" Praise the Lord for that which He is about to do! "
~ Is the extinction of life or feeling; it is to be destitute of life or inactive; it is Spiritual ruin after physical death ~
When most people think about what Death is, they think about when a person stops breathing, the heart stops beating or pumping and the brain ceases to function. But this is not what the Bible is talking about when the Scriptures refer to death.
In St. John 5:26 we read, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live."
How can a dead person hear, you might ask? In the natural sense, a dead person cannot hear. But the Apostle John was talking about the Dead Souls of Mankind. In the next Scripture the Apostle Paul brings this out in a clearer sense.
"She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth." 1st Timothy 5:6 This Scripture seems to indicate that a breathing, thinking, active person can be Dead even though they are not physically dead. The reason for this is because that person is living in sin.
The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:1 said, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins:” That word Quickened means literally to be made Lively or Alive. Because of sin every person is born in a state of death. The only way a person can be considered Alive is by accepting Jesus into their heart / life.
The Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 9:2 said, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”
There is a saying in our Prison System about a person that has been sentenced to die when they walk from place to place while in prison; that is: Dead Man Walking. Are you walking in darkness today? If you are, there is hope for you while it is called today because Jesus died for you that you might have life.
In Leviticus 25:35 the Bible gives the following instructions to the Saints, “If thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee.”
We are supposed to be responsible for one another ~
The Apostle John in 1st John 3:14 said the evidence of being a Saint is like this, “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.”
What is this Love that John was talking about? The Apostle Paul described Love as: “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, *Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; *Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; *Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."
1st Corinthians 13:4-7
Is this the kind of Love that you are demonstrating? If not, you may want to ask yourself, “why not?” You may want to consider asking Jesus to come into your life. If you say that you have already done that, you may want to pray the Lord help you to live a more righteous life.
Let’s look at death this way. Just suppose you are standing in the middle of a Grave Yard where a lot of famous, lovely people are buried. Which one of these people would you have dug-up to marry and spend the rest of your life with in their current condition of decomposition? Most likely, your answer would be none of them. If you are a Christian (a Saint), you may want to consider this when deciding to date someone, are they alive or dead, are they a Saint or a sinner.
It is difficult for a Dead Person to demonstrate True Love and kindness on a continual basis ~
The Prophet Ezekiel was told to tell the Children of Israel. “Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?”
Ezekiel 33:11
"For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye." Ezekiel 18:32
The Heavenly Father is still saying the same thing to us today; He wants us to turn from our sinful life, accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour and live a righteous life.
"The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23
Do you work for an employer to earn money to pay for the things you need? If you do, you expect that employer to pay you for your services. And you wouldn’t expect him to pay you for services that you did not do. In the same manner, if you live a sinful life or righteous life, you can expect God to pay you accordingly.
King Solomon in his wisdom in Proverbs 14:12 said, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
We cannot afford to take the chance that we might be on the right road, if we expect to arrive at our destination at the time appointed.
The Apostle Paul in 1st Corinthians 15:56 said, “The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.” The sting of death that he is talking about is the effect or wages. The Word of God tells us what Sin is and what the consequences of Sin are.
King Solomon in Proverbs 14:14 said, “The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.” There are some that don’t believe this Scripture because they believe once a person is saved they won’t ever be lost again. The Bible does not agree with this belief (once saved, always saved) but that’s another subject for another time.
The Apostle Paul in 2nd Thessalonians 2:10-12 said it like this, “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. *And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: *That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
King David in Psalms 116:15 said, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” The meaning of the word Precious means, Costly. In other words, the cost of a Saint is more than mankind can pay. The Price for Sin that was Paid is the Precious Blood of Jesus.
Let me say this dear one, pay close attention to what you do; make sure that your read the Bible, the Holy Word of God daily, and that you Pray constantly, that you enter not in to temptation and sin. But if you sin, be sure to ask the Heavenly Father for Christ sake to forgive you of your sin and He will be Faithful to forgive you thus, making you whole again. Praise His Holy Name!
King David by the inspiration of God in Psalms 6:5 said, “In death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?” It is for certain and true that we only get one chance at life to get it right so, be sure and know that you know that your sins are forgiven and that you are living according to the Word of God.
In the Book of Isaiah 65:1-5 we read, "I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name. *I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts; *A people that provoketh me (sin, by living a lie) to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens (Churches), and burneth incense (pray) upon altars of brick; *Which remain among the graves (Churches that do not the Truth), and lodge in the monuments (churches), which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels; (these people are abominable, unholy) *Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou (they want to have it their own way). These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day."
Note: Smoke is the evidence of something that is being destroyed. Are you being destroyed by the life that you are living? If so, turn to Jesus and live.
In St. Mark 12:26-27 we read, "And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?" At the time that God spoke these words to Moses, the men he was referring to were already decade in their graves. Yet, God referred to them as still being Alive. Mark continued by saying, “He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.”
God was not saying these Patriarchs were with Him in Heaven but that they have the light of life in them as Jesus said in St. John 11:26, “Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”
Do you believe? If you do, you are among the few that do ~
In closing we read in Revelation 21:4, "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."
Praise His Holy Sweet Name!
Derwood A. Stewart, Minister
House of Prayer Sabbath Ministries
Comments? Email us: hope@preachersteacher.org