DEATH
The final chapter – The end or the beginning –
Is it about the trip or the Destination?
I felt the air being
sucked out of the room as my legs turned to rubber.
My son was doubled over
the casket of his son, only 21, killed in an auto accident.
My God, my
God, why have you forsaken me?
Webster
Death: Departed - No longer living, without feeling,
motion, or power – A permanent ending of all life in a person. – The
time of the greatest darkness.
The Bible
Death: Deut 31:16 Called
sleep – Gen
25:8 Giving up the Ghost – Gen 15:15 Going to the fathers – 2 Peter 1:14 Putting
off this tabernacle – Luke
20:20 Requiring the Soul – Job 14:2 Being cut down.
An unfinished life
What good can possibly come from a young person leaving behind an
unfinished life – Not achieving a good education, a good job or getting
married or having children – or carrying on the family name, or a hundred other
possible things?
What possible good can come from a 10 day old baby dying leaving
the parents grief stricken? Is God so
cruel that He would do such a thing?
We see so much violence in electronic games as well as on TV –
people die all the time, all over the world – sickness - disease – famine - accidents
– drive by shootings – meanness – evil - war. - We are numb to it
What is not portrayed is the aftermath. - The family that is left
behind – the devastation – the agony – the pain - the memories and even guilt.
- Is it somehow my fault? Could I have
done something different to have prevented this? Did God do it or was it Satan?
Theologically
Speaking - Death Sucks.
It’s hard to understand the sovereignty of God because we see
through a glass somewhat dimly now, but one day when we are face to face with
Jesus Christ we will see things clearly.
1 Cor 13:12 – We see dimly now
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly;
but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as
also I am known. KJV
Mixed emotions, feelings, pain
- Death
is irrevocable and irreversible - It’s like the music just stopped in the middle
of a song playing– A flower with the blossom cut off – Why God, Why?
- I didn’t spend enough
time with him and now all I have is time. - “Good Grief”
- Does he know how much
he took from me when he left - This didn’t happen to someone else on TV,
it happened to me. I’m not on the
bank of the river watching the water pass by – I’m in the water – I’m
drowning - People come up to speak a word of encouragement – I hate it
when they do that – I hate it when they don’t. – I’m a mess.
- The pain is like the
canopy of the sky – everywhere I look, I remember. – It repeats over and
over again; wave after wave of mixed emotions. - God may have been
finished with him, but I wasn’t.
Oh, the hurt.
- For no reason certain
smells, sounds, music, laughter or a word can bring tears to my eyes.
- I have weird dreams -
I feel a faint nausea, utter mad words, have resentment – my chest
tightens – my heart flutters.
- My body can suffer 10
times more than my mind. - Why Lord, Why?
- I don’t want anyone
around me, - I told them not to come – but I’m grateful for the ones that
didn’t listen and came anyway; some came from 175 miles away and I needed
them. - I didn’t want to talk,
but it just pours out of me anyway.
- I speak words of love
and endearment into the air. My
thoughts jump off into the depths of my mind, not even hearing those
speaking to me.
- I want to pray for
him, but what can I pray – I sing praises to God and somehow I feel I am
enjoying him - I know for sure he is with the Father. – I am progressing
day by day.
My sorrow is not a “state”, it’s a process.
Stuff Happens
- In the
movie Forrest Gump - a runner stepped into some dog poop and Forrest Gump says,
“IT HAPPENS”.
- What happens to us in
life is “Choice Driven”. We are urged to pray about our actions.
- Stuff does happen. – It’s not Satan
and it’s not God; things just happen.
The law of gravity is in effect and when used correctly it’s a good
thing – used incorrectly, it will kill you. Water sustains life, but it can kill
you. – Electricity is a modern blessing, but it can kill you.
- It is God’s will that we all live a
long life now, and even more in heaven - but that’s just not the
case. – God’s “will” is not happening on earth.
- NOTE: God gives us (the believers), angles to
protect us and they will not let us die until what we were created for
has been accomplished.
- The promises in the
Bible are for the believer – Un-believers are used in God’s plan
too, but they do not experience His promises.
- Because of God’s
sovereignty, He knows the life decision of a 10 day old baby
even before he was formed in the womb. - There are no accidents or
surprises with God – He knows.
