Natural Causes
Early this year, I had a "little" heart scare--I guess these things can happen when you get old-ER. I must admit, at first I panicked when I heard "don't be alarmed, but we found some abnormalities, so we will have to keep you for observation". Thankfully, the panic was only momentary and I resumed laughing and talking, because I remembered who I was; and, more importantly, "to live is Christ, and to die is gain". I thought about this, again, because I think often we have a love-hate relationship with death. We forget (as saints) about the "gain" part until the homegoing service; until then, death is a dirty word. Until we or our loved one draws a final breath, we believe God to raise them up and make them whole, by faith. We won't even consider otherwise, until they die; then our whole conversation changes and "the death of the saint is precious in the sight of the Lord". Why is it only precious after death? Why isn't death a natural (and precious) precursor to eternal life before we die--when we get the negative report, and things are clearly bleak, and we are ready to go? Often, people are made to feel faithless, because they and/or their family members accept death, naturally.
I question how much faith we really have in our eternal hope, when we cling so passionately to this world, and long to stay here no matter what. Fear of dying, is lack of faith, for the child of God. Life really begins for us, when natural death comes. I can remember before my own mother died, how she longed for and craved to leave this natural earth--not because she wanted to get away from us (but she wouldn't miss us, either--although we sorely missed her, and still miss her); but because she knew where she was going. In fact, she would sometimes have visions and get so excited and ask with tears in her eyes, "don't you see, don't you see all of the saints! Oh, why is my Jesus taking so long to come and take me home?" It was ALL she wanted. She craved the glory. I was so impacted by that--that's how I want to leave here, craving the glory, if not raptured.
We view death and suffering with such immaturity, spiritually-speaking. We don't want to die, period--and stubbornly refuse to go through anything that is uncomfortable to our flesh. There is nothing godly about that attitude and disposition. Oh, that we could follow the example of Christ and the apostles--or those great faith witnesses of Hebrews 11--apparently, the proof of great faith is suffering and holding fast. Somehow, we have the misconception in our society that great faith is indicated by not suffering. The Word of God simply doesn't teach us that. We have to grow up, and realize that "joy unspeakable and full of glory" is not based on our circumstances--as it wasn't for those saints of the diaspora that Peter encouraged in the 2nd century.
They were under extreme persecution and distress--facing horrific circumstances, daily. Peter, the apostle, writes to those scattered saints throughout the Roman Empire (calling them, and reminding them, that they are "the elect of God"). These elect saints, I can assure you, were not feeling very "elect" or special--they may have thought Peter was a little strange to even bring up joy, under their circumstances. You see, (according to Holman's Dictionary) "During Nero's reign there was great persecution of believers, hence the most likely time period for the composition is around A.D. 62-64.
The address is to churches of the provinces in northern Asia Minor which is modern Turkey (Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bythynia). When this area was evangelized, and what part Peter had in it is unknown unless one believes Paul worked this far north.
They were converted Jews and Gentiles. Jewishness is implied in the use of the Old Testament and factors cited" throughout 1 Peter. Under Nero, (and other emperors) worship of the emperor became the established rule. Since the new Christians refused to worship any one other than God, they were deemed atheists. They were accused of starting a fire that destroyed three quarters of the city of Rome--a fire possibly set by Nero himself, who then accused Christians, deflecting anger away from himself."
The following account was written by the Roman historian Tacitus in his book Annals published a few years after the event. Tacitus was a young boy living in Rome during the time of the persecutions.
"Therefore, to stop the rumor [that he had set Rome on fire], he [Emperor Nero] falsely charged with guilt, and punished with the most fearful tortures, the persons commonly called Christians, who were [generally] hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of that name, was put to death as a criminal by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea, in the reign of Tiberius, but the pernicious superstition - repressed for a time, broke out yet again, not only through Judea, - where the mischief originated, but through the city of Rome also, whither all things horrible and disgraceful flow from all quarters, as to a common receptacle, and where they are encouraged. Accordingly first those were arrested who confessed they were Christians; next on their information, a vast multitude were convicted, not so much on the charge of burning the city, as of "hating the human race."
In their very deaths they were made the subjects of sport: for they were covered with the hides of wild beasts, and worried to death by dogs, or nailed to crosses, or set fire to, and when the day waned, burned to serve for the evening lights. Nero offered his own garden players for the spectacle, and exhibited a Circensian game, indiscriminately mingling with the common people in the dress of a charioteer, or else standing in his chariot. For this cause a feeling of compassion arose towards the sufferers, though guilty and deserving of exemplary capital punishment, because they seemed not to be cut off for the public good, but were victims of the ferocity of one man." Carrington, Phillip, The Early Christian Church (1957); Davis, William Stearns, Readings In Ancient History (1913); Duruy, Victor, History of Rome and the Roman People, vol V (1883).
