First, the obvious. Take nothing for granted in this sin-filled world, as we don’t control the amount of time we are here. James 4:13-15; “Come now, you who say, today or tomorrow we will go into such and such town, and spend a year there, and trade and make a profit; yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” (ESV – all emphasis mine)

Anyone who has ever worked in a hospital, or has been involved with emergency services, has witnessed just how fleeting life can be. One minute, there is a vibrant, full-of-life person, and the next, a body for the undertaker. I know that sounds a bit gruesome, but I can testify through personal experience that it’s also a reality.

We were never brought onto this earth to last forever. Our parents from the “Garden of Eden” took care of that when they sinned against God. As it is, everyone who is born is destined to eventually die. That is, except for a certain group that will not taste death but will depart from here rather rapidly to rise up and meet Jesus in the air. And there is something you can do about that. More later.

There is one thing the Bible is very plain about, and that is there are only two addresses available for our eternal souls. Heaven or Hell. All the false prophets and antichrists in the whole world can’t change this one bit. Those bound for Heaven never really say “goodbye.” Those bound for Hell may be there with many acquaintances, but it won’t matter. All will be suffering their own torment that will last forever.

The statement that I’ve heard people say, “I’d rather go to Hell so I can party with my friends,” is absolutely foolish. The “outer darkness” that is spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 22:13 and other places in the Bible does not paint a picture of “party central.” All the light will be in Heaven; Hell will have no light at all.

Revelation 16:10-11 is a prelude to this; “The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed God of Heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.” This was a darkness so complete that everyone could actually “feel” it, and it caused great pain.

Just the opposite will be in the New Jerusalem, as stated in Revelation 21:22-23; “And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamp is the Lamb.”

A couple of “totals” here: total darkness or total light. This is completely and totally up to each and every person to choose. The only ones that God is going to send to Hell are the devil, the antichrist, the false prophet, and all the fallen angels or demons. None of these have any pathway to forgiveness as all humans do. Hell was made for them, as given in Matthew 25:41, Revelation 19:20, and Revelation 20:10.

Everyone else that ends up in the Lake of Fire will have chosen to be there themselves. They will have chosen the things of this earth over the gift of Salvation offered by Jesus. They will have chosen to follow Satan rather than Jesus. This is obvious today with all the satanic activity that people are willingly becoming a part of. Finally, God will honor their choice and allow them to participate in the Judgment of the Great White Throne of Revelation 20:11-15.

That Judgment is not to determine if someone is going to Hell or not; that has already been established. The determination here is the severity of the punishment each person will receive forever. There are no pardons, and it’s too late to call out for forgiveness.

For true believers, all will be healed when we rise up to meet Jesus in the air. The dead in Christ first, and then as Paul said, we who are alive will rise next. All will receive new, immortal, imperishable forever bodies. Also, our minds will not be subject to temptation again. On earth, we will have pain, persecution, and will be hated. However, as Jesus said in John 16:33, we are to be at peace because He overcame the world, and yes, He understands that the world can be a huge handful.

Once we have made the transition from earth to our new home, we will be reunited with all our saved loved ones and be with them forever.

Casting Crowns performed a song called “No Scars in Heaven,” and it was released just this year (2021). It’s a reminder to value our relationships while we’re here, as they can be over in the blink of an eye. But for believers, that parting is not permanent, and we look forward to the day when the “nail-scarred hands” hold us all.

1.) If I had only known the last time would be the last time, I would’ve put off all the things I had to do. I would’ve stayed a little longer, held on a little tighter; now what I’d give for one more day with you. Cause there’s a wound here in my heart where something’s missing, and they tell me it’s gonna heal with time. But I know you’re in a place where all your wounds have been erased, and know your healing is healing mine.

Ref.) The only scars in Heaven, they won’t belong to me and you. There’ll be no such thing as broken, and all the old will be made new. And the thought that makes me smile now, even as the tears fall down, is that the only scars in Heaven are in the hands that hold you now.