Jer 1:4-5 – Before you were born – He knew
4 The word of the LORD
came to me, saying,
5 "Before I formed
you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;
NIV
John 10:10 – God’s
will is for us to have life.
10 The thief cometh not,
but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might
have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. KJV
Luke 4:10 – Angels
direct us
10 For it is written, He
shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: KJV
Isa 55:11 – The assignment will be completed
11 So shall my word be
that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it
shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing
whereto I sent it. KJV
Matt 6:9-10 – God’s WILL on earth is NOT DONE.
9 "Our Father in
heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your
will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Does God kill us ?
- The
reason
that the child was killed and taken away so early in life was because God
just needed another flower for His garden in Heaven, – WHAT BALONEY – Somebody just said that to make the family feel
better - It wasn’t God that took his life and He didn’t need
another flower in His Garden.
- More
Baloney
- The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Job said it in the scriptures and that’s
what Job believed; but what he believed was not true. (Job
- The
Bible is clear
that God wants us to have life. - He sent Jesus so that we would have life
and have more of it.
- God
does not take away life, but devises ways to bring the sinner back
to Him.
- Satan’s work on earth is to Kill,
steal and destroy – Christ came to destroy Satan’s works. Death is a result and punishment for the original sin
in the Garden of Eden; eating from the tree of knowledge of good and
evil – Christ came to give us a way to the other tree, “the Tree of Life”.
- So it is not God that
takes away life. - Death is the direct
result of sin and disobedience.
- Death is un-natural; the cutting off of the
days of man. – God’s favor is for man to live a long life.
- It is
inevitable
for man in his present sinful and fallen state to die. – A life of
100 years is short and cut off because of the “The Law”, the decree of God;
“if you sin, you will die”.
- God says His plan is
for us to live till we are about 70 years of age and if we have
taken exceptional good care of our bodies, then we can live till we are
about 80 and longer than that if we took good care of our parents. (I hope my kids read this) - That’s His will, - but STUFF HAPPENS.
- Man does not simply die
as the lower order of plants, animals and creatures do. - For them death means the end of life – they
do not have the promise. Man is
a physical and a spiritual being and will transition to another
dimension in which our conscious existence continues.
- God is
over the whole process of life and death and has decreed that the penalty of
sin is death, but has also determined to give life eternal to sinful man
if man chooses to receive.
- We will
all die.
In fact, it’s biologically necessary to get to the other side. – But
the time is not fixed – Does God know when we will die? – You bet He
does – The sovereignty of God sees
the end from the beginning, but it’s not set – Stuff just Happens.
- I am running out of
time on earth - and so is everyone else - and it’s necessary.
2 Sam 14:14 – God does NOT
take away life.
14 Like water spilled on
the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But God does not take
away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not
remain estranged from him.
NIV
Isa 46:10 – God sees the end from the beginning.
10 I make known the end
from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My
purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. NIV
Rom 5:12 – Death entered into the world by one man -Adam
12 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:
KJV
Gen 2:17 – Death is a result of sin
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, thou shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof thou
shall surely die. KJV
Rom 6:23 – The payment for sin is it kills you.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of
God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. KJV
John 10:10 – Satan comes to Kill – Christ to give life
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to
kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and
that they might have it more abundantly. KJV
1 John 3:8 – Christ came
to destroy the works of Satan.
8 He that commits sin is of the devil; for the
devil sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was
manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. KJV
Ps 90:10 – We can have 70
years – It’s not fixed
10 The days of our years
are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they
be fourscore years, yet is their
strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. KJV
Deut 5:16 – Treat your mama good and get even more days.
16 Honor thy father and
thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may
be prolonged, KJV
When?
- The time of our death
is unknown, it’s not set. We
only know our days are fleeting away.
- God has set limits on
our life – Our life decisions
can shorten it. – Seek God and live long.
Heb 9:27 – We will all die
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die,
but after this the judgment: KJV
Eccl 3:2 – There will come
a time
2 a time to be born and a time to die, a
time to plant and a time to uproot, NIV
Gen 27:2 – We just do not
know when
2 Isaac said, "I am now an old man and don't
know the day of my death. NIV
Ps 39:4 – Life’s end –
Fleeting days
4 "Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the
number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life. NIV
Ps 144:4 – Life is brief
4 Man is like a breath; his days are like a
fleeting shadow. NIV
Job 14:5 – Live a good
life till the end.
