AFTER DEATH, THE RESURRECTION

Some do not like to hear or read anything of the subject of "Death." But the Bible gives us information concerning this experience. It tells us why death came into the world, as well as the place of death, the remedy for death, and finally -- the wonderful resurrection from death to all who believe God's promises!

In the very beginning of the Old Testament, we read the account of how death came to our first parents because of sin:

"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2:16-17)

In the Hebrew, the last part of this verse is translated: "Dying, thou shalt die." In other words, the moment Adam and Eve disobeyed the commandment of God, they died "spiritually"; they were separated from God and His Holiness. They continued in a dying state until they eventually died "physically." We see here that the judgment of death covers two phases: One is spiritual, the other, physical - and this pronouncement of God passed upon all mankind.

"And as it is appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgment:"(Hebrews 9:27)

Over and over again it is written in God's Word that no one is exempt from this decree of death. It is an appointment which everyone must face!

Death is no respecter of persons. It enters the homes of rich and poor, king and pauper, young and old, educated and illiterate alike!

Many people believe that death is the end of everything. They believe that when a man dies, his body rots in the grave. They believe that there is no life hereafter. It is thought that man lives a few short years and then, in a moment, it is all over. He is gone!

How could an intelligent being think like this? Let us consider the eagle and the turtle. The eagle lives five hundred years and the turtle lives at least a century longer than human beings. I ask you: Wouldn't it be unfair on the part of God to give these creatures a longer life than a human being? Wouldn't it be unfair for Him to let these creatures live hundreds of years, and cut off the man He created in His own image with a very brief time of seventy years?

Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, asked a very important question that has been asked over and over again by every generation in search of a satisfactory answer: "If a man die, will he live again?" In his book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon considers the natural man's answer to this question. He reviews man's thoughts on this matter and tries to find some satisfactory explanation. He concludes that there IS life hereafter!

"He (God) hath set (eternity) in their heart." (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

We realize that eternity has no ending. God Himself has decreed that man will not have an ending for He has set eternity in his heart. Because of this, the natural man (of whom Solomon has been writing) has a deep-seated conviction that, in spite of his arguments against it, there IS a life beyond the grave!

Where is the place of the departed, the place for those who have died? We read that our Jewish forefathers believed that even though their bodies were buried in the earth, death meant they were going to the region of Sheol, the place of departed spirits. David thought of joining his son there and Jacob looked forward to seeing his supposedly dead son, Joseph, in that place.

Down through the ages there have been Godly men who have had firm convictions that there is continued existence beyond this life. They believed that their bodies would be raised from the grave, and that in their bodies they would meet God. The oldest of these patriarchs is Job:

"I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet IN MY FLESH shall I see God." (Job 19:25-27)

From this statement we see that Job believed that even though he would die, and his flesh would be destroyed, he, himself, in the flesh, would see God standing upon the earth. In the book of Zechariah we read that God, Israel's Redeemer, will stand on the Mount of Olives when He returns!

Job has been dead for thousands of years, yet one day his body will be resurrected and he will see his Redeemer even as he prophesied. His spirit is still living in Heaven, but one day that body, which was laid in the grave, will be resurrected. It will be resurrected as a glorified body and reunited with his spirit. In his flesh, which had been destroyed but will then be changed, he will see God whose feet will stand upon the earth!

The prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures knew that some day there would be an end to the grave and there would be a bodily resurrection of the dead.

They looked forward to the coming of the Messiah who would, by His own death and resurrection, provide redemption from sin and death for those who would believe in Him. Those who would accept Him would be free from eternal death, and be resurrected at Messiah's second coming in power and glory.

Orthodox Jews, make the statement from the thirteenth article of

Judaism:

"I believe with a perfect faith, that there will be a resurrection of the dead at the time when it shall please the Creator, blessed be His Name, and exalted be the remembrance of Him forever and ever."

Daniel, our own Jewish prophet, spoke of a resurrection day: "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." (Daniel 12:2)

It is very important to experience the resurrection to "everlasting life" and not be among those who are scheduled for the resurrection that will be "to shame and everlasting contempt." Why anyone would choose to be separated from God forever is difficult to understand, but this is what you will be doing if you refuse God's free gift of eternal life in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus)!

Why not accept the wonderful promise that Yeshua the Messiah gave:

"For this is the will of my Father, that everyone that seeth the Son and believeth on Him, should have eternal life, and I will RAISE HIM UP (or resurrect him) at the last day." (John 6:40)

Won't you accept Jesus as your Messiah, who was dead, but was resurrected, and is now alive? You will then have eternal life and be ready to meet Him at the last day when He returns. Don't delay. DO IT NOW!