The Most Important Decision
The most important decision of your life needs to be made today.
For forgiveness of your sins, and to receive God’s eternal salvation, build your life on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ.
These passages from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, tell you how:
So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. (Romans 10:17) Hear the Word of the Lord.
But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. (Romans 3:21)
For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) Believe that Jesus Christ is God’s son, the Messiah (the Savior), the one sent to save us from the hell we deserve for our sins, and instead allow us to live with Him today and in heaven for all eternity.
But the tax collector stood at a distance
and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O
God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ (Luke 18:13) See
your need of Jesus and acknowledge that you are a sinner (repent, which means to turn away from your sin.)
If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that
God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your
heart that you are made right with God, and it is
by openly declaring your faith that you
are saved. (Romans 10:9-10) Confess that Jesus is Lord and that you want Him to be Lord of your life!
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
But too many people stop at this point.
They think that since they are now "saved" they can go about doing whatever they want, thinking salvation is like a get-out-of-hell-free card, or an insurance policy.
On Sunday they heard and believed that Jesus died for them, they wept, said they had repented, or were repentant in that emotional moment, saying that they accepted the free gift of salvation, yet on Monday they went their own way again, doing what they wanted, and not what the Lord says is right.
Paul warns us against this type of thinking, and Jesus also warned against this in the Parable of the Sower. This is Jesus talking, as written down in the book of Matthew, chapter 13:
18 “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: 19 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. 20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. 23 The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
The Bible tells us that true salvation involves a heart change. This is called "repentance" (which means a turn, an about-face, a turning away from sin):
Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. (Acts 3:19)
But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. (1 John 1:7-9) Confess your sins and apologize to God, turn away from your sins, and follow what Jesus Christ says to do: Be baptized and abide with Him (faithfully follow Christ).
Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)
In the
Bible, when people believed and accepted Christ, they were immediately
baptized (there was no "Baptism Sunday.")
Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. (Luke 3:3)
Getting baptized is a public declaration that your old life of sin is being washed away; and it is the dawn of your living in a new way, following Jesus Christ as Lord of your life.
Moments prior to being baptized you will openly declare your faith in Jesus Christ to others. You will be asked who Jesus is to you. If your answer is that Jesus is the Christ (which means "Messiah" or "Savior") and that He is the Son of the Living God, then you will be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Baptism is the Gospel Re-enacted! Jesus died, was buried, and was resurrected. In baptism, you are "Putting on Christ" or "Clothing yourself in Christ" - you are dying to your sin, being buried in water, and being resurrected to a New Life in Christ!
In the book of Acts, Chapter 2, Peter preached the very first sermon on the Day of Pentecost:
38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” 40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” 41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. Colossians 2:11-12
5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
Jesus Himself said, "And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." Mark 16:15-16 (A person who believes will do as Christ says; a person who does not believe, won't.)
"For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." Galatians 3:27
Abide in Him (Live faithfully, following Christ):
Luke 3:8a says: “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’…”
Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said,
“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way,
take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life,
you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the
sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you
gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than
your soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these
adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that
person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
(Mark 8:34-38) Determine to follow God’s ways, not your own.
But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve…But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15) Live faithfully!
And, “He is the stone that makes people stumble,the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:8-9) Thank Him and ask Him to lead you in your new life! Abide daily in Jesus Christ.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
To learn more, read this short article, What is “The Gospel”? from Got Questions.org.
A longer article on why Jesus had to die for us is found on EveryStudent.com, “Why Did Jesus Die?”
I thought these two articles were very succinct and meaningful.
You may also wish to read my post Spreading the Gospel.
An easy-to-remember recap:
HEAR the Word of God
BELIEVE that Jesus is the Son of God, who came to save us from the penalty of our sins
REPENT of your sins - turn away from them
CONFESS your faith in Jesus as Christ, the Son of God, your Lord and Savior
BE BAPTIZED into Christ
LIVE FAITHFULLY!
God wants His house here on Earth, and all of Heaven, to be FULL of His worshipers!
His desire is for ALL to be saved! But you have to accept His free gift of Salvation. All of the above are requirements for Salvation.
Don't I just have to say "The Sinner's Prayer" to be Saved?
