davidbowerkingwood

Some Interesting Facts of Life That Apply to All, from the Greatest to the Least!

A recent headline referenced the death of a well-known industrialist who had made his mark on the world; his passage was duly noted and properly mourned by those who knew him. Being theologically inclined, I wondered what decision he had made about Jesus Christ during his mortal life and mused idly on his location after death.

This got me to thinking about mortal death in general; while the death of a few notable individuals is widely publicized, the majority of deaths only affect a small number of individuals. I was reminded of my thoughts in 1985, as I was driven through traffic to my older son’s burial; the world was moving on totally unaware of the death of my son; it was simply one more inconsequential event in the broader pattern of life.

During my life, I have observed the deaths of many famous individuals; it got me to wondering, just how many people have died during my years on this earth. With modern technology, it is not hard to get a rough estimate.

Statistically, world-wide, there are some 56,000,000 deaths each year; that times my years of life, 89, would equal 4,984,000,000 deaths so far. Fortunately, for the survival of the species, the birth rate is still greater than the death rate. Over this same period of 89 years, the earth’s population is estimated to have grown at a statistical rate of 128,845,000 births per year for a total of 11,467,205,000 babies born during my lifetime so far.

While these numbers are nothing more than crude, statistical estimates, they provide a rather broad overview of what is going on regarding the earth’s population. If we factor in the Biblical revelations concerning mankind, we are faced with a totally different picture of what is happening.

A Biblical View of Life and Death

One of the most vitally important facts, revealed in Scripture, is the fact mankind is created in the image of God and is eternal! In Genesis 1 and 2 it is recorded:

^“1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

^1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

^2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

^2:21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

^2:22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.”

The implications of this process of creation are vitally significant to our view of life and death; we are beings who exist in the image of God and share certain characteristics with God; for example, our immaterial part, the part breathed into us by God, will never, ever die. There will never be a point in time, or timeless eternity, that everyone who has ever lived does not exist in some form somewhere.

That process we refer to as death, is nothing more than the vacating of our mortal bodies which were made of the dust of the earth and were never intended to be our permanent dwelling. Paul mentions this in 2 Corinthians 5:1-8

“5 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

² For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:

³ If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.

⁴ For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

⁵ Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

⁶ Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:

⁷ (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

⁸ We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

What Does All This Mean to Each of Us; What Does it Mean to You?

Regardless of fame or fortune, there is only one question that each of us must resolve conclusively, and that is the question of Jesus Christ’s place in our lives. The ultimate truth of the whole matter of life is what do you think of Jesus Christ? Anyone who receives Jesus Christ as Savior, is born-again by the power of God, the Holy Spirit; has their name placed in the Book of Life and is delivered from eternal judgement in the Lake of Fire.

Those who reject salvation by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, whose names are not found in the Book of Life, face eternal judgment in the Lake of Fire; there are no other alternatives available. In Revelation 20:11-15 it is written:

^“11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

¹² And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

¹³ And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

¹⁴ And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

¹⁵ And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

I urge all who care to make the only decision in life that counts for all of time and eternity; receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and join God’s eternal family!

With Christ You have Everything!

Without Christ You have Nothing!

First published on March 6th, 2020 but much too important not to update and publish again!