HELL AND A MERCIFUL GOD

by Jack Kinsella

The question has been asked so many times that has morphed from a question into a challenge; "How can a merciful and loving God condemn people to eternal torments in hell?"

The question is not just posed by atheists and skeptics, but also by some sincere, but woefully uneducated Christians.  The argument has some merit on the surface.  God is love. All men are created with a sin nature.

Since, by definition and design, all men are sinners and our Creator God is love, it logically follows that a loving God who created sinners would be unjust in condemning them to hell for being what they are. 

God is the Righteous Judge.  If He is so righteous, it seems logical that He would take into account the mitigating circumstances. 

Especially since the chief mitigation is the fact it was the Righteous Judge that created the unrighteous sinner and that unrighteousness is the default condition of man.  That cannot be stressed strongly enough. 

The default condition of mankind is that of utter depravity.  People are not born good and then learn bad things.  It is precisely the opposite. 

There is a common canard in our society that dictates that racism, for example, is learned behavior.  A 'learned behavior' is something that has been taught to someone, or a way of thinking that they did not come up with themselves. 

The prevailing worldview is that children who grow up to be racists are taught to be racist as a child.  In this view, unless a child is taught to be racist, he will grow up to be 'color-blind' so to speak. 

An article posted on the American Psychiatric Association's website attempted to argue against racism as a 'mental illness', claiming that racism "is mainly a product of learned behavior," and "a majority of explicitly racist persons do not have any psychopathology."

I don't know if racism is a mental illness, but I know that racism is not something that children are taught. It is something that they must be 'untaught'. 

Children are racist by nature.  Studies conducted that put one black pre-schooler into a classroom full of white pre-schoolers showed the white pre-schoolers abused, ostracized and teased the black kid corporately, that is to say, they did so as a group. 

Reversing the situation produced the same results; the black kids abused, ostracized and teased the white kid, again corporately.  Were all these pre-schoolers taught to be racists?

Moreover, who taught them to be abusive?  Who taught them the principles of boycott, or ostracization? 

These are fairly advanced principles for pre-schoolers -- it took Jesse Jackson a lifetime of effort to fine-tune them into the social weapons they are today.  Where did these kids learn to be racist? 

Any school teacher will confirm that children are not only racist, they are mean.  Kids are really small terrorists without advanced weaponry or a cause.  And we were all kids. 

If we reach back far enough into our memories, it is fairly obvious that the cruelest people we ever met were our own classmates. 

Everyone remembers that one kid who was taunted unmercifully, (maybe it was you) because of their skin color, their religion, their social status, or some other characteristic that made that kid different.  (I remember a kid we all teased because he was ugly.) 

I was teased unmercifully because I had no hand-to-eye coordination.  When we would choose up sides to play baseball, the two team captains would choose their players until they got to me.  Then they'd fight over who got 'stuck' with me -- as if I wasn't there. 

My nicknames were alternatively, "Easy Out" and "Butterfingers" -- two terms that make me cringe to this day. 

Children have to be taught not to hit each other, bite each other, they have to be taught not to steal, to show respect, not to lie, etc. 

Prisons are full of folks who blame their upbringing for their shortcomings.  That's a cop out. Children needn't be taught bad values because 'bad' is their default state. 

Prisons, as rehabilitation centers, attempt to teach 'good' values -- or the word 'rehabilitation' is meaningless. 

A long example to prove a short principle; We are born sinners.  Evil is our default condition.  It is goodness that is the learned behavior.

To return to our original premise, if a loving God created us without a spark of goodness, then how could He then condemn us to an eternity of torment for being what He made us to be -- and still call that 'perfect justice'? 

It is worth noting that the only inherently evil creation in the corporeal (physical) world is humanity.  Animals aren't evil by nature.  They do what comes naturally. 

Sin isn't a learned behavior.  It is something that must be unlearned.  The degree to which a human being 'unlearns' selfishness, cruelty and sadism becomes the measure of his goodness.  Provide the right set of circumstances, say, New Orleans after Katrina, and humanity reverts to type. 

Doctors murder patients to save themselves.  People with no criminal record become looters.  The strong prey on the weak.  Right and wrong, as social concepts, essentially evaporate. 

Man was created in God's image.  He was created with the ability to discern between right and wrong, and was also created with the ability to choose which path to take. 

This planet is the only place in God's creation where evil is permitted unfettered operation.  Theologians call it the 'cosmos diabolicus'.  It is enclosed by an atmosphere which keeps evil from escaping out into the universe. 

