Why Many Will Never Make It

In chapter 14 of Pilgrims Progress, Christian and Hopeful reach a crossroad, unsure which path to take. A man wearing a white robe approaches them, and asked,

Why they were standing there?

They told him they were going to the celestial city but were not sure which path to take.

The man in white replied, “Follow me. I am going there.” Impressed by his appearance they did, unaware of where they were going, they were gradually turned in the opposite direction from where they were meant to go until they were led into a net.

Confused about what had just happened to them. Christian and Hopeful were led astray by the Flatterer, who He had gotten them to talk and boast about their success while he led them away.

Stuck and helpless in the net, Christian and Hopeful saw from a distance, the Shining One who was Jesus coming with a whip in His hand.  After Jesus released and warned them about the Flatter, he whipped them to teach them the right way to walk (Revelation 3:19).

Now after they were back on the right path, they saw Atheist in the distance walking with his back towards Zion.

Atheist asked, “Where are you going?”

Christian replied, “I am going to Mount Zion.”

Atheist laughed uncontrollably, and said,

“I have been seeking this City for twenty years but can find no more of it than I did the first day I set out."

Christian responded:

"We have both heard, and believe, that there is such a place to be found,"

Atheist Replied,

"If I hadn't believed when I was at home, I wouldn't have come this far to seek for it. But finding nothing...I'm going back again, and will seek to refresh myself with the things I had formerly cast away for those vain hopes.”

Why Didn’t Atheist Make It?

In Ecclesiastes 10:15, it says,

“The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.”

In the text above we learn that fools never make it to the heavenly city, because they do not know how to get there. Successful souls who make it, succeed because they have first gone to the cross, and have learnt to lay down all their burdens at the feet of Jesus.

If the journey to heaven becomes tiresome, and endurable, it may be that your burdens have not been fully laid on Christ.

The issue with Atheist was not that he did not doubt the existence of God, but that he did not know how broad and strong the shoulders of Jesus were to carry his burdens.

Failing to offload his burdens made him think, He could never make it, when heaven was only few steps away.

Dear reader, will you offload your burdens to into the hands of God, who sees them as but dust?