No One Considers Eternity…

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

I used to be involved in the modeling industry (the type of models you build and paint), as a hobbyist and producer. Those days are long gone and as much as I’d like to continue building and painting models, I’ve found that I have little time to do so even though I’m essentially “retired.” In fact, I have plenty of model kits and supplies in my garage waiting for me, probably more than I can build with the remaining time left in my life.

At any rate, I recently spent a few hours with a good friend of mine whom I’ve known for well over 15 years because of my involvement in the model kit industry. He and I used to live in California and at the time, there were plenty of modeling shows and contests to go around. In fact, there were new “garage” kit models (basically, created in someone’s garage using rubber molds and resin), that modelers would often pay big dollars for just to have in their collection. In the early 2000’s, these models (made of solid resin or vinyl), sold for a few hundreds of dollars.

During my visit with my old modeling buddy, we recounted the number of people who were household names in the industry, but who had passed from this life to the next. Many were younger than my 62 years.

My friend is not – to my knowledge – a Christian, but our visit gave me some time to plant some seeds. He and his wife both suffer from health issues and it does not appear to be getting better. As he so aptly pointed out, our bodies, as they age, begin to break down. Some things can be repaired and some things cannot. So true, but as I told him, what we eat goes a long way in helping to make and keep us healthy or it will rob us of our health.

As my friend and I contemplated the number of people we know who have passed from this life to the next, my friend’s approach and mine are different. I fear for those who have died. Did they know Jesus? Did they possess His salvation? For too many, the answer is likely “no.” In fact, I knew at least one who said he was a Buddhist though they didn’t seem to live like it. He was fond of placing his hands together in front of his face when you spoke with him and would bow, saying “namaste” (which means the god in me bows to the god in you). It was interesting to see the divide between what he’d say and how he lived. Of course, this is true of any of us, isn’t it? We all lean toward hypocrisy, which is all the more reason why we need to be so quick to forgive others. We’re all in the same boat there.

Of course, there is one huge difference between being a human hypocrite while being Buddhist or being an authentic Christian. As hypocritical as a Christian might be at times, he/she cannot lose their salvation, while as hypocritical as a Buddhist (or other) can be, they have no salvation to lose, do they?

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12 ESV)

If we stop to consider that everyone who has ever lived is either dead now or will die, it can be frightening to consider the consequences for those who die without Christ. In fact, it should be terrifying for us as we consider them and their plight. Certainly we know that we cannot force open anyone else’s eyes to the truth of the Gospel. Only God can do that. Most who live and die simply refuse to come to Him regardless of how many times the offer of salvation is made to them. Ours is not to try to figure out who will or will not become saved. Ours is to simply tell them whether they listen or refuse to listen. Each person will ultimately either believe God in Christ or will continue in disobedience by rejecting that truth.

Who is it you need to tell someone about Jesus this week?  A co-worker?  A neighbor? A relative? It’s difficult isn’t it? How do you start to present the truth of the Gospel to someone without sounding like you’re a door-to-door salesperson? I think it happens when we plant seeds.

For my friend with whom I was visiting, I deliberately brought up the fact that most people don’t even consider what happens after this life. No one thinks of eternity, unless it is some allegorical “over the rainbow bridge” type of mushy sentiment.

They are so clueless because all that matters to them is the “here and now” even though people have a difficult time living in the “moment.” My friend agreed with me. I further pointed out that God is desperately trying to get people’s attention. He does this in all sorts of ways. Sometimes, He allows bad health due to our food choices to come our way. God knows that when people get desperate enough due to illness or some other serious issue, they will come literally crying and begging to Him just as many did throughout the Scriptures. He’s still the God who listens and His compassion and patience continue to reach out to unsaved people throughout the world.

It is actually scary to me when I consider all the people who slip into eternity every day, some of whom I have personally known. For them, it is over. There is no chance for a “redo” or “do-over.” They stopped breathing as their soul slipped away from their body and entered eternity. ETERNITY. Read the actual story (not parable) of Abraham’s Bosom with the rich man and Lazarus (cf Luke 16).

I’m sure you know people personally who’ve rejected the Gospel and eventually died. It is such a sobering thought to consider that they are in their eternal destination, without Christ. It’s absolutely tragic because there’s nothing that can change that for them. Not one thing.

One of the people that my friend and I both knew died about 8 months ago, as my friend informed me. Apparently, he had some type of thing on his foot. The doctors tried to deal with it, but to no avail. Eventually, it became infected and attacked his body. At that point, he didn’t last long in the hospital before succumbing. Can you imagine? You have this small “thing” on your foot which is a nuisance but not too problematic. You figure modern science and medicine will figure it out, fix it, and you’ll be as good as new. How does that happen in today’s world of science and medicine? It happens because God has given each person only so many days. If he hadn’t died from that foot “thing,” he might have died in a car accident or something else.

Even though most of us believe our life will go on for many years, in reality, your life and mine can end quite unexpectedly and you face the God of the universe. You spend your eternity thinking about all the times you rejected anything that even smacked of Christianity or the Gospel. You replay forever the mistakes you made, the inordinate thoughts and words you had or spoke to others and that’s all you have for all eternity, with no respite. Unending replays of your life and wishing desperately you had a do-over.

I cannot even begin to imagine what that will be/is like for all the souls who rejected God, leaving Him no choice but to reject them for all eternity. There are no do-overs once a person dies and passes from this life to the next life.

What can we do to help people in this life make better decisions for Jesus before their time runs out? The answer is obvious but difficult to do, isn’t it? We must be prepared to give an answer to everyone about the hope that we have and why it is important for them to embrace this same hope found in Jesus (cf 1 Peter 3:15).

Folks, life is going to get harder, not easier, as we move toward the climax of human civilization and the enemy’s continued efforts to overthrow and replace God. The enemy of our souls is unleashing himself and his fallen angels into the lives of many lost people in this world. The result? Utter craziness.

I’m seeing things that I never thought I’d see in life, things that were part of science fiction novels. Some of that is due to the fact that a few decades ago, the insane asylums were shut down so people who should be institutionalized getting some measure of help, now wander our cities’ streets wreaking havoc because of their mental state. These people existed in Jesus’ day as well and it always seems that the source was some form of demonic. The same holds true today. Just go and do a search of videos on the ‘Net to see what I’m talking about.

Satan is real. His time is short and he knows it. Things are rapidly moving toward the time when prophecies that have not been fulfilled will be fulfilled. In spite of this, we know that God is in control, that He is moving His plan forward throughout the earth and one day the climactic physical return of God the Son, Jesus, will catch this world unaware. He will then set everything to right and rule from His father David’s throne in Jerusalem for 1,000 years; the Millennium.

In the meantime, we’ve got witnessing to do and it cannot be the type of witnessing that only talks the talk. It must be backed up by the truth seen in our lives. Our actions and even our thoughts must support our words.

People need to see Jesus in and through us as we not only talk about Him with others, but as they see Him working through us. That is what opens people’s eyes to the truth of the Gospel. Though none of us are perfect, He will also use those times when we screw up and have to apologize for our stupidity later. God will bless that for His glory and our growth.

Death comes to everyone of us. It’s going to happen. Think about all those celebrities of yesteryear from Hollywood’s Golden Years. People literally worshiped those people but in the end, regardless of their fame, wealth and power, they could not avoid the great equalizer: death. Celebrities continue to die today. Look at the shows you may have grown up with and ask how many of those actors are still alive now? Death is no respecter of persons. It comes for everyone regardless of rank in life.

Who can you share the Gospel with this week? Think about eternity.

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective