A MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION
What is ‘the most important question that you will ever answer?’ I had this clearly resolved for me one morning as my next-door neighbor was dying.
I went over to read to her from the Bible and pray over her. While reading from John’s gospel a thought hit me, and it hit me hard! It was simply this, ‘Within hours she will know if Jesus Christ truly was the Son of God.’
When I got home the thought penetrated even deeper. She was a Christian; Jesus of Nazareth was her Redeemer and King. Yet for so very many, the Son of God was just a man. He was not God made flesh, but just a misunderstood martyr.
In fact, for many He did no miracles, did not die on a cross for sin, and certainly was not resurrected. They believe His body is in a grave somewhere like all other humans that die on this earth. He was a good moral teacher, just like Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates. However, He was not “the King of kings and Lord of lords.”
This is the mindset of so many unbelievers. They adamantly reject Jesus being the One and Only Savior of the world. However, to my dying neighbor, these people are blinded by a hard heart. “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’’ (Ps 14:1)
The Bible declares boldly, and insistently, that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ of God. He is the Judge of all men; everyone will give an accounting of their life to Him. The Scriptures tell us,
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” (Matthew 25:31-32)
What comes next should put “the fear of the LORD” in all mankind.
“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ … He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’” (Matthew 25:34,41)
Death is the great equalizer of all mankind. However, what happens after death is up for much debate for so many. Some say that we are annihilated and go out of existence; for others they say everyone goes to Heaven; for still others only ‘good people’ go there (depending on how they define ‘good.’)
The LORD tells us that these are all wrong. It tells us that there is a Hell and many go there. “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.” (Matthew 7:13)
The Word of God talks more about Hell than Heaven. Its pages have descriptions of both places. In Hell there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” This is a place “where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.” It is a Godless place of misery.
The Scriptures also reveal what Heaven will be like. The Apostle John tells us, “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away … ‘behold the dwelling place of God is with man … He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, for the former things have passed away.”(Revelation 21:1-4)
What a massive difference there is between these two places. Most importantly this Final Judgment will be forever and ever. This will be the final resting place of our body and soul. God’s Word tells us that our bodies will be resurrected in both Heaven and Hell. In short, there will be spiritual joy/suffering as well as physical.
We all make many decisions in our lives; some much more important than others. So what is the most important question you will ever answer? It is not who you will marry or where you will live. These are very important, but only temporal. However “the judgment seat of Christ” has eternal consequences; there is so much more riding on it.
So, what determines our fate in Heaven of Hell? The Word of God is very clear. It is who you believe Jesus Christ to be. Jesus once asked, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is? Who do YOU say that He is?”
Is He “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This was Peter’s response and Jesus blessed him for his answer. If this is not your answer “the wrath of God remains on you” forever and ever. (Romans 2:8, John 3:36)
We will ALL DIE! What happens to us
after we die is dependent your answer to one question. It is this question that Jesus Christ answered for the high priest Caiaphas. He tasked Jesus, “I adjure You by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God?”
Jesus gave Caiaphas His answer. “You have said so, but I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
If this is not your answer may the Holy Spirit open your eyes. May He give you grace enough to see Christ as both your Savior and your Judge.
***For further Scripture evidence declaring Jesus Christ to be the Son of God see: John 4:25, John 6:42, John 8:53, John 9:36, John 10:24, John 12:34, John 13:36, Matthew 26:63, Matthew 14:33, Luke 4:41, Mark 1:1, John 1:49, Luke 1:35, Mark 15:39, Luke 3:22, 2 Peter 1:16-21, Colossians 1:15-20, Hebrew 1:1-4, Ephesians 1:19-23, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11.
