Uncharted (47 page)

Q: It almost seems like you’re saying that people in Hades can communicate with their loved ones back on earth. Is that what you believe?

A: Absolutely not; nothing in Scripture indicates that the dead are allowed to send messages to the living—in fact, Scripture tells us
never
to engage any sort of medium in an effort to speak to the dead. When the rich man in hell begged Lazarus to send someone to warn his brothers, Lazarus replied that his brothers had the prophets to warn them.

At the end of the story, when Karyn is tossing out bottles (which all promptly wash back up on the beach), she thinks,
if God was gracious
enough to send a warning in the guise of a man she trusted, perhaps He would
hear her prayers for Sarah
.

I tried to make it clear that if the message reached Sarah, it would be not Karyn’s doing, but God’s. I wanted my “message in a bottle” to function as metaphor. The message is available for everyone, if they will find it, read it, and heed it.

Q: I can see why you put the serial killer on this island. What I can’t understand is why you depicted him as a church member. Aren’t church members part of the body of Christ?

A: As I worked on this novel, a notorious serial killer was arrested. His arrest, and the full disclosure of his crimes, came as an incredible shock to his family and his pastor. The man had been head of his church council, and no one guessed the secrets residing in his heart.

Jesus Himself said [Matthew 13:24–30] that the church would be filled with wheat (the believers) and tares (unbelievers). But the wheat and tares will be separated on Judgment Day, and all secrets will be revealed.

Q: One of the challenges of the story is trying to figure out where these people really are. But I thought you dropped a couple of clues along the way . . .

A: I did. Karyn had a part in a Jean-Paul Sartre play,
No Exit
, which is about three people who are locked into a drawing room for all eternity. The drawing room, of course, represents hell. The drama is another interesting metaphor.

Q: This story has got me thinking—if unbelievers go to Hades when they die, what happens to believers?

A: Scripture is clear that the souls of believers go immediately into God’s presence, so we don’t have to dread death [2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; Luke 23:43). At a later point, believers will stand before the judgment seat of Christ, but we will not be judged for our sins, because those have been forgiven and literally forgotten [Romans 8:1; Micah 7:19; Psalm 103:12; Isaiah 43:25; Hebrews 8:12]. Instead, our works and motives will be judged, and works done for Christ’s honor and glory will be rewarded [Romans 14:10–12; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 2:6–11; Revelation 20:12, 15].

Q: How will it be possible for followers of Christ to be happy in heaven if we know some of our loved ones are in hell?

A: That is a difficult question, but my friend Randy Alcorn has provided a good answer in his book
Heaven
. Randy says,

We’ll never question God’s justice, wondering how he could send good people to Hell. Rather, we’ll be overwhelmed with his grace, marveling at what he did to send bad people to Heaven. (We will no longer have any illusion that fallen people are good enough for Heaven without Christ.)

In Heaven we’ll see clearly that God revealed himself to each person and that he gave opportunity for each heart or conscience to seek and respond to him (Romans 1:18–2:16). Those who’ve heard the gospel have a greater opportunity to respond to Christ (Romans 10:13–17), but every unbeliever, through sin, has rejected God and his self-revelation in creation, conscience, or the gospel.

Everyone deserves Hell. No one deserves Heaven. Jesus went to the cross to offer salvation to all (1 John 2:2). God is absolutely sovereign and doesn’t desire any to perish (1 Timothy 2:3–4; 2 Peter 3:9). Yet many will perish in their unbelief (Matthew 7:13).

[In Heaven] we’ll embrace God’s holiness and justice. We’ll praise Him for His goodness and grace. God will be our source of joy. Hell’s small and distant shadow will not interfere with God’s greatness or our joy in Him (Randy Alcorn,
Heaven
[Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2004], 347–48.)

Q: You’ve got me curious about John Watson’s little blue book. Will we be able to read
Happily Ever After
?

A: As a matter of fact, I’m planning to put it on my Web site. Follow the links for
Uncharted
.

Q: Anything you want to add before we close?

A: Yes, I need to acknowledge some generous friends. First, I owe a boatload of thanks to novelist Athol Dickson for his knowledge of all things nautical, to Dr. Harry Kraus for his surgical knowledge, and to Bill Myers for letting me bounce ideas off his brain. I also need to thank Susan Richardson, Celene Gaskins, Barbara Span, Barbara West, Roseann Mazur, and Judi Jorgenson for taking the story for a test drive. And, as always, deepest thanks to Ami McConnell and Dave Lambert for their insightful editing.