The Bible Explained, part 36/40: Preparing for Death

Recently published book available for sale.
Details follow:

-----<front cover text>

THE BIBLE EXPLAINED

A Guide to the Holy Bible
for Parents and Teenagers

-----<back cover text>

Where did you come from?
What is your purpose?
What happens when you die?

These questions--and more--are answered in 'The
Bible Explained', which is based on the teachings
of the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible is a collection
of ancient books which claim to be the word of the
one and only God. This one and only God claims to
be the sole creator, owner, and sustainer of all
things; he further claims to hold the one and only
key to eternal life. Are these claims true? Get
the facts and then decide for yourself.

This document is meant to be understood by everyone,
and is therefore written in plain, simple language,
avoiding complex religious jargon.

Understand the Bible like never before.

-----<table of contents>

Introduction
Quest for Truth
The Holy Bible
Origin and Destiny
The Big Picture: Good and Evil
The Story of Man
The Purpose of the Earth
The Standard and the Test
Work: The Key to Success and Life
Pyramid Society
Failure of Man
Male and Female
Family Relationships
Marriage and Family
Sexual Immorality
The Value of Life
Multiplication and Overpopulation
Racism
Creation and Evolution
Government
Politics
Justice
Words, Speech, and Censorship
Church Matters
Monotheism, Jews, and Christians
Temptation
The Nature of Evil
Life and Death of Satan
Reincarnation
The Rapture
The End Times
The Near Future
Preparing for the Future
Groups and Labels
Understanding Judgement
Preparing for Death
Conclusion
Appendix A: Questions and Answers
Appendix B: The Ten Commandments
Appendix C: Marriage

-----<availability>

The above book is available for purchase at:

http://www.amazon.com

Search for:
TITLE: "The Bible Explained"
AUTHOR: "Arrant Knave"
ISBN-10: "1468197061"
ISBN-13: "9781468197068"

Or try this direct link:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Bible-Explained-Parents-Teenagers/dp/1468197061

-----<excerpt from book>

Preparing for Death

As you are faced with your own mortality, you may find yourself seeking something perfect and permanent; however, you will not find it in this fallen, temporal world: you must look outside the world; but the only thing outside the world is God.

Purpose and Method: God's purpose in man is to create beings like himself; however, there is a particular sequence he must follow -- just like a recipe for preparing a particular dish: the flesh comes first; followed by judgement; followed by either life eternal or death eternal, contingent upon our time in the flesh. (Remember that man is not yet complete, but is in the process of being made. Man was created innocent, lacking certain knowledge; his purpose in the flesh is to acquire the knowledge of good and evil, so that he may choose one over the other.) The good will receive life eternal; the evil will receive death eternal. In summary, first comes the flesh body, followed by the Judgement, followed by the spiritual body for those who are found worthy of receiving it.

Why Flesh: Why must we exist in the flesh? In order for man to be raised to the highest (divine) plane of life, he must begin on the lowest (flesh) plane. He must first conquer the basest things (the world, the flesh, and the devil) before he can qualify to proceed any higher. (Like climbing the proverbial corporate ladder, it is best to start at the bottom and work your way up, mastering every level of the business; if you begin at the top, you will lack practical knowledge of the lower stages and, hence, not be fully qualified to run the business.) Thus, the flesh body must precede the spiritual body: "However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual." [1 Corinthians 15:46]

Can you imagine living forever in your current body -- which is subject to pain, sickness, disease, and ageing? That would be a terrible fate, so God, in his mercy, provided a way out: death.

Why Death: Why must we die? Because we cannot inherit the things of God while we remain in the flesh: "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption." [1 Corinthians 15:50] Thus, our flesh body must die in order for us to inherit the spiritual nature: "What you sow is not made alive unless it dies." [1 Corinthians 15:36] "So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." [1 Corinthians 15:42-44] "And as we have borne the image of the man of dust (Adam), we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man (Jesus)." [1 Corinthians 15:49] Therefore, if we are to inherit the nature of God, we must first conquer the flesh and be willing to discard it. How do we conquer death? By learning what comes after it, and then preparing ourselves to face that.

