Monday, April 20, 2015

PART THREE, HEAVEN: What I Would Say to My Beloved If Their Salvation in Christ Jesus is Unsure...

HOW WONDERFUL, BEYOND MEASURE, IT WILL BE FOR GOD'S OWN
IN
~~~HEAVEN!~~~
PART THREE
(Third, of Three Parts)

~~~When You Go to Heaven, or to Hell~~~
You are here on earth, and something has caused your death from this life...for believers in Christ~~~ (disciples, followers, people who believe in the Lord Jesus and walk in His Light and strive to be the best person possible, living as He did while on earth as our Example/Savior/Lord/Creator)~~~ the Bible says that we are "absent from the body, then present with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14; 2  Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23, and so forth)  It is as though you blink, truly, and you are taken from the death of your life here and are immediately with Jesus Christ!  For others who have not wanted to be with Him, those folks will be separated from Him forever- that is what Hell is.  (Other passages show more specifics, in addition to the separation from God, forever!  I hope none of us reading this posting will ever experience that terrible reality.  It is real; please make no mistake or doubt it, whatsoever.) 
(See Psalm 112:10; Luke 13:28; Revelation 21:8.) 
I am in full Joy! to tell you the things of Heaven, but it pains me to tell you of Hell.  However, God does not want us to be naive or ignorant of the truths of our afterlife...we, each, will live somewhere after this life, eternally: Heaven or Hell.  People are falling down all around us- the ones who die only once and go blissfully, forever into Heaven with no more grief, pain, ugliness, or strife, and the ones who go to eternal Hell, having this death and second one into the Lake of Fire, never to escape by their own choice.  Jesus spoke of Hell twice as much as far as Scripture verses are concerned because He loves you and me, Sister and Brother!
Imagine being on earth, a new earth, and a new Heaven~~~basking in the Light of God that will never be too hot, too cold, or burn your skin.  We will BE WITH GOD!!  In the Presence of the Lord, always and forever, into eternity- with NO END!!  You have absolutely NO cares, concerns, or worries. No pit in your stomach that you forgot to make your house payment.  No worry about where you will find shelter tonight, or food, or proper clothing to fight the elements.  No gut-wrenching concerns about your child's safety, health, schoolwork, neighborhood, livelihood, faith, or who their friends are, and what they are doing those long nights...Paradise is where none of these things and the continuing millenia of horrors for man have existed.  Adam and Eve chose not to believe God when He told them: they would surely die if they ate of the fruit of the
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
There, began the brokenness that we now see in catastrophic terms because Satan got his foothold, and we, ourselves, can be stumbling blocks to ourselves and others- yes, even, evil beyond our worst nightmare.  But then, Christ broke into a downtrodden and hopeless world, except for the promises God had made to Abraham and his people, which are spoken of greatly all the way through the Old Testament.  God shared his Plan of Jesus as the Lamb of God and Sacrifice for OUR sins, so that it could be totally wiped clean, and we had the path, the Way, Jesus, to accept His loving plan of Salvation that He had made before the beginnings of time and the foundations of life here on earth.
The Only Place You Want to be for Eternity
Is Heaven!
Rapture possibility~ if it comes before you die~~~but if not saved, you won't go to Heaven and will have to endure the Tribulation of approximately 7 years- and THEN, my hope and prayer for you is that you accept Jesus as your personal Savior, so you WILL, indeed, get to Heaven!  You do NOT want to endure the Tribulation, so why are you waiting to make your decision for Christ? 
(Please hang in here and get beyond the terrible and even slighty wrong/difficult things we must bear on earth now...we get to the better part in full- well, with my limited vision and certainly GREAT truths of the Bible...)

No thinking if you have the right clothes ready for work tomorrow.  Small, but how about having no clothes for tomorrow or only one shabby "outfit," and no shoes with blistering feet, open cuts and much worse- perhaps a worm that invades your skin in your feet?  Yes, I have seen that on T.V.

Your kids are possibly getting sick from being around sick ones at school today

Your aging mother is getting so forgetful; you hope she does not set the kitchen on fire.

You will never have to suffer from lies, deceit, scheming, adultery, unfairness, torture, terrible mood swings, gloomy days, crying and feeling hopeless, unforgiveness- yours or someone else's.

You do not have to wait and wonder and feel stressed to the maximum on any health tests, maybe even cancer, because there will be no cancer and no sickness whatsoever!  No M.S., Multiple Sclerosis; no M.D., Muscular Dystrophy; no Huntington's, no Lupes or Rheumatoid Arthritis; no Parkinson's; no serious heart disease; no cancer, no bad health whatsoever!
What you will have in Heaven~~~

~Outstanding, beyond-measure weather and climate provided by our Heavenly Father- what an abundance of Goodness in all areas!! No tornadoes, hurricanes, mud slides, tsunamis, or forest fires, devastation by lava or any other natural or unnatural phenomena!
~No bills. No worrying about how to pay for this and that.
~No separation from God or many whom you love- and new ones you will meet there to love.
~You can explore anywhere in the universe (I believe to be so, just hoping :)!~Meaningful and beyond-your-wildest-dreams of “work” that is not actually work- your tasks will be helpful/beneficial/fruitful- or just for the FUN of it! ~You can get to do all of the things you never had time to do, or only dreamed that you could do: rock climbing, maybe fly to your favorite planet for exploration; swim in the most pure water from the River of Life- water we have never seen before since Adam and Eve walked in the Garden at the beginning of our existence as people…You and I will have lasting, eternal relationships with people who fought the good fight and faith and did not give up, surmounting unbelievable odds of a broken world and clinging to the Old Rugged Cross, our Rock, our Foundation, the Centerpiece of our existence, love, relationships, all things good and kind and true- our Jesus!!
We will have time to be with our Lord and Savior Jesus, often and unfettered; can you imagine? We might have to wait short waits because there will be lots of people who want to spend time with Him. We can be sure that Jesus will work us in, except that concept won’t even exist there, and as far as waiting, time will be stressful, no clocks. I don’t know if we will sleep, but there is no rushing, no scheduling unless you want to meet with perhaps, John the Baptist, Peter, Mary Magdalene, Mary~ Jesus' mother, and there will be banquets, feasts, parties that you could never imagine- oh, and you have a mansion of your very own that Christ made for you, and it took over 2,000+ years for Him to prepare a special place for YOU, just for you! With streets of gold so fine that they will be clear, transparent and shiny as glass, one can only begin to wonder at the beauty with the precious stones, what our homes will look like. To be sure, something we could not imagine or dream. Oh, your body will never grow old or sickly- our energy will be off the charts, in the PLUS zones, yet never hurrying madly to and fro. 
Whatever is unpleasant or awful in your life now- GONE forever; whatever is beautiful and good, increased exponentially in the Presence of our Lord~~~these are the truths of what you have to look forward.
Please Remember :)
To the Lord God: You have saved me. You came to earth as a wee Babe born of woman and the Holy Spirit; You fulfilled all the prophecies as told by the prophets in The Holy Bible. You are completely God and completely Man, Lord Jesus Christ.  You died on the cross for my sins and for everyone's. I choose You, which is Life eternal with You and other beloved who have chosen You, Jesus. Your will is that no one perish to Hell and separation, but some will go there. I will live my life on earth for you, to love you first, then others as myself. I will try not to make errors, but will and will ask your forgiveness as I go along. I will not give You up. I have been sealed by the Holy Spirit upon the moment of my acceptance of You.  You are the only One Who knows the perfect time to Return, always loving and fair, AND you are the Just Judge of each and all. You have told us to go to the ends of the earth (to our neighbors, the man and woman in our neighborhoods, street, across the way, etc., and of course other countries, around the world if You desire that for my life) to tell The Good News, the Gospel.  Once I have asked You into my heart and life as My Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit of God comes into my life and very self, to seal me forever in the Lord God. All of my sins that I had committed are put into the sea- as far as from east is to west- and You have forgotten them.  AMEN.  There is more, but this is the essence and Truth of what I believe as a Christian, one who fell away,*** but living for certain in His blessed assurance for 39 years seeking Him, the Lord, at a good, bona fide church~~~Jesus Christ-believing as the Son of God, fully God and fully Man, Who saves us and is our Lord.  Our church is Bible-teaching and believing and living (not a cult or false church or faith).  We fear God: this means to repect and to honor Him, to KNOW that He is in control, our Maker, our Keeper, the One Who gives us each breath and knows the number of our days here.  Yes, He loves us more than any other creature on the face of the earth; some day we. in Heaven, will even be above the angels there.  Our love for our own children and other loved ones does not compare with His for you, yet, His is The Great Example! Parental love is probably the closest we will get to understanding at this time. He will Return to us in The Second Coming! Time is short! Be prepared. Live as though He is coming tonight, yet live how it pleases Him, as though you will be here another 100 years. Be ready for Jesus because He IS COMING and SOON- no one knows the exact time. Make the decision for LIFE through the Only Way to the Father, the Son of God!~~~Who is Jesus of Nazareth as told in the Bible. Everything including prophets in the Old Testament pointed toward Jesus, and then everything in the New Testament told of His life here on earth as fully God, fully Man, Who suffered a terrible death with all sin put upon Him because He is the Only Perfect Lamb- Whose blood is acceptable to wash away our sins. He arose on the third day, was seen and walked with, ate with, and talked with over 500 people!  The Disciples watched as He ascended 40 days after His Resurrection  (Acts 1:9-11).  Jesus told them He was going to make a place for them in Heaven, and that He must go so that the Holy Spirit could come to be with them...to go and make disciples of all nations!!!  That is our quest~~~!  Ten days after Jesus' Ascension to the right hand of the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit (Pentecost), and the Disciples were "on fire" with the Message of Jesus Christ, the Gospel of the One and Only, the Good News.  Praise God!
***I most assuredly accepted Christ within weeks after I was married because the Holy Spirit kept allowing me to "hear" old, beautiful hymns I had grown up with and heard all my childhood in church.  Why did this happen to me?  Because God loves me- and you- with a LOVE so deep and profound and does everything in His power to lead us to Himself, in Christ Jesus, without interering with our free will - that He gave us!  Between God's incredible love for me and the power of prayer with Him from my mother and Royce's family- the Holy Spirit came upon me in this way.***
  Please, do not! let your concern or worry over where a loved one of yours went after death interfere with your decision for yourself!  God created both of you, your loved one and yourself.  The Lord works in a myriad of mysterious, obvious, and unseen ways that each of us does not see…
If you have that blessed assurance for yourself and/or a loved one, Celebrate!!  Don’t give up in praying for yourself and others in your life and BE SO GLAD.  We are the most blessed people upon the face of the earth.  Jesus Christ is our Creator, the Son of the Living God- Three Persons (yes, and God is also Spirit), the True God- all others, if purported to be divine, are false~ bar none!
A book I highly recommend for great, true Biblical insight into what we can expect and are assured in Heaven: read Author Dave Earley's, The 21 Most Amazing Truths about Heaven, Paperback– October 1, 2006
ENJOY now this beautiful musical piece by Michael Bethany, "You are My Reward":
If you have not read this blog's PARTS ONE AND TWO yet, please start at PART ONE of What I would Say to my Beloved If Their Salvation in Christ Jesus is Unsure:
PART TWO: God is Love and Jesus is the Only Way
May Christ richly bless you in the grace, love, compassion, mercy and salvation that only He offers!!
Donna M.

Saturday, April 4, 2015

How to Accept Jesus Christ as Your Personal Lord and Savior; Why Every Day is Easter When You Put Your Faith and Trust in Jesus Christ, Alone

....resurrection


Why Would Jesus Do Such a Thing?
April 12, 2020, Easter!

Various Translations of the Bible for Hebrews 13:8; Read the Whole Page

I have made some changes to the original  reposting...in my human nature, trying to improve.  However, Jesus and the Bible stand firm and unchanged, the Truth of God Almighty always into eternity. 
Dedicated Posting today to my close friends whose birthdays have fallen on Easter one year or another in their lifetimes.>>>
In Jesus there is His glory, the lowliness on earth for us, the pain and torture He received, plus His mightiness in miracles, teaching, compassion, and the Truth in authority and intensity with which He spoke to the Pharisees and the Sadducees.  In addition to all of the prophecy that came true in complete fulfillment in Christ in the God-Man, Jesus of Nazareth- there is the one absolute true happening that sets Jesus apart~~~ 
It is His Death and Resurrection, especially the latter, as proof that He was and is Who He said He is- Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I AM.  Some have said, and I agree, that Christ's rising from the grave, to be seen by 500 people in a period of 40 days from His death before His own ascension to Heaven, this Jesus of Nazareth being raised from the grave by God the Father was His stamp of approval, so to speak, that Jesus was and is-
His Son, the Son of God, as He had said He was!! 
Earlier as Jesus was dying on that cross, the veil was rent, or torn, from top to bottom, that separated the Holy of Holies, the ultimate place of God from the world in the Temple.  That curtain reminded the Hebrews/Israelites that sin separated them from God, but now it was torn asunder!  "And the Centurion and those who were guarding Yeshua, when they saw the quake and those things that happened, they were very afraid, and they said, 'Truly, this was The Son of God.'”
Mark 15:39 - Aramaic Bible in Plain English

The Veil Torn In Two from Hebrew for Christians
The Parochet Torn in Two

Again, Why would Jesus do such a thing? 

That question above is the most important question that exists, (it is truly second in importance since the first question of Life, your life, is: Do You Put Your Trust and Believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior?), and the answer is something that every human being must know.  It is simple, yet some would make you think it is complicated or even foolishness.
Here it is, in a nutshell:

God truly loves you with all of His might, all of His Being, all of His Power, Longsuffering and Kindness!!  When you become/are His in Jesus, you have power and authority in Almighty God!  No stronger power in all the heavens, earth and even below the earth exists is there.  You can always call on Jesus and God (also, the Holy Spirit), and They/He will never, ever, ever let you down.  "No fear," the Bible says that 365 times.  Please read on...
God the Father is One part of the One God, the Triune Almighty Lord God.  There is no one else before Him or after Him, (the Alpha and the Omega) who could even come close to His Love, Mercy, Glory, Longsuffering (Patience), Kindness, GRACE, and Holiness.  Everything about God~~~ His character, His Names, His attributes are GOOD.  He is Holy.  He is just and fair.  God cannot have sin.
Grace comes into play because He loves us so much that He makes a Way, Who is Jesus Christ, His Son, to be the One Who paid the TOTAL penalty for the sins of men and women.  HE is the ONE WHO washes our sins away; they no longer exist!  Who could imagine or think that there is this kind of Lord GOD (some of His Names in Hebrew):
Exodus 3:14, English Standard Version (ESV)
14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: I am has sent me to you.’” BibleGateway.com
Ehyeh asher ehyeh literally translates as "I Am Who I Am."; Jehovah Rapha~ the Lord Who heals you; Elohim~ the First Name of God, the Creator and Judge of the Universe; El Roi~ the God Who sees me (Hagar, who bore Ishmael, the servant of Abram and Sarai; El Shaddai~ God Almighty, etc., seemingly unending (has anyone seen all the character and aspects of
the Lord God Jehovah?  No, not even the angels.). 
Jesus is the Perfect Lamb; He has no sin.  Jesus is part of the Godhead, and He is also completely Man when He allowed Himself to come to earth in human form, a helpless little baby boy, born to a very young woman and man.  (Jesus was conceived in a young virgin, Mary, as the Holy Spirit, the third part of the Trinty, passed over her.)  Joseph and Mary were visited by angels at various times to explain what was happening. 
Mary gave her consent to become the mother of Jesus; she, considering herself lowly, was honored to do this for her Lord~ and the Babe Who was her own Lord and Savior! 

Mary, Did You Know? Pentatonix youtube (Lyrics by Mark Lowry)

