PREPARE FOR WHAT'S COMING

Have you ever had anything happen to you that you were totally unprepared for? Have you ever seen or heard of something happening to someone else and thought it could happen to you. Unfortunately, many people see something happening to someone else and think it could never happen to them. Well, not me. My grandmother was always thinking about what could happen if you do this and what could happen if you do that and I guess she passed that on down to me. Some people call it worrying but I call it being prepared. I think it’s reckless and irresponsible to begin anything without considering the possible negative outcome. We should never just jump into anything without thinking it out first. We always need to be safety-minded.

Remember my little blue Geo Metro? Well, I have another tale to tell you about it. One day I was going to check all the fluids as I always did once a week. That’s the life of your vehicle. When I pulled the hood release, I felt the cable break and the hood did not unlatch. I finally got it open but it wouldn’t latch back. The safety latch was working but I didn’t trust that enough to drive down the road. I had heard of several people having wrecks from car hoods fly up while going down the road so I put a bungee cord on it to keep the wind from blowing up under the hood.

I thought about what I would do if the hood were to blow up and block my view while driving down the road. I actually pictured it in my mind and planned out a strategy in case it ever happened to me. My plan was to put my head out the window and calmly apply the brakes and slowly and safely get the car off the road without having a wreck.

Then one morning, I was on my way to work, minding my own business, when my windshield suddenly turned blue and shattered. There was no warning like I thought there would be. I didn’t even have time to think about it. It was just there. I immediately put my well-thought-out plan into action. I put my head out the window so I could see the road and began applying the breaks and soon I was safely off the road. Thank God I had thought about what COULD happen before it did. Thank God I was prepared. If not, who knows what might have happened?

Throughout the New Testament, Jesus and his disciples warn us to be prepared for him to return. If we are not prepared when he comes back, we will not see heaven. It’s very important to have a plan. Thankfully, God has a plan for us already. He sent his son to live a sinless life and then die in our place so we could live forever. Jesus told Nicodemus that we must be born again in order to get into heaven (John 3:1-7). This is something beyond scientific explanation. It’s supernatural. In this process, our sins are washed away, we become a new person with a clean slate, and the Holy Spirit comes to live in our minds and guides us in making the right decisions every day.

Jesus is coming back soon and we need to be prepared. If you can’t say without a doubt that you’re ready, then please talk to God right now and make sure you don’t miss out on heaven. The only alternative is hell, and I’m sure nobody wants that. So be prepared and I’ll see you there.

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© 2018 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

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IS GOD LOVE, OR IS HE A TYRANT?

Several years ago, I was talking to someone about Jesus, and he told me he was no longer on the “Jesus Plan.” He said he used to be stressed out all the time, thinking he was going to hell because of a certain sin he was not willing to give up. He said he looked at some other religions, searching for one that wouldn’t “rule” him, and “doesn’t threaten” him “with punishment” for things he does. Now, he’s “an Ex-Christian with no stress about going to hell.”

At first, I thought to myself, “this guy’s crazy,” but later, after carefully considering what he said, I think I can actually see where he’s coming from. I certainly don’t agree with his decision, but I think I somewhat understand his thinking. None of us really want to be told that we’re doing something wrong. We don’t want anyone to tell us what we should and shouldn’t do, and none of us want to be threatened with consequences for doing something we really enjoy. We certainly don’t want to hear that we’re going to hell if we don’t give it up.

Human beings are stubborn creatures, and we want what we want. Even when we love God, and are trying to obey him in every way, we’re still somewhat selfish. That’s human nature. It’s not always easy for a loyal disciple of Jesus to give up something that God says is a sin, but when you’re not completely committed to obeying God, then giving up a cherished sin is impossible. We make all kinds of excuses for hanging on to it, and as hard as it is to understand, many even turn and walk away from God rather than give up the sin.

That’s why a close, personal relationship with God is crucial. That’s what my book THE JOURNEY TO HEAVEN is all about. We can’t be good by ourselves. Oh, we can do good in certain areas of our lives, but there are areas where the flesh is just stronger than we are. For those areas, we need the supernatural intervention of a power much greater than anything we could ever conjure up. We need the power of our creator to change our hearts.

