Post 135…Study of Heaven Part 2

To people when they are close to death, I’d venture to say that most of them wonder what is going to happen to them when they take that last breath. 

How Many People Approximately Die World Wide Each Day in 2022?

• Deaths per Day:       183,671
• Deaths per Hour:        7,653
• Deaths per Minute:        128
• Deaths per second        2.13

This next part is kind of long but think some people need to see it as well. 

    From worldpopulationview.com

 I honestly don’t know if this is 100% accurate, but it, I believe would be pretty accurate.

So, in looking at these numbers I would venture to say that a lot of people who knew they were going to die would be thinking what was going to happen and where they would be.  But do they even realize that if they accepted Jesus as their Savior they can know, and they can change their destiny?

Then think about this when it comes to thinking about death.  What was the most important thing in your life?  Was it good looks, money, fame, going places, the friends you had, and was stuff more important than getting your life right with God? So, when it comes to the end of your life (say you are sick or injured) and you are laying there…knowing you will soon die…are those things really that important to you now?  You can’t take one thing with you when you die, anymore than you could bring something with you when you were born. Every human has or will face death at some point if Jesus has not returned for His bride/the church first. 

Not everyone has the opportunity when they are dying to talk to God and make things right with Him.  Now is a very good time to this.  Just talk to Him.  Most have no clue the moment of when their death will occur. Tell Him you are a sinner in need of a Savior and ask Him to come into your life. 

Wars:  So many wars around the world, so many threatening wars around the world. (The Bible said this too and that would be the rumors of wars) Wars are ugly, messy, and deadly.  Yet, and don’t take this wrong please, people die on the battle field and we hate it, we hurt for them and their families, of course we do.  But whether they die on the battle field, because of the battle field, or 50 years later far from the battle field…people will still die at some point.  One in one people on this earth will die.  But think on this, how many people sit around and discuss death, or what will happen when they die, how they will feel, where they think they will go…and why they believe that?  Do you talk about death with others in your family alone, so that you can let them, and they let you know how they feel and why they feel that way?

How many people when they do talk about death of someone, they know say death?  Or are you like the person passed on?

Funerals are a strange place.  People talk a lot but many of them are lying through their teeth.  Was that person really that loved? That good? That kind?  We love our family and when a family member goes “bad” and does bad things we might hate that, but we still love our family.  Murderers were loved by someone who, even though they went bad and did bad things…the parents, especially love them.  Everyone wants someone to talk nice about them when they die, they want to hear they will be in heaven, and that everything will be okay, but is that the truth for many people?  Did they know Jesus as their personal Savior?  How many people prepare for their death?

    So, what is death?  Once you were born and you took that first breath.  What a joy when you were born.  Such a little bundle of joy…so precious, so cute, so loved by someone.  But now it is close to the end of your life and who are you?  Where are you?  What have you done or not done you should have done? Do you sit and think about your life?  Do you sit and think about your death?  As beautiful as life was being born, death doesn’t have to be bad.  If you are truly a Christian, then you get to go home to be with the Lord.  If you are truly a Christian living for the Lord Jesus, then you will hear something like, “Welcome home…come on in”.  Praise God for that.  I want to hear that for me, for my family…and I want God to say that to you as well and your loved ones.  There is room for all of us in heaven.  We just have to accept the free gift from Jesus of salvation. Can you imagine that first step into heaven?  What will you and I be thinking?  What do we want to see first?  We want it all, but first I want to see my Lord who took the time to save me, forgive me, and who made a way for me. 

Some people die young, and some die old.  Some were healthy and some were sick or injured…but we all will die in our due season.  We think of heaven, and for me, I think that there is no more sickness, pain, grief, loss, getting old and hurting each day I get up.  I get whatever kind of healthy body the Lord has prepared for me.  Yahoo….to that one. 

But what if you are not a Christian?  What will you face?  What will you see?  Can you change your mind then because you were wrong?  NOOOOOOOOO!  The change must come this side of death.  With your last breath upon this earth your eternal destiny has been set.  Now is the time to make things right with God.  Don’t put it off and think you have a lot of time for you don’t know that.

