When souls enter the eternal forest
Six people were killed recently when their car crashed into a tree in Lincoln, Nebraska. The friends were on their way home around 2:00 a.m. when the tragic collision occurred. The victims ranged in age from 21 to 26.
These six souls have entered the eternal forest where they will now spend eternity. They had no way of knowing what was about to happen when they entered the vehicle that night. People instantly leave Earth when they die and enter the eternal forest in a split second. And there are only two destinations beyond the grave: Heaven and Hell.
Few people expect to die in their 20s, and certainly not in such a horrific manner. Each of us is a living soul residing within our earthly body. When our body dies, our soul is ushered immediately by angels to the place where we will spend eternity. The sooner you accept the fact that your soul is immortal, the better.
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The first two human beings God created had a historic collision with a tree. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating fruit from the tree in the middle of the Garden of Eden, it was a catastrophic crash with worldwide consequences (Genesis 3:1-7). It ignited a fire that continues to burn today.
Billy Joel wrote the song, “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” And yet each one of us is culpable for the fire that rages today. “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). You and I are just as guilty of sin as Adam and Eve, and sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2; Romans 3:23).
The eternal forest contains not only Heaven, but also Hell, which is a cordoned-off section of the forest engulfed in flames. Hell was not originally created for man, but rather for fallen angels. Jesus spoke about “the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).
Those suffering the agony of Hell cannot cross over to the joy and pleasure of Heaven, and vice versa. Abraham described the separation this way: “Between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us” (Luke 16:26).
No reputable historian denies the fact that Jesus of Nazareth lived on Earth and was crucified on a cross 2,000 years ago. Just as Tiberius was the second Roman emperor, Jesus too is a historical figure who lived during that same time period in the first century.
As you investigate the claims of Christ, don’t overlook the tree upon which Jesus was crucified. If you come to understand and believe why Christ’s crucifixion occurred, you will be on the verge of having your sins forgiven. You see, “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18).
The most important tree in the history of the world is the cross where Jesus died to pay for our sins. Without this tree, we would all be going to Hell. Each one of us is a sinner who deserves God’s wrath and punishment.
Do you see the eternal forest through the trees? The prophet Daniel saw this forest when he wrote, “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2).
The Apostle John also understood the reality of the eternal forest: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36).
Cell phones and the Internet do not exist in the eternal forest. Social media will be a thing of the past. All things will be made new for those who enter Heaven (Revelation 21:1-7).
We would have no clue about the eternal forest unless God had revealed it to us in Holy Scripture. You can either take God at His Word and trust Christ to save your soul, or you can live as though everything God has told us in Scripture about Heaven and Hell is false.
But make no mistake about it, my friend. Your beliefs do not change the reality of the only two destinations in the eternal forest. You can bury your head in the sand if you like, but your life on Earth is going to end when God decides to turn off the oxygen tank he has placed within your lungs. And at that moment, you will immediately take a one-way trip to your final destination deep in the eternal forest.
Do you see the forest through the trees? Will you believe the good news concerning what Jesus did on the tree of the cross for you and for your salvation? None of us are told in advance when we will be taking our final breath on Earth. But if you are trusting the risen Savior, you will rise up to Heaven to be with him when your time comes.
I hope the following prayer reflects the desire of your heart:
“Dear Lord, I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. But I believe you died on the cross to pay for my sins. Wash me, Jesus, with your precious blood. Make me your child today, tomorrow and forever. And fill me with the power of the Holy Spirit to live for you every day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Dan Delzell is the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Papillion, Nebraska.
