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The term ‘triage’ means to sort. In a hospital waiting room, they sort out who is most serious and needs to be seen first. Not all our theological or eschatological beliefs are of equal importance. Some are essential to salvation and others are speculative.

For example, one must believe in Jesus (John 3:16) and His sacrifice on the Cross and Resurrection to be saved (Rom.10:9-10, 1 Cor.15:1-4). One’s end-time beliefs have nothing to do with the New Birth experience.

There are some Biblical beliefs that are of great importance but do not affect our salvation. For example, the formula used in water baptism, or whether or not one receives the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, or laying on of hands for the sick. Important, yes; essential for salvation, no. 

JESUS IS COMING AGAIN

In the book of Revelation I found seven statements that Jesus is coming soon (Rev. 1:3, Rev.3:11, Rev. 22:6, 7, Rev.22:10, 12, Rev.22:20). But ‘soon’ is a relative term. This was said over two thousand years ago and it has not happened yet. But I am convinced that it is a true statement and may happen soon.

TIME, TIMES, HALF TIME, 1260 DAYS, 42 MONTHS, 3 ½ YEARS

These are terms found in the book of Revelation also (Rev.11:2, 3, Rev. 12:6, 14, Rev.13:5). Understanding how these times fit into the return of the Lord will affect when and how we believe He will return.

There are three major beliefs about when Jesus will return. They are premillennial, post-millennial, and amillennial, with some differences. Most of the early church fathers were premillennial such as Papias, Irenaeus, and Justin Martyr with the caveat that Jesus was coming before the millennium but after the tribulation and before the wrath of God would be poured out. Augustine, Martin Luther, and John Calvin were amillennial, believing the millennium was not to be taken literally. Jonathan Edwards, Charles Finney, and most of the leaders of the Second Great Awakening were postmillennial. Many modern theologians also hold the postmillennial position, such as F.F. Bruce, D.A.Carson, Robert Gundry, William Lane, George Eldon Ladd, J. Howard Marshall, Leon Morris, and Merrill Tinney. 

Each of these three positions has some merit and you can find Scripture passages that hint at it. We most often interpret end-time events by what we have been taught or how we interpret what is happening in our world today – which I believe to be one of the least accurate ways to interpret Scripture. Do you remember 88 REASON WHY JESUS IS COMING IN 1988? Date setting has always been wrong and continues to be so. The Bible is clear that no one knows the season, day, or hour when Jesus will come (Acts 1:6-7, 1 Thess.5:1-11).

It would probably be helpful if we would re-read the New Testament end-time Scriptures as if we were reading them for the first time without any preconceived notions. 

Some people have built their whole ministry on this one subject matter, and woe to the person who disagrees with their positions! Relax! Give others some grace on this topic. 

What we believe about the end times is important but should not be the basis for fellowship among Christians because there is much about it that we do not know. We could even call our beliefs of the end time as ‘tertiary’ or third-level beliefs.

Jesus is definitely coming again! Be ready! If He doesn’t come in our lifetime, He is still coming! If He comes before the tribulation, in the middle, or at the end of it, He will still come! If He comes for us in death, so be it! In any case, we will see Him face to face (Rev.22:4, 1 Cor.13:12).

God gave Adam & Eve a beautiful residence – the Garden of Eden in which to live. They would care for and guard it against intruders (Gen.2:15). There were two special trees mentioned, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:9). They were specifically told they could eat from all the trees except the fruit of the knowledge of the good and evil tree. However, Satan tempted them and they yielded to the temptation and ate from the tree (Gen.3:1-6). As a result of that, all humanity since has been born with a propensity to sin and desires to do our own thing (Rom.5:6-21). They never got to eat the fruit of the tree of life because they were driven out of the Garden (Gen.3:24). 

The Tree of Life

There are a few other mentions of the tree of life in the Bible. They include:

Wisdom is said to be a tree of life to those who take hold of her (Prov.3:18).

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life (Prov.11:30).

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life (Prov.13:12).

A wholesome tongue is a tree of life (Prov.15:4).

Overcomers will eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God (Rev.2:7).

In the New Jerusalem “In the middle of the street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” (Rev. 22:2).

“Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life and enter through the gates into the city” (Rev.22:14).

Other Fruit of the Fall

Childbirth pangs (Gen.3:16).

Earn a living through toil (Gen:17-19).

Broken fellowship with God (Gen.3:22-23).

Murder (Gen.4:8).

Corruption and Violence (Gen.6:11-12).

Noah’s Flood (Gen.7-8).

Division of languages (Gen.11:6-8)

And all other types of sin that we are all too familiar with!

The Good News

Jesus loved us so much that He was willing to take our sin upon Himself and die for us and as us (John 3:16, Rom.5:8). The old man is dead and we are a new creation in Christ Jesus (2 Cor.5:17-21). The Cross of Calvary has become our Tree of Life for through it we have eternal life in the present and the future.

To get a more complete view of our future, read Revelation chapters 21-22.

Some of the things waiting for us are: 

He will wipe away every tear from our eyes. There will be no more death, sorrow, or crying. There will be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. All things will be made new. Access to the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. There will be no more curse. The redeemed will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no night there. They will not need lights, for the Lord God gives them light and they shall reign forever and ever!

The thing we need to do now is to make sure that Jesus is our Savior and Lord!

THE APOSTLE PAUL’S ESCHATOLOGY

1 Corinthians 15:23-26 “ But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.  Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.  For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.”

1. He is coming for his own.

1 Corinthians 15:50-54 “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 all 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.”

1. He is coming quickly – in the twinkling of an eye.

Romans 5:9 “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”

1. No wrath for the believer.

1 Thessalonians 1:10 “and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”

1 Thessalonians 5:9 “ For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Thessalonians 3:13-17  “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this, we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

1. Dead saints raised, living saints taken up.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-9 “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you, yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.  For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes 

upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.  You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.  For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.  For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

1. His coming as a thief in the night to unbelievers.

2.  To the saints it will not be as a thief.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you,  not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.  Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.  For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason, God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

1. Falling away first.
2. Man of sin to be revealed.
3. Mystery of lawlessness already working.
4. Lawless one consumed when He returns.
5. Strong delusions on non-believers.

1 Timothy 4:1-5 “4 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; 5 for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.”

1. Some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits.
2. Seared conscience.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 “3 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,  unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,  having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”

1. Perilous times.
2. Lovers of self.
3. Having a form of godliness but denying its power.

2 Timothy 4:1-5 “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

1. Many will not endure sound teaching.
2. Be watchful.
3. Do the work of evangelism
4. Fulfill your ministry.

 SHEPHERDING IN TIMES OF DIFFICULTY

When we look at Psalm 23 we see a good picture of how a relationship should exist between sheep and the Good Shepherd.

Now we will look at Ezekiel 34 which will give us a picture of some under-shepherds who are not doing their job of caring for God’s sheep and how He will respond to them.

Irresponsible Shepherds

Ezekiel 34:1-6 “And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?  You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock.  The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost, but with force and cruelty, you have ruled them. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered.  My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, my flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.”

The Word of the Lord that came to Ezekiel pointed out several things that revealed how irresponsible these shepherds were.

• Selfish. They feed themselves instead of the sheep.
• You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with their wool.
• You have not strengthened the weak.
• You have not healed the sick nor bound up the broken.
• You have not brought back those that were driven away. 
• You have not sought out the lost.
• You have used force and cruelty on the sheep.
• The sheep were scattered because you did not shepherd them.

These are serious indictments against Israel’s shepherds. But it does not stop there. Many of those statements could be said about the shepherds who pastor God’s people today. And if that is true, it helps to explain much of the division that exists in the Body of Christ. It also explains why the church is so weak and sickly. Many are fighting for their spiritual life and have few resources to do the work of God assigned to them. Many good pastors spend most of their time with the sick sheep with very little time to do anything else to advance God’s kingdom.

What is God going to do about it? Listen to verse 10. “Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.”

God is going to judge them in this lifetime. God says He is:

• Against these shepherds.
• I will require the flock at their hand. The shepherd is held responsible for the sheep.
• I will take the flock from them.

I get the idea that Jehovah is serious about His flock! He is equally serious about how His shepherds treat them.

The True Shepherd

Ezekiel 34:11-16 says, ‘For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.  As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day.  And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country.  I will feed them in a good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.  I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God.  “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.”

Listen to what Jehovah says He is going to do about it:

• I will search for my sheep.
• I will deliver them from the places where they were scattered.
• I will bring them back to their own land.
• I will feed them on the mountains of Israel.
• I will feed them in good pasture.
• They will lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.
• I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away.
• I will strengthen what was sick.

You know it is serious when God steps in to displace those He has called and anointed to be His shepherds.

This is not only applicable to those shepherds and those of today but includes a prophetic element about how God will restore the nation of Israel in the end times.

The Sheep have Responsibility too.

Ezekiel 34:17-24 says, ‘And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture—and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet? And as for My flock, they eat what you have trampled with your feet, and they drink what you have fouled with your feet.”  ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God to them: “Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.  I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd.  And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.”

The sheep do not get by with their rebelliousness either. Notice some of the things He says to them:

• I will judge between sheep and goats.
• You have eaten the good pasture and trampled the rest down. 
• You have drunk the clear water and fouled up the residue with your feet.
• You have pushed with your side and shoulder and butted the weak ones and scattered them.
• I will establish one shepherd over them and he shall feed them. 
• He calls David His servant and a prince. Which no doubt is prophetic of Jesus Himself.

Perhaps some of the sheep’s behavior has been learned from the shepherds, but much of it reveals their own rebelliousness also.

