Death, Man’s inevitable destiny
Once upon a time man didn’t die! That is, not until our forefathers sinned by eating the forbidden fruit; that was the beginning and the origin of death.
Death is the annihilation, extermination of the existence of anything (it can be a human being, an irrational animal, ideals, relationships, jobs, illusions, habits, etc.) As you can see, these phenomena relate to all organisms.
Death: The Final Chapter of Mankind
Any wonder why we cannot talk about death without mentioning birth? Birth is the direct opposite of death. While Birth marks the beginning of life and the entry into the world; on the other hand, death signifies the departure from the world into the unknown. This unknown syndrome forms the greatest concern and fear in the minds of many people who do not want to die for frightening of the unknown.
Surprisingly many people want to go to heaven without dying! In the end, death is not a bad thing because it might lead to heaven. This situation is consistent with nature, which states that everything that has a beginning (birth into the world) must have an end (death).
My Experience: That Physical Separation Is Unbearable — My Experience
In 1982, the untold happened! I lost my first and closest family member — my sister. In rank, she was my second eldest sister out of five females. Of course, almost all deaths are painful. But it’s one thing to have a prolonged illness and then die. In my sister’s case, we had all been together the night before when she decided to go to our elder brother’s house for the weekend.
The next thing we heard about her was that she was taken to a doctor’s office and then to a clinic. I didn’t hesitate but rushed to visit her there. Unfortunately, upon my arrival at the clinic, the nurse told me that she had gone “home!” Sadly, I was unaware she had passed. Then I rushed to my brother’s house only to discover she wasn’t there.
I said to myself, “I smell a rat!” Oh, never again will I trust or believe the word of any nurse! Actually, I came to realize later that it was a good thing the nurse did not tell me the bitter news since I could have passed out immediately had she done so. I know death comes suddenly, but in my sister’s case, it was quite another thing.
The height of absurdity was that we had to go to Ikeja mortuary in Lagos. When there, we were asked to open each of what looked like file drawers and held my breath as each was opened. After opening more than ten or so of these drawers, to me it felt like it was a hundred. Finally, we couldn’t hold our breath any longer when we discovered my sister’s lifeless body in one of the drawers. It was hard to believe that this super-refrigerated body belonged to my sister, whose warm hugs I will never forget.
The Prolong Trauma and the Resurgence of My Mysterious Strength.
After my sister’s death, I experienced psychological trauma. Besides that, my eyes were so dry, having no more tears to shed! Finally, just the painful realization that I would never see my dear sister again was too much to bear. Thoughts about her followed me everywhere around Lagos City for days and days, and soon the tears would return again and again. They were just seemingly endless.
Often, I wandered the streets unknowingly completely traumatized, as I was overwhelmed by the trauma. Thank God I wasn’t crushed by cars!
My experiences over the past months were pleasantly surprising because I had no idea how I acquired my supernatural strength. In my mind, I decided that I had faced the worst and was now ready to deal with all life challenges. After all, having reached a point of no return, my only choice was to fight back or accept total defeat.
Death, That Invincible Destiny
Who would not love to write on death or know more about it? After all it’s an invincible destiny for everyone. Besides, should it not be another time to rejoice as we meet again with our loved ones who have gone before us? As for me, I already have a long list of my family members I would want to meet again and join with somewhere, someday. Starting from my beloved grandmother, sainted mother, all my sisters, brothers, aunts, and why not, meet with some greatest names in the Bible I have heard and read about. People like Elijah, Elisha, father Moses, Job, and many more. What of meeting with Jesus, the finisher of our faith? Of course, my numerous friends (near and far) who left this earth long ago and those who died far too young.
Is Death Comparable to Sleep?
Could the syndrome of death not be on account of ignorance? Or is it because the interpretation of death connotes divergent views and diverse meanings to different people? Then let’s use the term “sleep” instead of death.
As an interesting note, 1 Thessalonians(KJV) 4:15 says, “For this, we say by the word of the Lord, that we who remain alive and face the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are’ asleep;’” also 1Corienthians (KJV) 15: 18, states, “Then they also which are ‘fallen asleep in Christ are perished.” The Sleep of death (Psalms 13:3): “Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death….” From these chapters of both the New and Old Testaments, we can conclude that both refer to death as Sleep. A situation painted in a way that every mortal with body and soul can relate to easily. We all Sleep! Sometimes, too, we sleep and never wake up again as we take the long journey of no return and make it straight to the world beyond.
Why Should Man Be So Unwilling to Die?
Let’s face the fact, since we did not know why we were born into this world. Do we have the right to ask the powers that be or dictate to Him as to when we want to Die or not? And what if we don’t want to go at all? By the way, the fact that you didn’t even know where you originated in the first place, where would you dictate your maker to take you, even if you had the chance or relying on your fast phasing-out fame and status? In death, all you say or do, does no longer count.
Your influence and importance in society stop immediately when you strain for your last breath! But there is good news for those who would make it to heaven/paradise or wherever place our maker reserves for those who managed to reach there. Come to think of it, since I was born, I have not seen a street made of gold! Yes, streets made of gold! And so much more that my eyes have never seen nor my ears have heard.
As 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NKJV) would put it, “But as it is written”: “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 Him.”
Death, A Spiritual Being?
From time in memorial, the spirit of death has been so close to man and follows him around wherever he goes. Death, though invisible, has a certain control over man’s life, if not the Spirit of God that liberates us from his grip. Revelation 20:14(AMPV) discloses how God deals with these agents of hell: “Then death and Hades [the realm of the dead] were thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:14 (KJV) “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.”
Death can visit man at any time. Sometimes through prolong sickness (in the hospital, nursing home, in one’s home: through sleep, etc.), and at another time through diverse means like accidents, shootings, suicide, stone to death,
drawn and quartered, death by firing squad, beheading, being set afire, electrocuted, poisoned, Lethal injection, losing life in a gas chamber, crushing by elephant.
Devoured by animals, bites by snakes, trampling by horses, back-breaking leaving no blood on the ground, tied to the mouth of a cannon, boiling to death, burial alive, crucifixion, disembowelment, hanged, drowning, secretly abducted, drugged and thrown out of an airplane into the ocean. Why not, death caused by our almighty COVID and our catastrophic climatic conditions (the killer weather and the draconian wild fires now prevalent all over the globe). And so many more on an endless list.
This death cloud that hangs over man’s head should have made man wiser and enable him to treat others with respect and love, but in real life the inverse is the case, as some people become “satanic on earth” thinking they would live forever. Watch out, death is real and inevitable!
