We spend a great deal of time these days, concerned with the disease process, the cancers, the diabetes, right down to the painful hangnail. We are not to ignore these things, they are a part of our every day situations and the Lord has provided educated and sound physicians for this purpose. What most expect and what they eventually receive is not always what they want, but the end result is always in the Lords hands.

I remember in the beginning of my career in the medical field, we had a saying, an oxymoron if there ever was one, “Don’t bother me right now! Can’t you see I am busy trying to save lives here?” At the time it was comical, later, I found that we had nothing to do with “saving anyone.” Of course it was the Lord that was doing all, the saving, not us─or anyone like us. We were deluding ourselves at best. This was a time of true reflection for me, what was expected of me and what was I capable of doing.

John 15.5: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without ME…ye can do nothing.”

If you think on this verse for a moment, it becomes quite evident the truth being spoken. We are not able to take the very next breath unless the Lord so allows! Anyone in the medical field, for any real time, will notice there were times when you did everything known possible and still lost the patient. Hence the oxymoron statement as above.

Ultimately, only the “lost” will think the statement has any merit, the born-again follower of Jesus Christ, KNOWS better. In our best efforts, we are to make the patient more comfortable and as pain free as possible, the “proof in the pudding” belongs solely to our Lord and Savior. It would appear, even in these circumstances, that the ultimate outcome for any patient, with any condition, is always in the Lord’s hands!

It is also important to remember, that the outcome of the patient is never what we always expect it to be. We will not always have the end result to be the one that we want. That is where the “big black line” comes into play again, we see there is a “bifurcation” in this as well. Two directions to go: One where the patient responds well to treatment (God’s will) and continues on in life, and one where the patient dies (God’s will again). As humans, we would like to think we are able to intercede and make the prior, come true, Life oftens proves how wrong we are. That is never the case for us living here on earth. Be it known to all, Gods perfect will for us will always take precedence!

Ecclesiastes 3.1-8: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”

Ecclesiastes 3.20-22: “All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?”

It would appear, according to many nowdays, they have not read this part of the Word of God, otherwise they would surely understand the verses above and be able to take them to heart. Life is tough…Yet in every way God is in charge! Gods perfect will in our lives will be first and last; there is nothing we can do to change that. In any particular concern, God is omnicient, omnipresent, and omnipotent, we will forever be under HIS control. YET…what better place to be found, than to be a loving child of God.

1 Corinthians 15.55-58: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

Please take note here that the “sting of death” is SIN. So then the question is, “What if your SIN is covered by the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross?” Well…there is NO sting, there is NO death! Lets look at this “conversely.” (Remember we’re talking in eternal conditions.) There IS DEATH…therefore THERE is the sting of death! In other words, if you are lost and come to your moment of death, the sting is in the fact you are eternally dead! You are forever a resident of the “lake of fire” but the ultimate “sting” in this situation is that, YOU chose this for YOURSELF, YOU made YOUR decision! AHH!!

2 Corinthians 5.5-9: “Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.”

Once again, we see the “bifurcation” in these verses. “Home in the body, absent from the Lord” and conversely “Absent from the body, present with the Lord.” The last sentence of the verse is the MOST important, that whether we are absent or present with the Lord, if we belong to Lord, we are always accepted by the Lord. There are NO greater words ever spoken, or assurance ever given!

So then for the “lost” or actually anyone, “What happens when we die here on earth?” You are either with the Lord immediately, or you are in hell. Note here please, there is a distinct difference between hell and the lake of fire! Residents of hell are on hold until the Great White Throne judgment, but they are in hell nonetheless, and their ultimate destination is the lake of fire for all of eternity.

Revelation 19.1-3: “And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.”

Whoa…Hold the phone for a moment! The Bible means to say, that the torment will be “forever and ever?” Ummm…please reread the verses above! Who is the great whore and who are the ones that took the lives and spilt the blood of HIS servants? I am going to try and say this as delicately as possible, the answer is, All those that turned their back of the Gift of Jesus Christ!

Whom else? So then the next question is, “Are you one of those lost?”

