I am always bewildered about life and death even when I was a young boy barely in school going age. I used to spend considerable amount of time gazing at the stars, wondering the mysteries of it all. When I was twelve, my beloved paternal grandfather (I was his favorite grandson) passed away due to diabetes. In the 1960s when medical science was still rudimentary in Singapore, the chances of survival were slim, especially for those without the means to spend a small fortune for treatment overseas. As we were of Taoist background then, the Taoist priests advised that one of the rituals involved waiting for seven and fourteen days for the spirit of my late grandpa to return to visit his loved ones and feast on his 'favorite foods'.
We were advised to stay awake on those appointed nights to 'welcome' the return of his spirit from the 'dungeons of purgatory' ! Frankly, there were indeed noises and rumbling of the altar table where the foods were placed. I was so fearful that goose bumps were all over me even with my blanket covered from head to toe! Now I know that these were mere demonic interferences, part of what the Bible calls witchcraft.
To date, I have attended countless funeral wakes and rituals. Some for the passing on of my family members, others of relatives and friends. Other than for a few exceptions, most of those facing death and their family members have no clue what life and death mean. They can try all sorts of religious beliefs, undergo all types of ritual practices including seemingly endless chantings with burning of paper mansions, luxury cars, printed currency notes and consult all kinds of psychic mediums - all of no avail!
What I'm going to share with you readers may shock and surprise some of you, but nonetheless they are true and nothing but the truth. The basis of my faith ? - the Holy Scriptures - the unadulterated Word of God. If God has not revealed the truth, no man can find it!
The Almighty God of the universe place man on earth with the vision of reproducing Himself - the God Family. Man was created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26) - the God kind. Lucifer (now known as Satan) and some of the angels were placed on earth long before man was ever created. God is the Creator and He assigned Lucifer and the angels to develop and beautify His creation. The books of Isaiah (chapter 14) and Ezekiel (chapter 28) tell us that Lucifer and the fallen angels (now known as demons) rebelled against the government of God
due to pride and arrogance. So there was darkness and ruin on the surface of the earth, (Gen 1:2) probably due to some kind of conflict and warfare between the spiritual forces of good and evil. Perhaps that is why even the planets of the galaxies are in disarray - basically barren and absent of life forms.
God send forth His Spirit to renew the face of the earth (Psalm 104:30) in six days to make way for man - His prize creation! But why must man be created in flesh and blood to undergo temptations, sufferings and death? Why not make man immortal being to enjoy heavenly bliss at the very outset? This is the crux of the matter that man fail to understand the grand plan of God. In a sense God did, but Adam and Eve failed the test. With the tree of life cut off, all human beings are 'on trial' here on earth to develop the spiritual character qualities necessary to become immortal spirit beings for eternity. A small group during the church age, the rest during the millenial age. In order that they can become members of the God Family that will rule and reign the whole universe for all of eternity. Is it a big deal? No, it is the mother of all deals! Whether you and I can make the grade largely depend on us - what you think or don't think, what you do say or don't say, what you do or don't do - with proof of performance in the fruits that result therefrom.
Those who ultimately fail to repent despite being given the whole truth during the millennial age when Satan is restraint and with no interference from him and his demons will be annihilated in the Lake of Fire as if they were never born. A gracious and merciful God will put them out of their misery. This will not be possible if man were to be created immortal first without the testings as spirit beings live forever. The question is where and how they will live out their immortality in eternity! Those who ultimately make it to enter the kingdom of God will be born again as immortal spirit beings like Christ (1 Corinthians 15:50; 1 John 3:2), who does not sin (1 John 3: 9).
God sent Christ to earth some two millennia ago to set up a church (those called out of this world's system with Satan on the throne - 2 Cor 4: 4) as the firstfruits to become the king priest to win the whole of all His creation back to Him during the millenial age. If God had created man as immortal beings first without learning and mastering the necessary spiritual character qualities, there will likely be millions if not billions of 'Satan look-alikes' inhabiting the universe for all of eternity! That would be the mother of tragedies for all of eternity!!
