When a famous Celebrity dies, lots of tributes pour in from the public, many of them glowing. But the Christian knows that it is what God thinks of a person that matters, rather than what people think. I find myself wondering whether or not the Celebrity was in possession of a Christian faith, because if he/she were not, then all the people paying tribute will be unaware of the reality of the situation, and will be labouring under a delusion. For example, if a Celebrity has spent his/her entire life entertaining people, has achieved tremendous popularity, and become a household name, his/her death will inevitably arouse much sorrow and sympathy amongst the general public but the Christian knows that if there was no evidence of faith, then that Celebrity's eternal future is in jeopardy, and no amount of praise or glowing tributes can save him/her! I am especially concerned for comedians, because Heaven is not a theatre - there will be no place for witty jokes full of innuendo, for example, which people on earth heartily applaud. You cannot laugh your way into Heaven with wisecracks! You cannot take your popularity with you and expect to entertain the Heavenly Host! I find myself wondering if they had a serious side to them underneath all the humour - did they believe in God - what did they think of His Son? It will not matter how many shows they performed in, or how successful they were - what the ratings were like - even if 20 million people were watching them every week - or for singers - how many albums they sold - all these things will mean nothing to God at all! I wonder what other Christians think when they read all the wonderful tributes penned to deceased Celebrities from a general public that seems to be of the opinion that these 'stars' are now up in the heavens, resting in peace, looking down on us, and basking in the glow of a God of their own imagination who loves everybody and welcomes all into Heaven, regardless.
