Tomorrow
I am just in from distributing Bibles and Bible plaques at the local
market. Last market a man fell down dead at
the market for no obvious reason. This market has reports of other
sudden deaths (mainly middle aged people). This post pandemic disease (SDS) is
all too frequent.
It causes me to ponder the responsibility of ensuring people are
ready to die. Australians in their ‘laid back’ attitude ignore the thought of
life after death and funerals have changed to ‘celebrating the life’ instead of
looking into eternity.
So is it real –
existence after death? I will come to the solid rock of Jesus teaching soon,
but for a moment I ponder happenings around me. At the same market was a man
who was clinically dead for 6 minutes. He gave me his book of what he saw on
the other side. I worked with a man who consciously departed his body, but was acutely
aware of what was happening around him. I met another man at Laidley show, who
had been to hell and fortunately was sent back. He said he quickly became a Christian.
So I investigated . A book from the local library impressed me ‘My
descent into death’ by H. Storm. So real was his experience at death that his
whole life was changed to serve the Lord Jesus.
Peter Fenwick, a non Christian scientist investigated 2000 near death
experiences and finally described the
next life as ‘a greater reality’. Then I read the book by Dr Rawlings (Medical
doctor) – ‘To hell and back’. As a doctor he reports on people who had been resuscitated
. He changed from scepticism to assurance that the life beyond death is so real.
A nurse I know so well will say the same.
Much more evidence
is out there. But I turn to the solid rock of the teaching of Jesus. He more
than any other should know for He claimed to have come from the world of
eternity.
At the beginning of His teaching, He pointed directly to the reality
of heaven where His Father was. He said we should lay up our treasure in
heaven and indicated it would be enjoyed in the life to come. He claimed to be
the final judge who would welcome into His future kingdom dead men like
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Yet He claimed to have the authority to shut the door
on those who did not truly know Him or whom He did not know as His sheep. He
described their future as – outer darkness, torment, unending regret etc. He
more than any other exposed the failure of religious hypocrisy to save from hell.
On the
positive, He it was who promised to go
to the Father’s house to prepare a place for His own. A place unspoiled by
evil, where doubt and death cannot enter. So one man said: “ What is the way to
this place?”
Jesus made a simple yet significant response: “I am the way the truth and the life, no one
comes to the Father except through Me”.
Human religion does not like this exclusive claim of Jesus. But He said that Eternal life was a gift that He
gives to His sheep (John 10).
Much , much more could be written to verify the reality of life
after death, but I conclude with the important question – are you prepared to
meet God?
Or as Jesus said to the blind man : ”Do you believe on the Son of
God?”
Not just about Him, His eternal claims, His divine
being, His sacrificial death and resurrection.
More
to believe His word, trust His undeserved favour to forgive your sins, and commit
to Him as your Lord and Saviour for time and for eternity.
When you enter the gate into His fold,
His word is precious:
“My sheep hear my voice and I know
them, and they follow Me.
I give unto them eternal life and they
will never perish.” (John 10)
This is solid rock and promises that
hold for time and for eternity.
I encourage you to find real hope in reading the Bible. Look at the reality
of heaven in the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5,6,7). Read the real assurance
Jesus gives in John 10 and 14.
Take time out to seek the
Lord – He will not disappoint.
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