Have you ever watched some older movies where the Director/Producer brought the entire story to a final climax in the last frame with “The End”? In those olden days of cinema, there were no sequels to keep the story line going like we have today where the main character miraculously recovers from his nearly fatal wounds, and he returns to fight more villains in additional episodes. The story just keeps going on through season after season until the studio cancels the series with a great finale. But sometimes, those finales do not have the expected endings.
Remember the famous ending from the HBO crime drama, “The Sopranos”? The expected climax of the series didn’t happen, just the blank dark screen, which left all of us in a tither about what happened next. What actually happened next no one knows. Everyone was left to draw his and her own conclusions about the fate of “Tony Soprano”. Was this really “The End”? I guess it was since there were no further episodes. This was not the ending the audience anticipated.
This “End” topic got me thinking during a recent reading of the New Testament passages in that I’ve often wondered what it was like for the disciples of Jesus Christ living with him in those days. It’s even harder to imagine the shocking ending they experienced on that fateful Friday just hours after sharing the Passover meal with Jesus. How could this happen to their beloved Teacher?
Despite Jesus’ many warnings to His twelve apostles, they were not convinced their new way of life would be changing until the events of Good Friday started to unfold before their eyes. I’m sure some of the disciples who were convinced that Jesus was the Messiah (Christ), assumed He would stay with them to ensure their deliverance from the Roman occupation despite Jesus telling them several times that He would be leaving them soon. But as they witnessed Jesus dying on the cross and then His dead body being laid in the tomb, I can only imagine the disciples figuratively seeing the words “The End” flashing across their consciousness with a blank screen quickly following. Their former life with Jesus was over. Transition to a new life without Him was upon them.
What were they going to do now? The previous hope and enthusiasm of following Jesus for three years of His ministry were completely vaporized and carried off by the winds of change. Confusion and desperation reigned. Hiding from the Jews was their only recourse until they could sort out their next steps. Luckily for them, and the rest of mankind, they only had to wait a couple more days until their path forward was revealed and their hope for redemption restored. The previous darkness of Good Friday afternoon was replaced with the brilliance of light beaming from the open tomb on Easter Sunday morning. Turned out this was not “The End”, but rather a new beginning, transitioning the disciples to a new life with Christ forevermore.
Did you ever think about what “The End” is going to be like for you? Do you think you will see a dark, blank screen in your final moments on earth or will you see the words “The End” flash before your eyes with conclusive authority? Or do you believe you will see a brilliant light with the words “New Beginning” invading your senses?
After pondering these thoughts the last couple days, I’ve concluded there could be two distinctly different scenarios, one for believers and one for the non-believers of this world. As the famous author, C.S. Lewis iterates – “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, in the end, “Thy will be done.” All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek, find; those who knock, it is opened. ”
I agree with C.S. Lewis in the above quote, but I’d also like to add that whether a person believes in God or not, God is and has always been; the Alpha and the Omega. He created every one of us and loves every one of us. In fact, He loves us so much He gave human beings free will. We have the freedom to choose Good over Evil, Right from Wrong, Love over Hate, and believing in Him or not believing in Him. It’s strictly an individual choice.
For non-believers, their focus on the material world, with its culture and fixation on consuming goods and living life to the fullest, fatally focuses solely on their life on earth and all of their human experiences. Most don’t believe in any kind of life after death. Nevertheless, I believe non-believers upon their death may find a transition from life on earth to a different life in the spiritual world separated from God by their own choosing. People, who choose not to believe in God, will suffer the consequences of being eternally separated from God and His everlasting love. That’s what C.S. Lewis describes as Hell. For believers, their focus is not on the material world of earth, but rather on God’s kingdom, where they will live eternally with Him, enjoying His endless love, after their life on earth transitions to a new life in Heaven.
If there truly is nothing lying beyond this world’s limitations on earth, then we should all just focus on living for the moment, piling up all the wealth, achievements, power, pleasure, and material goods we can accumulate as quickly as possible. I mean, what else is there to live for, right? But if we choose to believe there is a new life beyond the restrictions of this world, and focus on God and His kingdom, doing the right thing, helping others, then the glimmer of everything else on earth fades away as the brilliance of God’s kingdom shines in our hearts, minds, and souls. That is what believer’s soul longs for during their life on earth.
Because God gave human beings free will, the challenge for us is being able to live with the choices we make and the consequences of those choices. Some choices only impact the individual, but more often, our choices impact many more people than ever intended.
I believe that every human being receives their soul or spiritual being from God around the time of conception in the woman’s womb. Because that spirit (soul) comes from God, it will live for all eternity. Part of that eternity will be on earth, and after the body dies, the spirit will live on either in Heaven with God or in Hell, separated from God.
The ultimate choice is whether to believe in God or not believe in God. If you believe in God, you will choose to follow His Word, His Truth, and His Teachings to please Him and bring peace to your soul. If you do not believe in God, you will choose to follow the trends of the secular world focusing solely on things of this world and what brings you pleasure, but not peace. Your soul longs for peace that can only be given by a God who can offer you peace beyond all understanding that will last for all eternity.
From my perspective, when life begins on earth, it never has an “End”. There will not be a final flash with the words “The End” coming into focus, nor a completely blank, dark vision in your mind’s eye. Each of us will begin the transition from life on earth with our families and friends, to a new life with other people who have gone before us in their transition to either Heaven or Hell.
No worries; you won’t be alone. Fellow believers will be together in Heaven and fellow non-believers will be together in Hell. Which new life would you prefer to transition too? I pray that you will choose wisely my friends, because your eternal spiritual life will depend on it.
Live, Learn, and Grow in Jesus.
Blessings,
Jerry
