Just A Little More Time

"So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom.  The rich man also died and was buried.  And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.  Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.'  "But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things and likewise Lazarus evilthings; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.  'And besides all this, between us and you is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.'  "then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my fathers house, 'for i have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.'  "Abraham said to him, "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.'  "And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'  "But he said to him, 'if they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.'"
Luke 16: 22-31 NKJV

Not one of us knows the minute we will pass either into Gods glory or that place of torment.  This is why it is imperitive that we recognize the truth of the life and resurection of Jesus Christ.  The concept of heaven and hell are well known even to those who do not follow Jesus.  Everyone at some time or another feels that they are indeed "good enough" to enter into our Lords presence when their time here on earth is done.  And so it is that many are of the belief that our lives here on earth are but temporary.  In the big scheme of things, there is yet another destination on our journey.  Where will we end up?  Every religion, from Buddhism to Christianity has laid claim to that "Other" place that we travel to once our time here is complete.  It's no wonder that so many people have so many different ideas of where we will end up.  However, there is no return receipt for this journey, for once we pass over, we began a new phase of our existance.  What will our "Afterlife" be?  In Luke 16, Jesus related a parable of a certain rich man and a beggar who both died and crossed over upon death.  The beggar was comforted, while the rich man was in torment in flames.  Now, this should be a distinct reminder to those who are even flirting with christianity.  I believe what Jesus was trying to get across to all who would listen here in this passage is that there is definately a destination for the good and evil among us.  Not only that, but we have been warned of this fate already.  How is that?  Well, as Jesus tells us when the rich man requests Lazarus to visit his brothers, "They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them."  Indeed, if someone will not heed the warnings of the prophets of the Lord or His very word, they will most assuredly not hear one who has been raised from the dead.

He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.  And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
1 John 5: 10-12 NKJV

My mother, who recently passed, was a lifelong christian who loved her Lord with all of her heart.  In retrospect, I have not met anyone who had such a reverence for the Lord as she.  And why not, for whenever she came across a situation she seemed to struggle with, her very first inclanation was to go to her Lord in prayer.  She would so often tell me of that old couch in our house in Minnesota where she would be on her knees in prayer.  I believe she could have worn out the carpet in this little area.  It was just natural for her, if there was a difficult situation to be faced, she was on her knees!  Now, did she pray so often because her youngest son was a constant source of worry with his hijinks?  One can only speculate as to the validity of this statement.  Yes, my mother loved her Lord dearly.  In her later years I would often wonder if that fire was still there as she struggled with health issues.  As so often happens in the circle of life, her son would minister to her, just as she had done as I was growing up.  I recall a evening not long before she passed as she lay in the hospital.  For some reason, one I cannot recall, but I began to sing "How great thou art" for her.  This was one of her favorite hymns she often sang to me as well.  If I carried any doubts as to where her heart was, they were eased as she squeezed my hand and smiled and said, "God loves you."

~Scott~