Birthdays on earth take on different meanings for different people. Some carry a feeling of sadness or dread, while others share a time of joy and happiness. One thing that applies to all is the fact that each birthday is one day closer to our last human day on earth. What happens after our last breath here should be our main concern because it is our entry into eternity. (ESV – all emphasis is mine)
One parable that comes to mind about this issue is the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31. Lazarus was an extremely poor man covered in sores. He would have been thankful for just a few scraps of food from the rich man’s table. The rich man had every luxury at his fingertips, yet he was concerned only with satisfying his own needs and greed.
In the parable, both men died, and their eternal destinations were totally reversed. Please note, there are only two possible outcomes after we pass from this earth.
We’re told that Lazarus was taken to Abraham’s side while the rich man was in torment in Hades. When the rich man cried out for comfort, he was reminded of how he had treated Lazarus, and that there could never be contact again between the two. This was before the death, burial, and resurrection of our Savior.
Daniel 12:2-3; “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.”
Paul’s comment in Philippians 1:21-23 speaks volumes: “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard-pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.”
Paul states in 2 Corinthians 5:8-10, “Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at Home with the Lord. So whether we are at Home or away, we make it our aim to please Him. For we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what was done in the body, whether good or evil.” This Judgment will be for all who had received and accepted Jesus as their Savior while they were alive on Earth.
For all who refuse to receive and accept Jesus from the time of Calvary to the end of time on this earth, they will join all who died out of the will of the Father from creation up to Calvary. Revelation 20:14-15 gives their final sentence: “Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Satan, his demons, the ultimate antichrist, and false prophet will already be in eternal punishment when the White Throne Judgment takes place. This time, they will not be in charge of anything, but each will be in punishment forever to the degree of all the evil they caused. Another disclaimer: for all who think they will “party with friends” in hell, each soul there will be in their own forever punishment, and there will be no socializing.
In just a few days, Lord Willing, I will have reached my 79th birthday. The greatest gift I have received through all those years is that the Lord did not require my soul before I called out for Jesus to be my eternal shepherd and to ask His forgiveness for all my sins. I totally believe the word of the Father that tells us when we accept His Son, our sins are gone, and as Psalm 103:11-12 states, they are as far removed as East is from West.
I understand that people who grew up in a church environment believe that because they attended services and believe Jesus is real, it entitles them to a home in Heaven. However, after careful study of the word from our Father – Bible – and through efforts from prayer warriors, I believe the Holy Spirit opened my mind for one question to make a serious impression on me: “If you die right now, where do you think you will spend eternity?” That was almost forty years ago, and I understand that just believing Jesus is real doesn’t save us.
James 2:19; “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe and shudder.”
At age 40, I had never read the entire Bible for myself, so I purchased a version I could understand. First was the New American Standard Version, and later the English Standard Version. Before this, I took all the preacher’s words as being enough.
On my first complete reading, which took several months, one verse seemed to leap off the page at me. John 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.” This verse told me what the entire 66 books of the Bible were about. If we read Matthew 11:17, Luke 10:22, John 3:18, John 3:36, John 14:6, 1 John 2:23, and 1 John 5:10-12, we see they all state that if we have the Son, we also have the Father. Likewise, No Son – No Father.
Micah 7:18-19; “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgressions for the remnant of His inheritance? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”
From 1 Thessalonians 4:19: “Then, we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” Our mortal bodies will become immortal, and we will have a mindset like our Savior’s, which will not be subject to temptation again.
And to sum up, this will be our Real First Birthday. Not a countdown to our death, but a start of our new lives in Heaven with our Lord in a place He personally prepared for us (John 14:1-3).
Even though I have been blessed with 79 years, anticipation of my real first birthday is on my mind, and a daily prayer is, “Today would not be too early to go Home, Lord.” With all that is happening in the world that is fulfilling end-time prophecy, I firmly believe my daily prayer is not far off from being granted. As always, my prayer includes, “Not my will, Lord, but Yours be done.”
With all this in mind, if you haven’t called out for Jesus to be your Savior, now would be a good time to do so. We don’t know the exact day or hour, but the “beginning of the end-time happenings” as stated by our Lord in Luke 21:28, started in earnest about a decade ago. The pace is accelerating every day, and soon we could hear the Trumpet of God and Shout from an archangel signaling we’re going Home (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
All who will be left behind will enter a seven-year period of tribulation that will be worse than anything that has ever happened before. Many will still be able to call out to be saved in that time, but the cost will most likely be martyrdom.
Make plans for your first birthday now. We all could be celebrating this at any moment. Hoping you will be there so we can all celebrate together!
Ahava Olin! (Love Everlasting!)