. . . all died today. I hope that many of them trusted in Jesus for their salvation before they died, because:
Hebrews 9:27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment
Their eternal destiny is fixed. I saw one blogger say he hoped Fawcett was at peace now. I share that sentiment, but it is a very binary process. If she didn’t trust in Jesus then her situation is worse than it was yesterday.
Another couple hunded thousand people will die tomorrow. I pray that they will be ready. The seriously confused and/or fake Christians will say they are all going to Heaven. Will the real Christians tell them the truth?
Everyone will spend eternity somewhere. If you haven’t done so already, today is a great day to repent of your sins and trust in Jesus for forgiveness and eternal salvation.
Side note: Our church did some flood relief after Tropical Storm Allison a few years back. We did a lot of work at one elderly couple’s house. They worked for Farrah’s family at some point. The only picture in their bedroom was an 8×10 of Farrah with a sweet personalized note she wrote to them. You could tell they treasured it.
Filed under: Christian worldview | Tagged: Bible, death, farrah fawcett, God, Heaven, Hell, michael jackson, religion
It is said but there is always a trend of someone dying and then the preacher saying, “Well, he/she is going home to the Lord now.” Ah, why assume everybody is going. I mean geez, a man could have been a drug dealer and people will be crying and boo-hooing like no tomorrow. I believe the bible said that the road to heaven is narrow and the path of destruction is broad and wide. I am just tired of favoritism of actors and singers like you can’t judge them for anything, you can’t say nothing about them, just say how great of an entertainer they were.
I can see being respectful of the dead and having sympathy for their families. But you are right about funerals and such.
I understand why you don’t necessarily want preachers saying, “I’m pretty sure so-and-so is in Hell now,” but you also don’t want to give a false sense of security. What the theological liberals never seem to grasp is that is takes as much judging to say someone is in Heaven as it does to say he is in Hell. I leave it up to God and just point to what He revealed in his word.
I’ve heard Christians say they didn’t want the Gospel preached at their funeral. Man, they better preach it at mine!
At the end of the day, everyone seems to do alot of judging. However, I never heard of Christians not wanting the Gospel preached at their funerals. That is mind-blowing and sad.
I love this comment. God wants us to be wise and serpents and harmless as doves, so He will give us what to say. And I totally agree…I came from God, He lives in me, and I’m going back to be with Him, so why wouldn’t I want others to know about Him, and how to get to Him? The way is Jesus—simple! No other way!
There’s a way that seems right to the world, but you better know that it’s death, so keep on steppin’ down that narrow path of life. God bless!
I’m with you Neil. I’m already trying to plan who’s going to do my funeral … I want my unsaved family and friends saved at my home going!
Amen, Carlotta!
For me, I’ll preach anywhere I can (even at my baptism, where I plan on inviting a lot of unsaved people) and yes, they’d BETTER preach the whole Gospel at my funeral or I might just have to make a personal appearance, jump out of the casket, and do it right!
(And you don’t want to even KNOW what I’d do if my funeral was in an Episcopal or Presbyterian church!)
~David
It’s hard to know that although before I was saved, I loved dancing like Michael Jackson and after knowing Jesus, I cried for him and others who have fame here on earth, but no heavenly rewards. I would love to think that Michael and Farrah Fawcett repented before they died, but the reality is that there is much doubt. Jesus loves them so much and I hate the devil who lies to so many that it’s all just a fairy tale. May these types of death remind us who love Christ and Abba our Father, to share the gospel while there is still time for others to repent. It all makes me want to cry cause even though many will not repent, Jesus still deserves to have them with Him for eternity and unfortunately, the majority will not be in heaven. Sigh…..
Hi Sandy,
Thanks for visiting and commenting!
Hey Neil,
I just read my mother your post over the phone. She asked if I’d heard about Michael Jackson and how “ridiculous” it all is – the city of Los Angeles is in mourning. I immediately told her what I always think about is where peeps are spending eternity when I hear that they die – and fortunately you had provided me with a handy-dandy, brief and to the point entry on the same topic that lends itself well to reading orally while on the telephone.
She started snickering at the first line, and I had to tell her, “No, this is serious. Hell is no joke.” To which of course she agreed.
I just sent her a bunch of Gotquestions.org links and a John Macarthur sermon on YouTube. Hopefully it’ll plant some more seed?
(I’m not linking her to yer blog though – cuz I post on here and no way do I want me mother reading my blog).
Hi Marie–What sermon? I love Dr. MacArthur and didn’t know his sermons were on YouTube.
~David
Here you go – I’ll post part 1, and you’ll see in the bar parts 2-4 (it’s all one sermon, but uploaded in 4 parts.) If I post all 4 links, this will go into Neil’s Spam folder.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRNudOPFc1c
Enjoy!
Marie, thanks for the background and the links! That is an important topic.
Thanks, Marie. I’ll pray that some seeds are planted for her.
These occassions are natural ones for seeing if people really want to think seriously about God. So many people will say, “He’s in a better place,” or “I hope he’s gone to God, and I hope that he’s free of all the troubles he’s been plagued with” (the 2nd one is from a Reuters story). It is easy to ask what they mean by that to see if the words are empty or if they are interested in really knowing what happens when we die and how decisions in this life affect eternity.
