Why do we Die? – Wallace Articles

March 20, 2011

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Death!: Who’s in Charge?

Why do we die?! If someone asks you a question like this, how do you respond? Do you mumble something about Adam & Eve and the fruit, about being subject to Satan, and about having to die because of sin? Is that how the conversation would go?

God created mankind to be able to live forever. If things had gone according to plan, we would never get old or sick or die. God also gave mankind dominion over this world. Our rightful place is to rule over “Nature”, not be subject to it. According to God’s design the spiritual beings we refer to as Angels and Demons are supposed to be our helpers and servants, not our masters.

So how did things get so messed up? It started when Adam & Eve believed a lie Satan told them, and people have been believing his lies ever since! It is a lie of Satan that says we are subject to him. It is a lie of Satan that we no longer have authority in this world. It is a lie of Satan that we have to get old and sick and die. Stop believing the Liar! Instead, believe the One who is known as the Truth!

Jn 10:10, “The Enemy comes not but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly.”

The Enemy’s entire purpose in coming to our world and interacting with us is to cause us as much suffering, fear, and death as possible. Satan and his demons hate humans intensely and want to kill us all. However, our Enemy doesn’t have the power to destroy everyone at once. He and his demons have to get to each of us individually. Even then, we don’t make it easy for him. So he tries to trick us into killing ourselves and each other, if he can. Also, he’s not stupid; he is sophisticated enough to hide his feelings toward us when doing so will further his purposes. So although at times you will encounter demons who are openly hostile, there will be occasions that you encounter ones who try to convince you they want to help you. But, these latter ones will only give you things which will ultimately further their own interests.

Do not be deceived; do not believe any of the Enemy’s lies. He wants nothing for you but to cause you as much suffering as possible while he’s waiting and looking for an opportunity to kill you and those around you.

Everyone, upon being born in this world, comes under the influence of demons of “Decay, Disease, and Death”. These demons follow us, constantly watching for ways to afflict us until the day we die. They will attack any way they can — physically, emotionally, intellectually, or spiritually. If they can’t hurt you directly, they will do so indirectly by afflicting those you love. Or they will prompt you to do things that hurt others. Every influence is designed to cause misery to someone.

Our bodies were made by our Creator to be resilient, and they constantly work to counteract the effects of disease and decay. But we, in our ignorance, often work against our body’s purpose by poisoning it rather than strengthening it. God gave our body the ability to heal itself. So if the damage isn’t too great and if the injurious factor is removed, then our body will work to repair whatever has been broken. Unfortunately, we often willfully overlook the harm we do to ourselves when we indulge tobacco, alcohol, drugs, and other damaging products.

We also injure ourselves when we harbor negative emotions or hold to erroneous preconceived ideas and refuse to be corrected. These wrong thoughts cause damage to our emotions and intellect; and the resulting weakening of our soul in turn leads to weakening of our body. We sustain further harm to body and soul when we neglect our spiritual well-being. Most people greatly underestimate the importance of time spent in communion with God. The effect of the spiritual life on the physical life is little understood; and so use of spiritual means to improve physical health is neglected. But time spent in prayer, of itself, has power to heal us of many afflictions and shortcomings.

As the years pass, our body’s ability to self-heal lessens. We then attribute our new pains and weaknesses to the “normal” effects of aging. But this isn’t “normal”. The symptoms and weaknesses which we attribute to “the aging process” are not what our Creator intended for us, and so should not be considered normal. Lessened mental and physical capacities, the appearance of aches and pains, and diminished strength and vitality are all inflicted upon us by the Enemy, and needn’t be accepted without a struggle.

These demons claim a right to afflict us, no matter how great our level of spiritual understanding, based on the curse pronounced upon mankind in Eden — “If you eat from the tree, you will die,” Ge 2:17. We accept this claim rather than fight against it for several reasons. First, we view the pronouncement at Eden as an unalterable verdict of judgment against us instead of seeing it as a warning for us of something to avoid. Second, we believe Satan’s lies that we are helpless against Death. And third, we fail to recognize and apply Jesus’ substitutionary death to free us from the demons of Decay, Disease, and Death.

We assume, incorrectly, that the warning which says, “The soul that sins shall die” (Ez 18:20), means that every human must experience death due to the related statement which says, “all have sinned…” (Ro 3:23). We make this assumption despite the experiences of Enoch and Elijah who never saw death; and we dismiss these men as merely being exceptions rather than recognizing their experiences as possibilities which we, too, can claim.

