Those Who Never Die

Ernest Becker was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for general non-fiction in 1974 for his book, The Denial of Death.  In his book Becker theorizes that man has a dual nature that alternates between his physical life and his symbolic life.  A man defends himself against the innate fear of death by dedicating himself to a cause bigger than himself.  The deeper recesses of his mind tells him that one day he will die so he attempts to give his life purpose and meaning and he stretches for immortality by attempting noble things and this becomes the shield he uses to fend off the Grim Reaper.  Becker was saying that men’s accomplishments become the blocks used to construct great walls around their lives like a castle, to defend themselves against the certainty of death.

Is it possible for life to be prolonged if it is more purpose-driven and full of meaning?  I’ve lived in a military community for over thirty years and I’ve observed a lot of early death among those who retire young.  Is it because a man’s work is much of his motivation to live?  It makes him feel valuable and offers a temporary illusion that he can escape his own mortality.  Isn’t activity the major characteristic of life and inactivity, total inactivity the major trait of death? 

I saw a picture that was making the rounds on Facebook recently.  It was the picture of a very old African-American couple.  He was wearing a grey suit and she a pink suit.  They were holding hands and looked to be going to or coming from church.  They looked very happy, very content.  I read the caption attached to the picture and learned that the gentleman was 104 years old and his young bride was only 101.  They had been married for 86 years.  I stared at the picture in disbelief for a good while.  It was as if they had conquered death. 

Then I remembered the words of Jesus in John 8:51 “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”  Perhaps the elderly couple had conquered death.  Jesus said that if we keep his commands, if we love him and obey the precepts of his word, we will never see death.

John Piper tells of one of the more harrowing experiences of his life.  James Morgan was Piper’s theology professor at Fuller Seminary.  Morgan’s love for Christ was a great inspiration to John.  Morgan’s students were saddened by his premature death.  He died of stomach cancer at the age of 36.  John  Piper describes, as only he can, the profound experience he witnessed at his professor’s funeral.  Louis Smeeds spoke at the funeral attended by former students, colleagues and Morgan’s wife and four small children.  Louis lifted his voice in one unforgettable, shocking moment and bellowed, “James Morgan is NOT dead!”  John Piper sat stunned in the reality of the moment.

“Truly, truly, I say unto you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”  (Jn. 8:51)

The soul, the immortal essence of a man, lives on forever.  That soul that has submitted itself to Christ takes on immortality at the point of physical death.  There is no hesitation, no prolonged period of sleep or unconsciousness that characterizes the separation of the soul from the body.  A Christian’s soul flees into the bosom of God.  When Jesus hung on the cross he turned to the thief at his side and said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with in Paradise,” (Luke 23:43) 

Ernest Becker’s idea that men dedicate themselves to a greater cause to avoid their own mortality holds merit.  But when they squeeze the last drop from the fruit of their earthly labor they realize they have lived an illusion.  They arrive at the same conclusion King Solomon did, “So I hated my life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me.  All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”  (Ecc. 2:17)  The secret to immortality is not foolishly dedicating oneself to an earthly cause that will one day be eaten away by moths or by rust.  The secret to immorality is to live by the spirit, not the flesh.  “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit are the Sons of God.” (Romans 8:13-14)

Those who are followers of Christ have already died.  Jesus explained this in John 5:24  “whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”  When we dedicate ourselves to Christ and we experience salvation he bestows upon us eternal life.  His promise of salvation is only fully realized when we enter into the final stage of the process, the glorification of our souls.  We who are Christians have already begun to live our eternal lives.  When we lay down our physical bodies, our souls will pass from death to life.  There is no pause button.  We are immediately in the bosom of Christ, in the paradise or the presence of God himself. 

In the words of John Piper, “We do not experience one millisecond of break with fellowship with Christ.”  This is only made possible to us because Jesus, the Son of God, took on humanity and died on the cross, thereby paying the penalty we all deserve for our sin.

These facts effectively remove the fear of death from those who are Christ-followers.  He paid our penalty, he died on the cross.  He rose from the grave to take away the sting (fear) of death.  “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”  (Hebrews 2:14-15)

We conquer the fear of death by dedicating ourselves to a cause larger than ourselves.  We commit ourselves to the Eternal One.  When he says,  “I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,”  (Jeremiah 29:11) those plans encompass an eternity that extends beyond what we are able to comprehend.  His plans for his own require their immortality.

