New Life in heaven

In the Beginning He Died

Barbara Henderson

How can loving someone bring so much joy and so much pain?  The love is a gift from God.  I am not talking about romantic love, although that is also a gift from God.  I am talking about love that inspires someone to lay down their own life for others.  I don’t mean literally physically die, although that has happened.  I mean give up what you want for the good of those that you love.  Or, do more than is required of you because you love those who are in need.  Loving someone makes a connection that isn’t daunted by time or space.  The love remains.  But part of love is loneliness.  You can’t be with the ones you love all the time.  You can’t provide for their every need.  You can’t stay in a cheerful humor as long as they are in the line of your sight.  A part of loving others is admitting that love causes stress. 

Possibly the most overwhelming pain caused by love comes when someone you love dies.  If they die suddenly and unexpectedly a time of unparalleled grief smothers you.  If they die of a lingering illness grief smothers you just the same, but it is sort of spread over time.  When it is an older person who has lived a long and satisfying life it is still very hard.  When it is a younger person who seems to have so much left to do, it seems impossible. 

For Christians, there is sure knowledge of a reunion in heaven with our loved ones.  That is comforting, but it doesn’t stop the pain that comes with the loss of a loved one.  We don’t sorrow as those who have no hope of a reunion, but Christians still mourn the loss of loved ones.  Really we are mourning for ourselves.  We are left to face a lonely future without someone we wanted to keep with us.  Hopefully, when there is a loss, we don’t waste any time being angry at God.  We should just be thankful that God has our loved one in a place that is not only safe but also wonderful.  If there is anger let it pass away from you.  We can direct it toward the devil.  The entire death fiasco was brought about when he beguiled Eve.  But, the Bible tells us to let the anger, bitterness, and wrath pass away from us.  How much more so if we are foolish enough to direct anger at God Himself?

I tell you the truth: the dead Christian is just far away.  It seems like a million miles or more.  There is no communication what so ever.  Even trying to communicate is sin.  It is forbidden. Suffice it to say that we will know our family and loved ones in heaven.  I don’t know what we will look like.  I don’t know what we will be like.  But we will know each other.  It is even a greater truth that the person who has ‘died’ is actually living in heaven.  What we are really adjusting to is the distance between the living and the dead.  I have heard it said that death is just a part of life, to which I say ‘baloney’.  God made the world perfect with no death.  THAT is the reality.  The next reality was that sin entered in.  Death came along with sin.  So, while death happens all the time, it will never be ‘normal’ or ‘just part of life’.

My illness this past year has caused me to look at death more closely than ever before.  There was a time when I thought I was not going to stay in this body much longer.  I did not want to go, but the thought of no more pain was so compelling that if I had had a choice at one point I would have just gone straight to heaven.  I couldn’t have helped myself.  Death for me at that time would have been a way out of a great deal of pain and a body that was growing weaker by the day.  My main prayers through my cancer were for my husband and family.  I would much rather be the one who is sick than to watch someone else going through it.  Besides, I know the loneliness that comes from the loss of a loved one.  I wasn’t going to be the one who had to face that! 

A dear friend of mine has been a widow for nearly ten years now.  Watching her and her children go through the loss of their loved one was as much grief as I have had to bear.  My friend told me that her husband (a preacher) often told people wondering how someone was getting through a loss that, ‘God don’t give you dying grace on un-dying days’. (Baptist preachers use bad grammar when they want to ‘emphasize a point’) That means that we can’t understand how we will get through the loss of a loved one until we have to go through it.  Actually, even then we don’t understand everything that went on.  It seems like we would just die from grief sometimes, or that at least the world would stop and mourn with us for a while.  Instead, nothing really changes except our own lives and the lives of those closest to us.  Everything else seems to go on just the same.  So, how people get through the loss of loved one is really a mystery.  God just takes us through the grief.  There is no other answer.

But, I do wonder what it is like when we pass from this life into the next.  In this world we are born and we die.  When we die Christians go to heaven where their eternal life begins.  Non-believers go to hell where their eternal torment begins.  There is that moment when one reality changes into another and permanent reality.  That moment when we slip into eternity is sort of a big question mark.  When I didn’t know what was going to happen with the cancer I wondered what it would be like to die.  I guess the main thing I wondered was if it was going to hurt.  I was already in a lot of pain, and I really did not want more pain to go with what was already going on in my frail body. 

