Luke 16:19-31

²² “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴ So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

²⁵ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

John 13:35-37

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

³⁶ Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?”

Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.”

³⁷ Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.”

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

³⁶ Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?”

Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.”

³⁷ Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.”

The Son of Man Will Judge the Nations

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. ³³ And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.

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Not too often mentioned in all that’s happened, even a believer can miss it in its subtlety, and it should make more of an impact on agnostics than it does. Yes, “…once to die and then the judgment,” but there’s something beyond that: The irreversibility of your final choice.

The wheat and the chaff grow together, but are eventually separated. The sheep and the goats are separated. The righteous and the damned are separated.

In this life, on this earth, a covered bridge exists, covered by His blood, and there is light on the narrow path over the chasm, and a Good Shepherd to guide you on it.

We’re also admonished to seek Him while He may be found, and to walk in the light as He is in the light. We are aware that tomorrow isn’t promised, and the condition of our hearts when they expire will remain fixed. Whatever ethereal means lie beyond that allows for no petitions for repentance, forgiveness, or salvation.

Let’s be wise in the realization that the chasms God has established will not be changed to accommodate last second changes of hearts, which many will attempt, and have even stated, will be a last minute decision.

“I’ll say the sinners prayer on my deathbed.” As Dr. David Jeremiah once said, “Who told you you’d get to die in a bed?”

The rich man could not buy water to ease the flames of his eternal damnation, and no one who would even take pity on him could cross to relieve him. He never sat Lazarus at the table, or even brought him a meal after the guests had left. He was content to let Lazarus eat scraps, alongside the dogs that licked his sores.

No one will cross.

And when the nations are gathered, and you face Him in reverent fear, knowing His judgment is just and final, there will be no one next to you to blame for your rebellion, rejection, and returning to that from which He delivered you, as in the parable of the virgins, those told to depart will only have the works of their hands and the condition of their hearts.

On which side of the fixed chasms will you find yourself?

Choose this day….`