Above, I am reading the booklet, "What Must I Do to be Saved?" by Glenn McCoy
Below, I am reading an 18 page booklet entitled "The Many Facets of Your Salvation" by Stanley Sherman:
Have the Bible read to you:
Here is a link to someone reading the entire 66 books of the Bible on YouTube. It is the King James Version, which is a bit more difficult to understand in some places due to our changing language, but it is beautifully written and pleasing to listen to.
Buy a Dramatized Bible Reading from Amazon:
The Word of Promise Audio Bible, 66 books in the New King James, which has language that has been modernized, for $42. You can listen to a sample.
The 30 Day Challenge:
Free Newsletter: House to House, Heart to Heart
Email Matt@housetohouse.com or Get.housetohouse.com to see if they can send you an 8 page newsletter for free. I'm really enjoying mine! The articles have been extremely interesting and compelling, and they also have one or two puzzles to complete in each newsletter, which I also enjoy.
2025 Topics will be:
January - Is Jesus real or legend?
February - Three facts that changed the world forever
March - Do we obey the 10 commandments today?
April - The doctor who never lost a case
May - Don't lose your Bible in church
Spring Special Issue - Calvinism versus the Bible
June - Jesus never watched sheep, but He is the Good Shepherd
July - Who are the churches of Christ?
August - A farmer who never plowed a field
September - Are all religions equally valid?
October - Jesus made a blood donation for you
November - Defeating the 3 enemies within
December - Standing knee-deep in a river of blessings
From the April HousetoHouse.com newsletter: Don't Join Just ANY Church
All up and down this troubled land confusion reigns today, as honest folks on every hand in doubt are heard to say, "I cannot tell which church to join, there are so very many." To them we offer this advice -- you never should join any!
You cannot join the church of Christ; no man can vote you in. The Lord Himself will add you, when He saves you from your sin. Then take no chances, neighbor; this race but once you'll run. A church you'd join would be of man, and not the proper one.
Beware a church you cannot find within the sacred pages; Be safe, dear sinner; rest your soul upon the Rock of Ages. Be added to His blood-bought church, and drink salvation's cup. For every plant God planted not, it shall be rooted up.
No mourner's bench on Pentecost, the inspired Peter fitted, But said, "Repent and be baptized, that your sins may be remitted." The Lord, who saved and added those who did, that day, His will, Will do the same for you, dear friend, for He is adding still.
Let not false teachers lead you wrong, not close your eyes in slumber; When Jesus said, He'd build His church, Twas not in plural number! No choice of churches, neighbor mine, is found beneath the sun, Though men may have ten thousand, our Savior had but one.
"The Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." Acts 2:47
World Video Bible School.org
video.wvbs.org is a wonderful way to learn more about God, Jesus Christ, and the Bible. There are over 1000 videos, and they are all free! I’ve watched several and they have great theology and stick close to the Bible. They will answer your questions about core Christian principles and deep spiritual topics.
They also have a FREE school to become a preacher of God's Word. I am currently auditing the video classes. It is free, I can watch the videos whenever I want, and I don't have to take any tests!
I was in a stagnant place in my Bible reading and I am thrilled to be learning more theology from very qualified "old-fashioned" Bible teachers!
I have bookmarked the above page so it is easy for me to find each morning.
Church Services Online
You can watch a church service that adheres strictly to the Biblical truths at JustChristians.org, in either Spanish or English.
There are now many churches having their sermons online, but whom can you trust?
Personally, I choose to listen to ministers from the Church of Christ. Churches of Christ are elder-led, independent churches (no headquarters) who follow the New Testament teachings to the best of their ability. They also have a tradition of singing worship songs a capella. Christianity.com 10 Things to Know about CofC History and Beliefs does good job of quickly explaining what they believe.
- Adhere solely to the Bible (sola scriptura). Bible is the “constitution” of the church and practices.
- Autonomous congregations that are solely elder-led.
- Elders are chosen by each congregation using 1 Tim. 3:1-8 qualifications.
- Male-led congregations: Ministers, teachers, evangelists, missionaries.
- Congregations decide how to help the widows, orphans, and aged.
- Congregations decide how to help preach the gospel worldwide.
- Believer’s baptism by immersion.
