02/07/17 MEMORIES

02/07/17 MEMORIES

I was thinking...
One of the big differences in heaven and hell is, what we remember and forget.

The Past
Suffering, heartache, failure, loss are realities that all of us have faced, whether we are saved or not. Most of the troubles of life are minuscule, passing, insignificant. (These troubles should not be an obstacle for the believer, yet most believers are so weak that they stumble over the shadow of a trial.)

The Present
Then the gnawing and nagging remembrance of the sufferings, heartaches, failures and losses haunts and torments people, long after the events itself. They are so focused on their hardships that the promise of God's deliverance becomes almost non existent.

However, for the one who truly trusts in Christ, there is deliverance from the shackles of negativity, both past and present. Divine victory miraculously overcomes the barriers to peace, love, joy, kindness, gentleness, patience, goodness and self control. Those who trust Christ are not only victorious over the mole hills of difficulty, they are also victorious over the mountains and deserts of major adversities and losses.

But what happens after we die?

The Future
We all have a future, whether we believe it or not, whether we want it or not. This life is the entry way into our eternal existence.

The Believer's Future
God has promised to WIPE AWAY ALL TEARS. They are not wiped away in this present world. They are wiped away after the Tribulation and after the Great White Throne Judgment, depending on when the specific believer lives in history. The wiping away of all tears after the final judgment will purge us of all negative and dark memories of the past. We will not be tormented by the fact that we have loved ones who did not trust Christ for salvation from sin and death. Our deliverance from all pain includes mental and emotional and spiritual pain. Heaven will not be plagued by the sins and suffering of loved ones.

The Sinner's Future
On the other hand, salvation from pain and anguish are not available for the lost. The grace that gives victory to the believer in this life is not only absent from the sinner now, it will be absent throughout all eternity.
Part of eternal suffering is the realization that, "I did not have to be here;" "I could have been saved." The sinner's scoffing memory that he/she actually rejected the many invitations and warnings of God and His messengers will rise like an agonizing and unrelenting tsunami from the Lake of Fire.
Another part of eternal suffering will be the crushing reality that loved ones are in totment also, because the person who is in hell could have had a redemptive influence on their loved ones, but rather chose to continue in their own rebellion and to be a roadblock to the salvation of others.
Throughout all eternity the sinner will constantly remember;
I Didn't Have To Be Here,

and,
My Loved Are In Torment Because I Did Not Take Salvation Seriously Enough.