General Articles

A New Morning Ahead :: By Dennis Huebshman

Published on: by RR10

The progression of all events today leading to all true believers leaving this earth is becoming more rapid by the minute. When one takes a realistic look at the signs given by Jesus, Paul, John, Peter, James, and others throughout the Bible, Old and New Testaments, it would be as if we were watching today’s news broadcasts while reading these passages. The end of this era is not very far off by any stretch of the imagination. (ESV – all emphasis is mine)

Jesus tells us in Luke 21:25-28, “And then there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves; people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

When Jesus referred to, “and they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud,” this refers to His actual return to Earth after the seven-year Tribulation to set up His millennial reign here. The “taking up” “harpazo,” or what’s commonly referred to as the “Rapture,” is given further enlightenment by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, he states, “For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a cry of command, and with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the Trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”

For anyone who does not have Jesus as their Savior to believe they will be able to call out and be saved before the Rapture is completed, 1 Corinthians 15:52 tells us that would be impossible. “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.”

Scientists and mathematicians who are much more knowledgeable than I have calculated “Twinkling of an eye” as considerably less than 1/100th of a second. That’s the speed that the Father will use to remove all of the Savior’s flock from this earth. And, yes, our God is fully capable of doing just that. We must remember that time was made for humans, and the Father is not bound by our limitations.

Genesis 1:3-5; “And God said, ‘Let there be light, and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.”

After being taken up and given new, forever immortal bodies and a mindset such as our Jesus has, and after being able to stand and even speak after our first in-person meeting with our Savior, we look forward to seeing all our loved ones there.

One thing we have to remember is that all who were in the will of the Father prior to Calvary and all who had received and accepted Jesus from Calvary will be the ones there. Those out of the will of God and those who did not have the Savior when they took their last breath here will not be there. Their reservation is given in Revelation 20:11-15 which tells us of the Great White Throne Judgment.

Before that judgment takes place, the false prophet and ultimate antichrist will be the first two occupants of the Lake of Fire (Revelation 19:20). They will be followed by Satan (Revelation 20:10). No one at the Great White Throne will escape the fires of hell. The purpose of that judgment is to determine the degree of each person’s individual forever punishment.

We hope that all of our loved ones will not be in that judgment. I firmly believe that our Father will give us peace of mind to keep us from being overcome with sorrow. For all who are taken up in the Rapture, we look forward to a most wonderful meeting.

In 1905, Isaiah G. Martin (1862-1957) wrote a beautiful hymn called “Eastern Gate.” Please consider the words of this hymn.

1) I will meet you in the morning, just inside the Eastern Gate. Then be ready, faithful pilgrim, lest with you it will be too late.

Ref) I will meet you; I will meet you; just inside the Eastern Gate over there. I will meet you; I will meet you; I will meet you in the morning over there.

2) If you hasten off to Glory, linger near the Eastern Gate. For I’m coming in the morning, so you’ll not have long to wait. (ref)

3) Keep the lamps all trimmed and burning; for the Bridegroom, watch and wait. He’ll be with us at the meeting, just inside the Eastern Gate. (ref)

4) Oh, the joys of that glad meeting with the saints who, for us, wait. What a Blessed, happy meeting just inside the Eastern Gate. (ref)

There are many people today that believe God is not real, and the Bible is just a work of fiction. Our Savior told of the eternal outcomes for people, with more being on a wide road leading to eternal destruction and less on a narrow pathway that leads to Him. (Matthew 7:13-14)

No matter what anyone may believe, these are the only two outcomes after a life on Earth.

Please understand that our Heavenly Father does not want anyone to end up in the Lake of Fire (2 Peter 3:9). He is willing to forgive the sins of all who truly call out to be saved (Romans 10:13). The only unforgivable sin right now is to not have Jesus as your Savior when you take your last breath on this earth. There will be a second unforgivable sin, which will be to take the mark of the beast during the Tribulation, which signifies worship of the antichrist and, by extension, worship of Satan.

No one makes it to eternal life with Jesus by any deeds we can do, as given in Ephesians 2:8-9. Jesus paid the full sin debt for all who will truly receive and accept His wonderful gift – that He shed His life blood as the only absolute perfect sacrifice the Father could ever accept.

Our Father will force no one to call out for forgiveness and receive Jesus as their Savior, but as stated above, will forgive all who do. The choice is left up to us.

No man-made religion can save anyone. Jesus said in John 14:6, “And Jesus said to him, I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” There are no exceptions, and yes, it’s just that simple. Don’t complicate what the Savior has freely given to all of us.

Hope to see all of you at the wonderful reunion at the Eastern Gate!

huebshman46@gmail.com

Where is Our Treasure? :: By Sean Gooding

Published on: by RR10

Matthew 6:19-21

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Jesus is coming soon! I hope that we can all agree on that. No, we are not setting dates and times, but we acknowledge that the time is short. How, then, should we be living here? When was the last time that you shared the Gospel or told someone that Jesus loved them? When was the last time that you asked a friend to attend church with you? Are we actively trying to reach people for the Kingdom? Is the church you attend actively sharing the Gospel? Are you reaching out to the poor, the needy, and the forgotten and making a way for them to reach Jesus?

A dear friend of mine ministers to ex-convicts; they offer meals, Bible studies, and just general help. They bring them together with other Christians to befriend them and accept them and share the simplicity of the Gospel. Another one goes to the brothels and offers the young women a way out and those that don’t want out, a way through. This ministry provides food, help, hygiene products, and sometimes just a shoulder to cry on. He recounts a time he simply sat with a young woman who had been beaten by a client; she just needed a safe person’s shoulder to grieve on. He sat with her and reminded her that Jesus loved her.

“Consider how precious a soul must be when both God and the devil are after it.” – Charles Spurgeon. What if we understood that the real treasure of Heaven is the people — the people that, over the past 6,000 years of man’s existence, have humbled themselves, repented, and placed their faith in the salvation we have in Jesus? These are the treasures of Heaven. You and I, saved in Jesus, are the real treasures of Heaven. Treasures that are bought and redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus.

All too often, we devalue people, and sadly, Christians are often the worst at this. We forget that ALL of us are broken people, sinful people who have nothing but the grace of God to look to. We forget that we are horrible, rotten sinners who needed the blood of Jesus to wash us clean, and if we are to be honest, we simply did not even know how sinful we were until we met Jesus.

How is it that you and I can pass up the opportunities to share the Gospel, help someone, serve someone, and simply make life a bit better for someone? Jesus came to us and put us on His back, carried us, and paid out of His own for us to be saved. And yet, knowing that Jesus is returning soon, we sit by and let people go to Hell and say/do nothing. I think we forget the judgment that is coming our way when Jesus returns. We have invested in earthly treasures, and we are happy with the earthly returns that come from them, and all too many of us, me included, have very little to show in Heaven. Will you and I receive any of these crowns from the Lord?

2 Timothy 4:8, “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”

1 Peter 5: 1-4, “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”

James 1:2, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

1 Thessalonians 2:19, “For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.”

There are many verses about the crowns we shall receive. So, I ask you and I, where is the treasure we hold dear? Is it here or in Heaven? Are we tied to things, or are we invested in people? The Lord will hold us all to account? Jesus came to die to save sinners, people, and He is still focused on people. He is still calling sinners to repentance. Are you involved in taking the truth to them? If not, why not? If Jesus is still doing it, what is more important than that? The answer is NOTHING.

Jesus is coming; will you greet Him with the treasure of saved people? People that you helped to find salvation just like someone helped you, or will you be empty-handed?

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding
Pastor of Bethany Baptist Church
70 Victoria Street, Elora, Ontario