Here’s something that many people don’t understand. The first step to real change is simply this: We “must be born again” (John 3:1-7). Only then will we truly want to obey God. Many are being deceived into disbelieving that the Bible is really God’s inspired word to us, and yes, many are choosing not to believe because they don’t want to obey God and give up sin. Others, however, refuse to believe and serve God because Satan and his followers have perverted and twisted many teachings of the Bible.

The doctrine of hell, for example, is very misunderstood. It has been twisted, and distorted for centuries, making God seem like some tyrant who loves to punish people in the flames. The character of God has been terribly marred by the distorted teachings on this subject. In 1 John 4:8, the Bible tells us that “God is love.” Verse 9 offers us proof of that love. Echoing the words that Jesus told Nicodemus one night, the Apostle John says that God loves us so much that he sent his only Son into the world, so we might live because of his sacrifice on the cross (1 John 4:8-10).

He loves us with a love that we sinful humans could never completely comprehend, and he wants what’s best for us. He wants to be with us, now, and forever, but sin separates us from God because he is holy (Psalm 99:9). That’s what happened to Adam and Eve when they sinned, but God had a plan to fix everything. Part of that plan is to someday eradicate sin from the universe, forever. Here’s where many are confused about the character of God. Many think he’s some kind of dictator, who wants us all to do what he says, or else. They think he’s up there, looking down on us, just waiting for us to mess up so he can send us to hell, but that’s not the case at all. Take a good look at these three verses from God’s holy book.

9 In this was revealed the love of God toward us, because
that God sent his only begotten Son into the
world, that we might live through him.
(1 John 4:9)

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in him
should not perish, but have eternal life.
(John 3:16)

11 Say to them, as I live, says the Lord God, I have
no pleasure in the death of the wicked:
(Ezekiel 33:11)

The fact is, hell fire is designed for Satan, who started the sin problem in the beginning, and for the evil angels who follow him (Matthew 25:41). Hell fire is the method God will someday use to destroy sin from the universe for all time. The sad thing is, many of us allow ourselves to be slaves to sin and that puts a wall between us and God. The Prophet Isaiah said that our sins separate us from God (Isaiah 59:2). Sin is attractive and fun, for a while. We get so caught up in it, and the pleasures it offers, that we don’t realize we’re slaves to it. In fact, the opposite is true. We think we’re free. We hang on to sin and reject Jesus, like the guy I mentioned earlier. God WILL destroy sin someday, and if we’re still hanging on to sin, then we’ll be destroyed right along with it; Not because God is mean or sadistic, but because we have allowed it to become part of us. Sin actually controls the sinner. Sin becomes the sinner’s master. Look what Jesus said in these next three verses.

34 Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you,
Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin.
(John 8:34)

24 No man can serve two masters: he will either hate
the one, and love the other; or else he will hold
to the one, and despise the other.
(Matthew 6:24a)

30 He that is not with me is against me;
(Matthew 12:30a)

Just a quick recap here. Sin controls the sinner. Sin is the sinner’s master, and no one can serve two masters. If you don’t choose to serve Jesus, you have chosen to continue serving sin. You have made your choice and you will be destroyed with sin at the end of the world. Do you see how it works? God is not cruel. He doesn’t want anyone to experience the flames of hell. Think about this for a minute. People who live a life of sin are very uncomfortable around people who are truly living their lives for God, and they don’t want to hear about holy things. Many are even hostile about it. A person like that would be miserable in heaven. Plus, sin can not exist in the presence of our holy God. That person would be destroyed just by being there.

That’s the whole reason he sent his Son, cloaked in human flesh, to pay the penalty for our sins and to pave the way for us to get back into the presence of God. So many people don’t realize exactly what happened when Adam sinned. It involved so much more than just being put out of the garden of Eden. It threw everything in God’s perfect creation out of balance. It brought chaos to the perfect ecosystem that God had so carefully set up. It brought pain and suffering, along with death and destruction upon every living thing that God had so lovingly created. It put a barrier between the Creator and the entire human race.