- Communion is taken together every Sunday.
- Church believes in spiritual unity with other Christians based upon the Bible.
- Church tries to represent in modern times Christ’s original church first established on Pentecost.
[Warning Note: The United Church of Christ is NOT the same church. Whenever you see United in a church title they will often teach a Social Justice gospel – not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Also, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a Mormon church (cult) and is not affiliated with the Churches of Christ.]
As a recap:
Churches of Christ regularly teach that the process of salvation comprises the subsequent actions:
- – One must be properly taught, and hear (Romans 10:14-17);
- – One must believe or have faith (Hebrews 11:6, Mark 16:16, John 3:16, Acts 2:37);
- – One must repent, which means turning from one’s former lifestyle and choosing God’s ways (Acts 2:38; Acts 17:30; Acts 3:19, Luke 13:3 and 5);
- – One must confess belief that Jesus is the son of God (Acts 8:36–37, Romans 10:10, and Matt: 10:32-33);
- – One must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38 and 41; Mark 16:15-16; Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:11-12) and
- – One must live faithfully as a Christian (obey Christ and abide with him) (Revelation 2:10 and 1 Peter 2:9).
Directory of churches of Christ in the USA
Directory of churches of Christ worldwide
Salvation is promised to those who believe, accept, and obey Jesus Christ. Peter declared that about Jesus: "There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under Heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)
Jesus stated, "For unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins." (John 8:24)
Also, Jesus said, "Not everyone that says to me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father, who is in Heaven." (Matt. 7:21)
The Church of Christ is not affiliated with any denomination or group. We study no book but the Bible and regard that authority in all we do: in worship, in teaching, and in benevolence.
12 Compelling Reasons for Attending Church on Sundays & Wednesday Evenings
- To be with Jesus (Matthew 18:20)
- To find personal peace and satisfaction (Philippians 4:7)
- To have the Scriptures opened in fuller understanding to us (Luke 24:45)
- To receive, and give, comfort and encouragement in fellowship (Hebrews 10:24)
- To exercise our faith (Romans 10:17)
- To maintain our spiritual fervor (Matthew 24:12)
- To feed our spiritual appetites (Matthew 5:6)
- To teach your children and grandchildren the importance of regular attendance (Matt 5:6)
- To seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33)
- To be inspired and admonished by the singing of spiritual songs (Colossians 3:16)
- To be strengthened and comforted in prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
- To cast your vote for righteousness and godliness and against closing the church (Matthew 12:30)
The above was written by Stanley Sherman, digested from an article by Bobby Dockery "Compelling Reasons for Attending Church."
Will Your Children Go To Heaven?
Proverbs 22:6 tells us to "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." A survey showed that:
- When both parents were active in the work of the Church, 93% of the children remained faithful to the Lord
- When one parent was active, 73% of their children remained faithful
- When both parents were only marginally faithful, their children remained faithful only 53% of the time
- When both parents attended church infrequently, only 6% of their children continued in the faith
Which of the 4 describes your household? It is not too late to change!
(Via the bulletin of the Grant Street church of Christ in Decatur, Alabama)
Sunset Church of Christ in Lubbock, Texas is at Sunset Connect on YouTube (link will take you to their most recent videos). In the video below, they have 10 songs interspersed throughout the talking. Songs on the link below include We’re Marching to Zion; Great Things; All to Us; Highly Exalted; In Need; I Stand in Awe; Let It Rise; the Celtic song Oh How Good It Is (one of my favs); His Grace Reaches Me; and Build Your Kingdom Here.
Janine
ALL of the following information is from Stanley Sherman's 8 page December 2025 newsletter:
HELL - THE PLACE OF NO RETURN
After the resurrection and judgment, "Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:14).
What will hell be like?
- Hell is eternal.
- "These will go away into eternal punishment..." (Matt. 25:46)
- Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 "...when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from Heaven with His mighty angels 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. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power."
- Hell is endless! If you had a solid steel ball the size of a basketball and you placed a tiny ant to walk around the circumference of that ball continually, by the time it wore a path all the way through that steel ball cutting it in half, no matter how many thousands or millions of years it would take - it would be as if eternity was just beginning! It has no end.
