Do you know about the rapture the bible talks about where a lot of the people millions will go missing?
and how everyone will call it aliens, pandemic, warfare, don’t believe it or something else as the reason for everyone being gone? This is the truth they will try to deceive you into believing some other reason than the bibles reason, God. You will see children missing under the age of accountability and infants seems this is scriptural about the kids’ and cars; planes will crash unless another pilot who is not a Christian takes over the plane and most likely people will be going about their daily things and will vanish in the air or in front of you. Scripture says people will be taken in a ” twinkling of an eye “. This will lead to the rise of the antichrist (man of lawlessness) who will be human and a have a name like any person and will be Jewish some say gentile, but bible seems to point to a Jew he is called “prince of Israel”… After the rapture he will be like a savior/messiah to Israel to fix their problems with a peace treaty probably working with U.N… The rapture is an end-time event when all Christian believers who are alive, along with resurrected believers, would rise “in the clouds, to meet the Lord (Jesus) in the air.” The origin of the term extends from Paul the Apostle’s First Epistle to the Thessalonians in the Bible, in which he uses the Greek word harpazo, meaning “to snatch away” or “to seize,” and explains that believers in Jesus Christ would be snatched away from earth into the air. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 “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 first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” Jesus told us to look for these signs before His return. Matthew 24:3-8 “And as He sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world? 4 And Jesus answered and said unto them,
Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.” also Matthew 24;11-12 “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” We see those false prophets today with these fake healing ministries like Benny Hinn as an example. Now, after the rapture, the true Church (all believers and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ) has been taken from the earth, the powers of Satan will have full sway, and a terrible, indescribable tribulation will take place during which the inhabitants of the earth (Jew and Gentile) will suffer much. This antichrist will make a peace treaty for Israel in this time of crisis in the world law and order will be hard and governments will not know how to handle it and he will bring the solution like a diplomatic fix it person and will be accepted by Israel with this treaty and nations like a type of messiah people will be thinking peace and safety from this antichrist a human devil this starts the tribulation. This will start the suffering called the tribulation and in the half way point about 3 1/2 years “The Great Tribulation” will occur and the antichrist will come to the temple that will be built in Jerusalem by the Jews to start animal sacrifices again. This will be a sign when you see these sacrifices starting because they will try to go back to the old testament ways that they were in the past as God had established for them. Not understanding that Jesus has already come and they don’t need to sacrifice animals any more because He was the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Which should be coming in the next few years or by year 2033 this is not dogmatic but is my estimate having studied the bible as to when you will see this temple being built . This antichrist will come to this temple and stop the sacrifices being done by the Jews and declare himself to be God and to be worshipped. Daniel 12:11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.” So peace will reign for the first 3 1/2 years of the tribulation but there can still be troubles in the world the antichrist will have made a peace treaty for Israel to be able to have their temple and have their sacrifices so this peace treaty and the temple will be coming in my estimates before 2033.
This antichrist will be this great world dictator and compel the world to take his mark 666 and worship him and pledge their loyalty to him in order to live in his world system and his image that he will set up in the temple and demand people to worship it and will perform great signs through his false prophet that will be with him. Revelation 13:13-18 “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast,(antichrist) which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six (666).” There will be some kind of assassination attempt or something Revelation 13:3 “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” This might be a kingdom but seems to be enacted by antichrist where he the antichrist appears to die or does die and will rise from the dead. He’s going to be blinded in his right eye and paralyzed in his arm. This will help you identify him if this is speaking of him or possibly (roman empire) Zechariah 11:17 “Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.” You will not be able to live on this earth without taking his mark to buy and sell just to be able to live with food and other things for your family and yourself. You will have these false prophets or people telling you that you will not be condemned for taking it do not fall for that. BUT HE THAT RECEIVES THE MARK IS ETERNALLY DAMNED, AND THE WRATH OF THE LIVING GOD ABIDES ON HIM. The person who takes his mark to live in his new world order system he
establishes you hear this being talked about! will be condemned by God and will be in hell eventually. You must reject it and accept Jesus Christ and repent and it may mean your death for rejecting the mark. Revelation 14:9b-11 “If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” God’s judgement will come on the earth during the tribulation period satan, antichrist, and his false prophet will cause much torment to the worlds people and God Himself will punish the world for their sins and send 21 devastating judgements against the planet. About 1/2 or 50% of the earth’s population will die because of these judgements before the battle of Armageddon which is about 4 billion people. These judgements will bring Worldwide war Revelation 6:4 ” And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword., The war will destroy are food bringing famine to some but there will still be many with abundance and luxury during this famine. A day’s work will only provide food at famine prices for one person or small family it will be so bad Revelation 6:8 “And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth” also great earthquake and this earthquake will be global and the earths faults will begin to fracture. There will be volcanic eruptions ash and debris in the earths atmosphere blackening the sun and the moon will be blood red color. Revelation 6:12-17 “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” when it talks about “And the stars of heaven fell to the earth“, most likely relating to giant asteroid or meteors shower. When it says, “the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place“.
