Psalm 89:48

Psalm 89:48

The inevitability of death

Despite all our technical advances as humans, no one has been able to find a way of cheating death. The only people I can think of who left this world without dying are Enoch and Elijah. “Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” Genesis 5:24. Elijah was taken to heaven in a whirlwind. 2 Kings 2:11. All others have suffered the fate of returning to the dust, of being buried in a grave. It is the inevitability of this that the psalmist wants us to grasp. Life is not permanent. Death is a given. Time is short and our lives are but a breath of wind. That is why the heart of God has always been to win us to believe in Him and obey Him so that we might have hope beyond the grave. At the heart of all the Scriptures is the truth that His greatest act of compassion was to send His Son to free us from eternal death and guarantee the promise of eternal life. 

This Biblical view of our future is far removed from that of the Satan who seeks to convince the human race that death is a taboo subject, not to be talked about or discussed. He plants the lies that nothing exists beyond this life, that the best we can hope for is prosperity and status here on earth and that we can take our chances when our time comes. He has a historic reputation for inventing false hopes, false gods and a plethora of lies about the life beyond for those who feel compelled to believe in it. In his versions, the gods can always be seduced or appeased. According to the Satan, if we do our bit on earth, we should get some “Brownie points” in the future but as that future is so clouded by obscurity its best to make the most of our time here. 

It has to be emphasised that by dealing intelligently and truthfully with the subject of death, the Bible is both warning us and offering us a choice, one that God hopes we will willingly consider. Death does not have to be taboo or unmentionable, yes, it will be sad and maybe even painful, but the Gospel assures us that it is not the end. The power of the grave is broken, eternal blessings await those who repent. Hallelujah! 

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