Category Archives: Salvation

A Thought

Posted in Abuse of Power, Biden, Cancel Culture, Christian values, Communist Takover, Kamala Harris, Lawyers and Representation, Newsome, Obama, Pelosi, Planned Parenthood, Politcal Opinion, Religion, Reporters, Salvation, Schools, The Squad, United Nations by

Most of us, even non-Christians know that the tribulation will soon follow the rapture. Some of the best known scholars have some disagreement on the timing but I do believe I’m in good company by saying that soon after Jesus removes His own, the worst 7 years on this planet will soon follow.

Personally, I suspect that it won’t be instantaneous, though it well may be. Admittedly, I’m speculating a tad.

The following question assumes that the tribulation soon follows the rapture. It is logical. Just what might happen if all of a sudden, there are no more Christians in the world? With no Godly people in the governments just what could be expected. With no Godly teachers in our schools, what would be taught? With no Godly businessmen or lawyers, what can be expected.

Don’t you suppose the criminals would run wild as criminals would be running law enforcement? What can be expected when the demon possessed are in charge? Can we really expect anything less than tribulation.

Then I look at what the dems are doing today and there is but one conclusion I can come to. It would seem we are already in pursuit of that time. The foundations are being set.

If you should be one of those left behind after the rapture, don’t be surprised if things turn very bad vary fast. It is foretold. You have been foretold. There will be no one to blame but yourselves.

The Dark

Posted in Christian values, Communism, Controllers, News media, Religion, Salvation by

One day, I was walking through our offices at work and someone turned the lights out. A woman, joking, said, “Don’t do that. I’m afraid of the dark.”

I quipped back, “No need to fear the dark. It won’t hurt you. It’s all those terrible monsters that lurk in the dark that should concern you.”

Indignantly, she called back, “Same thing.”

Maybe she had a point. Nonetheless, in the days before electricity man had to spend a lot of time in the dark. Before fire, of course, it was even worse. Can you imagine spending roughly half of each day in the dark? It sort of makes a person appreciate a full moon.

It is no wonder that the Bible uses the dark many times in metaphors. In Psalms 119:105, it says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” KJV The psalmist is saying that God’s Word allows us to see things that the dark hides from us.

The world would like to keep us in the dark. God would like to bring light to us, which allows us to make our decisions in, so to speak, a better light. God wants us to be aware of the monsters that lurk in the dark. Moreover, he wants to guide our footsteps so that we don’t stumble. Then, of course, when we do stumble, he picks us up and puts us back on our feet.

Whenever I read the verse, I wonder just why a person would reject the light of the living God and prefer to stumble through the darkness. It boggles my mind. Yet, guess what, I do it daily. Every time I sin it is because I ignore the light and prefer the darkness. I don’t understand that.

However, the scriptures speak of another Light. In the first chapter of John, the Bible calls the Light the “Word.” If you take the time to read the fist two chapters of John, you will see that he is speaking of Jesus, both as the Word and as the Light. To be sure, He is both. He allows us to see things that the dark (Satan, the evil one) would like to hide from us.

Since my early 20’s, I have learned to totally enjoy the first three chapters of John. First, I learned to like the first chapter. Later, I learned that all three of the first chapters are very important to know Jesus, Who He is, and what He did for us. I have read the whole Bible at least 8 times but I have read these chapters more times than I can count. Yet, it seems that each time I learn a little more.

You see, one of the really important things the Bible does for us is to give us light. Without it, we would all be in the dark. We all know what that means, but not nearly as well as those who had to rely on fire for their light. Next time you want to understand dark, go in a room and pull all the curtains. Then, turn out the lights. You see, dark is what happens when there is no light. Evil is what happens without the Word of God.

In the past 5 or 6 decades, people have been trying to remove God from our society. So. It is basic logic. Remove the Light and only the dark remains. And, one thing I have learned over the years from experience, evil loves the dark.

Communism hates the light. Communists hate Jesus… and the Bible.

Blind, Sort of

Posted in Christian values, experience, Religion, Salvation, Uncategorized by

My wife and I went to dinner with my son and his wife.  I took out my glasses, which were the expensive type.  The lenses were progressive.  The more I tilted my head back, the greater was the magnification.  Today, I’ve given up on them.  My eyes have degraded to the point they don’t help much.

At any rate, I took one look at the menu and got quite a fright.  I said aloud that there must be something wrong with my eyes.  I couldn’t read the menu.

My son laughed and said, “You’re missing one of your lenses.”

