“He’s an angel now.”
“She’s watching over us.”
“He was a mean old coot, but he’s in a better place now.”
“We’ll see ‘em again.”
People say a lot of things when someone they care about dies. If we ask them why they believe what they do about death, we often get blank stares and a stammering, “Well…that’s just what I think.” Then they launch into a fantasy about what they hope is true about life after death—most of it wishful thinking. Wouldn’t you prefer to have a solid foundation for your beliefs?
Jesus gave us one and told us exactly what to expect. “Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me will live, even if he dies.”” (John 11:25)
Imagine being on a train with the rest of humanity. There are two destinations ahead: Heaven or Hell. You spend your time on the train fantasizing that it won’t stop at Hell. You create a fantasy about Heaven, but when the train pulls up at Heaven’s gate, the Conductor demands a ticket to get off.
“A ticket?” you cry. “I thought this was all was free! Can I buy one? Bribe somebody? This isn’t like I imagined!”
The Conductor smiles gently. “The tickets were free. I posted signs all around. You had to accept them before you got on the train. No one gets off at this stop without a ticket.”
Jesus has already paid the ticket for us and when we receive it by faith, our place in heaven is secured. That ticket makes us friends with the Conductor. We don’t become angels, we don’t “watch over” earthlings, and no one gets into heaven without a ticket paid for by the blood of Jesus. If He is our Lord and Savior, that means we have a ticket waiting for us. But if we tried to craft our own tickets, we have none the Conductor will accept and the train continues to its next stop.
Final Thought: Your ticket into God’s presence was paid for by His Son. There is no other way in.
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