This post is another one that I had no intention of writing. This thought was not on my heart or mind. It did come up twice in the same day though, once online and once with my husband. As a result I found myself in the midst of a discussion that may as well have been a Bible study with my husband. It's not something I went looking for, it just happened. And it happened in the midst of several other things of a Scriptural nature.
A popular evangelist recently passed away and it would seem that the world is rushing to say that he has gone from this earthly life to a heavenly life. It is assumed that this icon has passed into the presence of Christ.
Why the assumption?
Because...because...because he taught of 'Jesus' and 'led' people to 'Christ', 'saving' them. At least that seems to be the reason it's assumed that this man is now in heaven. I'm not saying that he isn't in heaven. He could be. Only the Lord knows the answer to that. I am saying that my understanding of Scripture does not allow me to assume this man is in heaven.
I do not wish to delve too deeply into that topic at the moment. It's not my intent to discuss one man but rather to address a much bigger issue. That of assuming that when someone dies they have gone to heaven.
I have been to very few funerals in my life. In fact I make it a point to try and avoid all funerals. I do not go to them if I can keep from it. When my grandpa passed away I went to the family night, skipped the viewing, and did not go to the funeral. This is a very personal choice for me. It is something I feel I need to do for me. You see, I do not want the last encounter I have with someone to be when they are dead. I chose not to view my grandpa's body, or to go to the funeral because his body would be on view, in order to be able to remember him as he was the last time I saw him.
I guess you could say I am sheltered. I have been to a grand total of three funerals/memorials, and one family night, in my life. I have been blessed to be touched by only a few deaths so far and have been in a position each time, usually through cremation, to be able to avoid seeing those I loved in death. I know the day is coming when that will change but for now it is that way.
But there was a theme through each of those memorials that also runs through every conversation, or just about, that I have ever heard after a person dies. I'm also going to go a bit further and say I have heard this same theme used when an animal dies.
That theme is the steady stream of statements about how the deceased person 'is in a better place' or 'is in heaven' followed by the inevitable statements of 'we will see them again' and 'we will all be together again'. Just yesterday I was told by someone that very much denies that salvation comes through Christ alone that we could have a good conversation when 'we get to heaven'.
There is this myth cycling through much of the American people that all who die go to heaven. It just seems to be a common assumption. I can understand. No one wants to think the people they love so dearly in this life are burning in hell once their last breath is taken. I'm sure that myth cycles through those in other countries too but since I am not in those other countries to see how they react to death I will keep my thoughts centered on the country in which I live. And this country has made it a point of assuring everyone that each and every person that dies is in heaven.
I have a relative that not only denied any belief in Christ for most of his entire life, which happened to be very long, but he denied a belief in God in any way. I am told that in his final weeks he 'asked Jesus into his heart' and therefore died a 'Christian'. I do not know the true condition of this beloved relatives soul upon his death. I have family that gets great comfort from the knowledge that this relative 'asked Jesus into his heart' before he died. I squirm inside each time I hear those words spoken but I, for the most part, leave my relatives with the belief that he is now in heaven.
I do not gain the same comfort from this relatives supposed conversion in his final weeks. I hope and pray that it was genuine and that he now resides with our Lord but I do not know that that is the case and I draw no comfort in his supposed conversion in his final hours. I just take it as it is, knowing that death bed confessions of faith often stem from fear and the need for comfort and not from any real belief.
I will go further, to a much, much, much harder place for me. I have lost three babies. They died before they ever lived. One of which I was blessed to get to hold in my hands, to marvel at the amazing tiny little person even as I grieved for the passing of such a young life. I still hurt for those babies. I ache for them. I miss them often. I know exactly how old they would be now and when their birthdays would have been, at least I know the month they would have been born in. I know the day they died and recall with painful accuracy the details of their passing.
But I do not know the condition of their souls.
In my mind and heart they died in total innocence. I know Scripture says we are conceived in sin, are born in sin. I know that. I understand that. I know Scripture gives no assurances on what happens to the innocents that die. Just yesterday I had someone question me on that very thing. I could not assure them their one year old is in heaven. I could no more do that than I can assure myself my lost babies are in heaven.
