15:20 But now is
Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by
man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam
all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man
in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at
his coming.
24 Then cometh the
end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when
he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must
reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy
that shall be destroyed is death.
Several years ago I was in line at the check out and a
Reader's Digest caught my eye. The title? What is death? I bought it and went
home and read the article. They came to no conclusion, but presented a lot of
confusion. The foundation of their confusion was obvious. They didn't know what
life was. How can you figure out death if you don't understand the origin of
life? Their confusion went something like this. They saw the body as a machine
and life as the byproduct of a well functioning machine. If a critical part
breaks life ends. The puzzling part for the author was that many times people
live when science says they should have died. Sometimes science declared death
and they 'came back to life'. Other times people just die and there seems to be
no cause.
The Bible presents a very different picture. The body is
machine like but life is a separate matter. Life comes from God. God created
Adam's body and then breathed life into it. Death occurs when life leaves the
body. Think about it. If life was the result of a body in good repair, we
should be able to fix any body and get the person running again, just like
putting a new battery in a 'dead' car. It's not that simple. Life is not the
byproduct of a functional body.
So life comes from. What then is death? Many people even in
Christianity will tell you death doesn't really exist. They will tell you that
when we "die" we really just go live somewhere else. The good go live
in heaven and the evil go live in hell. The problem is that according to the
Bible this is not true. First of all the Bible says only God is immortal which
means everything and everyone else can die. The cause of dying and death is sin
and since Adam and Eve sinned death was brought to our planet and is now an
ever present reality. If we never really die but just go somewhere else than we
are immortal too which makes the Bible wrong and if the Bible is wrong there is
no heaven or hell and death is the dark end.
Another reason why we can't go to hell when we die is because
hell doesn't even exist yet. Revelation 20 makes that clear.
But the biggest reason why we can't go to heaven or hell when
we die is because we are dead and death is the last enemy Jesus Will conquer.
Read what Paul wrote. Jesus was the firstfruits from the dead. The first one to
conquer death and leave it in the rearview mirror. Where is the great King
David? Not in heaven. He is in the grave. Read Acts 2. Read everything the
Bible has to say about death and resurrection and it becomes quickly obvious
that we won't live again until Jesus returns to conquer sin and death for good.
No more sickness, no more pain, no more death, no more tears. Read about it in
1 Thessalonians 4 and Revelation 20, 21 or just stick around for the rest of
this chapter.
So where are the dead now? They are sleeping. The Bible says
they know nothing. Their thoughts have perished. They have nothing more to do
with anything that is done on this earth. When Lazarus died Jesus said "He
is sleeping and I'm going to go wake him up." My mom died 6 years and 3
months ago. Her suffering ended. She is not waiting, or watching, or worried
about anything. She is just sleeping. The next thing she will experience is the
glorious scene in 1 Thessalonians 4 when Jesus calls her and millions and
probably billions of others from their slumber. That is when death ends. That's
when heaven starts. All of it made possible because Jesus loves us too much to
leave us helpless and hopeless in this place.
Today marks one year since an incredible woman who gave her
life to making Jesus known went to sleep. Here is what she had to say when her
husband asked her if she was angry at God because cancer was stealing her life
away:
From Mike Tucker
"One year ago today, April 10, 2016, Gayle Tucker passed
away...
When I asked her if she was angry with God she looked
incredulous. “Why no! I’ve had 60 years of immaculate health when some people
never get a day. I’ve had 40 years of a marvelous marriage and exciting
ministry when most people never know anything like that…” Then she spoke of her
children, grandchildren, siblings and family. Then she concluded, “Should I be
angry that all of that lasted only 60 years and not 80? That would seem to be
very ungrateful to me. So no, I’m not angry with God. I’m grateful.”
Gayle has been sorely missed this past year. Many will feel
her absence for years to come. I will miss her for the rest of my days. Hers
was a truly remarkable life – a life that touched millions – a life that will
continue to have reverberations for eternity.
Sleep well my darling. The morning is coming soon!"
Death is awful only for those it leaves behind. It is but a
sleep. The only question is will we awaken to a sweet familiar Voice. Will it
be a happy reunion? Will we finally see the face of the One we talked to all
our lives? That's how He wants it to be. That's why He came. That's why He
suffered. That's why He died.
"Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the
cross, despising it's shame..."
Every book and movie in some way mimics the truth. We are
trapped. We need to be rescued. We have a Hero. The story ends well. :)
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