A Question for You!
I closed my last essay on “Take up Your Cross and Follow Me” with a question. I was probably going to write on it even if no one responded because I believe it to be such an important part of the total picture.
I had written, “In Hebrews 9:27 we are told, “27 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment.” Let’s review what has happened to us to this point. Our spirit died in the Garden with Adam, but when we received Christ as Savior, our old sinful nature, which we inherited from Adam, died with Christ on the cross as our spirit was brought back to life by the power of God; so that leaves only our mortal bodies which must experience death or transformation at the Rapture of the Church, whichever comes first.
A simple analogy that works for me is to think of a long car trip home; when you get home you get out of the car and go into the house. Your mortal body is your transportation through life on this earth as you make your way home. The really good news is when we get home we’re getting new transportation; an infinitely improved model with a warranty that lasts forever!
An Important Distinction to Keep in Mind
On a more serious note we should remember that our existence has a dual nature by design. This is explained in Genesis 1:26-27:
26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
27 So God created human beings in his own image.
In the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
More details are provided in Genesis 2:7:
7 Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.
Please carefully note the body was formed from the dust of the ground but the life God placed in the body was breathed into the body by God and was in His own image; the implications of being made in the image of God are enormous!
Therefore although our life essence was created in the image of God, it was placed in a body made from the dust of the earth, in a clay jar as Paul would write in 2 Corinthians 4:7:
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
The First Deaths Recorded in Scripture
If you ask many Christians which was the first death recorded in Scripture the answer would be the death of Abel but that is not correct. The first deaths recorded in Scripture were the spiritual deaths of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. I’ve written on this in greater detail in my essay The End of Edenic Bliss.
God told Adam in Genesis 2:16-17:
16 But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— 17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”
When Adam disobeyed God he died spiritually immediately but was still alive physically; not until many years later would Adam die physically.
Now Let’s Get Back to Us
Spiritually we died in Adam in the Garden of Eden (which makes Adam the most horrific mass murderer in the history of humanity) and were born spiritually dead at the point of our physical birth. We were made spiritually alive when we were born again by the power of the Holy Spirit and no part of our life essence will ever die again. Our mortal bodies are another matter entirely. These clay jars we occupy came into being when we were conceived in our mother’s womb and will live until they too die or are transformed at the Rapture.
In their present form they are truly a very temporary abode; Paul writes of this in 2 Corinthians 5:1-5
5 For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. 4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. 5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.
How does the idea of trading in your clay jar for an eternal heavenly body made by God sound to you?
God promises us this cycle of sin and death is coming to an end; in Revelation 20:11-15 it is written:
11 And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. 12 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. 14 Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. 15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.
If the lake of fire is the second death for those rejecting Christ as Savior, then when did their first death happen; their first death was their spiritual death in Adam in the Garden of Eden. They have gone through their entire mortal existence spiritually dead then die their second death in the lake of fire. Hence it is written in Mark 8:36-37:
“36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? 37 Is anything worth more than your soul?
In Acts 16:30-31 we are given God’s remedy for this horrible fate:
30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.”
davidbowerkingwood 
Indeed, what does it matter if I lose my soul? I pray that my name is written in the Book of Life and that I receive a heavenly body. It is my job to do all that I can to help my loved ones and others names to be written there also.
LikeLike
By: donnalhawes on September 23, 2015
at 12:38 pm
Dear Donna,
We all have friends and even family that need to make decisions for Christ but the convicting ministry is that of the Holy Spirit. We can hope and pray but only God can give the increase. One thing we can count on is our safe place in God’s family once we’ve been born again by faith in Jesus Christ. I rejoice in Romans 8:38-39 where it is written:
“38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
What joy that reassurance brings to those of us who love the Lord Jesus Christ!
David
LikeLike
By: davidbowerkingwood on September 23, 2015
at 12:54 pm
Thank you for the wonderful explanation David.
LikeLike
By: Marie Duncan on September 23, 2015
at 1:14 pm
Marie,
One of the joys of Bible study is the Bible is filled with wonderful explanations. I’m very thankful I discovered this at an early age.
Thank you for subscribing, Marie!
David
LikeLike
By: davidbowerkingwood on September 23, 2015
at 1:26 pm
I am so grateful to the Lord for his death on the cross that saved me from eternal damnation. Instead of being separated from God for eternity, I have the unspeakable joy of praising his name forever in eternity. Thank you Lord Jesus
LikeLike
By: Karen Adamson on September 23, 2015
at 2:57 pm
Beloved Karen:
What a joy to know we are going to be members of the same family forever! Praise God for His grace and mercy!
Love,
Dad
LikeLike
By: davidbowerkingwood on September 23, 2015
at 3:09 pm