4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.
Too often we get preoccupied with the preservation of this life, that we lose focus of the afterlife. Whether it be a disease that ravishes our body or the unintended consequences of war, our bodies will wear out and die. It is inevitable. The recent stories about the oldest living people only emphasize even more the certainty of death. Here in the West we have seen an increase in lifespan over the past century. We can expect to live on average into our 70s with relatively good health. We will probably be active and alert, retaining most of our mental capacities. It is funny that when we are young we often abuse our bodies. We indulge in late nights and stupid activities that shorten our lives. We listen to very loud music which sets us up for hearing aides later in life. We drink too much and participate in many harmful habits. Then, when we get later in life, we often see the end coming and will do anything to preserve what we woefully disregarded as unlimited. But Jesus says there is someone who needs to be feared more than the person who can kill the body. There is a part of us that will survive long after our physical bodies have stopped functioning. The ‘you’ of you will go on existing after death. We need to be concerned about where the ‘you’ of you will spend that eternity. Your body will cease to be the habitation of ‘you’, but ‘you’ will continue to live. Where will ‘you’ be? We need to be concerned about the One who makes that determination. We should become best friends and find out what His entrance requirements are so that we can spend our eternity in some place other than hell. Fear death? Never! Fear the one who determines where I spend eternity after death? Always!
The Arnold Journey 