What do you think things would be like if every enemy across this world simply stood up, laid down their guns and said, “I’m done with this, I want to live” and then all of them quietly walked away? Or what if every criminal in the world stopped committing crimes of whatever kind and simply and quietly went about living their lives? Better yet, what if every person on earth decided to follow Jesus Christ, the Ten Commandments and wanted to live a rewarding life?

Would you say there would be unspeakable peace? Would you say that everyone would be able to give a huge sigh of relief? And what would then be everyone’s reaction to such a great peace? Maybe a nice and enjoyable meal? Or maybe it could be a peaceful night’s sleep without all the nightmares? You know, that peaceful sweet and sound sleep…

I would be so happy to never have to worry about anything; no more stress about finances or anything else that stresses us on a daily basis. (Maybe our children would then have adoring parents once again!) Neighbors helping each other out, block parties taking place, wouldn’t that be nice? People dancing in the streets out of pure joy…for such a great peace. Thus we would wonder, how long would that peace last? A few seconds, minutes or an hour, if that…

Of course we would have all the naysayers running about letting everyone know that a scenario like this would be impossible. It’s a nice dream, but not practical. At least not practical in a world full of humans, that is. And everyone reading this article would agree with that. And why? It’s simple:

Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”

I have emphasized words in the Scripture above for a reason. It explains to you and me the reason this world will NEVER see peace. It is a fearful description of exactly who we truly are as humans, and who is influencing us every second of every day. It lays bare who that influencer is and who are his followers.

By the same token, it also draws the big black line between those who follow Jesus Christ and those who do not. However, both sides are stuck here on this little planet and the Rapture or death are the only ways out of it.

There is a paradox here, “You can’t live for fear of dying and dying is the greatest fear of living.”

The crux of the matter is that everyone already knows innately, judgment for how one has lived follows death. Don’t believe me? Take a few moments and look all around, you will see people scrambling to live their lives, because they know death seeks them at almost every turn.

My friends, I am not writing fiction here. Does the Bible not call our lives a vapor, here for but a moment and then it vanishes? And this is from God’s own lips to your ears and mine as written in the Bible. If you smell smoke…there is definitely a fire, of whatever size—somewhere!

There is another paradox as well and it is one that makes me absolutely crazy in the head, every time I think about it. Everyone wants to have nice things; clothes, a house to call home, a decent enough car and friends that stand with you and never leave you. We seek a mate for love and affection—to be tied to one that will never defeat us in any manner. And if we look at all these things, we would agree they are great things to have, great things to seek out, the path to prosperity and success. Would you agree with this?

Among other things, everyone would like to live forever and never taste death and that would include disease or pestilence, hunger or famine; that everything would be in the correct place and sufficient for an entire lifetime, right?

Having said that, who would want to burn to death, or be torn asunder all the time? No one…right?

Then explain to me, why the vast majority of humanity chooses NOT to follow Jesus Christ? Why would they choose to go to hell and then into the lake of fire?

No one in his or her “right mind” enjoys losing a loved one and yet we all know if you are born, one day you will die. Its one of the “gimmie’s” in life. So now, I hear from non-believers, they ask the question, “If God is such a wonderful and loving God, why does he allow all the bad stuff to happen?”

Matthew 5:45: “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

As Bible students, we see there is a definite difference in the ones this verse is talking to: The evil and the good, the just and the unjust. And we are able to see this as being fair to all involved, yet divided none-the-less.

1 Corinthians 15:44: “It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.”

Again we see, that there is a difference stated here; one is a natural, physical body (what you are in right now). Then there is a spiritual body which is also in you and is very much alive as your physical body. One (the physical body) can die, but the (spiritual body) never dies and returns to God.

So now we see that death of the physical body…is NOT the end! It is…the beginning of the eternal life, as God has intended it to be.

Romans 5:12: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

Romans 5:18: “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”

Now we see that it is “sin” alone that brings about death and by the same token, because of the death of Jesus Christ on that Roman Cross at Calvary, our “sins” is forgiven and we then see eternal life with Jesus.

So now we see that sin causes death and it is a thing to be afraid of. That is if our sins are not forgiven by Jesus Christ. We know that children who have not reached the age of knowledge (accountability) go straight to heaven to be with Jesus Christ. Outside of being a child, everything is accountable to each adult and then to God the Father.

Understanding this we see there is a simple difference; death to heaven or death to hell. As far as the Rapture is concerned, only the born-again believers and followers of Jesus Christ will go. That being the case, we understand that our physical bodies are temporary and that one day they will cease to function, so we bury them in a grave. Everything associated with the physical…stays here on earth. And I mean everything. There is no escape!

Once your physical body dies, you step into eternity, this is where your “spirit” will dwell. So again, the death of the physical body is nothing. What is worse is dying without your sins being forgiven  by Jesus Christ. There is a “second death” and that death is to hell and then the lake of fire. No repentance of your sins through the blood of Jesus Christ, no heaven for you!

Revelation 20:10:  “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

Please pay attention to the emboldened Scripture…it is absolute truth from the Bible!

Revelation 20:11-15: “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

If you enjoy living…then why would you choose death in eternity? Simple arithmetic will prove that eternity outweighs the 80 or so years here on earth. So then the question becomes, “Why would you give up your eternal existence? This is something everyone will have either in heaven or hell. Is that a question, one that will make you crazy in the head or is it just me? The result is simple!

