Mortals -- We are Mortals

Mortals destined for immortality?  Maybe, maybe not would be a safe answer.  I think about this sometimes as I am sure you do, as believers we must.  The world, on the other hand, thinks in terms of immortality.  For example, when science tell the world we are doomed, and they do, after all the sun is burning out and one day whoosh, we, that is humanity will evaporate.  They say millions of years from now this will happen, but what if they are wrong and it isn't millions of years off in the future but it will happen within a few short years?  Still, some ignore the warnings from the scientist (modern day prophets?), a meteorite destroyed the dinosaurs, they tell us, and they also say we may be headed for just such a future ourselves and there is nothing we can do about it.  So, with all of the wonderful predictions (I'm being sarcastic) of humanities demise why does everyone think in terms of being immortal?  Every family on the face of the earth has attended someone's funeral. 

We should consider the following Scripture:

(Heb 9:27-28) Just as man is destined (appointed) to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. NIV (emphasis added for correctness)

Unlike what you may have heard from preachers of the world, the Messiah is not coming to save everyone.  Our immortality comes with conditions, the main condition is to believe YaHshua is come in the flesh for those who believe.  As believer we are aloud to think in terms of immortality but the world is not.  The world, however, does think as immortals but in themselves.  Near death experiences, so called, a fuel the false notion of immortality and this feeds the Eastern religions false teachings that we are all going in some kind of endless circle of life ultimately to "destined" to become one (not separate) with the Great Consciousness of the Universe -- some form of these pagan religions teach a "nothingness' once perfection is realized.  Some of the most despicable religions of the world come out of the demon infested East and many Westerners chase after them driven by the failure of the Christian religion to properly offer the true hope of life, many of the proponents of Christianity lose the battle to the Eastern way of false LOVE -- it sounds good but is false as a "love of self and humanity" as opposed to a Love for our Creator, or our Savior and His Father.  If we love our Father in Heaven and we Love our Savior, Yahshua, then we know we love the brotherhood of the Messiah, whether we know them personally or not.  This is a love of strangers united in the body of the Messiah (the Christ).  I know the Scripture puts it in reverse, that we know we love God if we love the brethren, but this admonition was written to a collective group of easily identifiable followers of Yahshua.  Today, however, this body is virtually hidden in the earth. 

Our immortality is bound up in the perfection of YaHshua, and He is to return bringing salvation, this time, with Him and raising those given Him to life eternal.  All mankind will be raise back to life but that will be to judgment, those of YaHshua, the many, waiting His return will be exempt this final judgment that is to take place at the END of the Thousand Years.

The world thinks in terms of immortality when they should be thinking about a future without hope and this change of attitude might, just might, force some to consider the way of truth in YaHshua, the true hope and promise of life.  Satan continues to encourage people to think in defeatist terms, like no God, all religion is crazy, or to think as immortals, not matter what you believe. 

The self professing intellectual crowd, and not all intellectuals are actually paper hanging intellectuals, look on religion as stupid and for the dumber masses blindly following a hoax while being separated from their money.  True intellectuals, however, are for the most part, learned men and women that know better than to spawn verbiage and venom in the direction of believers of any faith.  You see, many truly intellectual people of today and of the past support the possibility of an intelligence higher than humanity, even the possibility of a designer of what we see.  The true intellectual recognizes brilliant men of the past openly accepting the concept of a Creator.  It has only been in the near history of men that the schools of "higher' education has nearly pushed the concept out the door.  There are those detestable human beings doing Satan's work with their hate fill words of scorn and condemnation.  What do they suppose their final outcome will be?  If they think it is nothing then why do they work so hard at being critical of believers?  What should it matter to them what others do or believe, if they truly believe there is nothing but this life? 

