What will you do?

One day the church, all believers, will be taken out of this world. If you don’t believe in Jesus for your salvation or even in the Bible or God either…you will be left here to go through what the Bible calls the Tribulation. This time will last for seven years and the beginning of it will be a seven year treaty which will be signed by all of the nations which want to destroy Israel. After the church, all believers in Jesus for their salvation, is taken up there will be all sorts of “explanations” for this, none of them will come from the Bible. Many people in the world will actually celebrate the fact that “the church” is gone, or they will think it is.

God will still call some people during this time to give their hearts to Jesus and be His witnesses around the world but they will be persecuted severely. My advice to those who are left here is to find a church and go inside it and locate a Bible, especially if you don’t have one. There may be other literature that will also help you to understand what you read and what it means for your salvation. Take advantage of these resources because the Antichrist and those following him will be destroying any book or building which had a congregation of believers. They do not want you to find hope in Jesus!

The last book in the Bible is the book of Revelation. In it Jesus told John to write many prophecies down which would only come true after the church, the believers, have been taken away because they are the bride of Christ. It tells of the churches which will be around at the time or just before the rapture of the church, some of which we have today. One will be a church which thinks they are working for God and His Kingdom but they aren’t doing a very good job of it. One church has lost sight of their first love which is Jesus. One church was on fire for the Lord but they have lost that fire and become “lukewarm” in their teachings and their works for Him. In a sense they have watered down the message so that it no longer means what it should mean. We see evidence of that today.

I pray that anyone who reads this will seek out your Savior now! Before the church is taken up because the threats of death during the Tribulation and the strong delusion which will come upon those who are still here, even if you have knowledge of the Bible, will cause you to take the mark of the beast. If you do that, your soul is lost and you will be thrown into hell one day…if you survive long enough. The time of the “church age” or the age of Grace is coming to an end, very likely in our lifetime. I pray that anyone who reads this blog will seek out Jesus as your Savior, give your heart to Him and even if it is after the church is taken away keep your faith in Him.

Don’t wander into the belief that the current “savior” is the one. Read and study the Bible if you can find one. Find a place that you can grow your own vegetables and try your best to stay off of the grid if possible. Why do I suggest this? Because without the mark, you won’t be able to buy or sell gas for your vehicle or food or electricity but your soul has a place in heaven! I pray that anyone who may be searching for a Savior will seek Jesus Christ in the Bible and give your heart to Him. God has never left us and He loves you more than you can imagine. Read His Word and seek Him out before the day comes when you will truly have to choose between life with Jesus or death by beheading because you don’t have the mark.

Are you confessed or conceited?

There’s more hope for a confessed sinner than there is for a conceited believer. Whoa!

Why? Because of pride. Now, wait a minute. Why should I think about pride?

Pride is the root of every sin and every decision which causes us to try to be more than we can be. Pride causes us to try to do it ourselves and not seek God’s help until we really have to.

A confessed sinner has come to the point where he or she knows that they have sinned and they’re ready to ask for God’s forgiveness. A believer who is conceited has allowed his pride in his “salvation” or even in the fancy church that he belongs to, to cloud his view of his sins.

Why would a person who is saved be so prideful? It could be because they only think they are saved. Pride is the original root of all sins. That’s why Christians should endeavor to stay humble. Don’t ever think or believe that you are more important to God than anyone else! God loves each of us and He cares for each of us far more deeply than we can understand. We are not just “animals” that He placed here! God formed Adam with His hands and then blew the Breath of Life into him so he would become a man with a soul.

The truth found in God’s Word is the truth that our world, and everyone in it, needs to hear. Whether they will understand it and take it to heart enough to seek their Savior is another thought entirely. God knows who will and who won’t accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and one day soon He will send the angels to blow His Trumpet and call His Bride, the church, home. The bad thing about that day will be those who thought they were saved but weren’t. Especially if it happens on a morning that church services are going on.

What is salvation?

Well…it depends upon what a person is being saved from? Salvation can be many things to many people. You can be saved from physical death by a seat belt in a car or an air bag or both. You could be saved from a life of being filthy rich by your circumstances or by God’s grace, whichever you prefer. Salvation, for a Christian, is being saved from the punishment of hell that we deserve but by God’s grace our faith in Jesus atones for all of our sins and allows us to come before Him with no blemish of sin on our person. You could receive salvation from drowning by someone throwing a lifeline with a float attached to it.

