An Allegorical Representation in Ten Pictures*
This little book explains the condition of every human’s life through a series of ten pictures. These pictures are like mirrors that reveal your true self.
It doesn’t matter who you are or what you believe. This little book will help you will see yourself as God sees you. God can’t be fooled by outward appearances. “Man looks at the outward appearance, but I [God] look at the heart.” (Bible).
“God watches every step men take. There is no darkness dark enough to hide a sinner from God” – Job, an ancient poet.
Allow God’s searchlight to show you the condition of your heart.
This picture shows the heart of a worldly, sinful man or woman, described in the Bible as a sinner. A sinner is controlled by the evil of this world and by the natural desires and cravings of the human nature. This is a true picture of the heart as God sees it.
A Sinner’s Heart
The bleary, bloodshot eyes speak of drunkenness as described by Solomon the Wise:
“Show me someone who drinks too much, who has to try out some new drink, and I will show you someone miserable and sorry for himself, always causing trouble and always complaining. His eyes are bloodshot, and he has bruises that could have been avoided. Don’t let wine tempt you, even though it is rich red, though it sparkles in the cup, and it goes down smoothly. The next morning you will feel as if you have been bitten by a poisonous snake. Weird sights will appear before your eyes, and you will not be able to think or speak clearly.”
Below the head in this picture, the heart of man can be seen occupied by various animals which speak of the many different sins in the human heart. From anciet times, writers and poets saw the “heart” as the seat of human emotions, will power, memory, and knowledge. It is also the breeding place of sins.
“Nobody can understand the human heart. There is nothing else so deceitful: it is too sick to be healed” (Bible).
“For from the inside, from a person’s heart, come the evil ideas which lead him to do immoral things; to rob, kill, commit adultery, be greedy, and do all sorts of evil things; deceit, indecency, jealousy, slander, pride, and folly - all these evil things come from inside a person and make him unclean” (Jesus Christ).
While the beauty of the peacock is admired by everybody, here in the heart of man, it speaks of the sin of pride. Lucifer, once God’s special angel of light, lost his position through pride and so became God’s enemy—the devil.
Pride comes from the very centre of hell, and reveals itself in many ways. Some people pride themselves on their riches, their standard of education; fashionable clothing by which they expose their bodies in a shameless way. Some pride themselves on their forefathers, nationality, culture, sport, etc., forgetting that “God resists the proud, but shows favour to the humble.” God hates pride and self-importance. “Pride leads to destruction, and arrogance to downfall.”
The ram represents bodily desires, immorality, adultery. The sins mentioned here have increased in these modern days. The modern morality is the same old immorality. It has found new ways of expression and proliferation. Sexual immorality is being made the new norm. We live in a world that is saturated with lust and all kinds of perversions.
God tells us not to play with immorality but to avoid it. “Any other sin a man commits does not affect his body; but the man who is guilty of sexual immorality sins against his own body.” (Bible) Why? Because the body is supposed to the temple of God. “So if anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy.”
The pig speaks of the sins of drunkenness and gluttony. It is a dirty animal eagerly swallowing up everything in its way, clean or dirty, and in the same way a sinful heart devours every immoral suggestion, expression, picture, literature, etc.
The body, intended to be the temple of the living God, is made unclean by harmful food and filthy habits such as the smoking or chewing of tobacco, the use of drugs, etc. Only the power of God can free addicts.
A greedy person is hateful in the sight of God. We eat in order to live; we do not live in order to eat. Hunger can be satisfied by eating wholesome food, but greed will always cry “Give, give!” Greed will never be satisfied, will never be filled. “Drunkards and gluttons will be reduced to poverty. If all you do is eat and sleep, you will soon be wearing rags.” (Proverbs)
Those who make and sell strong drink are just as guilty before God, for God says, “You will be condemned if you give drink to your neighbours, giving it to them till they are drunk.”
The tortoise speaks of laziness, sluggishness to obey, and witchcraft. Rebellion is as bad as witchcraft, says the Bible.
Human nature is very lazy and slow to obtain the things of God. “A lazy man who refuses to work is only killing himself, all he does is think about what he would like to have.”
