Go to a funeral. Listen to the preacher talk about heaven. He makes it sound so wonderful. He says death brings the reunion of loved ones, the end of all toil and the struggle to survive in a hostile world. He paints a picture of solid comfort with no fear or distress of any kind. He even backs it up with God's Word...

"... and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain, for these first things will have passed away." (Rev. 21:4)

Doesn't that sound fantastic? Everything man fears seems to vanish before those words! Take away pain, sorrow and death, and what's left to terrorize anyone? Nothing. At least that's what many Christians think. Some even feel their wasted lives will somehow blossom into fruitfulness once they are ushered into Jesus' presence. And even though they haven't paid much attention to Him on earth, they feel He will be the center of their lives in heaven.

Well, the apostle Paul doesn't limit himself to that happy view of death. If death really ushers in the bliss and joy so many expect, wouldn't that make death the believer's last FRIEND? But Paul doesn't buy that idea. Squarely in the middle of his resurrection passage he calls death the Christian's...LAST ENEMY! (1 Cor. 15:26).  Indeed, there is more to it.

Wow! What does the apostle see in death that would make him call it the last enemy? Listen—death is the last enemy of the Christian because it closes the believer's last chance to get ready for heaven. When death summons, we're all through laying up treasures for ourselves in heaven. That's critical, for the Lord made it clear the only treasure we'll have in heaven is that which we lay up for ourselves (Matt. 6:20). When you add the fact that we can't make one more change into the likeness of Jesus, death does become a frightening enemy.

NO CHANGES IN HEAVEN

Here's why death is our last enemy: It puts an end to all spiritual growth. We enter heaven just as we are at the point of death and NEVER CHANGE after that...I mean no more changes in our person!

 I'm serious about that, and here's why. The conditions for personal change do not exist in heaven. God never changes and neither will we once we step outside of TIME.

Only on earth can we change.

Let's say you're in heaven and want to become more forgiving, how would you go about it? You have to be HURT in order to forgive. But who's going to hurt you in heaven where there is no hurt?

Suppose you want to become more long-suffering. How can anyone develop that grace without suffering a long time? There's no suffering in heaven. The same is true for becoming more patient, resisting evil or any of the qualities the Lord seeks to develop in us.

There simply is no way to acquire the fruit of the Spirit in heaven. The conditions for making us more like Jesus just DO NOT EXIST there. Eternal things do not change.

That's why God says... "I am the Lord, I change not" (Mal. 3:6). He is eternal.

SEE WHAT THIS MEANS?

You've heard the phrase..."Only one life; 'twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last." Those words summarize what I've been saying. If we want treasure in heaven, we have to get busy and earn it now. No one is going to do this for us...certainly not Jesus. We have to do it for ourselves. It will be too late for that when death strikes. If being BROKE is painful in this life, you can be sure it won't be any less painful in heaven.

God looks for changes in us every day. CHANGE is the most important word in our Christian vocabulary. Our talk should be sweeter today than it was yesterday. We should pay our bills better, be kinder in speaking of others, be careful with our mates, serve our employers more faithfully, raise our children more diligently, and display more peace in anxiety situations. Why, we should even drive our cars better. Those are reasonable expectations.

If we don't change now—while there is time...

WE'LL ENTER HEAVEN JUST AS WE ARE AT THE POINT OF DEATH—AND NEVER CHANGE!

Until Jesus came, you see, no one knew that ONLY THE BODY DIES at death. The person doesn't die...he can't. Jesus Himself demonstrated this truth:

"But it is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who ABOLISHED DEATH and brought life and IMMORTALITY TO LIGHT through the gospel" (2 Tim. 1:10).

We knew nothing of immortality until Jesus showed that death to the body has NO EFFECT on the person. He went through the death experience and returned in the same body to prove it. It didn't hurt Him a bit. This was to show believers they need not fear the death process. He proved that one's PERSON is totally unharmed and continues to live, even though his body dies.

The body has its own life. The soul (person) has its own life. The two are totally INDEPENDENT of each other. It's because the SOUL is the image of God, and therefore spirit, that it continues to live after the body dies. Consequently not the slightest harm occurs to the soul. Death merely releases the Christian from his body, ("earth-suit") that he might operate in the presence of the Lord.

HOW TO MEET DEATH

You may chuckle at my telling people how to meet death, inasmuch as I have yet to die. How could I know about that? Ah, but I've seen plenty of it. During my years as a chaplain at Los Angeles County General Hospital I observed many departures at close range. I've held people's hands as they left the body and flashed to their spiritual destinations. I've seen Christian death and heathen death so often, I can affirm there is only one way to die...

          IN HIS ARMS!

Few deaths are accidental...sudden. Most are gradual.  You can take advantage of that fact and watch the process as it occurs—if you know how. That's why you will want to read DEATH: GRADUATION TO GLORY. When those insights explode in your mind, you'll truly understand what happens at death. Obviously you can't wait until the last minute to acquire this knowledge. You have to get it now.

Also, you will want to read THE 100% CHRISTIAN. It shows you how to make the best use of your one life on earth. We only "go around once" and if we want to qualify for a nice place near Jesus, we have to invest our time wisely. None of us knows when our last enemy will catch up with us. The Boy Scout motto, "BE PREPARED" definitely applies to us as believers.

THE CONSEQUENCES ARE PERMANENT

Christians will not all be equal in heaven. The place we give Jesus in this life, determines the place He gives us in the next life. In Jesus' kingdom there will be all kinds of jobs ranging from cabinet officers, ambassadors and department heads, down to street cleaners, sewer workers and day laborers. When death calls us into God's presence, we'll appear before His judgment seat (2 Cor. 5:10). According to our earthly record, He will assign us our future jobs. If you want a good job with Jesus, you'll have to EARN IT.

"Get rich quick" schemes abound today, but Jesus invites us to become RICH toward God. It's not a scam, but a legitimate offer. I'm working on my eternal fortune. How about you? It's my job to help my brethren get ready for their entrance into eternity. I am called to help you become rich toward God and qualify for a high position in Jesus' kingdom. You can't afford to be "ashamed before Him at His coming" (1 John 2:28).

The Lord has provided tools for making you rich toward God. The tools are books. You may not believe books can be that powerful, but they are—especially when the Holy Spirit anoints them. Does not God USE A BOOK for preserving His revelation? Indeed. Books are His prime method for changing people today. Put the truths of THESE TWO BOOKS to work in your life and I guarantee you'll be ready for your LAST ENEMY. In fact, with this know-how you can turn your last enemy into...   

A FABULOUS FRIEND!

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This article is Copyright 2001 by Dr. C. S. Lovett and is found on www.cslovettbooks.com