2.) I know the road you walked was anything but easy; you picked up your share of scars along the way. Oh, but now you’re standing in the sun, you fought your fight, and your race is run. The pain is all a million miles away.

3.) Hallelujah! Hallelujah! For the hands that hold you now. There’s not a day goes by that I don’t see you; you live in all the better parts of me. Until I’m standing with you in the sun, I’ll fight this fight and this race I’ll run, until I finally see what you can see. (ref)

For anyone to believe they cannot possibly know for sure that they are saved, they are doubting the Father’s given word. God does not waste time with mind games, nor does He try to confuse us. We do that to ourselves.

First, John 14:6; “And Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” This plainly states Jesus is the only way to the Father and an eternal Heavenly home. No “many ways” to Heaven – period!

Second, here’s the full account of the steps to Salvation in Romans 10:9-13:

Start with verse 9; “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.”

Note, it does not say where you have to make this confession; and what about those who are unable to speak? God “hears” our every thought. If you are alone and able to speak, just talk to Jesus as if He’s right there with you, because He is. Confess that you believe in Jesus and that you are a sinner, as everyone is (Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23). To believe is to tell God you have faith that His word is true. If you are unable to speak, see the words in your mind, and it’s the same to God as speaking out loud.

Verses 10-11; “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.”

Verse 12 tells who is eligible to receive this Salvation; “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.”

This tells us the same as John 10:16, that Jesus would make a sacrifice, not only for Jews but for every living soul on this earth. “One flock; One Shepherd.”

Finally, verse 13 ties it all together; “For all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

No special rituals with candles, incense or whatever; no formal words to memorize and repeat; no walking on fire or broken glass barefoot. Three times in the above verses it says that if you do this step, you will be saved. Your action is required to receive the word of the Lord and accept Jesus as your Savior. Period.

Will you be instantly sinless? Not as long as we’re on this earth; however, 1 John 1:8-10 and 1 John 2:1-2 tell us that when we do sin, we are to confess this to the Father, and He will forgive you. Remember, don’t try to cover up any sin, as He already knows what we have done. But ours is a God of pure love, and if we have His Son, our sins are cast out as far as east is from west (Psalms 103:12).

The tribulation is just about to get started, and the ultimate evil antichrist will arrive soon. However, before that can take place, all indwelt true believers will be removed (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8). By “indwelt,” we have the Holy Spirit within us from the moment we ask Jesus to forgive and save us.

The Rapture will be over in a “twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52), so we must be prepared for it in advance. Right now would not be too soon to call on Jesus to be your Savior and be ready for the trumpet blast and shout from the archangel.

From the moment we are taken up to be with Jesus in the air, we will all be held by those “nail-scarred hands.” To wait may put you in the category of being left behind to face all the terrible wrath that will be taking place on this earth. Any odds-makers would say this is a “sure bet.”

Jesus, I come to Thee!

huebshman46@gmail.com

 

Please take a close look at the image at the following link:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32386095448.html

At first glance, we may think this is a confrontation between two equal forces … one, evil, and the other, good. But the representation of the devil arm-wrestling with Jesus doesn’t actually show equality. Look at the artist’s rendition of Jesus’ face. It is serene. Calm. While the devil’s face is tortured. Angry. Jesus seems to be holding the devil at bay effortlessly while Satan is struggling to keep his equilibrium.

The truth is that if Jesus ever did choose to arm-wrestle with Satan, He would have already won before the match had even begun. There is no equality between Jesus and the devil. There is no equality between good and evil. Jesus is THE Victor over all evil, which means evil has no chance against good.

Now, you and I have the choice on which side we choose to be. Choose the devil’s side — you’re going down. Choose Jesus, and you choose eternal life with Him. Wouldn’t you think that would be a no-brainer? Well, something called life gets in the way of our choices, sometimes. Life often blurs the lines of good and evil. At times, what seems to be an informed, positive choice actually turns out to be the first step on a slippery slope to destruction. Evidence for this statement is found in Genesis 3.

