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Fear Not! Death is Not The End! Happy Easter!

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many people find themselves experiencing some anxiety due to their fear of death, or the fear that they may lose one of their loved ones to this virus.  People are certainly hoping and praying that the spread of Covid-19 would end soon, but as they think about the possibility of death, I hope they take some time to consider what comes after death. Even if you live a full life to the age of 75, 80, or perhaps 90, this is still so brief in comparison to eternity, and a person should actually be more concerned about eternity than about death. We know that nothing in this life is really certain, except death. That fact  reminds me of a message I once saw printed on a t-shirt that said, “Statistics prove that 10 out of 10 people die”, so unless we are fearing the suffering that may be involved in death, most of us realize that death is in store for each one of us.

Okay, then what comes after death? Science cannot tell us what happens after death; there is no proof for reincarnation or annihilation either. Most religions and philosophies don’t have very satisfying answers to this or to other questions. However, after searching for answers, I found that The Bible, God’s Word, actually addresses and gives the most reasonable answers to all of life’s tough questions. In fact, many  questions are answered just by reading the first eleven verses of Genesis; but don’t stop there– you will find many more answers throughout the Bible.

First, you must believe that there is a God who created all things. That really isn’t so hard to do if you look honestly at the incredible design in everything; and if there is design, then there must be a Master Designer/ Artist. Evolution and random chance doesn’t, and never will, give beauty, intelligence, and order to anything. (Woops! This is actually my topic for another blog)

Now, I want to whet your appetite for the Bible by looking at some verses to see what Scripture says about life, death, God’s judgment, and eternity:

  • “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1)
  • “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let him have dominion… over all the earth, and over every creeping thing upon the earth” (Genesis 1:26)
  • “As by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Romans 5:12)
  • “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1,2a)
  • “For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
  • “But commends His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
  • But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, He has made us alive together in Christ.” (Ephesians 2:4,5)
  • “To live is Christ, to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21)
  • “For we know that if our earthly house [physical body]…were destroyed, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (2 Corinthians 5:1)
  • “You know not what shall be tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.” (James 4:14)
  • “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls away: But the Word of the Lord endures forever.” (1 Peter 1:24,25)
  • “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15:26)
  • “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:54,55)
  • “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27)
  • “Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)
  • “Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire…And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:14,15)
  • “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal” (Matthew 25:46)
  • “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth…Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

Therefore, if you belong to Christ, you don’t have to fear death. Isaiah 41:10 says “Fear not; for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you; yea, I will help you; yea, I will hold you with the right hand of my righteousness”, and 1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear” (and there are many, great verses that give us good reasons not to fear.) So, conquer your fears with the Word of God. I can assure you that death will not have the last word! Jesus conquered the grave when He rose from the dead, and we too, will rise again!

That is the real reason that we celebrate Easter. Praise God! We serve a risen Savior! This weekend, I hope that you focus on His resurrection, and rejoice that soon He will be coming back for those who are His. (Also, instead of weakening your immune system by eating too much candy on Easter, why not spend some extra time praying to the God who created you and who loves you dearly, and reading His Words of Truth in the Bible? You won’t regret it!)

Transitioning From Freshman to Senior

I once heard an interesting saying that seems generally quite accurate. It goes like this: “College freshmen answer all the questions, and college seniors question all the answers.” What is the reason for this transition? Perhaps it’s because when young people first start college, they don’t  realize how small their world has been or how little they actually know.

Those students have just gone from being the oldest and most experienced students in high school to being the “frosh” in college. Then, as they continue their education, the courses get deeper and more challenging, and they begin to wonder if they know much of anything; they feel like they actually have more questions than they do answers.

I guess that’s sort of how I sometimes feel when it comes to really understanding the awesomeness of God and the incredible depth of His Word. When I was young in the faith and less familiar with the Scripture, I seemed to think that I had all the answers; yet now, I sometimes feel like I have as many questions as I do answers. Oh well! I think a line in one of Chris Rice’s songs says it well, “I’m saving up questions for heaven.”

Still Trying to Figure Life Out

Are you the kind of person that asks a lot of questions? I certainly am! Most 5 year olds ask questions continually, but I’m sure I must have been a real nuisance as a child, because I still tend to ask more questions than most people. I don’t do it to be annoying or for attention; I truly am curious about so many things in life. However, I am eternally grateful that I am a follower of  Jesus, because the Bible, His Word, has answered more of my questions than any person or encyclopedia could have. I know that many people throughout the years have asked questions like:

“Who am I? How did we get here? For what purpose are we here?” and, “What happens to us after we die?” Those are all important questions to which the Bible has very satisfactory answers. By the way, if you have never read any of the Bible and are interested in doing so right away to find the answers to those (and other) very important questions, I would recommend beginning in the first book of the Bible, and reading the first eleven chapters of Genesis in the Old Testament; and then, I would suggest flipping to the New Testament part of the Bible, and reading the Book of John. Although both the Old and New Testament are God’s Word, people sometimes get a little bogged down reading some of the overwhelming details in a few of the Old Testament books. Whereas, most of the O.T. points to the coming of our much-needed Savior, Jesus Christ, the N.T. is much easier to read, and it gives us practical advice on how to live in this (what may sometimes feel like a crazy) world.

The first four books of the New Testament will introduce you to Jesus: who He is, how He lived His life, what He did for us because of His awesome love for us, how and why He died at such a young age, what happened after His death that makes it possible to experience deep and everlasting true love, and why we have an incredible hope, no matter what our circumstances are like in life. I could tell you a lot more wonderful things about Jesus and the Bible; but instead, I will advise you to read if for yourself. Different religions, different churches, and different people may all try to give you their opinion about Jesus and the Bible, but you need to throw out all your preconceived ideas, and let the Word speak for itself.