ON LIFE AND DEATH - A CHRISTIAN PHYSICIAN'S VIEW

There are many important questions in our lives, but none so important as 'What is life?' and 'What is death?'. It is how we handle these two questions that determines how we live our lives and how we teach our children to live theirs. I will focus this discussion on these two questions, with the issue of human death first.

In my profession, I have seen much of death. Most people will not have considered it much because they may see death in their own experiences only a few times during their lifetimes. Most of the deaths of others will come when they are older, so if one is of middle age, then usually death is not a topic that is well known and well discussed. Nor is it a popular topic at that. Can you imagine yourself at a party when someone approaches you and says "Say, have you given death much thought?" No, death is not a favorite subject. Indeed, by now I suspect you wonder whether you should even read on. Why should we even discuss such matters? It just brings up old wounds that we have tried to heal. Life is to be lived!--it might be said--let's not focus on the dead--it will come soon enough! True, it will come soon enough. But, from an understanding of death then can an understanding of life be appreciated, I believe. From a Christian point of view, I venture to say that our culture's ignoring death as much as possible is actually an evil diversion away from reality. "Don't think about death...how can you have fun in life if you are always thinking about death?" can be the message sent to us by demonic influences. I propose that we must understand and be fully acquainted with death as much as is possible to understand what happens at the time of death. We are all facing such a prospect, and in not too many years in a relative time frame. I have learned something about death by watching patients die, and I would like to share what I have learned with you so that you may better understand what will happen to you. When you have finished reading this, I believe that you will understand that it is not death that is to be the object of our concern, but rather what occurs beyond death that is of paramount interest.

What then is death? Death of the body is either death of the brain's functions, cardiac standstill where the heart no longer beats, or both simultaneously. How the body arrives at this point is quite varied of course, ranging from sudden trauma such as an auto accident, bullet wound, etc. or from the ravages of some disease such as infection, heart attack, stroke, or organ failures. But all in all, the loss of the function of the brain, heart or both simultaneously is essentially death. What then do people experience? Most fear death from the events leading up to the final event, especially pain. Generally, pain is not too much a problem in that narcotics pretty well control a person's pain. Air hunger is a real problem for some, but again it usually doesn't last too long--the person either dies or is placed on a ventilator at the hospital and the air hunger ends. The actual death process, though, is initially experienced as a loss of consciousness, so usually when the body dies it occurs after the person has lost awareness. The time between the loss of awareness and the actual death is varied, ranging from being a simultaneous event- such as in an electrocution accident like a bolt of lightening-- to being many weeks, months or years in a vegetative state from poor oxygen flow to the brain. The point is that when you actually die, you are not aware of it. It's like passing out. After you are out, then the heart stops beating completely, and you may then be considered "dead". Now if you do not hold to the Christian faith, what do you believe happens to you then? One possibility is nothing. You are permanently unaware. You don't exist. It is as if you never existed at all. For you personally there is no further experience. Once the loss of consciousness comes, there is no further awareness. But, I believe that conclusion is incorrect. Many non-religious individuals have had "near death experiences" or "out-of-body" experiences that some would ascribe as the manifestations of a dying brain. I believe it is not a dying brain. If the brain were dying, when the person were resuscitated there would be residual brain damage which does not appear to be the case if the person is revived to the point of being able to relate his out of body experience. The argument could then be made that it is nothing more than brain ischemia, or poor blood flow to the brain. This makes little sense as well, inasmuch as those who have had out of body experiences report visitations with the spirits of previously dead relatives. Also, there is an almost universal experience, regardless of the religious background, of seeing a very "bright light" that is universally attractive to the individual as well as the experience of great peace and feelings of love leading the individual to want to remain with this "light". These experiences are common among Christians and non-Christians alike. That being the case, many falsely conclude that being a Christian is not a requirement to go to God at death. From the influences of the 1960's we have carried a philosophy that "God is love" only--that is that the eternal God is there to save all of us, regardless of our belief while alive, since he is a God of love. However, this is a non-biblical assumption that the non-Christian would like to believe. It would seem that the out of body experiences of non-Christians might verify this point of view. But there is more.

None of these individuals have stayed in the spirit world--they have all returned to this life to report their experiences. What would have been their experience had they stayed in the hereafter? We can find some guidance to this issue in a book of the Apocrypha, a non-canonical text, specifically the Greek version of the Old Testament used by Jews living in Egypt, written during the 400 year period between the Old and New Testaments. In the book of 2 Esdras, Chapter 7, verse 75, an angel of the Lord is describing to the author the events at death. Although this text has not been universally accepted by the Church as an authentic scripture, there is information recorded here that seems to explain some of the initial experiences noted as "out of body" experiences. These Apocryphal books were written before the coming of Jesus Christ and the new covenant upon which salvation was to be based. The following was revealed to Ezra by the angel Uriel:

Then I said: 'If I have won your favour, my lord, make this plain to me: at death, when every one of us gives back his soul, shall we be kept at rest until the time when you begin to create your new world, or does our torment begin at once?' 'I will tell you that also', he replied. 'But do not include yourself among those who have despised my law; do not count yourself with those who are to be tormented. For you have a treasure of good works stored up with the Most High, though you will not be shown it until the last days. But now to speak of death: when the Most High has given final sentence for a man to die, the spirit leaves the body to return to the One who gave it, and first of all to adore the glory of the Most High.'

