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John Engelbrecht March 25, 2013 Grovetown, GA
To any soul who appears at the gate of Heaven with his disobedience intact (had knowledge of Jesus' offer of forgiveness but refused the offer), the sight of God is an awful experience. Satan's alternative is a relief to that unsaved soul. This idea is developed in this essay.
There are plenty of jokes about getting into Heaven.
http://www.crystal-reflections.com/jokes/200_299/joke_276.htm (paraphrased)
A woman finds herself outside the Pearly Gates, where she is greeted by St. Peter. "It's so beautiful! Did I make it to Heaven?"
"Yes, dear, but you must do one thing before you can enter."
Very excited, the woman asks what she must do to pass through the gates.
"Spell a word," St. Peter replies.
"What word?" she asks.
"Any word," answers St. Peter. "It's your choice."
The woman promptly replies, "The word I will spell is love. L-O-V-E."
St. Peter congratulates her on her good fortune of making it into Heaven and asks her if she will take his place at the gates for a moment while he goes to the bathroom.
"Certainly," she says, "but what should I do if someone comes while you are gone?"
St. Peter instructs her to require any new comers to spell a word, just as she had done. So the woman takes St. Peter's chair and watches the beautiful angels soaring around her, when lo and behold, a man approaches the gate.
It is her husband!
"What happened?" she cries. "Why are you here?"
Her husband explains, "I was so upset when I left your funeral that I got into an automobile accident. Now I am here, ready to join you in Heaven."
"Not just yet," the woman replies. "First you must spell a word."
"What word?" he asks.
"Czechoslovakia."
This joke has more credibility.
http://www.timshen.truepath.com/preach/pearly_gates_story.htm
A man dies and goes to heaven. St. Peter meets him at the pearly gates. "Here's how it works. You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good things you've done, and I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in."
"Okay," the man says, "I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart."
"That's wonderful," says St. Peter, "that's worth three points!"
"Three points?" he says. "Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and service."
"Terrific!" says St. Peter, "that's certainly worth a point."
"One point? Golly. How about this: I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans."
"Fantastic, that's good for two more points," he says.
"TWO POINTS!!" the man cries, "At this rate the only way I get into heaven is by the grace of God!"
"Come on in!"
There are indeed gates, twelve of them, like pearls, in the Holy City of Revelation 21. Each gate has an angel, but St. Peter is really not needed at any gate. Instead, entry to the City is based on "the books" of Revelation 20. Here I add some interpretation to Rev 20 and progress toward the experience of those who are not forgiven.
The apostle John sees a great white throne and God seated upon it. The dead stand before the throne,9 all of them, whether good or bad, forgiven or unforgiven. Each soul is intimately in touch with God; every person's vision of God is clear and direct, and no person can hide behind anyone else.3 (Gravity is no longer in effect [earth and sky fled away from God's presence], there is no flat plain upon which people are standing in ranks, and the three dimensions are replaced by hyperdimensions so that each person is close up and looks God in the eyes.)
Books are opened. The dead12 are judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. (Deuteronomy 29, as for him who persists in going his own way, "the Lord will blot out his name from under heaven.") (Hebrews 4:12, the word of God is active and alive, dividing as finely as to separate spirit from soul, judging the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing is hidden from God's sight. Everything is laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.) Disobedience of those who refused Jesus' forgiveness is documented in the books, printed in black and white, along with the good they have done.
For the disobedience of those who accepted7 Jesus' forgiveness8, Jesus himself has taken an eraser and erased all record of their sin.6 Whatever good they have done remains in the books, and there are eraser crumbs in the blanks where Jesus has forgiven. The angels sweep aside the eraser crumbs, find only good deeds, and enter those names into a special book, the Book of Life.
But anyone who has retained his sin does not have his name entered in the Book of Life. His disobedience is evident to himself and to God, and he is shamed by the records.10 The time when he could have been forgiven is in the past. There is no way to hide sin.
Consider the case of Mr. Smith. He wakes up at a gate of the Holy City. "I must have had a car crash, I don't remember being sick." An angel motions for him to join an intake line. "Welcome to Heaven. We are busy today, we have two lines open, so this won't take too long." Mr. Smith is a self-assured family man. He is thinking to himself, "Well, this should be a walk in the park, I was careful in my life to do good for my family and so many people. Now, who is this in the dirty leather jacket over in the other line? I can barely read a name across his back...Jones, it says."
