Death In Due Order

Death In Due Order

3/29/16

None of us like to think about the moment when we leave this world physically, but at some point during our time on earth, we shall reach this spot.  When we draw our last breath none of us really know what the next process will be, but we do know that there will be another process awaiting our arrival.  This process is not easily accepted by some and for just reasons but we must understand that even though death was not part of our initial creation it does represent a dividing line between the life we know and what lies ahead.  There is a guarantee of a future for us, but it is through our choice that leads us to one eternal place or another.  Most of the time it is a sad occasion when a loved one dies, but in death, we have the assurance that God is still in control.

I have on many occasions mentioned that I absolutely love my job and the work that I do and that I would never trade my position for anything.  However, I do have to admit that not every day that I step foot into this clinic goes smoothly, nor am I always smiling when I step foot out from these doors at the end of the day.  As in any job and with any situation in life, some of the issues that need to be dealt with drag me down and bring me to a point of total exhaustion, both mentally and physically.  It is never easy to watch a patient go downhill and literally wither away to skin and bones.  It is difficult to watch them walk into the clinic and then reach a point where the wheelchair becomes their immediate mode of transportation from car door to our clinic door.

Even though not every patient reaches this state, nor does every person that lives in the county become a patient of mine I do know that someday death will come knocking at their proverbial door and their life shall have to answer the knocking.  It is at this point where the acquaintances, friends, and loved ones are thrown for a loop with the words of death that are spoken.  How we react to such news varies just as each individual does on all other issues.  Memories and time spent together with the person who has passed away flood our hearts and a period of mourning enters into our midst, one that we really do not fully comprehend as humans but recognize it is a necessary process in order for us to carry on with our lives.

Death is never easy to deal with especially when a person that still lives reaches the point that they shall never physically see that loved one again.  It is at this point where death hits the human square in the face and reaches the heart with a force so powerful that chills have been known to crawl up and down the entire body.  It is at this time that a finality of life comes face to face with the person that remains and a separation is the only “living” relative that is left.  It is also at this point where most people begin to display acts of emotions extending from peace and tranquility to anger is discontent with every other emotion and feeling thrown in for good measure.  Death is finality, an end to one part of our lives and the beginning of another part that lasts forever.  This is why death is so curious to many and incorporated in all.  Even an episode of the old MASH program dealt with one of the physicians curious about what a patient saw when he died for a few moments than his return back to earth to have a fairly normal future.  I invite you to listen to the song entitled “Live Forever” by The Afters, it places the importance on which death is more important.

It is the separation part of death that God wants us to think about and how the word separation will define our lives in many ways, all of the important ways deal with God and our relationship with Him of course.  First of all, we must contend that there was a huge reason that God repeatedly stated in His Word that we must be separated from the world in all areas of our physical and spiritual life.  It is the utmost goal of our existence to follow this command and a daily process to adhere to.  It is not an easy task for the world paints a beautiful picture with countless options to draw our attention away from reality but it is this portion of the world that we need to be mindful about for our separation from.

Ever since the fall of mankind God has not placed His personal foot on the earth that He created, thus ending a long period of contact with His special creation.  Yes, He has shown up in a donkey, a burning bush, lion’s mouths, and even through His only Son but the direct face to face communion with His prized creations had to come to an end because of the presence of sin that we invited into our existence.  This type of communication and then it's cutting off represents a clear picture of death between Creator and creation and it is still in place today.  The human spirit has not been able to directly see her / his creator ever since the fall of mankind which is the sole directive as to why the spirit longs to seek worship.  As when death reaches us physically the same type of setting occurred when Adam and Eve chose to pick their own ways over God’s, there was nothing easy about that day and that uneasiness still haunts humanity and God today.

I have lost all four of my grandparents and have only a handful of aunts and uncles left on this earth.  While I do not think about my family members that we have lost every day I do think about them regularly and realize that I miss their company and sight when their memories flood my heart.  I would give anything to go back and to ask them more questions about any subject imaginable, just to hear their voice, hear the opinions and just to have them around and to know that they are still living and breathing in my life.  I know that I shall not see them again until all of us are reunited in heaven and even though I have no idea when that day shall arrive, I still long to see them and my savior.  When my memories fade it brings the same separation as death brings to every person in the world, one that can never be brought back, just the thoughts of that person’s life.

This process of death could represent more to us if after we draw our last breath that our lives would cease to further exist.  If the “sludge” that evolution says we come from is true then why would death be so important a topic in our lives?  I mean, it would be pointless and meaningless to have that emotional tie to others, strong enough to make us shed tears for the dead; it would be a natural part of the cycle that evolution plays which in truth would represent a false existence and a non-complete one at best.  Yet, humans have the ability to display every type of emotion possible when a loved one leaves this earth, and even though I have not spent too much time with my patients and their families I too shed a tear when one of them dies, for my hatred of death grips my spirit and the realization of sin my spiritual eyes sees and spiritual ears hear when I know that our enemy laughs at this point in time.

So, if evolution is wrong, and in the concept of creation according to its principle it is, then there must be another aspect of life that follows our physical death; this is a true question and a truth in general, there is life after our death.  I do not know what this eternal life of mine shall be like but I know that one day down this journey of mine I will find out, one way or another.  When God created us He did in such a manner that ensured our survival in the eternal, see God is the Creator of everything and He has our existence thought out even before the fall of mankind.  One thing that we forget about God is that He thought about you even before you were created, this means that His plan for you was thought out and ordained long before you existed AND long before the fall of mankind.  Therefore, this means that the plan for your life has not changed one bit for when God ordains an order He cannot change it, only we can alter its course through the choices we make.  Kind of puts an entirely new life and meaning to Jeremiah 1:5 don’t it.

