The fragility of human life is even more evident by worldwide events in the past decade. The thing is – it has always been so, ever since sin entered the world, via Adam and Eve. It was not meant to be so, man was created to live forever.
The Book of Ecclesiastes tell us about not just the brevity of life, but its precariousness. Ecclesiastes 9, verse 2 tells us who will die – everybody, whether Christian or not – born-again believer or not. Psalm 90:3 reminds us that we are literally on borrowed time, not knowing when the gig is up, the bill is due or it’s over. This is a stark reminder that everything we are, as a human being, is literally hangs on the mercy, grace, compassion and love of God. Whether people believe that or not does not change timeless truths.
Luke 13:1-5 is stunning in its stark horror of those who do not live with the end in mind, in a constant state of readiness to “meet thy Maker”. Jesus was just informed of the evil execution of some of God’s people as they worshipped in the synagogue by the brutal Roman prefect Pontius Pilate. Then He Himself volunteered another tragedy which occurred with 18 people who died when the Tower of Siloam collapsed. His Words should shake every person alive today….even solid long time mature Christian believers.
These people killed by Pilate while offering religious sacrifices to the Priests in the Synagogue, as prescribed by the Torah were not only described as sinners but as lost! Jesus said in verse 3: “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish". This Truth is a wake-up call to the church. The people who died in the Temple, even as they brought their offerings, tithes and sacrifices to God, were dispatched to be separated from God! Jesus knew they had not repented in their hearts, they were just doing religious rituals....just like all these fake Christians today who sing all the songs, raise their hands in the air...even go on Missions trips or preach. Yet they never had a true born-again conversion from darkness to light; from sin and death and hell to heaven; from a child of the devil to a saint destined for eternal glory.
Today, we have a lot of folks losing lives in train, construction and other accidents. Many other lives are lost in natural disasters and terrorist attacks as in the one committed by Pilate. Jesus, the Judge of the Universe, had the same answer as to those in the temple in verse 5, when telling of the 18 people accidentally and tragically killed when the Tower of Siloam fell. He said in verse 5 “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
How does this pertain to verse 3 of Moses’ Prayer? Truth! From Dust we were created; to dust we shall return and God makes the call!
Jesus shows us very clearly that we have to be ready to meet our Creator. Moses prayer shows the end of the process of physical like when God calls the ticket in and says "Return (to Me), o children of man". However the state in which a person returns to our Creator and God is determined right here on earth. The question remains: are those whose souls are demanded by the Father tonight prepared to meet Him or not?"
The problem is more and more and more people in this world, filled with billions of people, are not taking the warning from Christ - sent by His preachers and the worldwide church - and are returning to the Father to cast away forever, into outer darkness.
The Lord has said that He prefers not one to perish and be sent away from Him, but that all comes to Repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Jesus said Himself in Luke 13, verses 3 and 5 that people will not make it, unless they repent and turn to God. This is the only way for Moses prayer here, in verse 3, to be meaningful to anyone alive today - because this is going to happen.
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