Another view on the topic...
At the time of Christ, it had been many centuries since anybody had seen anybody come back from the dead, and it was considered a hell of a big deal. There are two such stories in the NT, i.e. those of Lazarus, and of Christ himself being seen after they had died.
If you go back a thousand years from that time, particularly if you read Egyptian literature, you will note that Egyptians viewed the idea of somebody dying about the way we view somebody moving from Baltimore to Philadelphia; it clearly meant you would not be seeing the other person as OFTEN, but it assuredly did not mean you'd never see him or her again before YOU died.
We are clearly speaking about spiritual and psychic phenomena here and not about people bringing physical bodies back to life; THAT would be something from an Abbot and Costello voodoo/zombie movie and not from the bible.
There are several such stories in the old testament, including one very clear tale of somebody being seen by the living after his death:
Quote:
SA1 28:6 And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.
SA1 28:7 Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a
familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants
said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.
SA1 28:8 And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he
went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.
SA1 28:9 And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?
SA1 28:10 And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.
SA1 28:11 Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
SA1 28:12 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.
SA1 28:13 And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.
SA1 28:14 And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.
SA1 28:15 And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.
SA1 28:16 Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?
SA1 28:17 And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:
SA1 28:18 Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day......
A vacation would be great... one of these days.