And if I run into your Mom I promise not to tell her your blog address
.
I share your sentiment! My whole body cringes when someone dies of a terrible disease, and all their friends at the funeral say “Well, he’s in a better place now!”
Uhhh……….you better hope so! Especially if it is evident from the person’s life that they did not know Christ. Because if they did not know Christ, the place they are in now, and the suffering they are enduring, is a whole lot worse than ANYTHING they went through on earth…….and it will never end.
Agreed. One of the common claims supporting euthanasia is that it will end suffering. However, this carries a hidden but significant and unsupported religious claim, namely that there is no possible suffering after death.
Tragically, if these people have not put their faith in Christ then their suffering will just be beginning when they die.
Hat tip: Stand to Reason
If you hear that I have died, don’t spend time mourning for me.
Spend time praying for the repose of my soul, that the Lord may grant me mercy and not the justice that I deserve, and that in my final moments the Holy Spirit fortified me against the final temptation.
All that treasure on Earth. But how much treasure in Heaven?
Spend time praying for the repose of my soul,
Won’t it make more sense for us to pray for you while you’re still alive?
in my final moments the Holy Spirit fortified me against the final temptation.
Sorry, what is that? I’ve never heard the term before.
Marie, prayers before death are even better, and can accomplish a great deal more! Please! Start now!
As for the final temptation, it’s just a poetic way to describe the temptation that many experience leading up to death. Many holy men and women have described Satan pulling out all the stops while they lay dying, hoping to snatch a soul from God in the final moments.
This is exactly what was keeping me up tonight and exactly what I was looking for. I linked you on our website (headline: The Faces Of Death). I think the U.S. really came face to face with the reality of death today, even though it’s always around us. Blessings, Laura
Hi Laura,
Thanks for visiting and commenting and thanks for the link!
One commenter on moderation chided me for the post (I didn’t feel like responding at the time so I didn’t publish it). But one’s eternal destination seems to be a rather obvious question and concern. If you tell someone you are moving, the logical question will be, “Where?” Everyone spends eternity somewhere. What could be more logical than wondering where someone is?
I heard once of a pastor who was asked to do a funeral for a convicted drug dealer, scam artist and general thug. The dead man’s brother requested the funeral and made one stipulation: he had to same something good about the man. The pastor was offered $100,000 for his church as every other pastor had refused.
After a great deal of thought, the pastor did the service. He said “this man was a liar and a theif. He stole from families and he stole from children. He killed, he dealt drugs and was a general bad person. But he was way better than his brother.”
Hollywood will have its own heaven… some might call it Hell but to some it will be that – Heaven… who are we to judge?
that said, neil’s point is good. we must continue to spread the gospel…
Hi Randy – I’ve heard this story before. very funny & clever.
I totally missed the bit about Michael. that’s too bad. we really enjoyed his music.
I woke up to the news of Michael’s death. Literally, the noise of TV in my room woke me up and I blinked at the words ‘Michael Jackson is dead’ staring right at me. I felt very heavy. I always liked his music and his songs were way better than the likes of Madonna in their meaning. Yet, more than his death, the doubt about whether he really reconciled with God before his death was what which made me cry. I mean, in my eyes he definitely didn’t look bad, just a misguided soul. His life was so miserable and lonely despite his fame, but it could get worse in death. I hope people realize death is sudden, and it’s only during our lifetime on earth we can make ourselves worthy of God’s grace. Unfortunately, Michael’s fame is not going to fight his case for him in front of God. Not even his suffering. God is merciful but the question is did Michael seek God’s mercy when he was alive?
Michael Jackson was truly a very depressed person. A talented genius, but obviously tormented. His hell was on Earth and now, he’s at rest.
One poignant, tragic irony in Michael Jackson’s case is that, as a member of the Jehovah Witness cult, he didn’t even believe in the existence of hell. He had heard the Gospel in his youth many times, but chose to reject it (as well as the deity of Christ). It’s hard to grasp, but without the illumination of the Holy Spirit, eyes will remain closed and hearts hard – no matter how much truth one is exposed to. ):
Its funny you mentioned this, because there are people that know Michael Jackson and have no idea who Jesus is!
People find themselves concerned for his soul, and should be concerned about the living who have diefied him (MJ).
Great points, Mizclark!
I’m not so sure one’s destination is set in stone immediately following exit from mortal life. For instance, 1 Peter 3:18-20 & 4:6
18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
The Gospel is preached to dead. There may be hope for Jackson and Fawcett yet.
Hi Cameron,
Actually, the spirits in prison were not deceased persons being given a “second chance”, although it’s tempting to think so. Here’s part of an explanation of that difficult passage, from gotquestions.org:
”
First Peter 3:18-22 describes a necessary link between Christ’s suffering (verse 18) and His glorification (verse 22). Only Peter gives specific information about what happened between these two events. The word “preached” in verse 19 is not the usual word in the New Testament to describe the preaching of the gospel. It literally means to herald a message. Jesus suffered and died on the Cross, His body being put to death, and His spirit died when He was made sin. But His spirit was made alive and He yielded it to the Father. According to Peter, sometime between His death and His resurrection Jesus made a special proclamation to “the spirits in prison.”
