Now thats what I call Relaxing !!!!
This may seem to many as a cruel thing to post. Why would I think of death as a place of relaxation? Though when we think about life, death is the end of it. The inevitable culmination of our whole existence. Everything that we have done and will do is now over. Death to many of us is a harsh reality that most do not want to contemplate. Why have I posted this here then? What is the purpose of this?
What I would like to do is spend some time with you to give you some hope. Hope about your future. You do not have to be necessarily religious to hear me out , rather just have a spirituality. A belief in a Higher power. And a belief that the Bible is God's blueprint for mankind. His written word provides us with comfort and hope and if you will follow along and read as well as meditate upon the scriptures written here, you will see what I mean.
To many people, God does not exist or care about us, if he does exist. Humanity is racing seemingly toward it's own destruction. And while we don't want to think about it, we all deep inside wish that life were much better, don't we?. Not just for ourselves , but for everyone on the face of the earth. Let me then if you will ask you for a minute to use your own imagination.
Close your eyes and think about what kind of world you wished that we lived in. What do you see? Do you see what I see here? A world where there is no more sickness? A place where there is no more death? Where pain and suffering will be no more? A world where people all got along with each other and war became a word that was not even part of our vocabulary. Could you imagine what it would be like to pick up a newspaper, link onto a web page, or watch a television program that is announcing the world is now crime free? Is that the kind of world you would like to live in? Well I sure do.
I guess it wasn't until recently that time became very important to me and life had come to mean so much more. I spent too many years taking everything for granted. As if I had all the time in the world to do things. But I got cancer and that all changed.
The bible offers us a beautiful hope for the future. Death does not have to be the end of all things but rather the beginning of something better. Bare with me now if you will please. I hope I have grabbed your interest.
You may recall the man named Job in the Bible. He was a man who had it all so to speak. He was wealthy, blessed with a nice family, had land and cattle and basically lacked nothing. He also was a man who loved his God and worshiped Him regularly . He had a deep faith in God. But one of Gods angel's, Satan approached God in front of the whole host of angels and challenged God. He said that this man Job only served Him because of what he had and if he were allowed to take it all away, then eventually this man of faith would curse God. In other words the devil said that God built a hedge around him.
What is interesting about this whole account and why I have a head stone up top of this page as a place of relaxation, or rest if you will, is because of this. Notice what Job said when it was all said and done. He asked God to protect him in "Sheol". The literal translation of the Hebrew word "Sheol" means the "grave" literally. So Job wanted to die and find comfort or relaxation in the grave. He had suffered enough as you read the whole account of Job and now he prayed to God to protect him from any more pain and suffering in the grave.
But he also believed that there was a resurrection from the dead. And after that was a world where none of those things he went through would ever exist again. He knew that the living can feel pain but when you die it is the end of it all, you don't feel anything at all. Notice what is written here at Ecclesiastes 9:5,10, also Psalms 146:4, Ezekiel:18:4,20. This is against all you have heard, I know, from mainstream religion. What I am saying is this. There is no Hell to fear when you die. At Romans 6 :23, the Bible tells us that "the wages of sin are death" not torment. The whole concept of Hellfire was adopted well after the first Christian congregation. But this is not a Christian teaching. Rather it is what religion teaches as truth today. It has its origins
But could you imagine a loving God punishing us by burning us forever and ever? I don't think so. Would you take your child's hand and put it on a stove for doing something wrong? I wouldn't. Notice when you read the account of the first human pair Adam and Eve. When they sinned the punishment was death. Or the opposite of eternal life, eternal death!!
But Jesus Christ gave us all a hope to look forward to. One in which we all have the opportunity to live forever. In fact this is what God had purposed for mankind to live like. He designed and purposed us to live forever in a paradise like world. And with his death and resurrection we now have that same hope once again. To be resurrected into a world where death and sickness will be no more. Where the blind will see again and the lame, walk again. Isa.25:8, Rev. 21:3,4 The Bible gives us many accounts of those being resurrected as a preview of what was in store for mankind in God's kingdom. 1 Kings 17:22-24, 2Kings 13: 20,21, Even the Greek scriptures speak of the resurrection. John 6:39,40; John 11:23,24; Luke 20:35,36; Jesus and his apostles performed resurrections. Please read John 11: 38,39,43-45; Luke 7:11-15. Acts 9: 36-41; Acts 20:7-12; Matt. 9: 18-26. The fact that Jesus was resurrected from the dead and witnessed by over 500 people proved that the resurrection was real and a precious hope for all who remained faithful to look forward to.. Read if you will also
1Cor. 15:12,20,21; 2 Cor. 4:13,14; 1Cor. 15:3-8. There are many more wonderful scriptures I would like to share with you on this subject. Feel free therefore; to contact me at [email protected] and put "Bible Truths" in the header. And I will be happy to discuss this and any other question you may have concerning God's loving purpose for mankind and His coming Kingdom.
The grave will be a temporary place of relaxation to many of us. The permanent solution lies in God's hands and ours. Yes God requires us to be faithful to Him and his principles. Not just the ones we want to obey but all of them. Then we have that wonderful reward and place of relaxation to look forward to. 1 John 2:17.
Thank you for your attention and I hope reading God's word has built you up and restored your faith in some small way. Opened your eyes also to see clearly what God's hope for mankind is; and moved you to want to learn more. Because the more we learn about God, the closer we are to Him and His kingdom. John 17:3.