Evil…Where?

 

I grew up in a rural sleepy town and worked on a dairy farm. My exposure to the outside world was limited, at best. Shortly after graduation I moved to central Florida and became a cop. I quickly realized that I was not in “Kansas” anymore. It was not the state; it was the job. What was once hidden from view became my life.

Indescribable evil is what first responders deal with on a daily basis. They are not called to celebrate a birthday party unless someone drank too much, pulled their pocket knife, and proceeded to take their aggression out on a family member they “love”. People do not call 911 to wish the Thin Blue Line a Merry Christmas. They call those three numbers because they have reached their capacity to control a horrible situation. They call good men and women into the Devil’s lair where his presence is palpable.  

It did not take me long to stop asking the question “why?” In the end, there is no answer that will satisfy one’s intellect for the heinous crimes violent criminals commit. All I could do was handle the situation, clean up the bodies, and move on to the next call. Nothing will allow me to listen to that answer and think, “Oh, now that makes sense” except evil. That is not a simple answer; it is the most complex answer we have, for in it are all the troubles of this world.  

When someone lashes out, they have simply followed through with the evil that is already in their heart. It makes us feel better to put a title, a drug, a horrible parent, poverty, wealth (as is the case in CT.), etc. so that we can rebuild the false walls of security in our naïve minds. That way when someone else decides to do something as hideous as shoot kids or use a hammer to beat their neighbor to death (Jared Brooks, Seffner, FL 12-15-12), we can search for a title and go to sleep thinking, “See, that’s why he did it, his mom was dismissive of his needs.” Really?

Where’s God?

God has clearly given us free will. From the beginning of time, we have run from the very God who loves us. The Bible—history—records one generation after another who chose death over life, hate over love, and self over others. Our possessiveness, anger, and wrath are the headlines of antiquity. Where is God we ask? God is where He’s always been, here (Rom. 5:8). He awaits our choice to turn towards Him or remain distant from Him. His arms are not crossed while tapping his foot and scowling. He is waiting with anxious anticipation of our return to His ways (Pro. 8:17). He runs to greet those who return to Him (Luke 15:20). He desires love yet we continue to desire hate. From those feelings of jealousy of a fellow worker to planning their ruin, we turn our back on the only source of hope; Jesus Christ.

Christmas is a time to remember that He came to save us from His wrath and it is our choice (1 Jhn.4:9-12). The answer to “Why?” is simple: evil exists in the heart of each of us and only God can cleanse us of our own self-destruction (Mth.12:35).

Freewill; the greatest gift, our greatest failure.

“So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.” 1 John 3:10

 

Jesus is a Myth

 

For several years, billboards loudly proclaiming that Jesus is a myth have sprung up around Christmas time. Various atheists’ groups are proud to claim responsibility. One such sign, recently erected in Times Square, depicts a rendition of Jesus with the words “Jesus is a Myth”. As a Christian, I could not be happier…once again, Jesus gets free advertisement. I almost feel bad for Buddha (originally, Siddhattha Gotama), Shiva, Vishnu, Muhammad, Joseph Smith, L. Ron Hubbard, and thousands of others who apparently do not rise to the level of concern for atheists. Only Jesus of Nazareth rises to such distinction. So strong are their feelings towards Him that they will give their greatest resource—money—just to tell others about Him. Praise the Lord!

In business, there is a saying, “There is no such thing as bad publicity.” Church buildings are boring. Christians are often very boring. But posting something that goes against all logic, historical evidence, and long-standing acceptance is exciting. It grabs one’s attention and makes them question the truthfulness or falsehood of the statement.

I love this technique, and I’ve personally challenged hundreds of students throughout the years to spend a week or two of their life, using all of their intellect and research abilities, to try to disprove the resurrection of Jesus. I believe the fastest way to saving faith or unbearable realization that Jesus indeed lived, died, and rose again is to aggressively study the evidence for the resurrection. My prayer is that people will read that sign in New York, question their beliefs, and set out to understand why they believe what they believe (1 Peter 3:15; 2 Tim. 2:15; et al.). That is, if they claim Christianity, why do they believe? And if they are atheists, why do they see the facts of history differently than over 90% of the world? The simple truth is one side is right, while the other is wrong, and there is no middle ground.

