The Gates of Death

NLV  Job 38:17

Do you know where the gates of death are located? Have you seen the gates of utter gloom?

Photo by Vadim Babenko on Unsplash

Why is this ponderable?

 The Voice from the Whirlwind poses these questions to Job. The implied answer is no, for these seem to be divine prerogatives. For humans, heaven is a gated community, and we typically can’t even peer through. This is one reason (among many) near-death experiences inspire awe: They seem to give us a “God’s eye” view of what really lies beyond. They take us to the edge of the universe.

According to John Martin Fischer, professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside:

While Near Death Experience [NDE] is not exactly a scientific term, it has common characteristics among all who have had them:

• it takes place in a “near-death context” — a situation in which one’s life is in jeopardy.

•  the experience must occur while the individual is not wakefully conscious

•  include an “out of body” experience in which one seems to be floating above one’s physical form and can see it and its surroundings

•  a life review of significant events--both noble and sinister
  

• guidance by deceased loved ones or revered religious figures toward a “guarded” realm (a light in the darkness, a gated or fenced domain, the other side of a river).

• leaves the person profoundly transformed — less anxious about death, more spiritual, and more concerned with morality.

These sorts of experiences have been reported throughout history and across cultures. Plato described one in “The Republic” — the Myth of Er. They are partly dependent upon the particulars of an individual’s life situation, religion and culture, but there are common elements as well. For instance, the religious figures may be different — a Christian would see Christian figures, a Buddhist would see Buddhist figures, Hindu gods and goddesses would appear in a Hindu’s NDE, and so forth. Yet at a deeper level there is guidance by respected figures, a voyage led by trusted mentors from the known to the unknown. This time it is perhaps the most daunting journey, from life to death. Loving guidance on our last journey, or the last leg of our journey, is deeply resonant.

In popular literature, NDEs are almost always interpreted as supernatural events. They appear to prove that the mind is not the same as the brain and can continue after the brain stops functioning. So our conscious mind may have contact of some sort with a “heavenly” or nonphysical realm. The titles of popular books about NDEs proclaim that “heaven is for real” or that we have a “proof of heaven.” Medical doctors and neuroscientists writing about these issues claim that NDEs offer “evidence for the afterlife” and “consciousness beyond life.”

The proponents of a supernatural interpretation of NDEs insist that they are “real.” The neurosurgeon Eban Alexander’s “Proof of Heaven” even includes a chapter titled “The Ultra-Real.”

I do not deny that people — many people — really have NDEs, with their reported contents. They really have these experiences, just like people really dream. So NDEs are real in the sense of “authentic” — they really occur. No one should deny this; to do so is to disrespect a vast majority of those who sincerely report them.

Psalm 9:13

Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death:

Psalm 107:18
Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.

So, what we need to ponder in these clues from the various cultural perspectives is not whether there is an afterlife, rather we need to ponder if this afterlife conforms to any expectations we have about it. While deniers proclaim that no human has ever come back from death to confirm or deny our expectations; that does not mean death is a dead end street. It only means “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love."[1 Corinthians 2:9] Perhaps that is why no human in history has ever returned to share the experience. It is just too awesome!

What is Truth?

 

NLT John 18:38

“What is truth?” Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime."

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 Why is this passage ponderable?

Some of the world’s most famous philosophers have attempted to answer this perplexing question, yet it remains the most crucial of all questions. It is the question that we must ask ourselves if we want to make sense of anything in the wider universe, in our world or in our own lives. This is the single most important question that we can ask, and it lies at the core of several issues in modern society.

 The text is connected with the strangest scene ever witnessed in a court of justice since the world began. Much has been said and written concerning Pilate's conduct on this occasion. He has been represented as weak, unjust, and vacillating. The condemnation of ages rests upon his memory. With all this, we must concur. We cannot, however, less than perceive that he was anxious on the whole to do what was right; he would have been only too glad to set the prisoner free; in delivering Him to be crucified, he gave way to popular clamor against his own express convictions. Let us bear in mind that Christ submitted to be tried before Pilate of His own accord; it was His own voluntary act; there was no power in the universe that could have compelled Him to undergo such humiliation as this. Let us remember also what is even more important, that Christ is on His trial still; not as a culprit before Pilate, but as one who seeks admission to every human heart. Now, it has occurred to me, that the conduct of Pilate at this trial may serve to illustrate the conduct of many to whom the gospel is now preached.

I. THE QUESTION OF CHRIST. "Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of Me?" Setting aside the immediate reference of this question, let us turn to ourselves; by so doing we may learn two important lessons.

1. The danger of relying upon others in matters affecting the soul's welfare. The voice of the gospel to every one who inquires after the way of salvation is this: "Sayest thou this thing of thyself?" And this implies the possibility of our making religion the subject of our investigations, without being thoroughly awakened to its unspeakable importance in connection with ourselves. Bat, there is another and larger class of men who belong to neither of these classes — men who approach religion neither as men of the world nor as philosophers — men who conform to religious forms and observances simply because they are fashionable.