The shell of the tortoise is often used by witch-doctors for the practising of witchcraft, and points here to the sin of trusting in and practising witchcraft, fortune-telling or magic or voodoo, instead of trusting the living God. Especially in times of testing and sickness, suffering and bereavement, we are told to call upon the living God, who is ready to help, instead of trusting in good or bad luck; for “The Lord guides a man in the way he should go.”
God commanded, “Don’t sacrifice your children in the fires on your altars; and don’t let your people practise divination or look for omens or use spells or charms (or consult fortune tellers), and don’t let them consult the spirits of the dead (such as spiritism). The Lord your God hates people who do these disgusting things.”
The leopard is a very savage and cruel beast. Hatred, anger and a bad temper often rule the heart of man and many times lead to murder. You may try, and even manage, to control that bad temper of yours, until it breaks out in all its fierceness. It is better to admit that it is in your heart, and ask Jesus to set you free.
“Don’t give in to anger; it only leads to trouble”
“Anger is cruel and destructive”
“Keep your temper under control; it is foolish to harbour a grudge”
“Get rid of anger” (Bible).
Many cowards drink to encourage themselves to carry out some evil deed or revenge, but it is “like wine made from the venom of snakes.” Revenge is sweet to the sinful heart, but God is the one who punishes all wrongdoing.
Jesus said, “Love your neighbour as you love yourself.” God promised to forgive the wrongs we have done, if we forgive others for the wrongs that they have done to us. A sulky, grumbling spirit is hated by God. The awful desire for bloodshed and war is in the heart of man, and therefore real peace must be established in the heart if it is to last.
The snake tricked Eve in the garden of Eden and broke up the sweet fellowship and friendship with God.
Satan, was very jealous of Adam and Eve, when he saw them as rulers over the world, living in perfect unity with God, taking his place. Out of jealousy Satan planned their destruction, and succeeded in breaking up their wonderful friendship and life with God. The same devilish jealousy and envy in the human heart destroys happiness in the hearts of some when they see others are happy and living comfortably.
Jealousy brings evil thoughts into the heart to destroy the happiness of others and can even lead to murder. This is especially the case in some married lives. “A husband is never angrier than when he is jealous; his revenge knows no limits” (Proverbs).
In business as well as in all other walks of life it causes untold suffering and hatred.
The frog speaks here to the sins of greed and the love of money which is the source of all evil (1 Tim. 6:10). Certain frogs in the Congo have been seen eating ants by the hundreds until they burst and died.
A greedy person is not willing to open his hand to help the poor and needy, but tries by all means, honest and dishonest, to get more of the riches of this world. Jesus Himself said, “Do not store up riches for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal. Instead, store up riches for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and robbers cannot break in and steal. For your heart will always be where your riches are.”
The story of the rich man is told like this:
“There was once a rich man who had land which bore good crops. He began to think to himself, ‘I haven’t anywhere to keep all my crops. What can I do? This is what I will do,’ he told himself; ‘I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, where I will store my corn and all my other goods. Then I will say to myself, Lucky man! You have all the good things you need for many years. Take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!’
But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night you will have to give up your life; then who will get all these things you have kept for yourself?’ This is how it is with those who pile up riches for themselves but are not rich in God’s sight.”
“Does a person gain anything if he wins the whole world but loses his life? Of course not” (Jesus).
“And so I tell you not to worry about the food you need to stay alive or about the clothes you need for your body … Instead, be concerned with His Kingdom, and He will provide you with these things … For your heart will always be where your riches are.”
The Bible teaches us that God’s enemy, Satan, who is a fallen angel, is a compulsive liar. He is also known as the devil, the prince of darkness. He tricked humanity to sin against God. There are other fallen angels who became demons or evil spirits. These serve the devil. The devil and his demons oppress and deceive people. Still, the world worships these evil spirits because they think these are ‘gods.’
