I knew a man for most of my life, but I realize now I never knew him very well. At least not in ways that really matter. He was successful, handsome, and generous. The guy obviously had a lot of bobbles, you might say. That doesn’t just refer to money and possessions, but other things that instilled feelings of security in him. And he wasn’t completely worldly-minded, but neither are the people in HereAndNow.  They just have the wrong idea about the place they live, and the place they will one day live – forever. That was my friend. Yes, “was”. I once had an opportunity to talk to him about what comes after this current life, and he told me something that astounded me. He said that when you die you get whatever you want. (Really? And they say Christianity is wishful thinking…) That idea is worse than wrong, it is deceitful, but it stemmed from being deceived himself –  especially in regard to knowing good and evil.

Let’s look again at page 73 of The Bridge from OneDayBow, as Tim sees behind the gate:

There was no reward there, just the sting of the lie:

“It’s all about the bobbles!” is painful once you die.

Since they wouldn’t love the Truth but chose the lie instead;

Their noomas don’t have real life, yet are not fully dead.

Death is not part of the natural order of things, it entered our world when Eve and Adam ignored the wise counsel of their Creator and believed the lie that indulging in what God had forbidden would result in wisdom. The lying serpent assured that they could be (as) God, knowing good and evil. But let’s think this one through. What Adam and Eve had in the Garden was very good, some would call it Paradise. They already knew what good was! I can’t imagine what the lure of “knowing evil” meant to them. Ultimately, the evil they became acquainted with was the result of rejecting God by dismissing His Word. And with that evil came a type of death as they became separated from fellowship with their Creator, the Giver of Life. Leaving the Garden of Eden was one thing, but leaving the place they walked and talked with God must have been… the preamble to death.

And what does that have to do with bobbles? I know it’s easy to think of a bobble as gold, or a priceless gem, or a $20 kazillion dollar bitcoin. And maybe the best way to explain a bobble is to think about the value of a bitcoin. But first I must give my disclaimer: I know next to nothing about bitcoins. My limited “knowledge” is based on information from the less than reliable Internet. All of which helps make my illustration.

According to one website, the value of bitcoins are in continual flux. It was reported that one bitcoin valued at over $6,000,000.00 (Yes, I did mean to enter that many zeros) was worth less than $15,000.00 just 7 weeks later! (No, I didn’t drop any zeros!) Next, because it is a virtual currency there are cybersecurity issues. (Do you want the Internet guarding your piggy bank?) Fraud is another problem. (How do you know if it’s even real?) I think I can hear a generation younger than my own saying, “But I want it. It’s cool and hip, (or other words corresponding to their lingo) and I could be rich enough to have whatever I want.” Or you could lose your grocery money… You get the idea, I hope. How much do people really know about bitcoins, other than the line the seller presents?

Bobbles are not just about material wealth, which is as fragile and illusive as a bitcoin. They represent security built on wants and desires and achievements and perceptions, all revolving around the individual interpretation of the knowledge of good and evil. Human reasoning, which becomes relative if you dismiss the standard of absolute Truth, is precarious and unstable. (Like a bitcoin) To put your hope in bobbles is to build a self-defined philosophy that puts self at the center and God in a distant universe, while clinging to the idea of a heaven of your own making.

I think I’ve beleaguered the point because even I am tired of talking about bobbles.  Still, I would be less than honest if I didn’t say that I in no way revel in the thought of anyone spending eternity in Hell. (Except maybe the devil, Hitler, and a few like individuals) And just like Tim, as he cried out in shock and disbelief when he realized the end of those choosing to enter the broad gate; I want to warn you not to be deceived!

Though shouting, none could hear Tim on that gate’s inner side –

Separated, by their choice, from the King they’d denied.

Oh, the harsh futility of choosing any thing

Above, beyond, apart from believing in the King!

Deceit was there uncovered, and tempters’ lies denounced,

But none could leave that sad place once their death was announced.

Tim’s reaction? Grief. Mine too. It is a little unnerving when you put faces on those who will die without trusting Jesus for eternal life. But each person is given the choice, and a lifetime to consider the eternal implications. To choose genuine faith in God is to discover and experience what is really good. To reject Him is to sentence yourself to an eternity without Him, which is the ultimate evil. Please don’t rely on your own reasoning when it comes to life and death. Read the Bible. Know the Truth. Choose the good – Jesus!