October 28, 2024

Our family has gone through a couple of years of probate, dealing with the estate of Richard’s dad. It took so long because he didn’t set up a trust or a will, which would have helped the process. I always thought he didn’t take the time to set it up because he felt he wasn’t going to die, but it may have been that it was overwhelming, so he left it all for Richard to sort out, and it’s been a nightmare. There was debt that had to be paid so that the disposition of the estate could be completed. Nevertheless, a person must die for a will or trust to go into effect. I’m sure I may be oversimplifying it, but for the New Testament or covenant to begin, Jesus had to die.

Another point that helps us understand is that when a will or testament is written, if changes are made, or the will is re-written, the new will takes the place of the old and the old one is no longer valid. The same can be said about the New Testament replacing the Old Testament. There is much to learn from the Old Testament, but when it comes to our inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, the New Testament will take precedence. Unlike Richard’s dad, Jesus settled his estate before he died on the cross. The blood he shed paid our debt, so we wouldn’t have to be responsible for it. We should be grateful that Jesus settled his estate before he passed; it’s a bigger deal than you might think.

For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. Hebrews 9:16-17