In the WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN (newspaper) Magazine of 24-25 June 2023 at p66 appears the article by social commentator Phillip Adams entitled ‘The Final Curtain’.
On the TV news that day it was announced that a well-known retired Aussie national politician had died in Europe aged 74 whilst travelling with his wife. Adams may well have said this sad event was the descending of that man’s ‘final curtain’.
Light-heartedly, he described as follows that serious event that eventually comes to each of us: Verily I say unto you, beloved readers, that we’re all heading to that fatal fabric at the same inexorable pace, but some of us, particularly us octogenarians, will arrive somewhat sooner.
He concluded by quoting Samuel Johnson thus: Be sure of it Sir. When a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates the mind wonderfully.
I wondered whether the mind of Phillip Adams had ever been concentrated at all about this matter. The end of life becomes either a bitter-sweet day for the deceased and their loved ones, and for others an incredibly bitter outcome only and profoundly tragic.
The destination
Their final destination is determined by the deceased’s spiritual state at the fall of their final curtain no matter what some scoffing, sneering hopelessly unaware unbeliever may say.
Regrettably, included in this latter cohort is the genial and kindly but disinterested, uninformed person who has never investigated nor seriously considered the issue at all.
Why? Could it be because they mistakenly think there is no consequence if their unbelief (whether motivated by contempt or sincerity) converts objective truth into their untruth. That unbelief will convert reality into fiction and oblivion which won’t harm them.
During that fleeting moment, gone in the blink of an eye, that person will only ever hear Jesus say: I never knew you. Instantly an irreversibly lonely silent Christ-less eternity in the blackest darkness will commence. All hope will have gone and endless self-imposed catastrophic horror will have begun.
What if Buddha, Confucius, Mohammed, Krishna & other religious leaders had never come?
Would the world and its calendar have been different if they had not entered in?
What if Judaism were to remain in its unfinished incomplete state, as with its followers?
The Israelites are currently: enemies of the gospel…but…are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God’s gifts and call are irrevocable…they have become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy: by being grafted back into the vine. (Romans chapters 10 verse 2, & 11 verses 28-31). Jesus says: I am the true vine. (John chapter 15 verse 1)
Perhaps the most well known verse in the Bible is John chapter 3 verse 16: God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jesus was an historical figure along with other religious leaders. Would the world and its calendar have been different if He had not been ‘given’ to the world by its Creator?
Who are those referred to as “whoever” that they will “have” what is there promised?
Are there numerous/any substantive eye-witness accounts anywhere in history apart from Jesus, that any of these other religious leader/founders had died and rose again from the dead to live forever? Or that they had always existed?
What if Jesus had not died?
What if He had not risen from the grave?
How could the following statement possibly have been seriously made if He had not risen? If only for this life we have hope in Christ we are to be pitied more than all men. (1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 19).
If Jesus had not been raised from the dead, there would not have been any hope of an on-going blessing or benefit (including forever), nor would there have been any motivation or desire to live differently to anyone else.
Society would no doubt quickly have descended into chaos as happened just prior to the flood of Noah’s day. But by faith Noah: condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. (Hebrews chapter 11 verse 7), something atheists regard as foolish nonsense.
Without God’s intervention…
Without any vision life would have been universally hopeless, as remains the case for the unbeliever whether octogenarian or otherwise. Barren empty hopelessness for Phillip Adams who currently ‘believes’ in nothing.
This is not to say that belief in Jesus, eternal life and heaven (collectively) are merely self-deception masquerading as truth for the sake of pathetic ‘belief’ in something, anything in order to give ourselves some sort of self-deceived counterfeit comfort. His resurrection is firmly historically based: not merely psychological. And creation flowing through to salvation are intimately connected.
Disappointingly, God had seen: how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. (Genesis chapter 6 verse 5). Sound a bit like today’s daily news?
Perhaps you sense the negativity in Adams’ thinking even though he presents as chirpy and self-assured. But he can’t be sure and he knows it, for there is no history on which to ground his demeanour. It’s mere hopeful pretence.
So what should be the attitude of the Christian towards people of his mindset, it having been said that every man is the author of his own destiny? As desperately sad as it is that Adams will probably ‘die dangerously’, in the end surely that must be his choice.
A final curtain with no end
Mr Adams is in his eighties and God has been very patient with him as He has/is with me. So if a man chooses to ignore Him throughout his lifetime then so be it. It’s tragic that a person of his vintage remains of that mindset ‘till his final curtain.