The majority of individuals throughout the world are constantly reminded that their sojourn on planet Earth is short. “Whereas you know not what shall be on tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away” (James 4:14).
In the certain event of death those who have not been redeemed by the atoning blood of Jesus Christ are doomed and will be cast into an eternal lake of fire where there is no escape. Although someone may live beyond eighty or ninety it’s an extremely short time when compared to eternity. No one is in charge of the year, month, or time of death. The sovereign God decides when the silver thread of life will be broken. Most realize this thin thread can be snapped at any moment. Eternal death is a reminder of the futility of this world’s glory. All positions no matter how high or exalted, how rich, or poor, will be destroyed at the death of every unbeliever. For every well known, recognized, or so-called famous person… every achievement or position will crumble at the instant of death. What good at eternal death and destruction are greatness, position, and even well-deserved fame, or glory? None, none, and none! Once a person begins to die, all temporal things fade away and, in the end, only eternal matters count.
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36,37).
This is perhaps a shocking statement! For the unbeliever there is no hope beyond the grave – only the reality and anticipation of eternal judgment and torment in Hell. Whatever fulfillment, accomplishment, or satisfaction may have been experienced in life will be destroyed in the eternal lake of fire. All of the most pleasant and enjoyable experiences will become agonizing memories. There will also be a constant reminder that the assumption or boasting of the next day will only be a faded memory with no possible hope of a better day or a bright hopeful tomorrow. There is only one way to prepare for eternity, and then to meet death with inner peace. The most important decision that can be made in this quickly passing life is to exercise a personal choice to believe in Jesus Christ as the only Savior. The alternative is to do nothing or purposely doubt that Jesus Christ is the exclusive way to Heaven.
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life: but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).
Notice two sure destinies: One to damnation; the other to no condemnation.
1. Damnation
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
2. No Condemnation
“There is therefore NOW no judgment (condemnation) for them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).
For the unbeliever, death is a constant reminder of the certainty of impending and unrelenting judgment. This judgment on the unbeliever will require him to fully and finally face the stark reality that he is unprepared for eternity, and that it is indeed …”A fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). This horrible reality of condemnation and eternal judgment occurs only because the unbeliever does not avail himself or accept God’s so great salvation! There was a way of escape but the blind, dark, scoffing, and unbelieving chose the wrong way.
“There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12).
At the instant of death, scoffing, blind, and naked unbelievers will immediately realize the impossibility of escaping certain and eternal doom… and the truth of the statement: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). The eagle of sin is death, but the destination is in hell forever. The gift to be received from a merciful God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Hell is to be shunned; the gift of eternal life is to be received. The offer of the gift of eternal life will never return after death.
“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that BELIEVE on His name” (John 1:12).
“Behold, now is the accepted time: behold, now is the day of salvation” (1 Corinthians 6:2).
Of all the bad decisions that were made by the unbeliever during his sojourn on Earth, this decision is fatal; it cannot be reversed and will be consequential forever. How awful is the eternal future of the scoffing and unbelieving fool. “The fool has said in his own heart there is no God” (Proverbs 14:1). What is the condition of the heart of the blind, naked, and unprepared unbeliever who espouses such fatal unbelief? How can anyone be so blatantly blind? It is because “they are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Psalm 14:1 to 3). What a deplorable, frightful, and damnable plight! There was a way of escape, but neglect and unbelief led to inevitable spiritual death, damnation, and torment in an eternal lake of fire.
“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him” (Hebrews 2:3).
There is a superior way to a better and glorious eternal future. In contrast to the unbeliever’s frightening prospect of blackness and darkness in a burning hell, the death of the believer is His highest promotion. The redeemed child of God will find no fear there, and there will be no uncertainties. The believer’s death is superior to all the blessings in life because of who and what Christ is and because of His magnificent provisions in the written Word that will be fully realized in eternity.
“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him” ( 1Corinthians 2:9).
“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal: but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).
The good news is… this kind of death, with all its future and eternal blessings, is open to everyone who believes in the Lord Jesús Christ and learns about Him through His everlasting and powerful word. Please take note of the many advantages the believer will realize after death:
1. There will be no appointment with judgment (Hebrews 9:27,28; Romans 8:1).
2. Face to face with the Lord and Savior (2 Corinthians 5:8).
3. No more sorrow, pain, tears, death, regrets or humiliations (Revelation 21:4).
4. An eternal inheritance ( 1 Peter 1: 4, 5).
5. A new home (John 14:1 to 6).
6. Perpetual eternal life (1 John 5:11, 12; John 10:28).
7. A resurrection body (Job 19:25, 26, John 11:25, Philippians 3:21: 1
John 3: 1, 2; 1 Corinthians 15: 51-57, Philippians 3: 20, 21, 1 Thessalonians 5:23).
8. Removal of false production and evil (1 Corinthians 3:11 to 15; 2 Corinthians 5:10).
9. Removal of the old sin nature (1 Corinthians 1:8, 15:55-57; Philippian’s 3:20,21: 1 Thessalonians 5:23).
“Then the body shall return to dust as it was, and the breath of life (soul and spirit) shall return to God who had given it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7).
