A Conversation at the Gate

A Conversation at the Gate

“ I don’t understand, Lord! Why am I over here with the goats and not in that flock of sheep headed for heaven?”

The Lord replied, “Truly I have tried to make humans understand what I really want, but they have refused to hear my message and they make up their own doctrines. That is not what I want.”

“But Lord, haven’t I studied the Bible daily, found the TRUTH in the Adventist church, always kept the Commandments faithfully, went to church on the correct Sabbath day, the seventh day, and believed in the spirit of prophecy?“

The Lord replied, “I have never forgotten anything, and I don’t remember saying any of those things. I gave you new commandments--love God, love your fellow man. I made examples of the priests and Levites, who kept those old commandments to the letter, but had no love for anyone but themselves.

“But Lord, weren’t they God’s chosen people?”

“That was an early misunderstanding from the very beginning. As any parent would, I told them they were special and loved. They mistook that to mean they were better than all the rest of my children. So many make that mistake!”

“So there’s nothing special about being Adventist?”

“The Lord said, “The only thing special is how much harder it is for Adventists to quit worrying about keeping that old law to the letter, and quit acting like they are something special. That was the sin of the Levites, and I abhor self-righteousness.”

I said,”Well then, I guess I don’t have to keep the Sabbath any more.”

God said,”Have to? Have to? Have to? I made the Sabbath for man, not the other way around! That law was given to slave owners who worked their slaves all day every day. I was trying to show them that loving people should allow their workers at least one day a week off for rest and relaxation. But the religious leaders made it a test, a burden--something for people to watch and judge others by. That rule was to give your employees a break, not so some people could feel more righteous than others.”

“In every way I tried to point out that the Sabbath is a joyous day off from the regular grind. I pointed out that it is OK to prepare food if you are hungry, it is OK to go out and rescue livestock that are stuck in the ditch, that it is OK to pick up your bedroll if you need to move it, in spite of what the Levites think.”

I asked, “Were the Levites really so bad? You seem to have it in for them.”

He said, “Yes, but only because I love them so much, and like wayward children, they are so stubborn and hard headed they will not listen to me. I told a parable of the Good Samaritan, and they missed the meaning entirely! They just thought we should like good guys like the Samaritan.”

“I was contrasting the priest, a great leader of the church, who was in a hurry and didn’t have time to stop and help the wounded man beside the road; the Levite, who was of the tribe of the temple men, who were proud that the Ten Commandments were entrusted to them and who strove to show how righteous they were, and how correctly they kept every detail of the law; and a heathen Samaritan who did not know or keep any Jewish law and were hated by the Jews just like the Palestinians are now. The Samaritan was the one who stopped to help the wounded man, bandage his injuries, and take him to a place of refuge.”

“So you like the heathen Samaritan better than the religious Jews?”

God said, “I made them all and I love them all, but only the Samaritan had my spirit of love inside him. I wish all humans could just accept my love in their hearts, and quit fussing about the details of religious doctrines.”

I wondered, “Surely there is one religion that is the TRUE religion. Which is it?”

The Lord replied, “All of them and none of them. LOVE is the true religion, and if you have my love in you, you have the true religion. I have faithful loving children who are Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Protestant, Catholic, Mormon, heathen and even Adventist. Look around and see the love pouring out of my followers all over the world.”

“My apostle Paul wrote a whole chapter on the fruits of the spirit--the things we should see if a person has my spirit of love in him. Not once in the whole chapter did he write ‘doctrinally correct’, or ‘law keeping’. In fact, in another of his letters, the one to the Galations, he makes it plain that righteousness does not come from law keeping. Having your name on the membership rolls of the Adventist church is not a ticket to the kingdom. In fact, as I mentioned before, it might be an impediment.”

“It sounds hard to do.” I commented.

The Lord replied, “Only if you refuse to turn loose of the things of this world, to quit grasping at false objects of desire. There is no lasting happiness in money or the things that money can buy. How many rich people kill themselves every day learning this lesson too late? The only lasting joy is in loving other people and working together with fellow humans.”

“But some of them are lazy, no good bums!” I countered. “They’re hard to love.”

“Yes, sometimes it seems that way, doesn’t it?” God said. “But the rule is to let me judge--not you. Men look on the outside, but I can see the heart and I know the end from the beginning. If you have love you will feel the need to do the right thing.”

“Compassion will compel you to help feed hungry children any way you can, even if their mother is trapped in drug addiction. Love will cause you to visit those in jail, even though they may have committed some horrible crime. When you see a beggar on the street, your non-judgmental love will push you to buy an extra burger and drink and take it to him. If you have love, this will not be much of a trial to overcome.”

“But Lord, what if they are taking advantage of my goodness?”

He reminded me that he had covered that topic in the Sermon on the Mount. He said, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you.”

“I want to believe, but I need more faith. Can you help me?” I asked.

God said, “You must only believe that my grace and mercy are sufficient to cover your doubt. I once found a pagan Roman Centurion who had more faith than all of Israel.”

“Is it too late?” I asked, still standing on the wrong side of the gate.

“I am not willing that any should perish.” said the Lord. “With me, all things are possible! Since you have asked, be filled with my love, and enter into the kingdom.”