Today I attended the funeral of Richard Anderson Mahabir, who was born on March 13th, 1981 and died on January 22nd, 2014. As I gazed at a frozen corpse lying peacefully in the coffin, I sent my condolences to the family, especially to the mother who stood beside me. He died from a blood clot in his heart. However, during his lifetime, one thing he had in common with me was his appetite. I have never been dead before, and I do not want to die anytime soon, but one of the questions I ask myself sometimes is this: What is death like? The only book that has given me insights about death and the grave, as well as the characteristic of a spirit, is the Bible. If anyone asks me what happens at death, I can only tell them what I know from the scriptures. All vital functions in the body cease. The body, which is dust, will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it (Ecclesiates 12:17). Concerning the realm of the dead, which is translated as the grave, hell, Hades, or Sheol, there is there is no work, nor device, nor wisdom, nor knowledge (Ecclesiates 9:10). The only person who can really explain to us what was it like to be dead, and what was hell (the realm of the dead) like, is Jesus, who is called the Christ of God, who was in the grave three days and three nights and was resurrected by the Holy Spirit. In the gospel of Luke 24:39, the disciples got terrified and frightened when Jesus appeared to them and said, Peace be unto you, and supposed that they had seen a spirit, but He revealed to them that a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as they saw that He has. God is the one who decides whether someone goes to paradise or remain in hell, until the day of resurrection. Refer to the gospel of Luke 16:19-31, where Jesus gave the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. God is the one who decides whether someone would come forth to the resurrection of life, or the resurrection of condemnation. Refer to the gospel of John 5:24-30, where Jesus revealed that life and judgement are through Him. Sometimes I get scared of death. Even Jesus experienced fear of death in the gospel of Luke 22:41-44, which says: And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Notice that the passage never said He sweat blood. It said that His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground. In the gospel of Mark 9:1, Jesus revealed to us that not everyone will taste death until they see the kingdom of God present with power. Also, the Apostle Paul revealed to us in the book of 1 Corinthians 15:51, that we shall not all fall asleep in death, but we shall all be transformed. Because of the word of God, and because of what Christ has done to redeem humanity from the curse of the law, and because of the Holy Spirit, I dont have to be afraid of death anymore. Jesus the Messiah of God has taught us not only how to live, but also how to die. The gospel of Luke 23:46 tells us that when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit.” Having said this, He gave up the ghost. Stephen, who was stoned to death in Jerusalem, followed Jesus example. The book of Acts 7:54-60 says this: When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Also, others have encouraged me to avoid being afraid of death, whether they are dead or alive. Its really amazing how someone could be brave enough to encourage you to avoid being afraid of death, even if they are dying. I remember having conversations with a relative before she died from multiple myeloma, a type of cancer. Approximately four days before her death, she reminded me of Psalm 116:15 which says, Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death if His saints, then gave me a pat of the hand. I remember some years ago when Mr. Patrick Manning, the former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, who is still alive, had to undergo a heart surgery abroad. He boldly said on the news, I have no fear for death. I remember viewing a documentary on a girl on YouTube by the name of Mackenzie Stuck, who died from a cancerous brain tumor at the age of 13. These were her words: Its great to see all my friends, and all my family. Later in the video she said, Im just trying to make the best of the time that I have. Her mother replied and said, Absolutely. Are you worried about dying? The little girl replied and said, Nope.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Feb 2014 03:28:31 +0000
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