APR 29

Ecclesiastes 3:22
Memorise 2 Corinthians 5:8
“Who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?”

Thus in light of the previous verses, Solomon’s conclusion for carnal man is that since death is indeed a certainty, and only God is sovereign over the fate of man’s soul after death, man should just enjoy the fruits of his labour for the present. Also, he should not be overly concerned about the fate of his works after his death, for there is indeed nothing at all that he can do after death comes. He can never know the future or what will happen to the fruits of his labour after his death. In actual fact, Solomon is preaching to himself (ref. Ecclesiastes 2:12-23), for because of his worry about his impending death, he hated life and despaired of all his labour. Solomon would never in his lifetime know what would become of his kingdom, of how it would be split and taken over by Jeroboam. Similarly, none of us can ever know what will become of our works after we die.

The focus of one’s worry then should really not be about the physical things that we leave behind, but of the spiritual fate that we will face after death. The man under the sun has absolutely no certainty nor assurance. While it is true that no one will be able to bring us to see with our own eyes what shall be after death, the Bible does allow our spiritual eyes to have a glimpse of eternity. Through God’s Word, we can be brought to the future and have a foretaste of the joys of heaven, and also be warned about the torment of hell.

As believers, we have a certainty that after death we will have life eternal in the arms of our loving God. Therefore, in addition to rejoicing in our works here on earth, we look up and forward, and are able to rejoice far more because we know that our future is certain and secure.

Dear Teen, are you sure of where you will be after death? Our eyes may not have seen heaven or hell, but we know for a certainty from the Word of God that these are real places! It is only when we know for sure that we are headed for heaven that we can truly enjoy our life here on Earth, for we know that our lives are in the hands of God, and He will always take care of us.

Thought: How certain am I of my place in heaven?
Prayer: Thank you Lord, for the assurance of salvation that I can have from Your Word.