Death I Do Not Shrink From

On January 5, 2023January 5, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life2 Comments

For most people in the world, the grave is a terrifying prospect. Not many like to even think about it, but we all know deep down that these bodies don’t last forever. We all know the shadow of death looms on the horizon, inching its way toward us. No matter how much exercise we get or kale we eat, we won’t live forever!

One journalist, Tom Chivers, wrote: “I’m terrified of death; my own, my loved ones, everyone’s … 100 years after my death, no one will really know who I was. Do you even know your great-grandparents’ names?” Some think of death as the final end to our existence. Former CNN broadcaster, Larry King, once said, “My biggest fear is death, because I don’t think I’m going anywhere.” More humorously, Mel Brooks put it this way, “If Shaw and Einstein couldn’t beat death, what chance have I got? Practically none.”

As a human race, we try to push away the thought of death because it’s terrifying to think of life as we know it coming to an end and departing from our loved ones forever. At the same time, we also have this nagging sense that there is something beyond the grave. The Bible teaches that every single person who has ever existed is headed to one of two places: eternal joy in Heaven or eternal ruin in Hell. This is true for you, me, and everyone you have ever known.

In one very clear statement, Jesus said:

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels… And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.'” (Matthew 25:41, 46, ESV)

A Fixed Day on God’s Calendar

What if reminders of death are actually a gift from God, urgent warnings meant to get our attention? Every time we attend a funeral, we are granted one more nudge about the brevity of life. Through these cues, God puts us on notice to be ready for death and what comes after.

Hebrews 9:27 says, “People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” The real reason humanity fears death is because God has given us a sense that we will all stand before the bar of judgment one day. No one gets to call in sick for this exam day. The Lord of all will judge every one of us by His perfect and holy standard.

And therein lies the rub. This is our great predicament. God urges us not to shrug off this idea of a coming judgment. You can be casual with what you wear, but don’t be casual about one day facing God. Paul proclaims:

“So having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now proclaiming to mankind that all people everywhere are to repent, because He has set a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all people by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:29-31, NASB)

When God sets a day on His calendar, it is irrevocably fixed and certain. And on this day, you and I will have to stand before God and give an account of the life we’ve lived. Once you have felt the weight of this truth, your need for Jesus should become crystal clear. Because it’s at that precise point of our failure to ever measure up to God’s righteous standard that the gospel of God’s free grace becomes the most precious thing imaginable.

Perfect Righteousness in Christ

Many have seen they don’t measure up, so their solution has been to “get religious” and work as hard as they can to live a life pleasing to God, hoping that this will help them fare better on this coming day. Many even consider Jesus to be the One that helps them become the person they need to be, still aspiring to be good enough for God.

But the standard for entering Heaven isn’t “good enough;” it is perfection. We need a perfect righteousness, but only Jesus Christ, the God-man, is perfectly righteous. So our only hope is to be found in Christ.

In Jesus Christ, God offers us perfect forgiveness. When we repent and trust in Jesus alone as our Savior, all our sins are washed away in His blood—all our sins—because He bore them in our place on the cross. At the cross, the judgment for our sins fell on Jesus, so that by faith in Him we wouldn’t have to fear the judgment to come.

If you have found refuge in the Lord Jesus Christ, having cast yourself on His mercy alone to save you, you no longer need to fear death. Your eternity will be secure in His loving hands.

“Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.” (Romans 13:14, BSB)

When we are “clothed” in the righteousness of Christ, we are justified in Christ and reconciled to God. To be justified in Christ means that God declares us to be as righteous as Christ Himself, because we are united to Him by faith.

To Live Is Christ

Above, I quoted men who have dreaded the thought of death. In contrast, consider these remarkable words from Paul:

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” (Philippians 1:21-23, ESV)

Understand that Paul is not saying he’s longing for death itself. This is not the murmuring of someone contemplating suicide. He’s not looking forward to death itself, but to what comes after death. He says, “I am torn between the two. I so want to stay on with all of you and encourage your faith, but even more than that, what I really want is to just be with Christ. I want to be with my Savior, for that is far better.”

At the end of the day, Paul yields to whatever God sovereignly determines for his life. But if it were solely up to him, Paul would rather go through death, because nothing beats being in the presence of his Savior. This is not something true only of Paul, but of every person who has found refuge in Christ. Paul is simply taking eternal truth out of the abstract realm and applying it to how he faces every circumstance in life—including death.

When a Christian dies, there’s no soul sleep or purgatory that he or she must pass through. These teachings are man-made and not found in the Word of God. No, at the very moment of death, you are immediately ushered into the Savior’s presence (2 Corinthians 5:8).

But what does Paul mean when he says he eagerly expects and hopes to honor Christ “whether by life or by death” (Philippians 1:20). How will Paul’s death honor Jesus Christ? If he dies as one who is confident in his Savior’s power—not as one terrified of the grave—but as one assured that he will see his Savior face to face, he glorifies Jesus in his death.

When Paul says, “to live is Christ,” he’s saying, “As long as I’m here, I’m all in for Jesus. I live for His glory wherever he has me—whether preaching in the streets or in the court of Caesar or writing letters in a stinky jail cell.” When we come to Christ, we yield our lives to Him. Every follower of Jesus can say with Paul, “To live is Christ and to die is gain,” because at death we finally reach our reward—being with Jesus in Heaven.

Every day, millions of people live for something other than Jesus—entertainment, comfort, pleasure, career. But when you live for something other than Jesus, death results in the loss of everything. On the other hand, if Jesus is our Supreme Treasure in life, death results in gaining everything.

He Is No Fool

When we live all in for Jesus, He removes all fear of death. Death is no longer that looming specter that promises to take everything we hold dear. Strange as it may seem, death now becomes the doorway to joy, because all we could possibly want is found in Christ Himself.

John Chrysostom, an early church father, was known for criticizing the wealthy of his time for their lack of love for the poor. He was constantly getting into trouble because of the things he said. In fact, the authorities banished him twice. One of his followers once asked him if he feared for his life.

Here’s how Chrysostom responded:

“What can I fear? Will it be death? But you know that Christ is my life, and that I shall gain by death. Will it be exile? But the earth and all its fullness is the Lord’s. Will it be the loss of wealth? But we have brought nothing into the world, and can carry nothing out. Thus all the terrors of the world are contemptible in my eyes; and I smile at all its good things. Poverty I do not fear; riches I do not sigh for. Death I do not shrink from.”[1]

The great preacher Dwight L. Moody once said, “Some day you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody, of East Northfield, is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now.”[2]

It is this undying confidence in the Savior’s power to save that has compelled missionaries into grave dangers all over the world. Christians can die with courage, not because we are so great, but because we know a great Savior who loves us.

The martyr Jim Elliot put it best: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”[3] For each of these godly men, their firm conviction about the life to come meant they could live boldly for Christ in this life. In the same way, Paul did not shrink back from death, if that’s what God has appointed. He continues:

“But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.” (Philippians 1:24-26, ESV)

Paul says, “I’m not afraid to die. In fact, I’d gladly go to Heaven now. To die is gain. However, it seems that God isn’t ready to call me home. He has some work for me to do first.”

And here’s what I want you to see. Because Paul had this eternal perspective, where God could call him home at any moment, he could be most effective for Christ. If he had an earthbound focus where all he cared about was the here and now and what he could accumulate for himself in this life, he would not be prepared to serve. The fact that Paul knew he had a great reward coming compelled him to spend his life for the glory of Jesus rather than himself. And this made him fearless in the face of death and danger.

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] Robert Wheler Bush, The Life and Times of Chrysostom (London, England: Religious Tract Society, 1885), 245.

[2] The Autobiography of Dwight L. Moody, 1.

[3] Quote found in Jim Elliot’s journal.

What Is the Kingdom of God?

On October 5, 2022October 5, 2022 By Jason SmithIn Theology for Life2 Comments

If someone was to ask you what the main theme of Jesus Christ’s teaching was during His earthly ministry, how would you respond? Would you talk about His call to love our neighbors – even our enemies (Matthew 5:44)? Would you share His repeated message about His sacrificial death as a substitute for us (Mark 10:45)? No doubt these two themes are primary in Jesus’s teaching, not secondary. But the most prominent theme that Jesus spoke on was the kingdom of God.

This surprises many who grew up hearing about Jesus dying on the cross for their sin and rising again but don’t recall learning much about the kingdom of God. But it is pretty hard to dispute such a claim when you consider what Jesus actually said in the Gospels.

