Only a Vapor

Today I just want to say a few words about the starkest reality of this life. My favorite book in the Bible is Ecclesiastes, and the reason is because it focuses so intently on the fact that we are all going to die. Please don’t tell me that you’re one of these people that think it is morbid to reflect often on the reality of death. If so, then you should consider the words of Solomon, who was given by God the gift of unparalleled wisdom from heaven: “It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth” (Eccl. 7:2-4). So the heart of the wise contemplates the stark reality that this life will NOT continue. Well, it is certain that Solomon’s heart kept the awareness of death close by at all times, as that powerful book demonstrates. In fact the point of Ecclesiastes, also known as “The Preacher,” is summed up in the very first statement of the book: “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity” (Eccl. 1:2). In order to understand the sobering message of this book, you have to understand what the word ‘vanity’ actually means in this context. ‘Vanity’ comes from the Hebrew word ‘Hebel,’ which means “vapour, or a breath.” The meaning also expands to “transitory,” which means “passing away without continuance,” and to “empty, or futile.” All of these things come back to the ‘vapour’ meaning, which is to say our life in this world evaporates very quickly, like a breath that is inhaled, and quickly exhaled. James confirmed this meaning to us in the new testament writings in living color: “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that” (Jas. 4:14,15). So James makes the same graphic point that the whole book of Ecclesiastes makes, and that is very simply that we are not going to be here in this world for very long; and in fact the particular duration of each one of our lives is altogether uncertain. You can look in your local obituaries on just about any given day and be confirmed that some people live long, some to middle age, and some die very young. But one thing is certain, and that one thing is death.

The meaning of the book of Ecclesiastes is lost in today’s cotton candy Christian Gospel, because the spirit and mindset of “eternal security,” and “sinners saved by grace,” just puts everyone on a false spiritual ‘easy street.’ The overwhelming consensus among those who profess faith in Christ is that it’s all about “getting saved” [through any of a number of man-made traditions], after which you’re home free. Many will deny that they are of that mindset, but when put to the test they will show you very quickly that they “have a home in heaven, and nobody can take it away.” But the truth is, that whole spectrum of religious thinking is so far off the beaten path that it really defies description. It also defies everything in the Bible by the way. First off, the Bible’s defining of being born again is not “getting saved,” but rather being “baptized by one Spirit into one body [of Christ]” (I Cor. 12:13). And by being baptized [with the Spirit] “into Christ” we thereby become a “new creature” (II Cor. 5:17). This is the born again experience defined by the scriptures, and there is not one single mention in the Bible of ANYONE ever “getting saved” through ANY of the modern Christian traditions that make that claim. According to the Bible, there is a whole lot more that goes into being saved than merely experiencing the new birth. Here are just a couple of solid notes to clarify and confirm that statement: “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philip. 2:12). Now hold that thought on “fear and trembling,” because I’m going to come back and finish off with that in a moment. But first this: “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it” (Heb. 4:1). Note the ‘fear’ element once again. Then we have this: “Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness” (II Pet. 3:17).

Now we will get to the whole point, and we’ll let Peter take us there, then we will finish with Solomon’s profound summation of truth in Ecclesiastes. First Peter: “And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear” (I Pet. 1:17). Wow! These guys who wrote the Bible by the overshadowing of God’s Spirit, really pushed the point of godly fear. Now before closing with Solomon just let me point out that every one of these quoted scriptures were written by apostles to believers in Christ who were already “in Christ” by means of being baptized with the Spirit with the iseparable sign of speaking in tongues. No one was or is “in Christ” then or now by any other means, and the scriptures were written ONLY to those who WERE and ARE in Christ. So then, why would these kinds of sobering admonitions be written to people who were already ‘saved,’ and who already had salvation, signed, sealed, and delivered? Like I said friend, modern Christianity defies everything that is plainly written in the holy scriptures. But let’s allow Solomon, through the magnitude of God’s wisdom that was bestowed upon him, give us the final word on this all-integral topic: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for THIS is the WHOLE DUTY of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Eccl. 12:13,14). So the conclusion of this powerful and sobering book of God’s wisdom, regarding the nature and manner of this life, is that our eternity is going to be decided by how we choose to live our lives for the short time that we are in this world. And that my friend is the overwhelming theme throughout the entire Bible. If we go God’s way and put his ways in top priority till the end of our lives, we will have shown him that our chief desire is to be with him; and so shall we be forevermore (Mat. 24:12,13; Mat. 25:34-40; I Jn. 3:2,3). If we fail to do so, then we will have demonstrated to God thereby that we prefer to be apart from him, and we will go to the place that is eternally apart from him; which is the place of fiery torment that was created for the devil and his angels (Rev. 14:10,11; Mat. 13:41,42; Mat. 25:41-46). I don’t know about you, but I really like the idea of the former, and I really do not like the prospect of the latter. So I reiterate that it is a wise practice to often consider the one looming reality of this life - that it will end. Amen.