The world, for the most part, believes in immortality in various ways but most reject the concept of a Jewish Savior.  Most like to think we are all on a journey ending with immortality, with our spirit moving on to some other higher goal of love and more love.  You have heard heard that old saying, " If you can't love yourself how can you love others", I am sure but is that true?  I don't think so, as we see the Apostles, trained by YaHshua, constantly speaking of or demonstrating their faults and their desire to be rid of these faulty bodies of flesh while at the same time expressing a love for the believers in YaHshua.  It is not a problem of loving yourself for we are told, "no man hates his own flesh" so somewhere the truth lies because I know that some of us do hate our flesh, just as the Apostles we struggle against the flesh and the battle is wearisome but we cannot give up.  It is in their struggle of mortality we can sympathize with our fellow men and women and their struggle.  It is this understanding of a common weakness we live in that we demonstrate our Godly Love, for like Him, we are quick to forgive, and find mercy over revenge a way of life, no matter how many times we are wronged or feel slighted by another.  Therein lies the Love of our Father being manifest in us.  Pagans love their own, friends party and hug and kiss and sing their love one to another but how many forgive a wrong as it never happened, or ask forgiveness of others first, or show mercy to anyone needing mercy? 

Our immortality is coming and when He gets here we will all be changed, quickened, made a new creation from the flesh to Spirit and eternal life.  The world lives in this feeling of immortality but in actuality they are on the cliff of nothingness and most will have to await the second resurrection of the dead for the judgment and the dividing of the goats and the sheep, one to life the other to death forever.  Death forever is nothingness and this is what the world promises, this is what the ruler of this world promises.  Make no mistake, Satan is amongst us, him and his demon angels and there are those that worship them knowingly and unknowingly and they are reserved for everlasting death.

The world has the feeling of immortality, but it is eternal death they follow and the master of that everlasting death march is Satan.  Somewhere the Christian Church picked up on the idea of eternal life for the righteous and the unrighteous, perhaps this is where this feeling of immortality comes from to some degree.  Nearly all religions teach a type of heaven and hell where all the dead eventually go.  You see, life goes on, whether in Heaven or in Hell.  My Bible tells me, however that there is know knowledge in the grave, no man in Heaven, other than the Son but all are awaiting the judgment.  Those in the first resurrection at the return of the Messiah will not have to be in the final judgment, they will have escaped the possibility of the "second death" to occur at the judgment of all men and women that have ever lived.  No one goes into the Kingdom with out the white robe of the Messiah's righteousness.  The final thing swallowed up is death and that is not another way of saying life.  Those finding themselves unable to accept YaHshua as their Savior will be escorted to the fire of "eternal death" not "eternal life" -- they will not live again.  So, the truth is exactly what a true atheist says it is, nothingness, and this is the same future many of the Eastern religions teach as the end of all things.   

You, as a believer in YaHshua should feel the joy in the knowledge of a future into immortality as sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of YaHshua, the first-born of many.  In this truth the fear of death should diminish and our sorrow for those not having this truth would and should be a natural sorrow, a Godly sorrow for any made in the image of their Creator to perish for nothing.  To the Believer it seems so simple, confess YaHshua as your Savior and believe His promises and the accept the Heavenly Father as revealed to us and we have permission to enter into the Kingdom as new Spiritual beings and to receive the things our Father has in store for us.  Unfortunately there will be a great number opposed to our God and King and will refuse such a confession not believing the promise of the New Covenant, not believing God the Father, nor the one He sent, YaHshua. 

Let us give thanks for the kindness shown to us in our calling to the Messiah and His willingness to reveal the Father to us that we can come boldly before the thrown with our prayers and requests for others, especially those in the Body of the Christ, YaHshua, as well as our own personal cares.  Like innocent children sitting on our Father's knee making our request known.  Remember, we are told, "The prayers of a righteous man avails much", and by this we know He listens to us and is willing to reply, to lead, to teach us.  Walk with Him in everything you do and know that prayer is tucked away in some private place between you and your Father but walking with Him is just that, as you walk about in this life, on the job or at leisure communicating with Him and with YaHshua, always quick to give thanks as you move about through your life.  Walking with Him means you are never alone, not ever, He is with you, and Yahshua is with you.  Enoch walked with God, Noah walked with God, Abraham walked with God and when you are walking you are not kneeling in prayer.  Do you see the closer connection?  Private, earnest prayer is before His throne and from there you might, spiritually, leap into His lap but walking with Him as a partner, a companion, side by side as you go about your daily duties or activities.  You might even catch yourself mumbling aloud as you talk with Him.  Be careful, the world might think you are a little off in the head -- and you are -- by the world's standards.

Peace to all you Immortals to be, you servant, Dan