You and I could die today. We trust that we will live on in this body of flesh, but none of us is promised another day of life on this earth. In fact, there is a passage of Scripture that describes in vivid and unforgettable terms the process of aging and the end of life on earth, which we know is death. Solomon, in Ecclesiastes 12:2-8, describes some of the aging processes, and the older we get the more true-to-life we see these verses are! For example, Solomon likens the fading of some physical powers in this way: "In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened…"

Then a couple of verses later, the psychological effects of the aging process are laid out in memorable fashion: "Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, ... and desire shall fail…"  In this very earthy and practical text of Scripture, Solomon poignantly points out that time is moving quickly and as James says, "For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." (James 4:14b)