How do you avoid a second death?
Thought for the day: Dying once is hard enough to deal with, What is the scond death and how do you avoid it?
The bible mentions a second death several times, It is associated with a sinful person spending eternity in Hell, burning with brimstone in the Lake of fire. Brimstone is sulfer and makes nasty sulfuric acid fumes as it burns; It would be best to avoid getting anywhere near such a fire.
“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Revelations 21:8)
To understand a second death, lets be clear on the first death; To do that we need to understand our basic nature. We are spiritual souls born into a physical body. The physical body is formed of earthly flesh in the mothers womb and experiences physical death. The soul is formed of spiritual substance in the mothers womb and is released to retern to God after physical death of the body.
“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13)
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6)
“And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” (Ecclesiastes 12:7)
The soul is eternal and will exist forever. Once it is released after the death of our physical body, the first death, it will transition to either eternal “life” in heaven or eternal “death” in hell.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)
The concept of spiritual Life and Death is introduced as a tree metaphor thorughout the bible. Eating of the “tree of life” comes from becoming righteous and following Gods commandments. When we Love Him first, and Love others as ourselves, we become fruitful and prosperous in this life and will experience eternal life connected with God in paradise.
“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life…” (Proverbs 11:30)
“…To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7)
“Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.” (Revelation 22:14-15)
Eating of “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” is the opposite; Operating on your own self-centered agenda, separate from God and his protections. If you operate in this way, you will gain knowledge of good and evil from first hand experience. Your self-centered sinful ways will lead you on a downward spiral of poor decisions and destructive consequences. Hopefully, at some point, you will reflect and realize this path might not be working out for the best. You have your entire life to discover the Lord as your savior and change your ways. If you choose to leave this earthly life in self-centered sinful mode, you will have missed your chance. Your soul will spend eternity separated from God and His life giving Love and Truth; You will be open to torment from the Devil without the civil laws of society on earth, “burning” in the lake of fire.
“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Gen 2:17)
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” . . . Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. . . . And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46)
Let’s understand how this works; God offers us protection from evil. Sin causes separation from God and His protections
“But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.” (Isaiah 59:20)
“These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thessalonians 1:9)
Sin has consequences, Continued sin leads to death of the soul, or spiritual death
“For the wages of sin is death,…” (Romans 6:23)
“Behold, all souls are mine;…the soul who sins shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:4)
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” (John 3:36)
So how do we avoid spiritual death?
We have two levels in our mind – an inner spiritually oriented mind – and an outer carnal / flesh oriented / emotion driven mind
“I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.” (Romans 7:21-23)
The two levels of your mind are in conflict with very different priorities. Our outer / emotional self wants to pursue fleshly desires – ignoring God’s commandments – sin. The inner self (our mind) recognizes God’s love, the law/commandments, and wants to avoid sin and pursue goodness.
“For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want.” (Galatians 5:17)
One level of your mind will always be dominant.
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” (Romans 8:5)
Our carnal oriented outer mind is actually at war with God
“Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” (Romans 8:7)
If we let the outer mind continue on its selfish fleshly agenda it will take us to spiritual death.
“Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” (James 1:15)
We are born with the outer mind dominant which gives us our sinful nature.
“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 51:5)
“Among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” (Ephesians 2:3)
“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. (Romans 7:18)
We must turn from evil as sin against God to drive a wedge against the carnal mind.
“…for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13)
“For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!” (Ezekiel 18:32)
When we truly repent of our sins, Jesus gift of forgiveness allows us to move forward without the burden of guilt that buried us under the law, and allow us to prosper in eternal life.
“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”(Acts 3:19)
(Are they worse sinners?) ” I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. (Luke 13:3/5)
“When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions” (Colossians 2:13)
We must develop the inner mind with sufficient knowledge and discipline to counter and totally overcome the dominance of the outer mind, and escape the corruption of self-centered agendas in the flesh.
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust..” (2 Peter 1:4)
“Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11)
The outer mind is so dominant that the only way for the inner mind to actually win this war is to completely submit yourself to Jesus as your lord and savior.
“ O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 8:24-25)
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:7-8)
“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
We become born again with a fresh start and spiritual support system, Say good by to the old man, hello to the new.
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.’ (2 Corinthians 5:17)
“We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:6-11)
And to use the holy spirit to help you put aside all fleshly agendas that compete.
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3)
To become committed to living a life worthy of the price he paid.
“Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ.” (Philippians 1:27)
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
Conclusion:
The risk of second death is a really big deal – It is eternity – and it is Hell. As long as we are reunited with God through true repentance for sins and belief in Jesus’ resurrection – the second death has no power over us.
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.” (Revelation 2:11)
“Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:6)
- Turn from Evil as Sin against God. Repent of your sins
- Accept Jesus as your lord and savior
- Actively pursue transformation of your mind to see things from God’s perspective
- Listen to the Holy spirit for guidance
- Strive to live a life worthy of the price HE paid.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have questions or comments.