If you talk to most people, they’ll tell you that they will go to a “better place” when they die. They can’t tell you what that better place is or where it’s located, but they’re sure it will be where their friends are. When you press them on the subject, you’ll find out that, in their opinion, they will spend eternity in that wonderful place because they think they’ve been good enough.

By human standards, they may be very good and kind, but God doesn’t judge by human standards. By human standards, I’m not too bad. I don’t cuss, I occasionally do something nice for someone, and when I fall short of God’s standard of perfection, I can usually logically excuse my actions. If measured by human standards, I’m no worse than anyone else. It isn’t human standards we must meet; it’s God’s perfection that is our standard. By God’s standard, I’m not “just as good as the other guy,” but I am just as bad.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Now that I think about it, I fail quite often in my walk with the Lord. I’m sure you do, too.

“O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin” (Romans 7:24-25).

I’m not a man; I’m a woman, but the cry is the same.

Sin is very serious in God’s eyes. God loves every person who has ever lived, but right from the beginning, mankind rebelled against God’s rules.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

He started with nothing, then created everything. The first thing He spoke into existence was light.

“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” (Genesis 1:3).

There wasn’t a long period of time as light evolved. One moment there was darkness, and the next moment there was light.

“And God saw the light that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day” (Genesis 1:4-5).

Each new day brought new wonders that God created. On the second day, He divided the waters and put the firmament of Heaven above the waters. Then, on the third day, He brought forth the dry land and gathered the water into Seas. The earth was to bring forth grass and herbs and fruit trees all after its kind. On the fourth day, it was time to gather the light.

“And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning was the fourth day” (Genesis 1:16-19).

When we read of the two great lights, the word is “ma’or.” This holds the light, like a lantern or a candlestick. Now, it was time to fill creation with living things such as fish, whales, birds, and every living creature.

“And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day” (Genesis 1:22-23).

In order to be “fruitful and multiply,” there had to be male and female of each creature. They were all to procreate after their own kind. Fish weren’t to mate with birds, and sheep weren’t to crossbreed with horses. God wanted no genetic tampering.

Then came the sixth day. All things were ready for God’s ultimate creation: humans.

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:27-28).

Don’t let anybody tell you that you aren’t a special creation of God. Humans were made in God’s image and aren’t just another animal. You didn’t evolve from goo, but Adam was created in God’s image. God created a male, and then a female was taken from Adam.

Today, we have some very deceived people who think they are “non-binary,” meaning they are neither male nor female, but opt for “other.” There are some who are deceived into thinking that a genetic male is really a female, or a genetic female thinks she’s a male. Then artificial hormones and body mutilation happen, and truth is turned into lies. That is a delusion and a lie from the father of lies, Satan. A doctor can tell if a baby is male or female long before birth, but now children who are barely potty trained are allowed to choose their gender, even though they can’t be trusted to cross the street alone.

Creation was finished, and God rested from His work. He had created everything needed for life to continue. Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, and the beauty there must have been something to behold. It wasn’t tainted by sin, and everything was new and fresh. There was no death.

“And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day” (Genesis 1:31).

When God says it’s good, then it’s good. There were many trees for food, but the fruit of one tree was dangerous for Adam to eat.

“And the LORD God commanded the man saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17).

The command was given to Adam prior to Eve being created, and Adam was entrusted with teaching God’s word to Eve. Adam loved her from the moment he saw her, but Satan was already plotting his lies to deceive Eve.

How long did they live in the Garden? How long until Eve chatted with the serpent? A week? A year? Scripture doesn’t say, but the tactic that Satan used was the same tactic he uses today… lies and deception. God’s words are twisted to make God look bad and seem as if He only wants to ruin all your fun. In truth, God’s rules are in place for our protection. Adam ate the Forbidden Fruit, and death entered into creation, just as God said. Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden, and life has been a struggle ever since.

God didn’t lie to them; Satan did. Why is it that people still believe Satan’s lies instead of God’s truth?

God didn’t stop loving Adam, Eve, and their descendants. He had a plan for salvation, and it took many years to bring that plan about. Study both the Old Testament and the New to understand God’s plan for redemption.

“And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45).

Death came through Adam, but life comes through Jesus Christ.

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at the coming” (1 Corinthians 15:22-23).

Every human is under the curse of death. Our bodies grow old and wear out. We die. For those of us who have chosen to place our faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it’s only our body that dies. Our spirit will live eternally with Him. Going back to the first paragraph above, when I think I’m a nice person and good enough to live eternally, I’m wrong. I’ve sinned, and even one tiny sinful thought is enough to condemn a person to eternal death. God’s standard is perfection.

