Death And Dying

 

The scriptures consistently view death as an enemy that men fear and seek to avoid. We’re speaking of the physical death, which sends us to a grave beneath the earth. Yet many in this world don’t even stop to consider the fact that they are already spiritually dead, even as they live and breathe! They live for this earthly world, amassing great material wealth, not even stopping to consider that (1) the wealth they accumulate here will do them no good in the grave, and (2) the things they will need in the next life cannot be purchased with money.

 

In the Bible, the word “death” is often used to describe a spiritual condition of a person. The Bible traces both forms of death back to sin, as the cause for that death. Apart from new life through Jesus Christ, death is the dark, lonely and endless destiny of every person. But Jesus Christ became a man, experienced death for us, and has been raised to life again. In His resurrection, Jesus broke the grip of death on us. And through faith, all of us can participate in a resurrected life that will free us from our own personal, spiritual death, even as we live now in our mortal bodies. The image of death is a powerful one. But a more powerful image should be the thought of alienation from God forever, and the vision of being punished eternally for disobedience to His word!

 

In Genesis 6:3 we are told, “And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive (abide) with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.”

 

This scripture tells us that no man (or woman) shall live to be more than 120 years old. And after we die, our physical bodies will turn to dust (Genesis 3:19). That if we believe in God and His Son Jesus and do all that the word says to do, we can expect to continue on into the next life and be with them in heaven. Psalm 23 reads, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”

 

This Psalm expresses clearly and completely the role of God as our protector and provider throughout life, if we obey Him. The Lord is the shepherd, and we are the sheep. The Lord will be the host, and we (believers) will be His guest! How do I know this?

 

Because the Bible tells me that my Lord is going to prepare a table for me! And every believer will be vindicated before his enemies! Do you remember the death of a loved one? Perhaps a mother, father, or grandparent? How often did we visit the grave after their passing? But, as the saying goes, all wounds heal with time, and before too long, that grave is hardly ever visited, maybe just on memorial day or a birthday. Well, the Bible tells us this is natural! In Ecclesiastes 9:5, we read, “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.”

 

Think about that. Isn’t there more to life than death? Yes there is, but you’ve got to believe the words of God and His Son and do your best to believe in them and live in them, knowing with all your heart that if you do, you will receive your just reward! What if every atheist is wrong? What if there is a God and a Son named Jesus? What do you think the reward of an atheist will be after denying God and His Son their entire lives? And if perchance there isn’t, it won’t matter anyway, will it! But it would be best to err on the side of caution!

 

There has never been found a Bible to tell me there isn’t a God, but I can show you 66 books that tell me there is! Even Satanists know there is a God! To deny the existence of any God is to assume the label of a liar! Our bodies return to dust. What happens to our spirit?

 

Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” We must experience that physical death, but we don’t have to experience that spiritual death! Because in John 3:15, Jesus said, “That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

 

As long as we are in this world, we will have troubles! But we are to be of good cheer in spite of our troubles, for we will have it better later on. How do I know this? Jesus said, “In the world, ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33. Don’t dwell on your troubles. Have faith that, as a Christian, God will make a way for you to cope with them and carry you through to a brighter day!

 

We can be certain that we all will experience the physical death. How do I know this? Because Romans 5:12 tells me, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” But then what?

 

If you stop for a second and think of how complicated the human body and inner workings are, how can one possibly believe that, at the moment of physical death, we all cease to exist? It simply doesn’t make any sense for this to be the case! 2 Corinthians 5:10 says that, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” And if the Bible is true, then we know we can count on this event. Yet, along with this, 1 Corinthians 15:26 says further, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”

 

Death is a scary thing to most people. For this reason, you would think that they would search for a way out of it! Well, the Bible tells us that there is a way to escape it! And you can find it in 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18, which reads, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, and the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first (those who died Christians): Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words.”

 

        Notice that when our bodies die, our souls DO NOT immediately go to Heaven, as many believe and preach!  That will not happen until the Second Coming, which some mistakenly refer to as “the rapture”. When Jesus does return, AT THAT TIME, AND ONLY AT THAT TIME, the DEAD IN CHRIST (those who died as saved believers after accepting Christ and being baptized – only ONE church does correctly!) will rise FIRST to go to heaven – after which, the rest of us will follow.

 

So you see, there is a way to escape death! But if you leave this world an unbeliever, having never accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, and never been baptized, you will not only suffer this earthly physical death, but you will also suffer a second death! What am I talking about? Revelation 21:8 reads, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

 

Are you listed somewhere in the description above? You know the Bible brands homosexuality as abominable! You cannot be a homosexual and claim Jesus Christ as your savior. If you are, you can be certain that you will suffer a second death! The choice is clearly yours! You can be born twice and die once, or you can be born once, and die twice! Which do you choose?  Are you prone to giving birth to children out of wedlock? Or fathering a child out of wedlock? Have you committed the atrocity of abortion? If everything the Bible says is true, you’ll want to choose that second birth, which is the birth of water, baptism. And if its all just a bunch of baloney, then it still won’t hurt you to be born again, will it?

 

We’re told in John 3:15, that “whosoever shall believeth in Him (Jesus) shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” And in John 8:51, Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.”

 

Some people today aren’t even giving death a second thought. They live like they are going to live forever with no regard for their spiritual side and what will happen to it once that old fleshly body has turned to dust. Yet Romans 5:12 tells us, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned.”

 

Friends, you can have assurance that if you go through that second birth, you have the promise of being able to stand on this earth and truly say, “0 death, Where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).

 

If I am wrong, I have nothing to lose. If you are wrong, you have everything to lose.

 

(Please read the following scripture references, concerning death: Genesis 3:19, Psalms 23:4, Psalm 73:26, John 3:15, John 8:51, Romans 5:12, 1 Corinthians 15:26.)