King James Daily Bible Study: Death Is Not Final
Date: Monday January 17, 2011
Chapters: Genesis 49-50
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-january-17
Details of Today's Reading: Jacob blesses his twelve sons, Jacob's death and burial, Joseph's brothers beg him for forgiveness, and Joseph's death.

Hello My Friend/Guest,
Death is a subject that no one really likes to talk about, it seems so final, like it's the end of the world. However, death is not final, the Bible says, “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens...Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” -II Corinthians 5:1,6-8. If you know the Savior there is nothing to fear about death because you will be with Him up in heaven. Praise God!

From the second Eve bit into the piece of fruit that would cause the death of man, God has a plan to preserve life. By faith, from Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, to Isaac, and now Jacob/Israel they knew that a Savior would be sent to preserve life. Now, it was time for Jacob to pass on that knowledge to his sons. When Jacob had adopted and blessed the two sons of Joseph, he called his twelve sons.

“And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father...Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be...I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD...All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.” - Genesis 49:1,28-10,18,28.

In a solemn tone Jacob blessed them one by one, he foretold the amazing prophetic future of each tribe. His first three sons had the rights of the Abrahamic covenant forfeited to them because of their wicked behavior. That left Judah to be the next heir in line to receive the blessing and the reason why he was to become the heritage that would lead to the birth of Christ, also known as Shiloh, which means "the peaceful one". Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” - John 14:27.

After Jacob gave his blessings he was at peace and ready to be present with the Lord. Shortly after he spoke he laid back in his bed and died. “And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him. And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel. And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days...And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen.” - Genesis 50:1-3,7,8.

It is good to mourn over the loss of our loved ones, to cry, and to even get angry, through it all we can find peace. Death does something to people, it revives relationships, brings about forgiveness, and reconciliation not only with God, but family, friends, or any other estranged relationship. “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” - Psalm 23:1-4.

After Jacob was buried, Simeon and all the brothers were sure that Joseph was going to get revenge for what they had some to him all those years ago now that there father was not there. However, they had a big surprise coming to them.

“And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.” - Genesis 50:15-21

Joseph not only forgave his brothers he also provided for them and their families telling them I am here to saves lives not take them. This is an amazing illustration to Jesus Christ, who was sent here to save lives. “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” - John 3:15-17. Praise God!

Life does not just end when we leave this earth, God chose to give a soul a certain amount of time to live in a fleshly body. Yes, the body does die, but the soul goes to one of two places, heaven or hell, there is no in between. If the soul ends up in hell this is known as the second death. “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” - Revelation 21:7,8.

Now, I am sure none of us wish to die this second, but if you were to die right now, do you know that you would be in heaven? There is only one way to heaven and that is by asking Jesus Christ to save you. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation...For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” - Romans 10:9,10,13. Praise God!

Jesus Christ Revealed: Today Jesus is revealed through the sceptre that shall not depart from Judah. Judah became the lineage from which Jesus would come from. “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;..So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.” - Matthew 2:1,2,17.

Thanks and God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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