In the Gospel of Mark, the message Jesus first preached was:

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel.” (Mark 1:15, ESV)

Likewise, in Matthew and Luke, we see Jesus constantly talking about the kingdom of God. He shares parables about the kingdom (Matthew 13). He tells His followers to pray “Your kingdom come” (6:10). He alluded to Himself in kingly terms, saying things like “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return.” (Luke 19:12). He often prompted His listeners to consider, “What is the kingdom of God like?” (13:18-21). He said things like, “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (11:20).

His famous Sermon on the Mount was all about what life in the kingdom of God looks like (Matthew 5-7). Jesus said, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (5:20).[1] Rather than being anxious about their daily needs, Jesus taught His followers to orient their lives around the coming kingdom: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (6:33). Matthew summed up Jesus’s earthly ministry like this: “And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction” (9:35).

As you read through the Gospels, you can’t help noticing that Jesus loved to talk about the kingdom of God. The arrival of the kingdom was at the core of everything He did. It is no exaggeration to say that Jesus was either talking about the kingdom or showing the power of the kingdom.[2]

So what exactly is the kingdom of God? And why couldn’t Jesus quit talking about it?

God the King

In America, we often struggle with the concepts of king and kingdom. After all, we are a nation birthed through rejection of a king’s authority. The idea of a king reigning over us often sounds either quaint or tyrannical. We might resonate more with the peasant in the Monty Python film Holy Grail. When King Arthur tells him he should show deference to his king, the peasant responds, “Well, I didn’t vote for you.” To which the frustrated Arthur replies, “You don’t vote for kings!”

And yet, there’s just no getting around the fact that the kingdom theme is prominent in Scripture. I think Graeme Goldsworthy summed it up well when he said the kingdom is God’s people, in God’s place, under God’s rule.[3] When we talk about the kingdom of God, we are talking about God’s right and power to reign over His world.

The faithful Jew of the first century would recognize immediately what Jesus meant by “the kingdom of God is at hand.” The Hebrew Scriptures frequently refer to God as the King reigning over the earth (Exodus 15:18; Psalm 93:1; 103:19).

“Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord of hosts,
    he is the King of glory!” (Psalm 24:10)

As Creator, God is the rightful King over His creation. He alone is perfectly righteous and capable of executing justice on the earth.

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness.” (Psalm 45:6)

Despite the privilege of having God as their just and loving monarch, the people of Israel continually pursued false gods and failed to submit to the Lord. When the people demanded a human king like the surrounding nations, God tells the prophet Samuel, “They have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them” (1 Samuel 8:7). While there are flickers of hope throughout, the Old Testament can be summarized as the story of Israel rejecting God as her true king. At its core, sin is rebellion against the kingly reign of God (Romans 1:18-21).

In the words of R. C. Sproul, “Every sin is an act of cosmic treason, a futile attempt to dethrone God in His sovereign authority.”[4]

Israel’s greatest human king, David, is said to be “a man after God’s own heart” who reigned in the power of the Lord (1 Samuel 13:14; 2 Samuel 5:10). God even promises David that one of his offspring shall build a temple and sit on the throne forever, saying, “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16).

David was understandably overwhelmed by this promise, often called “the Davidic Covenant.” While David’s son, Solomon does build the temple, he eventually dies. So the promise is not fully realized. From this point forward, the Jewish people look forward to the arrival of this messianic figure in the line of David. Through the prophets, God reassures the people that this son of David will come: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land” (Jeremiah 23:5). For justice to be executed and righteousness to fill the land, God would somehow have to deal with sin, putting down the rebellion that naturally springs from the human heart (17:9).

Over the centuries, we see a long line of kings descending from David who fail to be this “righteous Branch.” In fact, most of these men do not walk with the Lord. Eventually, God judges Judah (David’s tribe) by allowing the people to be conquered by Babylon and taken as subjects to live under the pagan king, Nebuchadnezzar. Things look pretty bleak now. Whereas before they were in the right land but didn’t have the right man, now they weren’t even in the right land!

And yet, God’s promise stood firm. The prophet Jeremiah assured them that his fellow Jews would only be in exile in Babylon for 70 years, at which point a godly remnant would return to land of Israel (Jeremiah 29:10). Hope remained!