As you can see, the bright light is possibly the presence of the Most High, or God. God's glory shines brightly, and his love is all encompassing, and that is one explanation why all feel the strong sensation of being loved. They are adoring the glory of the Most High. This is the story that most seem to tell when they are resuscitated. But we read on. Non-believers soon find a different and unpleasant fate:

But those who have rejected the ways of the Most High and despised his law, and who hate all that fear God, their spirits enter no settled abode, but roam henceforward in torment, grief, and sorrow. And this for seven reasons. First, they have despised the law of the Most High. Secondly, they have lost their last chance of making a good repentance and so gaining life. Thirdly, they can see the reward in store for those who have trusted the covenants of the Most High. Fourthly, they begin to think of the torment that awaits them at the end. Fifthly, they see that angels are guarding the abode of the other souls in deep silence. Sixthly, they see that they are soon to enter into torment. The seventh cause for grief, the strongest cause of all, is this: at the sight of the Most High in his glory, they break down in shame, waste away in remorse, and shrivel with fear remembering how they sinned against him in their lifetime, and how they are soon to be brought before him for judgement on the last day.'

Indeed, a frightful picture. There appears in this account to be no second chance of repentance. But thanks be to God for those who know God. Prior to the coming of Christ, there were those who did know God and entered into his righteousness, such as the prophets, such as David, and others who were able to enter into God's forgiveness. What was their fate? The angel, Uriel, continues:

'As for those who have kept to the way laid down by the Most High, this is what is appointed for them when their time comes to leave their mortal bodies. During their stay on earth they served the Most High in spite of constant hardship and danger, and kept to the last letter the law given them by the lawgiver. Their reward is this: first they shall exult to see the glory of God who will receive them as his own, and then they shall enter into rest in seven appointed stages of joy. Their first joy is their victory in the long fight against their inborn impulses to evil, which have failed to lead them astray from life into death. Their second joy is to see the souls of the wicked wandering ceaselessly, and the punishment in store for them. Their third joy is the good report given them by their Maker, that throughout their life they kept the law with which they were entrusted. Their fourth joy is to understand the rest which they are now to share in the storehouses, guarded by angels in deep silence, and the glory waiting for them in the next age. Their fifth joy is the contrast between the corruptible world they have escaped and the future life that is to be their possession, between the cramped laborious life from which they have been set free and the spacious life which will soon be theirs to enjoy for ever and ever. Their sixth joy will be the revelation that they are to shine like stars, never to fade or die, with faces radiant as the sun. Their seventh joy, the greatest joy of all, will be the confident and exultant assurance which will be theirs, free from all fear and shame, as they press forward to see face to face the One whom they served in their lifetime, and from whom they are now to receive their reward in glory.'

This was the story of what awaited the keepers of God's law. Unfortunately, very few were actually able to keep God's law without failure and to present themselves as holy and righteous before him. The scripture tells us that all men have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The law failed to allow men to find salvation. To save men, then, God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to be the sacrifice required for God's justice against sin. It stands to reason, that those who know the Son, know the Father, as the New Testament says. Jesus said that he is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by him. Although the Apocrypha has not been canonized as fully inspired scripture, there is the distinct possibility that all see God for a short period at death as is described, then after seeing his glory, pass on to their respective fates. If this is so, then what sorrow must await those who do not know the Father through the Son, and what great indescribable joy awaits those who know the Father through the blood of the Son. Verse 100 tells us a bit more:

Then I asked: 'When souls are separated from their bodies, will they be given the opportunity to see what you have described to me?' 'They will be allowed seven days,' he replied; 'for seven days they will be permitted to see the things I have told you, and after that they will join the other souls in their abodes.'

So then, we can begin to understand what may happen to us at the moment that we draw our last breath. Even non-believers in Christ testify for us of this truth as they describe the wondrous beauty and joy of the Lord at the moment of death. Most do not want to return, thinking erroneously that they will enter into the joy of God even though He does not know them and they do not know Him. If it were true that they would remain in the great love and peaceful bright light of God, then salvation is for all men with or without Christ. This is a popular concept, because it means that men don't have to deal with the issue of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and they will STILL reach eternal life. If this were indeed true, though, Jesus died for nothing. The Most High would not have sacrificed His own beloved Son in a mocking, disgraceful, tortuous death reserved for the vilest of criminals were it not absolutely necessary. If there were any other way for man to be saved, God would have found it. But it took the blood of Jesus as he was nailed to the cross to justify us before God who is perfectly holy. For those of us who have asked Jesus to come into our lives and who live for Him, not only does he give us life abundantly in this existence, but he gives us eternal life and happiness in the next world beyond the grave. For us, we are to 'shine like stars, never to fade or die, with faces as radiant as the sun.' To begin to understand this experience of physical death and then of the beauty and power of God, just take a glance at the sun and ask yourself, "Who made this?". If God made such a powerful body as the sun, what then must His own personal glory and power be like? It must be too wonderful to even imagine. For us all, as text from the Apocrypha indicates, we may see this glory at the moment of death; but unfortunately for many, it may be only for a short time with an eternity of regret beyond. For others--God's children in Christ--His glory will become ours as we commune with the God of this universe and worship Him in incredible peace, love, and joy. The moment of death will be our "coming home" to God, and remaining with him as we live forever. Moving into the spirit world after physical death, then, can be either the worst nightmare imaginable, or the most blessed event of our existence. Without the abiding of Jesus within us, we stand condemned before the Lord because of sin. We have a reason to fear death. But with Jesus as our intercessor in the spirit realm, we have no fear but are made God's champions because we have believed in His only Son.