August 13, 2020This morning Karen and I met with a couple who are studying the subject of heaven with us. This evening Karen and I were cleaning a room at home where we have stored many items on shelves and assorted papers in a filing cabinet. I remembered that I had studied the story of Lazarus and the rich man (in Luke 16) for one of the courses that I took from Moody Bible Institute. I was glad to find the paper, dated August 29, 2003, entitled “Comfort for a Dying Believer.” Here is an excerpt: “Just as good works do not earn a person entrance into heaven, likewise, after death, there is no “second chance” or reincarnation. The Word of God does teach, however, that people can turn from their sins in their dying moments, as did the criminal who was crucified next to Jesus. When he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!’ (Luke 23:42), Jesus told him, ‘Truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in Paradise’ (v. 43). No indication is given that there would first be a time when the man’s soul would be “asleep” or separated from God.”
In recent weeks there have been reports that a “second wave” of the global pandemic is inevitable. Whether there will be more deaths then than have already occurred is unknown. We do know, though, that people need to repent of their sins and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour before they die. No matter how optimistic people may be in believing that there are many roads to heaven, the truth is that Jesus is the only One who died for our sins, so that we might have abundant life now and eternal life after our earthly life comes to an end.
In his book “Revealing the Mysteries of Heaven,” Dr. David Jeremiah makes an observation that I had not considered before: the two men in the New Testament who are named Lazarus (derived from the Hebrew “Eleazar,” meaning “God has helped”) are both remembered for their deaths. In John 11, the story is told of the brother of Mary and Martha being sick and his sisters urging Jesus to hurry to go see him. To their dismay, Jesus did not heed their words. Rather, he went to the home of his three friends a few days after Lazarus died. Before He wept, Jesus declared “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies.” You can learn more about the “other” Lazarus in Dr. Jeremiah’s message at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY91J85hxkQ.
Here is what I wrote in the conclusion of my paper: “The Word of God is the source of our knowledge about what happens when we die. The believer in Christ is assured of spending eternity in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, who died to redeem us from our sins and rose from the dead, proving His victory over death and evil. A glorious future awaits each child of God, who will receive an incorruptible body, with which to praise the One who made us and loved us before we loved Him. Maranatha!”
Scripture for the weekend: “we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8 (NASB)
Thought for the weekend: “If you cannot win the race, make the runner ahead of you break the record.” – from the May 2019 edition of “Have a Good Day,” Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, IL, U.S.A.
Steve