So you see, salvation can come to each of us in different forms and at different times but the one that most of us are seeking is our salvation from the punishment that we deserve for our sins. God is our Creator and our Savior which is why He came to live as a human for about thirty three years. He came so that He would know the temptations that we experience not to judge us for those but to call us into a life with Him. Sometimes the call that we hear from Him comes when we are young and sometimes we don’t hear it until we are a bit older.

There is one illustration that I would like to give here which points out the reality that our Savior gives to us and to no others in Creation.

“The life of Christianity consists of possessive pronouns” says Martin Luther. It is one thing to say, “Christ is a Saviour”; it is quite another thing to say, “He is my Saviour and my Lord.” The devil can say the first; the true Christian alone can say the second. Resource, July/August, 1990.

To claim our salvation we must come to a realization that we need Jesus in our heart to save us. God does that when His Spirit reaches down and touches your heart, breaks it and re-molds it into a heart that is ready for His gift. Sometimes this is painful but sometimes it is something that we have sought for a long time and in that instance it feels so good to get the burden of years of carrying the guilt and the shame with us all of the time.

Only a Christian can say “Christ is my Savior and my Lord”. If you can’t confidently say that is feel in your heart that it is true then you may want to seek the Lord for confirmation of your salvation. Do you believe it or are you just saying words? God came down as a helpless baby to live as we live so that He could identify with every emotion and temptation that we have. He saw and healed many diseases while He was teaching His disciples about the Kingdom of God and that He has healing for every disease if we will believe in Him for our healing.

Some people only say the words. Some people read the Bible but they don’t believe a word of it. Its just a book of stories and the history of the Jewish people. It is so old that it doesn’t apply to us today.

All of the statements in the short paragraph above are false with parts of truth in them as well. “Now, hold on preacher! The Bible is the Word of God, it can’t be a lie!” The Bible is the history of the Jewish people but some people read it like a book. Some just think it is too old to apply to us now, and there are many people who truly don’t believe a word in it came from God.

Why is that important? Because, God inspired the prophets and kings to write the words which make up the Torah, which is our Old Testament. The apostles wrote their accounts of Jesus’ ministry and Paul wrote most of the prison epistles from a Roman prison but even they were under the influence of the Holy Spirit. If the Word, the Bible, is inspired by God and His Spirit, then it is true and there is no other way to interpret it.

Finally, salvation comes to us by faith in the Holy Spirit which convicts us of our need of salvation. Then He points us in the direction of Jesus Christ Who is our Savior and Lord to believe in Him for our salvation to become real and genuine. After that we should read God’s Word to know what we should do with all of this joy and grace that we’ve been given!

One thief lived even though he died

Jesus didn’t have to save the thief on the cross beside Him but He did it out of love because that was the reason He came for…to seek and to save the lost. Just the same as He does for us today. When you come to church on Sunday if you are not a Christian yet you are likely thinking “What am I doing here?”. Most of us wonder about the reason that we are in church but when God’s Spirit has touched you and let you know that you need Jesus in your life, there is very little which could’ve stopped you from being in church that day.

I don’t mean to say that it is an irresistible call but it truly is. You might skate by this Sunday but one day soon God will get you into a church to hear the gospel preached. Because you will be drawn to Jesus at that time. God didn’t have to send His Son to bring salvation to mankind but He did it because of His love for us. Will everyone be saved? No, because there are many in the world who won’t hear that small voice calling them or they will ignore it until it goes away.

Don’t be the person who has heard God speaking to your heart, asking you to come to Jesus but you didn’t feel like it or you had something else you wanted to do. Sometimes God will keep calling until you answer the call but sometimes it is just too late. An accident or a stroke or heart attack will take you from this world when you least expect it. Not one person knows when their “time is up” until it happens so if you haven’t made your decision yet then it is too late at that point.

Jubilee

How many of these have been celebrated since Jesus went back to heaven? The Jubilee year is the year after the 49th and it is complicated because of the Jewish calendar but for all practical purposes it is the 50th year. If you divide the past two thousand years by fifty you get 40 and if you bring it forward to the year we are in now, 2020, it is 40.4. What does all of this mean? It’s God’s math and I can’t tell you exactly what it means. In 1967 Jerusalem was brought back under Jewish rule. It had been one Jubilee since the Jews had been allowed back into Palestine as it was called and that happened in 1917 at the end of World War 1.

