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To: stanne

Mary is no closer to God than any other person, past or present.

When referring to Deity, the Bible mentions only the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; cf. Matthew 3:16-17; John 10:30; 17:21; Acts 5:3-4). Mary is never mentioned in that context. Further, the heaven where God and His angels reside (Deuteronomy 10:14; 26:15; 1 Kings 8:27,30) is not yet inhabited by human beings. Jesus said: “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man” (John 3:13, emp. added). These words represent the truth about all the people who have left this world (including Mary). No one is in heaven because heaven is reserved for all faithful servants of God since time began (cf. John 14:1-3). Not until after the Second Coming of Christ and the final Judgment will it become home for the faithful, both living and dead (Matthew 25:31-46;
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

The idea that Mary occupies a special place in heaven, close to the Son, is a tradition. It shows a lack of understanding concerning biblical teachings on the afterlife. In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus explained that the dead (saved and lost) go to a place called “hades” (16:23, Hebrew sheol)—a spiritual waiting place that separates the consolation of the righteous (referred to as “paradise,” cf. Luke 23:43) from the torment of the wicked. In hades, the righteous begin to taste part of the joy that awaits them in eternity, while the wicked begin to taste part of the suffering that awaits them. Hades is not the dwelling place of God; God dwells in heaven. Mary, along with Abraham and other faithful servants from the past, is waiting in hades until its dead are delivered up, when the Lord returns to judge each man and woman according to his or her works (Revelation 20:13). In this spiritual realm that precedes heaven, there is nothing that those who are there can do for those who are here (Luke 16:27-31).

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52 posted on 03/28/2015 1:14:37 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (You can help: https://www.tedcruz.org/donate/)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

The church doesn’t say she is


60 posted on 03/28/2015 1:46:04 PM PDT by stanne
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Three of the four Gospels record something intriguing on what Jesus has to say about his mother:
(Matt 12:48-50)
But to the one who had told him this, Jesus[d] replied, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

(Luke 8:20-21)
And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.”
But he said to them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

(Mark 3:33-35)
And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

So, ascribing special place to Mary is explicitly rebelling against the King who has declared that whoever does the will of the Father is His mother, and brother, and sister. — One can either accept the King's decree or reject it, there is no middle ground.
64 posted on 03/28/2015 1:51:46 PM PDT by OneWingedShark (Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)
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