And the Black Screen Said…
December 17, 2022 8:56 PM
Anno.Domini.144K
In a flash dream vision, I saw a black Zoom screen in front of me. In a Zoom video call, if a person has turned off their video and doesn’t have a photo or image to stand in for the video, the screen is black with the person’s name in white letters in the center of the screen. The meeting inviter’s screen can appear like this and the invitee’s screen as well. As an online teacher, I’m usually the person who sends the Zoom invite and who starts the Zoom meeting. So if I don’t see my students’ faces in the live video, I normally see their names or icon graphics against the black backdrop of the screen.
What jolted me as I read the ‘name’ on the screen before me was that it wasn’t a name at all. It was simply two words: “ETERNAL DAMNATION”. The words and their meaning took a few seconds to sink in before a crippling feeling of abject horror took over me. What? Suddenly I, or one of my students, didn’t have a name at all. Whoever’s name was supposed to be there had been deleted and replaced by the worst words a soul could ever read or hear, worse than a death sentence because it was separation from God forever. I realized that what I stared at was not a black Zoom screen but the Abyss. The person’s name had been deleted from the Book of Life and the person no longer had a name but instead a judgement and sentencing.
As I awoke from this flash dream vision, my heart thumped with adrenalin. I realized that God was giving a powerful warning to me and to all who read what I write now in fear and trembling. What if we—while still alive—could see our soul’s ultimate destination and the fates of other souls on a simple black screen? Would it shock us into action, into repentance and into revival of our relationship with the Lord? Would it shock us into evangelism, into reaching out to save the lost, the ones whose names would disappear from that black screen, the ones whose future nameless identities would face eternal damnation in the Abyss, the harshest sentence of judgement imaginable?
Our relationship with God is of absolute importance and must be taken seriously. There’s no time left to fool around and make excuses. We must seek ever to follow God’s commandments and be holy as He is Holy. We must keep our lamps lit and our garments white. We must bear fruit. We must work the Harvest.
Ah, what joy and blessing to be able to hear God the Father’s words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant!” I pray to the Father that the Harvest is plentiful and that countless souls will be blessed to hear those words of salvation!
Scripture:
Matthew 25:1-30 NIV
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
The Parable of the Bags of Gold
14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Philippians 2:12-14 NIV
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life.
1 Peter 1:13-16 NIV
13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
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