Imagine the level of courage one might live by and what might be ultimately accomplished if he lives his life with no fear of death?  A lifelong fear of death is the prison that prohibits a man from being genuinely free.  It is faith in Christ Jesus that breaks our fetters in twain.  This faith will bring us to the same conclusion Solomon arrived at.  If you want to live a meaningful life or if you want to live life without fear of death:  “Fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man.”  (Ecc. 12:13)

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

A Christian’s Fear of Death is Irrational

We often fear what we don’t understand.  We fear what we have never experienced before.  A common fear nearly all of us struggle with is the fear of death. No one ever comes back from the grave to tell us about their death experience so it remains a great mystery.

 My six year old son was about to drift off to sleep the other night when he called out to me, “Daddy, there is a face staring at me from my closet.”  I looked in his closet and sure enough, there was an Iron Man mask staring outward.  So, I shoved it deeper in his closet and covered it up with some of his other toys and my son drifted off to sleep.  The fear of death is the monster in every closet.  We don’t want to talk about it or think about it.  We prefer to shove it back in the dark recesses of our mind and pretend it’s not there.

We were visiting our friend’s house recently.  My wife, Shannon, and I were talking to his elderly mother.  Shannon has an uncanny ability to discern when others are troubled.  I was surprised when she asked ‘Gran’ if she was alright.  Gran replied, “Oh, I’m a little discouraged.”   “Why, what’s wrong,” my wife asked.  “Well, I took my friend shopping yesterday and she just wasn’t doing so well, you know, forgetful and tired acting.”  So I asked her, “How old is your friend?”  “Oh, she is 95”, she said in a matter-of-fact manner.  “How old are you,” I asked.  “I’m only 92,” she boasted.  I sensed Gran was denying old age and she seemed to be unfettered by the fear of death.

Death is the shadow in everyone’s future.  There are many things we don’t know in life.  Some people dedicate their entire lives to the discovery of things we know nothing of.  There are so many uncertainties in life, but we are all certain of one thing; “for the living know that they will die.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5) But “no man knows when his hour will come.” (9:12)

Man’s first experience with death was perpetrated by Cain.  Imagine the pain and horror the first family felt as they witnessed the death of their son, their brother.  They were stunned by the solemn realization, as they looked on the dead body of Abel, that “it is appointed unto man once to die.” (Hebrews 9:27)    David wrote of this universal fear when he penned Psalm 23:4  “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For you are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

When a Christian fears death he is being irrational.  A Christian’s belief in the deity of Christ eliminates his fear of death.  Jesus didn’t mince any words when it came to proclaiming that he was divine.  The Jewish leaders came to him and asked, “Who do you think you are?”  (John 8:53)  “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”  Calling Jesus a Samaritan was the equivalent of using the “N” word in today’s culture.  Jesus was willing to risk his life to tell them the truth.

“I am not possessed by a demon,” he said.  (John 8:49)  “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was, I am!” (John 8:58)  He was declaring to them that he and the Father were one in their eternal nature.  They were enraged by this truth and commenced to pick up stones and tried to kill him but he escaped.

Jesus said something even more shocking earlier in this passage.  He clearly proclaimed his divine nature to them.  “If you knew me you would know my Father.” (John 8:19)  Jesus had made very plain to them that he and his Father were in perfect agreement as to what his purpose was when he took on humanity and came into this world.  “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him”.  (John 3:17)   His enemies were shocked that Jesus would claim to be God,  they were astonished that he claimed power to bring salvation to their souls.  This was a day for them to remember because they had never heard any man utter such outrageous things.

Perhaps most shocking of all, Jesus told them that if they believe in his divinity, if they accepted the fact that the only path to salvation was through Jesus Christ, the son of God, “I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word…(long drum roll here)… he will never see death!”  (John 8:51)  What?  “Did they hear him right?”  Yes.  Jesus told them that his divinity qualified him to be their Savior, if they would believe, confess their sins and accept his gift of righteousness, they would never see death.

