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What happens at death? How final is it? Is there life after death?
N
O MATTER
who
you
are–
whether t he
young girl down the
·street, the fellow on
the block, the butcher
or mailman, carpen–
ter, maintenance man
or secret ary- sooner,
or later, you are going
to die!
You may be beautiful,
handsome, healthy,
young or strong,
but
eventual
death remains a
fact of your life.
It is inescapable.
Whether you live out a natural
life span, or whether your life is
cut short by sorne tragic accident,
incident or disease, this physical
Iife ends in death.
Physical Líf e ls Limited
King Solomon made it plain: "To
every tbing there is a season, anda
t ime to every purpose under the
beaven: a time to be boro, and a
time to die ... " (Ecclesiastes 3:1-
2).
From the moment of birtb
physical life is limited. Do you
know why? Basic human life–
supporting cells divide just so
many times. They always reach
a divisioning limit. Cells deterio–
rate, tissues deteriorate, organs
June/ July 1981
It's time we understand.
by
Patrick A. Parnel l
deteriorate, the body deterio–
rates. That deterioration ends
inevitably in death.
Proper healtb measures, in–
cluding a healthful diet and the
elimination of disease, may pro–
long life substantially. But the
natural aging processes do not
stop. Beauty techniques such as
plastic surgery, skin stretching,
the lavish use of cosmetics and
hair dyes may give a more youth–
ful appearance for a time. They
are oh so temporary. The inner
process of aging, leading to cer–
tain death, relentlessly contin–
ues.
No amount of wishful thinking
or physical measures help. All of
man's technology and scientific
research, coupled with all
of the money in the world,
can 't alter the fact that
humans die!
T he pressing question
then is:
What happens afte r
death? Is there hope? Is
there meaning to life?
The Age-old Ouestion
Throughout the ages, as far
back as recorded time, men
have been conceroed about
death and what hap–
pens afterward . Is
there life after
death?
The ancient
Egyptians were
Wsrren Watson-PT
COnCerned abOUt
death. Their attempts to solve the
enigma of a life after death
reached monumental proportions.
Pharaohs' bu rial tombs were
filled with treasures, and life's
various parapberoalia; sometimes
including, in the early period, an
entourage of servants, killed and
entombed to serve the pharaoh in
a fancied state of existence after
death.
Every group of people and every
civilization that's ever existed,
down to and including our modero
age, has pondered about alife after
death . Almost everybody has an
opinion on the subject. There are
about as many ideas abou t it as
people to give them.
Why this confusion? Where is
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