I began to think about that moment when this life would be changed for the new beginning. Heaven is under construction I suppose because Jesus said He was going to prepare a place for us.  Sometimes when I pray I say, ‘So Jesus, how is the building project coming along?’  I am hoping I will get a bell ringing in my head saying something like, ‘I’m almost finished.  I will be back for all my children shortly.’  However, the closest I have come to getting an answer is what seems like a little voice in my head saying, ‘Nun’ya – meaning none of your business.’ Seriously, I can’t imagine what God is preparing for us in all this time since He made so much in six days.  When we get to heaven we will begin life in a wonderful place.  We can be certain of that.  It will be new since Jesus is working on preparing it now.

I do not want to slide down into the valley of ‘trying to prove something by experience and feelings’.  However, I don’t think it is doing that to mention that through the ages there have been many witnesses to Christians dying who may have seen a glimpse of something or someone from beyond this life.  This isn’t scriptural.  This does not prove anything.  It is just something that has been reported. We don’t have to have anything like this because we have a more sure testimony to the heaven of Jesus Christ.  We have the written word of God.  Never the less, there is sometimes a glimpse of something beyond when someone dies.  No, I don’t mean we should all go lurking around the death beds of Christians trying to see a glimpse of eternity.  It is just something that occasionally happens. I was not there for the death of either of my grandfathers.  My dad was there both times.  Both grandfathers were professing Christians.  One was coughing out his last breath when – according to my dad – he smiled the most beautiful smile.  Then he was gone.  The other grandfather, also a professing Christian died without anything out of the ordinary.  Dad said that death is most certainly not something anyone would seek to be around. Just do whatever your duty may be.  Don’t look for something out of the ordinary.  I know at the end of their lives my father in law and my dad both seemed to be seeing people who had been in heaven a long time.  Were they really there?  I don’t know.  Whether their family was waiting for them the instant they died or a few minutes later in heaven doesn’t really matter.

Personally, during the darkest part of my cancer treatment it did seem like I saw my dad a few times.  It seemed very normal and not like it was something amazing.  At one point I almost followed him somewhere – I have no idea where – but something stopped me.  I was in a lot of pain so I don’t really know what was real and what wasn’t real.  I didn’t do narcotic pain medicine, so I don’t think it was anything to do with prescription drugs.  It was just something that seemed to be going on.  It seemed so natural to see dad.  Life after death for Christians is actually when life begins.  And what a life it will be!  Our eternal life will be filled with joy.  We won’t be separated from loved ones ever again.  We won’t know sorrow.  We won’t know any emotional or physical pain.  We won’t know disappointment anymore. We shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 

My conclusion after facing a year of cancer treatment is this.  Dying – as in the actual dying - is not going to be that hard for the one dying.  I think it will be sort of like walking from one room to another room.  Except – the new room will be eternally neat and clean with dinner always ready.  The difficult part of dying is for those who are still alive.  They have to face the separation that comes with death.  All anyone can do is cling to Jesus.  Jesus is the one who will take us through the illness if we are the one who is sick.  Jesus is the One who will take us to heaven when we actually do die.  Jesus is the One who will take us through the grief if we are the one who loses a loved one to death.  Jesus is the One who will take us through whatever trials befall us as we run our race.  The long and short of it is something like ‘fear God and keep the commandments; OR, cling to Jesus.  Cling to Him when you are getting up, when you are lying down, when you are walking, when you are sitting, and so on.  Cling to Jesus all the time.

I love the line from the old hymn that says, ‘There’s a land that is fairer than day, and by faith we can see it afar.’  I think of the beautiful days I have seen in this life.  The overwhelming beauty of God’s creation is not something to take lightly.  But, heaven is fairer than the most beautiful of days we have ever seen on this earth.  Heaven is a very real place.  Heaven is filled with very real people who once lived on earth but now live in heaven.  They are doing very real things, although we don’t know exactly what they are doing, but it is definitely something wonderful and fulfilling.  The dead in Christ have entered into the joy of the Lord.  Until then we cling to Jesus and look forward to what the Lord is preparing for those that love Him.  Death is the beginning for them that love God.

In the Sweet Bye and Bye

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSP5GfAG1yI

Islam is the Elephant in the Room that No One Wants to Face

The Elephant in the Room

Barbara Henderson

I’ll just give away exactly who or what the elephant in the room is.  It is Islam and its followers.  From the very beginning of modern terrorist activities by Moslems the world has stood on its head to proclaim ‘Islam is a religion of peace’.  Um no… It is not.  Islam is very similar to many other religions in that most followers of Islam don’t take it seriously.  They go through the rituals that the religion requires and believe if they are good enough they will get into heaven.  Islam is different in that it is both a religion and a government.  Or at least it wants to be both. 

