We continue to reflect on eternity in our daily meditations. Erwin Lutzer tells the tale of a Baghdad merchant who sent his servant to the marketplace on an errand. After completing his task and preparing to leave the market, the servant turned a corner and unexpectedly encountered Lady Death. The expression on her face frightened him so deeply that he raced home. He recounted the encounter to his master and asked for the fastest horse to flee as far from Lady Death as possible—a horse that would take him to Sumera before nightfall. Later that same afternoon, the merchant himself ventured to the marketplace and came upon Lady Death. "Why did you startle my servant this morning?" he inquired. "I didn't mean to startle your servant—it was I who was startled," Lady Death answered. "I was surprised to see your servant in Baghdad this morning because I have an appointment with him in Sumera tonight."[1]
The Appointment You Cannot Outrun
You and I have an appointment with death. We cannot run from it or hide from it. We can only face it. “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Thankfully, there is a God in heaven who has declared, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). We need not face death alone. Christ has assured us that He will be with us until the end of the age.
A Courageous Act of Faith in the Face of Death
When George Bush Sr. was Vice President, he represented the U.S. at the funeral of former Communist leader Leonid Brezhnev of Russia. Bush was deeply moved by a silent protest by Brezhnev's widow. She stood motionless by the coffin until just moments before it was closed. Then, as the soldiers touched the lid, Brezhnev's wife performed a courageous and hopeful act, a gesture that must surely rank among the most profound acts of civil disobedience ever committed: She reached down and made the sign of the cross on her husband's chest. There, in the citadel of secular, atheistic power, the wife of the man who had led it all hoped that her husband was wrong. She hoped there was another life, that Jesus, who died on the cross, best represented it, and that this same Jesus might yet have mercy on her husband. The leader of a communist country was attempting to eliminate all knowledge of Christ and His Word, yet even his wife held a secret belief and carried the thoughts of eternity in her heart.
Why We Can’t Ignore the Reality of Eternity
Over the past few weeks, we have made significant progress as we have examined what God says about our destiny and where we will spend eternity. We are meant for more than the way this world is set up! We face an adversary determined to keep our focus on worldly concerns alone. This enemy, Satan, seeks to suppress thoughts of a higher life in Christ, which is vastly superior. His goal is to distract us from eternity and trap us in the physical, material world, making us "duped" and ineffective. We are just passing through this life, heading toward another. Jesus said that even after death, a person will continue to live (John 11:25). While we can try to ignore or silence thoughts of eternity, we cannot erase the inner awareness that death isn't the end. There is a God in heaven who has not given up on you and is calling you to His house. "You will seek me and find me, when you seek for me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13).
Your Invitation to Eternal Life
Soon, we will examine who we are and our destination. Who are we? Jesus calls us His Bride, and He is preparing us for eternal life with Him. Keith Thomas
Continue Your Journey…
Taken from the series Insights into Eternity, found in the All Studies box. Click on the study, The Wedding You’ve Been Waiting For.
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[1] Erwin W. Lutzer, One Minute After You Die, Moody Publishers, Page 119.