WHEN IT COMES
TO THIS - WHAT THEN ?WHEN IT COMES
TO THIS - WHAT THEN ?
NO 24
WHAT THEN?
THE OLD LADY expressed to my wife her dread of "the
day they put me down in the box."
If that were the end it would be great relief for many, but in reality
it is only the beginning because, "It is appointed unto men once to
die, but after death the judgement." Hebrews 9:27)
Fools try to be brave and mock at death but when the dark unseen presence
arrives and the cold hand touches them, the brave mocking expression so
often turns to an ashen fear.
NOTEWORTHY CONTRASTS
When infidel ADAMS was dying, fear gripped him, "Demons
are in the room and are about to pull me down," he said.
AN OLD CHRISTIAN, dying in the bush IN LIBERIA where we worked,
called his wife, "Come, come wife don't you see them? The Lord has
sent His messengers to take me home!"
VOLTAIRE the noted French atheist, boastingly said, "I will
make life a plaything." But at death he cried in despair, "I
have been swallowing smoke; send me the physician for the mad." The
physician who attended him said of his end, "I cannot recall it without
horror."
AS MRS. GRIFFITH JOHN, missionary in China was dying, a strange
light shone upon her face; she opened her eyes and fixing them on heaven
said, "JESUS THE LORD, BEAUTIFUL!" These were the last
words on her lips.
JOHN KELLY wrote: "At the time of my mother's death the priest
did everything possible for her but she died without any hope of salvation.
Facing the fires of purgatory she screamed, 'Don't let me go.' I can never
forget my poor mother's screams."
Two hours before JAMES RENWICK, Scottish Covenanter, was to be publicly
executed, his mother and sisters went to the condemned cell to break bread
with him. In giving thanks he said, "Oh Lord you have brought me within
two hours of eternity and this is no matter of terror to me...Oh how can
I contain this, to be within two hours of the crown of glory!" As
the drums beat for the guard, in triumphant joy he shouted, "Yonder
is the welcomed warning to my marriage; THE BRIDEGROOM IS COMING; I
AM READY, I AM READY!"
The infidel, EDWARD GIBBONS, facing death said, "All is dark."
MY MOTHER'S last words were, "I'm trusting in the blood of
Jesus."
SAVED BY FAITH
This is the key that opens the gate of heaven to every repentant
sinner. No sin will enter heaven but "THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST,
GOD'S SON, CLEANSES US FROM ALL SIN." (1 John 1:7)
Faith in JESUS CHRIST and Him crucified, risen and exalted is all
the worst sinner needs for forgiveness, cleansing and being made a child
of God with his/her name written in the Lamb's book of life in heaven.
This also is the only way of salvation for the good living, self-righteous
person-faith in the cleansing blood of Jesus. this has nothing to do with
the communion, eucharist or any church rituals.
"A Christless cross, no refuge there for me,
A crossless Christ, my saviour could not be,
But oh, Christ crucified, I rest in Thee."
ONLY ONE THING IS OF ANY VALUE
when it comes to this: It matters not what wealth he or she
has made nor by what means they made it, nor how miserly or generously
they used it; it doesn't count a whit in trying to buy favour with God.
They may pay millions of pounds for prayers but the only one who benefits
is the one who gets the money. And when death calls, no amount of money
will buy him off.
"All my wealth for a moment of time," said the WEALTHY DYING
LADY, but death paid no heed-she had to go.
He became one of the WEALTHIEST MEN in the world. His income was
millions of pounds daily. They said he was worth about 30 thousand million
dollars but when he is put into his golden casket he is worth no more than
the poorest wretch rolled in a mat.
What was said of the unscrupulous tyrant applied to both of these: "Fear
him not; the worms will feast on him." Facing death changes our sense
of values.
On the night the TITANIC struck the iceberg A WEALTHY LADY
was seen rushing to her cabin where her jewels were; she came out with
5 oranges!
REAL VALUE
DAVID LIVINGSTON, missionary/explorer in Africa, as
a young man made the following vow; "I WILL PLACE NO VALUE ON ANYTHING
I HAVE OR POSSESS, EXCEPT IN RELATION TO THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST."
He lived this to the full and when he died at his bedside away in the African
bush, he left something much more valuable than gold or diamonds for future
generations-the challenge of a life lived for God and his fellow-man. The
Africans knew this and so they opened his body and buried his heart at
the foot of a tree, (in what is now called ZAMBIA). They carried
his body 1000 miles to the coast and it was laid to rest in WESTMINISTER
ABBEY. His tomb is one of the two most visited tombs in the abbey.
How different was the earthly end of BRIAN EPSTEIN, who was so successful
as the Beatles manager that he earned for himself $14,000,000 in 5 years.
When asked what he feared most in life he replied, "LONELINESS,
I hope I'll never be lonely." At only 32 years of age he committed
suicide and what a lonely funeral; not one of the Beatles was present.
AS MA LOUGON, a Christian woman whom I knew in Liberia, was dying
in hospital, she said to her husband, "Do you see those TWO MEN
IN WHITE at the door? All my friends are there with them. Please get
my clothes so I can go."
"But we did'nt bring your clothes," he said.
"Of course we didn't," she said "I won't be needing them."
and she was gone with the white-robed men and her waiting friends.
NO ESCAPE
Some long for death to get away from a guilty concience for
stealing, lying, cheating, cruelty, even murder, but death doesn't wipe
out memory.
John wrote of the JUDGEMENT DAY, "I saw the dead, the great
and the small, standing before God and THE BOOKS WERE OPENED..and
the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books,
according to their works."
THE SKILFUL LAWYER who got the murderer and the swindler declared
innocent, although he knew they were guilty, will appear with them in the
great final judgement and hear the same summing up as they, "Depart
from me ye workers of iniquity." (See Revelation 20:12; Like 13:27)
SOME WILL ESCAPE THIS
Not by having their bodies burned and the ashes scattered
on the ocean, or as many are requesting today, scattered in the stratosphere,
perhaps in the vain hope that God can't find them out there!
NO, the reason we say that not all will go to the grave is because
THE SIGNS ASSURE us that Jesus Christ is coming back very soon to
take all His people unto Him, as He promised. (John 14:1-3)
When he comes, the bodies of all who died trusting in him will be raised
from the graves, "incorruptible," and all His people who are
alive when he comes will be changed and caught "up together with them
TO MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR" and be with Him forever. (1 Corinthians
15:50-56) (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)
YOU could be amongst this great company!
If you desire further help, do feel free to contact us, without fear of
being drawn into any cult or sect.
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on prophetic fulfilment and the New Age Movement, free, please E-mail us
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