One thing is certain; atheists have already proven a man named Jesus lived, died, his body disappeared within three days of His burial and is still missing, and He was so impactful on society that the known world changed due to Him and Him alone. How do we know this? Atheists, agnostics, and many brilliant lovers of knowledge have spent 2,000 years trying to prove where His body went after His burial. Implicit in their study is the foregone conclusion that a man named Jesus lived, died, was buried, His body is gone, and He changed some of the world’s most ardent religious followers as well as pagans, thus why they spend their time, money, and talent on one point: where did His body go? Intriguing to me is that without even opening the bible, only listening to the naysayers, I can already firmly know that Jesus lived, died, and His body is missing. So again, the only remaining question is, “Where did He go?”

Please, my atheistic friends, I sincerely beg you to continue to put billboards up, go on news channels and argue your point, and enter the halls of learning. God wants His people to get ready for the coming years of trouble with an unshakable faith, and the only way to remain strong is to know that you know that you know. Christians need a good dare to motivate their lazy minds, and apparently, the best way to strengthen the gospel is via a good challenge/persecution.

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.” Genesis 50:20

 

Doubt the Resurrection? Good!

Download my Booklet FREE

Available to read on your eReader, Smartphone, iPad or Tablet

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

iTunes

Smashwords

FALLING! I Should be Dead

 

Back in the day, I was a proficient 5.10 rock climber and an occasional 5.11. One day, my good friend and I, went to my favorite climbing spot, Crowders Mountain outside Charlotte, NC. Desiring a “cool” picture for my desk, I decided to climb without the aid of a safety rope. After all, the pitch was something a child could climb, a 5.4, and I only had a few feet of 5.11 at the top to create an awesome print. I informed my friend to take the picture when I was hanging by one hand and my other hand was in my chalk bag. Everything was going as planned until I reached my left hand into the bag. That’s when the unexpected happened—the rock broke.

In the picture, you can see the rock in my right hand and my body instinctively moving into a defensive stance, preparing for impact. I recall thinking, “Well, this is it” as I faced a 150’ fall to my death. As my body picked up speed, my right knee and left forearm struck a small knife-edge rock formation. That edge strike shoved my body up the mountain instead of backwards as I would have expected. I then fell another ten feet into a tiny crevice, onto my hip and head. As I regained consciousness, my friend rushed to my side and off to the emergency room we went for some exhilaratingly fun pressure burst wound scrubbing and many stitches.

I knew the risks of ignoring the safety line. I had fallen dozens of times and felt that beautiful feeling as the rope tightens and the harness cinches around my legs and hips. “Alright, lower me down” I would yell to the bilayer, only to attempt the route again. But this time was different. This time I’d tried something for the first time; I went without a firm anchor point, I went on my own strength, and I miscalculated the strength of the rock.

I wonder how many of my friends and family who rightly mocked my poor decision to go without a safety line, miss the fact that they are doing something far more foolish. That is, while what I did had immediate physical ramifications, theirs has eternal consequences. They have chosen to put their trust in the fragile world that is clearly broken. The rocks they grab continually crumble and turn to dust before their eyes, yet they repeat the process believing that the next rock will hold their weight. Or the one they are forever grasping after will be the firm anchor point they need.

The truth is there is only one unmovable Rock. There is only one unbreakable Anchor who has not budged despite the incessant pounding of atheists, agnostics, and haters of righteousness. We are all climbing the rock face of life; some are on 5.4 while others are at 5.14+ pitches. Eventually, everyone will fall. The only difference is some will have that Safety Line, while others will have chosen to trust the brittle rock.

“The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.” Psalm 18:2

 

 

Dad Returns

 

Every few months or so, I get the urge to watch one of those videos where the dad returns home from war and surprises his kids at school or at some event. For me, they never grow old, and I cry every time. There is just something that touches a human heart in such a moment that it transcends accurate description and one can only respond with tears of joy.

This morning I spent a few minutes watching one of those videos titled “Dad” on YouTube. While each scene has its amazing moment, there is one where a little girl is lightly clapping with her classmates while a soldier walks into the room. Her tiny smile stops, the hands no longer move, her body freezes, and she begins to realize a dream is coming true. This is not just any soldier; this is my dad. Her hands instinctively cover her face as if to make certain she is not dreaming. She then gathers her strength, stands, and runs towards him for the long awaited embrace. In that moment, all of the sleepless nights, unending worries, and terrifying possibilities stop and only pure joy fills the heart.

I don’t always sleep well. I sometimes get out of bed the next morning with trepidation, fearing what the day will bring. There are days I simply struggle to live life and feel like a failure when the sun goes down. Also, I don’t associate well with those who can’t relate to such thoughts, fears, and concerns, and instead, always seem to have life wrapped around their finger.

