Why I love Him

Jesus died and rose again to save, not to condemn. In a way I do not understand, but deeply believe to be true, His suffering in Gethsemane and on the cross really has put him in a position to lift us up to stand before the Father both to judge and be judged and to move into eternity. With the exception of a very, very small group of individuals, all who have ever lived will move on to some degree of glory, power, and happiness. I do not say that everyone will be or receive the same, but I do claim that everyone is going to much better off — more powerful, more peaceful, more happy — than they are now.

If this is obvious to you, please allow me to explain why I dwell on it. This is a point of such deep import because it indicates just how universal and infinite the redemption of Christ is. When I say "all but a very, very few" will be saved, I don't mean that a very, very few will NOT be saved, but that after EVERYONE has been saved — after EVERYONE has been called from death and from the hell of separation from God, only a very, very few will decide to willingly go back to hell. Christ will not leave anyone there. His offering does not just redeem the repentant sinner — it covers EVERYONE.

Not everyone who is saved can be trusted. Not everyone who is saved will know God in the same way.  Not everyone who is saved will know what to do with the freedom Christ offers them. Not all will ever become life as Jesus is. But we ALL will be brought back from death. We ALL will be brought back into the presence of God the Father. And all but a very, VERY few will choose to stay there.

Christ's victory has done that.

And don't be surprised if Hitler or Qaddafi, or Richard III, or Stalin, or Mao ze Tung, or even I am there, among the saved who are offered and who choose to stay WITH God. "All manner of blasphemy against the Son of Man will be forgiven," He said. That covers a lot.

So, we will all be there — very literally by the grace of God, — standing clean before the Father. Most of us will be full of gratitude and anxious to enter in to a newness of life, stunned that the burden of our sin could actually have been removed from us.

Again, I don't say that everyone will either BE, CHOOSE, or BE GIVEN the same thing after thist moment, but up to that moment what is given by Jesus will be the same: He will stand before the Father and say, "I have taken the sins of all these upon Me. I received the punishment meant for them all. They are all free."

After that will begin the distinction: "What have you become with this freedom? What have you learned to desire? Do you have it in you to know Me? Will you choose the weight of My glory?"

Perhaps God will deal first with those very few whose hearts are, impossibly, still past feeling, pointing them the way to an endless hell prepared for the devil and his angels. Perhaps He will weep over them one last time as they depart, knowing what could have been for them.

Then to us: "Well? What can you do now?"

And we will go, one to the stars, another to the moon, still others to the Sun to be and do what we have learned to dream.

Without Jesus, we would all have been irretrievably lost. We would not stand before God, clean or otherwise. We would never see the tears of the Father again —.either for grief at our continuing to choose misery or for His joy in our repentance. "For I have found that which was lost! Jesus has brought you back to Me!"