Title: Death - The Door into Eternity
Bible Book: Genesis 49 : 29-33
Author: Donald Cantrell
Subject: Death; Victory of Death; Salvation; Eternity; Resurrection
Objective:
Introduction
Genesis 49:29-33 KJV “And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah. The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth. And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.”
“I am not afraid of death, I just don't want to be there when it happens.” Woody Allen
“Someone has to die in order that the rest of us should value life more.” Virginia Woolf
“Death is no more than passing from one room into another. But there's a difference for me, you know. Because in that other room I shall be able to see.” Helen Keller
“Since the day of my birth, my death began its walk. It is walking toward me, without hurrying.” Jean Cocteau
“Pale Death beats equally at the poor man's gate and at the palaces of kings.” Horace
“It is difficult to accept death in this society because it is unfamiliar. In spite of the fact that it happens all the time, we never see it.” Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
"If a man can bridge the gap between life and death, if he can live on after he's dead, then maybe he was a great man." James Dean
Humor - Oops Sorry About That: Marvin was in the hospital on his death bed. The family called Marvin’s Preacher to be with him in his final moments. As the Preacher stood by the bed, Marvin’s condition seemed to deteriorate, and Marvin motioned for someone to quickly pass him a pen and paper. The Preacher quickly got a pen and paper and lovingly handed it to Marvin. But before he had a chance to read the note, Marvin died. The Preacher feeling that now wasn’t the right time to read it put the note in his jacket pocket. It was at the funeral while speaking that the Preacher suddenly remembered the note. Reaching deep into his pocket the Preacher said “and you know what, I suddenly remembered that right before Marvin died he handed me a note, and knowing Marvin I’m sure it was something inspiring that we can all gain from. With that introduction the Preacher ripped out the note and opened it. The note said “HEY, YOU ARE STANDING ON MY OXYGEN TUBE!”
In this sermon I want us to consider the life of Jacob and how when the end came; the aged Patriarch was ready to gladly embrace it. I think there is a lot to be said about a person in how they embrace the fact that they are about to enter eternity.
In the last 36 years of my preaching ministry I have had the opportunity to be in the presence of death on numerous occasions. I have witnessed many saints gladly embrace the thought of dying and on other I occasions I have witnessed lots of fear and anxiety.
Humor – When Grandpa Croaks: Bobby was sitting on the porch talking to his Grandpa when he innocently asked, “Grandpa, do you know how to make animal sounds?”
“I sure do” Grandpa replied. “What sort of animal sound would you like to hear?”
“How about a toad? Do you know how to sound like a toad?”
“Sure”, said Grandpa, cupping his hand to his mouth, “croaaak croaaak, how did you like that?!”
“Yipee!” screamed Bobby jumping up and down, “We are going to Miami!”
“Huh?” Questioned Grandpa. “Why’s that?”
“Because Grandma said so,” Bobby patiently explained, “she said that after you croak we’ll all go to Miami!”
“JACOB did not yield up the ghost until he had delivered the last sentence of admonition and benediction to his 12 sons. He was immortal till his work was done. So long as God had another sentence to speak by him, death could not paralyze his tongue. Yet, after all, the strong man was bowed down, and he who had journeyed with unwearied foot full many a mile, was now obliged to gather up his feet into the bed to die.
His life had been eventful in the highest degree, but that dread event now came upon him which is common to us all. He had deceived his blind father in his youth, but no craftiness of Jacob could deceive the grave. He had fled from Esau, his angry brother, but a swifter and surer foot was now in pursuit from which there was no escape. He had slept with a stone for his pillow, and had seen Heaven opened, but he was to find that it was only to be entered by the ordinary gate.
He had wrestled with the Angel at the brook Jabbok, and he had prevailed: but this time he was to wrestle with an angel against whom there was no prevalence. He had dwelt in Canaan in tents, in the midst of enemies, and the Lord had said, “Touch not My anointed, and do My prophets no harm,” and therefore he had been secure in the midst of a thousand ills; but now he must fall by the hand of the last enemy, and feel the great avenger’s sword. It was appointed to the Patriarch to die as all men must do.” Sermons from Saintly Deathbeds – Charles Spurgeon Sermon #783
Let us consider this subject called “death”:
I. The Truthful Fact of Death
In reading from Charles Spurgeon’s sermon on “Saintly Deathbeds” he also said that every tree in the forest should tremble at the sound of a woodsman cutting down a mighty oak tree, lest the same sharp axe be laid at its base also. I wonder if we have become calloused to the sight, the sound, and the shadow of death.