When I watch those videos, the Holy Spirit reminds me that such a day is coming for those who are eagerly awaiting the Savior’s return (Heb. 9:28). I am that child who keeps looking for his Heavenly Father, I continually search for signs of His return, and I read His love letter to His children; in particular, where He makes a few things vividly clear… “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.” (1 Thes. 4:16-18). Notice the emphasis on Jesus coming and not an ambassador, but Jesus Christ Himself is coming. This tells me that as much as I want to see Him, He wants to be with me even more. I long for His embrace where He wipes those fears, worries, and “what-ifs” away.

Verse eighteen says to encourage the Body of Christ with this truth. So for those who can relate to a weak and weary soul, rest in His unbreakable promise…HE WILL RETURN and wipe your tears never to return to sorrow. Even so, come Lord Jesus (Rev. 22:20)

 

105 Minutes with an Atheist

 

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine introduced me to a man who happened to be an atheist. After an hour-long conversation about life, he blurts out, “You keep talking about science. You’re a pastor. Do you believe in science?” He went on to say how he doesn’t believe in God because there is too much “stuff” out there such as “millions of galaxies containing trillions of stars…it’s just too vast to come from a God.” I could not wipe the smile off my face as I said, “Exactly! Too much stuff! Where did all that stuff come from?”

The Law of Cause and Effect is one of the scientific laws that allows the field of science to even exist; without its guiding principle, theories become impossible. That is, scientists observe effects such as life, planets, spinning spiral galaxies, and etc. They spend their life attempting to determine the cause of such effects. There are two options (three if you count aliens, but then where did the aliens come from…back to two options) to the cause of existence, everything from nothing or everything from something. The first option is naturalism (no God) and the second is theism (a God). Again, a third option (minus panspermia/aliens) does not exist. If you are not a theist you are a naturalist (atheist) and vice versa. Either God created or nothing created.

“I think I believe in science more than the naturalist” is what I told him. He narrowed his eyes, threw his head back, and asked, “How so?” I believe the scientific laws that exist today have always existed, and when God decided to create everything, He simply used the laws that are within Him. As a theist, I do not suspend the laws of science; I embrace them. In particular, the law of cause and effect. In order to believe everything came from nothing, I must suspend reality, logic, and rational thought, basically, all laws of science. Everything cannot pop into existence from nothing because there is nothing to make something, and a cause to the first something leading to everything cannot exist in nothing. Simplified, it takes at least one thing to make the next thing. If there was Something (what we call God), then all things are possible because that Thing caused all things to begin. A first cause must exist in order to make the first effect; therefore, there is no choice but to accept the required existence of a first Cause, and that Cause we call God. We are not required to exist; conversely, He is required, and we know this simply because we are here. The universe overflows with unnecessary stuff, therefore, there must be a “stuff” Maker, or there would be no stuff. God is not a maybe, He’s a must.   

So my answer to him was a resounding and excited, “Yes, I believe in—and embrace—science and the very laws by which the field is substantiated! Further, I find it intriguing that atheists mock my strong belief in all scientific laws and consider my unbending commitment to same as ridiculous if not naïve when it comes to the start of it all.” My thought: everyone innately knows that everything requires a something to make anything and that what one gets from nothing is nothing. So my question is, “Who is remaining logical, rational, and intellectually honest? The one who suspends all knowledge of the laws that surround and uphold us, or the one who accepts the fact that those same laws require a law Giver?”

 

Christmas Eve Service: Uplifting?

Recently I was in the hospital with a close family member. We were there for five days as four doctors worked the case attempting to figure out what was wrong. The first three doctors signed off on the one I love and signed the release paperwork. Finally, one more doctor entered the room and clearly stated, “You are not going home; there is something wrong, and we will find it”.

We did not rush to the ER to get an uplifting message from a kind doctor; we went because something was wrong and we needed the truth regardless of the way it made us feel. Jesus said, "Healthy people don't need a doctor--sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners." (Mark 2:17). According to the eyewitnesses of Jesus, He is not interested in raising the ego of individuals nor is He concerned with giving an uplifting message so we feel good. No…Jesus is the kind doctor who tells you the truth regardless of the initial sting so that He can help you fix the problem. The world signs your release paperwork; Christ asks you to stay.  

