Idaho's first billionare, J.R. Simplot died Sunday, at the age of 99.

I am sorry for the loss of this man to his family. His sweet wife, Esther, in particular, must be deeply grieving today. No loss of life, however old the individual was, is incidental.

In this case, J.R. Simplot, a really big-deal guy, is now in eternity - and eternity is a really big-deal place.

Given, that every single person is of value, why did Jesus say that it was as difficult for a person of great wealth to enter into Heaven, as it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle?

I've heard that some folks believe an "eye of a needle" is an opening in a middle-eastern city wall that allows people to easily enter and exit through - though not their typical and HUGE beasts of burden - hence the camel would have to go down on its knees and sort of scoot through....painful to imagine on any animal. However, I've ridden camels in the Holy Land and the word picture actually doesn't work. Camels can't scoot.....period.

So what did Jesus mean?

How about this: break down anything HUGE to its smallest part, strip it of all it can contain, reduce it to its elemental form of molecules and the chemists among us would tell us that you could fit anything large through anything as small as an eye of a needle...one collection of atoms at a time.

When our heart quits beating on this side of "the veil" and starts beating again in Heaven, each of us will come face to face with the Creator of the universe. We'll be stripped of all we earned, reduced to an elemental form, dispossessed of all we owned. We will have no honor of our own. No excuses, either. Just truth...about us and about God.

Maybe some rich guys spent their whole lives gaining wealth and position for others to notice. Maybe some other wealthy folks gained it to ward off insecurity within themselves. Others, to form a false modesty and insincere humility. Few rich guys gained it to give away, I am certain.

Chances are, we'll all go through the eye of a needle, when our time comes. We won't be able to hold on to anything. The question will be for us, what I bet it was for Mr. Simplot: "Why should I let you in?"

No amount of good works or self-centered giving or personal checks can allow us entrance....because, it's the only thing in eternity that God can't do.

God can't cash out of state checks.

No man should dare guess at another man's eternal destination. Only God knows that. My sincere hope is that JR Simplot was ushered into God's presence. Where are you headed?

Den