- Hell is a place of eternal fire. The word "hell" is translated from the Greek word Gehenna, which was named after a literal narrow gorge called Gehenna near Jerusalem.
- It was the place where some of the worst, wicked atrocities of Jewish history occurred - like when their own innocent children were being offered there to the idol Baal.
- In Jesus' day, Gehenna was a continually burning garbage dump. Jesus appropriated that place and name to illustrate the continual burning of hell.
- Jesus spoke of the day when His angels "will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
- "And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day nor night..." (Rev 14:11)
- Not only is hell an eternal furnace of fire, it's also A PLACE OF DARKNESS.
- Not only darkness (2 Peter 2:4), but outer darkness (Matthew 25:30). Not only outer darkness but the blackness of darkness. In Jude 13, the writer, Jude, is describing false teachers, said "for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever."
- Those who joke they'll have a lot of company in hell - they even won't see them!
- Furthermore, hell is a place of PAIN.
- Matthew 25:30 describes hell as a place where there is "weeping and gnashing of teeth."
- When one endures constant intensely severe pain of the body, they often cry and grit their teeth. Some who just can't stand it anymore choose to commit suicide. But there is no suicide relief in hell.
- But there is also the intense mental pain of regret - knowing you could have escaped this place by obeying the gospel, or having been more faithful as a Christian - putting Christ first in your life [not being a Christian in name only]. The pain of memory and regret is constant because THOSE IN HELL RETAIN THEIR MENTAL FACULTIES (re-read Luke 16:10-31 about the rich man and Lazarus).
- Hell is also the place of NO REST - No relief! "And the smoke of their torments goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day or night..." (Revelation 14:11)
- There is NO HOPE in hell. Because there is no end. "But your iniquities [sins] made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear..." (Isaiah 59:2)
- Hell is the place of Divided Families
- If I could hear my mother pray again, If I could hear her tender voice as then, so glad I'd be, would mean so much to me, if I could hear my mother pray again. She used to pray that I on Jesus would rely and always walk the shining gospel way trusting in His love. And she is now at rest, with Him above. Ollie Gilbert
- If everyone knew what hell is like, the church buildings would be filled beyond capacity! "The Lord is not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9) GOD does not send you to hell. HELL WAS CREATED FOR SATAN and his minions. YOU SEND YOURSELF TO HELL! It's nobody's fault but your own! Jude tells us in verse 23 that Christians are to warn family, friends, and neighbors "...save others, snatching them out of the fire..." - HERE IS YOUR WARNING! WILL YOU HEED IT? Will you OBEY the Gospel?
- If you have not OBEYED the gospel of Christ, you are but a single heartbeat away from torments in Hades after your death; and finally, eternally in hell after the Judgement (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10). Seriously, is that your life CHOICE?
But there is GOOD NEWS! You can CHOOSE to OBEY the Gospel of Christ and go to Paradise after your death and go to your eternal home in Heaven to be with God after Christ's return and the Judgement.
From the Simple English Bible:
Hebrews 5:9 "After Jesus was made perfect, He became the Source of eternal salvation for everyone who will OBEY Him."
Romans 1:16 "I am not ashamed of the Good News (the Gospel) because it is God's power for saving anyone who believes it - Jews first, then non-Jews (aka Gentiles)."
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 "...I am telling you the Good News ... If you hold onto the Good News which I told you, then, through it, you are being saved - unless you believed it for nothing [you fall away. First of all, I passed on to you the same thing which as passed on to me [Apostle Paul]: Christ died for our sins (the Scriptures told about this before it happened). He [Jesus Christ] was buried and was raised from death on the third day (the Scriptures foretold this, too)."
Romans 6:3-8; 17-18 "You know that all of us were immersed [baptized] into Christ Jesus. Don't you know that we were immersed into His death? So, through immersion, we were buried with Him into death. Christ as raised from death through the glory of the Father. In the same way, we will live a new life. Because IF we have been planted with Christ, dying as He died, we will also be raised to life with Him. You know that our sinful selves were nailed to the cross with Christ, so that the body of sin would lose its power, so that sin will no longer be used to make us slaves. A person who dies has been set free from sin. Since we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him."
Galatians 3:26-27 "You were all immersed into Christ. So, you were all clothed with Christ. You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus."