"No one is righteous--not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one." (Rom. 3: 10-12)

While the ultimate end to Jesus’ message is uplifting to those who accept it; simultaneously, it brings about a sense of seriousness and sorrow as well. That is, the Bible is the PET scan exposing the bleakness inside, and we know what it means for many we love who ignore the truth. A few years ago, a family member ignored a lump in her belly for months without telling anyone. That small bump took her life within a few weeks of discovery. She needed a doctor, she needed honesty, and she needed to get well, but feared the news of the doctor and the result was sealed.

The gospel is good news, but it is not exactly uplifting when one considers the totality of its ramifications on all of humankind. “But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” (Mth. 7:14).

My prayer is that people come to church this Christmas season not to be uplifted, but to hear and receive the difficult and stinging truth of the good Physician, Jesus Christ. We are not well, and the prognosis is not good unless we accept the gift of eternal life via the shed blood of Jesus Christ, which paid the literal sickness that each of us contain. No one wants to hear they have terminal cancer, but what if you got a second opinion and that doctor said, “No problem, I can remove it and you will live.”  Would you say “No”? Would you allow his perceived arrogance to get in the way of life? Would you walk away simply because it is impossible to grasp the technique?

“For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There's no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.” (2 Cor. 7:10)

 

The Lottery

 

I read a great story the other day about a grandma who was having difficulty paying her electric, cable, and phone bill. I would have to imagine that her financial situation was in complete disarray with no hope of tomorrow making it better. Several months earlier, she’d purchased a lottery ticket and put it in her glove box. As you may know, winners only have so long to claim their prize. As time neared the end, grandma cleaned out her glove box and found her ticket; it was worth $28 million.

Stories like this are heartwarming and a little enticing to go buy a lottery ticket. The fact is grandma’s destructive financial problems need not have been. Her answer rested beside her day after day, for months. Her reprieve from agony as she went to sleep in fear of what tomorrow would bring was only a memory away. Her rescue from financial ruin was often inches from her grasp; all she had to do was recognize its existence, take ahold of it, and accept the gift that awaited her.

While I could expound on the futility of wealth and how this does not solve her eternal issues, that is not the point. Christ has given us a gift. We didn’t even have to spend a dollar; it’s free because He has accomplished the task. Many live their entire life a breath, a thought, or a doubt away from receiving the greatest gift humankind has ever received. They slip in to the other side never opening their proverbial glove box and miss out on what could have been.

When I hear the incredible voice of Adele sing, “We Could Have Had It All”, I can’t help but imagine Jesus saying the chorus of that song to those who never accepted their gift of eternal life. We could have had it all, running in the deep, you had My heart inside your hand and you played it to the beat. Throw your soul through every open door. Count your blessings to find what you look for. Turn My sorrow into treasured gold. You pay Me back in kind and reap just what you sow.

The gift of grace, mercy, and salvation are waiting for you to open your heart, see Jesus for what and Who He is, and accept His completed work. He did it for you. He did it for me. Sadly, many will never cash in their untold wealth; instead, they settle for the dirt we stand on, the dust we breathe in, and the mud from which He made us. You could have it all.

 

Connecting the Dots



Maggie-Me's Photostream

Salvador Dali was a surrealist painter in the twentieth century. I observed his works firsthand at the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. As I gazed at one of his paintings, The Hallucinogenic Toreador (can't show due to copyright laws, 13'X9' Full Pic. Dalmation), an artist friend of mine began to point out and explain various stories hidden within the large 13’X9’ painting. Dali purposely placed within his paintings components that only the curious observer would find, stories within a story.

Maggie-Me's Photostream

Near the bottom of The Hallucinogenic Toreador is an area that, at first glance, looks like nothing more than black and white dots. In time, and with the assistance of my friend, I began to see there was much more than what first greets the eye. The white and black dots are actually a Dalmatian dog with its nose to the ground, tail in the air, walking towards a large maple tree during autumn. Once my mind connected the dots, I realized there was a story inside of what originally appeared to be nothing more than dots. Now that I have seen the dots for what they are, I will always vividly see a dog, leaves, and a tree.

Maggie-Me's Photostream

The dog, leaves, and tree were always there; it just took effort and some help to see the truth that already was. Noticing the design created by the designer did not make me smarter or a better person and I certainly cannot brag just because I recognized truth. I did not change the picture nor did I alter its design; I merely acknowledged its existence.

Life, in one sense, is a series of dots; some are dark and scary while others are light and inviting. For many years I only saw black and white dots. The more I study and know God, the more He connects the dots and a large picture is beginning to emerge. I am beginning to see the stories within His story, the story that is Christ’s love for an underserving soul that is me. I cannot see the whole picture yet. But because I have accepted the gift of salvation, I know the Father is creating a work admired for all eternity.