Ageing and Death: Growing old and feeble is God's design to provoke us into considering our own mortality, thereby prompting us to realize the futility of the temporal world, which further goads us into considering our eternal destiny. According to the Bible, there are only two eternal destinies: life eternal and death eternal.

Sin and Death: Why do we grow old and die? We grow old and die because we are sinners: "The wages of sin is death." [Romans 6:23] "Sin is lawlessness." [1 John 3:4] How did we become sinners? We became sinners when our father Adam broke God's law in the Garden of Eden by eating the forbidden fruit. When Adam sinned, we all fell with him, since we were in his body as seed/sperm. Thus, we have all inherited sin from our father and will, therefore, die -- unless we choose life instead. Life comes through the keeping of God's commandments: "If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." [Matthew 19:17]

Taking Your Stand: After Adam and Eve sinned against God by partaking of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he asked them: "Where are you?" [Genesis 3:9] God was not desiring to know their physical location, since he knows all things; God was asking Adam and Eve: 'Now that you know the ways of good and evil, where do you stand?' And so it is that God asks this question of each one of us. Joshua answered the question thusly: "As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." [Joshua 24:15] The time is at hand for the fulfillment of this prophecy: "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision." [Joel 3:14] God is absolute and unchangeable; we cannot change God to suit our desires. Therefore, each one of us must either choose or refuse God, for: "He who is not with Me is against Me." [Matthew 12:30] If you do not choose God, you automatically choose Satan the Adversary -- there is no neutral ground. God gives life; Satan brings death. Choose carefully, for your eternal destiny depends on your decision.

Entrance Fee: Before one can enter into life (eternity), he must permit God to wash his feet.

Washing Your Feet: At the conclusion of the Last Supper (Passover), Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, saying to them: "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." [John 13:8] Why did Jesus do this? Because no man can walk upon the earth without dust clinging to his feet. Dust symbolizes sin. Thus, no man can be exposed to evil and not be influenced by it. Since sin cannot exist in the presence of God, one must first be cleansed before he can enter into eternity; and the only cleansing agent is the Word of God. Remember that Jesus was the Word of God (the Ten Commandments) in flesh. This is why it is written: "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'" [John 14:6] It should be noted that one must be extremely humble in order to permit Jesus to wash his feet. Thus, pride cannot enter into eternity.

Your First Love: Your first love must be God -- not yourself, your spouse, children, parents, friends, money, power, sex, food, entertainment, alcohol, drugs, nature, etc. If you love anyone or anything more than God, you violate the first and greatest commandment: "You shall have no other gods besides Me." [Exodus 20:3]

Marrying God: From Rags to Riches: The LORD God has given each human the opportunity to enter into covenant (marriage) with him. When a woman marries a man, she gains his name and possessions; when a man marries God, he gains his name and possessions, including all knowledge and all power. How do I marry God? By making this vow: 'LORD God, from this day forward I will keep your Ten Commandments so that I may obtain life eternal in your presence.' A husband is the provider and protector of his wife; the wife is the faithful follower of her husband. The faithful wife of God keeps his Ten Commandments as evidence of her part of the covenant. When you marry God, you will not obtain all his possessions immediately, since the flesh cannot contain all the things of God; however, you will receive his spirit as a down payment: "Now He who has prepared us for this very thing (eternal life) is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee." [2 Corinthians 5:5] You will know the spirit of God dwells in you when you are unable to sin: "Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God." [1 John 3:9] "We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him." [1 John 5:18] As a wife is permitted to see her husband in his nakedness (see Genesis 2:25), so the wife of God may behold him in all his glory: "As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness." [Psalm 17:15]

