Jump Start # 1716

 

Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment”

 

Whispers of eternity—we continue with those thoughts today. Our verse is a solemn reminder not only of our coming death, but a reminder of eternity. The divine appointment involving death is clearly seen all around us. People die. Young people, old people. People who are ready to die and people who are not ready to die. This verse not only tells us that we die, but there is that one word that whispers eternity for us, “AFTER.”

 

Death isn’t the end. There is something AFTER death. After death comes judgment. We exist. We are accountable. God isn’t through with us. Death is not the end of us, it’s also not the worst thing that can happen to us. Death is just a process. It is the opposite of birth. Birth takes us from one realm or room to another. Death simply is a doorway from this realm or room to the next. You can’t get to the next room without going through the door called death. Death is the opposite of birth. It’s a doorway, or an entrance. It’s a process. It’s not a place you go to, but what you go through.

 

Many get so fixed upon that door. They worry about that door. They think about that door. They are afraid of that door. They put so much energy trying to avoid that door that they forget that there is something AFTER. The door isn’t it. The door isn’t the end of our story. We live on. There is more to come. There is that AFTER. This is why we use expressions such as “AFTERlife” or “life after death.” There is more.

 

This is how we are made in the image of God. This is the dual nature of man. The body dies but the soul doesn’t. Luke records Jesus saying do not fear the one who can kill the body and do no more. One can take your life, yet, you still live. Not here, but in the next realm or room. No man can kill the soul. We are everlasting.

 

This being true, then it seems that we ought to be more emphasis upon the AFTER than the BEFORE. Before death is where we are now. After death is the eternal. We will spend more time in the AFTER than we do the BEFORE. Much of what occupies us in the BEFORE really won’t matter in the AFTER.

 

Here’s a few for instances:

 

I really doubt in the AFTER that God will be concerned whether we changed the oil in our cars every 3,000 miles.

I doubt that God will care whether we fertilized our yards every spring.

I doubt that God will care whether we updated our houses.

I doubt that God will care whether we flossed our teeth or not.

I doubt that God will care how clean and up to date our resumes looked

I doubt that God will care how many apps where on our phone

I doubt that God will care if we could remember who won the past Super Bowls.

I doubt that God will care if we maxed our 401’s.

I doubt that God will care how often we took our pets to the vet.

I doubt that God will care what we served at Thanksgiving.

 

These are the things that make up our world BEFORE death. Most of these things are unique to our times. The early Christians would not have known about most of these. Yet, here we are, worrying, fretting and getting bothered about these things.

 

It’s the AFTER death things that really matter. That list would include:

 

Our character

Whether we worshipped God as He wanted to be worshipped

The difference we made in the lives of others

Whether or not we walked with the Lord

Did we pray?

Did we know His will?

Were we forgiving?

How hard did we try?

Did we believe?

BEFORE and AFTER—that’s more than just photos we notice on Facebook. It really expresses the whispers of eternity. If you want a nice AFTER, then you must make the right choices BEFORE. You can’t live like a sinner and die like a saint. Your BEFORE death, determines you AFTER death.

 

There is a coming appointment. We won’t miss it nor be late for it. The appointment is made by God. It is appointed unto man to die once, AFTER that…

 

Roger