I would like to take a few moments and talk about something that started out to be wonderful and but has turned into something horrible: love. We like to talk about love and many of us pursue it for all the wrong reasons. My last article was about obtaining the wisdom and discernment of the Lord and this one is about the side of life that has fallen apart.

We need to look at how this thing (love) has gone wrong and how it has destroyed lives, families and individuals of both gender. Every individual is touched by this on every level and plane of life, from birth until death. The Lord God Almighty created man and woman and HE did so in a particular fashion.

First HE created Adam to care for all that was growing in the Garden of Eden and to care for all the animals as well. Adam also named everything according to God’s purpose. We do not know how long it was before God created Eve, but it was a sufficient period of time for God to see  that Adam needed a companion, and according to Scripture—a “helper.”

Genesis 2:21-24 “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

As we read in the Scriptures, the woman (Eve) was created to be a “helper.” It is not stated that a woman is to be a slave or over the man but to always be at his side helping in everything. This means that the woman was equally needful in everything, and meant to be a partner. The passage above proves this.

The Change

Everything would have remained perfect and wonderful for Adam and Eve except they sinned against God and ate of the “forbidden fruit.” Since that point in time men and women have abused, used and tortured each other to the point of death. That sin by Adam and Eve to be like gods, knowing right from wrong, of good and evil, has followed every individual since their fall.

Let’s take a look at how this has changed everyone. Hollywood stars routinely use make-up to hide the vestiges of time, to cover spots and wrinkles. We see that some wear less and less clothing as if everyone wishes to know them intimately. Many routinely have facelifts and other body altering surgeries to stave off aging, to remain looking young. This way of life  has found its way into the lives of everyday individuals. “Awe…to be young forever.” Yeah, right!

Everyday activities like drinking, having unprotected sex and wearing little to no clothing on the beach has rendered nubile young bodies to look old and leathery before their time. Sin indeed has had a price and we can see the effects of sin at every turn. Sex, which is meant to be beautiful and fulfilling between a (married) man and woman has turned into a lucrative destructive business, and the result has brought on diseases that kill.

The world as a whole has heaped upon themselves mountains of sin that have eroded what was once beautiful and whole. We have homosexuality—an abomination to God, invading everyone’s lives on a daily basis (which too many accept…as normal). And yet few consider the Word of God to see that sin not only compounds itself but grows exponentially. And to think that one sin is enough to render the sinner to hell and the lake of fire for eternity!

Again we see that life is: “All about ME.” It’s all about what I want, not what is pure or decent. Sinful people seeking to have love, have instead burned and tortured others without a single thought for an individual’s identity—whether they are male or female, they have rendered people as objects…an “It.” Lust has filled so many to the point that many have turned away from true love in fear and loathing.

Mark 10:7-9 “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”

Leviticus 20:13 “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”

Those two verses from the Word of God spell out the definition of a great and horrible sin of a man or woman against society. And the whole of society today wants to condemn born-again Christians as haters and as very stringent individuals? This information is straight from the Word of God—from God’s lips to your ears. Never point a finger at another until you have looked in the mirror first.

Do you remember what the situation was before the Great Flood or that of Sodom and Gomorrah? The sins of the people had grown to a point that the sheer magnitude of their sins had reached the Lord God Almighty. That was when God decided that He needed to destroy mankind for their mountains of sin, for turning their backs on God, for all their abominations.

Do you ever get the idea that according to the Word of God, we are in that exact same situation today? Does the Word of God matter to you and do you adhere to what God has stated?

The Results Are In

Here is something to truly think about: When the Rapture occurs, it will involve an extreme FEW. The vast majority of the people of the world will remain right here to experience the wrath of God.

So then the real question is this: Where do you wish to be when the Rapture takes place? Or are you one of the individuals saying, “Well…I am not real sure about all of this just yet.” Maybe you are a fence sitter. If that is the case, YOU will remain right here with the vast majority of the world, left to wonder WHY.

This scenario is in the Word of God—the Bible and it is more than 4500 years old. That being the case, your fence sitting has no basis, no foundation.

Let’s lay our cards on the table. If you don’t have the Lord God as your Lord and Master, then you will be a witness to the Rapture instead of being taken up. You will stay behind and witness the wrath of God! Your sin, and be sure that you understand this (it is a mountain by now), will follow you into the future.

You are stained and broken beyond repair or redemption. (That is unless you accept the gift of Jesus Christ and have your sins covered by HIS precious blood on the Cross.)

As a man (I use that term loosely) you will be accountable for your actions, in your abuse of every woman you have ever known. As a woman, you will be held responsible and accountable for the misuse of yourself toward men. The pendulum always swings both ways.

