Do You Wish for Long Life? How Long?
Do you enjoy living? How long would you like to live? How about living 100 years, 1000 years, or forever?
The person that dwells in God is promised God’s protection and will be satisfied with long life (Psalm 91:1, 16).
COMMENTARY ON THE KORANIC ACCOUNT
If staying in heaven with Allah after life on earth is only for a few special people, like Christians and Jews to the exclusion of everyone else, then they should want to die. That is, if their claim is true. Yet, they show no desire to die.
Israel displeased Allah and the angels, so they have no desire for life after death, and they want to live long. Allah knows who does evil. No matter how long someone lives, they still must face Allah. The Jews love life more than others, even Christians who love life and worship many gods as the Koran clams. You can be sure they would like to live a thousand years. Myself, I wanted eternal life. Why settle for a measly thousand years, when the promise of God is life eternal.
THE KORANIC ACCOUNT
By the way: If the place to live with Allah after death is for you alone to the prohibition of all other people, then wish for death if your claim is true (Surah 2:94).
They (Israel) will never desire death because of what their own hands have done. Allah knows who it is that does evil (Surah 2:95).
You will surely find them (Jews) the greediest of all men for life; even loving life more than the polytheists (Christians). Each individual would love to live for a thousand years. Prolonged life would not keep them from the judgment, that comes from Allah for he is watching (Surah 2:96).
COMMENTARY ON THE BIBLICAL ACCOUNT
Abraham and Job both lived long, satisfying lives, as a blessing from God. God offers this to you. As Psalms says, “With long life I will satisfy him”. This is available to anyone. God would like to satisfy you with long life.
A time is coming when people will live as long as the trees. In the United States there are trees several thousands of years old. Scripture says a child will die at 100 and will be thought of as evil for dying so young. Today 100 years is considered old for a person. Death is not what God wants for anyone. Yet, death occurs because of man’s disobedience to God.
Death is the enemy of God and will one day, itself, be sent to the Lake of Fire to burn forever in torment. A person who loves death is in love with the enemy of God. A person who hates the wisdom of God is in love with death. It could be said another way. The person who loves death hates the wisdom of God. What about you; who do you love?
Christians are ambassadors for Jesus Christ here on earth, reconciling people to God. They have a work to do for God here on the earth. There is no reason for them to wish for death. Christians desire life for themselves and for others.
Jesus said, “Teach in all of the nations: people to observe all that He had commanded.” God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Are you among the living or are you spiritually dead?
THE BIBLICAL ACCOUNT
Exodus 20:12 Long life on earth a blessing from God.
Ex 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Ephesians 6:1-3
Eph 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
Psalms 91:16
91:16 With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.
Genesis 15:15; 25:8
And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.
Job 42:16, 17
After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations: so Job died, being old and full of days.
Isaiah 65:19-23
And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
I Corinthians 15:26 Death is an enemy of God.
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
Proverbs 8:12, 32-36 Wisdom and death are opposites.
I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.
Matthew 22:32 God is the God of the living.
22:32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
II Corinthians 5:20 Christians have a mission to accomplish.
5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
Matthew 28:17-20
And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
COMPARING & CONTRASTING THE KORAN WITH SCRIPTURE
Why should those who know they are going to heaven to be with God desire death? Should they not rather desire to fulfill God’s will for their lives here on earth? Isn’t the Koran tempting God in saying that those who know for sure they are going to heaven after death should then desire death? Death is not what God desires for people.
The Koran says that people who do not want to die want to live for 1,000 years. A thousand years seems like a long time but once it is over, what then. God’s promise of eternal life is most desirable.
CONCLUSION
Perhaps you, like the Children of Israel, have sinned against God. Do you wish to die? God is still willing to accept you, imperfect as you are. It was through the lineage of the Children of Israel that Jesus came to earth. You must believe that He is God in flesh: sinless. You must believe that He lived a perfect life and took the sins of the world in His own body on the cross, and received the wrath of God against those sins. If you desire eternal life as I did years ago, you can pray and invite Jesus into your heart. A sample prayer is, “Lord Jesus Christ, forgive me of my sins, and come into my heart.” God promises through His inspired Word, the Bible, “Whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
REFERENCES
The Koran passages are a paraphrase of several English translations.
The Koran, translated by N.J. Dawood: A Penguin Classic
The Qur’an, translated by M.H. Shakir: Tahrike Tarsile Qur’an, Inc.
The Holy Qur’an, translated by Maulana Muhammad Ali: Ahmadiyya Anjumann Isha’at Lahore Inc. U.S.A.
The Koran, translated by Marmaduke Pickethall: Everyman’s LibraryThe Holy Bible is the King James translation of 1611 from the WORD program by Tom Hills with the New Creations Ministries
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