God designed humans to have four birthdays,
Three more than what we think is paramount!
Let’s take some time, our birthdays to appraise,
And perceive those God sees, but we don’t count.
Your first birthday is your spirit’s ‘breath-day’.
God ‘breathed you’, as Dad’s sperm entered Mom’s egg. 1
The second is the day you celebrate.
The day you get gifts for which you don’t beg.
On the third, you confirm your election,
Of which ‘spiritual kingdom’ you’ll serve. 2
The fourth is when, to God, your breath returns,
And you’ll receive His ‘rewards’ you deserve. 3
First, from spirit, into a body assigned.
Second, from the womb, into a lineage.
Third, to a ‘spiritual kingdom’, aligned.
Fourth, into forever, free …or bondage! 4
To these four birthdays, two deaths correspond.
Two deaths that, sadly, most of us will face.
Christ became our ‘escape’ from the second.
He said, of the first, some of us won’t ‘taste.’ 5
For most of us, it is our third birthday,
That’ll determine whether one or both deaths
We’ll experience on our ‘judgment day’.
For us saints, that’ll be when we’ll yield our breath.
For sinners, the first death will be a prelude,
‘Cause their judgment day will be …somewhat delayed,
Because of their un-repented sins accrued.
They rejected the escape for which Christ paid! 6
Later…
Before Him Who gave them breath for life’s race,
From hell’s flames, they’ll enjoy a brief reprieve!!
They will be judged for rejecting His Grace.
In His lake of fire, forever they’ll grieve!!!
Friends…
To this simple rhyme, I hope you won’t yawn,
About Heaven’s plan for your four birthdays,
And to a two-deaths plan, they correspond.
Ponder these points that …The Bible conveys.
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1 God breathes His spirit breath in your physical substance that’s created when a sperm fertilizes a human egg. See: Genesis 2:7, Job 33:4, Psalm 139:13–16 and Zechariah 12:1
2 Here’s a spiritual conundrum: The Bible affirms all humans are spiritually born as sinners, into the kingdom of satan, because we all derive from Adam, and thus, are tainted with his original sin. Yet The Lord allows us a period of merciful Grace to grow, mature to the point of ‘learning right from wrong’ before apportioning to us His pre-determined, eternal judgment for all sinners. Thus, though born into satan’s kingdom, it is safe to conclude all children who die prior to meeting that condition, will not suffer eternally in The Lord’s brimstone-lit lake of fire. That’s AMAZING GRACE!
3 It’s curious that The Bible uses the same word, rewards, to refer to glorious, eternal rewards of the saints, and eternal damnation of sinners! See: Psalm 91:8, Romans 2:5–11 and Revelation 22:12
4 The Bible clearly defines the second death as being only for sinners (a) in eternal bondage, (b) in immortal/indestructible bodies, (c) in The Lord’s inescapable, brimstone-lit lake of fire. Why is it called, ‘death’? Perhaps because it will be total absence from The Lord Jesus, Who is the essence and sum total of all that is ‘Life’. See: Revelation 20:6, 13–15, and 21:8.
5 Of the 6 Biblical ages on this current version of Earth, The Bible signals there will be possibly 3 resurrection/rapture events (Heaven’s harvests) of bona fide saints that will include people who will be ALIVE, and therefore, will not ‘taste the first death’. Who wouldn’t LOVE to be in one of those groups! (See: Bible Raptures – Types and Timings (Series), and also 1 Corinthians 15:51–52, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Matthew 24:29-31 and Revelation 20:7-15)
6 There are two notions about death that The Protestant Bible does not support: (a) ‘purgatory’, a supposed temporary holding place for deceased Catholic saints, where their remaining sins will be purged before entering into Heaven, and (b) the notion that ‘sinners will be confined in hell forever’! Hebrews 9:27–28, 10:10–18 and Revelation 20:13–15 debunk these points. Sinners’ time in hell will be a mere prelude to their forever time in the lake of fire, into which hell, itself will also be cast!
