Eternal Life – Hope for Complete Healing

Why Some Believers May Not Go to Heaven

Why doesn’t every believer go to Heaven? This is a tough question because the Bible is clear that everyone who believes will spend eternity with God in heaven (John 3:16, 1 Timothy 1:16, and 1 John 5:13). So why does Jesus say in His first sermon, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²²On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ²³And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ – Matthew 7:21-23” Woe! If you consider the verses before these verses to beware of false prophets, then verses 21-23 make sense because they refer to false prophets who often preach on TV and in our churches. If you haven’t read the previous post, read it now, How the Wise Recognize False Teachers and Teachings.

False teachers have a belief in Jesus, but they distort God’s truth and do not submit their minds to the Holy Spirit’s renewal to be righteous and holy (Eph. 4:24). We are renewed in our minds by reading God’s Word every day, and meditate on the truth, and apply it to memory. Each one of us could be guilty of having false beliefs and being a false prophet. As a Christian blogger, I am very concerned that I may misrepresent God’s truth, which is why I rely on Scripture to do the teaching. You may call me out if you feel I am not representing the truth of God’s Word. I noted in my last post that not all Bibles are equal, and many versions misrepresent the truth, especially the paraphrased versions.

What is a prophet? It says in 1 Corinthians 14:3, “The one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding [not tearing down] and encouragement and consolation [comfort, support].” If you don’t know the truth of God’s Word, you can be a false prophet. For example, your friend is unhappy with their marriage. If you comfort and encourage them by saying, “God wants us to be happy, so it is okay to divorce your spouse.” That is a false teaching. Instead, speak the truth explained in 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18, which is “See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. ^16-18Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” And Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Changing our thinking and doing the will of God is difficult, but when we obey, we will be rewarded with joy and peace even in difficult circumstances. If you have misrepresented the truth of God, repent, and ask His forgiveness, and He will forgive and restore you. Next, read your Bible every day and meditate on the truth. Then you will do well (Ps. 1:2-3).

What do you want God to say to you when you stand before Him? What if God says, ‘I never knew you; depart from me.’ (Matt. 7:23)? The subject of this post is heavy, but necessary to ponder because we all will stand before Him someday, maybe today. Will He say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matt 25:21,23)?

What is The Will of God?

Jesus said in His first sermon in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” The condition is doing the will of God, though our assurance is by grace. So, what is the will of God? The Bible says that the will of God is to obey His instructions and do what we know He has called us to do, which I will write about in the next post. I wrote extensively about what the will of God is in Unanswered Prayer. Asking For God’s Will or Your Will?

Disclaimer: Our salvation and eternal destiny with God are not because of what we do or by our works, but by the grace of God. Ephesians 2:8-10 states, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Once we have received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit seals us, and then we must work out our salvation by renewing our minds and doing His will. See the blog posts called Forgiven and Saved? Now Renew Your Mind (Part One) and Three Steps to Renew Your Mind (Part Two).

How can I be assured God will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant?”

The Apostle Peter’s instructions in the next passage give us hope. Peter tells us to be diligent, which means to apply ourselves to accomplish something. Meditate on the words of 2Peter 1:3-11:

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness,

through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence,

by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises,

so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature,

having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire (lusts).

⁵For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith, virtue (moral excellence; right action and thinking; goodness of character), knowledge, self-control, steadfastness (perseverance), godliness, brotherly affection (kindness), and love. (My paraphrase in parentheses.)

⁸For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁹For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

¹⁰Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities, you will never fall.

¹¹For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

A promise is an assurance we depend on. Verse 10 promises we will never fall if we seek and practice faith, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, kindness, and love. Then, verse 11 promises we will enter the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ. And verse 8 promises if we have these qualities, we will not be ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of Christ Jesus. How fantastic is this!

Conclusion:

Our life on earth is but a blink or breath compared to eternity (Ps. 144:4). So, be mindful of the day of judgment and what God will say to you. In this post, you learned you are eternally secure when you do the will of God, fear Him, and diligently seek to add to your faith; moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. In the end times, there will be a great falling away because of deception and suffering. Resolve in your heart today that you will not fall away and begin today to do the will of God found in the Word of God. Hebrews 3:12 states, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.”

