“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”
–Genesis 3:19
As long as a man can maintain contact with this dead and dying world, he can be the most loud-mouthed, abrasive, arrogant, self-confident man in the WHOLE WORLD.
BUT, just as soon as that man comes face-to-face with his OWN MORTALITY, that man is USUALLY reduced to a state of blubbering contrition.
This subject was briefly touched-upon recently, which (later) provoked a few thoughts on the subject.
1- Man’s ideas of his own mortality CHANGE as that man ages and approaches the IDEA of his own death.
When that man is young, he believes he will live forever; when that man is older, he realizes how unrealistically foolish his earlier attitude was.
Even the worldly who walk among men recognize this circumstance.
“Mortality is very different when you’re 20 to when you’re 50.”
—Keanu Reeves
“When you’re a kid, you have this feeling like you’re indestructible. Your mortality doesn’t even occur to you. But as time goes by, you realize, ‘I better cut this out or that out if I want to continue to exist.’”
—David Johansen
2- When a man is surrounded by the familiar (his family, his associates and those he calls “friends,” his daily routine), he is very likely to think about the familiar.
“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.”
—Lin Yutang
When a man is walking down the street, turns a corner and comes face-to-face with his own mortality–leaning casually against the wall of a building, seeming to NOT be in a hurry, and tipping his hat to that man–that man’s thoughts turn from the familiar to the UNKNOWN.
And what is more UNKNOWN (to most men) than their destination AFTER this life?
Thoughts of one’s own mortality have a way of FOCUSING one’s attention on one’s actions in this life.
3- MOST men live their lives by the stories they are told: when younger, by those who supposedly ‘know;’ by those who regularly tell stories to those searching for answers.
A good many of these stories have to do with one’s mortality.
MOST men live their lives according to these stories.
MOST men are deceived by these stories.
And so, MOST men–though they may take comfort in these stories while alive–still face a GREAT uncertainty when dealing with their own mortality.
4- Many men attempt to beat back the great uncertainty they feel about their destination AFTER this life with the stories they have been told.
It is suspected that this technique is MOST INEFFECTIVE when one’s life is at an end.
5- Though NO MAN desires to die, one’s uncertainty with thoughts of his own mortality can be replaced with a peace that “surpasses all understanding.”
“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
–Philippians 4:7
Unfortunately, MOST men will reject this solution, preferring to continue in the stories–and those stories’ uncertainty–they have been told to the very end of this life.
Many times, coming face-to-face with one’s own mortality is ENOUGH to force a man to FOCUS on the truth of God’s Word.
And the STORIES which were previously consulted in order to get through this testing period we call ‘life.’
DOES the reader believe God’s Word?
OR, does the reader believe the stories he has been told?
It is not YET too late: there is still a little time to change direction (repent), place your faith (hope) for the future entirely on Jesus Christ and enter the kingdom of heaven.
DOES the reader believe he is saved?
Make Your Calling and Election Sure: End Times Survival
DOES the reader believe he is NOT saved?
Time is Running Out: Today is the Day of Salvation
THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. ”
–1 Corinthians 15:1-8
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
-–Romans 1:16
A Reminder: The Gospel is Simple
MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report
[Portions of this piece appeared originally in End Times Prophecy Headlines: October 4, 2021.]
MORE
- Touched By One’s Own Mortality
- Until Mortality Touches a Man
- Deathbed Conversions: Another Tall Tale?
- Modern Death: The Lies of Bereavement
- Immortality, Live Forever: Lie of the Serpent
MORE
- Man Struggles Against God
- God is in Control
- The Nature of Spiritual Deception
- Tender Mercies of the Lord: Will Not Always Be Available
RELATED ARTICLES
- Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report
- Do You Know if You are Going to Heaven? Be Sure!
- END TIMES PREPARATION: 15 Ways to Prepare for the End Times
- Deceitful Workers are Victims of Deception Themselves
- End Times Survival, End Times Preparation
- 35 Most Important ETPR Articles
- DISOBEDIENCE and REBELLION: The Wisdom of Man OR the Word of God?
- Apostate Church: Breaking Every Chain
- Persecution, Tribulation, Troubles, Trials: What the Bible says to Christians
by Jeremiah Jameson
–with Mondo Frazier
image: Image by clker-free vector images from Pixabay.com
© Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report, 2012-21. © Mondo Frazier and End Times Prophecy Report, DBKP 2007-2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Link Disclaimer: inclusion of links to other blogs/websites is not necessarily an endorsement of all content posted in those blogs/websites.
Related articles
End Times Prophecy Report 