First, and of primary concern, is the fact and the truth that the Rapture of true believers could happen at any time - it is imminent! However, Jesus told us that no one knows the day or the hour:
"But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only:" - Matthew 24:36
Following is an hour long video on what happens after the Rapture and how it affects those who are left behind. After the video will be given links to how you may purchase copies of a DVD of this video for you to give to family and others who are not now saved, or leave for unsaved family members to find in your home after you are raptured.
To obtain several copies of the above important and urgent video go here prophecyupdate.com /home
To obtain just one copy of the "left behind" video go to olivetreeviews.org/store
Time is short ! We need to warn our loved ones and other lost souls to the urgency to come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ right now!
In my previous post this week (scroll down) I mentioned a wonderful quote by A.W. Pink, only I had to paraphrase and guess at it by memory because I could not find the quote itself then. But God! Yesterday while going over my notes in a journal and while searching for something completely unrelated, I found the quote by Pink ! Here it is: "Our first duty is not to understand but to believe what God has said."
Thinking about the Rapture and Heaven, here is a warm and loving quote by Isaac Watts:
"How divinely full of glory and pleasure shall that hour be when all the millions of mankind that have been redeemed by the blood of the LAMB shall meet together and stand around HIM with every tongue and every heart full of joy and praise. How astonishing will be the glory and the joy of that day when all the saints shall join together in one common song of gratitude and of love and of everlasting thankfulness to the Redeemer! With what unknown delight and inexpressible satisfaction shall all that are saved from the ruins of sin and hell address the LAMB that was slain and rejoice in His presence."
About the fact that God never says "Ooops" : There are some instances in the Bible that make it "appear" as if God made a mistake.
In the future I may devote another article to the topics of how you are not a mistake (as some people have truly felt that way about themselves at times- that somehow they were a big mistake) and also those verses that "appear" that God made a mistake or changed His mind. Most true believers realize the awesome power of God, and His Sovereignty, and that He is incapable of making mistakes ! I intend to research various respected Bible Commentators of old on said verses - on those verses pertaining to how it appears the Heavenly Father changed His mind - such as when Moses interceded for the Israelites when God was angry and wanted to destroy them all and make a great nation instead from Moses. (Exodus 32:7-14) = verse 14 says: "And the LORD repented of the evil which He thought to do unto the people."
As Christians know, The Heavenly Father is Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient. Let us just concentrate on His omniscience, which means that He knows all things: the past, the present, and the future. One source tells us that He even knows your thoughts before you think them! God does not make mistakes!!
God also cannot lie! (Titus 1:2). All of His promises will come true! That is why we believers can have confidence in the soon Rapture of Christ's Bride (the Church). Times are urgent, folks! Most of you realize this!
Following are salvation scriptures for those of you who are not yet saved - have not given their life in surrender to Jesus in the belief that He is the Savior and the only way to eternal life. It has recently been brought to my attention that is best to always mention that not only does faith and belief in Jesus save us from hell, but it needs to also be stressed that Jesus saves us from sin ! Before we enter eternity, faith in Christ looses us from the bondage to/of sin! When you place your trust and belief in the Savior, you become a new creation! (2 Corinthians 5:17). Since we are still human and imperfect now, if we sin after becoming a true believer in Jesus, He paid our sin debt in full and is our Mediator now; so if we confess and repent of our sins after conversion, He wipes the slate clean; we are forgiven and still saved!
That reminds me of another quote by A.W. Pink: "It is not the absence of sin, but the grieving over it which distinguishes the child of God from empty professors [of faith]".
The following Scriptures are beneficial not only for unsaved persons themselves, but for Christians to share with family and others who are still lost and do not know Jesus as their Savior - as well as for believers to memorize the following:
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." - John 3:36
"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
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend - and life!
This post concerns itself with God's mercy as well as what it means to be merciful. In particular, what mercy is and how mercifulness may differ from mercy (or acts of mercy.)
While browsing my photographs to use in this article, it occurred to me that a few years ago a very unmerciful and cruel and senseless act against one of the protected and endangered Honu on Oahu, Hawaii, created an outcry among locals. These gentle sea turtles often come to shore to rest awhile and to feed on some of the algae found there (as shown in my photograph above). Someone (or perhaps more than one person) slaughtered one of these protected turtles. These gentle creatures have become use to the presence of man at the beaches where they come to rest. They grew to trust and to not fear people.
It makes me want to cry at such cruelty and senseless evil. But what is also evil is how man treats other people at times.
"Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful." - Jesus at Luke 6:36
[Turtle Beach (Laniakea Beach) - North Shore, Oahu]
"The world of natural man is by no means predominantly a merciful world. ' The tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.' Not everything which passes for kindness, not everything which is kindness, is mercy. " So the Biblical Illustrator Bible Commentary explains. Following will be a partial or, rather, an abbreviated, quote from that commentary on what true mercifulness entails.
"Mercy, as men count it, may be all "outside", no heart in it, or may take its rise from wrong or unworthy motives; while mercifulness must go down to the inner springs of actions, not stop short of guiding principles; have its roots in sound and holy motives. It deals with the quality of the deed rather than the quantity. ..... Mercifulness is what we are and what we do.
"True mercifulness is a characteristic of those who hunger and thirst after righteousness and they alone will be merciful in God's way....seeking not to please themselves but to do His will. ..... True mercifulness is always guided by meekness. It is exercised towards those who have ill requitted our kindness, and are undeserving of our mercy. True mercifulness can only be felt by those who have learned to mourn their sin, and in repentance turned unto God, and so have a fellow feeling with those who sin, and long to rescue them."
What about the mercifulness of God as seen in Christ? The Biblical Illustrator commentary reminds us that Christ was merciful to all! Jesus' mercifulness "was provident, thoughtful, wise - seeking the real good of men..... His mercifulness is unchanging. Time does not wear it out, nor years weaken it. He was merciful even as He loved, unto the end."
Speaking of Jesus, Hebrews 7:24-25, has this to say: "But this man, because He continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood, Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them."
"How much more shall the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause He is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance." - Hebrews 9:14-15
Here is a wonderful hymn about the mercy of God! It is based on Psalm 51.
Back to the Biblical Illustrator Bible Commentary, it compares Jesus' mercifulness to ours:
"Jesus' mercifulness always kept God's glory in view, and ours so often centering about self. HIS is a mercifulness shown towards those who were ever seeking His heart, and ours so easily quenched by the first appearance of ingratitude. His a mercifulness that recognized sin as the source of every man's misery, and ours so indifferent to the deepest needs of the men and women around us. His a mercifulness that stooped to help, that touched as well as pitied, and ours always bestowed with a gloved hand, and at a safe distance...... Believe me, it is time for us to learn that true mercifulness is discriminating, thoughtful, wise. His a mercifulness that is always the same; ours so fitful, uncertain, unreliable. His mercifulness that cost Him self-sacrifice; ours a doing or giving that will not even cost us a thought. His a mercifulness that permeated the whole man in every thought, and word, and deed; ours so superficial, so unreal, our thoughts often breathing harsh judgment upon others, our actions marked by so little consideration of those about us or below us to whom we might be merciful."
There is much more wonderful information to be found concerning mercy and mercifulness at the Biblical Illustrator Bible Commentary. Search for it on the Web !
The bottom line is: We should endeavor to be as much like Christ as we possibly can. We will never attain perfection this side of heaven, but the good Lord expects us to have that as an ultimate goal. (1 Peter 1:16). If we don't aim to be Christ-like now, maybe we are not truly saved; maybe we won't make it to heaven. You must be born again (a spiritual rebirth) in order to enter heaven.
"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
Following are Salvation Scriptures for those of you who may not have surrendered your life to the Lord. Some of you may not know the way of salvation. You must realize that Jesus died to pay your sin debt in full; His shed blood on the cross can wash you clean ! He was the sacrificial Lamb of God Who Redeemed those who will turn to Him in faith, believing that He is the Savior and the only way to heaven. You must repent of your sins with a sorrow that is real and sincere and pray with all of your being that you wish to be forgiven and thereby give your life in faith to the Savior.
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." - John 3:36
"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
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." - John 3:16
That is me in front of this landmark lighthouse on the island of Kauai several years ago. A wildlife sanctuary is also there. I chose a lighthouse photo of mine because this post will mostly concern itself with Jesus, our Savior, the Son of God; and Jesus is often symbolized by a lighthouse; He is our light to guide us over troubled waters and storms of life. And many today are experiencing storms in their lives like never before; all of us just want things to go back to "normal". Since we are living in the end of this dispensation of Grace (The Church Age) and it is obvious that the New World Order is in its beginning stages, things are NOT going to go back to what they were. It should draw us ever closer to the good Lord and make us look forward with hope and joy to when He returns and takes us to be with Him in heaven before the 7 year Tribulation begins soon.
In a previous post on this blog (August 8, 2020), we discussed Romans 7 and how even the apostle Paul struggled with sin, even though he was saintly and a true servant of the Lord. This post will focus more on Jesus Himself and the importance of His shed blood at Calvary -- How belief in Jesus as the Savior can give one the hope of eternal life and the fact that His shed blood can wash us clean and that gives us eternal life if we but believe in Him.
Following is a wonderful video that gives insight to the importance of "the Blood". Think of it, a baby gets its blood from the father. And who was Jesus' Father? Yes, Almighty God Himself ! Makes one realize even more so how precious is the blood of Jesus and how it can make us clean from sin. The video below is 14 minutes and one of the narrators is Reinhard Bonnke: It gives us insight about our protection from God. It is a must watch for all believers !
"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood." - Revelation 1:5
"Jesus is the great friend of His church and His people, One Who has done great things for them..... He has loved them, and in pursuance of that everlasting love, He has... washed them from their sins in His own blood. Sins leave a stain upon the soul, a stain of guilt and of pollution. Nothing can fetch out this stain but the blood of Christ; and, rather than it should not be washed out, Christ was willing to shed His own blood, to purchase and pardon and be a purity for them." - a partial quote of Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on Revelation 1:5
One of the most comforting verses which tells us that Jesus will always be with us is found at Matthew 28:20 , which is part of the "Great Commission" :
"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and , lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. "
Below is the most wonderful audio sermon by Andrew Murray ever!! in which he uses that verse at Matthew 28:20 as his main subject. We must seek God/Jesus with our whole heart and there are abundant rewards for those who do so! In the sermon, Murray stresses what God expects from us... mainly only believe !! But he also admonishes us to seek God/Jesus with all of our heart (Jeremiah 29:13) and to spend much time in true intense prayer and fellowship with Him. Please, please watch this excellent 28 minute video! You will be glad you did.
In these troubled times of today, these end times, the main thing is to keep your focus on God and Jesus, and on things above. After all, that is the only thing that can help us to enter heaven. This world is dying; heaven is alive and glorious! Words cannot fully express how wonderful heaven will be! The best thing is, we will be with Jesus, the Savior, for all eternity !
"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth." - Colossians 3:1-2
Remember the old hymn "Trust and Obey" ? It rather fits here with Andrew Murray's sermon above. Here is a lovely version of that hymn:
If you are not saved, have not been truly born again (a spiritual birth from above) then you will not enter heaven when you die. You will go to the other alternative.
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." - John 3:36
Following are Scriptures that will help you to come to a true, living faith in Jesus Christ the Savior:
"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?" - John 11:25-26
"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
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend - and life !