Okay.  That was a relief.  Sure enough, when I removed my glasses and inspected them, it was easy to see that one of the lenses was missing.  Fortunately, it had fallen out while the glasses were in my glasses case.  When I shook it a few times, the lens fell out.  With a little effort, I persuaded the lens to take its place and I was able to easily read the menu.

In the third chapter of John, Jesus said, “Unless a man be born again, he shall not see the Kingdom of God.”

Today, we don’t give the statement its proper respect.  We hear a person is a born again Christian and we pay it little attention.  However, we should realize the situation for Nicodemus, the man to whom Jesus was talking.  He had never heard the expression before and he was genuinely confused.

With the one statement, Jesus had managed to accomplish three things, that is besides the confusion.  First, he stated a fact, one that is just as true today as it was then.  It is just as true for us as it was for Nicodemus.  Unless a man is born of the Holy Spirit, he will not see the Kingdom of God.

Second, he got Nicodemus’s attention.  Sometimes, a little confusion is good.  It piques the curiosity and causes us to pay attention.  To be sure; Jesus had Nicodemus’s undivided attention.

Third, it challenged Nicodemus’s pride.  Pride is a bad thing.  God hates it especially because it can and frequently does get in the way of our salvation.  Because of pride, we don’t believe we need salvation.  Because of pride we think we can provide for our own salvation.  Because of pride, some people believe they have no need of God.  Jesus was dealing with the pride that separated Nicodemus from salvation, both here and in the following verses.

If I may, I would like to return to Jesus’s first accomplishment, the statement of fact.  With the one statement, Jesus excluded many from The Kingdom of God.  To be sure, most are far too proud to be born again.  Many don’t believe it is needed.  Far too many think of it as optional.  Some even think it is dumb.

Jesus said it is mandatory.  Like it or not, that is the way it is.  God makes the rules.  Jesus, the Son of God made it clear for one and all.  You have choice.  Accept his word and be born of the Spirit or don’t believe, which will result in an eternity Hell.  If you let your pride get in the way, it is not of God’s doings.  It is your own choice.

Finally, as a side note, I would like to relate one more observation.  I have had arguments with people who were not born again, that is people who did not accept Jesus as their Savior.  I could never understand why they could not understand something I could see so clearly.

…and then it hit me.  People who are not born again cannot see anything wrong with abortion because they cannot see the Kingdom of God.  They do not see the unborn child as a life.  As with my loss of a lens, they cannot see God’s Kingdom because God had not given them spiritual vision.  All they see is the worldly view.

Now, you ask, do I see the Kingdom of God?  Well, yes.  However, my spiritual vision is far from 20/20.  To me it is still blurry.  There are still many things in this world I don’t understand.  I can actually make you a list of them.  However, one day I will see them all clearly.  God will give me perfect spiritual vision and I will understand it all.

As for those who aren’t born again, they will understand it all too, but from a different perspective.  At that point, they will have a different attitude of pride.  Unfortunately, it will be too late.  If you have heard this all before, then you are already getting a second chance, or maybe a third.  You haven’t a reason to ask for another chance.  You’ve already had a dozen or so.

One more thing.  Unfortunately, we who are born again must live under laws that are made by people lacking spiritual vision.  It is, of course why millions of children have been slaughtered in the womb.  It is, of course, why none of us is able to get through to those making the laws.  To this, there are two solutions.  Vote Christians into office.  Bring others to Jesus.  Help them see the importance of being born again.  It is not just for them, but for all of us.  It is especially good for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Gravity Works Again

Posted in Christian values, Religion, Salvation by

I am now 72 years of age and have been for a while now.  So, among my daily rituals is taking my daily doses of meds, a bunch of them.  By the way, did I mention I hate having to take drugs.

If it were just death I were avoiding, I might just stop taking them.  The problem is that if my blood pressure goes too high, it can lead to a stroke or kidney problems.  If my sugar goes too high, any one of a half dozen things can happen, beside death.  I certainly do not want to spend what is left of my life bedridden or worse.

At any rate, the purpose for this is to complain about gravity.  It seems that at least once a week, I drop one of the pills.  Then of course, it provokes the mandatory search.  I certainly don’t want the dog to find it and eat it.

To me, that does seem a bit ironic.  I can never get the dog to swallow the ones the vet tells me to give her.

…and so it is, gravity works every time.  It never fails, even when I would prefer it not.  Because of gravity, I broke my arm when I was 12, in the middle of little league.  Afterward, I learned to do many things left-handed.  Gravity also contributed to my broken ankle and my broken right ring-finger.  It is a fact of life, when a person falls, thanks to gravity, we people break things.

