PLEASE READ THIS IN ITS ENTIRETY, OUR ETERNAL DESTINATIONS ARE AT STAKE!

Eternity is But One Heartbeat Away – Time to Get Serious

Stalking the earth this COVID-19 pestilence (and even the seasonal flu) is taking many lives with sickness and death in its wake. Populations, cultures and nations are under attack. It’s time to seriously consider eternity and where you and I will spend it.

Consider please … we can go to church all our lives, every Sunday, sing in the choir, attend Bible studies and do “good” things but without repenting of our sin we will perish! Yes, I said perish! Additionally, we don’t even know about our sin for few read their Bibles and even more – Christian pastors don’t preach about it. Instead they mostly preach happy, lovey-lovey, itching (tickling) sermons full of fluff, no meat of the Gospel. So the bottom-line according to scripture — we will not enter His rest in His heavenly home. Wow – that’s some harsh words! You’re kidding right?

NO, I’m not! For what I have stated is not from me but from the God’s Word, the Bible – from the mouth of our Lord Jesus the Christ.

“This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 7- in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” -Mark 7:6-7 (ESV)

There is no possible way to work your way into heaven via a system of good works, or purchased “tickets”, “gate passes”  (indulgences), or by self or church justification and ritual. There are many religions that teach this and those that follow this false gospel will not attain eternal life (Gal 1:8-9). And their are people in the millions that fall into this “trap”. Yes, I know there are those that don’t want to hear this but the fact, nevertheless, remains true.  “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” -Acts 4:12 (ESV)

Repent or Perish

“There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2- And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3- No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4- Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5- No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” -Luke 13:1-5 (ESV)

In Jesus’ first sermon outlined in Matt 4:17, He preached that we must repent. (He didn’t soft-coat it or try to articulate it in a way that didn’t offend anyone. He spoke the real, plain Gospel truth. This then raised the bar on the importance of our repenting of our sin in our Lord’s eyes. But the most stunning picture of how important repentance is to a real Bible-believing Christian comes in Luke 13:1-5. In these verses Jesus stated in no uncertain terms that without repentance those people that Pilate killed and mingled their blood with the Roman pagan sacrifices and the 18 people that the tower in Siloam fell on would perish. Please let this sink in for a moment … for it is of utmost importance. Without repentance, you will perish!

“From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” -Matt 4:17 (KJV)

This is a hard truth set forth in God’s word and we must embrace it and practice it. Going to church every Sunday and following the ritual of churchianity will not get you into heaven. You can go to church 24×7 but it will not ensure a place in God’s Kingdom unless you practice repenting of your sin.

We must put into practice as stated in Romans 10:9-10 and acknowledge that we are sins and need a Savior. We must confess our sin but that’s only half the issue. Without turning away from the sin that easily besets us, without amending our ways, and changing our mind about our sinful lifestyles, we have not followed the Lord’s will for our lives. Many, many people who attend church in the plethora of Christian religions have not been taught this yet it is clearly defined in the Bible in several places. This is just one of the reasons Christians MUST, MUST, MUST read their Bibles and know the truth.

Out of the seven churches the Lord addresses in Rev 2 and 3, five of them were given the corrective action to repent for their sin. Look at the Ephesus church Rev 2:1-6: they seemed to do things right, they looked good, they did good works, toiled hard, could not bear with evil, had not grown weary but look at the Lord’s rebuke of their shiny Christianity on the outside but lacking on the inside. Jesus said they abandoned their first love meaning Him and had therefore fallen away. They painted a picture of a good, regular attendee, worker-bee type of Christiandom but they lost their love of the Lord. They lost what it means to know (really know) and love the Lord.

They/we must repent of this lack of sincere love for the Lord. But look at the corrective action – if they didn’t repent. Verse 5 – He would remove His lampstand meaning His presence from their midst. Can you grasp what our Lord is saying here and how this applies to our lives as well? There are many churches and people who claim to be Christians that do not have the Lord abiding with them (John 15:4). Continue reading about the other 6 churches He addresses in Rev 2 and 3 and examine the Lord’s rebukes and corrective actions. He’s not kidding about all this.

Folks, I can’t stress this enough – pastors, you had better get this and start preaching it – the importance in our Christian walk the reality of real sincere confession of our sin and then doing something about it in sincere repentance.

“…and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem” -Luke 24:47 (ESV)

Finally, look at Luke 24:47, the Lord at His departure from this earth told His disciples to teach and preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins. If these are Jesus’ departing words then we must take them very, very seriously. The question then becomes … who takes them seriously these days in our easy-going, fast-food, happy-go-lucky Christianity? Very few. Remember the words of Jesus in Matt 22:14, many are called but few are chosen. What do you think He meant by this?

Friends, this is one of the hardest messages I have written for it spells out the real truth of what salvation is and what it takes to obtain it. Many churches will not preach the hard truths to their congregations for fear they will leave and take their pocketbooks (money) with them. How sad. But please don’t believe me today, do your own research in God’s word and come to your own conclusions. Please seek a deeper walk with the Lord, deeper in your spirit and soul; then you will understand His living words.

Are you saved today?

Grace and peace

-BPWatcher, Internet Preacher and Bible Prophecy Watchman

JESUS CHRIST IS KING AND ONLY HE IS LORD. SEEK HIM TODAY!

Our Warfare Against Pestilences

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2- I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3- For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. 4- He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. 5- You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6- nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. … 9- Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge— 10- no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.” -Psa 91:1-6, 9-10 (ESV)

As a Christian where do you stand with this advancing pestilence? Many are panicking and much fear is consuming them. But as Christians, what stand do we take, what is consuming our thoughts about this Coronavirus pestilence?

Now to be sure, we know that Almighty God is absolutely in control of all situations and outcomes. He alone knows the end from the beginning and in Him is life evermore. He holds each and every one of His children in His hands and nothing will happen to you without His approval. In this light, where do we all stand in our faith? You have to admit for some, their faith is being tested and stretched, and fear is at their door. If you have committed your life to the Lord then you and I must realize that He will do the best for us in His sovereign will. Do not fear!

“Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’” -Isa 46:10 (NKJV)

In the Psalm above we find strength and comfort. First, it says he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High. When it’s storming outside many will seek shelter in a safe building or structure. Do we as Christians, now facing a virus storm, seek the shelter, comfort and protection of the Lord? Or does our fear of this nasty virulent outbreak consume us? Do not fear!

Do we pray to the Lord that He really is our refuge and our fortress?

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.” -Psa 27:7 (NKJV)

Do we really mean it if we proclaim it? Do we rest in Him to be a strong and mighty fortress that we can run into and find peace and protection? Do we solidify this proclamation with rock solid trust? He will be our shield against any and all calamities if we but turn everything in our lives over to Him. Surrender it all in humility and trust. Do not fear!

And if you do these things we will not (or we should not) fear the terrors of this life nor any pestilence that comes our way. For we rely on trusting in Him for His will to be done. In the case of the Apostle Paul concerning his thorn in the flesh … the Lord didn’t remove it but by it God’s grace was to be enough for Paul, since in his weakness God’s power was made perfect in him – 2 Cor 12:9.

“for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” -2 Tim 1:7 (ESV)

IMO, this COVID-19 is a pestilence that is stalking people in the spiritual darkness of our times. But by making the Lord your dwelling place we can pray and believe that this plague or others won’t come near us – into our tent. We must pray this Psalm daily during this crisis, not to just recite it but to recite it, proclaim it and believe it. We must walk in faith. If it’s His will, He will see you and I through it. But we must also pray that His will is done in our lives and our families lives.

Seasonal flu is another pestilence that stalks us every year but the majority of us get through it with no issues. Colds are also sicknesses and the Lord gets us through these too. Pray about this diseases too. Pray about everything!! Do not fear!

My prayer is that I and my family will be protected by believing in God’s promises and resting in His will that it may be done. Only He knows the outcome but we must be strong in Him and not ourselves – this is faith in action. This is where the tire hits the road of our faith and about our faith. So do not fear!

Here is another powerful verse in God’s word that you can in faith grab hold of and let it sink deep into your soul and let it increase your faith in Christ.

“The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.” -Psalm 34:7 (KJV)

The bottom line here is that we must walk in faith that the Lord will watch over us. We must keep in prayer and display our unwavering faith so that when this life is through, He will be proud of us and welcome us into His rest.

Be strong everyone and put your trust in the Lord God Almighty!

I leave you with this last verse for today. Remember, the word of God lasts forever – it is truth, it is living and it is our strength. Amen

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2- Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3- Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.” -Psa 46:1-2 (KJV)

-BPWatcher, Internet Preacher and Bible Prophecy Watchman

GIVE GLORY TO GOD IN ALL THINGS!