One common event
May 24, 2019
Humanity is truly a diverse lot. We come in different shapes, sizes and colors. We come from different backgrounds, we have various degrees of beliefs and values, each of us have a different set of circumstances that determines everything from our personality to our attitudes about life. We are very unique. There are only a few common things about each of us, but there is one thing that each of us will experience in our lifetime. It is our greatest enemy, our greatest fear, and the one thing in life that causes us the most anxiety and pain: death. Each of us will lose friends and family to death and one day we will face this enemy ourselves; we will one day die.
The Bible is very clear about this: “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Notice that this verse reminds us first that we have our moment of death set. God has appointed a day that you will die. Your body will cease to function and you will open your eyes into eternity. You will not escape this appointment. You will not be late for it, and you certainly cannot skip it. We are all terminal.
Knowing that we will one day die, what have you done about this appointment? Before you spout off wills, insurance and burial plans, I ask you what have you done to prepare for death? Where will you be after you die? What will you say when you come into the presence of God? These questions are the ones that make death serious and difficult. Man has devised cunning ways to deal with these questions. They have theorized that maybe there is no life after death or that God is all loving and would never hold us accountable for our lives. Those that devise such theories are ignorant of what God has shown us in His Word!
Consider the second part of the verse, “… but after this the judgment.” Notice the phrase “after this.” The Bible is very clear that when our mortal lives are over, we have eternity to face. For those who live immoral lives, how convenient it is to state that there is no afterlife or accountability to a Creator? But who are we to state what happens when we die? Why not come to One who is eternal? “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity” (Isaiah 57:15). He knows what is to come after death. God tells us that we will die and that we will be judged. The Bible is very clear that when we die we will experience the first of several judgments. We will be judged on where we will spend eternity. The Bible tells us that there are only two dwelling places in eternity, Heaven and Hell. Heaven, the dwelling place and abode of God; Hell, the place made for Satan and his demons, a place where the fire is never quenched and a place where there is no escape. At the moment of death, our eternal home is permanently secured in either heaven or hell. As much as liberal scholars and preachers want to dismiss Hell and sweeten Heaven, Hell still exists, filling up daily, and Heaven is the abode for those who have repented of their sins and found salvation through Jesus Christ. You may live this life as if you will never be judged, but one day you will; you can expect it.
The only way to deal with death is to come to the One who can. God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to the world: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Christ died for us! He died in our place. Three days later, He did something that no one has ever done: He walked out of a tomb, alive, destroying death and giving us the hope of eternal life. The Bible tells us to repent and believe that He did come, died for our sins, and arose again. It is at that moment of acceptance and confession that we can find eternal life with Him in Heaven. Yes, I must one day die, but because I trusted Jesus Christ as my Savior, I will live forever in Heaven with Him! Don’t you need this assurance? Isn’t time to abandon those sins that are destroying you? Confess your sins and trust Him as Savior. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).
What will you do if you rush off to eternity today? Today you are one day closer to death. Don’t you need Him?
Reader Comments(0)