John 11:17 On arrival, Yeshua found that El‘azar had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Beit-Anyah was about two miles from Yerushalayim, 19 and many of the Judeans had come to Marta and Miryam in order to comfort them at the loss of their brother. 20 So when Marta heard that Yeshua was coming, she went out to meet him; but Miryam continued sitting shiv‘ah in the house.
21 Marta said to Yeshua, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 Even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” 23 Yeshua said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Marta said, “I know that he will rise again at the Resurrection on the Last Day.” 25 Yeshua said to her, “I AM the Resurrection and the Life! Whoever puts his trust in me will live, even if he dies; 26 and everyone living and trusting in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”
Resurrection implies death.
In order to be resurrected, you will have to die. I don’t think we really want to consider this reality but the way out of this world that Adam set in motion is through the tunnel of death.
There will be a few that won’t taste death and will be called up at the sound of the final trumpet, but even they must die.
“Wait, so those that die had to die, and those that didn’t die have to die?”
Of course. If there were another way, don’t you think Yeshua would have told us about it? “Hey guys, there is a secret chant you can say that will let you bypass the pain and fear attached to death. Want to hear it?”
But He never said a word like this. So death is coming and it is coming for us all.
What actually is death?
Simply speaking, it is a separation. Physical death is separation from this age. Spiritual death is separation from the Father. But there is another category that defies all logic: willful death. Here we have separation from the world. And this one may be the most difficult of all because we have to choose to enter into this death -- while we are alive.
We can experience a variety of these deaths ourselves, with the max being 2 per person (on very rare occasions only 1 death comes -- sort of):
This applies to just about everyone except those believers that are alive on the earth when the Messiah returns. There may have been instances in the past where individuals bypassed this particular death (see: Enoch and Elijah as possibilities) but physical death is standard operating procedure for all who breathe. The exception that’s coming is when the Messiah returns and those still alive on the earth will be brought up into the clouds with Him. But, by rule, this is death as well if we view it from the perspective of separation from this age. Technically then, everyone dies. But we can allow for hair splitting on this one if it’s that important to you.
This happens at the second judgment. After the millennial reign, there will be one more time that everyone will stand before the Messiah. The sheep and the goats will be divided in Shechem and the goats will be sent off into the darkness. Separation from the Father, permanently. I believe this is the default state of all people walking the earth. Yeshua even had this separation Himself while on the execution stake. If we never change, if we never choose the willful death, we are automatically separated from the Father. Most people you know are in this category right now. And they don’t care.
While you’re alive in this age, you can choose to give up your life even though your physical body remains alive. Choosing this death means you will be a part of the first resurrection, after which the second death has no power over you. Choosing this death is a very difficult thing to do which is why so few do it. It makes no sense in this age when you have so many pleasures set before you to willfully give them up. “Eat, drink, and be merry,” they say. This is completely rational for most people in the earth.
We live in an age where you don’t need faith at all because you can use your own strength to do whatever it is you want to do. It’s ridiculous to fast when you have food in the fridge (unless some new age guru advises it for some other absurd benefit). If you don’t have someone in your presence to physically satisfy your needs, you can just look at porn or read that romance novel. When you struggle with your identity and you need to exercise power over others, you can choose to elevate yourself to do it. You have everything your flesh desires so why would anyone want to kill that person off? Logically, it makes no sense.
But we’re not concerned with logic, are we? We’ve caught a glimpse into something that goes far beyond the escape we get playing video games for a few hours. We see an escape into a different world altogether. One that makes no sense to the world in which we walk.
The thing about all of this is that you have an option set before you where you can choose how eternity works out for you. Seems like a very simple decision and one we all should quickly embrace. Now, if you truly understood the value of what you will receive, you’d pay any price because you’d understand.
But…we don’t understand. What little part we do get is that choosing Eternity costs a lot. A whole lot.
