My friend, in this world death is merely a sleep, a separation from
those who we love. All those who have passed before us into the graves
will rise again. "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth
shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting
contempt." (Daniel 12:2). Since all will rise again then the grave is
not truly death, for that death there is no resurrection from.
The part of us that makes us who we are is our souls. The character
that we have developed resides in the soul and the first death does not
destroy that part of us that makes us who we are. But though our soul
remains, there is no consciousness in the grave, for the soul works
through the body, and as the body is in the grave, the soul goes back to
God who gave it.
In the heavenly sanctuary Christ, our High Priest, is performing
the final work of cleansing us from all unrighteousness. The work in the
heavenly sanctuary is only for those who are in the graves. "And I saw the dead,
small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and
another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were
judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to
their works." (Revelation 20:12).
Those who have gone into the graves holding fast to the promise of
God will receive the perfecting of their characters, which resides in
the soul, in the heavenly sanctuary. Their names are written in the book
of life and as they come before the throne of God in the most holy
place, Christ applies his life to their souls and cleanses them from all
unrighteousness. Then at the second coming of Jesus, the souls of all
the righteous that have gone into the graves are united with their new
immortal bodies and are alive evermore.
My friend, it is in this life that we are to surrender our lives to
Jesus. It is in this life that we make a decision either for or against
Christ. As we thus accept Christ as our Savior, our names are written
in the book of life and the process of erasing the effects of sin upon
our characters begins. This is the work of Christ who is the Author and
Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), for "If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9).
God bless,
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