April 9
Deut 33:1-29 | PS 78:65-72 | Prov 12:25 | Luke 13:1-21
Physical death is the separation of our soul from our earthly tent. Spiritual death is the separation of our soul from the presence of God. Spiritual death is by far the more important of the two, but the overwhelming majority of people are concerned much more about preventing their physical death. The timing of our physical death has been determined by God at our birth, we are simply ignorant of this date (Psalm 139:16). Much is read into concerning the manner of death. As tragic as those who perished on 9/11 were, this unpredicted death at the hands of heinous individuals doesn't have anything to do with their eternal destination. Whether death is sudden or prolonged as in the case of a terminal illness, this too has nothing to do with one's eternal destination. Our bodies are temporal, they will all one day become dust, but our souls are eternal. Our souls do not perish but move on either to heaven or hades (one day hades is emptied into the lake of fire). Our eternal destination has to do with two things: the offer Jesus gives us having paid the penalty of our sins and our choice. We each make a choice while on this earth whether to accept this payment or not. Interestingly, so many fear death though death has been fully explained in Scripture. People choose not to trust God's Word on this topic.
We read in Luke 13:1-5, "About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple. “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered? Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God. And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.” Jesus is very clear it is not a matter of the manner of death but it all rests on one's repentance for their sins.
God has spoken so much on this topic, yet we tend to remain unsatisfied. God has put in Scripture the exact amounts He knows that we need about each and every topic. If God chooses not to elaborate on a specific topic, He doesn't need us to try to uncover what He has kept concealed. There is not a tremendous amount written about what life in heaven will be like in terms of specifics, but we read in John 14:1-3, "Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am." Coming from the lips of Jesus this should be enough for any of us. When a loved one is dying we need to empathize and love that individual, but more important than saying kind words to make one feel better, we need to share the only message of hope, the only opportunity of eternal life in which one's soul remains in relationship with God, the message of Jesus Christ, as Jesus Himself clearly stated in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: