“And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death” (Revelation 20:13-14).

The lake of fire is a place of eternal torment and you don’t want anyone you know to end up there. You don’t want to end up there. It is where the Beast and the False Prophet will be cast into and it is a place of eternal suffering. The only way to avoid spending eternity there is to place your hope and faith in Jesus.

Those who have accepted His free gift of salvation will live eternally with Him and will avoid the lake of fire. Don’t even think that eternity separated from God in the lake of fire is one big party. It is eternal torment.

Jesus was very clear when He talked of salvation. The purpose of His life on earth was to offer us the only way of salvation—to be our kinsman redeemer. When Adam chose to sin, fellowship with God was broken. No longer could Adam and Eve live in Paradise…Adam’s sin had condemned mankind to be separated from God and we are still under that curse. We can’t begin to imagine the glory that Adam and Eve knew in the Garden of Eden where they had fellowship with God.

Sin cannot go unpunished and because of Adam’s choice he and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden. We live in this world and can see much beauty around us, but that is pale when compared to the Garden of Eden. We only know this world, and we accept the evil that surrounds us as “normal.”

Wars, hatred, and anger are just a part of life as we know it and we are numb to it. We don’t feel the outrage against sin that we should. We who are born-again believers in Jesus Christ know there is a beautiful life waiting for us, but for now we have to live in this world of sin.

Nicodemus was a Pharisee who sought to know the truth. One night he came to visit Jesus to find answers to his questions:

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

The English word “again” is translated from the Greek word “anōthen” which means: from above, from God, from God above, anew, over again. Everyone is born once and has inherited the sin nature from Adam’s sin, but we can only be “anōthen”, or born-again, if we accept the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the atonement for our sins. The very instant that we say, yes, to Jesus Christ we are born-again.

Adam’s sin separated us from God, but Christ’s sacrifice gives eternal life to all who admit they are sinners and ask Him for forgiveness. He is our Saviour and our only way to salvation.

“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).

Accepting Christ is the only way to avoid the lake of fire.

Once a person trusts Christ for salvation, the Holy Spirit is sealed within him or her. In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he spoke of being sealed with the Holy Spirit upon accepting Christ.

“… after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13).

God’s Holy Spirit is sealed within us at the very moment we truly believe. Paul also wrote about this to the believers in Corinth.

“Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).

Faith in Christ seals our destiny. The born-again believer in Christ need have no fear of spending eternity in the lake of fire. We who are born-again receive much comfort from these verses. God “stablisheth” us when we become born from above. The word translated “stablisheth” is the Greek word “bebaioō” which means: to make firm, to establish, confirm, to make sure.

This is done through God’s power, not ours. Outside of God we have no power, no firm foundation, and no hope. It is our choice whether to accept Christ as our Saviour, but rejection of Him will only bring eternal torment. If a person chooses to reject Christ they have chosen to spend eternity in the lake of fire.

There are many reasons a person may reject God. Some blame God for things that have happened to them, but the evils of this world come from Satan. In rejecting God they have to believe He exists, but that is not faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Some people believe in god, but not the true God of the Bible.

Allah is god (satanic and evil) and cannot do anything except lead his followers into the lake of fire. Mormons believe in someone they call Jesus, but he is another false god that leads to the lake of fire. Many people expect that being a “good person” by human standards or religious works to be enough to meet the criteria to avoid the lake of fire, but good works will not save you, only faith in Jesus Christ.

Those who choose to reject God’s free gift of salvation are destined to everlasting damnation in the lake of fire. It is an individual choice.

“He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be foregiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come” (Matthew 12:30-32).

There is no middle ground. Either you admit that you are a sinner in need of a Saviour and accept Jesus Christ, or you have rejected Him. It is a choice each person has to make.

Thank God that we have a choice in where we will spend eternity. Once we are born from above (have said yes to Jesus) our choice is sealed. We can’t back out of that choice once we’ve made it, and who would want to? We are held safe in God’s hands; He keeps us and sanctifies us, never to be lost again. You see, God doesn’t wish that any should parish but that all should come to repentance. Once we are in His hands we are forever in His hands.

“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one” (John 10:28-30).

You may be way out of fellowship and missing out on the joy of your salvation, but if you have accepted Christ as your Saviour you will avoid the lake of fire. You can have a more fulfilling life if you fully surrender to Him and strive to be like Him. You will earn eternal rewards if you live for Him, but your salvation is secure once you sincerely believe in Him.

Being born from above brings new responsibilities. We need to study God’s Word and conform to it. We need to tell others about the gospel. There needs to be a change in our lives and attitudes because we are no longer the same as we once were.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” ( 2 Corinthians 5:17).

As believers we can see what’s happening around this fallen world and certainly we can equate these things to what Jesus tells us to look for concerning the end times. The Rapture will happen soon…very soon. Then, for those who have chosen to reject Christ, life will become difficult…very, very difficult. Daniel’s 70th week will begin and last 3 1/2 years of that week will bring great sorrows.

Jesus described it this way:

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21).

Some people will come to know Christ during that time, but don’t think it will be easy. The horrors of that time are unimaginable to us, but we can read Revelation and get a glimpse of what those who have rejected Christ will face. The False Prophet and the Beast are pure evil and Satan rules them. Their destiny is to be cast into the lake of fire; those who reject Christ will join them.

“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).

You don’t want to go there. It is an eternal choice. If you do not accept Christ now then you have chosen to reject Him. Your choice needs be made today before you step into eternity. That eternity will either be spent in heaven with Christ surrounded by perfect love, or it will be spent in the lake of fire in eternal separation from God’s love and in eternal torment.

Do you want to avoid the lake of fire? The only way to do that is to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. He is the only way to eternal life.

God bless you all,

Ron and Nathele Graham

Are you thankful? Children are taught at a very young age to say, thank you, for things that are given to them…a bit of food, a drink of water, clothes, or maybe a toy. This is just good manners. As we mature into adulthood, too often we forget to say, “Thank you.”

Or we are too proud or maybe we feel we deserve the kindness of others? Maybe we take other people’s kindness toward us for granted and aren’t thankful at all. What about God? Do we take Him for granted? He has given so much, but do we take time to thank Him?

“Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name” (1 Chronicles 29:13).

We cannot thank Him enough for His provision for us and His love. We may thank Him for our blessings but something that we may not think to thank God for is fellow believers. I’m sure we all have had  brothers or sisters in Christ do something nice for us, and have thanked them, or even thanked God for their kindness. I know I have.

Paul took his gratitude for fellow believers even further. When he wrote his letters of encouragement, admonition, or teaching, he was sure to tell the recipients that he thanked God for them. He not only thanked them for their kindness, but he thanked God for them because they were fellow believers.

“I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:4).

The Corinthian brethren were in great need of guidance in their Christian walk, yet Paul said “I thank my God always on your behalf.” Paul felt grateful for them simply because they were fellow believers. Even struggling Christians are still our brothers and sisters. To the Romans he wrote:

“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world” (Romans 1:8).

He appreciated that their faith was so remarkable that it was known throughout the world at a time when communication was slow and not as efficient as we enjoy today. When he wrote the letter to the Romans he hadn’t even visited them yet but he still had heard of their faith and was thankful for them. How often do we thank God for a congregation of believers across town, let alone in another country?

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now” (Philippians 1:3-5).

Yes, Paul was thankful for fellow believers everywhere. He was thankful for the congregations he had spent time with and also for those he hadn’t met. We also need to be thankful for our brothers and sisters in Christ, whether they are down the street or on the other side of the world.

We also need to give thanks for individuals and recognize their faith.

“I thank my god, making mention of thee always in my prayers” (Philemon 1:4).

Paul was about to ask something of Philemon that was difficult. Philemon had a slave named Onesimus who had stolen money from him and then ran away. Philemon was a Christian and along the way Onesimus also became a Christian. Onesimus needed to face his sin and that required him to return to Philemon.

Paul wrote a letter to Philemon and was able to say that he indeed thanked God for Philemon’s faith, and now he was asking Philemon to put that faith into action. He needed to forgive a man who had wronged him but who now was a fellow Christian. If Paul hadn’t been faithful in his prayers of thanks he could not have told Philemon that he prayed for him.

We need to pray for our fellow Christians. We need to thank God that we have brothers and sisters in Christ who are faithful and have a desire to please God.

