Paul’s description of last days attitudes and negativity in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 bears reviewing. “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid Such People.” (ESV – all emphasis is mine)

The fact is that being hated for being a Christian is not a new concept. In John 15:18, Jesus said, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.” The issue is that the degree of hate is getting worse almost on a daily basis. Anyone who has truly received and accepted Jesus as Savior is actually subject to martyrdom in some areas of the world, and during the seven-year tribulation/wrath, it will be worldwide.

When Jesus was on this earth nearly 2,000 years ago, He had no illusions of who would be accepted more: Him or the desires of the world. Matthew 7:13-14; “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by are many. For the gate is narrow, and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

Humans have a tendency of trying to take the easiest path available. Today, that happens to be any path except the ones leading to Jesus. To paraphrase, “Go Along To Get Along.”

Anyone who truly has become a part of our Savior’s flock becomes an imposition on all who have accepted Satan’s temptations. In 1 Corinthians 1:18, we read, “For the word of the Cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.”

All through our “growing years,” we are told that if we’re to have anything in this world that is worthwhile, we must apply ourselves and work hard to earn a living. The idea of receiving an eternal reward just for having faith and believing in a Heavenly being seems far-fetched to many people.

However, Ephesians 2:8-9 specifically addresses just that. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

While this applies to our eternal destiny, our current human life does require some form of employment activity to be able to earn our living here. Depending on our degree of skills and/or education, this will dictate what type of lifestyle we have here. This was brought on the human race because of the fall from grace in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve sinned, God no longer provided everything without some form of effort.

When our lives end on this earth, there will be two paths available: eternal life or eternal punishment. There are no other options, and which one we receive is our choice.

We have a Heavenly Father who loves each and every one of us and does not want anyone to fail. He would love for everyone to reach repentance (2 Peter 3:9). However, He will force no one to accept or reject His Son.

Looking at the negative side first, at the end of the seven-year tribulation, the antichrist and his false prophet will be the first that will be thrown into the Lake of Fire forever (Revelation 19:20). A thousand years later, Satan himself will be thrown into it as well as his demons, or fallen angels (Revelation 20:10).

Then there will be the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11-15. All who were out of the will of God from the beginning of this earth’s existence, and up to Our Savior’s sacrifice at Calvary, and all from Calvary to the end of this earth’s time who did not receive and accept Jesus as their Savior, will be thrown into the Lake of Fire forever.

On the positive side, all who were in the will of God prior to Calvary will be in a place of peace described as “Abraham’s side” in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31.

All who will have died from Calvary up to just before the start of the tribulation that were in Christ will be Raptured up to meet the Savior in the air to be kept from the wrath. As souls are reunited with their earthly bodies, or whatever is left of them, they will be converted into an immortal and forever body. Then those who are still alive at the Rapture will be converted into their immortal forever bodies as they are taken up to meet Jesus in the air. It’s stated in 1 Corinthians 15:52 that this will all take place “in the twinkling of an eye.”

For all who are left behind, after the antichrist comes out, it will still be possible to call out to Jesus to be their Savior, but the cost will most likely be martyrdom. No one who takes the mark of the beast during the 7-year tribulation will be able to enter into Heaven, as this will be an unforgivable sin (Revelation 14:10). The mark is a pledge of allegiance to the antichrist, and ultimately acceptance of Satan.

The one prophecy that remains to be fulfilled and is keeping the antichrist from appearing is the removal of the “Restrainer,” which is the Holy Spirit. When He is taken out of the way, all who He indwells must be removed from this earth to fulfill God’s promise in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, and Revelation 3:10 to keep all believers from entering that horrible seven years. The removal is the Rapture, as described in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17.

With this in mind, for all who may have considered receiving and accepting Jesus as their Savior but have put off doing so, now would be a great time to make the most important call of your life. Tomorrow is not promised, and once the Rapture starts, it will be over in less than one second. This does not leave time to confess being a sinner, acknowledge that Jesus is truly the Son of God who gave Himself willingly as the ultimate sacrifice to cover all our sins, and call out for Him to be your Savior.

No one can say whether or not Jesus will come for us by tomorrow, but He could. If you are already a part of His precious flock, it will save a lot of anxiety. Romans 10:9-13 gives the simple steps to Salvation, and He will turn no one away who truly calls out to Him to be their Savior.

