I am coming for you, soon!

Thomas Boston, et al.

"If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied!" 1 Corinthians 15:19

"Like sheep they are destined for the grave, and death will feed on them. Their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions." Psalm 49:14

"You always overpower them, and then they pass from the scene. You disfigure them in death and send them away." Job 14:20

"Dust you are, and to dust you will return!" Genesis 3:19

The Scriptures confront us with a truth that the proud heart hates to ponder: man is but dust. Beauty, wealth, strength, and status--all of these perish at the grave's edge. What is more frail than the body? It is but a heap of dust, held together by the breath of God--and when He withdraws it, it returns to the earth from whence it came. So do not boast in outward beauty or earthly treasure.

Death makes the greatest beauty so loathsome, that it must be buried out of sight! The fairest face, so admired in life, will in time become an object of horror. The smooth skin will shrivel. The bright eyes will dim. The laughter, the voice, the charm--will be silenced forever in death. The body, now so tenderly cared for, shall be turned into a lump of corruption, and lie moldering in the dust.

Death will strip you of all your ornaments, tear the mask from your face, and leave you loathsome to those who once admired you. Your corpse shall be carried to the grave, the house appointed for all living; and there the worms shall cover you--yes, the worms shall feed sweetly on you.

What has become of the loveliness that once charmed the eyes of beholders? Death has blasted it. And what of the fine clothing, and the gold and glitter of this world? The finest clothes are but badges of our sin and shame. Soon enough, they will be exchanged for a burial shroud. And the body, no matter how pampered or praised, will become a feast for worms!

Such truths are not morbid. They are merciful. For they strip away our illusions, and compel us to look beyond this vain and fleeting world.

At every funeral we attend, we should ever hearken to death's voice, for it always says to us: "I am coming for you, soon!"

"It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment!" Hebrews 9:27