Why I Believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture

1 Thessalonians 5:9 “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

The church is not destined for wrath, we are to encourage one another, not live in fear. Fear is not a virtue of God. 2 Timothy 1:3 Paul writes to Timothy: “I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

Romans 5:9 “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

John 14:3 ““And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

Jesus is preparing a place for us.

1 Thessalonians 13 ““But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord,[d] that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.”” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

Revelation 19:6 “Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,”

““Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.””
9 And the angel said[a] to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, ““These are the true words of God.”” 10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, ““You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.”” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

Why would God make His bride go through the tribulation period and then welcome us into his kingdom for the marriage supper of the Lamb? God is not a wife beater.

2 Thessalonians 2:7 “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

You think we live in an evil time now, wait until the church is gone, that is when there will be lawlessness.

Daniel 12:5 “Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. 6 And someone said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream,[b] ““How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?”” 7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished. 8 I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, ““O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?”” 9 He said, ““Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. 11 And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. 13 But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

2 Timothy 3:1 “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

The Lesson of the Fig Tree: Luke 21:29 And he told them a parable: ““Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So
also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.””

There is a generation that will now pass away, that will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord.

34 “” But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.””

We must pray that we have the strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, the tribulation period.
Mathew 24:36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son,[b] but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Bible Gateway 2026)

Just like in the days of Noah they were going about their usual business, and they didn’t know that there was going to be a flood or judgement, just like now, in the last days, the unbelievers are not aware that Jesus is coming and separating the light from the darkness. The Bible says two will be out in the field, or two will be griding, and one will be taken. However, we don’t know when Jesus will come back, therefore we must stay ready and keep our lamps full.
Revelation 6:6 ““And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart[a] of wheat for a denarius,[b] and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!”” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

“In this verse John writes that he heard what seemed to be a voice coming from the midst of the four living creatures (Revelation 4:6–8). The voice announced that a quart of wheat was selling for a denarius and three quarts of barley cost a denarius. Symbolically, this passage seems to indicate a common experience in real-world crises: war and famine give way to inflation due to supply and demand.

A denarius in the first century was usually equal to a day’s wages, and the amount of grain given here is just enough to keep a person alive. These are also the commodities of the common person: basic staples for living. The implication seems to be that most people in this part of the tribulation are struggling just to meet their basic survival needs. This is the kind of poverty which threatens a person’s life, not merely their lifestyle.

However, the voice from the midst of the four living creatures also commanded, “Do not harm the oil and wine!” Oil and wine, in this context, are less crucial supplies, making them a form of minor luxury. The implication that these are not harmed might suggest that wealthy people would not be hurt by the economic or inflationary catastrophe. According to Revelation 13:16–17, the false prophet in Jerusalem will control commerce during the tribulation, making it extremely difficult for tribulation believers to purchase even basic commodities.” (Bible Ref 2026)
Revelation 24:22 “And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

“The biblical account of Noah begins in Genesis 6. Approximately 1,600 years had passed since the creation of Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:26–27). As the earth’s population exploded in number, it also exploded with evil. Long forgotten was the righteous sacrifice of Abel (Genesis 4:4) as “the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). Verses 11 and 12 say, “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.” However, “Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord” (verse 8).

When Jesus described the events that will surround His second coming, He said, “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:26–27). Jesus was pointing out that, although the people of Noah’s day were totally depraved, they were not the least bit concerned about it. They were carrying on the events of their lives without a single thought of the judgment of God. Noah is described as a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5), meaning he had spent years warning his friends and neighbors what the Holy God was about to do. No one listened.

The depravity and ungodly lifestyles of the entire world at that time were enough to cause the Lord to “regret that He had made man” (Genesis 6:6). Many scholars believe that part of the need to destroy every human being except Noah and his family was the sin mentioned in Genesis 6:1–4, when “the Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them.” As evil reproduced and overtook the world, the most merciful act God could perform was to start over.

It is interesting that God allowed Noah nearly one hundred years to complete the building of the ark. Through all that time, God patiently waited (1 Peter 3:20). Scripture seems to imply that Noah preached to the people of that time about what was coming (Hebrews 11:7). They did not believe Noah and were content with their wickedness and idolatry. Their hearts were hard and their ears dull. No one repented, and no one cared to seek God.

