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Sleeping.
What does the swan do when it is time to sleep? It just tucks its head into the feathers and sits on the ground or floats and sleeps. |
  Mice
curl up in a ball. A bear will just sprawl out. |
 An
elk lies on the ground and relaxes. They all go unconscious. They are easy
to surprise in this state of sleep. |
 A
grizzly bear just sprawls out in the sun and sleeps. |
 A
sun bear just lies in the tree propped in snuggly so he does not fall out
while unconscious. |
 The
musk ox lays on the ground and the walrus just flops on the rocks. |
 This
goose does nothing while it sleeps. It just tucks its head into the
feathers. None of these animals are talking while sleeping. They are just
unconscious. |
 A
dog curls up with tail wrapping about its face with his ears up for sound. |
 Hippopotamus
just float in a big waterbed and sleep. Often they leave their eyes open. |
When little boys sleep, they are not running, playing, or eating or
talking. They are just unconscious.
The Bible says Death is like sleeping. SONG: Death is like sleeping. When the trumpet sounds, the dead will be raised, never to die again, and we shall all be changed. 1 Corinthians 15:52 What happens when a person dies? |
 There
is a great loneliness in the hearts of the people left living when someone
special dies. There is a whole section of pages on this web site for grief
recovery. If you are hurting, I recommend that you go to those sites and
read through the recommendations. The sadness is awful. Many have described
grief as feeling like their whole body aches. The bone marrow does not
work as well and there are medical reasons why the body aches. Grief is
painful. Only God can ease the pain and heal those broken in
heart at loosing someone. Many wonder at this time what really happens
when their loved one died. Where does he go? Can they see or think when
they are dead? |
| The Bible says death is like sleeping. Sleeping is an
unconscious state. There is no more thinking done. In Ecclesiastes 9: 5,6
it says that the dead don't know anything. At that time their love and
their hatred stop at death too. That means they don't have any more
emotions. That is just how people are who are unconscious.
The Bible says in verse 6 that there is not anything more that they do. |
 When
baby Jerry died, so many dreams were crushed. His little bedroom was so
empty. A sadness hung over our home. I could not get much of anything done
for other children in the home. I just sat in the chair and read Bible
stories for my other children. I wept for days. At times I just did not
want to wake up to another day. After three months, my heart was lighter.
At the end of this lesson is a list of promises I found in the Bible that has brought so much comfort and healing to me and to friends when their children die. |
 I
shared these promises with a friend when her baby died at birth. These
promises led us to determine to be faithful so we could see our babies
again.
We determine to raise our little boys together in heaven. They will play safely without ever having any sadness or pain in heaven. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-19 I found such comfort in reading: "There will be a shout of command, the archangel's voice, the sound of God's trumpet and the Lord Himself will come down from heaven. Those who have died believing in Christ will rise to life first; then we who are living at that time will be gathered up along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will ALWAYS be with the Lord. So then, encourage one another with these words." Good News version.
Lazarus did not have any stories to tell of what he did when he was dead. He did not have stories of going to heaven. He had been unconscious, sleeping and decaying till Jesus called that third day. Another person in the Bible who was raised to life by God's power was Dorcas. In Acts 9:36 the Bible calls this lady a disciple that comforted everybody. She gave loving service instead of gossip. When she died the people called Peter. He prayed and God saw fit to bring her back to life to do more loving deeds. |
 Death brings such heart break but there is comfort in the Bible, it is the
same powerful Word that created the world. There is power in the WORD for
healing. John 1:1 "In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with
God, and the WORD was God." |
 When
He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. Job 23:10
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. Job 2:21 |
 The
Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great
delight in you, He will quiet you with His
love. He will rejoice over you
with singing. Zeph. 3:17
All that are in the grave will hear God's voice and come forth. John 5:28,29 |
 The
Lord comforts His people and will have mercy on His afflicted. Is. 49:13
God has no pleasure in the death of anyone. Ez. 18:32 These Bible verses are a comfort to all who have lost loved ones in death. These dead ones are not watching the pain and sadness in the family. These dead ones are sleeping. My Jerry sleeps till the dear voice of Jesus wakes him up. |
 At that time strong angels will carry the babes to their
mother's arms. I rest in this hope. What a special day that will be. Jesus
will take away all sadness and crying. H will take away all sickness,
handicaps and death. God will wipe away all tears. (Isaiah 25:8) In Isaiah 12:8 speaking of heaven the Bible
talks about the lion and lamb and
the little child shall lead them. "The nursing child shall play by
the cobra's hole".
|
 Jesus
promised He would come in the clouds and wake up the dead. In John 5:28,
29 it says, "all will hear His voice and come forth."
