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Dear James,
Thank you for writing to The Refiner's Fire! You've posed a great question!
The Bible contains much warning about death, speaking as frequently on this subject as it does about any other. In the garden of Eden where death had never entered, Adam and Eve were instructed by God to refrain from the forbidden fruit with the accompanying warning:
In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die (Genesis 2:17).
We know that they did eat; and at the very moment the judgment of God passed upon them, their bodies commenced the process of death and decay. "And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died" (Genesis 5:5).
Death does not take into account who we are or whether we have been profitable or detrimental to society. Every step that we take brings us nearer to the grave, and it is but a matter of time until we must bid farewell to every earthly tie. With all of the wisdom of the medical profession and the use of scientific discoveries, we must agree with the wise preacher of old who said; "For the living know that they shall die" (Ecclesiastes 9:5).
When God's judgment falls, it falls on everyone. The good news is that, babies and the "little ones" automatically go to heaven, as do those who believe in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ). Please see our article, What happens to babies when they die?
The bottom line is, having eternal life with God is a lot better and more important than living for a short time on this earth.
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