We are all searching for eternity, for the good life, fine dining, financial success, prominence, significance, for a better life, immortality.
Gerhard was an exceptional and experienced explorer, an adventurer searching for truth.
At the time of his regeneration process from drugs, he told me. One can achieve a 10 times higher rush of euphoria and pleasure, focus, memory and super-man feelings while being high on drugs than any other natural means. Drug addicts believe they are free, and society is in prison, bound by their responsibilities, marriage life and routine obligations.
Gerhard’s search for truth miserably failed, being in his thirties having nothing to his name, only broken relationships.
Finding Eternity in Jesus
Eventually, Gerhard made the divine connection; he found the pearl of great price, the secret hidden treasure of life – Jesus Christ!
He discovered that all that he was searching for was locked up in the person of Jesus Christ. So, over a period of time, through consistent truth, obedience and humility, he stepped back into his family’s and friend’s hearts.
He found a beautiful wive in Amelia, who shared a deep love for Jesus, and they travelled, served and lead people into the presence of the Eternal.
Gerhard’s eye for the finer things in life and capturing moments of eternal bliss became his trademark.
He learned that eternity is not somewhere far away in the future; Jesus is the Great Eternal Now!! In Christ, thankfulness, peace and joy became Gerhard’s foundation, rock, and solid ground. From this foundation, he worked himself up from being a film crew-hand to a manager, professional videographer and director of some of the most amazing shots and glimpses of eternity now.
Gerhard’s death is untimely, abrupt, unexpected, and it feels wrong! But again, Gerhard’s life is a sermon, a type of roadmap, a roadsign pointer that this life and all its fine things are temporary!! Word of warning: “Do not put your trust in these earthly glimpses of eternity.”
These eternal now moments are only pointers, short reels, a documentary of what is truly REAL, namely – JESUS. He died and rose again to reconnect us to that eternal reality.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corn4:16-18)
We are all going to die!!
We are really all going to die, some sooner than others!
The only way to escape death is to know and believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and receive His resurrection life force in your soul!
It is His resurrection power that is working in us who believe right now, giving us the supernatural means to cope with our loss! By His grace and resurrection power, Gerhard won his battle over drug addiction! It is the power of Christ within that helps us to remain calm, peaceful, and thankful under pressure.
All cultures have their own idea and theory about life after death. Egyptians dedicated pyramids to their dead. Chinese built huge tombs for their emperors with ceramic armies to “protect” them in the afterlife. Vikings dressed fallen warriors and released them to the wind in burning ships. Crusaders in the Middle Ages believed they gained a more favourable afterlife if they died in battle, as did the Japanese kamikaze pilots in the 2nd World War. American Indians buried weapons and tools with their dead for use in the Happy Hunting Ground.
Heaven is real because Heaven is here in Christ
For Christians and believers, heaven is not an afterlife fantasy or imagination, for we are already experiencing moments of Heaven here and now in Christ!
In Christ, we have received real weapons and real protection against sin and evil!! We cannot take any of this worlds riches, axes and guns with us!!
Wealth, prominence, guns and swords cannot protect you in the afterlife. If you do not know and have Jesus, you are lost!
The Good News Gospel is exactly this! Jesus declared in His first sermon: “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” and then started to heal people, set them free from demonic oppression, raised the dead, fed the thousands, cleansed the lepers, and demonstrated HEAVEN here and now!! He teaches us to pray “Let your kingdom come, your will be done here on earth as it is in heaven” (Mat 6:10). He then later sent His disciples to demonstrate heaven too in doing the same miracles He did. (Luk 10:9).
Jesus is the LIFE, the TRUTH and the WAY!
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?”
The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Cor 15:50-58)
“as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing all things.” II Corinthians 6:10 NKJ
Godly people dies : (Rest in peace eternally) 😇👑
“Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. For those who follow godly paths will rest in peace when they die.” (Isaiah 57:1-2 NLT)
“Meanwhile, right-living people die and no one gives them a thought. God-fearing people are carted off and no one even notices. The right-living people are out of their misery, they’re finally at rest. They lived well and with dignity and now they’re finally at peace.” (Isaiah 57:1-2 MSG)