When Satan came to present himself before the Lord, "the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it." (Job 1:7) 

It is Satan's domain. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he offered the Creator of the Universe a bargain:

"the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto Him, All these things will I give thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me." (Matthew 4:8-9)

Although Jesus is the Creator (and Satan knew it) the 'cosmos diabolicus' was Satan's to offer. 

So, again we return to the central question: "How could a loving God condemn us to eternal torment for being what He made us to be?" 

A lion who hunts down and kills an injured wildebeest that can't keep up with the herd isn't doing evil because he selected the weakest and most vulnerable prey.  That's what he was created to do.  He has no other choice. 

And THAT is where God's perfect justice comes in.  We DO have a choice.  We were created specifically to that single purpose.  So that, when given the choice, we could then choose God. 

God's perfect justice demands that there be some provision of salvation for those who choose Him -- or He could impose no penalty for those who choose to reject Him. 

Jesus Christ is God in the flesh.  Therefore, man has a choice between 'good' (God) and man's default nature of evil (self).  Jesus Christ represents God's perfect justice. 

Having defeated the sin nature by living a perfect life, He was uniquely qualified to pay the penalty perfect justice demands, because no created being could earn the currency necessary to pay the price on their own behalf. 

Each of us is acutely aware of our sin nature.  We spend a lifetime seeking to overcome it, and in so doing, learn that it is impossible.  We then are confronted with a choice. 

We can choose Heaven by humbly accepting the offer of Pardon extended to us, knowing it is not something we earned, cannot earn, and cannot buy or steal. 

Or we can choose hell, the place prepared as the eternal repository for sin after this cosmos diabolicus is destroyed at the end of human history. 

The earth will have served its purpose as a confinement area for sin, and having served that purpose, "shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat." (2nd Peter 3:12) 

After Satan is banished to hell and sin is contained, the cosmos diabolicus gives way to "new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." (2nd Peter 3:13)

God doesn't condemn us to hell.  He condemns sin.  But in His mercy, He provides a way for us to shed our sin nature through the regeneration of salvation. 

But we are the ones who make the final choice.  It is indeed perfect justice that the condemned be given the choice -- while still in their sins -- of where they will spend eternity. 

Having expressly provided the choices to us, it would be utterly unjust of God to ignore the choice we make.

God is just, so He honors the choice we make.

FAITH IN SOMETHING

By Jack Kinsella

Faith, the Bible says, is the substance of things hoped for and the expectation of that not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) It is indeed a divine description (pun intended) of something all of us have but few of us can describe.

In saying all of 'us' having faith, I mean the entire human race. There is no person, lost or saved on this planet that doesn't have faith in something.

Consider an atheist with a job and a credit card. He goes to work on Monday because he expects to be paid on payday. Midweek and out of cash, he uses his credit card to pay for lunch, spending on Wednesday.

He works in exchange for the expectation of that not seen, (paycheck), his faith so strong that he spends some of it (the substance of things hoped for) on Wednesday, although he doesn't see it until Friday.

When you get right down to it, that takes a lot of faith. But billions of us live that way, day after day, week after week, for our entire adult lives, and never really give it much thought.

One has faith in a spouse. By her presence, she is both the substance of things hoped for (a happy, lifelong marriage) and the expectation of things not yet seen.

I place my faith in the fact that Gayle wants the same thing and the two of us are working toward the same end to our mutual benefit. But the chief requirement for a happy marriage is mutual love, and that is where my faith is rooted. In her love. Without it, the rest would be impossible.

I am no different in that regard than anybody else, believer or unbeliever. It takes incredible faith and nobody gives it much thought.

Faith without trust is impossible. If I didn't trust that my employer would meet the payroll, I would be less inclined to stay on that job. Or even show up for work.

If I couldn't trust Gayle, there would be neither the substance of things hoped for nor the expectation of that not seen (a happy future together).

In the spiritual context, I believe in the promises of Scripture. The substance of things hoped for is my current relationship with Christ. It has substance because my faith has changed my life. I know what it was before Christ. I know what happened when I surrendered to Christ. I know how much different it is now.

There is evidence of things not seen.

But my relationship with Christ is not perfect. Not yet and not now. I remain a sinner, trapped in what Paul referred to as the 'body of this death.'

"But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 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 7:25)

Paul speaks of the imperfect relationship with Christ thusly;

"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." (1st Corinthians 13:12)

It is that second part of that verse that contains the substance that I hope for; when I see Him face to face.

For now, as Paul says, my relationship is like looking through a piece of smoked glass, I only know 'in part'. My sin nature keeps getting in the way, blocking my view, and obscuring the details.