Keep in mind Jesus didn’t say, “You will never die,” he said, “You will never see death.”  When his opponents were trying to clarify what they had heard they changed it a bit by asking him, “Are you saying that if we keep your commandments we will never taste death?”  They substituted the word ‘taste’ for ‘see’ but Jesus never corrected them. 

While they were speaking of physical death Jesus was speaking of spiritual death.  Jesus didn’t deny that all men would die physically.  Nevertheless, he was teaching them that at the point of physical death the soul leaves the body and ascends to another dwelling place.  The life of the soul continues uninterrupted by the physical death of the body.  This is all possible because Jesus laid down his life down for the sheep.  He arose from the dead, thereby, eliminating the sting of death for all those who believe in him.  He provided us an opportunity to be righteous.  He satisfied the cry of his Father’s pure heart for justice and he permanently shut the gates of hell to those who are stamped with his image.

Therefore, it is irrational for the Christian to fear death when Christ himself has taken away the sting (fear) of death and promised us eternal life.

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

Are You Afraid To Die?



The Fear of Death Confounds Me



One of the more prevalent fears haunting us is the fear of disease, especially a debilitating disease like cancer.  My mother suffered from severe dementia before she died and I often catch myself dreading the possibility that I, too, may suffer the same horrible fate.  Following closely behind the fear of debilitating disease is the fear of dying. 

Of all the tormenting fears that afflict people, the fear of dying is certainly one of the most common.  Many fear losing their job but not everyone loses their job.  The fear of public speaking is a particularly common fear but most can avoid public speaking if they choose.  If you are tormented by the fear of spiders or snakes you can easily avoid places where those critters can be found.  Most of our fears are founded on things we find difficult to control such as the fear of rejection, the fear of poverty or the fear of loneliness. 

We can make accommodations for all the fears listed above accept one.  You can fill your life with people if you are lonely.  You can eat right, exercise and try to get plenty of sleep if you fear poor health.  But no one can successfully run from death.  The Grim Reaper comes to claim everyone.   We are born to live and eventually to die.  Life for many is difficult because of all of its uncertainties.  The only true certainty in life is death.  Well, actually Ben Franklin added one other certainty, “In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.”

Necrophobia, or the fear of death is closely connected with xenophobia, the fear of the unknown.  There is a German proverb that says, “Fear makes the wolf bigger than he us.”  Conspiracy theorists thrive on the fear of the unknown.  We look into the vast and diamond studded velvet sky in the moonless night and we imagine Martians or aliens because we don’t know what is out there.  The fear of the future caused world panic before Y2K and it appears to be returning as we begin the year 2012. The fear of death is so prevalent because it is something new, something we’ve never experienced before.  We long for someone to die and then come back and comfort us about dying. 

The Bible seems to confirm the idea that everyone must die, it also confirms that everyone must face the judgment of God.  Perhaps the real fear of dying is grounded in the latter fact rather than the former.  “It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment.”  (Hebrew 9:27)  But let’s back up.  The Bible also teaches that there were two men who never died.  “And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:  And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” (Genesis 5:24-25)  The writer of Hebrews confirms this:  “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”  (Hebrews 11:5)

The other biblical figure who escaped death was Elijah.  The Lord took “Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind…there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”  (2 Kings 2:1,11)  Are these two incidents not contradicted by Hebrews 9:27…”It is appointed unto man once to die”? 

John the Revelator envisioned two witnesses which he wrote about in Revelation chapter 11.  These two will share gospel truth with the Jewish people and then they will be brutally murdered by the “beast that rises from the bottomless pit.” (Revelation 11:7)  If Elijah and Enoch are the witnesses foretold here then the requirement that all men taste of death would be satisfied.

Having established that none shall escape the Angel of Death, what can be done to reduce or eliminate the fear of death?  John Donne addresses the topic in his poem, “Death, Be Not Proud.”

“Death be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadful, for, thou art not so,

For, those, whom thou think’st, thou dost overthrow,

Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me

From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures bee,
                   Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow.

