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Run to the Light!
"Run to the light! Run to the light!"
I'm pretty sure that quote came from a movie called "Poltergeist" in the 80's - but I've heard it repeated dozens of times in dozens of movies over the years. It's usually used in the context of folks who are having a near death experience and seeing some sort of supernatural megawatt brightness that summons them to...
What?
That's the question, isn't it? What is the deal with the light? Is it a warm and fuzzy-like place where all your afterlife dreams come true? Or is it the headlight of an oncoming spiritual train that escorts you to a place you probably don't want to go?
These are questions you need to answer, because sooner or later we all are going to have a real death experience.
Picture this: suppose you knew for a fact that you were going to take a journey to a place you've never been before. You're curious about how to prepare for your upcoming trip, so you start asking around. The problem is that everyone you talk to has never actually been to where you are going - so basically their guess is as good as yours. The information they are giving you is repeated stuff that they heard from other people who had never been there either.
Ah - but then you run into someone who has been there. He describes in specific detail exactly what your experience is going to be - and how best to get ready for it.
I'm guessing at this point you've made up your mind on who you are going to listen to, right? Obviously the guy who has been there is your best source for information.
The truth is that you do have an upcoming trip to a place you've never been before. It's called the afterlife, and there is a Person who has been there and back. His name is Jesus - and fortunately for us, He has taken all the guesswork out of the whole "what happens when you die" thing.
This is what gets me about all the people who think they have a pretty good idea about the post-death state of affairs. Let's see, have you died? If so, did you take good notes?
Jesus took good notes - and He left them for us so we'd be ready for the ultimate journey we're all going to ultimately take (unless we all get abducted by aliens...but that's a different story altogether).
Jesus' notes on the afterlife can be divided into two categories: notes on a really great place, and notes on a really terrible place. I think you're probably familiar with these two categories - more commonly known as heaven and hell. The problem is that people have taken Jesus' words and added a ton of really inaccurate and downright bogus ideas that have made God out to be incredibly brutal and malicious.
Let's start with the bad news. There is a place called hell. Jesus mentions it 12 times - but what He said about it might surprise you! For example, did you know that hell was never created for people in the first place? In Matthew 25:41, Jesus makes it clear that hell was created for "the devil and his angels."
Here's another description Jesus gave of hell:
That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the godly, throwing the wicked into the fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:49-50)
So am I saying that a denial of a literal hell is an 'in your face' statement that Jesus is a liar?
Pretty much.
One other thing - this whole idea about hell being a place where God or the devil or somebody or something tortures people day and night? Nope. Hell is a place of torment, but not a place of torture. There's definitely a difference. People in hell are tormented by the choices and decisions they made while on earth, mainly the decision to reject the offer of heaven. God did everything He could to keep people out of hell - but of course there are always folks who choose to ignore obvious warnings. As C.S. Lewis put it:
"Sin is man's saying to God throughout life, 'Go away and leave me alone.' Hell is God's finally saying to man, 'You may have your wish.' It is God's leaving man to himself, as man has chosen."
The bottom line is that hell is a real and really awful place where people will end up spending eternity.
But this doesn't need to be the bottom line for anyone, because there's good news that people need to hear. It's a real place called heaven - and it's not a boring exercise in cloud sitting and harp playing. Check out the way Jesus describes it:
"Don't be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father's home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know where I am going and how to get there." (John 14:1-4)
The admission price to heaven is free (although it did cost Jesus His life) - and it is available to everyone who trusts in Him alone for salvation. Heaven is a place that will be awesome beyond our imagination - can you imagine someone not wanting to be there?
I can't - which is why one of my mantras in life sounds a lot like a quote from a movie:
"Run to the light! Run to the light!"
The light of Jesus that is...do you know anyone that needs some illumination?
Head: What you need to know about this truth
The Bible describes heaven and hell as real places that are the ultimate destinations of all people. Hell is a place of eternal torment and isolation for those who rejected Christ's offer of salvation, and heaven is a place of eternal joy and relationship for those who acctepted Christ's offer of salvation.
Heart: What you need to feel about this truth
Let this amazing truth soak into your soul for a moment. If you have trusted Christ as your only hope of salvation, you've been spared from hell. If this doesn't make you want to fall on your face and weep with gratitude to God, I don't know what would. And out of this gratefulness should flow an excitement to let other people know that there's forgiveness available!
Hands: What you need to do about this truth
I have yet to meet a person who wasn't at least a little bit interested in talking about the afterlife. It's all over the music and media scene - so why not use this topic as an opportunity to warn people about the awfulness of hell? Remember, Jesus wasn't embarassed or ashamed to talk about it - so why are we? This week, start praying for opportunities to bring up heaven and hell, and be ready for God to use you!