Immortal Body: Many wonder what the immortal resurrected body will be like; however, one need not wonder, since Jesus both displayed and demonstrated the characteristics of the resurrected body after his resurrection from death. Firstly, the resurrected body is both spiritual and physical. Jesus demonstrated this when he entered a house through a closed door (obviously using his spiritual body); he then ate some food (obviously using his physical body). Thus, he demonstrated that one can switch between the two bodies at will. (See John 20:24-29 and Luke 24:36-43 for details.) Secondly, the resurrected body is not subject to the physical laws of the universe. Jesus demonstrated this when he violated the law of gravity by ascending into heaven. (See Luke 24:51 and Acts 1:9-11 for details.) For example, one may use his spiritual body to instantly move from one part of the universe to any other part and then transform to his physical body to interact with the physical world. Thirdly, the heavenly body does not suffer death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain, nor sickness, nor disease, nor decay (ageing). (See 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 and Revelation 21:4 for details.) "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." [Philippians 3:20-21]

Understanding Heaven: The word 'heaven' can be ambiguous -- it can mean 'open space' or 'God's abode'. To avoid confusion, I will use the word 'paradise' to refer to God's abode. When Jesus's physical body was dead for three days and three nights, his spirit was in paradise preaching to the spirits of the dead, which included the crucified criminal to whom he had said: "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." [Luke 23:43] Where is paradise? Paradise is not necessarily a physical place; paradise is wherever God is. When Jesus's body was dead, his spirit was among the spirits of the dead, so it was considered paradise. The Garden of Eden was also considered paradise -- not because all of creation lived in harmony without pain, sickness, disease, ageing, or death; it was considered paradise because God was there.

Paradise Born: In the beginning, God created all things perfect, including heaven, earth, the earth's creatures, and the first man (Adam). God then planted a garden (the Garden of Eden) and put the man in it; God then created the first woman (Eve) to be Adam's wife and helpmate. God then gave man dominion over the earth and its creatures, thereby making Adam the legitimate authority on the earth. Thus, Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden with God: Paradise.

Paradise Lost: The contents of the Garden of Eden included the first man and woman (Adam and Eve), two notable trees (of life and of the knowledge of good and evil, which leads to death), and two masters (God and his adversary: Satan the devil). God warned Adam that if he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would die; however, Satan countered God by saying 'you shall not die'. Thus, Adam was faced with a dilemma: which voice would he heed? Obviously, Adam cannot heed two contradictory voices: "No one can serve two masters." [Matthew 6:24] Adam chose to heed the voice of Satan, thereby making Satan his master instead of God: "By whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage." [2 Peter 2:19] Thus, Adam yielded the earth to Satan by heeding his voice over the voice of God. Now that the earth belonged to Satan, God had to leave: As you have the authority to deny someone entry into your house, so Satan had the authority to deny God a place on the earth. So, God left the earth. Where did he go? He went outside of his creation -- for a time. Prophecy tells us he will destroy the works of the devil and return to the earth in due time -- at the beginning of eternity.

Satan's Motivation: Have you ever wondered what motivates Satan and his demons to attack the things of God? When Satan sinned against God by seeking to overthrow him, God sentenced him to death (see Isaiah 14:12-15); however, Satan does not want to die -- he wants to continue living. God desires a certain number of humans to inherit his divine nature (see Revelation 6:9-11). If Satan can prevent this number from being fulfilled, he can thereby extend his life indefinitely. Therefore, Satan seeks to destroy the works of God, particularly mankind, in order to preserve his own life.

Paradise Restored: Scripture tells us that Satan will be destroyed and heaven and earth will be restored to their initial state of perfection and God will return to the earth to once again dwell with man. When? After the upcoming Millennium, after the final battle between good and evil, after the death of Satan, after the resurrection and Day of Judgement, after the death of evil, after the death of death -- then God will restore his creation and return to the earth and live forever with man (see Revelation 20:1-21:4).

