10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
Hollywood has some very creative ways to make things that are not real seem as though they were. The old horror movie sets used to be made of plywood and cloth. They would be painted and when you saw them on screen they looked like a real city, but of course there was nothing behind those façades. They were only inches thick with a supporting network of boards. There were no rooms, no staircases to the second floors, no plumbing or electricity, no place for monsters to live. It was all carefully staged to look real. What I find interesting is that for a Jesus-follower, death is like that stage set. Because of Jesus’ work in destroying death’s eternal consequences, the believer has no substance behind that thin veil of death. There is no pain, or sorrow following death. What appears from life’s side to be large and menacing, is merely a moment thick. All that is scary or worrisome about death has been removed. The reality is that, for the Jesus-follower, death is simply a door. In an instant we move from this life to the next. We move from a life of trouble and sorrow to a place of peace and tranquility. No more regrets or shortcomings, once you move behind the door, there is a real world, the world of heaven. In the message of the Gospel we get to see the reality of that world. Prior to the Gospel’s coming, we could only see the façade of death, that dark and scary structure created by sin itself. It grew in size and its capacity to frighten us. Some people spend their whole life turning from or denying its significance rather than facing it. For the believer, the reality behind the thin veil has been shown. We can see the fullness that is heaven and God’s presence and as a result, we don’t need to fear death. The Gospel has placed a spotlight on the world behind the scrims of the theater; we can see glimpses of heaven itself. And what a wonderful existence we will enjoy.
The Arnold Journey 