Asleep in Jesus tombstones, 1800's?

[Artfuldodger]

Looking at cemeteries for genealogy research, I see a lot of tombstones that say their loved ones are asleep in Jesus, etc. awaiting the Resurrection. Did more people back then believe in soul sleep than they do now? Some even said waiting on the resurrection to see you again.

 

[NE GA Pappy]

i think it goes back more to where Jesus spoke about the girl not being dead, but asleep in Matt 9

 

[Artfuldodger]

i think it goes back more to where Jesus spoke about the girl not being dead, but asleep in Matt 9

Some of them say they are sleeping, never to awake! That's even more strange.

 

[Artfuldodger]

Some say this;
Asleep in Jesus! Blessèd sleep,
From which none ever wakes to weep;

That's better than never waking.

 

[Artfuldodger]

"Them which sleeps in Jesus, will God bring with Him."

"Until the day dawns."

"Here let him sleep in undisturbed dust, until the resurrection of the just."

Many do say "Here lies _____' etc., but many do say they departed to be with God.

So it seems like many thought their loved ones were sleeping in Jesus but many felt like they had went on to Heaven. Not many tombstones today would say anything related that their love one was sleeping in that particular grave. Waiting on God or Jesus to bring them home. Sleeping in that grave until the Resurrection. Waiting on Jesus to awaken them from their sleep.

Just something I noticed or picked up on.

 

[ryanh487]

The idea of an eternal human soul is pagan. The bible says God alone is immortal, and that ever lasting life is the reward of the righteous, who are resurrected and transformed at his return, and that the wicked will perish a second death, erased from existence with satan and his angels in judgement fire before the new heaven and new earth where no sin exists. Your "soul" as translated/referred to in the bible is your personality/mind. The dead sleep and know nothing, and the spirit of life returns to God from which it came. The only humans in heaven are the ones who have not died (Enoch and Elijah) and Moses, who's body the book of Jude says was claimed from the mountain top by Michael and who appeared alongside Elijah during the transfiguration as witnessed by Peter, John, and James.

 

[Artfuldodger]

The idea of an eternal human soul is pagan. The bible says God alone is immortal, and that ever lasting life is the reward of the righteous, who are resurrected and transformed at his return, and that the wicked will perish a second death, erased from existence with satan and his angels in judgement fire before the new heaven and new earth where no sin exists. Your "soul" as translated/referred to in the bible is your personality/mind. The dead sleep and know nothing, and the spirit of life returns to God from which it came. The only humans in heaven are the ones who have not died (Enoch and Elijah) and Moses, who's body the book of Jude says was claimed from the mountain top by Michael and who appeared alongside Elijah during the transfiguration as witnessed by Peter, John, and James.

If the bible says that ever lasting life is the reward of the righteous, who are resurrected and transformed at his return, why is that not eternal life? Why is that Pagan? Is it because humans have a beginning? How can one gain an eternal existence having a beginning?

 

[ryanh487]

If the bible says that ever lasting life is the reward of the righteous, who are resurrected and transformed at his return, why is that not eternal life? why is that Pagan? Is it because humans have a beginning? How can one gain an eternal existence having a beginning?

I meant the idea of a naturally immortal human soul is pagan.

We are temporary until we're transformed by christ to be eternal. That is an event that occurs at the second coming. You don't die and go to heaven or "hades", you just die. Resurrection and transformation of the righteous occurs at the return of christ.

 

[Artfuldodger]

I meant the idea of a naturally immortal human soul is pagan.

We are temporary until we're transformed by christ to be eternal. That is an event that occurs at the second coming. You don't die and go to heaven or "hades", you just die. Resurrection and transformation of the righteous occurs at the return of christ.

Exactly what makes someone righteous for this future resurrection and transformation?

 

[ryanh487]

Exactly what makes someone righteous for this future resurrection and transformation?

John 3:16- For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not PERISH, but have EVERLASTING LIFE.

Romans 10:9-10- if you confess with your mouth "Jesus is Lord" and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

John 14:6, 23 -24 - For I am the way, the truth, and the light. Noone comes to the father except through Me.
23Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

 

[Artfuldodger]

John 3:16- For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not PERISH, but have EVERLASTING LIFE.

Romans 10:9-10- if you confess with your mouth "Jesus is Lord" and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

John 14:6, 23 -24 - For I am the way, the truth, and the light. Noone comes to the father except through Me.
23Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

Ok, so it's more of a resurrection of the imputed righteous and evil vs a resurrection of the good and evil. More like a resurrection of the saved vs the lost. Unless only the righteous are resurrected and the bad die when they die. Eternal life vs death.