The Serpent said to Eve (in modern language), ‘Ah, c’mon Eve. Did God really say not to eat from any tree?’ Of course, the LORD didn’t say those exact words, and Satan knows that. He is conditioning the woman to do his bidding. And Eve replies, ‘We can eat from any tree we want, except from the tree that grows in the middle of the garden. If we do, we will die.’

Oh, the crafty one is slimy and wily. ‘Eve, you will surely not die. What will happen is that when you eat that fruit, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’

The implication is that God doesn’t want His created beings to be like Him, which is as far from the truth as possible, for we were created in His own image. Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.”

In Scripture, when a fact is repeated, as it is in this verse, it is like a sign that says, ‘Listen up! This is important!’ Of course, God wants us to be like Him … He created us to be like Him. The key phrase is “in the image of God.” He created us to be LIKE Him — not to B.E. Him.

At any rate, the woman decided she had better have some of this fruit, and when she tasted it, she found it was good and gave some to Adam. Then their eyes were opened to what they had done. Please note that it wasn’t eating the fruit that was their downfall; it was their disobedience to a command from their Creator and their obedience, instead, to their tempter!

Satan thought he had won a victory over the One Who had created him, but God … but God … immediately put His Plan of Redemption into place to bring His own begotten Son to the earth to personally atone for the sin of humankind, that anyone who believed in the Son of God would be saved for eternal life with Him.

Genesis 3:14 and 15 – First, the LORD God cursed the serpent. Then He said, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

I think it’s safe to say that Satan was outraged. No doubt, he began scheming against God’s Plan of Redemption as soon as it was put in place. Since that day, the evil one and his minions have been working feverishly to get to wreak revenge on humans and somehow overturn God’s redemptive plan for His beloved human beings.

Now that all the prophesied end-times indicators are converging on point zero, we see evidence also of the increased activity of evil in the world.

Someone wrote recently, “Imagine what Hitler could have done with COVID.” This cringe-worthy statement actually ought to wake up people to the evil that is happening everywhere in the world, right now, as a result of this so-called pandemic.

Since April 15, 1960, when the discoverers of DNA, Brenner & Crick, conceived the idea of mRNA, a cooperative effort among several nations, including the U.S. and China, has been searching for a way to use this breakthrough technology. At one time, science thought it could be used to cure diabetes and even cancer. However, testing showed that while it had some benefits, the long-range outcome was that the host’s immune system could be compromised, perhaps even destroyed. At that point, all research and development were suspended.

Enter one Dr. Anthony Fauci and a handful of colleagues, who decided the technology might have merit after all. They began researching something called “gain of function” for mRNA. There must be something it is good for was the rallying cry, and lo and behold!

On October 18, 2019, in New York, a high-level pandemic exercise was held, coordinated by The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in partnership with the World Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Called “Event 201,” the exercise illustrated areas “where public/private partnerships will be necessary during the response to a severe pandemic in order to diminish large-scale economic and societal consequences.” Quote, unquote! Google’ Event 201′ for more details.

Just a little over a month later, the first cases of COVID-19 began to appear, and by March 2020, it was declared a full pandemic. Dr. Fauci’s gain-of-function research for mRNA was developed with money supplied by Bill and Melinda Gates, and the rest is history. The shot was rushed into production and application without the usual five to ten years of testing.

So, what does this have to do with Satan trying to overturn God’s Plan? Well, it turns out mRNA is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to revisioning God’s creation called homo sapiens. Science has decided it now knows better than God how the human body ought to work. It would appear that mRNA is just one step in the technology platform to replace our God-given immune system with a man-made one. But God will not be mocked. He cannot divide Himself, which means He is not at the center of this technology … and it doesn’t take much connecting of the dots to lay it all at the feet of the great serpent of old … Satan.