No one invented gravity, although there have been a number of people who have studied it.  It is God’s invention.  It is the way He made the world and only He can suspend its operation.  By the way, he did this at least once when he made an ax head float.

Today we look at gravity as part of physics, which among other things include a number of laws: light, magnetism, inertia, etc.  Again, we never invented any of these phenomenon.  We simply observed them and wrote rules regarding them.  Again, no human can change them.  Though airplanes fly, they do not truly defy gravity.  They stay airborne only because of other laws of physics.

Most of us are well aware of the above by the time we reach high school.  What people fail to realize is that the laws that God set forth are not limited to physics.  The first 5 books of the Holy Bible are filled with the laws of God.  We humans think we don’t have to follow them.

Guess what.  We are just as subject to those laws as the laws of physics.  Fortunately, God has seen fit, in a way, suspend the damage we do when we disobey them.  Some assume they are getting away with it, sort of like the shoplifter.  Be sure.  Nothing escapes His eye.  He sees it all and there will be a day reckoning.  There will be no exceptions.  There will be a penalty for every single time any of us does something wrong.

Again, all sins will be paid for, either by the sinner or by Jesus.  If you accept Him as your savior, He pays for them.  If you don’t, then you will pay for them.  Every one you do not pay for in this life, you will pay for in hell.  The law is just as sure as gravity.  You can’t change it.

It sounds to me like a good reason to accept Jesus as your savior.  Yet most people defiantly refuse.  The reasons are varied.  However, it is a fact, God will not accept any of them.  You cannot defy gravity and just as sure, you cannot defy God’s laws as he has set forth in his Holy Bible.

Some people say there are many ways to heaven besides Jesus.  That is just not true.  If there was, Jesus would have had no reason to go to the cross.  Because there was only one way, he bore all our sins on the cross.  It is the fulfillment of the law.  Because He paid the price, the penalty was paid.  Because we accept Him and His payment, we do not have to pay the price.

Because He said on the cross that “It is finished,” we do not need to add anything to his work.  If we try, then we do not trust Him at his word.  Anyone who thinks they can help in their own salvation is just as doomed as he who doesn’t believe at all.

First, we cannot add to what Jesus did.  Second, if we try, we are saying what what he said on the cross isn’t true.  In essence, we say he lied.

…and so it causes something of a paradox.  When I say that I am going to heaven, it somewhat sounds as if I am boasting of my works.  Actually, the opposite is true.  I am admitting my failure and I am relying totally on Jesus’ promise and power.  If I say that he might save me, I am admitting my lack of faith in Him.  If I say that I just might be able to earn my way into heaven, it sounds like I am admitting my humility.  Actually, a person who thinks they might earn their way to heaven, or even contribute, has not admitted their inability to pay the price of their sin.  In some cases, they aren’t even admitting their sin at all.

Make no mistake.  God’s rules apply to you.  If you have any complaints about them, individually or collectively, don’t complain to me.  I didn’t make them.  Complain to God.  He is the one Who made them.  You might consider the statement flippant.  However, regardless of the reason, God just might want to hear from you, even if it is an honest complaint.

Side note: do not rely on any church or religion to save you.  It simply will not happen.  No church can save you or can it or its clergy.  The only help they can provide is to help you understand it.  The decision is yours and only yours.  No one can make it for you.  Though God does have the power to make it for you, He won’t.  No one makes your decision of His mercy or His law but you.

How Many Magi?

Posted in Christian values, Deceit, Important things, Mistakes, Salvation by

If you said 3, you just might be right.  On the other hand, you might be wrong.

Most people say that there were three, likely because they never read the passage in the Bible.  The fact is that Matthew never said how many.  That means, indeed, there might have been anywhere from two to who knows… maybe there were thirty.  For that matter, Matthew might not have known.  He was not an eye witness and might simply have been repeating the story as he was told.  If he was told, for some reason, he never passed it along.  If it was important, the Holy Spirit would have seen fit that it was reported by someone.

The fact is that he reported the event in the second chapter of Matthew.  No one else mentions it all.  Also, by the way, he said they visited him at his home, not a stable or manger.  The best guess is that they visited Jesus after He was at least six months and He must have been less than two years.  Matthew does not refer to him as a baby and Herod, after questioning his advisors, had all boys less than two years old killed in the town of Bethlehem.  On the other hand, the travel time for the Magi (sometimes referred to as kings or wise men) would have likely been at least 2 to 6 months.

Yet, every Christmas, we hear stories how the 3 magi worshiped the Baby Jesus in the manger.  The problem is that they never read Matthew chapter 2.  The problem is that they confused the story with the story of the shepherds.  The shepherds, indeed visited Jesus on the night of his birth as recorded in Luke, chapter two.  By the way, we also have no idea how many shepherds there were, either.