Jesus said that the world will be much the same before He returns to set up His earthly kingdom (Matthew 25:31–33). He warned us to “be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Second Timothy 3:1–4 gives us a clear picture of the state of the world before Jesus comes and most likely also describes the world in the days of Noah. That verse says, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” It is becoming increasingly obvious that, to understand what the world was like in the days of Noah, we only need to watch the evening news.” (Got Questions 2026)

Travel to and Fro throughout the world and an increase in knowledge

Daniel 12:1““At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above;[a] and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.””

These are a few scriptures why I believe in the pre-tribulation rapture and an article from Got Questions.
What if the first words in the Bible proved that the church won’t endure God’s wrath? Genesis 1:4 “And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)
It says God separated the light from the darkness, what if God is going to separate the believers or the light from the darkness, the unbelievers?

It’s not the first time that we have seen someone separated or taken. Enoch was taken to heaven by God. Genesis 5:24 “Enoch walked with God, and he was not,[c] for God took him.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

And Elijah was taken to heaven. 2 Kings 2:11“And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)
Noah was separated from the flood, “These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh,[c] for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. “(Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

Abraham and Lot were separated from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 19:27 “And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. 28 And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.

So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

God separated Isreal from the plagues Exodus 11:4 “So Moses said, ““Thus says the LORD: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, 5 and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle. 6 There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again. 7 But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’ 8 And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, you and all the people who follow you.’ And after that I will go out.”” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger. 9 Then the LORD said to Moses, ““Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

And God will separate the light from the darkness and save us from the great tribulation period.

I Wonder…

Our church recently upgraded from old-timey bench style pews to more comfortable chairs with cushions and gave the old pews away.

My wife and I were fortune enough to get one of the pews and we placed it on our back deck. We occasionally sit in it and marvel at God’s beautiful creation.

I sometimes wonder how many people gave their life to Jesus sitting in that very same pew that we use to gaze upon God’s creation, with a command of His voice, that I am in awe of. I wonder how many people sat there and cried during a sermon that pricked their hearts. I wonder how many couples, male and female, sat there holding hands being preached to about God’s design in marriage covenant between man and wife. Or how many young men and women sat in the very same pew and marveled at how God, Himself, took on flesh and died on the Cross for our sins, defeating sin and death through His descension into hell and resurrection and ascension into heaven for you and me.

Paul writes in Ephesians 4:6 “One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”[a] 9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?[b] 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)

I wonder how many sermons have been preached in that church with that old church pew. And how many people sat on that old-fashioned church pew. And now my wife and I and children get to sit on the same pew that saw people give their lives to Jesus, the most important decision you will ever make, to spend eternity with Jesus.

But there is still something about sitting in an old uncomfortable traditional pew that can’t be replaced. I wouldn’t trade that memory for anything.

What If Brotherhood Devotion

Men, what’s going on? And I don’t mean how’s it going. What’s going on in the world right now? The world is literally on fire, right now. Between Isreal and the US bombing Iran and the storms that we have been having, tornadoes, floods, hurricane in North Carolina. I still don’t think they have recovered from that one last year, riots in LA, No kings’ demonstrations. They don’t want anything to do with a king and we worship our King Jesus.

And don’t think because we live in a small town, we are exempt from the darkness. There was a murder in Mt. Ida not too long ago.

Manuela got back from visiting some friends in Oklahoma on Wednesday and five minutes later there was a bad wreck right by the house in front of Crider’s. And Saturday there was a wreck in front of Walmart.

What if …you didn’t know Jesus? Think about that for a second.

What if…you never prayed to God? Dwell on that for a second.

What if…the only thing I had to look forward to was pleasing myself and my selfish desires in this life on earth? How shallow would that be? What kind of existence would that be? How selfish would that be?

What if…you spent eternity separated from God in darkness? The thought of that should make you have chills.

I pray…that I have the wrong audience here.

Luke 16:19“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. ²⁰And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, ²¹who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. ²²The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side.^[^f^] The rich man also died and was buried, ²³and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. ²⁴And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ ²⁵But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. ²⁶And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ ²⁷And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— ²⁸for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ ²⁹But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ ³⁰And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” (Bible Gateway ESV 2025)

He says you had your chance while you were alive to listen and believe and repent. Now it’s too late!

