Death is a curious phenomenon. Death is a reality mankind has known from the beginning of time. We observe it in everything that surrounds us; from the flowers that wither and die in winter, to those bloody feathers we have seen dispersed on a sidewalk. Death is a reality we cannot ignore or disbelieve in. From everything we watch die around us there is the death of one that stands out, stings more than the rest; that is the death of a fellow human. Some Christians nowadays believe that if a person is “good” (whatever that means) and believes in Jesus then the heavens above will open their doors to him/her. The world around us was not created for our pleasure, the heavens on the other hand were. The world was created to test mankind, to separate those that are worthy of God’s greatest gift and those that will rot in the pitfalls of the fires of hell. Unfortunately in today’s world there are so many people from all three Abrahamic religions that have twisted and turned the words of their books. There are Muslims that think they are better than everyone else simply because they believe and testify that there is only one God. There are Christians that ignore important verses of their book, verses that forbid drinking, premarital sex, tattoos, pork, etc.
1. “Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:1-2)
2. [Jesus] said, “It is what comes out of a person that defiles. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (NRSV, Mark 7:20-23)
3.“Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.” – Leviticus 19:28
4. “And the pig, though it has a divided hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.” – Leviticus 11:7-8
There are Jews that still hold on firmly to the ideology that they are the “chosen ones” and that simply being a Jew will earn them a guaranteed a place in paradise.
1. Deuteronomy 14:2,
“For you are a holy people to YHWH your God, and God has chosen you to be his treasured people from all the nations that are on the face of the earth.”
2. The Torah also says,
“Now therefore, if you will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me from all the peoples, for all the earth is mine” (Exodus 19:5)
To the people of all three faiths I say, God has created mankind to worship Him. Love for Jesus or the mere belief in a verse will definitely not guarantee you a place in heaven. If you want to a place you have to earn it through strictly following God’s doctrine and to not ever pick and choose what suits your desires; to not just pray, but worship Him and hold a belief in his prophets.
Pray for the dead, they need it!
Till we meet again,
S