Our error lies, in part, in not distinguishing between the “first death” and the “second death” (Re 20:6); and in applying the pronouncement of curse to mean the first death also, rather than just the second death only. The first death refers to the mortality of our physical body in this world, while the second death refers to the permanent death of the soul for those who will be condemned at the Great Judgment. The proclamation that, “the wages of sin is death” (Ro 6:23) refers to the second death which will be the fate of all who refuse to accept the sacrifice made by Jesus on their behalf.

Our confusion is deepened by Satan’s lies to keep us in error regarding the truth of Death. He wishes to keep us in bondage to him through our fear of death. He 2:15, “[That Jesus might] deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” We do not have to be subject to Death; but because of our “fear” of it we place ourselves under its power. Satan also tries to keep us unwittingly subject to his demons of Decay and Disease through our confusion and ongoing ignorance regarding their source as well. ALL evil comes from the Enemy, yet we view these things as “natural” and a necessary part of life because of the entrance of sin. We continue to disregard the fact that God made us rulers of this world, not Satan, and that this rulership didn’t have to change just because of Adam and Eve’s downfall. We’ve been tricked into believing a lie; and so far, we’ve not yet seen that the truth is otherwise.

Furthermore, our error is compounded by not recognizing that the sacrifice which Jesus made on the Cross removed from us the curses of sin and death. Ga 3:13 tells us that Jesus “became cursed for us”; that is, He experienced both the first death and the second death; so that we could be freed from both. The punishment that “the soul that sins shall die” was included in the curses which Jesus took from us and bore on the Cross. But we mistakenly think that He freed us only from the “second death” while leaving us still subject to the “first death”. We have been given the possibility to be freed from both, if we only know to accept Jesus’ sacrifice and promise, and reject Satan’s claims and lies.

To better understand this concept we can consider three Biblical characters and their experiences with death. First, let’s look at how Moses died. De 34:5-7, “So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth-Peor; but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.” We learn from this passage that he died according to “the word of the Lord”. His death was in God’s plan and with Moses’ consent; it wasn’t forced on him by Satan. We also learn that when he died “his eye was not dim nor his natural force abated”. This tells us that even at 120 years old Moses had all his health and strength. He wasn’t a frail little man so weak he couldn’t sit up by himself. He had all the strength and energy of a man in his prime: his natural force was not diminished at all. So we can see that when you’re in close enough relationship with God you don’t have to experience any negative effects of getting older. Even his eyesight was still perfect. No cataracts, no glaucoma, not even a little nearsightedness. His eyesight wasn’t dimmed. He wasn’t suffering what we consider even the mildest effects of aging. So then why did he die? God said to him, “Your task is done, and now I’d like you to rest a while.” And Moses agreed with God’s request. He went up on the mountain, laid down and closed his eyes, and he went to sleep. It wasn’t painful, it wasn’t scary, and it wasn’t against his will or God’s will. He was content knowing that God had a purpose even in asking this of him. We may not know why it was necessary for Moses to die before being taken to Heaven, but we can trust our God and know that even this act served a purpose.

Next let’s look at Elijah’s experience. Once his task on Earth was done, he and God agreed that nothing more would be asked of him and he could rest. But God determined that no purpose would be served by asking Elijah to die — it wouldn’t prove any point or have an influence on other people’s spirituality. So God said to Elijah, “I wish to bring you up here with Me, directly without having to die. So go around to your friends to say your ‘good-bye’s, and get ready. I’ll be sending a chariot to pick you up!” Then Elijah became another example for us to strive towards. He proved that Enoch wasn’t just an exception. This course is open to those who walk with God as closely as these men did.

Now let’s look at Stephen. He too was involved in a very close relationship with God, and was totally committed to doing whatever God might ask of him. But due to the times and circumstances of the field where he was laboring, God determined that an act of martyrdom would have a great impact on thousands, even millions of people. So, I believe, God spoke with Stephen in his heart and asked if he would be willing to make such a sacrifice in service to God’s purposes; and Stephen agreed.

We have seen that through the ages God has called millions of people to be martyrs. This is a purpose that is difficult for us to understand. Even though we see that each martyr’s death is like a seed that causes many more believers to spring up, we still have questions. We wonder, since God is all powerful, why can’t He make His point some other way? I’m not able to answer that question. But I still have faith in God and believe that He knows what He is doing. Like Job said in chapter 13:15 of his book, I too say, “though He slay me, yet will I trust Him”. We each must make our own decision as to whether or not we could accept martyrdom if it were asked of us. If our answer is No, I don’t believe God will call us to that path.