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Posts About Godliness

Example of Suffering Well and God’s Response: Part 2 of Suffering Well

All verses are from the English Standard Version. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share this link with your friends and family: hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected. Please do not reproduce any part of the posts or my book without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website.

My latest book is Unlocking God’s Promises, which explains 18 categories of promises that are relevant to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.

Additionally, consider my book Fighting Unseen Battles, which describes the many unhealthy beliefs that control our lives and what the truths are. To learn more about this book, read the post How to Fight Unseen Battles.

Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com and ask for a PDF of Eight Life-Changing Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, non-believers, the 23rd Psalm, and victory. I will also send you the Lord’s Prayer Model to pray effectively. Please leave your name, so I know you are a real person making the request.

The Wise Prioritize Riches

Do you have a goal to build up wealth to live a comfortable life or retire comfortably? But did you ever think about how temporary life is on Earth and how never-ending eternity is? Yet, we are so focused on our temporary physical comfort, that we forget about reality. We need to transform our temporary thinking and remind ourselves that we are eternal beings created to serve God and buildup treasure for our eternal life. As I pray and meditate on this next part of Jesus’s sermon, I see so much I can write, but I will stick with two truths. One, there is heaven and hell. Two, only those who believe Jesus is the son of God and abide in Him will have eternal life (John 3:16; 6:40; 17:3; Rom. 6:23).

Why Must We Be Eternally Minded?

If you are a believer, then you will be eternally minded. Some of us forget and focus on worldly pleasures and idolatry. Colossians 3:1-2 states, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Ephesians 2:6 says we have been raised with Christ and are seated in the heavenly places. Praise the Lord! Yet, we forget, so remind someone of this fact. I also want to remind you that we are citizens of heaven right now (Philippians 3:20).

With these truths in mind, let us read our text from Jesus’ first sermon in Matthew 6:19-24.

¹⁹“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The gospels record a story where Jesus responds to a rich man who wanted to know how to have eternal life (Matt. 19:16-23, Mark 10:17-25, and Luke 18:18-25). In Luke 18:22, Jesus told him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Luke goes on to say in verses 23-24, “But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. ²⁴Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, ‘How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’” Having wealth is not bad but good. Realize your wealth is not yours but God’s because He has blessed you and given you the ability to get wealth (Deut. 8:18). So how are you investing His money to increase His kingdom? Read my last post to learn why Jesus wants us to give to the poor.

Pause for a moment and ask yourself, where is my focus? Be honest, do you value your possessions more than God and people? If God asked you to sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, could you? Some people say that money is evil and causes us to turn to evil. Not true unless you love money more than God. The Bible says in 1Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

How do you know if your heart seeks the pleasures of the world, or desires to please God? Does your heart want others to recognize and value you, or do you want God to get the glory? Do you find your security in what you have in the bank or in your investment portfolio? Wealth can be an idol that you are trusting in instead of God. You can know where your heart is by the things you think about most.

Are You Spiritual Healthy?

If you can’t understand how to lay up your treasures in heaven, then ask God to open your spiritual eyes to understand this truth. Some people are prideful about what they have, even poor people, which blinds them. You may have a spirit of pride that must be put off to remove the darkness of your heart. You can read more about pride in my post called, How Pride Destroys. Jesus teaches about spiritual health and seeing spiritually in Matthew 6:22-24.

²²“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, ²³but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Why does Jesus say that we cannot serve God and money? How do we serve money? Do you allow God to control how you spend your money, or do you spend it on yourself and worldly pleasures? If a person is not submitted to God and does not love God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength, or love others, they cannot serve God. If a person is wise, then they will prioritize their wealth that pleases God, and they will invest in a heavenly treasure to help grow the kingdom of God. Does this sound right to you? Please comment and let me know your thoughts.

I do not see a biblical issue with setting up a budget and allowing some of your wealth to be used for entertainment, eating out, going on trips, and so on. King Solomon wrote much about the toil of work, and how we are to enjoy the work of our hands. Ecclesiastics 2:24-25 states, “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, ²⁵for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?” Also, see Eccl. 3:13; 5:15, 18-19; 8:15.

In summary, serve God, not money. Build up your treasure in heaven, not on earth. Do not focus on getting rich and become spiritually blind.

RELATED POSTS

Can You Be Too Heavenly Minded?

All verses are from the English Standard Bible. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share this link with your friends and family; hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected. Please do not reproduce any part of the posts or my book without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website.

Check out my latest book Breaking Mental Strongholds, which you can order on Amazon. To learn more about it, read my post called Breaking Mental Strongholds Book. Also, check out Fighting Unseen Battles on Amazon. To learn more about this book, read: How to Fight Unseen Battles.

Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com, and ask for a PDF of Eight Life-changing Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, non-believers, 23rd Psalm, and victory. I will also send you the Lord’s Prayer Model to pray effectively. Please leave your name, so I know you are a real person making the request.

11—God Promises to Give You Peace and Rest

Would you agree that we live in a world full of chaos and hate? Does the world news make you anxious? Do you feel stressed by the pressures of life? If so, God promises to give you rest and peace. Imagine that you are lying in a hammock under a shady tree, relaxing by a pool or lake somewhere, or sitting on a porch swing reading a captivating book. Sounds relaxing, doesn’t it? God promises to give you everlasting rest and peace that rivals the ultimate relaxation situation.

What do you need rest from?

We need rest from carrying our worries and responsibilities. Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” When our eyes are on Jesus, and we pray about everything, we will stop striving and feeling weighed down by the world’s concerns. 1Peter 5:7 states, “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” King David said in Psalm 55:22, “Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” So when you pray and give your cares to God, He promises to sustain you, and you won’t be moved, that is, to be provoked. The Apostle Peter tells us in 1Peter 3:12, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” Doing evil is disobeying God.

We also need to enter God’s eternal rest. Hebrews 4:1, 6, 11 explains, “Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.” 6) “Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience.” 11) “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” These verses encourage us to strive to obey God, so we don’t lose our eternal rest. In my last post, I explained how God promises to rescue us from His wrath when we obey Him and do what is right. Hebrews 4:1 says we are to “fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it [His rest].” This type of fear is forsaking evil and not giving in to our sinful nature and lustful desires but turning to God and obeying His commands.

How do you achieve peace in a world full of troubles and chaos?

I found that peace resides in my heart when I look to Jesus and give Him my concerns. My favorite go-to Scripture verse is Isaiah 26:3, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” I wrote a series of posts about trust because trust is so hard to do, and we become disappointed when our expectations are shattered. Understanding God’s promises help us trust Him. 2Corinthians 1:20 states, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” God keeps His promises because it brings Him glory.

Troubles Are Inevitable, but Peace Is a Choice We Make

Jesus said in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Jesus has overcome the world, but how do we overcome the world? 1John 5:4 explains, “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” Because we have faith that God keeps His promises, we don’t have to carry the cares and troubles of the world. The Apostle Paul encourages us in Philippians 4:7-8, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” If you don’t give God the issues that cause you anxiety and worry, then you choose not to have peace.

When We Obey God, We Will Have Peace

I don’t know about you, but I feel miserable and guilty when I sin. I have no peace when I say or do something that hurts another person. But when I repent and ask forgiveness, I also must ask God to take my guilt to feel peace again. Proverbs 3:1-2 tells us, “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, ²for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.” And Isaiah 57:21 states, “There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked.” Wicked people do not have peace, which is why our world has so much chaos and hate.

Conclusion

I hope you have been blessed by this post, and I pray you will have peace and rest during these troubling times. Keep your focus on the things of God and not on the issues of our world. There is nothing that escapes God’s notice. 2Chronicals 16:9 tells us, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him [completely His].” God keeps His promises; you can trust Him.

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POSTS about God’s Promises

All verses are from the English Standard Bible. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share the links with your friends and family, hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected, and no part of the posts or my book may be reproduced without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website.

Check out my first book called Fighting Unseen Battles on Amazon. I would love to hear what you think.

1—God’s Promises – Introduction

Are you concerned, maybe worried, about what is happening in America and around the world? Do you wonder how God will work out His will for your life? I have been pondering God’s promises, which have given me peace. If you don’t know His promises, how can you claim them?

Never forget that God keeps His promises. 2Corinthians 1:20 tells us, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” Also, Romans 4:20-21 states, “No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, ²¹fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.” God may not do what you want or how you want, but He always has your best interest in mind because only He knows your future. King David says in Psalm 139:16-18. “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. ¹⁷How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! ¹⁸If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.”

Most of God’s promises are conditional, for example, Jeremiah 7:23 states, “But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’” When we obey God and walk in His ways, then He will abide with us that it may be well with us.

God’s promises are for everyone. Acts 2:39 states, “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” I have gathered many promises from the Bible, and I am sure there are many more. In future posts, I will share the scripture promises and applications for each of the following categories.

― God promises eternal life and salvation:

― God promises to help you

― God promises to prosper us

― God promises to be our protection/shield/stronghold

― God promises to provide for us

― God promises to reward us

― God is our Refuge

― God promises peace

― God promises us grace and mercy

― God promises to give us wisdom

― We will not be separated from God’s Love

― God promises to give us strength

― God promises to give you rest

― God promises to fight for you

― God promises to forgive our sins when we confess them and forgive others their sins

― God promises to never leave or forsake us

― God promises to deliver us from our troubles

― God promises to give you the desires of your heart

― God promises to lead us

― God promises to answer prayer

― God promises to heal you

God never lies. Titus 1:2 states, “In hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began.” And Hebrews 10:36 states. “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” Matthew 7:21 elaborates, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” John 6:40 explains what the Father’s will is, “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 [you and me] up on the last day.”

Here are a few more fantastic promises, note the condition is to believe. When we believe with our heart we will be saved. Romans 10:9 explains, “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” So many people only believe with their mind, or they say the apostle’s creed, but don’t believe with their heart. Here is how you know. Does the promise of eternal life make you happy and do the following verses make you excited or are they just Bible verses you memorize at one time? John 3:16 “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 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” In verse 36, we are encouraged to not only believe but obey as well.

If you believe with your heart that Jesus is the Son of God, then God abides in you and all His promises are for you? 1John 4:13-15 tells us, “By this we know that we abide in him [God] and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” How wonderful is that, that the God who created the Universe dwells in us when we believe. Ephesians 3:17a states, “So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, which is believing.”

When will we receive the promise of eternal life? 2Peter 3:9 explains, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” Repentance is acknowledging your sins and seeking God’s forgiveness (1John 1:9). Sins are anything we think, say, or do that breaks God’s commands, namely, to love Him and to love each other (Luke 10:27). The Apostle Paul told Timothy in 1Timothy 2:4, “Who [God] desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Also, John explains in 1John 2:25, “And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.” 2Corinthians 5:1 says, “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” 1John 5:11 “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” Acts 4:12 “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.”

Ponder the following scriptures and how sin separates us from God and keeps us from receiving eternal life. Romans 5:21 “So that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Galatians 6:8 “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” We sow to the spirit by meditating on God’s word, which is keeping our minds on the things above (Colossians 3:1-3). God never lies, but the devil is a liar (John 8:44) and he will deceive you just enough to create unhealthy beliefs about God’s promises, so you don’t trust God. Satan wants us to remain in his oppressive control. Satan does not want you to spend eternity with God and will do everything to keep you from obeying and doing God’s will.

Conclusion

God keeps his promises, but for us to experience His promises we need to meet the conditions first. His promises are many and for everyone. Today, we looked at God’s promise of salvation and eternal life. The conditions were (1) to believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died and was raised again (1Cor. 15:1-6). (2) Believe with your heart and confess with your mouth what you believe. (3) Obey and do the will of the Father. (4) Die to our sinful nature and be righteous. (5) Humbly confess your sins and receive the free gift of God. (6) Sow to the Spirit.

Check out my first book on Amazon. I would love to hear what you think.

Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com, and ask for a PDF of Eight Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, non-believers, 23rd Psalm, and victory. I will also send you the Lord’s Prayer Model to pray effectively. Please leave your name, so I know you are a real person making the request.

Last Days: Part Seven—God’s Wrath and The Rapture

Do you think the rapture will happen pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, post-tribulation, or pan-tribulation? Pan means, however the rapture pans out. One thing we know, we will face suffering and troublesome times in the last days, which I explain in Part two. Over 2000 years ago, the first century writers proclaimed that we were in the last days. How much closer are we today? In this post, I want to address the uncomfortable subject of God’s wrath and the tribulation. Revelations15:1 states, “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.”

The Bible says in Ephesians 5:6, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” What things is Paul referring to? Ephesians 5:5 explains, “For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.” I explain this in more detail in the posts called: Are you in control of your life? And, What Will Cause You to Lose Your Inheritance. I encourage you to read them.

What is the wrath of God, and how do we avoid it?

God is Holy (perfect, untainted by evil) and deserving of reverence and worship. God has wrath on sin, which is disobedience of His instructions in the Bible. To avoid God’s wrath, you need to receive the atonement (payment) of your sins through Jesus Christ, God’s Son. 1Theselonians 5:9 tells us, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” John 3:36 tells us, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” Have you warned your friends and neighbor’s about the wrath of God and salvation through Jesus Christ?

The flood in Genesis 6 was God’s wrath on a wicked world. Likewise, the tribulation described in Revelations is God’s wrath on the wicked, who do not repent of their sins. Romans 1:18 states, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” Do you see how godless people are suppressing the truth in our world today? What is happening in America with the Leftist’s evil desire to eliminate the truth and control what they want us to think and do is concerning, but not surprising. History repeats itself.

Since the tribulation is God’s wrath on humanity’s wickedness, yet God has not destined us (the righteous) for wrath; therefore, the righteous will be removed from the earth before the tribulation begins. An example is when God saved Noah and his family from the flood. 1Peter 3:20 tells us, “Because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.” God is waiting for each of us to humble ourselves and repent of our sins. Do it now before the tribulation starts and it is too late. 1Peter 3:9 states, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” Remember the conversation between God and Abraham about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. God would not destroy the two wicked cities if there were any righteous people in them. Lot and his family were the only righteous people, so God sent an angel to lead them out before He destroyed the cities (see Genesis 18:22-33).

Who are the righteous?

Malachi 3:18 states, “Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.” How are you serving God? The Bible also explains that the righteous lives by faith. Hebrews 10:37-39 explains, “For, ‘Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.’ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” 1John 2:28-29 states, “And now, little children, abide [remain; stay] in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29) If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.” Living by faith is active trust in the promises of God based on the evidence in the Bible and the lives of those who live by faith. Read my post on the 15 Promises We Can Trust God to Keep.

When you practice something, you perfect a skill by repeating the task until you can do it flawlessly. For instance, when you practice a song on the piano, you don’t get it perfectly right the first time you play it. But after playing the piece many times, you become, near perfect. It is the same with righteousness. 1John 3:7-8, 10 explains, “Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.8) Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 10) By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.” In my post called The End Will Come: Part Four—Be Ready in Love., I explain why and how we are to love.

Thank you for reading this post, so to respect your time, I will continue this subject in the next post as there is so much more to cover. But before I end, I want to encourage you with what God spoke to Isaiah in Chapter 3. Replace Judah with the United States. Ponder these three verses. Isaiah 3:1, “For behold, the Lord GOD of hosts is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah [USA] support and supply, all support of bread, and all support of water;” Isaiah 3:8, “For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah [USA] has fallen, because their speech and their deeds are against the LORD, defying his glorious presence.” And Isaiah 3:10, “Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds.” What is the fruit of your deeds? The Albert Barnes commentary says, “As a farmer who sows his field and cultivates his farm, eats the fruit of his labor, so shall it be with the righteous. A similar expression is found in Pro. 1:31.”

How are you practicing righteousness? How are you living by faith? What does righteousness look like in your life?

Grace and peace to you in the coming year.

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