This is a
chapter near the end of an encyclopedia set called CREATION-EVOLUTION. The summary for this is at
this site. It may take you days to go through this website. But it will take you a half hour to read the following
chapter. If you haven't already done so, I hope you will take the time to go to Mr. Ferrell's website and see how much
scientific evidence he has produced, from many different sources, in favor of the Biblical view of creation.
In one of the great art galleries, there stands a large bronze bas-relief, called "The Sculptor, the Angel of Death." It portrays a young ambitious scultor; busy working on a block of marble. Already he has carved into it the life-like face of a man, and he is anxious to complete this statue which the world will acclaim as his greatest.
But, with his chisel carefully placed and an uplifted mallet ready to strike, the angel of death has suddenly appeared, touches him on the shoulder, and bids him stop. With a look of surprise and dismay, he realizes that that sculpture--and all his other work--will now end. For the young man is about to die.
Within these books [the Creation-Evolution Encyclopedia], we have provided you with thousands of details, pointing to the existence and workmanship of the Creator. Evolutionary theory falls dead before such a wealth of information. But there are also facts about the living of our lives which also point to the existence of God, His guidance, and intervention in the affairs of men.
Scientists tell us they cannot measure data indicating relationships with the Creator. Yet there is a lot of it available, and it clearly points in one direction. For example, which group of people are the most interested in preserving the life of the unborn? It is the Christians. Other groups, in general, are far less concerned about whether abortions are carried out. Which group generally has happier lives? It is the Christians, and it matters not whether theirs is a life of poverty or wealth. Which group has the greatest peace of heart? It is the Christians. Which group commits the fewest felonies and major crimes? It is the Christians.
Everyone know that adultery, crime or murder by a Christian pastor is far more likely to be given space in the media than if committed by an atheist. Why is this so? It is the rarity of the event which makes it so newsworthy. As usual, it is not the dog biting the man which is published, but the man biting the dog. A genuine Christian does not do improper acts as often as the average person.
So the facts about Christianity can, indeed, be quantified. They are quite obvious. It is the believers in, and worshipers of, the Creator God which consistentlyhave contented, happier, more caring lives. Problems enter the lives of all, but it is the Creationists who are the most peaceful, the most obedient to right principles, and the most stalwart in their defense.
For a few minutes, let us gather together some data on how men face oncoming death. With an open mind, consider the facts for yourself. Except for unusual divine intervention, we will all die. That includes you. Within a few years, you will be dead. The way a man faces death is but a reflection of his entire way oflife and all his past experiences. A man living for himsel is terrorized by the approach of death, but a man who has personally experienced the presence of God realizes that death is not an enemy to be feared.
We are not here discussing something imaginary. This issue consistently bears out the fact that it is the leading atheists, the most blatant haters of God, who are the most terrorized as death approaches. In contrast, as we will see below, those who have loved and served the God of heaven have an amazingly peaceful certainty that the future will be far better than their present life.
Experience after experience can be collected and quantified. The results of such research, revealed throughout these three books [the encyclopedia set], indeed confirm these facts of nature that we have found:
It is quite obvious that God exists. He created the earth, sea, and sky. He also made us. We can only be happy as we love Him and obey His laws. In doing so, we become ennobled with better principles, live far happier lives, and are ready when death nears.
A group of American soldiers were gathered, for the last time for entertainment, in England. The next morning they were to ship out. ONe man stood to thank their British hosts; and then, as an afterthought, said to them: "Tomorrow morning we will cross the channel of France. There we will go to the trenches, and very possibly, of course, to death. Can any of our friends here tell us how to die?" There was silence in the room.
When it comes, death frequently comes suddenly and unexpectedly. It is today that we must prepare for what will com as a certainty for tomorrow. The preparation can indeed be made. The following pages may be among the most important you will ever read.
On a dark afternoon in September 1583, in a stormy sea near the Azores, the Golden Hind, commanded by Sir Walter Raleigh, sailed close to the Squirrell, a smaller vessel commanded by Sir Humphrey Gilbert. The captain of the Golden Hind cried out to Gilbert, who was sitting in the stern of his vessel with a book open in his hand, and urged him, for his safety, to come aboard the larger vessel. This Gilbert refused to do, saying he would not leave his companions in the Squirrel. Then Raleigh heard him call outover the waves, "Heaven is as near by sea as by land."
Conditions rapidly worsened; and, at midnight that night, those on the Golden Hind saw the lights on the smaller vessel suddenly go out. And, in that moment, Gilbert and his ship were swallowed up by the dark, raging sea.
Death can come suddenly for every one of us. But how many are ready when death draws near? Here is how Christians died:
And that is the consistent pattern with those who have made peace with their Creator and love and serve Him. Here is how Christians die, as revealed in their dying words: