This topic is difficult to discuss for most. It is something deep within the heart of the human soul. God did not have this in His plan for the human race — at least in the way He designed it, but “knew” (omniscience) that our free will would be corrupted by the enemy. The designed plan was the Tree of life. Access to it would provide regeneration of the body indefinitely. It’s an interesting study to do. Look up the all the times the Tree of Life is mentioned in scripture and ponder what it’s purpose is and must have been in the garden. So because of its properties Adam and Eve had to be blocked from it … as it could trap them in their sin forever. God had redemption in mind for the human race. His name is Jesus.
Death is what causes separation from our loved ones now. If our loved one is a friend of Jesus, and calls Him Lord … then we know where they are. But for us the grief is difficult. Processing grief is a long hard road. But for the loved one now in heaven – time is no longer an issue, like it is for us. I’ve often thought that when we arrive there that they will say “Wow, I just got here too!” Time for them may be in another ‘stream’. CS Lewis plays with this concept in his novels The Chronicles of Narnia. He thought maybe time could move differently in different worlds and places. Even in the scriptures there are hints to this concept. 2 Peter 3:8, Psalms 90:4 God used these scriptures when I asked Him to explain eternity to me in a way I could understand. I obviously didn’t get it right away, but slowly I began to make progress in SLIGHTLY understanding the immenseness of the concept. Eventually I took the equation from those two verses and did some calculations. 1000 years = 1 Day, could be 4.2 days per second, or in the opposite direction 1 year = 365,000 years, or 40 days = 9.5 seconds, or 70 years = 1hr41min. I got the feeling that He was the Lord of time and it moved as He directed it to move. I then thought …that at His Throne all time must be observable and at His Throne all time is neutral. So if you go towards His throne time slows down, and if you go away from His Throne time will speed up. I’ve had all sorts of thoughts since I pondered this issue, like …how long was Moses really on that mountain? To Moses it could have seemed like just seconds, but to the people below he was gone a long time. And in the two novels I have wrote (working on getting them both available now) time differences are worked into the story in different ways.
“So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?”
1 Corinthians 15:54-55
For us in the here and now, the ‘sting’ is still pretty painful for us when we have someone we LOVE that passes over to that realm. But for them, the ones we love? I have faith that the scripture is absolutely correct, and that time is in their favor. This concept too was what I tried to picture and describe in the second novel I wrote, Eutychus – Terminally Committed To Christ.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, we MUST understand our goal and HOME. We are not made for this place, and it is NOT our home.
But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. Hebrews 11:16
Age and experience for me are a blessing in the way that I KNOW there HAS TO BE A BETTER PLACE than this. I’ve become to welcome the fact of having a new human suit 2.0, as this one I have currently is wearing out. And then having incredible experience of exploring the uncorrupted Kingdom and beyond!
The only sting that death has now is the one for us remaining here in the ‘corrupted’ creation, still maligned by the ‘fallen ones’. Loss of those we love is probably the greatest pain in the soul there is .. but if we are ‘in Christ’ it is NOT forever, but for a time. My greatest heart salve has been the Holy Spirit giving me a perspective I had not seen or understood. He helps me get through the pain.
One of the hardest revelations was to understand was why Jesus didn’t heal all those who were so loved and prayed for so fervently and still died early.
He showed me HE DID HEAL THEM, just not the way I wanted Him too. Everyone who steps over that threshold IS healed by Jesus. But because of our view of ‘time’ we are hindered from that ‘joy’ as in this corrupted place all we feel is the pain and separation. ONLY though the Holy Spirit can we even begin to understand and be healed of that pain. So many blame God when He decides to bring someone HE LOVES MORE THAN WE LOVE … home to be with Him. We often forget that He loves them more than we do. AND that He also loves us and wants the absolute best for us ..as well. Of course we don’t understand, because we are trapped in ‘time’ and don’t have the luxury of seeing the entire course of time, and we’ve just lost someone we love SO much, and it f**king hurts.
And then I heard Him say, “Welcome to My heart.” The grief God must feel for the entire human race in which so many choose to NOT follow His pleading with them and understand who Jesus really is and what He did for us. God LOVES everyone. But our choices (HE gave us free will to choose what we want) determine our outcome. We can choose to be separated from Him for eternity. Or we can choose Jesus and be with Him and His entire family for eternity.
I choose Jesus. And I pray for everyone that I love that they would choose the same thing.
As Heaven draws ever closer for me, and I understand with more and more certainty and depth that it is true…
“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21
And that means as a terminally committed one, my job each day is to follow His instructions given to me by the Holy Spirit. My JOB is doing His will, and work HE wants me to do FOR Him .. till He says “Come HOME!”
In a ‘short’ time we shall all be together.
Amen.