5 Man's days are determined; you have decreed the
number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed. NIV
THERE IS A WAR GOING ON
- What happens on earth
is the direct result of what’s happening in the spiritual realm.
- Although “Stuff
Happens” to people, Spiritual wickedness is warring in the heavens.
- Our prayers are
hindered in an effort by Satan to stop God’s promises from reaching
us, discouraging us, hoping to get us to stop praying. - We are told to
pray without ceasing.
- LISTEN: God hears our prayers before we begin to
speak, and sends the answer before we can finish – Don’t stop praying till
you receive your answer.
Eph 6:12 – There is a spiritual war in another dimension.
12 For we wrestle NOT
against flesh and blood, BUT against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness
of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places. KJV
Heb 2:14 – Satan has the power of death through sin.
14 by His (Christ’s) death he might destroy him
who holds the power of death-that
is, the devil- NIV
Dan 10:12-13 – God hears immediately.
12 Then he said to me,
"Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your
heart to understand, and to humble yourself
before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of
your words.
13 But the prince of
the kingdom of Persia Persia
1 Thess 5:17 Pray
without ceasing.
Angels – Protection - Guidance
- Martin
Luther
said, “An angel is a spiritual creature created by God without a body, for
the service of Christendom and the church”.
- Billy
Graham
said “Angels, who think, will, and display emotions are ministering
servants who can appear or
remain invisible as they perform the tasks that God assigns them.”
- Angels maintain the
believer’s life during the believer’s assignment and interacts with them
without their knowledge.
- The believer will
finish his assignment before his death.
- At death the angels will
escort the believer from this World to Heaven for a royal welcome.
- I know of twice in my
life for sure that I should have died. Once when I was drowning and my sister
caught my arm and pulled me up out of the ocean. – A second time when I
fell out of a three story window of a house under construction. I got up and walked home with only my
feelings hurt. – I believe my work was not finished and angels bore me
up. Since I am now 72, I believe
that these Word Studies are the work I am supposed to do.(
Heb 13:2 – Angels interact with us unknowingly
2 Do not forget to
entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels
without knowing it. NIV
Heb 1:14 – Angels
are sent to the believer
14 Are not all angels
ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? NIV
Ps 91:11-12 – Angels guard you during your assignment,
11 For he will command his
angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you
up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
NIV
Luke 16:22 – Angels
escort the saved to heaven
22 "The time came
when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side.” NIV
Isa 55:11 – The assignment will be completed
11 So shall my word be
that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it
shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing
whereto I sent it. KJV
The Bible - The book of Job
There are
two realms
- The
Spiritual
- With two players; God and Satan – with all the other angels watching.
- The
Physical
- With many players; Job, his children, his servants, his live stock, and
all his friends watching.
Sidebar
- Satan was created in the
Spiritual realm and was
given massive power and authority, but
with limits. So Satan is
nothing but a dog on a leash.
- Man was created in the
physical realm and given
“little power and authority” but could do what ever he wanted.
Free as a bird – Freedom to choose.
The Story of Job
- Satan, the Top Dog,
comes up to God and with all the
other angles listening, tells God that the only reason Job loves
Him is because of all the good things He has done for him. He goes on to tell God that if He took
it all away, Job would curse Him – NOTE:
All the other angels heard what Satan said.
- Satan was released to
do what he wanted to, but with limitations.
- The
lesson begins. - But the lesson was not for Job - Who was it
for and what was the lesson?
- Now get
this picture;
ALL of Job’s children were killed – But Job still did
not curse God – In the end, God restored everything and more to Job
– But the children that were killed were not brought back to life.
- The children did not
die an unfinished life. The part they played completed God’s plan in the
spiritual realm.
- In
the Spiritual realm - Every
Angel in heaven saw Satan get defeated
- Job could have cursed
God and was free to do so, but did not – The fight was over Job, not his children. – Job praised
God IN all things, not for all
things.
- In
the physical realm - All of Job’s
friends witnessed Job’s testimony.
