Alive for ever and ever
This week is on Revelation 1:17-18:
I realized a few weeks ago that I was no longer afraid of my own death. I'm still afraid of other people's deaths who aren't Christians, but mine is no big deal any more. I couldn't figure out why, until I found these verses. Jesus has conquered death. Instead of it being an end to our existence, or the beginning of a new phase of torment, it's a continuation of our relationship with him and of our lives. It's just another phase of eternity. We shouldn't dread it or fight against it any more than we could fight against growing up when we were kids. It's going to happen, and it's OK.
Before Jesus, when someone died, they would be judged on how they lived their lives. This is still mostly true for people who don't know him. But for us, it's a different thing. Jesus knows us. He knows that we make mistakes and knows that we know it. Because we're family, rather than strangers, there's forgiveness and a value attached to us for who we are as unique people, not just on what we've done.
If you don't believe there's something to that, ask yourself whether you'd feel the same about letting a stranger spend the night in your home, versus a member of your family, or whether you'd pick a stranger up from the side of the road as easily as a friend. With a stranger, you don't know anything about him. That's why he's a stranger! Why does he want into your house? Does he have a disease you might catch? Will he let his friends in to rob you while you sleep? Is he armed? Is he going to stay and mooch? Is he going to tell people about how messy it is? What if he's a rapist? What if he's trying to hide from the law, and you'll get charged for harbouring a fugitive? With your brother, the only thing that matters is that he's your brother. You know him.
So, Jesus has rescued us from eternal death and extended our lives eternally. He says to us "Check it out, friends! I was dead, but I beat death, and now look! We're going to be around for ever and ever!" That's exciting news! We live in a society that doesn't get this. You need only to turn on the beautiful, incredibly distracting television set, and you'll see ads imploring you to hide your grey hairs, cover your wrinkles, get surgery done to readjust the changes in your body as you age, and so on. Society sees death as the end of existence and thinks that it can defeat death through hiding ageing. Like there's some kind of grim reaper who goes around looking for grey hair and those elastic pants old guys wear hiked up all the way, and will only find you if you're that way... We don't need to see things the way society does, because we're getting a different deal. Without Jesus, the party does stop when you die. With Jesus, it only picks up pace.
Jesus holds the keys to death and hell. That means, if you get caught in there, he can come and let you out. I kind of see him standing there with a couple hubcaps with keys hanging from them, like they have in gas stations. Maybe in coveralls with "Jesus" embroidered on them, but I digress. The key thing is, he's got the keys. Satan doesn't. The law doesn't. Hollywood and our best scientists don't. Jesus is the only one with the keys, and he's our friend. That rocks!
I'm going to try to live as long as I can, not because I think that's all there is, but because I'm comfortable here and I have a purpose for now. But I know that when my time is up, I have nothing to worry about. Jesus has the keys. And he's conquered death in ways the WWE only pretends to. Thanks to Jesus, we've got nothing to worry about.
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
I realized a few weeks ago that I was no longer afraid of my own death. I'm still afraid of other people's deaths who aren't Christians, but mine is no big deal any more. I couldn't figure out why, until I found these verses. Jesus has conquered death. Instead of it being an end to our existence, or the beginning of a new phase of torment, it's a continuation of our relationship with him and of our lives. It's just another phase of eternity. We shouldn't dread it or fight against it any more than we could fight against growing up when we were kids. It's going to happen, and it's OK.
Before Jesus, when someone died, they would be judged on how they lived their lives. This is still mostly true for people who don't know him. But for us, it's a different thing. Jesus knows us. He knows that we make mistakes and knows that we know it. Because we're family, rather than strangers, there's forgiveness and a value attached to us for who we are as unique people, not just on what we've done.
If you don't believe there's something to that, ask yourself whether you'd feel the same about letting a stranger spend the night in your home, versus a member of your family, or whether you'd pick a stranger up from the side of the road as easily as a friend. With a stranger, you don't know anything about him. That's why he's a stranger! Why does he want into your house? Does he have a disease you might catch? Will he let his friends in to rob you while you sleep? Is he armed? Is he going to stay and mooch? Is he going to tell people about how messy it is? What if he's a rapist? What if he's trying to hide from the law, and you'll get charged for harbouring a fugitive? With your brother, the only thing that matters is that he's your brother. You know him.
So, Jesus has rescued us from eternal death and extended our lives eternally. He says to us "Check it out, friends! I was dead, but I beat death, and now look! We're going to be around for ever and ever!" That's exciting news! We live in a society that doesn't get this. You need only to turn on the beautiful, incredibly distracting television set, and you'll see ads imploring you to hide your grey hairs, cover your wrinkles, get surgery done to readjust the changes in your body as you age, and so on. Society sees death as the end of existence and thinks that it can defeat death through hiding ageing. Like there's some kind of grim reaper who goes around looking for grey hair and those elastic pants old guys wear hiked up all the way, and will only find you if you're that way... We don't need to see things the way society does, because we're getting a different deal. Without Jesus, the party does stop when you die. With Jesus, it only picks up pace.
Jesus holds the keys to death and hell. That means, if you get caught in there, he can come and let you out. I kind of see him standing there with a couple hubcaps with keys hanging from them, like they have in gas stations. Maybe in coveralls with "Jesus" embroidered on them, but I digress. The key thing is, he's got the keys. Satan doesn't. The law doesn't. Hollywood and our best scientists don't. Jesus is the only one with the keys, and he's our friend. That rocks!
I'm going to try to live as long as I can, not because I think that's all there is, but because I'm comfortable here and I have a purpose for now. But I know that when my time is up, I have nothing to worry about. Jesus has the keys. And he's conquered death in ways the WWE only pretends to. Thanks to Jesus, we've got nothing to worry about.
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