|
River of Life! River of
Fire!
Part II
By Chris Hansen
Every
summer, here in the central valley of California, there are
always news reports of people who drown tragically in fast
flowing rivers. In heaven’s grand river, this will not even
come into mind! Imagine splashing in this cool river, with
absolutely no fear of drowning, whatsoever! Imagine leaving
that water feeling as clean as if you had just stepped out
of a refreshing shower! Imagine leaving that water without
the slightest hint of shivering! Imagine every sip feeling
like the first thirst quenching sip of an ice cold stream!
That is, I think, a vague description of what is in store
for God’s children, one day!
Revelation 21:21 reminds us that the main street of this
wonderful city is made of the purest gold that is actually
transparent. The street was so clear, that it was as if
citizens were walking on nothing but the air; and the street
was of the purest gold, so that it seemed as if these
citizens were walking on pure sunshine. I think that’s
about the best we can do, when using earthly human language,
in describing this wonderful scene. Now, we leave this
idyllic scene, of happy splashing in God’s river surrounded
by pure transparent streets, and the enormous palace that
reaches 1500 miles into the sky. We move now, to the other
river I mentioned, the river of fire!
To understand just what Daniel saw, we must take a journey
back through time. Daniel, a prophet speaking from the
distant past, is seeing into the distant future. The time
is about 530 B.C. Daniel is writing down the visions he has
seen. He describes the river of fire this way: (Daniel
7:9-10.) “As I looked, Thrones were set in place, and the
Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as
snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne
was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A
river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him.
Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times
ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated and the
books were opened.”
John in Revelation recounts very similar visions in a number
of passages: “Then I looked and heard the voice of many
angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand
times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the
living creatures and the elders.” (Revelation 5:11.)
“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on
it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no
place found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small,
standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another
book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were
judged according to what they had done as recorded in the
books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death
and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each
person was judged according to what he had done. Then,
death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake
of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found
written in the book of life, He was thrown into the lake of
fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15.)
Now, this river before God’s throne, which Daniel so vividly
describes, sounds truly terrifying indeed! Is there
anything in our earthly experience that comes close to this
river? Yes, I think there is. I recall a national
geographic program which described the destruction of
Pompeii by Mount Vesuvius, very graphically. Pliny, the
younger, (I think,) a Roman historian wrote about a river of
fire flowing down the mountainside. One of the scientists
interviewed for national geographic recounted some truly
terrifying details. Sometimes, when a volcano erupts, a
pyroplastic flow comes roaring down the mountain at about
200 miles per hour! This flow is composed of superheated
gas, volcanic ash, and lava. This searing mixture destroys
everything in its path. People unlucky enough to be caught
by the stream die horribly! Water in their body becomes
superheated steam! This superheated steam actually cooks
the human brain from the inside out, and human skulls burst
from the sudden pressure! People who are killed in this way
die in agony-but mercifully, this agony doesn’t last very
long! However, people caught in the river of fire from the
throne of God aren’t so fortunate!
On earth,
the pyroplastic flow of about 2000 degrees turns the human
body into superheated steam. What if this sort of thing
also happens in the heavenly realm? Only this time, the one
caught in this flow can never die, never lose consciousness,
and never, never escape the agony! Revelation chapter 14
makes it quite clear that this eternal torment really does
last forever and ever, without rest, day or night.
(Revelation 14:11.) It appears that we have two stark
choices before us, two very different rivers; splashing in a
cool refreshing crystal clear river, or screaming in an
agonizing pyroplastic flow!
John tells us that we are all judged by what is written in
the books. Our eternal destiny rides on those meticulous
records. Now someone will object: “Hold on a minute! We
are saved by grace-not works! I can’t do anything to add to
my salvation. So, it’s not fair for me to be judged by
what’s in the books!” Oh isn’t it? Now, it is very true,
that a million good deeds don’t even compare to one precious
drop of Christ’s holy blood shed for you. One death on a
cross does make up for a lifetime of bad deeds. And, a life
full of good deeds just isn’t good enough to get us past
Heaven’s gates. So, why are we judged according to the
books?