2. The necessity of acting upon our own convictions in these matters. Tills is suggested by the very tone of the question, "Sayest thou this thing of thyself?" We cannot serve God acceptably unless we obey the promptings of our own hearts, the dictates of our own consciences, the persuasions of our own minds. Though good works are beautiful in themselves, still, that which gives them their real value is the willingness, the heartiness, the thoroughness with which they are performed. We cannot help wondering in our serious moments that religion, which is confessedly of the highest importance to man, whether as a sojourner in this world or as a citizen of the world to come, should be made so little of in our daily life. All this shows how necessary it is that the question of our Savior should be brought home to every one of us — "Sayest thou this thing of thyself?" As far as we are personally concerned, it matters not so much what others may think, or say, or do; our chief business is to search our own hearts. I believe that much of our inconsistency — that glaring discrepancy between profession and practice — may be traced to the lack of honest self-examination.

II. THE ANSWER OF PILATE. "Am I a Jew?"

1. An unwarrantable assertion of superiority. "Am I a Jew?" These words sound very like an expression of scorn. To be thought a Jew would have been, in Pilate's estimation, little less than an insult. He was a Roman, a member of the race which then ruled the world, and therefore resented the very idea of being numbered among a despised and conquered people. You cannot have failed to observe the air of self-assurance with which some people nowadays speak of religion. They seem to take for granted, that to be religious is to be weak, ignorant, and superstitious. They consider their own godlessness to be an unmistakable proof of wisdom. From the vaunted pedestal upon which they stand, they look down upon those who endeavor to serve God, as the misguided victims of priestcraft and fanaticism. Their irreligiousness is their pride, their infidelity is their boast, their forgetfulness of God is their glory; to be influenced for a moment by purely religious motives they would regard as a disgrace. They are not "Jews" — not they! They are not religious — not they! but they are something better — they are philosophers, they are adepts in science, they are well-informed and accomplished men of the world! But how hollow such pretensions are, after all! The universal testimony of the best, the wisest, and most experienced of mankind is this: that religion alone is true wisdom; that they who fear God and keep His commandments occupy the most satisfactory position, both as regards time and eternity.

2. An unwarrantable assumption of indifference. "Am I a Jew?" Pilate seemed to argue, that since he was not a Jew, whether Christ was a king or not, was one which did not affect him. In claiming to be the Messiah, Christ made Himself King, not only of the Jews, but of the whole world. We frequently meet men who talk of religion as something which concerns everybody but themselves. They forsooth lead a kind of independent existence; being attached to no religious community — being interested in no religious faith. To every human being it is of infinite consequence whether the Christian religion be true or not. For if it be true, what hope can that man have who refuses to embrace it? And if it be false, what hope is there left for the restoration of our fallen race?

3. An unwarrantable renunciation of responsibility. "Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered Thee unto me," In these words, and indeed all through the trial, Pilate endeavors to cast upon others the whole of the responsibility connected with the condemnation of Christ.

A Man Had Two Sons

NLT Luke 15:11-32

 A man had two sons. ¹² The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

 Photo by Les Anderson on Unsplash

Why is this ponderable? 

Very soon after the younger son received the money, he decided that since he had so much money he would move to a different country and live it up. When he left, he left for good. He took every last thing he had and didn't plan on returning.

Although Jesus uses this parable to emphasize that our Father God allows us to make mistakes in life and will not judge us harshly for them there are still many other subtle points to ponder in this story.

Yes. It is a picture of God's unconditional love for us. This love does not depend on our faithfulness; it is unconditional. He loved us while we were still sinners. Though we are demanding and do not remain faithful, God is still our faithful and loving Father. So, when the prodigal son realizes his mistakes and chooses to return home to ask for forgiveness, his father does not chide him, but celebrates his homecoming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.

Then he said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet.  And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

The elder son becomes angry when he learns of his younger brother returning and the celebration for his return. The older brother was so caught up in working that he forgot why he was living. He was working to earn his keep, working to earn his father's love. In all his toils, he forgot that love is not something to be earned, but given.

The elder son changes his attitude when his father explained that he loved him too. He was a good son and gave the father no grief. But the younger son had been lost, and in his return the elder brother had regained a brother and the father had regained a son

So, we are left to ponder this seeming imbalance, and many of us are likely to react like the good son who feels cheated.  Doubtless, some of us wonder what was Jesus thinking when he told this story. It seems to favor the backsliders and arrogant above those of us who do the right thing all of our lives. It also begs the age-old question: Why do bad things happen to good people?

 While these feelings are normal human feelings, we must accept that God's ways are not our ways. If we were able to see our triumphs and struggles as God sees them, we might find that God is using our struggles as a prelude to our triumphs or as a way to keep us on the path to life rather than follow the road to perdition. After all, the prodigal son had to confront the consequences of his bad choices before he changes course. Meanwhile, the good son was not inclined to make such bad choices. Yet, both were free to make those choices. That is how God dispenses Justice and Mercy in the same package. If the prodigal son had not changed course, he would have disintegrated knowing that it was his doings--not God's. Likewise, if the good son had decided to follow in his brother's footsteps out of jealousy, he too would have availed himself to God's Justice and Mercy package. Either way, the boys father will love them unconditionally.