In the olden days we used to have funerals in our homes, and then they were moved to the funeral parlors. We used to allow the dead to linger for a minimum of three days, now we often see people viewed and buried in the same day. I have a feeling we have diminished the reality of death by swiftly removing its presence from our sight.
A) The Original Promise of Death (Gen. 2: 16 – 17)
Gen 2:16 KJV - And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
Gen 2:17 KJV - But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
In the Garden of Eden God had only given Adam one stipulation, he could any of the trees in the garden except one. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was off limits, if they ate of this tree; they would surely die.
God made this promise of death to Adam and Adam in turn was responsible to pass this information along to his wife; Eve. We all know the story, before long the Serpent tricked Eve into eating from this tree, Eve in turn got Adam to eat; and God in turn honored the promise he had made to Adam.
The very moment they ate from this tree death crept into the garden. It was at this very time that God unleashed this creature called death. We must all realize that mankind may lie to you but God cannot nor will he ever lie to us. It is impossible and improbable for God to lie. The following verses will help you grasp this eternal truth:
Num 23:19 KJV - God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
Tit 1:2 KJV - In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
Heb 6:18 KJV - That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
B) The Optimal Penalty of Death (Rom. 6: 23)
Rom 6:23 KJV - For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The moment Adam and Eve sinned; God enacted the death penalty upon the human race. This sin not infected mankind, it also infected all of God’s creation.
Rom 8:22 KJV - For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Have you ever considered that before the sin of Adam and Eve nothing had ever died? The entire universe had never witnessed any type of death. The world would have been pain free and penalty free, but the moment they sinned, we felt the pain of that sin and would soon feel the penalty of that sin.
The very first death sentence was enacted upon mankind by God himself. Mankind chose to partake of sin knowing the consequences of their choice, they still sinned. I am not sure if they took God serious or if they allowed the moment to overwhelm them but they were without excuse and there would be no other recourse, other than death.
At that very moment death was loosened and it crept into the very core of the universe. Adam may have felt his first pain as death crept into his body. I wonder if at the very moment of Eve taking that first bite, did she sense a quaking on the inside of her body. It would have been just as devastating had she taken a bottle of strychnine and guzzled it down. At this very moment death swallowed up the universe. It covered every aspect of nature, the grass begins to with, weeds begin to germinate, and cold winds begin to stir. The sun begin to boil down upon the earth as never before, Adam and Eve would now begin to sweat under the blaring heat of the sun and in turn they would need to be clothed when the frigid winter winds swept in, death was swallowing up all of God’s creation.
It would have been the most disheartening thing to see God walk into the garden after this horrific sinful day. God’s most cherished and prized aspect of creation was now defiled and infected with sin, this sin was from their selfish self centered desires. God had declared if they ate of this tree they would die, it took Adam and Eve many hundreds of years to see death overtake them, but it was only a matter of moments before they would shirk in horror at the sight of death.
God found Adam and Eve hiding in the garden; they were now both naked in each others eyes. God would show them the consequences of their sinful choice, he would find them appropriate clothing. As the couple stood in awe God walked over and looked among the animals in the garden and came back with either a lamb or a goat.
He was now going to show them what death looked like; in their very sight God kills the animal. The blood from this animal and the horrific sound of death echoed all over the universe. The nauseating smell of blood and the sound of the dying animal may have brought them to their knees in tears and repentance.
God would now teach them how to bring blood sacrifices to him on an annual basis. This was to be done by each and every human being. This friend was the product of death. The penalty of sin was the most costly penalty to ever be paid by mankind. Sin required blood as a payment and the only way to make that payment would be death.
C) The Overwhelming Power of Death (Heb. 9: 27)
Heb 9:27 KJV - And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
It did not take long before Adam and Eve saw death creep into their very home. Cain became mad at God for not accepting his non blood sacrifice and for accepting his brother’s bloody sacrifice, so he in turn killed his brother. The very sin that the first family invoked upon the human race would first enter into their home.
Genesis 4:3-8 KJV - "And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him."