“And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” (1 Timothy 2:14).

Adam sinned by choice, and all of Adam’s children will die, but God chose to step into His creation to offer us eternal life. Only through true faith in Christ can we be made alive for eternity.

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).

Jesus was God incarnate. He gave His life for our salvation. There is no other way.

Today, people are still being deceived by the same old lies that Eve listened to. Satan twists God’s truth, and people believe him. He tells us that all roads lead to Heaven, so go ahead and participate in yoga and open yourself up to the kundalini spirit (a demon), or empty your mind in meditation so any passing demon will take up residence. Satan would like us to believe that Mormons, Muslims, and Eastern beliefs are all the same as Christianity and that all roads lead to God. Does Jesus agree? Jesus told His disciples that He was going to His Father’s house but would return one day.

“And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know” (John 14:4).

Jesus was headed to Jerusalem where He knew He would be crucified… the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He wasn’t talking about the disciples following Him there. He was talking about following Him to eternity. There is no other way to eternal life than through true faith in Jesus. Thomas wasn’t sure what Jesus meant, so He asked. Jesus answered Him with very reassuring words.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).

There is no other way. If you think you can make it to Heaven by being “good enough,” you are wrong… dead wrong. There is only one way, and that is through the righteousness of Christ.

“And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Philippians 3:9).

Adam’s sin caused death to enter creation, but today, we have a solution to that sin. Adam made a choice, and so must we. We must choose to receive Christ for salvation.

Don’t be lost for eternity. Find salvation through Jesus Christ because He is the only way, the only truth, and the only life.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses” (1 Timothy 6:12).

I’ve never been a big fan of running or jogging, and as far as walking is concerned, well, my grandmother always said, “Let your head save your heels,” meaning if you have to go to the kitchen, think of more than one thing to do on that trip! I do get exercise, but I just don’t have the motivation to run a race. That is, there’s no motivation to run a physical race that gets my heart pumping and my lungs gasping for breath. There is a greater race that I’m far more interested in, and it’s much more important. The rewards are more valuable than worldly treasure. The race I’m talking about is the one that is set before me by God.

No matter what the race, there has to be plenty of hard training and sacrifices made in order to build endurance and skill. Also, one needs a proper diet. Let’s start with diet. As Christians, we need to feed upon the word of God. In our secular life, we make room for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus many snacks in between. We might fill up on junk food, and that will spoil our appetite for nourishing food. God gave us Scripture to feed our souls and give us strength and knowledge to contend for the faith. Begin with Genesis, and truly understand that God created everything in six literal days, and then He rested on the seventh. Study it and believe it.

Satan has dished out lots of junk food, and the secular world gobbles it up. Christians need to study Scripture with trusting and believing hearts and minds. Then we need to reject the junk food. If you don’t feed upon good, healthy food from the word of God, how can you share the Gospel with others? How can you defend your faith?

“For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe” (Hebrews 5:12-13). 

You can only run a race for God if you’re healthy in your faith and knowledge.

The Apostle Paul had taught the congregation in Corinth the Gospel. He gave them meat, but their leadership chose to continue to drink milk. Therefore, sin was creeping into their midst, and the people weren’t growing strong. Because of that, the congregation couldn’t be addressed as mature Christians.

“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). 

You must study Scripture to understand the difference between milk-fed carnal attitudes and a meat-fed mature Christian life.

Jesus gave Peter an assignment. Peter was to feed the flock, both lambs who need milk to grow, and mature sheep who need the meat or Scripture (John 21:15-17). Peter did a fine job. On the day of Pentecost, he preached one of the greatest sermons ever preached, and over 3,000 men gave their lives to Christ. He didn’t tickle ears but spoke truth. Peter was a natural leader, and he became the leader of those first baby Christians in Jerusalem. He wrote letters which, if we study them, feed us with meat.

When was the last time your pastor led a deep study of prophecy? That’s meat. Peter had seen some amazing things as he walked with and learned from Jesus. He heard God’s voice from Heaven as he watched the transfiguration of Jesus when He talked with Moses and Elijah.

“And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount” (2 Peter 1:18). 

Had Peter stopped growing in his faith right there, he wouldn’t have been able to obey Jesus and feed the flock. Peter knew the signs and wonders were amazing and grabbed a person’s attention, but the awe and wonder would fade. Only the solid food of God’s truth would make the flock strong.

“We have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: knowing this first that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:19-21). 

Prophecy is healthy food for the sheep; it makes us strong and fearless as we see the end of time approaching. Things will get bad and then get worse, but the well-fed sheep knows that God can be trusted and the Rapture is drawing near.