Now having examined circumstances in which Satan tries to get us to die and circumstances in which God asks us to die, we can begin drawing some conclusions.

* First, death is not inescapable.

* Second, we do not have to cooperate with Satan’s plans to kill us.

* Third, although God asks some to be martyrs, He does so only with their agreement.

* Fourth, if we have a close walk with God, we have a degree of control over death.

* Fifth, it is possible for us to so live our lives that we can be translated.

* Sixth, once we come into our full rights as sons and daughters of God, we’ll be able to free others from death as well; and we’ll see resurrections, just as we’ve been told. Mt 10:8, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils …”.

So recognize God’s original intent for mankind and know the proper standing between you and Death. Know that Death is not your master; it is something over which we have more control than we realize. And recognize that Decay, Disease, and other signs of aging are also not inevitable. We endure these because we accept Satan’s lies. Whenever you feel the beginnings of something wrong, Rebuke it! Quickly; before it gets established! By realizing that these are not God’s will, you can push away most, if not all, of these afflictions.

Once we truly understand our authority we will no longer be subject to disease and death. Instead, they will be subject to us. And we will be able to command them not only from ourselves but also away from others. Some may still be called upon to die; but we will then know that this is being asked in accordance with God’s will and with our cooperation, rather than being inflicted upon us by our Enemy and against our wishes.

Finally, let’s get a little bit practical. Since it’s theoretically possible for us to have power over Decay, Disease, and Death, how come we don’t see this potential realized more fully? We’ve been studying and praying; we’ve received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit; we’ve been commanding demons and speaking against diseases; yet we’re not seeing the results we’d like. Why not? Yes, we have seen healings happen, and we’ve seen miracles occur; but they’re not consistent. Sometimes there is an instant and dramatic result; but other times we have to pray for weeks then see only partial results; and there are still other times when nothing happens at all. So what’s wrong?

The problem is that we haven’t yet come into possession of our full authority and power. In other words, we haven’t yet received our Pentecost! When we look at the experience of Jesus’ Disciples we can see something similar. When they first started following Jesus, He gave them a “delegated authority” to use His power. We see in Mt 10:1; Mk 3:14-15; Lk 9:1-2; & Jn 1:12, that Jesus shared with them a measure of His power. He then sent them out two-by-two to begin putting that power to use; and they came back excited saying that they had seen results. But a careful reading of the text shows that the account says “many” were healed; this conveys that it wasn’t “all” who were healed. Further, we also have an account in Mt 17:14-21 & Mk 9:17-29 which tells of a specific incident where the Disciples were unsuccessful in healing someone. So we come to recognize that delegated authority has limitations.

But if we continue looking at the experience of the Disciples we find that there finally came a time, after they had gained familiarity with using Jesus’ delegated power, that they were given power in themselves. We have come to know this “empowering of the Disciples” as “the Pentecost”. We read that this event placed power within them; Ac 1:8, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you”. The miracles they did afterwards no longer had the same limitations as before; their power was now fully effectuated. Jesus even described their power as having the potential to do “even greater things” than He did; (see Jn 14:12-13).

Therefore, we learn that what we need is to experience our own Pentecost. Presently we are working with the delegated authority that is brought by the BHS. We are in a training period so we can get used to working with the power of God within parameters, that we might not be overwhelmed or do something dangerous. But once we’re ready, once God decides we’re ready, we’ll be given power within ourselves; and it will be limited only by the bounds of our own faith. Mt 21:21-22 and Mk 11:22-24, “If you have faith, nothing shall be impossible for you!”

We can thus see, all that remains is to receive Pentecost. This will come when we’re ready, truly ready, to wield the power of God. What can we do to get ready? Search your hearts; ask God to reveal to you; find and do whatever He tells you is needed.

If you need a hint as to where to search, I’ll give you one word — Pride! What was at the bottom of the beginning of all sin? Pride. What was Satan’s downfall? What was Adam & Eve’s downfall? What is preventing us from receiving God? Pride!

Pride makes its ultimate manifestation in the thought, “I can do something better than God can do it.” When hearing a word from God or seeing the way He works, we think, “I can add to that or change it a little; then it will be perfect!”

Who was Satan before he became the Evil One? He was Lucifer, an angel of light, the highest of all the other angels, the chief covering cherub. So what made him change? Pride.

