The aging posters of Mr. Universe (four-time gold winner and Mr. Olympia (eight-time record holder) are the epitome of invincibility and immortality. But Arnold Schwarzenegger, like everyone else, must face his own mortality. Those born in 1947 will eventually become fewer in society. The numbers are thinning out. Time marches on for all of us, including former California Governor Schwarzenegger. Our days are numbered.
Outraged Over Death
When a RollingStone reporter visited Mr. Schwarzenegger’s Santa Monica office in 2015, he noticed the trophies and awards on display. The former Governor explained: “… my trophies from old bodybuilding competitions.” The reporter looked at a small picture of Meinhard, Schwarzenegger’s older brother, who died in a car crash at 24. The celebrity said he couldn’t remember what his voice sounded like, but he thinks of him often. Then Schwarzenegger added this:
“I have always been extremely outraged (expletive replaced) about the idea of death,” he says. “It’s such a waste. I know it’s inevitable, but what the hell is that? Your whole life you work, you try to improve yourself, save money, invest wisely, and then all of a sudden — poof. It’s over. Death outrages (expletive replaced) me more than ever.” (1)
Yes, there is the certainty of the poof. But it’s not over!
God’s Way of Salvation – Read it Here
Goals and Success
The former bodybuilder-actor has always been a goal-oriented achiever. His awards and achievements over the decades speak for themselves. Conan the Barbarian, The Terminator, Commando and other movies Schwarzenegger has acted in have grossed 4.5 billion worldwide. (2) As a politician, it is no small accomplishment to have been the Governor of a State with the fifth largest economy in the world, ranked between Germany and the United Kingdom. (3) Mr. Schwarzenegger is also a very successful businessman and is good friends with billionaire Warren Buffett.
Blindness
When asked about being a goal-oriented person and what role tunnel-vision played in his success, Schwarzenegger said:
“Well, I don’t know if you would call it blind, but I would say that yes, when you are trying to be successful, you have to have tunnel vision and you’ve got to have blinders on and not to see anything that is on the left and the right side…” (4)
Mostly, we applaud goal-oriented people who doggedly pursue goals in life. We call them achievers. But when blinders prevent us from seeing the bigger picture and tunnel vision obscures what lies beyond the goal — then we are extremely vulnerable.
Don’t boast about tomorrow, for you don’t know what a day might bring. Proverbs 27:1
You do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapour that appears for a little while, then vanishes. James 4:14
Regrets — Not Perfect
Like everyone, the celebrity has regrets over some things in his past. Reading between the lines of what he has said over the years, the former Governor is embarrassed and ashamed about some things he has done and said as he climbed the fame ladder, but he explains it this way:
“I think it’s very easy to understand. We are not perfect. We try to be, but there’s only one that’s perfect — God.” (5)
Your Only Way to God – Read it Here
The Bible says that no matter how hard one tries or how sincere our efforts may be, no one can achieve God’s standard of perfection.
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23
For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law (Ten Commandments) simply shows us how sinful we are. (Romans 3:20)
Helping Society
Over the years, Schwarzenegger has contributed to worthy causes and used his persona to encourage others to live up to their potential and minimize hate and prejudice in society. As recently as March 2023, he produced a short video about the horrors of hate and prejudice and warned against the extreme dangers of being unintentionally sucked into the dark vortex of online algorithms. My heart was touched as I watched his short video below.
If only his video had lifted viewers to an answer beyond themselves. If only he could have personally pointed his audience to someone who is able to save them from themselves, set them free and lift them out of their darkness – that video would have had an existential impact – beyond any good that can be achieved or experienced in this life. But it didn’t.
Modified Perspective on a Critical Matter
At this stage in life, Governor Schwarzenegger tells himself there’s nothing beyond this life. Nothing! How can he be so sure? Just because he hasn’t seen proof that satisfies his mind, does that mean he is right? Or is he blocking what haunts him? Does he find it easier to deny there is something after death than to face it?