This earthly body will return to chemicals in the soil, and what happens to the body does not mean anything because the real person is no longer in the body; it is simply a vacant former dwelling. It is perfectly normal to have a memorial ceremony at a funeral, but it makes no difference whether the body is cremated or incinerated by a bomb! What must be remembered is that after death, the soul and spirit return to their original source… the Lord Jesus Christ. Every believer has the opportunity to make many choices during the Christian way of life; however, there are two areas within the plan of God that do not involve human volition (choice):
1) The time and manner of death. Both are the exclusive prerogatives of God and,
2) blessings that accompany salvation which have been unconditionally promised to all believers.
There are two other areas of human life in which you definitely have the option to choose:
1) To believe in Jesus Christ as the exclusive Savior.
2) To draw in and learn the infallible word of God, day by day.
It is important to realize that God established the issues in 1 and 2 for the exercise of your volition to be a means of demonstrating to Satan and his fallen angels that their plan of evil is no match for God’s perfect plan of grace. At a point in time in your life, the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit enabled you to comprehend the central issue of your need to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. In the instant you believed in Him, you became the recipient of eternal life and many eternal possessions. One of these incredible possessions is the security and certainty of the gift of eternal life. This promised security means that salvation will never again be an issue for you. The possession of eternal life comes by believing in/on Jesus Christ who must be the only object of your faith. Please clearly understand:
1. It is not an experience that must be felt to validate the new life.
2. It is not progressive (it does not become better with time).
3. It is eternal in nature (not temporal).
4. It is known only by revelation (God’s word).
5. It is wrought only by God.
6. It is not wrought by man.
“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10: 28,29).
“To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:4,5).
There remains another critical issue after salvation. You must become a learner or student of the word of God from the true teacher! The object of your non-meritorious faith for growth and development is… Jesus Christ the written Word! The consistent intake of Bible information during a believer’s life will result in a fuller realization of God’s amazing grace and a soul saturated with Bible doctrines that accompany his departure from this Earth with the prospect of forthcoming special rewards in heaven. If you chose to ignore or reject the written Word of God after salvation, you will not mature and will die a miserable death and receive no special rewards in heaven. Your production will be defined as wood, hay, stubble, and will be consumed by fire at the judgment seat of Christ. This judgment is not to determine your eternal future as the judgment seat takes place in Heaven. It is to evaluate whether your works as a believer will result in gold, silver, precious stone or wood hay and stubble. This judgment will determine whether your production was performed in the energy of the flesh and for the recognition of man, or if it was accomplished in the power of the Holy Spirit for the ultimate glory of God. Take careful note regarding your attitude toward the daily intake of Bible information because it also determines whether your dying moments will be a blessing or a cursing to you and to those who may be witnesses at your death. During his last breaths the renowned Evangelist Dwight Moody was heard to whisper, “Heaven opens, earth recedes, this is my coronation day.” The well-known evangelist George Whitfield was asked what he would do if he knew that he would die before midnight. He calmly looked at his busy itinerary and began to read, “At seven this evening I will preach a Bible message that points to Jesus Christ as the only way to heaven. I will then return to my friends’ home, retire for the evening, and prepare for a good night’s sleep. I will kneel by my bedside in prayer, go to bed, close my eyes in sleep, and wake up in glory.” This is the grace of God and can only be realized by those who have studied and stored the powerful word of God in their eternal souls. Information from the word of God never leaves; it stays with you until and through your last breath and then transfers with you as you enter the eternal portals of Heaven.
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God shall stand for ever” (Isaiah 40:8).
“Thy word is true from the beginning; and every one of thy righteous judgments endures forever” (Psalm 119: 160).
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).
Bible information in the soul is always the answer, whether you are facing your own death or that of a loved one. With the written Word giving you the assurance and blessings of the Living Word, you possess the perfect combination for stability and happiness whether living or dying. You must be assured, while living, that you must face death alone. Loved ones might be near, but when you step into the valley of the shadow of death, no one can go with you. Only the assurance obtained by Bible information within the soul can sustain you during the moments of dying, just as it sustained you during the years of living. Through persistence in the accumulation of Bible information in the soul you are molding your response to the tests that will be faced both in life and while dying. Socrates said, “You are never truly successful until you die well.” This is not a viewpoint that comes from the word of God; Socrates was an unbeliever.
If the word of God resides in your soul you will have the capacity to live well as you serve and apply the word by faith during good and bad times. The good news is, you will die much better because dying grace transcends anything you have or ever will experience in life. For the mature believer God has designed dying to exceed all the blessings of living. This may be difficult to comprehend, but these sensitive matters may be realized by perpetually looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith and not from a short-term view that looks at the termination of life as the end rather than the eternal beginning. It is my intent to convey to each reader the reality of the shortness of life and the nearness of eternity. I trust that you are sufficiently prepared to anticipate greater blessings than you have ever imagined, and that the process of your death will surpass every good thing you have ever experienced in life.
“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
Preparation and assurance for eternity is declared here in the infallible word of God.
“And I (Jesus) give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man (that’s you) pluck them out of my hand. MY Father, which gave them me is greater than all; and no man (that’s you again) is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:28,29).
Trust Him… because you can, and you should because He is trustworthy and will save your eternal soul if you rest in Him as your only Savior. He will take you all the way to Heaven at death, and that immediate transition will surpass anything you can ever imagine or contemplate.
“Call upon me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not” (Jeremiah 33: 3).
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).
“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12).
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).
All of my sins are His and all of His righteousness is mine. How can all mouths be stopped if any power that gives us ability is left in us? Under law the righteous man became righteous by doing right deeds. Under grace man does righteously because he has been made righteous. “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe” (Romans 3:22).
