Resources/Articles
This is Certain
O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?
1 Corinthians 15:55
Sitting in the waiting area outside an Intensive Care Unit is where you can learn something. At least you can be reminded of some things. It is certain sickness affects all of us - old and young, male and female, rich and poor. No one is exempt to the possibility of being hurt, blinded, maimed, or disabled in some way, even death. “For that which befalleth the sons of men the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other...” (Ecclesiastes 3:19).
The second certainty is at death the soul is given back to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7). The souls of departed believers have hope. Those who are unbelieving and did not obey the Lord have no hope (1 Thessalonians 5:14; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). Having hope does make a difference when sitting in an ICU waiting room.
The third certainty is at some point Jesus will return. His coming will mean either comfort or suffering. For those who are faithful believers, His return will be an end to death, pain, sorrow, and suffering (Revelation 21:1-4). For the rebellious unbeliever, the pain will just begin (Matthew 25:46). Jesus will come to bring sentence upon all those who have lived to “receive the things done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).
The fourth certainty is either a joyous union of all believers (1 Thessalonians 4:17) or a grievous sadness never heard or known on earth (Matthew 25:30). You have witnessed the joy over the birth of a child, winning a championship, or a soldier coming home, but you will never see anything like “the joy of the Lord” (Matthew 25:21). The righteous who leave this world will be seated in the presence of our Lord. What greater opportunity and place could there be than heaven?
The saddest day for many comes at the news of the death of their spouse during war. Many struggle months and years after the day their mate first said, “I’m getting a divorce.” Those sad days will not compare to the day a loved one is buried who did not believe and obey Christ. What comes next is the most grievous day of all when the Lord wills ay, “I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23). These certainties are worth contemplating the action we should take today before we are admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.