I wonder if Adam and Eve went out and set aside a parcel of land for the very first graveyard that the world would ever have. Adam and Eve would not have even known how to bury a dead body, they had to learn how to mourn, how to grieve, how to cry tears of sorrow and heartache for the death of their first born.
II. The Tremendous Faces of Death
In the bible we read of people living to be 969 years of age, but even they died. Death is coming and it will not delay, it will not detour, and it will not differentiate. Death is the most faithful subject in God’s vast kingdom. The moment he was released upon this universe, there has not been a moment, a minute, an hour, a day, a month, or a year that he has not faithfully administered every detail of his job.
In every human beings life, there is an X marking the spot on God’s calendar for you to exit this life and to step into the next life. This servant called death has your appointment on his calendar and he will not run you down from behind, in reality he is steadily walking your way to have a head on collision on the day of your scheduled appointment. If you are unsaved and have chosen to die and go to hell; the following verse tells you what lies ahead for you at your day of death:
Isa 14:9 KJV - Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.
Jer 9:21 KJV - For death is come up into our windows, and is entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets.
Death had a very specific beginning but death does not have any set boundaries.
A) The Death of Jacob’s Original Forefathers
In the book of Genesis we find the death chapter of God’s holy word; it is found in chapter 5. In this chapter we find the deaths of 8 various men and they all lived long lives, but in the end they all died. You may live a long and a full life but in the end you are going to die, it is a fact and a promise due to the sin of Adam and Eve. Look at the following numbers from Genesis chapter 5:
· Adam lived 930 years and he died
· Seth lived 912 years and he died
· Enos lived 905 years and he died
· Cainan lived 910 years and he died
· Mahalaleel lived 895 years and he died
· Jared lived 962 years and he died
· Methuselah lived 969 years and he died
· Lamech lived 777 years and he died
· Noah lived 950 years and he died (Gen 9: 29)
· Shem lived 600 years and he died (Gen. 11: 10 – 11)
· Nahor lived 148 years and he died (Gen. 11: 24 – 25)
· Terah lived 205 years and he died (Gen. 11: 26, 32)
All of these people linked Jacob to Adam and Eve. He could rather easily have known the very lineage of his past. In observing this awesome lineage there was one horrible fact, no matter how long they all lived, each on of them died. Jacob would also die, this was a fact. You my friend will also die one of these days or nights. It might not be today or tomorrow, it might not be any time within the next 25 years; but you my friend you will die, it’s a promised fact from God and he don’t lie.
B) The Death of Jacob’s Ongoing Family
Sarah lived 127 years and she died (Gen. 23: 1 – 2)
Abraham lived 175 years and he died (Gen. 25: 7 – 8)
Ishmael lived 137 years and he died (Gen 25: 17)
Rachel lived and she died (Gen. 35: 19 – 20)
Isaac lived 180 years and he died (Gen. 35: 28 – 29)
Rebekah lived and she died (Gen. 49: 29 – 33)
Leah lived and she died (Gen. 49: 29 – 33)
Jacob could trace his lineage all the way back to Adam and Eve but he could also verify that each and every one of his ancestors died. In looking at his immediate family he was literally surrounded by an air of death. It is onething to live but all together more to die.
III. The Timely Facing of Death
Jacob is now going to make the same crossing that everyone one of his ancestors had previously made. It was onething to make arrangements for your funeral and burial but altogether more to make arrangements for your soul. Jacob has the foresight to take care of both and this had to be a mighty comfort for his family as they gathered around him on his deathbed. The last of Israel’s Patriarch’s was now ready to make his abode into eternity and he would not fight it, fear it, or fall to embrace it. I want to make a statement that is very somber and sobering to the reader and the listener, death is coming. Are you ready?
This creature we call death has an unsavory taste for life and it has never been quenched. The appetite that gnaws upon him is never fulfilled. If you love your parents you better love them now, they will die. If you love your siblings you had better love them now, they too will die. If you love your friends you had better be about loving them now; they also will die.
A) Jacob’s Godly Faith
Jacob had always heard about the God of Abraham and Isaac, but one day this same God became his God. Upon leaving his mother and father and running off to Haran he became a follower of God. Just like his forefathers he became a man that built altars to his God. The God that Abraham and Isaac had worshipped, Jacob now also worshipped. Jacob was now a man of deep and mighty faith and he was ready to go and be with his people, not those on this side of life but those on the other side of eternity.
