These past few days, three notable people that I obviously did not know personally, but know about, passed away – Florence Henderson, Ron Glass, and Fidel Castro. I was really into the Brady Bunch when it originally aired. So of course, to me Florence Henderson was Carol Brady; although I understand she was an accomplished performer.1 Ron Glass was a very fine actor that I remember as Detective Ron Harris on the show Barney Miller. But Ron Glass really displayed some great acting skills on an episode of All in the Family –“Everybody Tells the Truth”, playing three different versions of the same character – a refrigerator repairman apprentice.2
Of course, I grew up knowing that Fidel Castro was an enemy of the United States. Castro declared himself a follower of Karl Marx.3 If Castro truly followed Karl Marx; he was an atheist and a Darwinist.4 His death means one of two things. If Castro was right, then he is just dead. His consciousness ceases to exist. So he does not have any awareness of having been right, or any awareness of anything. However, if Castro was wrong, November 25, 2016 was a day of reckoning for him. Hebrews 9:27 states “And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment.”5 So what Castro, Henderson, and Glass faced, we will all have to face.
On October 05, 2016, it was announced that the maximum lifespan is 125 years.6 Researcher Henne Holstege from VU University, Amsterdam stated “there seems to be a wall of mortality that modern medicine cannot overcome.” Gee, it seems like maybe I read that someplace. Now where was it? Oh yes! The Bible! In Genesis 6:3 God states “My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years.”7 I have read that also interpreted as the time until God would judge the world with the flood. But if you look at the genealogies after Noah, you will notice the life spans decreasing.8 Genesis 50:22 states that Joseph lived to be 110.9 Deuteronomy 34:7 states that Moses lived to be 120.10 Of course God had a special mission for Moses, and for Joshua who lived to be 110.11 Decreasing life spans is also what we would expect with a different, harsher world that came after the flood; and a genetic bottle neck with all of us being descended from Noah and his wife.
But the good news is what follows Hebrews 9:27. Hebrews 9:28 states “So also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for Him.”5 Are you ready? Are you eagerly awaiting Christ?
Terry Read
- http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2016/11/25/florence-henderson-brady-bunch-actress-dies-at-82.html
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0509867/
- http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/castro-declares-himself-a-marxist-leninist
- http://www.darwinthenandnow.com/2010/04/darwin-on-marx/
- https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+9&version=NLT
- https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/oct/05/human-lifespan-has-hit-its-natural-limit-research-suggests
- https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+6&version=NLT
- https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+11&version=NLT
- https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+50&version=NLT
- https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+34&version=NLT
11. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua+24&version=NLT
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