Death Demystified -Archbishop Benson Idahosa

With all the attributes which men have clothed death with, it is actually demystifiable; for one thing, death has a history. In Genesis chapter 2 verse 17 and chapter 3 verse 3, God foretold the coming of death as a consequence of disobedience: men would begin to die the day they disregarded God’s commandment. And when man disregarded God’s commandment and sinned, death appeared on the earth scene.

It was first epitomized in Abel the son of Adam: he was the first man to die, and thereafter death reined unchallenged over the spiritually spineless children of men, until the Son of God came as the Son of man. He was the first man to look unto the hollow sockets of the face of death, trounce it, leave it behind in the grave and climb out to declare: “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive forever more, Amen; and have the keys of hell and death” (Rev. 1 :18).

By His death and resurrection, this Champion of men, Jesus Christ, has delivered all who through fear of death all their lives had been subject to bondage, (Heb. 2:15). He has demystified death and presented it as a harmless paper-tiger to us the kids of the kingdom. Today, we can also look at death in the face; we can hear and disregard its guttural voice; we can match it stare for stare and ask: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Cor.15:55). Death is swallowed up in victory. Alleluia! Dying actualizes for us the defeat of death and our victory over the grave. So you see, to die is gain.

Yet it is a necessary end. Death was a punishment for a semi-divine Adam, but it was a blessing for a sin-ridden humanity and a violence covered earth. Death was an act of God’s mercy: if death had not marked the sinful human race, men would have lived forever in their sinful state. Can you imagine a world where Cain and his descendants would still have been alive wrecking vengeance on men? Every known and unknown blood-letting, dagger-totting and trigger-happy murderer would have been alive and their descendants and heirs of their evil ways would have over-run the earth by today. To die is gain.

Who could have lived in a world cruelly administered by the underworld king-pins! By the time of Noah, only a few generations after Cain, the earth was already covered with violence. Here is how the Bible puts it: “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5).

Look at that dear reader, look at that! Man was created in the image and likeness of God, but he acquired the nature and character of the devil and became a source of grief to God his creator. His imagination, every thoughts and intents of his heart became coordinated for the purposes of wrong-doing only.

The powers of his mind was fully geared only for evil; the heart that was created as the fountain of creativity, development and light  had become the dark spring which spewed out dirt and mud all day long. Nothing good could come out of it. Whatever he fashioned became a veritable instrument of lust and destruction. Do you still think that the timely elimination of such perpetrators of wickedness was a punishment? No of course. Death was allowed by God to continually clean the earth of the filth which men created.

Even then, death came as a blessing: it swept off those who made themselves the off-scoring and miscreants among men and took away few good hearts to uneasy rest. Death was an act of God’s great mercy. It helped to ensure that new generations of men did not see all the evil perpetrators to imitate. The acts of God, even those wrought in anger, are usually lined with the silver-edge of love. He is Righteousness personified. But He is the Lord of mercy!

But today, after the great deliverance and redemption which the Lord God has provided for mankind, to as many have accepted this free-gift of God, to die is gain. Therefore, the good and the bad die, the wise and the foolish die. The world has seen mighty men of great political consequence which today are no more: they have died.

There have been men of unbelievable scientific abilities and imagination: the great scientific discoverers, the inventors of yesteryears, but today, death have taken them away to the great beyond. Where are the controllers of the wealth, and the economy of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth century? Where are the men of unusual physical and unusual strength of two centuries ago? They are no more.

There has been righteous  men too, mighty preacher of the great Gospel of Christ, men who moved heaven to meet the earth with mighty signs and wonders and mind blowing miracles difficult to imagine, and impossible to phantom; they too has been escorted away by death to destinations of appropriate rewards.

And you ask “What about you Papa, Archbishop Idahosa?” My answer is I look forward to it with great expectation, for to die is gain! Do you mean that one day, even papa Idahosa will be stretched out on a pallet or stuffed into a casket all dressed up in body but going no place? Yes! Yes! Yes!!!!

Do you mean the day will come when there will be no more “Let us put our hands together to welcome God’s General, Papa Archbishop Benson Idahosa?” Yes! My hope is that I will live to a good old age, but my departure will be sooner than you think. It is the lot of all men. It is an appointment that even I cannot fail to keep.

But like Paul, I am ready to yield to the Lord whether His desire is for me to continue my labour on earth, or to depart for my long rest; a deserved rest in heaven.

You know, I tell people that I have lived my life three times and over by what God has packed into this relatively short years of ministry. There is nothing the Lord asked me to do that I have not done. Actually when my day of departure comes, I do not care what they do with my body. The church may decide to cast it unceremoniously into an unmarked grave or do whatever else they wish.

But this one favour I ask: over the place where my weary body is laid, should be placed a bold inscription “HE OBEYED GOD”. My name as lent credence to my works. My name Idahosa means ‘I AM ATTENTIVE TO GOD’, and that is why I have done this thirty-much awesome years of ministry. I have obeyed; I have implemented every command of the Lord. There are those that I have initiated, which those coming after me will fully accomplish. Today, when He calls me I will answer. To me, to die is gain. But to everyone reading this: “Remember now thy Creator while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when you shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; while the sun or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: in the  days  when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because  they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened… and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home and the mourners go about the streets… Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” (Eccl. 12:1-7).

Now my friend, if the lord were to call you today, right now would you be ready to answer: “Here I am, take me?” In this world we have no continuing home. PREPARE TO MEET THY GOD!