Ultimate Matters: Where You Go When You Die
Near the end of his life, before he was crucified upside down, the Apostle Peter wrote to his brothers and sisters in Christ that God “has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Pet 1:3) (emphasis mine), reminding us that we have “escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (vs. 4).
At the time of his writing, Peter’s emperor was Nero Claudius Caesar—easily Rome’s most ruthless ruler. History tells us he is “best known for his debaucheries, political murders, [and] persecution of Christians.” Basically, the life that the Christian was called to was in direct and stark contrast to the life of the culture and government around them.
Peter was not silent on the issue of interacting with government. Nor was the Apostle Paul for that matter. In fact, many instances in Scripture showcase not just the teachings, but the examples of these men in how they interacted with religious and secular governmental authorities. There is much to be learned from them in this regard, but it pales in comparison to their ultimate mission in life which was preaching the gospel of their blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
In order to cut through the angst that so quickly materializes in our wicked world and threatens to consume the church from various angles, we need to step back and remember some very basic truths that Scripture teaches us. Perspective is everything. And we need biblical perspective—eternal perspective. We need the “wisdom from above,” which is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” and we must ask God to protect us from slogging around in the wisdom that is not from above, but is rather “earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice” (Js 3:15–17).
We need to take God up on His offer and ask for wisdom where we lack it (1:5) and appeal only to the Word of God when we frame our worldview. In order to set the stage, we need to start out with some heavy, sobering truth about the reality of eternal life and eternal punishment.
Ultimately, the Most Important Issue You Face is Where You Go When You Die
The first words out of John the Baptist’s mouth that are recorded in Scripture is this: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 3:2). The first words of Jesus Himself, once He began His preaching ministry, was the same: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (4:17).
The gospel accounts contain message after message that Jesus gave to highlight and illustrate the reality of eternal life and eternal damnation. His heart was heavy for His people and His heart even reached out beyond His people to the Gentiles. In a variety of poignant parables, serious sermons, and teaching moments, the Lord Jesus leveled with his audience—When the Master returns to take account of the deeds of men, He will have one of two things to say to you: 1) “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much,” or, 2) “You wicked and slothful servant . . . cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (25:21, 26, 30).
Two days before Jesus’ final Passover dinner that soon became the Lord’s Supper, the Christian church’s Communion meal, He spent His time driving the minds of his disciples higher by pressing them on the reality of repentance and eternity and its lasting consequences. He could have ended soft, but He didn’t. He started His ministry with repentance and ended that way. He was ensuring that His disciples knew that the most important thing that mattered when all is said and done is where you go when you die.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory,” Jesus taught them, “and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations” (vv. 31–32).
Here’s an example of racial equality if there ever was one—divine racial equality—all made in God’s image and all, consequently, accountable to their Maker. This would be significant to the disciples as well. Not just the Jews would stand before God, but the Gentiles, too. Yes, the Greek, the Romans, Egyptians, Italians, far off places they’ve only heard of, but have never seen. The Lord Jesus is making it plain to them that all men are equally accountable to God for their own sin. They will all give a personal account. What will that look like? With all nations before Him . . .
“He will separate people one from another” (vs. 32).
Now we have an example of divine segregation. Now is the time that the Judge of the universe makes His sovereign distinction between the only two types of people in the world:
“He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (vs. 34). God, the just Judge, then cites their fruit as evidence for their repentance and righteousness.
But then, to those on His left, He will continue with the most horrible and devastating words that will have ever been uttered in all of time, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (vs. 41). God, the just Judge, then cites their lack of fruit as evidence for their lack of repentance and consequent wickedness.
“And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (vs. 46).
This is real. All around us are people who are either a part of the flock of the Good Shepherd, being led in paths of righteousness to still waters for the restoration of their souls (Ps 23; Jn 10), or they are goats with their backs turned to the Good Shepherd, satisfying the god of their belly that craves every weed that grows up in the cracks of a sin-hardened culture.
While the goats grieve the sheep with their insatiable lust for sin and consequent blasphemies of God, they are likewise the objects of the sheep’s deepest concern. The sheep used to be the goats. Believers used to be unbelievers. The righteous were once the wicked.
“But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness” (Rom 6:17–18).
“Therefore,” Paul says, “We are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20).
The reality of eternity drives the urgency in evangelism. Apart from an understanding and appreciation of the final judgement, we will amount to little more than spiritually feckless, dandified evangelical fops, tipping our hats to anyone who would recognize our own.
Notably, Peter faithfully passed on to us what he himself heard the Lord Jesus teach about His imminent return and final judgement: “The day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed” (2 Pet 3:10).
It is little wonder that Jesus and the apostles were consumed with preparing people for this day. Their preaching was predicated on this. Their instruction was shepherding people in light of this. Their exhortation and warnings were unmistakably clear: The most important issue in your life is where you go when you die for “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Heb 9:27). Period.
The Apostle John was shown a true glimpse of this, which he recorded in Revelation:
“I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (20:11–15).
The end of all Scripture is closed out with the same theme that has been preached from the beginning: “[Jesus] who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come Lord Jesus!” (22:20).
What sort of people ought we to be then? “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved,” Peter challenges, “What sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pet 3:11–13).
At the end of it all, friends, the second coming of Jesus Christ will be the most glorious day of history for those who have been redeemed by God, but it will be the most horrific day imaginable for the unredeemed. For the Christian, the sight of Christ will be majestic; for the sinner, the sight of Christ will be devastating. For the believer, the view of Christ’s return will be life giving, but for the wicked it will be eternally damning.
Ultimately, the most important issue we face is where we go when we die.
This world and its temporary governments do not ultimately matter. Reforming them is tantamount to rearranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic. With the iceberg in view, let us not be short-sighted and foolish by living as if our hope resides on the deck, encouraging those around us to focus on the pattern of the deck chairs while the lifeboats dangle lamely, getting bleached by the sun and cracking due to disuse. Let us not find our satisfaction in unifying with unbelievers to bring about political change while ignoring that the unbeliever next to us faces the imminent wrath of God upon their death. They need us to share the gospel with them so that when they repent and believe they have forgiveness of their sins and eternal hope in an unjust and tumultuous, temporal world. Will we be the life-vest-donned passengers on the ship suggesting to the others in linen shirts that their biggest concern is their time on deck?
May it never be.
“We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,” Paul wrote, “so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others” (2 Cor 5:10–11).
In Christ alone,
Ben