The point is, we have seen people running super scared, throwing away their rights and freedoms, and ultimately their health, with both hands for … what? “Health and Safety”? Does that phrase remind you of something? How about, “While people are saying ‘Peace and Safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

Labor, or birth pains, begins intermittently at first, then slowly increases in occurrence, intensity and duration. In 2021, it almost seems we are seeing the whole world going through birth pains, with an unprecedented number of higher magnitude earthquakes (7.2 in Haiti!), more explosive volcanic action across the globe, a higher number of landslides, tornadoes, floods, and other Acts of God, as insurance companies like to call them.

One of the most unexpected prophesies we have seen come to pass in recent years is pestilence. Of course, the pandemic COVID but also in Australia earlier this year was what was billed as a mouse pestilence of Biblical proportions. The rodents overran whole towns, looking to escape from flooding rivers. Also, Somalia and Ethiopia and nine other countries in Africa and the Mid-East have been battling billions of locusts as the plant-eaters swept through, denuding fields and gardens of anything green.

Add to the locust plagues the widespread drought and flooding this year, and know that world food supplies are going to be in critical shortage before too long. We call that famine.

In the U.S. over the past 18 months, the BLM and Antifa movements have devasted downtown areas of several cities, giving rise also to the Defund Police movement. An increase in lawlessness is another manifestation of the coming of the Day of the LORD.

So many Christian friends right now appear to be under siege, from horrible illnesses, loss of family members and friends, loss of jobs, houses, cars, possessions, and sometimes, as a result of physical and material loss, loss of self-esteem. Suicides are on the increase as people turn away from God and then don’t know where to turn.

Here’s the thing: If these are not in the End Times, the pre-tribulation days right now, what do you think those days will look like?

Years ago, a friend told me, “We all have a God-shaped hole in each of us that can only be filled by Him. If we don’t fill that hole with God, we will try to fill it with things which anesthetize the pain of life, such as drugs, alcohol and other addictions.” As our options diminish in the world, we need Jesus more than ever before. We need to fill that God-shaped hole with the only One Who can fill it.

Our Scripture from Ephesians 6 tells us, “Finally, my brothers [and sisters], be strong in the LORD and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers – against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

The darkness of the spiritual realms of the Evil One is manifesting increasingly in our modern world, and modern people have no idea how to cope with it. Our churches have not prepared people well for what is now coming into the world. For years, congregations have begged for ‘nice’ messages. Pastors were happy to hold ‘church lite’ because it is easier to preach only the Love of Jesus Christ than it is to preach the whole of the Gospel of Christ, including Prophecy of what is to come. 2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

So today, my fellow believers, I am telling you that it is imperative for Christians, now more than ever before, to learn the Word of God and be strong in the LORD. What does that mean? It means we need to keep our God-shaped hole filled to the brim with Father, Son and Holy Spirit at all times. In other words, we need to put on the full armor of God.

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the LORD’s people” (Ephesians 6:14-18).

Now more than ever, we need to put on our spiritual armor every day so we will not be intimidated by the world, and so we are able to stand strong in the LORD.

And always remember: Jesus has already won the war over evil.

Let us pray: Dear Heavenly Father — Our thanks and praise cannot be loud enough or heart-felt enough for Your great plan of redemption for those of us who love You. This week, dear LORD, please, may we feel Your sure Presence by our side as we live our lives in this fallen world. Please help us also to give encouragement to each other and to encourage those not yet in Your sheepfold to know that peace is available through Your grace and mercy, through our LORD Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

If anyone reading this article has not yet received Jesus as their Saviour, but God has touched your heart by His Holy Word, please email me (amadea649@gmail.com) or find a Bible-believing local church and ask the Pastor what you must do to be saved in Grace. In the meantime, please consider the ABCs of Salvation:

A – Admit

Admit what you have done wrong and ask forgiveness.

Romans 3:23 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death.”

1 John 1:9 ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

B – Believe

Believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again as payment for your sins.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

C – Confess and Choose

Confess and choose to allow God to be in charge of your life.

Matthew 16:24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

Romans 10:9 “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:13 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

This article, based on God’s Holy Word, was written by the inspiration of God’s own Holy Spirit. All glory to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.