No Matter Who You Are, You Are Going To Die Our Common Destiny No Matter Who You Are, You Are Going To Die

Introduction Two people are dead from murder/suicide on a college campus. Three girls died when their SUV rolled over. Many people died from a suicide bombing in Iraq. A coffee drinking buddy suddenly passes. A long-time friend succumbs to his broken down body ailments.

Local man overdoses on narcotics. Sixty-six people died when their Egypt Air jet went down. Eight or more people died in flood waters in Texas. Seven die in the storms this weekend. Pedestrian killed on sidewalk. Family dog kills baby. These are just some of the news stories we see all the time.

Oh, the list goes on. An internet search reveals that about 151,600 people die every day. Most die from natural causes, but others are not so lucky. Many lives end tragically or violently. What we are well aware of is the fact that people die all the time. In fact that is the fate of every human being that has ever walked this earth.

Of course, this is not a pleasant subject to discuss. Just thinking about it causes angst and painful memories. Be we all have suffered the pain of losing someone close to us. We all know people whose lives ended tragically.

DEATH We all must face it. This is our common destiny and none of us can escape it. Hebrews 9:27 “For it is appointed unto man once to die, and after this comes the judgment.” Let us notice some things about those who die.

They were born. They all were born into the human race and each of them had an identity. Some people lose their identity and are labeled a John, Jane, or Baby DOE. (But God knows their name.) Others knew them by name and many of them will be known by their name as long as memory keeps them alive. Once those who knew you are gone, you will be nothing more than a name on a tombstone or county record book. Your relevance is gone.

They Lived They all lived their lives and hopefully, their lives were satisfactory for the most part. We would not wish a miserable life on anyone. The person who committed suicide probably did not see it that way. I would imagine that most of these people woke up that day and did not consider that they would never see another sunrise.

Their Impact I would hope that each of these people will be missed by someone. Can you imagine living a life that did not have an impact upon anyone? How tragic to not accomplish any good while in this life. This just goes to show that life has a purpose, and we are to fulfill that purpose.

Eternal Destiny? Each of these people has a soul given to them by God. While they lived, they were responsible for their soul, and sadly most of these people were not living like they were supposed to be living. The Bible warns all mankind that they are accountable to God for their behavior and even their beliefs. Anyone who has a belief or behavior that is ungodly and without Christ is going to be lost eternally.

The Bible warns all mankind that they are accountable to God for their behavior and even their beliefs. 2 Corinthians 5:10; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 Anyone who has a belief or behavior that is ungodly and without Christ is going to be lost eternally. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9

We Are Not Immune What we need to realize is the fact that we will be among them in the future. It may be later today or many years from now. We are not promised a future on this earth. James 4:13-15 What are you doing to get yourself ready to die?

This is such an unpleasant thought to many that they just ignore it, and live life like they will never die. But they will die someday. That is certain.

Everyone Will Die The Bible tells us that everyone will die, and after death will come the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). This is one appointment you will not cancel, or be late to, or miss. This judgment will be before God and God will declare to us whether we are faithful or not. Matthew 25:32, the Great Judge will separate the two groups before the judgment begins.

Many people in the world deny that such a judgment will take place. Rather than be accountable to a God, many choose to deny God even exists. The Bible declares that every eye will see Jesus and every tongue will confess Jesus Is LORD (Romans 14:11). It would be a very good idea to do this before you die. For many this will be the very last thing they do before entering hell. It will be a painful reminder that they should have served God and Christ, and they will know exactly why they are suffering eternal punishment.

Conclusion We are all going into eternity. How you live will determine your destiny. We can go to heaven if we put our trust in God and our faith in Jesus Christ. If we will learn of His will for us, and do it, we have a much better chance of entering heaven. Not doing the will of God will insure that we will be denied an entrance into heaven.