Christian Parables

A Strange Thing Happened on the Way ...

Thomas was your ordinary, average guy. While he was growing up, his foster parents never were the church going type and so, neither was Thomas. He had never read the Bible either and to tell you the truth, he never even really thought about God. He had no knowledge of the Christian lifestyle.

One weekend, he was in New York City to be the best man at his friend Charlie's wedding. Charlie had moved to the Big Apple a year and a half earlier and they hadn't seen each other since Christmas, when Charlie came home to Kansas to visit. Thomas never was any good at directions, and being lost in New York City, can be a very trying experience. He had gotten off the plane and into his rental car 3 and a half hours ago and spent the entire time, backtracking his way trying to figure out where he made a wrong turn.

He decided that this was a waste of time, so he took the next exit off of the expressway to try and find a convenience store with a map. It would definitely be better than the directions Charlie had given to him, which Thomas wrote on a napkin. Being from Kansas, Thomas was unaware that there are some pretty dangerous neighborhoods in the big cities. Thomas didn't know that he was right smack dab in the middle of the roughest neighborhood in New York City.

At the next stop light, he looked over and saw several men standing against a corner building. Thomas decided that he should ask these people for directions to a convenience store, since they were obviously from this area. They told him that the building that they were standing at, was indeed a convenience store and this store sold maps that would help him find his way. Thomas, feeling quite relieved, thanked the men and then pulled over, got out of his car and walked into the old building. As he approached the glass doors, he noticed it was dark inside. "This store looks closed and maybe even deserted," he thought to himself.

Thomas felt almost paralyzed with fear as he saw, in the reflection of the glass doors, himself surrounded by the several men who had given him the advice. One of the men punched Thomas in the stomach and as he keeled over they picked him up, threw him in Thomas' car and sped off to an abandoned warehouse, not too far from where they had kidnapped him. They dragged him out of the car and took him inside where they continued to beat him and kick him repeatedly. They stripped him of his his watch, wallet and jewelry. Going through his wallet and taking out his driver's license one of the men noticed that he was form Kansas and said 'Hey Dorothy, you're not in Kansas anymore' ... All of the men then broke out into hysterical laughter. Then one of them, which appeared to be the gang leader yelled out "Take no prisoners! And leave no witnesses!" As Thomas was laying there curled up in a ball, bleeding and moaning in pain, he knew right then and there that he was going to die. He had never felt that feeling before, that feeling of complete powerlessness. The feeling of how he didn't have any control over what he was doing and no control over his own life.

Suddenly, Thomas found himself praying. He didn't even know how to pray or what he should be saying but out of some sort of deep instinct, he said, "Oh God, oh Lord, Jesus please help me." At that very moment the lights came on, in that abandoned warehouse, and he heard a very loud, almost deafening, and commanding voice say "What's going on in here?" The voice came from behind him. Thomas looked up and saw his attackers running away very quickly. They were scattering away like roaches when the lights come on.

Thomas then looked back to see who it was that had assuredly saved his life, but he found himself alone. How could that be? Only a few seconds had passed, since the voice yelled out. He looked around and saw all of his belongings, including his jewelry and car keys were at his side. He got up, got dressed and got out of there as quickly as he could and though he was injured from the punishment he endured at the hands of his attackers, he felt no pain. He only felt indebted and extremely grateful to whoever had saved his life.

Thomas never saw the man who saved him from certain death that fateful afternoon. Thomas is not even sure that there was a MAN, there that day. All he knew was that he was about to die and yet he is alive, even to this very day. Since then, Thomas prays everyday, even though he hasn't been in a life threatening situation like that afternoon, he still prays anyway. Thomas knows now what he never did know before that day. There is a God and He has a Son named Jesus Christ. Thomas has read the Bible many times since then and often frequents a Church that he has found. He truly knows this one thing, without a shadow of a doubt ... Prayer works!

The Bible gives us many examples on ways we can pray. Pray in secret and God will reward us openly, Pray 3 times a day, Pray towards the east, Pray towards Heaven, do not Pray in vain repetition, Forgive all others before we begin to Pray, Pray faithfully, Pray constantly, Pray in Jesus Name, Invite the Holy Spirit to Pray with us and for us and many many more. All we need to do is just Pray and the rest will come naturally.

