November 20, 2022—There is only one guarantee in life which is death. Have you ever thought about why we have to die or even the afterlife? Beleive it or not, why we die and where we go once we die can be found in the Holy Bible.
Why We Die
The apostle Paul said that, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23). At our hearts we are evil. We trespass against one another and also against God and His moral law. Sin to God is like crime to society. Just as we have punishment assigned to crime, God gave us punishment which is death, “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.” (Genesis 3:19).
God originally said this to Adam after Adam sinned. Adam was the first man on the earth. God had created a garden for Adam to live in and He called it Eden. Then, God told Adam, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 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.” (Genesis 2:16). Now, when God saw that it was not good for him to be alone God created Eve, the first woman. And they became husband and wife.
However, Eve was then tricked by a snake in the garden (Satan). Satan told her that “You will not surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3: 4-5). Satan tricked Eve, and she did not die right away, but she did die eventually and so did Adam, because God promised this when He said, “in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Biblical Information |
Something to understand about God is timing. We do not get what we always want in our time, but we get exactly what we need in God’s time. In Genesis 2:16 we see that in the day they eat of the tree of knowledge they would die. However, our time is not God’s time and vice versa. The Holy Bible says that “For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past” (Psalm 90:4). This is repeated in 2 Peter 3:8, “But beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” These are not passages to figure out God’s time, but examples that God works in His own time. |
Coping With the Loss of a Loved One
When we lose someone close to us, it can be devastating. We grieve for their loss having emotional difficulties, sometimes our appetites and sleep patterns change. We know that according to psychologists, talking about it could make a difference and the Holy Bible agrees. The book of Job says that “Though I speak, my grief is not relieved; and if I remain silent how am I eased?” (Job 16:6). The difference is who you are going to talk to. You can talk to the psychologist, a friend, or a family member. Better yet, you can talk to God. For even at your lowest points, you need to continue your Christian journey by praising God and keeping a consistent prayer life.
You should praise God for the time that you had with the loved one. You should also pray to God as soon as possible to prevent depression. There is a point when your grievance becomes too difficult, and it turns into depression. You need to recognize that point before it happens. However, as a child of God, you have Jesus Christ’s spirit in you (the Holy Spirit), and you can rebuke these feelings if it happens. If even over praise, prayer, and rebuking negative feelings you still have some grievance, there are a few passages in the Holy Bible that can help you through this challenging time:
Beloved, focus on the good times with the loss of your loved one, not on their final days, “A merry heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22)
The second part of Nehemiah 8:10 reminds us that God is our strength, and we can lean onto Him, “Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Though this chapter in Psalm 10 is about God’s triumph over evil, this particular verse reminds us that God is with us, “But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief, to repay it by Your hand.” (Psalm 10:14)
God will hear you, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.” (Psalm 34:17)
Praise God in the storm for his mercy surrounds you:
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” (1 Chronicles 16:34)
And know that His love will never fade “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end.” (Psalm 63:3).
Let us combine these passages into steps for your healing process:
Remember the good times of the loved one (Proverbs 17:22)
Remember that God is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10)
Know that God is with you (Psalm 10:14)
Know that God will hear you (Psalm 34:17)
Praise God in the storm (1 Chronicles 16:35)
Understand that His mercy and His love endure forever (1 Chronicles 16:34 and Psalm 62:3).
There is one more verse spoken by Jesus Christ, that I would like you to remember, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30). Beloved, say “Amen!”
The Afterlife: Where We Go After Death
Many people think that our bodies go to the ground and that settles it; that there is nothing else to consider. However, they are gravely wrong. According to the Holy Bible, our body goes to the ground (Genesis 3:19), but our soul and our spirit goes to either heaven or hell. Here is something for you to consider: the depths of hell are infinite, “Hell and Destruction are never full” (Proverbs 27:20). However, heaven is limited to those who believe in Jesus Christ and repent from their sins.
Whether you will go to heaven or to hell is dependent on your life on earth. You will go to heaven if you believed in Jesus Christ as your savior and repented from your sins. However, if you did not believe in Jesus Christ, and did not repent from your sins, you are going to hell. John 3:18 speaks to this, “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.”
Beloved there are so many people on the earth that are walking in sin and are condemned. Unless they hear the news of the gospel and Jesus Christ, they have no hope of repentance. God does not want to see people condemned; He would rather see them saved. The Holy Bible says that God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9).
Who will you speak to about why death happens and where they will go once, they die? If you have someone in mind, pray for them and when God tells you to speak to them, set up a time to meet with them. A text message can be ignored, a phone call can be dismissed, an email can be deleted, but in-person meeting is harder to run from the truth.
Accepting Jesus
Beloved, now that you understand that death is punishment for sins, and that heaven and hell are real, I want to ask you “Have you accepted Jesus Christ of Nazareth as your savior?” If not, you can accept Jesus Christ of Nazareth as your Messiah right now by saying this prayer:
God, I confess that Jesus came in the flesh and blood, paid the price for my sins, died on the cross, rose on the third day, ascended to the heavens, and sent the Holy Spirit to help me understand Your ways. For that, I accept Jesus Christ as my savior and Lord, and I welcome the Holy Spirit in my life. In Jesus’s name I pray, amen!
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