And yet people on television, on the radio, on the internet, and on the street corners are assuring anyone that will listen that this evangelical teacher is now in heaven. This man did teach on Christ, on God, on Scripture but he also taught false things, only some of which are the fact that anyone that was sincere enough would go to heaven whether they believed in Christ or not. That man who said God would have a wide mercy on all of mankind is being announced to be in heaven as if those on earth have the ability to ensure his entry into the pearly gates.
And why not?
After all, they grant entry into heaven like they give passes to a free event in a city park. Anyone that passes by the way, or in this case dies, is allowed to enter with no greater price paid for their ticket than the losing of their life.
I'm not saying losing ones life isn't a huge price to pay. It is. It's the greatest price a person can pay. But it isn't the price charged for admission to heaven. That doesn't seem to go through the minds of the people handing out free passes though, including this evangelical icon that said God would have mercy on multitudes of people regardless of their belief in Christ.
According to the masses, this man, this...paragon...now lives with Christ. But by the same token, so does every other person that has passed away. Oh, and so does their dog, cat, bird, and goldfish. Everything but their houseplants are given a pass to heaven upon death.
Funny thing is, the masses that hand out these get into heaven free passes are, as a whole, the same people that are quick to say 'don't judge' should anyone tell them anything they do is the least bit wrong. If I had a dollar for every time I have heard someone start a sentence with the words 'don't judge' I would be rich. Not that I want to be rich and I sure don't want a dollar for every don't judge statement I hear. In all honesty I would much rather just not hear those words at all. Every time I hear those words I cringe inside. My body reacts the same as it does when I hear profane words.
'Don't judge' has become a banner statement for this nation and time. Don't judge my sin. Don't judge my life. Don't judge my choices. Don't judge me. And they certainly don't want anyone judging their eternity.
At least that's what they claim.
The person I was drawn into conversation with yesterday would have nothing of hell except for her own version of it which was basically the idea that ones own discomfort in their choices is hell. This woman had been through a very traumatic experience and I understand that our own thoughts can torture us but that does not make them hell.
Most people will not be drawn into a conversation on hell as Scripture describes it. Most people do not want to hear about it. They don't want to think about it. They don't want to know about it. And so, somehow, it is conveniently erased. Zap. Just like that, it goes away because it makes people uncomfortable. Even so-called preachers rarely touch it.
And why?
Because no one wants to be told they are going to hell. They do not want to be told that God hates them. They do not want to believe that their is any price to be paid beyond whatever their own version of punishment for the bad that they do on this earth is.
And that punishment is rarely the hell Scripture teaches on. Even those that claim to be 'Christians', even those that sit in 'Church' buildings every Sunday, even those that read their Bibles every day...
They.
Do.
Not.
Want.
To.
Hear.
About.
Hell.
Hell, as in the fiery inferno. Hell as in the gnashing of teeth. Hell as in the place of punishment. Even this paragon of 'Christian' evangelical belief did not, could not, or would not, tell people that they would burn in hell if they failed to believe in Christ unto salvation.
Instead he gave them false assurances and now the world is giving those same false assurances back to him. They are grieving the loss of this beloved teacher, mourning his passing as they do any public figure that they love, and they are patting each other on the back, assuring all who will listen that this 'wonderful' man has passed into his just reward in heaven.
Why?
Not why are they assuring all that he is in heaven but why is it that they can judge the condition of his soul without anyone telling them- Do Not Judge Him.
When great Aunt Sally died... When Uncle John passed...When Papa George took his last breath... When Amy, Fred, Nicolas, Johnny, Jimmy, Carol, Bobby or...whoever died, they are all quick to rush in and be the judge and jury on the final condition of their soul. Whether the person doing it is a 'preacher', 'teacher', parent, child, funeral home director, or stranger on the street, they pass a final judgement on the condition of the deceased person's soul and inevitably the condition of that soul is found to be in heaven.
I've never heard anyone say 'they've gone on to hell now. You'll see them again." Why not? What's the difference? If the masses can pass judgement on ones soul for the sake of sending them to heaven, why can't they do it to send them to hell?
I'm not saying we can ever send anyone to heaven or hell. I do not think that at all. Only the Lord can give or withhold salvation. Our eternities rest in His hands alone. But it would seem that people in America believe wholeheartedly that they know where a person goes when they die. And I guess in their minds they do know.
When salvation is had because 'God loves all' or 'Jesus loves the sinner' or when you can 'come just as you are' then there is no downside, no loss, no punishment. When pet Rufus, Fifi, and little Goldie go to heaven with the same security as 'good' people do, when 'bad' people can be redeemed simply by dying no matter what they did in this life... Well, when there is no true hell because hell is just too uncomfortable to think about, then all who die go to heaven.
What would these same people do if everyone that dies were proclaimed to be in hell instead? What if the next time great Uncle John takes his last breath everyone were to tell his friends and family, 'I'm so sorry he's gone to a worse place. He's now in hell where he can live forever in the eternal torment for the sins he committed on earth'. What if people said those things?
What if instead of saying 'he's in a better place' people said, 'he lied and stole, he had an affair with his secretary and lusted after women in town. He was vulgar and hate-filled. He beat his kids and cussed his wife. He was a bad person that has gotten his just reward and is now being tortured in hell as he deserves'?
What if people said that?
I'm not saying we can know anyone is in hell. Eternity is in the Lord's hands. But we can know that certain things do not bode well for one's ability go to heaven.
If great Uncle John's dying words were 'do not tell me of Christ. God is a lie, he does not exist and I don't want to hear about it', than it's a pretty good idea that your next words should not be to assure his grieving widow that he is 'now in heaven'.
But people do that very thing every day. I understand that our human hearts and minds need comfort. Even our bodies need comfort. I sit on my couch because it's more comfortable than the floor. I sleep in my bed because it's more comfortable than my bathtub. We have become a nation of comfort.
We want it. We seek it out. We need it. Comfort has been so ingrained in our minds and our culture that we look for it whether we realize it or not. We take vacations in places that comfort us. We buy furniture based on how comfortable it is. We eat foods that give us comfort. We drink things that comfort us. We live to be comforted.
Everywhere we look, we can see this comfort life. It's not hard to understand, not hard to believe. I do not want a large flat rock for my bed, nor do I want a thorn bush for a chair. I am one of the odd ones, the crazy ones, the...whatever they chose to call me because I do not want comfort in false assurances. I do not want to be told that my uncle that committed suicide in prison is in heaven when I know there is little chance of that. I would much rather be reminded that 'the wages of sin is death' and that hell awaits the sinner. I would much rather be told that my uncle lived a life of sin, that he took his own life, that he did not put all of his faith in Christ and therefore that it is unlikely that he is in heaven now.
I don't want to be told that this popular 'preacher/teacher' is in heaven. I want to be shown where his teachings differed from Scripture. I want to be told that he did not put all of his faith in Christ and Christ alone. I want to be shown that he loved fame and money and used those to his advantage and pointed to Scripture where we are told that we cannot love both God and money.
I do not want to be told that a Reformed Christian preacher that recently passed away is in heaven. I want to be told that this man regularly begged for money through his ministry and how his beliefs seemed to be in line with Scripture but that we can never know the condition of another's soul. I want to be told that Scripture says we will see the fruit of the Spirit in those that are born again and that we should test ourselves to see if we are in the faith. I want to be reminded that there will be many that will cry 'Lord, Lord' only to be told, 'depart me from, I never knew you.' I want to be reminded that although none of the elect will ever be lost we can never be certain of our place among the elect. There will clearly be 'Christians' that believe themselves to be born again that will spend an eternity in hell.
I want to be reminded of those things because it keeps me on my toes. I do not want to be given a false comfort. I don't want to grow complacent.
But it seems that the majority of people want just such complacency. They want empty assurances that their loved one, favorite movie star, rock star, preacher, or dog has moved from this life and into an eternity in heaven. They want the false comfort of believing their mother is sitting in a rocking chair in heaven with their beloved dog by her side.
Don't get me wrong, my human heart wants badly to believe the babies I lost have been given eternity in heaven. My mother's heart anguishes at the thought that those little souls might have experienced anything else. I cannot bear the thought that they are not spending eternity in heaven and so I try hard not to dwell on those details. I remember my babies with love and joy, content myself in knowing they could not have been loved more in their short lives on this earth. But I do not comfort myself in false thoughts that my babies are 'in Jesus'arms'.
Would doing so not be to pass judgement on their souls? Would it not be to judge the eternal condition of their souls? Is that not exactly what 99% of the American population does every time they are confronted with death?
Why is it that they can so freely judge the final condition of the soul...or lack of soul in the case of animals...but anyone that dares to so much as tell them they are wrong are told to 'don't judge'?
We have become a nation of people that judge the eternal souls of others while they throw fits over being judged.
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