Lonely Tombs

Lonely Tombs

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 King James Version (KJV)

¹⁶ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

The mortality of man, the certainty of his predestined time to remain among those like him is a subject studiously avoided by the young.

The immortality of the soul that inhabits that mortal body is also, sadly, ignored and studiously avoided as well, as a large majority of young and old alike look to the here and now, forgetting the necessity of realizing the temporary nature of a journey to be completed only at its end.

Today’s title comes from the writings of a talented man, gifted by God with the ability to convey the emotions of the life he lived, one that was cut short as choices made in that life ignored the reality of the eternal as well as the temporal.

Lonely Tombs

Hank Williams

I was strollin' one day, in a lonely graveyard,
When a voice from the tomb, seemed to say,
I once lived as you live, walked and talked as you talk,
But from earth I was soon called a-way.

Chorus

oh, those tombs, ("oh those tombs"),
Lonely tombs, ("lonely tombs "),
Seemed to say in a low gentle tone,
Oh how sweet, ("oh how sweet"),
Is the rest, ("is the rest"),
In our beautiful, heavenly home.

Every voice from the tomb, seemed to whisper and say,
Livin' man you must soon follow me,
And I thought as I gazed, on that cold marble slab,
What a sad lonesome place that must be.

Repeat chorus

I then came to the place, where my mother did lay,
And her voice, soft and low, from the tomb,
It said, son I'm at rest, with the savior above,
I am safe in my heavenly home.

Daily, it seems, the reality of mortality of the human body is called to the attention of all of mankind, as lives are cut short, while the lives of others continue without consideration of the eventuality of that mortality that exists for each.

Wars, starvation, plagues of all kinds, disease, addictions, all play their part in bringing that eventuality to its fruition.

Ignoring that eventuality never prolongs life, never denies the TRUTH of the fact that each must face for himself, that eternity awaits at the end of that life, and will not be spent in a tomb…but will be spent where decision has been made to spend it while the ability to make that decision is offered.

Ecclesiastes 12 King James Version (KJV)

12 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

² While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:

³ In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,

⁴ And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;

⁵ Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:

⁶ Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

⁷ Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

⁸ Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.

⁹ And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.

¹⁰ The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.

¹¹ The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

¹² And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³ Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

¹⁴ For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

There is a promise that has been given, one echoed in the final words of the song used as title that is to be claimed while the ability to claim that promise exists.

It may only be claimed through Christ Jesus, the WAY, TRUIH, and LIFE…. And it may only be claimed on HIS terms!

Those terms have not changed and are unchangeable, and will not be ignored, delayed until a “more convenient time”, will not be modified to fit any man’s desires or will for himself.

Jesus preached a simple, comprehensive and comprehensible message of redemption for repentance, nothing less was acceptable, nothing more is required.

The message stands.

Revelation 22King James Version (KJV)

22 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

² In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

³ And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

⁴ And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

⁵ And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

⁶ And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

⁷ Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

⁸ And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.

⁹ Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

¹⁰ And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

¹¹ He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

¹² And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

¹³ I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

¹⁴ Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

¹⁵ For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

¹⁶ I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

¹⁷ And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

¹⁸ For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

¹⁹ And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

²⁰ He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

²¹ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

There are no lonely tombs awaiting.

What waits is what is chosen before entry into those tombs, as the certainty of the exit from them is assured.

Amen and Amen

CMc