The Road to Life, Part 2

Now for some potentially bad news: there are obstacles on the road, and even a road-block that will prevent one from even getting onto the road to begin the journey.

Let's talk about the road-block first: it is the lie of Satan that denies there is a loving and just God and denies that Jesus Christ is His Son raised from the dead by the power of God; for those who believe this lie and reject God's plan for us through Jesus Christ, a fatal detour will occur.

If we reject God's merciful and gracious gift, then we reject our pardon and release from the penalties of our sin; leaving us to perish in a second and everlasting death (Proverbs 2:13 & Rev. 20:11-15). And until we die, we continue to live in darkness and in fear of death and what lies beyond the grave all the days of our lives. Fear and peace are like oil and water, they will not mix. Where there is fear, there can be no peace, no joy, because there is no assurance of salvation such as the early disciples had.

And such fear will bring us, finally, to the day when we find ourselves standing before Jesus (actually we will be kneeling for every knee WILL bow to Him: "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth." Phil. 2:9-10). God has designated Jesus to be our Judge, as He alone has suffered all that we have suffered and knows our infirmities and yet was able to overcome the flesh and live in righteousness and obedience to God., Jesus has been given the right to pronounce judgment on those who have chosen to reject Him. The punishment for rejecting that freely given gift of pardon from death, the great penalty for rejecting the Son of God, has already been made clear in His Word.

It is everlasting fire:

"Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." (Jude 1:7).

And it is torment:

"And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth |Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame." (Luke 16:23-24)

Something reserved only for those who would dare to reject the gift of the MOST HIGH GOD….the gift known as JESUS CHRIST (John 3:16-19). Something that only extreme arrogance and pride would reject; pride and arrogance such as Satan had:

"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the height of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit." (Isaiah 14:12-15)

Pride and arrogance in man ranges all the way from those who believe they are divine "gods" themselves (utilizing what they call the power of the mind and self, dependent only upon themselves and not God) to those who don't believe they are gods and have even been to a church sometime in their lives, but have imagined God to be what they want Him to be (never reading His Word, never becoming intimate with Him as He desires us to be according to His Word), keeping themselves at a distance from God, and calling it respect.

"Because that when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." (Romans 1:21-22)

It is arrogance and pride that speaks for God and makes Him what they think He should be, rather than heeding the words God has already spoken and coming to know Him as He has revealed Himself through His Word and through Jesus whose mission was to reveal God fully to man. Thus their lot will be cast with that of Satan (2 Peter 2:4), into the lake of fire that is reserved for all that would follow Satan's path, instead of the Lord's.

"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."(Rev. 20:10)

"And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it…and I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God…and the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Rev. 20:11-15)

Each one will be judged according to their works. The height of pride and arrogance is found in those who believe that the works they have done, as viewed by an immeasurably holy God, can somehow measure up to His standards without any help from Him, having no need for the gifts that He has provided in the form of Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit as their Comforter and Teacher of righteousness, and His Word, better known as the Bible, by which we come to know and understand God and His plan for us.