The other night, 4-year-old Titus the Honorable and I were sitting on the floor playing with some toys. We were enjoying the time together in silence when Titus spoke up and said, “Poppy, you know when you die, you will go to heaven.” He wasn’t asking a question but stating a fact.
I wasn’t sure why he was telling me this. Did he want to reassure me because he thinks I am knocking on death’s door? Not too long ago, one of his grandmothers passed away. But what he doesn’t know is that when I die, most people will respond by saying, “I’m surprised he lived that long.”
I could tell Titus wasn’t done with this line of thought. I said, “Is that so?”
He continued, “When you die, they have to put you in the dirt…” Again, I could see the little wheels turning in his mind “… and then a door will open for you to get to heaven.”
“Yes, and Jesus will be there waiting for us,” I said.
I thought the conversation was over when Titus continued, “And that is when zuuuuuuuzzzzuuuuit…” he put his fingers on his eyelids and rapidly pulled them toward the back of his head. “That is when your eyeballs go from the front of your head to the back.”
I didn’t want to laugh, because we were having a very serious conversation. “I didn’t know that,” I replied.
Dr. Titus, what a theologian you have become. I am not exactly sure what is going to happen when we see the resurrected Jesus Christ face to face. I think you have a better grip on it than most of us.
I know of only one man who saw Jesus face to face in all His glory. His name was John, and he wrote about what he saw in the book of the Revelation. John said when he turned and saw Jesus, it was overwhelming. There were no human words to describe his view. He tried to paint a picture of what Jesus looked like, although at best, it was a poor one.
John said our Savior’s face shone like the most brilliant, blinding light you can imagine. A thousand suns combined radiated from His face. Then John went on to describe Jesus’ hair as white like wool. Realizing he needed a better description, he said it was like the purest, whitest snow you have ever seen.
But amidst that blinding brilliance, John’s gaze locked onto the Savior’s eyes. They were so intense it was like looking deep into a fire. Now, I know you have seen comic-book heroes with eyes that shot out fire, but John was talking about something much different. Jesus’ eyes were saying, “I am the King of kings and the Lord of lords. I am the eternal Jesus, the Creator, and everything that exists was not only created by Me, but its very existence is because I AM.”
John looked down at Jesus’ feet, which were glowing as if they had just come out of a red-hot furnace. When Jesus spoke, His voice was like a sonic boom. One of His whispers could cause the ground to tremble and rattle the farthest star.
But Titus, do you know what will happen when the door opens, and we see this magnificent Jesus? There is only one possible response when we come face to face with our Creator. We will be like John, who said he fell at His feet like a dead man. But Jesus didn’t want John to be scared, so He put a hand on his shoulder. The same voice that can move mountains and rattle the stars spoke peace into John’s heart. “Do not be afraid,” Jesus said.
I am not sure. Titus the Honorable, when the “zuuuuuuuzzzzuuuuit” part comes and (as you say) “Your eyes go from the front of your head to the back.” But the Bible says we don’t understand everything, which might happen.
The sad part, though, is that only those who have accepted Christ as their Savior will get to hear Jesus say, “Do not be afraid.” That is why I need you to learn all you can about Jesus. It is important that we tell others. You come from a long line of those who have spent their lives sharing the Good News: your great-grandfather, your grandfather, your dad—and now, the mantle is being passed down to you.
Dear Dr. Titus, go tell them that if they know Jesus, one day, the door to heaven will open, and they will see Him face to face. And who knows? They might even hear “zuuuuuuuzzzzuuuuit.”
