Funerals an Interesting Study on Death

I will attend my second funeral in two days. Yesterdays funeral was one to remember. The deceased was a biker and the church looked like a Sturgis South Dakota Harley convention, with all the leather, jeans and boots. The preacher was a traditional country pastor, nice, gentile, pastoral and I am sure this was for him a funeral to remember.  Overall, as strange as it was to see people in the front row taking out bottles of booze from beneath their coats and drinking, to the blues band, to the obscenities spoken in the eulogy, it was an interesting way to say goodbye.  Most funerals are sad, and morose, but this one had little tradition and a lot of expression in saying goodbye to the deceased. Both my wife and I said following the evening, that it was a funeral to remember. Death is a difficult process to deal with and if the death was premature, or the deceased was a child, or a spouse it may even be a process some people never get over.  I have known many couples who lost their partner, and the surviving spouse drink themselves to death because they couldn't cope with life without the deceased. Death is not kind, and the selection process of who dies and who doesn't isn't always fair.  Some great humanitarians will die early, while the criminal no good for nothing will live to be a ripe old age.  The righteous will die, while the wicked live on, this I will never understand. The Bible tells us that death is an enemy and there are two personalities to death, one you face on this earth, and the second you face after you die. At death 1 your physical body stops breathing, and your soul moves from this life to the next.  At death 2, in the next life, your soul stand before God to be asked a question, "what did you do with Jesus?"  The answer to that question will determine whether you will experience a second death or experience life everlasting.  Big moment. However, the answer to that question can not be changed at the time the question is asked, it is answered by what you did with Jesus in this life prior to the first death.  That is why making your eternity security today is such an important decision.

One thing is for sure, all will die, and all will stand before God, there are no exceptions. 

Revelation of John 21:8  8But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” These words of the Apostle John are sobering words, and everyone will face this moment in time when all is revealed about your life, and the most important thing you will need to have is your name written in the Lamb's book of life.  The Great White Throne Judgment  11Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.  12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.  13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.  14Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.  15And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Make your eternity secure today by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, this will get your name into that book of life.  So whether you have a blues band, or organ music at your funeral, it won't matter, because death is only a process, not a destination.    Keeping it honest and truthful...K