The Most Serious Thought Experiment

Take some time with this. Take this opportunity to think deeply about this most important thing. 

Imagine that you just died. Now imagine Eternity.

 Maybe you were important enough that the news broke into regular programming. Maybe you were so forgotten on earth that there was no obituary at all. Maybe those of us still alive don't even know that you have died. 

Now you stand before God, facing eternity.

God only asked that you forsake other "gods" and idols. He asked that you believe. He gave you proof of His being. You could look around at nature and the wonders of life and know that He is. 

Maybe you didn't hear about Jesus but you knew that everything that is did not come from nothing. You saw a newborn child, opening their eyes for the first time to see this world. You watched that child come out of the womb, knowing how to breathe and think and wonder. You saw the child learn language and numbers and time. Maybe that told you of God.

Maybe you did hear about Jesus. Maybe you knew and believed but you never finished reading the Bible so you didn't get every detail of what he sacrificed. Maybe you did.

Maybe you were of a brilliant mind and studied the maths and sciences. Maybe you decided that you didn't believe in God because of all that you learned. Maybe you decided that there is a God because of all that you learned.

Maybe you were never very smart. Maybe you never learned to read or write or count. But maybe you still knew of God. 

Maybe you were wealthy and privileged to enjoy every material thing. Maybe you were only well off, or comfortable, or maybe you were poor. 

Maybe you woke up every day, healthy and eager to live. Maybe you struggled with depression or pain or all manner of suffering.

Maybe you were loved by a lot of people, celebrated and lauded and envied. Maybe you just went through life as one of the many people who garner no special attention.

Maybe you were beautiful or handsome; tall and thin, big and robust; shapely and attractive; short and stumpy; ugly of face and plain of body. Maybe you were deformed or crippled or blind or mentally challenged. 

Maybe you were always happy or always sad or just simply living with no expectations of this world.

Maybe you were a good person - generous and kind and loving. Maybe you were a great father, son, wife, husband, or daughter. Maybe you fed the hungry and clothed the poor. 

Maybe you went to church often. Maybe you served in the church you attended. Maybe you never cursed, smoked, drank, took drugs, committed adultery or committed sexual sins. Maybe you were more "moral" and upright than most people who claim to be Christians. 

Maybe you were a good Buddist or Hindu or Muslim or Mormon or Roman Catholic. Maybe you were a committed Mason, Scientologist, or a non-affiliated member of society.  Maybe you never ate meat. Maybe you obeyed all the laws. Maybe you were a good citizen.

Maybe people respected you in your career. Maybe you invented life-saving equipment; discovered life-saving medicines; or found new ways to help people live healthier. 

Maybe you conquered the world with your voice or your intellect or your cunning. Maybe you were charismatic or ruthless or powerful or a titan. 

Maybe you never did anything outstanding or special. Maybe you were un "under-achiever", a "loser", a "slacker", a "drain on society". 

Maybe you traveled the world and saw every wonder on earth. Maybe you slept in fine hotels and dined on meals prepared for royalty. Maybe your home was palatial and luxurious. Maybe cars and airplanes sat ready at your command. Maybe you lived on the streets or ate from charity, or wore clothes thrown out by others. 

Maybe you donated money to open libraries and schools and maybe your name is on buildings of good reputation. 

Maybe you shouted praise from the rooftops or whispered prayers in your heart. Maybe you cursed God eloquently or defied him in the dark.

Back among the living, some might be wishing that you rest in peace. But they can't be sure. But you will know. Eternally.

Some might be wishing that you had a moment to ask forgiveness. But they can't be sure. But you will know. Forever.

Some might believe that they know you are safely in a peaceful rest. But they can't be sure. But you will know. Always.

No one can be sure what is in your heart but God. The God you believe in or the God you rejected? The God you challenged or the God you prayed to? The God you chose or the God you turned away from?

No one here on earth can be sure. But you and God will know because whoever you were, you are now dead. And you stand before God, facing eternity.

Will you be thankful for the rest you have earned? Will you be frightened of the consequences of your beliefs? 

You are dead and facing eternity. What will your eternity consist of?

For those of us still alive, we have time - if only this very moment - to think and to be sure. 

Don't reject what you haven't carefully considered. Don't turn away from what you cannot dismiss with certainty. Don't discard out of anger or hatred. Don't dismiss what frightens you without knowing why it frightens you. Know why. Think, think, think, and consider.

No matter what your life is among the living, your eternity is coming. Every day that you live, prepare to be eternally not among the living. The choice you make while you still can choose will be with you for all of the rest of time. 

As you live this part of your existence, prepare for the next part - the eternal part - that is coming.

There is nothing but the blood of Jesus that will be your eternal salvation and mind. Nothing - not a priest, a church, a parent or child; not your career or talent or wealth; not your looks or abilities; not your fame or notoriety; not your social connections; not your good works; not lighting candles or praying to saints; not sitting in a confessional or being blessed by some man or woman. 

Are you sure? Of what you believe or not believe in? Are you absolutely certain? Are you willing to stake all eternity on your choice?

Peace

--Free

P.S.: It occurs to me that, as I was writing this, deaths were occurring. Deaths are always occurring. Think about that. You or I could be next.

I am praying that everyone takes the time to consider their life and their coming death. Many of us are afraid to think about our deaths. We don't want to think about what death will mean to us. We will think about what our death means to those we leave behind before we think about what we are dying into. 

We buy burial insurance and make wills and choose where and whether our bodies will be in the ground, crypt or urn. Our families will have to write an obituary or arrange a wake or memorial of funeral service. Someone will have to clean and dress our dead bodies, comb our hair, apply makeup, and make us presentable for viewing - or ready us from cremation and disposal. But that is just the flesh and bone of what is left of us.

The essential part of what we are, the part that lives on - that is the most important part. What plans have we made for that?

Please take the time to ready yourself for the biggest part of existence, what I think of as the "forever and ever" part.