What is Satan’s main agenda? He and his demons try their best to keep people from knowing the true Almighty God who created the universe. Satan does not want people to know that God loves them and that He sent Jesus to reveal Himself to the world and to save humanity. To achieve his goals, he uses all kinds of deceit, temptations, and fear. They devil has no problems with any human religion. But he will do his best to keep you from the Living God and His son Jesus Christ.
You are ruled either by Satan or by God; you are a slave to sin or a servant of God.
The star speaks of the conscience in the heart of every man. Here it is, dirty and evil, probably dead through continual and deliberate sinning; blinded and sinful, so that it can no longer judge its own actions. This evil conscience may sometimes be quiet, sometimes troubled. It accuses when it should excuse, and it excuses when it should accuse. It may be dead, as if burnt with a hot iron, and have lost all sense and feeling through abandoning the faith, obeying lying spirits and following the teachings of demons, and listening to teachings spread by deceitful liars.
The eye of God sees everything that goes on in the heart. Nothing can be hidden from His flaming eye, and therefore He knows and sees all the secret thoughts and intentions of the heart. Whether you do your evil deeds in the darkest night, in the thickest forest, in the deepest ditch or wherever it may be, God sees it. (The eyes in these pictures also agree with the expression on the man’s face.)
The little tongues of fire round about the heart show the love of God surrounding the sinful heart. While God hates sin He loves man and does not want the death of a sinner, but that he should turn away from his sins and live. Jesus came to save sinners. There is great joy in heaven over one sinner that repents. The little tongues also speak of the blood of Jesus Christ, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
The angel represents the Word of God. God wants to speak to those who have been deceived and are carrying heavy loads of sin, so that they may turn from their sinful ways and let the light and love of God come into their hearts.
The dove is a sign of God’s Spirit, the Spirit who reveals the truth about God, about sin and what is right, and about God’s judgement (John 15:26). God’s Spirit is shown here outside the human heart. He cannot live where sin rules.
Should the picture of this heart be the same as the condition of your heart, cry to the Lord, open your heart to Him, let the light of His Word shine in. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” God is willing, yes, He has promised to change your heart, to give you a new heart and a new mind. This is explained in the second picture.
This picture shows a repenting heart that is beginning to turn towards God. To repent is to have a complete change of heart about one’s ways—an about-turn towards God.
The angel is holding a sword, which represents the Bible. The bible is the inspired Word of God. When we read it, it speaks to our heart and shows us our deepest sins. It teaches us that that we deserve to die for our sins. Everyone must die once, and after that be judged by God. The place reserved for unrepentant sinners is in the lake burning with fire and sulphur.
A heart convicted of sin
In the other hand the angel is holding a skull. This is to remind us that we will all die. We love our body so much. We clothe it, feed and beautify it. We give such care and attention to it in order to satisfy its desires and longings. The body is going to die and decay, and the worms will destroy it while our soul and spirit live for ever. One day, every human will be brought to the court of the Lord Jesus Christ, to be judged by Him.
Here we see the sinner beginning to take notice of the message of God and to open his heart to the love of God. God’s Spirit begins to shine light into the dark and sinful heart. The light of God comes into his heart to drive all darkness away. Sin, described here by all the various animals, has to go.
Therefore, dear reader, allow Jesus, the Light of the world, to come into your heart, and darkness and the evil actions of darkness must leave the heart, as shown in this picture. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness.”
You will never succeed in driving sin out of your heart by your own efforts, your own wisdom, or by the wisdom of people. The easiest, surest, quickest and most effective and only way, is to let Jesus, the Light, come in, and darkness, which is sin, must leave. The moon and the stars may give us some help on a dark night, but when the sun has risen, then darkness as well as the smaller lights disappear. Jesus is the “Sun of righteousness”.
Once, Jesus entered the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. He drove out all those who had converted it into a marketplace. They were buying and selling animals meant for sacrifice. Jesus overturned the tables of the money-changers and the stools of those who sold pigeons, saying,
It is written in the Scriptures that God said, ‘My temple will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it a hideout for thieves!”
Your heart is intended to be God’s house, God’s temple. He wants to live in it, make it beautiful, fill it with light, love and joy. Jesus not only came to forgive us our sins, but He came to deliver us and set us free from the power and domination of sin. If Jesus sets you free, then you will be really free.
