Across the Great Divide

No matter how bad you think your life has been, no matter how badly you have sinned and no matter how far you think you are away from God, the pure blood of Jesus can wash it all away

Source: stand in the rain

We often hear the phrase ‘hindsight is a wonderful thing’, which is usually quoted by someone who is reflecting on something that they would do differently if they had the opportunity go back and experience the same circumstances again. The problem is that at the point of reflection, whatever has happened has happened and although there may be an opportunity to do things differently in the future it is not possible for things to be undone. But what happens if there is ‘no future’? Hindsight can be ‘not such a wonderful thing’ if we do not have the opportunity to make different decisions, to right our wrongs, or to learn from our mistakes because we are no longer here, we are gone. This then raises the question of; where have we gone to? The story of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 provides a good example of where the benefit of hindsight was too late, as well as some other good talking points:

Luke 16:19-31 ‘There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 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.’ 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. 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’. He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them. ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent. He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead’.

Source: Bible.com

In Luke 16:26 most versions of the Bible refer to the ‘great chasm’ that cannot be crossed however the King James Version refers to this as the ‘great gulf’. This provides us with an answer to the question of ‘where do we go?’ when we pass from this earth as the ‘great chasm’ or ‘great gulf’ is talking about the un-crossable divide between heaven and hell. It can be assumed that the Rich Man in using hindsight realized that if he had the opportunity to go back to his life then he would do things differently, he would warn his nearest and dearest of the consequences that faced them of going to hell and try to convince them to make choices that would lead them to heaven. The problem was; the rich man realized too late, his hindsight had no value whatsoever and despite pleading with Abraham he was reminded that Moses and other prophets had already been sent to warn people but many had chosen to ignore them.

We too will not have the luxury of hindsight when we look back at our lives from the ‘spirit’ (after our earthly life has ended), which is why it is so important that we make the right choices while we still have the chance. Unlike the Rich Man, anyone who is reading this article still has the opportunity to act on hindsight and to make a conscious choice that will lead them to an eternal life in heaven rather than in hell.  The answer as always comes from God Himself in John 3:16 ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life’. This is the simple choice that anyone needs to make in order to ensure that they are on the right side of the ‘great divide’, to give their heart to Jesus. No matter how bad you think your life has been, no matter how badly you have sinned and no matter how far you think you are away from God, the pure blood of Jesus can wash it all away. Jesus’s blood will wash away your old self and make you a new creation in Christ and guarantee your place with Him in eternity; 2 Corinthians 5:17 ‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!’

We have no way of knowing whether this will be our last day or indeed our last few moments, therefore the time we have is precious. If we already know Jesus as our Lord and Saviour then let us do what the rich man in the scripture can’t; let us share the love of Jesus while we still can so that as many others as possible, including our loved ones, will spend their eternity in heaven rather than hell. If you have not received Jesus into your heart then now is the time to act. Do not risk your eternal life in heaven because tomorrow is not guaranteed. Do not risk standing alongside the Rich Man and looking across the great divide for eternity wishing you had made different choices. Remember when we pass from this earth we will go to one of two destinations and there is no crossing from one to the other.  It’s either heaven or hell, which one will you choose? The choice is important because eternity is a very long time.

Author: Anonymous

May God bless and enrich your life

Please feel free to share this article and other articles on this site with friends, family and others