Years ago in China a man had a dream in which he saw himself pursued by a tiger. With that strange sense that one often has in dreams, he realized that the tiger represented his wicked, past life. How he hoped to escape! He ran as hard as he could, and sometimes he seemed to have escaped. Then he would pause to catch his breath, only to find the tiger reappearing behind him.
There is within every unsaved person a haunting fear of the wrong he has done in the past. With some, it may be the memory of some outstanding sin, with others it may be an awareness that the whole past has been displeasing to God. God has given us all both conscience and memory, and the deeds of the past cannot be entirely dismissed or forgotten.
Attempts are made to escape from the memory of the past, but just when one feels that the past has been safely eluded, then the “tiger” reappears. How truly God has said, “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:2323But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out. (Numbers 32:23)).
So the man ran on, more or less confident that someday, some way, he would manage to escape the tiger. But suddenly he came to a chasm and could run no further. As he stood wondering what to do next, he noticed two vines hanging over the side of the chasm. Perhaps he might yet climb down to safety.
But when He looked down, he saw an even more terrible creature waiting at the bottom. A crocodile! Immediately he recognized this to be his future—judgment and punishment for his sins.
Consider his terrible dilemma: behind him pursued his past, before him God’s judgment. For “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:2727And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27)). So he decided to cling to his vines, for there he was safe from both tiger and crocodile—from the sins of the past and from the judgment to come.
The dreamer soon realized that these two vines represented “Time.” Many feel secure when they think of all the years of life that lie ahead. Judgment seems remote when one looks forward to some tens of years of life remaining.
But suddenly he was alarmed by an ominous noise and a strange vibration in the vines. Looking up, he saw to his horror that two rats were busily gnawing at his lifelines. One was white, and the other was black. What could these be? He soon realized that the white rat represented “Day,” and the black rat “Night.” So time was being inexorably consumed.
While busily engaged in our work during the day, time is passing; while sleeping at night, time is steadily passing. The fact that time passes slowly may make us forget that it is nevertheless passing, and that one day time will end—and then comes death and judgment.
How helpless and hopeless is our situation! Is there no escape?
Yes, thank God, there is. There is One, and only one, who can save us from even this extremity of peril. In his dream the man saw near at hand a cross. Ah, he knew the significance of that! The cross stood for Jesus, the Saviour; it was on the cross that He died for our sins. The man knew that if he clung to the cross complete salvation would be his. And this he did.
If Jesus saves us, there will be no fear of the past, for He has borne all the believer’s sins, small and great, and He has promised to remember them no more. If He does not remember them, then I can be free from the terror of my past.
If He saves me, there will be no fear of the future, for He has paid all the penalty for my sins so that I will not be called into judgment.
If He saves me, there will be no fear of time. Whenever my time here ends, eternity with Christ in glory will begin.
How wonderful to live completely free from the remorse of the past! free from the fear of death! free from the fear of judgment! free to enjoy fellowship with this wonderful, living Saviour both now and forever! But remember that the man had to put his complete trust in the Saviour before he could be lifted to safety. It is not enough to recognize Christ as the Saviour, or to be told that He can deliver us from the past and from judgment. We must believe and trust Him for ourselves. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)).
How foolish to neglect so great salvation!