Wednesday January 04th, 2023
Meditate on: Revelation 14:13 Good News Translation
« Then I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this:
Happy are those who from now on die in the service of the Lord!”
“Yes indeed!” answers the Spirit.
“They will enjoy rest from their hard work, because the results of their service go with them. »
Read: 2 Kings 13:14-21 New King James Version (NKJV)
14 Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. Then Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said,
“O my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!”
15 And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and some arrows.” So he took himself a bow and some arrows.
16 Then he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” So he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands.
17 And he said, “Open the east window”; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot”; and he shot. And he said, “The arrow of the Lord’s deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them.”
18 Then he said, “Take the arrows”; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground”; so he struck three times, and stopped.
19 And the man of God was angry with him, and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times.”
20 Then Elisha died, and they buried him. And the raiding bands from Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year.
21 So it was, as they were burying a man, that they suddenly threw the corpse into the tomb of Elisha and fled. But as soon as the body touched Elisha’s bones, the dead man revived and jumped to his feet!
Understand:
The Bible mentions two kind of death: physical and temporal, which is the termination of life on earth and then eternal death. The latter is the final complete separation from God.
When temporal death occurs, it opens the way to eternal life for children of God, but leads to eternal death for those who did not accept Jesus Christ during their physical existence.
Life is full of challenges that bring stress to the body and tension to the soul. The Bible presents this dilemma in Job 14:1 by saying
“Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.”
As a result, the aging process takes its toll on everyone to the point that many aged persons become totally dependent on the society and are unable to help themselves.
2 Kings 13:14 CEV says:
“Some time before the death of King Jehoash, Elisha the prophet was very sick and about to die. Jehoash went in and stood beside him, crying. He said, “Master, what will Israel’s chariots and cavalry be able to do without you?”
The Bible records Elisha’s sickness as a natural occurrence and not a result of punishment.
Great Bible characters like Isaac, Jacob and King David had almost identical experiences in old age, and a similar fate awaits all human beings. However,
temporal death enables the body to escape the agony of sickness, particularly that which comes as a result of old age.
But for death, my Father-in-the-Lord, Pa Josiah Akindayomi would still be enduring a body weakened by age. Thanks be to God; he is now at rest.
Revelation 14:13 and Revelation 21:4 tells us sweet and wonderful thing that God reserves for His children after they experience temporal death. The saints will enter into rest from earthly labors and begin to reap the fruits of righteousness. They will not experience eternal death, sorrow, crying and pain.
I pray that as you close your eyes in physical death, you will rise to eternal life of Joy and peace with the Lord, in the mighty name of Jesus.
Application: Temporal death marks the end of physical life but not the end of existence. Seek eternal life to escape eternal death.
Author: Pst E. A. Adeboye.
Edited by Naomie
Freely you received, freely you must give (Math 10:8) , kindly share this devotion, and the Lord will bless you for it ♥
