About the "Death Ticker"

**The "Death Ticker" on this blog has changed since this was first posted. The new ticker is aimed at non-believers. Most of the below response is still applicable, however, since the criticism to which I was responding was very poorly constructed.**

I know that not everyone appreciates the so-called "Death Ticker" at the bottom of this blog, which reminds people of the reality that (*gasp*) people die. I also know that not everyone thinks that Christianity is True, or relevant, or even sane.

Recently, I read this criticism about the "Death Ticker" from an atheist who thinks the concept of Hell is silly.

Yes! You're all going to hell- unless you believe exactly what I do! I know the secret, and the rest of you will burn! Only I know the answer- follow me without thinking or suffer for all eternity

Unfortunately, this individual has missed the point of the ticker completely. This is not uncommon for those who criticize Christianity ... most criticisms that I encounter are based on faulty understanding of the Bible or Jesus (not all, but most). In this particular case, the errors are many.

First, the "Death Ticker" is not for non-believers, but for believers. It is a motivator for Christians to go out and share their faith. Regardless of whether you believe Christianity or not, the Bible does clearly states that without having our sins forgiven through repentance and faith in Jesus that our final destination will be in Hell. If you don't believe that, that's fine. But since I believe that, I ought to be telling everyone I can about it. Therefore, the ticker exists as a stark reminder for Christians to put their beliefs into practice, to follow the commandment of our Risen Lord and Savior, and to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I [Jesus] have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20a). In fact, at the bottom of the ticker the question is asked, "Who have you shared with today?" Notice that the question is not, "What are you gonna do about it, sinner?" The ticker is aimed at professing Christians who are being negligent in their first and foremost duty: the proclamation of the gospel.

Secondly, the encouragement for Christians to go out and share has nothing to do with telling people, "You're all going to hell- unless you believe exactly what I do!" as is erroneously asserted. In fact, you need not believe many of the things that I do. Quite frankly, my beliefs are unimportant to a large degree. There is one central belief that is critical however, and that is concerning the identity of Jesus of Nazareth. Many people believe many different things about him. Some think he is coming soon. Others think he has already returned. Some think they are him. Some think he was a myth. Some think he was a good teacher whose followers made him into something he never claimed to be.

Jesus said, "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins" (John 8:24). We can make up our own version of Jesus if we want to. Meek and mild. Baby Jesus. Just a man. It doesn't matter if you believe everything that I believe about Jesus ... what matters (according to Jesus) was that you believe what He said about himself. The core content of Christian faith that is necessary for salvation is simple:

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve" (1 Corinthians 15:3-5).

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved (Romans 10:9-10).

According to the Apostle Paul and Holy Scripture, these are the basic content of belief that are necessary for salvation. We aren't saved by knowing facts about God, but by putting our trust in this fact that Jesus will save us if we ask him to.

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).

Third, this doosy: "I know the secret, and the rest of you will burn! Only I know the answer ...". This is plainly a false statement. The point of the ticker is that it's not a secret. Many people know and aren't telling people about it. I knew about Jesus before I knew Jesus. The difference is life and death. Secrets are meant to be kept, the gospel is meant to be shared. Christianity is one of the three major monotheistic religions ... clearly, I'm not the only one who knows/believes it.

Fourth, the last statement: "follow me without thinking or suffer for all eternity". Following Christ is not about not thinking (yes, that was a double negative). Following Christ is about being reasonable.

Nearly 2000 years ago a man named Jesus lived, he had followers, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius Caesar, and his earliest followers believed (and were willing to endure torturous deaths for their belief) that they witnessed him alive after his scandalous execution as a criminal. This belief of the earliest followers and the inability of the Romans or Jews to provide proof that these claims were false, which would have been easy if they simply produced the corpse, exploded despite the severest persecution into a worldwide phenomenon. These facts are virtually undisputed by historians, although some like Earl Doherty have attempted to make case that Jesus never lived (not a tenable hypothesis, but it does sell books!).

