When you die, one of two things is going to happen. There is an eternal heaven and there is an eternal hell. God has given us free will to make that choice of where it is we want to go. “Eternal” is simply defined as lasting or existing forever. I would say this is a subject that shouldn’t be taken lightly and you’d think it would be a pretty simple choice to make. However, a lot of people don’t want to think about it, or better said, I think a lot of people just don’t want to think about it right now. They will save that thought for later.

I was reading a write-up the other day about a survey taken on people’s outlook on heaven and hell. Ninety-nine percent of the people interviewed (that believe in the afterlife) thought they were going to heaven, and then many of those people said they didn’t even believe that hell existed. The general consensus was that “good” people go to heaven — end of story. Troubling, because this is not how it works, not even close. It doesn’t matter how good you are. Being good and being saved are two very separate subjects.

Jesus talks about hell more often in the Bible than he talks about heaven. He also clearly spells out how to get to heaven, especially so when his disciple Thomas asked how he would find Him after His ascent back into heaven.

Jesus told him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

And, think about it. Why would God of gone to the trouble of sending His Son to be (inconceivably) brutally beaten and hung on a cross to die for all of us? Why would He of gone through the agony of taking on every evil done by man — past, present and future — and separate himself from all that is Holy in order to save us? Because it was the only way to get all sinners into eternity with Him. God loves us so much, even as sinners, and it was the only possible way.

God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.           (John 3:17)

God’s moral perfection and holiness are opposed to sin. Even science proves that light shuts out darkness. And when all is said and done, God will quarantine evil from good. But we still have to choose. And sadly, what remains are those who don’t want to think about this right now because they either have more important things going on, or it’s just too heavy of a subject to tackle.

Life can end so unexpectedly.  There are no second chances after you have breathed your last breath. Not everyone is going to make it to heaven and the alternative is no joking matter. Though very supernatural, it doesn’t change the fact that this is very real. If the world had a two-second glimpse of how bad hell is and where they could be spending their eternity, the majority would be crying out and begging for the mercy of His salvation. And choosing not to believe this changes absolutely nothing.

A hesitancy I have in sharing through this blog is that I’ll be received as judgmental. Also, how things may come across — as such doom and gloom — and that I’m using scare tactics to get my point across. I am not judging anyone, that’s God’s sole authority. I am, however, deeply concerned for nonbelievers and those on the fence. And so, if this message seems as if it is a scare tactic (shrugged shoulders, hands in the air) … maybe it is.

Holding fast,

Lori

 

_{Photography by Sean Dubois}