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WHEN DEATH ISN’T FINAL AND WHEN IT DEFINITELY IS!

Capt. Ben Marler

Have you ever heard someone say, "I’m scared to death?" The truth of the matter is most people are scared of death and they should be. The author of life Jesus Christ said, "I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the Father except by Me." How many people do you think believes Him? If you say only a few, you are right. For over 30 years I have been active in sharing the Good News with anyone who would listen to me and I speak from experience.

My message was always simple; God loves you and proved it by sending Jesus His Only Begotten Son to Earth so you could be saved. While here, He lived in perfect obedience even to laying down upon a rough wooden cross while Roman soldiers nailed Him to it. Before the crucifixion He suffered a horrible beating with a scourge that removed bits of flesh with each blow. The crown of thorns that were driven into His scalp could not be felt after the beating. His whole body burned with pain as He paid for our sins.

After the cross was dropped into its hole, He looked about and found that He had been deserted except for Mary his mother and John the youngest of the 12 disciples. At a distance stood a number of women who had wept and wailed as He was led along. His tormentors taunted Him with disgraceful statements accusing Him of being a fraud. I am convinced the rejection of those for whom He was about to die hurt far more than all of the abuse and nails.

Most people I’ve met do not know Jesus hung on His cross for 6 terrible hours as His precious blood dripped to the ground. We have come to learn this spilling of His Blood fulfilled God’s promise to send an unblemished Lamb to be slain for the forgiveness of sins. Prior to His death the law given by Moses provided for the blood of animals to cover the sins if followed to the letter of the law.

Now you have heard, perhaps for the first time, the Gospel message. I can assure you it is all anyone needs to understand to find a peace with God. There is power in the message and should bring anyone to tears of repentance. I’m sad to say that some people have hearts so hard that the message bounces off like a rubber ball. I met some of these in the county jail at Crestview during a jail ministry that lasted about two years. If these men have died since then I know they are in God’s holding cell waiting upon final judgment and eternal punishment.

Others were open to the message and with tears accepted the Truth of God’s love and believed upon Jesus and the work of the cross in their behalf. As we led them in prayer to accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior He, by the breath of the Holy Spirit, entered into their hearts and became their Lord too. If any of these have died since I have seen them they are not in a holding pen somewhere. Jesus told the criminal who was being crucified next to Him, "Today, you shall be with Me in Paradise." The other criminal on the other side refused to accept Jesus and was ignored by Him. Do you think he made it to Paradise too?

When my Dad suffered a major heart attack in August of 1970 his spirit left him for Paradise in a single second. My dad was the best Christian I’ve ever met in almost 65 years. At the time I was filled with religion but was as lost as some of the horrible criminals I later tried to bring to Christ. The first public words spoken at his funeral were, "I am the Resurrection and the Life, he who believes in Me, even if he die yet shall he live. Whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die." When these words were spoken my heart was quickened and in a single second a peace came all over me. You see, Jesus spoke these Words. These Words are life to those who accept them.

Are you afraid to die? Be honest now as your future depends upon your answer. If you are then you are in grave danger, no pun intended. Those who have given themselves to Christ and are accepting His promises do not have a right to be afraid to die. They are not going to die Jesus said so and I believe Him.

Four years after my Dad went to Paradise God allowed me to see him in a dream. I have shared this dream more than all the others He has given me. When I first saw my Dad he was looking in the opposite direction. I shouted Daddy! As he slowly turned around I found myself looking into the face of the most beautiful man I had ever seen now about 30 years old. His skin color was now a golden bronze. Each facial feature was my Dad in perfection. The smile upon his face was glorious and spoke volumes of how happy he was to see me. He reached out and gave me a strong hug and then he was gone. I don’t believe the dream lasted more than 5 seconds.

I can not tell you in words what this gift from my Heavenly Father has done for me. How can I fear death when I have seen my Dad in his glorified body? I know that God has prepared one for me and I long to enter into it. As long as I am here on Earth I am going to serve God with all of my heart. How can I do any less when He has used the shed blood of Jesus to permanently remove my million sins? Did you know that when God forgives us after we repent He even forgets them? All sins are recorded in books but when He forgave me the angels had to erase them from the records. To be sure they did God had them bring the erasure and He cast it away as far as East is from the West.

God hates sin more than anyone can understand. Trust me in this please; if you were to arrive with just one you would spend eternity with Satan and his unholy angels. No one who is unwashed in the Blood of Jesus is clean enough for Him. If you are unwashed you are also not "born again". You can take care of this as you read this message. You can be assured that your death will not be final. It is up to you and no one else. God has no grandchildren!

Tell God how you feel about your sins. Tell Him with genuine sadness how you feel that Jesus hung on the cross 6 hours in your place like He did for me. Ask Him humbly to forgive you and then ACCEPT his forgiveness by faith. Invite Jesus to come into your heart (life) and pledge to follow Him as the Holy Spirit leads you. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to a church family where you can be baptized (emersed). Ask God to help you develop a discipline to read from the Bible daily so He can increase you faith. All of the above will put the angels in Heaven into rejoicing. You see, they watched Jesus die for you and now see Him redeeming you for Himself.

I told God many times He paid way too much for me. Even one tiny drop was too much for me. I confess that I was so bad and know I was most unworthy of His love and forgiveness. I am one who was forgiven much and now love Jesus with all of my heart soul and mind. This message is one of hundreds I’ve written to bring the dead to life. Will you accept it too! It is my heartfelt prayer that not only you but thousands will respond to God’s invitation to join His family.