So make no mistake folks, we all have to die physically in order to live as immortal spiritual beings in eternity. Physical death is not the end of it all, but spiritual death is (the second death - Rev 20:14). Physical death is the gateway to all of our inheritance God has installed for us. Man's best is yet to be. But there is a condition. We must show our love through devotion and obedience to God through Christ based on the revealed Word of God. 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him' (1 Cor 2:9).
What God has created for good, man has defiled and perverted almost everything through a civilization that is Satanic and demonic influenced. God has designed the family to propagate His God Family vision, but man is in hot pursuit of an 'alternative lifestyle' with same sex marriage advocates passionately challenging societal norms. That is Satan snubbing at God's plan for mankind. God has created everything good for our enjoyment and well-being, but man has perverted all good values and polluted the earth to the point of no return. God's will for mankind is to worship Him in the beauty of holiness (1 Chronicles 16:29), but man turns to idol worship under the cloak of being a fan of some well-known celebrities!
Satan is the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2;2) working in the minds of people devoid of the Spirit of God - up till today. The good news is that it will soon come to an end. Christ will return to be enthroned as the King and Satan dethroned to be incarcerated (Rev 20:2-3). Till then, the whole world is being clouded in deception with the self-centred 'get way of life' instead of God's 'give way of life'. Without the Spirit of God indwelling the human mind, man is automatically tuned into Satan's wavelength. The carnal human mind is often incapable of understanding the whole truth. Even for some reason they do, they often do not believe. And even if they believe, they are powerless to obey. Only with the Holy Spirit baptised by the Lord Jesus Christ into their mind to write the Word of God onto the tablets of their hearts for the repentant sinners to reconcile back to God the Father (Romans 5:10), then there can be a transformation of life to produce spiritual fruits (Gal 5:22-25).
Coming back to my grandpa's story, was his spirit floating around in search of his home and loved ones? Certainly not, but this is what the Chinese celebrating the annual 'hungry ghosts' festival would have you believe. The Bible is unequivocally clear that the spirit of a human being returns to God when a person dies (Eccl 12:7b; Ps 31:5; Luke 23:46; Acts 7:59). Other than Christ who is God in the flesh and was resurrected to return back to the third heaven where He came (John 3;13), all human beings who have died are asleep in unconsciousness awaiting their resurrection. Their next moment of consciousness will be their resurrection. Those called and chosen by God the Father will be amongst the firstfruits in the first resurrection to be born again as immortal God-like spirit beings when Christ returns to set up the coming kingdom of God on earth. All the rest of mankind who have ever lived will be in the second resurrection to be resurrected as flesh and blood human beings beginning with the Israelites and the Jews from the northern and southern kingdoms respectively reunited as one (Ezekiel 37) towards the close of the millennial age. All the unborns (those aborted and died prematurely) together with all the youngs will probably be resurrected as spiritual babes to be raised to full maturity with the knowledge of the whole truths and given ample opportunities for acceptance of Christ for salvation (Isaiah 65:20).
The seven thousand years of God's plan is on track, and the time given for man's government on earth is six thousand years of human history since Adam and Eve and is soon coming to an end. The seventh thousand years of Christs' millennial rule is dawning (the Sabbath rest -Hebrews 4;9-11). God's vision and master plan for mankind cannot be thwarted no matter what and how Satan does to frustrate God's purpose. Many are called but not all will accept God's offer to become the chosen ones to qualify as sons of God. Spiritual fruits of character transformation and lasting impact on lives through service of love are proof of performance qualification to inherit the kingdom of God as sons of the Most High God! Jesus' parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22:1-14 in part, is a typology of this truth. I kid you not when I say that God is no respecter of persons (Romans 2:11;Eph 6:9;Col 3:25)- titles, positions, social status, IQ, EQ, bank accounts, accomplishments and everything else mean nothing to God, unless they are used for His purpose. He is looking for the heart attitude and character qualities that will stand for all of eternity.If you are reading my blog, you are probably called by God (John 6:44-45) but you have to make up your mind to be among the chosen ones.
The Spirit of Christ is knocking at the door of your heart with an incredible offer of royal membership in the coming kingdom of God (Rev 3:20-21). For those who choose to walk by faith with a vision of the imminent coming kingdom of God, eternal life of immortality and immense glory like the stars in the heavens are all within the grasps of your hands!
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