Bible Study Chat #23

I'd like to divert this discussion back to "death" again, since that's what Job was talking about all during chapter 3. How he wished he was dead. I thought it would be a good idea to learn a little more about death and the truth about it.

 

First let me say something we all know, but usually don't consider: death was not a part of God's original plan for us. It's the result of sin and Satan uses our fear of it to enslave us (Hebrews 2:14–15). it's what Satan holds over our heads to keep us in line - or tries to anyway. Once we really know that we no longer have anything to fear though, then Satan has no power over us and cannot manipulate us with it anymore.

What are some of the ways Satan manipulates us and controls us using our fear of death? Well, for one thing, he keeps us focused on ways to prevent our own deaths or the deaths of loved ones. We think that if we go to doctors and get the right preventative medical care, then we can live long healthy lives. Of course that means also concentrating on eating right, getting enough of the right exercise etc. Some will add taking vitamins and supplements to that list, others might add learning things like yoga or mediation, both of which Satan is promoting through the worldview now, and even using medical community to do so.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting that we shouldn't go to doctors, or shouldn't eat right or exercise or anything else. That's not what's important. What is important about those things (and everything else) is WHY we're doing it; what's in our hearts. If we think we can beat death, beat God and prolong our lives that way, we've got a big surprise coming. We can't. God has numbered our days from the time we were created. If, when we get sick, we automatically think of going to the doctor, but don't automatically think of talking to the Lord about it, then we should realize that we need to change how we think, and start making the Lord the first one we go to.

Psalm 139:16 —your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. *

Job 14:5 —Man’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed. *

Matthew 6:27 —Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? *

Acts 17:26 —From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. *

As much as we may hate to admit it at times, God really is in control. I'm sure we've all known or heard of folks with the very best medical care who died anyway, and others who had none and lived. It's the reason some folks didn't go to work that day on 9/11 and others who generally wouldn't have been there then, did. Not because God didn't love them, He did and does, but that was their time to die. It's why some survive airplane or car crashes and others don't.

God has nothing against doctors at all. In fact Luke was a doctor! He doesn't mind if we go to doctors to be treated and wants us to when we have a need. BUT, He wants us to take the problem to Him first, and He wants us to keep talking to Him about it as long as we have it. Certainly we should follow our doctors orders, as long as they don't disagree with God's Word, or with what He's put in our hearts concerning our condition. (which also won't disagree with His Word)

There's a story starting in 2 Kings 20, and expanded on in 2 Chronicles 32:24, and Isaiah 38 which tells how Hezekiah got sick. He did what we all do. He went to the doctor and was being treated. The Lord was angered because he hadn't come to Him about it and sent Isaiah to tell him that he was going to die. Well, that certainly got his attention so of course he began to pray immediately! But that's not the whole of it. Just as importantly, he repented for not coming to the Lord in the first place, and because his repentance was sincere, the Lord added 15 years to his life. Personally, I think one reason this story of God giving him the extra years is in God's Word, is to get our attention and remind us to always go to the Lord and make Him the focus of everything in our lives.

So we know that death wasn't a part of God's original plan; that it's what Satan holds over us to manipulate us. He uses everything related to death to manipulate us and tries to keep our focus on those things instead of on God, His Word and His Will for our lives each day. What are some of the things related to it? Sickness obviously is, and we just talked about that. So is aging, and as everyone knows there's a HUGE market in the world of things to buy to supposedly prevent aging, slow aging, or at the very least cover it up.

People these days, more so then ever before, seem to be terrified to look their age. They're ashamed of their grey hair, their laugh lines, their wrinkles, etc and some literally spend hours a day working to cover those up and lessen their effects. Many will even alter their bodies surgically to appear younger then they are. And now we're also into "beauty" and wanting to look beautiful or handsome as the case may be. But both of those terms are forever linked in most people's minds with youth, which obviously creates a problem if you're no longer young.

We're constantly seeing commercials with beautiful, young men and women doing things, to sell us every product under the sun. So youth and good looks have been sold to us as being one and the same for a very long time. How often do you see a commercial showing an older mature woman in her 50's, 60's or 70's selling a product? I mean a woman that looks her age? I can't think of a single one. The ones I've seen with people those ages, are either caricatures, animations, or with people that don't look anywhere near their real age. Then when folks do see something about someone older, it's often done in a way that makes fun of them or somehow puts them down. The only commercial I can think of that has older people in it is one for life insurance (of course!) The daughters come home to make sure their dad is ok because he fell, and the daughters want mom to get life insurance! If one of my kids came to me when Bruce had the heart attack and their main concern was that I needed life insurance, I'd be praying for the Lord to soften their hearts and help them see what's really important, since it would seem to me that the only thing they were really concerned about was not be saddled with my debts if I died.

The point is, we can see how we've been taught by the world to view death with fear. To want to avoid it at all costs. I hope too we can start to see just how much of our attention can be drawn to things that are in some way linked to that fear of death.

God tells us that beauty isn't about what's on the outside, or what your body looks like. It's about what's inside your heart.

He tells us that once we're saved we have no reason at all to fear death, because it has no hold over us. We are told that Jesus is to be our example, our model for everything in this life, and that includes death. After Him, we can also look at the apostles. Jesus most certainly didn't fear death. He wasn't thrilled about the manner of his death, but even that didn't bother him in comparison to how becoming sin for us did. Instead what does the Word say that Jesus did? Hebrews 12:2 —Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. * That joy, was being back with the Father, being back in Heaven, and of course in the process of His death He knew He'd also reconcile us to the Father.

If we look at the apostles, we can see that they all looked forward to death. They didn't dread it or try to escape it. It was their friend and welcome any time. Stephen didn't try to run or get away when the people wanted to stone him. Paul writes saying that he'd prefer to die then to stay here, but that he'll stay as long as the Lord has work for him to do, and that's Peter's testimony as well. In fact when Peter talks about his own coming death in 2 Peter 1:15 —And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. *, the word used in the original language that's translated either decease or departure, depending on the version you use is a word that actually means "exodus". It's the same word used of Jesus’ death in Luke 9:31 —appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. *. It's not "the end", it's a triumphant exodus from this world into the next!

For us, death is a release from this body of sin and from this world that's been so corrupted by sin. We don't lose anything when we die, except the sin and corruption, and we gain everything! We gain everything because we have an inheritance that's being kept for us in heaven. We're the brothers and sisters of Jesus who is God and everything belongs to Him. Since we inherit all that's His, we inherit everything, we inherit the Kingdom of God! All things are ours.

Romans 7:24–25 —What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? *Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!


Instead of fearing death, think of how absolutely glorious heaven will be, how glorious our lives will be from that instant on through all eternity! If you want to be inspired about Heaven, our real home, read Rev 21 and 22 for just a tiny taste of what it will be like for us.

Revelation 21:4 —He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” *

1 Corinthians 2:9 —However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”— *