Alva Review-Courier -

Fall has arrived in full force. The cold is on the way, and the leaves will soon turn. Soon we will all be raking the yards. Fall brings a lot of different experiences – football, hayrides and, of course, pumpkin spice on everything. Soon Thanksgiving will be coming. Time certainly moves quickly. Enjoy each moment while you can.

One thing that fall brings is Halloween. Scares and candy. I tend to like candy more than the scares. We all enjoy playing pranks and scaring our kids. I did a lot of that when my kids were young. I think of it as a fatherly duty all men have.

This emotion of fear is an interesting one. We all have some phobia of something, something scares all of us: when we were young, perhaps a thunderstorm; as adults, perhaps bills and uncertainty in our finances; or maybe as we age, a nursing home. We all have some fear in our lives.

Instead of letting Hollywood scare you this season, let me share with you the scariest words spoken by Jesus in the Bible. The Bible records Jesus teaching about the final judgment in the Sermon on the Mount. He states in Matthew 7:23, “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” There will be a group of people at the end of all things that will hear three scary things, Jesus never knew you, depart from Him, and the declaration of their sinful condition. Suddenly they are escorted into the final and eternal destination, Hell.

This group does not know Jesus. If you do not know Jesus, you are placing yourself in a fearful position. Jesus is our only hope to escape the consequences of our sins. He stated in John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Many people today feel as if they don’t need Jesus, but He is our only hope.

Jesus said to this group of people, “Depart from me.” Why wouldn’t you want to be with Jesus? You have placed yourself in a position that you would be told to leave. You have kept to your sins and have rejected the salvation Jesus offers. Jesus, one day, saw several abandon Him. He asked Peter if he planned to leave, and Peter said, “…Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). With Jesus, there is life and healing; without Jesus, there is nothing but death and suffering. He is our only hope and invites us to come to Him freely. Will you come to Jesus today?

The final words of fear are, “ye that work iniquity.” He described the departing people as workers of sin. Just because they are dead does not mean that they have changed. Sinners depart to hell in the same condition they left life, sinners. Hitler and Bib Laden are the same in hell as they were here on earth. Cursing, abuse, hate, nothing changes. Hell is a pit of suffering and sin. It is a place of the complete absence of God and His redeeming grace. When you come to Jesus, He begins to change us. I am not the same man I was before I met Jesus. He has changed me. He is still changing me, and one day, He will change me! Why do you want to stay the same? Come to Christ; He can heal and transform. Without Jesus, there is no change. You will die the same, and enter into hell the same.

Many who read this will one day hear these words of truth. That is truly scary. You are facing eternity with uncertainty. Jesus is ready to redeem and change your eternal home, but you must come to Him. Why live in fear of eternity? Why risk it? Why reject the One who gave Himself for your sins.

By the way, Jesus also said, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). Scary …