Gen 49:29 KJV - And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
I think the phrase gathered unto my people was not talking about the physical cave where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah were buried. I think he had much broader meaning in these precious words. He knew his physical body would be placed in the cave, but not his soul. The eternal soul of Jacob would be immediately gathered among his people, the people that had previously passed on before him. The aged patriarch that had been limping upon a staff for many years would lay the staff down as he triumphantly entered into the place of his people.
Death does not lead us down a dead end path; death leads us to the door of eternity. You my friend have a choice on which eternal path your soul will follow. The grave is not the end; really it’s the true beginning!
B) Jacob’s Great Finish
Jacob was now near the end. He could look all around his bed and see the faces of his sons and his grandkids. He had blessed each of them. Jacob had gotten the wonderful opportunity to say goodbye to each and everyone of them. Not one word was left unsaid, not one prayer was left unuttered. I dare say this was one of the greatest finishes a man could ever hope to achieve. Jacob did not start out so well he was a cheater, a deceiver, a heal grabber, but boy did he finish well. He was a Godly man, an altar builder, a dream chaser, an angel wrestler, a God praiser, and in the flickering hours of his life his flame was boldly burning. Jacob would not limp into the presence of his predecessors; no he would quickly lay his staff down and triumphantly leap into eternity.
He had one last bit of instructions to his boys; they were to make sure his body was placed alongside his loved ones.
Gen 49:29 KJV - And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
Gen 49:30 KJV - In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace.
Gen 49:31 KJV - There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.
Gen 49:32 KJV - The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth.
I find it amazing that Jacob is to be buried with Leah and not with Rachel. Leah was the wife that Laban deceived him with, she was not his first love. Jacob loved Rachel, for she was beautiful and appealing to his heart. Rachel was buried somewhere on the roadside near Bethlehem.
Jacob had finally learned that the life of a believer was not to be walked by sight but by faith. Rachel was appealing to his eye but Leah was the first wife that bore him son after son. In the end he had learned to accept her and love her as the mother of his children. In the end he would be buried in the same cave she was buried in.
C) Jacob’s Gathered Feet
Gen 49:33 KJV - And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.
Can you think of a better way to die? Jacob gathered up those feet that had led him about for many years and he placed them upon the bed; then he died. This was a moment of awe and respect seeing how one of God’s most chosen servants died. He did not fight it but he willingly embraced every moment until the very end.
Jacob would allow his sons to make sure his body was placed in the proper cave; but he would make sure his soul was gathered among his people. There is only so much ones family and friends can do for you upon your dying, but only you can make arrangements for your soul.
IV. The Troubling Foe of Death
One day death is going to find every living soul upon the face of the earth and they will enter into the door of eternity. Death does care if you are ready or not. Death will not delay to come after you. Death will not distance itself from you due to your social standing or social status. You my friend had better make preparations for that future event. There is an X marking the spot on God’s eternal calendar for you. When this date approaches death will not be late, it will not show up early, it will not be dissuaded nor will it be denied. If this thought troubles you, it would be in your eternal favor to make sure you are ready.
A) Death is Troubling to the Unsaved
Rev 22:11 KJV - He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
If you die and you are unsaved, then you will still be unsaved. If you go out into eternity and you are lost, you will still be lost. If you enter into the door of eternity and you have rejected God; you will still be a God rejecter.
Ecc 11:3 KJV - If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.
Dear friend let me makes this perfectly clear to you, there is no way for you to change your eternal fate after you are dead and gone. There is an old saying “it is what it is”. The bible says that the place where the tree falls that is where it shall be. If you enter into eternity as a lost sinner, that will be your eternal fate.
The rich man in Luke 16 died as a lost sinner and nothing he could do or say could change his eternal fate. He is still there today and he will still be there 1 million years from now.
Luke 16:19-26 KJV – “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.”
The eternal fate of this rich man was sealed and set. God told him that upon reaching hell, there was an established gulf that was unsurpassable. The rich man was doomed and damned to an eternal destiny of hell. He died as a lost sinner and he will still be a lost sinner for the rest of eternity.
B) Death is Troubling to the Unsure
If you are unsure about the state of your soul, you need to get it settled. There is no reason for a man or a woman to enter into eternity without having assurance of your eternal state. In the bible we find that Paul was confident of his eternal standing and you can be assured also.