Having been a Pastor for over 57 years, I have seen many church members get upset over something and sow further discord in the Body before they left to go somewhere else and do the same thing there.

God help us!

God’s Promises.

Ezekiel 34:25-33 says, “And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken. “I will make a covenant of peace with them, and cause wild beasts to cease from the land, and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing, and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing.  Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; they shall know that I am the Lord when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them.  And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid.  I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore. Thus they shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are My people,” says the Lord God.’  “You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,” says the Lord God.”

Notice the promises Jehovah makes to His people:

• I will make a covenant of peace with them.
• I will make them a blessing.
• There shall be showers of blessing.
• Trees will yield their fruit,
• They shall be safe in their land.
• They shall no longer be prey to the nations.
• I will raise up for them a garden of renown.
• They shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them.
• They shall know that they are my people.
• You are my flock, the flock of my pasture. And I am your God.

Some of these promises have already come to pass, but more are slated to occur in the future – specifically in the last days. 

So, how does this relate to sheep and their shepherd? God is a God of grace, mercy, and forgiveness. If the shepherds have sinned, there is forgiveness and restoration. And the same is true of sheep. If they have been rebellious, they can repent and be restored. None of us are flawless. Just forgiven! Jehovah is Lord of His sheep and His shepherds. Each of them has a part to perform in His kingdom. We should be working together to do the work assigned to each of us to do.

copied from my book THE SHEPHERD AND HIS SHEEP available on Amazon

INTRODUCTION

When we think about keys, we think about someone with the authority to open or close things. The Prophet Isaiah prophesied that Eliakim would be put in a place of authority with keys to open and close. Isaiah 22:22 says, “The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; so he shall open, and no one shall shut, and he shall shut, and no one shall open.” 

The resurrected Lord said in Revelation 1:18, “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”

Revelation 3:7 says, “And to the angel (messenger or pastor) of the church in Philadelphia write: These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts and shuts and no one opens.”

Jesus, during His ministry on earth, told Peter and the disciples, “And I give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” That authority to open and close, bind and lose still exists in the Church today. However, it is so powerful that few bother to use it, even though it has been freely given to us by our Lord Jesus, too often we know very little about it.

Generosity

Proverbs 11:24-25 tells us something about being generous, “There is one who scatters, yet increases more, and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.” We learn that being generous leads to blessings! 

Proverbs 22:9 says, “He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor.”

Isaiah 32:8 says, “But a generous man devises generous things, and by generosity, he shall stand.”

It is far better to be generous than stingy; one leads to blessing and the other leads to poverty in all areas of life.

The 4 T’s

• Time – whatever time we have on earth is a gift from God, but we are responsible for how we use it. Each of us has 24 hours in a day which comes to 1440 minutes and 86,400 seconds. We can be stingy or generous with our time in the service of our King.
• Talents – abilities that God has placed within us. Although they are God-given, we decide how we will use them; for selfish things or for advancing the kingdom of God.
• Truth – the truth will set you free (John 8:32) when you adhere to it. Knowing the truth and obeying it are not the same thing. The truth you know and do will bring forth what it promises.
• Tithe – the Israelites were required to bring tithes and offerings as a sign of worship to God. When they obeyed they were blessed. When they disobeyed they were rebuked. 

Each of us is responsible to be generous with these four things in all areas of our life. We can be selfish and use what God has given for self-advancement, or we can use them for the glory of God and His kingdom. What will it be?

THE TITHE

Most people, Christians included, have an aversion to indiscriminately giving away their money. When it comes to giving to charities or the Church, they are hesitant to do so. Why is that? In some cases, it is because in the past the funds have been misused or abused. Or perhaps their pastor or favorite tele-evangelist has emphasized giving to the point that it has turned them off.

So, what are we to do? The best place to get real answers is from the Word of God – the Bible. In this book, we will examine what it has to say about tithing and giving beyond the tithe. Giving – not to twist God’s arm to make Him do something He doesn’t want to do – but to obey the basic tenets of Scripture about how to obey Him and be blessed while doing so.

Some Christians don’t tithe because they say it is just part of the Mosaic law that has no importance for us today. But actually, tithing predates the law.

Genesis 14:18-20 says, “Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him (Abram) and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he (Abram) gave him (Melchizedek)) a tithe of all.” 

Hebrews 7:4 says, “Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils.”

Hebrews 7:5-9 says, “And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. Now beyond all contradiction, the less is blessed by the better. Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak.”

Just as Abraham’s faith predates the Mosaic law, so does the principle of giving a tithe. Neither of those was done away with simply because Jesus fulfilled the law. But both are re-emphasized in the New Covenant.

Here are some other Scriptures related to tithing that was part of the Mosaic law.

Leviticus 27:30-31 “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord. If a man wants at all to redeem any of his tithes, he shall add one-fifth to it.”

Deuteronomy 26:;12-13 says, “When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your increase in the third year – the year of tithing – and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your gates and be filled, then you shall say before the Lord your God; I have removed the holy tithe from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all your commandments which you have commanded me; I have not transgressed your commandments, nor have I forgotten them.”

2 Chronicles 31:5-6 says, “As soon as the commandment was circulated, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of grain and wine, oil and honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything. And the children of Israel and Judah, who dwelt in the cities of Judah, brought the tithe of oxen and sheep; also the tithe of holy things which were consecrated to the Lord their God they laid in heaps.” 

Malachi 3:8-12 says, “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed you?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and try me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts. “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” says the Lord of hosts.”

They were told to bring a tithe from their harvests so that the priests and Levites would have food to eat. They were, at different times throughout the year, to bring lambs for sacrifice. When they obeyed they prospered, when they rebelled God used various ways to rebuke them.

Notice what was promised to them if they obeyed; “I will open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”

Notice what else God promised, “I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field.”

Did God literally do these things? Yes, over and over again.

After Malachi, there is a period of time when there was very little, if any, visitation of the Lord. We call this the Intertestamental period.

While the Moral law of God (Ten Commandments) remains in force today, the Ceremonial law with its types and shadows has been fulfilled through Jesus’ work on the Cross. In Luke 16:16 Jesus said, “The law and the prophets were until John, since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.”

John the Baptist appeared on the scene preaching “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). Jesus preached the same, “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17,23).

The message of the Kingdom that they and others in the New Testament preached brought forth a new way of living. No more blood sacrifices are needed! Ceremonies or feast days no longer were required. Because of the Cross, where Jesus gave His life, the burial, resurrection, ascension, and Pentecost bring us into a relationship with Jesus that is not based on pictures and shadows, but a relationship with Him because He now lives within us (1 John 4:4). But, being a tither and generous giver is the same in both Covenants!

FIVE KEYS

Jesus commended tithing. Matthew 23:23 says, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith. These ought you to have done, without leaving the others undone. Jesus approved of their consistency in tithing but not putting it before other things.

The New Testament is not just about the tithe. Tithing is the place to start in our giving, it is not the end. One has not really given until after first tithing.

Luke 6:38 says, “Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Jesus said this in the context of the law of sowing and reaping. In a nutshell, this is the teaching about giving in the New Testament.

Jesus showed the religious crowd that heart attitude is important too. Luke 21:1-4 says, “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.” 

In addition to these, I will mention five keys that will help us with that attitude.

Key # 1 – Place of Ownership

We need to realize that we are not our own. As Christians, we belong to God. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” All that we are or ever will be belongs to Him. His redemption is total. It positively affects everything, even our possessions. Our mentality should be that we will use our possessions to advance His Kingdom. It begins with a tithe and continues on to various ways of giving to do it.

Key # 2 – Place of Repentance

Repentance breaks the yoke off our lives. Repentance is more than crying and begging God for forgiveness. It means to change one’s mind & heart about self, sin, and God. If one repents, he changes the direction he is going and goes 180 degrees in the other direction.

Repentance is often needed, not only for salvation but for service. Too many Christians fail to obey God by not tithing and not practicing generous giving of their finances to advance His Kingdom.

Too often we are generous when it is something we want, but stingy with God and His Kingdom. Such an attitude calls for repentance.

Key # 3 –  Place of Obedience

Obedience brings forth fruitfulness. Deuteronomy 8:18-20 says, “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God.” Being disobedient does not produce good fruit! 

Over and over again we see in the Old Testament how Israel disobeyed God and suffered many rebukes from the prophets God sent them. If they did not repent, calamities of all types would occur. God would often lift His hand of protection and allow the evil armies around them to invade the land. When they repented and obeyed what He had said, He would deliver and bring His blessings once again to them. Most of these types of things could have been avoided if they had simply obeyed God in the beginning.

Key # 4 – Place of Sacrifice

Sacrifices we make, while we are obeying God, increase influence. When we look at individuals who have sacrificed much to serve God, they have a great influence on our lives. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Obedience to God will cause us to make sacrifices often. Why? Because the flesh wants what it wants! To sacrifice means that we willingly give up what we want to do to be able to do what He wants us to do. And when it comes to tithing, giving offerings, and being generous, sacrifices will have to be made.

Key # 5 – Place of Generosity

Generosity is the place where blessings abound! Remember the law of reciprocity or sowing and reaping?

The Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, “But this I say; He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.

He continues on in 2 Corinthians 9: 10-11, “Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.”

Jesus said in Luke 6:38, Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” 

Tithing is giving a tenth back to God from what you have received. Generous giving begins where tithing ends and becomes a seed that is sown that will bring forth an abundant harvest in the future!

Martin Luther said, “There are three conversions necessary, the heart, the head, and the purse.”

Billy Graham said, “A checkbook is a theological document, it tells you who and what you worship.”

