Someone once said that there are two dates on every tombstone; i.e., the date of our birth and the date of our death. So, generally speaking, there are two dates guaranteed in every person’s life. We are guaranteed our date of birth unless we die within the womb of our mother. We are guaranteed our date of death unless we are raptured from the earth by the Lord Jesus.
DATE OF OUR BIRTH
None of us has any control over when we will be born, where we will be born, which family we will be born into, and many other factors. Barring a tragedy in the womb, whether by nature or by human means (abortion), we will all have a date of birth. We may not know the date when we were born, but God knows, and He has assigned that special date for each of us.
It is unfortunate, if I may use such a mild word, that literally millions of human beings have had that date snatched from them by the selfish cruelness of mankind.
Just in our lifetime alone, a medical procedure we call “abortion” has taken center stage and deemed a right to be had by those who just don’t want the child to be born. They don’t want the responsibility. They say, “It’s my body,” with no thought of the child’s body.
Have we ever considered that the next Alexander Fleming or Jonas Salk or Charles Spurgeon or Billy Sunday may have fallen to the butcher’s scalpel? More importantly, even if they had lived a life of poverty and been of little to no benefit to mankind, they had a God-given right to live. I just thank our gracious God that they are now with Him and always will be.
DATE OF OUR DEATH
Until Jesus comes and finalizes world history, there will always be death waiting for each and every one of us.
My dad died in 2003. He was 83 years old at the time of his death. My mother died in 2008. She was 84 years old at the time of her death. I realized at that time that they were gone and now it was my turn and my brother and sisters’ turn to be the oldest members of the family.
I remember my last great-grandparent before he died. Then each of my grandparents passed away, and then my parents. Unless the Lord returns in the Rapture while I’m living, I’m next; then, my children will assume the position I will vacate.
NOTE: There is another occasion that is guaranteed to all mankind that Jesus mentioned through the writer of Hebrews, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
All who are Christ’s will stand before Him at the Judgment Seat of Christ (Bema), not to determine salvation, which is secure, but to determine our rewards (2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15).
All others, who are not of Christ, will face Him at the Great White Throne Judgment to be assigned their place in the Lake of Fire.
Advancing age is a reminder that our time on earth is quickly running out. The older we get, the more our body rebels at things we used to effortlessly accomplish. In other words, it gets harder and harder to do things we used to do when we were young.
Our energy level starts receding, along with our hairline. Our skin begins sagging, and our muscles get weaker. Our eyes grow dim, and it becomes harder to hear. And then there is that culprit hanging on the wall above the bathroom sink … the mirror.
If you would like to read what Solomon had to say about this part of life, you will find Ecclesiastes 12:1-12 very informative. The young probably won’t believe it, but they will come around in due time.
BETWEEN OUR TWO GUARANTEED DATES
The Lord has blessed me with 75 years so far. I say blessed because I know that there are others who leave this earth much sooner. There are friends of mine that I grew up with who passed away several years ago. Some knew the Lord, and others did not.
Why are some folks allotted by God to live many years while others do not? I don’t know, but I do know that whatever time we have, we need to spend it well. Solomon also had this to say in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”
Regardless of the number of years we live on this earth, even if we live to be one hundred, it isn’t even an infinitesimal flicker compared to eternity. This life on earth quickly ends. Don’t think so? How many times have you heard someone say, or maybe you said, “Where did the time go?” Eternity never ends.
When we leave this life on earth, we will live in new bodies, either in Heaven or hell, that will never die … never, never, never. The first trillion years of eternity won’t even be the first step of our walk in eternity.
All of us who are living need to make every second count with Solomon’s advice, “Fear God and keep His commandments.” Notice that he goes on to say, “this is the duty of all mankind.”
Are you in your seventies, eighties, or nineties and feeling like you squandered your years on frivolous issues? If you are living, it is never too late with God. We all matter to Him, and He wants us to come to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.
None of us is righteous without Jesus in our lives (Romans 3:10).
All of us have sinned (Romans 3:23).
Because of our sins, we have earned death (Romans 6:23a).
But through Christ Jesus, God will give us the gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23b).
No one should face death alone. Jesus will walk with us throughout our life if we believe in Him, and He will take our hand and guide us home through death’s door.
Two dates … the important one is the date of our death. If we listen to Solomon, we will be overjoyed when meeting Jesus on the other side.
Yes, we are guaranteed two dates. The question, however, is, “How are we going to spend the time in between?”
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).
Grant Phillips
Email: Phillip5769@twc.com
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
Rapture Ready: https://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html