It does seem ironic that the King of Kings was welcomed into the world by shepherds, certainly not royalty.  Moreover, they didn’t represent any royalty.  On the other hand, who on earth would be royal enough to welcome Him?

I would suggest that anyone quoting the Bible read it first.  It just might keep you from looking stupid.  In this particular case, it likely causes no problems.  In other cases, it can mean leading people into hell.  That is bad and God will not hold you guiltless for preaching a false gospel.

Many say that the way to heaven is by being good.  That is to say, it is a reward for good works.  It doesn’t work that way.  If you don’t believe me, read Isaiah 45:21.

If you don’t believe me, read it yourself.  Please read it for yourself, especially before you spread false doctrine.  Then, maybe, it would be a good idea to figure out the real plan of salvation.  Everyone will know it after dying.  Then, it is too late.  The idea is to know it before dying and accept Jesus as your Savior.  (John 3, specifically John 3:2 and John 3:16 and 3:17)

Most of all, if you don’t read it for yourself, please don’t drag others into hell after you.

Odd as It May Seem

Posted in Christian values, experience, Salvation, Uncategorized by

A number of years after I was saved, I came across the passage in the Bible where Jesus healed 10 lepers.  One returned to thank Him.  Jesus asked were there not ten.  Where are the other 9?

Since that day, I tried to make sure I thanked God for what he has provided for us, though I must admit I did have some problems being thankful for the rain on cold nights when I walked a post on guard duty.  Indeed, I had a hard time thinking of just how much we humans need rain.

I also try to remind others to be thankful, even when their baseball game gets rained out or when the camping trip is ruined by the sudden deluge.  If that farmer doesn’t get that rain, he can’t feed us.  Moreover, the water from those rains is used in uncountable other ways, including manufacturing.  It is a small matter that our lives are disturbed for the short term, even if the rain becomes a little heavy.  Naturally, the rain can become a disaster.  Floods can be devastating.

My eyes have been opened to something else for which we should be thankful.  To be sure, to most, it will seem odd.  To be sure, God disciplines His children.  It hardly seems probable that a person should say, “Thanks God.  I needed that.”  Yet we should be grateful to him for His chastisement.   If He didn’t, how much more would we would go astray.  It would be bad for us and everyone around us.

We, as humans, even punish our dogs, knowing it is for their benefit.  To be sure, we chastise them when they run into the street, that is, unless we hate them and hope they get run over.  We punish our children when they decide to put their fingers on a hot stove or into the electrical outlet.  It is not because we hate them.  It is not because we take pleasure in it.  It is far easier to ignore them.

Through their childhood, we tell our children “No,” when they ask to do things that might lead to their harm.  Certainly, it is far easier to say yes and just hope for the best.

So, maybe, the next time you think God is punishing you, You just might say “Thank you.”  You might say, “I appreciate that.”  Conceivably, you just might even say, “I needed that.”  Even if you don’t mean it, it is still the right thing to do.  Eventually, it just might change your point of view.  It has already changed mine.

Two’s a Crowd

Posted in Christian values, Fast Food, Food, Salvation, Uncategorized by

My wife and I had just sat down to eat.  We were in a fast food place.  I won’t mention any names.  It makes no difference anyway.

Suddenly, I was glad we didn’t arrive five minutes later.  Two busses pulled up.  Likely somewhere around a hundred or so people came pouring out of the buses and into the restaurant.

In this case, I say two is a crowd.  That is to say, two buses.

The thought came to mind; what if it were a hundred buses…5000 hungry people.  Just how long would it take for a McDonald’s or Burger King to feed a crowd like that?

Yet, Jesus fed 5000 and it likely didn’t take but around a half an hour.  When we read or hear of the biblical passage, most of us look at the miracle of the food quantity and few think about the logistics.

Yet the Bible makes it quite clear how Jesus did it.  He was very methodical about it.  First Jesus had the people sit in groups of fifty.  After blessing the food, He distributed it to His disciples.  Then, the disciples distributed the food to someone each group.  Finally, the food was distributed the food with the group.

You can do the math yourself.  Each disciple only needed to distribute to five or less groups.  (50 divided by 12 is less than 5)  It would only stand to reason that whoever received the food distributed the food to seven or eight groups within the group.

Slightly, hidden within the miracle is an important object lesson.  Jesus often refers to the Word of God as bread.  It only stands to reason that if we distribute it the same way as when Jesus fed the 5000, it would not take long before it would be distributed throughout the world.