It is that sin nature than caused Paul to echo my frustration and pain when he wrote:

"For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. . . For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. . . “(Romans 7:7-25)

It takes a lot of faith to overcome that kind of spiritual conflict. I am saved, I am going to heaven, I will see Jesus face to face, and I am a habitual sinner.

I do what I hate, I want to do good and fail, I hate evil before I do it . . . if I were God I wouldn't wait for me to stand before the Judgment Seat, I'd just dissolve me into a pink mist and start over.

That is where 'trust' makes its appearance. The guy who doesn't trust his boss will meet payroll will quit and start looking for another job.

A marriage where one cannot trust one's spouse will end in divorce, and both sides will go out looking for somebody else to put their trust in. 'Faith' and 'trust' are two sides of the same coin, but they are not the same thing.

I trust that Jesus will do what I cannot.

"Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6)

There are believers that believe in Jesus. They believe that He lived a sinless life. That He died for the sins of the world, and that He was Resurrected on the third day. They believe that He washed their sins away when they were saved.

But they don't trust Him. Having surrendered their lives to Him at salvation, they take back both control and responsibility the next day. They construct an artificial table of rules, and then despair when they still fall short.

There are some pretty famous atheists who proudly boast that they are former 'born again' Christians -- Ted Turner comes to mind, but there are others.

I often wondered how this could be. How someone could have expressed faith in Christ, only to divorce Him later? I have also heard of ex-preachers who lost their faith.

This also gave me pause. How could someone whose faith was so strong they became preachers of the Gospel just quit and start looking for another job?

Faith cannot exist without trust. As trust diminishes, so does faith. If I cannot trust that Jesus will sustain my relationship with Him, then how can I have faith that I will see Him face to face?

If I put my trust in my ability to meet His perfect standard, then my expectation of things hoped for is based on the substance of that which IS seen, i.e., my ability to conduct myself in a sinless manner. No wonder there are those who lose their faith! They put it in the wrong place.

James writes; "O vain man . . .faith without works is dead?" Those who have faith in God but trust in their own works to sustain their faith often point out James 2:20 as evidence that salvation is the product of faith AND works.

They miss the context of the next verse;

"Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?” (James 2:21)

In context, James is speaking of trusting God, not doing good works. Trust me, if you kill your son on an altar, you won't be doing a 'good work'. Instead, James explains,

"And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God." (James 2:24)

Abraham 'believed God' -- he was willing to kill his son at God's command because he trusted God would not hold that sin to his charge. THAT is what God 'imputed unto him for righteousness'.

Trust. Not 'good works' as defined by a religious sect or church group. Trust. (Abraham was gonna cut his son's throat, for crying out loud.)

A young man asked Jesus what he lacked for salvation;

"Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions." (Matthew 19:21-22)

Jesus was making the opposite point to what many Christians come away with.

Jesus KNEW what the young man would say. He put an impossibly high standard on salvation to make a point His disciples immediately picked up on.

"When His disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?"

But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:25-26)

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" . . . "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." (Ephesians 2:8, Romans 11:6)

"Now unto Him THAT IS ABLE TO KEEP YOU FROM FALLING, and to present you FAULTLESS before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." (Jude 24-25)

WHERE IS YOUR FAITH PLACED?

IT'S TIME TO TAKE SHELTER

By Tim Cameron -

"A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished" (Proverbs 22:3).

One stormy spring night at 2:30 a.m. in the Ozarks of Missouri, I was stirred awake by a loud crack of thunder. Looking out from the bedroom window; I could see the rain was moving sideways. I ran and turned on the TV to see that our area was under a tornado warning. My heart raced realizing that I had slept through any warnings that might have been given.

The next morning talking with other local friends we all asked the same question, "Did you hear the sirens?"

In the Ozarks, in tornado alley, we take tornado season seriously.

Six years ago this May, Joplin Missouri was hit with the deadliest tornado to hit the USA since 1947; 158 people died in the EF-5 Multiple Vortex Tornado.

On May 22, 2011, I stood outside getting ready to go to a friend's house for dinner and said, "I better call my parents and ask if it's okay for the kids to stay at their house, just in case."

The reason? My parents have a storm shelter and the clouds in the sky to the west of us looked very OMINOUS. It was 4:30 in the afternoon when  my wife and I dropped off our three kids and headed to a friend's house.

We were all eating and talking when I quickly glanced at the radar on my phone and my friend saw my countenance. "Is something wrong?"

"You should see the radar," I replied. "It looks TERRIBLE, and man, it's right on top of Joplin!"

