Vacancy
The Point: Remaining faithful.
The Message: Who's really "saved" til they actually die?
The Scoop: The term "saved" seems to be used loosely in the Christian environment. Christians use the term "saved" to describe their transformation from the old self life to their new attitude toward God. While a total change of behavior and baptism are necessary steps, we shouldn't think that we are now free from Satan's tricks. Satan would have every Christian believe that lie and everyone to fall back into sin, all while believing they are on their way to Heaven.
If it is not too late for the world, even the worst of sinners to turn back to God, then why would it not be just as equal for true Christians to turn away from God back to their sinful ways? Some believe that when they are saved, even if they do turn back to sin, Christ is living in them, and He would not let them die an eternal death. Even if that IS the case... is it worth taking the chance??
The Tale: Vacancy is a tale of someone dreaming about either death, or the Lord's return. Dreams don't have definite beginnings, nor endings, so neither does this one. The lead character is taken to heaven, for he has lived a good life. The Lord promises an eternal dwelling place, so the lead character is taken through the streets to find his own place. Along the tour he sees so many other mansions and free gifts that others have and he is anxiously wanting to see his own mansion with his name in bold letters written across the top. Instead of his name, however, his mansion says, "Vacancy."
Then the man is taken before the Lord to find out why he was not allowed a place in heaven, and Lord answers him sternly, "You had your place, but you turned away. Away from Me you evil doer."
The lead character is now hoping for a chance to go back to earth and mend his final mistakes... but it's too late. He has already escaped life, now he cannot return. He has no place in Heaven, so it leaves only one place left, eternal destruction.
The man awakens from his dream and is overjoyed that it wasn't real, and he still has time to make those corrections. With a dream like that, such a stern warning, you better believe that he made every last effort and strained every muscle to be righteous before the Lord.
It is not wise to take a chance, and to say, "I have been right with the Lord once, so now He lives in me, and even though I am in sin, he will not let me perish." If Satan still tempts you to think like that, I suggest you read back over this again.
The Idea: Inspiration for this song came to me one night in Spring of 2001 when returning home from a long journey. As I passed by motels late at night, I realized that some said "Vacancy" and some did not. The thought came to me, "What if someone's home in heaven said 'Vacancy' on it and when they saw it, they realized that they had turned away from God and now must pay the price?" It was such a haunting thought that I knew I had to write a song about it to make others think about it too.
