Tag: judgement day

The Other Side of the Doom and Gloom

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If you prefer to watch a video, please click on this link: Watch the Video.

 

OK, OK…yes, I have been a little on the “It’s the end of the world” tirade lately. I have been told by my older sister, who one always has to listen to, that I need to “lighten up”, so let’s see what the balance scales have against the doom and gloom of God’s judgement on the nations.

Hey, guess what? It’s pretty good stuff on the other side! Those who have accepted Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah; who worship God as He has commanded (that means obeying the Torah); who live their lives always repentant of their sins; who are trying to follow the leading of the Ruach Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) which they accepted when they asked God for it as part of their forgiveness prayer…all those people are going to be spending eternity in total joy and peace, basking in the presence of the Almighty.

Now they will have to go through tribulations- not everyone will be lucky enough to escape this. God promises He will judge the nations in the Acharit haYamim (End Dyas) and I DO believe we are in them, now. The astrological signs (4 blood moons in a single year in 2017), the significant climatic changes we are seeing and the world-wide social unrest are all signs that we have been warned about from the Prophets in the Tanakh all the way through the Bible, including the letters from Shaul (Paul) and John’s recording of his vision in the book of Revelation.

It is happening now, it’s going to get worse and it is not going to be fun for anyone.

The good news is that for those of us who are God-fearing and working through our salvation, we will live past this event. We will not suffer the second death or be left in the cold and dark where people gnash their teeth. We will be presented before the Judge of All Things, the Lord, God and have at our side Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) to represent us. God will not see our unworthiness but rather Messiah’s righteousness in us. We will be absolved, forgiven and welcomed into the presence of the Lord. Forever.

No more tears, no more sickness, no more disparity, no more suffering. Now that’s what I call a good word!

Going forward let’s recall what every Prophet in the Tanakh did when they spoke God’s warning to repent: they started off relating God’s promises of punishment for those who choose to reject His commandments, specifying the horrors that will befall them (that’s the doom and gloom), then they ended with a word of comfort for those who will choose repentance (REAL repentance), confirming for them that God promises they will have joy and eternal peace.

God tells us in Ezekiel 18:32 what He wants:

For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!

God’s judgement on those that have rejected Him will be terrible, and His blessings for those that worship Him will be wonderful.

Like the bank commercial that asks, “What’s in your wallet?” I am asking you now: “What’s in your heart?”

I finally got it but i can’t show it

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I love reading Dear Abby because it gives me so much inspiration.

Sadly, it is inspiration to write about the decrepit state of humanity, how misguided and faithless people are. But I write about it here in the hope that if just one person can be convicted of their lack of faith, which contributes to the insecurity they feel, and be made to understand that it comes from not trusting in God and His authority, maybe (just maybe) that person can be led to the Lord.

So what was today’s “inspiring” entry? A woman said her hubby bought her a pocketbook, expensive and chic, that she has always wanted. However, now that she has it she is unable to wear it because she is afraid of what other people may think about it. She went into how they may think she is “showing off”, or maybe will want to steal it, or may feel bad that they can’t afford one …all excuses based in (I believe) some insecurity she suffers from.

Reading this letter I don’t just see the irony of the situation, which is now that she has received what she always wanted, she won’t allow herself to enjoy it. What I see is a more spiritual issue, that being, when some people are saved they don’t do anything with it.

Yeshua (Jesus) said that one doesn’t buy a lamp to keep it under a bowl (Matthew 5:15); this poor woman has been given a light, so to speak, yet she is keeping it under a bowl. All she can think of is what other’s may think about her, and she hasn’t realized that this isn’t something to be embarrassed or ashamed of, but it is a light: she should show this pocketbook off as much as she can so other’s can inquire, and she can tell them of the love her husband has for her (just like the love God has for all of us), of the value of saving for something, of the appreciation she has for her husband, or just how all wonderful things are supplied by God. She can point out to everyone that her pocketbook is more than a chic piece of personal apparel, it is representative of the good things that await us all if we are patient and trusting in God to deliver.

All that good stuff just from having a pocketbook! Think of what we can do with showing off our salvation, if we are willing to expose it to the world!

My Pastor likes to use the expression, “Get out of Goshen!’ when talking about not using one’s salvation. There are so many churches that preach saving your soul, the love of Messiah, and constantly have altar calls to save souls for Jesus. All good stuff, but what about what comes next? It’s all nice to hear about being loved and saved from destruction, but you have to do something with your salvation: painting the blood on the lentils of your house isn’t the goal, it’s the first step. It is, in truth, one of the least important things about salvation because it isn’t what you do to get saved, it’s what you do once you are saved that really matters.

This poor lady, when she received her pocketbook, made the beginning of her joy the end of it! Once she received what she wanted, she didn’t do anything with it, and now is sadder after receiving her valued possession than when she wanted it. When we are saved, we need to show it off to the world- we need to take that lamp and place it on the highest shelf we have, we need to “talk it up” to everyone we meet (without being a pain in the butt or a “Bible-thumper”) and we need to take the salvation we have received and share it with others.

There is a parable in the Gospels about the king who gave talents (money) to three of his servants before he went on a long trip. When he returned, two of his servants used what the king gave them to increase it, and returned more than what they had been given, for which the king rewarded them. The third servant buried it in the ground, and returned only what he had been given. That servant was chastised and thrown into the dark because he failed to use what he had been given. I interpret this to mean the talents represent salvation, and we need to spread it out, to invest it, so that when we meet God on Judgement Day we can present to Him more than what He gave us, which would be the results of our spreading the Good News throughout our lifetime to others.

