Tuesday, October 28, 2008

No More Sadness

The Bible paints a picture of Heaven using a big brush and broad strokes. One has to stand back to get the picture but even then, as Isaiah writes, "...nor [has it] entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him..".[Isa. 64:4][I Corin. 2:9].
We know that there will be no more death. In this life we are surrounded and sometimes overwhelmed by death. Most of it is real; some of it is pretended. I have always had difficulty understanding fascination with death as entertainment.
The Romans were good at 'Death Extravaganzas'. Miscreants were torn to pieces and eaten by wild animals as a part of 'theater-in-the-round.' Their death served as bloody signals to society at large: "If you are caught stealing, if you kill someone, if you refuse to pay allegiance to the Empire, if you worship a God we (pantheists) don't know... this will be your fate."
Our society is a lot like Rome because, death-as-entertainment, is big business, except that we eat popcorn and drink 20 oz. 'Colas' while we enjoy?? and wide-screen, stereophonic productions of bad guys (so called) being blown up, blown away, burned up, tortured, and tormented. Odd thing: I've never seen a movie title that read; "You Shall Not Murder," or, "Turn The Other Cheek."
Death is cheered, applauded, laughed at, and we leave the theater effusing over the excitement experienced watching nearly-real bloodshed, nearly-real agony, nearly-real death.
Another odd thing: When I've had to witness death as it really is; when the one being shot doesn't get up for a second "take", when the one in the coffin stays there and the lid is closed, and you watch the coffin being lowered into the ground, there is no cheering, no laughing, no popcorn, no Coca Cola: Just the flow of salty tears. And we remember the words of Poe in "The Raven:" "Quoth the raven, 'Nevermore."
Nevermore on this earth do we see the infant, the child, the brother or sister, the father or mother, the best friend that waits in the dust for the Resurrection call of Christ.
"For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an Archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up in the air together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." [I Thess. 4:15&16].
I have told my wife (of almost 52 years,) whether we are living or dead, when Jesus comes to get his children my greatest hope and joy will be to make the journey from earth to heaven "...holding hands..."
This is what it means when the Bible says, "...there will be no more sorrow...". God Bless.

1 comment:

gadadhoon said...

I'm using that verse in my sermon this Sabbath. Nice post.