"Jones!" calls out an angel. Mr. Jones limps up to the head of his line. Mr. Smith notices he has a scraggly beard and a pretty carved-up face. "He must have been in some big bar fights," thinks Mr. Smith.
"Smith!" calls out the angel. Mr. Smith steps up beside Jones. "How's it going today, Jones?"
Jones replies, "Very well, today. The execution at the penitentiary was no big deal. I am so thankful to that visiting preacher. He told me I could have all my disobedience forgiven." Mr. Smith replies, "All of it, hmm? You needed that?" "Yes, and he said this gift of forgiveness from Jesus was free, I just had to receive it. So I did!"
The angels are opening the Books to the pages for Smith and Jones. Mr. Smith is amazed, Jones has five pages. "What is all that mess on your pages, Jones?" "Oh, that is the eraser crumbs. When Jesus erased my sins, he must have used half a carton of Pink Pearl erasers!" Angel Steve calls for the push broom. "Let's get these pages cleared, please." Now, Mr. Smith can see expanses of empty columns, but there is a little black type remaining. "Jones, Jesus didn't erase all your sins, there is still some in those columns!" Jones peers at the book. "Oh, that is the little bit of good that I did in my life. It wasn't much, I imagine you have a lot more good in your life than me." They look toward Mr. Smith's pages. Indeed, there is a lot of black print in Mr. Smith's columns. Jones says, "But look at your book. See the Times New Roman in font size 8, italicized? That is your disobedience!"
Mr. Smith sees what Jones if talking about. "Oh, that. I let Jesus forgive me for just some of my big sins. I didn't need help with my little sins, they are so small compared to all the good I did. But I tell you what, Jones. I have this throbbing headache that comes and goes." Jones replies, "Headache, hunh? That is the eyes of the Lord, looking at your thoughts and intentions."3 Angel Steve speaks up. "It is what it is. Mr. Smith, I am a trained therapist. Are you also feeling some regret and shame?" Mr. Smith has to confess, "Well, yes, now that you mention it, I am feeling a lot of that as we have gotten up to the head of these lines."
The angels have turned from the books to the Book of Life and are writing Jones' name in the Book of Life. Jones is waved through by Angel Steve. He floats toward a shining gate. While Jones is still in sight, Mr. Smith calls out, "Have a good day, Mr. Jones." Now, Angel Steve, I wonder if I might have a weekend pass, and please tell me if medical marijuana is legal here, that might help with this headache." The angel replies, "No, Father Abraham had the dispensary closed down a long time ago." Mr. Smith glances again at the black print under his name in the books. "Can I use my own eraser on my sins?"
Angels come beside Mr. Smith. "Come with me, you don't have to stand here in shame, with your head throbbing." Each unforgiven person, much to his relief, is led away from the awesome presence of God.
Mr. Smith feels a load lifting from his shoulders. He sees a smiling figure looking expectantly for him, holding a sign with his name, like you see at the arrival gate in an airport when a business person is welcomed for an appointment and provided transportation by the host. Each disobedient soul is welcomed by a figure, who turns out to be a demon.
The demon listens to Mr. Smith's excuses and says, "I understand how you wanted to go your own way while you lived on the earth. Just now, were you feeling condemned as you stood before God, as he read about your disobedience, your refusal to be forgiven? Isn't it a relief to be going away from that condemnation? See all these others who are gladly doing the same. I'll tell you what, if you had somehow gotten into Heaven, you would not have liked it, because everyone there would be continually aware of the disobedience you retained. But we have a place, a resort, for you. They call it Lake P. You will not be bothered by God there." Mr. Smith is feeling better. "Lake P., you say. Is the P an abbreviation?" "Yes, it stands for Pyro."
The disobedient person follows his host away from the Holy City. A curious, distant sound from behind makes him look over his shoulder. He sees the pearl gates opening, and light shines out from the City. (Rev. 21:22-27: The city does not need the sun to shine on it, for the Lamb is its lamp.) A distant voice proclaims, "Enter, all whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. But nothing impure will ever enter, nor anyone who is shameful." Then the voice of Jesus is heard, speaking Rev. 22:12-16. "I give to everyone according to what he has done. Blessed are those who have washed their robes in the forgiveness of my blood; you have the right to the tree of life. Outside is everyone who practices unbelief (Rev 21:8)." A shout is heard from within the walls. Everyone is calling the name of Jesus. As the demon hears that name, he falls down as if stumbling.11 The disobedient person falls down, too. The demon sheepishly confesses, "I hate it every time that happens. Like they say, Jesus is Lord, but only for those losers who turned down the world for him."
