Terrifying Final Reality

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

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I’m sure readers have heard by now that Rob Reiner and his wife, Michelle, were brutally murdered a few days ago. They were apparently stabbed to death.[1] If their son, Nick, is guilty of murder, then he was clearly angry enough to fly into a rage to kill both parents. Who knows what we may learn from the trial that will likely take months and months. He was apparently living at the home in a guesthouse.

But what I’d like to concentrate on regarding this situation are two things: Rob Reiner himself and eternity. Rob Reiner was, in many ways, despicable in his absolute Trump hatred. He had a no holds barred approach to Trump and essentially let it all hang out. It was almost as though Reiner had no filter when it came to Trump or those who supported him. He said what he thought no matter how vulgar.

In an article at Tierney’s Real News titled, Rob, kill and destroy,[2] the author goes into some depth regarding Reiner’s aforementioned hatred of Trump and how the actor/director in 2017 “…founded the Committee to Investigate Russia (CIR) for the sole purpose of trying to tie President Trump to Russia so he could be indicted, arrested, imprisoned or executed for alleged collusion with Russia.”

We learn of Reiner’s involvement with actual then current and former CIA top people involved in this committee; people like Leon Panetta, James Clapper, Michael Morell, Michael Hayden, John Brennan, along with Hillary Clinton and David Frum. In other words, this committee was put together with CIA spooks and others who seemed to want to do anything they could to bring Trump down and install Hillary Clinton as POTUS. Stop for a moment and think about that. Because of Reiner’s unbridled hatred of Donald J. Trump, he could not personally do enough to make life difficult for Trump. Reiner not only wanted Trump in prison, but he ultimately wanted him executed for treason.

I cannot imagine living with that much hatred for another person. There have been folks I have not gotten along with in life and a few that I’ve simply not liked. I did not create a death wish for them nor did I waste my time thinking of ways to bring harm to them. We’ve all had people take advantage of us. We’ve all been hurt or harmed, but the idea of fanning that type of situation into a full-fledged firestorm of hate is something most people do not do. Yet, for Reiner, he went there.

The saddest part of all this, including Rob Reiner’s (and his wife’s) ignoble end is the aftermath, following their deaths. Imagine being Rob Reiner for a moment. He was a hardcore atheist and made no bones about it. He did not believe God existed and would likely say he “knew” God did not exist. He was simply living Romans 1 though.

Rob Reiner’s and his wife’s murdered bodies were discovered by a daughter at their home in a gated community of Brentwood, California. We have no idea what occurred that led up to the killings and we may never know the horrific details, but it likely involved a good deal of anger. But here is something that is even more horrific to consider.

Immediately after Rob and Michelle Reiner’s souls left their lifeless bodies, they instantly understood the things they had put stock in and believed wholeheartedly here in this life, were nothing but lies. The firm belief that there is no God and that man invented God, not that God created man, was immediately seen for what it was – a lying deception from Satan himself.

Imagine the unparalleled terrifying emotional trauma of understanding with near-precision accuracy the Truth that they now face. When they crossed over from this life to eternity, they instantly knew God lives and they were going to answer to Him and Him alone.

The Bible tells us that no man can see God and live (Exodus 33:20), and that means that in this life, because of our sin and sin nature, we cannot view the holy God of the Bible and remain alive. Not even Moses could see God, but only the shadow of His glory.

We actually see what happens to the Antichrist when Jesus returns physically in His second coming, and how He will destroy the Antichrist with the word of His mouth and the brightness of His countenance (2 Thessalonians 2:8). That’s in this life. Once the soul of a person enters eternity, it’s a slightly different perspective.

So imagine dying then being immediately ushered into eternity where all of the spiritual beings exist including God Himself. For the first time in a person’s entire life, they see things they not only never dreamed existed but they have to process a completely different set of facts that they continually denied in this life. Imagine the abject horror of being so dead set against God in this life only to finally and fully realize that the very God that was said to not exist not only does exist but has all things under His control. He is fully in charge!

Imagine further that each person faced with this new reality is now trying to gain perspective. Once the absolute horror of eternity begins to settle in, they soon begin wishing for a do over. To their horror, they realize they cannot go back to this life. Further, they begin to take stock of themselves and realize that there is absolutely nothing they can do to help themselves. I wish I had better words to describe what they must be experiencing but I simply don’t. Something gets us closer though.

In Luke 16:19-31, we read a story that Jesus reveals to His listeners. While some folks believe this is simply the telling of another parable (because it is surrounded by numerous parables before and after), the context begs to differ. In the story we learn of the rich man who had everything he needed in this life and the poor man – Lazarus – a beggar who relied on the compassion of others to provide for his needs. Eventually they both died and the rich men goes to the one side of Sheol (place of the dead), while Lazarus went to the paradise side, referred to as Abraham’s Bosom.

