CHAPTER 3 – Life and Death

During life and death God is unconditional Love even though He executes unimpeachable justice. He really doesn’t want any of us to die and gives us chance after chance after chance to change.

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

Some people find it sooo hard to receive love and they reject chances to change. God allows Satan to bring chaos to them, to bring them to Him. God gives us so many opportunities to refuse to practice unrighteousness yet we revel in it. Why do people love carnal pleasures more than the righteousness of God? Maybe because carnality FEELS good!

When will mankind recognise that as unrighteousness increases life decreases? The reality is that man’s lifespan has diminished drastically since the Garden of Eden. This dwindling of man’s lifespan speaks loudly to the decline of everything that is good, pure, and true. It will continue to deteriorate as it has for thousands of years and people will continue to die, even at a much younger age.

The Holy Bible says that after Adam became separated from God and was told to leave Eden (Genesis 3:23) he had a son when he was 130 years old (Genesis 5:3). Adam lived to be 930 years old and had other sons and daughters (Genesis 5:4). There was also Methuselah who had a son when he was 187 years old (Genesis 5:25). Methuselah lived to be 969 years old and had other sons and daughters as well (Genesis 5:27).

Methuselah’s father Enoch was only 65 years old when he had Methuselah (Genesis 5:21). He had him while he was very young according to the standard in those days. Enoch was on earth for another 300 years had other children and then God literally took him to Heaven (Genesis 5:23-24 & Hebrews 11:5). Enoch never died and has been in Heaven now for more than 5,300 years.

Noah lived to be 950 years old (Genesis 9:29). Immediately after Noah’s flood, man’s life-span was between 500 and 600 years (Genesis 11:10-17). It then decreased to between 200 and 230 years (Genesis 11:18-23). After that it declined even further to between 140 and 205 years (Genesis 11:24-32). It then diminished to between 110 and 120 years (Genesis 50:26) and eventually went down to between 80 and 100 years (1 Samuel 4:15). God said the average life is now 70 years old but that it may extend to 80 years.

“The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” (Psalm 90:10)

A score is 20 so threescore is 60. Threescore and ten is 70. The scripture is saying that each of us is blessed with 70 years but if we are strong because of physical discipline then it may extend to fourscore, or 80 years. We have plenty of evidence around us today that some people live to be 100 years old or more. This I believe is only by the grace of God.

Adam, Methuselah and Noah are only three examples of people in the Holy Bible who have lived over 500 years. It is no secret then that as evil and wickedness increase in the people of the earth their life-span diminishes.

This thought alone should motivate us to seek out righteousness and life, and to seek to be re-connected to God before physical death comes.

FACE THE TRUTH (Buddhism)

We all have to face the truth at some point in this short earthly life. Some will face the truth early in life while some will, inevitably, at the end of their short lives. Some say facing the truth requires many things like deep humility, meekness, sincere need or selflessness to name a few. But are these really necessary? Let’s find out as I show you the Buddha, his way, and contrast them with JESUS: THE WAY, THE TRUTH and THE LIFE.

As the story goes, Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) was born around 583 B.C. supposedly in or near the place now known as Nepal. His father, King Suddhodana, was leader of the large Shakya clan. His mother, Queen Maya, died shortly after his birth. Prince Siddhartha was a few days old when a holy man prophesied that he would be either a great military leader or a great spiritual teacher. His father King Suddhodana naturally preferred that his son should be the former so he prepared him for it. He raised Siddhartha in great luxury and shielded him from knowledge of religion and human suffering. At the age of 29 Siddhartha had little experience of the world outside the walls of his prestigious palace.

Siddhartha asked his charioteer to take him outside the palace against his father’s wishes. Outside the palace walls he encountered four (4) things: old age, disease, death and a wandering ascetic. He was hurt by the discovery of the first three and curious about the fourth. His charioteer told him that the ascetic had renounced the pleasures of the world to seek release from the FEAR of suffering and death. Siddhartha eventually left the palace, shaved his head, changed his prince’s clothes for a beggar’s robe and began his quest for enlightenment.

