A group of 6 friends was discussing what goes through the mind of a person a few minutes before their death. Two of them felt the highlights of the life of the person will flash through his mind before he bows out in death. One felt such a person will go to purgatory where such can repent of his sins and believe God to go to Heaven. The others believe nothing will happen as the person will just fade out and be one with the universe. According to the first two, if the memories are good then such will end in heaven as they will die happy, but if bad, they will end in hell so they die sad and terrified. Some felt this was wrong as man is dust and he will return to dust – a state of ‘nothingness’.
They all agreed and felt they should enjoy life as much as possible, on their terms and not on someone else’s. They reminded themselves of the following Scripture so they can be strengthened in their sinful lives: “Both go to the same place—they came from dust and they return to dust. For who can prove that the human spirit goes up and the spirit of animals goes down into the earth? So I saw that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. That is our lot in life. And no one can bring us back to see what happens after we die” (Ecclesiastes 3:20-22, NLT). A very dangerous boast! As children of God, we may find fault with their reasoning, but the way many live within the Body gives credence to these positions! However, the Bible negates their summations as we are told: “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27, NKJV).
There is no place called purgatory to go reminisce about the life lived and hope for redemption, be turned into atoms or self-judgment based on the memories of a life well-lived but an immediate judgment for the life lived on earth. As children of God, when we choose to live a life that is unmindful of this truth, we are in danger of the wrath of God: “For if we go on willfully and deliberately sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice [to atone] for our sins [that is, no further offering to anticipate], but a kind of awful and terrifying expectation of [divine] judgment and the fury of a fire and burning wrath which will consume the adversaries [those who put themselves in opposition to God]” (Hebrews 10:26-27, AMP).
You may run all the races to get to the zenith of your ambitions, but understand that there is a day, the Owner of the breath you take will come to ask for it. What will your response be when He asks you how you lived all the minutes, seconds, hours, days, weeks, months, and years you were given? You may argue like the young men above that all was given to you to enjoy and the Bible agrees with you! Not to worry, the same Ecclesiastes that the young men quoted from equally warned: “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; Walk in the ways of your heart, And in the sight of your eyes; But know that for all these God will bring you into judgment“ (Ecclesiastes 11:9 NKJV).
https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-8153539932797108&output=html&h=300&adk=671960341&adf=457944442&pi=t.aa~a.3667385417~i.4~rp.4&w=360&lmt=1679437005&num_ads=1&rafmt=1&armr=3&sem=mc&pwprc=9841451830&ad_type=text_image&format=360×300&url=https%3A%2F%2Fbeulahfoundationforchrist.blogspot.com%2F2023%2F03%2Fthose-last-few-minutes.html%3Fm%3D1&host=ca-host-pub-1556223355139109&fwr=1&pra=3&rh=274&rw=328&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&sfro=1&wgl=1&fa=27&adsid=ChEI8OfOoQYQhuiUuae0057QARI5ADPB8h4q5T_awmxMKc8hD44aGsIgc2PXZLrs13y0PIMWWjwVZCyvPSWDu11jMNUxdGiqhZC5rVtJ&uach=WyJBbmRyb2lkIiwiMTEuMC4wIiwiIiwiSW5maW5peCBYNjg4QiIsIjExMS4wLjU1NjMuMTE2IixbXSx0cnVlLG51bGwsIiIsW1siR29vZ2xlIENocm9tZSIsIjExMS4wLjU1NjMuMTE2Il0sWyJOb3QoQTpCcmFuZCIsIjguMC4wLjAiXSxbIkNocm9taXVtIiwiMTExLjAuNTU2My4xMTYiXV0sZmFsc2Vd&dt=1681145831733&bpp=20&bdt=3625&idt=-M&shv=r20230405&mjsv=m202304040101&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&prev_fmts=328×250%2C0x0%2C360x300&nras=3&correlator=7057108391168&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=252424915.1681145830&ga_sid=1681145830&ga_hid=22550980&ga_fc=0&u_tz=60&u_his=7&u_h=820&u_w=360&u_ah=820&u_aw=360&u_cd=24&u_sd=2&dmc=4&adx=0&ady=2156&biw=360&bih=659&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=44759842%2C44759875%2C44759926%2C44785295&oid=2&pvsid=4146368887258583&tmod=878241227&uas=0&nvt=3&fc=384&brdim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C360%2C0%2C360%2C659%2C360%2C659&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7Cs%7C&abl=NS&fu=128&bc=31&ifi=4&uci=a!4&btvi=3&fsb=1&xpc=JlTWAuF1Gx&p=https%3A//beulahfoundationforchrist.blogspot.com&dtd=107
