THE RICH MAN

WILLIAM P. PARSON

“...As Jesus started on his way, a [rich]...man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ... (Matthew 10:17-22 NIV).

“...Jesus ... said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”  At this the [rich]...man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth...” (Matthew 10:17-22 NIV).

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         While upon earth, William P. Parson had been considered a rich man. You would have to dig for years to find one of his family member who ever had a blue collar job. Like his ancestors before him William could buy anything from personal to political decisions with his money. He could make choices and force his influence without money being an issue or roadblock. While others ate at fast food or common restaurants, William enjoyed 5 or 7 course meals across the country.

          He felt totally out of touch with common folk and truly thought the world revolved around rich people like him. When he was diagnosed with cancer, he realized sickness was common to all humans, but his lesson had come a little too late.

          A Christian nurse, told him about Jesus, but he was a snob toward her, because, even in sickness, he thought he was immune to the needs of  common folks, especially things like religion. William had heard about Jesus everywhere he travelled over the world. He didn’t even go to service with his parents on traditional holidays. He knew they only went for show and not because their hearts were into it.

          William had gone to the best schools in the country too. Whenever he was threatened to get a bad grade, all he had to do is remind them he was a Parson and they would back off. To flunk William P. Parson, will mean embarrassment for the school, a negative rep, or an expensive lawsuit they couldn’t afford.

          It was in the best interest of the school to keep William, no matter how bad of a student he was, than to kick him out or go to court. The Parsons had enough money to ruin the ivy league college. Thus, William graduated sum cum laude. His family was RICH and taught him that he didn’t have to follow the same rules as common folks.

          William bought whatever his heart desired and he constantly had to buy the most expensive, the best, the latest, or the biggest. He hired researchers to keep abreast of new things, so he could have the biggest and latest. Every year or every couple of years he was getting a new car or new plane. His material possessions were massive and his wealth continued to be lucrative. William had NEVER been denied anything in his entire life, except for GOOD health.

          The Parsons flew doctors from all across the world, but they couldn’t HEAL him. He never thought that there would be ANYTHING that money couldn’t buy. Not only did he discover money couldn’t buy him health, but it couldn’t buy him eternal life either.

          His father had spent millions on doctors, but he couldn’t be cured. Now here William P. Parson’s was in Hell’s Corridor without his family, their money, or eternal life. William realized he was still William, but he was now in another location. He was in a place that his family’s money had no meaning, no purpose, and no influence. Regardless of all the comforts of his lavish lifestyle he had ended up in HELL.

          His brother had been diagnosed too, but it was too late to warn him or the rest of his family about the reality of hell. In the 90s William had watched a movie call The Truman Show . It was about a man, Truman Burbank, played by Jim Carrey, who lived in a simulated reality in which he thought was “REAL” life.

          As William looked around Hell’s Corridor he realized, he too, had lived in a simulated reality, upon earth, in which his wealth and his rich man’s world was a temporary existence.

          William believed HIS world was THE world and HIS life was THE life. He spent his entire life as a RICH MAN. He heard about Jesus. He heard about Christianity and its teaching, but he had NO need for religion of any kind or on any level.

          On his death bed, a young nurse tried to encourage him to accept Jesus Christ, but he was convinced he didn’t need him. He told her “...no thank you...” He closed his eyes and woke up HERE.

          In spite of his inevitably death and a tug at his heart, William said NO to the nurse’s salvation invitation. William had felt this TUG at his heart many times over the years, but his wealthy lifestyle became a blindfold, to him, from God’s truth.

          His wealthy lifestyle was wonderful, upon earth, in many ways, but he often found discrepancies and disadvantages too.

          His family was not a joyous people and all they had was materialism and money. He often felt empty and bored with his life, yet he didn’t think there was a better life than the one he had been gifted with.

He had always wondered if there was more to life than he knew. In hindsight it was those Christian people who put that curiosity in his heart, but he never pursued it.

Now that he was in Hell’s Corridor, he realized, practiced lifestyles were a TRAP and most people, himself included, are not willing to give up their routines and familiarities.

On his deathbed William had asked himself: “...What if what she is saying and asking him was true?...” He was dying and his disease had convinced him that money couldn’t buy everything. Yet, he wasn’t convinced enough to accept Jesus’ death could buy his salvation. William died with his routine and familiar beliefs, set like stone, within his heart and woke up in HELL.

William looked around Hell’s Corridor. There were twelve D-elevators.  They were called D-elevators because they took you DOWN and not UP. Each D-elevator had long lines and a name above each one. They were named after the deeds of the flesh; such as immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, and so forth.

The line William was in was called UNREPENTENT. It was the longest of all lines and they were ALL pretty long. Before he was sent to the line he was assigned to, he had gone into the registrar’s office. They found his name in the records and confirmed his was in the right place. He signed next to his name and was, then, escorted to the video room where they replayed his life. The film erased ALL doubts as to WHY he was in HELL.

Hell was real. After seeing the film on his life, he could no longer ask how a loving God could send people to HELL, because he didn’t. William had willingly chosen to be here ALL by himself. William clearly SAW how God had warned him over and over again to accept Jesus as Savior, but William CHOOSE not to listen. William thought: “...If a parent warns a child NOT to touch a hot stove, but the child touches it anyway. Can the child SAY my parent is not loving? NO. They could only truly say, “I did not listen to my loving parent”...”

What William KNEW now was that HELL was not so much a LOCATION as it was an new EXISTENCE. He was NOW separation from God, the Holy Spirit, forever and every opportunity he had to be with him was LONG GONE!

His deathbed nurse told him “...the wages of sin was death...” She wasn’t merely talking about physical death, but she was talking about spiritual death, which was a LOT WORSE.

A young lady got into the line behind him and asked “...Where are we?...”

William P. Parson said: “....Welcome to Hell’s Corridor...”

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