Siddhartha sought out famous teachers who taught him the religious philosophies of those days and meditation. But when he mastered all their teachings his doubts and fears were still there. He joined with five persons and sought release from suffering through physical discipline including suffering pain, holding breath and fasting. Again his pursuits were fruitless because he almost starved to death and he only found extreme pain. He decided to give up that extreme to find a middle way to enlightenment between the extremes of pain and pleasure. He started eating again and his fellow ascetics abandoned him claiming he had given up his quest.

To make a long story short, legend says Siddhartha sat to meditate under a big fig tree and had to battle a demon mentally. He eventually won and became the buddha. His teaching can be summed up thus: Being Wise (correct views and intentions); Being Ethical (correct speech, action and livelihood); and, Being Mentally Disciplined (correct effort, mindfulness and concentration). He lived to be 80 years old going from place to place teaching what is now known as buddhism. It is said that his last words were (I’m paraphrasing here): “Everything changes, nothing lasts forever, work hard to gain salvation.”

The HOLY BIBLE tells us that JESUS was God and created the heavens and the earth. History and the Bible also tell us that God (Jesus) came to earth where He lived among mankind, died, resurrected from the dead and ascended to Paradise in Heaven. He experienced the suffering of humans so that he could become the ultimate sacrifice to take away all mankind’s suffering. Jesus differs from Buddha in many ways the foremost of which is the fact that He died but didn’t stay dead.

JESUS now teaches that SALVATION is a FREE GIFT, which we cannot earn in and of our own strength. We cannot work for salvation by being wise, by being ethical or by being mentally disciplined as the Buddha taught. The reason for this is that we are all born into this world totally disconnected from God.

Think of two mountains with an unfathomable valley between and no bridge. Mankind searches because of the knowledge that something is missing. We cannot cross the valley of death. JESUS is the only bridge over this unfathomable valley of death. We do not have to seek out a path to enlightenment to cross this valley because God is the ultimate source of all wisdom. We connect to God by simply believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior. When we are connected to God through faith we are BORN AGAIN. God teaches us how to have a personal relationship with Him, and will take us to live with Him eternally if we die.

LIFE IS SHORT (live it well)

Life is short. We only have one go at it on earth. One take, no instant replay, no freeze frame and no rewind. The Holy Bible gives us 70 years (three score and ten) and says we may live a bit longer by reason of our physical strength. (There is evidence that some modern people have lived to be 120 years old.) In essence, the scripture below is saying if we take care of our bodies and strengthen it, we may be blessed with an extension to 80 years, maybe more.

“The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” Psalm 90:10 KJV

So what if we don’t take care of our bodies? What happens? Will our life be even shorter? I have always marveled at how long some of the men in the Bible days lived. Was it because of their diet, was it because they were close to God or was it something else entirely? Adam (930), Noah (950) and Methuselah (969) were all closer to the creation event and were ‘born’ during a time when the earth was less polluted. Did this have anything to do with it? I don’t know but its something to think about.

None of us are perfect. Maybe I should use the word ‘righteous’ and say: None of us are righteous enough, in our own strength, to influence people to humble themselves and seek Christ. The Holy Bible says our righteousness is like filthy rags, referring to filth-rags that were buried in the earth and rotting.

“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Isaiah 64:6 KJV

We MUST have the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ in order to be counted as righteous. This righteousness is available to ALL but, more importantly, is placed upon ALL WHO BELIEVE in Jesus Christ.

“Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:” Romans 3:22 KJV

It is only when we receive this God-righteousness by believing in Jesus Christ that we are justified (by faith) and GOD Himself calls us righteous. Jesus who did not know sin, took on the sin of the entire world when he died on the cross, so that we might be made the righteousness of God.

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV

The recent passing of Whitney Houston and the impact her death/funeral has had on the entire world, as well as other blog posts, have inspired me to write this.  I believe human beings are supposed to have tremendous positive impact on one another despite our flaws.

We are supposed to live our lives in such a way that, when we “fly away”, someone else will have been positively affected by us for Christ. Whitney seems to have loved the LORD and had this positive effect on us despite the many trials in her life.

Important Question: What kind of impact will I have on the people with whom I interact throughout my life?

My past life and my current interactions with people (for some) may or (for others) may not be exemplary in Christ. It is my prayer that, from this moment, I leave a lasting impression of Jesus Christ upon all who come in contact with me.

Blessings!!!