TOTAL DARKNESS

What if the earth was in total darkness for 3 days? What would you do? How would you cope? Are you prepared for something like this happening? Before you run to snopes and say this won't happen, I urge you to pick up a Bible or a Bible concordance and look up the key words/phrases: "darkness," "total darkness," and "darkness over the earth."

What if our Creator were trying to get our attention with a 3 day time out? LIGHTS OUT! He flips the switch and the lights go out for 3 days. No sun. No moon. No stars. TOTAL DARKNESS!

Why would He do something like that? To get our attention and to wake us up. It would be a reminder that He's God and we're not. PERSPECTIVE!

It wouldn't be for vengeance or a cruel joke on us, but an alarm to wake up and smell the coffee. A CALL to return to Him; take stock (spiritual inventory) and make sure that "it is well with our soul," and with Him.

The CAVE: I want to share a personal story. A few years back some friends and I went to Tennessee to go white water rafting and cave exploring. On our cave exploration, we had a rather unique and unusual experience.

Our guide took us into a deep dark cave that went back several hundred feet. Once we were deep inside the cave, there was absolutely NO light, except for our flashlights.

Our guide said we were going to experience the total darkness in its fullness and one by one, we'd have to find our way out of the cave with no help from one another and without any light source.

Before we began this journey, we all stayed in one place for a few moments in the darkness, as we were told to think about what HELL is truly like. The Bible describes it as a place of absolute darkness and total isolation. A place of torment and pain. A place where the worms don't die.

These thoughts were very heavy to bear in the total darkness of that cave. Even though my friends were there with me, I could not see them and per our guide, we could not speak with one another or hold hands. So for all intents and purposes, we were each alone and isolated with our thoughts.

A good 5 minutes went by (or at least it felt like that - it was probably only a minute; it just felt a lot longer) and then our guide spoke to us in the absolute darkness. His voice was so comforting and gave me hope that I was not alone. He asked us to share our thoughts and feelings. In the darkness we heard each others sobs and true despair in how we each felt; not for ourselves, but for our loved ones that could end up in such a place. We knew this was a momentary experiment, but the reality of an eternity in hell for many people that we know and love was just unbearable.

This part of our experience was now over and we all had fresh perspective about not only making sure we were right with God, but that others had the same opportunity. Next, began the hardest part of this journey; finding our way out in total darkness and isolation.

We each had to go alone and our guide timed it for us, so there would be enough time between each person, so as not to run into each other. We were told we had to hang onto the walls of the cave and feel our way out. We were told there was nothing in the cave that could hurt us (no bears and no creepy crawlies).

We were also given instruction that once we got to the realm where light began to exist to stop and gain our bearings. This is because once the eyes have been in darkness for so long, they can't process the light and the brain has trouble making sense of it. Did you get that? There's a lot of spiritual truth here. We were told to stop, process, then slowly proceed toward the light. You can't just run into it, is what our guide said.

So, with that instruction, it was my turn and I made my way; step by step. Hand by hand on the damp, dark cave wall. It was so dark that I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face.

Now, I was scared and had to have a conversation with Jesus all the way out. I knew I could make it, with His help and His peace. I knew that if nobody else was there with me, He was. He was there for every step and every tear. This gave me hope to keep moving and not just stop and cry, or give up.

It was a long trek before I reached the realm of light. It seemed to take forever, even though I kept moving and didn't stop. When I saw it, I didn't quite know what I was looking at. It was like a blue, hazy, halo there in the cave. It was fuzzy and cloudy and I wasn't sure if it was real, or just my mind playing tricks on me. I remembered the advice of our guide to stop and process. Give your eyes and brain time to check back in after being in total darkness. So, I stopped and waited.

I just stared at it until it began to come more clear and my brain seemed to come back online with a thought that this IS the way out. There is hope ahead. Because, in the darkness, you feel hopeless and like there is no way out. But this was the way.

So, I kept walking. Step by step, the light got brighter and became more clear. Soon, there was enough light to see my hands and feet and I didn't have to grope the cave walls to find my way. Now, the light was my way!

Soon, I wanted to run, but I remember our guide saying not to, so I kept my pace steady and kept walking until I was outside of the cave and back into the glorious light.

I never felt so relieved, yet so unnerved at the same time. I was relieved my time in total darkness was over, but I was unnerved for the coming darkness and how my loved ones, friends, and coworkers would be able to get through it.

What about eternal darkness? After this journey, I was more aware of people facing an eternity of this and wanted then and now to be able to warn them. My whole experience in that dark, isolated cave was only about an hour out of one day of my life, but what about people who are bound for eternity in such darkness and isolation?

Friends, a time is coming when we all must decide if we want to live for ourselves or live for God. A time will come when it will be just you and Him and you will have to answer. Your friends and family won't be there. You'll have to make a choice. You have the power of that choice.

Actually, that time is now. The Bible says today is the day of salvation. Choose this day whom you will serve. Don't wait until it's too late and you're all alone in total darkness.

If you're reading this, it's because you are concerned for yourself and/or loved ones. I've taken the time to write this, because I care about you. I've shared my very personal experience with you, because you matter to me. Please listen. I'm not here to judge you. I'm here to warn you. Friend, the bridge is out up ahead and you need to get off this road now. It doesn't matter how you got on this road. All that matters is that you get off of it, quickly. Please don't ignore me or spite my advice to keep on driving on this road. Please have ears to hear what I am truly saying and eyes to see what I've written.

If 3 days of darkness comes, see it for what it is. Heed my warning and recall my CAVE story. This is a warning from a loving God. It is a taste of what HELL will be like if you are not right with Him. It's not because He doesn't love you. On the contrary, it is an experience for a reason, just like my cave experience was. You are meant to learn from it, gain perspective, and cry out to Jesus, before it's too late. Jesus is the ONLY one that can save you. Why? Because He is the ONLY One that died for you and for me. He went to the cross and stepped into a place of punishment for your sins and mine. He did this, so that we could go free. But it's not enough to say you believe in Him to escape judgment. You have to be found IN Him. Your life has to be fully given to Him. You have to lay down your life to find it.

Just start a conversation with Jesus. You know you've made mistakes. We have all sinned. There's no person on earth who hasn't. Just admit it to Him and ask Him to forgive you and cover you for all that you've done that displeases Him. This is called humility and it destroys that evil thing called pride. You can't do it on your own. You need assistance. All you have to do is ask for it. Just talk to Him, like you do your best friend, because in reality, that's who He is. He will never leave you or forsake you, not even in the darkness. His peace will give you hope. It's time to raise your white flag and surrender. Rain or shine, Darkness or light, He'll be there with you through it all in a relationship that lasts for eternity. It's because of Him that you can escape eternal darkness. Call Him. He's waiting to hear from YOU! Just say His name and start talking.

Feel free to share this and pass it on. E-mail me if you have questions, need prayer, or want to continue the conversation. God Bless You. He loves you.