“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” (Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT)
“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory. Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, therefore my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:50-58 NKJV)
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26 NKJV)
Most would agree that the media has painted a very dark and doom filled picture of the world over the last year and a half. It seems that there is an agenda to fill the air with fear and chaos. While there are many challenges taking place around us, the way in which they are being communicated is far less than accurate. This has created an environment where the fear of loss, death, and destruction are ruling many. A growing number of people who rely on what they perceive as the principles of science have become inconsistent, and contradictory, in their arguments. Political voices have become polarized and divisive. Social media has become a platform for closed minded agendas seeking to shut down those with differing views. And from my perspective, an even greater tragedy is that many who claim to be followers of Jesus have redirected their thoughts and theology to a doom and gloom outlook.
For the first time in my lifetime the “Church” seems to be increasingly dominated by what I consider to be a “defeatest/bail-out” mentality. Rather than relying on the Gospel to save and deliver, to reawaken and revive, to bring restoration and reformation, preparing the way in the hope of our soon coming King; far too many are simply using the Rapture as a way to escape what they perceive as a hopeless situation. The Rapture is intended to be an escape from the devastation that occurs AFTER the Body of Christ (Church) has been removed from the Earth; NOT as a way to bail out of current difficulties.
The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation (forgiveness of sins, reconciliation to the Father, deliverance from the power of darkness, health and healing for minds and bodies, freedom from bondage, breaking the chains of addiction, etc.) to ALL who believe.
I am not intending to point a finger, knowing that when I do four are pointing back at me. I am writing this to myself to make sure that as a follower of the “Life Giver” I am dominated by thoughts and theologies of “Life and Blessing,” not “Death and Cursing.” To do this I need to understand what the Bible says about “death.”
So what is “death” anyway? According to the Bible, “death” is simply “separation.” There are two types of death:
- Spiritual Death – the separation of my spirit from the Spirit of God. This took place when Adam and Eve sinned. Since that time every human being ever born has been born separated from God in need of what the Bible calls “salvation.”
- Physical Death – the separation of my spirit from my body. My spirit will never die, however when the time comes that I move out of my body it will become “lifeless” (die).
Death is not an entity of itself. It is actually the absence of something else – life. The best illustration for this is darkness. Darkness does not exist on its own. It is simply the absence of light. When I enter a dark room I don’t look for a switch to turn off the dark. I find the switch to turn on the light. If the light is too bright I don’t turn up the dark, I dim the light. The degree to which light is present will determine the level of darkness. This is exactly how death operates. Death is the absence of life. Spiritual Death happens when I am detached (separated) from my life source (my Creator). Physical death occurs when my body is detached (separated) from my spirit.
Father, please prepare me to understand Your perspective on death in order to fully experience Your Life.
Tomorrow we will pick up where we are leaving off from…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 98: “Removing Death’s Stinger.” Part 1