The currency of death is pain. This is what you trade in order to obtain death and no one likes to give it up. You think money is a stronghold? Try getting people to pay in pain. We avoid it like a plague. But pain will come. There is no avoiding it. We sure do try, though.
Well, since you have to endure the pain no matter what, why not make a party out of it?
Death is not fun. It’s not supposed to be. But you have a way to temper it so the tragedy of it all is almost nonexistent. A little perceived pain now in order to not have to experience real pain later on -- seems like a no-brainer, doesn’t it?
And yet we fight it. Tooth and nail, they say. Why?
Our flesh is so incredibly powerful. When Adam and Eve ate of that tree, a dreadful disease leached into every crevice of our being. A disease so intrusive it clouds even the simplest things in our lives. When someone cuts you off in traffic or jumps ahead of you in line, extending unmerited grace is such a painful and deliberate thing we have to do. Or showing mercy to someone selfish that plows over you with their will? Hours and hours of therapy needed for that one, right?
These are simple things that are but an inconvenience in our life. When it comes to the real stuff, well, that’s when our flesh goes into overdrive.
It seems we have zero ability to see past our flesh which is why it must die. Our self-awareness and selfishness has to be put down. You being the center of the universe only carries with it death. When we focus on ourselves, we tend to destroy relationships. Death.
Ironic, isn’t it? Our flesh, that desperately seeks life, sows seeds of death like clockwork. By killing it, we kill death. And hence have life.
The trouble here is knowing how to put that internal enemy to death. The formula is simple: quit being selfish. See…simple.
Pain is real and you need to learn to embrace it -- every single day. Those bodybuilders with the tank tops covered in “No pain, No Gain” could probably be considered some of the best evangelists in the world. For them, this war cry is about physical pain but for us, it’s about Eternal Life. Growing stronger and more flexible, feeding ourselves with the things our bodies need, and developing disciplines that are exercised every day…does this not fully describe what we’ve been called into? Put down the Doritos today so you can lift someone out of despair tomorrow.
Fight that urge to satisfy your flesh with the infinite distractions set before you. Do that and embrace the pain. Yeah, it hurts, but what’s on the other side will cause you to look back and wonder how that thing held onto you so tightly.
Here we are, completely destroyed through our own intentions -- in a good way. We have set ourselves aside and pushed that disease-ridden, rotten person into the dark hole where it belongs. Sending our flesh into the Lake of Fire by our own choice so our true self will never experience such a devastating event. Poof! Gone. All that remains is a vessel that has been purified so life can then be poured forth.
And guess who’s there waiting -- yes, Yeshua. The Resurrection and the Life. Drawing you out of the depths of despair that lurks around every corner here on earth. He’s taken the path of death Himself and found the way through. The Resurrection. He’s calling you in through that tiny, tiny space because on the other side is Life.
He is the path and He is the destination.
Can you hear it? He’s calling you into that willful death so that you can have life. Follow Him. Stop entertaining the desperate and dark cries of your flesh. The motivations you have in secret will be burned up eventually. Either by you lighting the match or Him. No matter what, it will all go up in flames. You just want to disconnect the actual you from this glorious event. Paul beautifully describes this process for us:
1 Corinthians 3:8 However, each will be rewarded according to his work. 9 For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. 10 Using the grace God gave me, I laid a foundation, like a skilled master-builder; and another man is building on it. But let each one be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Yeshua the Messiah. 12 Some will use gold, silver or precious stones in building on this foundation; while others will use wood, grass or straw. 13 But each one’s work will be shown for what it is; the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire — the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. 14 If the work someone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward; 15 if it is burned up, he will have to bear the loss: he will still escape with his life, but it will be like escaping through a fire.
Exercise wisdom: choose the gold, silver and precious stones. They are more expensive than wood, grass and straw, but we now understand what currency is involved in making these purchases. Pain, and lots of it.
Are you ready to die? Today?
Go ahead and put yourself out of your misery. Give up your life now so you can have your life later on. He is the Resurrection and the Life!