Since the dawn of man, every human being who has ever lived, has intentionally chosen to walk along one of two paths:

(Path 1) Where THEY reign supreme in their lives, or (Path 2) Where GOD reigns supreme.

It has been this way since Adam and Eve. In recognition of our dignity as God’s imagers and free moral agents, God never forces our choice.

As a result, our eternal destinies hang in the balance. Two paths, two destinies …

Path 1) Choosing a world where WE reign supreme (The “not God” approach to life). 

The fascinating 28th episode of Rod Serling’s TV anthology series, The Twilight Zone, titled “A Nice Place to Visit,” tells the story of a career “hit man” who dies and wakes up in a seemingly glorious place (that he thinks is Heaven) where he gets anything he wants all the time — no limits.

It starts well, but ends in a terrifying realization: 

“Deciding that he will go crazy if he stays in Heaven any longer, he asks Pip to take him to ‘the other place’ — feeling that he does not belong in Heaven. However, Pip retorts, ‘Heaven? Whatever gave you the idea you were in Heaven, Mr. Valentine? This is the other place!’ Pip then laughs malevolently as he watches a now horrified Rocky unsuccessfully trying to escape his ‘paradise’.”

The “other place” (Hell) is where “me-me-I-I” continues to sit upon the throne of their own lives, rejecting God’s rightful place as their personal Lord and Savior.

This ill-advised path leading to ultimate ruination is described in Romans 1:19-22, the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans:

“… because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools …”

The rest of the chapter describes the consequences of such thinking, with the repeated refrain “God gave them up.”

In other words, God gave them what they wanted, because they insisted upon it, like Serling’s character, it didn’t end well.

Interestingly, the path of “WE reign supreme” is subtle, obliviously traveled with barely a thought given to where it is inexorably leading them …

As C.S. Lewis wrote in The Screwtape Letters, “Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one — the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”

Path 2) Choosing a world where GOD reigns supreme (The “not me” approach to life).

This path is embarked upon when we voluntarily surrender the “throne” of our lives and invite God to rule in our place.

Where does that path lead? The destination is beyond human imagining, as written in Revelation 22:1-5:

“And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing 12 kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bondservants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illuminate them; and they will reign forever and ever.”

Truth be told, humans make lousy “gods.” Besides, the job is already taken by an infinitely more qualified candidate, so hop aboard.

How About You?

In his book Renovation of the Heart, the late Christian philosopher Dallas Willard warned: “We should be very sure that the ruined soul is not one who has missed a few more or less important theological points and will flunk a theological examination at the end of life. Hell is not an “oops!” or a slip.

One does not miss heaven by a hair, but by constant effort to avoid and escape God.”

So, which path are you on?