My friends' wife hurried and turned on the TV in the other room, and all of our phones were buzzing with texts: "Home Depot in Joplin got hit, Walmart too!" It was very sobering and all of our "watching and praying" eyes were lifted-up. We all prayed and then my wife and I made a mad dash to my parent's house to be with our kids.

In the next few hours after having watched the storm lift and pass over our area we would learn that one of the deadliest storms in recent American history had just taken place. Many lives were lost and countless others would NEVER be the same.

Many stories came forth from those who heard the warnings and believed them, and ran for shelter. But at the same time we heard stories of those who turned a deaf ear, "Heard them all my life," they said and just kept grilling burgers. "I heard the sirens, but they go off a lot around here this time of year."

And of course we also heard the devastating stories of those who had heard the warnings but were not in a safe place to weather the storm, and lost their lives. Some were even snatched out of loved ones arms. It was gut wrenching and I pray as you continue to read, that this disaster can be used as a major wake-up call to those who have been blinded to something coming that is much more ominous.

You see, many people died, but some were prepared to die. They had taken shelter from  an eternal storm by placing their faith in Jesus Christ, and even though their physical bodies perished, they did NOT truly die. For in an instant, the moment their bodies were struck by that devastating F-5 tornado, because they belonged to God, their souls were transported into His very presence to their eternal home, which they would in no way would want to leave.

On the other hand, there are those who were not prepared for that tornado. More important, they were not prepared for that which would come after that storm. The Bible says it is appointed unto all people once to die and then later, at the Great White Throne judgment, they will stand before God as Judge.

During this horrendous tornado, a local doctor reported hearing people "wail and scream" inside the twister and how it haunted him. But what is even more daunting is that there are those who are even now wailing and screaming from a storm that will NEVER STOP because after being propelled through that tornado, out of a Home Depot or Walmart they arrived in hell.

After the 1000-year Millennium they will stand in God's courtroom, stand before Him because they refused to believe in Him and refused to take shelter in Him. They will hear a terrible decree, "Depart from Me I know You Not."

Those who died and had rejected the free gift of salvation offered through Jesus Christ are now in HELL with NO HOPE, no chance to escape. When they stand before the Lord at the Great White Throne judgment they will be sentenced to an eternity in the lake of fire.

But if you are reading this you still have hope.

Here is the deal: There is a storm brewing of biblical proportions and it's even at the door. You have to have eyes to see and ears to hear.

The radar is screaming for you to PLEASE TAKE SHELTER.

In God's Word He foretold of a time such as this, and said when you see certain things, to "take shelter!" What are those certain things? Here are just a few:

Israel is being pressured on every side to "divide her land."

When love waxes cold, when the love of pleasure (self gratification) is greater than love for God.

There will be wars and rumors of wars.

When global economies shake; when knowledge increases and people travel rapidly "to and fro."

Okay, everyone would surely concede that there has been a significant increase in "wars and rumors of wars," right? (North Korea, Syria, Russia, China, the USA, Iran in recent days and weeks are taking significant steps showing a war footing.)

Would everyone also agree, that Israel's existence and its claim upon a certain parcel of land as its capital (Jerusalem) is growing in prominence as a global talking point?

Would anyone disagree that debt is a global epidemic that continues to spiral out of control? The USA's debt alone is swiftly approaching 20 TRILLION DOLLARS.

Anyone over the age of 40 can argue that homosexuality was in the closet for most of your life. NOW it is in our faces demanding not only be accepted, but normalized, and that those who oppose it should be marginalized.

What about the prophesied increase of travel and knowledge by the prophet Daniel?

"But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." (Daniel 12:4)

For thousands of years, mankind traveled by horse but in the last century we've seen travel go to where you can ship anything worldwide in three days (Federal Express). You can talk instantaneously to others anywhere via text, instant messenger, and email.

Just as Daniel forewarned: When you see these things, it's like an ominous storm warning shouting something very terrifying: "The Day of the Lord is at hand."

"Look! The Lord's anger bursts out like a storm, a whirlwind that swirls down on the heads of the wicked. The anger of the Lord will not diminish until it has finished all he has planned. In the days to come you will understand all this very clearly" (Jeremiah 23:19-20).

We are approaching a time of God's undeniable wrath being poured out upon this place we've called home. He, in His mercy is warning all who will listen.

Look with open eyes and pay attention. Governments are advocating the killing of babies that survive abortion, after they are ripped out of their mother's wombs. Now that is criminal enough in light of the fact that it pulls our heartstrings with, "That is a baby!" But also remember that those helpless little lives are God's intricate handiwork being destroyed-murdered. He authored those lives. To kill those babies is to point a self-righteous finger at God's saying, "Not your will God, but ours be done."

