Ready for "Retirement"?

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.
(Hebrews 9:27)
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Question 39: What shall be done to the wicked at the day of judgment?
Answer: At the day of judgment the bodies of the wicked being raised out of their graves, shall be sentenced, together with their souls, to unspeakable torments with the devil and his angels forever. (Dan12:2; Jn 5:28, 29; 2 Thess 1:9; Matt 25:41)
 
What I always find so amazing when I share the gospel with people is how many will talk about getting old and planning for retirement but never plan for death.  Yet, no one knows if they will ever see retirement or even old age.  We have no idea when our lives on this earth will end.  We could die in five years, next month or tomorrow.  But we all know we will someday die.  Death comes to all of us.  Thus, it seems to me we ought to spend more time planning for death than we do for retirement.  The Bible is quite clear that “it is appointed unto man to die once and then the judgement” (Heb 9:27), and what a tragic day that will be for many.  Not just for atheists and agnostics, but for many professing Christians as well.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 7 that on the day of judgement many will come to him and say, “Lord, Lord, look what we’ve done in your name.  We prophesied and performed miracles and even the demons obeyed.”  Then Jesus will declare unto them, “Depart from me, you worker of iniquity, for I have never known you” (vv.21-23).  What a frightening and awful day that will be.  What that teaching tells us that it is not enough to simply engage in religious activities.  Yet so often that is what we think Christianity is all about.  That so long as we are doing the right things and checking off the right boxes, we’re good.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  What God wants from us is not religious activity.  He wants faith and love.  He desires and demands that we truly believe that Jesus is who he claimed to be that he died on the cross to pay for our sins and he desires and demands that we love and honor and worship his son.  God wants our affections as much as our obedience.