The Reality of Death

Response to comment '[from an atheist]:  "The characterization of our culture as "death-denying" is not accurate. The very notion of "living for the moment" because "tomorrow we die" is not a denial of death, but rather an affirmation / acknowledgment / acceptance of it. If it denied death, why would it contain the phrase "...for tomorrow we die..."?

"Eat, drink, for tomorrow we die"? It is a hedonistic philosophy.

"Define "hedonistic". What can be more hedonistic than a holy ecstasy?"

That would be Muslims.  Heaven will be all about praising Jesus.  We will thank him for eternity for giving us life and making a way for us to join him.

"Heaven- the eternal ecstasy. Hedonism."

Heaven will be a good place no doubt.  The godless want heaven on earth.  They won't get it (Isa 48:22).  This planet that they worship will be destroyed.  The Christian keeps his eye on eternity (Eccl 3:11) but walks by faith (2 Cor 5:7).

Response to comment [from an atheist]:  "No different than animals..."

Do we have to argue that you are not an animal? (Eccl 3:21). 

Response to comment [from an atheist]:  "...[U]nless you can verifiably demonstrate (quotes from books of superstition count for nothing) that humans are different from the other animals in ways that can't be accounted for by larger brains and opposable thumbs, there's no grounds to claim otherwise."

The opposite of design is chaos.  You do not get design from chaos.  God made the planet, man and the animals.  Death came into the world as a result of Adam's sin.  The planet, man and animals were cursed by God.  This world and everything on it will pass away.  But God and those who love him will live.  Death is an enemy, but there is hope in Christ. 

...[The] entire “creation was made subject to vanity.” The earth began to “wax old, as doth a garment” and ultimately “shall perish” (Hebrews 1:10–12). Since all flesh is made of the earth’s physical elements, it also is subject to the law of decay and death and as “grass, withereth … and falleth away” (1 Peter 1:24). It is universal experience that all things, living or non-living, eventually wear out, run down, grow old, decay, and pass into the dust.
This condition is so universal that it was formalized about a hundred years ago (by Carnot, Clausius, Kelvin, and other scientists) into a fundamental scientific law, now called the Second Law of Thermodynamics. This law states that all systems, if left to themselves, tend to become degraded or disordered. It has also been called the “law of morpholysis” (from a Greek word meaning “loosing of structure”). Physical systems, whether watches or suns, eventually wear out. Organisms grow old and die. Hereditary changes in species are caused by gene mutations (sudden random disruptions in their highly ordered genetic systems) which in many cases have resulted in deterioration or extinction of the species itself. Even apart from mutations, the deterioration of the environment has often led to species extinction.
Instead of all things being “made”—that is, organized into complex systems—as they were in Creation Week, they are now being “unmade,” becoming disorganized and simple. Instead of life and growth, there comes decay and death; instead of evolution, there is degeneration.
Morris, Henry M.: The Genesis Record : A Scientific and Devotional Commentary on the Book of Beginnings. Grand Rapids, MI : Baker Books, 1976, S. 126

Response to comment [from an atheist]:  "[T]here is no 'victory' over death."

A man cannot understand the things of God until the Holy Spirit makes them real to him.  The Bible is just a fairy tale to the unregenerate man.  But it just so happens to be real.  I think if you pay attention, the world is revealing her "birth pangs" (Mt 24:8).       

Ge 3:15-16:

"Not only would victory not be as easy as he thought, but ultimately he would be completely defeated and destroyed. “There will come One who will not be of the man’s seed, and who therefore will not be under your dominion. He will be uniquely the Seed of the woman, miraculously conceived and virgin-born. Though you will succeed in grievously injuring Him, He will completely crush you and all your evil ambitions.”

This great promise in Genesis 3:15 has long been known as the Protevangelium (the “first gospel”), promising the ultimate coming and victory of the Redeemer. It obviously entails far more than a trivial reference to the physical enmity between men and snakes, though this may be included as a sort of secondary pictorial parallel. The prophecy clearly looks forward to the time when Satan will be completely crushed beneath the feet of the woman’s triumphant Seed...
...The primary seed of the woman is, of course, the Lord Jesus Christ; and it is not the seed of the serpent, but Satan himself, who battles and is destroyed by this Seed, according to verse 15.
There is clearly an inference of human birth here; in fact, verse 16 mentions the sorrow that would attend conception of the woman’s children. It is also clearly implied that someday one would be super-naturally conceived and born of a virgin. This promised Seed would not partake of the inherited sin nature of Adam’s children, but would nevertheless be a man. He would not be born under Satan’s dominion as would other men, and would thus be able to engage the Serpent in mortal combat. Finally, though bruised in the conflict, He would emerge as victor, “bruising” (literally crushing) the Serpent’s head, destroying the works of Satan and setting the captives free!"
Morris, Henry M.: The Genesis Record : A Scientific and Devotional Commentary on the Book of Beginnings. Grand Rapids, MI : Baker Books, 1976, S. 121

Response to comment [from an atheist]:  [Comment from a Christian:  "Only to a pathetic atheist..."] "See, you're the kind of Christian who makes me not want to be a Christian."