Revelation 22:14-15 "The people who wash their robes are happy. They will have the right to eat from the Tree of Life and the right to enter the city. But, outside the city, there are wild dogs, occult people, sexual sinners, murderers, idol-worshipers, and every person who always likes to tell a lie."
[The Bible tells us in several places that our sins are washed away in baptism - we are "washed in the blood of the Lamb" - Jesus is the only sacrificial Lamb we need anymore - our robes are made white when we are "clothed" with Jesus - when we are washed by His blood. There is a famous hymn by Elisha Hoffman that sums this up well called Are You Washed in the Blood of the Lamb? -
1 Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing pow'r?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Refrain:
Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless?
Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
2 Are you walking daily by the Savior's side?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Do you rest each moment in the Crucified?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? [Refrain]
3 When the Bridegroom cometh will your robes be white?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Will your soul be ready for the mansions bright,
and be washed in the blood of the Lamb? [Refrain]
4 Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin.
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
There’s a fountain flowing for the soul unclean.
O be washed in the blood of the Lamb! [Refrain]]
HEAR the TRUTH "Since a person believes something because he hears about it, he should hear the message of Christ." (Romans 10:17)
FAITH changes the HEART "When the people heard this [Peter's very first sermon on the Day of Pentecost in the first century] they felt a sharp, cutting pain in their conscience. They asked Peter and the other apostles, "What should we do?" Then Peter answered, "Change your hearts [repent] and each one of you must be immersed by the authority of Jesus the Messiah so that your sins may be forgiven. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit [eternal life]. (Acts 2:37-38)
REPENTANCE decides "So change your hearts! Come back to God, so that He may wipe out your sins." (Acts 3:19)
BAPTISM changes the relationship you have with God. "You were all immersed into Christ. So, you were all clothed with Christ. You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:26-27); "The person who believes it and is immersed will be saved, but the person who doesn't believe it will be condemned." (Mark 16:16)
FAITHFUL, obedient Christian service as His church [His body] ASSURES us of heaven! "I [John] wrote these things to you people who believe in the authority of the Son of God [Jesus Christ]. I wanted you to KNOW that you have eternal life now (1 John 5:13) "Be faithful, even if you must die. I will give you the crown of life." (Revelation 2:10); "The people who wash their robes are happy. They will have the right to eat from the Tree of Life and the right to enter the city. [The heavenly city of God] (Rev. 22:14)
The Blessings of Heaven
Jesus promises, "Do not let your heart be troubled, believe in God; believe also in Me. In my Father's house are many dwelling places...I go to prepare a place for you. If I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also...I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (John 14:1-3; 6)
- We can hope to the end for the joys yet to be revealed (1 Peter 1:13) as we look for the glorious appearing of the Lord (Titus 2:13). Because our citizenship is truly in heaven, we have genuine hope as an anchor of the soul as we look for a better country (Hebrews 11:16).
- Christians comfort one another with the eager anticipation of being received into glory after the toils of this life have come to an end (Psalm 73:24; 23:6)
- Heaven is a place of rest from the hardships on earth (Rev 14:13) and (Hebrews 4:11)
- Heaven is a place of rejoicing for those who were faithful
- "Well done, good and faithful servant...enter into the joy of your Lord." (Matt. 25:21)
- Heaven is a place of reunion and recognition (Genesis 37:35; 2 Samuel 12:23 and Matt 8:11)
- There are so many blessings of Heaven referenced throughout the Bible, and there are many more not revealed that we cannot possibly even imagine!
The most important questions are:
Do you really WANT to go to Heaven?
Are you prepared?
Have you OBEYED the Gospel?
Remember that Jesus Christ is coming again.
Christ could come - even before this day ends!
When Christ comes, everyone will know it.
When Christ comes, everyone will also know where they stand.
When Christ comes back again, on that day YOU will know where you stand.
Right now you are but a heartbeat from your place in Hades - either torments or paradise!
Won't you come to HIM before He comes?
Sorry, I Never Knew You
by Naomi (2011)
Last night as I lay sleeping, a dream came to me
I dreamed about the end of time, about eternity
I saw a million sinners fall on their knees to pray
The Lord He sadly shook His head and this I heard Him say,
"Sorry, I never knew you; depart from me forever more.
