We make choices every day. Some are easy, but some take study. For instance, do you get up in the morning and go to work, or do you choose to stay in bed and lose your job? That’s one of the easy choices… go to work! A choice that takes a little more study is buying a car. Which is the most gas-efficient and which is safer? Some choices aren’t all that important, like which color shirt do you buy. Some choices are life-changing, such as who do you marry. The most important choice of all is where do you want to spend eternity. It is your choice.

Many people think that when you die, that’s it; there’s no afterlife. They are wrong. Others think that if you’re a good person and if you’re kind to others, then you’ll go to Heaven. They are also wrong. So, is there an answer? Absolutely. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6).

Everybody will live eternally, but each individual makes their own choice as to where eternity will be spent. Let’s look at some facts so you can make a wise choice.

Sin separates us from God. We are born sinners, and we have Adam to thank for that. God doesn’t want anybody to be separated from Him, and at the very beginning, He did all He could to keep Adam and Eve near to Him. Like us, they had a choice. “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying. Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17).

God had provided everything Adam needed to survive in the Garden of Eden. The only thing missing from Adam’s life was a mate… a woman. God understood and cared enough to provide a mate for Adam. Adam was put into a deep sleep, and God took Eve from Adam’s side. The Garden was a perfect place to live; it had food, water, animals, a man and a woman. God had given Adam the command not to eat the fruit of knowledge prior to Eve being brought into being, and Adam had the responsibility to be sure Eve understood the rule. Unfortunately, she chose to talk to that evil liar who was in the form of a serpent, and he convinced her that God was afraid that if she and Adam ate the fruit, they would be like Him.

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5).

Not much has changed over time. God gives us rules to protect us, but Satan makes sin look like fun. It might be fun until you wake up in the morning with a pounding hangover, wondering what you did the night before, or when the doctor tells you that you have AIDS because you chose to live a lifestyle that is in opposition to God. Maybe you just found out that you’re going to have a baby, and your lover won’t leave his wife. When consequences of sin mess up your life, remember that you chose to sin and cannot blame God.

“And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” (1 Timothy 2:14). Eve chose to listen to Satan instead of God, and Adam chose to join her in sin, and Paradise was lost.

God had a plan. An amazing plan that seems just too easy. Easy for us, but it cost God dearly. “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

That is perfect love. There was no other way for sin to be forgiven but through the blood of Jesus. Because Adam chose to defy God and eat the forbidden fruit, we have inherited sin.

When a baby is born, that infant only knows to cry for help… change my diaper, feed me, love me. As they grow, they have to learn to share and be kind to others. A good parent will teach their child to respect others. More importantly, an excellent parent will teach their child about God. “Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

God understands that a child cannot be accountable for their choices because they don’t know right from wrong. Parents need to take the responsibility to teach their children about God. Don’t trust public school to teach morality. There comes a time in life when we become accountable for our own choices. What age is that? It’s hard to say. Some never reach it. If a child is mentally unable to understand right from wrong, they cannot make a choice.

I have a granddaughter who is 22 years old and is not mentally able to make a choice. It’s sad that she cannot walk or carry on a conversation, but she also cannot make a choice to sin or not to sin. Her sisters and brother have a choice, and I’m very thankful they have all chosen wisely to accept Christ. We are responsible for our own choices, and the choice to follow Christ must be made while living on this side of eternity.

Let’s take a look at our options. If we choose to live sinful lives and reject Christ, this life will be filled with trouble. No matter what your thought on eternal life is, if you have rejected Christ, then you have chosen Hell.

The Old Testament talks of the grave or the abode of the dead (Hebrew term is Sheol), which was where souls went to await their future judgment. It had two compartments. One side was known as Abraham’s Bosom. This was a place of comfort where people went who died knowing there was a coming Redeemer. Job looked forward to his Redeemer: “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God” (Job 19:25-26).

The other side of Sheol was a place of torments. This is where those who had no faith in the coming Redeemer and cared nothing for God went to await the final judgment. When Jesus, the Redeemer, died on the cross for our salvation, He released those in Abraham’s Bosom to go with Him to Heaven. Today, anybody who has truly accepted Christ for salvation will go to Heaven upon death.

When writing to Christians, the Apostle Paul wrote, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).

Those who reject Christ go to torments and will be judged at the Great White Throne judgment at the end of the Millennium.

“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” (Revelation 20:11-12).

That judgment will be very sad. It will be dependent upon your works, and works cannot bring salvation.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound. You can’t earn salvation.

Jesus gave us a very clear view of the afterlife when He told of a rich man who didn’t live a life that honored God, and a poor man who had nothing but lived a life of faith:

“And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom; the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lift up his eyes being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom, and he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented., and beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence” (Luke 16:22-26).

