The Greatest Controversy

There is a principle at work in this world that we are all subject to. As young people, we tend to not think much about it because it is presumed to be farther off in the future than it is for our parents, or other grown-ups. This principle was recently written about by @creatr, and my comment on it made me realize that there is enough to say about this subject to make my own post.

The principle in question is that of death, and after losing my cousin/best friend to cancer when we were twenty, I was compelled to come to a resolution about it, and that resulted in me reading the Bible. The Bible refers to death as "the last enemy to be destroyed." The thought of destroying death appeals to me as it has claimed many more loved ones besides my cousin. The Bible says a lot more about death, and life. Despite that, there is much confusion about these subjects. This shouldn't be a surprise when you consider that most people desire to be immortal, and that there is an adversary that doesn't want anyone to have that.

One thing it says is that only God is immortal (1 Tim 6:15-16). It also says that immortality is a gift that will be given to the righteous in the first resurrection (1 Cor 15:53). Some readers may not believe, or agree with the Bible's testimony because they want to believe they are inherently immortal. It is not my intention to contest that. The fact is, I had no knowledge about the subject until the Bible brought it to light (2 Tim 1:10).

Actually, according to what has been written, the very first lie ever documented was based on the premise that people are naturally immortal, and because of that they are authorized to violate universal law (Gen 3:4-5). What is even more striking is that most of Christianity believes this very thing. It is often preached in their pulpits that as long as one "trusts Jesus," they immediately go to heaven when they die while everyone else immediately goes to hell to burn for eternity. Both scenarios require people to be naturally immortal. And with that same train of thought comes the "assurance" that believers are not responsible for themselves because Jesus saves them IN their sins (violations of universal law) despite the fact that the Bible says that Jesus was sent to save us FROM our sins (Mat. 1:21).

As already stated, death is the enemy we all have in common. In order for this enemy to be vanquished, it is our responsibility as believers to demonstrate to the universe that the law of God is just in spite of the greatest oppositions imaginable to make us violate it. The Bible refers to the final opposition as the time of Jacob's trouble (Jer. 30:7). The generation that is equipped to face this challenge, and get through it will show the universe that human beings can be trusted with immortality. That will usher in the resurrection, and the restoration of the planet.

Since reading the Bible in 1992, my life has been committed to making this the final generation to deal with death. Some may consider that a pipe-dream but there have been some things that have happened since the turn of the millennium that have insured that it will occur. However, these things will be the subjects of future posts.