We know that he is outraged and incensed by death — but how does that help him or change the reality of death? In the past two decades, he has lost fifteen friends from his bodybuilding days. He says those losses have caused him to change his perspective on the afterlife. But on what foundation does his modified perspective rest?
Church-going Catholic Earlier in Life
In one interview, Mr. Schwarzenegger said: “I grew up Catholic. I went to church. I went to Catholic school. I learned the Bible and my catechisms.” Whatever he learned didn’t lead him to personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. But it’s not too late for him to re-open his Bible, discover the Lord Jesus Christ, and embrace Him as his personal Saviour.
Hashtag Heaven
In 2023, a fellow actor, Danny DeVito, 78, posed this question to the 76-year-old former bodybuilder: “What’s in the future for us?”
“It reminds me of Howard Stern’s question to me. ‘Tell me, governor, what happens to us when we die?’ I said, ‘Nothing. You’re 6 feet under. Anyone who tells you something else is an [expletive] liar. We don’t know what happens with the soul and all this spiritual stuff that I’m not an expert in…”
Schwarzenegger further explained to DeVito:
When people talk about, ‘I will see them again in heaven,’ it sounds so good, but the reality is that we won’t see each other again after we’re gone. That’s the sad part. I know people feel comfortable with death, but I don’t,” he said.
“To me, heaven is where I put a person who I love dearly, who is kind, who is generous, who made a difference in my life and other people’s lives,” he explained. “I keep them in a spot in my head, like that front row that you have of all of your friends. And you always have a good feeling when you think of them.” (6)
Mr. Schwarzenegger has offered many credible insights and shared his wisdom on many things over the decades, but really — is heaven just in our heads? A figment of our imagination? How we classify someone in our head – how we tag them in our memories — #Heaven?
Enemy #1
Mr. Schwarzenegger, are you sure there’s nothing afterwards? Are you sure you are right, or are you trying to convince yourself? Is death your enemy because of what follows?
The Bible does call death an enemy. (1 Corinthians 15:26) But the Bible does not leave you stranded and hopeless, only with the gloomy prospect of Enemy #1 Death. In the same chapter, we read: “Death has been swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54). Doesn’t that sound hopeful? Is it hopeful enough for you to investigate it further? Some allow their blinders to block them in pursuing hope, light and peace.
Victory Over Death
What is the victory? Who was the victor? The Bible’s big story ultimately points to One who was dead but is alive — the Living Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the good news from the Bible:
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
No, Mr. Governor — death is not the end. For a Christian, death is a passage to life forevermore. Sinners have no hope beyond death, but Christians do. Jesus said:“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” (John 11:25).
The two options are eternal Life and Heaven or eternal separation and Hell, but the choice is yours. It hinges on what you do with God’s Son – Jesus Christ.
Personal Prayer
Dear Mr. Schwarzenegger, if you come across this post, I want you to know that I am praying for you. Please read the Gospel of John and set your preconceived ideas aside. Read it prayerfully with the open mind of a child, in the posture of repentance. Ask God to touch your heart as you read because death is not the end. You must be prepared beforehand to meet God. It’s too late once you have taken your final breath.
Each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment.” Hebrews 9:27
Prepare to meet your God. Amos 4:12
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
If you are reading this as one who already enjoys a personal relationship with Christ, please join other Christians in praying for Mr. Schwarzenegger.
Sources:
- https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/the-unkillable-arnold-schwarzenegger-237730/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Schwarzenegger_filmography
- https://www.forbes.com/places/ca/?sh=73be6af43fef
- https://tim.blog/2018/06/20/the-tim-ferriss-show-transcripts-arnold-schwarzenegger-part-2/
- https://boundingintocomics.com/2023/05/16/arnold-schwarzenegger-theres-only-one-thats-perfect-god/
- https://nypost.com/2023/06/06éarnold-schwarzenegger-says-heaven-is-a-fantasy-we-wont-see-each-other-again/