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Opinion / Religion - May 25, 2020

Mike's World View by Mike Henry

The son of the late President Ronald Reagan recently said in an ad for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, "Ron Reagan, lifelong atheist, not afraid of burning in Hell." It's easy to talk big on this side of the grave, but it might be another story on the other side.
Let's face it: life is a mystery, and I'm amazed by how few are interested in the answer. Naturalism/atheism is one explanation for life, and the one that Ron Reagan accepts. If life is merely the result of natural processes over millions of years, then there's no God or eternal judgment to fear. Ron is simply being consistent with what he believes, or so he says. There might be other issues going on in his mind and heart.
If Jesus Christ is God, and He's the only one who makes a serious claim to the title, then we have an authoritative voice on the subject of the afterlife. You can call Him a liar if you like, but that carries with it a serious risk to your eternal soul.
I would like to introduce Ron Reagan to the rich man of Luke 16: 19-31. He was living a happy, hedonistic life without any thought of God's judgment and ended up in Hell. He said in verses 24, 27, 28, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me … for I am tormented in this flame … I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him [Lazarus] to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they should come to this place of torment."
This seems to be more than a parable since Jesus names Lazarus and describes a relationship between the two. This is a rare and eye-opening glimpse into the afterlife from two real-life people. Since Jesus often used hyperbole, are the flames of Hell to be understood as literal? I don't know, but you don't want to find out. You can either believe Ron Reagan, "not afraid of burning in hell," or the rich man, "I am tormented in this flame."
The good news is we need not suffer that fate. "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23
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