Devo 18
3/8/00
"Hell"
Ok, I lied, it would be two nights. The subject of this devo was inspired largely by the message given at last weeks Berean College Group. If you weren't there (which I'm guessing most of you weren't (I hope you have a good excuse!)) the topic was one that doesn't get spoken on a lot...Hell. Of course, if you are not a believer in Christ, I think the subject of Hell to be a very important one. But I get the impression that Christians try not to think about it too much. Mainly, that since we are Christians, Hell is no longer a problem, our mansion has been reserved in Heaven. But I still think it is important to remember every now and then exactly what Hell is like for two reasons. First to keep in mind just what it is that God has saved us from. Secondly, to keep in mind where the rest of the world is going if we don't bring Jesus into their lives. When you take a good look at what Hell is, no one it their right mind would wish anyone to Hell.
The story below was written two years ago the day after I saw the movie Titanic. And despite the flak I may get from you male readers, I actually liked the movie, and (with a little editing) would watch it again.
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Last night I dreamt. Nothing spectacular, everybody does it, it's just that for me they are never as clear as this one was. In my dream, I was standing on the deck of the Titanic. I don't know how I knew that it was the Titanic, but somehow, in dreams, you always know. The sight was awesome! We were in the middle of the sea with the sun shining brightly and catching on the edges of the water. It looked like we were sailing through a vast field of diamonds. As I looked around me, I saw hundreds of people milling about; some on the rail watching the dolphins racing the ship; some were sitting on chairs on the deck talking, gossiping, laughing, just having a good time. My eyes went along the length of the ship. I saw the great plumes of smoke billowing from the smokestacks and wondered at the power of the beast beneath me.
My first impulse was to explore. I had always loved walking through buildings, probing out all the hidden corridors which are seldom used, learning the place inside out. I immediately took off for the stairway which led below decks faintly surprised at the sense of urgency I felt. I wondered at this for a time as I began my wanderings, taking in all the details. Shoving the question to the back of my mind I continued, marveling at the vastness of the ship and at the ones who built her. It's such a shame, I thought, that soon this will all be at the bottom of the sea. I stopped dead in my tracks as this last thought echoed through my head, gaining strength each time. I suddenly understood the urgency I had felt when beginning my exploring. This ship would sink, and if I remembered correctly, thousands would die.
This revelation overwhelmed me as I sank to the floor holding my head in my hands. I knew it would happen that night (as you are always certain of things in dreams) and in the same instant I realized I was the only one who knew what was going to happen. My first thought was to warn the captain, and getting to my feet I began racing to the deck. I didn't know how I was going to make him believe that I knew what was going to happen, but I also knew that I had to try.
Reaching the deck, I found myself at the back of the boat and so took off running towards the front. I was about halfway there when suddenly a door opened directly in my path. The next thing I knew, I was lying on my back staring into the sky. A face floated into view and when my vision had cleared I thought I was looking at a goddess. Her beauty was a vexing beauty, drawing all my thoughts into it and enveloping them so completely that I quickly forgot what I was doing, and why I happened to be lying on the deck of a ship. All that mattered was this woman now dabbing some blood off my forehead with a handkerchief. I don't remember the words that passed between us, but I do remember a sense of lightness while I spent the rest of that afternoon with her. As irrational as it sounds, I believed I had fallen in love with this woman and now wanted nothing more than to stay forever with her.
That evening we had supper together; in truth I don't even remember what we ate. I do know that what we drank too much champagne though (she was from a wealthy family). I don't know how long we sat there talking about who knows what, but I do remember it had become dark outside. As we were getting up to leave, I glanced over the dining area and happened upon a small boy playing with a couple of toy boats. I suppose one was a pirate ship because after jerking them about with accompanying "boom" noises, one of the toy boats apparently sank. That is to say he began slowly bringing the one boat to the floor fluttering it back and forth as if through water. My head instantly cleared as I remembered where I was and what I had been doing. I turned around to tell my date that I had to leave immediately and was surprised--shocked even--to find myself kissing her. I'm ashamed to say that once again my thoughts turned from my task and to the woman now in my arms. I glanced quickly at the clock on the wall which read 9:00 PM and I remember thinking "Five hours or so till she sinks, I've got plenty of time to warn the captain--later."
I won't go into detail about what happened next, but suffice it to say we ended up in her cabin. I woke from my sleep by a shudder trembling the ship. My thoughts were like one of the infamous London fogs; just a blank wall of nothing holding back all the images trying in vain to spring forth and be seen. I fell back asleep. I awoke again to the sound of shattering glass. I sat straight up in the bed and looked at the far wall. It may have been the alcohol I drank, but something didn't seem right. It took me a moment before I realized that the painting on the wall, instead of hanging flat against the wall, was hanging out from it as if the room had tilted. I heard another crashing as the vase under the painting slid forward off the shelf it was on. I don't know why I was so dense but it took me a full minute to realize what had happened. I turned to wake up the woman only to find her missing. I jumped out of the bed, pulled on my clothes, and rushed into the corridor entertaining the ludicrous notion that I could still get to the captain in time.
I knew in the back of my mind that I had failed. I had allowed myself to be seduced by some stranger when I knew all along that it wouldn't last, it couldn't last. I knew the boat would sink if I didn't do anything, and yet I did nothing. I knew--God help me--I knew.
I burst out onto the deck into chaos. Throngs of people surged towards the life boats in a desperate attempt at survival. I began pushing through the crowd with tears streaming down my face looking at all the people who I knew would die. And as I looked at their faces I found that I recognized some of them--dear God I knew who these people were. There was that guy who sat next to me in English class who asked what the verse on my shirt meant, I had shrugged him off and mumbled something indistinguishable. There was that girl I used to date who seemed so ready to hear about God, but I had been afraid to say anything lest it damage our relationship. On and on, people swarmed around me, people who I knew I could have witnessed to, but didn't. And for each and every one of them, I could remember the exact excuse I had used to rationalize my unwillingness to witness. I collapsed to the deck unable to control my sobbing only to find that I was no longer on the boat, but floating a little ways away from it.
From where I was I could see the boat now listing severely. I saw the mobs of people running and yelling trying to avoid the inevitable death slowly approaching. Scores of people plunged off the sides as the boat slipped beneath the icy waves screaming all the while. As one of the hapless souls plunged into the waves, I was caught in the splash. I recoiled; the water was burning. At first I thought it was just the extreme cold, but the stench of sulfur that wafted past my nose told be otherwise. Floating there I looked around me and saw many others floating in the air as I was, each crying as hard as myself. Oh yes, we knew we were safe, but that did little to comfort us as we watched all those souls, those souls we could have saved, slip beneath the water, never to rise again for all eternity. It was then that I woke up.
The End
This world, just like the Titanic, is doomed for destruction. But by God's amazing grace, He has given us the opportunity to escape this day. But with this salvation comes a responsibility. God has not saved us just to bring us into Heaven. He wants us to be His voice to those who don't believe. We have been given the terrible knowledge of the fate of the sinner and the only thing that keeps us from gloating over our good fortune is the knowledge that this too would have been our fate had it not been for the unthinkable act of God. But the choice is ours as to what we will do with that knowledge; will we sit at home snug in our blanket of salvation, or will we be out in the world using whatever gifts God has given us to win souls for Heaven?
Until next week...