It's A Matter Of Life And Death

Something we quickly learn in the Bible is that what it says about the end-times has a strong impact upon how we look at things now. This seems especially to be the case with the passage we considered in our last post, Revelation 20.

There we discovered that those who have life in Christ experience even greater life when they die during this age and are in the presence of Christ (Rev. 20:4-6). And, what is more, they await an even greater experience of life when they are resurrected at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (1 Thes. 4:13-17; Rev. 20:11-12; 21:1-22:5). So, the one who is in Christ has life now (John 5:24), which leads to more life (John 11:25-26; Phil. 1:21-23) and this leads unto even greater life (1 Cor. 15:19-58).  Such a glorious future with life leading to life leading to life should bring great comfort and encouragement now (1 Thes. 4:18).

At the same time, we learned in Revelation 20:14-15 that those who are already spiritually dead (John 5:24; Eph. 2:1-3) experience an even greater degree of death when they leave this earth (Luke 16:19-31). Then at the judgment death and hell are cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death (Rev. 20:14-15), that is, an even greater death. Such death leading to death leading to death should bring with it every reason to consider where one stands with Christ now!

To grasp the two different ways set before us, the path of life (Ps. 16:11; Prov. 8:35) and the path of death (Prov. 9:13-18), we must understand that death is separation from the grace and blessing of God (Gen. 2:17; 3:23-24) that leads to grave pain and despair (Prov. 5:23; 9:13-18; 17:22), is a cloud that hangs over all people (Is. 25:7-8), results in physical death (Rom. 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:55-56; 2 Cor. 4:16; Rev. 21:4), results in the eternal separation from the blessed presence of God (Rev. 22:14-15),  and also results in his eternal punishment (Mt. 25:46). At the same time, we must understand that the life of which we speak is more than mere biological existence (Hosea 4:10; John 11:25-26). It is a greater reality that brings God’s blessing and greater vibrancy, is marked by the eternal, comes to us through knowledge of the Father and Son (John 3:36; 5:24; 10:10; 17:3), enables us to carry out God’s will unto his pleasure (Rom. 6:11-23; 8:1-17), and results in life that last forever (John 11:25-26).

So, one of the ways to think about Jesus Christ in light of what we have learned about the end times is that it is a matter of life and death. Do you desire death leading unto death and unto more death?  Or do you want life leading unto life that leads unto more life (the abundant life Jesus came to bring, John 10:10)?  If you desire the latter, then understand that such life is not found anywhere else other than in Jesus Christ. Hear and respond to the words of Jesus in John 14:6:  “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”