Fast forward to the 21st century and 2017 is a Jubilee year since Jerusalem had been brought back under Jewish control. Forty is a significant number in God’s Word, seven is also a significant number, 49 is a significant number, so where am I going with this? I’m not sure but since scientists usually take an answer out to the second digit past the decimal this year would actually be 40.40. Does that mean anything? I’m not sure but if I were you, I would be making very sure that you know Jesus as your Savior and especially make sure that He knows you!

No matter what you may have heard about God not caring about you, the verse in the picture above shows very clearly that He does love you and me and everyone else. It is our choice to believe in the One Who paid the price of our salvation and atonement or not. I pray that you will seek Him out as your Savior. Thank you for reading this little bit that His Spirit prompted me to write.

Remember…

Today is a day that America can’t forget. Some people do seem to forget about what happened on that morning 19 years ago but when they are reminded…it all comes rolling back into your memory like the clouds of dust and paper and concrete that filled the streets of New York. Many people died that morning. Most of them were at work or going to work. Some were on the planes which were hi-jacked to be used as bombs. No, we can’t forget that day and the horror of it and the fear of what is coming next.

Just like the attack on Pearl Harbor that Sunday morning in 1941, those who lived through it could never forget where they were. But the difference between the two attacks, separated by sixty years, is a very dark one. The one which happened at Pearl Harbor was done by a government and its soldiers and pilots. The attack which happened in New York was done by religious fanatics. They didn’t belong to one single government or country. They were united by an ideology of hatred. That is why the war on terror has been going on for so long. There is no specific place or people to look for or to blame other than their religion and the ideology which is taught by it.

I don’t blame the religion of Islam for this because just as they have told us for years, most of them are peaceful. But also God doesn’t want blame to be placed on this religion or that religion. God does love everyone in the world but He doesn’t love the sinful ways that many of them live in day in and day out. God provides a way for you to find peace and joy in life if you will repent from what you have been doing or worshiping and seek your salvation in Jesus Christ. Believe in Him like the thief on the cross, believe in Jesus like a little child because your salvation and your eternity depends on it.

Whether you believe in Jesus or God or not right at this time doesn’t matter. What does matter is that we are not guaranteed tomorrow so the time to seek your salvation in Jesus is now! Today is the day for your salvation. Read the book of Romans and 1 Corinthians because Paul told every person that he met that your salvation and your eternity depend on Who you place your faith and your belief in and that Person should be Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Cling to Jesus!

I’ve heard this most of my life but until I read about how it should be done it truly never occurred to me. African-Americans have been wronged in so many ways, not just in America but even in their mother country as well. Many times it was one tribe who had conquered another tribe for their land or some other resource and then they would sell those to men who were willing to pay for them to be slaves in another country far away from their homes. Many of them didn’t even survive the trip in the ship because of such cramped conditions. Of those who did their life, if you can call it that, was miserable, hard and filled with pain and suffering.

My own ancestor came from either Ireland or Scotland, I’m not sure which, as an indentured slave to someone who could afford the trip to the New World as America was called at the time. I don’t know my ancestor’s name but since his skin was white he or she may not have had such a terrible time of it after arriving here. But I have read that some were just as cruelly treated as any other slave, regardless of skin color. Sometimes they might get a nominal education in order to do the job that their master needed them to do and sometimes they didn’t. Either way, regardless of their skin color, life was hard…much harder than it is today.

The one common thread that weaves through the Word of God is that faith and belief in God and the salvation that He offers grows tremendously when there is persecution involved. The Israelites held on to their faith when they were in bondage to Egypt. The early church was persecuted in horrible ways during the first few hundred years and in some countries today they still are, but the church itself grew in number even then. Faith seems to seek out the Savior when there is uncertainty and hardship regardless of nationality or skin color.

This is exactly what America NEEDS today…right NOW!! We need a solid anchor in the Truth of God’s Word. One that will not move and is always true in every instance that we need it for. Salvation, security, peace, hope, love, mercy and grace are all found in God’s Word and today the whole world needs these to be active and ALIVE in the church even if the church is located in someone’s home or basement.

Is slavery wrong? YES!! In every sense of the word. Child slavery, sex trafficking, and a host of other types of slavery that I didn’t mention…these are all wrong! Should we search out and destroy the places where this is practiced? That would be wonderful but I’m afraid that many in America would be surprised by how close to home this really is. We would be shocked and horrified by the realization that it involved someone we know or maybe even someone that we attend church with. I don’t know this for a fact, so don’t quote me here. But…it is possible.

