“Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.” (Heb. 10:38)
“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” (Psalm 116:15)
The unrepentant soul has no assurance in their death, they hold a false hope of an imagined scenario, most of them I would presume of a “better” place, one where their desires will be met. Those desires of course are based on the carnal, the flesh, the fulfillment of pleasures once known repeated and those they have attempted to attain to but were unable to grasp in this life.
The afterlife for them is completely self-centered.
The wise man contemplates his death often, not in the form it will arrive, save for his desire that he will not dishonor the Lord in those moments, but in the truth that it will be precious in the eyes of the Lord.
“And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” (1st Peter 4:18)
The glimpses of heaven that we have been shown in the Scriptures are enough for us to desire that place, entire books have been written upon its splendor, and we await our presence there with great anticipation. Far too many though seem to have put heaven as a greater objective than He who made it.
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Rev. 21:4)
“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” (Romans 8:17)
Those who will reside in the Kingdom of the Living God for all eternity will suffer in this life, and that suffering my friends will only count towards that accord if it is done or received for His glory. The tears must flow because of those we hate, the wicked who have today and will continue to reject His offering of love, grace and mercy. The pain must be accepted as a gift that we are to rejoice in, no matter where or in what form it appears, for Romans 8:28 stands as a truth. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
The longing to leave this evil place and be forever in the presence of never-ending joy must be tempered with the desire to reach out to all that will listen until our final breath, for there is found no pleasure in the Almighty at theirs.
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” (Matt. 5:14)
“But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” (Prov. 4:18)
Why are you in a hurry to leave? Has your heart grown cold, do not the cries of those already in hell reach your ears, can you not see the torment of those who will experience eternal suffering any longer? Does not the knowledge of the never-ending hopelessness drive you to their doorstep, pleading with them to accept the grace offered, begging them to hear the offer of love before they must face the reality of the truth, that their concept of the afterlife was nothing more than a vain imagination?
There are many who have gone on before us to that land of eternal peace who stand on the precipice of hell and say, “I wish I would have.”
This poorly written letter is for those whose desire for heaven is greater than their desire to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in this life, those who have slipped into the sin of selfishness, whose greatest flow of tears is only for themselves. Those who are the salt on the brink of losing their savor.
We desire to be with Christ, but not until we have fulfilled the purpose He has set before us.