Forgive All

There was once a 9 year old named Billy. Little Billy had a BIG problem. He was caught stealing money from his Dad's wallet, one morning. Before his Dad found out, little Billy had already taken hundreds of dollars. His Dad demanded that Billy pay him back every penny of it or he was going to remove Billy from his will and from taking over the family fortune, when he was old enough to do so. Billy fell to his knees crying in repentance and begged his Dad to forgive him and to give him a second chance. He promised that he would never do anything like that again.

His Dad felt an overwhelming amount of love and compassion for his son and he forgave him and forgot about the debt that little Billy owed. Years later Billy grew up and took over the family fortune and Billy himself, had a son named Johnny. At the age of 9 little Johnny had a BIG problem. He was caught taking money out of Billy's wallet. When Billy found out about it he was furious. He demanded the money be paid back to him immediately or else he would remove little Johnny from taking over the family fortune. Little Johnny begged and pleaded with his Dad, but Billy had no compassion for his son and refused to forgive him. He told Johnny that he was ashamed of him and that he would never let a thief take over his family fortune. Little Johnny was very upset and he called his grandpa to explain the situation. Remembering the same incident had happened with his son Billy, Grandpa became VERY angry and took the family fortune out of the hands of Billy and gave it to little Johnny. He told Billy that both he and Johnny were guilty of committing the same crime and since he was forgiven he should have forgiven Johnny as well. But, that since he refused to forgive ... He had lost his fortune because He would not have a man who refuses to forgive, take over the family fortune.

In the Bible it states that in order for you to be forgiven of your sins, you must forgive all others their sins against you. It states that the Lord will deliver that unforgiving individual to the tormentors of Hell, if you choose not to forgive everyone from your heart.

Hell

There was once a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus who came to this rich mans front gate daily begging for crumbs from the rich mans table. But daily he was turned away. After many years passed, Lazarus died and the Angels came down and took his soul to Paradise, also known as Abraham's bosom. Soon thereafter, the rich man died as well but his soul was taken to Hell.

Now, when the rich man arrived in Hell, he looked over and saw Abraham with Lazarus being comforted in Paradise (Abraham's Bosom). He begged Abraham for Lazarus to dip his finger in water and to allow just one drop of water, to drip onto his tongue. For there is no water in hell. The rich man was then told by Abraham, that his life was good while on earth, but Lazarus' life was bad and filled with suffering. Now he is comforted and yours is full of suffering and torment because you did not help him who was suffering when you were more than able too.

But what is Hell? Let's find out together.

Hell is a place of darkness with heat, fire, thirst, torture, pain, weeping and gnashing of teeth. The Bible says that the worms of hell eat the souls of the damned and that their fire never dies. A popular young visionist described the souls in Hell, as popping around, in the same way that popcorn pops around when being cooked. Hell is always enlarging her entrance and is never full. That all sounds extremely horrible, but the worst part of Hell is the absence of God. Not only would all the pain and torture be excruciating but on top of that, the emptiness inside the soul without God's Love would be totally unbearable. After the battle of Armageddon, that old dragon, satan, will be in Hell, chained down for 1000 years. After the 1000 years in hell, those who will be judged for the second death will go along with satan and be put into the Lake Of Fire ... Forever. Jesus tells us that Hell and Paradise can be seen be into from either side, but there is a great divide between the two places, so that no souls can pass from one side, to the other.

So, as you can see, Hell is not a nice place to be. Remember though, it is God's love for us and His desire for us to know and believe what Jesus Christ did for us all that will save us. Jesus is not intending to scare us with this story into doing the right thing but is only warning us. He just wants us to know what the alternative is, if anyone chooses to reject His Love for us. Remember, even the gates of Hell will never prevail against those who believe and follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Choose Jesus ... The best Eternal Life Policy ... Money cannot buy.

Love Thy Neighbor

There was a man, that we will call Mr. Smith, who was sitting in Church with his wife. He had just dozed off, during the pastor's sermon, when he awoke to the sound of the collection plate coming around. He watched as the people next to him put in what they could afford, which was very little. When the collection plate reached him, he cleared his throat very loud, as to gain the attention of those around him, and put a hundred dollar bill into the collection plate. When Church was over, he was edging his way through the crowd towards the front door and saw a statue of Jesus. He thought to himself, "he needs a haircut and a shave" ...

On the way to his favorite brunch restaurant, he was coming upon a stoplight and saw one of THOSE people. You know, the ones with a sign that says "will work for food" ... This guy had long hair, a beard and very dirty, worn out clothing. As he came to a stop, Mr. Smith rolled up the electric windows in his Cadillac and turned his head away from the poor looking man who was now just outside his window, with his hand stretched out towards Mr. Smith. After what seemed like forever, to Mr. Smith, the stoplight turned green and before Mr. Smith pulled off, He rolled down the window and yelled out, "Hey, ya bum ... get a job" and then sped off laughing.

A few years later, Mr. Smith died of cancer and ended up at God's Judgment seat. Jesus asked Mr. Smith why it was that he thought he was worthy to get into Heaven. Mr. Smith said proudly that he donated a hundred dollars every time his wife could drag him to Church. Jesus asked if that was the only reason and Mr. Smith said, "Yes, of course, I paid for my way in" ...

Jesus looked at Mr. Smith and said ... You failed to have compassion and love for your fellow man, when the opportunity arose. You are greedy and selfish and are not worthy to enter Heaven. Mr. Smith, convicted by Jesus' words, turned and started walking away with his head hung low. Then Jesus said ... And, by the way Mr. Smith ... I am no bum, and I DO have a JOB.

The Prodigal Son

Jesus told many parables; Each one has a secret meaning for you to figure out.

This parable is called the Prodigal Son.

There was once a man who had two sons. When the father was to die, the two sons would share his inheritance. However, the younger son wanted his portion early. So his father gave it to him as he requested and the youngest son left home and traveled into a far country. While there, he spent his money right and left partying with wild women and his newfound friends. But, not long afterwards he was broke and all his new friends left as quickly as they arrived. The young man began to starve and so he found a job working for a pig farmer. He was so hungry he was willing to eat what the pigs were eating and yet no one gave him anything.

Finally, he came to his senses and realized what he had done was foolish. He thought to himself, "even my father's servants have plenty to eat. I will go home and beg my father to let me be one of his servants." And as he was still quite a distance from his father's house, his father looked up and saw him walking down the road and the father ran to his youngest son and hugged him and welcomed him home. The son was taken back by his father's show of affection. He fell to his knees and said "But father, I have sinned against Heaven and you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son." Even so, the father called for some of his servants and told them "go and dress my son with the finest clothes, put rings on his hands and shoes on his feet and kill the fatted calf for we shall celebrate with a feast."

Meanwhile the older son was out working in the fields, when he heard the sound of music and laughter. He called one of the servants and asked him what was going on at his father's house. The servant replied, "Your younger brother has returned home and your father is celebrating his return with a feast." Upon hearing this, the older brother became very angry. Stubbornly, he refused to come in from the fields. Once his father heard of this he went out to the field and asked his son to come to the feast. The older brother replied. "I have loyally served you all these years, I have always done what you said yet you have never even given me so much as a goat to feast on with my friends. Yet my brother goes and spends half of all your money on a riotous living and returns home and you kill the fatted calf and throw a party for him." The father replied, "My son, you are always with me and what I have is yours, yet it is right to celebrate your brothers return, for he was dead and is alive again. He was lost and now is found."

The secret meaning to this parable is that God desires all of His children to come back home to Him, no matter how bad they have been. And when you do, there will be a celebration in Heaven for the Angels of God are happier when the one sheep that wandered away ... returns.

So return to God, your Father and He will ... Run to you.

The Woman in the Wilderness

Sarah's husband died prior to her last child's birth. She couldn't afford pre-natal care, so when the time came she had to take the Doctor which was on call ... Dr. Santana. Unknown to Sarah, Dr. Santana would take the infants of the poor people, kill them, and sell their organs to the parents of wealthy infants with medical problems. The doctor would claim that the poor infant died of natural causes.