Photo by Robert Hruzek

 

Truth Whispers by the Stream

We cannot earn His love, affection, or salvation. His love does not increase, decrease, or falter. He wants to be with you today, tomorrow, and forever. His adoration for your quirks are hand made by Him for you to use for His purpose not yours. Your life may be filled with disasters, misery, and pain and he hurts with you, for you, and is holding you through it all.

He wants you to know Him so that you will willingly serve Him, glorify Him, and love Him. He gave and gives you everything…without forcing anything and simply asks for your attention when the Provider and Creator of all speaks to you in the noise and chaos of the moment.

He cannot stand for sin in your life to go unchecked, or uncorrected…it must be set straight because it moves you further from your ONLY source of peace you will ever know. He is waiting patiently for you to wake up, stand up, and look up to the One and Only Savior of this dead and dying world, Jesus Christ, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

Now that is the truth and this world is doing everything in its measly power to cloud your mind, alter your focus, and direct your steps.

Wake up! He is risen. If you believe it, you are saved from His wrath and wrapped in the blood of the Lamb of God, if you do not, 'Why not?' 

Truth, you see, is the most powerful weapon of your God given intellect. Use it, and stand firm on His unchanging, unalterable, and unwavering Being.

God Doesn’t Make Straight Lines



A few years ago, I went over the handlebars of a bicycle and ripped open my right forearm. The gash was large and deep. Friends rushed me to the emergency room where the doctors stitched me up. Two days later, I had a fever of 103° and uncontrollable shakes. My doctor advised me to get to the ER as fast as possible. As soon as the check in nurse saw my arm, I was rushed ahead of the entire waiting room, and within minutes they had removed my sutures, allowing the poison in my arm to literally flow out, causing the nurse to step back and gasp.

They pushed an IV in my other arm and started me on antibiotics. The head nurse came in and said, “You will be here several days; this is not good.” Over the next three days, I watched the red infection consume my entire arm and progress to my shoulder. They were readying me for an amputation, as they had me on the strongest antibiotics we possess, and it did nothing. As a last resort, hospital staff wheeled me into a dark room where they called in an expert in sonogram reading. White-coated doctors and students filled the room as they used my body as a test case. Five minutes in, this specialist broke the eerie silence and said, “Nurse, take a picture of this. Does everyone see that? God does not make straight lines.” My head spun to catch the man’s eyes. I had never felt such relief. This doctor knew that I had something foreign in my body because God creates beautiful curves. The original doctor had left a one-inch sliver of wood in my arm, and it was killing me. The staff hurried me into surgery and removed this deadly straight line.

As I contemplate my life, I see curve after curve, bend after bend, and what appears to be, detour after detour. I have often considered these diversions as a nuisance keeping me from His purpose. The truth is God does not make straight lines. When one reviews the great men and women of the Bible, you will see that no one had a straight line. Instead, their life is marked with upsets, setbacks, and deviations. God then uses your personal experiences to propel His gospel in a way that no other man, woman, or child could possibly accomplish. You are unique, not so you can make money, become popular, or gain power. No, your life’s path contains curves and bends to spread the gospel to a dead world who desperately cries out for help. Embrace your apparent detour. Study it. Learn from it. And get ready, because God wants to use you, and you alone, to change eternity for a select few. God doesn’t make straight lines, so stop trying and simply rest in His leading, His wisdom, and His purpose. Life becomes more peaceful when we truly rest, knowing His love supersedes our own desires.

Nothing is FREE...Right?

FREE...the word itself conjures up several feelings. At first blush, it excites the mind and entices our eyes to look. After all, free is free. Walk through a grocery store on a Saturday and free food from various vendors greets our senses. We hastily grab the products from their tray and gobble them up, pretending that we may purchase their product so we don't feel bad as we walk away looking for the next nibble. Free is what we think of when we consider cheap, unwanted, and unnecessary items such as free tickets to a concert for a band no one has heard of or cares to know more about. Free is not American, it does not make one rich, and it certainly does not end with the free product, as the purpose is to get you to pay for a little more of the free stuff.

It appears to me that Jesus messed up (hold your gasp, Christian, and humor me for a second). That is, if He would have told us, "In order to be saved, you must cut off your right arm" or "God so loved the world that He needs your left foot to be placed on a fire built from gopher wood near the base of Mt. Everest on November 21st. If you do this, you shall be saved". Ah, our intellect and sense of fairness perks. Payment for something of value enters our mind, and we drive forward.