This is the earth’s atmosphere it will be affected, and the sky will disappear volcanic eruptions can cause a whole in our ozone and an asteroid impact can be the cause of the massive earthquakes the earthquake will cause earths plates to move and continents. The volcanoes can cause hail that will appear red possibly in color and lava effects that will devastate one third of the earth’s forests Revelation 8:7 “The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.” There will be a huge asteroid/meteor/ that will cause tidal wave probably and destroy 1/3 oceans ships Revelation 8:8-9 “And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; 9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.” Then a comet/asteroid comets can produce hydrogen cyanide which has a bitter taste which comes from cyanogen gas produced on comets mixing with water to produce hydrogen cyanide by the description/guess will fall over the globe and pollute waters Revelation 8:10-11 “And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood;(known bitter herb in bible times) and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.” After the water going bad the next thing to happen God will lessen intensity of sun and there will be a temperature drop. Revelation 8:12 “And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.” Then demons(fallen angels) in bible in locust form will inflict the people this seems to be what scripture is saying but not dogmatic on it.
Revelation 9:1-10 “And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. 5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. 6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. (People will not be able to commit suicide because of there pain they will try) 7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.” Then 4 angels that are bound at the river Euphrates will be released to make way for this coming army which appears to be demonic army and will kill men or could be tanks that kind of thing Revelation 9:16-21 “And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. 18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. 20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.” Now during this second half of the tribulation called the great tribulation God will have two witnesses in Jerusalem Moses and Elijah most people speculate that it
is these two preaching against the antichrist reigning during this time of great tribulation and will be eventually killed by satan and rise from the dead after 3 1/2 days and go into heaven in the clouds and people will celebrate because of the torment they will do to people of the earth. Revelation 11:3-6 “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. 5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. 6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.” There will be three angels flying around giving a message from God warning everyone or could be people messengers Revelation 14:6-11 “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. 8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” Then comes the final last 7 horrific judgements and the battle of Armageddon the first one is oozing sores on those who take the mark of the beast Revelation 16:2 “And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.” The second one is everything in the oceans will die Revelation 16:3 “And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.”
The third one is the rivers and springs will become blood Revelation 16:4 “And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.” The fourth one is the sun will scorch people Revelation 16:8-9 “And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give Him glory.” The fifth one is darkness on the antichrist entire kingdom Revelation 16:9-11 “And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, 11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.” The sixth one is the Euphrates river is dried up for the 200 million army to come from the kings from the east Revelation 16:12 “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.” The seventh one is a great earthquake the most powerful on the earth that splits Jerusalem into 3 parts and alters earths topography also giant hail stones will fall (about 80 pounds) Revelation 16:17-21 “And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. 18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. 19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.” Around this time of this last judgement there will be a great battle with armies of nations “The Battle of Armageddon” with Russia, Libya, Iran, kings of the east and other nations and Jesus will return and defeat these armies coming to battle against Jerusalem. Revelation 19:11 “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He Who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.”
Revelation 19:19-21 “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army. 20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” The Lord Jesus will then reign for 1000 years over the nations after this war and Christians that died for Jesus and did not take the mark during the tribulation will reign with Christ during this time and satan will be bound 1000 years during this time. Revelation 20:4 “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” You say I just can’t believe it. I have so many questions? let God’s word answer them for you. When will the rapture take place? Soon! Matthew 24:44 “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Will it affect me? Yes! Matthew 24:40-41 “Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.” If you miss the rapture, you will be left behind to go through the tribulation. What should I do and how to be saved? Repent and believe in Jesus – the gospel to be saved is below! make Jesus your Lord and Saviour.
THE GOSPEL – LIFE’S MOST CRUCIAL QUESTION IF A MAN DIES, WILL HE LIVE AGAIN?
