Solomon mused in Ecclesiastes 7:1 that the "day of death is better than the day of birth."  In his sequel, he adds that it is better to go to the "house of mourning than to the house of feasting." Probably you're pondering on the paradoxical nature of his observation. A few years ago, South African TV presented programs which placed great emphasis on the morbid interest some have in "communicating with the dead" ala John Edward. I preached a sermon or two giving the Biblical perspective of this bizarre and prohibited "addiction." The Bible teaches that this activity is strictly forbidden under pain of death, Leviticus 19:31; Deuteronomy 18:10-13, etc. A church bulletin I received from a distant congregation speculated on "what if we could know exactly when our last day of life would be...?"  What would your response be? "At 9.00 PM on March 9, 2008 you will draw your last breath," the Harbinger of Death tells you. What would your reaction be to that doleful yet heart-stopping remark?

 

Some would drop dead from fright. Some would make sure that paramedics and resuscitation teams were on standby with all the necessary CPR equipment. We might even go at an hour early and sit in the emergency room (ER) or the casualty department of a large city hospital. Some might become so depressed that they would grieve themselves to death before the final hour breaks. You see, we inevitably spoil the present by worrying about the future. So, God, in His matchless wisdom, has hidden this information from us. We don't want to know. We don't need to know.

 

But now if you could know, without a smidgeon of doubt, the exact time of your "passing," would you do anything differently from the way you are doing it at present?   If you were to die on that date, how would you want to spend your last hours before the fateful moment? Incidentally, Moses was 120 years old when he was informed (ouch!) of his impending death, Deuteronomy 32:51 even though "his eyes were not dimmed nor his strength diminished," Deuteronomy 34:7. So such an event is not beyond belief. Unfortunately, some medical doctors "play God" telling people how long they have when they are considered "terminal." The fact is that only God knows that information for sure. 

 

Here are some answers that people have given to that soul-searching, speculative question. One lady said that she would be on her knees in prayer the entire day. A man said he would gather his family around him and see them all one last time. Another said he would be sure all his debts were settled, so that his family would not be embarrassed by his unpaid bills. He definitely would want his life insurance premiums paid up in full. Yet another stated that he would seek out anyone with whom he had had differences and would make things right. Since that day (March 9) is the Lord's Day would you avoid missing any of the assemblies that day as you might have become accustomed to doing? 

 

Though the list of responses above is not exhaustive, have you noticed that people always know instinctively what they have been neglecting or what they have delayed doing? We know, but we are stubborn. But one day it will happen and then circumstantially it might  be too late to put right what's wrong or do what's been left undone. What will we say to Jesus when we meet him when we have lived a deliberately disobedient or wasted life?

 

When we study the book of Joshua, we meet another man in the pages of that book who knew his last day had arrived. Joshua said, "Now I am about to go the way of all the earth . . . not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. . ." Joshua 23:14. How did he spend his last day on earth? He did exactly what he had been doing all the days of his life -- he encouraged the people of God (Israel) to be ever faithful to God.

 

You know what? Your last day will probably be very much like today. The things you are doing now will most likely be the things you will be doing then. So what are you doing today? Would you want today to be typical of your life? How have you lived today? Did you live for Jesus or for yourself? Solomon was saying in the passage above that the end is better than the beginning because the time for fretting about things and worrying over insensitive treatment you have received is past. You could be going from "mourning to joy," see Psalms 30:5. Anyway, you will have reached the final curtain and you await the applause. All your fears have now passed and you go to your rest or your reward. Of course, that assumes that you have lived your life in Christ. That's why it is vital that you obey the gospel if you have not yet done so.

 

If you were to know that today was the very last day of your life, would you want to make any changes?  If so, do it now! There's no tomorrow -- just today. Let's get with it. Let's roll.

 

Love you all,

Al--"The Horne of Africa."

 

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