Now there is no question who is "saved"; just look for the missing left foot replaced with a prosthetic limb, brandishing a tattoo of John 3:16.

Man has always understood salvation comes with a price. Culture after culture has killed in the name of sacrifice to their god(s). Today, we sacrifice babies to the god of money and convenience and call it "choice". Oh, we humans get it; there must be a sacrifice for our individual god(s). We just don't get a God who says, "You can't do it, I had to, and it's free". Pardon this apparent contradiction, but while His gift is free, it will cost you, it will cost you giving up your personal pursuits to follow His instead (Lk. 9:24). But the gift is still free in the sense your “sin bill” is paid in full. This seems to rival our idea of fairness. "Let me walk on my knees for miles until I bleed and reach a statue of You" or "Make me count beads while I mumble a specific magical prayer" or "Tell me I must sell everything and live in abstract poverty or You will not love me"...then, and only then, will I believe You love me. "I have to earn everyone’s love, why should You be different?"

Dear friend, I get it. I am as human as you. Free just doesn't seem to work for us. But thanks be to God He offers salvation via the finished work of His Son Jesus Christ. Our salvation was not free; it cost Jesus His life. He paid the price in full, because we cannot afford it. Accept the unmerited favor of God and know peace, fulfillment, and glorify Him with whatever life you have remaining.

Theory of Relativity

A friend of my mine recently stated, “I’ve been married for twenty-five years, but it feels like twenty-five minutes—underwater.” Knowing my friend, I knew he was joking, and we had a good laugh. Point is, though, everything is relative. Twenty-five minutes is extremely fast when you sit down to eat lunch with a good friend, read a great book, or watch a football game. But if you are underwater for twenty-five minutes, well, we know the result.

Recently, I nearly drowned in a powerful rip current, as unceasing waves crushed and held me underwater for a few seconds. Every second away from life-sustaining oxygen, quickly reminds us of our oft forgotten need.

I believe there are those who convince themselves that time in hell is bearable. That is, life is hard and some have gone through hell on earth. Unfortunately, because of tough events on earth, we  think ourselves strong enough to withstand the horrors of hell. What we, as arrogant humans, tend to neglect is that everything is relative. Every second without God will be more torturous than anything a living human can grasp. At least when we are alive, we have the hope of the pain ending one day. As weird as this may sound, I believe it is true. If a shark attacked me, at least I would have the hope the pain would be over soon. In hell, there is no such possibility. Hope is gone; your choice not to accept Christ’s free gift of salvation is your choice made for eternity. God’s wrath will weigh on you with no way to escape (Rev. 1:18).

I write this not to the non-believer, because Christ’s sacrifice is foolishness to those who reject it and are dying (1 Cor. 1:23). I write this to remind fellow Christians their loved ones will spend eternity in anguish with no hope of death or salvation. The truth of a real hell should motivate the believer to action. The reality of separation from God in an actual location of agony must take us past our discomfort and fear of speaking truth, to a place of fearing God more than fearing man. Spread the gospel and take others with you as you enter eternal rest. 

Heaven's Secrets

A friend recently asked me what I thought Heaven was like. The Bible is scarce with revelation about the coming glory of God’s presence, but one thing is certain, it is beyond the greatest of all imaginations. Our human limitations brought on by sin, and the curse of God, do not allow our minds to fully wrap around the splendor to come.



I believe, however, God exposes variant aspects of Heaven to His children that captivate and entice them as it suits their personalities—the individual nuances He so adores. It is all we can corporately conjure and beyond. It surpasses all amazing thoughts, feelings, and dreams combined. The science fiction world stretches towards paradise, but remains desperately wanting. It is the very presence of the Almighty of Whom we only view in a mirror dimly.

Oh my, dream all you want, and it has not begun to scratch the proverbial surface of the majesty to come, and words cannot begin to enlighten our limited intellect.

While Heaven’s true shape is unknown, one thing is for certain, the clouds of the rapture are forming, the chess pieces are maneuvering for position, and the stage for the final battles are almost full. Israel has become the center of the universe as the Bible warned.  

We are near, and the time is at hand. But even if He delays 2,000 more years, our life is a flicker and eternity surrounds our mortal being. Does the blood of Christ protect you from His wrath? Don’t miss out on the party that ends all parties, when Christ enters the room and billions of voices rise in perfection to glorify the risen King who paid our admission. Your mind will be intact, your glorified body will be perfect, and eternal joy with our true family begins and never ends. “Encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:25b