CAN GOD’S BLESSINGS BE BOUGHT?

NO. 

Why would we want to buy what we have already been given? Ephesians 1:3 says, “…we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”

2 Peter 1:3 says, “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life ad godliness…”

Psalm 103:1-5 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases. Who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s”.

Psalm 104:24 says, “O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom, you have made them all. The earth is full of your possessions.”

Notice Proverbs 3:9-10, “Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase. So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.”

From these and similar passages we can see that God is not against possessions or money. But we do need to keep the right perspective and attitude toward them.

We should not attempt to deceive God. We see two people, Ananias and Sapphira, who tried that and it did not turn out well for them! They both died under Divine Judgment (Acts 5:1-11).

Simon, the sorcerer, tried and failed also. Acts 8 tells us that when the gospel was preached in the city of Samaria great numbers of people professed faith in Jesus. Simon did too. Later he saw supernatural things happening and wanted the power to do them. Notice verses 18-20, “And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’ But Peter said to him, ‘Your money perish with you because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money.’”

Peter, by the ability of the Holy Spirit, dissected Simon’s problem. He told him “your heart is not right in the sight of God.” He further encouraged him to repent. He revealed that Simon was “poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”

You cannot buy salvation. 

You cannot buy healing.

You cannot buy the peace of God or any of the fruit of the Spirit. 

You cannot buy the Holy Spirit or any of His gifts.

You cannot buy a ministry.

We should not try to Barter with God either.

There are examples of people in the Bible who laid a fleece before the Lord to determine His will. Sometimes it seemed to work well for them.

A good example of this is Gideon (Judges 6:36-40). But before attempting to do the same thing, we need to consider the covenant under which Gideon lived and that he did not have the Holy Spirit living in him as we do today under the New Covenant. We have the written Word of God; we have the Holy Spirit and the witness of His Spirit in us (Romans 8:9,11,16, 1 John 4:4). We don’t need to do this. In fact, on some occasions, it may be dangerous to do so.

We should be on guard against covetousness.

Luke 12:15 says, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

Your life is more than houses, lands, money, position in society, clothes, cars, entertainment, etc. Your life is a gift from God, it is to be used in His Kingdom.

Let’s look at the instruction the Apostle Paul gave to his disciple Timothy. 1 Timothy 6:6-10 says, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” Notice, he did not call money evil, but the love of money.

Paul also mentioned in 1 Timothy 3:3, 8 that leaders in the church must guard against a wrong attitude toward money. He said to Bishops that they must “not be greedy for money…”

He also said to Deacons that they also should “not be greedy for money…”

From these statements, it appears that both Pastors and Deacons would be in a position to handle money and must have a right view of it.

It is possible to have great possessions and large sums of money but still retain the right attitude about it. In Acts 4:32-37 we find a time in Jerusalem where the believers were in unity. No one thought of his possessions as being only his. There were no unmet needs in the Body. Those who had excess possession would sell them and bring the money to the Apostles who then distributed it to those in need.

So, what are we to do when we face a financial need?

Read the promises of the Word of God, some of which are found in this little book.

Take a position of victory. See yourself as a person who has the victory, not one trying to get it. The way you get to this is by reading and meditating on the Scriptures that tell you who and what you are IN Christ.

Make positive statements from those Scriptures. Such as: 

“Greater is He that is in me than he that is in world.” 

“My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory.”

“I am blessed with everything that I need to do the will of God.”

“Need and want are under my feet because I am seated with Christ in heavenly places.”

“Satan and all his helpers were defeated by Jesus’ Cross experience. Since they are under Jesus’ feet they are under mine also.”

Then, begin to praise God for meeting your need. 

I do not see these things as formulas to get blessings, but a lifestyle that is natural because of who you see yourself to be in Jesus. When it becomes natural, you get to the place where your faith is high and you know, even as you are doing them, that the need WILL be met!

Final Thoughts

When it comes to praying for specific things, we need to know how and why God responds to our requests. I have given a few things for us to consider.

1. God cannot act contrary to His nature. For example, God is love and everything He does will be done out of love. 

2. We never have to ask God to do what the Word says He is. For example, God is merciful. We never have to ask God to be merciful to us or others because He always is whether we realize it or not. Another example: ‘God supply my needs.’ He already has even though we may not see it yet.

3. We never have to beg God for anything He has promised. We need only to ask in faith to appropriate it. 

4. Jesus is never going to the Cross again. He has already done everything necessary for us to live a victorious life in the present and the future. “It is finished.”

5. Jesus is actively involved in our life on a daily basis via the Holy Spirit who lives in us. He is both imminent (near) and transcendent. Understanding this is where the rubber meets the road. We often do not ‘feel’ God’s presence and are tempted to believe that He has left us or is unconcerned for us. No, He lives IN us! Jesus said He would never leave or forsake us. Believe it!

At this time of year, we often stop to remember and be grateful for all of God’s blessings on our lives. I believe this thankfulness should encompass more than a day but become a lifestyle.

FIRST

I am thankful for Jesus Christ and His work on the Cross & Resurrection whereby our salvation is provided. I am glad that He has died both for and as me and forgiven all my sin! And that He has given the Holy Spirit as our Guide, Companion, and Power for daily living while serving and worshipping Him!

SECOND

I am thankful for my family, both the family I was born in and the family that I have now. I am thankful for my siblings: Luther, James, Leonard, John, Linda, Lois, & Dorothy. And my mom and dad, Eva & Jim Parish. I am grateful for the upbringing, discipline, and teaching we got in their family.

I am thankful for my wife, Debbie, and the 53 years we have been married. I am thankful for Tim and Paul our sons, who are godly men, serving the Lord with their families. Tim’s wife, Marlene, and their sons, Nathaniel, Graham, Elijah, and Aidan. Our great, grandchildren Theo & Rosie. Paul’s wife, Mitsi, and their children include Luke, Ethan, Ruby, and Beau. All living for and serving the Lord in some capacity!

THIRD

I am thankful for the churches we have had the privilege to serve over these last 57 years. Specifically, New Life Church here in Louisville for the last 41 years. I am grateful for the Godly people He has put in our life who are great encouragers to seek God in greater ways than ever before.

FOUR

I am thankful for the blessings of our country and the freedoms it offers in the midst of many challenges.

FIVE

I am thankful for life itself. While doing short-term mission work in foreign countries I faced some potentially dangerous circumstances that could have ended my life, but God intervened and we suffered no harm! And the same could be said about some situations here in the USA. Life is precious and I am grateful to the Lord for it.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY, GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE!

As we begin to look at our text, there are some considerations that need to be examined. 

• Who did the translation, one person or a team of translators? If one person did it, there is a high risk of preconceived ideas being brought into the text. This is a risk with a team as well, but not as likely as when one person is doing it. 
• Reliability of the manuscripts. Do the manuscripts used have a good number of copies that are in agreement?
• The difficulty of going from one language to another. In every language, there are lots of idioms that are commonplace and are difficult to say in another language, specifically, in a few words.
• What did the text mean to the first-century readers? Their context may be difficult to ascertain since we are far removed from it.
• What does it say to us today? We should be on guard lest we interpret Scripture through our culture, experiences, or preconceived ideas. 

Having said this, let’s begin to look at our text.

OUR TEXT FROM SEVEN TRANSLATIONS:

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. NKJV

 And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose. AMP

We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him. They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose, CEV

Moreover, we know that to those who love God, who are called according to his plan, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good. J.B. Phillips

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. NAS

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. NIV

We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are chosen to be a part of His plan. NLV

After looking at the text in Greek, my preference is the New International Version, which I believe to be the most accurate and meaningful.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. NIV

As we unpack this verse, we discover there are four great truths that we should examine.

• We know.
• That in all things.
• God works for the good.
• Of those who love Him and are responding to His call.

In the following, we will look at corresponding passages that will shed light on these statements.

DOES GOD HAVE MANY WILLS?

Life seems to lead all of us into situations where we have to ascertain what is the best course of action. We pray, ask for counsel from a friend, read the Bible, and often still are unsure what God wants us to do.

For us to be convinced that all things are working out for our good, we must know what the will of God is.

Not everything that happens to us is God’s will! The world system is against us. Acts 2:40 says, “And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse (evil) generation.” 1 John 2:15-17 also says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life- is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” John 10:10 says, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

The way this verse is translated leaves us with the idea that God has two or three different wills. It has often been said that He has a permissive will and a perfect will. Many of us were raised in churches where this was taught. But is this what the Bible teaches?

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-His good, pleasing, and perfect will.” (NIV) Notice that the word ‘will’ is singular.

 I have yet to find any mention in the Bible of God having different wills on the same subject.

As we review the Scriptures, we find that God has a specific will and plan for us. For example: notice 1 Thessalonians 4:3, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification…”  Very specific.

Colossians 4:12 says, “Epaphras…laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete (fully assured) in all the will of God.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” It is always the will of God to give Him thanks.

Galatians 1:4 says, “Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present age, according to the will of our God and Father.” It is the will of God for us to overcome this world system.

Hebrews 10:36 says, “For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.” It is the will of God that we always receive the benefits of God’s promises.

1 Peter 4:2 says, “That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.” It is the will of God that we do the will of God!

1 John 2:17 says, “And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” 

As we evaluate our circumstances, we often see that there are multiple paths we could take. Which one will be the most productive? Which one will God bless? How can I know what to do?

All of us have been there. What if there was someone who had been here before us who knows what we should do? There is! God sees the end from the beginning, and He knows everything in between. He knows everything that is involved in either of the paths that we could take. But since He only wants what is best for us, He will direct us in that path. Can we choose to do otherwise? Yes. But there is sure to be heartache if we take the path that is outside the will of God!