A Kingdom that Fills the Earth

Not only that, but in Babylon, God showed His power to fulfill promises through Daniel, a young man who found himself standing before the mighty Nebuchadnezzar. The pagan king had threatened to kill all the “wise men” of Babylon unless someone could interpret a dream that deeply troubled him. So God used Daniel to deliver a prophetic message through the dream’s interpretation.

Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar that in his dream he saw a terrifyingly massive statue. He then interprets the dream, explaining that the various portions of the statute (head, chest, middle and thighs, and legs and feet) symbolized Babylon and the three successive kingdoms (or empires) that will dominate the world scene in the future. These kingdom predictions align with what we know of the Medo-Persian, Greek, and Roman Empires.

In the dream, however, Nebuchadnezzar saw

“…a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.” (Daniel 2:34-35)

Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar that during the fourth kingdom “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever” (Daniel 2:44).

In the following centuries, the Jews remembered this prophetic dream and eagerly anticipated the kingdom of God that would be established during that fourth kingdom (Roman Empire). They also anticipated the arrival of a “son of David” who would bring in this kingdom as the Messiah, who will deal justly with the poor, destroy the wicked, and bring in an era of righteousness and peace (Isaiah 11:1-5).

The Now and Not Yet of the Kingdom

The kingdom of God, then, is about God coming to reign as King over His people in His world. We cannot abstract the kingdom of God from the person of Jesus. To be in the kingdom and seek first the kingdom is to live for King Jesus. When Jesus announced that the kingdom was at hand, He was saying that the kingdom of God was arriving in and through Him. More specifically, it was in Jesus’s death and resurrection from the dead that the kingdom of God was inaugurated on earth, because in these events Jesus defeated sin (rebellion against the reign of God) and broke the power of death (the result of rebellion). The kingdom would not yet arrive in full until the end of the age when He returns, but His resurrection was the first installment of the powers of the age to come breaking into this age.

It is important for us to understand both the present and future reality of the kingdom of God – what theologians have termed the “already” and the “not yet” of the kingdom. In one sense, the kingdom is already present because all who repent of their sin and trust in Christ are born again and enter the kingdom of God (Matthew 18:4; 19:14).

Paul can say that already Christ has “rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14, NASB). Because of Christ’s resurrection, the kingdom truly is present on earth today as men and women surrender to the reign of Jesus and experience new spiritual life and forgiveness of sins. Like the nation of Israel, believers are called a “kingdom of priests” (cf. Exodus 19:6; 1 Peter 2:9).

On the other hand, Jesus also spoke of the kingdom’s future arrival as something we should pray for (Matthew 6:10). The fullness of the kingdom has “not yet” arrived in its final form. He also used parables that express both the growth of the kingdom from small beginnings and its future consummation on earth at “the close of this age” when evildoers will be cast into the fiery furnace while the righteous “will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:24-43).

The Apostle Paul explains it this way:

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-26)

On Earth as It Is in Heaven

The kingdom of God is an essential theme of the story of Scripture. You could even say that the story of the Bible is the story of God’s kingdom coming in and through the redemptive reign of Jesus Christ. From all we’ve seen, one thing should be made clear in our minds. Jesus spoke of the kingdom’s arrival – here on earth. He said it is close “at hand.” Daniel said the stone that shattered the great image “became a great mountain and filled the earth” (Daniel 2:35). In describing the Messiah’s kingdom, Isaiah spoke of creation being restored to its original design, with animals living in perfect harmony under the kingly reign of the Messiah.

“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
    and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
    and a little child shall lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6)

It will be Eden restored: “for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (v. 9).

When Jesus said “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God,” Peter asked about the disciples’ payoff for leaving all for the sake of Jesus (Matthew 19:24-27). Jesus responded that “in the renewal of all things” (v. 28), they would be more than rewarded for their sacrifices. This same Peter would later write that “we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).

It is no wonder that, in the Beatitudes, Jesus spoke of His people inheriting both “the kingdom of heaven” and “the earth” (Matthew 5:3, 5). In God’s great plan of redemption, His kingdom will be on earth, when all of creation is restored and rightly ordered under the reign of our Lord.

In that day, God’s people will be comforted because God Himself will be with them and wipe every tear from their eye. And death will be no more. “For… the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-21). Christ the King will reclaim His entire creation. As Abraham Kuyper put it, there is not one square inch of the universe, over which Christ does not exclaim, “Mine!”