 

[gordon 2]

How about if the terms regards sleep were simply from biblical words. To a people that would not venture outside of scripture to state spiritual expressions, I suspect the terms simply meant "what the bible says, we have at it and nothing more." So soul sleep as a belief of doctrine was most likely not what folk had in mind with the expressions. They just wanted to say no more than what was found between the covers of the bible.

Ex. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53For the perishable must be clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.…

 

[1gr8bldr]

Looking at cemeteries for genealogy research, I see a lot of tombstones that say their loved ones are asleep in Jesus, etc. awaiting the Resurrection. Did more people back then believe in soul sleep than they do now? Some even said waiting on the resurrection to see you again.

If I recall, the vote is about 5 to 1. 5 verses that point to soul sleep and one that we read, "absent from the body is present with the Lord". The question then becomes does the bible contradict itself ..... or is this verse ambiguous, possibly being looked at wrong. We could be dead/asleep, then at Jesus coming, we are called out of the grave , leaving our body's, now absent from the body, present with the Lord. We all like to think our loved one's are in heaven now, enjoying the presence of God and all that Heaven has. But the bible does not give us this idea. That is not in the bible. I wish it were. Interesting, that I had no idea that the people of the 1800's had not yet evolved into this falsehood

 

[Artfuldodger]

If I recall, the vote is about 5 to 1. 5 verses that point to soul sleep and one that we read, "absent from the body is present with the Lord". The question then becomes does the bible contradict itself ..... or is this verse ambiguous, possibly being looked at wrong. We could be dead/asleep, then at Jesus coming, we are called out of the grave , leaving our body's, now absent from the body, present with the Lord. We all like to think our loved one's are in heaven now, enjoying the presence of God and all that Heaven has. But the bible does not give us this idea. That is not in the bible. I wish it were. Interesting, that I had no idea that the people of the 1800's had not yet evolved into this falsehood

Yeah, I was wondering more about their mindset than a soul sleep vs straight to Heaven belief. Probably hard to discuss one without the other.

Seems though from reading these headstones that maybe they thought their loved ones were actually sleeping. It's not all of the headstones so maybe even then they were headed to a more modern way of believing.

Also, in the South, were these signs side of the road that would say, "Repent, for they time is near"
"Are you ready for Christ's return?"
"I come quickly, be ready"

It's like back then, the resurrection was a big part of Christianity more so than now when you get to go straight to Heaven.

 

[Artfuldodger]

I meant the idea of a naturally immortal human soul is pagan.

We are temporary until we're transformed by christ to be eternal. That is an event that occurs at the second coming. You don't die and go to heaven or "hades", you just die. Resurrection and transformation of the righteous occurs at the return of christ.

Will we all be awaken or just the righteous? Well I guess I am interested in how we all believe as not everyone these days does believe we go straight to Heaven or He!! when we die.

For some reason I'm picturing Jesus saying In his Father's house are many rooms, that I'm about to physically go there and prepare a place for you. I will physically return and take you to where I am.

I mean Jesus didn't say physically but he ascended physically so it would stand to reason that he will come for us physically.

 

[ryanh487]

Will we all be awaken or just the righteous? Well I guess I am interested in how we all believe as not everyone these days does believe we go straight to Heaven or He!! when we die.

For some reason I'm picturing Jesus saying In his Father's house are many rooms, that I'm about to physically go there and prepare a place for you. I will physically return and take you to where I am.

I mean Jesus didn't say physically but he ascended physically so it would stand to reason that he will come for us physically.

As shown in scripture below, we see this timeline:

-Tribulation and persecution of the church
-Christ returns, transforming the living saints and resurrecting and transforming the dead/sleeping saints
-all living things are destroyed by fire with the coming of the lord
-satan is bound to the earth for 1000 years and the saints judge the judgements of God
-the unsaved from all history are resurrected, and satan and his angels are released, and all show their wickedness before the saints, showing again that God was just.
-Satan, his angels, and the unsaved are punished according to their deeds, ultimately destroyed in the lake of fire as the second death.
-The saints spend a sinless eternity with a new heaven and new earth alongside Christ/Eden is restored.


2 Peter 3:10-12 -
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.[b] That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 -
13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Revelation 20:1-20 -
And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They[a] had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.