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Is Death The End?

 
Posted by Elaine October 15, 2018 at 12:00 AM AEDT

One certainty in life is that we will all die but there’s so much more to us just flesh and blood. When our body dies our spirit lives on, did you know that?

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Some who have experienced death and then come back to life are able to share their experience while in another realm, experiences that aren’t necessarily the same as others’ experiences so we can still observe our surroundings, think, be affected by what we see and remember where we’ve been, so when our body stops functioning our soul lives on.

Maybe that’s the reason old folk when looking at their reflection in the mirror don’t recognise who that old person is staring back at them. I know from experience that as my body ages I still feel young and vibrant inside, so to believe there is nothing beyond death is hard to imagine.

But what does happen when we die? When our spirit has finally been released will we finally be free?

Some even choose to hasten their end in a quest for peace with no guarantee and suicide not only brings pain to loved ones closeby but also to many who see the tragedy of another one who never understood their worth and purpose.

So is our spirit continually reincarnated into another body or the body of an animal, then after a further time on earth does that animal again become human on our soul journey to nirvana? This artists impression of reincarnation, though beautifully illustrated, holds little explanation as to how reincarnation takes place.

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So many questions without an answer and our body only achieves what our mind believes.

This quote I found in a Buddhism Guide blog recently, concludes this about reincarnation…
“I personally feel rebirth is one of the most unclear aspects of Buddhism, but…”

“By following Buddha’s teachings, we reduce our suffering now in this very life, and if there is a next life, we would have set ourselves up for a good rebirth. So, whether you believe in rebirth or not, you will end up winning. That must be a more realistic way of looking at the topic of rebirth.”
From Can we be reborn?

So reincarnation or not, it is better to live a good life! I can’t disagree with that!

By us living a good life those around us feel loved, respected, appreciated as will we if those around us choose to also live a good life. Imagine a world where we all lived this way! That would surely bring nirvana – ‘the final goal of Buddhism!’ But if reincarnation is not a certainty, what should we base our life on? Why are we here?

Could death mean we have used up the only chance we were offered to live life as we were meant to, listening to our conscience and making good decisions?

That when we die, will we be questioned about the way we lived and the effect we had on others and receive our just reward?

The Bible contains much about how we got here and about living life well. Also about being kind, loving, and generous to others but the choice is ours. So what does the Bible say about life?

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At the time God made Earth and Heaven… God formed Man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive—a living soul! Genesis 2:5-7 MSG

God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them
reflecting our nature
So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,
the birds in the air, the cattle,
And, yes, Earth itself,
and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”
God created human beings;
he created them godlike,
Reflecting God’s nature.
He created them male and female.
God blessed them:
“Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.” Genesis 1:27

Life, lovely while it lasts, is soon over.
Life as we know it, precious and beautiful, ends.
The body is put back in the same ground it came from.
The spirit returns to God, who first breathed it. Ecclesiastes 12:6-7 MSG

Death is the most democratic experience in life for we all participate in it. We think of its happening only to other people. We don’t like to grow old and we don’t like to die.

The Bible teaches that death is an enemy of man and God. But it also teaches that this enemy, death, will ultimately be destroyed forever; that in fact it has already been defeated at the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Death, for a Christian, offers a permanent escape from evil. It also means the believer will be like Jesus. We shall be like Christ in love. So much of self is involved in what we do here; but one day, in Christ, we will have perfect love. What a glorious time it will be when we get to heaven! Jesus, Your victory over death comforts my heart and fills me with hope. From Dr Billy Graham.

O death, where then your victory? Where then your sting? For sin—the sting that causes death—will all be gone; and the law, which reveals our sins, will no longer be our judge! 1 Corinthians 15:55

“In this video Dr Billy Graham explains about faith:

It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that He exists and that He cares enough to respond to those who seek Him. Hebrews 11:6

It doesn’t matter how we feel and what we believe can let us down, only the truth will make you free!

For further reading see ’What happens to our soul when we die

Please share this message with those you love and bring hope and light to someone else’s world!
2018 Elaine Costin – Capturing Sunrise / Blog