Therefore, we shouldn’t think of God’s future kingdom as an otherworldly existence in a realm of pure spirit. Rather, followers of the risen King are now called to pray for the kingdom’s full arrival “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

“Joy to the world! The Lord is come.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
nor thorns infest the ground.
He comes to make His blessings flow,
far as the curse is found.”
– Charles Wesley

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] Many scholars have noted that since “kingdom of heaven” is synonymous with “kingdom of God.” Matthew wrote his Gospel primarily to a Jewish audience, so his tendency to use “the kingdom of heaven” is explained by the reticence of Jews to use God’s name for fear of committing blasphemy.

[2][2] While John’s Gospel favors the phrase “eternal life,” he nevertheless includes Jesus saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

[3] Grame Goldsworthy, Gospel and Kingdom (Homebush West, N.S.W., Australia: Anzea, 1992), 47.

[4] R. C. Sproul, The Holiness of God.

For Grandma Bettie

On May 6, 2020May 6, 2020 By Jason SmithIn DevotionalLeave a comment

By Jason Smith

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. (Proverbs 31:30)

Last week, on April 27^th, my grandmother, Bettie Bramer, went to Heaven. She will be dearly missed.

Without question, Grandma loved me, as she did all her children and grandchildren. And we loved her. She was a strong, faithful, and wise woman. She loved Jesus with all her heart, and she wanted others to know and love Him.

And she loved her husband, Grandpa Jim, so very much. I loved to watch them care for one another, share memories together, and tease each other incessantly, in the way that only a long-married couple can. My grandparents were friends in middle school, sweet hearts in high school, and later wed in 1953. They were happily married for 66 years.

Whenever I saw Grandma, she always took such an interest in me, asking me what was new in my life and how I felt about it. She had a very sharp mind, too, and a quick wit! I remember countless times that she got laughing so hard, along with the rest of us, over a remark someone made. Grandma was also very warm and welcoming from the first time she met my wife, Whitney. And I’m so thankful she got to meet all three of our boys.

And, my goodness, she was the queen of her kitchen! Her vegetable soup always hit the spot. And her rolls – oh, her soft and buttery rolls! – well, they were legendary.

My earliest memory of Grandma is actually pretty funny. My parents were out, and she and Grandpa were watching us kids. I remember her clearly telling me that I needed to lay down for a nap, but I just couldn’t handle the thought of missing out on all the family fun. Mind you, I was probably three or four. Like a prison escapee, I carefully crawled down the hallway, passing the room I thought she was in. Then, to my horror, I realized she was actually in the kitchen – and had spotted me! What was I to do? There was only one option left: I took off running. I swung open the front door and sprinted past a crowd of onlookers – consisting of my siblings and their neighborhood friends – then bolted toward the backyard, hoping beyond hope to find safe haven there. The gate is open! I could see the grass. I was nearly there. I could smell freedom!

But then it happened. I felt an arm wrap around my waist and whisk me off the front lawn. I was fast… but Grandma was faster. My master plan of skipping nap time was utterly foiled.

It’s funny how an early memory like that can shape a young child’s perspective. For a time, I thought of Grandma Bettie as strict and unyielding. But only a couple summers later, that perspective changed. She and Grandpa joined our family for a trip to Disneyland, and I saw how kind, fun, and generous Grandma really was. Over the years, I had the privilege of getting to know Grandma better and better, and I came to see that she was more than just a kind woman who gave me Christmas presents and made delicious food.

Grandma Bettie was a woman who cared deeply about her family, her church, and her community. But most of all, I could see how clearly she loved Grandpa.

One of the challenges right now for my family – and my Grandpa Jim, especially – is not being able to have a memorial service right away, due to COVID-19.

Whenever we lose someone in our lives, there’s always going to be a mix of emotions. It’s common for grieving family and friends to feel everything from sorrow to regret to guilt to peace. Psychologists even talk about the various stages of grieving. I’m convinced it’s not the same for everyone. But ultimately we all need some sense of closure or acceptance of the “new normal,” even while we never forget the incredible impact our loved ones had.

I thank God for my Grandma Bettie. While I miss her very much, I’m grateful for the incredible legacy both she and Grandpa have left for the rest of the family. And it lifts my heart to imagine how glorious life is now like in the presence of Jesus, her Savior. Though her body is lifeless, I promise you, Bettie Bramer has never been more alive.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26).

Lamp and Light

Tag: heaven