The Victory

I always catch myself thinking about heaven and the day when Jesus is to return, and I get really wrapped up in trying to figure it out. Obviously, we won't know til the end, but the Bible tells us of many events (or revelations) that are to take place that we can only imagine details about. It BLOWS my mind. I may just let my fingers get kerried away and hope that I make sense to you. This blog kind-of ties into my salvation blogs...

The book of Revelation in the bible is one of the hardest to read. Not only because it is condeming, but it is flat out scary. Especially when you get to all of God's judgements. First with opening the seven seals, then the seven trumpets, then the Bowl judgements. I mean people are killing each other, the sun turns black and the moon turns blood red, the stars fall to the earth!! This is really going to happen. (I do believe though that the saved aren't here to experience this wrath.) Who's team do you want to be on? Then there is the great white throne judgement where we are ALL judged for our sins on earth and if your name isn't written in the Lambs Book of Life you were judged and thrown into the lake of fire (Hell) But then....the saved see all things made new! A new heaven and earth and a new Jerusalem. We get to walk with God and "...He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will be no longer any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." Revelation 21 :4. Finally, we can relax from reading the previous chapters that make our hearts beat fast, stomach turn, and our shoulders tense. The reason and truth behind why we are to follow Christ... to have eternal life with Him. Everything on earth is temporary. Now is our chance to be the Christians we are called to be and to help lead others to Christ, so they too will have eternal life. It seems so simple to have our names written in that book of life. The bible says that if we confess our sins and believe that Jesus died for us, and ask Him into our hearts we are saved (saved from Hell). The bible also says that we are to bear fruit in keeping with repentance, meaning the fruit is what is our good works on earth. We have to continuously repent for our sins, because we are sinners. That is why it is so important to grow in Christ and have that relationship with him. We aren't to stay stagnant in our walk, but continue to learn and grow. That is the 'hard' I was talking about in a previous blog. It is a daily battle to win against sin and our flesh, but we have been given a full set of armor. No amount of sin can keep us away from Him, but it is written all over the bible that we are to grow. It also doesn't matter what sin you have committed. Nothing can keep you from the love of Christ. All we are to do is know that He is Truth and admit we are unworthy. Remember when Jesus was dying on the cross and the guy next to him was being crucified for being a thief and he said to Jesus I believe in you and Jesus then said, "today, you will be with me in paradise?" What a statement Jesus made just then. Sure he will be judged (because God is a just God), but he now has eternity instead of death and all he did was acknowledge that Christ was who He said He was. Here is the real verse...Luke 23:42-43 "....And he was saying, 'Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!' And He said to him, 'Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.'"
I think too, we all need to really grasp the reason why Jesus had to die. I think that unsaved...and some saved all know that Jesus died for our sins, but the reasons exactly why are left unclear and it is easy to walk away. It is simple. Our God is a just God. He is perfect. We can't fathom perfection, because we haven't seen it, but He is. When Adam and Eve sinned the punishment was death He warned them of that. That was what we call the "Fall" of man. It is our own fault that disease, death, hunger, sadness, loss, depression, you name it has filled our earth. We did that, not God, He gave us freewill. See, Adam and Eve were made perfect in order to be in His presence. A perfect God can't be with something that isn't. That is why there is separation now. So, God sent a son to die for us so that we have a chance to be renewed and so that He is still just. His son was crucified for you and me!! He took our place so that we don't have to die and get what we deserve...Hell! God loves us, and He made a way and is still a true, good, loving, perfect God. So to answer so many peoples question of "If God loved us why won't He save us?" HE DID!!! Unfortunately, we all have to die on earth, but that isn't our end. There will be a day that Jesus returns and "the dead in Christ (those loved ones who have died that have been saved) will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and we shall be with the Lord." 1Thessalonians 4:16-17
Oh goodness, I could go on and on! I haven't even touched on Paradise and Hades! That is another blog for another day!
In the mean time, I encourage all of us to examine our lives and make sure that we are glorifying that perfect God who saves us and to read our bibles!