Awake and with God on my mind.
I am often awake in the middle of the night, whether it be because maybe I am in the age bracket that I don’t need much sleep anymore or maybe there is a medical reason for my awakeness. I don’t know. It’s not worth me spending time to figure it out. I feel fine, I’m just awake. So, I decided to get up and write a bit. Normally once I have committed to staying awake and after some wrangling with my cat who is always hungry and likes to take advantage of me by making his presence felt and wanting food, I would get up and read my bible, pray for others, go through my rituals of prayers, asking forgiveness and thanking God for his mercy and being gracious to me. As a result, after some time reading, I find my eyes tiring enough to go back to bed. This normally works. This time I was up thinking about God and thought I would write instead of reading.
Witnessing is not easy. Some are born to do it and do it with ease while others, like me are not good at it at all. It is hard to crack the tough exterior of most people. Most are like that of hard cold granite. Impenetrable to the word of God. To some the word of God and talk of the cross is an offence to them. And still, there are others who with the right circumstances the word of God fits like a comfortable pair of jammies or a nice sweater. To those the word of God slips into the crakes like melted butter. Now anybody can see that cold hard granite and melted butter are extremes, but I am sure you get the picture.
My awakeness made me think about witnessing and what I would say, how would I approach bringing up Christ, what method would I use in providing a seed for God to germinate. After all, that is all we can do is just plant a seed and God does the rest. I can talk till I am blue in the face, but I can’t save anybody. That’s God’s work. So, my approach starts with casual conversation to a man or woman that I am witnessing to. I would say that I can tell that you an interesting person and I bet you have been through a lot of things in your life, some good and some bad right? Some by choice and some by not your choosing. Nevertheless, you survived right? You are here now talking to me, right? So let me ask you something. The bible says, “It is appointed to all men first to die and then the judgment.” The “and after that the judgment” part proves that there is something after you die. Everyone will have to go through “The Great White Throne Judgment.”(GWTJ) That is where God will say “let’s go to the video tape” as the legendary sportscaster Warner Wolf would say. That is when God will roll the tape on everything you have ever done good and bad. Every thought you have ever had. Every thought! Think of that, every thought you have ever had, whether you acted on it or not. Everyone will have to go through the (GWTJ) except believers in Christ. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that all the bad stuff you have gone through and done, all the bad thoughts you have ever had are forgiven? Never to be brought up, never to be mentioned again, never to be held against you? Wouldn’t that be a relief to you? It sure sounds like a load off to me.
The GWTJ is Gods way of cleansing the world of evil. Everything you have ever spoken in secrete will be brought to light. Everything that is hidden will be known. No secrete will get past Jesus who God has given all authority to judge all flesh, that is all men and women who ever lived. God will roll the tape and look at the totality of your life, and you will have to give an account for all you have done and thought in your life. What a scary thought that is.
Now believers aren’t off the hook completely. Believers will have to go through “The Judgment Seat of Christ.” That is where all the good a believer has done and will be judged by Jesus in terms of rewards. Some will be rewarded in gold, silver and precious stones while others wood, hay and stubble or a loss of reward as the bible says. Those that have dedicated their lives to the kingdom of God will be rewarded greatly while others who believed but did little or nothing for the kingdom will suffer a loss of reward but will be saved none the less. And live for eternity with God. That sounds like the deal for me.
What would you rather go through? An unwanted thorough examination of your every move, thought and deed for every eye to see or the mercy of God to forgive my move, thought and deed to never be mentioned again? The bible says that my eyes will see the reward of the wicked. Now don’t be alarmed by this term “wicked, the bible uses it interchangeably with unbelievers. Nevertheless, believers will get to watch those who will go through the GWTJ. I am sure it will not be pleasant for those going through it., especially watching someone I have loved go through it. It will be heart breaking.
So, what will happen at the GWTJ? Now there is some speculation in the religious circles as to whether there will be anyone saved at the GWTJ. This event is to judge the unbelievers, the wicked, the sinners, the unrighteous, the evildoers and so on. God must Judge these souls, otherwise he would not be just. And after some research and googling the consensus is that no one from this group will be saved. Those that are in Christ will already be separated at that point and those that are not will be judged. I often wonder what the need would be to judge them if they have already been separated. Why not casted the lot into hell and be done with it if not to save some. I mean our God is merciful is he not? Surely God will show mercy to some. I would not want to be Jesus making those calls. These are not balls and strikes we are talking about here, but incredibly nuanced and full of grace and mercifully called. I can’t put into words the love and mercy that will have to go into each of these calls, I won’t even attempt it. I am sure it will be heartbreaking even for Jesus.