The current problem with Islam is that the world is screaming that Islam is a religion of peace and that a few evil men have hijacked Islam.  The absolute truth is that Islam is not a religion of anything except violence, murder, and mayhem. 

And no,

I am not ‘Islamophobic’. 

I am honest.

People may be correct in saying that most Moslems are not murderous.  What makes the murderers different from the others?  It is very simple.  The murderous Moslems read the Koran and then apply Koran teachings to personal actions.  If they get serious about wanting to go to heaven what other choice do they have?  If they are staying within the boundaries of Islam then their options for guaranteed entry into heaven is to murder those who refuse to cow-tow to their god and their way of life. 

Most Moslems will never go into Jihad.  But how often do you hear them crying against the evil that is being done in the name of Islam?  And do you see them fighting to stop aggression against innocent people?  An example going on right now is in Egypt which is nation that receives about a billion dollars of foreign aid from the USA.  Don’t ask me to explain that.  We give them money to be bad and require nothing in return.  What we don’t get is safety for Christians in Egypt.  Currently five Coptic boys in Egypt are charged with blasphemy.  Their crime is making fun of ISIS.  So, if Egypt is charging young students with blasphemy for making fun of what should be an embarrassment to Islam, then Egypt is part of the problem.  There is no way they can claim to be a ‘religion of peace’ while demanding that the world allow their more devout members to slaughter at will.  To say the very least the moderates are full participants in the ‘intimidate’ the rest of the world crowd. http://www.jihadwatch.org/2015/05/egypt-five-christian-children-held-for-blasphemy-for-insulting-the-islamic-state

Islam is currently being allowed the ‘right’ to engage in uninhibited intimidation against anyone who rejects Islam.  This right is bestowed upon them by the so-called free press, governments, and societies incapable of determining their own best interests. 

Last week the news was filled with the Mohammad cartoon contest held in Garland, Texas.  This was called blasphemy by Moslems.  So, they felt they were justified in attempting to murder all the people who participated in the event.  Fortunately the attackers were stopped before they could kill anyone.  They were actually shot dead.  The world in general cried out not against Islam but against people who antagonized Moslems!  It wasn’t free speech according to the likes of Bill O’Reilly of the Fox News Channel.  The Associated Press lamented the death of the two terrorists.  Personally, I would not have attended the event or drawn a cartoon.  However, if these people want to do that, then let them do it.  For one thing, Mohammad is the real blasphemer!  He rejects Jesus Christ and follows the devil.  He certainly gets no respect from me.  I see the frustration of those wanting to do something to stop the spread of this evil.  Instead of working to stop sects like ISIS liberal society and governments are stopping anyone from even criticizing it!  That is definitely an elephant in the room.

Currently, cartooning is a simple way to protest the free pass that Islam is getting around the world in spite of the atrocities committed in its name on a daily basis.  Islam doesn’t care; just don’t blaspheme their prophet.  People against Islam have no voice in the world.  We are told to shut up and let Islam alone.  No one cares what evil is going on in the name of Allah.  They just don’t want anyone to say anything bad/truthful about their false prophet.  Well, I can tell you one true thing about him.  He was a man.  He died.  He stayed dead.  He will not rise on his own.  He will rise when Jesus Christ says he will rise.  He will face the judgment.  He will spend eternity in hell.  That is the truth. 

It is definitely true that many if not most followers of Islam are just ritual followers who don’t actually read their book and apply its teaching to their personal life.  When Moslems start to take the teachings of their book seriously the world needs to tremble.  Only evil will come of it as clearly proven by the wickedness currently going on in the world.  ISIS is just one name.  They may have different leaders and some differences in their theology, but all arms of Islam lead to hell.

It is also definitely true that many people in any religion are simple ritual followers of that religion.  They go through the motions.  They like rituals.  They like the feeling of having worshipped.  Feelings are worshipped over actual worship of God.