Sorry, I never knew you; go and serve the one that you served before."
I thought the time had fully come that I must stand the trial.
I told the Lord that I had been a Christian all the while.
But through His book he took a look and sadly shood his head,
and placed me over on His left, and this I heard Him say:
"Sorry, I never knew you; I find no record of your birth.
Sorry, I never knew you; go and serve the one that you served on Earth."
There were my wife and children. I heard their loving voice.
They must have been so happy, oh how they did rejoice!
Their robes of white around them; their faces all aglow.
My little girl looked over at me, and this I heard her say:
"Daddy, we can't go with you; we must dwell in the joys of our Lord.
Sorry, for we still love you, but you cannot be our daddy anymore."
Now, when I had awakened, the tears were in my eyes;
And looking all around me, there to my surprise,
were my loving babies! I knew it was a dream!
Down beside that bed of mine, you should have heard me scream:
"Father! Who art in glory, I know thou gavest thine only son.
Father! Please forgive me! For I want to be ready when you come!"
Matthew 7:21-23: “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’"
You have heard many parables about the second coming of Jesus. Many stories have people disappearing with family members searching for them. This is just fiction though. It is not in the Bible. When Jesus comes back for the second time, everyone will know it, all at the same time. Everyone will see Him. Everyone will hear. The Bible says:
"The day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, 'Peace and Safety!' then destruction will come upon them suddenly..." (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3)
"For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so will the coming of the son of man be." (Matthew 24:27)
"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the arch-angel and with the trumpet of God..." (1 Thess. 4:16)
Revelation 6:12-17 says, " I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood. Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind. The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places. Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?”
Unsaved people will be thinking, "No! No! No! I'm not ready! I must hide!" but there will be no place to hide.
"But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be burned up." (2 Peter 3:10)
"For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body." (2 Corinthians 5:10)
"And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire." (Rev 20:11-15)
Christ is coming.
Christ could come even before this day is done.
When Christ comes, everyone will know it.
When Christ comes, you and I will be there before the throne of judgment.
When Christ comes, you and I and everyone else will know where we stand.
Where are the dead awaiting the judgment, and what's their final destination? Stanley Sherman answers:
- In Revelation 1:18 (NLT) Jesus said, "I was dead and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and Hades."
- His resurrection from the dead gave Christ the authority (keys) to ultimately open both death and Hades.
- But death and Hades are not the same:
- Death claims the human body. Hades claims the soul. Hebrews 9:27 "...It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment."
- The Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Sheol, Hades is the temporary abode of the soul awaiting the resurrection and judgment after death, and is distinct from the final states of hell or of heaven.
- Hades is divided into two compartments separated by a great chasm, or gulf:
- After death, a person enters either the part of Hades for the righteous saved called Paradise, or the part of the wicked unrighteous called Torments.
- After the final judgment, the righteous will enter heaven, and the wicked will be cast into hell - which is described in the Bible this way:
- Romans 6:3-8; 17-18 "You know that all of us were immersed [baptized] into Christ Jesus. Don't you know that we were immersed into His death? So, through immersion, we were buried with Him into death. Christ as raised from death through the glory of the Father. In the same way, we will live a new life. Because IF we have been planted with Christ, dying as He died, we will also be raised to life with Him. You know that our sinful selves were nailed to the cross with Christ, so that the body of sin would lose its power, so that sin will no longer be used to make us slaves. A person who dies has been set free from sin. Since we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him."
- Galatians 3:26-27 "You were all immersed into Christ. So, you were all clothed with Christ. You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus."
- Revelation 22:14-15 "The people who wash their robes are happy. They will have the right to eat from the Tree of Life and the right to enter the city. But, outside the city, there are wild dogs, occult people, sexual sinners, murderers, idol-worshipers, and every person who always likes to tell a lie."
- Rev. 20:11-15 "And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire."
- Revelation 21:7-8 "All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
- Jesus gives us a glimpse of the dead in Hades in His parable (teaching illustration) of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31:
- Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.
“Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried, and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.
“The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’
“But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’
“Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’
“But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’
“The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’
“But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Poster from WVBS.org
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