Dealing With Death
Death… It happens every day. And yet, fortunately, it does not hit us close to home every day. Are you dealing with death – with the recent loss of a friend or loved one? Then you know that it is a very difficult and painful time of life for those left behind. It is at times such as these that we are often faced with major questions and concerns, such as:
Will I ever see that person again?
Where do we go from this life?
The startling fact of the matter is that God has not left us in the dark about these questions. The problem is that most people don’t believe the answers or don’t like the answers. But the answers are available. They are found in the pages of the Holy Bible: “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” [Heb 9:27]. Those who die “in their sins” will hear God say this to them: “depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” [Matt. 25:41]. Those whom God saves – who die having had their sins paid for by Jesus Christ – will hear God say these wonderful words: “Well done thou good and faithful servant … enter thou into the joy of the Lord” [Matt. 25:21]. How do we know if our sins are paid for by Jesus Christ? When God saves a person He puts His Spirit in that person. They take on a new nature: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” [2Cor. 5:17]. The thinking of a saved person changes. The bad things they used to do become distasteful to them and they have no peace and no joy doing those sinful things any longer. Their old friends start to think they have ‘become religious’.
When a person becomes saved, they start to enjoy doing things they never liked before such as being seriously committed to a local church, reading the Bible, listening to Christian music, spending time with other Christians and telling everyone around them of their love for their Savior Jesus Christ. They also have a strong desire to warn their friends, families and others about hell and the coming judgment of God. They realize that Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to heaven as He said He was: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” [John 14:6]. People whom God saves realize that no amount of human effort can get anyone to heaven: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” [Eph. 2:8-9] … “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” [Isa. 64:6]. Those people who have become new creatures in Christ realize that Jesus died for them personally, and by His death He fully paid for every sin they ever committed or ever will commit: “Christ died for the ungodly” [Rom. 5:6] … ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” [Rom. 8:1]
Since we cannot usually know the exact moment when we are going to die, we all should seek God now, while we still can cry out to Him to have mercy on our sin sick soul: “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near” [Isa. 55:6]. Jesus spoke more about hell than about heaven. He warned people about their need for salvation many times: “And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.” [Luke 12:4-5]. Jesus also said that people who thought they were religious or who thought they were OK with God, were in the most danger spiritually: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” [Matt. 7:21-23]
You may be offended by the following question but it is asked out of genuine concern for your eternal spiritual welfare and it is a question that everyone should seek the answer to: Do you know where your soul will be while they are preaching your funeral? You need to know because God warns us in the Bible that: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” [Heb. 10:31] … “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” [Rev. 20:15]. Have you dealt with death yet – your eventual death? You need to. We all need to.
The Bible has the answers we need, in order to make sure that we are dealing with death the way that God says to. Don’t trust this matter to your opinion or anyone else’s. Lots of people have religions that satisfy themselves. The problem is, their religions don’t satisfy God. Also, many individuals think that because there are so many people in their religion, that they must be OK. But according to the Bible, numbers are a sign of spiritual danger:
“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.” [Matt. 7:13-14]