I was listening to my favorite radio program the other day, “Night Sounds,” when the late Bill Pearce made the statement,
“Recently, a work crew was constructing a parking lot in Egypt
when they came across dozens of tombs with the intact mummies of several
pharaohs, and their family members.”
And this rather old news, (since all Night Sounds Radio
programs are re-runs) got me to thinking about something I never quit thinking
about anyhow… Death.
Now, you may think this personal revelation is strange, but
given the fact that I never quit thinking about completing the remainder of my
destiny, it is impossible not to also think about the brevity of the time which
remains for me to complete it. As a result, it doesn’t seem all that strange to
me that the topic of death is always on my mind.
We simply can’t stay here.
I mean, I am convinced that even animals contemplate their own
demise. About a week before my precious pooch’s passing, “Buddy,” (a female
Shih Tzu), began shivering, and continued to do so for perhaps a minute. And
given the moderate temperature in our house at the time, I realized this symptom
had little or nothing to do with the weather. After Buddy’s passing, I became
convinced that she had experienced a premonition of things to come.
I can relate at some level. At this writing, I am a year into
my seventh decade of life, and given my “chronological’s” I sometimes wonder
how much time remains to me, and how I will pass from this earth.
Scripture has plenty to say about the subject.
In the Book of Job, the main character’s wife asks the
poignant question,
“If a man die, will he live again?” (Job 14:14)
Her question is answered several thousand years later in the
New Testament Book of Hebrews.
“It is appointed unto man once to die, and after this, the
judgement.” (Hebrews 9:27)
Pt. 2
A friend of mine visited Israel a few years ago, and before
“Marta” left, she asked what I would like her to bring back from the Holy Land.
I answered her immediately.
“I would like a stone from just outside the Garden Tomb of
Jesus.”
(You’ll never guess what she brought back to me).
Of course, when Marta returned, she handed me a small flat
rectangular shaped stone; perhaps an inch by half an inch. For quite some time,
I carried it in my pocket. But then, I began thinking that I might lose it. As
I write these words, this rock resides in the drawer beneath the keyboard upon
which I am typing.
I call it my “Resurrection Stone.”
I have often surmised that Jesus might have stepped on this
stone, as He made His way out of the tomb. I mean, it’s possible. But, whether
He did or whether He didn’t, this small rock is a precious reminder to me of
His promise to return, and receive me to Himself, that where He is, I may be
also.
And this precious promise encourages me that this is not all
there is, and I believe that He is perfectly capable of fulfilling His Word.
For you see, my friends, the resurrection of Jesus Christ did not take place in
a closet. He appeared to His disciples after He rose from the dead, and,
subsequently, He appeared to 500 believers prior to His ascension into heaven.
(1st Cor. 15:6)
You may recall, as I began this piece of writing, I alluded to
the large number of tombs which were discovered in Egypt; each and every one of
them containing the remains of previous rulers. However, what makes Jesus
singular, among the billions who preceded Him in death, is His empty tomb.
Should the Lord tarry, I know that I will complete my destiny
here, and that I will be consigned to the earth. However, I am assured that
because His tomb is empty, He will return and receive me unto Himself, and my
tomb will ultimately be empty.
What a precious promise He has left us.
“Because I live, you shall live also.” (John 14:19)
by William McDonald, PhD. Copyright pending
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