Then if the way they died was unusual, I think about their last moments. No one expects to wake up any particular morning and think that in a few hours they will be dead, unless they are in seriously late stage 4 cancer or something. No one thinks that this is the day that death will come for you. And if we do think about death, it is usually only in the usual ways and only if death is immediately near- there is a report of a tornado, there is slippery ice ahead, there is gunfire down the road...
Did Tsunami guy standing on the beach on Christmas Day expect to be overcome by the entire ocean? (2004)
Did Steve Irwin expect a stingray to pierce his heart with his stinger-barb? (2006)
Did Surinder Singh Bajwa, the Deputy Mayor of Delhi, India, expect to die after falling from his building's terrace while trying to fight off attacking Rhesus macaque monkeys? (2007)
Did Taylor Mitchell, a Canadian folk singer, expect to be attacked and killed by three coyotes, the only recorded adult person to have been killed by this species? (2009)
Did Larry Goodwin of Moody, Texas expect to die running from 40,000 killer bees and over 1000 stings which were covering every inch of his body?
"A Texas man was stung to death after he drove his tractor into a pile of wood that concealed a hive of 40,000 "killer bees," authorities and family members said Sunday. Every inch of exposed skin was covered with stings on the body of Larry Goodwin, 62, of Moody, Texas, family members told NBC station KCEN of Waco. Goodwin died Saturday when the Africanized honeybees swarmed him after his tractor struck a pile of wood that included an abandoned chicken coop where the bees had built their hive. The hive encompassed 22 honeycombs harboring an estimated 40,000 bees."
Even if you know death is coming you really don't know at which second it will arrive. And for the hale and healthy, like Mr Goodwin, it was just another day on his tractor, doin' stuff. Death isn't expected, nor invited.
But Jesus says that we have to be ready at any moment.
"There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5)
In those short verses, Jesus said it twice. Repent or perish. That does not mean that the repentant never die, just that wen they do they acquire eternal life in the presence of Jesus. That the unrepentant can meet their eternal destiny- destruction in hell at any moment.
In the article there was something interesting reported after the news of poor Mr Goodwin's death was announced. The article states,
"Africanized honeybees — a highly aggressive hybrid of the Western and African honeybees — spread fear in the U.S. long before they arrived in the country from Central America about 15 years ago, fueled by alarming reports of their tactic of swarming their prey in the thousands and earning them the nickname "killer bees." While federal figures indicate that fewer than a dozen people have been killed by the bees in the U.S., they are anecdotally believed to be proliferating rapidly. Just 2½ months ago, on March 15, emergency crews were called out after thousands of the bees swarmed inside a family's home in Wichita Falls, Texas Allen Miller, a bee - removal specialist who cleared the giant hive Saturday in Moody, told KCEN that he's run into at least five cases of Africanized hives in the past month — more than he usually sees all year."
Sure enough, other news articles report the same.
KLAS-Las Vegas reports a Sharp Increase in Killer Bee Activity This Year
"The pest services technician destroyed the solid two-foot long swarm within minutes. It was the first of several killer bee extractions he did Thursday, and that's compared to two a week last year. ... If you ever discover a swarm or a hive, Villena warns not to make any loud noises or sudden movements that could trigger an attack. "Regular bees will chase you 50 yards. (Killer) bees will chase you at least a half a mile," he said."
This month an 88-year-old man in Las Vegas was chased and stung by killer bees. An Arizona hiker was found hanging dead by his ropes, after coming upon a hive he did not initially notice. This article says that killer bee attacks are on the rise but deaths from them are rare, but it was written before Mr Goodwin was killed a few weeks after the article appeared.
This next article is from a newspaper located in southeast Texas.
Experts say Africanized bee colonies ‘all stirred up’
Gary Maley, owner of Advanced Pest Control in Harlingen, said he’s had five calls in the last six days to remove bee hives, after receiving no calls in the last four months. Two of the hives he removed were Africanized bee colonies, but none of these calls involved bee attacks. “I don’t know what’s going on,” he said. “The bee population’s down, but something’s got ‘em all stirred up right now. They’re not pollinating that much because there’s not that many flowers because of the drought, so I’m not really sure what.”"
Killer bees were first introduced in Brazil in 1956, as queens from Tanzania and South Africa were brought to Brazil and tested. In 1957, 26 queens escaped. They spread north 100-200 miles per year. They made it to south Texas by 1990.
1990: Southern Texas
1993: Arizona
1995: California
2005: Florida
Africanized honeybees now are reported in over half of Florida counties (as of 2011)
100,000 'killer' bees attack Florida park rangers
"Two park rangers in Tampa, Fla. were hospitalized after unwittingly disturbing a hive of what appear to be Africanized "killer" bees. David Zeledon and Rodney Pugh, were using a front-end loader to clear debris near the entrance of Picnic Island Park near Port Tampa. As they turned over a used truck tire, as many as 100,000 bees swarmed into their vehicle. The men fled, but not before getting stung almost 100 times."
As horrible as it was, more deaths like Mr Goodwin's will occur during the Tribulation when fourth seal is opened. I mean death by beasts.
"When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth." (Revelation 6:7-8)
A quarter of the earth's population will die, and a quarter of them by beast (shudder).
Are you ready for death to come to your home? You are if you know Jesus. You know Jesus as friend and not enemy if you are aware you are a sinner, have repented of your sins by asking Him to forgive them, and that He is resurrected King and Lord who died for your sins, taking upon Himself the wrath of God that you deserved. John Piper said,
"What's the Gospel?
What’s the gospel? I’ll put it in a sentence.
The Gospel is the news that Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, died for our sins and rose again, eternally triumphant over all his enemies, so that there is now no condemnation for those who believe, but only everlasting joy.
That’s the gospel."
There is more here from the 6-min audio by John Piper.
Praise Jesus that even if our last moments are terrible like Mr Goodwin's, that we know that in a few further moments we will be entering glory forever with the wonderful Savior. I pray YOU are ready any day for death to arrive, and that it is only a portal to the eternal life in glory you will share with Him.
More about salvation here
