Death and suffering is an issue oft ill-addressed in church teaching. The thought of death and suffering drives many away from God, yet the topic is foundational to understanding the nature of God.
Allow me to summarize the Bible in three words: Generation, de-generation and re-generation. God created the Edenic world (generation). Sin entered the hearts of mankind (de-generation). The price of that sin is death. God sent Christ to pay that debt, and He promises to make everything new (re-generation). Re-generation begins with acceptance of Christ and the Holy Spirit, but is not completely fulfilled until He totally destroys His enemies. Death is the final enemy to be destroyed in the end (1 Cor 15:26).
A huge part of the problem, is that we say “God took him”, or “God called her home”. That is not theologically correct. Sin took him/her. The wages of sin is death, and it is the enemy that we all face. Sin has physical repercussions. Walking in the ways of man brings about natural consequences. Of course, none of this do we like, nor do we readily admit.
The Glorious Hope is that God has proven His power over death in the Resurrection of Christ. He has promised that the old order of things will pass away. This life is but a vapor. The question rests on our trust in His promises. Do we rest and trust in the Kingdom to come or the temporal kingdom on earth, where we currently reside? When you find the Pearl of Great Price, are you willing to give up everything you did have to get it?
Everybody, wants to go to heaven (where there are no more enemies), but no body wants to die (even in this troubled world).
Know the Blessing
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