????? Death ?????

Revelation 21:4 ”He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Romans 14:8 “For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.”

Ecclesiastes 12:7 ”And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”

Luke 23:43  ”And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

“ I can start by saying that I have experienced death. I know that I have not been the only one to experience death. We all have a day when we have experienced it. As for me, in my personal life, my family was torn apart and when my, “ride or die” passed away. Those two very personal events in my life, I can tell you that I died. I was dead inside in so many ways. Death was in me and hard to shake. Death comes in so many ways that we seem not to know when it hits us. It shakes us, knocks us to the ground, and even in certain circumstances it leads to more horrible, unthinkable situations. I did not know to come to come out of these two situations until I gave in and gave it everything to God. And this reminds me when I threw my bible and it fell and opened straight to “John 6:35“And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” God lifted me back up and has never left me. On that day I was shown by God that death is everywhere around us. We as humans seem to think were above it. Yet when it hits close such as a family member or something we hold dear to us then do we wake up and take notice. This subject hit home for me and a very difficult one to write about.

-Death is not the end. Some believe once we die, we simply cease existing. They assert that human consciousness arises gradually as the brain develops and will either slowly deteriorate or simply cease. The Bible says differently. Scripture teaches that while our present physical bodies will decompose, our souls will live forever, either in God’s presence or eternally separated from Him.

Matthew 25, after sharing two parables designed to reveal the realities regarding God’s kingdom, Jesus discussed a time when He will separate the “sheep from the goats.” Those declared righteous through His blood will receive eternal life, whereas those who rejected Him will “go away to eternal punishment” (Matthew 25:45).

In other words, eternity awaits all, though our ultimate destination is up to us.

-We don’t have to fear death. God never wants us, His beloved creations, to live in fear, uncertainty, or confusion. Christ offers us a certain, glorious, and joy-filled destination; a future free of pain, sorrow, and sickness. This invitation is open to all who trust not in themselves or their good works but instead in Jesus Christ and the price He paid.

When we believe Christ is who He says He is—the sinless Son of God—and did what He said He did—died for our sins and rose from the dead—we receive entrance into heaven. We’re granted unhindered, relational intimacy with our Savior. He who holds the universe in His hand holds our lives, now and forevermore, as well. This means, when our bodies fail and illness invades, we can rest knowing we’re secure in God’s unshakable, unbreakable love.

-Not everyone goes to the same place. According to Scripture, each of us will go to one of two places once we die. Those who have trusted in Christ for salvation will immediately be ushered into His presence, where they will remain for all eternity. Those who have rejected Him and His offer of grace, however, will spend eternity in hell.

Hell isn’t a place we like to talk or read about, but Jesus, the One offering eternal life, addressed this topic on more than one occasion. He told us it’s a place of darkness and of fire, populated by the wicked and rebellious. With each parable and statement, it’s as if He’s offering us a warning: “There’s death” and in this context, that means separation from God, “and life. Choose life.”

What if our inner anguish regarding hell points to the heart of God? Scripture is clear: God is a loving Father who doesn’t want anyone to perish. “‘As I live,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked’” (Ez 33:11). To the contrary, God is loving toward all of His creation, and heaven rejoices when a single sinner recognizes their need for Jesus and turns to Him.

-Because Jesus overcame death, so will we." God originally created the world free of sin and death. When mankind rebelled against Him (Gen. 3), we broke our relationship with God the Father, and the curse of death and sin began to rule. When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, He broke the power of both, and “since we have been united with Him in His death” through faith, “we will also be raised to life as He was” (Rom. 6:5).

Jesus demonstrated this unchanging truth when He stepped out of the tomb, alive. This means that though our physical bodies will cease to function, our souls will immediately enter into God’s presence. Later, when Christ returns, our souls will be reunited with our physical, then “glorified” bodies, which will be raised from the dead.

-Spiritual death is separation from God. It’s easy to read modern definitions for words and situations into biblical text. This often occurs when someone thinks of death. To our way of thinking, death means the end of something and the complete cessation of life. In Scripture, however, death primarily means separation—separation of man’s spirit from his body and of man from God.

For example, Scripture reveals our physical bodies will eventually cease to function and will begin to decay. Our souls, however, are eternal. Therefore, once brain death occurs, our bodies and souls separate. Similarly, spiritual death, caused by sin, separates man from his Creator. When we receive eternal life, our relationship with God is restored. Those who do not trust in God for salvation, however, remain in death—eternally separated from Him and therefore all the love, goodness, and righteousness that stems from Him. This is hell.

-We don’t have to die alone. Once we trust in Christ for salvation, our relationship with Him is restored, never to be broken again. He makes His home within us, surrounds us, walks beside us, and we become one with Him. Therefore, from that moment on, we are never and will never be alone. In Christ, God’s presence surrounds us completely."

This was the message Jesus was trying to convey to His disciples on the night before He died. “[The Father] will give you another Advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth” which is the Holy Spirit. “You know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you." I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. …On that day, you will realize that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you” (John 14:17).

Though others, perhaps even those closest to us, may abandon or reject us, Christ never will. When our time on earth ends, He’ll usher us into paradise where we’ll experience His love and presence at a depth unimaginable to our finite minds.

