Grief

Where Will You Be When Your Eyes Close in Death? The Final Chapter of Your Life

by Brother Carlton 
08/24/17
For Sale
Author requests article critique

  Message Writer
  Hire Writer

Tweet

Consider this one question that could determine where you spend eternity: If you died tonight, where would your soul be? Take a moment. Do not rush past that. Because one day, that question will no longer be hypothetical.

 Beloved, how many people do you know who have been buried or cremated in the last year or two or three? Go back five or ten years, and if you are like me, the numbers will be more than you had perhaps imagined possible.

 Think back twenty years from today and put a face on those people with whom you once ate and engaged in delightful conversations. You may know where their dead bodies are, but have you wondered where these souls are now?

 Their final chapter ended, and so must yours. Is your name written in the Book of Life? If not, you must perish in the Lake of Fire.

 “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15)

 This is not poetic exaggeration. This is not the imagination of men. This is the Word of the living God. And because it is the Word of God, it must be taken seriously.

 We usually think of our life in terms of years and how many we have attained, but King David said, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)

 Not merely our years, but our days. Day by day is how we must live our lives, for we have no promise of tomorrow.

 “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” (Proverbs 27:1)

 Yes, God has appointed each of us so many days in which to live our lives and to seek the Lord for His righteousness. Our Lord said, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.” (Matthew 6:33)

 Time passes quickly, and soon we must answer to God with either a good conscience or an evil one. How is your conscience before God? When all is quiet, when you are alone, when there are no distractions, do you have peace in your soul, or is there something unsettled within?

 Do you think about death as you should? Oh, do not put off the thought of your own mortality, because “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27)

 Nothing is more certain than death and dying, and you must consider that your own death will soon come to pass. Death is all around us. Death for you and me is closer now than last year. It is closer than it was yesterday. It is closer than it was this morning. We are not drifting away from death. We are moving toward it with every passing hour.

 And then where will you be?

 If you be in Christ, then happy are ye. If not, then sorrow will be your lot. If you are in Christ, then blessed are you indeed, for the Scripture says, “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.” (Revelation 14:13)

 But those who reject Jesus Christ and His Word will experience the second death and the resurrection unto damnation. The Lord Jesus said, “These shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” (Matthew 25:46)

 This is why the state of your soul matters more than your bank account, your plans, your possessions, your reputation, or even your earthly relationships. “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36)

 I am not asking you to join a church or to trust a pastor. I am not asking you to trust in your water baptism. Many have trusted in outward religion, in ceremonies, in church attendance, and in the opinions of men, but none of these things can wash away sin.

 Church membership cannot save you. A preacher cannot save you. Baptismal water cannot save you. Your family background cannot save you. Your morality cannot save you.

 I am asking you to trust in Jesus, who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

 There is salvation in no other. Christ alone is the sinner’s hope. Christ alone is the door. Christ alone is the mediator between God and men.

 The Son of God came into this world to save sinners. He lived the righteous life we have not lived. He died upon Calvary’s cross, shedding His precious blood for the remission of sins. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

 And the Scripture says, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36)

 Notice that the dividing line is not a denomination. It is not a ceremony. It is not a ritual. It is not whether you were baptized as an infant or as an adult. The dividing line is this: do you have the Son?

 Do you know Jesus Christ savingly? Have you fled to Him for mercy? Have you come to Him as a guilty sinner, confessing your sin and casting yourself upon His grace?

 How can a person escape judgment if they neglect so great a salvation as is found in Jesus Christ? “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3)

 Not merely reject, but neglect. To delay. To put it off. To say, “I will think about it later.” To assume you have more time. To imagine that some future day will be more convenient.

 But later may never come.

 That day may not be far off for some of us. We must all stand before the Lord when we take our last breath and our eyelids close in death. Now is the only time to seek the Lord for mercy and to pray for saving faith and pardon for sin.

 “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.” (Isaiah 55:6)

 Beloved, how many more years do you think you have? More importantly, are you ready to meet God? The greatest tragedy is not merely to die. The greatest tragedy is to die without Christ.

 If you are in Christ, then you are an ambassador for Jesus Christ, and you must proclaim the good news to your friends and family concerning the redemption that is in the shed blood of Jesus on Calvary’s cross.

 “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)

 The people around you are moving toward eternity just as you are. Will you speak? Will you warn them? Will you tell them that there is mercy with God? Will you point them away from dead religion and toward the living Christ?

 One day, your name will be spoken for the last time on this earth. One day, your body will be laid in the grave or reduced to ashes. One day, your story in this world will end.

 But your soul faces God to be judged for your sins if you're outside of Christ.

So I ask you again: When your eyes close in death, where will you be?

 In Christ, there is pardon. In Christ, there is peace. In Christ, there is everlasting life. Outside of Christ, there is only wrath, judgment, and the second death.

 So do not trust in a church. Do not trust in a pastor. Do not trust in water baptism. Do not trust in your own goodness. Trust in Jesus Christ alone.

Brother Carlton ministers the gospel to the Los Angeles area. Formerly a Hollywood actor (SAG member) and junk removal expert he now spends most of his time studying the scriptures, writing articles, hymns and poems and doing street preaching. See all his videos on https://www.YouTube.com/user/LAStreetPreacher CONTACT at [email protected]