I suggest that everyone should read the book of Habakkuk and realize that God is no respecter of persons, and the very thing He allowed to happen to Israel is playing out right before our eyes-as evil and wicked people are reaping a perilous harvest. I tremble at what I'm seeing take place and how rapidly it's all happening.

Do you not pay attention to those who are planning YOUR VERY OWN DESTRUCTION?

The Jihadists-including the Muslim Brotherhood are screaming, "Americans MUST die." Even now these enemies are working around the clock to see that this is accomplished through their planning of tremendous violence, and demanding Sharia law (slavery).

We have entire nations to reference for what looks like the ravages of radical Islamists, demanding submission as they train little kids to strap bombs to themselves and walk into crowds and blow themselves up. Even now they are planning massive attacks on the place we have called home (USA). They do this believing they are under a "divine" mandate to usher in their "messiah" by way of horror and chaos.

These radicals have erected training facilities all over the United States and yet most people are sleeping right through it, "Eating, drinking and being merry..."

People are NOT paying attention to the fact that governments are enabling this terrorist ascension by providing billions of dollars, F16s and high-powered weapons. The U.S. government has been handing out visas and free entrance into this country via special exemptions, often with no background checks required.

In relation to a stormy night, your TV should be blaring with this warning:

BREAKING ALERT. As it was in the days of Noah and as it was in the days of Lot so shall it be.

And what about gay "Christians?"

The kicker of these so-called gay "Christians" is that they are the only group claiming to follow Christ and continue to hang onto, and love their sin. There is no other group or individual that claims so proudly to be sinful; not an adulterous Christian, a fornicating Christian, a lying Christian, a gambling Christian or a murdering Christian. They all would add the word "repentant." A "repentant" adulterer, a "repentant" fornicator, etc.

Every true born-again believer does wrestle with their carnal sin-nature having to take up his or her own cross dying daily and die to self, but would never subscribe to hanging onto sin-which caused Jesus to die on the cross.

If the Holy Spirit is living inside a person, that person will be at war with the sin nature. The Spirit of God would be pruning, rooting out and tearing down everything exalting itself against the knowledge of God. Christian means to be "Christ-like".

To say being gay is "Christ-like" is tragically trendy and becoming politically correct. BUT the Bible is the only true measure of truth and it says that it is an abomination (perversion) to the very purpose for which mankind was created. We were ALL born wrong the first time, we all have a sin nature and that is why Jesus said we must be "born-again."

Yet, godless lawlessness is screaming: "TURN OFF THE LIGHT!"

There is a STORM WARNING, but they are having a picnic anyway.

So many pastors stand at their pulpits presenting ear-tickling sermons, at a time when preachers should be in the deepest travail crying out for people to: "Make ready!"

To me, it would be like a group of people watching the news and hearing that an F5 Tornado, hurricane, volcano or earthquake is about to happen. Instead of crying out for safety these clueless people go into denial planning a picnic.

Seriously, get a picture of this: You are sitting in your house, the TV blares the sound of a siren with this banner running across the screen:

A SEVERE WEATHER REPORT WARNING

You would now know that a tornado has been spotted on the ground and it's headed right toward your town, but at the same time you're getting a call from a local pastor or church member talking about having a picnic as if all is well-when you know its not.

The prophet Jeremiah showed us that there is a dividing line drawn-that God becomes very angry with those who claim to speak for Him and yet aren't sharing the truth of what He would be saying:

"Thus says the Lord of hosts: Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; they speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the Lord. They continually say to those who despise Me, 'The Lord has said, "You shall have peace"; and to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, "No evil shall come upon you." (Jeremiah 23:16-17)

This type of chicanery is happening all over this planet. And it's being done "in Jesus' name." Pastors in pulpits are using the spotlight NOT to point to the only hope for such a stormy time, but rather they use Jesus' name to shine a spotlight upon themselves-to make money, build buildings,  grow "feel good" ministries (that are  all going to be consumed by fire).

I'm convinced there would be a tremendous harvest in churches if pastors would repent and start preaching the true gospel to their "seeker friendly" attendees who've been falsely led through a "repeat after me" mantra instead of being told they need to "repent or perish."

But sadly, they parrot words from the latest trendy "best seller" to fleece their way up the blasphemous chain of "churchianity," instead of getting on their faces before a Holy God and asking, "What do You want to say today?"

That should be a warning to us all, to be about our Father's business. Not to earn salvation but because of what Jesus already accomplished on our behalf to be a true follower of Jesus Christ. Hatred is boiling. True born-again Christians are becoming the scourge of the earth.