During the delivery, he put Sarah to sleep and then took the infant and began to smother it with a pillow. About this time, Sarah came too and saw the whole thing ... The shock from what she saw, as well as the drugs he gave her, made her pass out again. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. The doctor stopped what he was doing and went to the door.

To his surprise there was no one there. He shut and locked the door and when he turned back to the table where the infant was, he couldn't believe his eyes. The infant was not there. In a panic, he looked all over that room, but the infant was nowhere to be found. He knew that Sarah couldn't have moved or hidden the child, because she was in a deep sleep. A few hours later, when Sarah woke up, the doctor had one of his nurses tell Sarah that her infant had died shortly after birth, because he could not explain the child's absence.

After they released Sarah from the hospital. Sarah went to the police and told them everything that she had seen. They investigated the crime and arrested Dr. Santana because he could not produce the infants' body. Sarah was placed in the witness protection program and held in a secret wilderness cabin until the trial which was 3½ months later, because Dr. Satana was the leader of a cult. Dr. Santana posted his bail immediately and went frantically searching for the woman because he knew that she had witnessed everything that had happened. He searched for her the entire time, but to no avail. After the 3½ months were up, Dr. Santana was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death.

In the Book of Revelation Chapter 12, it tells the story of a woman who is with child. After she gives birth to this man child the child is taken up to God and to His throne. The woman then flees into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God for 3½ years. There was then a war in Heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the devil and his angels and Michael prevailed and satan's place was no longer found in Heaven and he was cast out along with all of his angels. And a loud voice proclaimed now has come salvation, strength, the Kingdom of God and the Power of His Christ for satan the accuser of our brethren is cast down which accused us day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony and they loved not their lives unto death.

Rejoice oh Heavens and you who dwell in them but woe unto you on earth and sea, for the devil is come unto you with wrath for he knows his time is short. When the devil saw that he was cast unto earth, he persecuted the woman which did bear the man child. But the woman was hidden and taken care of and nourished by God in a place in the wilderness for 3½ years. So the devil seeing that he could not hurt the woman went to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ ... The Christians.

But, who is this woman ... Who is the child ... And who are the remnant of her seed?

The woman is Israel.

The man child that she gives birth to represents the Christians that are taken up in the first Rapture. For Christianity was born of and sprung forth out of the Jewish people. Then the believing Israelites will be hidden in the wilderness. The remnant of her seed are those who are left behind and are believers in Jesus. And satan, through his reign of terror of his antichrist, will be at war with the saints until the 3 and a half year time period is over and Jesus comes back to redeem the earth in full.

Two Witnesses

Jacob Gentry High School is a madhouse. Murder, drugs, sex and rebellion are the topics. The red dragons and their gang leader Andy Chris have taken over the school. Even the teachers are influenced by him. But Principal Jay Hova still loves His students and some of them had not been influenced by the gang. So the Principal brought in 2 teachers. He gave them power and authority over the whole school to convert or disciplines as they saw fit. He also gave them bodyguards to protect them for 3½ months. These teachers warned the students so much so that the majority of the school hated them and wanted them dead. Many tried to kill them but the bodyguards would kill the attackers before they could. The students accused the 2 men of torturing them because they cut off the electricity, water and even removed food from the cafeteria anything to get their attention to prevent them from ruining their young lives. Finally their job was done and Andy Chris shot the 2 men. Most of the students celebrated and danced on their bodies. After 3½ hours of laying unconscious they stood up with their bullet proof vests and walked away.

In Revelation Chapter 11, it tells of 2 Prophets of God known as the 2 witnesses. During antichrists 3½ year reign of terror these 2 men will be warning the world of Gods wrath and preaching of Jesus. They will have power to stop the rain, cast plagues and turn water in to blood. Anybody who tries to hurt them will be killed in the same manner. After 3½ years antichrist will kill them and the world will celebrate. But after 3½ days God will give them life and they will rise to Heaven. These 2 witnesses are coming in the near future. They are not here to torment mankind but to save them. Believe in Jesus to be saved.