The rich man made a choice while living in the world, and his choice was to reject God. He received the wages for his sin. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

On the other hand, Lazarus was a poor beggar, but he honored God. His reward was to be carried by angels after death to a place of comfort. The rich man told Abraham to send Lazarus to his family to tell them how to live so they would be saved from torments. Abraham told the rich man that his family had Moses and the prophets. Scripture is still our guide today for us to make a wise choice for eternity.

This account reveals quite a few facts. First, Scripture is our guide. Next, our choice has to be made on this side of the grave. Third, we learn that there is no purgatory where you can work your way to Paradise. It also tells us that the dead remember loved ones and recognize acquaintances, but the dead cannot return to warn the living. If you think that a loved one has come back with a message for you, don’t be fooled. They cannot return.

How can we avoid the place of torment? We all have a choice. This is the most important choice you’ll ever make. None of us are “good enough” to spend eternity in Heaven. “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10).

We cannot do enough “good works” to earn a right to enter Heaven. Faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the choice we must make. There is no other way. Your faith must be real and not just an intellectual “I believe” mumbled at an altar. Jesus told Nicodemus he had to be born again to see God. “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

When Nicodemus asked about being “born again,” Jesus told him he had to be born a first time from the womb (born of water), but the second time is being born of the Spirit. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6).

Jesus Christ was God incarnate. He stepped into His creation and gave His life for our salvation. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

We must make the choice of faith for ourself in order to find salvation. We must admit that we are sinners with no chance of eternal life by our own merit. Only true faith in Jesus can take our sin away. When we truly believe, we are born again. The choice must be honest and true, not brain knowledge but life-changing heart knowledge, which includes repentance. That means you’ve changed your mind about sin, and your life is changed.

A very important point to understand is that God does not send anybody to Hell. We make a choice. If we accept Christ for salvation, our eternity is bright. If we reject Him, then we will spend eternity in the burning lake of fire with the rich man. There are only two choices, so choose wisely.

This life is temporary, and we need to look at the “big picture.” Sin may look inviting, and you may think that living a Christian life is boring, but you’re wrong. Eve believed Satan’s lies, and Adam joined in her sin. Sin wasn’t a pleasure at all. It still isn’t. When you realize that you’re a sinner and that your sin separates you from God, repent. Repent means that you’ve changed your mind about sin, and it no longer controls you. The questionable pleasure you got from drinking alcohol until you’re in a stupor no longer is appealing. Hangovers are no longer a problem. Scripture is our guide to living a life that honors God. Read it, study it, apply it.

Don’t put off making your choice. Death is just one heartbeat away. The Rapture is also drawing near. All Christians will be taken Home to Heaven in the twinkling of an eye. You don’t want to be left on earth to face the Great Tribulation. There is an urgency for you to give your life to Christ. God has given plenty of warning and instructions for eternal life.

God doesn’t send anybody to Hell. It’s our choice.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com

www.prophecyupdate.com

www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God breathed.

If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

 

“Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous; and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart” (Psalm 32:11).

We live in the time of the signs, and prophecy is being fulfilled quickly. We hear news headlines, or people talk around the water cooler at work, and the words are of doom, gloom, and fear. It’s so easy for us to lose sight of the fact that Christians can rest easy in God’s truth. God hasn’t changed at all, and His word is still truth. Unfortunately, many Christians choose not to study God’s word. Liberal media gets high priority in reading material, but God’s word is left on a shelf to gather dust. As that happens, it’s the secular view of life that gets seared into our minds and hearts.

In October of 2023, Hamas committed a vicious and heinous act of terrorism against Israel. At first, the world was stunned that such a brutal attack could be done by one group of humans against another group. Then, the liberal media began blaming Israel. If you study Scripture, you’ll understand that God gave that land to Abraham and to his children forever. God had made a covenant with Abraham.

“In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: the Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites” (Genesis 15:18-21).

There were no conditions or time limits on that promise. There have been times when Israel has fallen out of fellowship with God, but that didn’t cancel the promise.

Much later, God did give rules to Moses to pass along to the Jewish people. “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel” (Exodus 19:4-6).

Israel is a treasure to God, even when they are in rebellion. They’ve been in rebellion for many years. In 1948, Israel was reestablished as a nation, not because of any work of men but because God ordained it. The Jewish people have all rights to Jerusalem and, indeed, to every inch of Israel. When God makes a promise, He will never go back on it.

Prophecy is an important Biblical study, and Christians need to make every effort to understand it. Why is this important? God doesn’t want us to be taken by surprise. He wants us to understand the times in which we live. By understanding, we can find peace when others are wringing their hands and fretting.

