My Friends, as humans, we have some really weird ideas concerning Death or the process of Dying. Why is it that many of us believe that to Die or to venture into Death is such a “Bad Thing?” Let’s begin with what we know about our Death, in the vernacular. Here is what Webster’s Dictionary has to say about it:
Death or Dying by Webster’s Dictionary
the state of being dead.
the permanent ending of vital processes in a cell or tissue.
the Grim Reaper · the Dark Angel · the Angel of Death
the destruction or permanent end of something.
synonyms: end · finish · cessation · termination · extinction · extinguishing · collapse · ruin · ruination · destruction · extermination · eradication · annihilation · [more]
a damaging or destructive state of affairs.
We grow up, go to school and read this; so the question is, “Is it correct?” It is correct to a very small degree. Maybe you noticed that everything in this description is “to the negative.” There is not much there that speaks to the Positive, solely because we fear our Death to the extreme. For most, this is not a topic they like to talk about or even think about; am I not correct?
The biggest problem is they do not understand Death. And the reason for that is because all of us are presently Living; we are alive and we wish to remain so. And yet, we feel this way because we know nothing else other than to be alive. None of us has ever died and come back to life here on earth. We then see Death as being very final.
When we Born-Again Believers think of Death, we are very pleased and assured indeed, because we know that we will see our Lord and Savior and be in Heaven for Eternity. The Holy Word of God promises us these things.
The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:21-22 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.“ (Emphasis is mine)
For the believer, we choose to die from earth and be present with the Lord. As yet, for the unbeliever, they choose this life, in the here and now. Trust me, my Friends; there is only one way to be, and that is it. It is our choice according to the Holy Word of God. For the unbelievers, they believe that everything ends, or stops completely at the instant of death; thus, they take pleasure in Sin. Others feel they will have a moment to confess their Sins and accept Jesus Christ…just before Death. How foolish is that?
Here’s something else to consider. Everyone on earth, in other words, everyone that is alive, knows there is “Life after Death.” To wit, they ponder what kind of life that will be; is there a Heaven and a Hell? This, my Friends, is instinctual in all of us, which in and of itself ought to be their first clue; but I digress. We have the occasional oddball who says, “I would rather Reign in Hell than serve in Heaven!” And we all know they are few…thankfully! The point is, everyone KNOWS there is Life after Death. We KNOW we have a Spirit inside our body. The one thing we do not understand is that one word “Eternity.” Webster’s Dictionary states this:
Eternity
infinite or unending time.
synonyms: ever · all time · perpetuity
a state to which time has no application; timelessness.
endless life after death.
synonyms: the afterlife · everlasting life · life after death · the life to come · the life hereafter · the hereafter · the world hereafter · the afterworld · [more]
a period of time that seems very long, especially on account of being tedious or annoying.
Wow…so negative all the time; I’m thinking of stopping the usage of Webster’s. There is no further description of Eternity than this…except for the Word of God.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” (Emphasis is mine)
There are indeed many other Passages of Scripture that define or refer to Eternity. Suffice it to say, it is impossible for any of us to know that length of time. We use clocks to define time for us on a daily basis, yet they would fail in Eternity.
So now we have had a look at Death or Dying, and then we have an idea of Eternity. And I am hitting that “Idea” of anything very, very hard indeed. Please understand that humans are not able to completely understand Death or Eternity; it is still beyond our meager abilities. Now let’s move on with the discussion.
I would have to guess the next question ought to be, “When did Eternity begin?” In the best way for me to say this, I would have to say God is Eternity! The question then is, “When do we enter Eternity?” I truly Believe we entered into Eternity with God creating you and me. In other words, while we live here on earth, we have taken only our first step into Eternal Life. For God, as far as I know, HE has always been!
Looking at it from this vantage point, we see that we have a very, very, long time to live in Eternity. Does it really matter how many years that will be? None whatsoever! The real question should be, “Where shall we exist in Eternity?” Now, that question is the most important of all! The Word of God says you get to choose just for yourself! There are two places…Heaven…or Hell!
Joshua 24:14-15 “Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.“
This is telling us that we can choose whom we wish to serve – the world or the Lord God. If you are truthful, you will know this as truth; it is one way or the other. There is NO fence-sitting on this issue! Rounding this article out, we know that we will serve Jesus Christ or we will serve Satan. We know that if we choose Jesus Christ, we will reside in Heaven for Eternity. If we choose Satan, we share his fate in Hell and later the Lake of Fire…it IS that simple, my Friends.
So now we are back to the question about Death and Dying and also Eternity…they are intricately intertwined to each other. It is this way because this is the way God decided to make things. Thing is, you and I are not able to change so much as a single word of it. BUT…we each will live it! Somewhere along the way, a great many people have mixed these things up, and it has not produced what we intended it to. Simply another reason for the Holy Word of God!
We can face our own Death with fear and trembling, or we can face it with High Expectations and Joy! So far, Jesus Christ is the ONLY one to have been dead and raised again unto Life. HE waits for each of us to join HIM in Heaven…yet only some will ever see Heaven; and the Bible says only a few!
Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and FEW there be that find it.”
My Friends, this is a very critical point about Life to consider! You have already begun your walk in Eternity, and one day in the not too distant future…you will DIE. You and I both know this is truth. We have until that instant of death to choose where we want to go – to Heaven…or to Hell…and the choice is all yours…just for you! But GO you will. I pray that anyone reading this article will consider where their Home is. I already know…my Home is in Heaven with Jesus Christ. And that, my Friends, is enough for me!
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.“
All Scripture comes from the King James Version of the Bible.