When anyone begins to seek more than they can find in social rituals and companionships that go with their religion they begin to read their book.  Or books.  Some people read commentaries.  Christians begin to read the Bible.  They begin to apply Bible teachings to personal actions just like those who read the Koran do.  The difference is what is taught in the Bible and what is taught in the Koran.  Reading the Bible will not lead you to slaughter unbelievers in order to go to heaven.  It will lead one to repent of personal sins, turn from sin, and make peace with God through Jesus Christ.  Then it will lead to evangelism.  Once again the difference in Islam and Christianity is going to be that people are invited into the family of Almighty God.  They are not threatened and murdered if they refuse to convert. 

Murder of those who won’t convert has happened in the name of Christ, but that is strictly condemned by God.  It is not allowed and is not taught in the Bible.  Those who committed such a crime against God will face judgment for their sins. The Koran does teach that those who refuse to convert to Islam can be severely mistreated and then murdered.  The Bible teaches that we are to love our enemies and treat others the way we want to be treated.  In spite of severe persecution the Apostle Paul kept preaching Jesus Christ as the way, the truth, and the life.  Christians are allowed self-defense.  Sometimes there is no chance of self defense.  We have seen artists pictures or read descriptions of Christians being fed to the lions and other torturous deaths.  They are said to have gone meekly like a lamb to the slaughter. I believe they did just that.  However, that does not mean they submitted meekly to the point where they would be martyred.  They probably fought very hard to stay safe and keep their family safe.  God does not ask us to go out and seek martyrdom.  We are to live our lives within the boundaries for godly living set down by God in His written word.  If that leads us to persecution then He will strengthen us to deal with it when it comes.  Christians are in no wise asked to go out and murder those who profane the name of Christ. 

I will say once again that when Moslems begin to take the teachings of their book seriously the world needs to tremble.  But more importantly, when Christians begin to take the teachings of the Bible seriously the world needs to tremble even more.  The Bible is the written word of the God of creation.  Do not be fooled by the false assertion that we all worship the same God.  We most certainly do not.  People worship either the Almighty God of creation or God’s adversary the devil.  God Almighty makes it very clear who He is through His written word.  The devil  offers many ways to the place he calls heaven.  God rightly names the devil’s kingdom as hell.  It is a place of separation from God for eternity.  In that place there will be none of the goodness of God.  There will be no love, joy, light, friendship, family, peace, comfort, pleasantries, or anything good.  That will be the eternal home of those who reject the God of creation who is the Triune God of the Bible.  The Bible says, ‘I hate every false way.’  (Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Psalm 119:104) The reason false ways are to be hated is that they lead directly to hell.  It isn’t popular to preach this message, but it is better to preach an unpopular message that is true than a false message that is popular.

What Happens When Christians are Persecuted for Their Faith?

Positive Results of Persecution Against Christians

Barbara Henderson

There is no doubt that Christians are facing dreadful persecution throughout the world.  In some places they are being murdered daily because of their faith.  As usual the helpless are attacked.  Cowardly conduct is the way of life for the persecutors.

In the USA Christians are currently being persecuted politically, socially, and economically.  As the liberal population demands that Christians affirm immoral action all Christians are beginning to feel the pressure to embrace wicked behaviors regardless of what God Almighty has to say about the matter. 

In the military Christians Chaplains, who were hired to represent Christian soldiers are being persecuted for simply telling people what the Bible says on particular topics.  (one example – there are more)

http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/2015/03/10/chaplain-fired/24699275/

People are being fired from their jobs for proclaiming Jesus Christ as the way of salvation.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/01/13/christians-rally-to-defend-fire-chief-who-wrote-anti-gay-book/  (only one example)

 Christians speaking about what God calls sin are in danger of losing their jobs. This all sounds like persecution to me, but it is excused without any reason except Christian belief based on the Bible is not politically or socially acceptable to many who are in power either politically or socially.  http://radio.foxnews.com/2011/08/18/teacher-opposed-to-gay-marriage-could-be-fired/

I could post links to real persecution of Christians all day long, but the evidence is so overwhelming that it isn’t necessary to do that.  If someone refuses to admit Christians are being persecuted from the point of literal murder and torture to being ostracized socially and economically they are willingly ignorant.

Knowing that Christian persecution is growing calls for a response from Christians and the entire world.

It is disappointing to watch physical persecution grow around the world.  From the slaughter of Christians in communist nations during last century to the slaughter of Christians by Islamic terrorists right now the response of the world has been basically non-existent. This is heartbreaking to say the least. Islam plans to murder all the Christians who don’t convert and thus rid the world of followers of Jesus Christ.  The opposition to their efforts has been minimal.

