Like It or Not, There’s Only One Way to Get In

Back in 2005, the Real ID Act was enacted to require that driver’s licenses and identification cards issued by states and U.S. territories comply with federal standards. It was to enhance security after the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Here we are, two decades later, and it seems the plan will finally be implemented and enforced. Apparently, “soon” in governmental terms has broad interpretation.

Although it appears the actual enforcement may still be delayed, the Real ID eventually will be necessary for boarding domestic airline flights and gaining access to certain federal facilities. Once it goes into full force, if you don’t have a Real ID, your plans to fly somewhere literally won’t get off the ground. 

 

We have the same principle in use when traveling to many foreign countries. Without a passport you can’t get in – and often, without a passport you can’t get out. Kind of like Monopoly, unless you have a passport, you can’t pass ‘Go.’

 

What would you think about someone who strongly objected, telling a boarding agent at an airport or a passport officer, “How intolerant! How narrow-minded! Why must I produce a Real ID (or a passport)?” You might not say it aloud but would probably think to yourself, ‘Hey, buddy, rules are rules. It’s not like this was something that just happened yesterday. These regulations have been in effect for a long time.’

 

I’ve had the privilege of traveling to about a dozen countries; each time I had to present my passport to enter them – and to exit. Not once did I feel a need to dispute the requirements. And I obtained my Real ID well in advance; sooner or later I’ll need it, so why not beat the rush at the DMV?

 

Interestingly, people have a very different reaction to the biblical guidelines for going to Heaven. “There are many ways to God,” some say. Others opine, “It doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you are sincere.” But getting back to the Real ID or passport analogies, the ticket agent or passport officer would disagree. There’s only one way to get onto a commercial jet, and it’s to produce the proper ID. And no matter how sincere you might be, without a passport, you can’t move from one country to another.

 

In terms of our ultimate destination, once our tenure on Earth has ended, we need to look at what God’s Word has to say about it. And the Scriptures have much to say.

 

One time, maybe while glancing at a flock of sheep grazing in a nearby field, Jesus Christ told His followers, along with a crowd of curious onlookers and religious leaders, “I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture…. I am the good shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me…there shall be one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:9-16).

 

Speaking to Martha, one of Jesus’ devoted followers whose brother Lazarus had just died, He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25-26).

 

Perhaps the most direct statement was when He was alone with His 12 disciples. In response to Thomas’s question, “how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:5-6).

 

This claim is affirmed repeatedly in the New Testament. Addressing the Sanhedrin, the assembly of the highest-ranking Jewish leaders, the apostle Paul declared, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men [Jesus of Nazareth] by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

 

Writing to his young protégé Timothy, the apostle Paul asserted, “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all men…” (1 Timothy 2:3-6).

 

We could consider numerous other passages, but 1 John 5:11-13 sums it up: “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

 

With the proper ticket and Real ID, we know we can board an airplane for our chosen destination. And with a passport, we enter a foreign land whether for business or leisure – and then leave when we wish to do so. Doesn’t it make sense to ensure that when we’ve taken our last breath on Earth, we’ll have the proper ‘credentials’ to enter Heaven?

Raising the Dead, Physically and Spiritually

We’ve recently celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the singular most important event in all of Christianity – and if we believe the Bible, the most important event in the history of all mankind. Jesus being raised from the dead stands alone in eternal magnitude and significance, beyond comparison. However, it’s not the only example in the Scriptures of people coming back from death. 

For instance, in the Old Testament we read compelling stories about two prophets, Elijah (1 Kings 17:17-24) and his protégé, Elisha (2 Kings 4:6-37). In different circumstances, both prayed and pleaded with the Lord to bring back to life sons of two women who had extended kindnesses to them. And their prayers were answered.

Many of us are familiar with the New Testament story of Lazarus (John 11:1-44), a friend of Jesus and brother of Mary and Martha, who lived in the village of Bethany, a small town in Judea not far from Jerusalem. When Jesus learned Lazarus was very ill and his sisters had sent for Him to come and heal him, He informed His disciples, “This sickness will not end in death.” 

 

After waiting two more days, Jesus said, “Let us go back to Judea.” He gathered up His disciples and announced, “‘Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him’….” 

 

When they heard Jesus was approaching, Lazarus’s sisters Martha and Mary went to Him separately and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” Martha added, revealing her faith, “But I know that even now God will give You whatever You ask….” By that time, Lazarus had been in his tomb for four days. Nevertheless, Jesus replied, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26).

 

He proceeded to the tomb, ordered the stone to be removed, prayed to the Father, and then “called out in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go’” (John 11:43-44). Understandably, this caught the attention of many people – including the religious opposition.

 

Other examples of Jesus raising the dead included: the daughter of Jairus, a synagogue ruler (Mark 5:22-43); the servant of a God-fearing Roman centurion, recounted in Luke 7:1-10; and the son of a widow in a town called Nain (Luke 7:11-17). Even though each of these accounts is stirring, the greater narrative in the Scriptures is not God’s power to resurrect people from physical death, but His desire to raise up those who are dead spiritually.

