YOUR LAST STEP ON EARTH AND YOUR FIRST STEP THEREAFTER
Sakkie Parsons
Someone wrote to me as follows:
“My husband’s brother past away yesterday and we were shocked to hear that he adopted the Muslim faith and was buried accordingly. We knew that my brother in law’s daughter is married to a Muslim, but did not know that he had become one. We went for the sake of closure but were shocked by what we saw. What are your feelings towards this?
Here is then how I replied to this person:
Please keep in mind that if I share with you how I look at this matter and especially funerals, I do not belittle, put down or dismiss burials as useless. It is for most people whose loved ones passed away, psychologically necessary to attend their funeral for closure or at least to get the beginning of closure on their loss.
With that in mind, I share with you the following:
What I am saying now obviously applies to every deceased person at whose funeral his/her family, friends or interested parties come together, no matter which way you are buried.
There is nothing, absolutely nothing that we can do about the destiny of this person who went from the temporary to eternity.
Long before the funeral, the moment when that person has retired from this life, he/she arrived where he/she will spend eternity.
I share with you the beautiful example from the Bible where Jesus Himself explained to us and as I always say – Jesus is the only person who ever walked the earth, who exactly knows what happens to a man who died.
I share just a portion to demonstrate what I say but you may want to read the entire section in LUKE 16:19-31. The title is:
Parable of the rich man and Lazarus
19 "There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.
20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried,
23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
To begin with: Jesus says:
19 "There was a rich man..”
If Jesus says that there was a rich man then we talk about a real event because “there was a rich man”.
Then we see further that Lazarus was not buried, for we read:
22 “The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. ..”
The reason why Lazarus was not buried is because people like beggars, deprived and homeless etcetera that died, were taken out of the city to what we now call the rubbish holes, dump or spilling site and left for the wild animals and birds, but the rich man was obviously buried.
22 “ … The rich man also died and was buried,
The fact that Lazarus was not buried and therefore did not have a grave did not prevent that he opened his eyes in heaven.
22 “The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. ..”
Similarly, the rich man’s beautiful funeral and certainly perfect grave, so to speak, could not prevent that he opened his eyes in hell.
23 “and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.”
You see –
How you are buried, and even whether you are being buried, has nothing to do with where you will spend eternity.
The determining factor of where you will spend eternity is whether you have repented and received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour.
Have you given this a thought? –
Why did the rich man ended up in hell?
I do not read anywhere that he had lived a bad life.
Therefore, why was he in hell?
You see –
A person does not only go to hell for what they did or rather what they did wrong.
I believe that most people go to hell for what they did not do.
The rich man did not go to hell because he had lived a sinful life; he ended up in hell because he, as I see it, arrived without Jesus on the other side of the grave.
He did not accept Jesus as his Lord and Saviour.
Because:
GAL 3:26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
GAL 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Without Jesus no one will be able to enter heaven.
In other words: When you step out of this life, you step into the afterlife, or into heaven, because you are clothed (covered) with Jesus.
Arriving in any other way at the other side of the grave, and you will end up like the rich man – in hell.
Next time you attend a funeral and you see the coffin standing there – as it sometimes happens –
Then look to the cist and remember that the body of the person which are lying there, the two legs are lying side by side, because this person has already gave his/her last step on earth, and gave the next step in the hereafter – whether in heaven or in hell.
Then look down at your own two legs and remember that there shall certainly come a day when both your legs will be lying side by side just as the body of the person that is now in the coffin, because then it will be you that has given your last step on earth, and you then already has given your next step in the hereafter –
Where will that first step be in the afterlife?
Are you going without Jesus, step into hell? Or are you going with Jesus to enter heaven?
Because only by repenting and asking Jesus Christ into your heart as your Lord en Savior, you will be able to enter into heaven.
Do you remember?
JOH 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
To summarize what I have shared with you:
Ultimately it does not matter how well you are buried and which religions applied and if you are buried.
What really matter is whether you arrived on the other side of the grave clothed with Jesus.
How wonderful if you received Jesus Christ as your Savior.
Because then you arrive on the other side of the grave covered with Jesus – how wonderful – and heaven’s gate is open wide to welcome you!
GAL 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
JOH 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Greetings,
Sakkie