Investigate! (Revelation – Pt. 1)

November 22, 2010 mondayswithmaria

Is Heaven and Hell real?  If you don’t say “yes” with 100% certainty, I challenge you to investigate this question by reading Revelation with me. 

We investigate things all of the time.  Can you really substitute applesauce for oil when baking a cake?  Can I really drive this 16 thousand pound, 40+ foot rig down a single lane highway going 75 miles an hour without peeing myself?  How does 180-degree water continuously spring from the earth?  Does XM and Verizon Wireless work in the middle of the desert with no civilization in sight?  Okay, so those are just some of the random questions that have been raised in the last couple of week in my life. 

Other than my short-lived career as a Registered Private Investigator, the only other significant investigation that I followed was of JKF’s assassination.  He died more than 10 years before I was even born, but I was intrigued after one particular high school history class where our teacher outlined a few of the contradictory circumstances in the case.  I decided to “investigate” it myself, because his rendition seemed too far-fetched to believe.  I read the Warren Commission Report (twice),  and dozens of books on the assassination.  I was even lucky enough to interview a member of the House Select Committee who investigated the assassination in the 70′s.  Last week, I finally got to visit Dealey Plaza and make some conclusions of my own.  This is where I want you…reading the Bible, interviewing people of faith, but ultimately, coming to conclusions of your own.

Jesus says, “Do not be afraid.  I am the First and Last.  I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!  And I hold the keys of death of Hades.” (Revelation 1:17-18)  Jesus reminds us that he has conquered death and lives eternally.  Sin is what condemns us to death, but Jesus offers freedom from death through salvation.  Jesus clearly states that He holds the key to Hades.  It’s through Him that one is saved or sentenced.  It’s just that simple.  Though there are many more passages, I think that statement alone clarifies that there is an eternal place to be with Jesus (Heaven) and a place to be eternally separated from Him (Hades).

Don’t take my word for it, friends.  Investigate it for yourself!

Many people believed that JFK was a great man and a skilled President.  As we remember his assassination on this anniversary, take a moment to reflect on how quickly his life ended.  There isn’t always an opportunity at the end-of-life to make decisions that you’ve put off.  Investigate Christ and make a decision while you still have the gift of life.

My prayer:

Lord, thanks for so many pleasures in life!!  I so enjoy traveling, reading, and meeting other people.  I was so excited to visit Dealey Plaza, a place I had studied in photographs for so many years, but it’s peanuts compared to studying your Word and Heaven.  Lord, give me an opportunity to share my faith with someone who is still investigating You.  Help me to demonstrate the fruit of the spirit with the people in my life.  Amen

Entry Filed under: Heaven/Hell

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