Famous Last Words

DateLine (9/14/05 – Ponce, Puerto Rico)

Consider the following last words of some well know persons.

How were the receipts today at Madison Square Garden?~~ P. T. Barnum, entrepreneur, d. 1891

Oh, I am not going to die, am I? He will not separate us, we have been so happy.Spoken to her husband of 9 months, Rev. Arthur Nicholls.~~ Charlotte Bronte, writer, d. March 31, 1855

Don't let poor Nelly (his mistress, Nell Gwynne) starve.~~ Charles II, King of England and Scotland, d. 1685

Ay Jesus.~~ Charles V, King of France, d. 1380

The earth is suffocating . . . Swear to make them cut me open, so that I won't be buried alive.Dying of tuberculosis.~~ Frederic Chopin, composer, d. October 16, 1849

Damn it . . . Don't you dare ask God to help me.To her housekeeper, who had begun to pray aloud.~~ Joan Crawford, actress, d. May 10, 1977

I am not the least afraid to die.~~ Charles Darwin, d. April 19, 1882

It is very beautiful over there.~~ Thomas Alva Edison, inventor, d. October 18, 1931

All my possessions for a moment of time.~~ Elizabeth I, Queen of England, d. 1603

God will pardon me, that's his line of work.~~ Heinrich Heine, poet, d. February 15, 1856

Go on, get out - last words are for fools who haven't said enough.To his housekeeper, who urged him to tell her his last words so she could write them down for posterity.~~ Karl Marx, revolutionary, d. 1883

Get my swan costume ready.~~ Anna Pavlova, ballerina, d. 1931

Don't let it end like this. Tell them I said something.~~ Pancho Villa, Mexican revolutionary, d. 1923

Revealing, macabre, bizarre, rebellious, inspiring, misinformed, trivial, and naive; all words that can be used to describe the last words quoted above. Whether delivered from crystal clear minds or from the delirium of the final throes of a ravaging disease, final words often yield a poignant glimpse into the priorities of people.

One source identified the phrase, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” as the last words of Jesus. Actually this is not true. The last words of Jesus were, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:7-8).

The last words of Jesus were not delivered from the precipice of death; he had already defeated that foe. His words were exacting, forceful, and matter of fact. The Holy Spirit will come. You will be my witnesses. The entire world will feel the impact of your teaming with Me. Jesus revealed His priorities with His last words on earth. His people line up with His priorities. The wonderful truth is that when we line up with God’s priorities in this life, it will allow us to pass to the next life in infinite peace.