How can anyone be assured they are going to Heaven? Romans 3:10; “As it is written: none is righteous; no, not one.” Romans 3:20); “For by works of the law, no human being will be justified in His sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” Romans 3:23-24; “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (ESV – all emphasis is mine.)

So far, it sounds like there won’t be anyone going to Heaven without some divine intervention. Going to Romans 3:29; “Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also.” Romans 5:1; “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:8; “but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

For all who believe there are many ways to Heaven without Jesus, it should become obvious that they are making a very fatal mistake. Romans 5:18; “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men (Genesis 3), so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.” Romans 6:23; “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

These are some verses that tell us that through our own works and “good deeds,” we are not saved. Isaiah 64:6 tells us that our deeds are as “filthy rags” to the Lord. The only way to Salvation is through Jesus the Christ (Messiah), and that is found in John 14:6 and Acts 2:21. Both verses plainly state that without Jesus, we do not have the Father. A couple more verses that tell us the same thing are John 3:18 and 1 John 5:10-12. Looking at these words from the Father, does anyone truly believe there are many ways to Heaven without Jesus? Please know this is one of Satan’s biggest lies along with “Did God really say?”

There are those who ask, how can they really be assured that they will go to Heaven, either through death or by the Rapture. Some may say we can’t know for sure, but that statement is false.

Paul gives us the plain, easy-to-understand steps in Romans 10:9-13; “because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the scripture says, everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him. For all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Please note, God’s promise that we will be saved is repeated three times. That’s significant.

For the sake of anyone who may not have seen a previous message that spoke about the issue of “with the mouth,” I believe the Father will honor a confession with the mind of any who are physically unable to speak. God “hears” our pleas even if not given out loud. He is our Creator and is not limited as humans are with communication. He hears our every thought and knows every language and dialect on this earth. The part about “in your heart” is very important. It tells God if someone is sincere or just giving lip service.

To finally become a member of the Savior’s precious flock, one needs to develop a relationship with Him. Reading God’s word regularly that He gave us is a good start. Talking to Jesus (prayer) definitely is needed. For someone just starting out, this may seem a bit awkward to just “talk” to Jesus, but after a while, it becomes a natural part of one’s lifestyle. Letting Him know at the beginning that you are a bit nervous to talk to someone that can’t be seen may seem strange to us. One suggestion is to ask Him to help you overcome the newness of prayer. Nothing has to be formal or per a script. Just speak out loud or mentally to Him as if He were standing right next to you – because He is!

Mark 9:24; “Immediately the child’s father cried out and said, ‘I believe! Help my unbelief!'” This man’s son was possessed by an evil spirit, and he was desperate for Jesus to heal the boy. Jesus drove the demon out of his son. Although further detail is lacking, I would venture a guess that the father’s belief greatly increased after this.

Sitting in a church building every time the doors are open is not what saves us. There are those who will attend services all their lives yet will never truly receive and accept Jesus as their one and only Savior. They will be lost and in that line at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). On the other hand, there will be some who will never have gone to a formal evangelical church and will be caught up in the Rapture when Jesus calls His Flock Home.

I am grateful for the messages the Father gives me to post on two Rapture sites, and I believe this is my personal part of the Great Commission that the Savior gave us. My wife and I are extremely grateful for the site administrators for faithfully posting the messages. I do not believe this “earns” me any special rewards; it’s just our way of honoring the One who died in our place for our sins so that we could have eternal life with Him.

We have received and accepted Jesus as our one and only Savior and are confident the Holy Spirit is within us until we leave this earth. Does this mean we do not ever sin? Reread Romans 3:23 that says all have sinned. That includes us. However, we have the blessed assurance that is given in 1 John 1:8-10 that we can and will be forgiven when we follow God’s pathway to forgiveness. As long as we are on this earth, we will be nowhere near perfect, but that makes it even more exciting that the Rapture is so very close. If we should die before that, we will be with Jesus even sooner. Either way, it’s God’s will, and we will totally accept this.

Having the confidence that we will have a home in Heaven gives us a warm feeling about all we will be introduced to there, and that we will be able to reunite with all our loved ones we will spend eternity with.

There’s a wonderful song written by Rusty Goodman and a YouTube version performed by his daughter, Tanya Goodman Sikes, called “Look For Me.” It’s a very positive look at eternity with Jesus, and is letting us know we have a real home there.

1.) When you finally make your entrance to that city, of Jasper walls and bright gold avenues; as you behold all its beauty and its splendor; remember, there’s just one request I make of you;

Ref) Look for me, for I will be there too. I realize, when you arrive, there’ll be so much to view. After you’ve been there ten thousand years, a million or maybe two, look for me, for I will be there too.

2.) As you go down your list of firsts, there’s no question; we’re gonna want to see our loved ones waiting there for me and you. And when you feel you’ve shared your story with the last one, that wants to hear you tell just how you made it through,

Ref 2) Look for me, I’d like to hear it too. I realize when you arrive, there’ll be so much to view. After you’ve been there ten thousand years; a million or maybe two; look for me, for I will be there too.

Look for me, for I will be there too!

Note the positive tone that this song gives for those who are a part of the Savior’s flock (John 10). All who reject Jesus, or believe there are other ways to Heaven, will have a reservation at the Great White Throne as mentioned earlier. Once a person’s last breath is taken on this earth, their eternity is set and cannot be changed.