- This is just one
in a series of lessons that the angles would receive that would show
God’s love and patience; wanting Satan to return – The angels saw
Satan’s total defeat.
- In the end, at the return of
Christ, the angels will not and cannot be DECIEVED again. Never again will there be a rebellion
in heaven.
Jude 6 – The angels left their assignment to follow Satan
6 And the angels which
kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in
everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. KJV
Rev 12:4 One third of
the angels rebelled
4 And his tail drew the
third part of the stars (angles) of heaven, and did cast them to the
earth:
2 Peter 2:4 – None were spared.
4 For God spared not the
angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains
of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
When we die we will have
completed
the thing for which we were
created.
Satan’s foot hold
- It’s unfair here to
lead the reader to believe that God released Satan to play a game. Listen
to this now - Job himself states that “The thing I feared the most has come upon me”
- God says that Job was
a good and upright man, but – he
feared – fear is a sin – Job was operating in sin and didn’t even know
it.
- Got did not give Job
over into Satan’s hands, he was already there because of sin –
Satan just didn’t know it. – But God in His sovereignty already
knew it.
Job 3:25 – Job confesses he is operating in FEAR.
25 For the thing which I greatly feared is
come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me KJV
Job 1:12 – Job was already in Satan’s hand
12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all
that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth your hand. So
Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD. KJV.
God removed His hand
- My God,
My God – Why have you forsaken me?
- I am not the only one
that felt like God had taken His hand away. - Jesus felt it too.
- When Jesus was on the
cross bearing all the sins of man from the past, present and
future, He felt the hand of His Father removed from Him.
- Our God saw His Only
begotten Son dying on the cross so that His perfect plan could be
completed. It was the plan of
redemption hidden in secret through the ages – It was not a cruel game –
It was the greatness of His compassion and Love.
- Jesus knew the horror
of being out of the Fathers hand and wanted it to pass from Him, but accepted
His Father’s will to be done.
- Jesus was only 33
when He died. From His family’s point
of view, Jesus had an unfinished life, but His Father in Heaven said, the
plan for which He was created was completed.
“It is finished”.
Matt 26:39 – Your will,
not mine
39 O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup
pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. KJV
Matt 27:46 – God removes
His hand
46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud
voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"-which means, "My God,
my God, why have you forsaken me?"
NIV
John 19:30 – It is finished
30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said,
"It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his
spirit. NIV
Ps 116:15 – The death of a
saint is precious to God
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death
of his saints NIV
The Bible
At death, it’s not the trip that
counts, it’s the destination.
- There is not
an “intermediate place” for the unsaved when they die. There is no purgatory, or money that can
be paid, or prayers that can be offered for a deceased loved one. There’s
not another chance to embrace Christ.
There is no debate with
God. It’s all over.
- In the parable of the
Rich man and Lazarus, when they both died, neither ceased to exist,
they were both still alive, but in different places. A great gulf was fixed between them.
Heb 9:27 – Appointed
to die once.
27 And as it is appointed
unto men once to die, but after this the
judgment: KJV
Luke 16:22-24 Two different places
22 "The time came
when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The
rich man also died and was buried.
23 In hell, where
he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his
side.
24 So he called to him,
`Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger
in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' NIV
Luke 16:26 – There is
a GREAT GULF
26 And beside all this,
between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would
pass from here to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, those that would
come from there. KJV
- Before the
Crucifixion, Hell was divided into two compartments, with a gulf fixed
between them… Good guys on one side and bad guys on the other… The good
guys were held captive in a compartment of hell known as
- With the removal of
- Hell is
a sphere
in the center of the earth, therefore has no bottom. No
scripture, just saying.
Luke 16:22 – Abrahams
Bosom
22 And it came to pass,
that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
KJV
- We that love the Lord
do not go to the lower parts of the earth when we die, but go immediately
to Heaven to be with Jesus.
