- Only God knows which of the souls represented by their headstones in this cemetery actually received His Son, Jesus and received the undeserved eternal life with Him in Heaven, due to His Love for you
- Our default destination is Hell, Sheol, Hades, the place of the dead, where souls suffer in an eternal torment
- We derive from Jesus’ own Words in Matthew 7:13-14, that many will not find the narrow path to escape this torment, but instead will remain on the path of destruction
- Few will find the narrow path that leads to Life (Matthew 7:14)
- The depiction of The Cross on a gravestone doesn’t signify the person received Jesus as Lord in their lifetime
Hell is our default destination because our human ancestors, Adam and Eve, of which we all come from (until we are born-again – see 2 Cor 5:17), chose the devil’s solution in the Garden of Eden, instead of heeding God’s warning and command in the process. As a human race, in our ignorance, we blame God for things, but this and so many other things come about as a result of our free will. The same free will that God never violates.
However, all is not lost thanks to the undeserved amazing Grace and Love of the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, and His love for you, as shown in the giving and sacrifice, for you, of His Only Begotten Son Jesus.
John 3:16 (AMPC)
16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.
We do learn from Jesus where the majority of precious souls will continue to go (hell), and this is why we must reach every soul we can with the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 7:13-14 (AMPC):
13 Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it.
14 But the gate is narrow (contracted by pressure) and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it
Based on what Jesus said as recorded in Matthew chapter 7, verse 13 and 14, it is fair to say that less than half of the souls represented by their headstones in this image actually went to heaven. These are the few that found the narrow gate, who depended on Jesus’ sacrifice at the Cross to rescue them from the broad path with the wide gate. These same souls decided to make Jesus the Lord of their life, to have a relationship with Him. Conversely, in this and every cemetery, over half of those represented have rejected Christ and remained on the path of destruction to hell without receiving the gift of salvation from God.
If you are reading this, unlike those represented in this or any cemetery, you have time left to still make the decision. How much time? We are not even promised the next hour, let alone tomorrow or next month.
Will you ask Jesus to come into your heart and life today? Will you ask Him for forgiveness of your sins? Will you receive the free gift of eternal life that God’s undeserved grace provides?
Send us a prayer request or instant message if you would like us to answer any questions.
Pastors Marc & Catrice, Touch of God
Photo by Scott Rodgerson on Unsplash
I’m so glad we can reset the default by accepting Jesus!