Appointed Once To Die

APPOINTED ONCE TO DIE

Heb. 9:27

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: 4 actual tombstones

1. When voiceover artist Mel Blanc, who was the voice behind Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety Pie, Sylvester, and many other popular cartoon characters, died in 1989, his family put the Looney Tunes’ ubiquitous sign-off, “The-the-the-that’s all folks.” Blanc had done that too!

2. Comedian Rodney Dangerfield who died in 2004 was famous for his role in the film Caddyshack, but also for his deprecating humor. His tombstone reads, “There Goes The Neighborhood.”

3. John Denby was a dentist. When John, born in 1870, passed away in 1927, his tombstone was inscribed with the phrase: “I’m filling my last cavity.”

4. Then there’s this cheeky tombstone is in Ruidoso, New Mexico; “Here lies John Yeast. Pardon me for not rising.”

B. THESIS

1. There’s an alternative explanation of death that is being taught throughout the culture of the US, very subtly. It has replaced the Christian worldview until 43% of Americans and even one-quarter (25%) of U.S. Christians also hold to this heathenistic doctrine, and I’m not talking about Atheism.

2. What is this teaching? It’s that, after death, at some time in the future, our soul or consciousness will come back to earth and we will live as another person. Many people say “déjà vu,” meaning, “I’ve been here before.”

3. So we’re going to see what the Bible says about this.

C. TEXT & THESIS

1. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment,” Heb. 9:27.

2. We’re looking at the myth of reincarnation, its practical effect on godliness, and three things Heb. 9:27 tells us to correct this error.

3. The title is, “Appointed Once to Die.”

I. A MODERN DEPARTURE FROM TRUTH

A. THE RISE OF REINCARNATION

1. Reincarnation is the belief that the personal soul or consciousness survives death and is later reincarnated or reborn into another body. Some form of this is taught by Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Wicca.

2. The most popular version – the Hindu one – teaches that we are rewarded or punished according to how we lived our lives, being born upward or downward in the chain of creatures, accordingly.

3. You ask, “Where is this coming from?” Reincarnation is taught as a religion, through movies (Star Wars – “the Force be with you” (the god of reincarnation karma is a force); “P.S. I Love You” where a wife starts receiving letters from deceased husband), in music (Beatles, etc.), and is implied by evolutionary teaching, which explains the longevity of the universe by saying it dies & is reborn (stars, etc.). But with young people, the largest influence is Anime, which are cartoon movies and games with origins in the far East. 43% of 18-25 year-olds now believe this.

4. This doctrine teaches that we will get endless chances/lives to make our wrongs right. Yes, we may suffer a little more in the next life, but why care. It teaches that there’s no personal God we’ll face at life’s end and give an account to. It removes the consequences of our sins from us. It has no Savior, for none is necessary: you must save yourself by suffering in future life-times until you decide to be good. Then you will get better & better until you blend in with the ultimate good force (not person), Brahman. A false vision!

B. HISTORY LESSON: SELF-IMPROVEMENT TO PERFECTION NEVER WORKS

1. During the 1600-1800s, there was the period of Enlightenment. With learning, medicine, and science pushing mankind upward – and since we were evolving upwards as a species – it just made sense that we would become better & better humans until we formed a utopia, with no crime, violence, or war. This belief dominated the European countries.

2. Then came the French Revolution with its blood lust & beheadings, WW1 & WW2 – where we poison- gassed each other and dropped atomic bombs that could destroy the whole world, and then totalitarian governments (Communism) took over, enslaving 1/3 of the planet.

3. These developments showed the utter bankruptcy of human nature. We are NOT getting better! We will never get better by ourselves. We have fallen, broken natures and there is only one hope – salvation & transformation through Jesus Christ!

4. This same truth can be applied to reincarnation. It’s a childish myth that we selfish, violent creatures will ever evolve, by our own efforts, into perfection. The sinful nature will always reassert itself; the devil will always tempt us; circumstances will always frustrate our efforts. The only real hope of change is the Living God! (see Romans 7:21-25).

C. ILLUS.: MORE TIME DOESN’T HELP

1. It reminds me of the evolutionist who said that all the creatures just assembled themselves by chance over time. He said, “The more complicated the creature, the more time it took.”