Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

The Life Of The Dead

AuthorHouse

Contents

Preface......................................................................................xiIntroduction.................................................................................xiiiChapter One Death and Its Cause..............................................................1Definition of Death..........................................................................1The Natural Death of Man.....................................................................4The Cause and Reason behind Natural Death....................................................6Natural Death Lasts but a Moment.............................................................11The Cause and Reason behind Spiritual Death..................................................13Chapter Two Life and Its Cause...............................................................17Definition of the Term Life..................................................................17Life Must Consist in Real Substance..........................................................19Meaning of Natural Life......................................................................20Meaning of Spiritual Life....................................................................21Meaning of Life More Abundantly..............................................................24A Deeper and Richer Life.....................................................................26Chapter Three Everyone Is Touched by Death...................................................31Face the Facts of Death......................................................................31Affected without Knowing It..................................................................34Death Does Not Disturb the Dead..............................................................37Death Does Not Grieve God....................................................................41Chapter Four What Is Mankind?................................................................45Fallen Man Is Frail and Weak.................................................................45Created in the Image and Likeness of God.....................................................47Man Is a Friend of God.......................................................................51The Essence of Mankind.......................................................................52Man Is Custodian of Earth....................................................................53Chapter Five God Is Not Insensitive Concerning Death.........................................57The Bible Is a Bloody Book...................................................................57God Allows the Deaths of Saints for His Glory................................................60No One Goes Straight to Heaven or Hell.......................................................61Souls under the Altar........................................................................69From Time to Eternity........................................................................71The Meaning of Eternity......................................................................72Understanding Eternity Will Perhaps Remove Fear of Death.....................................74God Ordained Death as Part of the Process of His Purpose.....................................77Chapter Six Consolation for the Bereaved—The Message in a Nutshell.....................79The Last Breath..............................................................................79Consolation in the Resurrection Assurance....................................................80Strive to Commit the Deceased to Christ......................................................80Equal Time for All...........................................................................82Today's Earth Is Merely a Staging Ground for Mankind.........................................83A Call to Discipleship.......................................................................85Chapter Seven Epilogue.......................................................................87

Chapter One

Definition of Death

I wish to establish up front the definition of death as it pertains to the primary discussion in this book. Therefore, I will provide illustrations and examples to ensure the reader gets a good understanding of the definition of death.

Word dictionaries such as Merriam-Webster's define death as "a permanent cessation or ceasing of all vital functions." Such a broad definition can apply to anything that once lived but is now dead. This means that anything or anyone that ceases to possess the ability to function as it was designed and constructed to operate during its life cycle is considered dead, period. But when we add the spiritual aspect to the equation, so to speak, the definition is extended quite a bit.

The meaning of the word dead in its noun form refers to that which has been totally deprived of the ability to function as it was designed or constructed. This means that the person, thing, or whatever the animated object may have been is no longer able to serve its primary purpose.

We, of course, also have the verb form of death, which is the term die. "To die" simply refers to the loss of the vitality necessary to function as a person or thing was designed. Everything that dies obviously has at some point been alive. This means that absolutely nothing is dead that has never been alive. We sometimes use the term "dead as a rock." The design and function of a rock has never included animation, growth, or the production of anything. Sure, a rock might give off certain gases or minerals, but that is because part of its composition includes minerals and gases. But the rock itself has never been alive.

I grew up in the state of Mississippi. Located there in the town of Flora is a petrified forest park. It is reported that the forest has been petrified for more than thirty-six million years. The park includes a museum with collections of petrified items from various places around the globe. All the items in the museum were once alive, and those items serve a purpose today. But their original purposes were not to become displays for a museum.

There is always a major separation involved in dying. Something has to become severed or separated or broken in order for death to occur. Think about the landline telephones some of us still have at home and most workplaces. It is not uncommon for someone to pick up the receiver and, if they hear no dial tone, to utter, "The phone is dead." The telephone may still be intact, but if it will not transmit and receive, it is thought of as being dead. Why? Because however temporary the situation may be, the phone has lost its ability to function as it was designed. That is the idea in a nutshell of something being dead.

Again, separation is involved in all instances of death, especially when it comes to the human being. Literally or figuratively, death, dead, and any other derivative of the root word speak of some key element or component having been removed or broken to the extent that the object does not work for the purpose it was designed and constructed. The petrified stuff in the park in Mississippi attracts many tourists, but it was not originally designed for such purpose. If the vegetation were still growing in a forest, we...