The only person that could fix this is our Savior and our King, Jesus Christ. Many of these rings which conduct business in the middle of our cities and towns are only known as legitimate businesses. Even people that we do business with at least once or twice every month. It may not happen in small towns but it is possible

Every member of the church should dig deep into God’s Word and learn how He does things and then let your voice be heard. Make sure your voice is heard because if we don’t then the other side will and the country that will rise from their influence will be worse than the one we have now. If we aren’t going to make our voice, as the church, heard then we aren’t helping anyone. God sent His Son to pay the price for our sins and the least we can do is follow in His footsteps. Letting others know about our wonderful Savior and His love for them. If we don’t do that then we aren’t really His followers at all.

Who do you think you are?

Many people think far more highly of themselves than they should. Some don’t consider the gifts that they have been given in this life and some are too prideful to even answer the question. As if answering it is demeaning.

Life in all of its wondrous glory and in such bounty on the Earth. From the smallest plankton in the ocean to the Blue whale and all of the land animals and birds and fish that God created with the Word from His mouth. Our scientists still haven’t found all of them yet. There are still some in deep caverns in the Earth or under the sea that mankind has never seen nor have they been cataloged. Many of them would begin a new branch on the “tree of Life” because they don’t fit any other life-form definition.

People tend to look at themselves as they are described by their job. A plumber or a doctor or a lawyer. God doesn’t see us as a vocation, defined by our job or vocation. He sees our heart, our soul and knows what we are able to do on our own. He also knows what our potential is as well. God created and wove our DNA together in the womb so He knows our abilities and our limitations as a human being. But, if you will indulge me for a moment, what about that point when we become more than what we were born with? “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Our hearts are different spiritually and our soul is brighter when God looks at us. When heaven sees us after we have accepted Jesus as our Savior we look a lot like Jesus. A little rough around the edges maybe and still a bit of dirt here and there but with time and prayer and washing in God’s Word, we will begin to look far more like Him than we did at first. The thing is that we don’t see ourselves as being clean, forgiven, set apart from the world, adopted into God’s family because we can still see our faults and our flaws.

Occasionally we will feel different. We may even have a dream that we are standing in God’s Presence but we will be on our face because we don’t feel that we are worthy of being there. At least, that’s how I feel when I come before Him with a prayer or a request. But, God doesn’t see your imperfections or your flaws. He sees your soul and your heart as being a part of Him and His Son. Yes there are a few things which need to be polished and buffed a bit, but after salvation your outward man is only an Earthly cover over the New Creation which came to life when the Holy Spirit came to dwell within you.

Once you have given your heart to Him and asked Him to come into your heart, you are a new Creation. Neither man nor angel but also not God. You are an adopted Son born because your Spirit changed you so that you have become His. Live as your destiny in Christ allows you to. Not serving your old master in sin but living every day as a Son of God!

Wisdom or education?

Which is more valuable to you and to those around you? I’ve heard of people who have PhD’s who are working at McDonald’s, so how much is their education helping flip the burgers or fix salads or serve up french fries? I know the problem. Some people with those heavy duty letters behind their name either can’t find a job in their field or they were downsized out of a job. So they had to take a job that would kinda pay some bills. I have a BS degree in Medical Technology but I’m disabled and can’t work in my field. So how much good does all of this education do for our communities or the country?

Not very much good at all.

Wisdom can be learned from the trials that we go through because of our education. Wisdom can also be learned by reading God’s Word, the Bible. Because the wisdom contained in it is wisdom which isn’t bought or purchased from an education system. The wisdom that comes from God’s Word comes straight from the Source of all Life. You might ask “What if I don’t believe in God?” Well, the wisdom contained in the Bible, specifically Psalms and Proverbs, is wisdom which can be used for business and the home as well. The Bible is a book which covers many areas of life experience, so reading it and seeking God’s wisdom can help you in many areas of life.

There is a misconception that the Bible is only for “holy rollers” and church people but it really isn’t. It is the history of God’s chosen people, the Jews, but it is also about human nature and how we tend toward self-destructive behavior in our spiritual life as well as our life in general. We see this kind of behavior in everyday life. On the news, in our own family, in our friends lives, in celebrity’s lives, in politics, you name it, the behavior to destroy our lives is not limited to spiritual people or to those who choose not to believe.

“So how can learning from God’s wisdom help me?” There are many answers to that question. One is it can draw you closer to your Creator and He will draw closer to you. Even closer than He already is! God did not create this world and the human race and then run to some far-flung corner of the universe to retire. He is involved in our world every day. He sees the horrible things that we do to each other. He knows the pain that we feel when someone close to us dies. He cares about you far more than you can imagine.