I don’t know why, but God decided to use us to distribute the Gospel.  Unfortunately, we don’t do so good a job of it.  Certainly, I am more guilty than most.  It is just so easy to let the other person do it all.  Moreover, it is so easy to think of excuses.  I know.  I have as list as long as my arm.

A Short Explanation

Posted in Christian values, Deceit, Hillery, Mistakes, Muslims, Obama, Politcal Opinion, Salvation by

Some people have ask, or at least wondered why I do not call Obama, President Obama.  It’s simple.  He and Hillery are murderers.  By calling all the troops out of Iraq so quickly, he left a vacuum for killers, and he knew it.  I’m sure that it doesn’t even make it difficult for him to sleep at night.  That makes him a cold-blooded killer, a monster.  For that reason, he does not deserve the title of president and never will.

To be sure, Hillery was in concert with him and she too deserves the title of monster.

By the way, as a side note, on TV, I saw Hillery say that she is a Methodist.  She said she believes that to go to heaven, it requires both faith and works.  This is in direct conflict with the Bible which says, “By faith are you saved, not by works, lest anyone should boast.”  If she were to contribute one little bit to her salvation, she would be able to boast.  God does not like pride, so He made sure that no one in heaven will have any reason to be proud.  Besides, what makes her think she can add one little bit to what Jesus already did.  Hence, unless she changes her outlook, she will pay for every death she caused.

As near as I can tell, she won’t.  Because she has accepted the false religion, she will likely hold onto it and never accept the truth.  Because she is proud, she will never be born again.  Because she refuses to accept Jesus as her only means of salvation, Hillery will never see The Kingdom of God… ever.  That is something I don’t even wish on her or Obama, horrendous though their deeds have been.

Unbelievable Stories of the Bible

Posted in Christian values, Growing Old, Salvation by

I am now 70 years of age. I find that difficult to believe, until my hip starts acting up or whenever my angina reminds me of my little heart attack. Mostly, I can’t complain. In fact, if I were born a few years earlier, I would not likely have survived the Pneumonia I had when I was three. They would not have had the penicillin and I almost died even with the wonder drug.

At any rate, over the years I have heard my share of unbelief about stories of the Bible. Maybe the one story that most people bring up is the story about Jonah and the whale. (Not that it is that important, but it was a large fish, not a whale.) Actually, if you’ll excuse the pun, I have no problems swallowing that. If God can build the Universe, I imagine He could build a whole school of big fish if He had a mind to.

Actually, I believe all the stories in the Bible, from cover to cover. However, the one I have the most confusion with is the story of Sampson. Really, the man didn’t seem to have a brain in his head. Not only did he not foresee the possibility of Delilah telling her friends, he saw it at least twice and still trusted her. I’m not going to doubt the Word of God, but it still causes me to pause to think what kind of man Sampson was.

Regardless, I have heard them all, reasons for not believing the Bible. Did you know that God caused the earth to stop spinning for a day. It’s true. He can do that. It is even more difficult than you might realize. Can you imagine the sun heating the same side of the earth for 24 hours. Yet God seemed to resolve that problem too. I don’t know how he did that. Maybe he will tell me one day. Right now, I’m not going to concern myself with it.

My point is this, if you don’t want to believe in God, you will always be able to find a reason. Satan has provided you with more than a hand full of excuses. Indeed, I have been mocked for believing the Bible. Many have been mocked far more than me.

Then again, I am sure that they mocked Noah. …until it started raining.
If you don’t want to believe in God, just admit it. Don’t make excuses. I’m not impressed with them. I’ve heard them all. I’ve heard about the starving people in Africa. I’ve seen horrible people live while good people die. It happens. It sure would have been nice if someone killed Hitler, yet he lived and millions died. I don’t try to explain it. I certainly didn’t let it stand in the way of my salvation.

It is, to be sure, a matter of perspective. People who have not accepted Jesus as their Savior have chosen not to believe. It is their choice. It is not based on knowledge or proof. It is, as Paul called the cross, “a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the gentiles (the rest of us). But to those who believe it is the power to become the sons (and daughters of God) ” (slightly paraphrased)

What I am trying to say is this. If you are having trouble believing the stories it is a small thing. If you reject Jesus as your savior, it is something you will regret for eternity. Let’s first get your priorities straight. If you do, you will find that the rest just falls into place. It will open your eyes and you will see things you never saw before and you will understand as you never understood before.

As Jesus said, “Unless a man be born again, he shall not see the Kingdom of God.” Obviously, it does have implications for after physical death, but it also applies to the here and now.  Those who are born again (accept Jesus as their Savior) are immediately granted limited spiritual sight.