Corpse Brides In Demand In China
A corpse bride can bring in as much as $20,000 in China. According to the staff writers at news.com.au:
This is the alarming reality facing rural families in China, who shockingly regularly discover the bodies of loved ones have gone missing. The practice is fuelled by a belief that a newly deceased bachelor must be buried alongside a woman.
According to the bizarre tradition, which was outlawed under Communism, elderly single men are given a “bride” to be buried with when they die, with some considering it bad luck to pass into the next life without a female companion.
Some believe a “ghost wedding” prevents their dead bachelor relative becoming restless and returning to haunt and bring misfortune to the family.
Ghost weddings date back 3000 years, but despite being stamped out by China’s ruling Communist party, the belief still exists, particularly in rural areas. The ghoulish ritual involves a corpse being reburied next to the dead man while drums are played in front of relatives.
These poor people suffer from an uninformed fear of death, seeking better "luck" to navigate its mysteries. And to make matters worse, they fear the dead themselves, seeking to placate them so as not to be haunted.
Ultimately, what this ancient culture suffers from is the lack of influence of the Gospel. Not understanding the joys and assurances that a knowledge of the Truth brings, the void has been filled with superstition and fear.
It is not a corpse bride you need by your side as you journey from life into death. It's The One Who conquered death itself. In Christ, and in Christ alone, death loses its sting.
"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55).
Additional Application:
What these bachelors need in death isn’t a dead bride, but a resurrected Groom!
“I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him” (2 Corinthians 11:2).
The Ugly Bride
A man in Algiers is seeking $20,000 in damages for the psychological suffering he endured after waking up from his honeymoon with an ugly bride. The lawsuit was filed the day after the wedding when the groom claimed that his wife defrauded him by wearing heavy makeup until the morning after the wedding.
There’s no chance Jesus is waking up with an ugly bride! The Church, The Bride of Christ, need not fear that the make-up of her pretenses will be wiped away, exposing her flaws. That’s because, as His bride, we will be adorned in the robes of His righteousness. On that day, the Bride of Christ will never be more beautiful!
“Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready” (Revelation 19:7).
Of Humpback Whales and Songs of Deliverance
Humans and birds aren't the only creatures that sing. Whales sing too. In fact, the songs of humpback whales are some of the most complex arrangements in the animal kingdom. Their ditties consist of vast roars, deep bellows, and groans interspersed with interesting sighs, chirps, whistles, and squawks.Their songs range from five to 30 minutes long.
Once a whale is done singing, it will surface to take a breath, then descend to about 50 feet, where it holds its position with its head down and then repeats the song verbatim, again and again, sometimes for hours on end.
As far as we know, only the males sing, and humpbacks in the same region of the ocean sing the same song. Each year, their songs change somewhat, as though they are experimenting with different arrangements.
The song of the humpback reaches sound levels up to 180 decibels — that's louder than a rocket blasting off! And researchers believe that some of these low-frequency sounds can travel more than 3,000 miles!
Did you know that the Bible says the loud voice of an angel can reach all around the world? "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people - saying with a loud voice, 'Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water'" (Revelation 14:6, 7).
The Three Angels of Revelation 14 represent God's church of these last days. We, as members of His church are responsible for proclaiming the Good News of the Everlasting Gospel to the entire world. Like the mighty whales, we boldly proclaim, as the psalmist calls them, "songs of deliverance" to a needy world.
Sometimes the melodies will change, as we continually reassess how best to meet the current needs of our communities and our world. But the message will always be the same ... the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Chirst, come "to seek and to save those who are lost" (Luke 19:10, NLT).