What if Tomorrow Never Comes?

Pompeii is one of the most incredible places to visit in the ancient world. The reason it is so cool is because it is a snapshot of life in ancient times. When the volcano Vesuvius exploded, it buried the city under several feet of ash, leaving it exactly as it was in 79 AD. If you want to know what a Roman town looked like down to the ruts in the road, you can see it at Pompeii.

There is, however, a somewhat creepy element to these remains. As the ash reigned down and people took cover, individuals were ultimately buried and died. The bodies of these deceased victims left cavities in the ash. Researchers and archaeologists, upon discovering this, figured out that you could add plaster to these cavities, which would then create an impression. What you get then is plaster molds of people in the exact position of their demise. I told you. Creepy.

When I contemplate these ghostly figures, however, a thought occurs to me. What did the people of Pompeii think would happen the morning before the volcano erupted? I am positive their day started just like so many others before it. People were preparing to get the kids to school and get to work themselves. There were people in the market, people in the square, even people where they probably shouldn't be (Pompeii has an infamous brothel).

Whatever they were doing, almost assuredly, they believed their day would also end like every day before it. They would go to bed and then wake to take on a new day's challenge. No one woke up that morning knowing that would be their last day on earth.

In our preaching and teaching, there used to be an emphasis on the uncertainty of life. We have all heard the clichés "tomorrow is not guaranteed," "you aren't promised another second," and other such phrases. Perhaps it is just my perception, but I feel like we don't emphasize this idea as much as we used to. Maybe it was overdone. An argument could be made that the constant threat of an uncertain end loses its edge when tomorrow comes without incident.

The reality of the situation is, however, that no matter how cliché, no matter how often we say it, the reality of life is that it is not guaranteed. Death or the second coming of the Lord could come at any moment. This thought should change how we behave in life. How would you like to be found if tomorrow never came? The position of your body wouldn't matter; the position of your soul would be everything.