Why do you think the rich man is referred to as the rich man, why doesn’t he have a name? Because you won’t find “Rich Man” in the Book of Life. Lazarus has a name, and his name can be found in the Book of Life. Lazarus is being comforted by Abraham.

Think about your name not being in the Book of Life.

Or Jesus saying, “I never knew you; depart from me you worker of iniquity.” Matthew 7:23 (Bible Gateway ESV 2025)

We want Jesus to say “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” Mathew 25:23 (Bible Gateway ESV 2025)

There is going to come a time when there are no more do overs, or no more mulligans. (That’s a golf reference.) We are either going to die, or Jesus is coming back. whichever happens first and then it’s, Game Over!

And we are running out of time. We need to have an urgency to ourselves. I’m saying spend time with your loved ones, your kids, your grandkids, and tell people about Jesus every chance you get, live on Mission like Zack says. We are on mission, and we are on a battlefield right here in Mena, Arkansas and people are dying right in front of us, without knowing Jesus.

People That Don’t Care If They Go To Hell Scare Me

Let Us Taco Bout Jesus! Get it? We just had lettuce and tacos. That was my ice breaker. You can thank Brother Eddie for that one. He wanted me to fit that in. We’ll talk about Jesus in a few minutes.

But, have you heard of Elon Musk? If you haven’t Elon Musk is the founder, CEO, and Chief Engineer of SpaceX; CEO, and Product Architect of Tesla, Inc.; and co-founder of Neuralink and OpenAI. With an estimated net worth of around $266 billion as of August 17, 2022,^[4] Musk is the wealthiest person in the world according to both the Bloomberg Billionaires Index and Forbes‘ real-time billionaires list.^[5]^[6]

I have a Twitter account. I am just trying to be cool, and I saw this Tweet from someone named Muhammad somebody to Elon Musk That said:

Quote “You won’t die before your day Elon. Anyhow, you are/were a unique figure in this world. I’m only wondering one thing: As a genius, haven’t you find out that there is a great creator of this world yet? If you did, make sure you confess this before your last heart beat. Bless u”

Elon Musk wrote back, and I quote “Thank you for the blessing, but I’m ok with going to hell, if that is indeed my destination, since the vast majority of all humans ever born will be there.”

What?!? Someone that is so no nonchalant about going to Hell scares me. That scares the crud out of me, or you could say it scares the fire out of me! Elon Musk is supposed to be a smart man. He was just called a genius. But he’s not that smart after all. Apparently, Mr. Musk doesn’t understand what Hell is and he sure doesn’t understand what Heaven is and how amazing Heaven will be. We can’t even fathom how awesome Heaven will be. And he sure doesn’t understand what Hell will be like. That Hell is the absence of God and light. That God is love and light and that Hell is the opposite. The Bible says in Hell there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth and the worm never dies. That means it will never end. It’s forever and eternity. It’s not like going to visit your Month-in-law for two weeks. Although, two weeks is a long time to spend with your Mother-in-law, no Heaven and Hell are for an eternity and Eternity is a long time, it’s forever!

The God of the Universe. The God that created 200 billion-trillion stars and two trillion galaxies. The one and only God knows your name and wants a relationship with you. God wants a relationship with all of us, and we have nothing to give to God. We come to God empty handed. You see the richest person in the world. The most prominent person in the world can’t buy their way into heaven. The ONLY way to get to heaven is through Jesus Christ.

This is where we taco Bout Jesus. You see Jesus will change your life forever! Jesus died for our sins on the cross and resurrected three days later, and he sits on the right hand of the Father in Heaven and anyone who believes in Jesus and has repented of their sins (or turned from their wicked ways) that has a relationship with Jesus will spend forever with Jesus in Heaven. If you ask Jesus into your heart, into your life he will change your life forever. Romans 10:13 says “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”—Romans 10:13, King James Version. Meaning of Romans 10:13 God is impartial, and he extends to all people the opportunity to be saved and gain everlasting life, regardless of their nationality, race, or social status.

I didn’t write that, but that was exactly the point I was trying to get across. It doesn’t matter who you are and how much money you have. God just wants a relationship with you.

Sing I want to know more about my Jesus.

That was free. I won’t charge you for that. But if you want to know more about Jesus. There are people here that would love to talk to you.

Kids don’t be like Elon Musk and the others that don’t care where they spend eternity. Get to know Jesus. Jesus loves you and wants a relationship with you, surround yourself with people that have a relationship with Jesus and love Jesus.

