Mortality:Immortality

Mortality:Immortality

“...it is appointed for man once to die and then the judgment” Hebrews 9:27
-Pastor Bill

Mortality. We live with it, it will not go away. We all are living with a clock ticking away the moments of our life. Some live well; others live poorly due to choices of their own or circumstances beyond their control. Every time you pass a cemetery, it is a reminder that life on this earth has an expiration date. 

Death comes marching, bringing with it all kinds of exits to life. We all dread the idea of disease and particularly, cancer. The “C” word strikes fear in the hearts of all. It is equated with pain and suffering and usually a long, drawn out wasting away. To those who have been told they have cancer, they respond that they have been handed a death sentence. There are sudden deaths through accidents and disasters and then there is the protracted death of some maladies.

Immortality. This is the often forgotten part of life. For every soul, there is an eternity. Immortality is also living with us daily. While the body will experience that moment of separation from the soul through whatever the cause, old age, wearing out, disease, accident, disaster, the soul lives on even after being separated or ejected from the body. The consciousness of the mind is not the same as the consciousness of the soul. The body and mind can be comatose on a table in a surgical unit and the soul can be observing or gone.

Those who say death is final and that ceasing to exist is the termination are greatly misinformed and deceived. The evidence of scripture, the teachings of Jesus, and the many testimonies of people who have died is weighty evidences to the eternal state of the human soul.

Mortality is prepared for by most people. There are the arrangements made for the funeral beforehand. The burial plots are purchased, wills have been made, financial planning has been reviewed. People are prepared to die unless an accident surprises them. It is inevitable.

Immortality is just as inevitable. Once the human soul leaves the body, it is ushered into the eternal state. The Bible says that for Christians, “to be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord.” So, Christians are escorted immediately to the presence of God, heaven, re-union time with the saints and believing family. For the lost, there is an escorting of the soul to Hell to await the final judgment. The sad thing is the moment of death reveals the irreversible state that eternity will be spent in.

However, so few truly prepare for immortality. If we could only see that the days on this earth are purely ephemeral compared to the longevity of eternity, mankind would surely pay more attention to it. Surprisingly, those who have near death experiences and see Hell, tend to forget the experience in a matter of days. This is according to a doctor who has studied these experiences for years. He also stated that people who experienced heaven, always remembered the detail and never forgot.

The deception of the enemy to capture the souls of men and women for eternity in a state of lostness is profound.

Mortality is supposed to be swallowed up by immortality. Death surrenders to life. Disease is forever defeated. Eternity is a splendor of God’s glory, daily life in a pleasant, harmonious way. There will be no temptations, sin, rebellion, revolt, ugliness. Who would not want to live in this place of immortality.

Mortal means “death doomed.” Immortality means there is “no death doom.” There is nothing more hanging over our heads. There is no sword of Damocles. There is nothing lurking in the background of joy threatening an end.  Eternity is that place where death shall be no more. You cannot get sick and die. There will be no accident to take your life. There will be no curse to hinder your joy, ruin the day, hunt you down, dog your path.

Yet, for the lost, there will be no end to the suffering, the despair, the regret. It is actually hard to write of this. It is literally unfathomable to consider the lost state. The mind and soul start to grieve even thinking about it for me.

There are businesses that prosper in retirement planning, financial planning, and career directions. But, start to talk of life after the passing of the body and people quickly change the subject, walk away, or say, “I do not want to talk about that.” The most important decision of eternity is ignored, avoided, and angrily denied.

For many, they would be thrilled to live and then there is nothing more. But the Bible says that he has put eternity in their heart. Oh, the rude awakening for some and for others, the sad realization of truth that once was heard, and oh the agony of those who heard, who were taught, and refused the plan of salvation laid before them with passion from someone that loved them.