In 1 Thes. 4:16 it says the dead in Christ will rise first then the others who loved God. We know He will keep His promises to us. We have this hope. |
 Those
who think the Bible is wrong keep trying to talk to the dead. They are
only talking to Satan and his helpers who know how to mimic the sounds of
the voices they had heard while alive.
Satan has a big trick that we should not even believe for the Bible says the dead are sleeping and know nothing. He will wake them up when He comes. We hold to the Bible truths. Satan can have no power over God's sleeping people. |
| Quiz:
What happens when animals and people sleep? Where does the Bible tell us that the dead know not anything?
What happened to Dorcas? (Acts 9) What happened to Lazarus who had been dead 3 days? Did Lazarus have stories to tell of things he had done during the three days he was dead? Did he go to heaven or hell fire and look around and then have to come back to earth?
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Promises for those grieving
Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will uphold you with my right hand. Is 46:4 I will carry you.
Ps. 119:165 Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing shall offend them (nothing causes them to stumble not even loss of money, friends, family..) Ps 55:22 Cast your burden on the Lord and He shall sustain you. He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. Ps 61:2...When my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the Rock that is higher than I...vs. 4...I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.
Is 3 Is. 49:13 The Lord comforts His people and will have mercy on His afflicted.
He is not forgotten: "I will not forget you. I have graven you on the palms of my hands." Is. 49:16
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for Thou art with me. Ps. 23
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. John 14:27 You will keep him in PERFECT PEACE whose mind is stayed on You. Is 26:3
The eternal God is your refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms. Is 40:31 The eternal God is your dwelling place and His everlasting arms will hold you up forever. Deut. 33:26 & 27
Your days of grief will come to an end. Is. 60:20 He heals the broken in heart and binds up their wounds. (Psalms 147:3) A favorite Christian author of mine has written this:
Trust everything to the hand that was nailed to the cross for us. Steps to Christ page 51
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Further studies on Death
See Amazing Facts: www.amazingfacts.org Grief Recovery on this same web site
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Go to next lesson: Lesson 18 God's People Win
No matter how hard it is, God's People keep on wanting to be like HIM.
What happens when animals and people sleep?
The
story of Lazarus being called out of the grave wrapped in his grave
clothes is a story of joy to tell the world. As we travel around the world
telling the gospel, we wrap up students with medical bandages and
have them wait around the corner till the right point in the story and
then appear and unwrap them. What a joy we have in the promise of Jesus
waking up the dead. No one else can do this. They sleep till they hear
God's voice. Only His power can wake the dead. 
Nothing will hurt or destroy up there.
Where does the Bible promise the Jesus will wake up all the sleeping
people?
Can the sleeping mother of Jesus hear, say or do anything?
Rev. 21:4
There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.
Is.
66:13 As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you;
Is
43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.
Is.
40:11 He gently leads those that are with young
Is.
56:19,20 No more shall be heard the sound of weeping and the cry of
distress. 
Be
of good courage, I will strengthen your heart. Ps. 27:14
Those
who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. Is 40:31
God
has provided a balm (remedy) for every wound
"There
is no calamity...of which our heavenly Father is unobservant Steps to
Christ page 50
"Our
fondest hopes are often blighted here. Our loved ones are torn from us by
death. We close their eyes and habit them for the tomb, and lay them
away from our sight. But hope bears our spirits up. We are not parted
forever, but shall meet the loved ones who sleep in Jesus...The Life-giver
is coming. Myriads of holy angels escort Him on His way. He bursts the
bands of death, breaks the fetters of the tomb, and the precious captives come
forth in health and immortal beauty. Selected Messages book 2 pages 259
and 260.