The heavenly city is promised to all those who are called forth from their graves

'And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. ' Heb 11:15-16

Do you desire a better country, a HEAVENLY country to live in?

This heavenly city is promised to all those who are called forth from their graves to meet the Lord in the air upon His return for His saints.  Those who are alive when He returns will also meet our Lord in the air.

If the dead saints are called from their graves, and the living taken up to meet the Lord in the air upon His return, are the majority of people who have died in heaven already? NO!

I shout it again, NO!

Let me give you the truth from God's Holy Word--

1Th 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

1Th 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

1Th 4:18  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

The DEAD in CHRIST shall RISE FIRST!

When do the dead rise from their graves?  When the LORD descends from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trump of GOD, AND NOT BEFORE!

Has the Lord descended from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trump of God? NO! The dead in Christ have NOT been called from their graves and been told to rise. And most assuredly no others, no living, have been caught up together with the dead that have newly risen and gone to the clouds to meet the LORD IN THE AIR, and also most assuredly we have NOT gone up and been with the LORD for ever.

We are told to COMFORT one another with THESE word, not lies.

These words can offer comfort to all who are living as pilgrims and strangers upon this earth seeking a heavenly home.  You will NOT find that home in heaven upon death no matter what anyone tells you. No matter if the most supposedly holy person in the world tells you, no matter if the smartest Biblical scholar tells you that a person who has passed away is now in heaven with God and other previously passed loved ones, they are WRONG! Because our Bibles tell us the DEAD KNOW NOTHING. Our Bibles tell us that the dead in Christ rise from their graves when Jesus returns, why would our Bibles lie? They wouldn't lie to us. So as many hear preachers preaching and people comforting each other with lies, we are to comfort with the truth … God give us a voice to speak that truth.

I don't have a voice, I have words upon a screen and I pray that our Lord and Savior can use my in His service in this way. I fail Him so much otherwise, I fail Him in my inability to speak aloud the truth I know. Please LORD, please by the grace You give to us, be with me in all I'm called to do. Please, help me in my weakness. Please, forgive me!

By Your amazing LOVE, always!

These all died in faith...

Heb 11:13  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

We are all strangers and pilgrims on earth, but we don't all realize that we are strangers and pilgrims.

We have faith that one day we will be called to heaven to be with our Savior when He returns for us. We have faith that all those who die and sleep the long sleep will rise from the graves and be transformed in a twinkling of an eye, to meet their Lord in the air.

My uncle has ended his pilgrimage on earth, he has entered the long sleep, but I have faith that He will rise when our Savior returns, that He will be with Him and all of us who wait in faith for the return of our Lord. 

Truly as pilgrims searching for our heavenly home we are strangers here in this world of chaos, but cling to the faith of a much better world. We journey onwards ever hoping in the mercy and grace of our Lord to save us from all evil, from our selves, from anything nd everything that would separate us from the Way, the Truth, and the Life- our Savior, our Lord, Jesus Christ!

All in HIS love always!

1Co 15:51  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

1Co 15:54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

1Co 15:55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

1Co 15:56  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

1Co 15:57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

We Suffer

2Co 4:8  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

2Co 4:9  Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

2Co 4:10  Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

2Co 4:11  For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

Too many believe that if you are a child of Christ's that you shouldn't suffer, yet how can that be true if what we read in the above verses is truth?

'We are troubled on every side.'  Does this sound like not suffering?

'We are perplexed.' Does this sound like not suffering?

'Persecuted, cast down, bearing about the dying of the Lord Jesus' Does all that sound like not suffering?

Yet in ALL suffering we who have Christ as our GOD- should not be 'distressed', not be 'in despair', not 'forsaken', not 'destroyed'.

So why are we so very often in distress? Why are we in despair? Why do we feel forsaken and destroyed? 

We need to learn to trust in our God.

We need to comprehend the same treatment of our Lord is the treatment we will very likely meet if we walk the walk of Christ.  Yet we shirk from ever doing anything that will bring us distress, despair, suffering of any sort. 

God, please help us. We are so incredibly weak. I am weak! I am a very poor example of what we need to be! Forgive me! Please, Lord, forgive me!

For Your sake we endure suffering, the same suffering You endured.  You did not come and settle yourself to fit into the crowd, you stood out from the crowd. You endured the ridicule heaped upon You for being different, for standing up for all You believe- the truth.

Forgive me, please, forgive me.

For the Truth's Sake, for the Gospel's Sake- We Preach Jesus Christ!

2Jn 1:2  For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.

For the TRUTH SAKE- Truth which dwells IN US, will be with us FOREVER.

What truth dwells in us?

Joh_17:21  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

The Father is in the Son Jesus Christ,  the Son Jesus Christ is in the Father- and we are all supposed to be one in both of them.   All agreeing as one. This is the truth that dwells in us, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, the FATHER GOD living in us, it is THEIR truth that dwells in us.

1Co 9:23  And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.

The truth's sake- the gospel's sake- the gospel is TRUTH.

2Co 4:5  For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.

We preach Christ Jesus our LORD.

We preach truth.

Joh_14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Jesus is The WAY, Jesus is The TRUTH, and Jesus is The LIFE.  The only way to that oneship with the Father is through the Son. 

The gospel is the gospel of the kingdom.

