My uncle Woody died on Saturday.
As a Christian death brings up some of the hardest truths of my faith...eternal truths. Truths about Heaven and Hell...about justification and sanctification. It is easy to get depressed during times like this...very easy...
I didn't know Woody very well, he lived in Minnesota I lived in Hawaii. I've probably seen him less than ten times in my entire life. Woody was single, overweight and a heavy smoker...this habit is what eventually did him in.
I prayed for Woody a lot as I was growing up, since I didn't know if he was saved or not. Thankfully, his sister Candy and her husband Vic lived close to him and brought him to Church from time to time. When we went up to visit them for the first time back in the spring, uncle Vic said that Woody had acknowledged the doctrines of man's depravity and God's grace while in the waiting room of the hospital. He never did give up smoking...but then again, there's no verses against that either...
Vic said that Woody was in God's hands now... which was the same thing that his dad had said on his deathbed a few months before. Grandpa lived almost a completely Godless life, absorbed with sports, coffeed mugs, T-Shirts, Baseball hats and a whole assortment of other needless trivialities...but I'm sure he would have told you that he was a good person if you asked him. However, the truth is, he lived out his life denying the very purpose for which he was created...to worship God and to find his satisfaction in Him. That is, perhaps, until the last few days of his life. Yes, Grandpa and Woody are now (as always) in God's hands.
And that's just the thing. We are always just one heart beat away from eternity. We are always dependant on God's blessings to make it through the day. We constantly lie to ourselves and deny this dependance, but in the end we have to acknowledge it. As we lay there on that white hospital bed, full of tubes and wires, this great truth becomes so clear: We are in God's hands.
Although this truth becomes frightfully clear at the end, it is just as true now as it is then. As you go to school, brush your teeth, talk to a friend, drive your car...God's providence is undeniable. Why don't we live as if we acknowledge this fact? Is it because we do not realize it? This is the real mystery...
As I look at the pictures on my wall and the memories in my head, it is easy to despair over how temporal everything is. One day, I realize, it will be me in that coffin. One day it will be my brother or my sister...my mother or my father...my friend...we all will be in that same spot some day. How can we live joyfully in light of this truth? How can we rejoice everyday in the creation before us?
Because death isn't the end.
Don't we realize that death was conquered by our savior 2000 years ago? Don't we realize that to live is Christ and to die is gain? Don't we know that to be absent in the body is to be present with the Lord? Do we feel the hope and the excitement as Jesus says to the robber on the cross that "today you will be with me in paradise"? We should not be amazed that these bodies will die...we should be amazed that we exist at all! This is the mystery...that Christ loved us so much that he made us...and that he gave us the right to be his children. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him, will NOT perish but have eternal life! Can we find comfort there? Can we find joy and motivation for these tired souls in this eternal truth?
No...death is not the end...it is only the beginning...
3 comments:
Ben,
my dad's dad died a couple of weeks ago and was definately not a believer. That very fact makes me doubt hell. WHAT!? you might, and probably are, saying. Well, you believe that God chooses who will be saved and who will not be saved, right? This truth is very clear throughout Scripture. Why would a God Who is LOVE send people to eternal conscious torment when they didn't even have the choice in the first place?
When Jesus is sifting through the sheep and the goats he doesn't judge them for believing or not believing...but for what they did and did not do. I believe, though still contemplating and studying, that since Jesus DID die for EVERYBODY (so EVERYONE'S sins are forgiven, not just those who are chosen) then everybody will fellowship with God in the end...but not until after they go through the Holy Fire...which I'm leaning to believe is the revelation of the Holiness of God, or purifying fire. What happens in heaven after we all die doesn't matter...what does matter is making God out to be a hatefull monster when He is really Love. Just think about it...98% of the world is not chosen...if Hell exists as an eternal place of punishment, then God is 100 times worse than Hitler.
Is the God you worship really a God Who would do this to HIS creation that He loves?
Think about it...
Every Christian should strive to prove that there is no Hell; for who would wish it upon anyone? I wouldn't even wish it upon my worst enemy...and if I wouldn't wish it upon them, then certainly the perfect GOD wouldn't.
Let me challenge you: Find a verse in the Bible that PROVES that Hell is real, then study it in the Strong's and in context with the surrounding Scriptures.
Does it still prove that Hell is real?
Anyway, we miss you guys! Miss Maureen came and stayed with us on Teusday, but had to leave Wednesday. It was awesome seeing her again. :D
Your friend,
~Breneca
Okay, to answer your question "What does ETERNAL or EVERLASTING mean?":
In the Greek both of those words are translated "age". Last time I checked an "age" was considered inside a time limit. It could also mean eternal as in "never-ending" which is why we DO have ETERNAL life and not just an age of life with God. So, the word doesn't really prove that Hell doesn't exist...but other things do. Like:
Romans 3 tells all about how sinful we are and how we deserve death: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." -Rom. 3:23
You say that everyone has sinned, therefore everyone deserves Hell. I agree. This, my friend, is why I am SO grateful for Christ. He took my "Hell" on the cross. Do you see what doesn't fit about this? Well, I'll tell you: If Christ took my punishment then obviously it was NEVER eternal.
