Since we've been talking about the afterlife for most of this year, I found this article that talks about the subject of cremation .

  God’s Bucket List for You, part 10   Introduction In the final item on God’s bucket list for you, this is also the first that needs to be desired. It’s the hardest of all ten as it is a lifelong commitment. Oftentimes, when one hears what they must do to become a Christian, they hear baptism as the last step. But once you become baptized, it’s not the end, but only the beginning. Jesus said in Revelation 2:10, “…Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”   Will You Live for Jesus? How often have you heard people, supposedly Christians, say that they would die for Jesus? If their life were threatened, if they were challenged to renounce God, etc. Over and over people boldly say that they would give up their life for Jesus. But how many of these same people would live for Jesus; day in and day out? It’s only when their freedom of religion is threatened that they suddenly “come alive” for God and Jesus. They’ll stand tall in the face of ...

  God’s Bucket List for You, part 1   “Only the man who is prepared for death can truly be alive” ~Wanda Dollard, Corner Gas TV series   Introduction In Hebrews 9:27, the writer states, And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment. If God wrote your bucket list, preparing for death would be one of those goals. All too often, people live their life as if there are no consequences to their actions; as if God doesn’t exist. As we’ve seen in the series on Judgment Day , there are consequences for our actions. As the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:10, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.   Write Your Own Eulogy Too many people attempt to put a positive spin on funerals. They call it a ‘Celebration of Life’. However, funerals are not for the dead, but for the living. It is the one event wher...

Unnecessary Deaths, Pt. 3 Introduction As we stated in the previous two articles, in Jeremiah 1:4-5, Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." If God knows us and created us, then there is a reason for us to live. Does the scripture discuss the subject of euthanasia? It most certainly does; even if it doesn’t call it by name. The apostle Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:3, “as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue” Even if a subject seems new to you, God has something to say about it in His Holy Word. Definition Euthanasia — the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma. The practice is illegal in most countries. Synonyms: Mercy killing, assisted Suic...

Unnecessary Deaths, Pt. 2 Introduction Before I start this article, if you or someone you know is contemplating suicide or self-harm, please call this number immediately 1-800-273-8255. There are a lot of troubled people in the world today who think their life isn’t worth much. But God shows the importance of life in Isaiah 42:5, Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it. As we stated in the article on Abortion, in Jeremiah 1:4-5, Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." If God knows us and created us, then there is a reason for us to live.   Definitions of Suicide The definition of suicide, according to Webster’s Dictionary is, the intentional taking of on...

Introduction This article is a bonus question concerning Jesus that I came up with after I had finished the series. It goes along with the subject of Christ’ death and is basically a pet peeve of mine. Often, I hear someone lead a prayer to God; thanking him for sending his son, Jesus, to die on the cross. Though he was sent for that reason, it wasn’t the only reason. I think that if that was the only reason his death would have been pointless. Why Was Jesus Sent? 1.    To Fulfill prophecy —If you go through the Old Testament, there are many prophecies given concerning Jesus coming to Earth. The first example took place in the Garden of Eden. In Gen. 3:15 God said to the serpent, “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." This was fulfilled when many people followed Jesus; knowing that he was the Son of God. Their put their lives...

Introduction         Although salvation is one of the easiest things in the world to do, it is also one of the hardest things to maintain. Scripture states that you are to be faithful unto death (Rev. 2:10). But what if your life is threatened? Will you still be faithful? Will you show loyalty to God and the church; even if it means you forfeit your life? Where’s your Loyalty?         Several years ago, I was in one of the store’s Friday Morning Meetings and, in addition to the standard news of sales, profits, and other things; they announced that one of our supervisors was leaving the company.         They asked him to say some words; an impromptu farewell speech if you will. And for the next ten minutes he talked about how great a company it was for us all to work for. As he rambled on, I leaned in to one of my co-workers sitting next to me and asked, “If this...

(from 2013) Introduction “Do No Try This at Home” is a phrase generally seen as a disclaimer on certain television shows that feature dangerous stunts or other things in which professionals have been training to do for many years. Teenagers and young adults will attempt to imitate these very same stunts themselves. Why? Because it’s the thrill of the stunt and an opportunity to gain approval of their peers. To them failure is not an option as well as death. It’s a certain level of immortality that young people feel because, to them, their whole life is ahead of them and death only happens to old people. But as a preacher once said, “The Old must die and the young do die.” Definitions of Immortal The dictionary definition for immortal is ‘Exempt from Death’ or ‘Imperishable’.   In other words, you can never die or you live forever. But this is not true and we all, eventually, will die. In addition, the dictionary also defines immortal on the basis of a noun in...

(from 2004) Introduction         This is a question that most people would rather ignore that to answer: If you were to die tonight, where would you go? Some might instantly say, “Heaven” while others might flippantly, or even proudly say, “Hell”. But what if I told you that, according to scripture, you would not go to neither place when you die? When You Die…         Contrary to what most religious people will tell you, Heaven or Hell is not the next stop after you pass from this mortal realm. They are the places of eternity as stated by Jesus in Mt. 25:46, “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Eternity is your “final reward” but there is a location that every soul will venture into after leaving here. It’s what I’ve referred to as the Giant Waiting Room. Welcome to Hades         If you’...