IF ONE DIES ,SHALL ONE LIVE AGAIN?

PROF. BEN ONYEUKWU (REV)

NCE(Eng.) ND/HD (Journalism); BA (Hons) MA, PhD.

Call: +2348037346939  E-mail: profesorbenonyeukwu@yahoo.com

IF ONE DIES, SHALL ONE LIVE AGAIN?

“IF a man dies, shall he live again?  All the days of my hard services (appointed time) I will wait, till my change comes,’’(Job 14: 14)

INTRODUCTION:

            Death is the separation of one’s soul from the body, ( Eccl.12:7). This phenomenon brings about the end of one’s life on earth, and in turn enforces one’s journey of no return to face the judgment of God, ( Hebrew 9: 27). In this case, the physical form of death is thereby described. There are other forms of death, namely; the spiritual death (living in the pleasure of sin, I Tim. 5: 6)  and the eternal death (final separation from God, Rev. 21:8). However, the focal point of this gospel project centers on Job’s reflection on the physical death. “If a man dies, shall he live again?’’( Job 14:14A).

            Job’s meditation brings to bar the important question of eternity. “ If a man dies shall he live again? He further views man’s limited time on earth, “ all the days of my hard service ( appointed time) I will wait, and finally, he sees man’s transition at death, “till my change comes’’. Therefore, with the scripture in focus, one notes three things in Job’s reflection:

(i)         HIS DEEP THOUGHT ON LIFE AFTER DEATH

       Here Job reflects on what happens when one dies. “ If one dies, shall one live again? ( Job14:14A). Believingly, Job considers the eternal destinies of both the believer and the non- believer. After living here on earth, and eventually death calls, shall one consciously live somewhere? God’s word says, YES “And I saw the dead, small and great, standing (consciously) before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and the Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades ( or hell) were cast into the lake of fire. This is second death. And anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire, ( Rev. 20: 12-15).

(ii)   HIS REFLECTION ON THE LIMITLESSNESS OF MAN’S TIME ON EARTH

       Job also conveys the fact of man’s limited time on earth. “ All the days of my hard service ( appointed time) I will

wait’’ , ( Job 14: 14B). By this, he reflects on the time from birth to death (Eccl. 3: 2). At death, one returns to one’s God, (Eccl. 12:7), to give an account of one’s life on earth, (Romans 14: 12), and equally to face God in judgment, ( Hebrew 9: 27).

(iii)  HIS MEDITATION ON TRANSITION AT DEATH

        Finally, job brings to  light that death is not an annihilation of life (total destruction) ,but a transition into another world where one spends eternity. “ Till my change                                ( transition ) comes, (Job 14: 14C).  At death one changes one’s earthly body, earthly home and earthly possession into eternity, namely; Heaven or Hell. Biblically speaking, Heaven is a place for the blessed, (Matt.25:34), whereas, hell is a place for the cursed, (verse 41). One is blessed when one’s transgressions (or sins) are forgiven by the virtue of one’s repentance (Acts. 3:19), and one is cursed when reverse is the case, (see Psalm 32:1-2). This makes it important to note that “the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God?. Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters nor adulterers nor homosexual, nor sodomites nor  thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the Kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9-10).

JESUS, THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN

            Eternity in Heaven can only be secured by receiving Jesus who is the only source of eternal life, (1 John 5: 11-12). Jesus confirmed this when He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). This implies that NO JESUS, NO HEAVEN. Only Jesus can guarantee a happy eternity in heaven.  Only His name can enforce it, (Acts 4:12). No other persons, but Jesus. Therefore, for one to obtain the authority that qualifies one to heaven, one must receive Jesus as Lord, (John 1:12).

STEPS TO ETERNITY IN HEAVEN

(1)       ACKNOWLEDGE  that through Adam you became a sinner “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23).

(2)       REPENT therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out,                            (Acts 3:19).

(3)       CONFESS every known sin you have repented of. “If we confess our sins,                        He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all                 unrighteousness, (1 John 1:9).

(4)       FORSAKE every sin you have confessed. “He who covers his sins will not prosper. But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy, (Proverb 28:13).

(5)       RECEIVE Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour. “But as many as                     received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God”---  (John 1:12).

            In conclusion, Job’s mediation on life after death as one can notice forms a masterpiece that inspires every right - thinking individual on the issue of eternity. Life on earth begins at birth and terminates at death. This is a process that must be completed by everyone.  Dear friend, if death calls today, are you  sure of making it into heaven? “What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? (Mark 8:36).