360 Day Sign

There are 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, 4 weeks in a month and 12 months in a year. There are also 365 days in a year. But how many days are in a Jewish year?

At the beginning and end of the Bible it shows that there are only 360 days in a Jewish year. You will see that in Genesis Chapters 7 & 8 it says that on the 17th day of the 2nd month, the flood started. 150 days later on the 17th day of the 7th month Noah and his family landed on Mt. Ararat. This shows that it had been 5 months. 150 days divided by 5 months equals 30 days in a month. 30 days times 12 months equals 360 days in a year. In Revelation Chapters 12 & 13 it says that 42 months is 1,260 days. So if you divide 1,260 days by 42 months you come up with the answer 30 days in a month. 30 days times 12 months equals 360 days a year. So as you can see, God is showing all through the Bible that there was, is and always going to be 360 days in a Jewish year. But why is all of this even important? The reason why is that many scholars tried to find out when the approximate time a certain event occurred. The reason why their dates are so scrambled is because they base their theories on a 365 day a year period. That's why so many of them have their different opinions on when the end will be. But if you go by 360 days in a year, you will find the end in the year 2000.

The Antichrist

Since time began there has always been a man who wanted to conquer the world such as Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Genghis Khan, Stalin, Adolph Hitler and even Saddam Hussein. All of these leaders have one thing in common ... they are all evil.

But there is one coming that will devastate the world. His name is antichrist. He is one of 7 past evil kings brought back to life by satan. He overtakes 3 of a 10 unit empire and then controls all 10. He reigns terror 3½ years. He makes war with the saints and prevails over many. He speaks against God, sits in the Temple of God and claims to be God. Antichrist has an ally called the False Prophet. He causes those that dwell on the earth to make an image of the antichrist and has the power to give life unto the image so that it speaks and causes all that does not worship the image to be put to death. He causes all both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in the right hand or in their foreheads. And no man will be able to buy or sell without either the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. The antichrist also kills the 2 witnesses and goes up against Jesus at Armageddon and he loses quickly and decidedly by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Many people will be blinded and they will take the mark of the beast and worship his image because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved, so God sent them a strong delusion that they should believe a lie that they might all be damned because they took pleasure in unrighteousness. Once again those who take the mark of the beast and worship him and/or his image will be cast into the lake of fire forever and ever. So whatever you do NOT do that.

All of the past world rulers have come and gone and though the antichrist has magic and tricky deceptions and he is more powerful then the past evil rulers he will come and go to. You can choose to follow him for 3½ years on earth and then join him to burn forever or you can follow the real world leader. Jesus Christ. And He will rule forever world without end. Amen

Antiochus Epiphanes

Have you ever read about or known anyone who was offended or even killed for their beliefs? Can you imagine how they felt?

There was once a time for real when the Jewish people were not allowed to read their Bibles, worship or even pray to God. This occurred approx. 160 BC when a cruel and evil king took over Jerusalem. His name was Antiochus Epiphanes. In the future a cruel king will do the same thing except this time he will do it to the whole world. His name will be the antichrist. The Bible shows us many similarities between the two. Antiochus is one of the 7 past evil kings that have oppressed Israel in the past. Antichrist will be one of the same 7 past evil kings brought back to life by satan. Antiochus in the past defiled Gods Temple. Antichrist will defile Gods Temple in the future. Antiochus persecuted the saints. Antichrist will persecute the saints. Antiochus uses peace as a weapon. Antichrist will use peace as a weapon. Antiochus is known in the book of Daniel as the little horn. Antichrist is known in the book of revelation as the little horn; Antiochus claimed that he was God. Antichrist will claim to be God. Antiochus reigned terror for 3½ years. Antichrist will reign terror for 3½ years Antiochus ... Antichrist ... even their names are similar. How many people do you know whose name starts with A-N-T-I, that is and will be an evil king that will persecute Gods people?

During antichrists reign the freedom of religion will be non-existent. He will demand that you worship him and him only. At that time and only then will people know how the Jewish people felt during Antiochus reign. Remember ... Believe in Jesus to be saved ...

