THE QUESTION By Carl Holmes

"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Rev 20:15)

It was an all too familiar scene, anxious relatives, angry mobs and people who wanted to know what was going on all gathered together to hear the news. Word had spread quickly that a ferry full of passengers on the way to Egypt had sunk and that people were being rescued, but they the odds of survival were grim at best. The only thing that brought calm to the crowd was the voice of the man who said he had the names of people who had been rescued so far. As he announced the names, one by one, some people grieved, others rejoiced and others just got increasingly angry.

Death came to approximately 950 people that day. They had very little warning, and even less time to get into the lifeboats and increase the likelihood that they would be rescued. Strangely enough, we all are going to have an experience just like this one day. If you are a believer then you know that you will one day be joined with God our Father. But did you also know that when the rapture comes God will call out names, one by one, of who gets to go to heaven, and who will be eternally separated from God our father, and us?

My question to you today is this, what are you doing today to make sure that your best friends, your family, your neighbors are all in that book? When God calls out the names from the Book of Life and you are on it your reward will be great in heaven. If He does not call out the names of our family we will mourn. I do not want to mourn for a lost child, friend, or colleague. I want to hear the sweet, calming voice of God my Father saying "welcome home my child" to everyone I know.