22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. (Luke 16:22-23 NKJV)

Notice verse 23 tells us that the rich man was in torment. He had his senses. He could see, hear and feel. He looks over and sees Abraham and interestingly enough, Lazarus was resting on Abraham’s bosom. The setting with Abraham and Lazarus is starkly different from the setting for the rich man, who begs Abraham to send Lazarus to dip his finger in some water and allow the rich man to enjoy just a few drops of it. The rich man has learned nothing except that he is in a place where he does not want to be. He still thinks of Lazarus as a servant!

Abraham straightens him out.

25 …Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’

Even if Abraham wanted to “send” Lazarus over to the rich man (he didn’t), there was no way for him to do so because of the “great gulf” that separates the two spheres. It was impossible.

I can only imagine just how difficult it is for many souls who leave this life, enter eternity and find themselves completely at odds with the God of the universe. Processing it all becomes an eternal task. The shock. The awe. The terror in knowing that what was believed in this life, the things that motivated that person while they were alive – all of it – are found to have sealed their fate in tragic unbelief and brought them to hell. Now, they face an absolute terrifying reality they ridiculed and pooh-poohed while alive here.

On the day Jesus rose from the dead, some commentators believe He led those who were housed in the paradise side of Sheol to heaven with Him (Ephesians 4:8-10). If so, that part of Sheol is now empty. The other side – the side of torment – continues to fill up and those people await their judgment. It is difficult to imagine the torment they endure.

If I focus on that too long, my breath falters a bit. Most people in this life are lost, yet they are comfortable with their thoughts and beliefs only because they cannot actually see what awaits them. If God does not open the eyes of their heart in this life, they will, in eternity be faced with the reality that not only does God exist, but what the Bible has taught for thousands of years is actually true. I imagine they come face to face with that reality shortly after their deaths upon arriving to eternity.

It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:31 NASB)

For those who die without salvation provided only by Jesus, their terror following their physical death never goes away. They begin to realize that their death brought them in direct contact with the God of the universe that they had fully and continually rejected while alive. Imagine their shock. Imagine their terror. While alive, they were protected from the reality of that terror because of the deceptions created by Satan in his attempts to keep them from realizing the Truth. Once they leave this life, any protections (deceptions) they lived under here evaporate immediately and they then see only Truth and the reality based on that Truth. They then must immediately begin to wrap their brains around this newly revealed reality.

Rob Reiner and his wife are most likely not with Jesus now, but have been sequestered in the torment of Hell until their day of judgment (the Great White Throne of Revelation 20:11-15). That is the most terrifying thing I can actually imagine and it is made worse by the fact that they now reside with millions and millions of other souls waiting for their day when God will have His say and His say will be final. Thousands of people die daily. How many end up in hell awaiting judgment?

In this life, Rob and Michelle Reiner had tons of money. He was well known for some of the acting roles he did, most notably as Archie Bunker’s son-in-law Michael “Meathead” Stivic. He eventually went behind the camera to direct numerous movies. He and his wife lived in a very upscale Brentwood neighborhood in California. They hobnobbed with other rich, powerful and famous people. I’m sure he lacked nothing and could have whatever he wanted. Yet, he did not have the most important thing offered to every person: eternal salvation; a salvation that never ends.

Instead, because of the beliefs he embraced in this life, he now likely experiences something else: eternal punishment. It never ends. He and millions and millions of others will spend eternity separated from God in agonizing torment with their final “resting” place within the Lake of Fire. The Bible does not teach annihilationism (that souls simply go out of existence), because souls, unlike bodies, are eternal. The Bible teaches an eternity of either blessedness or torment throughout all Scripture.

I’m sorry for Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle. I’m sorry for the tens of millions of other souls who have also died without Jesus and are now housed in hell, waiting for their one, their only, final judgment by God Himself where they will not receive a reprieve and where the God they denied exists will pass judgment and His judgment is right, true and final.

That truly is harrowing and folks, even though we Christians are not responsible for those who reject Jesus, we are responsible for and tasked with the Great Commission of Matthew 28, in which we are to present the Gospel to others. Take advantage of every opportunity to preach the reality of the cross of Christ.

I’m sure neither Rob or Michelle Reiner woke up that morning thinking they were going to be horribly murdered. Who does? Who spends time thinking of the end of their life? Everyone thinks they will live forever. We do, but not in this life. Too many things are way beyond our control. Ask God to help you become a warrior for the Gospel so that He may move in the lives of people you share the Gospel with so that they might open their hearts to Him and embrace His salvation.

Nothing else matters.

[1] https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/official-cause-of-death-revealed-for-rob-and-michele-reiner/

[2] https://tierneyrealnewsnetwork.substack.com/p/rob-kill-and-destroy

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

Source: https://studygrowknowblog.com/2025/12/18/terrifying-final-reality/