Starve.Org White Noise Usenet Archive: "Re: DN Defeating Death 11/21/2006"

When you die you are DEAD. No religious myths or fables are going to create
any real after life!

Has any relative, friend or God communicated with any of the 6 billion sane
persons in the world?

"Peter G. Chase" <pchase1@wideopenwest.com> wrote in message
news:fs45m2dbvc4kdsodfihuo7vo7ar4evnik4@4ax.com...

> DRAWING NEAR

> November 21

> Defeating Death

> "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to
> come. By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons
> of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. By
> faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of
> the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones" (Heb.
> 11:20-22).

> Faith triumphs over death.

> Commentator Matthew Henry said, "Though the grace of faith is of
> universal use throughout the Christian's life, yet it is especially
> so when we come to die. Faith has its great work to do at the very
> last, to help believers to finish well, to die to the Lord so as to
> honor Him, by patience, hope and joy so as to leave a witness behind
> them of the truth of God's Word and the excellency of His ways."

> God is honored when His people die triumphantly. When we've lived a
> life to His glory, and joyfully left the world behind to enter into
> His presence for all eternity, He is pleased, for "precious in the
> sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones" (Ps. 116:15).

> Many believers who have dreaded facing death have experienced a
> special measure of God's grace that made their final hours the
> sweetest and most precious of their lives.

> Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph are examples of men who faced death with
> great faith and confidence. Each "died in faith, without receiving
> the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a
> distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on
> the earth" (Heb. 11:13). They hadn't seen all God's promises
> fulfilled, but by faith they passed them on to their children.

> These men didn't have perfect faith. Joseph was exemplary, but Isaac
> and Jacob often vacillated in their walk with God. Yet each ended his
> life triumphantly. That's the reward of all who trust God and cling
> to His promises.

> Like every believer before you, you haven't seen the fulfillment of
> all God's promises. But certainly you've seen far more than Isaac,
> Jacob, or Joseph did. How much more then should you trust God and
> encourage those who follow you to do the same?

> Suggestions for Prayer:

> Thank God for His marvelous grace, which triumphs over sin and death.

> For Further Study:

> Read the final words of Jacob and Joseph in Genesis 48:1--49:33 and
> 50:22-26.

> All rights reserved. Used by permission.
> http://www.gty.org

> ~~~

> Genesis 48:1--49:33
> 48:1 Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told,
> "Indeed your father is sick"; and he took with him his two sons,
> Manasseh and Ephraim.
> 2 And Jacob was told, "Look, your son Joseph is coming to you"; and
> Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed.
> 3 Then Jacob said to Joseph: "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in
> the land of Canaan and blessed me,
> 4 "and said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply
> you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land
> to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.'
> 5 "And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you
> in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as
> Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.
> 6 "Your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they
> will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.
> 7 "But as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died beside me in
> the land of Canaan on the way, when there was but a little distance
> to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that
> is, Bethlehem)."
> 8 Then Israel saw Joseph's sons, and said, "Who are these?"
> 9 And Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has
> given me in this place." And he said, "Please bring them to me, and I
> will bless them."
> 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not
> see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and
> embraced them.
> 11 And Israel said to Joseph, "I had not thought to see your face;
> but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!"
> 12 So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down
> with his face to the earth.
> 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward
> Israel's left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel's
> right hand, and brought them near him.
> 14 Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's
> head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head,
> guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn.
> 15 And he blessed Joseph, and said: "God, before whom my fathers
> Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to
> this day,
> 16 The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; Let
> my name be named upon them, And the name of my fathers Abraham and
> Isaac; And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth."
> 17 Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the
> head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father's
> hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.
> 18 And Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father, for this one
> is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head."
> 19 But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He also
> shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his
> younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall
> become a multitude of nations."
> 20 So he blessed them that day, saying, "By you Israel will bless,
> saying, 'May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!' " And thus he
> set Ephraim before Manasseh.
> 21 Then Israel said to Joseph, "Behold, I am dying, but God will be
> with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.
> 22 "Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers,
> which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow."
> 49:1 And Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather together, that I
> may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:
> 2 "Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel
> your father.
> 3 "Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my
> strength, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.
> 4 Unstable as water, you shall not excel, Because you went up to
> your father's bed; Then you defiled it; He went up to my couch.
> 5 "Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their
> dwelling place.
> 6 Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to
> their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their
> self-will they hamstrung an ox.
> 7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it
> is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob And scatter them in Israel.
> 8 "Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand
> shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father's children shall
> bow down before you.
> 9 Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
> He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse
> him?
> 10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from
> between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the
> obedience of the people.
> 11 Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey's colt to the
> choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the
> blood of grapes.
> 12 His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk.
> 13 "Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; He shall become a
> haven for ships, And his border shall adjoin Sidon.
> 14 "Issachar is a strong donkey, Lying down between two burdens;
> 15 He saw that rest was good, And that the land was pleasant; He
> bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, And became a band of slaves.
> 16 "Dan shall judge his people As one of the tribes of Israel.
> 17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, A viper by the path, That
> bites the horse's heels So that its rider shall fall backward.
> 18 I have waited for your salvation, O LORD!
> 19 "Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him, But he shall triumph at last.
> 20 "Bread from Asher shall be rich, And he shall yield royal
> dainties.
> 21 "Naphtali is a deer let loose; He uses beautiful words.
> 22 "Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a well; His
> branches run over the wall.
> 23 The archers have bitterly grieved him, Shot at him and hated him.
> 24 But his bow remained in strength, And the arms of his hands were
> made strong By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From there is
> the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),
> 25 By the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty
> who will bless you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the
> deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
> 26 The blessings of your father Have excelled the blessings of my
> ancestors, Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They
> shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him
> who was separate from his brothers.
> 27 "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he shall devour the
> prey, And at night he shall divide the spoil."
> 28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their
> father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one
> according to his own blessing.
> 29 Then he charged them and said to them: "I am to be gathered to my
> people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of
> Ephron the Hittite,
> 30 "in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before
> Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of
> Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial place.
> 31 "There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried
> Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah.
> 32 "The field and the cave that is there were purchased from the
> sons of Heth."
> 33 And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet
> up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his
> people.

> Genesis 50:22-26
> 22 So Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father's household. And
> Joseph lived one hundred and ten years.
> 23 Joseph saw Ephraim's children to the third generation. The
> children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were also brought up on
> Joseph's knees.
> 24 And Joseph said to his brethren, "I am dying; but God will surely
> visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He
> swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob."
> 25 Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying,
> "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from
> here."
> 26 So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they
> embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

> These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
> first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
> out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.

> In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
> is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
> the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
> with different monthly themes.

> If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
> of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
> you to the list(s) of your choice.

> You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:

> http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/

> and

> http://www.gty.org.uk/

> You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
> letters@gty.org

> NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
> me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.

> In Christ,

> Peter

> Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
> pchase1@wideopenwest.com

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> To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner
> was you. -Alistair Begg