The Two Doors of Life

By Johnson D. Curtis

This is a chronology of the author's life struggle to know God, to understand God and to apply the teaching of God's word to everyday living. The author relates his heavenly visions to the application of God's word for his life as well as others. The author leaves no stones unturned as he attempts to persuade others to accept Jesus Christ as Savior

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lowbar Publishing Company
• Release date: Nov 7, 2014
• ISBN: 9780986277108

Book preview

The Calling of God on My Life

I had been sick with a very bad cold and flu and had missed the previous Sunday service. I’d been to the doctor twice and still I was not getting any better. The chills, fever, sore throat, and long coughing spells were still plaguing me. However, I made up my mind that today I was going to church, no matter what!

I took my shower and was getting dressed, all the while thinking Lord, am I ever going to get over this cold? Immediately, I heard (in my spirit) the Lord’s response that as long as I did to not do what He had told me to do, I was not going to get better! I answered, Lord, how am I to know what you want me to do? He very plainly said, Preach my Word! I questioned God and thought, Lord, how do I know these are Your thoughts and not my thoughts? I always asked God for a real sign so that I would know that I was called and not someone who just went on their own. God told me, I gave you a sign when you saw me at Barnes Jewish Hospital standing beside Jane after her surgery. I was walking through the room three times during her stay there. That was your sign. Yes Lord, I did see that and I will never forget what You allowed me to see.

The sign that I had asked from God was similar to the sign that Gideon asked. Gideon asked for a wet fleece on a dry ground, and then a dry fleece on a wet ground. Judges 6:36-40 says, And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou has said, Behold I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. And it was so; for he rose up early on the morrow and thrust the fleece, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. And Gideon said unto God, let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the land let there be dew. And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.

God did something very unusual for me as a confirmation. The Sunday I was determined to go to church, I went downstairs to share with Jane what had just happened. I began to tell her about my conversation with the Lord, and she interrupted me and said, What’s wrong with your shirt? I looked down at my gray tee-shirt and saw unusual wet markings like handprints all over the front of it. Jane said, Why is your tee-shirt wet like that? I hadn’t noticed or felt anything wet on my body and when I checked, my skin was completely dry! Looking at the tee-shirt again, it looked like long finger marks from a big hand were directly over my heart!

I remembered the specific sign that I had asked of the Lord. My body was completely dry, yet the tee-shirt I was wearing was wet only on the exact finger marks over my heart. I believe through faith, that God had indeed called me into the ministry of the Most High God. It is because of this faith that I will now step out and believe that God will confirm and sustain me as I begin my journey.

As I left for church that morning, the sun seemed more radiant than ever before. This was a different day. The clouds covered the sun, which looked like a big eye in the sky looking down at me. I felt God’s presence all around me in ways that I could not truly understand. The weather was actually very windy and getting worse. As I approached the church, there were dark clouds in the sky. Later on that day I learned there were several tornados that had passed over our city, Decatur, IL, but had devastated several towns in Illinois including Washington, Peoria, Champaign and Chicago. They even had to stop the Chicago Bears’ football game for fear of the tornado passing through the area. There had been so many leaves in my yard, but it appeared as though a big broom had come through and put my leaves in my neighbor’s yard, leaving only a small portion for me to rake. He even cleaned my yard for me!

I had a talk with my pastor and shared with him what God had called me to do. My pastor was very attentive to all that I said and told me, If you think you have been called, it is not up to me to say otherwise. That is between you and God. To God be the Glory!

Curtis D. Johnson

November 18, 2013

Chapter 1

The Two Doors of Life

I was lying on my sofa one evening watching the NBA playoff games. It was in early April, 2010, and for no apparent reason, a strong voice entered my mind. This voice gave me a specific thought that was combined with a strong vision. It was as if SOMEONE was speaking directly into my mind. It was a still small voice, but the voice was as clear as a bell ringing in my ears.

The words were: In life, there are two doors. Immediately, I began to see a vision of the significance of these two doors. The vision that was manifesting itself within my mind’s eye clearly revealed that it is of critical importance that we choose correctly which door of life to enter. This manifestation became my burden, or assignment, to complete.