Can Satan attack us when we are in the will of God? Certainly. The apostle Paul and the saints mentioned in Hebrews 11 are proof of that! Many saintly people living today are also proof of it.

Are difficulties indicators of being either in or out of the will of God? No, they are not. If you live a godly life you are subject to Satan’s attack and persecution. 2 Timothy 3:12 says, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”  Proverbs 18:15 says, “And the way of the transgressor is hard.” KJV

How can we discover the will of God for our life? First and foremost, we can find it in the Bible. It is full of commands, statements, and illustrations of the will of God. We are told in Colossians 3:15, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful.” The Holy Spirit leads us into the will of God. He never leads us outside the will of God! Prayer can also help us discover the will of God. Ephesians 6:18 says, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”

We will find that we can step out in bold faith when we know what God’s will is even when there are still questions left unanswered.

But we know that when we do the will of God, He will be working, in everything, for our good!

DOES GOD OVERRIDE OUR WILL TO GET HIS WILL ACCOMPLISHED?

In this article, we are primarily referring to events and scriptures from the New Testament to ensure that we do not get Old Covenant experiences mixed with New Covenant teaching.

The Apostle Peter gives us some insight on this question when he says in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Yet we know that many die daily without having made Jesus the Lord of their life. Because they have rejected what Jesus provided for them on the Cross, they have brought condemnation upon themselves. John 3:16-19 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.”

We are made in the image and likeness of God. Genesis 1:26 says, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth’.”  He has free will and He gave the same to us. As part of the inner man we have a will that can choose what our beliefs and actions will be. We can accept or reject the teaching of the Bible. We can choose to obey or disobey what it says. If we disobey we will suffer the consequences of that choice. Does God ever give up on us and stop loving us? No, definitely not.

Our text says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” NIV

All the time the individual is rejecting the love of God, He is still working in the realm of the unseen to cause circumstances, people, and His Spirit to bring them into His will. Since He knows what is best for each of us all that He does is for our good, both for now and in eternity.

Because we do not see God doing anything outwardly does not mean that He is not at work. Even when we have prayed and sought His face with no immediate response, this does not mean He has said no to our request. He is still working, do not stop believing His word. This is where faith comes into the picture. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Will we ever understand everything that is going on? Perhaps not, on this side of Heaven. Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of the law.”  God does have some secret things that He has chosen not to reveal at this present time. The Apostle Paul was shown some things that he could not reveal. 2 Corinthians 12:4 says, “How he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” 

The Apostle Paul quoted Isaiah 64:4 when he wrote to the saints in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 2:9 where he said, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” Usually, we stop reading there and say ‘we will find out when we get to Heaven.’ But read on and see that this refers to now. 1 Corinthians 2:10 says, “But God HAS revealed them to us through His Spirit.  For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep (secret) things of God.”  Verses 11 and 12 continue on to say, “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we HAVE received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that WE MIGHT KNOW THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN freely given to us by God.’ Yes, there will be many things that we will know or understand until we get to Heaven. But there are many more that we could know now if we realize it is God’s will for us to know them, He has put them in the control of the Spirit who lives IN us now. 

God wants us to know what His will is. He wants us to live in it completely. The only things that He is keeping from us are things that He knows we are not yet able to handle. As we mature spiritually He can then reveal more to us. He is working to get us to the place to reveal lots of them to us.

DOES GOD’S FOREKNOWLEDGE CONTROL OUR DECISIONS?

One of the attributes of God is His knowledge of everything and everyone, the past as well as the present and the future. If He had less than that He would not be God. He has given each person a will whereby he can make choices according to his desires.

Does He approve of all our choices? No. But He still allows us to make them, even when He knows that they will be injurious to us.

When speaking to a group of Jews who rejected His Lordship, John said about Jesus in John 1:11, “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” Jesus said in John 5:40, “And you are not willing to come to me that you may have life.” They wanted to hold to their religious traditions instead of the radical change of direction that would have been required of them to believe in Him. The same is true today with many people.

To do good research on a text, we need to see what is said before and after it so that we can see it in context. Romans 8:26-27 says, “Likewise the Spirit helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

Several things stand out to me in verses 26-28:

• God knows more about us and our circumstances than we do.
• We often don’t know how or what to pray.
• The Spirit makes intercession for us.
• He makes intercession according to the will of the Father.
• We know that in all things God is working for our good.
• We love God and are called to do His purpose for our life.

Now we can see that He was addressing a specific class of people, namely, those who love God and are called to do His purpose.

To look at it in a little more depth, I quote from my book THE GOSPEL OF GRACE pages 84-87.

“J. B. Phillips says, ‘Moreover we know that to those who love God, who are called according to His plan, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good.’ I have never been convinced that everything that happens to us is working for our good. But I believe that in everything that happens God is working for our good. Satan is out to kill, steal, and destroy us. But our heavenly Father has purposed that we live in His abundant life! God has a plan for every life. He has gifted every one of His sons and daughters with a call to be His Ambassador. 2 Corinthians 5:20 says, “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us; we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” His grace has enabled each one to do the assignment He has given them to do. Ephesians 3:7 says, “Of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.” Ephesians 4:7 says, “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” Too often we have interpreted the term ‘calling’ to mean only a Pastor or Evangelist but every Christian has a calling. 

“What is God doing while we are facing the challenges of life? He is working in the unseen realm to get people and situations where they need to be so His will can be accomplished. He is also working in our soul and spirit realms to perfect character while bringing forth the fruit of the Spirit. James 1:4 says, “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” And He will continue doing that all our life.

“For whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be confirmed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He predestinated these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom he justified, these He also glorified (Romans 8:29-30).

“For those whom He has known beforehand He has also predestined to bear the image of his Son, that He might be the eldest in a vast family of brothers; and those whom He has predestined He also has called; and those whom He has called He has also declared free from guilt, and those whom He has declared free from guilt He has also crowned with glory. (WEY).

“God is taking us somewhere. In these verses, we see a progression from that point in eternity past when He conceived the plan for His creation all the way to eternity’s future after the consummation of the ages. God is never taken by surprise nor put in a situation where He does not know what is going on or what will happen! From his foreknowledge, He has determined that each of His children should be conformed to the image of Jesus. He has called each with a heavenly calling. When they make Jesus their Lord, they were justified and glorified even though parts of it will be entered into in the future.”

From this, we can see that God’s foreknowledge, callings, etc. in our text is specific to those who love God and are fulfilling His call in their life.

God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. In this text he is not talking about God’s foreknowledge related to every person but those specifically who love God.

BRINGING OLD COVENANT CONCEPTS INTO THE NEW COVENANT

Too many of us live on the wrong side of a personal Pentecost. We have believed that the Day of Pentecost was a historical event but that it has little significance for today. And as a result of that, we live powerless lives.

In the same way, many try to interject Old Testament teachings into the New Testament and interpret the Gospels, and Epistles accordingly.

The Apostle Paul dealt with this problem in the Galatian churches. There were Christians who had come out of Judaism and faced persecution and hard times because of it. When they were tempted to go back, he said to them in Galatians 5:1, “Stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”

The writer of Hebrews also dealt with similar concerns. In referencing Jesus as our High Priest, he said in Hebrews 6:22, “By so much more Jesus has become surety of a better covenant.” Hebrews 8:6-7 also says, “But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which is established on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.”

The Old Testament contains history, prophecy, and poetry, and is full of types, shadows, and prophecy related to Jesus. But now that Jesus has come we do not need to live under the Mosaic law anymore. Jesus was the fulfillment of the law.

I have a picture of my wife on my desk. When she is not around I can look at it for it reminds me what she looks like. But when she is in the house with me, I do not need to look at the picture; I can see her in person.

So, what does all of this have to do with our text? Many people read Romans 8:28 and they see hardships, trouble, sickness, premature death, etc. as something they have not been redeemed from and use this passage as an excuse to stay in their circumstances with little faith that they can ever be in a better place. These are things that the law brought, but we have been redeemed from the curse of the law! Galatians 3:13-14 says, “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written: ‘curse is everyone who hangs on a tree,’ that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

Romans 8:1-3 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His Own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin; He condemned sin in the flesh.”

Our text says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” No matter what you are facing, our God is constantly working in the spirit realm to bring to pass the very best for you! Read the promises of the Word that tell you who you are and what you possess in Christ Jesus. Live under the terms of the New Testament. Forget what society says you are, believe what the Word says you are. ‘You are who He says you are, and you can do what He says you can do.’

I get asked from time to time my opinion on the parties and popular positions. Historically, I have most often voted with the republican party and in favor of conservative issues. I am registered as a republican and have been for many years. But at the moment, I am quite disgusted with both parties! Because of their stance on some issues, both conservative & liberals.

Here are my thoughts on a few issues.

1. Donald Trump – I voted for him in 2016 because I could not stand Clinton. I voted for him in 2020 because the same was true of my thoughts about Biden. While he did some good things for the country during his presidency, I think his character, speech, and behavior are despicable. His attempt to get Pence to declare the election void (which he did not have the authority to do) shows how far he would go to get his way.
2. I am pro-life from the womb to the tomb.
3. I am a fiscal conservative.
4. I am very much opposed to conspiracy theories, and ANON.
5. I oppose government overreach in many areas, the latest of which is the whole issue of covid 19.
6. I think the conservative and liberal media present the “news” in a way that puts forth their agenda with little thought of the facts.
7. I am in favor of Constitutional law more than regulatory opinions and decrees.
8. I think the southern border should be secured. There is a way for an alien to become a citizen and those wanting to enter the country should get in line. The cost for an attorney and fees is less than $2000. This should not be a problem for those who pay up to $8000 to the traffickers who bring them to the southern border.
9. I think anyone who votes in our elections should have an approved ID to do so.
10. I support age and time limits on the President, Vice-President, and all Senate & House members. And all of them should have to live under the laws they pass for everyone else! No exceptions!
11. I think the laws and the way they are enforced should be the same regardless of age, gender, nationality, or financial standing.
12. I believe that God still has a plan for this country, but we have moved far from many Biblical principles, it is still possible, as individuals or groups of people to return to the Word of God – the Bible. Well, there you have it!

