DEATH. Nobody likes that word. When we were young, we thought we were invincible. We thought death was something that always happened to someone else, but never us! But, listen young people, when you get a little older you’ll begin to realize that everyone has an appointment with death!

What is death, anyway? We may not know totally what death is but we know it always makes us sad. This past week our beloved Maili (the wonder dog) who many of you will remember got lost on a hunting trip one cold November – only to be found miraculously by the Lord, developed a problem. We took him to the vet and they did exploratory surgery and found a tumor attached to his spleen the size of a grapefruit! It wasn’t good news. “You’ll be lucky if he lives thirty (30) days,” the vet told us. Now, ole’ Maili is almost thirteen (13) years old and that’s quite a number for a big dog. And, don’t get me wrong, we are still thankful to the Lord for finding him in the woods so many months ago…but..it still hurts! We’re “dog people” and Maili has been about the best dog we’ve ever had. Sometimes, it’s been hard to tell him from a real person, maybe one of our own kids! (You’d have to be a dog lover to understand all this!)

So, when death comes close to someone you love, you think about it more than you otherwise might. It’s not my purpose here to debate whether or not animals go to heaven but to give you some reassurance that God understands our fear of death.

First of all, we must remember that we (humans) are Not animals! I was watching a special on the Discover channel the other day about “Walking With Cavemen” when the narrator made the statement, “we’re all just animals.” Well, he’s wrong and we’re not! Most people who think we’re just animals don’t understand the spiritual realm. We aren’t just “bodies.” Actually, you are not a body at all. You are a spirit; you have a soul (your mind, emotions and will) and you live in a body.

When a human being dies, their spirit is released from their body and it goes somewhere. Some churches have taught the false doctrine called “soul sleep” that says when you die, your spirit just stays in the ground with your body until judgment day. Notice, I said this was a False Doctrine. The Bible does not teach that lie…anywhere! The truth is, if you are a Christian and your body dies, you go to be with the Lord. 

“Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”  II Cor. 5:6-8.

Here, Paul makes it clear that while we are on this earth, we live in a body but when we are absent from that body, we go to be with the Lord! I don’t know about you, but I find a lot of comfort in that.

So, what happens when you die and you’re not a Christian?  Well the answer to that is found in Luke 16:19-31 where we find the story of the rich man and Lazarus the beggar. Both of these men die, and one (the righteous beggar) goes to a place called “Abraham’s Bosom” and the rich, unrighteous man goes to “Hell.” Now, it appears, according to the story, that these two “places” or “compartments” served the purpose of holding the spirits of all who had died. If you were a person who believed in God and held the promise of the Messiah (remember that many died before Jesus was born), then upon your death you went to Abraham’s bosom. I personally believe that another name for this compartment was “paradise,” because Jesus promised the thief on the cross he would be there with him that very day! However, If you didn’t believe in God, then you went to hell.

Now, today it’s a little different. Hell still exists and if you die without Jesus in your heart, that’s where you will go, to be held until the day that Revelation calls “The Great White Throne Judgment.” According to the story in Luke, Hell is not a nice place and it is real hot!

But, what happened to Abraham’s Bosom? I personally believe that as Jesus’ body lay in the tomb for three (3) days, His Spirit too traveled to Abraham’s bosom, and He took the thief on the cross with him! But, He did not stay there. I believe He walked into the place and revealed Himself to all those multitudes who had died with the hope of Abraham’s promise in their hearts. “Here I AM…the Messiah you hoped for. I’m here to deliver you from this place and into the presence of the Living God!”

Right now, the spirits of millions who have gone on before us are dwelling in the presence of God Almighty! But, what about their bodies? Well, God didn’t forget about that either. The day will come when your body will come out of the ground and it will be reformed and glorified in the twinkling of an eye and it will be reunited with your spirit. For us Christians, that will happen at the Rapture, the event Paul calls “The Blessed Hope” (I Thess. 4). But, listen to this: your body will be different than it is now. It will be an eternal body! It will be a body that never again will get sick and never again feel pain. You’ll be able to fly, walk through walls, and it will be a body that will be capable of transporting itself instantly from one place to another!

So, how does death sound now? Not quite so scary, is it? Of course, you know what has made all of this possible, don’t you? It was Jesus, who also died. He gave His life on the cross…but…He didn’t stay dead! No, He rose from the dead and showed us, we too, would finally be conquerors of this thing called DEATH! 

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” I Cor. 15:55.

I love you!

Update: Ole’ Maili passed away in February of 2004. He is dearly missed!