We pray that all of our loved ones have the Savior in their hearts. Then we can positively say, “Look for me, for I will be there too!”

Love, in the name of Jesus our Lord!

huebshman46@gmail.com

John 1:6-8, Isaiah 9:1-7, Isaiah 53:1-12, Luke 24:25-47, Acts 1:8, Matthew 3:16-17

Summary: In John’s prologue of his Gospel, he refers to the person and work of the forerunner of God’s Messiah. John the Baptist had the honor of being that individual and was one of a long line of biblical witnesses to the promise of the coming Redeemer.

John the Baptist is described in the opening verse of John’s Gospel as a man who was sent from God to bear witness of the Light that is the Lord Jesus Christ. John made it clear, however, that the Baptist was not that Light. There had been disciples of John the Baptist who carried his message of repentance to the people of Israel and honored him over the One whom he was presenting to the world as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (1:29-34).

The late pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, Dr. W.A. Criswell (1909-2002), wrote in his autobiography, “Standing on the Promises,” that his doctoral dissertation covered the topic of John the Baptist’s work and those that followed him in relation to the growing work and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. While John’s work is notable and honorable in terms of the plan of redemption that Almighty God put into place before the foundation of the world (Matthew 13:35), it is he who told his followers to turn to Jesus and follow Him; for he said that his work had to decrease in relevance (John 3:27-34).

John the Baptist was on the scene for probably no more than a year or two, and he knew his role was not to draw attention to himself but to point the people back to God and to repent in spite of heritage, nationality, status, or alleged religious fervor (Matthew 3:7-9).

Salvation starts with conviction and sorrow for our sins and the need to make things right with God, which is initiated by the Holy Spirit (John 6:44, 16:7-15). We must regard ourselves as sinners unable to redeem ourselves (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 5:6-11; Ephesians 2:8-9) and that we are in need of a Savior. And the only One who can provide that is the Sovereign LORD God Almighty (Isaiah 35:4, 45:22; John 3:17; Acts 4:12, 16:30-31; 1 Timothy 1:15; Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 1:11; 1 John 4:14).

John the Baptist was to bear witness of the Light in order that all might believe; the same reason why John wrote his Gospel (1:7, 20:31). Others before John also bore witness (Isaiah 43:10, 52:12-53:12), and others would do so afterward (John 15:27; Acts 1:8, 5:20-21, 18:9-10; 22:14-15). Who are these “witnesses”?

There is the witness of the Old Testament prophets who foretold of the mission and suffering the Messiah would undertake, and of the glory that was to follow (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7, 53:4-6; Micah 5:2). There are more than 300 prophecies concerning Christ and His redemptive work. Jesus reminded the two travelers on the road to Emmaus of these Scriptures as well as the apostles (Luke 24:25-27, 44-47).

God the Father bore witness by His promise of a Redeemer after Adam and Eve violated His commandments by listening to the deceptive words of the serpent in Eden (Genesis 3:15). He bore witness to Jesus’ work through the signs He performed and even as Nicodemus and the man born blind realized (John 3:2, 5:36-37, 9:32-33, 10:25, 37-38). God spoke from heaven and declared that Jesus was His “beloved Son” in Whom He was well pleased” at His baptism, the time of His Transfiguration, and the final week of His ministry prior to the crucifixion and resurrection (Matt. 3:16-17, 17:5, 12:27-30).

By raising Him from the dead, God the Father declared Jesus to be the Son of God with power and the One who will judge the world, as He taught on the Mount of Olives (Matthew 25:31-44; Acts 17:30-31; Romans 1:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 2:9-11; Revelation 20:11-15).

The testimonies and witness to the apostles attested to what Jesus said about Himself. They witnessed His miracles, His teachings, and the continual confrontation with the Pharisees. They saw Him give life to the dead, and John witnessed Jesus’ death on the cross alongside Mary, His mother, and a handful of mourners. The other apostles saw the resurrected Christ appear in the flesh and confirm to them that He was indeed God and Lord, as Thomas declared, forever silencing his own doubts and grief.

Their transformed lives and fearless preaching of the Gospel were the foundation of the early church and the canon of Scripture. They confronted and rebuked false doctrines and apostate teachers. Never once did any of them hold back, compromise, or deny their LORD, even under the threat and process of persecution that ended their earthly lives. Their changed lives and powerful work done in the might of the Holy Spirit transformed the hardest hearts and hopeless lives.

Because of their faith and unwavering devotion to the message and person of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are heirs of that testimony and witness today. As the world grows more depraved and the hatred of all things sacred turns even more vile and blasphemous, we must look to these witnesses within both Scripture and the testimonies of those throughout history who stood firm for His cause and carried His message to wounded hearts and empty souls here in America and around the world.

We cannot afford to falter or be silent in these last days. The witnesses of those before and with us who have stood firm for Jesus Christ show us the way. Let us walk in it and get into the Word more than ever.

donaldwhitchard@gmail.com

www.realitycityreverend.com

My YouTube broadcasts titled “The Reality City Review” will be posted on Facebook, GETTR, Parler, and on my website when completed. My main area of discussion will be on the basics of the Christian faith but will also deal with prophetic issues and other topics as the Lord impresses upon me to handle.