8th December

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6, 23

I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. John 5, 24

Ashes in the ocean

A great crowd composed of persons who were carefully filtred took part in his funeral ceremony. After his body was incinerated and his ashes were scattered in the ocean. We would like to have the reason for this gesture. Did he think that everything was finished after death? Did he want to persuade himself that by giving these instructions that it was well done?

Like many other great people of this world he left this world by carrying the mystery of his secret convictions. However, these convictions don't change anything to what the Bible says concerning the next world in the vision of the apostle John: "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it (God). And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20, 11, 12 & 15).

What can be added to such vivid words which describe a solemn reality? Simply a new invitation to be ready, in other words be sure that our names are written in the book of life.