INTRODUCTION

In this book, I want to cover some basic Biblical truths related to death and dying. Having been in the ministry for over fifty-seven years, I have seen many individuals die. I have been with families as they approached this time with a loved one and have seen the stress, worry and fear grip them. Questions arose like “What is going to happen to them?” “What will I do without them?” “Will I ever get to see them again?” 

Death and the hereafter are unknown. Without a Biblical understanding of what God says about it one is left to their own imagination and fear, or popular theories that are propagated by world religions. 

We will look at numerous passages in the Bible that give us an understanding of what God says about death. We will see from Scripture that God created man to live forever, both physically and spiritually. By man’s disobedience death came to reign (Rom.5:12). The day Adam ate the forbidden fruit he died spiritually, that is he was separated from God (Gen.3:24). He did not die physically that day, but lived for a total of 930 years (Gen.5:5). The Bible speaks of both types of death. Those outside of Christ are alive physically but are spiritually dead (Eph.2:1). Those in Christ may die physically but are alive in God’s presence eternally (2 Cor.5:8).

There is a lot to learn about death and dying. In this book, we will try to answer more questions than we raise and hopefully bring some understanding and peace to those who want to know what death holds for them and their loved ones.

BIBLICAL HISTORY OF DEATH

The Bible teaches that man is more than a physical creature; he is also a spiritual being. For man, therefore, physical death does not mean the end of existence but the end of life as we know it and the transition to another dimension in which our conscious existence continues.

The Bible speaks of death in a threefold way: physical, spiritual, and eternal. The first physical death of a human being recorded in the Bible is that of Abel, who was murdered by his brother Cain (Gen 4:8). However, death itself, in both the physical and spiritual sense, is first mentioned by God Himself (Gen 2:17). In the Genesis account of the FALL both physical and spiritual death comes as a result of sin (Rom 5:12-21).

Because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23), all men are spiritually dead-separated from God who is the Source of spiritual life. Sin makes a person hate the light and despise the truth; it causes one to break God’s laws and become insensitive to holy things. Everyone who has not been redeemed by Christ is spiritually dead (Luke 15:32; Eph 2:1-3; Col 2:13).

Old Testament Statements About Death

Before we go further in our study, I think it will do us good to get an overview of some things the Old Testament has to say about death.

Breathed their last – 

Genesis 25:8 “Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.”

Genesis 35:29 “So Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, being old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.”

Change–

Job 14:14 “If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, till my change comes.”

Going to the fathers–

Genesis 15:15 “Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age.”

Deuteronomy 31:16 ‘And the LORD said to Moses: “Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them.”

Genesis 49:33 “And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.”

Way of no return–

Job 16:22 “For when a few years are finished, I shall go the way of no return.”

Going down into silence–

Psalm 115:17 “The dead do not praise the LORD, nor any who go down into silence.”

Return to dust–

Genesis 3:19 ‘In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust, you shall return.”

Psalm 104:29 “You hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.”

Job 7:21 “Why then do You not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity? For now, I will lie down in the dust, and You will seek me diligently, but I will no longer be.”

Sleep–

Job 14:12 “So man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, they will not awake nor be roused from their sleep.”

Daniel 12:2 “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

Some New Testaments Statements About Death

Put off this tent–

2 Peter 1:14 “Knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me.”

Requiring the soul-

Luke 12:20 “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’”

Sleep-

John 11:11 “These things He said, and after that, He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”

Acts 7:60 “Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

Acts 13:36 “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption;”

1 Corinthians 15:6 “After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.”

1 Corinthians 15:18-19 “Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”

1 Thessalonians 4:14 “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.”

Those Who Have Escaped Death

Out of all the billions of people who have lived on earth, only two have escaped death. A statement that we find often in the book of Genesis is that someone lived so many years and then died (Gen.5). Death comes to all, with the exception of Enoch and Elijah.

Enoch-

Genesis 5:24 “And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.”

Hebrews 11:5 “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”

Elijah-

2 Kings 2:11 “Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”

Believers at the Return of the Lord

We have the promise of God that at the return of the Lord there will be believers on earth who will not die but be caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

1 Corinthians 15:50-52 “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all 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.”

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 “For this, we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

Examples of the Righteous Dying

Jacob-

Hebrews 11:21 “By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.”

Joseph-

Hebrews 11:22 “By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.”

Moses-

Deuteronomy 34:5-7 “So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows his grave to this day. Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished.”

David-

1 Kings 2:1-2 “Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: “I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man.”

1 Kings 2:10 “So David rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David.”

Stephen-

Acts 7:59-60 “And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

Paul-

2 Timothy 4:6-8 “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

From all the above Scriptures several things become apparent. 

1. Death does not cause one to cease being. Death involves a change of location. It involves a change of existence – from a physical entity to a spiritual entity. The physical body decays but the soul and spirit continue to exist in another dimension.
2. For the righteous death does not have to be feared. We see examples of Godly people looking forward to death. They had assurance that what was waiting for them was better than where they were and they wanted to go there.

Death can be either an enemy or a doorway into whatever is next. Our relationship with the Lord is the determining factor as to which of these it will be. We will look at these in more depth.

DEATH AS AN ENEMY

Death as an enemy becomes a reality to all of us regardless if we are Christian or not. To those who know Jesus Christ as Lord, death is an enemy who comes in and takes our loved ones from us. The same is true for an unbeliever. Death is an enemy. We are not prepared for it because it was not in God’s original plan. God is a God of life, not death. 

Death for the Disobedient

For Sin-

Genesis 2:17 “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” You know the story, Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the forbidden tree, and death began in the human race. They were separated from God instantly and died physically several hundred years later.

Sodomites-

Genesis 19:12-13 “Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city — take them out of this place! For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.” All sin is disgusting to God. He loves sinners but hates sin. Some sins require the death penalty when the sinner refuses to repent after rejecting multiple opportunities. So it was in Lot’s day.

Genesis 19:24-25 “Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.”

Saul-

1 Chronicles 10:13-14 “So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. But he did not inquire of the LORD; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.”

You may recall that God wanted Israel to be a theocracy but the people saw that the countries around them had kings so they wanted one. God told them through His prophet Samuel that having a king was not His plan. Nevertheless, they continually asked for one. Eventually, God gave them Saul who in the beginning was a good king, but at the aforementioned time disobeyed God. This event was the last in a list of times when he turned from God. He paid for it with his life.

Nabal-

1 Samuel 25:38 “Then it happened, after about ten days, that the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.” David and his men came to Nabal’s house needing food and water. He refused even though David’s men had acted as protectors of his flock years before. His wife Abigail used great wisdom and humility thereby preserving Nabal’s life. Yet God took his life through a heart attack (1 Sam.25:37) and he died ten days later.

Ananias & Sapphira-

Acts 5:3-5 “But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God. Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things.” People in the Jerusalem church were giving their surplus resources to help those in need. Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold some property and said they were giving all the proceeds from the sale to the church. But they lied and keep back some of it for themselves. After he died his wife came in later and the same thing happened to her.

Evildoers-

Psalm 37:1-2 “Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.”

Psalm 37:9-10 “For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.  For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more.”

Death for the Righteous

We see death as an enemy because we have a desire to live eternally. Too often it cuts off life before its purpose is fulfilled (2 Tim.4:6-8). 

Paul, in the midst of a discussion about the resurrection, says that the last enemy to be destroyed will be death (1 Cor.15:26). Because of sin, we will all face death if we are not among those living at the time of Jesus’ return. It is inevitable. But there are some things we can do to prepare for it and make that event a glorious one.

When Facing Your Death or the Death of a Friend

There are several things you can do. They include:

• Remember Jesus is with you (Mt.28:19-20).
• Pray according to the promises of God. He has promised healing and life in many passages in the Bible. Read and re-read those verses. Pray them for the person needing healing. Speak them out loud to yourself and others. 

• Be persistent. Don’t give up. Keep doing it until they get healed or the Lord tells you to stop. Will He ever tell you to stop? Yes, He may. I remember while pastoring in Tennessee several years ago that we had been praying for a man for several months and he got no better. We had fasted and called days of prayer on numerous occasions. Nothing was working. Finally one day in prayer the Lord told me to not pray for him anymore because he did not have faith for his healing. He told me the man was going to die within a certain time and he did. On another occasion in Louisville, we had three people in the church who were battling cancer. We fasted and prayed for about two years. They did not get better. Again while in prayer one day the Lord told me that He was not going to heal them but take them home within six months and that I should not pray for their healing anymore. Before the six months were up they had all died. Keep standing for their healing until the Lord tells you to stop.

• What if they die? God knows things we don’t know (Deut.29:29). There are some things we may never know until we see Him face to face.

• The place of faith. There are occasions in the Bible where people did not get healed because they had little or no faith. There are other occasions when people were not healed and faith is not mentioned at all. A lack of faith could be standing in the way or the cause may be something else. Don’t get hung up on one thing. Open your heart to God and see what He says.

