THE VALLEY OF SHADOWS (2 OF 3)
by Jeff Strite
Scripture: Psalms 23:1-4
This content is part of a series.
The Valley Of Shadows (2 of 3)
Series: The Lord Is My Shepherd
Jeff Strite
Psalms 23:1-4
OPEN: ''Life is short, and death is sure. Sin the cause. Christ the cure.''
Vladimir Lenin - the first communist dictator of Russia - died in 1924. Shortly after his death, authorities decided to maintain his body in a mausoleum. So, for the past 95 years Lenin's body has been on display in Moscow. Day after day, crowds of people file past and pay their respects. The mummy is encased in a glass coffin where the humidity and temperature is closely regulated and his corpse is said to be extremely lifelike. But that's all an illusion. When the crowds leave, skilled workmen step in and artificially color the corpse's face and fill in any lines or small spots of decay with wax. Lenin's nose and face have been ''resculpted'' at least a couple of times, and the body has to be ''re-embalmed'' every other year.
Now, why would they do that?
Well ... they are trying to defy death.
Over the centuries, many cultures have done that type of thing. Egyptians designed mysterious pyramids to protect their dead. Chinese emperors built huge tombs guarded by armies of statues. Vikings dressed their fallen warriors in armor and sent them off to sea in burning ships. And American Indians buried their dead with weapons and tools to use in the Happy Hunting Ground.
All done to defy the cold grip of death.
And those who couldn't think of how to DEFY death simply AVOIDED the topic. Louis XV of France refused to allow his servants to talk about death in his presence. A Chinese superstition holds that just mentioning death... invites it. And even today, people tend to ignore talking about death. In fact - they postpone discussing it as long as possible.
A comedian once said: ''It's not that I am afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens.''
But no matter what we do (unless Jesus comes first) we're all going to die. And a lot of people are VERY uncomfortable ...
Series: The Lord Is My Shepherd
Jeff Strite
Psalms 23:1-4
OPEN: ''Life is short, and death is sure. Sin the cause. Christ the cure.''
Vladimir Lenin - the first communist dictator of Russia - died in 1924. Shortly after his death, authorities decided to maintain his body in a mausoleum. So, for the past 95 years Lenin's body has been on display in Moscow. Day after day, crowds of people file past and pay their respects. The mummy is encased in a glass coffin where the humidity and temperature is closely regulated and his corpse is said to be extremely lifelike. But that's all an illusion. When the crowds leave, skilled workmen step in and artificially color the corpse's face and fill in any lines or small spots of decay with wax. Lenin's nose and face have been ''resculpted'' at least a couple of times, and the body has to be ''re-embalmed'' every other year.
Now, why would they do that?
Well ... they are trying to defy death.
Over the centuries, many cultures have done that type of thing. Egyptians designed mysterious pyramids to protect their dead. Chinese emperors built huge tombs guarded by armies of statues. Vikings dressed their fallen warriors in armor and sent them off to sea in burning ships. And American Indians buried their dead with weapons and tools to use in the Happy Hunting Ground.
All done to defy the cold grip of death.
And those who couldn't think of how to DEFY death simply AVOIDED the topic. Louis XV of France refused to allow his servants to talk about death in his presence. A Chinese superstition holds that just mentioning death... invites it. And even today, people tend to ignore talking about death. In fact - they postpone discussing it as long as possible.
A comedian once said: ''It's not that I am afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens.''
But no matter what we do (unless Jesus comes first) we're all going to die. And a lot of people are VERY uncomfortable ...
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