2 Cor 5:8 – Absent from the body – Present with God
8 We are confident, yes,
well pleased rather to be absent
from the body is to be present with the Lord. NKJV
John 11:26 – The
Believer will never die
26 and whoever lives and
believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? NIV
HELL RABBIT TRAIL
- Hades (Greek), Sheol (Hebrew for Hades), Hell (Hebrew), and Gehenna (Greek) all symbolize
the same thing – Gehenna was a
valley outside Jerusalem where garbage and dead bodies were thrown with
gnawing worms eating the rotting putrid flesh. It burned and smoked day
and night. It is symbolic of
Hades. In the Old Testament
scriptures, Hell was referred to as going down to “the pit” or “the grave”.
- Hell – The lower parts of
the earth holding the wicked dead till the end of the millennium when it
and its contents will be thrown into the
- In
Hell, you are in the gloom of darkness, away from the face of God, with
a bunch of demons, Satan and his fallen angels, and the entire unbelieving
bunch of wicked folks, plus you have the ordinary run of the mill burning
fire and sulfur to walk around in. There’s not much love in Hell.
- In Hell, you are NOT
instantly annihilated, but are tormented in the unquenchable fires that go on endlessly, and it gets
worse. At the return of Christ, Hell
is thrown into the burning
- Muslims
believe
in error
- Sura 32:13 – Allah sends to hell whomever he wants. He created a multitude of spirits and
men specifically for the purpose of sending them to hell.
- Allah is NOT the Jehovah God
of the Christian. Muslims claim
that they along with the Jew and the Christian worship the same God of
Abraham, but are just on different paths. - NOT
- The
Bible teaches;
Life is Choice Driven, no one
is created to go to hell, it’s a choice.
You can not be neutral – Being neutral is a choice to reject the
Gospel of Jesus Christ.
2 Thess 1:9 – Removed from the presence of God forever.
9 They will be punished
with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord
and from the majesty of his power
10 And the devil, who
deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and
the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for
ever and ever. NIV
Matt 25:41 – Hell was not created for man, but for Satan
41 "Then he will say
to those on his left, `Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the
eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. NIV
Webster Tartarus
- A place where the fallen angels are
bound in darkness away from the face of God.
- Tartarus (in the
Greek) – an infernal abyss below
Hades – a place for punishment for the wicked after death. I’m not sure I buy into this location as
described by Webster, but it’s certainly possible.
2 Peter 2:4 - God did not spare the angels.
4 For if God spared not
the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains
of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; KJV
Jude 6 – Everlasting darkness –out of the presence of God’s
light
6 And the angels which
kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath
reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the
great day KJV
The Unsaved – The real sorrow
- The real sorrow is
not for the saved, but for the un-saved – there is no hope.
- ALL men are
spiritually dead
and unresponsive to God’s word and Laws.
- The Holy
Spirit plants
the seeds
and those that believe are drawn to God.
- We are waters of the seed; - The
parent - The friend – The office worker – The Sunday school teacher –We
are all called to water.
- God
harvests
the full grown seed, and sometimes we get to witness the whole process.
- We are NOT
responsible for planting the “Seed”, NOR the Harvest which is
God’s work. - But we are responsible to water. The least we can do in
life is to water our own family.
- It is
God’s will
that all be saved from Satan’s doom, but it’s up to each person to decide. Life is choice driven.
- Death
is a “state” as well as an “event” – It doesn’t have to be the end, it can be
the beginning. – The mind that is controlled by the Spirit has life.
- For the unbeliever,
death is dread, for the believer it is anticipation.
- Everyone who HAS NOT
been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ is spiritually dead.
- God says, you better
“put your house in order – you will not recover”.
John 6:44 – The Holy Spirit plants the seed.
44 "No one can come to me unless the Father
who sent me draws him, NIV
John 3:16 – God wants all to be drawn, but most won’t
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. KJV
Luke 11:2 – It’s God’s
will – but it’s up to man to decide
2 Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy
name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. KJV
1 John 3:14 – We pass from death to life
14 We know
that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers.
Anyone who does not love remains in death. NIV
Rom 8:6 – The mind that is
controlled by the Spirit is life
6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind
controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; NIV
Rom 3:23 – ALL men sin and fall short
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God, NIV
Eph 2:1 You are dead in
your sin
1 As for you, you were dead in your
transgressions and sins, NIV
2 Kings 20:1 – Put your
house in order – you will not recover
1 "This is what the LORD says: Put
your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover."
