Twice Dead

Jude 1:12: “These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear; clouds they are without water, carried about of winds: trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots.”

Psalm 49:16-17 says, “Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased. For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away; his glory shall not descend after him.” Ecclesiastes 5:15 says, “As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.” I Timothy 6:6-7 says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out.”

Many years ago, there was a man to whom people referred to as anti-christ. His name was Adolph Hitler. I read a story about him, which was very strange. They caught a German spy working for the enemy and brought him to him. Adolph Hitler looked at the man and said that the kind of punishment he deserved was to die twice. So, he ordered his soldiers to tie him to the stake and warned that those who were going to shoot him should ensure that he did not die immediately. So, they shot him in the leg and avoided his head and heart. When the man was about to give up, he brought some doctors to treat him. So, they took the man to the hospital, extracted the bullets, looked after him and fed him until he was very strong and healthy again. Then Hitler ordered that he should be tied to the stake again. He said that the man had to die twice I felt so grieved within me that was inhumane.

Sometimes ago, a sister came to MFM church when she discovered that her life was not moving forward in her former church. Though she was the praise worship leader there, her life was stagnant. At MFM church, she was counseled to go for deliverance and she agreed with the man of God. She started coming to the services. She went for deliverance and in two weeks, she was promoted. She got a car and a house and several marriage proposals. After she got these breakthroughs, she stopped coming and went back to the dead church. One day, the white man, the owner of the business who promoted her and gave her a car, and a house came and said, “Hello! What are you doing here?” She said, “I am the Assistant General Manager.” He said, “Of where? Who promoted somebody like you to that place? She said, “It was you sir.” He said, “No it must be a mistake. It is not possible,” and that same day the man not only demoted her, also took the car away from her. By the next day she was sacked. She now ran back to her MFM church. She attended only one service before she was shot dead by armed robbers, who were exchanging bullets somewhere with some policemen. At this juncture I would like you to take the following prayer point: “Every power that will take me away from my place of destiny, die, in the name of Jesus."

DEATH

These are not the days to backslide because before you can slide back to Jesus, the enemy may strike and you will be dead, thereby giving you no opportunity to retrace your step. Death is inevitable, inescapable and unavoidable. In fact, the surest thing on earth is that everybody living on earth shall die. There is nothing as inevitable as death. It is the unavoidable hated enemy of man. Men hate death with perfect hatred; many even try to ignore it as if it will not come. Many try to defy it, many attempt to just forget it while some decide to just postpone it. Many believe that it is for some people and not for them. Death is that silent ever present enemy. It is the final mystery. It is the ultimate deadline. That is why the Bible says, “Seekest thou anything great for thyself, seek them not seek.” Life is the corridor while death is the door. Death reminds us of our brief stay here on earth. It is an inevitable appointment. Jesus prayed for Lazarus to come back. So, Lazarus was able to postpone death but he had to still die the second time. Death is the only last and true democracy because all men will at last be equal no matter their rank or position. There is no governor, minister or president in the republic of the grave. Death reminds us of our mortality. It shows us that we are just human beings who become carcasses as soon as our breath is withdrawn.