2Ti 1:12 KJV - For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
2 Timothy 4:6-8 KJV “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”
C) Death is Troubling to the Unsought
If you are reading this sermon or you are listening to this sermon and you know people that are lost; now is the time to get a burden for their souls. We have no promise of tomorrow; we cannot be assured that they will be saved in the future. We need to seek them now, we need to go into the highways of life and into the hedges of life and win them unto the Lord.
Isa 55:6 KJV - Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Jhn 6:44 KJV - No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Jhn 6:65 KJV - And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
2Co 6:2 KJV - (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
Jas 4:14 KJV - Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
Song “There’s A Great Day Coming”
There’s a great day coming, a great day coming;
There’s a great day coming by and by,
When the saints and the sinners shall be parted right and left,
Are you ready for that day to come?
Are you ready? Are you ready?
Are you ready for the judgment day?
Are you ready? Are you ready?
For the judgment day?
There’s a bright day coming, a bright day coming;
There’s a bright day coming by and by.
But its brightness shall only come to them that love the Lord.
Are you ready for that day to come?
Are you ready? Are you ready?
Are you ready for the judgment day?
Are you ready? Are you ready?
For the judgment day?
There’s a sad day coming, a sad day coming;
There’s a sad day coming by and by,
When the sinner shall hear his doom: “Depart, I know you not!”
Are you ready for that day to come?
Are you ready? Are you ready?
Are you ready for the judgment day?
Are you ready? Are you ready?
For the judgment day? (Will L. Thompson)
Conclusion
“There is more Beyond”
In Valladolid, Spain, where Christopher Columbus died in 1506, stands a monument commemorating the great discoverer. Perhaps the most interesting feature of the memorial is a statue of a lion destroying one of the Latin words that had been part of Spain's motto for centuries. Before Columbus made his voyages, the Spaniards thought they had reached the outer limits of earth. Thus their motto was "Ne Plus Ultra," which means "No More Beyond." The word being torn away by the lion is "Ne" or "no," making it read "Plus Ultra." Columbus had proven that there was indeed "more beyond." Source Unknown
“Monument of Fear”
Sarah Winchester's husband had acquired a fortune by manufacturing and selling rifles. After he died of influenza in 1918, she moved to San Jose, California. Because of her grief and her long time interest in spiritism, Sarah sought out a medium to contact her dead husband. The medium told her, "As long as you keep building your home, you will never face death."
Sarah believed the spiritist, so she bought an unfinished 17-room mansion and started to expand it. The project continued until she died at the age of 85. It cost 5 million dollars at a time when workmen earned 50 cents a day. The mansion had 150 rooms, 13 bathrooms, 2,000 doors, 47 fireplaces, and 10,000 windows. And Mrs. Winchester left enough materials so that they could have continued building for another 80 years.
Today that house stands as more than a tourist attraction. It is a silent witness to the dread of death that holds millions of people in bondage. (Our Daily Bread, April 2, 1994)
Heb 2:15 KJV - And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
“How Many Warnings Do You Need”
According to an old fable, a man made an unusual agreement with Death. He told the Grim Reaper that he would willingly accompany him when it came time to die, but only on one condition--that Death would send a messenger well in advance to warn him. Weeks winged away into months, and months into years.
Then one bitter winter evening, as the man sat thinking about all his possessions, Death suddenly entered the room and tapped him on the shoulder. Startled, the man cried out, "You're here so soon and without warning! I thought we had an agreement." Death replied, "I've more than kept my part. I've sent you many messengers. Look in the mirror and you'll see some of them."
As the man complied, Death whispered, "Notice your hair! Once it was full and black, now it is thin and white. Look at the way you cock your head to listen to me because you can't hear very well. Observe how close to the mirror you must stand to see yourself clearly. Yes, I've sent many messengers through the years. I'm sorry you're not ready, but the time has come to leave." (Daily Bread, February 29, 1991)
In 2012 the average funeral cost which included a vault cost $8,343.00, which is a dramatic increase from the 1960 cost of $708.00. It is part of family planning to make sure that all of the funeral arrangements are taken care of for their loved one.
All of this is well and good, but none of this means anything in the realm of eternity. There is coming a day when each one of us will walk through the door of eternity and just as the song asks us “Are You Ready”? This is the most important question you will ever be asked and the most important question you will ever answer “Are You Ready”? if you are not ready to walk through the door of eternity; then you my dear friend are not ready to properly die.