This picture shows us the heart-condition of a really repentant sinner. He now sees the greatness and awfulness of his many sins for which Jesus died on the cross. As he sees the cross, it breaks his now sorry heart, and he is moved with deep, heartfelt regret and sorrow over his many sins.
As he sees the great love of God expressed in Christ Jesus, this love melts his heart, especially as he begins to realise that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to take away his many sins, as He was willing to die in his place on the cross.
The Repenting Heart
Even though Jesus was innocent, he was whipped and crucified. Before that, soldiers hammered a crown of thorns on his head. Long nails were driven through His hands and feet. He died on a Roman cross like a common criminal. It was for our sins. This truth is brought home clearly and deeply to the repenting sinner, completely changing his heart and life.
As he reads the Bible, he can see himself as in a mirror. He realizes more and more how far he had turned away from God and disobeyed His commands. He is overcome with feelings of great sadness and sorrow. As he pours out his heart before God with tears and bitter crying, Jesus draws near to him. The love and peace of God enter his heart as he begins to realize that “the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purifies us from every sin” (1 John 1:7).
While he still looks to the cross, he begins to realise that the load of sin has been taken away. He felt a strange lightness. Jesus had indeed endured the suffering that should have been ours. Seven hundred years before Jesus’ death, prophet Isaiah had written these word: “because of our sins He was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did,” that “the Lord made the punishment fall on Him.” (Isaiah 53)
God’s Spirit and the love of God take control of the purified heart. The forgiven sinner is now sure that everyone who believes in Jesus will not die (spiritually), but will have eternal life—just as the Bible says. Instead of loving the world and the things of the world, he loves God and the things of God.
In this picture, therefore, we find that the animals which represent sin, are now outside his heart, although Satan does not want to leave his former home, looking back and hoping to find an entrance once more. That is why the Lord Jesus warns us to keep watch and pray; to resist the devil so that he will run away from us.
This picture speaks of a Christian who has found perfect peace and eternal salvation through the death of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. There is no way he can boast in his personal piety or good deeds. He knows that he is a new creature now—thanks to what Jesus did for him on the cross.
Jesus died on the cross so that we too, might act dead towards sin and be alive and responsive only to God. When our former friends or heroes attract us towards sin, we will not respond to such temptations.
Dying with Christ
The Lord Jesus was stripped and bound to a post so that he could be flogged with a Roman whip. The pillar in the picture reminds us of that whipping post. Normally, those sentenced to death were not flogged. But Jesus was flogged. Thus, the centuries-old predictions came true. “We are healed by the punishment He suffered” (Isaiah 53:5).
Herod and his soldiers mocked Jesus, and after having whipped Him, they pressed a crown of thorny branches on His head – instead of crowning Him with a crown of gold. They put a stick in His right hand – instead of the sceptre of a king, and they bowed before Him to mock Him: “Long live the King of the Jews!” They spat on Him and took the stick from Him, and hit Him on the head. After they had so shamefully and cruelly mocked Him, they led Him away to be crucified.
In this picture we also find the bag of money belonging to Judas, who betrayed the Lord Jesus and sold Him for thirty silver coins. The love of money had taken hold of his heart. The lantern, chains, etc., were used by the soldiers who took Jesus prisoner by night. The dice, so often used for gambling, was used by the soldiers when they gambled for His clothes. “They gamble for my clothes and divide them among themselves” (Psalm 22:18).
They took everything from Jesus, but Himself they rejected, saying “We don’t want this man to be our king.” With the spear, the soldiers pierced His side and heart “and at once blood and water poured out.”
This picture shows the clean and purified heart of the sinner saved by God’s abundant grace and mercy. It has become a true temple of God, the home of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, according to the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ,
“Whoever loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and my Father and I will come to him and live with him” (John 14:23).
The Temple of God
The heart has now become a true temple of God. Sin has been driven out. Instead of the various animals controlled by Satan, the father of lies, we see God’s Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, living in the heart. Instead of being the breeding place of sin, the heart has become a beautiful, fruit-bearing tree or garden, bearing the fruits of the Spirit, such as love, joy, peace, humility, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self control and others which are acceptable and pleasing to God and man.
