Untimely Death Series

UNTIMELY DEATH

Francis Bacon was an English philosopher that lived through the scientific revolution of the early 1600’s. There are many conspiracy theories written about this man’s discussions, the most famous being that he is the actual playwright behind most of Shakespeare’s plays, but none of that could ever be proven. One day, his mind wondered if snow could be used as a preservative for keeping meat edible for long durations. So he and his friend purchased a chicken, butchered it, and shoveled snow inside its belly in attempt to prove his theory. Bacon sadly died a few weeks later from the bronchitis he received while shoveling the snow.

Attila the Hun was one of the fiercest conquerors in all of history. His attacks and savagery eventually made him the commander of a 500,000 man army and his strength provided him ownership of all the land from Mongolia to Russia to Germany. His mounted archers were unbelievable. And so was his death. On his wedding night to his young bride, Attila who usually showed much discretion in eating and drinking showed no restraint. So when his nose began to bleed while he slept, his debauchery was so great that his body was unable to awake, and he died in his sleep.

Aeschylus was a Greek author hundreds of years before Christ walked upon the Earth, historians credit the idea of the “Greek Tragedy” to him for he was the first playwright to have the hero perish at the end of the story. But the end of his story was much different. Legends state that an eagle had been repeatedly dropping a tortoise on the ground in an attempt to crack open its shell. Mistaking Aeschylus’s bald head for a rock on the beach, he died from a hit obtained by a dropped turtle.

In America, we have a lot of things at our disposal. This really is the land of opportunity, this really is the place where dreams can come true. But there is one thing that we do NOT have if we are to be completely and totally honest with our lives. And the one thing we do not have is unlimited time. As tragic as the deaths described above seem to be, we must all one day meet our Maker.

Hebrews 9:27 states, “And just as people are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment, so also, after Christ was offered to bear the sins of many, to those who eagerly await him he will appear a second time, not to bear sin but to bring salvation.” According to this verse, there is a real God, a real end of our life, and a time when the two shall meet. Are you ready to give an account?

In times such as these, as we witness the sudden passing of celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Farah Fawcett, Billy Mayes, or even the great NFL quarterback Steve McNair, we are faced to gleam eye to eye at our own eternal future. Let us not wait for a nosebleed, or illness, or even a turtle to fall on our heads for us to realize our fate forever. Let us put our faith in Christ now, and live daily for him accordingly.