See the Physics Time Line in this web site. At 1961 is a true story along the same lines.
Everyone who ends up in Hell has a terrible experience, but it is better than being in God's presence while retaining your sins. Consider that when the Israelites left Egypt in 1445 BC, they walked to Jabal Musa, Mt. Sinai, and saw the presence of God on the mountain. It was terrifying. Exodus 19, "There was lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Smoke billowed up from the mountain like from a furnace and the whole mountain trembled violently." The people begged Moses to make God stop it. "We are going to die if this keeps up." 1
Jabal Musa, Mt. Sinai, is a definite place. Egyptians run a motel nearby and many Western tourists visit this place. Also nearby is the ancient (and currently active) Orthodox monastery of St. Katherine which has an ancient library. These photos make the place look like a desert, and it is, but local Arab families have built rock-walled gardens in the wadis and grow food.
This photo is taken from Jabal Musa, so the mountain that God spoke to Moses from, concealed by thick cloud and smoke, is not seen to advantage. But the hard rock and dramatic scenery are evident. There is a plain nearby that was large enough to accommodate all two million or so Israelites.
The reactions of terror (just above the photos) at Mt. Sinai were far short of what unforgiven people experience when judged by God in Heaven. Second by second, there is a knowledge of the holiness of God and his condemnation of disobedience and a tormenting awareness that the sins you have held on to are known in detail by God. All around you, the forgiven people are unaware that anything is wrong. They are forgiven, they have no worries, and they are drinking in God's love.
This is the testimony of the Bible. It is different from what is popular knowledge, that God weighs your good and your bad and finds that most people are really pretty good people, in their hearts. Satan is glad when people believe this lie.
I learned the truth of what the Bible says when I was 27 years old. I did as many do, I asked the living Jesus to forgive me. Then I read in the Old Testament's first five books how ancient Jews were forgiven. They presented animals to be sacrificed at the Temple, or before that the Tabernacle tent. In the old covenant, forgiveness is in the shedding of the animal's blood, and this happened yearly and family by family. In the new covenant, there is no need for millions of animals to be sacrificed. One sacrifice, Jesus', is adequate for everyone who asks him for forgiveness and believes what the Bible says about him.2
Forgiveness does not come from emotions, believing "hard enough," or belonging to a church. Forgiveness is having faith that Jesus offers forgiveness. As one reads the New Testament, one reads all the personal qualities of Jesus, and the response of faith is to believe what the Bible says about Jesus. A person who responds in faith does not need proof.
In fact, many churches carry on mere traditions and no longer advise people that they need forgiveness. But a Bible-believing church with a responsible shepherd pastor and humble deacons is a place to worship the risen Lord and learn from the Bible the best ways to live. Such a place is a joy to take part in.
Take to heart the advice of loving Christians: ignore what the world says about Jesus. The world is perishing because the world thinks it has better ideas. Accept Jesus' forgiveness, then make your decision known in a local, Bible-preaching church. Then read through all the Bible in a year or two and pick up on the many things Jesus' word has for you. Buy a "chronological" Bible which condenses parallel passages, it will make better sense and be shorter to read.