Warning if you deny this gospel there will be more punishment for you in hell. This is the question asked by the namesake of the oldest book in the Bible ” If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come” (Job 14:14). “ And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” (Hebrews 9:27) Everyone instinctively knows that the death of our physical bodies is not the end of our existence ” He hath made every thing beautiful in His time: also He hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Even the one who professes to be an atheist knows this. The atheist may say he does not believe in God, but when his head hits the pillow at night and he is left to his own thoughts, he knows there is a Creator. The law of God is written in his heart he knows right from wrong he has a conscience. He knows the truth, yet he suppresses the truth in unrighteousness ” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;”(Romans 1:18). What determines where we spend eternity once our appointment with death comes? Most people have this vague notion that as long as their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds, God will let them into Heaven. We think of ourselves as good people because we tend to evaluate our goodness by comparing ourselves to other people. If I compared myself to Saddam Hussein, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin or Pol Pot, I’m a pretty good guy. I’ve never done any of those things. But there is bad news. Really bad news.
THE REALLY BAD NEWS
God does not evaluate our goodness by comparing us to other people. He evaluates our goodness by comparing us to Himself. And compared to God none of us is good. All of us have broken God’s moral laws. All of us have told lies. We are liars. Nearly all of us have stolen something. We are thieves. We have taken God’s name in vain. We are blasphemers. We have looked upon others with physical lust. We are adulterers at heart ” But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28). We are all sinners ” For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23). We are rebels ” And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed.” (Isaiah 1:28). Left in our sins not only are we alienated from God ” And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled” (Colossians 1:21), we are His enemies ” For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Romans 5:10).When we break laws on earth, there is a penalty to be paid. When we break the laws of God there is also a penalty to be paid.
When we break earthly laws, the penalty is temporal. When we break God’s laws, however, the penalty is eternal because God is eternal. “But God is a good God!” people object. “A good God would never send anyone to Hell,” they surmise. The goodness of God is not the assurance of the sinner’s rescue, but rather the guarantee that justice will be done. God is good. In fact, He is the only One Who is intrinsically good by His character and nature ” And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou Me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.” (Mark 10:18), and a good God must punish sin. If He did not punish sin, then He would not be good. Let’s say a man committed murder and his crime was caught on a video surveillance camera. The man was arrested. The murder weapon was found with the suspect’s fingerprints all over it. Multiple eyewitnesses testified he was the murderer. The suspect has his day in court and is found guilty. It’s an open and shut case. The judge says to the convicted murderer, “You have just been found guilty of murder. Do you have anything to say for yourself before I pass sentence?” The convicted murderer responds, “Well, judge, I think you are a good judge. And because you are a good judge, I think you should let me go. After all, I’ve only committed one murder on one day. All the other days of my life have I never murdered anyone.” What if the judge replied, “You know? You’re right. I am a good judge so I think I’ll just let you go. You’re free to leave. Have a nice day.” And the convicted murderer walks out of the courtroom a free man. Would that be a good judge? No! That would be a terrible judge. A good judge must punish crime. God is the ultimate good Judge and He must punish sin. If He did not punish sin then He would not be good. Many people are counting on the goodness of God to excuse them from their sin but it is the goodness of God that will seal their fate. But what of the love of God? The Bible clearly teaches that God is love ” He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” (1 John 4:8), ” And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” (1 John 4:16). The question is often asked, how could a loving God send people to Hell? The question itself is a bit misleading because it implies that God is actively sending people who are merely passive participants. This is not the case, though. People Whom God sends to Hell are there because of a lifetime of sin and rebellion against God. Further, God’s love is not a coddling love. It is a Holy and just love.
In fact, ” But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 God’s love is demonstrated in that even though we were yet sinners in rebellion against God and deserved nothing but His wrath, God sent us His only Son to die in our place. That is the penultimate expression of love. The one who dies in his sin will very rightly and very justly go to a very real place the Bible calls Hell. And let’s not soft-pedal Hell. I have heard many preachers say that if someone dies in his sin he will be eternally separated from God. But that’s not entirely true. The most terrifying thing about Hell is…God. Because He is there. He is there in His wrath. According to Revelation 14:9-11, the condemned …The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:. People in Hell are separated from God relationally. This is what is in view “ in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God, and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These people will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,” 2 Thessalonians 1:8- 9. There is no relationship between God and the condemned. There is no fellowship. There is no love exchanged. But judicially, people in Hell will be in the presence of God for all of eternity as His wrath is poured out. “ Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” (Mark 9:48). The most terrifying thing about Hell is God, because He is there in His wrath. This is the bad news. This is what you deserve. This is what I deserve. This is what we have earned for ourselves by our willful sin. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23). No amount of good works can satisfy the righteous wrath of God that burns against our sin. The Bible says that our works are as filthy rags ” But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6) before a God Who is thrice Holy ” And the four beasts had each of them six wings about Him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” (Revelation 4:8). Our good works will profit us nothing on the day of judgment.
The question, then, is this: How can a God Who is Holy and just pardon sinners without compromising His righteous justice?