But to those in which the calls are no brainers Jesus will say “go your way for I never knew you.” Where will you go? The bible is pretty clear that there is only two options heaven or hell. Now for the person I am witnessing to, if they haven’t gotten up by now and stormed off or their eyes have not yet glazed over completely, I would make an effort to contrast heaven and hell. Let us assume for a moment the party I am trying to reach is still with me. I will start with heaven. Now keep in mind I will go one day but I can only say by what I read as to what it will really be like. However, as a believer I cannot help but wonder certain things that are still mysteries to us. I will limit my own ideas, but I will let you know as I do. First you will not be in bodily form. Perhaps an energy source of some kind. The bible says you will be like the angles, on the same level. So, heaven will be a place where there is no darkness. Night will never come. All the light in the universe will be from God himself. There will be no sun or stars to give heat or light. There won’t be any shadows. Gods light will bend around objects. It will be the perfect temperature all the time for everyone. Heaven will be here on earth. The Lord’s prayer says the kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. It will be a place that you can come and go as you please. In and out you will find green pastures. If you are coming and going in and out of heaven, where will you be going? God says in his house are many rooms or mansions. I believe that his house is the universe and his many rooms or mansions are the planets in which one might be assigned to each one of us. if you take away all the sun and stars you will be left with just planets. And as an angel you can go from planet to planet with ease. Heaven will be like the headquarters. In heaven there will be pleasures forevermore. We know that there is music in heaven. Some people who have had experiences with heaven, near death or otherwise have commented on the music they have heard. I bring this up to people wording if God exists and I say all you have to think about is music. No one knows where it came from, why there are only twelve keys and so forth. I say the music will be far more sophisticated than what we have here on earth. Not to mention food and drink. I’m sure food will be far more sophisticated than we are accustomed to. Whatever our favorite meal is think a thousand times better.
I believe heaven be boast of the greatest library ever in which you can look up anything and all earthly mysteries will be revealed. I believe heaven will house the arch of the covenant and Noah’s ark will be there too. Oh, I could go on and on. Now let us contrast that with what we know according to the bible on hell. But before we do, perhaps, we should check in on the one we are witnessing to. To see if he is still awake. Perhaps with my groanings on heaven, we have whipped him unwittingly into a vegetable topper. Ok he is alive and alert and willing to proceed.
So, hell, a place that no man should choose to go. When Jesus says go your way for, I never knew you is referring to the only other place to go. You will probably be escorted there. Remember no third option, only the two. Jesus referred to it as outer darkness. If God provides all the light that believers will need then outer darkness is a place with no light. None. The Apostle Peter calls it the “blackest of darkness.” And that darkness is total separation from God, from the light of God. Jesus says it is a place that was made for the devil and his angels. Not for man. God says it is his will that every man come to repentance and that none should perish. By perish he means the second death which is hell. Those that are going will be out of their element, a foreigner, a stranger in a strange place. No home court advantage except for the devil and his angels. Now imagine a place so dark, you cannot see a thing, and you are there with many, many others who are all trying to gain on you and they are all trying to do the same thing. Find a way out. And there will be no way out for ever. The bible says it is a place of constant torment. Unending, unceasing torment. The temperature of hell will not be favorable either. Referred to as a place of eternal fire, an unquenchable fire. The bible says it is a lake of fire and sulfur. Imagine a place that hot and with that smell. To have that sulfur smell in your nostrils all the time. I almost said in your nostril’s day and night but there will be no day, because it will by dark 24/7 forever. It is also a place where you will reap what you sow. So, if what you have sowed while alive is money or sex or murder or rape or whatever that is what you can expect to await you in hell. The bible says like a dog you will return to eat your vomit. I submit to you it won’t be pretty or comfortable, and it is forever. I also believe that while in hell one will have one repeating course of memories, playing over and over in their heads while you are searching for the door to get out of hell which can’t be found and those memories are all the times the word of God was brought up to you, and you never accepted. What a sobering thought.
It gives me the chills just thinking about it. The description of hell is frightening. If you want to know more on hell look into Dante Alighieri’s The Divine comedy or take a long look into the paintings by Botticelli based on the Dante’s writings. It is Chilling!
Let us take a step back. I am writing this primarily because I couldn’t sleep and decided to instead of getting up to read and pray, which is my normal course of action, that I would write about what I was keeping me awake. Imagine for a moment you are driving your car and the driver ahead of you stops in the middle of the road and gets out to warn other drivers that the road has a giant sinkhole in it and drivers before him all drove into the sinkhole or a driver on a bridge stops to alert other drivers that the bridge before him has collapsed. I suspect you would be grateful of a man who warns others of impending doom. Well, that is what the totality of this writing amounts to. A warning to those who don’t see it coming.
To the person of whom I am witnessing I would ask if any of this has resonating with him. The bible says that God doesn’t want to see any of the souls he created perish. And if you would believe in the name of Jesus, you would be saved from entering such a place as hell. Ask for forgiveness of sins, be willing to turn from your sins and believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. And you will be saved. It is a free gift you cannot work for, a gift given by the Grace of God. May you all accept it.
Now witnessing is far more difficult than my long-winded essay suggests. People have a natural defense to the word of God because they do not want to be convicted in their hearts. I get it. No one likes being called out. But I assure you it is worth it. Well, I guess I have gone on too long and my eyes are getting heavy. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. Mayhe turn his face to you and give you peace. Amen.
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