One of the most fiercely held beliefs "religious" people hold is that somehow the dead are still alive. Even though they know the "departed" one has died, as they can see the lifeless body lying there in the casket, somehow thinking that the dead are in heaven relieves their grief. As they mourn their loss, between tears they attempt to comfort the younger ones of the family by saying, "Don't cry little one, for he's not really dead, no, he's in heaven with Jesus!"
The theology that a person lives his life then dies here on earth but somehow he is still alive in heaven is quite difficult to rationally explain. Exactly when this deceased individual ended up alive in heaven has a wide spectrum of opinions. It seems most are hopeful it happens instantly at the point of death, which means that the deceased really never died at all. Then some think it happens only after much prayer for the departed loved one by those somehow esteemed worthy. Still others think it happens at some appointed time after death.
Yet with all this thinking, little do we hear of what the Bible reveals, which is that all those who have ever died are still dead, with the exception of those the Bible says GOD brought back to life. A simple question with a difficult answer is, if all those who have died are somehow still alive, who are the dead that are going to be raised in the resurrection at the last trump?
1 THESSALONIANS 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
If the dead in Christ are going to rise from the dead, then somebody must still be dead. It is clearly revealed here in Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians that at some time in the future Yeshua (Jesus) is going to descend from heaven with a shout from the archangel, and with the trump of GOD, and then the dead will be raised from among the dead. Following that, those believers that are still alive at that time will be gathered together with those just previously risen from among the dead, and in the clouds with the Lord they shall ever be (1 THESSALONIANS 4:17).
I think the death of a loved one is so stressful to people that the idea that they are not really dead somehow helps them cope with the loss. Many survivors think its helps if they can talk to the departed one, some even claiming to hear from the dead. But it makes one wonder, if the dead are actually dead, who is answering them from the grave? Surely not GOD for HE would not deceive us by imitating our deceased loved ones. Who then?
Well there is another source for these "voices from the grave", and that would be the Great Deceiver and his host of devil spirits. Was it not he that from the garden promised Eve that "Ye shall not surely die?" How sad to see one take his own life, thinking they are entering into a new and better place when all that is really on the other side is death. Many believe this lie that, "ye shall be as gods" when they die and then enter heaven's gate or cross the bar.
In ECCLESIASTES, the "Preacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem" had a much different view of that world beyond.
ECCLESIASTES 9:4-6, 10 For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun...Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
"Whether thou goest!" We are all going to the grave, where there is nothing but sleep. Fortunately for believers, three days and three nights after Yeshua's death GOD raised Him from among the dead, as the first fruits from the grave. Many will follow His resurrection, but He was the first. Our hope today is that at HIS appointed time, GOD will call us out from among the dead to be "on high" with Him (PHILIPPIANS 3:14). Not as the old Serpent would have us believe, that the instant we die we all go to heaven. If that were the case, lets just all die and get the anticipation over with.
I know what they say; "suicide is the unforgivable sin." HA! What a convenient argument. Show me the chapter and verse in the Bible where that is revealed! They came up with that nonsense to derail the simple logic that if we do go to heaven right after death, then why shouldn't we just all kill ourselves?
Either death is the end of one's life or death is the door into some paradise beyond. It can't be both. One has either got to believe those so called near death experiences describing a bright white light and peace beyond, or one is going to believe GOD's word which calls death an enemy (1 CORINTHIANS 15:26).
1 CORINTHIANS 15:19-20, 23 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept... But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
"Afterward...at His coming!" Not at ones death, or after much prayer, or some other nonsense. The hope of the believers was that afterward, at His coming, they would be raised.
Of course there are those who think that Yeshua has already returned, and the dead in Christ have already been raised. These who rely mostly on sources outside of the Bible think that sometime after Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD, Yeshua returned and gathered his Church. Unfortunately, that conclusion creates many more questions then it does answers. Trying to force the Scriptures into that theology one has to almost mutilate them.
It is a curious thought that if we immediately go to heaven when we die, then why didn't Yeshua? Why was He still in the grave three days after His death? Or how about Lazarus, why was he still dead four days after his death? Or how about King David, of whom Peter said to those on the day of Pentecost that David "is both dead and buried". Or when the Apostle Paul stated that "he [David] fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed" (ACTS 13:36 NIV). The next verse is the clincher, for Paul continues, "But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay". There was one that GOD raised from the dead! "One" does not mean "the first one", or even "the most important one". It means the one, the one and only one!
Some will argue that these, Lazarus and David, both died before Yeshua's resurrection and therefore stayed dead. They teach that since then, since Yeshua's resurrection, all believers go directly to heaven. We might ask, 'How about Tabitha?' You know, the believing disciple whom Peter raised from the dead in ACTS 9:36-40. If all believers go to heaven immediately when they die, then why was this disciple still dead when Peter came in unto her?
Death is without a doubt a great tragedy. It is a tragedy for the survivors because they have lost someone very dear to them. But the great tragedy is usually to the one who has died. Not because of who they were, regardless of whether or not they were a little child, a pregnant mother or even a popular President. But the great tragedy is because of the opportunity the deceased has lost.
It seems as if some people don't realize that we are all destined to die, discounting of course the possibility of the end of the age when GOD calls us up on high. What is the great gain if somehow we extend our lives a few years? We are not going to cheat the reaper and death will eventually come. But in the grand scheme of things, a thousand years are but a day to GOD. What difference does it make if one lives an extra ten years? Some literally drive themselves crazy joining all kinds of health fads, trying to squeeze just one more day out of life.
I remember hearing an interview with a famous country singer. Someone trying to enlighten him had told him that if he quit drinking beer he would live longer. I love his response. He said, "No, it would just seem that way".
This may startle some, but GOD didn't bring us into the world so we could figure out how to live longer then our parents did. Nor is our purpose simply to propagate our species, or build wonderful shrines to HIM, or seek life in distant galaxies. We are here to seek, learn and practice truth.
There can be no comparison between eternity, and all that this life may offer. We have not been given breath so that we can acquire possessions, popularity or power. We are given life so as to have an opportunity to find truth, and having found it, to understand it.
Yeshua tried to get this message across to His disciples by encouraging them not to lay up treasures upon earth but in heaven. His Apostle Paul wrote that we should look not at the temporal things, which are seen, but look at the things that are not seen. And it is here that we find the great tragedy of death. It is here that we see death as the enemy. For if a believer is robbed by death of the opportunity to pursue an understanding of the truth, he will most definitely enter eternity with so much less heavenly treasure then he could have.And so where does logic take us? If one is not, and for the rest of his life will not pursue the truth, what does life have to offer him? If he is just whiling away the hours and the days, with no direction, how difficult living must be for him. No wonder so many end up taking their own lives. In his first epistle to Timothy, Paul writes that "she that liveth in pleasure, is dead while she liveth". Even though one is walking and talking and breathing, if they are not seeking, learning and practicing truth, what point is there to their life? This is a harsh reality. This is a sad reality. Yet if they would just "turn on" to the words of GOD, the guidance of their Creator, all of life would take on a new dimension. We are only truly alive as we walk with our Creator, experiencing the purpose for which we were created, seeking Him who is the way, the truth and the life.
ECCLESIASTES has been called "The Book of Attitude" in the Bible. It holds a treasure of wisdom in guiding us into a life intended to be lived as life's Creator would have it lived. The book closes with the exhortation to,
remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth
This section exhorts one to remember HIM now, before you get old, before one's senses become dull. Remember HIM now, so that HIS fountain can be drawn upon all of one's days, not just upon one's deathbed.ECCLESIASTES 12:1,2 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:
Life is full of all kinds of pursuits that seem to keep us from "remembering our Creator". Our recreations, our obligations and our occupations all compete for our time. Remember that it is not for our enjoyment, family or employment that we were created. It was to know HIM and HIS purposes. This is what "the Preacher" attempts to set forth in the book of ECCLESIASTES.
ECCLESIASTES 12:3-5 In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble [meaning the arms of the body will shake], and the strong men shall bow themselves [meaning the legs will grow weak], and the grinders cease because they are few [meaning when the teeth fall out and become unfit for use], and those that look out of the windows be darkened [meaning the eyesight will become dim], And the doors shall be shut in the streets [meaning the mouth and the ears will quit functioning], when the sound of the grinding is low [meaning chewing with gums instead of teeth], and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird [meaning restless sleep], and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low [meaning ones voice is no longer strong]; Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high [meaning fear of falling], and fears shall be in the way [meaning worries when traveling], and the almond tree shall flourish [the almond tree in bloom looks like the white head of an old person], and the grasshopper shall be a burden [meaning he looses his strength], and desire shall fail [meaning ones sexual desire shall fail]: because man goeth to his long home [meaning the grave], and the mourners go about the streets:
When one is young he becomes agitated with old people because of their slow movement or slow speech. Often we don't stop to think that years before they were as spry as we are. Once they were children with boundless energy just as irritated with their seniors as we may be with them. But they grew old just as the description in the above record. Just as someday we will. The Preacher is encouraging us to seek out our Creator before the years dull our senses. To develop a relationship with HIM now, so we can draw upon HIS wisdom throughout our lives.
ECCLESIASTES 12:6-8 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern [meaning death]. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
"Vanity of vanities...all is vanity." The writer is encouraging us to consider the purpose of life itself. We are given life, we grow old and then we die. What is the point of it all?
ECCLESIASTES 12:9,10 And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.
Then he answers his own question. What is the point of it all? Knowledge of the truth! That is why we are here, to learn what is truth. But it can't just be learned from the ear. It must be learned from the living. Each day, each moment as we live and breath, GOD is at work within us, revealing HIS good and perfect and acceptable will.
ECCLESIASTES 12:11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
Oxen were steered where the master desired with a long stick at which end was fastened a sharp nail or spike. When the dumb ox veered off course, it would be prodded with a prick from the stick. So are the words of the wise for us. We invariably will get side tracked as we journey through life. If we read the Book we have the words of the wise to set us aright again. But if we don't get set aright, who can imagine what hazards might await us as we wonder around aimlessly.
ECCLESIASTES 12:12-14 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
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