I See Dead People

Posted on March 20, 2008
Filed Under about eastwood, life, salvation, truth

When the movie “Sixth Sense” first came out back in 1999, the trailers convinced me that I had no interest in the latest endeavor by Director M. Night Shyamalan; as I was convinced it would be a ugly, demonic horror film. I have always made it a point to avoid those, as I simply find no entertainment in the butchering of humans or dealings of demons.

But so many people told me how “great” it was, and that my preconceptions were incorrect. I finally saw it long after the hubbub had died down, thanks to the miracle of DVDs, and the propensity of people to share the ones they love with their friends.

As movies go, it was indeed a very fresh take, and as a science fiction buff, I enjoyed it thoroughly; though as a Christian, I was saddened by the usual incorrect teaching on the afterlife and theology in general. It seems there is no end to the efforts to muddy the waters of spiritual life.

But one thing never left me, and that was the scene of the young boy Cole, played by the talented Haley Joel Osment, telling Bruce Willis,
“I see dead people…”

Willis, as Cole’s psychiatrist Dr. Malcolm Crowe , asks for more understanding, “Dead people, like in graves and coffins?”

The boy counters with, “No, walking around, like regular people… Some of them don’t know they’re dead… All the time. They’re everywhere.”

By now, you’ve either seen the movie or never will, so I’ll safely reveal that the info Cole neglected to share with the kindly shrink was that he, Dr. Malcolm Crowe was one of the dead people himself! Of course, the audience had no idea either at that point, which is what made the movie so popular; the truth wasn’t revealed until the very end of the movie!

What a completely unexpected twist! We were seeing the dead people, too, and didn’t realize it.

But I don’t say all of that to coerce you into seeing a decade old flick.

I say it because I see dead people. All the time. They’re everywhere. Walking around, like regular people… and most of them don’t know they’re dead.

Personally, I have always identified with the prophet Jeremiah, known as “The Weeping Prophet“. You’d be mistaken if you thought I felt worthy to even clean his sandals, though, because Jeremiah was a far greater man than I could ever hope to be. I only wish I had the unique closeness with God that he enjoyed, or his heroic, dauntless courage in the face of complete rejection.

But I do understand all too well the types of things that made him weep.

You see, Jeremiah was told by God to deliver a message to Judah, the remaining two tribes in the Southern Kingdom at Jerusalem. The Northern Kingdom - other ten tribes, known as Israel - had already been destroyed and carried off to Assyria (basically an extended modern Syria).

Things were bad in Jerusalem for Judah, but they didn’t realize just how bad they were. The Law of God, His Holy Scripture, which was supposed to be kept in The Temple had actually been misplaced! The people were without the Word of God and had done what comes naturally; they had become worldly, making their own choices based on their own desires. They were in a sort of passive rebellion to God, but barely aware of it due to their relative prosperity and comfort.

Jeremiah, however, had been commissioned by God to inform them that Jerusalem was about to be utterly destroyed, along with the Temple, and that the ones who lived would be taken into custody in the huge and godless city of Babylon!

Well, they all repented and turned toward God!

Just kidding. Oh, if it were only so. No, instead, they all pounded on poor Jeremiah in any number of ways, completely ignoring him and subjecting him to constant ridicule as well as “punishments”. But the courageous Jeremiah stood up to it and continued to bravely deliver his message, despite the fact that it fell on deaf ears, and made him wildly unpopular to say the least.

Personally, I have never been through anything like Jeremiah suffered, but I do understand his loneliness, feelings of separation from the world and and above all, his discouragement and dejection. He cried for his beloved nation, knowing that things were out of his hands, despite his efforts and warnings.

Which brings me to those dead people that I see.

I’m not being overly dramatic, nor am I being poetic. All of mankind is born into spiritual death; we are spiritual stillborns. Every one of us, bar none. Dead the day we were born, killed by the seed of sin that resides in every one of us, and living our entire lives in a natural rebellion against God.

Almost every one I know, see or come into contact with is walking around, virtually unaware that they are already dead. But they are going to find out at the “end of the movie”; that is, when they physically die as well. They will stand before their Maker, having been already damned by their own sin even before they had a chance to actively rebel against Him. Even if they were always “good people”. Even if they lived their entire lives doing “good things”.

That knowledge just crushes me, because despite my efforts - which are nowhere near as impressive as Jeremiah’s - few people are the least bit interested in the most exciting part of my message:

God has provided a spiritual rebirth! He loves you and wants you back alive with Him! It is a FREE GIFT from Him, directly to you personally!

But as long as I have been trying to share that message, it usually falls on deaf ears, or is acknowledged and subsequently ignored. I know better than to blame myself, as it it’s the Holy Spirit that draws people to Him, not me. My job is to simply share the message, and let Him do the work and receive the glory!

Still, I wish I had done more. Perhaps I still can, so I will continue to try, knowing full well that very few others may respond to His Love. Despite my personal comfort, satisfaction and blessed assurance of eternal life and a place in His Kingdom - which does make me ecstatic - I continue to cry internally, and sometimes even externally, to see so many people who I love and care about headed for total ruin and eternal separation from God. Hell is surely bad, but the part about missing out on His Forgiveness, Love and Personal Presence is even worse!

How about you? If you are a Child of the King - a possessor of the “miracle cure for spiritual cancer” - are you sharing it, despite the rejection and personal cost? Or are you like me, often so disheartened and discouraged that you wonder why you even bother anymore? Either way, let’s ramp up our efforts, shall we? We are on a mission from God!

But if you are one of those dead people I see everywhere, and it bothers you as much as it bothers me, will you contact me? I can not tell you how blessed I would feel to hear from you and personally have the opportunity to help you find the spiritual LIFE that you so desperately crave in your soul; whether you realize that’s exactly what “that aching, empty feeling” is or not!

And I’m not talking about the “easy believe-ism” of a quickie, half-hearted acceptance prayer, but the tremendous excitement of letting the God of the Bible fill you with Life, Love and Blessings beyond your wildest dreams - once you change your worldview toward Him. That change is critical, and in “Christianese”, it’s called repentance. I’ll be thrilled to help you understand.

My direct, personal e-mail is eastwood (at) heloved.us - just replace ” (at) ” with “@“. God put me right here specifically for YOU. Use me!

Either way, I am praying for you. And I wouldn’t mind a few prayers headed my way, either!

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