So, if our lives were known before we were even created and God only knows life, then that means our death in the physical arena does not end, for God cannot forget any of His creations nor could He allow His very existence (life) end either.  However, through the choices of Adam and Eve the physical life that we know must come to an end but as Satan, our eternal lives will continue onward.  What Lucifer did in heaven totally threw heaven into a “rage”, not God but heaven.  Lucifer lost his position and status in eternal heaven but did not lose his life.  He is still amongst us today and roaming freely around us trying his best to separate us from God.  This begs the question to what is he trying to separate?

He already knows that our physical has been conquered so there is no real reason for him to go after this part of our existence, so what is left?  Our spiritual life is left and it is this part of our existence that means the “most” to him.  If he can conquer this portion of our life while we are walking this planet then he has accomplished his mission in keeping us separated from God for eternity.  It is this spiritual death that he desires for his hatred of God and His ways are so enormous that Satan’s only goal is to make sure that as many of God’s prized creations fail to understand and accept God’s laws and true love on the eternal basis. While Satan loves it when a person physically dies he also becomes concerned because if the human realizes that physical death can be a prelude to what the eternal offers, there is always a chance that the loved ones still alive can figure the truth out.

It is this concept and truth that becomes dangerous to Satan and his kingdom, the knowledge that someone created us that actually loves us and has provided for us an eternal future in a complete  unknown bliss that a human mind cannot comprehend.  Our enemy hates God so much that his hatred spills over into our existence, and if humanity would only wake up and begin to hear the voice of God calling out to them, then choose God over the world our lives and circumstances would drastically change almost immediately.  Satan does his best to deafen our eyes and allow the world’s cataracts to develop in our lives so that we miss this truth.  It is Satan’s way of separating our existence from God on the physical so that the spiritual follows in accordance with the world’s patterns.  If our spiritual senses are dulled enough and long enough then it becomes easier for us to separate ourselves from God and align our beliefs with the world; it is a natural setting that when one kingdom advances the other retreats.

It is the eternal life that Jesus mentioned when He spoke to the disciples concerning the fields are ripe for harvest.  Jesus understood that His own physical life was to end at some point in time on the earth and if this is true – and it is – that means He understood that the physical is not the most important element of our existence, it is the spiritual.  God knows our heart and judges us accordingly, it is not in how we look, smell or even how we present ourselves to the world physically but what comes from the heart is all that matters.

How many of you have ever looked at physical death in this manner, as a prelude to the spiritual?  I do not believe I have ever heard a sermon taught or preached on this specific nature and condition of death.  We have all heard that we need to be dead in Christ, separate from the world, etc but never look at physical death as a prelude to what physical death and its separation to those left behind can actually come to pass for our eternal future; have we even taken this aspect to heart and its consideration of such manner?  We all know that physical death is painful with all of the finalities that accompany this process but when you place this finality into the spiritual realm the never ending consequences seem enormous.

We must never forget that the instant we draw our last breath we immediately take the breath of eternity.  The physical life is guaranteed to live for a specific time and then end, but our eternal lives continue onward, they do not stop.  Since God is a consistent God and a God of choice, He must then accumulate all physical life and present it to our lives according to His laws. It is this process that our enemy wishes to keep from us and he does such in a manner to which our hearts are confined to the physical automatically leaving out the true and real life of the eternal.  

God desires nothing more for every one of His children to live with Him for eternity but as God so holy demonstrated in the Garden of Eden He cannot be in the presence of sin; therefore, He cannot allow sin to enter or to exist in heaven which means that anyone who does not live under the blood of His Son cannot continue to inhabit His place of residence.  God cannot proclaim a truth without giving an example to us first, for God hides nothing; and for this example, we may pick one from His Word.  Physical death is this example when it comes to eternal death.  It is a total and complete separation from loved ones and eternal death represents total and complete separation from our Loved One.

On the level of seriousness, humans do take death seriously for the most part, but leave it on the physical aspect and leave out the spiritual.  Funeral services talk about such issues but for some reason, we do not connect both sides of the aisle in our hearts. While physical death is important and should be recognized as such it is the spiritual death that is deemed more important to God, for just as we shall never be able to see our loved ones or acquaintances again God shall never be able to wrap His heart around a person who now faces eternal death for eternity.  Physical life is important and in no way am I demeaning life on this earth, but feeding the physical does just that and it does not feed the spiritual.  It really does not mean much to God if a sinner has a full belly or not, it is the person’s spirit that God wishes for us to feed so that those that do not know God has an opportunity to live with Him for eternity.

Famines, droughts, floods, earthquakes all take supplies from our lives in various manners, but God shall never take the spiritual food from our hearts, it is our choice not to receive it or to share it with others.  It is the eternal life that God is most concerned with and it is your eternal death that our enemy is most concerned with.  Both kingdoms are at war for your eternal positioning and it is our choice to adhere to one of these two kingdoms; there is no eternal sharing of our spirit only one kingdom can be represented.  Death did not originate in our creation but because God loved us so much that He provided us a chance to choose Him when death is all around us.  Even death has its order that has been ordained by God; however, it is our choice to die once or twice with the 2^nd death being eternal.

DLB