Lori grimaced. “No way out!”

“Look, guys,” Charley said, “you’ve got to understand one simple fact. Christians have been slaughtered by Romans, Communists, Fascists, the followers of Islam, and even by other Christians during the Inquisition. So this is nothing new. Our brothers and sisters have been massacred by the thousands by dictators throughout history. It is horrible, but in one sense, it isn’t necessarily all that bad.”

“Oh, yeah?” Carl broke in. “It sure sounds bad to me. Why isn’t death bad?”

Charley smiled. “You see, the Bible tells us in many places that when a Christian dies, he or she goes to be with the Lord, where there is utter bliss for all eternity. For believers the issue is not whether you die physically, but whether you die in the Lord. After all, a Christian can only die once. So from that point of view, what difference does it make whether Christians have heart attacks or get shot or drown? Their spirits go to be with the Lord, and they will live and reign with Him forever.”

“Charley,” Lori protested, “no offense, but I’m scared of dying. And what we’ve been talking about scares the willies out of me.”

“I hear that, Lori,” Charley replied. “The human part of us fears death. That’s only natural. But the eternal part—the spiritual part— has something more to look forward to, and that’s what gives us confidence—peace, if you will—in the face of death. My sincere prayer, Lori, is that you and Carl will give your hearts to Jesus Christ and come to know Him personally. I know that you’re going through a traumatic experience, and you have a lot to think about. But that’s what it’s all about. Once you find security in Christ, you won’t have to be afraid anymore.”

“Yeah—maybe,” Carl said softly.

“But, Carl,” Charley continued, “you wanted to know if Christians will be among the multitudes who may be dying today, tomorrow, next week, and two years from now. The answer, my friend, is yes. Christians will die tonight in Los Angeles. The innocent will suffer with the wicked. But that’s where the similarity stops. The eternal spirits of those who belong to Jesus Christ will be taken up immediately to be with the Lord for all eternity. On the other hand, the spirits of those who die without Christ will be taken to hell to await judgment before the throne of God, where they will have to answer for everything they have ever done during their lives. The Bible says that their own consciences will be their accusers as they stand before a holy and righteous God.”

“Hold on, Charley,” Carl said. “You mean that if that meteor had killed me, my spirit would have to stand before God and answer for every rotten thing I’ve ever done?”

Charley couldn’t help smiling at Carl’s assessment of himself. He nodded.

“Everything?” Carl persisted. “With no exceptions?”

“You got it, Carl,” Charley said. “After you die physically, your spirit will have to answer for everything that you’ve done while you lived on earth.”