I keep wondering what is the best way to describe the “first death”. Unless we are here on earth at the time of Jesus’s second coming, we will die. The “first death”.
Died. Passed away. Passed. Went to be with Jesus. Gone to heaven. Is no longer with us. Is gone. Stepped into heaven.
Keep wondering where some of the terms come from. And which is better or clearer or most helpful. Some are easier. Some are to avoid using the word “died”, which is sometimes unhelpful. Jesus himself used the words “fell asleep” when he meant died. But that was a slightly different message he was trying to convey to the disciples.
Don’t know why it took me so long to figure out “passed away” though.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold the new has come!
So, when someone dies, the old body has “passed away” and the new is ready and waiting in another place.
In Revelation last year we were reminded of the term “first death” and the implications of facing the second death. Believers who have relied on the blood of Jesus will not face the second death, and learning about it made it all the more imperative to spread the good news of the gospel so that more people can avoid it. The second death was never intended to be for people is another aspect that I picked up on over the course of the study. And yet, how many people will end up facing it due to the hardness of their hearts towards the things of God. We can help with the effort of making sure it isn’t out of ignorance - make sure it’s at least a choice made from knowing and a failure to heed the truth rather than a never knowing.
At a recent funeral, it was stated of my grandmother and my aunt that they raised their children to know everything they needed to know to live in this life and in the next life. Which was interesting to hear, since we never really talk about faith in family settings. We still say grace at meals, which is more than some do, but it’s not really about doing more, is it?
Dad threw in the occasional “this is why we celebrate Christmas” -or Easter - note before saying grace sometimes. When I said after one of those occasions that I thought his mother would have been proud of him, he told me he was looking at the lost people around the room and not sure what else to do - and I could tell that his heart was breaking for the niece and her family that have been wishy washy at least and rejecting at worst.
They are the ones who need to know why “passed away” is a promise for a future and not an ending. And I have no idea how to tell them. They have had opportunities - can I make other efforts or take other opportunities?