How Hot Is Hell?

It’s starting to get hot here in Arkansas. Yesterday’s high temperature was in the 90’s but it felt even hotter. Last weekend my family and I were camping at Gilham Lake, and I was in the sun longer than I should have been, fishing, playing, and swimming with my girls. At the end of the day, I felt terrible. My face was burning hot, and I felt like I had heat exhaustion. My wife said I looked like I had a 2^nd degree burn on my ears. I laid down to go to bed and I just didn’t feel good. I had a cold bottle of water on my chest to cool me down and another cold bottle of water to drink. I thought I needed to go to the doctor, but I laid down and prayed that God would make me feel better and that I would be alright.

Have you ever felt this way? Did you ever get too much sun and just feel terrible? Maybe some of you have had heat exhaustion or heat stroke. I can’t imagine what hell will feel like, but I wonder if that is anywhere even remotely close to what hell will be like? Probably not, hell will probably be much more intense, and it lasts forever, for eternity. There will be no relief from it.

What perplexes me is when people say they don’t care if they go to hell or not. WHAT! You don’t care if you go to hell? You must not understand what hell is? That scares the hell out of me, people that (think) they willingly want to go there. Elon Musk, I would submit that he is not as smart as people give him credit for. Or maybe he is too smart?

Elon Musk

@elonmusk

Replying to

@Almisehal

Thank you for the blessing, but I’m ok with going to hell, if that is indeed my destination, since the vast majority of all humans ever born will be there.

5:57 AM · May 9, 2022·Twitter for iPhone

Elon Musk on Twitter: “@Almisehal Thank you for the blessing, but I’m ok with going to hell, if that is indeed my destination, since the vast majority of all humans ever born will be there.” / Twitter

The Bible says there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. People in hell will be in so much agony that they will gnash their teeth down.

Mark 9:42 ^“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe and trust in Me to stumble [that is, to sin or lose faith], it would be better for him if a heavy millstone [one requiring a donkey’s strength to turn it] were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. ⁴³If your hand causes you to stumble and sin, cut it off [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]! It is better for you to enter life crippled, than to have two hands and go into ^[g]hell, into the unquenchable fire, ⁴⁴^[h][where their worm does not die, and the fire is not put out.] ⁴⁵If your foot causes you to stumble and sin, cut it off [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]! It would be better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁶^[i][where their worm does not die, and the fire is not put out.] ⁴⁷If your eye causes you to stumble and sin, throw it out [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]! It would be better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸where their worm [that feeds on the dead] does not die, and the fire is not put out.” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2022)

We just had someone die in our family. My Sister-in-Law’s Father-in-Law and we weren’t sure of their salvation. We are questioning ourselves, did we do enough. Did we talk enough about Jesus? Did we shine our light? I believe that people can be saved through the loss of others, so I pray that his death is not in vain. I pray for people that do not know Jesus Christ as their savior. I pray that someone will be sent into their lives to set an example to at least plant a seed so that God can do the rest.

Hell according to the Bible

Heather Riggleman 2021 says “Hell is a place of sorrow and torment. This truth is seen throughout the Bible in the Old and New Testaments. The Bible clearly and explicitly teaches that hell is a real place to which the wicked/unbelieving are sent after death. Hell is this infinite and eternal death which we have earned because of our sin. Christ talked a great deal about this subject. He describes “Gehenna” as a place where “their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44, 46, 48). He spoke several times about weeping and gnashing of teeth for those who are “cast into outer darkness” (Matthew 8:12, 13:42, 22:13, 24:51, 25:30). He also gives the parable about inhabiting a “place of torment” (Luke 16:28). Jesus spoke about hell more than anyone else in Scripture.”

Heather goes on to say “As of right now, whether or not you believe in God—you are still experiencing His blessings. Even if your life is less than ideal. Even if you are sick, poor, or suffering in some way. You woke up this morning to the blessing of His breath in your lungs. He is ensuring your needs are met. If you’re alive and living on this planet, you have already benefited from God’s grace and goodness. Every sinner, saint, atheist, agnostic, and doubter have all received His gifts of being alive, witnessing God’s hand-painted sunsets, the breath in their lungs, or the love of a parent. Everyone has benefited from the goodness in this world that God not only created but provided. He’s given you free will and in Him, you live, move, and have your being—mind, body, soul, and spirit.”