It is sort of strange. Now days we are so consumed by small words, little words with small numbers of letters, like “few.” We have seen that small word become the difference regarding our eternity. Here is what is so strange for me, simply because I am a writer of sorts now; WORDS have come to mean so much more. In some cases they simply leap off the page, as my eyes read the sentence. The problem is this: How many of you are in the same situation while reading?

Many people now days are able to read with proficiency. The question is, how many are able to clearly understand and gain wisdom, from what they have read? I always thought, even as a kid, that was the original purpose of reading. Someone wants to say something, not all research the subject matter, but they eventually get it down on paper. Then someone reads what they have stated on paper. Most of the time they are stories and can be very enjoyable; one is able to visualize what is taking place.

Let me give you an example. My grandsons, to differing degrees, like the old Indian stories that I know. As in the “old days” stories were told from memory (as they did not have a way of writing them down). Now one must understand how to tell a story. You can’t just say, “A kid stood up to a group of grown men with a small knife and the men were impressed by the boys courage and gave him his dad back.” You see, the story would lack so very much; the what, where, whys and whom. Let’s try this again, in a better manner as my ancestors told it to me:

There was once a boy and he loved to run outside every morning and spin around in circles, till he would fall down. So everyone began to call him Spinning bird, which would remain his name until the day he would become a man. “Spinning Bird, stop that before you fall and hurt yourself!” Momma would say. Yet every morning he would perform the same ritual. He loved the feeling he would experience on his skin, whether cold or warm, it would rush across his body as he would spin.

Spinning Bird was the pride of his father, aside from the spinning thing, but boys were boys and they sometimes did strange things. Spinning Bird dreamed of the day, he would become a man and he wanted to be just like his father. He wanted to be brave and courageous, honorable and fearless, to stand tall and everyone would know he was a real man. Spinning Bird loved his father, almost as much as his father loved him. Yet one day, gray clouds covered his little life.

There was a fierce tribe about a day’s ride from their camp and this would at times cause trouble. Most of the time, they would lose a horse or two, maybe have a loss of meat when hunting. Typically it would never end badly, neither side wanted any bad blood to be passed between them. One day his father was hunting alone and was taken prisoner by the other tribe, which is a bad thing, but never as bad, if they killed him. It was a bad day for Spinning Birds tribe and all the men sat and considered what they should do, as they sat before a great fire. This made Spinning Bird angry!”

Early the next morning, Spinning Bird awoke very early and he grabbed his little flint knife and left the camp. If no one else would rescue his father, Spinning Bird would! He walked for miles and miles through the dark and ominous forest, continuously haunted by the sounds of the nocturnal animals. He had forgotten to bring water and food and by the time the sun had risen, his stomach was growling horribly and his lips were chapped. Yet…his anger was great and he keep walking!

Spinning Bird was definitely his father’s son; undaunted, he would get closer and closer to the other tribal camp. He came to a big boulder and stopped to sit and rest, wishing he had listened better to his father and had been better prepared. Suddenly, the bushes parted and 10 members of the other tribe, including the chief, came through. Spinning Bird jumped to his feet and he pulled his small flint knife, with bristling anger all over his face and clinched teeth, He stood his ground. The Chief asked him, “What are you doing little boy, so far from camp?”

Through snarling teeth, Spinning Bird said he was his father’s son and he was here to fight and win his father’s freedom! Of course this caused the men to laugh and this made Spinning Bird even more angry and even a little reckless. One man left his horse to grab him and Spinning Bird, spun around and cut the man’s hand, the man jumped back in surprise. No one was laughing now, they knew Spinning Bird meant business, even if he was small. The Chief sent for Spinning Bird’s Father. When his father arrived, the chief let him go free. Spinning Bird had faced 10 warriors with determination and out of love for his father Spinning Bird showed great courage.

Now Spinning Bird became a man in his tribe. His new name was, “Man with Courage and Great Love!”

So now you see that there can be a great story, if one reads and considers what was written. It is so much more internally fulfilling to read such stories. My life at one time was spent with friends in the Wichita Tribe, as a small boy in school, thus the story. These made my heart fill with pride and to know that being an outcast, as an Indian, was a good thing. Thus I tell these to my grandsons, with hope they will feel the same pride and happiness in being American Indians.

The Word of God is so much more than any story I could tell, because everything needed is there. The history of the Old Testament, the decisions that were made and why and by whom. Everything we could ever need in this life is there, just for the reading and the pleasure of that.

Here is what is so fantastic about the Bible. Not only does it feed us stories of incredible actions, it gives us promises that God keeps every day. The prophecies are incredible on their own and most have come to Truth and we witness that in global archaeology. Then we read of the prophecies to come and we find how awe-striking they are to be in the near future. Most of all we read the love of Jesus Christ for you and me and how HE wants to work in our lives and that heaven is our final future, not death.

Each of us has a story to tell how the Lord God has moved in each of us and that is the story we should be telling others. How strange is it, that the Bible has so many stories, that combined with our own stories, is one true story. We must be about our Father’s business!

The Rapture of the church of Jesus Christ is so very close, we can feel how awesome that event will be. There is no other way to describe what the future holds for us, than what is written in the Word of God. We need to know these things…for ourselves, in that special, small area of our lives that screams for attention and love. To that area that speaks to us about the love of a true and fantastic God.