Escaping the Flames of This Life and the Life Hereafter
It’s almost impossible to ignore the widespread devastation of the wildfires in Southern California that have engulfed homes, business, churches, and just about every other structure in recent weeks. Residents escaped the flames with little more than the clothes on their back and the tragic revelation that all of their possessions had been destroyed.
Those who experienced the conflagration likened it to the flames of Hell. One person described it as a “war zone;” another called it “a gut punch.” Either way, it is an unimaginable ongoing tragedy that causes us to both marvel and shutter at the destructive nature of fire.
The Book of Revelation makes many frightening references to fire as a symbol of God’s judgment and wrath in the end times, including the “lake of fire” where the wicked will be tormented for eternity. This is obviously a place where none of us wants to wind up, but there is hope in Scripture’s most well-known passage, John 3:16, which states, “For God so loved the world that he sent His only Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
Sometimes, we hear that passage so often that we fail to recognize the magnitude of its meaning. In order to avoid Hell’s fierce flames and secure a place in God’s Heavenly Kingdom, all we have to do is proclaim Jesus as our Lord and Savior and pledge to follow Him all the days of our life.
Seems like a pretty easy choice to me, so let us embrace that passage and live without fear, regardless of the fires that may burn around us. And let us not forget to spread the Good News, so that all might hear, see, and believe.