Eternal Paradise: What will life be like in eternity? The eternal (that which endures forever) must be founded on absolute, unchangeable, and infallible laws; nothing in eternity can ever decay, die, or cause harm. On the earth, man is free to transgress the laws of God; however, no such liberty is granted in eternity. In eternity, one must forever abide by every word which proceeds out of the mouth of God -- and that's why eternity lasts forever. The Ten Commandments is a small sample of the word of God. If we fail to keep the Ten Commandments for a short time on the earth, we will frustrate ourselves to no end if permitted into eternity. Since there is no discomfort in paradise, those who cannot keep every word of God will not be permitted therein. In summary, the everlasting (eternal) must be built on perfect and universal laws -- anything less leads to confusion; confusion leads to lawlessness; lawlessness leads to chaos; and chaos ends in destruction.

Paradise Described: Since fallen man is familiar only with the imperfect creation, his mind cannot comprehend the bliss of paradise: "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 Corinthians 2:9] Nevertheless, John attempts to describe paradise in Revelation 21 and 22.

Losing Interest: Both the earth and man are finite: therefore, there is a limited number of things a man can do on the earth. When he has done all, what remains? Death? What then?

The Shrewd Businessman and the Bottom Line: He who believes in God cannot prove his existence; he who does not believe in God cannot prove his non-
existence. The Believer hopes for life eternal -- following judgement based on the standard of God; the Disbeliever expects that he originated from the dust and will eventually return to the dust -- which is his beginning and his end. The Believer lives his life according to the law of God, expecting to be judged by same; the Disbeliever lives his life as he pleases, expecting death to be his final end. Both the Believer and the Disbeliever are guilty of self-deception, since neither one can prove his conviction. The Shrewd Businessman observes both the Believer and the Disbeliever, and concludes thusly: 'At the end of his life, the Disbeliever gains nothing; however, at the end of his life, the Believer may gain life eternal.' At this point, the Shrewd Businessman may choose to make his bet in accordance with his interest.

The Wise and the Foolish: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 tell us God has chosen the foolish things of the world, that he may confound the wise. Why did God choose the foolish over the wise? The foolish are teachable, but the wise already know all things and, therefore, cannot be taught anything new -- only the foolish can possess faith in God, but the wise know better. One must make himself a fool in the presence of men, that he may be accepted of God, for: "...without faith it is impossible to please God..." [Hebrews 11:6] Why does God desire believers to make fools of themselves in the presence of men? It is a test of faith. Those who fear (respect) God seek to please him; those who fear men seek to please them: "Therefore whoever confesses Me (Jesus) before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven." [Matthew 10:32-
33] "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek." [Romans 1:16]

Wrestling With God: How can I believe in God, when I have not observed him with my physical senses? There's the rub. You can observe God's creation with your physical senses, but God himself must be observed through the spirit, for God is spirit. If you truly want to discover God, do as Jacob did: Wrestle with him. One of the most convincing ways to discover God is to spiritually wrestle with him through the process of deep contemplation. After you have wrestled God, completely exhausted yourself, and come to the realization that God is reality, you will exclaim to yourself: 'It would have been so much easier to simply believe.' Nevertheless, man is ever stubborn and self-willed; therefore, let the wrestling match commence.

-----<availability>

The above book is available for purchase at:

http://www.amazon.com

Search for:
TITLE: "The Bible Explained"
AUTHOR: "Arrant Knave"
ISBN-10: "1468197061"
ISBN-13: "9781468197068"

Or try this direct link:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Bible-Explained-Parents-Teenagers/dp/1468197061

-----<copyright notice>

The above excerpt from 'The Bible Explained' is copyright
2010 by Arrant Knave. All rights reserved. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system
or transmitted in any form or by any means without the
prior written permission of the publisher, except by a
reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be
printed in a newspaper, magazine, or journal.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are
taken from the New King James Version (R). Copyright (C)
1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.

-----<end of book promotion>