NIV
DEATH
AND BURIAL RABBIT TRAIL
- In the
day of Jesus,
bystanders at funerals were obligated to honor the dead by
following the funeral processions. Paid mourners were added to the
mourners who were close friends and relatives. The mourning continued for
30 days.
- The
body was prepared to be buried the same day or very soon after death – The
family clipped the hair and nails. - The body was washed, anointed with
oil and wrapped in strips of linen cloth with spices such as hyssop, rose
oil and water between the strips. - The hands and feet were wrapped in
bandages and the face covered with a napkin. – The linen would often be
scented with natural perfumes such as aloes and myrrh.
- The
body was placed on
an open “bier” in a cave and sealed. – After some time the flesh would
have decayed, the bones were then placed in a box called an “ossuary”
which was placed on a shelf in the tomb, that way all the family could be
buried in the same place. Only the wealthy had their own rock tomb.
- A courtyard could be found in front of some tombs, just big
enough to for the bier and its bearers. The bier was the frame on
which the bearers conveyed the dead to the tomb.
- Underground
Catacombs
were developed for the poor that had large masses of tombs.
- Sidebar
- The
paid mourners were sent out of the
room by Peter wanting only believers around as he prayed for Dorcas
to be resurrected. The message here
is during the laying on of hands and prayer, to surround
your self only with believers.
Acts 9:39 -40 – Only believers laying hands on you and praying.
39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he
was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and
showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas (Tabitha) had made while she was still with them.
40 Peter sent them all out of the room;
then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he
said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she
sat up NIV
The Second Death
- The
state of final condemnation – God’s last judgment –
- A person without
Christ when he faces God’s judgment will be condemned to eternal
punishment in hell.
- The second death comes
equipped with the
- It is the eternal
separation from God – The unbeliever dies twice – The believer lives
twice.
- Death is the last
enemy to be destroyed and Christ has done that for the Believer.
Rev 21:8 – The unbeliever
dies twice. – The second death.
8 But the
cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those
who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars-their place will be in the
fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." NIV
Prov 21:16 – Don’t stray
from the Word of God
16 A man who strays from the path of understanding
comes to rest in the company of the dead. NIV
Dan 12:2 – The unbeliever
awakens to everlasting contempt.
2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the
earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
KJV
2 Tim 1:11 – Death has been destroyed for the believer
11 Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and
has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. NIV
11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second
death. NIV
Victory over death
- Christ took upon
Himself our nature, that through death He might destroy Satan who had the
power of death.
- For those that are
“in Christ”, death has been transformed to only “sleep”
- The believer has
already passed from death unto life and cannot be separated from the
love of God. Death no longer has a sting.
- Life is
a gift from God,
which we will fight for – But life with God is even better.
1 Cor 15:26 - The last enemy to be destroyed.
26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. NIV
1 Thess 4:14 – The believer is only asleep.
14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and
so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep
in him. NIV
John 5:24 – The believer has already crossed over.
24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my
word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned;
he has crossed over from death to life NIV
1 John 3:14 – We have passed from death to life
14 We know that we have passed from death to life,
because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. NIV
Rom 8:2 –Jesus Christ set
us free the from law of sin and death
2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the
Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. NIV
Rom 8:38 -39 – Nothing can separate us from life in Christ
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons, neither the present, nor the future, nor any powers,
39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in
all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is
in Christ Jesus our Lord. NIV
Luke 15:32 – We were dead and are now made alive
32 But we
had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is
alive again; he was lost and is found. NIV
Col 2:13 – Die to your
sin, come alive in Christ
13 When you were dead in your sins and in
the un-circumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ.
He forgave us all our sins, NIV
1 Cor 15:55 – Death has no sting to the believer.
55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O
death, is your sting?"
Phil 1:21- Life is a gift
from God – To be with God is better.
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is
gain.
22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will
mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!
23 I am torn between the two: I desire
to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; NIV
New Earth – No death
- Revelation says that
at the end of Armageddon, we get a new heaven and a new earth.
- God assigned the earth
to the ”immortal“ angel Satan to oversee and protect it, probably
forever.
- Satan with his “free
will” desired to be like God and have all the earth worship him.
- He certainly wasn’t
going to report to Adam, a man made lower than the angels and made of dirt
at that.