• Dying grace. I have been at the bedside of many believers when they passed from this life and have seen the peace and tranquility in them as they left this world. I remember some who in the days preceding their death were filled with anxiety. Then within hours of their dying suddenly the anxiety goes away and they become peaceful. This is called dying grace. God is giving them the grace (ability) to face death without fear.

Common Emotions When Facing Death

There are some negative as well as positive emotions that people often experience before death.

Negative

• Fear. Almost always unbelievers express fear because they do not know what the future holds for them. Sometimes uninformed believers also experience this fear. But as the Word of God is shared with them about the promises of God this fear will leave.
• Doubt. Questions like, “Is God really going to meet me or take care of me?” “Is everything right between God and me?” are often on the lips of the dying. Again the way to resolve this is with the Word of God.
• Depression. Many times depression comes in when the dying person realizes that things they wanted to accomplish will be left undone.

Positive

• Strength when others are standing with you. On numerous occasions, I have heard it mentioned by the survivors that they experienced great strength as their friends were praying for them.
• Peace. Scripture tells us that the peace of God will guard our hearts and mind (Phil.4:6-7).
• Joy. I have known of individuals who at their passing were filled with overflowing joy because of their assurance of where they were going and the fact that soon they would get to see Jesus face to face. On several occasions, I recall individuals who in the process of dying would describe what they were seeing. It seemed that they were somewhere between earth and Heaven. They were still alive on earth but they were seeing into Heaven and would describe what they saw. I remember one man who when asked by his wife what he was seeing said I cannot describe it. And if I could you would not understand. This sounds like the Apostle Paul saying that on his visit to Heaven he saw unutterable things (2 Cor.12:3-4).

So death is coming but for the believer, it has lost its terror. The promise of God is found in 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 which says, “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all 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.”

“O  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.”

DEATH AS A GATEWAY

Let’s look at the Scripture to see how death can be a gateway to the next world.

John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:5 “Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Jesus declares that until one is born again he cannot see or enter the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is the reign of the King in our life. When one is born again Jesus comes, via the Spirit, to live in our human spirit. Until that happens one is spiritually dead and blind. He has no eternal life. 

Ephesians 2:1-6 says, “And you, He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.  But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” Do you see what these verses are saying to us? We were spiritually dead in sins. We lived like the world around us. We were under the control of the evil one, Satan. We lived according to the desires of the flesh. But God was merciful to us because He loved us so much. He sent Jesus to take our place on the Cross. He died our death. Through the forgiveness of our sin, He raised us up together and seated us with Him before the Father.  Those who have been born again, (made Jesus their Lord and Savior) now have the life of God in them. They will never die eternally, that is the second death but will live for eternity. They may die physically but now possess eternal life.

The Scriptures also say that we have His life springing up within us. John 4:13-14 says, “Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

John 5:24 says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Because you are in Jesus you have eternal life. It is the same life that He possesses. The old way of doing things is forgiven and gone. You have right standing before the Father (Rom.5:1). Your name is inscribed in the Lamb’s book of life. You are a new creation. 

Citizenship in Heaven

You are a citizen of Heaven. Philippians 3:20-21 says, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” Now you are ready to live this life for God’s glory and now you are prepared to see death as a gateway to the next life!

Absent from the Body

1 Corinthians 15:50-51 says, “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all 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.” Notice that when the dead are raised they have an incorruptible body.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 says, “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this, we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord, Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

Several things stand out to me from this passage. 

• God does not want us to be ignorant about Jesus’ return.
• God does not want us to sorrow like unbelievers who have no hope.
• He wants us to know that living believers will not precede those who have died in Christ.
• The dead believers will be raised to life, and the living believers will be changed from their natural bodies to glorified ones.
• We all will be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air.

For the believer, death is a gateway to Heaven. As good as this life may be, Heaven is better. In chapter five we will look at some of the things that will be there. But first, let’s see what happens when we die.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DIE

Man is a tri-partite being composed of spirit, soul, and body (1 Thess.5:23). The three parts are further divided into two parts the inner man and the outer man (2 Cor.4:6). The outer man is the body and the inner man is composed of the soul and spirit.

When a non-believer makes Jesus his Savior and Lord it is his spirit that is born again (Jn.3:6). The life of God comes into his spirit and he is made a new creation (2 Cor.5:17). 

For the believer, at death his spirit leaves his body to go to God and his body returns to the ground (Ecc.12:7). The Apostle Paul addressed this in the book of Philippians when he spoke of his desire to depart and be with Christ (Phil.1:23). He said that though this was his desire he knew that if he stayed in his body it would be more beneficial for them.

2 Corinthians 5:1-8 says, “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.  So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”

Several things stand out to me from this passage. They are:

• Our body is called an earthly house and a tent.
• Eventually, it will die – be destroyed or corrupted.
• When that happens we have a habitation or body prepared by God which is eternal
• Paul said we groan desiring to receive that body so that mortality would be overcome by life.
• This has been God’s intent all along that we would have an existence fully in the life of God.
• He said that to be absent from the body was to be present with the Lord.

So for the believer to die is gain! He is graduating into the manifest presence of God. He gets to see Him face to face! It is a glorious event. 

On the other hand, if a person who is not born again dies it is not a glorious time. Jesus tells a parable in Luke 16:19-31 about a rich man and a poor man. The rich man enjoyed all the best things in life but exhibited no godly characteristics. But the poor man, Lazarus, apparently knew the Lord for at his death he was taken into Abraham’s bosom. When the rich man died he went to Hades and was in great torment. He cried for mercy and that Abraham would send Lazarus with water to lessen his torment from the flames. Abraham responded that he could not do it for there was a great chasm between where he was and where Lazarus was. He then requested Abraham to send Lazarus to his father’s house and warn his five brothers not to come to this place. But Abraham responds that they have Moses and the prophets let them hear them. The rich man thought that if one rose from death and came to speak with them that they would listen. But Abraham said that if they would not hear Moses and the prophets they would not be persuaded by one who rose from the dead. 

All of that is to say that there is an extreme difference between the death of a believer and one who does not know Jesus Christ as Savior. Not only a difference in their destination but in their death as well. 

To die as a believer is similar to Jacob in Genesis 49 who after prophesying to each of his children “…drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people” (Gen.49:33).

Or like Jesus who when dying for us on the Cross said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Lke.23:46).

Or like Paul who said in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

Or as Lazarus who at his death was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom (Lk.16:22).

At death, we have nothing to fear. God will be with us. He has promised to never leave or forsake us (Mt.28:19-20). Paul also said in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Rejoice with those who are rejoicing, they are going to meet Jesus!

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER DEATH

To better understand what happens after death, we need to see what God’s original intention was for man. 

God’s Original Plan

Notice what the Word says in Genesis 1:26-28, “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Man was created in the image and likeness of God. That says a lot about God’s plan for mankind. God gave him dominion over His creation. God blessed him and told him to be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. In saying these things He was giving Adam His general plan for mankind. He further told Adam that he could eat of every tree in the Garden except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He wanted Adam to know good and evil based on what He said not what they experienced. He said that if you eat of it you will die (Gen.2:17). This is the first mention of death. Death was a foreign thing in God’s creation. It was not in God’s original plan for man. 

After Adam and Even sinned they were driven out of the Garden of Eden because God did not want them to eat of the tree of life and remain in their fallen condition for eternity (Gen.3:22). After they left the Garden a flaming sword (perhaps an angel) was placed there to guard the tree of life.

God’s Plan for the Future

After all the events of the end-time have occurred, as referred to in the first twenty chapters of Revelation, then God shows us what eternity will be like.

Revelation 21:1 “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea.” For one who had been exiled on the Isle of Patmos having no more sea meant no more separation from those he loved and wanted to be with.

Revelation 21:3 “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.” Be with God for eternity! What a joy and sense of fulfillment that will be! This will satisfy a desire that is in the heart of all believers. That ‘God-shaped vacuum’ within will be totally filled with the glory of God as we get to spend eternity in the presence of God and all that the New Heaven possesses.

Revelation 21:4 “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Notice what has been removed:

• All tears are wiped away.
• No more death.
• No sorrow.
• No crying.
• No more pain.
• Former things have passed away.

Revelation 21:6-7 “And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” That desire that is in the heart of believers to experience the life of God will be met. The life of God will that we have now in our regenerated spirit will be expressed and experienced to the max! We will get to enjoy our inheritance to the full. There are many things about our inheritance in Christ that we enjoy in this life. But none of us have ever gotten into all of it. In fact, we do not even know what all is in that inheritance! But we will when we see Him face to face!

Revelation 21:22 “But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” No need for a temple when you have the Lamb of God and Father God present! No need for a picture when the person is present! Worship will be unhindered!

Revelation 21:23 “The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.” No need for the son or the moon to give light when the glory of God is unhindered!

Revelation 21:25 “Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).” How could there be night there as we know it, there is no sun or moon and the place is illuminated by the glory of God. There is no reason to shut the gate of the New Jerusalem because there is nothing present that will do harm.

Revelation 22:1 “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” Do you get the idea that God is all about life? He wants us to experience His life in all things. There is an abundance of the water of life and now we see the river of life. 

Revelation 22:2 “In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Now we see the tree of life that was in the Garden of Eden. The difference is that whereas it was restricted to fallen man’s use there, it is now fully accessible. The tree bore twelve fruits a different one each month. The leaves on the tree were for the healing or health of the nations.

Revelation 22:3 “And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.” The curse that came into existence when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden is now completely removed.  No longer is there a curse on the ground or one that affects childbirth and labor. No longer is there a devil around to harass humans. Now we get to serve and worship God unhindered.