The above title of this post ("Are the things you are living for worth Christ dying for?") is a direct quote by Leonard Ravenhill. It is on his tombstone ! Ravenhill lived from 1907 to 1994 and was one of England's foremost outdoor evangelists of his time. You may, of course, find out more about him on the Internet; this post wants to focus on his quotes and share an important 13 minute sermon clip by him. The sermon is blunt - he tells it like is - and to the point (which is what we need more of today from our pulpits). Ravenhill does not sugar-coat anything when it comes to the Gospel. Brace yourself for some very convicting comments (convicting to a Christian's heart if he is guilty of sin) in his sermon titled : "John the baptist: the spirit of a prophet". The sermon below speaks very little of John the baptist, and dwells mostly on addressing Christians and what they need to focus on - and more - and chock full of gems spoken by Ravenhill like, for instance, "The greatest sin in the world [is to say and believe] "I can manage my life without God."
It seems fitting to quote here, 2 Timothy 3:1-5:
"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."
Wow! Talk about telling it like is ! The above verse clearly describes these last days we are currently experiencing.
Some of the other signs of the end times are spoken of by Jesus at Luke 21:25-28 as follows:
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And when these begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."
I encourage you to please read all of Luke 21, as well as Matthew 24, and Mark 13 which also speak of the signs of the last days.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer wisely said, " Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."
"Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?" - The Apostle Paul at Galatians 4:16
We are all imperfect and make mistakes; I am no different. But I endeavor to tell the truth. Sometimes a resource used and quoted on this blog may be in error, unfortunately, and when I discover it to be so, I correct the error or delete it. Since we are all imperfect, we should not judge others when they mess up at times. (Unless it is out and out heresy, of course.) We should endeavor to show them their error, and teach them more accurately -- do not judge them unless, that is, it is a deliberate and stubborn heresy, which is repeated often, and which purposely intends to deceive others.
Our time on this earth is short, especially now the way Bible prophecy of the last days is being fulfilled at a tremendously fast pace. And very many are being fulfilled all at once right now - a convergence. Jesus will soon return to take his followers in the Rapture to be with Him in heaven. Our blessed hope!
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ." - Titus 2:13
We should focus on things above and on pleasing the good Lord as best we can. He is our Judge. Jesus is our Redeemer. Our love and gratitude to the Lord should be expressed to Him always. Spend much time in prayer and in reading the Bible. That will enable us to know God and Jesus better, and we will find that our love for Him will grow stronger and stronger as we read about His love and character and attributes in His Holy Word. That, and as we pray several times daily , will enable us to develop a strong, close, intimate, personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus. That is what it is all about, folks! You cannot come to actually know a person unless you spend time with Him and communicate with Him; it is the same way with God. He wants to fellowship with us! God/Jesus is the best friend we will ever have!
Ephesians 5:15-17 tells us: "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."
Below is a 3 minute devotional by In Touch Ministries. It dwells on the topic "Unshakable Faith".
Two wonderful comments especially stand out in the above video. "When we abide in the Spirit, we have the power to endure hardship and suffering." And, "Getting to know God is easier when we approach Him with a humble and genuine spirit."
"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God." - Jesus at John 3:19-21
What if you are not saved, not born again? Following are some Scriptures for you:
About asking Jesus to come into your heart.... that is good. However, you must truly repent of your sins, and believe with all of your mind, soul, and all of your very being that Jesus is the Savior and the only way to heaven. Believe that He, as the sacrificial Lamb of God, shed His precious Blood on the Cross, and that by doing so, He paid our sin debt in full . He took our place at Calvary and made a way as the Redeemer for us to be saved and for us to have the hope (a sure hope) of eternal life. There will be a change in you and what you focus on if you are truly saved. When a person is truly saved, the Holy Spirit will reside within him, to guide and teach him, and so much more !
"In Whom ye also trusted, 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
Jesus, at Luke 13:3-5 tells us: "I tell you, Nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower of Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." - Romans 12:1-2
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend - and life !!
