Our God is a big fan of new beginnings. I mean it’s all over the Bible. New hearts, new wineskins,
new covenants, and even a new world!? He LOVES new! In fact, it’s who He is. And I’ll prove it to you!
But first check out these lyrics from an Owl City song that I’m really fond of: “How close to the ending? Well, nobody knows. The future’s a mystery and anything goes. Love is confusing and life is hard. You fight to survive ‘cause you’ve made it this far. It’s all too astounding to comprehend. It’s just the beginning, this isn’t the end. It’s just the beginning, this isn’t the end.”
It’s just the beginning, this isn’t the end. Do you ever feel like you’re coming to the end of yourself, with all the negative news, media, and daily battle of survival? Do you ever look out into the world and think, how much longer can this go on? From the Christian worldview of the Great Controversy, how do you see and justify this crazy life around you?
I mean it can all be a little much when you have to deal with life, death, the great beyond AND taxes, right? If God is such a big fan of beginnings, why do we see so many endings in the world? The end of the Amazon, the end of immigrants, the end of our childhoods, the end of our loved ones. I mean there is a stark contrast; so what gives?
Now, normally I would put a couple of Bible verses here and conclude something like, “Everything will be alright because the Bible says this.” However, I want to take a different approach. I want to conclude something using a form of logic/reasoning and then reference the Bible for possible validation. It’s fun. Scout’s honor! I call it the Pure Concepts Exercise.
The idea of the exercise is to take a concept/idea and everything that describes that thing and apply it to itself. Life and Death; a beginning and an end.
Life lives; It exists, begins, continues, and perpetuates. Death dies; it ceases, decays, ends, and stops. If we were to apply these concepts to themselves, we would see a result appear.
Life exists; I mean you’re breathing and reading this right now, right? The point is it started, it exists. Life, because of what it is lives and because of its nature continues; it keeps on keeping on. Death, on the other hand, because of what it is dies, and because of its nature ends.
Recap: Life lives, death dies.
So to make a comparison, if Life were a color, we’ll say blue, all life could do is be blue. It could do nothing but be blue, in this case meaning – continue.
And death, let’s say red, could do nothing but be red, in this case meaning – end.
Logical Conclusion?
Life will ALWAYS exist because it is LIFE, it is its nature. And death will eventually die because it is DEATH, it is its nature.
What does the Bible have to say about this conclusion? Jesus says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end” and “I am the way, the truth, and the Life”. And in Revelation, “Oh death where is your sting?” How do you make sense of these verses now? It almost sounds as if Jesus was pronouncing a real-life reality whenever He was speaking these words.
So how would we apply this to our lives? The contrast between life and death, beginnings and endings? Well with this exercise in mind, one day there will come a point when death will fully run its course. It will end. And when it does, Life will also fully run its course, which will continue into eternity. The Bible also says that God IS love. When you feel loved, or are in love, isn’t it just the best!? Life and Love…. for eternity?
I don’t know about you, but you can sign me up any day of the week for the next million years, I can’t wait! And I know for one thing, that when it does happen – it will be a new start that never ends.
– Ben Williams graduated from Southern Adventist University with a degree in Business Administration. He lives in Dallas, Texas and enjoys spending time with family.