Luke 16:23 KJV
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments ....
I recently read a man's last post to his blog chronicling his fight with cancer and the face of death. He had written the blog with instructions to his family to post it as his last, after he had died. And my heart broke for his wife and children who followed his wishes even after he was gone. I can only imagine the pain they must experience with this loss. Having tried to help many many families through their suffering in this time of loss, I know that each family, and most members of the family, must grieve and process their loss in their own way. I long for this family to find peace and hope in the face of loss.
The blogger wrote positively about his death. But he did not write biblically. In fact, that was the point of the blog. It was his final statement of rejection of Bible truth. He said he had simply ceased, like a frog or some other lower life form, when his last breath was taken, he was not merely gone from his body, he was gone completely. He assured his readers that he felt neither joy or pain, eternal bliss or judgment. Speaking, as he imagined he was, from the grave, he asserted that he had no thought, no consciousness, no afterlife.
Here is the trouble; he had no experienced death when he wrote with such assurance about what happens after death. He did not know what was beyond the grave, if anything was beyond the grave.
Only one man has ever gone to the grave and returned to tell us certainly what lies beyond the grave. Jesus Christ did die, was buried and three days and night later, rose again. And Jesus Christ affirms that there is life after death for both those who believe and those who do not.
Oh, how my heart is burdened for those who have lost loved ones to the grave. But there is no assurance in wishful thinking. Only established fact can comfort us at the graveside. And the established fact is that Jesus died, was buried and rose again, and those who place saving faith in Him are promised eternal heaven. Those who do not, are condemned already.
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments ....
I recently read a man's last post to his blog chronicling his fight with cancer and the face of death. He had written the blog with instructions to his family to post it as his last, after he had died. And my heart broke for his wife and children who followed his wishes even after he was gone. I can only imagine the pain they must experience with this loss. Having tried to help many many families through their suffering in this time of loss, I know that each family, and most members of the family, must grieve and process their loss in their own way. I long for this family to find peace and hope in the face of loss.
The blogger wrote positively about his death. But he did not write biblically. In fact, that was the point of the blog. It was his final statement of rejection of Bible truth. He said he had simply ceased, like a frog or some other lower life form, when his last breath was taken, he was not merely gone from his body, he was gone completely. He assured his readers that he felt neither joy or pain, eternal bliss or judgment. Speaking, as he imagined he was, from the grave, he asserted that he had no thought, no consciousness, no afterlife.
Here is the trouble; he had no experienced death when he wrote with such assurance about what happens after death. He did not know what was beyond the grave, if anything was beyond the grave.
Only one man has ever gone to the grave and returned to tell us certainly what lies beyond the grave. Jesus Christ did die, was buried and three days and night later, rose again. And Jesus Christ affirms that there is life after death for both those who believe and those who do not.
Oh, how my heart is burdened for those who have lost loved ones to the grave. But there is no assurance in wishful thinking. Only established fact can comfort us at the graveside. And the established fact is that Jesus died, was buried and rose again, and those who place saving faith in Him are promised eternal heaven. Those who do not, are condemned already.