There has always been a proper association between men and women and the idea has never been to bastardize it. (Although that is exactly what has taken place.) Be sure that your sins have been recorded by none other than the Lord God Almighty.

So many today say that the Word of God is no longer relevant. And yet, the sin of Adam and Eve follow every single individual who has ever been born on this earth. We do indeed know the difference between right and wrong, righteousness and evil. That being the case, the Lord God has given us a way to right all the wrongs we have ever committed through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. This is done by having your sins covered by HIS precious blood on the Cross.

Remember this: Your sins and my sins took Jesus Christ to the Roman Cross and to HIS death. You and I and everyone else are at fault for the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ; we murdered God! Praise the Lord that HE was resurrected three days later just as HE had stated prophetically and is now in heaven waiting on you and me to arrive.

We have a choice to make. We can follow Jesus Christ and have heaven for eternity OR we can follow Satan and his ilk and have the lake of fire for eternity. That is a FACT my friends.

You can revel in the debauchery of this world, for what…80 to 90 years and then what? What will you do for eternity? Because you and I know the difference between good and bad, righteousness and evil, we already know the answer to that question.

And you always thought the Word of God was no longer relevant?

There are times when I sit here before my computer and wonder if any of these articles are getting across to unsaved individuals. Or as some have stated, “Are you preaching to the choir?”

I will say that there have been a few people who have written and asked if they may use my articles in a particular manner. So to an extent, I believe these articles are, indeed, getting to some who are unsaved. There is a problem, though. Let me see if I can open this can of worms and dissect the problem.

I like to write in a manner that gives people the ability to read and then see that I am no better or worse than they are; that I am a normal person—someone just like they are. I write to show I  am a sinner just as they are. But today I am a born-again believer and follower of Jesus Christ and my sins are covered by the blood  that HE shed on the Cross. I am heaven bound, eternally blessed by my Lord and Savior. And I am so thankful to HIM…for this particular situation, for our personal relationship.

As I go about living every day, I keep seeing a particular disconnect. The churches in my area are all about preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ… to an extent. I have no problem with the gospel of Jesus Christ! As a matter of fact, I enjoy the gospels and find a great deal of comfort in them. Yet we already know there are always two sides to every coin.

Wherever there is good there is also bad, righteousness and then evil; and such is the state of our lives here on earth. We have this life to find and know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior or to turn our backs on Him and follow what we want instead.

In our lives, especially here in the USA, we have things pretty good… for the most part. The majority have their needs met for housing, clothing, food and education on a daily basis. And we also know there are some who struggle for various reasons.

My friends, we are NOT here to save the lost. That is not our mission. We are messengers, as Scripture teaches! Our job is to bring the message of salvation to everyone we come across. Believers have never been in the position to save anyone. This is because we are just as fallen as anyone else. Saving anyone to heaven is the job of Jesus Christ. Only HE is able to save.

Our testimonies of what Jesus Christ did for us in our lives, that is what we should be telling everyone. We must realize that it is Jesus Christ who came here to earth and died to pay for our sins. It was never you or me. (Although some of us know it should have been you and me.)

We us to never have a superiority complex because we are saved to Jesus Christ. We are no better than anyone else, and having this sort of attitude destroys our ability to witness to others. We have been saved to Jesus Christ… by HIS grace, which then means we will be with HIM in heaven.

So now you’re wondering what is that “disconnect” I have been talking about? The disconnect is forgetting about the flipside. The gospels are wonderful and comforting to anyone who is willing to read them. I LOVE THEM! Because I walk with my Lord and Savior, I know these gospels apply to my life and my final destination will be to an eternity with HIM.

The flipside is all about hell and the lake of fire. It is all about destruction and everything horrible and bad that eternity is able to hold for those who fail to come to Jesus Christ. That IS              a very defining part of life, just as much as birth and death are a part of life. It is obvious to everyone that birth and death are not under our control.

choice we have between these two things is what really matters and everyone will be forced to face this; it is the reason for this life!

The Word of God—the Bible, is rife with examples of choices that were made by others. We remember that the Word of God states, “Noah walked with God.” Thus the reason for Noah building the Ark—God told him to build it. God told Noah that there would be a flood of biblical proportions and the Ark would be the only way to survive. Noah told others that in order to live, they needed to go into the Ark. Since there were only 8 survivors, the choices by everyone else led to their doom on earth.

Sodom and Gomorrah had a similar situation. Lot belonged to the Lord; thus angels came to Lot and told him that the cities were going to be destroyed. And that is exactly what happened. We are told that Lot and his family were the only ones to survive. They were told by the angel not to look back, but Lot’s wife did look back and was turned to a “pillar of salt.”

