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CHRISTIAN LIVING QUESTION 77

QUESTION 77
Does the Bible say anything about cremating human bodies?

ANSWER: Yes it does, but not in a favourable way.  It was always associate with evil and ungodly people, never once with that of a Christian. A biblical view of the burning of a body is absolute wrong. Please consider these verses:
    The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God. Deut. 7:25
    And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.  Lev. 20:14
    And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire. Lev. 21:9
    The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD
thy God.  Deut.7:25
    And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel. Josh. 7:15
    And all the houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the LORD to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Bethel.  2 Kings 23:19-20
    And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Matt 10:28
Hell is the place of the future punishment call "Gehenna" or "Gehenna of fire". This was originally the valley of Hinnom, south of Jerusalem, where the filth and dead bodies of the city were cast out and burned; a fit symbol of the wicked and  their future destruction. 
    Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:  Matt 25:41
     And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.  Rev. 20:15
Historically: Witches were burn to death in England 150 + years ago and cremation was illegal at that time.
    Earlier Christians were thought to be heretics and evil so they were burned at the stake. This went on for hundreds of years.  It was a pagan punishment on early Christians to protest their teachings about a resurrected Christ and the future resurrection of His own  In the light of what I have given you about burning of a body how can you ever believe that cremation for a Christian is in harmony with the word of God.
    The  problem in Christianity today is that people are living more by what seems all right in their own eyes, but totally ignoring the principles of the teachings of the word of God.
Dear Reader, if you are not saved your body and soul both are headed for the flames of hell. Better repent and trust Christ or you will perish

All comments and questions to: Harold Smith

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Updated July 2009, by Shelly Allen