In order to convince the churches of Galatia, Paul writes 18 years after the supposed crucifixion and resurrection: You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. How could Paul try and convince people 18 years after the supposed events happened, that they had seen something that was mythical? How convinced would you be if I said, "You fool! Who has bewitched you, who yourselves rode upon a unicorn just 18 years ago!" I'm guessing not very .... Similarly, to the Corinthians Paul writes: After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. If you were trying to convince someone that Jesus was raised from the dead, would you tell them that there were hundreds of people still living who could vouch for it if you knew it was a lie? He was providing a way for his claims to be falsified (very scientific method ... go Paul). Yet, belief flourished.

In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead. (Acts 17:30-31, emphasis added)

God gave evidence that Jesus was who he claimed to be. The Apostles pointed to this evidence. I talk to people about this evidence. Yet the same peope who believe without a shadow of a doubt that the universe began 15 billion years ago without the help of a god or outside intelligence (a unscientific thought in itself, since nothing doesn't make something, no matter how much time it has), and are thoroughly convinced that non-living material produced life, that consciousness sprung out of non-consciousness ... these same people don't believe that we can know with certainty that Jesus was raised from the dead, or even if he ever existed when we have historical documentation from intelligent beings, both friendly to the movement and against it (e.g. Jewish and Roman historians). And yet, it is the Christian who is accused of asking people to "follow them without thinking" ... give me a break.

Finally, this criticism completely misses the central tenet of Christianity (thus demonstrating the complete misunderstanding of this particular critic): follow me without thinking.... Following me will get you nowhere. Following Christ is all that matters. He is alive, follow Him.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him. (John 14:6-7)

The Rich Man and Lazarus -- Revisited

It's amazing to me how often we can miss the point of Scripture, simply because we always read the same stories the same way. It's hard to accept a new interpretation of Scripture, especially when "that's just how we've always understood it."

But the Bible isn't a book that we should impose ourselves upon. Instead, it is a book (or, rather a collection of 66 books) that should impose itself upon us ... because in it are words of life, unlike any other book that has ever been written.

Yet, I know that so often I read the Bible as if it were some other book, full of stories and passages that I've read before. And so often I read this book through the lens of my own personal experience.

"Yep. I heard a sermon on that passage once ... it means this...."

or

"Oh yeah, so and so said that this passage really means this ...."

It's so easy to use the same old filters that we've always used to keep the words on the page, and to keep God in the box that we've got Him in ... where we are comfortable with Him.

Maybe it's just me... maybe I'm the only one who makes this mistake.

But recently I was re-reading a section of Luke's gospel that is very familiar to me: Jesus' parable about the Rich Man and Lazarus. Now I've heard many different people give many different opinions about this passage. Most of it focuses on hell. Is it real? Is Jesus just using hyperbole? Does this story have some theological significance for the intermediate state for Old Testament believers? Is this story more than a parable because Jesus mentioned Lazarus by name, instead of using generic characters?

And all of these questions are good to ask, and it is right to find answers to them. However, in my most recent reading of this passage I just wanted to let the text speak for itself. What was Jesus trying to communicate to His original audience to whom He was telling this parable? Forget all the stuff that might be buried ... what was He telling them?

A major problem for modern readers of the Bible when reading parables is that we fail to understand the nature of a parable. Much like a joke, a parable was told to elicit a response from the hearers. Hopefully when you tell a joke, people laugh. Similarly, when you tell a parable, those listening should react in some way which would really drive home the point. And usually, just like with a joke, if you have to interpret a parable, you lose much of what was being communicated (although you may see what you should have laughed at, an interpreted joke is never as funny as one that is heard and understood immediately). So to truly hear Jesus' parables, we must put ourselves in the shoes of His original audience to try and hear what they heard.

To find the context of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), we need to go all the way back to the beginning of chapter 15.

Luke 15:1-2 ~ Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

It seems clear that Jesus was having a meal, and these undesirables (the tax collectors and "sinners") were coming to hear Jesus teach. This bothered the religious elite, the Pharisees and teachers of the law, who muttered about the company Jesus allowed. Apparently, they were eating there too and did not appreciate the newcomers!

Jesus responded to their muttering by beginning to teach in parables (Luke 15:3). After this, Jesus began to speak with His disciples in parables (Luke 16:1). Can you picture this scene? Wherever Jesus is, He is surrounded by His own disciples and a larger group of religious people ... and they are eating. And as they are eating, some tax collectors and sinners come to hear Jesus teach. When the religious folks grumble, Jesus addresses them in parables and afterward He begins to converse with those who are seated around Him: His disciples. However, the Pharisees were listening in on this conversation and The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus (Luke 16:14).