You can plan for your best life now if you want to, but based on God's Holy Word I've read that this planet is much more like the Titanic, and we are admonished to get people to life boats-not to build a better earthly world; but help rescue those who  are His.

We have heard this many times but I will say it again, "As it was in the days of Noah." Noah did NOT change his world. He didn't win his culture's favor and he didn't try to be culturally relevant. He just faithfully believed God and built an ark for the saving of souls.

Please hear the heart of this message.

It is not to condemn, but to stir an urgency to sound the alarm to your friends and family while there is still time.

I tell you, the storm clouds are ominous.

Are you prepared? Have you taken shelter with Jesus?

Hate has replaced love. The love of self has replaced God. "Whatever makes you feel good, just do it." Run up credit cards, who cares that the debtor is enslaved to the lender? Even now our nation in America is selling its individual citizens into debt slavery by destroying our national sovereignty through spending not billions-but trillions, and yet the masses of kool-aid drinkers are trusting that these blind "leaders" know where they are going.

We have a man named Pope Francis who has been lobbying Israel to give up land for peace, referring to the 1967 borders as the starting point of negotiations striving for a "Two-State Solution." The Pope is asking for all faiths to unite so we can all COEXIST. That is ominous I tell you!

PLEASE TAKE SHELTER.

In Joplin, the warnings went out and many heard and believed. They ran and hid in safe places. That is what I'm about to ask you to do.

You see, you can scoff at what I'm saying and say, "I've heard this all my life," and as one lady testified in Joplin, "I've heard tornado warnings all my life."

They mocked Noah in his day...

Thousands of people mocked Noah to the very end, and you can too. You can mock the warnings of this time. You can say, "Ah, the government will 'fix it' or 'we've seen this before.'"

OR you can take a serious and sober look at the many things that have taken place in recent days, months and years and say, "Maybe I need to wake-up to what is really happening and TAKE SHELTER."

Did you know the great damage a tsunami can do before the Asian Pacific Tsunami that struck ten years ago? Over 250,000 people died. That storm will pale in comparison to a time that the Bible warns, "Unless God shortens the days no flesh will survive."

What must you do to be safe from the wrath to come? What is the wrath to come? That is the time of the seven-year Tribulation when God pours out his judgment (wrath) upon an unbelieving world.

In a storm warning for that time, if we turned on our televisions there would  be a scrolling message telling us what to expect:

Strong winds in excess of 100 mph, golf ball sized hail, dangerous lightning.

Ninety to one-hundred pound hailstones (Revelation 16:16-20).

A great earthquake, leaving NO ISLANDS on earth, also taking down every mountain on earth.

One-third of the earth will be burned up, one-third of trees and all the grass (Revelation 8:7).

One-third of the sea will be turned into blood (Revelation 8:8-9).

The abyss (bottomless pit) will open and locust-like scorpion creatures will arise (Revelation  9:2-3).

Evil angels will be released to kill one-third of mankind (Revelation 9).

Painful sores will break out on people that have taken the mark of the beast (Revelation 16).

The sun will scorch people with fire (Revelation 16).

And even worse: Lost souls who die without Christ will be cast into hell, and later into the lake of fire for all eternity.

Stop and think. Please!

Knowing the terror of the Lord, I beg of you to hear this warning.

Right now if a tornado warning was sounding and you "believed it" you would run to find shelter. How can we do that in relation to the choices we must make in this life: We either repent or perish.

Repentance is simply a change of mind; it is to "stop and think" differently than you are now. In its simplest application...in order for one to be saved, he or she must BELIEVE upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

Get on your knees and humbly place your faith/trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Believe that He is your only hope, that He is your Lord and Savior and that He is your Storm Shelter and He will be your Refuge. If you do that, I have great news: You will NOT die but you will have everlasting life.

Will you hurry up and take shelter with the Lord. Don't you hear the warning?

Tim Cameron

timcameron@centurytel.net

TO BE WITH CHRIST, IS FAR BETTER

by Pastor Mike Taylor

1 “ If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1-4)

