One day three demons were arguing over how to best destroy Christians. The first demon said, “Let’s tell them there is no heaven. Take away their reward and they will collapse.” The second demon disagreed. He suggested, “Let’s tell them there is no hell. Take away their fear of punishment and they will go wild.” The third demon smiled and softly said, “No, my friends, there is a better way. Let’s just tell them there is no hurry.” They all laughed for they knew that would be the best weapon of all.
Today there are multitudes of people; even professing Christians that believe that time is on their side. They believe that someday they will turn their lives over to God, but that someday is not today.
Whenever I think about the time we have here on earth I cannot help but recall an ancient story I once heard about a slave who traveled with his master to Baghdad. During his visit he began walking through the busy streets until he found himself in the marketplace where he came face to face with Death in human form. Death, it is said, stared at him with such a piercing look that he became frightened. He interpreted the penetrating stare to mean that Death was planning to take his life so he quickly rushed back to his master’s side and explained to him all that had transpired and then requested permission to ride his camel to Samara, some fifteen hours away. There he believed he would be safe—Death would not know where to find him. When his master granted him permission he quickly departed Baghdad for Samara. A few hours later his master was walking through the marketplace where he saw Death in human form. He walked up to death and inquired, “Why did you look upon my slave with such a threatening look?” Death replied, “That wasn’t a threatening look, it was a look of surprise. You see, I have an appointment with him tonight in Samara, so I was surprised to see him here today in Baghdad.”
This little story demonstrates just how short our lives really are, that death can come to us at any moment and there’s nothing we can do to prevent it.
The problem with death is the fact that it almost always comes unexpectedly. Even when a doctor diagnoses that someone is about to die it still has a way of ambushing us. Death is always abrupt, even when one is somewhat prepared. The truth about death is that people just don’t realize how fragile their lives really are until it’s too late.
No one ever wakes up in the morning expecting to draw his or her last breath, but that is exactly what happens each and every day. With each sweep of the second hand, two people slip off into eternity. That equals to 7,200 people every hour and unbeknownst to all of us one of those seconds has our name on it. Make no mistake about it; every single day of the year people have tragic things happen to them. People who have no reason whatsoever to expect it—yet death comes calling.
Even now as I sit writing this I see the clock has passed 4:30 am. I am on the brink of another sunrise, but how do I know I will see it? I don’t. With death no next minute is guaranteed. Today is a new day, but tomorrow is still yet to come; and is still far away. There is still the possibility that tomorrow may not come, but even if it does, one day it will not.
It wasn’t long before I began to contemplate the day that death would come calling on me. When I began to think about that moment, my mind began to fill with questions. What will I have to show for my life? What will men and women say about me when I am gone? Who will truly mourn my passing besides my immediate family? What will God say when I stand before Him? Will His evaluation of my life greatly differ from my own?
Death is a subject surrounded by many unknown variables such as the uncertainty of an afterlife, which causes many people to become gripped with fear, which is quite understandable when one takes into account that for most death is a great mystery and one must face it alone. Even if family and friends surround one at the time of death, as was the case with my father, one still must face it alone, which makes the prospect of dying undoubtedly frightful, even terrifying for many. People become gripped with fear when they contemplate what it will feel like when they die. They wonder what will be waiting for them when the veil of death is finally lifted. They wonder if the afterlife (if there is one) will be as chaotic and painful as this life has been. People really don’t know what to expect when death comes calling, so they avoid the subject and continue to live as if death doesn’t know they exist.
But death does know that we exist and someday he will come calling on each us unless the Lord returns before that time. It is also certain that there is an afterlife. Christ pulled back the curtain that veils this life from the next through the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31).
In the story of Lazarus and the Rich man Jesus reveals that the rich man was clothed in the finest purple garments that one could possess, a color normally reserved for royalty. That he lived in a large home with a gate that prevented the undesirables of this world from gaining entrance. One of those undesirables that he sought to keep out was a beggar by the name of Lazarus, who was covered with sores and daily laid at the rich mans gate in hopes of receiving some form of charity.
Daily as the rich man left his abode he past right by Lazarus but wouldn’t even give him a passing glance much less a handout. It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford it; this man had more wealth than he knew what to do with. He wasn’t like most of us who are only able to splurge once in awhile, he lived in opulence everyday. He possessed many servants and friends, he had bountiful food and a desire that everyone know just how wealthy he was. In other words he flaunted his lifestyle. Lazarus on the other hand, was a lonely man who possessed nothing but the clothing on his back. He had no food to eat or water to drink. He was an outcast of society that possessed no other friends than the dogs, whom were also outcasts that provided him comfort by licking his open sores. He longed to merely receive the crumbs that fell from the rich mans table to ease his hunger pains, but nothing was forthcoming.
Now there came a time in Lazarus’ life where his weak and diseased body could no longer sustain life. It was on that day that God sent His angels to the gate where Lazarus lay and carried him off to Abraham’s bosom. It was on that day that God ended all of Lazarus’ misery, suffering and pain. While his spirit rested in the arms of the great patriarch, his body lay lifeless at the rich man’s gate. There would be no elaborate funeral or memorial service; in fact there would be no proper burial. Lazarus’ body merely remained at the rich man’s gate until he ordered it removed.
After Lazarus was gone the rich man continued to live his life in his usual manner, eating and drinking and flaunting his wealth until the day that “death” came calling.