Jesus, knowing this, He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight (Luke 16:15).

Jesus then goes on to tell these Pharisees who are sneering at Jesus and the company He allows the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus in the hearing of all who are present (including Pharisees and teachers of the law, tax collectors and sinners, and the ubiquitous disciples).

¹⁹"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. ²⁰At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores ²¹and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. ²²The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' ²⁵But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. ²⁶And besides all this, 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.' ²⁷He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, ²⁸for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' ²⁹Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' ³⁰'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' ³¹He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "

When dealing with parables we must identify the points of reference. This is not an allegory, so we need not make something up for every element of the story, but the major elements should be accounted for. In this story, we have two main characters being contrasted: The Rich Man and Lazarus, and in the listening audience we have two main categories of people: The Religious Elite and the Despised Tax Collector's and Sinners (the disciples were looked down upon as well). It seems clear enough that Jesus was identifying the Pharisees and teachers with the Rich Man, and the despised were associated with Lazarus.

Re-read the story, keeping these identifications in mind.

The religious elite live in luxury every day, and they look down upon those for whom they should be showing compassion. Lazarus (the sinners) longed to eat what fell from the table of the rich man, but instead kept company with dogs (who at least tried to alleviate their painful condition).

When they died, contrary to what the hearers would expect, Jesus tells them that the Rich Man (the religious elite) go to hell, and that Lazarus (the sinners) goes to be comforted in Abraham's bosom! This twist would have appalled the Pharisees and amazed the rest!

Notice that in verse 24, when the Rich Man looks up from his agony and sees Lazarus at Abraham's side, he still demonstrates a belief of superiority and asks Abraham to send Lazarus to minister to him in his agony. Of course, Abraham refuses. Finally finding some compassion, the Rich Man now pleads for his brothers (others in the religious elite who are still among the living), yet he still fails to recognize that Lazarus is not his slave when he asks that Lazarus be sent back from the dead to warn them.

But Abraham tells the Rich Man, your brothers have Moses and the prophets (in fact, no one should be better versed in the Scriptures than the teachers of the law and the Pharisees to which this refers), they should listen to them (cf. Micah 6:8).

But the Rich Man does not accept that this is enough, saying that they will listen if only someone would tell them from beyond the grave. But Abraham tells the Rich Man plainly, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'

The parable ends here. And what I had never seen before was the amazing truth that Jesus was declaring to these individuals ... He was telling them that even a Resurrection wouldn't convince them of their error. What is amazing is that Jesus was telling the very people who would ultimately lead to His crucifixion, and who would still reject Him as the Messiah even after His own Resurrection from the dead. Jesus was teaching constantly about the Kingdom of God, how it was right in their midst ... He was healing the blind, the deaf, the lame, the sick. He was raising people from the dead. He was fulfilling Scripture before their very eyes ... and the tax collectors and sinners recognized that Jesus was someone special ... and the Pharisees and teachers of the law were blinded by their own pride ... the very people who should have recognized Jesus as the Messiah, who had Moses and the Prophets, are the very ones who rejected Him when He came!

I had never seen it before, but Jesus was telling them plainly that even when He rose from the dead they would persist in their stubbornness of heart. Accepting Jesus is not a problem of lack of evidence. It is a problem of the heart.

Is there anything that is keeping you from recognizing who Jesus is? Do you, like the Pharisees, reject Jesus because He doesn't fit into your preconceived notion of what God is or should be like? The fact is that Jesus of Nazareth proved His radical claims of deity when He walked out of that grave nearly 2000 years ago. He is risen and He is still alive today. And He is coming back. Are you ready?

In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead. ~ Acts 17:30-31

Final Judgment

Then I saw a great white throne and the one who sat on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, as recorded in the books. And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and all were judged according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire; and anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. ~Revelation 20:11-15

This passage is a particularly vivid description of the events on the coming Judgment Day. For many, this is a terrifying scene ... and rightfully so. Being cast into the lake of fire is surely not going to be pleasant. Look carefully at the description of the Judgment and the contrast that is outlined.