In this picture we also notice the angel re-appearing. Angels are appointed to “guard those who honour the Lord and rescue them from danger.”
The devil is also seen in this picture, standing close to the heart, as if watching for an opportunity to re-enter his former home. For this reason we are warned to “be alert, be on the watch! Your enemy, the Devil, roams round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”
Very often he is disguised as an angel of light, tempting careless children of God with the desires of this world, trying, by his cunning, to deceive even God’s chosen people. If, however, we resist the devil, he will run away from us.
This is the sad picture of a backslider. One eye is beginning to close, showing that he is beginning to grow cold and sleepy in his Christian life, while the other eye is shamelessly looking around, making love with the world.
The light inside has grown dim. He is no longer ready to suffer for Christ. He is surrounded by temptations to which he is slowly giving in. Instead of listening to God’s voice he now begins to listen to the devil’s cunning suggestions and false promises.
A Tempted and Divided Heart
Although he may still be a church-goer, hiding his desires for the things of the world under a form of religion, the love for God has grown cold in his heart. He has become undecided, standing still between two ways. He begins to play with the things of the world, and only pretends to love God. The star in his heart, the conscience, grows dim. The cross is no longer carried with a smile, but becomes an unwelcome, heavy load. His faith begins to shake, he stops communicating with God in prayer, becomes unconcerned and careless about his heart’s condition and slowly makes room for the devil who is waiting outside his heart. He enjoys the company of sinful people more than the company of true children of God.
The peacock, representing pride, begins to look for a way in again. He may have forgotten that he was saved by grace alone, and becomes a proud Christian. The desire for drinking alcohol knocks at the door and wants to come in. It may be on a special occasion, in the company of sinful friends, where he is ashamed to be thought different, a weakling, or unsociable, that the devil tells him that this one occasion will not hurt his spiritual life. Unspiritual thoughts and desires make themselves felt. Perhaps he begins to enjoy dirty jokes, to look again and again with pleasure at indecent pictures, and enjoy the wrong company, going to dance-halls, evil worldly entertainments, taking to heart sinful suggestions from the devil who tells him that this is human nature and that one sin is not really wrong.
Truly, we cannot help it if the wild birds of evil and bad thoughts fly over our heads, but we are guilty if we allow them to control us and make their nests in our hearts, breeding out their evil deeds. If we give the devil our little finger, he is sure to grab the whole hand, dragging soul and spirit into everlasting hell. Therefore God’s earnest warning to us, is to avoid the passions of youth and not to play with sin, no matter in what way it may come. Run to Jesus, the protector and defender.
The man seen in this picture stabbing the heart with a dagger, speaks of those who mock and resist Christianity. With their false tongues and mocking lips they stab and wound the hearts of Chris- tians – attacks which a divided heart cannot survive. He begins to fear men more than God and because of fear of what man will say and do, he becomes the slave of men, and drifts away from God. Anger and bad temper show themselves in times of trouble and disappointments, and force their way in. That evil snake of jeal- ousy, which appears when others are more successful and prosper- ous, will creep in without warning, and if given half a chance, will open the door to hatred and pride.
It is so easy for the love of money to creep into our hearts unless we obey the warnings of our Lord Jesus when He says, “Keep watch and pray that you will not fall into temptation” (Matt. 26:41). “Whoever thinks he is standing firm had better be careful that he does not fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). We must put on all the armour that God gives us, so that we will be able to stand up against the devil’s evil tricks (Eph. 6:11-18).
This picture reveals the condition of the backslidden heart of man, who after he was once in God’s light and had tasted heaven’s gift and received his share of God’s Spirit, has abandoned his faith (Heb. 6:4). It also shows the condition of a person who has never repented or given his life over to God, in spite of the fact that the truth of the Gospel, called the “Good News”, has been offered and revealed to him. A man who is stubborn when God speaks to him, will grow worse and worse in spite of his useless efforts to change himself.