You can’t grow a garden without planting seeds, which is our job: we plant the seed and leave it to God to water the ground and grow the produce. When we are cleansed of our sin we are also given a bag of seeds, the seed of salvation, and God expects (nay, requires) that we sow those seeds everywhere we go.

If you have been saved from destruction through the sacrifice of Yeshua ha Meshiach (Jesus Christ), you have had His blood painted on your doorposts: now you need to leave Goshen. That means you must spread His word, tell everyone how God has saved you, blessed you and protected you even in the midst of your troubles and tribulations. You need to let your light shine. Don’t worry about what negative thoughts people may have, because there will always be people who are jealous and envious and will try to bring others down so they feel better about themselves.  We should pray for them, ignore their taunts, and continue to praise God to the rest of the world.

Bragging in yourself is wrong, but bragging in God is right, so brag about all God has done by glorifying His name in all you say and do, and show off that pocketbook to everyone you see.

 

Sin is Now; Forgiveness is Later

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We are all sinners.

It isn’t a pleasant thought, but it is true. It doesn’t mean we are a bad person if we sin; if that was true, then every single person who ever lived (except one, of course) would be a bad person. And that one who didn’t sin, by the way, when called “good” refused to accept that description and reminded the person that the only one who is “good” is God.

Since we all are sinners, that means we all sin. DUH!!  We sin every day, and we are supposed to forgive each other. We are not commanded to ask for forgiveness, but to forgive.  Forgiveness is what God wants us to do: read the Bible and realize, if you don’t already, that even though Yeshua tells us to leave our sacrifice at the altar and go make right any relationship issues we have with anyone else before offering the sacrifice, we are not commanded to ask for forgiveness– we are commanded to forgive. Read Matthew 6:14 if you don’t believe me. And that’s just one example; the Manual is rife with other examples of the fact that we are to forgive.

Of course, we are to ask for forgiveness, as well, but forgiving is what we do here on Earth. So if we forgive here on Earth, why am I saying that forgiveness is later? I say that because the forgiveness we really need is from God, and the forgiveness He gives doesn’t really count until we are dead.

David said it in Psalm 51- despite what he did to Uriah (and Bat-Sheba, too) he knew that his sin was, first and foremost, against God. Whenever we sin, and whomever we sin against, it is always against God because He told us not to sin, so when we do it is always a violation of His commandment, and to violate God’s commandment is to reject the Lord. That’s hard to hear, but it is the truth- to sin against anyone is to reject God.

As such, the forgiveness you receive from another person is good, but not for you: the one who receives the benefit from forgiveness is the one who is forgiving. By obeying God that person will receive more blessings. The one who is forgiven by another human being may feel some relief now, but the real forgiveness that does that person good is when it comes from God. Think about it: will God let you into heaven simply because you are forgiven by someone else? If that was true nearly everyone would be allowed in because nearly every Mother will forgive her child anything. It is God’s forgiveness we all need, that is the forgiveness that keeps us from eternal sunburn, and that is the forgiveness that we can claim only when we are one of the sheep shepherded by Yeshua Ha Maschiach. If we don’t have Yeshua in our corner, we have no hope of salvation.

The sins we commit are here and now, but the forgiveness we need to receive will be coming when we face God and Yeshua says, “This one is mine, Father.”  When I am forgiven by another person that is good for that person, and when I am forgiven by God that is good for me. Even though I will feel better, here and now, if I ask for and receive forgiveness from the person (or people) I sin against, it is God’s forgiveness that I need and it comes through asking it in Yeshua’s name. But I must first be one of Yeshua’s sheep.

God will forgive us as soon as we ask it, so long as we ask correctly: we must come to Him with a broken spirit, with a contrite heart, and we have to mean it! God isn’t stupid and He can’t be fooled- if anyone thinks they can get into heaven simply by saying they believe Yeshua is the Messiah and in His name they ask forgiveness of their sins, it doesn’t work that way. Yes, those are the right words, but you need the right state of heart and mind when you say them. You have probably heard the expression, “You get what you pay for?” Well, your salvation will be as real and wonderful as the work you put into it. It is NOT free- just because we can’t buy it or earn it doesn’t mean it is free. It is invaluable. It is priceless. It is more than anyone can ever accomplish on their own, and it only takes your heartfelt repentance to receive it. But it isn’t “free”- it will cost you friends, it will cost you earthly pleasures, and it may even cost you your life. There are Believers all over the world losing their lives, this very day, because of their belief in God and their work for His Kingdom.

No, my brothers and sisters, salvation can not be bought or earned, but it is not free.

What you may give up now are things that you will lose anyway, when you die, but what you will receive now is peace of spirit, and later complete joy in God’s presence, for all eternity.

Not a bad deal, don’t you agree?

Try your best not to sin: we can never be sinless, but we can always sin less. So do that: sin less. Always ask for forgiveness from all those whom you have sinned against: the ones on Earth, and your Father in heaven. And more than that: remember to always forgive those who have sinned against you.

Invest in your eternity by depositing your forgiveness of others every day, and at your final retirement the size of your spiritual IRA will be greater than any CD or stock could ever pay out.