Job 15:22
They lack hope of escaping the darkness,
Certain the sword is their destiny.
In Bible study yesterday someone mentioned not wanting to live 900 years like they did in the Bible. I understand that heaven is better, but I also thought our lives were to be full of joy here on earth because we knew we were going to heaven. From a logical standpoint, I remember the statements about the dead being asleep and the arguments that once you die, you are unaware of time passing until Christ returns. Putting those altogether, it seems it would be better to experience joy until the rapture and heaven there after than to die early and sleep for however long.
‘Lack hope’ was also ‘despair’, ‘does not believe’, ‘are not sure’, and ‘trusts not’. ‘Escape’ was also ‘return from’, or ‘come back’.
‘Certain destiny’ was also ‘destined’, ‘marked’, ‘’awaited by’, ‘stared at by’, ‘targeted by’, and ‘only looked forward to’.
Most people believe that death is inescapable. I believe that rapture is not quite the same as death and it is an alternative. Once again, logically I never expected to live forever or even 900 years, but there was/is a hope to live up to 120 years and experience the rapture before actually dying. But here is the question that my brain has stalled on ever since the question came up. If our lives are forever, 900 years, 120 years, or something less, isn’t each day worth looking forward to? And if so, what can possibly make all the pain and suffering of this world worth living in?
I postulate that living each day in constant communion with God through Christ and the Holy Spirit is worth all the suffering that can be imposed. I have not memorized the Bible like the main character in the movie The Book of Eli, but I do spend time reading and thinking about it. I do not need a book about the Bible or even a physical copy of the Bible to ponder on God’s Word. I do not spend all day every day doing so, but the life of a monk doing nothing but that does hold some appeal. I have a wife and kids that are super important to me and although not great at it, I do enjoy living life with them.
The only way to escape darkness is the light of Christ who is the light of the World. Not knowing this can cause people to give up, but that is why those who know have a mission to pass this knowledge on to everyone the can. I am not a missionary in the simple terms of the language, but I feel I have a mission that God is constantly preparing and calling me to execute. My happiness from anything the world has to offer pales in comparison to the joy of abiding with the Father. Sharing the hope of joy and happiness seems like the best possible path.
Written 1/18/25, Posted 2/17/25, Job 359