Hanover, Germany

The Open Grave

In the city of Hanover, Germany, is a graveyard which has been closed for a number of years — the
Garden Cemetery.  Owing to its antiquated monuments and the fact of its being the resting place of a
number of celebrated characters, it awakens the liveliest curiosity.  A few paces east of the
unassuming little church in the graveyard is a monument tottering from its foundation.  It is built
in the form of steps, and the massive stones are secured by heavy iron clasps.  The monument was
erected in the year 1782 for Henriette Juliane Caroline von Rüling (1756-1782), the wife of the
Hanoverian state secretary Georg Ernst von Rüling.

Beside the usual family inscriptions, at the base of the monument are engraved these arrogant lines:
"The sepulcher, purchased for all eternity, is not permitted to be opened."  Opposed to this
determination of man, a birch tree seed, perhaps carried by the wind, found its way into a crevice
of the foundation.

In the course of years this little seed grew to be a strong, luxuriant tree, mocked the proud
inscription of the monument, raised the massive stones from their foundation, and rent the strong
iron clasp asunder.

This open grave reminds the visitor of the mutability of earthly scenes, and the fallacy of man's
resolution to escape the Resurrection. *

Jesus said, "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will
hear His voice and come forth; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who
have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation" (John 5:28-29).

Will L. Thompson proclaimed these truths in a song entitled, "There's a Great Day Coming":

There's a great day coming,
A great day coming;
There's a great day coming by and by,
When the saints and the sinners
Shall be parted right and left,
Are you ready for that day to come?
There's a bright day coming,
A bright day coming;
There's a bright day coming by and by.
But its brightness shall only come
To them that love the Lord.
Are you ready for that day to come?
There's a sad day coming,
A sad day coming;
There's a sad day coming by and by,
When the sinner shall hear his doom:
Depart, I know you not!
Are you ready for that day to come?

One day, when Jesus returns, the graves will be opened.  The guarantee is the fact of Jesus' own
resurrection from the dead.  It will be a glorious day for those that love the Lord, a sad day for
those who don't.  The difference will be whether or not one has accepted Jesus' offer of salvation
and eternal life.

God will save and give eternal life to those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts
16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans
10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  Those
who continue to walk in the light of His Word will be in a continual state of readiness because the
blood of Jesus continues to wash his/her sins away (1 John 1:7).

Are YOU ready?  You can be, if only you'll accept His offer on His terms.  Won't YOU?

-- David A. Sargent

* Sources: Dictionary of Anecdote, Incident, Illustrative Fact, Selected and Arranged for the Pulpit
and the Platform by Walter Baxendale and "Open Grave, Hanover" in Wikipedia.com

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