Romans 1:18-19 — For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them.

I don’t want to depress you, but the title of this piece expresses a pretty much unavoidable truth. If you’re my age, you already know that. If you’re much younger you may still see the little endings in life — the lost friendships, house moves, job changes — as just bumps on the road. Really, they are a preview. You are going to die. But trust me, it’s a good thing.
I was thinking about this rather odd idea this morning when it occurred to me that a refusal to accept this truth is one thing that lies behind the denial of God described in the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans.
God and His nature are self-evident in the world that surrounds us. One of the self-evident truths is that we are not in control, and God is. Those who deny God are claiming that He is not in control, and they are. Death is not under God’s control. Trace that back.
The trace back from “I am in control and God isn’t” leads to “I am greater than God” to “I am God”! In other words … it is to be like Satan.
For the rest of us, willingly confessing that God is in control, there is the first death — but not the second. Or, for some of us, there is the rapture to put a full stop to this first life. Without that full stop, the next chapter can’t start!
Some people think that there’s something wrong with death … that Adam and Eve would have lived for ever, had it not been for sin. It’s true that Paul also wrote to the Romans “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” (Romans 5:12). But perhaps that verse refers to the eternal death for those whose sin is not atoned for. I’m inclined to believe it does.
Death, perhaps, is a natural and necessary part of our lives. And perhaps it always was. It’s impossible, of course, to have any idea what a world without death would be. And yet … I know that God is all good, all powerful and all knowing. It seems that He thinks death is a good idea …
You’re going to die … and it’s a good thing …