The Bible speaks about the time that we are living in right now. People will be lovers of themselves and lovers of money. They won’t care about others or the church but will be working to get rid of the church. Why? Because the Truth which is found in the Bible cannot be destroyed or turned away from once you know what it says. The world around us has been on a downward spiral for years but we are coming to the end of what is called “the church age”. It began when Jesus ascended to heaven and it will end when He returns for His bride, the church. When will this happen? God is the only one that knows that answer. It could be tonight or tomorrow or next week or next month but it is going to happen.

If you are not a believer in Jesus for your salvation prior to that day, if you haven’t given your heart to Him and asked Him to forgive you of your sins then you will be left on Earth when that day comes. You will go through the Tribulation described in the book of Revelation and it will essentially be “hell on Earth” during those seven years. There will be death from diseases and wars and demons. You will be forced to take a mark in your hand or your forehead in order to buy or sell anything. If you have become a Christian but you take that mark, God will wipe your name from the Book of Life and you will forfeit your salvation. If you don’t take the mark, they will hunt you down and kill you but if you are a Christian you will just step from this life into eternity with Jesus!

The Bible is a book of history and changes and it is His story as well. Because Jesus is foretold in every book of the Bible. He is the Seed of the woman in Genesis and He is the Alpha and Omega in Revelation as well as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace. There are so many names for Jesus in the Bible but the one name that I love the most is “My Savior and my Lord!” Seek Him in the Scriptures, ask Him into your heart and your life and you will never be the same again because when He comes into your heart you are a new creation in Christ!

Confusion and anarchy

It seems that these two words define most of the “news” we hear or read about these days. Both of them cause the other so they just feed off of each other and no improvement is seen anywhere they happen to be. The Bible gives us a clear picture of what it will be like leading up to the time of the Tribulation and it is matching up pretty well. God’s Word doesn’t specifically name countries and people involved but reading Matthew 24 and Ezekiel 9 and the beginning chapters of Revelation they all read as if you are looking at today’s newspaper article (if anyone reads those anymore).

Jesus told His disciples that these things would happen, that it would be like the days of Noah before the end of the age. Persecution of the church is growing here as well as in other countries. Freedom of religion is being watered down so that it barely gives any freedom to the Christian church. Limits on what can be preached and where our religion is looked on as hate speech in some areas of the country. The country that we grew up in doesn’t resemble the America that you see on the news broadcasts. It has become much worse than I’d ever dreamed that it would and the reality is that it won’t get better regardless of the person in the White House.

We have to look up for our salvation and our Redeemer is drawing nearer every day.

God never says anywhere in the Bible that He hates the sinner. He only hates the sin that they live in. Those sins are given in God’s Word and I’m not going to list them here. Most people who are living in sin know which sins they are committing and they don’t have to be told. So why do so many in the world refuse to accept the mercy and grace that God offers through belief in Jesus Christ?

Partly because of pride in their own beliefs and traditions. Many refuse because of the requirements of their religious training as a child and because they will be disowned or beaten and sometimes killed for giving their heart and their life to Jesus Christ. Then there are some cults in the world that have changed the Bible into something that they can believe in but they have demoted Jesus to “a son” of God. Christians are taught that we should “turn the other cheek” but we should at least try to win our brother or sister or our best friend to Jesus Christ if they will listen. Telling family about Jesus is a very hard thing to do because most of the time the family has been to church together. You and your brother or sister may have been baptized in the church.

The problem is usually something that has been named “cultural Christianity”. Everyone that you know or grew up with has gone to or attended church. Everyone around you has heard the sermons and maybe even been baptized after a revival. The problem shows itself in their lives after being baptized. They live and work as if they’ve never heard about Jesus but they know about Him and God too. Usually they will even say, “The Big Guy and I have an arrangement”.

God doesn’t make “arrangements” with people and He isn’t the “Big Guy upstairs” either. God doesn’t like being represented by a carved image nor does He like being referred to by some made up name. He is God the Father, Elohim, or Yahweh but I wouldn’t give Him a name other than those found in the Bible. He is the Creator of all things and the Ancient of Days but no other name than these.

Living your life out of sync with the Bible and the way that is described in the New Testament after you have been baptized is incompatible with true repentant Christianity and it’s wrong. Why? Because if someone sees you living this way and you tell them that you are a Christian they will think that it is acceptable to go out and drink and do things that you wouldn’t want your Mom to see you doing. The reality is that God knows you and He can see every thought and every sin that you do, regardless of where you are or who you are with.