A common counterargument is that God is unfair to condemn good people just because they want to make their own decisions and lead their own lives. The Bible has multiple answers to this challenge. One of them is the consequence for Jews at the times that "everyone did what was right in his own eyes," Judges 17:6 and 21:25. Leviticus 26 If you are careful to obey my commands, I will grant you peace in the land (I give you), and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. The sword will not pass through your country. I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful. You will still be eating last year's harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new. You will be my people. I brought you out of Egypt and enabled you to walk with heads held high. But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands and so violate my covenant, then I will do this to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror. I will set my face against you. I will break down your stubborn pride. If you remain hostile toward me and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your afflictions. I will cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols. I will scatter you among the nations. But if they will confess their sins, their treachery against me, when their hearts are humbled, I will remember my covenant with Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham. Deuteronomy 26 The Lord commands you to follow his laws with all your heart and soul. You have declared that you will walk in his ways. And the Lord has declared this day that you are his treasured possession as he promised. He will set you in praise, fame, and honor. Deuteronomy 28 Your will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out, in everything you put your hand to. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. Do not turn aside from any of my commands. If you do not obey, you will wear out your eyes watching for your sons and daughters, hoping for them to return from another nation that they were given to. The Lord will drive you and the king you set over yourselves to a nation unknown to you (Assyria, Babylon). The alien who lives among you will rise above you. The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, a fierce-looking nation without respect for the old or pity for the young. The high fortified walls in which you trust will fall down. Deuteronomy 29 The nations will ask: "Why has the Lord done this to this land?" And the answer will be: "This people abandoned the covenant of the Lord. They went off and worshiped other gods." Ezekiel 33 God says, "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, [but my will is] that the wicked turn from his way and live. Deuteronomy 30 What I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. The word is very near you, in your heart. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord and hold fast to him. Deuteronomy 31 Moses said After my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt. But I have proclaimed the name of the Lord. All his ways are just. He is faithful and he does no wrong. In a desert land he found his people, he shielded them and cared for them. He made them ride on the heights. Israel grew fat and kicked. He abandoned the God who made him. I, the Lord, will make them envious by those who are not a people, by a nation that has no understanding. Deuteronomy 32 Moses came with Joshua and spoke this in the hearing of the people. "Command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you--they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess." Nehemiah 9 (444 B.C., after the 70 years of exile in Babylon) They turned their backs on you. You were patient with them. By your Spirit you admonished them through your prophets. You handed them over to the neighboring peoples. [But you] keep your covenant of love. You have acted faithfully, while we did wrong. We are slaves today, slaves in the land you gave our forefathers because of our sins.
reference: https://knowgod.com/en/fourlaws/1
1 Deuteronomy 5 When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze...why should we die? This great fire will consume us, and we will die if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer. For what mortal man has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire? Hebrew 12: They begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: "If even an animal touches Mt. Sinai, it must be stoned." The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear."
2 The Jewish ceremony of atonement would still be incumbent on Jews if there was still a temple in Jerusalem. But it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
3 Hebrews 4 The Word4 of God is active and alive, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing straight through to the place where marrow is joined to bone, where spirit is joined to soul. It judges the thoughts of the mind and the intents of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is laid bare before the eyes of him with whom we will have to deal. 1 Corinthians 13:12 [see Him] face to face
4 John 1 The Word was in the beginning. Through him all things were made. Of all the things that were made, the Word made them all. Word in Greek is logos, which can mean word, speech, matter, reason. The life of Jesus was a light for men so they might believe. Believe in Greek means adhere to, trust, rely on. A person who believes in Jesus does not need backup plans for salvation.
5 Atheists & agnostics who became Christians - recent - this is interesting to many people
C. S. Lewis, Lee Strobel - Yale-educated lawyer, Malcolm Muggeridge – British journalist and author who went from agnosticism to the Catholic Church, Bernard Nathanson - long-time abortion doctor, William J. Murray - author and son of atheist activist Madalyn Murray O'Hair, Marvin Olasky - former Marxist turned Christian conservative, professor at UT Austin and other colleges, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn - Soviet Union physicist who endured internal exile for decades, Allan Sandage - astronomer.
6 Acts 3 You have been walking away from God. Turn around, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out.
7 Hebrews 4 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence Jeremiah 31 I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts by my Spirit. I will be their God, and they will be my people...I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more
8 Hebrews 5 he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. 1 John 1 if we walk in His light, his blood purifies us. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us.
9 Hebrews 9 man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment
10 Hebrews 10 it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God
11 Philippians 10 At the name of Jesus, every knee should bow ... [even] of those under the earth, and everyone confess that Jesus Messiah is Lord.
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/philippians/2-10.htm Barnes' Notes all will acknowledge him as universal Lord; all bow to his sovereign will; ... the lost will do this; for they will be constrained to yield an unwilling homage to him ... this does not mean that they will all be saved, for the guilty and the lost may be compelled to acknowledge his power ... There is the free and cheerful homage of the heart which they who worship him in heaven will render; and there is the constrained homage which they must yield who are compelled to acknowledge his authority.
12 Daniel 12:2, 3 everyone whose name is found written in the book...will awake: some to everlasting life, other to shame and everlasting contempt
Josh McDowell is with Campus Crusade for Christ, now called Cru, and has written intellectual books about believing in Jesus. That is fine for intellectuals, and we don't criticize that. But simple-minded people can hear the call of Jesus and respond in faith to it.
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