What a statement Jesus makes in John 8:51 when he said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man keep my sayings, he shall never see death.” What did he mean? He was such a wordsmith, and he always shocked the religious people with words and meanings that was sometimes offensive to them, but always thought provoking and controversial.
Every person has a time limit of life on this earth and this includes us believers. In the book of Hebrews 9:27 it says, “ And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” The book of Revelation, chapters 2:11, 20:6 & 14, and 21:8 are talking about the second death that never ends. This is what Jesus meant in his wording about never seeing death as one of his followers. I also believe it covers physical dying also. When our bodies are about to die, our spirit leaves its earthly home and this results in physical death. 1 Corinthians 15:55 says that death has now lost its sting. We never feel it because our life really never ends.
We as humans are the only species in all of God’s creation that have body, soul, and spirit. We are a three part being. The physical body dies but our spirit cannot be extinguished by this physical death. Where we go after death depends on how we believed while we were alive. If you accept and believe in the Lord Jesus as your savior and God, then your spirit will not see a second death of eternal suffering that never ends. Our Christian walk should be so committed to Jesus that we are always ready to die. But are we? Death to us is so final, and so foreign, that we never really grasp it as real and that it will happen to us.
As Paul said in Philippians 1:23, he was in a fix that pulled at him from two directions. In one he was ready to die and be with Jesus, and in the other he knew it was more needful that he stayed and helped those who needed him more, as he helped the struggling New Testament Church get established. He had a task to complete, and he was writing the New Testament even though he did not realize it. He wrote over two thirds of the New Testament as he was led of the Holy Spirit. I’m glad he chose to stay and finish his course.
Death is the door to life for a believer, so why are we so fearful of dying? We are so fearful because we really don’t understand the gospel message. Jesus died for everyone, past, present, and future. He was raised from the dead as the firstborn of many brethren- Romans 8:29. As I get older each year, my own impending death is made more real daily, especially since I just turned 80 and my strength and health are more fragile.
It is a real struggle with my faith versus my mind. Trust in God’s word being real is the only thing that allows me to believe in my future with God, and He is able to take me from life to death and back into life eternal. Doubt and unbelief are always there to try and derail our faith, but as always we must keep pressing forward to the mark of our high calling in Christ Jesus-Philippians 3:13. Fear is always there also, but faith in Jesus Christ will overcome all our understanding and take us safely through the valley of death into life eternal with him.
Remember you will make it, just don’t give up. see you next week if we are still here on this earth. Maranatha Lord Jesus.
In His Service As Kilted Priest