Are you able to see the problem? The stories in the Bible are full of people making choices, or failing to do so and then the end results. The Lord has told us to preach the Word of God to the entire world, but does that mean we are to tell them only the good parts. Are we to preach only the prosperity and the feel-good gospel?

The last I remember death still occurs every minute of every day and night. Am I not correct? The problem is this: We don’t like to flip that coin over and see the other side. I believe you will now agree that there is good and bad, salvation and destruction, life and death and…WE…are right in the middle of all of it. WE are the integral component in this earthly life because we are the ones who must make the decision of where we wish to spend eternity.

Does it make any sense for an angel to stand by the deathbed of someone who is not saved to Jesus Christ? I already know the answer. The question is being asked of you. What do YOU think on this matter?

We are confronted with words from the Bible like Gehenna and Sheol. In some translations those words  mean the same thing as “hell.” In others, one means the “grave” and the other “hell.” We always fear at least one, but shouldn’t we be afraid of both? Are not both of these a sense of separation from the Lord? We know the body must be buried or destroyed in some manner after the cessation of life, correct?

Few truly like walking about in cemeteries. Everyone there is already dead, right? There is no life there and yet we already know from the Word of God that our spirits continue to live after we die. So are the deceased still alive or not?

The spirits of the people are still alive somewhere but their physical bodies are left behind… in the graves. Is that Sheol or Gehenna? Does this matter? The point is, there is not one single head-stone that says where the deceased individual is located. All we really know is that the physical body is in the grave and that’s it. So let’s look at this for a moment; really, look at it!

Jesus Christ IS God! He was never just a really nice guy who did some really wonderful things. Jesus Christ who is God—healed the sick, raised the dead, brought HOPE to everyone and is still doing that exact same thing in people today. Or are people so cynical that they no longer see this?

There are still people surviving cancer and many other medical difficulties. Medical science is not to be lauded for this. Do you not know where their intelligence comes from in the first place? It’s remarkable that so few see the miracles of God taking place all around them every day never recognizing them.

Is there death? Absolutely. Had there never been “original sin” we wouldn’t be experiencing death of any kind. Our sins are the reason we experience the worst this life can give. In other words our problems, trials and tribulations, death and anything else are the direct results of our sinful nature. Does this make any sense to you?

It is our choice individually to die in our sins or to turn to Jesus Christ and be forgiven our sins.

Let’s get real about this for a moment. One day you are going to die or be taken in the Rapture.

So the question is this: How many are going in the Rapture? It must be understood, if you do not go in the Rapture… then you will be required to die as a human. More important, if you die, where will your spirit be after you take your last breath?

It is already understood if you go in the Rapture, you already belong to our Lord and Savior. HE will remove all true believers before HE delivers HIS wrath on a sin-filled world during the seven-year Tribulation period. Conversely, if you die here on earth only you and GOD… KNOW where you are headed. Does that make any sense to you?

Please understand, because Adam and Eve ate of the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” Every single one of us KNOWS whether we belong to Jesus Christ or not. Boy… that sure shows the importance of Sunday School and studying the Bible. And Sunday School is not just for kids!

Sitting in the pew and going to church every Sunday is NOT going to save you to heaven. You already know if you have invited the Lord Jesus Christ into your life or not. You can do anything you want in this life, run as far away as you can but you will never be able to hide from God.

If you have never given your life to Jesus Christ, you better enjoy everything you can think of… right now, because that is all you will ever have. This truth is written in Bible—the Holy Word of God, (God’s own words to your ears.)

You don’t like talking about death and all the bad things going on today… that’s fine, I can agree with you to an extent. If you never come to Jesus Christ this life will be better than a “Cakewalk” compared to where you are headed. You will mourn the day you chose to turn your back on Jesus Christ and you will mourn—for the rest of eternity.

Death can be scary and it is the reason why no one wishes to talk about it. Hollywood horror movies have compounded this problem and we have dark things like Halloween… The Lord God Almighty is the only One who will ever reign and rule anywhere, so don’t get the idea you can reign in hell with Satan.

Satan will not reign anywhere. The Lord God is the ONLY God there is. Who do you think created Satan? Think about it… But Satan who was once a favored angel rebelled against God.

So what is this “disconnect” I have been talking about? I am talking about whether or not you have come to salvation through Jesus Christ. Whether your sins are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ from the Cross; whether or not you walk a life with the Lord God Almighty.

Or have you been too lazy or prideful to consider this?

Would you rather have one foot in the grave (death) and one in heaven? Well my friend, that is not possible. There is no place in heaven for fence sitters. It is either heaven or hell and it is YOUR choice!