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Everlasting by Rev. Raymond Parnell The human family has longed for the ability to live long lives and create objects that will endure for thousands of years. Everlasting is the word which describes man's yearnings for immortality. Ponce de Leon earnestly searched for the "fountain of youth." Adam was forced out of Eden to keep him from eating of the tree of life and living forever! One of the most astounding cultures were the Egyptians who built the pyramids at Giza and nearby the Great Sphinx.
This work of art had the body of a lion and the head of a man. Its measurements were enormous, being 240 feet long and about 66 feet high. The width of its face measures 13 feet and 8 inches. Carved from solid rock with paws and legs made of stone blocks, it is one of the most famous monuments in the world. The face is believed to be that of the Egyptian king who built it, but his identity remains a secret. Nevertheless, it has stood for about 4,500 years in the desert. Ironically sand covers the base of the Sphinx and buries it most of the time. "Thutmose IV of Egypt cleared it away in the 1400's B.C. and one of the Ptolemies cleared it during the Roman times. The sand was cleared away again in 1818, 1886, and 1026" (The World Book Encyclopedia). In addition to sand wearing away the head, it has also been used as a gunnery target! I visited Egypt in 1978 and rode a camel to a pyramid located near Cairo. We were riveted in awesome wonderment while viewing the great work of art, but we did not believe it would endure forever. There is something, however, which is everlasting. Jesus told Nicodemus about God loving the world so much that he gave his only begotten Son for man's salvation. Accepting that gift ushers one into a realm which truly offers "everlasting life" (John 3:16). Many are unable to see a Sphinx, pyramid, hanging gardens, or any of the seven wonders of the world, but everyone can enter into everlasting life. |
