This clip is from The Lord of the Rings; one of the best movies ever filmed in my honest opinion. Watching it years later, after having buried my youngest son five years ago, it has a more poignant message to me than it did when I first saw it. But one of the the things Gandalf told Theoden in this clip captured my attention this morning "He was strong in life, his spirit will find its way to the halls of your fathers."
Life after death, what does it mean to us as a people? The people of Rohan in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings remind me a bit of the Viking people. And when Gandalf says his spirit will find its way to the halls of your fathers, I can't help but think a little of Valhalla; the place all Vikings hoped they would go after death. Even in the Disney animated movie Brother Bear there was mention of a spirit realm where you went after death. And in the Bible, Jesus said, "In My Father's house are many rooms, I go to prepare a place for you." (John 14:2)
Obviously there is somewhere we go after we die, this life isn't all there is. The Bible teaches humans are a three part being; we are a spirit, we have a soul and we live in a body. The spirit of man is the real you, who you are as a person, and according to the Bible this is the part of you which will live forever either with God or cut off from Him. Your soul is made up of your will, emotions and your intellect. And of course your body is the house you live in a"nd it is this part which your five senses use to relate to the world around you.
For all of our enlightenment and the vast changes which have taken place in the human race due to technological advances, death still comes to us all. It is a fact, human beings die. But the question you've got to ask yourself, is what happens afterwards? I've met people who say nothing happens after you die, you just die. This must be an awful thing to believe. It saddens me to think there are people who don't realize there will be something after this life. It reminds me of another clip from The Lord of the Rings; actually, I want this clip played at my funeral I like it so much.
"And then you see it..."
"What Gandalf? You see what?"
"White shores and beyond."
I think all of this talk about life after death gives us hope. And we need hope, I mean if all we do is live on this planet and then cease to exist, what is it all for? I mean why do we even try to live a better life, or teach our children to be good people if it is all for nothing? Why worry about carrying on our family lines, or building anything of value? If we just die, then we should live every day as a hedonist, not caring about what we leave behind right?
But thank God there is more to life than just ourselves, and there is a reason to build something to leave behind. God wants each and every one of us to spend eternity with Him, but unfortunately there will be those who choose not to. I hope you're not one of them. Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for each of us when He died on the cross, was buried and raised back to life on the third day, all so we could be saved, and live in eternity with Him. And He made it so easy to do too! All you have to do is accept what He did for you, and like Romans 10:9-10 states; believe in your heart God raised Jesus from the dead, and say with your mouth, "Jesus be my Lord." It's just that simple.
The really sad thing, is just because you don't believe in life after death it does not mean it's not true. The worst thing would be for you to spend eternity in hell because you chose not to believe God's message of saving grace in Jesus. There is life after death, but you get to choose which life it will be; eternity with Jesus, or eternity without Him, won't you choose Jesus today?
But thank God there is more to life than just ourselves, and there is a reason to build something to leave behind. God wants each and every one of us to spend eternity with Him, but unfortunately there will be those who choose not to. I hope you're not one of them. Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for each of us when He died on the cross, was buried and raised back to life on the third day, all so we could be saved, and live in eternity with Him. And He made it so easy to do too! All you have to do is accept what He did for you, and like Romans 10:9-10 states; believe in your heart God raised Jesus from the dead, and say with your mouth, "Jesus be my Lord." It's just that simple.
The really sad thing, is just because you don't believe in life after death it does not mean it's not true. The worst thing would be for you to spend eternity in hell because you chose not to believe God's message of saving grace in Jesus. There is life after death, but you get to choose which life it will be; eternity with Jesus, or eternity without Him, won't you choose Jesus today?
Pray this prayer:
Dear God,
I come to You in the Name of Jesus. The Bible says, "...him that comes to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37), so I know You won't cast me out, but You take me in and I thank You for it. You said in Your Word, "Whoever will call upon the Name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13) I am calling on Your Name, so I know You have saved me now.
You also said "...if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart God has raised Him form the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and wit the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9-10) I believe in my heart Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification, and I confess Him now as my Lord.
Because Your Word says, "...with the heart man believes unto righteousness..." and I do believe with my heart, I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21) And I am saved! Thank You Lord!
For the Kingdom and the King!
For the Kingdom and the King!
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