“Doom” is the appropriate word, although it isn’t the exact word that the lost would most likely use, they would say something like “The end” or perhaps “The final chapter,” but it is very unlikely that they would use the word “doom” to speak of their demise.
Death for the lost is probably the most terrifying aspect of their lives, it is the one main taboo subject, the topic to be avoided at all cost, and when it arrives in a conversation, it is either meet with somber tones, or a frivolous response. In either case, it is rarely discussed within any personal attributes, and nearly always with a modicum of dread. The final moment is to be avoided at all cost, even the visage that reflects back to them from the mirror must never be allowed to show the effects of time, for this too is a reminder of what is to come, what cannot be stopped. These thoughts are almost nonexistent in the young that are lost, life is long, death is something that happens to the elderly, but if they are fortunate, a traumatic experience will occur in their life at a young age, either to themselves or to one that they love, for this will prove to them that their end is inevitable and a final door that must be passed thru. Most generally though, not even the event will deter them, the finality of life is in the distant future, and who knows, with the advancements in science and technology, they may have many more years, perhaps hundreds even. As it was in the beginning, so shall it be in the millennial period, a man will be called young if he dies at one hundred years of age, (Isaiah 65:20) but that is not how it is today.
Death is still the enemy to be avoided at all cost, the final foe of man, but come he will, whether we are prepared or not, imminent doom for the lost, and I am sorry to say, a major fear for many who profess Christ as Lord, a thing that should not be. It is perhaps the most deep seated fear of mankind, we can lose our financial capabilities, our possessions, all that we own and still see hope, see the possibility of a brighter tomorrow, but death promises no tomorrow, no more sun or clouds, no future, death means the end, at least in the minds of the lost, and those whose faith in Christ resides only in their words. Think on this my friends, as Paul said some of his final words to us, “To live is Christ, to die is gain,” (Phil. 1:21) and then walked toward the place where his head was to be removed, was he trembling as he smiled, were there second thoughts, was there doubt? We could ask the same of Moses, David, Peter, were they super-human in their faith, were they blessed in a way in this area that we will never know of, or is the blessing of complete and total trust available to all.
I believe that trust is earned, that certain tests, if you will, must be performed without malice of intent before we can ensure another human being in our lives can be trusted, and I do not believe that trust can ever be complete. “Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.” (Jer. 17:5) But just how far does that go with Christ, how many times must we put Him to the test, how many times must He prove Himself to us before He is trusted completely even in the thoughts, much less the moment that we will pass thru that final door. The flesh is constantly in self-preservation mode, it abhors the thoughts of its termination, but the Spirit for the believer, that is a different story. Our Spirits long to be with the Lord, or at least they should, every moment of every day, we know of no greater longing than to be in the continual presence of the Lord. The Spirit within us trusts implicitly every word of God, the word fear is not part of our vocabulary, doom is a foreign concept, but in our flesh we can find no good thing. (Romans 7:18)
There is no unknown of the beyond for the born-again believer, there is only that which is waiting for us to arrive, death is nothing more than a minor inconvenience, a very short period of time between the now and the then. We have trusted Christ with our salvation, we have given to Him our lives in service, all that we are belongs to Him of our own free will, why would we not give Him the trust He rightly deserves in these thoughts of our final moments, why do we flee from that which will finally allow us to be in His presence for all eternity. A car accident, a long, lingering suffering, burned at the stake, what does it matter, how can we compare anytime here with forever, why we would count as worthy the fear of death when He who was hung from the cross took that eternal suffering from us.
There is no doom of death for the Christian, the sting of it has been removed, (1 Cor. 15:55) there can only be joy in knowing that we have completed all the work that He has set before us, and now it is finally time to go home. The old saying is true, born once, die twice, born twice, die once. It is difficult to converse death with the lost, they fear to broach the subject, but we must try, eternity awaits everyone, but not all will share in the wonders of the kingdom of heaven, many will die twice. Doom can be changed to hope, fear can be changed to anticipation, the loss of everything can be the gaining of all things, this is what they need to hear, and it is what we must come to know as the absolute truth. We are to give ourselves as a living sacrifice, even in the final moments of our lives. Cast this fear aside my friends, think on that moment with great longing, live life looking forward to that final moment, and you will begin to know true peace in your heart.
“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” (Psalm 116:15)