For the past six thousand years, God has been working tirelessly to bring us back to him so when he finally destroys sin, mankind will be able to live in his presence again. That’s the end result of the plan of salvation, but God is holy, and just, and he will not force his will on us. He made mankind with the freedom to choose. He can not save anyone who doesn’t want to be saved. All he can do is try to convince us that we need saving. That’s what the gospel is all about.

Imagine, for a minute, that you can’t swim. You wake up on a huge barge in the middle of a deep, wide river. The sun is shining, and the water is calm and peaceful, so you begin to enjoy the ride. After all, you can’t swim so there’s nothing you can do. Surely it won’t be long until the barge runs into shallow water or drifts to the edge where you can get back to land.

Now imagine that a man comes down the river in a speed boat and drives up beside you. He tells you the barge is headed for a waterfall and he came to save you. The barge is too big and too heavy for the speedboat to pull back up the river, so he wants you to get in the boat with him. That sounds simple enough. All you have to do is step off the barge you are on, into his boat, and he’ll speed you back up the river to safety.

What would you do? You may not believe him at first. You may not understand his motives for wanting you to leave the barge. You may have questions, but one thing is sure, there’s nothing you can do to save yourself. If what he says is true, and you remain where you are, you’ll go over the waterfall with the barge, and you’ll die.

Because of Adam’s sin, we’re all born on that barge. We’re all cursed and condemned to death. Jesus came to earth and lived a holy, sinless life. He now offers us eternal life by substituting his sinless life for our sinful one. All we have to do is accept it. It’s entirely up to us. He won’t force us. As I said, all he can do is try to convince us that we need saving. He’ll keep pleading with us, and he’ll give us chance after chance. If we end up lost, it’s nobody’s fault but our own.

The barge in this story represents sin. The one who put you there is Satan. If you choose to stay on the barge (sin) while the man (Jesus) is offering you a free ride to safety (salvation) then you will go over the waterfall (hell) with the barge (sin) and you will die. You can’t blame God because he created the waterfall. He sent someone to save you. There are only two options. The choice is yours. If you refuse his help then YOU are choosing death. If you end up in hell it will be because that’s what YOU chose. You can’t blame God. He did everything he possibly could to save you.

God has made it perfectly clear, he will destroy sin in the lake of fire, at the end of the world (Matthew 13:1-50). If we choose to hang on to sin, we will be destroyed right along with it, even though Jesus is trying desperately to save us. If you’re still on that barge, please, step off now, and let Jesus carry you to safety. He desperately wants to save us all, and he’s doing everything he can to make sure everyone has the opportunity.

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My Blogs
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com
https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

© 2015 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @ 
https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6

THE ROAD TO HEAVEN

They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I’ve heard that quote all my life. In Matthew 7:13, Jesus said the road to hell is wide and there will be many people who find that road. He also said the road to heaven is narrow and not many people will find it. I don’t know about you, but I want to be on that narrow road that leads to heaven.

As we travel on the road to heaven, many times we get distracted by things on the sides of the road, and sometimes we even leave the road in pursuit of those things. I’ve been a Christian for more than half my life now, but there have been times in my walk with God that I was not faithful to him, either by doing things that I shouldn’t have done or by not doing things that I should have.

I’ve often felt like just giving up, and a couple of times I all but did. At times I have felt like the duties of the Christian life were just too much for me to perform. The standard seemed so high that I could never reach it, much less maintain it. I WANTED to do right. I WANTED to be holy. I knew what I SHOULD do, but, I didn’t always do it. I can relate to the Apostle Paul because I understand what he meant when he said, “I know there is nothing good in me, that is, in my flesh. I want to do what is right, but I do not have the ability to do it” (Romans 7:18).

I would look at other Christians who seemed to have it all together and say to myself, “I wish I could be like them.” I tried so hard to be a good person. I tried so hard to please God so I would be good enough to make it to heaven. I was trying to do all the right things for all the right reasons. Then I finally realized, that was the problem. I was trying to live a pure and holy life by my own strength.