When the rich man died he was given one of the grandest funerals that money could buy. His family even hired the customary mourners to wail and lament away. They purchased the finest burial spices and an elaborate tomb. When it was time for the funeral nearly everyone in town turned out to deliver all the countless eulogies that recalled all of his great achievements. And then in the usual manner his body was placed in the tomb and the entrance was sealed. With the funeral over his family and friends gathered for one last meal in his honor. They gave one final toast to his achievements. But unbeknownst to them all was the fact that while they were enjoying all the food and drink and the other comforts that the rich man left them—he was in a state of misery, torment beyond imagination!
The rich man had lived as if he was never going to die. He was just like the other rich man that Jesus spoke of whose crops were so plentiful that he tore down his old barns to build new ones to store all his crops and goods. When his task was completed he said to his soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink and be merry.” But God had other ideas; He sent death to that mans home where upon death said to him, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; so who will own all your possessions now?”
The rich man was surprised and shocked beyond belief that he found himself in a place of torment. There was no reason why he should be there. He had lived a good life and never hurt anyone. He had merely enjoyed life like everyone else. Now he was in a place of torment and to his amazement, still very much alive.
Countless numbers of people think of death as an end to life. But death is actually only an end to life, as we know it. Life actually begins at death regardless of where one ends up in eternity. Lazarus and the rich man demonstrate that in death everyone is still alive and retains their individual personalities and essential characters. In other words in eternity Lazarus was still Lazarus and the rich man was still the rich man.
We often speak of heaven as eternal life, a place where one retains their vision, hearing and feelings. We speak of heaven as being a place where we will recognize one another, speak to one another, and even think about those we left behind, but we always speak of hell as a dwelling place of the dead. But the dead in hell are very much alive and still retain those same conscience feelings one will possess in heaven. The only difference is that those in hell will reflect on all the times they could have changed their lifestyles had they only accepted God’s gift of salvation. They will plead for relief from their suffering, but those pleas will fall on deaf ears. They will think about the future and how the future will only bring more torment and suffering.
Hell is a place of personal suffering. It is a place where God’s wrath is poured out. It is a place where the fire is never quenched and the worm never dies. It is a place of darkness and gloom; where weeping, wailing, and the gnashing of teeth is continuous. Hell is a real place, a place that Christ Jesus spoke of often. If hell doesn’t exist as so many want to claim, the Lord would have remained silent. He would not have described it so vividly. And contrary to the belief of many, it will not be a place where one will have a big party with their buddies.
The rich man realized at the hour of his death that his eternal destination provided no way out. His suffering was so great that his thoughts returned to his family. He thought about how they lived their lives as he had lived and was consumed with a burning desire that Lazarus be allowed to return to the earth so they could be warned in order that they could escape the place where he was now. But his request, his prayer, went unanswered.
Whenever I visit a cemetery and glance across the vastness of the eternal garden, I cannot help but wonder how many of those within the frame of my vision are experiencing the same fate as the rich man at that very moment. Such thoughts always bring a cold, terrifying chill, running down my spine.
The average man or woman does not perceive himself or herself as one in need of a savior. They do not believe that their lives are riddled with sin, sin that will prevent them from escaping the pains of eternal torment. They view themselves as basically good people, hardworking, honest, and friendly. Many of them believe that since they are not involved in the major vices such as sexual immorality, alcohol or drug abuse, they have reached the standard of goodness that is acceptable unto God. Unfortunately their standard of goodness doesn’t begin to compare with God’s standard.
Many people today view Christianity as a set of rules to be followed, but its far more than that. Christianity isn’t about following rules; it’s about falling in love with God. When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments they may have appeared to be a set of rules to be followed, but in actuality they serve as a yardstick to measure ones love toward the One whom has given us all life. Everything about the commandments of God is geared toward the love of God and neighbor. And I do believe when we all come to that understanding we will begin to not only see the necessary changes in our own lives, but in the world at large that will ultimately bring about everlasting life in eternity.
Today is the day that we need to cease placing our own priorities and selfish desires above our love of God and neighbor. Today is the day we need to look at the world around us and cease stealing, lying, and lusting after the things it has to offer by adhering to the words of Paul, who stated, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is Death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:5-8).
The most frightening word in that passage is enmity, which means to have or possess a bitter attitude or feelings of an enemy or of mutual enemies; hostility; antagonism. The word enmity denotes a strong, settled feeling of hatred, whether concealed, displayed, or latent. Hostility it is said is enmity expressed in active opposition. So we see that scripture clearly states to be carnally minded is to be completely at odds with God. And to be completely at odds with God brings about eternal death, not life.
Today is the day that we need to begin looking at our own lives before we look at the lives of others. And a good starting point would be to ask ourselves the questions that Billy Graham once suggested we ask: “What would Christ have me to do? What would He think about my amusements, recreation, books, companions, and television programs? Can I ask His blessing upon this particular thing? Could I ask Christ to go along with me to this particular event? Being omnipotent, He’ll be there anyway. The point is, should you?”
If we truly desire a real, everlasting relationship with Christ we will begin the aforementioned process and then humble ourselves before the throne of God and confess those sins, sins that He is more than willing to forgive. Do not fall into the trap of thinking as so many do, that God gives second chances, or fall into the trap that the demons have laid for you; thinking you have all the time in the world. We need to change now, for we may not have a tomorrow. As Paul stated to the church of Corinth, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
The decision you make today will not only determine the amount of love you have toward God, but towards neighbor and self as well. It will be the determining factor that God will use to determine where you desire to spend eternity. The choice you make today is yours and yours alone.
May The Peace Of Christ Be With You