The two doors of life that God’s Spirit spoke into my mind that day were later confirmed for me in Deuteronomy 30:15-19. The book of Deuteronomy is also known as the second giving of the Mosaic Laws to God’s chosen people before they were to enter into the Promise Land, known as Canaan.

People have two choices in this life:

We can choose to obey God and keep His commandments and live a blessed life now and have eternal life when we die; or,

We can choose to disobey God and forsake all His commandments and live a life under our own rules. This kind of living leads to eternal damnation.

We better know which direction we are traveling; we must be sure, because our decision after death is final and irreversible.

Let’s do a quick review of the two choices that God gave His chosen people back in Deuteronomy. These few scriptures confirm and lay the foundation for the remainder of this book.

In Deuteronomy 30: 15-19, the choice of death and life are set before them.

¹⁵ "See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; ¹⁶ In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. ¹⁷ But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; ¹⁸ I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. ¹⁹ I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live."

We’ll learn more about the number two later.

The message of the scriptures above is very clear to all who believe the Word of God. If you still choose not to believe, then I pray that you continue to read this book. My prayer is that after you finish this book, you will re-evaluate your life in reference to the Word of God and make a change.

The Bible tells us to repent, confess our sins to God and stop living a sinful life. We need to find a good church home, and devote our life to studying and meditating on the Word. If you draw near to him, He will draw near to you. (James 4:8) But, be careful!

There are many false religions, false teachers, false preachers and churches whose sole purposes are to line their pockets with money and to lead people astray. This is why we are to study God’s Word and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit that leads and guides in truth. The Holy Spirit knows the heart and He will not allow anyone to take advantage of you.

Depending upon which door you open, you will be eternally blessed or eternally cursed. Choose carefully which door you enter and which door you choose to live the rest of your life.

We all entered this life the same way - male and female. Our birth into this world, this planet, this dispensation, was recorded in God’s Book of Life and authentically confirmed. Additionally, birth records, early baby photographs, family announcements, baby showers, etc., all announced to the world our arrival. We all entered and passed through the matrix of birth into this human stage of existence called life that we now enjoy. When we die, we will exit this life through one of these two doors. Not only are the two doors invisible and impossible to discern with the human eye, they are everlasting and immutable. This means, that the door from which you exit this life will be an eternal door which is closed forever! You will not be given a second chance to exit and re-enter the other door that you failed to choose when you left this world in death - so choose wisely, my friend. Let me say this again, no one can see either door; yet both doors are easy to find if your heart is in the right place.

A few years later the two doors was revealed to me as the doors of life and death that we all must go through to reach eternity. The most significant thing to know about either of these two doors is that once you go through them, you cannot return again. If, for example, you went through a particular door and you did not like what you saw, you will not be allowed to go back through that door and get, as golfer’s say, a do over shot at this life again. Once you have entered and passed through the door, you will find yourself staring into the face of eternity. Therefore, be wise before you reach those two doors of life: choose the way, choose the truth, and choose the light. You need to choose Jesus.

A major question that should be asked is: How do we humans end up at either of the two doors of life? It all depends on the road of life that we have been travelling. This road starts the minute we are born and some of us never change our road of travel. We continue on a path of destruction from birth to the grave.

Still, others during the process of life will one day change and repent of their sinful and wicked ways and switch to the road of righteousness. It is only there where they learn about a Savior, called Jesus. After some time, they will begin to fellowship with the body of Christ (the church) and seriously begin to study the Word of God and learn about Him. They will soon learn that it is through His grace and mercy that we are saved through faith in Him and not by our own works.

In Mathew 7:13-14, Jesus tells His disciples which gate to enter that leads to salvation. He said, ¹³Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: ¹⁴ Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

In other words, Jesus is saying there are two roads in this life. The wide gate or road is full of people. It is crowded and well-traveled every day. The people on this road are self-willed; they feel no need for a Savior. They are sure of themselves. Some are mighty, some are rich and powerful; some are world leaders; and there are some who are very religious and pastor huge church assemblies. What they fail to realize is this road leads to a particular door that opens into eternal separation from God. Proverb 16:25 tells us that ²⁵ "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death". Following the crowd is not always the best decision to make when it comes to decisions with eternal implications.

Let’s not forget about Noah and his family of eight individuals. They were the only survivors when God destroyed the world with a flood. Therefore, doing what may seem right to man could be entirely wrong in reference to the will of God. We are to seek God’s will for us and not follow our own ideas and desires.

The narrow gate or small path leads to the door that opens into eternal acceptance and oneness with God. This is the road that is referred to in Mathew 7:14, Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. How do we find this narrow gate? The answer is recorded for us in John 10:9 where Jesus tells us: I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

Jesus also tells us in John 14:6 – I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Jesus’ words are clear. The way to eternal salvation is through Him. By no other way can a man be saved. Good works alone won’t get you there. Money, power, race, church membership, positions in life, etc. - nothing will get you into heaven except the blood of Jesus. You must humbly submit yourself and be born again to make it. Only the truly righteous shall see God.

Two kinds of people are mentioned in the Bible - the believer (sheep) and the nonbeliever (goats). With that as a foundation, let’s review what is going to happen to the two kinds of people as revealed to us in the book of St. Mathew 25:31-46 in reference to the coming last day of judgment of all mankind. (Sheep will be to the right and the goats to the left.)

Jesus said:

³¹ "When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: ³² And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: ³³ And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ³⁵ For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: ³⁶ Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. ³⁷ Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? ³⁸ When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? ³⁹ Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? ⁴⁰ And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. ⁴¹ Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: ⁴² For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: ⁴³ I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. ⁴⁴ Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? ⁴⁵ Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. ⁴⁶ And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

I do not need to say any more on this. Jesus has already said all there is to say: (Sheep will go to the right – Goats will go to the left.) Which side will your life be on? Review Matthew 7:13-14 to understand the black door. The one door is a very big imposing and authoritatively looking door while the other door is small and of no particular beauty to the eye. They stand directly opposite each other. Like two gladiators from antiquity ready for battle, they face each other. They stand their ground and nothing can or will cause them to deviate from their divinely-sanctioned position in life.

The larger door is a beautifully bold red door with a rich lacquered finish. This door is very shiny and it reminds me of a car that has been washed and waxed to perfection. This door also has a deep ebony black interior and looks elegant and mysterious. It has decorative and mysterious-looking designs (very pleasing to the eyes) around the sides, middle, top and bottom. The door knob on this beautiful door appears to be made of pure gold. Isaiah 53:2 explains more about this door. The smaller door is a very plain looking door. It does not have any outstanding features. The one thing that both doors have in common is life, because they are both living entities. They stand silently facing each other through a generation which includes the creation of man. Yet, ideologically, they are as far apart as the east is from the west.

Behind the beautiful black/red door, you will hear the sounds of merriment, laughter, women and men at play, music, excitement that is very similar to an exciting party in progress. It will sound like the kind of party you might expect to find when the world is celebrating the birth of the New Year. The music is bumping. The tempo is steady with a strong funky baseline. There are people at this party, some we know, and others we do not know. As you listen outside of this door, you can hear the voices of some of your best friends. You can also hear the voices of some of your own family members. Everyone seems to be having a good time laughing, and enjoying each other.

As you open the door for a peek inside, you are hit with the irresistible smell of good food. People from all races and nationalities are at the party and representatives from the world’s most powerful and politically correct politicians are there. The rich and famous are there; big name movie stars, and major platinum recording artist rappers are there. Man what a party you say; I need to get in there and see what’s going on.

That’s when you hear the seductive voice of the sin of unbelief, better known as Satan. The devil knows exactly what to say as he begins to whisper into your ears. If you listen carefully you can actually hear the hisses like a snake, as he invites you to come on in and join the party. The unknown voice says: There is no cost to come in, to see what’s going on, to look around; and to enjoy what the world has to offer. As a matter of fact, the voice continues, I’ve been waiting for you. I’ve been watching you and I have always wanted to get to know you and to show you my side of life - the fun side.

The sin of unbelief is the main prerequisite and is a non-negotiable contract for living comfortably behind the black/red door. This requirement states that all the inhabitants that enter and choose to live their life behind the black/red door of life must be in agreement with its owner – the devil. His mandate is: Everyone who follows him must also worship him! The Devil’s people, his followers, cannot be followers of Jesus Christ, or believe in God. This spiritual truth is confirmed in Genesis 3:15, when God Almighty, not the devil, caused enmity to eternally exist between the seed of the serpent and the seed of His people.