The early saints in the 2nd century were also accused of "indolence, i. e.; of shunning the world and business and taking no interest in the prosperity of the State, neglecting the affairs of this life for those of a future life. They were regarded as bad citizens and generally as a useless set of scoundrels." Further, they were accused of cannibalism, because of the misunderstanding of the Lord's Supper and rumors that "that, in their meetings, the Christians feasted upon the flesh of infants, previously slaughtered and then sprinkled with flour (Epulae Thyesteae); and were not ashamed of practicing such immoralities as the intercourse of Oedipus with his own mother". Many assumed that because they met in catacombs and tunnels beneath the city they were a dangerous cult, rather than believers attempting to maintain their safety.
This was the life of Peter's "elect congregation" and the background in which he writes his letters to them from Babylon, picking up where Paul left off. His letters are to console, and remind them of the hope that they have--not in this life, but the real one--the one to come, the eternal one. That is why he could call them "elect" and speak to these saints about "joy unspeakable and full of glory". It had nothing to do with their physical, earthly or natural circumstances--it was a spiritual thing; and so it should be with us. Whether, death, suffering, persecution, pain--temporary or even permanent (and it may be, as it was for many of the early saints; and many persecuted saints around the world, today) in this world, our hope can't--or shouldn't rest in the certain deliverance out of our situation in this life, but in the ultimate deliverance of eternal life. There is no guarantee that God will remove us from every problem, or change every negative situation that comes our way--but, He will change us in them, if we allow Him, too. He uses our problems to mold us and to perfect us, until we begin to look like Him--they serve a very important purpose. He doesn't send us pain and death--they are naturally-occurring events in a fallen world, but God doesn't waste anything. He uses even our worst, our losses, our sicknesses, every bitter pill, for His glory and our edification; it's just His way. That doesn't mean that we get to be removed from them--some things we have to live with...some of us have aches and pains, wear eyeglasses, have hypertension, migraines, cancer in our families, maybe we walk with a limp, or have a lot of pimples, or buck teeth; whatever our issue is, our bodies are not perfect because they are dying from the moment we are born. It's a natural part of life, in this world. What matters is how we use our time. Prayerfully, we don't waste it in pursuit of things that the moth can corrupt, but we live for the incorruptible eternal things. Does it have an "eternal weight of glory"? That's a good way to measure what is important.
I'm an eternal being. Death is simply a portal...so, however it comes, it's cause is natural. It's normal, predictable, it's supposed to happen (to everyone--the good and the evil; it's what happens after death that separates us)--I don't know when death will come, but I must be ready.
It rains on the just and on the unjust. Life is just life in a world marred by sin. We (God's people) really need to stop behaving as if we are entitled to a life of perfection, here and now. God never promised that. We make a mockery of His Word to declare otherwise.
I question how much faith we really have in our eternal hope, when we cling so passionately to this world, and long to stay here no matter what. Fear of dying, is lack of faith, for the child of God. Life really begins for us, when natural death comes. I can remember before my own mother died, how she longed for and craved to leave this natural earth--not because she wanted to get away from us (but she wouldn't miss us, either--although we sorely missed her, and still miss her); but because she knew where she was going. In fact, she would sometimes have visions and get so excited and ask with tears in her eyes, "don't you see, don't you see all of the saints! Oh, why is my Jesus taking so long to come and take me home?" It was ALL she wanted. She craved the glory. I was so impacted by that--that's how I want to leave here, craving the glory, if not raptured.
We view death and suffering with such immaturity, spiritually-speaking. We don't want to die, period--and stubbornly refuse to go through anything that is uncomfortable to our flesh. There is nothing godly about that attitude and disposition. Oh, that we could follow the example of Christ and the apostles--or those great faith witnesses of Hebrews 11--apparently, the proof of great faith is suffering and holding fast. Somehow, we have the misconception in our society that great faith is indicated by not suffering. The Word of God simply doesn't teach us that. We have to grow up, and realize that "joy unspeakable and full of glory" is not based on our circumstances--as it wasn't for those saints of the diaspora that Peter encouraged in the 2nd century.
They were under extreme persecution and distress--facing horrific circumstances, daily. Peter, the apostle, writes to those scattered saints throughout the Roman Empire (calling them, and reminding them, that they are "the elect of God"). These elect saints, I can assure you, were not feeling very "elect" or special--they may have thought Peter was a little strange to even bring up joy, under their circumstances. You see, (according to Holman's Dictionary) "During Nero's reign there was great persecution of believers, hence the most likely time period for the composition is around A.D. 62-64.
The address is to churches of the provinces in northern Asia Minor which is modern Turkey (Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bythynia). When this area was evangelized, and what part Peter had in it is unknown unless one believes Paul worked this far north.