Young Christians today have a lot of challenges to their faith. Do you thank God for them? Timothy was a young man who loved Jesus. He was a companion of Paul and when a pastor was needed in Ephesus, Timothy took the challenge. He kept in touch with Paul who gave him encouragement and a strong foundation to build on. Paul didn’t just answer Timothy’s letters and leave it there.

“I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day”(2 Timothy 1:3).

Many young Christians need to hear those words and know that an older Christian cares enough to pray for them. They may not be asked to be a pastor, but they do go into a classroom that is hostile to Christians and they face incredible worldly temptations. We need to encourage them to study God’s Word and use it to guide their lives, but we also need to pray for them without ceasing. Thank God there are young Christians who are not afraid to boldly stand strong in their faith and not compromise God’s Word.

The Psalms are filled with thankfulness to God. The gratitude to God is refreshing as we read these beautiful praises. David and the other psalmists wrote many eloquent songs of thanks to God.

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Psalm 100:4).

That is exactly what our attitude should be toward God—thankful praise to Him.

“For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting: and his truth endureth to all generations”  (Psalm 100:5).

Thank God His mercy is everlasting. How can we not be thankful for that?

“Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness” (Psalm 30:4).

He is holy, yet He loves us enough to die on the cross to pay our debt. Christians have much to thank Him for and should give thanks to Him continually.

“I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs” (Psalm 69:30-31).

Oh, how we need to magnify Him with thanksgiving! He gives us everything, yet we take it for granted. There are not enough hours in a day to thank God for what He has given to us. Brothers and sisters, don’t be shy in your praises for Him and your gratitude for salvation. Not only is He alone worthy of our praise, but people hearing our praise of God might be reminded of their own blessings and remember to thank Him.

“O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods” (Psalm 95:1-3).

Yes He is. Thank Him and praise Him.

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

This doesn’t say to give thanks “for every thing” but give thanks “ineverything.”  There is a difference. We all face troubles and have concerns such as disease, loss of a loved one, children who rebel, jobs that are stressful, and much more. It’s easy to thank Him when life is sailing along and we have no troubles, but we need to remember to thank Him when things aren’t so smooth as well.

He is with us during the good times, but He is also there in the troubled times. We need to thank Him in those troubled times because He is still God and He still loves us. Jesus told His disciples of troubles to come, but He also told them to turn to Him.

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Turn to Him in the good times and bad, and in all things give thanks. Thank You, Jesus.

Don’t forget to thank Him when He blesses you with a miracle. When Jesus walked this earth He healed many people. On one occasion there were ten men who had the dreaded disease of leprosy. They were outcasts required to stay away from people who were not infected by the disease. As Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem these ten men saw Him and cried out to Him for mercy. Jesus told them to show themselves to the priest and as they went to do that they were all healed:

“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan” (Luke 17:15-16).

Only one thanked Him, yet all ten were healed. Every one of us is filled with the disease called sin. Only through Jesus is that disease healed, but do we take the time to thank Him? We might cry out to Him for mercy when our sin causes us pain, but do we thank Him when we receive it? Do we thank Him for the once for all sacrifice He made to pay the debt of our sin? Christians still sin, but through Christ’s blood we are forgiven. That precious gift of salvation isn’t to be taken lightly and we need to thank Him continually.

Christ paid a huge price to purchase our salvation. He left Heaven and entered His creation as a man. He healed the sick, raised the dead, restored sight to the blind, and most of all He paid our sin-debt on the cross of Calvary. Only by accepting His death, burial, and resurrection are we allowed the privilege of eternal life with Him. Have you thanked Him for that lately? Or, are you like the nine lepers who just couldn’t be bothered to say, “Thank You, Jesus” and to worship Him.

Each year the United States takes the fourth Thursday in November and calls it Thanksgiving Day. There are parades, turkey dinners, football games, and family get-togethers. Most people are thankful for a day off of work or safe travel to Grandma’s house. But have you thanked God for the blessings He gives? Every blessing we have comes from Him, and fall on those who reject Him—as well as those who accept Him. (I often wonder just who the atheist thanks on Thanksgiving Day.)

Without Jesus as Creator, the world would not exist; without Him as Saviour eternal life for the Christian would not exist.

“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).

Every day we need to remember God’s love for us and thank Him.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham