Why are we only now hearing about this? The explosion was over the Bering Sea, a remote location in the middle of the ocean.
But we are immortal as well.
I
have often quoted C. S. Lewis’s profound observation: “You have never
talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these are
mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is
immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and
exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.”
An altar seven hundred years older than Abraham
The
intersection of our finitude and our immortality powerfully impressed
me yesterday as our Israel study group visited the ancient fortress of
Megiddo. A Canaanite altar here dates to 2700 BC—seven hundred years
older than Abraham.
Megiddo
is an elevated site near a water source and adjacent to a major highway
(known as the Via Maris). These factors made it a critical military
post. Solomon built stables for horses and chariots here. The fortress
was conquered and reconquered from the ancient Egyptians to the British
in World War I.
The
site was known historically as “Har Megiddo,” meaning “the mountain of
Megiddo.” The valley below took its name; over the centuries, “Har
Megiddo” became “Armageddon.”
Its most famous reference is found in Revelation 16,
where we are told that “the kings of the whole world” will assemble for
battle “on the great day of God the Almighty” (v. 14). John then
states: “And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called
Armageddon” (v. 16).
Whatever
our view of Revelation and the end times, we can all agree on this
fact: we are one day closer to eternity than ever before. We are all
mortal in this world and immortal in the next one. We will live forever
with God in heaven or apart from him in hell.
If we are in prison but convinced we are free
This
fact makes evangelism and ministry not an imposition of our personal
beliefs but an invitation to eternal life in Christ. Of course, our
secular culture could not disagree more.
Here’s the point: the more people reject God’s truth, the more they need to hear it.
Proverbs 4
states: “The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know
over what they stumble” (v. 19). A person who has lived his entire life
in the dark does not know he is in the dark. Nor can he see that which
makes him stumble.
Most lost people do not know they are lost. In John 8:33,
Jews who rejected Jesus claimed that they had “never been enslaved to
anyone.” In response, our Lord warned them: “Everyone who practices sin
is a slave to sin” (v. 34). 1 John 3:8 adds: “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil.”
One
of the ways Satan enslaves the lost is by convincing them that they are
free (like the addict who can quit “whenever he wants”). The fact that
our lost culture rejects the reality and relevance of the one who has
enslaved them is one reason he can enslave them. If we are in prison but
convinced we are free, we will not try to escape.
The greatest gift in the world
What’s
more, the lost are accountable for what they could know of God’s word
and will. Jesus stated: “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much
will be required” ( Luke 12:48).
Commenting
on this fact, Anne Graham Lotz notes: “In America, with churches on
every corner, with religious radio broadcasts, with Christian television
programming, with evangelistic crusades and festivals and services and
movies, America has enormous accountability before God!”
As
a result, we must help those who refuse our help, for they do not know
their dire spiritual condition. Scripture warns: “The god of this world
has blinded the minds of unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light
of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” ( 2 Corinthians 4:4).
Who truly understands the real horrors of hell but wants to go there anyway?
When
we pray for the lost to come to Christ, meet physical needs to meet
spiritual needs, share our faith story, and seek to persuade lost people
to trust in Jesus, we are giving them literally the greatest gift in
the world.
If you possessed a cure for all death, wouldn’t you be obligated and inspired to share it with every dying person you could?
“They saved my world”
Four
Des Moines, Iowa, officers were called to an apartment building on
fire. A mother and her three children under the age of three were
trapped inside on the third floor. Heavy smoke kept the officers from
reaching them. So, they told the mother to drop her children out the
window so they could catch them.
One
by one, that’s just what the officers did. A ladder was then used to
rescue the mother. “I can’t say thank you enough to them,” she later
told a reporter. “I owe them the world, because they saved my world.”
The fact is, our entire world is on fire and only one Person can save us.
Whom do you know that needs to trust in him today?
|
No comments:
Post a Comment