- In the end, God will
give the whole thing to Satan and his friends; the Antichrist, the
false prophet, demons, fallen angels and the unsaved and then bowls
this burning bowling ball of hell fire into eternity somewhere. Although a little toasty, Satan gets
exactly what he has always wanted.
The earth is now his and is lit up like a Christmas tree for a
solar system somewhere. Just saying, but
that’s what I think.
- Death
has been defeated and the believers get a new heaven and a new earth. The
paradise with the TREE OF LIFE
that the creator intended will be restored and death will be no more.
Luke 20:36 We will not die again.
36 and they can no
longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since
they are children of the resurrection. NIV
2 Peter 3:13 – A new
heaven and a new earth
13 But in keeping with his
promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home
of righteousness. NIV
Rev 21:1 – The first earth
is somewhere else
1 Then I saw a new heaven
and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away,
NIV
Heaven
- For the faithful
Believer, whether a King or a slave, it doesn’t matter if you live
or die, you belong to the Lord and will receive His promises of heaven.
- In Heaven, our
memories are veiled to those left behind – We have no sorrow or tears.
- We get a new body and
nobody ages and there is no “time”, just eternity.
Rom 14:7-8 – Whether we
live or die – we are the Lords.
7 For none of us lives to himself alone and none
of us dies to himself alone.
8 If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die,
we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
NIV
Rev 21:4 – No crying or
sighing or pain
4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There
will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of
things has passed away." NIV
YOU CAN’T LOSE SOMEONE IF
YOU KNOW WHERE THEY ARE.
- There are no
accidents or surprises with God
- Few things sap the
human spirit like lack of hope.
- Our suffering
produces perseverance and that builds character and that gives us hope
- Let
people help you
– It’s the only gift that they have to offer you, don’t cheat them out of
an opportunity to express their love to you. – This is their ministry. Let
them help you cry.
- At some point I have
to stop mourning and pining about how things were and who I don’t have
anymore and discover who I have now and
how I can celebrate life.
John 5:25 – We live again
25 I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has
now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and
those who hear will live. NIV
2 Cor 5:8 – The believer
is in the presence of Jesus Christ.
8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to
be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. KJV
Rom 5:3-5 – Our suffering
results in HOPE
3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our
sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has
poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. NIV
During the reception I saw
my son share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone that came through the
line. In his hurt, he chose to defeat
Satan, and for two hours, one by one he witnessed till he was exhausted and had
to sit down, but continued to share his heart.
In the spiritual realm,
the angels in heaven saw Satan defeated and in the physical realm my son was a testimony of the love of
Jesus Christ to hundreds that he might never see again.
Life is Choice Driven
Ps
46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God; NIV
In the multitude of counselors,
there is wisdom.
Prov 11:14
I
am grateful for those that went before me providing concepts, ideas, historical
information, and scripture verses.
Because of them I can stand on their shoulders and see further than I
otherwise ever could have.
90 Minutes in Heaven – Don Piper
A Grief Observed – C.S. Lewis
All the Miracles of the Bible – Herbert Lockyer
Bible Almanac; The – Nelson
Bible Almanac; The – Packer Tenny White
Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry - CARMS
Great Doctrines of the Bible - Christology – W.A. Criswell
Great Doctrines of the Bible – Pneumatology – W.A. Criswell
Great Doctrines of the Bible - Soteriology – W.A. Criswell
Harper’s Bible Dictionary – Harper & Row
Illustrated Bible Dictionary – Nelson’s
Illustrated Bible Dictionary; The - Tyndale
Illustrated Manners and Customs of the Bible – Packer & Tenny
Invisible
War; The – Donald Grey Barnhouse
International Dictionary of the Bible; The new – J.D. Douglas
Nave’s Topical Bible - Nave
New International Bible – NIV
Person and
work of the Holy Spirit; The – R.A. Torrey
Today’s Dictionary of the Bible - Guideposts
Victor
Journey through the Bible; The - Beers
Webster’s New World College Dictionary – Webster
Where To Find It In The Bible – Ken Anderson
Within Heaven’s Gates – Rebecca Springer
Zondervan NIV Nave’s Topical Bible - Nave
Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible; The
- Zondervan
No comments:
Post a Comment