The Year of our Lord, Jesus Christ
John 8:51
Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
From the book of Acts to the end of the Bible those who believe in Jesus Christ, those who kept His sayings are said to be asleep, not dead.
Consider Stephen in Acts 7. This newly elected deacon preached Christ so effectively that the enemies of the Lord decided to put him to death. As he was being stoned the Bible says: And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:60
Of those believers that saw the resurrected Christ, it is written in I Corinthians 15:6, After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
Later in that same chapter, I Corinthians 15 the great resurrection chapter, it is recorded: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. I Corinthians 15:17-18
Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
Two verses later the Apostle followed that up with: For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. I Thessalonians 4:15
The thirteenth Verily, verily teaching is true. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. Those who keep the sayings of Christ never die, they simply fall asleep. But which sayings? How about Jesus’ own words in John 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? That dear reader is a good question!
Until next time,
William T. Howe, Ph.D.