It may sound arrogant for Donne to claim that death cannot kill him but he has a supernatural hope that destroys his fear of death.  His faith is founded in the promise of Christ.  Christ is the one who has died and come back to comfort us regarding our fear of death.  The Apostle Paul speaks of this promise in 1 Corinthians 15.  Paul asserts the reality of a resurrection based on the fact that because Christ arose from the dead he is qualified to fulfill his promise to raise us from the dead also.

Donne reveals the impermanence of death by comparing it to rest and sleep.  Because of the hope of the resurrection death becomes nothing more than a prolonged period of sleep before we are brought again to life by the grace and power of Christ himself.  Our fear of death makes the wolf bigger than it really is. 

The poet turns the tables on death and portrays it as something powerless and inadequate:

“One short sleep past, we wake eternally,

And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.”

Paul wrote comforting words to Titus (1:2) when he declared that God cannot lie.  He has promised us eternal life from the beginning of time.  Let us rejoice in His salvation! Through him we have eternal life. We must trust him to prepare us for it and preserve us to it. It is our great privilege to draw deeply from the wells of his salvation.

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

“Your Years Will Never Fail”. How to live a very long life.

 

This morning I calculated the number of days I’ve lived in God’s good earth. It is a number I wish could be applied to monies in a savings account or better yet, souls who gave their hearts to Christ in response to my witness. I was briefly paralyzed as I tried to comprehend what it meant to have lived longer than 20,000 days. Were I to live 20,000 more I would one day be declared the oldest man in the state of Georgia.

God has a way of reminding us of our mortality. He designed his creation so we could measure our days. The heavens determine our seasons. Man is powerless to prevent the seasons from coming. We know that summer will follow spring and fall will follow summer. What we don’t know is what the seasons bring with them. Will the winter be harsh and cruel or will it be mild mannered?

During this time of year (September) here in the southeastern United States we find ourselves looking eastward across the Atlantic because we know storms are developing off the west coast of Africa. These storms launch eastward, plowing through the warm and salty waters toward the American mainland. Sometimes they grow into mammoth hurricanes. We know they are coming but we can only approximate their strength and the direction they will take.

I have seen over 20,000 days get swallowed up in darkness of night. It is God’s daily reminder to us that we are mortal and the dark night of death might be delayed but it can never be prevented from coming to claim us.

There is a verse in Psalm 102 that brings comfort to those who struggle with the reality of limited years and numbered days. Though are lives are an hour glass turned over and the grains of sand are sifting quickly from top to bottom, we serve a God who is immortal and in his grace and love he is willing to share eternity with us. Psalm 102:27 “But you (God) remain the same, and your years will never end.” He never changes and he lives forever.

We like to imagine God as being Moses-like in his features. He has lived an infinite number of days so he must appear very old. Actually, because God is ageless he must be a picture of perfect youth. We would more accurately picture Him as being perpetually in his prime. His beauty never fades and his strength never wavers. He is unchanging and his years will never end.

There are certain things we as humans have experienced that God never has. We get old but God does not. We experience failure but God does not. He has never failed and nor can he ever fail. Failure is impossible to one who is omnipotent and omniscient. His strength is sufficient to destroy any enemy and his wisdom can solve any problem.

As the years pass we find ourselves seeking for something or someone to trust, someone who will not fail us in the end. You might believe you are secure because you have worked hard and saved wisely. Your account is stashed with enough retirement money to live comfortably through your old age. But the recent economic chaos seems to indicate that even the wisest and best economic minds cannot dispel the ominous economic clouds gathering on the horizon. Your nest egg might fail you.

Many put their trust in their own wisdom, their own ability to make good decisions but as the years pass the invisible knife severs the connection between the will and body. The mind tells the legs to run but they won’t run anymore. The mind might know the best thing to do but the doing of it may become impossible as infirmity binds us to failure. Where can we find comfort when contemplating such difficulties that lie ahead? The writer of Hebrews offers a phenomenal comfort when he repeats the message of the 102 Psalm in Hebrews 1:12 “You will roll them (years) up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.”

Our days will pass and the years will drop off one by one until very few remain. We will then “roll them up like a robe.” Like shirts on a hanger, we will drape them one by one in the closet. But for those who have been made anew through the precious sacrifice of Christ, they will share eternity with him. Their years will never end.