Lucifer was described as the “morning star, son of dawn” (Is 14:12-15), clothed with a robe of light, and the most beautiful of all the angels. Yet there came a time when he said to himself, “I can improve on this and make myself even better.” So he covered himself with jewelry and ornaments. Ez 28:13, “Every precious stone was thy covering.” At last God said, “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness,” Ez 28:17. This is pride. This was his downfall. It then came to a turning point when because of this he tried to press his way into God’s planning for this world. By now his pride had him feeling he was as smart as God and that he should be consulted so that he could improve on God’s designs. As a result Lucifer got to where he would no longer be corrected by God, and his fate became hopeless. He was lost; pride had turned him from good to bad, from Lucifer into Satan.

Pride was then brought to this world and offered to Adam & Eve. When God created them He described them as “very good”, (Ge 1:31). In God’s view they were perfect. But Satan said to them, “You can improve on God’s work. You can be equal with God.” And it is this desire to change God’s way, this thought that we can add to His word and enhance it, which is Pride. Just as with Lucifer, they were perfect until they desired to “exalt themselves above God”, (Is 14:13; Ez 28:2). Thus they sinned and fell.

Looking once again at the case of Moses we can see that he, too, suffered from pride. For forty years he was reared in the palace of the pharaoh and trained to be a leader; so when God called him to the job of leading the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses felt he could do it in his own strength and wisdom. Although God had a plan, Moses tried to do things his own way and as a result he failed. His pride got in the way of God’s design. So Moses had to be sent into the wilderness for retraining and the people of Israel had to wait for an entire generation before there was a second chance.

After 40 years Moses had been reformed, and instead of being arrogant he was now described as the “meekest man on Earth” ( Nu 12:3). Now God could use him. But if you look carefully, you can still see pride in Moses’ character. It isn’t open, instead it’s disguised by his apparent humbleness; but it’s there. He still thinks he knows better than God. God said, “Moses I want you to lead My people.” And Moses answered, “Choose someone else.” God said, “You can do it.” Moses replied, “No I can’t.” This continued until God got angry. God saw that despite the 40 years of additional discipline Moses still had a seed of pride remaining in his heart. Shortly thereafter God gave Moses a face-to-face encounter, hoping this would remove the last traces of pride; and it worked — for 40 years. But then once more pride sprang up in Moses.

Even though Moses had seen God directly, had been exercising tremendous power, and was as close to God as it’s possible for a human to get, after a while he succumbed once again to his old weakness. The first time God told Moses to get water from a rock the instruction was for Moses to strike the rock with his staff; and Moses obeyed exactly (Ex 17:6). But later, when the people again needed water, God gave Moses a different instruction, to speak to the rock instead of hit it (Nu 20:8). And here is where we see Moses thinking that God’s word needs a little change. Thus Moses sinned. Despite having been perfect for so long, once his attitude grew to where he felt that he could do something better than God’s way, pride had reappeared. And it had to be dealt with quickly and strongly, so that it might be taken from him permanently.

We today are not exempt. We, too, have this same weakness as all men before us. We think in our hearts, “I want to be like God and have His power, because I think I can do things better than He is doing them. I don’t like that He takes so long; I don’t like that He let’s bad things happen; I don’t like that He doesn’t listen to my requests. I want to do things my way.” This is why we can’t yet be trusted with His power. We must kill the root of pride within ourselves. We must die to our “old self” and be freed from its influence. This is only possible with God’s help and through God’s methods. Thus we must get to where we trust completely what God says and not second guess His word. We must accept unquestioningly whatever He tells us to do; for only He knows the right way.

Jesus and Satan are the antithesis of each other. Satan is the epitome’ of Pride and Jesus is the embodiment of Selflessness. They can’t occupy the same space. If we are to fully receive God within ourselves, we must be completely freed of pride so that we may be completely filled with the Spirit of Jesus. This, then, will be our Pentecost!

Join with us in praying to be filled with the Spirit of Jesus. Pray to be freed from Pride. Pray for another Pentecost to be poured out. Pray collectively; pray individually; but pray, pray, pray! Ask to be granted a spirit of selflessness. Ask to be given a spirit of Revival. Ask to be blessed with that spirit of primitive godliness that is so precious to our Lord. Ask to be filled to overflowing with His Spirit: for this is Pentecost. Let us press together, work together, and pray together, until we all receive the fullness of our God.

Amen.