Tag: Colossians 2:14

Comfort During the End Times – Day 28

On By KateIn Comfort During the End Times, DevotionalsLeave a comment

Psa 91:14  Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.  

Good morning, Reader! Today’s verse truly bless my heart because they reveal to me a very personal God. God is not a God who sits in Heaven and doesn’t pay attention to what happens to His creation. God loves His creation so much that He created Him to live forever in a beautiful garden. He did not create robots but created male and female to fellowship with Him. Genesis 3:8 said that the Lord walked in the garden and spoke with Adam and Eve. We know this was Jesus because John 1:3 says Jesus made all things. John 1:1 calls Jesus the Word of God. Remember the hymn, “In the Garden”?

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses

And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known

God desires fellowship with His creation and gave us His Word until we can see Him face-to-face. Friend, you are not walking this earth at this moment in time all by yourself. The same God from the Garden of Eden is here with you. The same Creator, Jesus Christ, died for your sins – He took yours and my sins to the cross and nailed them there. (Colossians 2:14) There is no sin that has not been nailed to that cross. Those that are born again (John 3:3, 3:7) are no longer under condemnation. (Romans 8:1) Jesus said that those who don’t believe are condemned already. (John 3:18) We are born with sin and therefore are already condemned. It is not until we believe on the name of the Lord Jesus and get saved that we can claim Romans 8:1. He knows you by your name! This alone should bring every believer great comfort!

We are able to take comfort knowing that the same God who created us desires to take our burdens and leave them with Him. There are days when life will seem unbearable to you. In those days, the devil loves nothing more than to make our worries and anxieties into yokes. You can see clearly here in this picture that the yoke has two holes, one for the Lord and one for you. Normally the farmer puts one strong animal in one side and the weaker on the other. This way, the burden is not so great on the weaker one and the stronger one can lead. The devil wants us in his yoke, which is always geared to place the burden on us! He wants to weigh us down so we can take our eyes off the Lord. He wants us to submit to him so we are no earthly good for the cause of Christ. But Matthew 11:28-30 tells us that Jesus’ yoke is easy and His burden is light. He also tells us that we shall find rest in His yoke.

Friend, during these end times, we believers must take God’s Word literally and apply His Word to our lives. Without it, we will fail. But when we use the salve of God’s Word and apply it to our lives, Jesus will give us blessed rest during troubled times. We absolutely need that rest so we can show a lost and dying world what it is like to be in the midst of chaos yet be at perfect peace and rest in Jesus. We know this rest first because of His shed blood for our sins and that we are forgiven. But secondly, we know this rest because He has promised to come take His Bride before the wrath of God is set upon this God-forsaken world! (1 Thess. 1:10, 2:19, 4:16-18, 5:1-11)

There is truth to be found, reader! The truth and the future of our world is carefully written in the Bible so we could see what was to come. Friend, if you’re not sure where you will spend eternity, please settle the matter. Christian, if you’re not living your life for the Lord, there’s not much time left. We need to give the lost hope as we have hope! Friend, don’t be willfully ignorant of the end times. (2 Peter 3:5) If you are not born-again, confess your sins and repent of them. The time is coming when it will be too late for you to repent. You will remember each opportunity you were given by God to be saved; you will remember each time you laughed it off and ignored it. Please Reader, repent and accept Christ into your life. (Act 16:31, Rom 10:9) I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Hell – What Is It and What Should I know About It?

On By KateIn Devotionals, Miscellaneous, What's Stopping You From Salvation?Leave a comment

Rev 20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Good morning, Reader! I will be starting a new series dealing with the topic of what excuses people use for not accepting Christ. But before I can start on that series, I feel it’s necessary to explain just what Hell and the Lake of Fire really are and why it’s so important to prevent yourself from going there! Please take a moment and let’s study the matter out together.

What is This Place Called Hell?

Hell is the place where the unsaved go after they die but it is not the place where they will spend eternity. Some refer to hell as the lake of fire but it is not. The lake of fire is the final punishment of all those who were released from hell to be judged at the Great White Throne judgment. (Matt. 22:13, Rev. 20:15) It is not a place where you go to “party with your friends.” There is no joy in hell. It is a place designed for punishment. It is not like prison where you will be provided with three meals a day, television and gym privileges. It is a place originally prepared for Satan and his fallen angels. (Matt. 25:41) But because man with his own evil deeds did not repent, he also will be cast there along with the devil and his demons.

Hell is outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt. 25:30, Mk. 9:47-48) Those in hell are separated from Christ, who is the Light! They will long to “take back” their rebellious lives and sin; longing to reverse their error in not accepting the Lord’s precious salvation! They will be endlessly crying over their circumstances; they will have inexpressible, irreversible and unending pain! If you’ve burned yourself, even the slightest, you know how painful a burn can be. This will be all over your body – not one spot left untouched.

In hell, the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. This old English term, “worm,” is defined as:

  • Remorse; that which incessantly gnaws the conscience; that which torments.
    Where their worm dieth not. Mark 9.
Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary

In other words, one just doesn’t fall asleep when he dies. It is clear that the dead in hell will have memories and they will eternally regret not having accepted Christ’s salvation. (Rev. 14:10-11) Each lost soul will remember those times when someone tried to tell them about the Lord and the need for salvation. This soul will be tortured with regret for all eternity. Each soul will remember his family and will beg to have someone go warn them about what awaits them if they don’t repent of their sin. (Luke 16:19-31, specifically Luke 16:27-31)

Hell is a place of torment, not only mentally as we read above, but physically. Think of the worst pain you’ve ever had and imagine it never going away but staying with you for all eternity. (Matt. 25:41, 46) It’s difficult to imagine in our finite minds just how long eternity is. But do you really want to find out in this way? The Apostle James said in James 4:14 that life is a vapor – it lasts but for a moment and then vanishes. When one thinks about eternity past, present and future, our life is just that. Why would a person prefer to live with their sins in this lifetime (which is very short in comparison to eternity), and trade that life in for eternal punishment???

Who Will Go to Hell?

The Bible is very clear about salvation and what will happen to those who refuse to accept it. Everyone not found written in the Book of Life will be in hell. (Rev. 20:15) The Apostle Paul wrote in Phil. 4:3 that his fellow laborers’ names are in the book of life. Therefore, it stands to reason that anyone who is born-again will have his name in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 21:27) But those whose names are not found in the book of life will be judged according to their works which are recorded in books as well (Rev. 20:12). These are not works that gain one entrance into heaven. These are sins recorded that will keep you out of heaven; sins that you refused to repent of and these will be exposed at the Great White Throne Judgment. You will not be able to make excuses at this point. It will be too late.

Anyone who did not obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ will go to hell. (2 Thess. 1:8-9) It may astonish you but the fact that you’re delaying salvation reveals that you are willfully rejecting the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Your delay only goes to show what you think about eternity.

Anyone who doesn’t know God will go to hell. One can “know about” Jesus and yet not know Him personally. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) You may say you know God because you are of a certain religion. I was raised Catholic and I knew about God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. But I did not know them personally. You thought you knew your spouse when you first got married, but now that you’ve been married a few years, you really know your spouse. It’s no different with the Lord. The unsaved have heard His name and have used it in cursing. But they really don’t know Him at all.

The unjust will go to hell. The Apostle Peter makes it clear that if God can cast the devil and the fallen angels into hell, He will also cast those who did not accept His Son as Saviour. (2 Peter 2:4-9) The word unjust is anyone who acts contrary to the divine law. The just live by faith. (Hab. 2:4, Rom. 1:17, Gal. 3:11, Heb. 10:38) The unjust do not live by faith. They live according to the god of this world who has blinded them. (2 Cor. 4:4)

All the ungodly will be in hell. Much like the unjust, these are people who do ungodly things. Anything that goes against the Scriptures is considered ungodly. We see so much of this now. As well, anyone who did not accept Christ will be punished. Who are the ungodly? Revelation 21:8 outlines it beautifully!

Revelation 21:8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Notice the first two listed as well as the last one. People have a tendency to categorize sin: the not so bad and the really bad. However, James 2:10 tells us that if you lied, you are guilty of all sins. Even one sin will keep you out of Heaven. That is the whole purpose of Jesus coming to earth and dying for our sins! (Col. 2:14) He knew we couldn’t go a day without sinning. However, once we are born-again and are forgiven of all of our sins, we have the power to say no to sin! So if you are fearful (afraid to receive salvation) because of what your family may think, you will go to hell. If you don’t believe in Jesus Christ, you will go to hell. If you lie, you will go to hell! The other sins listed are obvious ones and those who do such sins will go to hell.

But there is hope, my friend. Hell is not a laughing matter. You have no idea when you will die. No one knows. You could be in a car accident going home from work and be killed. You could have a heart attack and be gone in a split second! I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!