Hope to see you there when we are taken into the presence of our Savior to be with Him forever.

Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!

huebshman46@gmail.com

I must confess, I have never seen anything like the intensity shown for Halloween this year—in stores, around homes, and now, of course, in advertisements for the most frightening movies imaginable. It began in earnest by midsummer, which made me wonder if it could really last all the way to October 31! But it surely has, demonstrating the grip that the fascination and “fear of death” (Heb. 2:15) has upon so many in our culture.

But for the Evangelical Christian, October 31 is not Halloween at all, but Reformation Day. And as we approach this time of year once again, my thoughts are drawn to one of the most significant sites from Martin Luther’s incredible story—the Wartburg Castle. How I wish I could go and hide there sometimes, away from all the cares and concerns of this life.

Luther spent nearly a year—from May of 1521 to March of 1522—in hiding inside the expansive Wartburg, which is located just outside of Eisenach, Germany, in the Thuringian Forest. It was there in that frightfully magnificent castle—which would genuinely serve as his mighty fortress—that Luther translated the New Testament into German in just 11 weeks, essentially creating a new language in the process.

A young Luther had spent several of his most formative years about three miles from the castle—in Eisenach, where the Cotta family hosted him as a schoolboy preparing to go to the University of Erfurt.

It is difficult to fathom that the castle had already been in existence for nearly 500 years by Luther’s time! The sprawling castle bears evidence of continuous construction, and one can only wonder how many sacrificed their lives in the process of building it, and even how many died just attempting to keep the castle functioning on a daily basis all through those centuries. The sights from the grounds around the castle, as well as within it, are too magnificent to describe. One can see the majesty of creation looking down from the castle grounds, and the depth of history that this site generates is almost palpable.

My purpose here is not to go into detail regarding the awkward splendor of the castle. Rather, it is to build upon the lessons that Luther found in the castle itself—when he drew upon its comparison to “God [as] our refuge and strength” (Ps. 46:1) in writing his greatest hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”

The Psalm calls us to seek such “refuge” whenever we require “A very present help in trouble” (v. 1). The resulting promise is certain: “Therefore we will not fear” (v. 2a). This declaration is sure to hold, even in spite of the most cataclysmic circumstances that one could ever imagine, as they are described in the remainder of verses 2 and 3, as well as in verse 6a.

Whatever catastrophes threaten our serenity—even our very existence—today, we know that “The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge” (v. 7; repeated in v. 11). He has the authority and the capacity to halt the most fearsome calamities imaginable to man (vv. 4-5, 8-9).

The only obligation for the troubled believer, then, is simply to “Be still, and know that [He is] God” (v. 10). The sovereign Lord, “who works all things according to the counsel of His will” (Eph. 1:11), shall indeed have His way “among the nations” and “in the earth” (v. 10).

Yet here is a great reality to ponder: No one ever stumbled into the Wartburg Castle. You can only go up and enter it with great effort, even in our day of modern transportation. You must seek it to find it—but once inside, you can be forever free from the cares and dangers of the outside world.

In comparison, it does not take any great effort to hide yourself in God, but it does take complete intentionality. It requires us to “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him” (Ps. 37:7). Once inside, we can “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath” as well as the temptation to “fret” (Ps. 37:8).

Are you in need of a place to hide from “the cares of this world” (Matt. 13:22) today? Whatever may have you fearful or doubting, run up to the castle that the Lord has provided. This is not the Wartburg Castle, but a Person Who is infinitely superior to it—the Lord God Himself. Hide inside His Mighty Fortress. It is not composed of bricks and stones, but it reveals the very imminent presence of God Himself.

This Mighty Fortress is, indeed, our God, and before Him all the grisly terrors of this world evaporate into a harmless mist. And we are left alone with Him, our “hiding place” (Ps. 119:114).

***

Paul J. Scharf (M.A., M.Div., Faith Baptist Theological Seminary) is a church ministries representative for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, based in Wisconsin, and serving in the Midwest. For more information on his ministry, visit sermonaudio.com/pscharf or foi.org/scharf, or email pscharf@foi.org.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version.