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How shall this be, since I have no husband?” 35 And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. 36 ¶ And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Luke 1:26-38
The Annunciation to Mary
From:  https://getstarted.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/the-angel-visits-mary/
When Jesus was a boy, he astounded the learned men of the temple with His insight, questions, and understanding of the Scripture.  Jesus helped his father Joseph who was a carpenter in Nazareth, a city in Israel.  At the age of 30, Jesus went to see John the Baptist and was baptized- that was the beginning of His 3 years here on earth to teach and challenge us, in love, to show Who He is and to make the way for us to become true disciples of Jesus Christ.  Jesus performed many, many miracles, taught the people about God and how they, the people, should be loving and kind, and to ask for forgiveness of sins.  Jesus told us the following:
John 14:2-3 -  New King James Version (NKJV)
2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:2
Our church Community Life Church (please do visit online and in person! Great series there at Easter and always) had a conference a few weeks ago (original posting in 2015).  We were so privileged to hear two people- thank you so much, Glenn and Jordanne!- who are in the ministry and mission of Jesus Christ and our faith for disciples of Christ to pass on the Good News: Disciples Making Disciples...and so it goes.  They are called "The Gathering."  (See the link at this paragraph's end, please.)  Glenn said that Jesus always: 1) invited, then 2) challenged the people.  This invitation and challenge is still happening today!  Please think about that...leave comments if you like; we can get a discussion going.  I am very interested in what you think.  Jordanne talked about each person or married couple invite people in their neighborhoods or circles of influence, if you will. For instance, the Christian disciple invites some folks over for a meal, perhaps, the second and fourth weeks of each month on Saturday.  People can take turns on this venture, and it can be pot-luck, where each one brings a dish or tasty treat :)  The people become friends, just like the Disciples did so in Bible times---people gather and have good relationships as friends, and they may discuss a topic or just talk about the week and what is going on.  People get involved in each other's lives and needs, and God is apt to come into the discussion.  There is nothing surreptitious about this good thing, whatsoever.  The Christians are not covering up any agenda- they are opening their lives to be with other people- maybe from work, their neighborhood, as I said, school gatherings, and so forth. 
The Gathering, A Missional Community
  From, through, and in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, our God~~~disciples making more disciples, of course! with the leading of the Holy Spirit, staying and learning in the fellowship, worshiping the Lord and staying in His Word, The Holy Bible.  After all, Jesus' last words to us as He ascended to Heaven to return to the right hand of God, the Father, were:
 Before he was taken up, working in the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus instructed the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he showed them that he was alive with many convincing proofs. He appeared to them over a period of forty days, speaking to them about God’s kingdom. While they were eating together, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for what the Father had promised. He said, “This is what you heard from me: John baptized with water, but in only a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
As a result, those who had gathered together asked Jesus, “Lord, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now?”
Jesus replied, “It isn’t for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has set by his own authority. Rather, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
After Jesus said these things, as they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going away and as they were staring toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood next to them. They said, “Galileans, why are you standing here, looking toward heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you saw him go into heaven.”Acts 1:1-11 (CEB)
When we give our hearts and minds, our lives, to Jesus and try to live the very best we can and to do things that Jesus would want us to do for helping others and to spread the Gospel so that others people can join in the Kingdom of God, then Jesus is our Savior and our Lord, and when we die, we will immediately to to Heaven to be present with the Lord.  Please, do not forget that Jesus also told us about Hell many, many times in the Bible- He spoke about it.  We go one of two places upon death, Heaven or Hell.  I so hope and pray you choose Life in Christ, Madam or Sir.
How do you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior and Have Eternal Life with Him?
Tell God, pray to Him, that you want Him to be the Lord of your Life, that you believe in and have faith- you trust Jesus, His Son, that He died for your sins, and you accept Him forever as your Savior.  Tell God from your heart; that is what matters.  You can say to Him from your own words, or here is a sample Salvation Prayer that you may want to say, right now.  Be earnest and sincere:
Dear Lord God our Father, I do believe and trust in Jesus Christ, your Son.  I know that He took all the punishment that would have been due me for sins and problems that are my fault.  I want to change.  I want to follow You as your disciple and walk with You each day.  Come, Holy Spirit, to live within me to guide, protect, and direct my life in the way only You are able.  Help me do the best that I can for You, Lord.  Thank You so much, In Jesus' Name, Amen, So be it.

It is not how we, as people, think things should be~~~ that is established only by our Creator, Lord and Savior.  We are His, God's, and God created all that is.  We are not our own!!  Mighty God (omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent), the King of kings and Lord of lords, so very much with all of His Being and His Holy Character, wants us to continue being His children by accepting the One, Pure Replacement for us and the wrongs we have done.  Jesus is the Only Way.
1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 
In Jesus, God's Son, He forgives all and everything in each of us!  Believe it!###

God's Wrath
God poured out His wrath on Jesus, His Son, to pay the price that you, nor I, could never pay because we are sinful, imperfect, missing the mark- however you say that.  Jesus was God's propiation for our sins, so that we could be made right with God.
God's Wrath on Unrighteousness, His Judgment, and Righteousness Upheld
Romans 1:18-3:19)
God is always love, but HE IS GOD, and He sets the Requirement (Jesus Christ) for our sins, not us.  We are made in HIS image.
God is Spirit, yet Three Persons in One God.

***
What a beautiful picture of Christ coming up from the grave, The Resurrection power of God, His stamp of approval that Jesus Christ is the Perfect Atonement for our sins. Thanks to Jeannie Smith, Reasons to Believe, with Pinterest and lostseed.com !
Lord and Savior, OUR JESUS, Has Risen!!
Happy Easter, Beloved, to all nations...
>>>This posting is dedicated to all of my friends who have had their birthdays on Easter over the years or very close to that Most Special of Days- the Remembrance of Why We are Disciples of Christ!~~~ Cheryl Patton (in memoriam, so very thankful she is in Heaven with her Jesus), Rosalie Nichols, and Stephanie Obertop- today!, my sweet, younger sister-in-law, Lori Ballinger, Debbie Helmken, Pat McClenny, Holly Barclay, Sally Pesta, and Debbie Warner!  Happy Birthday, Easter Babies!  I was born on Easter Day, and yet my birth date has never fallen on this great Holy Day again-
not yet, anyway!
Donna M.