First, it says "books" (plural) were opened. Next a "book" (singular) is opened. We find the content of these books as the passage moves on. And the dead were judged according to their works, as recorded in the books...the "books" contain the deeds of the individuals and are the basis of their judgment. ...and anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire... the "book" is here further described as the "book of life" and it is made clear that this "book" contains names. The dead are judged based on their deeds, and if their name is not in the book of life, they are then cast into the lake of fire.

It's interesting that the text declares that everyone being judged is cast into hell, except for the individuals whose name is written in this "book of life." It's not on the basis of deeds that they are spared, but on the contrary, it's on the basis of deeds that they are damned. Whoever has their name written in the "book of life" is spared in spite of their damnable deeds.

Many attempt to paint the God of the Bible as some sort of monster ... but if He didn't have a "book of life" then all would be cast into the lake of fire on Judgment Day. It is only by God's grace that any are saved from this fate. But why only some? Well, Scripture declares God's desire.

The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. ~ 2 Peter 3:9

God doesn't want you to perish, that's why He made a way for forgiveness and why He has warned you in advance.

"I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." ~ Luke 13:3, 5

He has commanded you to repent.

Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent ~ Acts 17:30

The results of unrepentance are clear.

He who believes in Him [Jesus] is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God...He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. ~ John 3:18, 36

The Day of Judgment is rightfully a terrifying thing for any who have not repented and trusted Jesus for their salvation. The good news is:

...if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED." ~ Romans 10:9-13

If you've never done this, it's not too late. If you refuse, understand that your sentence is already defined and the result will be your desire...not God's.

Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead. ~Acts 17:30-31

The war on Truth rages at this very moment. Moral relativism and Universalism are deadly lies spreading through our culture like a disease, poisoning the minds and hearts of men and women wherever it spreads. The word of God tells us that God is now declaring that all men and all people everywhere should repent because He has fixed a Day of Judgment that is coming. But if morals and truth are relative, and if all paths truly lead to God, then what need is there of repentance? If all paths are equally valid and my truth is not your truth, then where is there room for absolutes? What precisely is this "righteousness" which God will judge us in and who is the Man appointed to judge us? Can there be a judge if I make my own rules?

The Truth is that moral relativism and universalism cannot be true at the same time and in the same sense as the declaration of the Word of God. At least one (perhaps both) is wrong or a contradiction is true and this cannot be so. While one may make us feel better, our feelings are not a reliable arbiter of Truth. Sometimes, the truth is the thing that we would least like it to be (just ask someone whose spouse just cheated on them, or who lost a child to some terrible accident or disease).

So how can we decide what to believe? Is God really coming in righteousness to judge us or is whatever feels right to us the truth for us? Is there only one way to heaven or do all paths ultimately lead to "God"? Are we ultimately sinners who are worthy of eternal conscious torment in hell or are we all basically "good" and ultimately headed for heaven?

Scripture tells us that God has furnished proof to all men by raising Him [Jesus the Christ] from the dead. Fortunately, we do not need to grope about in the dark or merely hope that we guess correctly. Instead, God has furnished proof for us by raising Christ Jesus from the dead to validate His claims of deity. The resurrection was a historical event that has had a greater impact on our world than any other event. The resurrection and ensuing events are documented in history by both biblical and secular witnesses. God wanted us to know that our faith in Him and His word was well founded so He provided proof by doing the impossible: raising this Jesus on the third day after His crucifixion.

And what was the response to the apostle Paul when He proclaimed this truth? Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, "We shall hear you again concerning this" (Acts 17:32). Even when faced with such convincing evidence, some still merely sneer and refuse to repent and turn that they may be healed. While the news may seem grim that God is coming in righteousness to judge us, the good news is that what Christ was doing on the cross in the first place was paying the fine that we owe for breaking God's law so that His sinlessness (righteousness) could be credited to us through faith.

God has shown universalism false and proven there is only one way to Him.

And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. ~Acts 4:12

We are drowning in our own unrighteousness and God has thrown us a life preserver in Christ Jesus. Instead of flailing about and asking why He has only thrown one life preserver, we would be wise to reach out and take hold of the one He has sent to us.