Armageddon

Wars ... There have been some doozies in our past. WW1, WW2, Vietnam even the Civil war just to name a few. Veterans young and old alike still argue over which one was worst. I would like to tell you about a war coming very soon that will be the war to end all wars.

Babylon, that great city, will fall. In just 1 hour all of her riches will be destroyed because she caused men to sin. Her plagues will come upon her in 1 day by the 10 kings of Antichrists Empire. Many will stay away for fear of the torment that will be inflicted upon her. After Babylon falls, those in Heaven will Praise God for bringing judgment upon the great whore Babylon. Then the marriage supper of the Lamb will occur. His wife will have made herself ready. Then it will be time for the final battle. The Battle of Armageddon. When Jesus is revealed He will punish those on earth who knew not God nor obeyed His Gospel. Jesus will descend from Heaven upon His white horse followed by His army of saints dressed in linen clean and white. With a sharp sword that proceeds out of His mouth He will smite the nations and rule them with a rod of iron. The antichrist and false prophet were both cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. Jesus will slay the remnant of the nations with His sword. An Angel tells all the birds to come to the supper of the great God and to eat all the flesh of kings and of the men both great and small. The birds were filled to the brim with the flesh of evil men. Satan is bound with chains and thrown into the bottomless pit for 1000 years.

As you can see this final war will make the wars of the past look like child's play. It will be a very bloody war but it will also be very quick and extremely one-sided. Make sure you choose the right side because choosing the wrong side won't leave you as a POW. But instead ... a prisoner of hell.

Believe in the Lord Jesus to be Saved and to catch a ride on the WINNING side.

Divided We Fall

Rebecca was crying alone in her room. Her parents were fighting again. It was not always like this. They used to do things together. But things have changed. Mom and Dad both have careers now. They were always gone and when they were together they would fight. One morning Rebecca woke up to yet another argument. They went off to work without even saying good bye. She could not take it anymore. She went into her parents' room and grabbed her daddy's gun. She put it to her head and with tears streaming down her face. She pulled the trigger.

We are all often asked what denomination we are. Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Baptist, Pentecostal. Etc. The Bible says that if you believe in Jesus, you are one with other believers. This IS the Church. Though God gives us different assignments to strengthen the Church we are still one Body. The Church has been divided because of mans differences and their interpretation of the Bible. Some add to the Bible. Some take away. Some take it out of context. Interpretation of Gods word comes from God. The Bible clearly says that we must believe, follow and love the Lord and to love each other. If we stand as one, not even the gates of hell can stand against us.

Because of their selfishness Rebecca's parents divided their family which drove Rebecca to self destruction. Rebecca represents Gods lost children. Her parents represent the divisions in the Church. These divisions are causing Gods lost children to self destruct because like Jesus pointed out to the Pharisees, too many of the present day Preachers and Teachers are making it too hard to enter. (Matthew 23:13) It is hard enough these days, with all of the temptations to become and stay Christians. They do not need a bunch of different interpretations confusing them; inevitably they depart from the faith which destroys them.

Great White Throne Judgment

There was a man named Tom. He had it all. Boats, cars and a large home. Tom was full of good works though. He fed the poor and gave money to charity. One day a man came to his door and told Tom that if he would accept Jesus as his Savior that he would go to Heaven. Tom replied, "You are crazy, I have a place in Heaven." The next day, Tom died of a heart attack. Did he go to Heaven??? We shall see.

First let's talk about God's Judgment. After the people have enjoyed 1000 years of peace on earth with Jesus, satan will be loosed from the bottomless pit as written. During his short season out of the pit, he gathers Magog and all those who chose to defy Jesus to battle. But before they even reach the gates of Jerusalem, God will send a fire down from Heaven and destroy them. Satan will be thrown down into the lake of fire where the antichrist and false prophet already reside. At this time all souls on earth and in the sea even those in hell will be brought up to await judgment by God. This event is known as the great white throne Judgment. Those that were with Jesus will not be affected by this Judgment. But those that are not written in the book of life will be cast into the Lake of Fire where they are tormented day and night forever. This is known as the second death.

Remember Tom??? He was in the Judgment that I spoke of but his name was not in the book of life. His works were not good enough. Tom asked God ... "Why?" God said, 'Tom, I sent my only Son to earth to die for all mankind's sins because their works could not cover their sins. I gave you a chance to be with me but you said no. Your fate is the lake of fire ... Depart from me". So, if you are like Tom and you think that your good works are good enough to get you into Heaven ... Better think again. For the only way to Heaven is by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

New Heaven and New Earth

What has happened to our beautiful planet? Pollution, deforestation, global warming, littering and even graffiti. This place is a mess. Even here in Austin our pride and joy are our lakes. Have you seen Town Lake lately? Wouldn't you like to live in a world where you can eat the fish out of the lake and swim without the worry of being plagued or poisoned? Soon, God will do a strange act and destroy the earth with fire and then create a new Heaven and a new Earth There will be no oceans and a new Holy city called New Jerusalem comes down from Heaven. God will live with mankind, no death no pain no fear. This city will be made of precious stones. There will be neither sun nor moon. God's light will illuminate the world. There will be no more night time and a river of life will flow out from the Temple of God. A tree of life with 12 kinds of fruit upon it whose leaves will heal will be in the city. It will be the most beautiful thing that you have ever imagined. Remember in the movie the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy's house landed in Oz and the picture was black and white? But once she opened her door the picture was in color. That is the type of change that we can expect in the future. But there will be only one difference; you will NEVER want to go home.

Point of No Return

Brenda was walking home from school one day when a car pulled up to her. A man jumped out, grabbed her and threw her into his car. He kept her locked up in his house. He drugged, raped and beat her. As time went on, she began to change. She became dependent on this man and she even began to like what he was doing to her. But deep down inside, she wanted to get out.

Even though it had been years since his daughter had been kidnapped. Her dad was still looking for her. One day she went to the store with her kidnapper but she waited outside for him because of her bruises. A private detective sent from her dad walked up to her and explained who he was. She went with him and her father was extremely happy to see her. She too was glad to be home. But as time went on, Brenda began to miss her old lifestyle that she shared with her kidnapper. She even flirted around with the idea of going back to him. What do you think would happen to her if she actually went back?

Like Brenda we all have been kidnapped from God by the world's temptations. But God sends His prophets out to preach the Gospel to save people from their own self destruction. Once they are saved and are back home with God, satan tries everything he can to get them back. Considering leaving God and going back to your old ways is a sin. But actually leaving God is an unforgivable sin. You blaspheme the Holy Spirit and crucify Jesus again. It would have been better to have not even known Jesus than to return to your wicked ways after following Him. The punishment is eternal death with satan in the lake of fire.

Brenda did decide to go back to her kidnapper. But ... it sure wasn't what she was expecting. He was furious that she had left. In fact he was so furious that he poured gasoline on her and lit her up. Believe in Jesus to be saved and faint not. Fight the good fight unto death for in our patience we possess our souls.

Rapture

Have you ever been in a situation where you were in trouble and you wished you could just disappear? Kind of like Captain Kirk on Star Trek. When he was in trouble and needed to escape quickly, he would just say, "Beam me up Scotty!" And right on time when the enemy was approaching he would be transported up to the safety of his ship. Wouldn't it be awesome if this could really happen??? It Will ...

In the terrifying days of Tribulation that will come very soon, Jesus will send His Angels to remove the good people from the horrors that will be occurring here on earth. Just as God the Father did with Noah and Lot. The Bible says that there will be 2 men in a field. In the blink of an eye one will vanish ... one will remain. These people will rise into the air to meet Jesus and become immortal. Everyone knows this will occur. The big question on all our minds is WHEN??? Jesus said it will occur after the tribulation of those days. Many other places in the Bible also say it will occur at the last trumpet. By the time the last Trumpet sounds, events occurring on the earth will be extremely frightening.

Imagine the earth at this time after the disasters, famines and wars. Then suddenly millions of people will disappear. The mass hysteria of missing children, wives and husbands. Not to mention the traffic jams. What a RUSH hour that will be huh? If you believe in Jesus and follow Him you too can be beamed up like Captain Kirk was. Just read Gods Captains log which is the Bible. With Jesus Christ as your Captain, you will truly go where NO man has gone before.