“Hell was created for the rebellion of Satan and the angels that followed him (Matthew 25:41; Romans 6:23). Scriptures indicate God never intended Hell and the lake of fire for mankind but that is where all will go who choose not to put their faith in Jesus Christ. The most important question is not where hell is or even when it was created but how to avoid going to hell. We avoid hell when we choose to believe in Jesus Christ—the One who died to pay for your sins and all who choose to put their trust in Him.” (Heather Riggleman 2021)

When I started out writing this article, I certainly didn’t mean for Heather’s article to take over, but her article is so good.

And finally, how do we insure we don’t go to hell?

“One day each of us will stand before God and Jesus will say, “Depart from me for I never knew you.” After God’s judgment, seated on the ‘great white throne, (Revelation 20:11), anyone whose name is not found written in the book of life [will be] thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). God has been patiently waiting as He does not want any of His children to perish. We can avoid hell by choosing to love God—by accepting His plan of salvation (Mark 1:15).” (Heather Riggleman 2021)

Here is a link to her entire article. What Does the Bible Say about Hell – Location and Description (crosswalk.com)

Hell is real and it is a place of constant sorrow and constant torment. It’s a place I don’t want to go. And anyone that wants to go there, quite frankly, scares me. It’s hard for me to believe they even have a clue as to what they are talking about. Don’t be like Elon Musk and believe in the saving grace of Jesus Christ who died for you and me, so that we don’t have to endure the agony of hell. How hot is hell? I don’t know and I don’t want to find out! However, I do know that the rich man wanted a drop of water to cool his tongue. Luke 16:24“And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in severe agony in this flame.’ ²⁵But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things [all the comforts and delights], and Lazarus likewise bad things [all the discomforts and distresses]; but now he is comforted here [in paradise], while you are in severe agony.” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2022) God Bless You!

No Storms In Heaven

I would say natural disasters are intensifying, God is pouring out his judgement on us.

Today on earth, the storms seem to be intensifying. In December 2021, a tornado traveled 227 miles on the ground 200 miles in Kentucky with a death toll of at least 70 people. In 2020, we had so many hurricanes we had to start the Greek alphabet over naming them.

The Bible says there will be earthquakes in diver’s places. We are having a record number of natural disasters including devastating wildfires. On March 30, 2022, the USGS lists 50 earthquakes over 2.5 magnitude in the past day and 21 tornadoes in the last 14 hours according to Tornado HQ site by Hayley (2022). And as of this writing on 30 March 2022 there are 604 wildfires in 19 states of the United States that have burned 404,797 acres of land according to 2022 Fire, Weather &Avalanche Center. You don’t think God is pouring out his judgment on us for turning away from him, from taking him out of our schools etc., etc.? See below Bible scripture:

Matthew 24:1 “While Jesus was seated on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, and said, “Tell us, when will this [destruction of the temple] take place, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end (completion, consummation) of the age?”

⁴Jesus answered, “Be careful that no one misleads you [deceiving you and leading you into error]. ⁵For many will come in My name [misusing it and appropriating the strength of the name which belongs to Me], saying, ‘I am the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed),’ and they will mislead many. ⁶You will continually hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end [of the age]. ⁷For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs [of the intolerable anguish and the time of unprecedented trouble].” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2022)

But there is good news, there will be no fires, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, and storms in Heaven. There will be no more sickness, disease, and death in Heaven. There will be no more wearing a mask or getting a booster shot. There will be no more fear in Heaven. No one will steal your identity in Heaven. Heaven will be perfect. We won’t even need the sun in Heaven because the glory of God will illuminate it, see Bible scripture below:

Revelations 21:22 “I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty [the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all] and the Lamb are its temple. ²³And the city has no need of the sun nor of the moon to give light to it, for the glory (splendor, radiance) of God has illumined it, and the Lamb is its lamp and light. ²⁴The nations [the redeemed people from the earth] will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring into it their glory. ²⁵By day (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed [in fear of evil]; ²⁶and they will bring the glory (splendor, majesty) and the honor of the nations into it; ²⁷and nothing that defiles or profanes or is unwashed will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices abominations [detestable, morally repugnant things] and lying, but only those [will be admitted] whose names have been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2022)

