THE GOOD NEWS MISSION

What does the Bible say about cremation?

Cremation

As with many words (like Trinity), you will not find cremation directly in the Bible. But FIRE is a judgment from God, and therefore a Christian's cremation is discouraged.

Let us see where the Bible speaks of God's judgment with fire (there are many more places):

  1. Genesis 19 The best known are Sodom and Gomorrah. God destroys these cities with fire and brimstone because of their grave sins.
  2. Leviticus 20:10-14 If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death. 11 The man who lies with his father's wife has uncovered his father's nakedness; both of them shall be put to death, their blood is upon them. If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall be put to death; they have committed incest, their blood is upon them. If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death, their blood is upon them. If a man takes a wife and her mother also, it is wickedness; they shall be burned with fire, both he and she, that there may be no wickedness among you.
    Leviticus 21:9 And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.
  3. Number 11:1-3 And the people complained in the hearing of the LORD about their misfortunes; and when the LORD heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them, and consumed some outlying parts of the camp. Then the people cried to Moses; and Moses prayed to the LORD, and the fire abated. So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the LORD burned among them.
  4. Joshua 7:15 And he who is taken with the devoted things shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has done a shameful thing in Israel.
    Josué 7:24-26 And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the mantle and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters, and his oxen and asses and sheep, and his tent, and all that he had; and they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. And Joshua said, "Why did you bring trouble on us? The LORD brings trouble on you today." And all Israel stoned him with stones; they burned them with fire, and stoned them with stones. And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day; then the LORD turned from his burning anger. Therefore to this day the name of that place is called the Valley of Achor.
  5. 2 Kings 1:10-12 But Eli'jah answered the captain of fifty, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Then fire came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. Again the king sent to him another captain of fifty men with his fifty. And he went up and said to him, "O man of God, this is the king's order, 'Come down quickly!'" But Eli'jah answered them, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
  6. Matthew 3:10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
    It talks about the useless worker who is not doing a good job.
  7. Matthew 13:41-42 The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.
  8. Matthew 25:41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
  9. Leviticus 21:9 And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.

In the New Testament there are 62 verses that speak of fire.

From these verses it might be clear that fire is a punishment from God. That is why heretics were burned at the stake.
That is why I am of the opinion that a Christian cannot be cremated.

A cremated Christian does no go to heaven?

Many heretics of the Roman Catholic Church (including Luther's followers) were burned at the stake. Jews in World War II concentration camps were gassed and their bodies burned.

That is why I do not want to say that they will not go to Heaven or to the New Earth. Fire is a symbol of God's punishment. The lake of fire is prepared for the devil and the fallen angels. According to Revelation 20:10-15, the lake of fire is also for someone whose name is not written in the book of life. The name of a true Christian is in the book of life. Therefore, regardless of whether he or she (out of ignorance) has been cremated, he or she will NOT enter the lake of fire.

What is cremation?

Cremation is the burning of a deceased person's body.
A fireproof cremation stone with a unique number is placed on the chest, so that misunderstandings about the identification cannot arise. The deceased is then placed in the oven in a special cart at a temperature of 800-1100 degrees and the duration is about one and a half hours.
General: The coffin is not mandatory, cremation can also occur with the body placed on a board and wrapped in a shroud.
After cremation, all unburned remains, such as surgical metal and the cremation stone, are removed from the ashes.
The ashes go immediately into a temporary urn, the ashtray.
Before filling the ashtray, checked is that the number of the ashtray and the cremation stone are the same.