There is good news.
WHY THE GOOD NEWS IS SO GOOD?
Here is the good news: God loves you. God, solely by His grace, has made a way – indeed the only way – for us to escape His wrath. God has made a way for us, His enemies ” For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Romans 5:10) to be reconciled to Himself. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth. He was and is truly God and truly man. He is one Person with two natures: human and Divine. He is the Godman. Jesus rebuked false teachers, false religious systems, healed the sick, cast out demons, raised the dead, performed miracles, and preached the Gospel. He lived a perfect life of perfect obedience to the Father. He then willingly laid down His life on the cross. His life was not taken, He gave it ” No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of My Father.” (John 10:18). On the cross, the full, undiluted fury of God’s wrath that the sins of all people have earned was poured out on His Son, “ 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) Jesus, and Jesus drank in every last drop of it. He became what the Bible calls the propitiation for our sins. “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” – 1 John 4:10
To “propitiate” is “to appease” or “to satisfy.” Jesus satisfied the wrath of God by offering Himself as the ultimate and only sacrifice for sin. On the cross our sins were imputed – or counted – to Christ. In 2 Corinthians 5:21 the Bible says, “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” Jesus did not literally turn into sin, but He was made an offering for our sin ” For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:” (Romans 8:3). The punishment that you and I deserve, God directed toward His Own Son. God punished Jesus on our behalf ” Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin” (Isaiah 53:10A). Jesus died on the cross and then three days later was bodily raised from the dead ” And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 6 He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead; and, behold, He goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see Him: lo, I have told you.” (Matthew 28:5-7), proving Himself to be Who He said He was, God in human flesh. We have no righteousness on our own. We are dead in trespasses and sin” And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” (Ephesians 2:1-3) We must have the righteousness of Someone else. ” As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10-12).We must have the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Just as our sins were imputed to Him, we must have His righteousness imputed to us, and His righteousness cannot be purchased with the filthy rags of our works.
Question: If perfect righteousness is required for eternal life, how do we, as guilty sinners, obtain it? Answer: In the grace of regeneration, God grants faith to believe and counts faith as righteousness. God’s Holy Spirit convicts of sin, righteousness and judgment ” And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:” (John 16:8), grants faith in Christ ” For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9); ” For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake;” (Philippians 1:29) and repentance from sin ” And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” (2 Timothy 2:24-26). We must abandon our good works and place our full faith and trust in the work of Jesus Christ that He wrought for us on the cross. We must trust in Jesus alone and repent of sin. Repent and Believe? But what does it mean to repent? Most people believe that repentance is just willing oneself to turn from certain sins. But this is not biblical repentance. The Greek term for repentance is metanoia (me-ta-noy-a) and it literally means to change one’s mind. Many teach that in order to repent one must simply change his mind about sin. In other words, acknowledge your sin as being sinful and that constitutes repentance. But that is only a partial truth and partial truths simply will not do when it comes to matters of eternity. Genuine repentance comes when God grants repentance ” The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, Whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 31 Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.”(Acts 5:30-31); ” Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as He did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?” (Acts 11:17) and when this repentance is granted, our minds are indeed changed, but everything about us is changed. Our desires are changed. Our affections are changed. We begin to love what God loves and hate what God hates. And genuine repentance always results in real, tangible fruit ” Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:” (Matthew 3:8); “ But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.“(Acts 26:20). If there has been no repentance, there has been no conversion ” I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3). There has been no salvation. If you are unsure whether or not you have truly repented, then follow the Apostle Paul’s instruction in ” Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corinthians 13:5) Look at your life and ask yourself these questions:
Am I trusting in Christ alone for my salvation? Has there been a change in my life? Do I love what God loves? Do I hate what God hates? Do I have a hunger for His word? Do I have a love for the brethren? Do I stand up for Christ in the face of persecution? Is there an increasing pattern of holiness in my life? Do I grieve over my sin?
I think it important to expand upon that last question a bit. One of the hallmarks of a genuine Christian is that he grieves over his sin. The Bible speaks of two kinds of sorrow over sin: A worldly sorrow and a godly sorrow “ Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”(2 Corinthians 7:9-10). A worldly sorrow leads to death. What is a worldly sorrow? A worldly sorrow is that sorrow which is horizontally oriented. In other words, it is a sorrow that is centered around ourselves.
