What is Death?
Death, simply put, is the absence of God,
the greater the absence, the greater the Death.
In other words, the farther you move away from God,
The farther he removes himself from you,
The greater experience of Death, Disease,
and Destruction you will see in your life.
Death is defined by God as the absence of God.
When one is separated from God they die.
Isaiah 59:2 (KJV)
But your iniquities have separated between you and your God,
and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
At first spiritually, eventually physically, but in the end permanently.
1 Corinthians 15:50-57 (KJV)
50 Now this I say, brethren,
that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God;
neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Corruption vs. Incorruption
Note: What can and what cannot inherit, the Kingdom of God? That which is Flesh cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but Spirit gives birth to spirit. That which is corrupt, cannot inherit, or put on that which is incorrupt. That which is dead cannot walk in that which is alive. This is “The Foundation” upon which God shares His Perspective to His Kingdom, His Reality, His Inheritance that He desires to share with His adopted Children. (BTW–that is you and me: “if” we choose to submit and receive His Kingdom Commandments and Requirements spiritually. In other words, if we truly choose to do His Will and His Ways, clearly outlined in His Word, with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, Keeping His Commandments, by Abiding In Him–we become inheritors of His Heavenly Kingdom.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery;
We shall not all sleep
[We shall not all die a natural death],
but we shall all be changed,
[We shall all be transformed liken unto a caterpillar becoming a butterfly]
52 In a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye,
at the last trump:
for the trumpet shall sound,
and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed.
The Rapture
The Rapture is an intimately intertwined event in the Life and Death of all the Saints of God, defined above.
The Prophetic description above is detailing a very prominent event in the Kingdom of God. It is called “Appearing” or “The Parosia” coming from the Greek. (I Thessalonians 4:15). It is also known as “The Rapture” the Great Catching Away (coming from the Latin translation of the Original Greek).
This Grand Event can be likened to the long awaited Day of Graduation for a University Medical Student who has completed all their understudies. Only the Rapture will be a worldwide, cosmological, supernatural experience that will affect every living, and dead human being that ever existed.
This Day will officially elevate and separate “the have’s” from the “have not’s.” It will definitively separate those who have successfully qualified themselves to enter into the Kingdom of God, from those who have not successfully qualified themselves through the pathway provided by God to enter into the Kingdom of God.
Those who have graduated will enter the Kingdom of God with Honors, Shouts of Praise, Glory and Honor, Thanksgiving, Gratitude, and Joy. For their now new heavenly eternal bodies will all gather around the Throne of God singing praises, celebrating with thanksgiving, all that God has done for them.
Those who will have been left behind, that didn’t graduate, or rather left outside the Gates of His Heavenly Home–for them there will been the experience of weeping and gnashing of teeth, for all of eternity.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption,
and this mortal must put on immortality.
Mortality vs. Immoratility
The Mortal will put on Immortality. That is good news to the Family & Friends of God. That is bad news to the mockers, scoffers, adversaries, scornful, belligerent, haughty, enemies of God, who will ultimately be unwelcome in God’s House.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption,
and this mortal shall have put on immortality,
then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written,
Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting?
O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
This doctrine and teaching, is a huge foundation stone in the life of every active believer. It provides the reason and impetus to serve the King of Heaven with heavenly loyalty and earthly perseverance.