Are you one of those that has NOT accepted the Lord Jesus Christ and HIS blood from the cross at Calvary, to cover your SIN? If that is you…you did NOT shoot yourself in the foot! You blew yourself away with a bazooka! Do you have a clue yet? Since Adam and Eve were thrown out of Eden, the equation has NOT changed one iota! Jesus Christ in your life, your SIN covered by HIS precious blood…equals…NO pain NO strain…YOU are GOOD! Enjoy the eternal life of your Master!!

Now…IF by chance, You die and you do NOT belong to Jesus Christ…IF your SIN is not covered by HIS precious blood from the cross at Calvary…Woe be unto YOU!! There simply are not enough numbers in our number system to equate that level of suffering and pain! Therefore know this, or as we used to term in Vietnam, “Be advised.”

IF you do NOT belong to Jesus Christ, YOU will suffer like you could NEVER imagine and there will be NO end to it, it will last for eternity! Bible says so! Why do you think we keep trying to get the message of Jesus Christ out to everyone that will listen?! NOW, do YOU have a clue?

In the past few weeks we have been discussing SIN, which is a part of everyone that has ever been born on this planet. We have discussed, “original SIN” that we receive because of being descendants of Adam and Eve; everyone has it. We have also talked about the SIN that we continue in for as long as we live, from infancy through to old age and death as a human.

We have discussed that there is ONLY ONE WAY to heaven and that is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary. We have also talked about praying, or talking with our Lord, while we live here on this planet. What we have NOT talked about is what there is after death as a human on earth. Oddly enough, this peaks the interest of most everyone, when they come across information to that end.

It is then difficult to know, which of the information given is true and which of it is false. Of course, we have the Bible─God’s holy Word to us. It has been around for better than 3000 years, yet few are willing to consult the wisdom within its pages.

It is been said there is a “religion” called “Universal-ism” floating about and many have decided to follow it for various reasons, most of which are that it is easier to wrap ones mind about it. Basically, the premise is that everyone eventually goes to heaven; that a true God of love would never allow anyone to go to any sort of hell.

Those of us that are born-again believers of Jesus Christ, KNOW beyond doubt that idea is full of horse-hockey! The problem is, people like the idea of Universalism, as compared to having to deal with their SIN, before a righteous and just God. Evidently these people find it easier to be like water or electricity, follow the path of least resistance. How sad for them, when they find out the truth, because then it will be too late.

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.”

John 14.5-7: “Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.”

All the true followers of Jesus Christ already know these two verses very well and have made them the hallmark of their lives, but to the Lost, they mean absolutely nothing. If one sits down and talks about this life we all are living and discuss these two verses, we will readily see they have a quasi-strange view of this life and even more strange, life after human death. It’s rather pointless to give examples from these individuals, suffice to say, they are incorrect in every way. This is the area of discussion in this article.

I have explained several times that I am an American Indian 100%. I am of the Dena’ina Tribe of the Black Raven Clan. Now I am proud to be on the tribal roles and at times enjoy keeping Indian heritage alive. There is one area in my heritage that has continually popped into my mind throughout the years. My ancestors were very interested in this life while awake and then the life we live in dreams as we sleep, they sort of divided the two.

One is not more correct than the other, according to them─just different─but they were NOT sure which one was more relevant. So much so, they believed both were just as strange and weird as the other, except in death in either one of them. To die in one is to die in both, this sort of blew them all away and the answers failed to come and give them any peace. As we already know and according to the Bible, this life is “temporal” or temporary at best.

James 4.14: “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

2 Corinthians 4.18: “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

When we enter real sleep, or REM sleep, we dream. I am sure you have had some nightmares that you do not wish to have ever again, I know I have. Oddly enough, sensations are present in our dreams, our five senses if you will, and they are most vivid. So for my ancestors, they wondered if the life we live in, in dreams, is as real as the life we live when we are awake. If you think on this long enough, you will come away with the same question rolling about in your head. This is the conundrum of it!