Do not misunderstand what I am going to say. I abhor and hate what is happening to fellow believers in Jesus Christ.  It is a tragedy.  However, historically there has been a consequence of persecution of believers.  That consequence has been more believers.  Persecution destroys lives and murders people with the plan to utterly destroy Christ.  People who may not want to murder Christians still want to marginalize them and ridicule their beliefs.  It appears they want Christians to have less respect socially and politically than those who believe in the Great Pumpkin. 

BUT……

Christians have security that these deniers of Christ do not have.  Here are some things to consider:

Persecution of the saints throughout history has not silenced the New Testament Church of Jesus Christ.  In fact just the opposite has occurred.  Persecute the saints and the church grows in number. 

The reaction of the church has not been to mount a physical war. The crusades were sanctioned by the Catholic church – but they were specifically to STOP the invasion of the Moslems.  They were literally self-defense.  As any thinking person is well aware Islam is a religion with tendencies of extreme violence and slaughter.  Obviously not all followers of Mohammad practice violence. However, persecution even to death is taught in their book. Christians are allowed self-defense against such terrible actions.

Christians have traditionally fought persecution collectively and individually by preaching Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the way to heaven.  Shut up one preacher and God will raise up another to take his place.  The game plan of Christians today to combat the rising tide of persecution of Christians should be more evangelism. 

I do want to point out that legal recourse is allowed.  We aren’t to take our Christian brothers and sisters to court, but we are allowed legal defense that is available to other citizens.  Paul went to great lengths to stand before Caesar in  Rome.  He was illegally mistreated and he refused to simply be set free and go on his way.  The Biblical account of Paul’s journey to Rome is amazing! The shipwreck is just astounding.  Paul was a single minded fellow.  Christians of lesser faith would have decided that God didn’t want them to go to Rome after the shipwreck.  Paul’s determination did not falter.  Making use of the courts for legitimate reasons is not a sin.  Within the boundaries set by the Bible for Christian behavior it would be up to the individual Christian whether to take something to court. Sadly the courts seem to be stacked against Christians regardless of the law.  Never the less, sometimes legal action may be the right thing to do.

On the other hand evangelism is always right regardless of its popularity or even legality.  There may be consequences for taking the gospel to the lost.  In some countries you can get jail time – notably Iran at this time.  China is also a dangerous place for an evangelist as well as many other countries.  Christianity can get you tortured and murdered in many places.  Evangelism is still the best answer to persecution.  Those who oppose Christianity on any level don’t realize that their opposition is the fertilizer that will cause Christianity to stand out even more.  The way to God the Father is through Jesus Christ the Son.  Our God who is the God of creation, has the power and authority to make the rules.  He has been very clear regarding the rules and that He does not change.  The end of the story is that God wins and non-believers spend eternity in hell.

It is the duty of Christians in both times of peace and times of war to proclaim the way to heaven through Jesus Christ.  There is no other way.  Some people will hear and be saved. Then their voice will be one of many proclaiming Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life along with other Christians.  This is the best victory against those who hate Christ.  But the consequences of Christian persecution will ultimately not be what the persecutors intend.  Jesus saves.  Tell the world.

Something else to consider is this.  Evangelism is the one size fits all cure.  Rejection of Jesus leads to every sin and immorality.  Right now there are so many anti-god activities going on that it would take a book to comment on the main ones.  There is no great benefit on cataloging each of them as everyone knows what is going on.  We may not know the extent of the deviations from godly normal behavior, but we know what is going on.  We don’t have to become an expert on pornography to know it is rampant in society and that it is pure evil.  Each sin could be attacked on its own wicked ‘merits’.  Certainly we should speak out against sin when necessary.  Do take a side in some of the agenda’s being pushed on society today.  But the cure for all sin is Jesus Christ.  The best help for the world in general and for the individual is through telling the truth about Jesus. 

One example that I absolutely love in the Bible is the story of Paul getting kicked out of town after town for preaching and just going on to preach at the next town. (Acts chapter 14) He didn’t change his message to ‘reach people where they live’.  Of course he did take into consideration the background of the people to whom he was speaking.  If people had no concept of the God of creation he wouldn’t start his preaching by expounding on the doctrine of the trinity. 

What Christians need to remember and thank God for daily is the sure knowledge that the end of earthly history is that Jesus wins.  Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. It is going to happen.  Pray that many will confess Jesus before it too late.  Heaven is waiting for God’s children.  Hell is waiting for those who refuse His offer of peace with God through Christ’s own blood.