Oh, how we long to be in the presence of our almighty Lord and Savior! Bur until then, comfort each other with these words; see Bible scripture below:

1 Thessalonians 13 “Now we do not want you to be uninformed, believers, about those who are asleep [in death], so that you will not grieve [for them] as the others do who have no hope [beyond this present life]. ¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again [as in fact He did], even so God [in this same way—by raising them from the dead] will bring with Him those [believers] who have fallen asleep in Jesus. ¹⁵For we say this to you by the Lord’s [own] word, that we who are still alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede [into His presence] those [believers] who have fallen asleep [in death]. ¹⁶For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the ^[b]archangel and with the [blast of the] trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷Then we who are alive and remain [on the earth] will simultaneously be caught up (raptured) together with them [the resurrected ones] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord! ¹⁸Therefore comfort and encourage one another with these words [concerning our reunion with believers who have died].” (Bible Gateway Amplified Bible 2022)

Until Jesus returns comfort each other insuring them that Jesus will indeed return and if we believe in him and have a relationship with him and have repented from our sins, we will be with him for eternity.

The Woman That Fears The Lord

It’s hard to be married to someone as nice as my wife. Don’t get me wrong, she is amazing! She is everything I am not. I’m nice too, but I can’t compare to my wife. She is so selfless. She puts everyone before herself.

I love to help people too, most of the time. My wife will stop what she is doing, all the time, and make it her number one priority to put your needs before hers.

And I am learning from her to put myself last, but it’s a hard trait to learn. The Lord blessed my wife with a huge, selfless heart.

My wife is teaching me that it’s ok, if people take advantage of you, so what if you are taken advantage of. We are here to serve God and serve one another.

She is storing up treasures in Heaven. Yes, there will be treasures in Heaven waiting on us because of our good works here on Earth. No, our good works won’t get us into Heaven. Having faith in Jesus Christ and repenting of our sins get us in Heaven, but good works equals treasures in Heaven.

See these scriptures about good works and storing up treasures:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19 – 21 ESV)

“Sell your possessions and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:33 – 34 ESV)

“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:17 – 19 ESV)

See these scriptures about eternal life:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 ESV)

“For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:40 ESV)

And finally The Woman That Fears the Lord:

“An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.
¹¹The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.
¹²She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.
¹³She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.
¹⁴She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.
¹⁵She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household
    and portions for her maidens. ¹⁶She considers a field and buys it;
    with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.¹⁷She dresses herself^[^b^] with strength
    and makes her arms strong.¹⁸She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
    Her lamp does not go out at night. 19 She puts her hands to the distaff,
    and her hands hold the spindle.²⁰She opens her hand to the poor
    and reaches out her hands to the needy.” (Proverbs 31:10: 20 ESV)

So, the next time someone you know wants to help someone, even if you think they are being taken advantage of or you think it’s too much, let them help, help them help. We can’t out give the Lord. It’s never too much. They are storing up treasures in Heaven, where treasures really matter, not here on earth, where things rot and decay and can be stolen by others and we can’t even take them with us when we are called to Heaven. The treasures that really matter are in Heaven.

Fishin’ In Heaven

Can you imagine what it is going to be like in Heaven? I don’t think our feeble minds can fathom what it will be like to witness Heaven with our own eyes and what it’s going to be like.

We will finally get to see our loved ones that have passed before us. We won’t have to worry about a virus, or any other disease. We won’t need to wear a mask in Heaven. We won’t have to lock our doors, or worry about riots, looting, shootings, stabbings, bombs, Churches being burned down, our children being kidnapped, and gang violence to name a few atrocities. The list goes on and on. No one will commit suicide, or have mental illnesses. All we will have to do is worship Jesus for dying on the Cross for our sins so that we were able to have everlasting life with them in Heaven.

Instead of Hate, we can focus on Love! John 13:34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (Bible Gateway 2020)

I imagine Heaven to have the best fishing in the World, can you imagine not having a care in the World. Let me say that again, not a care in the World, yes that makes sense, because everything we worry about is of the World, it’s Worldly. All the things I mentioned above, diseases, hunger, all the trials and tribulations that we face on this World will be over.

And I don’t think we can fully understand what living in Heaven will be like. I pray every night for the safety of my family and I can’t even allow myself to share that prayer with you, because I don’t want it to happen so bad, but I won’t have to worry about it in Heaven. All these things that we fear are manmade, because we are sinners.

