The Less Mentioned Date Setter :: By Edwin Tan

A couple of years before the onset of the COVID carnage, two people I knew from my school days were met with untimely demises. If I had been pitted against them in terms of physical fitness, they would have been way ahead of me; in the eyes of many casual observers, I was the least likely one to make it past the sixtieth birthday.

Death came unexpectedly. One guy had a sudden cardiac seizure while in the midst of go-karting. That was it! The other guy did not wake up from his sleep. Both gentlemen were in their late fifties when the Grim Reaper struck.

A stroke, a myocardial infarction, and a pulmonary embolism – would any one of the three take me out? Not the case despite my not very impressive health status. Some might consider my case a miracle if not an example of divine intervention. Others might be baffled and find it a bit strange.

“The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up” (1 Samuel. 2:6).

Our Creator has in His infinite power the final say concerning life and death. Mankind can have stacks of assumptions and presuppositions about life trajectories – there is a low accuracy reading. There is no guarantee when we speak about tomorrow. That cappuccino at Starbucks, the walk on the beach at sunset, and perhaps a candlelight dinner under the stars – could this be the last portion where life on earth matters? No created being knows the answer; only the Creator has it! Our timing may not be His timing.

And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding” (Daniel 2:21).

Herein lies the problem; God is being taken for granted, professing Christians included. There goes the human brain with all that scriptwriting for the near and even distant future. It just goes on and on; never would there be a moment where the counsel of the Creator is seriously looked at. He can overrule at any given moment; has anyone consciously thought about this reality?

The Lord does not care two hoots about anybody’s current situation when earthly arrogance sets the tone of activities. He is not pleased when humility is absent in the midst of the ‘me, myself, and I’ mindset.

When the Lord is swept aside while the cares of the flesh become priority number one, only his limitless mercy allows things to go on to a certain extent. Career, finances, family, and other worldly endeavors might appear to materialize with a sizeable number of individuals. Yet there are some who do not live to see it all. One thing is for sure – all that is in the world would come and go. At some point, death is inevitable!

There is quite a lot of gobbledygook about karma and reincarnation of late. Those who subscribe to this rebirth hogwash would find little comfort in patchy promises relating to the afterlife. Deep down, the fear of death has no respite.

“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

Once a person passes away, it is final – no such thing as reincarnation. There would be people who will attempt to sweeten the life journey by keeping a journal of to-dos according to each stage they encounter. With that, the Grim Reaper is still rather far away. There is life after fifty-five; still room for partying? Who knows? Hitting a hundred could be a possibility!

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas we do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:13-14).

All that prepping could really amount to nothing. Whatever blueprints could end up in the paper shredder. These are discomforting notions. At times, they actually rear their ugly heads in the form of self-fulfilling prophecies. The very thought of best-laid plans being reduced to dust gives rise to the need for sleeping pills; throw in the thought of premature death, and this medicine would only be partially effective!

I have no problem having a decent night’s sleep. It does not cause any goosebumps if the possibility of not waking crosses my mind. I live each day as though it was my last one on planet Earth. Being at peace with my Heavenly Father allows me to be in this joyful state.

I simply can fathom my life’s trajectory – all through the lens of a glorious eternity with Christ.

I could leave this fallen planet by breathing my last or through the sudden snatching away, which is indeed imminent. I am prepared for eternity, the one in the house of the Lord forever!

For those who have a deaf ear to the rapture happening at any moment, know this – tomorrow’s programs could be abruptly canceled! Get right with God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Eternity is real, either suffering endless torment or savoring an unending joy beyond human imagination. Cut the hesitation; act quickly!

“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

Yours in Christ

Edwin

Contact me at [email protected]

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