Dr. Ritchie, in Return From Tomorrow (Chosen Books, Virginia, 1978) describes the people he saw who were chained to their behaviors and to the results of their behaviors. Some of the people he saw in the spirit world would have harmed other people if they were able, but the worst they could do was to curse them. There was an army of such people on a great battlefield futilely boxing the air, as it were, as they sought to harm their opponents.

Some years ago there was a television series titled Mission Impossible. Each program in the series had the same plot. An individual was captured and blindfolded. Then he was placed in an environment in which special equipment was used to give him the impression that he was someplace else. Events were fabricated until he was completely deceived as to where he was and what was taking place.

Finally, because he was convinced as to the reality of his situation, he agreed to sign a paper or do whatever else the conspirators desired.

As soon as he had done what was required he was released. Can you imagine his chagrin when he walked out into the daylight and realized he had been tricked?

This is what life on earth is like. We are brought into certain situations to see what we will do under temptation or some other kind of pressure. Will we abandon our integrity in order to gain what it is we desire, or will we maintain our integrity and trust God to give us the desires of our heart in His time?

When we die we will emerge into the sunlight, so to speak. There we will discover we have been tricked. Heaven had put together an environment designed to reveal what kind of person we really are. Now we are labeled forever as an honorable champion, or a weak but sincere individual, or a snake who will do anything if he thinks he can hide his actions from other people.

Can you imagine how a man will feel who has molested his daughter, or who has abandoned his wife and family in order to run off with another woman? Now all of them are in the spirit realm and he no longer is attracted physically to the partner of his lust. Her ugliness can be seen while his daughter or his wife and family now appear to be attractive, worthy people. But what will be their attitude toward him?

In the day of resurrection we will be thrown into the Lake of Fire if our name has been blotted from the Book of Life. But if Christ should save us into His everlasting Kingdom, we may have a dwarfed spiritual nature that will reveal in itself the kind of person we are. There is more than one kind of consequence of our behavior!

No doubt there have been monsters of wickedness who were hurled into the deepest Hell as soon as they died, the demons binding them with chains and dragging them down into Hell before they scarcely were out of the body.

But the great sea of mankind probably must await the Day of Judgment to receive the fullness of the consequences of their actions while on the earth. This may be the case even with numerous nominal Christians.

To be continued.