They were converted Jews and Gentiles. Jewishness is implied in the use of the Old Testament and factors cited" throughout 1 Peter. Under Nero, (and other emperors) worship of the emperor became the established rule. Since the new Christians refused to worship any one other than God, they were deemed atheists. They were accused of starting a fire that destroyed three quarters of the city of Rome--a fire possibly set by Nero himself, who then accused Christians, deflecting anger away from himself."
The following account was written by the Roman historian Tacitus in his book Annals published a few years after the event. Tacitus was a young boy living in Rome during the time of the persecutions.
"Therefore, to stop the rumor [that he had set Rome on fire], he [Emperor Nero] falsely charged with guilt, and punished with the most fearful tortures, the persons commonly called Christians, who were [generally] hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of that name, was put to death as a criminal by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea, in the reign of Tiberius, but the pernicious superstition - repressed for a time, broke out yet again, not only through Judea, - where the mischief originated, but through the city of Rome also, whither all things horrible and disgraceful flow from all quarters, as to a common receptacle, and where they are encouraged. Accordingly first those were arrested who confessed they were Christians; next on their information, a vast multitude were convicted, not so much on the charge of burning the city, as of "hating the human race."
In their very deaths they were made the subjects of sport: for they were covered with the hides of wild beasts, and worried to death by dogs, or nailed to crosses, or set fire to, and when the day waned, burned to serve for the evening lights. Nero offered his own garden players for the spectacle, and exhibited a Circensian game, indiscriminately mingling with the common people in the dress of a charioteer, or else standing in his chariot. For this cause a feeling of compassion arose towards the sufferers, though guilty and deserving of exemplary capital punishment, because they seemed not to be cut off for the public good, but were victims of the ferocity of one man." Carrington, Phillip, The Early Christian Church (1957); Davis, William Stearns, Readings In Ancient History (1913); Duruy, Victor, History of Rome and the Roman People, vol V (1883).
The early saints in the 2nd century were also accused of "indolence, i. e.; of shunning the world and business and taking no interest in the prosperity of the State, neglecting the affairs of this life for those of a future life. They were regarded as bad citizens and generally as a useless set of scoundrels." Further, they were accused of cannibalism, because of the misunderstanding of the Lord's Supper and rumors that "that, in their meetings, the Christians feasted upon the flesh of infants, previously slaughtered and then sprinkled with flour (Epulae Thyesteae); and were not ashamed of practicing such immoralities as the intercourse of Oedipus with his own mother". Many assumed that because they met in catacombs and tunnels beneath the city they were a dangerous cult, rather than believers attempting to maintain their safety.
This was the life of Peter's "elect congregation" and the background in which he writes his letters to them from Babylon, picking up where Paul left off. His letters are to console, and remind them of the hope that they have--not in this life, but the real one--the one to come, the eternal one. That is why he could call them "elect" and speak to these saints about "joy unspeakable and full of glory". It had nothing to do with their physical, earthly or natural circumstances--it was a spiritual thing; and so it should be with us. Whether, death, suffering, persecution, pain--temporary or even permanent (and it may be, as it was for many of the early saints; and many persecuted saints around the world, today) in this world, our hope can't--or shouldn't rest in the certain deliverance out of our situation in this life, but in the ultimate deliverance of eternal life. There is no guarantee that God will remove us from every problem, or change every negative situation that comes our way--but, He will change us in them, if we allow Him, too. He uses our problems to mold us and to perfect us, until we begin to look like Him--they serve a very important purpose. He doesn't send us pain and death--they are naturally-occurring events in a fallen world, but God doesn't waste anything. He uses even our worst, our losses, our sicknesses, every bitter pill, for His glory and our edification; it's just His way. That doesn't mean that we get to be removed from them--some things we have to live with...some of us have aches and pains, wear eyeglasses, have hypertension, migraines, cancer in our families, maybe we walk with a limp, or have a lot of pimples, or buck teeth; whatever our issue is, our bodies are not perfect because they are dying from the moment we are born. It's a natural part of life, in this world. What matters is how we use our time. Prayerfully, we don't waste it in pursuit of things that the moth can corrupt, but we live for the incorruptible eternal things. Does it have an "eternal weight of glory"? That's a good way to measure what is important.
I'm an eternal being. Death is simply a portal...so, however it comes, it's cause is natural. It's normal, predictable, it's supposed to happen (to everyone--the good and the evil; it's what happens after death that separates us)--I don't know when death will come, but I must be ready.
It rains on the just and on the unjust. Life is just life in a world marred by sin. We (God's people) really need to stop behaving as if we are entitled to a life of perfection, here and now. God never promised that. We make a mockery of His Word to declare otherwise.
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