 

The Old Testament provides the intriguing example of the prophet Ezekiel, who received a vision by God of a valley filled with dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14). The Lord asked him, “Son of man, can these bones live?” to which Ezekiel responded, “O Sovereign Lord, You alone know.” Then as instructed, the prophet spoke to the bones, which came together, along with tendons, flesh and skin, and finally became alive: “…I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet – a vast army.” 

 

The boneyard that came to life, God said, represented backslidden and rebellious Israel. Ezekiel had been given the challenging commission to call the Israelites to repentance – along with proclaiming God’s promise to Israel that He would “put My Spirit in you and you will live….” 

 

We find a powerful description of the spiritually dead in Ephesians 2:14, where the apostle Paul writes to believers in the city of Ephesus, “As for you, you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world…gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts… But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ…it is by grace you have been saved.”

 

Even though these words were penned nearly 2,000 years ago, they have a familiar ring for today.

 

During His earthly ministry, Jesus uttered many profound teachings and performed countless miracles, but most important was the message of repentance, forgiveness, redemption, and the assurance of eternal life. At the conclusion of what is commonly known as the parable of the prodigal son, the Lord described the joy of a father whose estranged son had returned home. Speaking to his other son, the father declares, “But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:32).

 

All around us we see people who look perfectly fine physically but spiritually belong in a morgue. Kind of reminiscent of the little boy in the movie, “The Sixth Sense,” who hauntingly stated, “I see dead people.” Our Lord’s primary concern is not how we appear outwardly, but the condition of our hearts. 

 

As Jesus told religious leaders who had confronted Him after He had healed an invalid on the Sabbath, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believe Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; He has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live” (John 5:24-25).

 

Regardless of the quality of our earthly life, Jesus’ desire for us is to experience every day the assurance of having eternal life, as well as the peace and joy that come with that, regardless of our temporal circumstances.

Searching for the Secret to a Long Life

Remember the story of Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon searching for the legendary “Fountain of Youth” in the 1500’s? I heard there’s a rumor going around that he currently resides in St. Augustine, Florida and spends his days watching reruns of “Dora the Explorer.”

Going through my email recently a headline caught my eye. It read, “Harvard Study Shows Unexpected Key to Long Life.” I didn’t take the time to read the article, but I thought everybody knew the secret to a long life: Just avoid dying. (Good luck with that.)

 

I’ve read a few novels and seen science-fiction films and TV shows about people who somehow achieved immortality. There’s an episode of the old “Twilight Zone” dealing with that theme that I especially enjoyed. What would you do – how would you react – if somehow you stumbled across a Fountain of Youth or ingested some kind of elixir that enabled you to live forever?

 

I’ve pondered this on occasion. My conclusion is it wouldn’t be all that great a deal. Think about it: All of your family members and friends eventually would pass away, but you’d keep hanging on. In a film I viewed recently, the indestructible lady had to keep inventing new identities to avoid raising suspicions about why she never aged or became ill. Hers had become a lonely existence; after a century or so she became tired of it. She was actually relieved when she became mortal again.

 

Then again, the Bible clearly and unwaveringly addresses the prospect of not a long life, but a forever life. The best-known verse of all declares, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). 

 

When Jesus Christ said this, He clearly wasn’t offering an assurance of not experiencing physical death. Rather, it was His promise that for those who trust in Him, death is merely a step into what we might term, “the other side of eternity.”

 

Sometime later, in comforting Martha, whose brother Lazarus had just died, Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26). Then, as if to demonstrate His power over life and death, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead – a foreshadowing of His own resurrection after His crucifixion.

 

We could cite numerous other passages that offer the same assurance, but here are just two more to consider: In Titus 1:2 the apostle Paul writes about, “a faith and knowledge resting in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time.” This, Paul made clear, was not a “hope-so” faith, but a confident assurance, an earnest expectation for all who follow Christ.

 

And another apostle, John, asserts, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God has not life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11-13).

 

No doubt, scientists and physicians will continue their search for the keys or secrets to longer life. And that’s not a bad thing. But death for us all is inevitable, even more than taxes. It’s just a matter of when. To date, the mortality rate for humankind – and all living things – has been 100 percent. But by faith in Jesus Christ and His transforming power, we need not dread death. We’re assured that when our days on this earth come to an end, there’s a far more glorious life to come, beyond anything our finite minds can comprehend.

 

As the two most pivotal days on the Christian calendar approach, Good Friday and Easter, we can rejoice in the promise Jesus gave to His followers: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29).

 

For now, we can do as King Solomon admonished in Ecclesiastes 5:18, “I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him – for this is his lot.” And then, for everyone who knows and follows Jesus Christ, real life will begin.