A Backslidden or Stubborn Heart
Jesus Himself described the backsliders’ condition when He said,
“When an evil spirit goes out of a person, it travels over dry country looking for a place to rest. If it can’t find one, it says to itself, ‘I will go back to my house.’ So it goes back and finds the house clean and tidy. Then it goes out and brings seven other spirits even worse than itself, and they come and live there. So when it is all over, that person is in a worse state than he was at the beginning” (Luke 11:24-26).
“What happened to them shows that the proverbs are true; ‘A dog goes back to what it has vomited’ and ‘A pig that has been washed goes back to roll in the mud’” (2 Peter 2:22).
These Bible passages clearly explain the condition of a backslider’s or the unrepentant sinner’s heart.
It is possible that he may still boast of being outwardly decent and respectable, of having a religious appearance, like a whitewashed tomb “which looks fine on the outside but is full of bones and decaying corpses on the inside.”
Should this picture agree with the condition of your heart, dear friend, cry to God without delay, from the depth of your heart. “He is able, now and always, to save those who come to God through Him.” He is also able and willing to forgive all sins, if you come in true repentance. But if you continue to be stubborn, and love darkness rather than light, there is no hope, no help, because you are choosing death instead of life - “sin pays its wage - death.”
Here we find the stubborn sinner who has postponed making a decision to follow Christ, approaching death. His body may be full of pain and his soul filled with the fear of death. Death (the skeleton) has come at an unexpected and unwanted time.
The false pleasures of sin have disappeared, and the awful reality of the high and dreadful cost of sin now has to be faced. The agonies of hell are becoming real to him.
A Sinner’s Judgment
Although he now longs to pray, he finds he cannot communicate with God whose love he has rejected for so long. His friends are afraid to stand at his bedside, and their empty words of comfort cannot help him now. His riches can neither lengthen his life, nor save his soul, nor reduce the agony of his soul. He finds it impossible to concentrate on God because the devil does not give him an opportunity to do so.
Everything he once loved and lived for, seems to mock him. He begins to realise that “it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!” He had hoped to give his life to God when it suited him, or on his deathbed, but now he finds it is too late.
Thousands of people die suddenly, without having a chance to turn to God on their deathbeds. It is therefore essential to turn to God while we still have time. Instead of hearing the comforting and saving words of God, this dying sinner who rejected the forgiveness and love of God during his lifetime now has to hear the voice of his Judge, the Saviour whom he rejected, saying
“Away from me, you that are under God’s curse! Away to the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels!” (Jesus’ words to sinners on Judgment Day).
“Everyone must die once, and after that be judged by God.” (Bible) There are no second chance. There is no reincarnation.
This picture represents a Christian who remains faithful and wins the victory over painful tests and temptations. While he is tempted on all sides, he remains firm and holds out to the end, being victorious through Jesus Christ.
A Victorious Heart
Satan with all his demons surrounds the believing heart, trying without success to lead the child of God the wrong way. Pride, the love of money, immorality, and others, are also represented. In the place of the leopard we now see a donkey, for often sin comes to us in another way, and hides itself in a different form or name. But the watchful Christian knows it is sin even when it comes in the form of religion, or as an angel of light, for God’s Word and God’s Spirit lead him to the truth.
A man, holding a glass of wine in the one hand, dances around the Christian and tries to tempt him with the false pleasures of the world. It has, however, no effect on the dedicated Christian.
The second man in the picture, is stabbing the Christian with a dagger. Insults, gossiping, mocking and threats through unbelievers – and very often through so-called believers – are constantly stabbing the heart of the true believer. But he does not listen to what people say and cares only about what God says. He remembers the words of Jesus.
“Happy are you when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of evil lies against you because you are my followers. Be happy and glad, for a great reward is kept for you in heaven.”
Our sinful nature and the devil, are constantly trying their best to separate the Christian from the love of God. But we have complete victory through Christ who loved us.
THE STAR of his conscience is clear and bright. His heart is full of faith and filled with the God’s Spirit. The angel, as the Word of God, reminds him of the rich blessings given to them that win the victory and hold out to the end.
