Soul Train 

    When Adam sinned and was subsequently kicked out of the Garden of Eden the first boxcar of the newly commissioned Soul Train departed from its depot station.  This train stretched as far as the eye could see.  Its capacity was limitless for its passenger list would eventually be comprised of every single last person on earth who is accountable for his or her actions as evidenced through their very own consciences. 

    Each boxcar is massive and encompasses the lifetimes of each individual it carries.  Each boxcar is exclusive to the status class of the inhabitants that it holds at any given time.  There are the first class cars for the rich as well as third class cars for the poor.  There are cars for those classed as healthy people and then there are those carrying diseased and torture laden individuals.  There are happy and sad cars.  There are boxcars that are filled with Hindus and those carrying Muslims.  Sadly there are cars for Christians, or so they believe.  Of course there are mixtures such as the happy rich or the unhappy rich. 

    There are cars filled with individuals from every walk of life imaginable for all have at one time been aboard the Soul Train.  This train is a non-stop express.  No matter what happens on this train, it never stops and it never waivers.  It continues on at its pre-set pace toward its predestined destination.  Just where is it going?  Hell, specifically, the Lake of Fire. 

    The Soul Train is the train of life.  It travels in one direction for everyone and to one destination – for everyone.  There is no train that actually goes in any other direction.  What about Heaven?  Well, that would be a nice place to go but that is a place that requires perfection.  Unfortunately, everyone on the Soul Train is imperfect.  “How can that be,” you say?  “There are lots of good people on this train.”  Sure, there are “good” people on this train but there are no “perfect” people on it either.   

    You see, as each and every one of us grew up to an age of accountability, even our very own consciences eventually convicted us of wrongdoing, even of the smallest of things.  Have you told a lie?  Have you ever stolen anything, large or small it matters not?  Have you ever hated another person?  Have you ever committed adultery or even to have lusted after someone other than your spouse?  Have you ever taken God’s name in vain?  The answer would be a resounding “yes” from everyone on that train.  We have all broken one or more of these laws.  We have been boarded onto that train because of our own disobedience.   What’s more, there is no other train depot for it to stop at on its straight course to Hell.   

    Yet people don’t really seem to always care nor even realize that they are on this ever moving train toward the ends of their lives.  They become complacent in the activities going on within the boxcars.  They even, at times, intermingle with the lives from the other boxcars.  During the course of their lives they may find themselves traversing between various cars such as the poor car, the rich car and even the sick car.  Many run furiously toward the party car and then find themselves thrust violently into the sad or depressed cars.   

    Many realize that they are on a slow ride to Hell but the majority simply chooses to ignore it.  They don’t want to think about their destination – only what is going on now in their particular car or stage of life.  Those that are in the rich car seem to have the most difficulty believing the truth about their ride on this Soul Train.  They are just simply too happy to believe that their destination could end in a train wreck.  They become very short sighted.  They live for the now and really don’t care to take a look at what lies ahead, to where this is all leading to - their future destination. 

    The truth is, it just doesn’t matter how happy or how sad or how sick a person is on that train.  They are all heading for the same destination.  The first car on that train will inevitably reach Hell and will continue on into the Lake of Fire.  From the beginning to the last it will continue to plunge its cars along with its passengers into the fire that will torture its inhabitants forevermore.   

    Many say, “This is just not fair.  If there is a God, how could He let this happen?  I am really not that bad of a person.  So what, I told a lie or two.  Sure I blasphemed a few times and lusted.  If God is good, He won’t send me to this place.  I just can’t believe it.  That’s it, I just won’t believe it.  There that settles that.”   

    Well, it really doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not.  God said,  "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death (Revelation 21:8)."  Therefore, all who are found guilty of breaking God's Laws will never be able to enter Heaven for He said, "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God (Corinthians 6:9-10)."

    You see, God demands perfection and sin, any sin, is transgression of His Laws.  Breaking His Laws separates you from God because sin cannot abide where He is.  God and His goodness and righteousness are located at one end of the train tracks and sin is at the exact opposite.  There is an infinite amount of space between them.  Our acts of sin separate us from God infinitely.  Therefore, we must understand just how horrific it is for us when we sin.  We are deliberately separating ourselves from Him infinitely.  Hell will be infinitely and forever apart from God and His Kingdom.

    Your sin has placed you upon this train which is steadily heading in the opposite direction from God’s Heavenly Kingdom.  What’s worse, there is nothing that you can now do to correct the problem.  This is your fate.  You cannot beg, plead, provide gifts or even live a perfect life good enough to hitch a ride the other way.  You are doomed because of that “One Sin” in your life.  Of course most people have broken God’s Laws hundreds if not thousands of times in their lives.  But there are some who are young and have only broken possibly one law – one time.  They are still guilty and are still on that train heading for Hell. 

    You might say that God is harsh and horrible and that He could not possibly love us.  After all, how could He send us to Hell for telling a small lie?  Breaking God’s laws is sin.  We have sinned against God Himself and this has very horrific consequences.  God truly does love us.  He gave us this life as a gift.  But by giving us this life with complete free will, He also knew that people would sin and that Hell would have its fill of law breakers.  Yet, He still chose to create each and every one of us.   It breaks His heart for all who die apart from Him in this Hell of fire.  Yet, His great love provided a way for us to be reconciled to Him despite ourselves and our sinful ways.  He provided the means by which we can actually jump from the train.   

    God sent His Son Jesus to earth to be born as flesh and blood.  He lived a completely sinless life only to be sacrificed as an innocent man on a cross.  While on that cross Jesus paid all of mankind’s sin debt so that we could leap off of that train before it reaches Hell.  You see, Jesus was the only man that was never assigned to be on that train.  He never committed a sin by breaking any of the Laws of God for He was God in the flesh.  He was the only person alive that could ask for and gladly take the punishment for someone else’s crime, therefore, allowing them to get off of that train heading for Hell.  He paid the sin debt for each and everyone of us.  Yes, God loves us and He demonstrated this by allowing Himself to be sacrificed on that cross.  Jesus willingly endured a very horrible death because He desperately loved you enough to die for you.   

    Every person, rich or poor, happy or sad, needs to jump off this train of life at a dead run to the foot of the Savior and hold on for dear life.  If they would just look ahead and realize the horror that awaits them then they would in all brokenness cry out, “Oh Lord, I am a sinner, have mercy on me and please forgive me.”  They need to cling to Him and hide in His mercies, thankful for the gift that He has given them, which is eternal life in Heaven when they die.  They need to live in grateful obedience knowing the horrific fate He has saved them from.   

    If you aren’t currently hiding in the mercies of the risen Savior, Jesus Christ, then you are still on that moving Soul Train heading to Hell.  Don’t choose to stay there.  There is only one way off before it reaches its destination which is the Lake of Fire.  Hurry now and take the leap of faith from the Soul Train of life to the feet of Christ.

© 2013 G. R. Workman 

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