The definition of pathetic is:  causing or evoking pity, sympathetic sadness, sorrow, etc. (dictionary.com). 

Would you rather a Christian not care about where you will spend eternity?  That would be apathetic.

Are Christians supposed to be rosy-cheeked, fat, little cherubim telling you all you your little heart desires?   

Response to comment [from an atheist]:  "My body is rather healthy, thank you..."

You are living in a tent that's going to get tattered and finally fall.  We have an enemy.  Death is going to win this round.  

Ge 3:17:

Not all of this [death] was bad, however, especially in view of the changed moral climate following the fall of man. As a matter of fact, God told Adam that the curse on the ground was “for thy sake.” It was better that suffering and death accompany sin than that rebellion be permitted to thrive unchecked in the deathless steady-state economy as originally created. With no death, men would proliferate in number and wickedness without limit. The same presumably would be true of animals and plants, as far as their numbers were concerned, and the uses to which they might be devoted by the wicked angels and men who would henceforth control them.
Morris, Henry M.: The Genesis Record : A Scientific and Devotional Commentary on the Book of Beginnings. Grand Rapids, MI : Baker Books, 1976, S. 126

Response to comment [from an atheist]:  "The condescending is not convincing. If I were to call you a pathetic Christian in an attempt to deconvert you to atheism, would you want to hear that you're a pathetic Christian, or would you rather listen to some logical arguments for atheism?"

I understand your point.  Christians believe that Jesus is the one and only way to heaven (Jn 14:6).  Others need to repent to be saved (Lk 13:5).  The one we follow said that.  People get an impression of Jesus as a pushover who would never judge sin.  That is not the case.  Read Matthew 24.  God makes no apology for his coming judgment against men who will not humble themselves before him.  Jesus spoke of sin more than any other person in the Bible. 

Response to comment [from an atheist]:  "As it so happens this universe is brimming with chaos - not design.  The rest of your post is just pointless preaching better directed towards people that take your mythology seriously."

Move over Sophocles.  The DNA code reads like a language.  Clearly, the world reveals intelligent design.  But it is getting chaotic.

"Instead of all things being “made”—that is, organized into complex systems—as they were in Creation Week, they are now being “unmade,” becoming disorganized and simple. Instead of life and growth, there comes decay and death; instead of evolution, there is degeneration.
This, then, is the true origin of the strange law of disorder and decay, the universally applicable, all-important Second Law of Thermodynamics. Herein is the secret of all that’s wrong with the world. Man is a sinner and has brought God’s curse on the earth."
Morris, Henry M.: The Genesis Record : A Scientific and Devotional Commentary on the Book of Beginnings. Grand Rapids, MI : Baker Books, 1976, S. 127

Response to comment [from a Christian]:  "You again show your lack of understanding regarding the physical universe. There is both chaos and order in the physical universe. Order does not necessarily imply design. The idea that order in the physical world is the result of design by a human like intelligence is called anthropomorphisizing. In the material universe order can arise from chaos through natural processes. We have evidence that this does happen, although it seems to be relatively rare."

Order does not imply design?  The result of our universe is not human-like design.  It is clearly God-designed (Ps 19:1).  From your fingerprint, to the complexity of your eye, to the uniqueness of earth, to the stars and planets, the universe screams intelligent design.  The designer is God. 

Order can arise from chaos?  Where do you get your mass for the universe?  How do you form DNA from goo? 

"Uniqueness is not always a characteristic of human design. In fact human design is characterized by uniformity of structure. The reason is that uniformity or standardized structures helps with the repair, maintenance, or replacement of components. If humans designed the blood types in humans there would only be one blood type."

God is not limited by order.  In fact, he still holds the chaotic world together.  If his hand let go for a moment, the elements would explode (2 Pet 3:12).

[Mass]  "I don't get it from anywhere. It is there, and as far as I know it always has been there."

Think farther than you know.  Where did it come from?  You cannot get life from non-life and you cannot get mass from nothingness.  Our best conclusion is that the Bible is true.  God created (Ge 1:1).  Nature did not create animal kinds.  God did.  No fish became an elephant.  Kinds can only reproduce themselves.  

"DNA is the model a cell uses to self-replicate its structure. In nature self replicating crystals are known to exist."

How do you get a life form without the information already in the DNA code?  You don't.  It is not a tricky question:  "Which came first the DNA or the life form?"  The life with the DNA came when God created the life with the DNA.  Like Mama's famous pasta sauce "It's in there."  No matter how many piles of goo you put together and try to get to collide, you cannot get life until you first have the DNA code.  The DNA code for each type comes from God.  Crystals are interesting.  They are irrelevant to the DNA discussion.  Are you going to argue that you are a crystal like the godless argue that they are like homosexual animals? 

"Hey Serpentdove, when you get a clue get back to me."

The Reality of Death