Roadways to the Precipice of Eternity
Our present lives exist in a finite period of time in the continuum of eternity. When earthly life ends, the eternal future begins. The body returns to the earth. The soul and the spirit will occupy a new, eternal body for either everlasting joy and happiness in heaven or eternal sorrow and grief in hell, a place prepared for Satan and his angels (demons).
Through the deception and lies of Satan, Adam and Eve lost fellowship with God. As a result all their descendents, including you and me, were born into the world spiritually dead, meaning we inherited the nature or propensity to sin and to rebel against authority and, thus, were alienated from God. However, in His love for mankind, God made a way for each person to be made free from the consequences of sin and restored into a loving relationship with Him. This was accomplished when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, paid the penalty of sin for each one of us who is willing to come to Him, repent of sin, receive His forgiveness, and submit to Him as Lord. Jesus said, For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved(John 3:16, 17, KJV).
Satan and his demons have continued their rebellion against God ever since he and his angels fell. They hate all humans because they were created in the image of God. They want to deceive as manypeople as they can so that they, too, will go to the same place of eternal doom set for them. They do their best to make people believe that there is no God, no devil, no heaven, and no hell. Lies and all types of deceptions are injected into the minds of people, leading them away from God and toward increasing acts of sin. The mind of each person is his/her own spiritual battleground.
Each person is now on one oftwo roads of life leading to the precipice of eternity. The moment a person dies he/she goes over the precipice. Some, who are dying slowly, perhaps of a disease, see the precipice looming ahead down the road. Others travel a road that takes them quickly around a sharp curve, or suddenly over a rise, and then they run unexpectedly over the precipice into eternity. Regardless of age, death can come suddenly and unexpectedly, whether prepared or not. God’s word says that … it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27).
Jesus spoke ofthese two roads that each of usisonleading to the precipice. In Matthew 7:13 and 14 Jesus said, Enter ye in at the straight gate: for wide is the gate, andbroad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be that go in thereat: Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth to life, and few there be that find it. Jesus said that most people are on the broad road of life, giving in to their sinful, carnal nature and believing the lies of demonic spirits which constantly fill their minds with deceptive thoughts. They love this world system and the things that are in the world – the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, (I John 2:16). Most people they know do the same things, so they think they’re okay; but, the Bible says, There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death (Proverbs 14:12). Satan’s kingdom of darkness wants to keep people on this broad road, absorbing all of the gusto they can, until they go over the precipice into eternity, condemned to everlasting sorrow and destruction.
The broad road has many lanes advertising a myriad of attractions that appeal to the love of the world and the fallen nature of man. One set of lanes is designed to gratify the lusts of the flesh. These lanes include ungodly sexual relations, pornography, all kinds of drugs, alcohol, and other harmful substances. Another set of lanes appeals to the lusts of the eye. These lanes allow its victims to pursue material things and various forms of wealth. A third array of lanes on the broad roaddeals with the pride of life. These lanesappeal to those with attitudes of rebellion against God and legitimate authority; they want to do things their way. They trust in their logic and reasoning and accept all types of humanistic ideas. They choose to believe and promote ideas of evolution and doubts about God, His existence, and the Bible. They refuse to believe that God is the creator, in spite of all the evidences of intelligent design surrounding them. If they can make themselves believe that there is no God, then they don’t have to consider any accountability to Him.
Some on the lanes of pride even want freedom from religion, so they will not be bothered with the truth of God’s Holy Word. Unwittingly, they are captivated by atheistic teachings of satanic origin. Evil spirits lead many others amongthem intofalse religions, false doctrines, and intothe demonic spirit world of the occultwhere they engage in various forms of activities that deceive and captivate them. Altogether, they fulfill God’s Word which says, …in the latter times [times near the return of Jesus Christ] some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their consciences seared with a hot iron;(I Timothy 4;1,2).
Satan is the cruel father of all on the broad road. He uses them as pawns promoting their own destruction. Like their father, they are given over to lying and deceiving, while being deceived. Their attitudes include envy, jealousy, covetousness, selfishness, ungratefulness, resentment, bitterness, unforgiveness, revenge, hatred, and racism. Everyone who stays on this broad road will eventually fall over the precipice into an eternity of extreme sorrow and despair. They will be forever lost and separated from God’s love. Upon death they will go to hell ina different body that is indestructible but capable of eternally suffering the torments of hell. There will be no annihilation!
After a period of time in hell, each of them who went there by staying on the broad road will appear before God for judgment. The Apostle John was allowed to foresee and record what will happen there. He wrote: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 books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, 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 (Revelation 20:11-15).
Are you on this broad road that will lead you to your ultimate personal tragedy? Have you neglected or spurned God’s great act of love for you? Aren’t you tired of being on the road of sin and satanic deception with no real peace within? You can enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season of time, but it will soon end. You have temporary moments and times of happiness, but you do not have the joy that God wants to give you. Almost before you know it, your road will take you fearfully over the precipice into eternity, forever separated from God in eternal pain and punishment. This will be the tragic end of the broad road of this life.
During the next few minutes you can change from the broad road to the road that leads to eternal peace and joy in heaven with our creator. By an act of your own free will you can change to the road that our loving Father has provided. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has already paid the price for your redemption. There is no way you can earn or merit entrance into heaven, even with the best of Christian rituals. Religious rituals have their place but do not qualify a person to enter heaven.
Leaving the broad road requires that you have a spiritual rebirth; i.e., be “born again” which Jesus said is necessary to enter the kingdom of heaven (Read John 3:1 -17). You must be born again through Jesuswho said: …I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the Father, but by me(John 14:6). To become born again and made a child of God with the gift of eternal life, simply do the following. Come to the Lord in prayer, confess and repent of your sins, ask Him to forgive you of your sins, receive Him as your Lord and Savior, forsake your sinful ways, and trust Him to lead and guide you the rest of your life as you follow Him. Read John 1:12; 3:16, Roman 3:23; 5:8; 6:23; 10:9-13; and Revelation 3:20. Salvation is the gift of God by His grace (Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5). It is not earned or deserved; however, those who have truly repented and received salvation will follow the Lord with good works (James 2:14-20).
The following is a prayer you can pray now to receive Christ as your Lord and Savior. Pray humbly and sincerely with an attitude of genuine repentance, submitting yourself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Pray this prayer now.
Lord Jesus, I come to you needing you to be my Savior. Thank you for dying on the cross to save me from my sins. Please forgive me of all my sins.
I repent and turn away from sin and receive you as my Lord and Savior.
I surrender my life to you. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Guide me throughout the rest of my life and help me tofaithfully follow you and become the person you want me to be.
Having sincerely prayed this prayer, you can be assured that you are born again (saved) and have eternal life. You are now on the roadway to heaven. In John 6:47 Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” Start your new life in Christ by reading and studying the Bible (start with the Gospel of John). Also, start fellowshipping with other believers and attending a good Bible believing church regularly. Set aside a period of time each day to pray and read God’s Word. Ask the Lord to fill you with His Spirit. He will lead you by His Spirit.
I encourage you to live a holy, righteous, and exemplary life, set apart from this world. However, anytime you sin ask for His forgiveness (I John 1:9). You can become a person greatly used by the Lord. You are to be His ambassador in this world, helping others to come to new life in Christ, delivered from evil and have eternal life.
Dr. Noel L. Caldwell, 45 Northlake Rd., Columbia, SC, 29223
(803)788-5259 or September23, 2010
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