True story here:  Years ago a minister I knew went with some people to Canada to talk to people about Jesus.  This one pastor ran into this one person several times while they were there in this big city.  No, they did not stay in the same neighborhood either.  The minister felt he needed to talk to this young man and felt compelled to.  These ministers went out to dinner and while in the restaurant this same young man came in.  Well, this minister felt he had to go and talk to him.  He did.  He spent some quality time with this young man telling him about Jesus.  But even after this young man heard about Jesus again…he rejected Jesus.  It was just a few minutes later he walked out of the restaurant and was hit by a car and died instantly.  He didn’t plan to die that day, but his time was up and God had given him one more time to get things right and he rejected Jesus.  That one instant could have saved him for all eternity.  God knew that the young man was going to die that night and gave him one more chance and the young man chose not to accept that gift of salvation.  I bet one second after that last breath he wishes he had for at that moment there is no way back, to changes to your destiny.  I tell you this story because every now and then I think about his young man and all the other young and old people who got a chance to accept Jesus and still rejected Him. Our very choices on this earth seal our eternal fate.  Don’t you be like that young man…please!!!

Another story, I wish I felt different on this one because this was a relative of mine…He and his girlfriend were outside working in the yard and he said he wanted to go in the house for a few.  He did go inside and went to “their” room and killed over dead with a heart attack.  He was very young.  I don’t know if he was saved as I never saw a sign he was saved.  He just killed over and was gone in a moment.  I am sure he had no idea that would be his last day.

Another cousin of mine was 25 and married.  He was driving his car and had a heart attack and plowed into a parked car and died.  I don’t think he knew anything about the Lord. He was there and then he was gone.  Had he ever asked Jesus into his life?  I pray so, but I don’t know.

What about all those caught in a storm, a tsunami, hurricane, flood, mud slide and the list is endless…what about them.  Did they get up that day and know that before the day was over, they were going to die?  Were all of their lives right with God?  No, probably not!  You see, we all think we have time to make things right, but we never know if we do. What if that day they had taken the time to talk to God and make things right?  Even if they would still have died, they would find themselves in a great place when they opened their eyes.

I don’t know about you and what you personally think, but death is not the end.  Something good or bad can happen right after that last breath we take upon this earth. What we do now and the choices we make now, while upon this earth matter more than we can ever say.  We are living right this second because we are here.  But we are not promised five minutes from now.  How fast does let’s say a bad car accident happen?  No one plans for that one.

I am pretty darn old now (not compared to Methuselah though 969 years of age when he died), but pretty old compared to today.  I have had difficult times, good time, great times, sad times, hard times, misunderstood times and so on.  I had a life!  Yet, until I met Jesus, I was a nobody on my way to hell and I really didn’t even know it.  I met the Lord when I was a child by a wonderful godly woman name Ione.  She was amazing Christian who prayed for me.  She told me about Jesus and I will forever thank her.  I can still see that beautiful face of hers.  Well, I didn’t come to Jesus for a long time, but something in me knew I would.  I am glad I didn’t die before I did.  I was one of those stubborn people who didn’t think I needed Jesus and He was all I needed. One day when He was tugging on my heart…I knew I needed Him more than I needed this world and all it so-called offered me.  This wonderful lady Ione gave me a glimpse of Jesus and heaven.  She took me many times to church as a child and I thank her.

I have been with a couple of friends at the moment of their death in the hospital.  I heard their last breath, I whispered into their ear, and yes, they were Christians.  I saw them leave their body and I knew where they would be.  In fact, I had no doubt they were on their way to Jesus.  Wherever God puts His children until the end…they had peace and that mattered to me.

Ecclesiastes says, ‘Dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. I’ll take that one!!!  No matter what body or spirit I would have I just want to make it to Jesus in any way He gives me to get there. Our last breath upon this earth at our death…will be said for many who might have loved and cared for us.  They will mourn us and that is okay, but to the one who belongs to Jesus with that last breath…we will open our eyes somewhere and if we are a Christian wherever that is, however we look, whatever it takes…will be worth whatever we had to go through on this earth. Note:  My son, my parents etc who have gone on…I know were saved, yet I miss them terribly.  I miss what we had together, what we did together, and love…I miss that. But even more, I am so happy they are all together now wherever that is until all are with Jesus.  We all believe something about what heaven is, where heaven is, what it is like, who is there or not there.  I am pretty sure some people I thought would be in heaven won’t be.  You see I don’t know their heart like Jesus does.  And some I thought no way will they make it into heaven will be there.  Why?  Didn’t they do such and such?  Yes, but before they died did they ask Jesus into their heart and mean it?  Who am I to judge who will be in heaven and who won’t?  Will I get mad at God one day and ask Him why so and so got into heaven but the other person/s didn’t make it?  You see, God is a lot smarter than all of us combined.  He looks at our heart and what we can become. 

So I end this second part here.  Much more to come and I pray you will come back and read that as well.

Now, may the God of creation bless you, keep you, draw you to Him, and bless every breath you take.

God bless you.