Revelation 22:4 “They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.”  That desire that has always been in the hearts of believers will now be experienced. We will get to see Jesus as He is (1Jn.3:2). We will know the full redemption that is in Christ (Eph.1:14).

Revelation 22:5 “There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.” The desire of God for believers to reign in life (Rom.5:17) will now be met. They will reign with Him forever.  What joy! What peace! What satisfaction that we will get to experience! It will make all the trouble, persecution, or difficulties you may have faced on earth seem like nothing! All those things will have passed away. Even our memory will have been cleansed of them. All the questions that we had on earth that we thought we would ask the Lord about will be forgotten. We will find that they are unnecessary. He is the fulfillment of our utmost heart desires. 

BIBLICAL BASIS FOR DEATH

God was very explicit with Adam in Genesis 2:16-17 when He said, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you may not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

It is apparent to me that God is all about life. He is the possessor of life and all that it involves. He is the life giver both physically & spiritually. He made us to live forever. If Adam had not sinned, he and those following could have lived forever. But Adam and Eve sinned and thrust humanity into sin and death.

The Apostle Paul deals with this subject in Romans 5. Verse 5 says, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because all sinned.” This verse, and many others, shows us that death is a result of sin, not just Adam’s sin but our own.

Romans 5:15b “For if by the one man’s offense many died…”

Romans 5:16b “For if the judgment which came through one offense resulted in condemnation…”

Romans 5:17 “For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one…”

Romans 5:18 “Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation…”

Death, condemnation, and judgment came because of sin. But there is good news! Romans 5:20-21 says, “Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so, grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Jesus came and died for us and as us to defeat death and sin. He died, was buried, and arose victorious over it all!

Making Jesus the Lord of one’s life provides the grace to live life, and even face death victoriously. God’s grace (His unmerited favor and ability) will enable us to face anything that life or death presents to us. We are more than conquerors through Him.

The rest of Romans 5:17 says, “…much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” If Jesus is Lord in our life we already have what it takes to face death with a victorious attitude and outlook. We need to get this through our consciousness. We are more than conquerors IN Christ. He is the greater one in us. We can face whatever comes with victory.

Since death comes to all, let’s look at some Biblical examples of those who faced death and how they did it.

BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF FACING DEATH

Genesis 5 tells of the chronology of Adam’s descendants by saying they lived so many years and they died. Over and over in Scripture, we see this mentioned. How did the patriarchs face death?

Patriarchs

Abraham lived to be 175 years old. Genesis 25:8 says, “Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.” He lived his life out to the end and fulfilled the plan of God.

Isaac lived to be 180 years old. Genesis 35:29 says, “So Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people being old and full of days.” We are supposed to live our life out to its’ fulfillment.

We have a good example in Genesis 49 with how Jacob faced his imminent death. He knew that his time to depart was near so he called in each of his sons and prophesied to them about what he saw in their future. Genesis 49:28b says, “And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.” He gave instructions about where he was to be buried. And then Genesis 49:33 says, “And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.” What a way to go!

Moses lived to be 120 years old. Deuteronomy 34:7b says, “His eyes were not dim or his natural vigor diminished.” He was old but his body was still full of life. Apparently, he did not die of some sickness or disease.

The Scripture says about Joshua that he died at the age of 110. Joshua 24:30 says, “And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Serah…” The idea is that he lived out his life and still did not enter into all that was possible for the Israelites.

Kings

Saul was chosen by God to be the leader of Israel. Early in his reign, he sought the Lord but the end of his life was less than stellar. While in a battle with the Philistines he was mortally wounded. He asked his servant to kill him but he would not; so Saul fell on his own sword and died (1 Sam.31). The Philistines took his body, cut off his head, and put his armor in the house of their god. This is not the way to die.

David was a good king overall. He was a man of war. When he knew that it was time for his death (1 Kings 2:1) he called his son Solomon and gave him instructions about how to face the near future. And the narrative concludes by saying in 1 Kings 2:10, “So David rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David.” David was known as a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam.13:14, 1 Sam.16:1).

Solomon started out doing many good things. He wrote many songs and proverbs (1 Kings 4:32). But he married many women who worshipped and served foreign gods who turned his heart from the Lord (1 Kings 11:1-3). As a result of this, the judgment of God came on the Israelites, some of which came after he died. 1 Kings 11:43 says, “Then Solomon rested with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.” As has been true of many, Solomon is known for many of the good things he did.

Prophets

Elijah had a fantastic ministry! Near the end, the Lord instructed him to anoint Elisha as prophet in his place (1 Kings 19:16). When the time drew near for him to be taken up, he and Elisha were together, and then it happened, “…as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven (2 Kings 2:11). What a way to go! Only Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Elijah are mentioned in Scripture as never facing death.

Elisha had a tremendous ministry doing twice as many miracles as Elijah. Yet he became sick and died (2 Kings 13:14). Sometime later a dead man was thrown into his tomb. 2 Kings 13:21d says, “…and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.” Praise God! Apparently, his bones were still anointed and caused the dead to come back to life!

The writer of Hebrews refers to a group of faithful saints of long ago, “who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions…They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword…and all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith did not receive the promise” (Hebrews 11:33,37,39).

Whatever we may face, even death itself can best be confronted with a heart full of faith and trust in God.

APOSTLE PAUL ON DEATH

Death Related to Communion

In writing to the Corinthian Church, and to us, Paul reminds us that it is important how we receive communion. He says in 1 Corinthians 11:29-30, “For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason, many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.” He is saying that some were dying because of the irreverent way they were receiving communion. 

Death in Connection with the Resurrection

In 1 Corinthians 15, in the context of the resurrection, Paul has much to say about death. Here are a few salient points:

1 Corinthians 15:26 says, “The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.” As long as this dispensation or covenant is in force death will be present. We know there is a time when death will cease. It is mentioned in Revelation 21:4, “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” 

Paul compares the dead body to the resurrected body in the following passages: 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, “The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.”

In the resurrection Paul instructs us in 1 Corinthians 15:52b “For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” As it is now this body is corruptible, subject to death, aging, and other things. But the day is coming when that will not be true. Death will be annihilated and we will overcome death and everything associated with it! 1 Corinthians 15:55 says, “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

Paul’s attitude about death is further revealed in Philippians 1:21-24, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. For if I live in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.”

Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 4:6-8, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

In these last two passages, Paul is anticipating being with the Father. He is almost jubilant about dying! What a difference from many who are facing death today.

WHO CONTROLS DEATH?

In the context of Jesus being greater than His creation and angels, the writer of Hebrews says, “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15).

It is obvious from experience, as well as this passage, that Satan who is out to kill, steal and destroy had the power of death. But he does not have it anymore! 

Notice what Colossians 2:15 says, “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” The “it” was the Cross. 

1 John 3:8 says, “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil.” 

Paul further says in 2 Timothy 1:10, “But has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

The writer of Revelation says, “I am He who lives and was dead and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of death” (Revelation 1:18). The resurrected Christ has the keys of death!

Does Satan exist today?” Yes, he does, but he was soundly defeated by the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus. He has been stripped of his power. He is limited in what he can do today. Ultimately he will be consigned to the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:10) along with the dead and those who do not know the Lord (Revelation 20:14-15).

Hebrews 9:27-28 says, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him, He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” Those who know Jesus as Lord and Savior will only die once (physical death); but those who do not know Him will die twice, physically and spiritually (Rev.21:8). Physical death will happen to all unless we are alive when Jesus returns. Those living Christians who are alive then will be caught up to meet Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). Their physical bodies will be changed instantly (1 Corinthians 15:50-54).

So, why does death exist now? It is the doorway into eternity. When Jesus died on the Cross, He died for us and as us. He defeated eternal death for all those who make Him their Savior and Lord. Out of death comes a new world, one that is far superior to what we know life to be now (2 Corinthians 5:1-8, Revelation 21-22).

Seeing physical death, for the Christian, as a doorway into something better assures us that it is not final, it is transitory, a passageway into the manifest presence of God for eternity!

Psalm 30:5b says, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” It is o.k. to be sorrowful for a short period of time when a family member or friend dies! But don’t stay there. Don’t allow the devil to rob you of your joy, and God’s plan for the rest of your life, by continuing in sorrow!

Why We Often Mourn for Long Periods

In over 57 years of ministry, I have preached at hundreds of funerals. I have seen both believers and non-believers walk through dark days around the death of a friend. Some mourned for a few days and then moved on with life, others mourned for years and never got over it. Why does this happen?

• Miss them so much.
• Have a sense of failure.
• Think we did not do enough for them.
• Think that we will never see them again.
• Think that somehow God failed them by not answering their prayer the way they wanted it.
• Not being willing to submit to the will of God.
• We fail to see that for the departed one this is best.
• Thinking that this life is all there is.
• Fear of death & our own mortality – Hebrews 2:15

I am sure there are lots of other reasons one might give. These are some that I have had to deal with over the years. All of them can be resolved by coming to the Lord in humble submission to His Lordship.

TESTIMONIES

King David

David & Uriah’s wife had an affair and a child was born of that union. As a judgment, God took the life of the child (2 Samuel 12:13-15). While the child was ill David prayed, fasted, and would not be comforted. On the seventh day, the child died. David’s servants were hesitant to tell him. Finally, he overheard them talking and assumed the child had died. When they confirmed that he had died David arose, bathed, anointed himself, and went to the House of the Lord to worship. Returning home he requested food to eat. His servants asked him, “What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food. And he said, ‘while the child was alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me” (2 Samuel 12 21-23). This portrays for us the proper attitude we should have after the death of a loved one.