Have you ever been to a funeral of a loved one and felt so sad, almost to the point of total depression because of the cold, unnatural looking person who you loved lies in a perpetual state of unawareness?
Most people have, and I really don't like going to them, as I would rather remember them in life, than have that last image of them in their casket burned into my memory. But you can understand that many people believe that death is the end of our existence, that your loved one is completely gone and never coming back. TheGodless world believes that death is the end of our thoughts, our memories and the end of our consciousness.
Think about your loved one for a moment that has passed on. When they were with you, they were warm, animated and engaged with life. Now they are cold and still and totally disconnected from this life. Have you ever reached out and maybe just touched their hand or finger, how it feels like a piece of a stick? All that you knew them to be if gone, and your loss and pain of the unbeliever is overwhelming. One, you have to face your own mortality, as that will be you in the future, should the Lord tarry longer than your date of death, which only He knows.
MAN IS DESTINED TO DIE
I read where man is the only creature that knows he is going to die. Even though everything on this planet at some point dies, man knows that it also includes him. So why do we fear it so much?
What you're looking at, in that casket, is the mortal remains full of embalming fluid to preserve the flesh till you get it in the ground. It knows nothing, feels nothing and the life force has left its shell. But what of the consciousness? What happens to it? Do you have a body, or is the body you? Is your body your possession, or as the song goes “is this all there is?”


Someone who is not a believer in Jesus Christ and has no relationship with God, called an Atheist would argue that the body and the consciousness are one and the same. When the body dies, so does the consciousness of the person. They reduce mankind to some kind of roadkill that was runover in the road and doesn't go to heaven.
In this viewpoint, you ARE your body. There is no “ghost in the machine” ..no spirit, nothing that goes on and continues to live. Your brain produces your mind and your mind is what makes you think that you are YOU. An Atheist credits reason for reaching this “enlightened” perspective.
But to qualify as an atheist, that person must know EXACTLY what happens to the mind, their will and their emotions. And if they entertain the possibility that death is the great UNKNOWN, then they are not atheist, but now are agnostics...They just don't know for sure.
For the worldview that claims “reason” as it's father, it's not very reasonable.



WHAT DID THE ANCIENTS BELIEVE ABOUT DEATH?
As early as Job's time, God had revealed the existence of the Redeemer Christ, and the PHYSICAL resurrection of the dead.  Job not only expected to see Christ with his PHYSICAL eyes, but he expected his physical body to be changed.

25 “ For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:

27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.” (Job 19:25-27)

The prophet Daniel also wrote of what we would be, those who have the Hope of the resurrection to a new life.

2 “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” (Daniel 12:2-3)

Job awaited the call of a Trumpet that would raise the departed souls from their sleep and raised in a new body. This change was believed a thousand years before it was generally known as the resurrection of the saints, some call the rapture.

12  “So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.

13 O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!

14 If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.

15 Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.

16 For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin?” (Job 14:12-16)

Our Lord Jesus expressed this same concept when He spoke in John:

28 “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice

29, and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” (John 5:28-29)

Many point to the words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes where Solomon referred to the PHYSICAL boy which is “asleep” and not the spirit. Soloman addressed the eventual end of both body AND sprit.

7 “ Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” (Ecclesiastes 12:7)

But note what Paul the Apostle said concerning the body that dies. It is not the end of all consciousness. Yes, the body dies, but the consciousness lives on.

8 “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” (2nd Corinthians 5:8-10)

May we point to the parable that Jesus gave when He spoke of Lazarus and the rich man? Some say this is just an analogy, but did Jesus lie when He gave parables? No, He spoke them of truth, but many couldn not hear them, or understand them, as it was not meant for them to understand. Because if they remained ignorant of the point, they would not be guilty of sin of unbelief.

19 “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:

28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” (Luke 16:19-31)

Jesus spoke truth and never lied when He spoke of such a case that makes the reader heart sick for one so unable to change his destiny. And maybe those who read that identify with that man. It brings a sense of dread to the unbeliever. If you or your loved ones were in such a condiiton, would you not pray for another chance as this rich man did in the story Jesus told? Jesus told us in plain truth what the person experiences upon physical death.

Lazarus died physically, but the angels carried him into Abraham's bosom which is another word for Paradise. The rich also died and was totally conscious of his fate while looking up from the flames of hell.
Let us look at the facts that I believe Jesus was relaying to His listening audience:

1.  Lazarus, Abraham and the rich man were all there, and they were all conscious of their surroundings.

2. the rich man was conscious of his torment and was able to speak with Abraham and was aware of Lazarus whom he knew also. Abraham was also conscious of his surroundings as well and able to give reply to the rich man's questions.

3. note that the rich man was in Hell, not in the Lake of Fire, which establishes the story playing out in real time at some point before the resurrection of Jesus. It was not a scene of the penalty imposed on those at the Great White Throne Judgment. The rich man had memories not only of his life on earth, but the memories of his family as well.
   
4. The rich man cared for his family, his father and five brothers, so all of his earthly memories remained intact. And also his emotions which are entirely human.
   