In other words, if our punishment for sin is Hell and Hell is eternal, then either Christ didn't take my punishment, or He's still on the cross. I believe that you agree with me that both of these are wrong. So, that leaves the question: "what is right?"
Romans 4 continues on and states that we are saved by faith and not works. I'm going to ask you a question before we go on...really think about this: Do you believe that Jesus has died for EVERYONE?
Ben, my parents introduced to me the reformed doctrine (God chose me I did not choose God) when I was ten. I didn't want to believe it because it hurts the pride like CRAZY, but God showed me this truth through much study. Out of my studying I also came to believe that if we don't have the choice to believe or not believe then that means that God must not love everybody. Ever since then I had been trying SO hard to prove that...I wasn't ever able too and now I know why: IT'S NOT TRUE!
Romans 5 says: "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned-for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come." (vs. 12-14) "Death" in these verses does not mean separation from God; it means "that separation of the soul from the body by which the life on earth is ended"...in simpler terms "physical death".
Just making sure that was clear...;)
Ch. 5 continues: "But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned though that one man, much more will those who recieve the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ." (vs. 15-17) Yes, these verses are talking about the Elect. But it's not finished yet: "Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (vs. 18-21)
Did you notice the "ALL men"? You may be thinking: "Paul said: "the many will be made righteous" so that means only SOME." No...because he said before that: "The many were made sinners..." Do you believe that EVERYONE has sinned? Well, of course you do. So...;)
Okay Ben, listen to THIS (I'm really excited!!!): THen I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." -Revelation 20:11-15
You're probably thinking..."See! See! It's HELL!" But...did you know that Hades is the Hebrew word for Hell? And remember that all "Hades" means is: place of the dead. So the place of the dead is being thrown into the lake of fire. Now the question is: What is the lake of fire? The only way to answer this is to ask and answer another question: What does "second death" mean? Well, obviously those who are thrown into the lake of fire are already dead...*btw, notice that these verses say nothing about eternal-death*.
Here goes another verse: "I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." -Matthew 3:11
Do you see what I'm getting at? The lake of fire is simply God's Holy Fire, and those whose names are not in the book of life will be thrown into this Fire and their flesh will die...I don't know why some are created for this and some are created to be in the book of life...all I know is EVERYTHING is to the glory of God Who is loving and just.
Your loving sister in Christ,
~Rebekah
ps. Who are you to judge Martin Zender? Is he THAT much worse than yourself?
I plan on writing a post on my blog in full on this, but briefly I'd like to give my 02c, if neither of you minds.
First of all, Bekah, the word in question is "aion" or "aionios". It CAN be translated as an age, certainly - but that is the less common translation, and historically it has been more commonly translated as "eternal" or "ever lasting".
Secondly, this word is also used by Jesus Himself in reference to life with God after death. So if you are saying that Hell is non-eternal, then it is equally valid to say that Heaven is also not eternal - that after a certain fixed period of time, everyone in Heaven and Hell are simply annihilated, and God starts over. While that would indeed keep things fresh, it would kinda suck for everyone, so I don't think that's true. But that is just as likely, based upon Scripture, as what you're suggesting!
You can believe Hell is non-eternal if you want. I myself am open to that possibility - BUT, you cannot say that this is indicated anywhere in Scripture in any definitive manner. If you want to believe it personally, then that's a matter of personal opinion. But personal opinion should not be mistaken with Holy Scripture.
Finally, your assertion that Hades is the Hebrew word for Hell is simply wrong. (Sorry if that sounds too blunt, but there it is) Hades is a GREEK concept - SHEOL is the Hebrew concept. They are fairly similar, though, and you are correct in defining it as simply "The place of the dead". However, there is no indication that this place doesn't exist, or that it isn't where people will be sent for all eternity.
And on the subject of Martin Zender, I can't speak for Ben, but I won't say that I am any better than him, because only God truly knows both of us. That said, though, from his blog and what writings of his that are available on the internet, I would agree with Ben's assertion - he does seem rather egotistical, although it's hidden under pretended humility. I'm not saying it's conscious, I doubt that he really thinks of himself consciously as better than others, but he seems incredibly smug in his writings which, in my honest opinion, make it sound like he subconsciously believes he has been given special revelation and is thus a sort of "favorite" of God.
That impression could be wrong, of course, but that's what I got.
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