Yesterday we talked about the Universal Process of LIFE. Today we transition to a question about death. I think The Message’s version of Hebrews 9:27 – 28 gets right to the foundational point we must begin with. It goes like this: “Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences. Christ’s death was also a one-time event, but it was a sacrifice that took care of sins forever. And so, when he next appears, the outcome for those eager to greet him is, precisely, salvation.”  Those verses should remind us that the purpose of Christ’s death was for our salvation and that final act of glorification of us, as individuals, can only come upon our physical death.

Let’s consider three key aspects of this question and as we do, hopefully things will fall into place. (Revelation 1:18)

1. Accepting Death – As we see from the passage in Hebrews above, death is inevitable. There is nothing you, me or anyone else can do to change that. We are going to die. Adam and Eve made a decision and settled the issue for all times. They ate from the tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil, but did NOT eat from the tree from the Tree of Life. When the Trinity observed this they ensured that natural life processes would occur. Therefore, their lives and ours had to come to an end at some point based on the parameters of time. So the first key to this is that we must be realistic – and in that realism accept the fact that our days are numbered, just like the hairs on our head. Death is as much a part of life as breathing, smiling, laughing, crying and finding joy in the work we have chosen.
2. Making Peace – In this question is also the answer because the Hebrew word for peace: shalom carries multiple meanings that explain the state Christ afforded us with His death. The Hebrew word means: peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquility. According to Colossians 2:2 we are made complete when we accept Christ’s salvation. We enter the state of Shalom – not Xenophobia, the fear of the unknown. Why because there is complete understanding through God’s spirit that Christ completes us NOT our works or our actions. You and I will NEVER have all the I’s dotted and t’s crossed – that’s His job because we are not capable. Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try, but it provides us Shalom instead of Xenophobia.
3. Comprehending that death creates a new and better life – In John 12:23 – 26 Jesus not only predicts His own death, but tells us that we MUST follow him in this stage of life also. It’s not just doing the good stuff, ministering and loving, but looking forward to what happens during what He calls “glorification.” After being justified (salvation), sanctified (working out our salvation) we get to the best part of eternal bodies that multiply our earthly value. His illustration of a seed falling to the ground and producing MANY seeds indicates to me that our true power and capacity as a believer is released and multiplied into many seeds. Didn’t He say that it was: “better that He go?” (John 14:12) So it is better than we go, so what we have sown can be multiplied by God’s Spirit instead of our efforts.

Finding peace with death is not something you have to wait to claim until you are my age. It is something that is available now if you grasp what I am trying to say to you. No one likes the unknown, but in reality we are NOT facing the unknown with death. We are facing what has been promised us millennium before we were even born. The relief for our anxiety about death lies in a good dose of the Shalom offered by the Spirit of God and Biblical promises.

Love Dad