The gospel is the gospel of the true world beyond this temporary world we live in now, this testing ground, this war zone of a world, this place we are but pilgrims upon as we search for our final home, as we seek a new world.  Jesus' gospel was the gospel of the KINGDOM!  Jesus came so we could have access to His kingdom, access to that better world. Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom as a VERY REAL place, it was the Hope of our SAVIOR that we would choose to be with Him in the kingdom He came to preach to us.

We live here and now, but we do NOT have to live for here and now, we can live for the kingdom just as our Savior preached and this is truth- that there is life, everlasting life in the kingdom of God for all who would believe in the Savior, the truth.

Please, Father, please heavenly Father we long for Your kingdom to come, we need Your will to be done in our lives! Please, bless us in You! Please forgive us our sins, there are so many of them and so many we must forgive, help us to do this as we seek to live in YOU, for YOU and Your truth! Give us ALL we need to live daily- spiritually and physically, please!  All glory, praise, and honor unto YOU my KING, my SAVIOR, my LORD, my TRUTH!

Amen!

We are not ignorant of Satan's devices

2Co 2:11  Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Are we ignorant of Satan's devices? If we are whose fault is it?  We shouldn't be ignorant of his devices.  He LIES. He's the Father of lies. He's the source of ALL EVIL.  He is the one who uses every thing he can to get us to be as He is.  Satan would have us all SELF ABSORBED in as many ways as possible. Truly the WORLD, we believe, should revolve around us. And when the world does NOT revolve around us we feel cheated, we feel abused by others, we feel taken advantage of and the resentment that rises within us is evil. We don't want to call it evil because we have convinced ourselves the things which are evil are good, and good things are evil.  We say it is evil to tell someone they are self-absorbed when they are really being taken advantage of. We say it is evil to not want pity from others for the way they use and abuse us, we deserve the pity.  The truth is, we do NOT. The world doesn't resolve around us, ever. It revolves around our Savior, it revolves around our God, it revolves around the Holy Spirit, they are who created us and all the things we see.  They are the all in all, They are from everlasting to everlasting. They are EVERYTHING and we live for them, not for ourselves. And in living for them we live for every other person first, before ourselves.  If only we could truly comprehend this truth. If we could understand this truth we would live as we should live - for God and for others, and NOT for ourselves, not ever.

Please Lord, we know that Satan's devices are to get us to focus on ourselves above all and that most of all our problems come from this awful device of his to get us to keep our minds selfish, our lives lived mainly for us and not others, or for others but only as they live to help us live for ourselves.

Forgive us, Father! Forgive us for our selfishness! Please, Lord, we need You! Let the Holy Spirit live in us transforming us, renewing our minds to focus for YOU, not for ourselves. Help us, love us, keep us forever in You.

Amen.

Faith- believing without tangible proof

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

We must believe!

It's easy for us to believe in what we can see, touch, taste, isn't it?

I can believe in my mother because I can touch her, I can see her, I can hear her,  she's real to me.

I can believe in the air because I know what it is like to not get air, but I can't see.

I can believe in love because I have been shown love by the sacrifice of my Savior, He is love. His sacrifice has occurred, it's what is called a done deal.

Yet there are those who will tell us we have no way to prove the reality of a God taking on flesh.

There are skeptics that will tear apart what you believe by telling you that you have to be able to see it, touch it, hear it, taste it, smell it for it to be real.

Yet, those same skeptics cannot ever truly believe in love- no matter what they say or do, because God is love, and they can't believe in God. They'll make up something and call it love, but it won't ever be true love.

We can only know true love through God. People can say whatever they want.  Those who do not believe in God cannot love.  I know many people will rail against this. They'll tell me their atheist friend is the most loving person in the world, so I'm dead wrong.  They'll tell me those who believe in other gods will tell me the same. Those who believe in pagan lore,      etc.  will have the same thing to say and they'll mean it with all their hearts. I have people who I call friends who do not believe in God, they are good people, but the truth is GOD IS LOVE, what they have is not real LOVE it's a love of their own devising and that love of their own devising can mimic what people want to believe love is, and not what it really is. However having said ALL that, I truly believe that our Savior draws people to Him and a lot of those who say they do Not believe in Him are having their hearts drawn to Him and one day they will recognize God's love.  NONE of those who don't believe are going to be judged by me that is for God and God alone to decide their hearts truth. I will LOVE with God's love by HIS grace, His power not mine!  I will love as He enables me to love. All in HIM ALWAYS!

Let us believe!

Jesus prays for us if we believe on Him!

Rom_10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

With the heart men believe unto righteousness.

Can you obtain Christ's righteousness without belief? No.

Heb_11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

We must believe.

Do you believe?

Mar_9:23  Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

Believing! We must believe!

Joh_1:12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name

We must believe on His Name!

Joh 9:35  Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?

Joh 9:36  He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?

Joh 9:37  And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.

Joh 9:38  And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.

Joh 9:39  And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.

Truth! We must believe and WORSHIP HIM.

We must believe!

Joh_17:20  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word

JESUS PRAYS FOR US IF WE BELIEVE ON HIM!

All glory to GOD, all glory to GOD in the HIGHEST!

Help us believe, help us to believe in You fully and forever!

All in YOUR LOVE, all in YOUR NAME, WE BELIEVE!

Amen!