Verse Ref.:
I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
;
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
;
For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
;
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.
Full text of The Explorer’s Last Words
A n upside down dish lay where His knees had once been. The bony skeleton hand rested on top of an unfinished letter.
“The sun is shining, Mother, but I feel so cold. I can still walk a little, but that’s about all. There is no blood in me, because I have not eaten for so long. I haven’t seen another human being for forty days now. There are some magazines here, but the stories are so silly. I have some cards, but I don’t care for solitaire. The only thing I worry about is if God will forgive my sins.”
Those were the last words of the young explorer at Long Rapids, Hay River, Alberta, Canada, before he leaped into the darkness of eternity.
An Essential Question
Who wouldn’t feel sympathy for a young man, dying alone, afraid to meet God? Someday you too will have to meet God. Maybe your deathbed will be much different from this explorer’s. You may be surrounded with all the comfort that money can buy. You may have the care and love of all your friends, but the last step you must take alone. When you head into eternity, will it be “a leap in the dark” or “a leap in the light”?
Please don’t ignore this question. Answer it honestly before God. If you can’t reply, “To me death would be a leap in the light,” turn to Jesus now. Trust Him now as you read these words, and you will know where you are going when you die.
“I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on Me should not abide in darkness” (John 12:46), the Lord Jesus says.
Jesus Died So We Could Live
He died so that we could live. He experienced the darkness of death so that we could enjoy the light of life. He endured the judgment of God so that we could be freely justified from our sins.
“Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).
“Now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Hebrews 9:26‑28).
Trust Him simply, and then, when you fall asleep in Jesus or He comes back to meet you “in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:13‑18), it will be “a leap in the light.”