“You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer.” (Job 14:5 NLT)

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace. What do people really get for all their hard work? I have seen the burden God has placed on us all.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-10 NLT)

“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!” (Psalm 139:16-18 NLT)

“For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice. And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:24-28 NLT)

“So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.” (1 Corinthians 15:21-23 NLT)

…I have been called…

…to help the children of God realize that it is our Father’s desire that as His children we live strong long lives worth living, without limit or end, with nothing missing or broken; therefore He designed us to live lives filled with purity, passion, power, and purpose; as in partnership with Him we expand the manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth (here and now); regardless of our current age or condition.

Now that we have looked at the words of Job and Solomon, let’s take a closer look at the words of David.

“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. (Psalm 139:16 NLT).

This is another passage that comes up frequently when I am discussing the inevitability of death with someone. It is also one of the passages that is frequently referred to at funerals (not as often as Psalm 23 which isn’t even talking about death – that’s a conversation for another day).

At every funeral I have ever been to (including my wife’s) I have heard the speaker say that “everyone dies.” In an effort to lessen the pain of those who have just been separated from a loved one, the person making this claim is trying to bring comfort from the fact that we will all share this experience at some time in our lives. I get where this is coming from, however, it is not true to scripture.  

What about Enoch?
“Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.” (Genesis 5:23-24 NLT)

What about Elijah?
“You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah replied. “If you see me when I am taken from you, then you will get your request. But if not, then you won’t.” As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven.” (2 Kings 2:10-11 NLT)

What about those who the Apostle Paul says will be “caught up in the clouds”?
“We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 NLT)

 What about Jesus’ claim that I do not have to die?
“I tell you the truth, anyone who obeys my teaching will never die!” (John 8:51 NLT)

The Psalmist in Psalm 139 is not saying that God has specified a date and time of death for me. I just checked and there is still no date stamp on the bottom of my foot (or anywhere else for that matter). The writer was simply stating that God in his divine ability to see all things (past, present, and future) knows the exact time in which I will do everything in my life (including die if I do indeed die) and keeps track of it. He is expressing just how much God loves us and cares about every detail of our lives, not constructing a doctrine of the timing of death. 

I can picture God in front of a wall with multiple screens watching the infinite possibilities created by every choice I could ever make (obviously he doesn’t need this as he simply knows). I was created with the ability to choose. Every choice changes what comes after that choice. If everything is predetermined, and written down based on God’s choosing, then I am not made in the image and likeness of God. One of the biggest differences between me and my goldfish (other than that I am prettier) is the ability to live by choice rather than by preprogrammed instincts.

It seems to me that reading this as though David is saying that everyone will die at a predetermined time is taking the verse out of context and creating an interpretation that contradicts the overall teaching of scripture in this area. Using it this way turns it into a proof text to prove what I already believe to be true.

We will keep moving forward tomorrow after we take a minute to chew on……Eric’s Life Lesson # 379: Late Life Assignment: Part 15 – The Promise: Strong, Long Lives: Part 11