The enemy of our soul (the devil) and of God knows that as long as people are un-believers, they will continue to practice the sin of unbelief. This practice will ultimately lead them to their death and destruction. If the devil can keep them believing in the sin of unbelief and they unrepentantly die in their un-belief, they will be his servants forever; and they will be eternally separated from God.

Chapter 2

Tragic Examples of the Sin of Unbelief

Let’s meet a few of the people the devil has skillfully maneuvered to trust in him. Remember, there are many, many, more who are being poisoned by his lies. At one time, I was one of the many people whose mind had been corrupted by Satan to the point I no longer desired to see right vs wrong. My life had begun to take a downward spiral into experimentation with drugs, and alcohol. My faith in God was in a range of minuscule at best, to dead and none existent. My lifestyle was beginning to get out of control to the point of self-destruction. I had lost my focus in life and was drowning my troubles with bottles of booze. I was now living a life of self–pleasure, of satisfying the demands of my flesh. I did not want to do those things that were pleasing to God. As sad as it is to say this, I have to admit it as truth. I hope that this admission of truth will save someone else who is struggling with any kind of addiction and drug abuse. Jesus is the only answer!

I thank the Lord for coming into my life and saving me from Satan’s grasp. The devil knows the sin of unbelief is the primary cause of all the pure evil that is present in the world today. I am talking about the kind of evil that allows a full grown man to sexually abuse and kill a seven year old girl. When caught, the man fails to admit his sins and ask for forgiveness then goes on to hang himself in his own jail cell, to avoid facing the responsibility for his own crime. Following are grievous examples of the sin of unbelief.

Ryan Brunn

I am referencing the case of a 20 year old maintenance man - Ryan Brunn of Canton, Georgia. He was facing life in prison for raping, torturing and finally killing his seven year old child/victim that he abducted from a playground near her apartment complex. Her body was later found in a trash bin.

Mr. Brunn was found guilty on December 2, 2011 for the murder and killing of Jorely Rivera. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his crime. However, on January 20, 2012, Mr. Brunn hung himself in his jail cell to avoid facing the punishment of his crime - life imprisonment.

Apparently, Mr. Brunn, like so many other non-believers, had a false sense of security. People like this actually think that they are in control of their destiny. They view their life or death as a slave to them only. In other words, it is their decision if they should live or die. People with this mindset, similar to Mr. Brunn, think that they can do anything they want and if they are caught, they will take their own life and get out of this life free, or more specifically, an out-of-jail card. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Just Wrong!

Evidently, Mr. Brunn did not read the Bible. Because, if he had, he would have known that after death comes the judgment. What we do in this life will be judged, your belief will have nothing to do with it. We learn in the book of 2nd Corinthians 5: 8 which states: We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

This means that after death the judgment will come. You (your spirit) will be in the presence of God immediately after your death. You will not escape this judgment. I believe that the sin of unbelief is the driving force behind all the atrocities that we see in the world today. This sin, in my opinion, is responsible for all the murders, rapes, robberies, child molestations, racial hatred, mass murders, and the list goes on and on.

The Lord God always confirms His Word. As I was about to leave this distressing topic on child abuse as it relates to unbelief in man, the Holy Spirit directed me to a few more cases. The next case of child abuse is almost identical to the child abuse case previously shared.

This case was reported by television media and in our local newspaper and on the internet. Mr. Jarred Harrell was given life in prison for murder and dumping the body of a seven year old girl in Florida. He admitted in court to kidnapping, raping, murdering and dumping the girl in a trash bin. He took a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.

God’s response to child abuse is clear: He says in the book of Matthew 25:40, And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. I ask this question: How demented and demonic of spirit must a person be to commit such an evil, despicable and heartless crime against an innocent child? Anybody that can do this to a child, or to anyone for that matter, and go on living their life in normal society as though they have done nothing wrong, is beyond the human mind’s ability to understand.

