R.I.P – Add Death To The Plans

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” ~ Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV).

The only way to honour the dead is to continue living. The cemetery is full of people who thought they had more time. The morgue is full of those who planned to get right with God someday. Hell is full of people who believed they were good enough on their own.

But Heaven – glorious, eternal Heaven – is full of people who recognised their need for a Saviour and accepted God’s gift of grace while there was still time.

Death is the great equaliser, the final appointment that no one can reschedule. Scripture makes it clear – this appointment is divine, inevitable, and universal. Rich or poor, famous or forgotten, young or old – we all face the same inescapable truth. But while death itself is certain, what comes after is determined by the choices we make while we still draw breath.

THE UNIVERSAL INSCRIPTION

Walk through any cemetery, and you’ll see those three letters carved into countless headstones: R.I.P. They represent humanity’s deepest hope for the departed – that somehow, beyond the silence of the grave, there is rest. But rest comes in two forms, and the difference between them is eternal.

TWO DESTINIES, ONE CHOICE

When the final heartbeat echoes and the last breath escapes, every soul embarks on a journey to one of two destinations. The same three letters (R.I.P.) that mark our graves carry vastly different meanings depending on the life we’ve lived and the relationship we’ve cultivated with our Creator.

For the sons and daughters of God – those who have surrendered their lives to Christ, who have been washed clean by His sacrifice, who have walked in faith and love – death is not defeat but victory. For them, R.I.P. means exactly what our hearts hope it means: REST IN PEACE.

Their eyes close in this world only to open in paradise. Their struggles end not in emptiness but in the arms of the Almighty. Their final breath here becomes their first breath in glory eternal. Death, for them, is simply stepping from the shadowlands into the light.

But for those who have rejected God’s gift, who have chosen to live as their own god, who have turned away from the outstretched arms of mercy, who have said “no” to the only Name that saves, the same letters carry a terrifying weight: REST IN PUNISHMENT.

Their rest is not peace but justice. Their eternity is not joy but the consequence of a life lived in rebellion against their Creator. They rest, yes, but not in the bosom of Abraham – they rest in the place prepared for those who chose darkness over light.

THE GREAT DIVIDE

What determines which rest awaits you? It’s not your good deeds weighed against your bad ones. It’s not how many people liked you or how much money you gave to charity. It’s not whether you were religious or went to church every Sunday.

The great divide between these two eternities (R.I.P.) is crossed by one bridge alone: JESUS CHRIST

He stands at the crossroads of every human heart, extending an invitation that changes everything. “Come unto me,” He says, “all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Not the temporary rest of sleep, but the eternal rest of salvation.

Many people struggle with this truth. They ask, “What about good people who haven’t heard about Jesus? What about those raised in other religions? Surely God wouldn’t condemn sincere people who are trying their best?”

These are honest questions that deserve honest answers. The Bible tells us that God is perfectly just and perfectly loving. He judges according to the light people have received (Romans 2:12-16). But it also makes clear that Jesus declared, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). This isn’t narrow-mindedness – it’s the narrow gate that leads to life (Matthew 7:14).

God’s love is so great that He made a way for everyone through His Son. Our responsibility is not to judge who gets saved, but to share the good news so that everyone has the opportunity to hear and believe.

THE TICKING CLOCK

Right now, as you read these words, your heart is beating. Each pulse is a gift, each moment an opportunity. The clock of your life is ticking toward that final second when time becomes eternity, when choices become consequences, when R.I.P. becomes your reality.

But here’s the beautiful, life-changing truth: it’s not too late.

As long as there’s breath in your lungs and blood in your veins, the choice is still yours. The God who created you loves you so much that He sent His only Son to die in your place, to pay the price for your sins, to make a way where there was no way.

THE INVITATION

You don’t have to guess which rest awaits you. You don’t have to hope,wonder, and worry about what those three letters (R.I.P.) will mean when they’re carved above your name. You can know – with absolute certainty – that when your time comes, you will rest in peace.

The invitation is simple: acknowledge that you are a sinner in need of a Saviour. Believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose again. Call upon His name, surrender your life to Him, and become a child of God.

In that moment – that beautiful, life-changing moment – your eternal destiny is sealed. Death loses its sting. The grave loses its victory. And R.I.P. becomes a promise, not a question mark.

THE URGENCY OF NOW

Tomorrow is promised to no one. The young and healthy have died unexpectedly. The old and wise have passed in their sleep. The rich have taken their last breath in hospital beds that money couldn’t save them from. The poor have slipped away in places where no earthly comfort could reach them.

Death is no respecter of persons, but God is no respecter of persons either. His salvation is available to all – the broken and the whole, the lost and the found, the sinner and the saint. But it must be received while there’s still time to choose.

WRITING YOUR ETERNAL STORY

Every day you live, you’re writing the story that will determine your eternal rest. Every choice, every word, every moment of surrender or rebellion is a sentence in the book of your life that will be opened when you stand before your Creator.

But unlike the stories we read, you know how this one can end. You have the power to choose your own ending. You can ensure that when people visit your grave and see those three letters (R.I.P.), they’ll know, with absolute certainty, that you are not just resting, but resting in perfect, eternal peace.

CONCLUSION

Which rest will be yours? The choice is before you now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Not when you’re older or sicker or more desperate.

The beautiful truth is that no matter what you’ve done, no matter how far you’ve strayed, no matter how many times you’ve failed, God’s arms are still open to you. His mercy is new every morning, and His grace is sufficient for every sin.

Because in the end, we all rest in peace or punishment. But only you can determine which three letters will define your eternity.

Written by Derrick Decency Antwi (Alumni, Pentecost University)

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