Wednesday in the Word

Hello! This week, I found this Bible verse very applicable, especially since today is September 11th:

"Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready" Revelations 19:6-7

Revelations is often attributed to such sorrow and hopelessness and tragedy, but there really is a message of hope and salvation. It does sound scary to read the rest of the text talk about (basically) the apocalypse.

For my finals week, I actually wrote a paper regarding Universalism, which is the belief that everyone will go to Heaven, regardless of faith - God is a God who is so loving that He gave His life to ransom ours. How can this same God allow for any of us to be condemned to Hell, or even allow the existence of Hell? I think as Christians, sometimes we struggle to explain that "If you don't believe, even if you are always trying to be a good person, you will not be able to enter Heaven." However, I don't think there is any lack of hope in acknowledging that the Bible speaks of Hell and that there is such a fate for non-believers. In fact, it gives our life a purpose: We must let everyone know and have the opportunity to enter Heaven. If there is no need to believe in Christ to enter Heaven's gates, then what is the purpose of our lives here? The Gospel message isn't just so we can feel hopeful of our own destiny in death, but so that we have guidance and a clear path: to be a reflection of Him so that others can see His glory and return to Him. Revelations 19:6-7 represents the hopeful part of the end - physical death is not scary at all when you are able to reunite with God, and can do what we were made to do: "rejoice and be glad and give Him glory".

September 11th, 2001 probably felt like the American apocalypse to many people - so many families were affected. As an ex-flight attendant, it was always really weird going to the World Trade Center and looking at all the names of people who lost their lives that day just shy of two decades ago. I can still remember so clearly that day, sitting in my fourth grade classroom, unsure of what was happening. That day, so many lives were lost - how many souls were saved? If we can have the desire to save a physical life, how much more should we desire to save their souls? Our physical lives are fragile... and we never know when it may be lost. But our souls will live in eternity.