symbol. When your time comes up he shows up at your door and with one stroke of his scythe, he sends you off into oblivion. I am not sure of the origins of this image, but I am pretty sure it is not Christian. I always thought that according to the Christian tradition, that God was the arbiter of your death, and that when you died you were judged by God. With Death thrown in like that it brings up all kinds of other questions. Is Death just one of God's angels? If so, why isn't he mentioned in the Bible? (or am I just making myself look stupid because I haven't seen it?). Is he in league with Satan? If so, then does that mean that God doesn't have control over the time of your death? The passage seems to imply that Jesus is fighting Death. Not just our physical or spiritual death but an entity named Death that seeks to steal our souls. There seems to be confusion of symbols here (possibly on my part). Christians should be careful of this kind of confusion (at least one person, me, was confused) because it may alienate some people and it causes a misunderstanding of Christ's true message. -- Russell Spence ihnp4!ihuxi!russ AT&T Technologies Naperville, IL
robin@drutx.UUCP (09/24/84)
As far as Jesus looking Death in the eye and Death blinking first... Hebrews 2:14,15 (NIV) "Since the children have flesh and blood, he (Christ) too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." "Wherever He leads, I'll follow!" Randy Wilson AT&TIS Denver drutx!robin (303) 538 3768
aeq@pucc-h (Jeff Sargent) (09/25/84)
From Russell Spence (ihuxi!russ): >> "Jesus looked Death in the eye, and Death blinked first." [my .signature] > I've seen this on Jeff's sign-off line a couple of times now, and every > time I saw it, it bothered me. To me, Jesus and Death do not belong in > the same universe....Death (with a capital D. you know the scythe wielding, > black robed skeleton) is something of a mythical or symbolic symbol. Sorry this put you off. I got it from a sermon I heard a few weeks ago; I don't know if the preacher originated it himself or got it elsewhere. He was merely using this statement as a (clever, fresh, and powerful, I thought) way of affirming the victory Jesus has already obtained over death (small "d") and Satan. It was indeed symbolic. > Is Death just one of God's angels? No; the Bible records that God's angel *caused* the deaths of numerous people (e.g. the Assyrian armies attacking Jerusalem), but this does not necessarily mean that that angel does that as a full-time job. Actually, in Revelation, there is a little phrase "death [I think it's a small 'd'] and hell were cast into the lake of fire." I am not going to claim any great skill at interpreting the Book of Revelation in detail! > The passage seems to imply that Jesus is fighting Death. Not just our > physical or spiritual death but an entity named Death that seeks to steal > our souls. One of your other questions was "Is he [Death] in league with Satan?" Jesus is fighting Satan, an entity that seeks to steal our souls and bring us to spiritual death -- or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that He helps us to fight Satan; Jesus Himself already defeated him by rising from the dead. > There seems to be confusion of symbols here (possibly on my part). Christians > should be careful of this kind of confusion (at least one person, me, was > confused) because it may alienate some people and it causes a misunderstanding > of Christ's true message. Gee.... Here we try to state the true message in a new and arresting way, and it causes confusion. A pity. However, after this article, I will come up with a new .signature; Paul indicates that one should not cause another to stumble. -- -- Jeff Sargent {decvax|harpo|ihnp4|inuxc|seismo|ucbvax}!pur-ee!pucc-h:aeq "Jesus looked Death in the eye, and Death blinked first."
woof@hpfcla.UUCP (woof) (10/12/84)
[] > Is Death just one of God's > angels? If so, why isn't he mentioned in the Bible? See Revelation 6:8. Steve Wolf [ihnp4,hplabs]!hpfcla!woof