Man with Many Children

In the early 1970s, we pastored a small country church in western Kentucky. A member of the church was in his middle seventies who had outlived three wives and was now married to a woman half his age. He had 19 children, of which, the oldest was a Christian, along with the three youngest children of his last wife. I conducted his funeral at a neighboring church, in August, with no air conditioning. The sanctuary was packed and following the message, the friends and family came by the casket for the final viewing. His children, who did not know the Lord, began to pass out in front of the body. The undertaker and I had to use smelling salts to wake them up. When that was finished we took the body out to the cemetery which was next door. Again, as I was praying the final prayer they began to pass out again. 

Why was this? Because 15 of his children did not know the Lord, and they had no assurance of ever seeing him again. Some of them had been estranged from their father for several years. They had no internal source of strength to carry them through this time. They were without hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

I have seen Christians respond the same way who did not have a Biblical orientation about death. 

Refusing to Release the Dead

There have been many occasions that I have stood with a spouse, or child, beside the casket and heard them say, ‘I just can’t accept this, I can’t release them.’ Many times the person has been a Christian.

I remember on one occasion a man’s wife of 56 years suddenly died. We had been friends for nearly 30 years. This happened several years ago and to this day, he still has not gotten over it and moved on. 

I have another acquaintance whose husband died several years ago, who still talks about him as if he were still alive on earth. She still is haunted by his death and wonders why he died.

Funeral of a Downs Syndrome Woman

Not long ago, I conducted the funeral of a woman in her 50’s who had died. It seemed by conversing with the family that they were not Christians. At the final viewing before they closed the casket, one of her sisters, who could not come to the funeral because she was ill, called a family member and had him put his cell phone up to the dead lady’s ear so she could talk to her. Folks, she was not there! This was something that may have made her feel better temporarily but had no other real purpose. 

Long Term Visiting the Grave

Over the years, I have known at least two dozen people who have regularly gone to the grave of their dead loved ones to grieve. For most of them, this has gone on for years. Their world stopped on the day of the funeral. They seemingly cannot move on. 

It is one thing to visit the grave to see that it is taken care of, or to place flowers on ‘decoration day’ but something else entirely to go to the grave to talk to them, pray for them, or mourn over them. They are not there! Sometimes this type of behavior comes real close to being necromancy.

Facing Death in my Family

My father died, at this writing, 50 years ago; my mother died about 38 years ago; and my oldest brother about 23 years ago. All three were Christians. I, along with my siblings, loved them dearly. We had the visitation, funeral, and burial without unusual events happening. My wife and I have visited my parents’ grave maybe 4-5 times to see if it was taken care of but for no other reason. I have never visited my brother’s grave. Why? Because we know where they are and have no special attachment to a plot of ground where their body is buried. We know that we will be reunited with them in Heaven and will get to enjoy their presence forever. So, we move forward doing whatever the Lord has for us as long as we are on the earth.

But You Don’t Understand, My Situation is Different

I stood with a young couple at the graveside of their infant who had died a few days after being born. I was assuring them of God’s grace, strength and mercy when the mother said to me, ‘you don’t understand, you are not a mother.’ I responded ‘yes that is right, but God’s Word remains the same.’

Why do we believe someone has to experience what we are experiencing before they can understand? I think because we are only looking at the situation from a natural perspective and leaving out the eternal one. If we believe that Jesus has experienced death and He understands it, it becomes unnecessary for others to have to do so. He is the one who heals the wounds, He is the one who will strengthen us and carry us through the dark days. We should have our focus on Him and His promises in the Word of God. We should pray much and worship Him freely. He may use our friends and family to speak words of encouragement, but His Words of life will be our strength.

Psalms 23

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

And to that, we say – AMEN!

This article comes from two of my little books, Appointed to Death, Raised to Life, and How to Face Death Like a Christian.

Hebrews 9:27-28 says, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after that the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him, He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”

Because of the fall in the Garden, every person with two exceptions – Enoch & Elijah, has died! All the Old Testament and New Testament prophets, apostles, pastors, etc. have died. As great as these people were, they were still subject to being mortal. And 1 Corinthians 15:26 says, “the last enemy that will be defeated is death.” All humans will die and that includes you and me! The important thing is to be prepared for it by submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ! Those who believe in and know Jesus will only die physically. Those who reject Him will die twice – physically and eternally. Jesus defeated death at His resurrection, and that same spirit will resurrect us  (Romans 8:11, Romans 6:5, John 5:28, Revelation 20:5, 1 Thessalonians 4:16) when He comes again!

‘Jews would be acquainted with a repetition of sacrifices. They would need to understand why the death of Christ was final and unrepeatable. This verse implies that a repeated offering would have involved Christ in continual suffering. If Christ’s death were repeatable, it would need to begin with the dawn of history when sin entered the world and to last throughout the ages.

‘However, the death of Christ could happen only once in history. There was only one incarnation and death. The timing of this event occurred in God’s perfect wisdom.

‘Several facts about Christ’s death are presented. First, it happened in history when he appeared on earth. Second, it was once for all and never needed repetition. Third, the effect of the sacrifice was to do away with sin. Fourth, the death was voluntary. Christ offered himself. 9:27–28. These verses contrast the death of human beings and the death of Christ. The death of human beings was destined, and judgment followed after it. We cannot avoid death. God has appointed that death should visit every human being.

‘The fact that judgment follows death does not mean that it occurs immediately after death. An interval separates death and judgment. The mention of judgment after death does not suggest that no judgment occurs prior to death. These verses speak of the final judgment which clearly occurred after physical death.

‘The death of Christ was voluntary. We saw this expressed clearly in 9:14, but verse 28 also implies it. The death of Christ was not only voluntary, but the malice of the Jews and the plan of God demanded it.

‘Christ died to take away the sins of many people (see 9:26). At a time after his death, he will come again not to deal with sin but to bring salvation to his people. Jesus dealt completely with sin in his death. At His return, he will usher his people into the experience of eternal life. The idea of Christ’s appearance a second time reminds us of the reappearance of the high priest after he had completed his task in the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement (see Luke 1:21–22).1’

Some ask, ‘if Jesus defeated death on the Cross & Resurrection, why must we die physically?’ Paul answers that, to some degree, in 1 Corinthians 15:50-54, “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 all 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.” Short answer: corruptible cannot inherit the coming manifestation of the Kingdom.

Another question that often arises is, ‘If we pray with faith, claiming the healing promises, why do some people still die?’ Answer: It is appointed for the mortal body to die to get an incorruptible body for eternity. Even those who were restored to life in the Bible had to die again to get theirs. In this age, there is no way around death. But when Jesus fully manifests His Kingdom after His return, death will totally be done away with! (Revelation 21:4).

‘It is somewhat unexpected for the writer to introduce at this stage the idea of judgment. But he has been dwelling on the necessity for Christ’s death and this leads him to make a general statement about man’s destiny. Death in itself is unavoidable: it is appointed for men to die once. No one is exempt from this experience. The difference between Christ’s death and all others is that His was voluntary whereas for all others it is appointed (apokeitai), i.e. stored up for them. The expectation that some will escape death (cf. 1 Thess. 4:15ff.) is an exception to the general rule stated, occasioned by the special event of the coming of Christ. It is not therefore in conflict with this statement in Hebrews.

‘The words and after that comes judgment are not intended to imply that judgment follows immediately after death, but rather that judgment is to be expected subsequent to death. Furthermore, this does not mean that no act of judgment ever happens before death. The judgment (krisis) alluded to is the final assessment.

‘In making the comparison between everyman and Christ, the writer begins with a common factor: he died once, a point repeated yet again. What is most significant about this statement is that the death is now stated in the passive, having been offered, instead of the active as in verse 14. No hint is here given about who made the offering. Taken in conjunction with verse 14, it may be said that both active and passive aspects are necessary for a complete understanding of the offering. While it was voluntary, it was also imposed by external circumstances: historically by the malice of the Jewish murderers and theologically by the definite plan of God (cf. Acts 2:23).

‘The purpose of the offering is again stated in similar though slightly different terms from verse 26. Here the phrase to bear the sins of many (pollōn anenenkein hamartias) is precisely paralleled in the Septuagint of Isaiah 53:12. The same idea occurs in 1 Peter 2:24 where the bearing of sins is said to have been ‘in his body on the tree’. Similarly, John the Baptist’s announcement that the Lamb of God would bear away the sin of the world echoes the same thought. The ‘many’ contrasts with the one offering.

‘The Christ who has dealt with sin at his first coming will appear a second time for a different purpose. Had the parallel with judgment been pressed, some aspect of Christ’s coming to judge might have been introduced. But the second coming is said to be for salvation. The second coming is in fact the divine seal on the complete acceptance of the sacrifice offered previously. The emphasis falls on the effect that the second coming of Christ will have on those who are eagerly waiting for him (i.e. Christians). Nothing is said about unbelievers as would have been natural after the mention of judgment. But it is Christ’s work of salvation that engages the writer’s attention. There might here be some analogy to the expectations of the worshippers as they wait to greet the high priest on his return from the holy of holies on the Day of Atonement. But the words not to deal with sin (chōris hamartias) quickly put a different complexion on the analogy. Sin needs no further atonement. All that is necessary is the appropriation of the salvation which Christ’s self-offering has secured. The verb translated eagerly waiting (apekdechomenois) occurs in 1 Corinthians 1:7, Philippians 3:20, and Romans 8:19, 23, 25, in each case of the great expectancy of believers waiting for the glories to come.’2

1. Thomas D. Lea, Hebrews, James, vol. 10, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 171–172.

2. Donald Guthrie, Hebrews: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 15, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1983), 201–203.