I believe God is trying to get our attention with this Corona virus and with all the hatred that people have in their hearts. I believe God is giving us one last chance to get on our knees to repent and ask for his forgiveness. We are ALL sinners! I also believe God is giving non-believers one last chance to accept Jesus Christ into their lives as their personal Savior. When we accept Jesus into our lives he makes us new again. He restores us and replaces the hatred with love. And finally I believe God is sending Jesus to get his people and it may sooner than we think.

Repentance
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (Bible Gateway 2020)

Renewed
Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. (Bible Gateway 2020)

Rapture
John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (Bible Gateway 2020)

Luke 10:20 “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” (Bible Gateway 2020)

Mark 13:26 “And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.” (Bible Gateway 2020)

I just went fishing this weekend. I was blessed to be able to go Saturday and Sunday and it was so much fun, but I can’t imagine what it will be like to fish in Heaven. When I get to Heaven, I just want to praise God and go fishing with my loved ones.

Lost Souls Matter!

Firstly, I wish I could take credit for this hashtag, but I can’t. I stole (borrowed) it from a friend of mine on Facebook, but it did inspire this article. I hope you enjoy it.

Secondly, do you think God cares what color your skin is? He made you. I have another question for you? What color is your soul? Is your soul saved? Or is it lost? Do you believe in Jesus? Are you going to Heaven or Hell? Those are the only questions that matter!

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Souls+leaving+the+body&docid=608019677796959317&mid=B54179991EFAF2F447C7B54179991EFAF2F447C7&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Souls+leaving+the+body&&view=detail&mid=BE0C00ECBF3C7E41F18ABE0C00ECBF3C7E41F18A&&FORM=VDRVRV

So instead of #BlackLivesMatter, #WhiteLivesMatter, #AllLivesMatter or insert any other lives matter, what about all the lost souls that are killing, rioting, looting, burning, or causing destruction that have hatred in their hearts. What about #LostSoulsMatter! This should be the next movement to try and save as many lost people as possible.

We can’t claim to know Jesus, believe in Jesus, love Jesus or be a Christian if we have hate in our hearts.

I have written about this before. Jesus said a new commandment I give to you.
John 13:34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (Bible Gateway 2020)

What about a movement where we as Christians spread the good news about Jesus to people that are lost because Lost Souls (do) matter! We need to spread love and not hate. We are supposed to love our neighbors and guess what, I believe we all neighbors!

John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (Bible Gateway 2020)
Luke 10:20 “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” (Bible Gateway 2020)
Mark 13:26 “And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.” (Bible Gateway 2020)

I believe our jobs while we are here on Earth is to take as many people with us to Heaven as possible, and when God finally says it’s time, he’ll send Jesus to get us in the rapture, but until then, we as Christians have work to do, let’s get to work.
#LostSoulsMatter

Would You Come Back To A Sinful Earth?

If you’ve watched any news at all lately, you know that we live in some trying times to say the least. We have so much hatred in the World today, essentially we are killing each other, there is rioting, looting, and let’s not forget the Corona virus too.

What if God called you home like Charlotte Holmes and you were able to experience Heaven’s beauty, and of course it exceeded all your expectations? I don’t think we can fathom the beauty and its peace. What if you heard the angels singing and you were able to experience this for yourself? And you got to smell the beautiful flowers like Charlotte did? And you saw your family that passed away inside the gates waving to you to come join them and God gave you a choice to enter the pearly gates of Heaven or return to your living family on Earth?

An earth filled with hate, and violence, full of trials and tribulations or you could enter the gates of Heaven, something you have been looking forward to since you became a believer in Christ. That is the ultimate goal, to make it to Heaven.
But God says if you go back, you have to spread the good news. You have bring as many people back with you as you possibly can, would you go back to Earth or enter the gates of Heaven?

What a dilemma! Maybe your work is not quite done on Earth and you know without a shadow of a doubt your coming back to Heaven and you can bring more people with you. I would like to say I’d go back to my family and do some more work, what would you do? I say, there’s more work to do, if you are a believer, spread the news about Jesus.

https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2020/may/missouri-woman-dies-goes-to-heaven-and-comes-back-with-mission-to-bring-home-as-many-as-we-can