Monday, August 23, 2010

Do you want to "LIVE FOREVER"?

Do you really want to “Live forever”?




Genesis 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:



What does it mean “to live”? Is it not far better to die a righteous death and go to heaven? (or so, is that what Suicide Bombers were taught?) Even the Bible says, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).



In the book of Genesis 3:22, to live forever as a human being as you are right now and not in some floating heavenly dream or re-engineered superhuman. Are you able to take life as it is now with all its imperfections and live forever? The imperfections that we see now, are they just a matter of one person’s opinion? To the Lord, you maybe the most perfect creature dearest to His heart, while to somebody else, flaws are all they see.





So, people who take pleasure in seeing other people die or blown up into a million pieces and want the same for themselves are they insane, brainwashed by systematic induction of perverse theology or plain stupid.


Oh, another reason, demon possessed…….. Is that what so-called Martyrs are going to tell God when they end up in Hell? The demons made me do it.


Do not say, I did not warn you beforehand.


Real martyrs of God are not the ones that go deliberately seeking death because of religious affiliations but those whom death came looking for them – people who are full of life,  and only want to live for their Lord and family.   




Come to think of it, mostly people who are well endowed in monetary means and not to forget social and political power are interested to live forever, to seek after Immortality, hoping to safe guard their interests, so to speak. Some people go to great lengths and effort (to the extent of even bringing harm or to kill) to find that fountain of youth.



Job 7:16 I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity.


Job 14:14 If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.


Job 21:7 Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?


Try asking people born poor and are struggling to live one day at a time, if they want to live forever?


For my own selfish reasons, I am hoping for the nearest exit.


What about some people who are in irreversible situations according to the law of human nature (but according to the laws of God’s nature, anything is possible and reversible !!!).


Just a few examples:-


a) People born into extreme poverty and neglect


b) People with painful Terminal illness – seeking Euthanasia


c) People who have been in prison for so long, they have forgotten how to live in a society. Life imprisonment – some may plot for revenge while some just hope to die.


d) People who have been betrayed or abandoned by family, loved ones closest to them.


e) People who are trapped in a series of detrimental situations.


f) People who are born or made disabled.


g) ……etc…….etc……….



Psalms 49:1 Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world:


Psalms 49:2 Both low and high, rich and poor, together.


Psalms 49:3 My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.


Psalms 49:4 I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.


Psalms 49:5 Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?


Psalms 49:6 They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;


Psalms 49:7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:


Psalms 49:8 (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)


Psalms 49:9 That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.


Psalms 49:10 For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.


Psalms 49:11 Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.


Psalms 49:12 Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.


Psalms 49:13 This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah.


Psalms 49:14 Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.


Psalms 49:15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.


Psalms 49:16 Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;


Psalms 49:17 For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.


Psalms 49:18 Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself.


Psalms 49:19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.


Psalms 49:20 Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.



We are basically programmed to believe that humans can live up to around 120 years old, even though “the Bible tells us so” (Genesis 6:3), it is because we see the mortality rates of our fellow human beings all die within that range of age. Most people believe that human beings like plants and animals, cease to exist when we die. That is a convenient way to think, that since we will cease to exist when we die, why bother trying so hard to live a righteous life and why bother to believe in some mythical being who claimed to have created everything that we see and know?



1 Kings 19:4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.


Psalms 7:5 Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.


Psalms 31:13 For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.

Jonah 4:3 Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.


Even the Prophets of old, wish for death to come (Elijah, Jonah, …..). What prompted them to seek for their life to be taken away? Are they not men of God, strong and mighty in Spirit of the Lord?


And yet, a life of seclusion and fear of death threats have made Elijah wish he had not been born.


John the Baptist spent all of his life in the desert alone and that even made him stronger in the Spirit.


In Jonah’s case, perhaps because the Lord pursued him so deliberately and intensely to pronounce God’s Judgments on Nineveh and hence Jonah became so preconditioned to think only of the destruction of Nineveh; that when the people of Nineveh repented and the Lord stayed His hand from destroying Nineveh, Jonah actually became somewhat ashamed and disappointed that his predictions did not come true. Did Jonah have some shreds of pride left in his heart?


Many times, even as the Lord punishes the wicked, he also chastises the righteous and even meets out a lesson or two for His own Prophets to learn from.


Jonah had to learn give up his pride and prejudice; while Elijah, well, he probably needed to learn to come out of that cave and face his greatest fears without shame or remorse, that wanton woman named Jezebel, the embodiment of the whore of Babylon, the worshipper of Beelzebub and all those who stand against the Lord God of Israel.



