Death's Door

I recently enjoyed watching the Japanese film Departures. It's a story about a Japanese man who lost his job and, by mistake, found another job preparing bodies for burial. Watching how he and his boss reverently prepared the bodies was amazing. I'm not an expert on burial practices from around the world, but I have witnessed some foreign ways and was totally impressed with their care during the process and their sensitivity towards the bereaved family as they watched their loved one being prepared for burial. (Yes, Japanese families watch. Definitely not something done here!) However, in Japan, death is a very taboo subject to openly discuss and he had several obstacles to overcome in order to make money for his family. In the end, he was able to take pride in his work because of something a family friend told him:

Death is not the end. It is a door into the next life.

How true that statement is.

However, unlike most people's way of thinking today, the door of death only leads to two very different places. One is Heaven; the other is Hell. There are no other destinations. Most people today think that by being good, doing good works, helping the poor, being kind, etc. will help them cross this door into Paradise. Others believe that they will be reborn in another life and the type of life they have then will be determined by what they do in this present life. Sadly, these self-delusioned people find out quickly that they were wrong.

The only way to Heaven is through the shed blood of Christ and in Him alone. Acts 4:12 states, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved." Walking down paths of enlightenment, traveling to holy Meccas once a year, doing good works for your fellow humans, or coming back as anything better in another life are all paths that lead from Death's door into the place of everlasting punishment and torment. The only path that leads to eternal life is the narrow, blood-stained path of Jesus Christ. He is the only Way to spend Eternity with God the Father.

Have you chosen the path of Jesus? Or do you continue in your own way through Death's door to everlasting fire?