By Shane Kastler
Death is the one thing that everybody will face, yet nobody really wants to talk about. We go to great pains to avoid the topic, and do all that we can to prolong our days and run from death. But sooner or later, death catches up with us. Though it always seems to happen to someone else, one day it will happen to you.
The Bible says, “It is appointed unto man once to die and after this comes judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27) It would make sense then; to make peace with death before it comes. And more importantly, to make peace with your Maker before you must stand before Him in judgment.
The book of Ecclesiastes says, “A good name is better than a good ointment, and the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart.” (Ecclesiastes 7:1-2) It seems counter-intuitive to say “death is better than birth” but this would absolutely be true for the believer. The Apostle Paul echoed this thought when he said, “To live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21) In other words, Paul knew that if he died, he would be ushered into the Lord's presence. And since he knew Christ as Lord and Savior here on earth, he could think of nothing better than to be with Him forever in a place of perfection. Thus, “to die is gain” for the Christian. But there are two sides to every coin.
If you are not a born again follower of Christ, then death will simply mark the early stages of eternal misery. While modern man scoffs at the idea of Hell, Jesus spoke of it often. And we would be utter fools to deny its existence. If we believe there is a Heaven, why would we not likewise believe there is a Hell? It is both logical and Biblical.
Furthermore, we must figure out who goes where. You would probably say that “good people” go to Heaven, and “bad people” go to Hell. Of course the Bible teaches that all of us are “bad” because of our sinful natures. (Romans 3:23) So who goes to Heaven? Those who have the righteousness of Christ. He is the only person who ever lived, who was not “bad” by nature. Christ, as the Son of God, is divine by nature and thus accomplished on behalf of sinners what they could not accomplish themselves. He lived perfection, then He died a sacrificial death to pay the eternal price for the sins of His people. We get credited with His righteousness. He takes the punishment for our sin. And who are His people? Those who repent of their sin and commit their lives to Him by faith. These are the Christians. These are the redeemed. And these are the only ones who need not fear death. We know death is coming. It is coming for me. It is coming for you. Will you be prepared when it makes it's inevitable arrival?
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