I suppose most folks who work for a living begin, at some point, to look forward to retirement. Some prefer not to quit for various reasons, but they are exceptions. One thing that causes many to want to stop working is having to go in whether they want to or not. As one fellow reportedly said, "I wouldn't mind the job as much if it just wasn't so every day!"
    Many know what it is to work and live generally by appointment. In a world regulated by the clock, operating on a schedule of selected dates and times is nothing new. So, in the context of our world, calendars are important to some degree. In the beginning, even God worked on a schedule. Regardless of how we view the "days" of creation (Genesis 1) the universe was made in six time periods. In the process, God set the seasons in order for the purpose of, among other things, the growth of plant life.
    The Lord told the Biblical character Abram that his descendants (specifically the family of his grandson Jacob) would be enslaved in a foreign land for 400 years, and then would be delivered (Genesis 15:13). He saw that they kept that appointment.
    Much of the time, God is less specific in revealing his schedule. Some believe that God has, often in figurative terminology, revealed the timing of most of the "major" events of world history, including in our day. This seems rather doubtful to me, but I do believe he operates on a schedule — whether he has revealed it or not.
    The apostle John identified the contents of the last book of the New Testament in chapter one, verse one: "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place." God sometimes uses time-and-space language to tell men his plans, even though he is not personally confined by time or space.
    In the midst of an otherwise joyful discussion of the work of Christ, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews soberly reveals that men have an appointment with death, a destiny that will be followed by the final and eternal judgment of God (Hebrews 9:11-28; note specifically verse 27). The unexpected death of a friend or family member emphasizes for us, again, the unpredictable nature of this appointment. When people leave home for work or other activities, they normally expect to return at some point. But unanticipated factors out of their control sometimes change things drastically.
    We aren't always able to know when our appointment with death is going to occur. Perhaps most would choose to die peacefully in their sleep. Others want to be engaged in their favorite activity when death comes. But the truth is, we just don't know.
    Years ago, while working in Arkansas, a funeral director called me and asked if I would conduct a funeral for a young man who had died unexpectedly of natural causes while traveling cross-country with friends on motorcycles. I seem to recall it was a heart attack. I knew nothing about him other that what his friends told me — which wasn't much! When they began their journey, death wasn't something they expected. But the young man died anyway.
    None of can be sure of the time, place or circumstances of our death. But we can be sure of one thing: Unless Jesus comes first, we will all die. The most important question, of course, is whether we will be prepared for this appointment when it comes.