My youngest son and I recently went to watch the new Batman movie. Before going, I checked the runtime, and it was almost three whole hours. When you add in all the previews, our theater experience lasted for nearly three and a half hours. I knew this before ever paying over $20 for both of us to watch it on the big screen. 

Apparently, most of the people in the theater had no idea what they were in for with this movie. Throughout the entire time it was running, people were getting up and down to go to the bathroom, get refills on popcorn and soda, and back to the bathroom again. In a theater with about 75 people, I estimated that over half got up at least once. As a result, some of them missed large sections of the movie, which they paid to watch. 

If you knew it was that long and wanted to watch the entire movie (like I did), then should you not have been prepared for what you knew would happen. 

For example, before I left home, I ate some food. Then at the movie, I went to the bathroom right before it started. And I never had to leave my seat once. I enjoyed all the previews and the entire movie with my son. 

While sitting there pondering the people’s behavior in the cinema that day, I began to make a connection to faith. The Bible teaches in Hebrews 9:27 that all people are destined to die once and then face judgment. If you do not believe the Bible, you at least know we will all die, and something will happen after that. And yet, most people are not preparing for it. They are walking around as if they were going to live forever, entirely unprepared for the end, especially not God’s judgment. 

The Apostles were once asked they would quit following Jesus along with the crowds. Peter says, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” One reason I am a person who follows Jesus is because I am trying to prepare for what I know lies ahead.