“On That Day”, “I Wish We’d All Been Ready”
I was mowing recently, and, as I often do, I was listening to music. This time, I was catching up on music from a old favorite of mine, Bride. One song in particular — “We’re All Going to Die” — caught my attention and got me to thinking about death and its implications for me as a follower of Jesus, as well as — and especially — for those who are not Believers. As my playlist continued, more songs joined the chorus (no pun intended) that paints a bittersweet picture of the end of our days.
In Bride’s song, the lyrics tell us this:
We’re all going do die.
It’s just a fact of life.
We’re all going to die.
It’s a matter of time.
And it’s true. As some “comedian” quipped, the death rate is 100%. Nobody makes it out alive*. That’s pretty sobering to think about, but then comes another song in my playlist, “On That Day” by CityAlight:
I believe in Christ, risen from the dead
He now reigns victorious, His kingdom knows no end
Through His resurrection, death has lost its hold
I know on that final day, I’ll rise as Jesus roseOn that day, we will see You
Shining brighter than the sun
On that day, we will know You
As we lift our voice as one
‘Til that day, we will praise You
For Your never-ending grace
And we will keep on singing on that glorious day
For those found in Christ, the day of our death, though certainly sad and difficult for those we leave behind, is a day of hope and joy. For believers, death is the door to our eternal life and joy, standing blameless, face-to-face with our Lord. Finally, free from sin and pain. It’s going to be glorious beyond description, and I can’t wait.
Even as I’m typing this, I’m anxious to hear that trumpet sound. I am however, reminded of yet another song, this time it’s “I Wish We’d All Been Ready” by the great Larry Norman:
Life was filled with guns and war
And everyone got trampled on the floor
I wish we’d all been readyChildren died, the days grew cold
A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold
I wish we’d all been readyThere’s no time to change your mind
How could you have been so blind?
The Father spoke, the demons dined
The Son has come and you’ve been left behind
While I’m beyond eager for to my Lord in the flesh, I know that that day won’t be a happy one for many millions of people. What for me will be a day of reward and rejoicing will be for others a day a calamity and judgment as they stand before the One they rejected, often actively and decisively. While on earth, they could ignore Him or pretend He doesn’t exist, but, On That Day, their error will be undeniable, and there will be no time to change their minds.
I have a lot of friends, family, acquaintances, etc. that are going to be in that predicament, and that breaks my heart. The truth of the gospel is right in front of you, and, as they say, “eternity is a long time to be wrong.” I’m begging you to reconsider while there’s time.