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Death is a subject that many people avoid in conversation. It is a subject which often depresses people, if they give it much thought.
In some ways, it is a subject with which we are familiar because all of us have been touched by it; but even though we have lost friends
and relatives to death, we have no personal knowledge of the actual experience. The fact that we are alive limits our knowledge and
understanding of death, but the alarming fact ever looms before us that we must all die unless the Lord comes again first (l Thes. 4: 17).
The reality of death was expressed by the writer of Hebrews. He said, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the
judgment ... " (Heb. 9:27). Therefore death is an appointment which has been made for us and which we must keep.
Facing this fact presents a real problem to most in our society. While there are a few who cannot face life and who choose the alternative
of death by suicide, most of humanity regard death as a distasteful termination of their lives. Regardless of how strong the will to live,
we know that death will still invade our midst and take loved ones and friends away from us. Perhaps most of us have learned in some
measure to accept the reality of our own death, knowing that someday as we grow older we are going to die because it is the natural
ending of life. Perhaps the greatest difficulty of facing death is experienced by those who have been given a short life expectancy
due to a terminal illness, such as a cancer victim who has been told by a physician that he has six months or perhaps a year to live. In
my observations, as people come face to face with death, some difficulty is generally experienced. Therefore we all need to possess the best
understanding of death that we can possibly achieve. It is therefore the objective of this lesson to consider death from a biblical perspective.
In the Bible there are two kinds of life and two of death - natural and spiritual. God said to Adam, " ...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" (Gen. 2:17). Adam disobeyed God
and died twice. He immediately "in the day" died to the fellowship of God in the garden, as he and Eve were driven out. Much later
after having a large family, Adam died a physical death which was also the result of disobedience. The Bible tells us, " ...And all the days
that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died" (Gen. 5:5). In spiritual death there is a separation from God and in
natural death there is a separation from mortals. Until we understand spiritual death, we are not likely to understand the full impact
of physical death. The nature and consequence of our natural death is inseparably linked to spiritual death and life. Since spiritual death
has such an enormous bearing on physical death, we shall consider spiritual death first.
Spiritual Death
Spiritual death will be eternal for some. We were all born into this world as sinners and dead spiritually. Some pass through this world
and leave it, remaining in the same spiritual condition. Of them the Scriptures declare; "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" (Dan. 12:2). God shall say to them on the resurrection
morning " ...Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Mt. 25:41). Spiritual death
shall involve an eternal separation from God; for the unsaved "shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,
and from the glory of His power" (2 Thes. 1:9).
We need to recognize that we all would have and should have suffered that just condemnation and death because of our sinful nature
and actions. Paul declared, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23).
We have all sinned (Rom. 3:23) and our just condemnation would be death (separation from God) for all eternity. However, God chose
us, Christ died for our sins upon the cross, and the Holy Spirit has quickened us into divine life through the new birth.
Spiritual death by sin has been canceled by the gift of eternal life which we have through Jesus Christ. Because of the work of grace,
the saved do not face eternal death any longer. We were dead (spiritually) but now we are alive.. Paul said that God "Even when
we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)" (Eph. 2:5). Having our sin debt satisfied, we shall
not suffer that horrible enduring death. Instead, in eternity we shall live forever with God in heaven. We that are saved shall not taste
of the second death (Rev. 20:14).Because we do not face eternal death, we should be able to face corporal (of the body) death with far greater
ease. Dying should not be as difficult since we know that we shall spend eternity with God.
Natural Death
There are many similarities but also many differences between the two forms of death. One difference is evident, that there will be a
great multitude (elect) who are exempt from eternal death, but thus far only two have been exempt from physical death: Enoch (Gen.
5:24, Heb. 11:5) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11). Since all others have died Jesus included), we can assume that we are also going to die. None
of us have power to prevent our bodies from dying. David asked, "What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver
his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah" (Ps. 89:48). Death may come at different ages to different people (Ps. 90:10), but at any age
death is the cessation of life. At death, the invisible and indispensable presence of life silently leaves the body and returns to God who gave
it (Ecc. 12:7).
Forming right views and ideas about death will help us face it better. This is true whether we give up a loved one or face death ourselves.
Here are three concepts of death that are set forth in the Bible which should console our hearts. One is sleep. "...So man lieth down, and
riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep" Gob. 14:12).How peaceful is sleep to those
who toil and suffer in the day. People are put to sleep to be free of pain during surgery, and we sleep in the night to be free of fatigue
from the day. Another is rest. "There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest" Gob 3:17).How pleasant to leave hard
labor in the heat of the day, to sit and rest in the refreshing shade. Since we rest while asleep, death is a rest from the labors of life (Rev.
14:13).Third is the presence of God. "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with
the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:8). It may seem bad to leave our loved ones, but it is better to be with the Lord (Phil. 1:23). When we die, our spirits
go home to the paradise of God (Luke 23:43). At the resurrection, our bodies will be reunited with our spirits and we shall dwell bodily
with God and with departed loved ones in glory.
Dying
Not only must we all face death, but we must realize that we are all dying. Each day, little by little through the aging process, we are
on the death march. David declared, " ...there is but a step between me and death" (1 Sam. 20:3). Thank God we do not know when that
final step will be taken that transcends the time dominion and reaches into immortality. Death is our final journey and some see it as the
most terrifying fact of life. If we fear death, it will make us invalids paralyzed by the dread of dying.
There is something which can be done to combat such fear. We can pray the psalmist's prayer, "So teach us to number our days, that
we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Ps. 90: 12). It seems clear to me that our ability to face death is directly affected by how we live.
If we live each day to the fullest and do things that are right in God's sight, we can die without regret. We should live each day as though
it were the last and live it for God. While Jacob was dying, he was worshipping God (Heb. 11:21). Living each day as though it is our
last, we will be able to live our last day with greater ease.
Death is a glorious entrance into heaven for the child of God. We should face it with the anticipation of a child who, when classes and
lessons are over, hastens home to loved ones waiting. The sadness of death is in our departure from this world (2 Tim. 4:6), but the
gladness is in our arrival in glory.
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