Hi Friends,
For those of you that don’t know me – I’m a fairly regular, usually fun-to-be-around type of person. I mean, I’m a contributing member of society, have worked at companies like many of you, been self-employed at times like others of you, and even un-employed for a season, like the rest. I live in a suburban neighborhood with my wife and three teens, love eating pizza once in a while and catching a good movie.
For the most part, I’m “normal” in many ways.
I do love Jesus, so that sets me apart from some measure of the world, but we all have friends that have specific religious beliefs, so nothing earth shattering there.
I say all of this, because, in most cases, I’m not someone you would generally avoid, and among my friend circle, I’m usually fairly well respected. I’m sure I’ve alienated some along the way, and I do apologize for that – but all-in-all most people are not afraid to be around me – some may even “enjoy” me!
So what happens when you are around a friend like me, and they share something that is other-worldly, and WAY outside of your “normal?” Like, when I share with folks that the world as we know it is going to change drastically very soon? Sadly, most of us are so busy, with so little margin left in our lives, that we don’t have time to investigate and prove or disprove things that come our way, so we stick with “normal” and the belief that everything will, for the most part, stay the way it is. No matter how much you may respect the source of the information, it’s just too far out of your normal. Instead of investigating, most will dismiss things that are way outside the norm because they take time to investigate, and time is a commodity that most of us don’t have an excess of.
You now have the view from my seat.
You see, thanks be to God that He made me not afraid of disruptive information (Information that challenges “normal”) – I’ve always been the one to consider alternate views. It’s actually served me fairly well, as it’s given me permission in my life to question “normal” and search for better ways.
Unfortunately, some of my circle won’t investigate for themselves, and because of that I’veI’ve probably alienated some – and it makes me sad because the information I have is so amazingly joyful once you understand what is ahead.
I spent most of my adult life as a “Christian” but it’s been the last 10 years that I really took that walk personally. Through learning by reading, and through the teaching of others, I’ve come to be incredibly impressed that the bible has been proven so incredibly accurate over the years ( some parts of it many thousands of years!) I learned more about Bible prophecy (foretelling of events) and this really cemented my faith. The bible is real! This set me up well for my next stage of learning.
Over the last year, I have become aware of how many prophetic things are happening, things that the Bible referred to as “the times of the end.” So think about that for a moment – I am aware of the thousands of prophecies that prove the Bible’s authenticity beyond a shadow of a doubt. So given that the bible has such an excellent reputation of pre-sharing the future, if it then speaks of things happening in the “end times” and we are seeing those things come to pass (almost daily) – would it not make sense that given it’s track record, that we should believe these things? Even if they are somewhat other-worldly? (maybe that’s the idea…) If you are not convinced of the bible’s accuracy, watch this short video:
Well, I have – and do- believe what the bible says about what is upcoming. Now, you are back to the view from my seat again. Sometimes when I bring these things up among friends, it’s suddenly like I have the plague. Honestly, even fellow Christians sometimes don’t investigate for themselves these things (that fact, oddly, is prophesied in the bible as well.) I just want folks to know the truth, and not be “duped” by the world (after all, it’s the world that says “everything is normal.”) Sometimes folks go to their pastor for clarification when they hear these things – unfortunately, as good as their pastor may be, the enemy has convinced many church organizations that the time is not near (read my article about doctrine called “Challenging Normal.”)
It’s not that it’s lonely from this view – I’m part of a worldwide community of “watchmen” that are fully aware of the times that we live in, and we share our findings with each other daily, and with great joy. But my heart is extremely heavy for the rest of you.
The Bible shares truth to us, describing us as eternal spirits living in temporary, mortal bodies (remember, the bible does NOT lie.) Without the Bible, we tend to slip into thinking that this life is “all that we got.” Truth is, if we trust in the Bible (remember, I do…), we learn that this life is simply a blip of time on the spectrum of eternity. The bible also tells us that we have a choice as to where we can live that eternity out once our mortal body is finished here – one of those places is described as absolutely the most amazing world that you can ever imagine, such that not ONE thing from this world will you wish for. The other option is described as complete misery, pain, and suffering. The big problem is that BOTH of these places are eternal. Forget harps, angel wings, and clouds – both of these places (Heaven and Hell) are REAL place. Trust me. (want a taste of how amazing and tangible the good one is? Watch this and be blessed:
So we all have a choice, and that choice is the root of the sadness I feel when I look around me. We have a book (bible) that tells us ALL of these things, in advance based on past accuracy. It tells us that by trusting in Him (Jesus) we are part of the most amazing eternity, all in exchange for choosing to trust in Him and pursue a relationship with Him. No prerequisites, no pre-qualifications, just make the choice and begin to learn more of Him, and of His ways. It’s really that simple. And when you make that choice and perform that action, you can look at all of the scary stuff happening in our world, and know that you will NOT have to endure it much longer. That’s why the Bible calls the knowledge of the end of the age “Our Blessed Hope” (Titus 2:12-13.)
There is a trap, however. A lot of well-intentioned people believe that they are “good to go” because they are a “good person.” Unfortunately, the bible tells us that most of our “works” (what we do here on earth) will be burnt up and worthless before God, and that the only way to participate in God’s eternity (the good one) is to accept His free gift – accept that He (Jesus) has saved you (salvation) from the bad eternity. That’s it – no works, just choose Him, talk to Him, and learn to follow His ways. But please remember – not choosing Jesus is a choice for the not-so-desirable eternity.
The Bible tells us of a world (where we get to spend eternity) where the streets are of gold, and there is no evil (none.) When you read that, do you think “that’s a fairy tale” or do you think “God said it, so it must be so?” If you lean toward fairy tale, please consider all of the truths that the Bible has presented that have come to pass. It’s an accurate document.
We really are eternal beings in carnal bodies. This “life” that we strive so hard for, is NOT the end game. If it were, the bible would have said so, and instead, it says the opposite – that the “end” of this “age” is fast approaching. How fast? Well, the bible says that when Israel reforms as a country, that “This generation shall not pass” (Matthew 24:34). It also says in Psalm 90:10 that a generation is 70 years (80 years if by strength, and that last part will be full of labor and sorrow.) So back to Israel – it became a nation in 1948, and just celebrated it’s 70th birthday. Combine that with all of the other things that are happening in the world (floods, fires, earthquakes, Volcanoes, and more) and folks we are THERE. Yep, end of an age. The rapture is real (or, for those hung up on the “R” word, the “snatching away.” My challenge to you is this: If you have a hard time swallowing that, please research and learn. And please don’t stop at the first piece of research that supports your current premise – go deep! Read this blog, search for other sources, contact me if you need more info. Time is short – VERY short. The signs are all around us, so we are here at that point. And all that you have to do is accept and love Jesus, and the end of this age will only be a glorious beginning of your eternity.
I titled this post “What will it be like” referring to Heaven and eternity. When God takes us from the earth, we attend the most amazing banquet “the wedding banquet” where we (as Christians) are the guest of honor – WE are the ones being served (and this is happening while the current earth is pretty much destroying itself, and those that chose NOT to follow Jesus are losing their lives. Now imagine being shown to your new home – remember that God created YOU, including all of your likes, dislikes, and tastes. Knowing this, you will step into your room, and there will not be ONE THING that you would have done differently as it wil be a perfect match for your tastes that The Father put within you. Then think about your life, how you’ve struggled all of it to find your passions, trying to do them as a profession, or squeeze them in outside of your profession. Those passions were placed in you by GOD for HIS eternity, where in His eternity, there will be a place where exactly WHO you are and WHAT you are created for will perfectly fill a need. You will experience more fulfillment than you ever have on this earth. I could spend paragraphs talking about what I think it will be like, but I know enough now to know that I need NOTHING from this earth for eternal satisfaction (see why it’s the Blessed Hope?) Think no bills, no conflict, no danger, no evil. Truly, I can’t wait. Un-impeded relationship with God and full relationship with others? All in a tangible eternity? Wow, that’s what I think it’s going to be like. Please, please don’t choose the other eternity.
I once said that If I could get paid to just go have coffee daily and talk out life with friends, that would be a great gig. I think I’m going to like eternity. Please accept Jesus and come have coffee with me in eternity? You really don’t have much to lose. Contact Me with any questions!
~Bryan
p.s. It’s NEVER too late to accept Jesus, and your past does NOT disqualify you form eternity.