To begin with, Peter referred to people as “souls” and not “spirits” (3:20). In the New Testament, the word “spirits” is used to describe angels or demons, not human beings, and verse 22 seems to bear out this meaning. Also, nowhere in the Bible are we told that Jesus visited hell. Acts 2:31 says that He went to “Hades” (New American Standard Bible), but “Hades” is not hell. The word “Hades” refers to the realm of the dead, a temporary place where they await the resurrection. Revelation 20:11-15 in the NASB or the New International Version give a clear distinction between the two. Hell is the permanent and final place of judgment for the lost. Hades is a temporary place.
Our Lord yielded His spirit to the Father, died, and at some time between death and resurrection, visited the realm of the dead where He delivered a message to spirit beings (probably fallen angels; see Jude 6) who were somehow related to the period before the flood in Noah’s time. Verse 20 makes this clear. Peter did not tell us what He proclaimed to these imprisoned spirits, but it could not be a message of redemption since angels cannot be saved (Hebrews 2:16). It was probably a declaration of victory over Satan and his hosts (1 Peter 3:22; Colossians 2:15). Ephesians 4:8-10 also seems to indicate that Christ went to “paradise” (Luke 16:20; 23:43) and took to heaven all those who had believed in Him prior to His death. The passage doesn’t give a great amount of detail about what occurred, but most Bible scholars agree that this is what is meant by “led captivity captive.”
So, all that to say, the Bible isn’t entirely clear what exactly Christ did for the three days between His death and resurrection. It does seem, though, that He was preaching victory over the fallen angels and/or unbelievers. What we can know for sure is that Jesus was not giving people a second chance for salvation. The Bible tells us that we face judgment after death (Hebrews 9:27), not a second chance. There isn’t really any definitively clear answer for what Jesus was doing for the time between His death and resurrection. Perhaps this is one of the mysteries we will understand once we reach glory.”
Here’s another article entitled “Who were the spirits in prison?” (I’ll just post the link and you can read it if you like, rather than pasting the whole thing): http://www.gotquestions.org/spirits-in-prison.html
Knew Jackson was a JW, but never heard he was depressed or lonely. He still had family and friends.
My wife just told me Fawcett was a devout Catholic. So there you go.
I’d like the Word spoken at my funeral, but I also wanted to be propped up in a chair with my head resting in one hand like I’ve fallen asleep. I just do.
My pastor recently dealt with the death of his brother. They hadn’t spoken in about fifteen years. His brother was a true black sheep, a gambler and drinker, was living with a hooker at the time of his death, and had a homosexual affair or two (no kidding). He didn’t believe in God, had no time for it. Somehow, my pastor thinks his brother is in heaven. He said all this as part of his sermon. Obviously, he was still grieving.
I have no problem with death bed conversions. Only God can know if it’s sincere. But my pastor, as I recall, made no mention of his brother converting in any way, shape or form. I wanted to approach him on the issue and find out if I had understood his comments correctly. If I did, I wanted to tell him that he has to get used to the idea that if he had no knowledge of his brother changing in any way, it’s not likely that his brother is plucking a harp.
No one wants to believe that their late family members or friends aren’t in heaven. It’s too sad a thought to contemplate. My own father passed when I was nine. I thought he was a great guy, despite the whuppins I got. But I don’t know a lot about how he lived. I do know that he was a church going man (Roman Catholic), but took the Lord’s name in vain on more than one occasion. I hope he believed in Christ as a Christian more than a Catholic, but who knows just how important are the differences between that denomination and the rest. Is there enough to prevent his salvation? I hope not. But it ain’t up to me.
I posted my thoughts on Michael Jackson at my place. Many who comment here may not like what I say, but it’s from the heart. I believe what I believe. I also know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him against that day.
Neil, I overheard a pastor once who was telling my pastor about someone requesting that he not preach salvation at their loved one’s funeral. He preached salvation anyway, and they, in his words, “Stiffed me on the honorarian”.
Shortly thereafter, my own pastor passed away suddenly from a massive coronary. Salvation was preached at His funeral, which was attended by so many people, they had to set up speakers outside the church to handle the overflow.
I want salvation preached at my funeral. It may be the only time some of my friends and family will hear the Word. I try, but they don’t listen. If it takes my death to bring them to Christ, so be it.
I’m not sure how I want my funeral to be conducted, but I know I want “It is well” to be sung there. If it isn’t, it won’t matter to me. I won’t be there anyway.
Hi Marie,
Thanks for that link. However, I don’t think it sufficiently explains chapter 4 verse 6, which says the gospel was preached to the dead that they might be properly judged.
Now, I don’t think that these verses offer a “second chance” at salvation. No, I firmly believe that this life is the time to prepare to meet God. However, in the history of earth there have been billions of people, God’s children, who have not even had a first chance to know Him. It would be entirely unjust for them to be damned simply because they were born in a place with no Christianity. Indeed, that scenario directly contradicts his purposes, as described in 1 Timothy 2:4,
“Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”