John 8:12; “Then Jesus again spoke to them saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of Life.'” John 9:5; “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” John 12:46; “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.” (ESV – all emphasis mine)

Several more passages: John 3:19; “This is the judgment that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.” 1 John 1:5; “This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” Revelation 21:23; “And the City has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives its light and its lamp is the Lamb.”

And then a passage full of hope for all believers; “1 John 1:7; “But if we walk in the Light as He is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.”

Paul proclaimed that the Light was for everyone, not just the Jews, in Acts 13:47-49; “For so the Lord has commanded us, saying I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring Salvation to the ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many were appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.”

Jesus Himself made it known that He did not come just for the Father’s chosen people but for every human that would ever live. John 10:16-18; “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one Shepherd. For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.”

For all who believe that the Jews have been replaced and are no longer God’s chosen people, Jesus made it clear that He came to earth for the Jewish People and also for all non-Jews or Gentiles. The main stipulation is that Jesus be received and accepted as our only way to Eternal Salvation. John 14:6 is very specific about this; “Jesus said to him, I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.”

For all the false prophets today who are saying there are many ways to heaven, that Jesus was just a good prophet, and the Bible is just a bunch of ancient stories that don’t really apply today: how about 2 Peter 3:8; “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord, one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

The evil in this world is increasing every day, just as our Savior, Paul, James, Peter, John, and others said it would. There is a darkness that is trying to overshadow everything holy and to make the sins of this world enticing. With every fiber of our being, we must hold on to the “Light,” which is Jesus, our Eternal Savior. One day, in the not-too-distant future, all true believers, no matter what nationality they are, will be taken up to meet Jesus in the air to be with Him forever. Therefore, we look to Him to be our “Lighthouse” and keep our focus on Him. In 1970, Ronny Hinson wrote a song called “The Lighthouse.” It is a powerful message of hope for all who will listen to it.

1.) There’s a lighthouse on a hillside that overlooks life’s sea. When I’m tossed, it sends out a light that I might see. And the light that shines in darkness now will safely lead me Home. If it wasn’t for the Lighthouse, my ship would sail no more.

Ref.) And I thank God for the Lighthouse; I owe my life to Him. Jesus is the Lighthouse, and from the rocks of sin, He has shown a light around me that I might clearly see. If it wasn’t for the Lighthouse, tell me, where would this ship be?

2.) It seems that everyone about us says tear that old Lighthouse down. The big ships just don’t pass this way anymore, so there’s no use in standin’ round. Then my mind goes back to that one dark, stormy night when, just in time, I saw the Light. Yes, it was the Light from that old Lighthouse that stands up there on the Hill. (ref)

Each and every day, we see more and more end-times prophecy being fulfilled. While unbelievers are looking for some man-made efforts to make things better, all of us who have received and accepted Jesus as our Savior are encouraged that we will be Home soon. Compared to eternity, our lives on this earth are but a blink of an eye.

For those who have not and will not receive the Son of God as their Savior, the “eye-blink” here will turn into an eternity in total darkness in the lake of fire. Hell was made for Satan and his demons (Matthew 25:41), but all who take their last breath here without Jesus as their Savior will join them for eternal condemnation (Revelation 20:11-15).

What’s so sad is that many find this impossible to believe. Our Father did not make it difficult to receive eternity in Heaven, but humans try to make it hard. Satan is very adept at tempting souls through his lies. The “Did God really say?” line has been his best one ever, starting in the Garden of Eden. It is still effective even now.

This world is passing away, and all who are attached to it will find themselves lost forever. All who admit that we are all sinners and confess this to the Savior, all who believe that Jesus died for us and His blood was shed as a perfect sacrifice for everyone as a free gift from the Father, and finally, all who call on Him will be saved (Romans 10:9-13).

Don’t make it more difficult than this. The steps are there for us to follow and are just as they were provided by our Heavenly Father. Forever is a long time to make the wrong choice. Satan already knows what his fate will be, and his desire is to pull as many souls into hell with him as possible. He also knows his time here is getting short.

Call on Jesus to be your Savior, as Acts 4:12 plainly states; “And there is Salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

There are real lighthouses in areas where ships pass in the night to help them stay on the right course and not run aground. Jesus is our Eternal Lighthouse. Keeping focused on Him will lead us directly Home to a place prepared for us by Him (John 14:1-3). Yes, we will all slip and sin as long as we are in these human bodies, but the promise of forgiveness in 1 John 1:8-10 will get us back on course.

Today would not be too early to ask Jesus to come into your heart and be your Lighthouse and Savior forever.

Come, Lord Jesus!

huebshman46@gmail.com

Have you ever noticed that people these days are untrustworthy and can’t be relied upon for anything? They lie constantly and even openly. Lying has become so prevalent that people hardly notice anymore. Tie that in with deviousness and deceit, and you have a toxic mix of deadly brew.