A worldly sorrow is the kind of sorrow that says, ‘What would happen to me if my sin were to be exposed? What would be the consequences to me?’ A worldly sorrow seeks to cover up our sin because we do not want the consequences of our sin. One who has a worldly sorrow over sin would go right back to that sin if he could get away with it and no one would know about it. This sorrow leads to death. Eternal death. But there is another kind of sorrow over sin, and that is a godly sorrow. A godly sorrow results in a “repentance without regret leading to salvation” (vs. 10). A godly sorrow over sin is that sorrow which is vertically oriented. In other words, a godly sorrow is directed not toward ourselves, but toward God. A godly sorrow is when we grieve over our sin because we understand that our sin grieves God ” And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30) and we do not want to grieve Him. God has been so good, so kind, so generous and so merciful toward us. But we have sinned against Him. We have despised His good gifts to us. We have presumed upon His kindness and patience. We have acted altogether selfishly. We have mocked His holiness. And yet… ” But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8. That, dear one, is an utterly amazing statement. God gave His only begotten Son “ 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) Who had done no wrong and Whom He loves with an infinite love to us to be sacrificed for us. Only in the cross of Christ can we see how much God hates sin and how much He loves us. When we sin, it grieves God – and that should grieve us. Please do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that Christians cannot sin. Christians can and do sin. A Christian stumbles into sin, but he does not swim in sin. A genuine Christian does not enjoy sin. He does not look for opportunities to sin. When a Christian sins, it grieves him. And just as much as we should want a Savior from Hell, we should want a Savior from sin. The man who wants a Savior from Hell but does not want a Savior from sin, has a Savior from neither. If you are not certain where you would spend eternity if you were to die today, then I beg of you, dear one, to get really honest before God. Confess your sins to Him. Confess your utter need of His mercy and forgiveness. Ask Him to save you. Repent of sin and place your trust in Jesus Christ.
If you will come to Him in godly sorrow over your sin and if you genuinely desire to follow Him in obedience for the rest of your life, He will save you. You will pass from death to life “ Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:24). The wrath of God will be removed. Your sins will be forgiven, and they will be put away as far as the east is from the west “ As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12) and God will remember them no more ” For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” (Hebrews 8:12). “All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” – John 6:37 Isn’t that a wondrous promise? If you will come to Christ empty-handed, seeking forgiveness of your sins, He will not cast you out. He will save you. The evidence of your conversion and new life in Christ will be a lifetime of obedience and bearing good fruit to His glory.
I HAVE TRUSTED CHRIST! WHAT NOW?
If you have trusted Jesus Christ as both Savior and Lord of your life, you now need to find a good, doctrinally sound church. This is so vitally important. You need to be in a good church Recommend Baptist Churches there are a few bad ones, but most are good as far as I know where you will hear the word of God preached rightly by men who are biblically qualified to preach. You need to be fed, you need to be encouraged, you need to be shepherded, you need accountability, you need to get baptized, you need a place to serve, and you need fellowship with like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ. Many people think that becoming a Christian will make their lives better. It will do that, but not necessarily in the sense in which most people think of “better.” Your life in Christ will be “better” in that it will be filled with the joy and grace that can come only by living a life of obedience to Christ. But your life in Christ will not be “better” in the sense that it will become easier. Contrary to what many preachers and “Christian” movies would have you believe; God does not promise you a fat wallet or a healthy body. He does not promise you will get a new vehicle, a nicer home, or a promotion at work. Your life in Christ is not about to get easier.
It is about to get much, much harder. The Bible says that “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12). There are no exception clauses to this verse. If you truly desire to live godly in Christ Jesus, you will be persecuted. Get ready for it. It’s coming. And it may even come from members of your own family ” For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.” (Matthew 10:35-36). But you are equipped to handle it with grace and in such a way that brings honor to your King ” For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake;” (Philippians 1:29). You are now indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God. He will create in you a desire to read, understand and obey God’s word. In this you will “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:18). You have the fellowship of the saints ” And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42); ” Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25); ” Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Colossians 3:16) “While He yet talked to the people, behold, His mother and His brethren stood without, desiring to speak with Him. 47 Then one said unto Him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. 48 But He answered and said unto him that told Him, who is My mother? and who are My brethren? 49 And He stretched forth His hand toward His disciples, and said, Behold My mother and My brethren! 50 For whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in heaven, the same is My brother, and sister, and mother.” (Matthew 12:46-50). You are anything but alone.
Get a good study Bible it is God’s word and how He talks to you. You won’t be hearing some voice in your head/ear as God. get it in either the NASB or ESV translation Also, I recommend getting into church that will help you grow in your new faith in Christ. This will both edify and challenge you. They will help you learn how to read and study scripture. They will help you build a solid theological foundation upon which to build your life. It will renew your mind to think as God wants it. (Romans 12:2) “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.” May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you. ” The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.” (2 Corinthians 13:14). Some NASB, KJV Scripture.
