In the Twinkling of an Eye

1 Corinthians 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."

Last night, I texted my best friend at maybe a quarter after nine. She responded around nine thirty, and said that she would be able to talk in about thirty minutes. So, I waited, and waited, and waited. I never got a response back, and I figured that she was busy, so around eleven, I went to bed.

This morning, I woke up with a text from eleven thirty last night, saying that she had been in a bad wreck the night before. My mind absolutely panicked. She said that the car flipped several times, and it could have easily been the end of her life. Though, she walked out of the wreck only having minor scratches and cuts. 

I told this story to show how quickly life can be taken away from us. I texted my friend, and in just a short time period between when she texted me next, her life was almost ended. We have no guarantee of the next second to come. Before we take our next breath, we can be in eternity. Let's really think about that. Let's ask ourselves where we would be if we died in the next few seconds.

My dad preached a funeral for a very Godly man that went to our church today. He was very blessed to live a total of ninety six years, which is obviously super uncommon. The majority of the man's family does not attend church, and doesn't profess to have Jesus in their hearts. As I looked around at all the faces of family members, it scared me. It scared me because any of them could die at any moment, and open their eyes to Hell. They aren't necessarily bad people, but being good won't do anything for them when they enter eternity. All that matters is if they have received Jesus as their savior, and I hate to see lives spent on this Earth for sixty, seventy years, to never realize this, and end up in Hell.

Ecclesiastes 12:7- “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.”

We are all going to die one day; God says this. We will all return to the earth one day, our grave. It may be ten years, and it may be ten minutes away, but we will die. The most important question that we can ask ourselves right now is simply, "Am I saved?" Three simple words, but so much meaning. No matter what we have done on this Earth, the only thing that matters when it comes to death is if we're saved. If we are saved, we have everything, but if we're not, our life has been in vain.

I didn't write this blog to scare anyone, but to give them the warning that they need to hear. I don't want to see anyone die and go to Hell, but that is where the people that reject God is going to go, and once there, they have no chance of ever escaping. I plea with you to just simply take time out of your day to make sure that you are happy with the place that you would spend eternity if you were to die this very second. Don't go another second, without knowing that you would be satisfied with your end. Remember that God loves you, send His only son to die for you, and He wants to see you in Heaven one day. The things that you will have to give up on this Earth for God is nothing compared to what you will gain in Heaven, if you will accept Jesus into your heart. 

God Does Not Send People to Hell

From the title, this post might seem a bit controversial at first, seeing that people do go to Hell, but what people don't commonly realize is that God isn't the one that sends people to Hell. Not once does God send a person to Hell, but the person is the one that chooses Hell over accepting Jesus as their savior. 

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."

All of these things that God has listed in this verse will send a person to Hell, being their own actions, and every person has committed at least one of these sins, and many more. God doesn't force us to sin, we choose to, and God doesn't interfere with that because we have our own free will to choose as we please. Though, when we choose to sin, we choose an eternity in Hell. 

John 5:29 - "And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."

At the end of our lives, we will all be sent to an eternity, which we have chose for ourselves. If a person has chosen to live an evil life and not ask forgiveness from God, they will be sent to Hell, and God Himself can't change this, because this is the law that He set forth for the world. Before we die, we must choose to accept Jesus, so that we can live in Heaven. 

Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Romans 10:13 - "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

God says that whoever asks for forgiveness will be forgiven. Just like it is our choice to live evil, it is also our choice whether we choose to live for God. God isn't going to force us to live one way or the other. We have to come to Him willing to live for Him. All sins have to be left behind before He will save us. I learned this the hard way. I tried to get right with God, but I also wanted to keep my old sins with me. That's not how God works. He wants the ones that are willing to give up what they love to serve Him, and His word.

Everyone in the world needs to decide today what they want their eternity to look like. Sin may seem like the cool thing now, but when eternity comes, it's going to be the biggest regret in a person's mind. God is willing to save anyone who will come to Him today, and if the person is willing, He will not turn them away. Decide for yourself today if sin is worth an eternity in Hell, and if it isn't for you, look to God. He is the way to get to Heaven, the truth that will show you that way, and the life that will be given to you in Heaven. 

Finding Peace In The Sight Of Death

The fear of death is something that I believe we all experience, I know that I fear the day that I die. I'm terrified of how I will die mostly, instead of the afterlife. There are some absolutely terrible ways that people can die; murder, cancer, heart attack, car wreck, etc. Just yesterday, a reporter and cameraman were shot to death while on air during the morning news. They had no idea that it was the morning that they would die. There was no warnings, and it was a horrific way to spend their last minutes. Though, the person dying is not the major issue, it's what their plans are for the afterlife. 

For those that are not saved, they will have a horrific afterlife, but for those that are saved by God's grace, they are promised a land of joy and peace. Revelation 21:4 - "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." God has given us a way to escape all the pain and heartache that we may feel while on the Earth. We don't have to fear what is to come after our bodies have passed away. It can be certain that we can reach a much happier destination after death. 

Romans 14:8 - "For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's."

Once God saves us, we are His forever. Living or dead, we are His, and nothing can change that. By taking the opportunity to get right with God, God will write your name in the Book of Life. All that has to be done is ask God for forgiveness of your sins. That's all. God made getting saved so easy, though, Jesus paying the price for our sins weren't so easy, seeing that he died on the cross for us. Death doesn't have to be feared, it can be rejoiced about, because we are able to spend our eternity with Jesus, who saves us from our sins.