November 22

“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.”—Hebrews 9:27

On November 22, 1963, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth president of the United States was assassinated. The young president from Massachusetts stepped into eternity. What many don’t remember though, is that he was not the only famous person to step into eternity that day. There were two other rather famous individuals that passed away. The first was the famous author, Aldous Huxley. Huxley was known for his book, Brave New World. It is a book set in the future, five hundred years from now. The book is chock-full of satire, analyzing a future of promiscuous sex, psychedelic drugs, genome projects, and bioethics. In some ways, it’s a great deal like where we live now. It’s a world where societal norms such as the family, parenthood, and life itself are transformed into a utopian state of being. Some might say that it was evolution at it’s very best. The third man that passed away that day was Clive Staples Lewis, better known as C.S. Lewis, the author of Mere Christianity, The Chronicles of Narnia, and a whole host of other books. He was an Oxford Professor, a literary and intellectual giant, whose books and writings have influenced generations.

All three of them stepped into eternity on the same day. Each very well known: Kennedy—a very famous politician, Huxley—a writer and evolutionary futurist, and Lewis—a Christian, a professor, and writer. What does God say to each one?

When this life ends, what are you going to say to God upon stepping into eternity? The Scripture says that we are “appointed to die once, and after that comes judgment.” Death comes to us all. When I step into eternity, I am going to be thankful for one thing above all things. I am going to be thankful for forgiveness. When the end of life comes, everything will fade away and we will be in the presence of Jesus Christ. For some it will be a moment of dread, for others it will be a moment of overwhelming joy. We will see Him in all of His power and His glory. We will behold how awesome He truly is. And for those who have trusted in Him and what He has done, we will thank Him for dying on the cross for our sins. We will praise and worship Him. Our hearts will be home in His presence. Lewis knew that and trusted in Him.

But the others, I am not so sure about. When they stepped into eternity, everything that they had done was brought to light. Upon stepping into eternity they came face to face with Jesus. It didn’t matter how great their name was, how much they were loved or esteemed by men. They came face to face with their own sins. For them, there was no atonement. They were left to pay the price for their own sins and it was a price that they could not pay. There was terror, fear, and regret.

Forgiveness only comes to those who have trusted in Christ. There is no other way. And then, when death comes, there will not be fear, but rest. Rest in what Jesus has done and the forgiveness that He gives. May it be that we, like Lewis, rest in the promise of His grace, the forgiveness of sins that was made available at Calvary’s tree. And when eternity calls, may we step into His presence with full assurance and confidence of faith, ready to receive the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Amen.