In the Bible, as stated above, life is as a “vapor” and as most people will state, so are our dreams. Therefore, both are “temporal.” Strange, right? We like to think, as do many professors that our dreams are very tempoary but then again, so are the 70-80 years we have here, as well. Both lives only last a short while, they can be strange and unusual, then again, so are the lives we live while we’re awake! But so few are willing to look at these things, as in this configuration. So few are willing to pull these thoughts closer and look at them carefully.

What IF…you could visit hell or heaven for that matter, in one of these? How much of an impact would that experience be for you? Would it change your perspective in whatever life you think or believe is more real? One thing that never changes in either life, awake, or in your dream is: God. He has never changed, never will change and HE exists! Bet you never thought about that, right?

IF nothing else, you can easily see that both these two lives, are temporal, Temporary! Life and death exist the same in each and the one thing that is continually there is…YOU! Think on this when you are thinking about things like depression, clinical or otherwise…YOU…are at the center of it, in the midst of it…100%!

I am not “dropping anything” or smoking some sort of “wacky-weed.” This is real life! Both areas are significant, because both areas are YOU and one thing is for certain, they are both tempoary. Now, there are people out there that wish to believe that there is nothing after this life we live. How utterly sad that is. I would NOT want to have a dream about that. I would probably loose all connection to reality, as I know it is right now, and so would you.

Suffice it that no one has ever died and come back to life, except Jesus Christ, whether you wish to believe that or not. That being the case, how do you know death is a “bad thing?” Is it simply because you will no longer have that person around you anymore, therefore, its bad? Because they are not drawing air anymore in a casket and under the ground or is it that they are decomposing?

We know from God’s holy Word, HE is the Creator─God! If you wish not to believe that, you will after you die. Either way, God stated our life is temporary, therefore there must be some other reason for us being created and why we are living. And I am also including whether you believe our dreams are another life for us, as my ancestors believed. You must wonder this, even if you are a born-again follower of Jesus Christ, because many of the apostles had dreams and were told things that actually came true. Think in terms of Joseph, the husband of Mary. He had been spoken to in a dream about Jesus Christ.

In this discussion, I am speaking of these things to that particular end. Which parts of our two lives do we know is absolute truth and what is fictional? As I have stated above, there are things that are true in both areas, why would it be so, if they were just nonsense? Obviously they are not nonsense at all. It can also be noted that there have been some that have had some pretty amazing dreams, even of death, of heaven and hell.

What about the “near-death” experiences or the “out of body” experiences? I am not trying to bring up the ridiculous things like the boogeyman or the like. We were and are created wonderfully by God and everything in our lives is relevant to us, maybe we should be more cognisant of these things than we are. I am definitely NOT referring to things of the occult, by any stretch! Be it known, righteousness and evil do exist, especially for us, as humans and everyone would agree on that one point.

Many things in our lives point to the truths of the Bible, like life and death and ONLY the Bible tells us that there are definitely two ways to go after this life: heaven or hell. Our waking life and our dream life, your either sitting here or over there, you are either up or you are down, happy or sad, living or dying. Therefore, as the Bible states, if we have NOT received the gift of Jesus Christ into our lives, we are dead already! Suddenly this aspect takes on a new meaning, right? After we die as a human, we are in hell or we are in heaven.

Everything you do or think or say or act, is relevant to YOU, in other words there is a reason for these things to take place and that reason is for YOU alone. It doesn’t matter what others do or say, these things are YOU. Having said that, what do the Scriptures mean to you now? God had a reason for giving us HIS Holy Word, a reason for how we are to live and what we are to believe. You can walk away from Jesus Christ, you can decide never to read the Bible, but you can NOT get away from you, your dreams, what is right and wrong, good and bad, righteous or evil.

These things are what you CHOOSE TO BELIEVE or choose not to believe, but again there must be a decision made either way. You are not able to walk away from that and your choice is what you will deal with in the END. It is one single decision that YOU must choose for yourself and you will end up living in Eternity, according to your choice. That choice is the reason for this life we live today, that one single decision, Jesus Christ or Satan.