The answer
is really quite simple. If I have trusted Christ, how do
you really know? You can’t read my mind. You can’t see
into my heart and soul. So, how do you really know? You
know because of what I have done!!! That’s why this
judgment is so fair. What you do demonstrates what you
believe. I have trusted in Christ alone, and I have trusted
in none of my good works. However, my works prove that this
trust I claim to possess is indeed true.
Reading
this article is evidence that this is true. If this article
had been in my mind alone, what good would it do? The
article does you no good unless I sit down and do something
about it. Worshiping at my church, and helping others, and
the like, doesn’t save me. However, these things are
obvious evidence that I have trusted Jesus for my
salvation. Suppose you’ve got some poor fellow who stands
before the judge. Suppose that in seventy years of his
records, not once did he talk about Jesus, and, not once did
he ever attend church, and not once did he have anything
nice to say about Christians. Wouldn’t it be fair to
conclude that he didn’t believe in Christ? So, as you can
see, it is perfectly fair to be judged by what we have done.
Daniel gives us this solemn warning. (Daniel 12:1-2.)
“There will be a time of distress such as has not happened
from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time
your people, everyone whose name is found written in the
book, will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust
of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, some to
shame and everlasting contempt.” Then Daniel encourages us:
“Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the
heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness like the
stars forever and ever.” Yes, John Newton’s hymn of praise,
“Amazing Grace,” is really true. “When we’ve been there ten
thousand years, bright, shining as the sun, we’ve no less
days, to sing God’s praise, than when we’ve first begun!”
Revelation 22:15 gives us this warning: “Outside are the
dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral,
the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and
practices falsehood.” If entrance into Heaven depends on
our goodness, then Heaven will be a truly beautiful but
lonely place indeed! I for one would never qualify. I
dabbled in the occult. By my own human nature I am sexually
lustful. I have murdered people, in my mind at least, by
wishing they were dead. I have worshiped idols by merely
putting anything before God. And, yes, I have engaged in
falsehoods to advance my own agenda. Yes, I have sought the
occult, instead of prayer. I have confessed to the Holy One
that I have been sexually immoral, in fantasies of the
mind. I have had to confess to the Author of Life, Jesus,
who died for others, that I had no regard for some human
lives. I have had to confess to the God who said, “Thou
shalt have no other gods before me,” that I have done just
that! I have had to confess to the author of truth, that by
nature, I would rather lie. So, why am I going to Heaven
instead of that horrible pyroplastic place?
Because the river of fire is so terrible, Jesus was willing
to die a truly horrible death to rescue me from this place.
I can’t even imagine the pain he must have endured for my
sake. However, I can try. Once, I had a car door slam hard
on my thumb nail. Bolts of pain shot through me! That’s
not even close to what he endured when they drove iron
spikes through his hands and feet! I remember hearing about
a man who had to cut off his own arm to free himself from a
rock slide and save his own life. He recounted that when
the edge of his knife touched what looked like a piece of
spaghetti, he found out it was the very sensitive nerve that
ran through his arm. He knew this because, the slightest
touch sent bolts of fiery pain through his arm! Now, that’s
getting closer to what Jesus endured for hours and hours to
pay for my admittance into this wonderful heavenly city.
The brutal
crucifixion Jesus had to endure was predicted in amazing
detail in Psalm 22, a thousand years in advance. I had to
do just what the thief on the cross next to Jesus had to
do. Like him, I had to admit that my life had not been
pleasing to God. I had to admit that Jesus was my only
hope. Then, I had to humbly ask for his rescue. It’s
really like the A B C of getting to Heaven.
Admit.
Believe. Confess.
Admit
that without Jesus, you have no hope!
Believe that Jesus is your only hope of
rescue!
Confess to Jesus and to others that you
have put your trust in Jesus alone!
A
B
C
Any child
can say A B C and you and I, like humble children, can do
the very same!
Oh, Jesus, I am the guilty one!
Please,
please forgive me for what I’ve done!
I don’t want to end up in that hellish pyroplastic flow!
Please, please, to your river in Heaven, may I go?
Amen.
You might consider passing this article around and giving
others a chance to go to Heaven with you.
Chris
Hansen
E-mail Address(es):
chrishansen54 @ sbcglobal.net |
