IN SELECTING A SUITABLE TITLE for this little pamphlet, I thought of an old expression, "The simpler, the better!" So we have done just that. It is not a complicated title, nor is it a catchy phrase. It is plain, short, and exceedingly solemn.

Even though death is all around us, we mortals seek to avoid any deep thought on such a grim subject. But, please, do read on, for we are going to bring out some very interesting truths relative to four kinds of death that should interest you.

SPIRITUAL DEATH

When God placed Adam in the garden of Eden, He said, "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Genesis 2:16,17). Adam disobeyed God. The woman, beguiled by the serpent, "took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat" (Genesis 3:6). Did Adam die that very day? Yes! He died spiritually, not physically! He lost his position, and became a fallen and ruined creature. Consequently, God "drove out the man" (Genesis 3:24). A separation took place between man and God. We read in Genesis 5:3, "Adam... begat a son in his own likeness." Notice, not in the likeness of God, "but in his own likeness." In other words, all the children of Adam's race are born into this world dead spiritually, separated from God. This fact is easily proven. Man's affections are dead toward God. The fact that he would rather watch the games or shows on T.V. than study the Bible or attend a prayer meeting is proof of his spiritual deadness. He may have a little religion, a form of godliness, but the evident fact remains that he is a lover of pleasure rather than a lover of God (II Timothy 3:4,5).

Not only are man's affections dead, but his perception is dead regarding himself, God and eternity. Little does he perceive that in God's estimation he is a sinner (Romans 3:23), unclean (Isaiah 64:6), and by nature a child of wrath (Ephesians 2:3) - altogether an unfit subject for heaven.

He perceives not the nature of God - that God is just and holy, and will by no means clear the guilty (Exodus 34:7). Eternity is a mystery to him. He dreads the thought of dying, yet little knows the awful torments that await the damned in the lake of fire.

His efforts toward bettering his position before God are dead. He is without strength to save his own soul (Romans 5:6). He is in a sad state, "afar off... dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1,17). Man is spiritually dead.

PHYSICAL DEATH

We are born to die! Adam not only introduced sin and spiritual death to the human race, but also physical death. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Romans 5:12). Sin pays its grim wages - death (Romans 6:23)! When death comes to the sinner, it brings some solemn charges. It charges the soul to bid eternal farewell to all earthly pleasures; it charges the trembling spirit to bid "goodbye" forever to relatives and friends; and it charges the person to depart from the body, only to enter the awful confines of hell, "where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:44). Solemn! "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). Friend, there's a message from God for you. "Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live" (Isaiah 38:1).

CHRIST'S DEATH

You may ask, "How can I set my house in order with God? How can I get my affairs right, my sins put away, so I'll go to heaven instead of hell when my body dies?" God has the answer! "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:6,8).

"On Him Almighty vengeance fell,
Enough to sink a world to hell,
He bore it for a sinful race,
And thus became our hiding place."

Yes, "Christ died for our sins" (I Corinthians 15:3). He shed His precious blood on the Cross that we might "have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1:14). He bore the punishment of God, paying the price in full, to purchase salvation. He died for you that He might become your hiding place. But - to enter into that Divine Shelter you must come. Come just as you are, receive Him, and be saved. How encouraging are His words, "I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved" (John 10:9).

THE SECOND DEATH

In the resurrection, hell shall deliver up the lost soul. Death shall deliver up the body. With body and soul reunited, that person shall be judged by God to determine the intensity of his eternal punishment, then cast into the lake of fire. "This is," God says, "the second death" (Revelation 20:14). Yes, my friend - truly, death is a solemn subject.