I feel if a person is so bold, cruel and unmerciful to children, then let them be given long prison sentences and physically punished for their crimes. Here is what I am proposing: Each state in the U.S. of America takes a position of zero tolerance on child abuse. Each state should enact laws that bring to light special punitive and physical punishment laws for all child molesters and child killers.

I would propose a law that, although cruel, might help deter others, and would recommend: Any person that is found guilty of raping and killing an innocent child is sentenced. It is my recommendation that this person also be given a year of daily, physical abuse. For example: In addition to his sentence of life in prison without parole, the authorities should for each day for a year, at exactly the same time every day, tie this person across a barrel hand to feet, and take a thick long paddle, leather strap, cane, or whip, and for the next ten minutes, give him a good paddling. This is done to him as a daily reminder of the cruelty and without-mercy sin that he committed against an innocent child.

This is yet another article that also appeared in our local newspaper on February 4, 2012. This story took place in Los Angeles, California at an inner-city elementary school. This is the school where a teacher, Mark Berndt, was accused of committing lewd acts on twenty-three children. Mr. Berndt worked for the school for thirty-two years. He is accused of committing lewd acts on 23 children, ages six to ten years old. As of this writing, he remains in jail and his bail is $23 million dollars.

The second teacher is Martin B. Springer, age forty-nine. He was arrested for fondling two girls in his classroom. His bail was set at $2 million dollars. The victims in this case were seven and eight year olds from Miramonte Elementary School.

This case of child abuse was so bad that the Los Angeles School district drastically closed the whole school for two days while they were investigating the inappropriate behavior that was reported. This story made national headlines across the nation. I read that the elementary school, when it reopened, did so with new staff. One hundred twenty staff members were replaced.

In light of the immorality that seems to be running wild - not just in our school system - but in our society and country as a whole, it seems very illogical to me, that we have people who still hold to the position of unbelief – and say that God does not exist. We have teachers who are immoral, teaching and instructing our children. And, we have the nerve to question the existence of a Holy God. If man is so smart, why can’t we hire teachers who are not child molesters, and perverts?

The fact is we cannot govern our own lives. Question: What makes some people, and especially unbelievers, so sure that the God of Creation is not real? Why do unbelievers throughout the history of man somehow come to the false conclusion that the statues, commandments, and ordinances of the Holy God do not apply to them; that somehow, because of their unbelief, they are exempt from God’s laws. Wow – talk about our human arrogance! Lord, help, me to open their eyes.

The truth is that all the words that God spoke, starting in Genesis 1:1 and all the way through to the book of Revelation 22:21, still exist and apply literally to all mankind today. It applied to all the generations that preceded us, and it still applies to this new and so-called modern and technically savvy face-bookers/twitter generation as well. Oh foolish man, you better wake up, and get in a hurry to change your life.

The sin of unbelief also allows our lawmakers to pass laws that make it legal for same sex marriages to flourish. This law of civil unions is nothing more than the devil in disguise - working through man to try and usurp God’s laws of nature. Remember what the Lord Jesus said to us in 1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. The devil is a deceiver. He knows that the sin of sodomy" is an old sin that is against God.

God completely destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18: 20-21) and the surrounding communities for this sexually immoral sin. His judgment on homosexual sin is to serve as a reminder to all mankind not to duplicate this sin in following generations. Not only is man now repeating the sexually immoral sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, we are taking it to a new level. We are making laws that mandate same sex unions as an alternative legal lifestyle with all the privileges of holy matrimony that was sanctioned by Almighty God.

God’s Word is clear regarding the sacredness of matrimony between a man and a woman, as ordained by God. Anything or any law that seeks to take precedence over the law of God will encounter severe and dreadful consequences. Look at all the proponents for same sex marriage by big name celebrities. The list is endless. You cannot turn on the television without seeing celebrities who flaunt their lifestyle for the whole world to see. Some of them boldly project their lifestyle (same sex marriage) as an alternative to the ordained path of life that was breathed into our human creation by the Almighty God of Creation.

Many laws that were once illegal and considered immoral in this country have now been made legal. It is like the clay telling the potter what is best, or the two year old granddaughter making decisions and dictating to her family what is best for the family. It is like the grunt on the battle field