BEYOND THE GRAVE

Life has a way of putting things into perspective. Sometimes we rejoice other times we don’t. For a believer it is somehow different when we quote and claim promises of God ….One by one in our prayer closets. We know the promises of God are yes and Amen and therefore with that understanding, we furiously claim them in prayers, sometimes ignoring the very conditions they are based other times ignoring any other verse that talks about the same promise from a different perspective.

Where am I headed to? My father was sick for quite some time, I knew from the word go this was an attack not to him per say but to me as a believer, how much I could hold on to Christ in all circumstances. You see, it’s easier to proclaim the faithfulness of the lord in good times, But how much can we declare the same in times of trials? With that knowledge, I backed on to the weapon of prayer and declarations, praying for cancer to leave his bones, declaring good health, provision and peace during his time of waiting. I was so convinced that Jehovah who saved me;Jesus who commanded diseases in the bible to depart and they obeyed was more than able to heal my dad and I held into that. I would back my prayers on a verse that I loved: Psalms 107:19-20 “Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble and he saveth them out of their distress. He sent his word and healed them, and delivered them form their destructions.” I never lost hope in my dad’s healing even when sickness overwhelmed him and he was bedridden, I still knew that God was more than able to heal and restore his health and of importance, see him walk again. I believed through his sickness, there would come out a big testimony for many to hear and believe in God.

The resting

Much as I believed in God for healing and restoration, God acted differently in a way that I never thought of. My dad went to be with the Lord on 16^th October 2017. It was the most difficult time for me, I couldn’t understand why a so loving God would allow my own dad to die instead on getting healed yet I believed he was able to heal. I went severally to view him, just to be sure it wasn't a dream, I touched his very cold lifeless body, Thats when it occured to me that I wasn't in a dream, I was facing reality....I cried, I wailed, I couldn't sleep. I couldn't imagine that a so loving God would take away my only dad. That’s when the other side of the word came to my mind…. Isaiah 57: 1 KJV”The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.” The Holy spirit ministered to me with the above verse, that my dad had just been saved from the evil in this world, the problems of this world, that God had just made him to rest and now he was in place of no more diseases, sicknesses, and the pain we go through in this world. That doesn’t mean that it was easy for me with that back up, It was not….and it has not been…and I don't even think it will ever be  therefore I went on a journey of quest for knowledge about….Death…I will try to give my few findings.

What is death?

This is the end of life of a person.

There are three types of death.

Physical death

This is the separation between the body and the soul Eccl 12: 7 “Then the dust shall return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” This is the kind we physically come across when our loved ones cease breathing and we burry them. Every human being, whether born again or not irrespective of their races will all go through this type of death at some point unless Christ second coming happens when we are alive. Some will die young others old, some through sicknesses others accidents, others will just sleep not to wake up again… e.t.c. This is the most painful kind in this world. We miss our loved ones, we wish they were alive to celebrate with us, to talk to us, and to enjoy life together. It pains us when we see our loved ones, as they go down the grave, never to be seen or heard from again. The thought that outside in cold and rain is where their dwelling place will be and that they will never share houses with us again is terrifying. We only choose to hold on the hope that once Christ comes again, we will meet with them…for eternity because death has so much finality that makes us completely powerless to prevent it.

Spiritual Death:

This is separation of man from God. This kind of separation is caused by sin. Rom 6: 23 (a) “For the wages of sin is death (spiritual death)…..” Ephesians 2: 5 (a) “Even when we were dead (spiritually) in sin…”  This kind of death can be conquered through acceptance of Christ. John 3:16, The most quoted Sunday school verses….For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but will have an eternal life”

Eternal Death

This is the second spiritual separation from God through hell. 2^nd Thessalonians 8-9 “In the flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power.’ Failure to believe in Christ and walking against his word attracts eternal death…This kind is irredeemable from eternity to eternity.

So what really happens after physical death?

 According to the bible, Death is just like sleep. Dead people are not aware of their environment. They are unconscious. Eccl 9:5(b) “……. For the dead know not a thing….” The dead have no feelings, they can’t love nor can they hate, They can’t work, they can’t even pray. Eccl 9:10 “ For whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all thy might; for there is no work, no device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, whither though goest” 

At death, the body returns to the dust and the spirit returns to God. The soul/Spirit cannot exist on its own because we are mortal beings.

Once one dies, they continue sleeping in the grave, whether righteous or not until the second coming of Christ. At the second coming of Christ, every dead person shall arise, some to eternal life with Christ others to eternal fire in hell.  John 5:28-29 “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” One's destiny after second coming of Christ will depend on their walk with Christ while alive. Nothing can change the destiny once one dies….Hebrews 9: 27-28 says“And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation”

John 14:1-3 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” Friend’s lets strive to reach the mark…even if you will crawl to the finish line…Just crawl.

Conclusion :

Losing my dad has been the most difficult thing to handle that I have ever came across in my life. As a believer, I am finding solace in the word of God, searching and researching again and again. I am not yet there, I may never ever be there since losing a parent is not an easy thing. I wanted my dad to live and see the person I would grow to be, celebrate with me my achievements. That will never happen ever in this world and that is a very painful truth.I at times experience a deep sense of loneliness.....But  Glory to God for friends who walk with bereaved in their journeys. While we all need a word or someone to encourage us in those moments, some really don’t know how to. It doesnt matter whether your parent is as old as Methuselah or as young a whatever, You want them alive. So people who justify that because someone has attained a specific age, it doesn’t matter if they die or live…You are very wrong. …please be kind.if you were in the relatives shoes, the script would be different.

However, This is my advice, for those who know Christ, Hold on to Christ even when this times come, You may not have all your questions answered( at least for me I have many unanswered questions) But God will grant you the grace through it all. Give your live to Christ and entrust your worries to him. I cannot imagine going through all these with no trace of hope.

I dedicate the song “The Promise: by the Martins to every grieving soul…Stanza two and the chorus says”

I never said that fear wouldn't find you in the night
Or that loneliness was something you'd never have to fight
But I did say I'd be right there by your side
And I did say I'll always help you fight

'Cause you know I made a promise that I intend to keep
My grace will be sufficient in every time of need
And my love will be the anchor that you can hold onto
This is the promise, this is the promise I made to you

Mourn your loved ones as much as you can. Cry when you feel like crying, tears have a way of softening the heart. It happened in the bible, people used to mourn for their dead. Let no one perevent you from mourning. It is not a sign of weakness…It is releaving.Then remember Revelation 14:13 “ And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me , write, Blessed are the dead, which die in the Lord from hence forth: Yea, saith the spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them”

Feel free to leave your comment.