We are like passengers on a ship at sea. We are at the mercy of the waves without a rudder to guide us. Were the lights of the heavens darkened we would be helplessly lost. We move through an atmosphere of oxygen and air that is more fragile than we realize. A few molecular changes in the atmosphere and it could be changed to water and we would drown or it could burst into flame and we would perish like marsh mellows dropped in a burn barrel. It is too fearful to think on.

But “Your years will never fail.” This earth is attached to an Eternal Anchor and if we as individuals fail to connect with him we have much to fear. But if we have humbly confessed our failures to One who never fails and if we have committed our years to One whose “years will never fail” then we are assured a place in the bosom of the Almighty who is willing to share with us his eternity!

 

www.kpprobst.blogspot.com

His Whispers of Hope

God took Elijah up into the mountains to reveal himself to him. Have you ever experienced a time when God decided to reveal himself to you in a special way? Elijah stood on Mount Horeb and a hurricane wind shook the mountains but God was not in the wind. An earthquake created new crevasses but God was not in the quake. A fire engulfed the mountaintop but god was not in the fire. And then Elijah experienced something extremely powerful, more powerful than the wind, quake and fire. He heard the still small voice of God. Have you ever heard the whisper of God?
A Canadian pastor fell asleep at the wheel of his car. He hit a parked truck along the side of the road. His wife was severely injured. She had a lacerated liver and a broken back. She had to have an emergency five hour surgery to stop eternal bleeding. Three days later she had to have a 12 hour surgery to fuse six vertebrae together and insert two metal rods in her back.
The pastor said, “I felt so guilty. Why didn’t I stop? How will the kids respond if their mother doesn’t make it? I’m such a failure. What will I do if she dies? How will she ever forgive me?” He said he was tormented through the dark, sleepless hours of the night and then…he heard the whisper of God. “You are my child and I still love you.”
“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children” – (Romans 8:16) It’s a wonderful thing to hear the assuring whisper of God.
Do you think that Mary needed assurance when the angel revealed that she was going to be the mother of God? The young virgin was ostracized for nine months while the townspeople gossiped behind her back. She was able to endure that dark time in her life because the angel of God slipped next to her and whispered, “Mary, you are favored by God.”
Peter knew what lay in his heart. He knew how weak and fickle he was. Jesus wasn’t fooled. He told Peter as much when he said, “You’ll deny me three times.” When Peter failed Jesus, when he was standing out in the courtyard, alone and dejected…do you think he was remembering the words of Jesus. “You are Simon the son of John, but you will be called Cephas, the Rock.” Jesus believed in Peter and even though he was aware of all his weaknesses he shared words that would later bring assurance to him.
When Martha looked on the dead body of her brother, Lazarus, she heard the whisper of God, “I am the resurrection and the life.”
When the disciples realized Jesus would one day leave them they heard the whispers of assurance: “I will not leave you as orphans, I will come again to you.”
I have sometimes wondered which direction I should take and I’ve heard that whisper of God behind me…”Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” – (Isaiah 30:21)
He is always there for me:
When I am thirsty he gives me– “living water” – John 4:10
When I am lonely – I discovered “a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” – Proverbs 18:24
When I needed covering – I hear him whisper, “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.” – Matthew 6:28
When I am sick – I ask myself, “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?" - Jeremiah 8:22
When I am weak – I’ve learned that my heart can be “strong, blameless, and holy in the presence of God.” – 1 Thes. 3:13
When I pass through the waters he promises to be with me.
When I pass through the fire he whispers that I will not be burned.
When I feel tired and weary – He whispers to me… “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.” – Heb. 4:9
When I feel like I’m in danger – I hear him whisper, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” – Psalm 91:11
When I am haunted by the fear of death – I hear him say, “Death has been swallowed up in victory." – 1 Cor. 15:54
When I am confused by bad things that happen – I hear him whisper “all things work together for good to them that love God.” – Romans 8:28
When the enemy looks too big to defeat – I hear him whisper, “If I am for you, who can be against you?” – Romans 8:31 “Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.”
When I fear the future – I hear him say, “If I go and prepare a place for you I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am there ye may be also.” – John14:3
Is there pain in your life? If you can get quiet before God and hear his whispers of hope they will bring you assurance.


Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.