This demonstrates that even the mightiest of the Prophets of God are just human beings and when left alone, what do we normally do? A person left alone for too long, may tend to have their fears unusually magnified. Although it is good to be able to spend some amount of time alone in prayer and communion with the Lord.


In the end what the Lord aims to achieve is to show us that the Spirit of the Lord working through these prophets are able to overcome any of their individual weakness and fears.


Galatians 2:20 - “I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”


Although, we are left with the picture of a pouting and disgruntled Jonah sitting all alone outside the gates of Nineveh………….


It is quite unusual for the Bible to have a story that stops without a proper ending………


I wonder what happened to Jonah after that. Did he stop pouting and come out from under his booth with a contrite heart and get on with his life? I guess we can ask Jesus that question when He returns……



Ezekiel 18:19


Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.


Ezekiel 18:20


The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.


Ezekiel 18:21


But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.


Ezekiel 18:22


All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.


Ezekiel 18:23


Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?


Ezekiel 18:24


But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.


Ezekiel 18:25


Yet ye say, The way of the LORD is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?



When I am depressed because of various reasons and maybe because the roof over my head looks as if it is going to fall down on me (because small pieces of it did), all I want to do is cease to exist but my mother would say “nonsense”. All my life since I was baby, many people close to me (cousins) tells me that I have a short life. I was told that when a person is called to do God’s work, he basically has a short life, especially in my circumstances. So, throughout my short life, I never thought about what it really means to live out my life until 120 years or more, if Jesus Christ comes back before I die. I never made any long-term plans. I never bought any life insurance. I never wanted to go anywhere or do anything. But I knew, I had to do something before I die, so I waited patiently to complete my duties so that I can die and go home to heaven, that sort of thing. I was kind of looking forward to that day and hope it will be soon. But only this past year or so, I realized (through the Lord’s revelation), that all those people that told me that I have a short life, are wrong. The worse thing is, I was feeling disappointed because I have always thought I am going to take the short cut out of here. So can somebody remind me of what it means to live again? Why do we have to struggle to survive?



My mother no matter how hard her life was, she has never thought of death before in her entire life. My mother although she does worry a lot, she does not bother herself with silly thoughts and imaginations [unlike me… :-(   ] and she has a faith that is solid as a rock. Phew!! Thank the Lord I inherited a little piece of that rock…:-)


My mother said, all my complaining and sadness is all about money, isn’t it? Hhhhhmmmm….. I am not sure but money does answer some of my problems!!!!! Fixing this, fixing that, …….it takes money to generate more money …… and it takes even MORE money to buy time off from laborious work ….


I think I am becoming a fan of King Solomon and I think I am as bad as he is, for saying, MONEY ANSWERTH ALL THINGS!!!






Being obsessed about money and the things that mankind does to get it illegally that makes man evil but money itself is nothing but a means for exchange of goods and services….



Ecclesiastes 10:19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.






1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.



In Psalms 146:2 helps us to see that no matter who we are and where we are (“while I have any being”) we will live to praise the Lord all the days of our lives. - “While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.” A person does not only need to “sing” in order to praise, but praises and honour and blessings unto the Lord can comes in all forms.


We praise the Lord and bring honour to His Name, through things that we do (when we live according to His Truth and Spirit) , the words that we speak with a renewed speech, the witnessing through our lives with the people that wishes to seek the Lord, and when they shall see it and shall place their trust in the Lord also.


Psalms 40:3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.


Psalms 45:17 I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.


Psalms 146:1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.


Psalms 146:2 While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.


Psalms 146:3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.


Psalms 146:4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.


Psalms 146:5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:


Psalms 146:6 Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:


Psalms 146:7 Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners:


Psalms 146:8 The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:


Psalms 146:9 The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.


Psalms 146:10 The LORD shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the LORD.




Psalms 22:26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.



Deuteronomy 8:1 All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers.


Deuteronomy 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.


Deuteronomy 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.


So what does it mean to live?


“That man shall not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth MAN LIVE.” Deuteronomy 8:3

The Lord created the heavens and the earth and everything that is good in it including mankind. He created us not in vain but in his goodness and grace our Lord will enable us to live. Not only just enough to survive or get through the day, but according to the His endless riches of the full assurance of understanding and power of our Father in Heaven, the Lord Most High through whom we are His inheritance.


Colossians 2:2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;



Isaiah 45:18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.