When I saw what I was doing and started trusting more in God than in myself, things started moving in a positive direction. It’s all about a relationship with Jesus.

In my book called “The Journey To Heaven,” I share some things that I believe will help every struggling Christian finish this race on the winning side. God has a plan for each of us. We just need to Stop! Look! and Listen!

The enemy knows this as well so he will do everything he can to keep us from doing these three things. We need to examine the map that God has prepared for us. That map is the Holy Bible. If we fail to follow His map, we WILL be lost. So let’s run this race together, and win it together. I’ll see you on the other side.

———————————————–
My Blogs
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com
https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

© 2015 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @ 
https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6

ETERNAL LIFE OR ETERNAL DEATH?

Eternal Life: Have you heard of it? Sure you have. Basically, it means living forever? Does it really exist? If so, are we born with it? If not, how do we receive it?

Have you ever heard that we all have an immortal soul? Well, the bible says only God is immortal (1 Tim. 1:17), and humans are mortal, not immortal (Job 4:17). The Bible tells us in several places that we can live forever with Jesus. If God is immortal and humans are not, then how can we live forever? To answer that question we must first answer a few other questions.

1) WHAT IS DEATH?

John 11:11-14
11. …[Jesus] said to them, Our friend Lazarus is sleeping, but I go, that I may wake him out of sleep.
12. Then his disciples said, Lord, if he sleeps, he will do well.
13. But, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that he was speaking of taking rest in sleep.
14. Then Jesus said to them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

Psalm 13:3
3. Consider and hear me, O Lord my God. Lighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.

ANSWER:
The Bible says Death is a Sleep. The dead are asleep in their graves. So what does that do to the theory that people go to heaven, or hell, or purgatory when they die?

2) WHERE DO PEOPLE GO WHEN THEY DIE?

Job 14:10-12
10. But man dies and wastes away. Yes, man gives up the ghost (H1478), and where is he?
11. As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decays and dries up,
12. So man lies down and rises not. Until the heavens are no more, they will not wake up, nor be raised out of their sleep.

Job 7:9-10
9. As the cloud is consumed and vanishes away, so he that goes down to the grave will come up no more.
10. He will return no more to his house, neither will his place know him anymore.

Daniel 12:2
2. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will wake up, some to eternal life, and some to shame and eternal contempt.

John 5:28-29
28. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves will hear his voice,
29. And will come forth; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of damnation.

Acts 2:29, 34
29. Men and brethren, let me freely speak to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us unto this day.

34. For David is NOT ascended into the heavens:

ANSWER: 
People go to the grave at death, NOT heaven, NOT hell, NOT purgatory, NOR limbo, and they don’t come back to their homes to visit loved ones or to haunt their house. They are asleep. They are Unconscious. They are Dead.

3) WHAT ARE THE DEAD DOING RIGHT NOW?

Ecclesiastes 9:5-6
5. For the living know that they will die: but the dead do not know anything, neither do they have any more reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
6. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy have now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in anything that is done under the sun.

Psalm 146:3-4
3. Do not put your trust in princes, nor in the sons of men, in whom there is no help.
4. His breath goes forth, he returns to the earth. In that very day, his thoughts perish. (We stop thinking the moment we die)

Psalm 30:9
9. What profit is there in my blood when I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it declare your truth? (God’s Truth)

Psalm 6:5
5. For in death there is no remembrance of you. In the grave who will give you thanks? (Talking to God)

Psalm 115:17
17. The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any that go down into silence.

ANSWER: 
The dead are not doing anything. They don’t know anything at all. The day they die, they stop thinking. They don’t remember anything. They don’t praise God. If they were in heaven, they would be thinking AND praising God. They are asleep in the grave. Unconscious. Dead.

4) KING DAVID AND THE REST OF GOD’S PEOPLE ARE ASLEEP IN THE GRAVE. WHEN WILL THEY GO TO HEAVEN?

1 Corinthians 15:51-52
51. Behold, I show you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
52. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet: for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.

Job 14:13-15
13. O that you would hide me in the grave, that you would keep me secret until your wrath passes, that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
14. If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my appointed time I will wait until my change comes.
15. You will call, and I will answer you. You will have a desire to the work of your hands.

John 5:28-29
28. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves will hear his voice,
29. And will come forth; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of damnation.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-16
15. For this, we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who are asleep.
16. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first:

ANSWER: 
The dead in Christ, those who have been born again, who are asleep in the grave, will be raised from death and will meet Jesus in the air at his second coming.

5) WHAT ABOUT THE SOUL? DOESN’T THE SOUL LIVE FOREVER, EITHER IN HEAVEN OR HELL?

Ezekiel 18:20
20. The soul that sins, it will die. (A soul can die)

Ezekiel 18:4
4. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sins, it will die.

Revelation 16:3
3. And the second angel poured out his vial on the sea, and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.

Jeremiah 2:34
34. Also in your skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: (A soul has blood)

Revelation 18:11-13
11. And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her; for no one buys their merchandise anymore:
12. The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all kinds of vessels of ivory, and all kinds of vessels of most precious wood, and brass, and iron, and marble,
13. And cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

ANSWER: 
A soul is alive. (Revelation 16:3) 
A soul can die. (Ezekiel 18:4, 20) 
A soul can be bought and sold. (Revelation 18:11-13) 
A soul has blood. (Jeremiah 2:34)
A soul is not immortal. (Job 4:17)
Only God is immortal. (1 Timothy 1:17)

6) SO WHAT EXACTLY IS A SOUL?

Genesis 2:7
7. And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. (Man IS a soul)

Psalm 104:29-30
29. You hide your face, they are troubled. You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.
30. You send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.

Job 33:4 
4. The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

Job 27:3 
3. All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit (breath) of God is in my nostrils; (spirit = breath in this verse)

Isaiah 2:22 
22. Cease from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?

ANSWER:
Man does not “HAVE” a soul, Man “IS” a soul. The Body plus the Breath of Life equals a LIVING SOUL. Humans are MORTAL. That means we do not have eternal life. No one will live forever unless God gives us Immortality. He only gives immortality to the faithful who have been born again, then we will live forever. That is our reward for being faithful and following him. Those who are not saved CAN NOT live forever. That brings up another question.

7) WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE UNSAVED SOULS AT THE SECOND COMING?

John 3:16
16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Romans 6:23 
23. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ezekiel 18:20
20. The soul that sins, it will die.

ANSWER:
These verses tell us there are only 2 choices. LIVE FOREVER or DIE. ETERNAL LIFE or DEATH. Strong’s Concordance says the word “PERISH” means to DIE, or BE DESTROYED, TO BE NO MORE (No Longer Exist). We’ve already seen that ONLY GOD is IMMORTAL. He only gives IMMORTALITY to the righteous, not the wicked, and if our sins are not forgiven we will DIE. This death is the second death from which there is no resurrection. Not just eternal separation from God, but eternal DEATH.

8) WHAT ABOUT THE SECOND DEATH?

Revelation 2:11 
11. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He that overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.

Revelation 20:6
6. Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection. On such the second death hath no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.

Revelation 20:14 
14. And death and hell (the grave) were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Revelation 21:8 
8. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whore-mongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars will have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

ANSWER:
The Bible is clear. We are not immortal. Only God is. Eternal life is a gift from God to those who follow Him.

So, at the second coming of Jesus, the saved who have died will be resurrected with new bodies. The bodies of the saved who are still alive at that time will be changed and made new. This is the reward of the faithful. Eternal Life.

Those who are not saved will receive their reward at this time. They will DIE in hell fire. Not burn forever, as some believe, but DIE. Malachi 4:1 says they will be burned up. Destroyed. In verse 3 Malachi says they will be ashes. Jesus took the penalty for our sins. He DIED. The wages of sin is DEATH, not burning forever. Hell fire is not the penalty for sin. Death is. Hell fire is just the means that God will use to destroy sin. There are only two choices. We will either live forever, or we will be destroyed.

For more about Hell, go to http://www.helltruth.com

———————————————–
My Blogs
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com
https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

© 2014 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @ 
https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6