Death, The Great Equalizer

Ijust returned from London, England. We stayed in London for a week. I have so many impressions of the place, that I’ll probably talk about here. One of my first impressions came from our visit to the Westminster Abbey. That place was amazing. But one of my first impressions of it, is that death is the great equalizer.

In the Abbey, kings and queens and famous people are laid to rest. Their tombs are throughout the Abbey, with elaborate and ornate tombs for the more powerful people in this life. For instance, you have Queen Elizabeth buried there. She is the one queen most people have heard of. I certainly can’t name a lot of kings and queens of England, but I have heard of Queen Elizabeth. I’m not sure how many movies have been made about this red headed powerful queen who reigned during the time Shakespeare was writing his plays. She has gone down in history as one of the greatest. Yet with all of her power, success, royal blood, death caught her, just like it catches everybody. What did Benjamin Franklin say? Something about we can’t escape death and taxes. She is now where she will be for eternity and nobody can change that. Her bones rest in an ornate tomb, elevated high and put in a position of honor, there at the Abbey. It is ornate, with a craved and painted figure of her, laying down on top of the tomb. It is surrounded by artful metal lattice work, with a sign that reads who this is. But all that is there, are her bones, if even that. They may be dust now. With all of her power, she could never stop death from coming. And despite all her power, her royal blood, none of that would determine her fate, after her death. There is only one thing, did she accept Jesus Christ? Only she and God know this.

When death catches up with us, we are headed in two different directions. Yes, there is life after death, and where you spend it depends on what you did with Jesus Christ. Jesus died an awful death. He was beaten so badly, he was unrecognizable. He was crucified, probably the most painful way to die. He was buried, and given a tomb to be buried in. It was donated by a rich man. Guards were placed in front of the tomb, not because he had power on this earth, but because the Romans thought His disciples were going to come and steal the body. Three days later, He rose from the dead. And now that tomb is empty. There are no bones that have turned to dust. It is completely empty.

In this life, we may have power, or we may not. We may be rich, or we may not. Death comes to all. It is the great equalizer. No one can stop it. No power or riches can tell death to go away and leave us alone. None of us escape this planet without dying. And when we die, we automatically go to heaven or hell. There are no exceptions. At that point, no deals can be made. (Not that any deals could ever be made). There are no appeals to God as to where you go. Your fate is sealed. Queen Elizabeth had to make the same decision all of us have to make. Her wealth and royalty didn’t put her into heaven automatically. None of that ever mattered. It was what she did with Jesus Christ. God Himself, who was born a lowly birth and died, a lowly death.

Being nice doesn’t save you. Being a royal doesn’t save you. Rich people can’t buy their way into heaven. All mankind, every single person, whether rich or poor, powerful or a nobody, we all must decide what to do with Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only criteria. And death is the great equalizer. That was one of the thoughts that kept running through my mind at the Westminster Abbey.