What can we do as we see all the end-time events falling into place?

This is the time for Christians to train to win the race. If your pastor isn’t a Bible-based preacher, you need to start eating meat on your own. There are some wonderful prophecy teachers who will feed you so that you are fit to run the race before you.

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2). 

Sin will hamper your race. If you claim to have repented from sin and turned to Jesus for salvation, then you need to let go of the sin. A runner cannot win a race if they are trying to hold tightly to a heavy weight. Sin is the weight that hinders your race. Salvation is free and cannot be bought or worked for.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). 

Salvation is free, and we cannot do enough good works to merit salvation. Only faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus can take away sin. The sacrifices required by the Law could only cover sin. Prophecy spoke of the coming Messiah, and it was all fulfilled by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus was fully God, so His blood was untainted by sin, and He was fully man, so that He was one of us. There is no other sacrifice to be done. Jesus did it all for us.

What then? Are we to take His sacrifice for granted? Can we say we believe in Him but continue in sin?

The only way we can thank Him for what He did is to live for Him. We need to start running the race. You might ask, “Isn’t that works?” No, works are what you do, thinking that you can earn salvation. Running the race is what you do in gratitude for what Jesus did. Start by truly turning from sin. Study Scripture and understand the rewards of a race well run.

“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain” (1 Corinthians 9:24). 

When you see runners at a track meet, their training is evident. Their body is under control, and they run with confidence. If they have trained well and win, they are given a prize. Christians have already been given eternal life, so what is our reward?

“And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Corinthians 9:25-27). 

What is the “incorruptible crown?

There are many. The crown spoken of by Paul isn’t a crown that is worn by a king but rather “stephanos,” which is a crown given to the winner of a race. We’ve seen pictures of a wreath of leaves placed on the heads of ancient Olympians who won their race. It was a nice award but would fade away in time. Christians are given rewards for what we have done for Christ. Those won’t fade.

In Scripture, we’re told of various crowns we can win if we run our race well. There’s the crown of victory, also called the everlasting crown (1 Corinthians 9:25), the crown of the soul winner (Philippians 4:1 & 1 Thessalonians 2:18), the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8), the crown of life (James 1:12 & Revelation 2:10), and the crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4).

When will we receive these crowns, and what will we do with them?

This life is our race, and what we do while living on this side of Heaven matters for eternity. The most important thing is to accept Jesus, then start getting into spiritual shape and running for the Lord. Witness to others, and you just might be awarded the soul winner crown, or if you get mastery over your sinful nature, there’s a crown for you.

Christians will be judged at the Bema Seat of Christ. That judgment is not about whether we can live eternally or be damned to Hell; salvation was determined when you truly accepted Christ. The Bema seat will determine if you’ve won a crown. Not everybody will receive a crown. Paul told the Corinthians about building upon the foundation of Christ. What is built upon that foundation is important. If you do all sorts of good things and get all kinds of praise and glory in this life, you’ve built with wood, hay, and stubble. If you do good works for the glory of God, then you build with gold, silver, and precious jewels.

On the day of judgment, if you’ve done everything for your own glory, that’s wood, hay and stubble, you’ll suffer loss of rewards.

“If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved: yet so as by fire” (1 Corinthians 3:15). 

The crowns and rewards may not seem valuable today, but what about when you stand before Jesus and see the Lamb as He had been slain?

You will see the nail-scarred hands and the marks of the whipping He endured for your salvation. You’ll understand the pain He went through in order to purchase your redemption, and you will want to have run your race on earth to honor Him. You will want crowns. Whether you die first or are Raptured, you will see Him. We read of 24 elders seated around the throne. They are representative of Christians.

“The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:10-11). 

Oh, how I desire to have a crown to give to Jesus!

As Paul was coming to the end of his life, he could look back and see the race he ran for Christ. He didn’t live for his own glory but gave his all to serve Christ.

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8). 

As I look back upon my life, I see so many times when I have failed in my race. I’m sure you can see times in your own life when you didn’t honor Christ. It isn’t too late to start getting fit to run a good race. Start today by eating the nourishing food of Scripture. Get rid of the “self-help” and “purpose-driven” books, not meditation or yoga. Look to Scripture.

Admit that you are a sinner, and ask Christ to help you turn from sin. Don’t try to justify your sin by saying, “I was born that way.” We are all born sinners, but to win the race, you need to turn from sin. You also need to move away from fear. Fear will keep you at the starting block instead of running a race to win.

Are you afraid to mention Jesus and salvation to your family and friends? Feed on Scripture, and you will be able to defend God’s truth.

You can’t win if you don’t run. It isn’t too late; start today.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.