Prophecy is also a great witnessing tool. Sadly, even Christians are having trouble dealing with all the evil that’s happening in the world. The horrid attack that Hamas inflicted upon Israel has many people talking about the end times. Some talk mockingly, but others truly want to understand what God says. Scripture tells us that Jerusalem will be a “problem” to all nations. Guess what? There’s a war going on today because the Muslim nations that surround Israel want to destroy them, and all nations of the world are affected.

“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it” (Zechariah 12:2-3).

Some say this is a prophecy concerning the final battle when Christ returns at the end of the Great Tribulation. That may be, but it looks very much as if it could be happening now, before the Tribulation. What we can absolutely know for sure is that God will never allow Israel to be uprooted again. Prophecy is clear on that point.

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:11-12).

If you study the history of how it all came together for Israel to be reestablished, it was miraculous and obvious that God orchestrated it.

In the last few years, much has happened to cause anxiety. The pandemic caused so much trouble, and what we know now makes it look even worse. Evil men were behind it, and the supposed “cure” was just a long line of jabs. There’s talk of more pestilence coming. Food tampering, as well as genetic tampering (as in the days of Noah), is a reality today. When the disciples asked Jesus about the end of the age, He gave some signs.

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:6-8).

Jesus said not to be troubled when we see these things, but He also said it’s just the beginning. As I see prophecy being fulfilled, I get scared and upset, but I also find peace knowing that God has told us what is coming, but He has also promised Christians that we will be Raptured prior to the final seven years of history. We’re seeing things happening faster, and we can trust in the Lord to take us away from the Tribulation. Christians need to represent Christ in a way that honors Him and gives hope to others, not in a way that follows the world.

Unfortunately, we’re seeing another sign that the days are coming to an end. “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it” (Amos 8:11-12).

Today, people just don’t study or share God’s word. Paul also wrote a letter to Timothy warning about what will happen to congregations in the later days. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth” (1 Timothy 4:1-3).

Many pulpits today are filled with much false doctrine… doctrine of devils. There is truly a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. This lack of teaching allows world events to put fear into the hearts of Christians. There’s no reason to only blame preachers. Most people have access to Bibles and can study Scripture for themselves. There are many excellent Bible teachers online, but use discernment; there are many false teachers. The best way to study and teach Scripture is to start in Genesis 1:1 and teach line upon line and precept upon precept through Revelation 21:21. That way, no important truths will be skipped.

If you are a Christian and spend your time fearfully listening to all of the bad things happening in the world and fretting and worrying about what you read, remember that MSNBC and CNN raise their ratings by feeding on people’s fears. Satan also feeds on lies and fear. No wonder many Christians are scared. Instead of keeping tuned to God, they stay tuned to secular programming. Christians should be the ones who are calm and faithfully representing Christ. We are the ones who need to have answers to help the unsaved find salvation and peace in Christ.

Peter is a good example of a man who was changed by Jesus. Peter followed Jesus for years but didn’t really know Him. That’s like many Christians today. It wasn’t until after the resurrection that Peter let go of his fears and became a true man of God. He no longer hid in fear of people knowing he was a follower of Christ. He wrote letters of encouragement that still edify us today. In his first letter, Peter spoke of living a God-honoring life. If you walk closer to Jesus, you will have less fear.

“But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:14-15).

If a non-believer is filled with anxiety over news reports or anger because they blame Israel for the war, do you have answers? If they look at you and you’re anxious and have no joy in the Lord, will they even know you’re a Christian? On the other hand, if you show joy in your life because you are a child of the King, they may feel comfortable asking you about your peace. Will you have an answer? Can you explain why Israel owns the land and why the war is happening? Can you explain that things will get worse and that the only hope to escape the horrors of the Tribulation is to truly repent of sin and turn to Jesus? These are important answers to important questions.

If you represent Christ with joy and strength, you are serving Him well. The world holds no hope for anybody. For a person who has not given their life to Christ, there is no chance to live eternally in Heaven; they face an eternity in the lake of fire. On the other hand, Christians have so much in which to find joy. Our sins have been forgiven.

Do you really understand what that means? Sin separates us from God. Even what we think is a small sin is still sin and will condemn us to an eternity in the lake of fire. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). If you dwell on that fact, it can be very depressing, but there’s more to that thought. “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3:24-26).

You cannot have any joy or peace unless you have realized that you are a sinner and that sin has separated you from God. It’s time to repent of sin; that means to change your mind and turn to Christ. If you live an adulterous lifestyle, that’s sin. Repent and turn to Christ for forgiveness. He will forgive you. Then, turn away from sin. You cannot represent Christ in a good way if you’re living a life that glorifies the world.

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

Give your thoughts to God, and don’t let fear stop you from representing Christ in a way that honors Him.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).