THE OPEN BAG OF MONEY shows that not only his heart, but also his money is dedicated to God. Instead of wasting his money, he is helping the poor, giving his tithes (the tenth part of his income) and offerings or even all he possesses, to God, using everything for the glory of God.
THE LOAF OF BREAD AND THE FISH indicate that he lives a clean and self-controlled life. He does not spoil his life getting intoxicated with strong drink or by gluttony. He does not waste his money, neither does he destroy his body (which is the temple of God), by substance-abuse or unhealthy habits.
His heart has become a house of prayer. He also meets with other Christians regularly and respectfully, in all kinds of weather and under all circumstances. He loves prayer, whether it be in the church or with his family, or in his own room, for he knows that a Christian cannot grow without communicating with God in prayer.
THE OPEN BOOK indicates that the Bible is an open book to him, and he reads and studies it daily, finding wisdom and strength, life and light, and countless riches in it. It has become a lamp to guide him and a sword with which he defeats the devil. It is the daily spiritual food for his soul, water to put an end to his thirst, a bath in which to clean himself, and a mirror in which he sees himself.
He loves to carry his cross (that is, to suffer for the sake of Christ), for he knows that there will be no reward without the cross. As he knows that he has risen with Christ so that he might live a new life, he sets his heart on the things that are in heaven, keeping his mind fixed on things there, not on things here on earth. He is ready to meet God. He does not know the fear of death.
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”
“Whoever hears my words and believes in Him who sent me has eternal life. He will not be judged, but has already passed from death to life.”
Death holds neither fear nor punishment for the Christian.
“Death is destroyed; victory is complete! Where death is your victory? Where death is your power to hurt? … Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!”
The Glorious Homegoing
A person who has lived and walked with God is not afraid of death. When the time comes for him to die, he will go gladly, as the Apostle Paul puts it, I want very much to leave this life and to be with Christ, which is a far better thing.”
A Christian longs to see the face of Jesus who died for him and paid the price for his sins on the cross. There is no language on earth by which one can explain or describe the splendour of the heavenly city prepared for them that walk in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ here on earth.
Instead of the fearful skeleton (death), the angel or messenger of God is seen in this last picture. He is waiting to carry the clean spirit back to God. Soul and spirit are set free from the imprisonment of the mortal body, and ascend through the open gates of heaven to Jesus who loves him and who died for him on the cross. A happy welcome waits for him in the presence of God where he is greeted by his Lord and Master with these words of praise,
“Well done, you good and faithful servant! … Come on in and share my happiness!”
Satan has no control over him any more.
“Then I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write this: Happy are those who from now on die in the service of the Lord!’ ‘Yes indeed!’ answers the Spirit. They will enjoy rest from their hard work, because the results of their service go with them.”
Dear reader, may God help you to give your heart to Him who loves you. Get in touch with God-fearing Christians who preach the Good News of Jesus Christ. They can help you understand the Bible better. They can help you with your questions.
If you are feeling suicidal now, please stop long enough to read this. It will only take about five minutes. I do not want to talk you out of your bad feelings. I am not a therapist or other mental health professional – only someone who knows what it is like to be in pain.
Look! There's someone who does not want you to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. Click on the image below to read the Chick comic.
Let someone scan this QR code using their phone’s camera to access this web page.
*The above material was adapted from a booklet that originated in France in 1732, was revised and re-written for the mission fields of Africa by Rev. J. R. Gschwend in 1929, and has subsequently been translated and printed under copyright in over 250 indigenous languages by All Nations Gospel Publishers who are distributing it today in 127 mission countries. People of all languages, classes and religions are being led by this booklet to experience the deep spiritual truth and significance of God’s message to mankind as expressed by the prophet Ezekiel 586 years before Christ, “I will give you an new heart and a new mind … then you will be my people, and I will be your God!” Ezekiel 36:26-28.
© Copyright: ALL NATIONS GOSPEL PUBLISHERS, P. O. Box 2191, PRETORIA, 0001, SOUTH AFRICA REG. No. 61/01798/08, ISBN 0-908412-16-9