-Death was never God’s intent. Scripture tells us God designed humans to live eternally in deep relationship with Him. He created the rest of the universe by a mere command, speaking stars, planets, and oceans into being. But when it came to man, God’s involvement was much more direct and intimate.

“Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being” (Gen. 2:7). Psalm 139 tells us He knit together our inmost being, that He knows us fully, and “searches” our depths. All of these passages speak of a loving Father and Creator deeply involved with His creation.

Though mankind’s sin brought death—separation from God—into the world, this was never God’s intent. He created us for life. Life with Him.

-Sin will not always reign. When we view our world, with all the anger, hatred, political upheaval, and wars, it can feel as if evil is winning and always will. But Scripture promises this isn’t true. One day Jesus will return, sin will be banished from His presence for good, and He will make all things right.

Revelation 21:4 promises, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. "There will be no more death, no mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." May this truth give us hope and peace as we endure all the chaos in our broken world.

-We mourn with hope. When we lose a loved one, it may feel as if a part of ourselves has been taken with them. We grieve the moments we’ll no longer be able to share and the dreams or desires that may never be realized. Though this pain is real and deep, if our loved ones belong to Jesus, our sorrow is always tinged with the certainty that one day, we will see them again.

Scripture promises this and Jesus’ death and resurrection proved it. “For 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” (1 Thes. 4:14). This means that for those in the family of faith, our goodbyes are never truly goodbyes but rather we look forward to seeing one another again.

-Heaven will be better than anything we can imagine. I’ve experienced some amazing things. I’ve visited the Grand Canyon, Texas, and Florida. I’ve enjoyed Disney Land with my laughing son and skipping daughter when she still dressed in princess gowns and tutus. I’ve eaten enough ice cream of all varieties to fill numerous freezers, but all of these experiences pale in comparison to what awaits Christ-followers in heaven.

In fact, heaven will be better than all the earthly pleasures combined across the span of time. Regarding this, the Bible says, “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived—the things God has prepared for those who love Him”  (1 Cor. 2:9).   

Physical death is inevitable this side of heaven, but this was never God’s intent for His beloved creation. Nor is this where He wishes for us to remain. In Christ, He offers us life—to experience, through relationship with Him, all the good and lovely and amazing blessings He has planned for us. He wants to surround us in His love, from now into eternity, and in so doing, casts out all fear."

Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, we, His beloved, can confidently say, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:55-57).

Jesus says to his disciples, as he teaches them on their journeys with him. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life." He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” John 5:24

The Son of God has life in himself (5:26), and he is able to give life to whomever he will (5:21). The life that he has is eternal, and here he speaks about how this eternal life can be ours!

When Jesus speaks about death and life, He is speaking about something in which all of us are involved. No one can say, “This isn’t relevant to me.” Life and death are the experience of every person, in every generation, in every culture.

When we are young, we all have asked what is death or in some sort of manner because we all have had death around us in one way or another. When you know what death is, then you will know what life is. Normally, we all think about death as something that is pronounced by a doctor. When the heart no longer beats, the lungs no longer breathe, and the brain no longer sends its animating signals throughout the body, then a person is pronounced “dead.”

The first time death is mentioned in the Bible is in Genesis, where God says, “In the day that you eat of it [the tree of the knowledge of good and evil] you shall surely die."

When Adam and Eve sinned, they disobeyed this command, but at the end of that day when Adam sinned, his heart was still beating, his lungs were still breathing, and his brain was still sending animating signals throughout his body. So, he didn’t die? Or did he? Yes, he did!

I believe that death is not the end of our existence. That belief has shaped my faith since Jesus Christ rose from the dead after his execution 2,000 years ago. This does not mean that I’m somehow immune from or unaffected by the pain of grief and loss when a close friend or relative dies. The way I believe in my Christian faith also includes many other religious groups such as Catholics, etc. But it means that we all have a hope in something eternal that goes beyond life and death as we know it. That hope sustains us in such difficult times.

I believe that everyone who lives will meet God. There will be a ‘Day of Judgement’ when all humanity will come into God’s presence. Every person will have to give an account for all they thought, said, and did – the successes and the failures. Jesus Christ made it clear that everyone’s behavior – particularly towards the poor and vulnerable – will be laid bare before God.

I believe that everyone who lives will meet God.

For many, this might be a worrying situation, even frightening. I, for one, am trying to anticipate this meeting, but I know I will never be ready or could ever know when it comes. I’m confident that it will be a great experience. This is not because of anything I have done to earn God’s favor – I know that would be impossible. My certainty is based on my existing relationship with God. I know that because of Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, I have been forgiven for all that I have done wrong and have become an adopted child of God. It is a gift, not a reward for doing good. I have experienced God’s perfect and endless love during my life and I know I will continue to enjoy it for eternity.

The Bible tells us about heaven – a place where God lives with his people. It is a place of endless love and perfect peace; where, according to the Bible book of Revelation, ‘He [God] will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain…’.

There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain…’.

Within the many churches, there are different explanations of what happens to people after their death, but there is an agreement that Jesus’ promise is true. The Bible book of John tells us that before he died, he told his followers: ‘I am going there to prepare a place for you! And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me so that you also may be where I am.'