His physical body was dead in the grave, or asleep as Solomon puts it, but his soul, what made him who he was, was very much alive in the sense of his consciousness and his mind.
So taking this parable and knowing it was an actual event Jesus was telling the people around Him, the question remains, what happens when we die? Answer: We are absent from the body, but there is no cessation of our consciousness until the resurrection of the dead. Our dead bodies will be changed and we will rejoin them and be united and stand before the God of the Universe and give an account of our lives..Some will receive rewards and eternal life at the 1^st resurrection, and those raised in the 2^nd Resurrection will be raised to judgment and condemnation.
The Apostle John wrote of this judgment of the unrighteous in Revelation:

5 “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:5-6)

Note that John speaks of those raised in the 1^st Resurrection, but the rest lived not until the end of the 1000 years. He separates the two resurrections. Those who are raised before the Millennium with those Tribulation saints are of the 1^st resurrection, beginning with Jesus, the first fruits of those born of the dead. And the second resurrection is not where anyone wants to be, as it will be condemnation, judgment and the penalty of separation from God for all eternity.

John addresses the PHYSICAL resurrection of the dead whose consciousness remain awake and very much alive in hell with the rich man until final judgment after the 2^nd resurrection of the lost.

11 “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

13 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.

14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15)

As to the 'dead in Christ' -- they are also conscious, but in Heaven in the presence of the Lord from the moment of physical death until the Rapture.
Furthering Job's theme of 'the change' Paul writes,

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed”. (1st Corinthians 15:51-52)

At the coming of Jesus for His church, some believer will not have experienced physical death. They will be instantly changed in to their incorruptible bodies, and those who have experience physical death will be raised prior to those found alive, and they will receive their resurrection bodies first. And then we will all be united in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

THE GREAT DEBATE, WHAT OF THE SPIRIT?

The is a great debate on what the spirit of those who have died experience when their spirit returns to the Lord. Does the Bible give us a description of what we will be? No, it does not...but I am of the mind, we are not some disembodied spirits floating on clouds playing harps, as the imagery fostered by a major world religion. The Bible doesn't come right and say what we will be between here and the coming of the Lord for those departed, but Paul makes this statement in his epistle

20 “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.

23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:” (Philippians 1:20-23)

Did you catch that? “I desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better” If Paul was desiring to be with Christ, is it in his grave, or his spirit with the glorified Savior whom he saw with his own eyes? The God who blinded him, and was taught by Him in the wilderness for threee years prior to coming to see the other Apostles, and the man who was translated (raptured) into the third heaven and heard words that are not lawful for a man to hear? Paul knew our Savior almost as intimately as the other Apostles, but He knew Him as the glorified Savior in His power and glory. That is who Paul wanted to leave this life and join and he has been with Him, in whatever form of spiritual expression that God has deemed fit, for now over 2000 years.

So we await what is promised those who have died and those who are alive that are found in faith and belief in our Lord Jesus Christ

At the return of our Lord for His church, the Bible says that;

"For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise (physically incorruptible) first: Then we which are (physically) alive and remain (in our natural bodies) shall be caught up together with them (changed and incorruptible) in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1st Thessalonians 4:16-17)

Our loved ones who have gone home to the Lord are ALREADY in His Presence, enjoying Heaven and its unimaginable joy and riches in wha form, we are not told. .  They are NOT mouldering in the grave, unconsciously awaiting the call of the Trumpet.
They are alive and aware and eagerly anticipating the opportunity to meet with us in the air and embrace us once more.  



LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION?



Where do you see yourself on this great debate. Are you the rich man waiting for his demise in an eternal hell? Or are you the beggar who is not rich, but rich in the power of the Holy Spirit? Do you see yourself in the arms of your Savior, or destined to be cast out? It is a question that everyone of us must make a decision over, and it is why everyone that has ever been born has to decide. “what will you do with the God/man, Jesus Christ? Will you accept His free offer of mercy and grace, or will you enjoy your sin and unrighteousness, being deceived but for a short while?
This world is coming to an end. Maybe quicker than you even imagine. But the bible says we all die. Are you ready to die?

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:.” (Hebrews 9:27)

In this life, you only get one chance to get it right. No second chances. No passing GO and collect $200...when you die, you have two places to end up...with Christ, or in hell....or the Lake of Fire. Don't wait, as we are not promised even tomorrow. Tonight might be the beckoning call of death that awaits us all. Look to Jesus, as He will save you only if you ask Him.

“For God so loved the Word, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosover believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.

God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him, might be saved”

(John 3:16-17)
Make that decision right now...Your eternal destiny depends on it..



This is Pastor Mike Taylor, praying for your salvation. If you need counseling, prayer, or just a listening ear, email me at realteam1999@sbcglobal.net,  God bless you all,

TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET.