--- Witnessing Hope Realized! ---
My Dear Friend.
Would you like to believe you are going to continue alive forever? Even better, would you like to be among those doing so?
Written June of 2022.
That is certainly my desire. I want to live and enjoy life forever... (Job 33:13-30) And, I have convinced myself my hope is Scriptural. (Mat 19:16-17; Mat 17:5; John 18:37) So, what that actually means is my "intent" is to stay alive forever. If everlasting life is a promise of God, Jesus said I should expect it and I will have it... (Mark 11:22-24) I love sailing. What ever you love doing, join me in eternity! But how? How can you share my hope? Simply meditate on, and then truly believe, these few scriptures...
Life Eternal!
The best you might imagine as a good life for eternity,
will be terribly small compared with what God has in store. (1 Cor 2:9-10)
Introduction: This world has become so vile and “war like” it is nearly inconceivable. People fight and fuss and even kill each other over just about everything imaginable. Some kill even little children, apparently just for fun. A few nights ago (on or near June 21,2022) on the news in Nashville, TN, during an altercation between two groups at a mall, a 16 year old Asian girl stabbed a 14 year old black girl to death. The black girl's mother came on the news and said she was going to fix it so the child who killed her daughter would go to prison for more than 20 years; even thought the police reported the survivor had defensive wounds. That black mother may be able to use the black communities great wealth and power, and their controlling influence over our society, including even its legal system, to put that little girl in an adult prison for 20 years. What, though, if she was only defending herself? Does the mother of he dead girl care?
Who can judge such things...? Take comfort in knowing God can! And, I believe, he is right now in the midst of doing exactly that; partly identifiable by his temporarily tolerating the tribulation unfolding unchecked, as the four winds of destruction have been unleashed and only the righteous (those who have faith in Christ) will be protected to survive. (Rev 7:1‑3; Rev 8:13; Rev 9:20‑21; Rev 10:5‑7; Rev 7:9‑17; Rev 11:15‑18; Rev 21:3‑8)
The thing mankind fights most about, is religion… One of humanity's greatest problems is many people (sadly most people, it seems) are just good for nothing liars, willing to harm others physically or emotionally over anything they disagree with them about; or certainly, to steal what they want from them. Liars present as righteous while they are wicked. (Mat 7:15) It's created a world full of deceit and hate and violence. The tribulation, mostly caused by mankind's own wicked activities, is tearing our world apart in nearly every way possible. (Mat 24:21‑22) As an example: We see even vile Putin showing videos of himself in church. If he can convince his soldiers they are doing the right thing, even serving God, they will fight to the death. We are left to rely on God to judge and correct all these matters. We can't ever try to be judges, lest we be found fighters actually against God! (Acts 5:38‑39) Maybe God is using Putin is temporarily tolerating Putin to speed the tribulation to it's conclusion. (Isa 60:18‑22; Hab 2:2‑8; Mark 13:19‑20) But then again, a satellite might fall on his head... I am a young man grown old and in all my years, I have never seen a wicked man like Putin live to an old age. (Psa 37:25 of 20‑29) To those who pay attention (especially to the Bible), old age grants a joy of perspective and wisdom the young can never have. Once it dawns on Putin's soldiers he is just a wicked murderer of women and children feigning faith in God, it may be the end of him. Some brave Russian may stand up for all of humanity, and for righteousness and the Russian motherland, by bringing Putin to his end. God gives and allows humans like Putin free will, so they can first decide and then demonstrate what they are. Their end is their own creation. (Ecc 8:11‑13; Deu 30:19‑20) Make no mistake, however, God retains control. (Isa 37:29; Isa 30:27-28)
As to mankind's problems, Putin is just the tiniest tip of an iceberg in amongst them. Lets you and I set ourselves free of any involvement in that tribulation! (John 8:31‑32) [Be very careful what you join and support! Actively supporting or fighting against a political party, a racist cause, planned parenthood or women's rights, gun control, or certainly any self righteous religious sect, can involve you in activity that brings harm to someone... Then, you are responsible for what they have done.] Let's rather share a united hope in the Kingdom of Christ, that hope based on just a few scriptures, as we let those who want to fight and cause harm just go on fighting; until they are all used up and gone. (Psa 37:10‑11) I want to stay alive forever, and so, these scriptures give me that hope. They also explain how I believe it will happen is happening. My hope does must include the end of all those causing harm, of course, as they must all change or die in order for peace to exist. There can be no peace as long as there are men like Putin, willing to murder and rape and maybe even (attempt to - Psa 37:29) destroy the whole world; just to steal what they want. (Hab 2:2‑8) It is comforting, however, knowing God has said the wicked are being killed without my having to try and judge who they are, or certainly, having to do them harm. (Psa 91:7‑8 of 1‑16; 2 Chron 20:17a) (No human can judge who is bad, because all the wicked are liars, pretending to be righteous. [Mat 7:15‑16a] Their being liars is one way God is identifying and marking them for death. [Rev 21:8]) My belief is eternal life in paradise will happen (is happening), and if when it does, I want you to stay alive too. Now, I do know mankind has never seen what I hope, but, that doesn't mean we won't. No one has ever before seen the return of Christ, yet it is the central theme of the Bible. Just realize: The outworking of God’s plan is just one long 6000 year revelation, unfolding from Eden to our day. Believing that, let's hope in the promises afforded in these few scriptures. [All the scriptures in the Bible, that I know about, support this hope! I have read it through several times.]
Hope Realized: Jesus said in John 5:24, from the King James Version: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Or, as the Literal Version translates it: John 5:24 LITV Truly, truly, I say to you, The one who hears My Word, and believes the One who has sent Me, has everlasting life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
So; do you believe the promises of the one who sent Jesus? Do you believe the promises of God? (Mat 17:5; John 12:48‑50) King David wrote under inspiration from God in Psalms 37:29, from Calvin's translation of 1856: The righteous shall inherit the earth, And shall dwell for ever upon it.
Isaiah promoted that same idea when he prophesied at Isaiah 11:1‑12 KJV: And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots (Christ Jesus is a descendant of David’s father Jesse – Mat 1:1): (2) And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; (3) And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: (4) But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth (the truth from God), and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. (5) And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. (6) The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. (7) And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. (8) And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den (probably “Viper's” den). (9) They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. (10) And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign (signal pole - Christ hung on a stake or cross - John 3:13‑15; Num 21:7‑9) of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. (11) And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time (the return of Christ) to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. (12) And he shall set up an ensign (signal pole - Christ come down from the stake) for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