The sad thing is that you would even find this behavior in today’s church. Many claiming to be Christians are Christians in name only, and it’s getting worse and worse. Jealousy, hate, and strife are also permeating the church and body politic of our once great nation.

Just look around you, and you can see the effect of these attributes, or should I say deterioration of morals, sweeping the nation. I can see where the rapture will be no big task for God since there are so few to be taken away if this continues. But it’s not like we weren’t warned by holy men of God.

Before I joined my new church, I was invited to a men’s prayer breakfast. Everyone there was over sixty, with many much older. I, being of Baptist persuasion, carried my torn and tattered Bible in hand into the room, and since I had already eaten and was a little late, I was the last to be seated. The only seating available was up toward the front of the group of about 90 men. Good-naturedly and feeling I was in good Christian company, I asked, “Where are all the Bibles? I’m a Baptist, and Baptists always carry their Bibles with them to Bible studies!”

Naturally, all eyes were on me as I took my seat.

The speaker, who was just finishing his spiel, said, “We memorize scripture!” At that retort, the whole room burst out in laughter and knee-slapping as I slipped into a chair at the big round table that sat six. I took no offense, thinking, “Yeah, sure, I’ve been around enough to know that most Christians can’t recite more than two scripture verses. Who do you think you’re fooling!?” (The speaker had no idea I was evangelical enough to be a contributing writer for two websites and even had my own.) I laughed and applauded the speaker for his quick response. I had offended the group, and I knew it. We all had a good laugh at my expense, but since I’ve heard everything, nothing gets me rattled anymore.

Later, I thought, “Where did my comment come from? I should have known better since I deal with people as often as I can. That comment must have been offensive, even though I thought I was just being outgoing and affable.”

I grappled with that “spur of the moment” comment until I finally came to the conclusion that this was just the thing these men had to hear. Now they had something to think about besides their oatmeal. Now, at least some were brought under deep conviction that they were lazy or too indifferent to learn the Word of God. I don’t know if it was just my bon vivant manner or the Holy Spirit that spurred me to make such a truthful statement.

I’ve decided to overlook that incident (although I know others won’t) since I know enough to make myself “invisible,” as it were, for the sake of the congregation. After all, they are at least in the right place to learn and grow. Some will never get it. Others try, but the cares of the world will stunt their growth.

There was a time when I believed that all Christians were sincere and as pure as the driven snow. But today, nothing surprises me. Regardless of the titles we hold or the education we have, now I know that we are ALL sinners and only saved by God’s grace, as in, “Ye are saved by grace through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, lest any man should boast.”

One more thing: I thank God that I didn’t follow through with becoming a preacher (something I once thought of becoming). Today’s seminaries are rife with false doctrine and foolish manmade teachings. I even dated a “Christian” girl who told me her much older Christian professor/pastor had fondled her. Plus, I know several other pastors who were fired for just such behavior. But hey, they’re only human, and what man can resist an attractive woman?

Speaking of attractive women, I recently went to a small medical clinic in the neighborhood and had a thorough going over by three young women — the doctor, the nurse, and the receptionist. When they learned of my profession after checking the internet, they fawned over me even though I’m a much older man. I, of course, was moved by their attention, but knowing what I know about human nature, I must be careful to reign in my God-given passion for lovely ladies, even though I worked with some of the most beautiful actresses and models in the world without any missteps. Along those lines is my following book report.

Book report

Manhood, the new book by Senator Josh Hawley, is subtitled, “The masculine virtues America needs” (I would add the word now or these days). This man is right on about everything he says. Men today are wimps, sorry to say, even in the church.

Although I have a growing disdain for politicians, I picked up this book not knowing Mr. Hawley was one until I saw him on the internet grilling an FBI official about corruption within the leadership.

As I read, I was amazed at this man’s Christian integrity and insight. Here are some quotes:

Male spiritedness is the beginning of courage. Can that spirit be disruptive in a classroom? Yes, certainly. The ancients knew that too. It is one Plato prescribed – physical training for young men, discipline for the body to match education of the mind. Thumos can lead boys to draw pictures of guns and toss imaginary grenades. It can provoke fierce competition and the occasional fistfight. But properly channeled, it can be the strength of civilization…

Josh is coming to the forefront (I’ve seen his name three times on news programs defending the Christian faith and the American Constitution).

YBIC

Jim Towers

You can write me at jt.filmmaker@yahoo.com or visit me at www.dropzonedelta.com for “Open Letters” to the movie stars I’ve worked with in the past – which is also on my newly restructured website www.propheticsignsandwonders.com. (I’m also on YouTube now and on Twitter.)