A BETTER PLACE?
How many times have you heard “they are in a better place,” concerning someone who has recently died? It is spoken with sincerity the purpose of comforting a friend, relative or possibly even a surviving spouse. It sounds good, but if you really think about it what better place is there besides right beside the survivor? If there were a better place to be why wouldn’t we all be there?
I do not believe there is any better place to be than being alive. I know the Bible doesn’t teach anything contrary to this even though most Christians think it does. Muslims evidently believe there is a better place or so many wouldn’t be killing themselves to get there. No one is any good to God or to the false god Allah, dead. The Bible describes being dead as being asleep, but one of the differences between the two, since blood is no longer being pumped to the brain, there is no dreaming.
The Bible tells is in Ecclesiastes that there is no reasoning in the grave where we all go when we die; it goes on to say in 9:10 that there is no
- work–ma’aseh–action, doing or labor
- device–chesbown–reasoning, reckoning, intelligence
- knowledge–da’ath–perception, understanding, wisdom
- wisdom–chokma–shrewdness, prudence, skill
- no lovingkindness–goodness– will be displayed there Ps 88:11
- no giving of thanks, no memory Ps 6:5
Besides, if you could see there you wouldn’t be able to see anything because there is no light, just darkness. The grave is where every person who has ever died is today, with the exception of Jesus Christ. Even Jesus was in the grave for a full 72 hours before he saw the light of day. One of the reasons so many believe contrary to what I am showing you from the Bible is, when Jesus was dying on the stake he said to one near him that they would be with him in paradise. One misplaced comma (,) makes all the difference in the world. What Jesus really said, was “I say unto you today, thou shalt be with me in Paradise.”
What he didn’t say was “I say unto you, today thou shalt be with me in Paradise,” because Jesus didn’t go anywhere that day, but to the grave, where he stayed for 3 days and 3 nights! Paradise is always on the earth and nowhere above it. It does not even exist at the present time, but when it does come into existence that individual to whom Jesus spoke those words will be there with him.
There is no better place to be than right here with the ones who love you and the ones whom you love, contrary to popular belief. God bless,
MY BOOK IS LIVE
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My Book Arrived Today!
I received my first books today to review for any Publisher errors and didn’t find any! It will be available for sale soon on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and at Westbow Press. This book is not just for believers in Jesus Christ, but for Jews, Muslims and all others who have yet to believe. In it I chronologically detail the events of the Great Tribulation, broken down into 2 three and a half year periods, as prophesied by Daniel and portrayed in the Book of Revelation. In the event that anyone chooses not believe prior to these events, you will at least know what to expect. It will be available in soft and hard cover as well as an e-book. God bless and thanks in advance for your purchase.
DEATH: Public Enemy Numero Uno!
Just before noon on Thursday, Harry B. Farris, one of my high school classmates died. Even though I have not seen him since graduation in ’67 we “befriended” each other recently on Facebook. No one I know knows how he died, but it is really isn’t relevant. What is relevant is that death the number one enemy of life; stands to reason, doesn’t it?
Logic and reason are no longer rational ways of thinking in this age, not only in the world, but especially among the church. It is written in 1 Co 15:26 that the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. It is also written in Heb 2:14 that through his own death Jesus Christ might (would) destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. Death is still with us and it will continue to be a part of our lives until it is destroyed; it will always be an enemy.
The reason it is an enemy and always will be is because it takes us away from those who love us and those we love.
Practically every religion in the world, including Christianity, teaches
something contrary to this (I go into this subject in detail in my book.) In a sense of time, death can be viewed as the threshold to a new life with Christ, but not immediately. Until death is destroyed, the grave will be the victor. No believer will see Jesus until the gathering together when the dead in Christ will rise as it is written in 1Thessalonians 4:16.
This time period that elapses could be days, years, centuries and even millenniums. For some it has been millenniums. To the dead, who are not conscious of anything, the rising from the dead will be the next thing they are aware of. To the living, the separation is much to bear. Until death is destroyed it will continue to sting the living as 1Corinthians 15:55 describes.
I was snorkeling in the Sea of Cortez one summer off of an anchored boat. When I came up from a deep dive my head, shoulders and arms became engulfed in a Jellyfish. This was the worst sting I have ever felt and lasted about a month before the scabbed over welts healed. As bad as this sting was it pales in comparison to the death of a loved one, no matter how old they were, or young. Nothing stings like death.
Can you see how logic and reason have been removed from all rational thought processes? Please pray for Harry’s family and loved ones as they learn to deal with this tragic event. God bless and keep you.
The 2nd Coming of Christ is NOT the Rapture
The 2nd Coming of Christ
The Internet and God
I don’t know how anyone has ever been successful at anything until the Internet came along; not really. How did we accomplish anything without it? For one, I think we believed God a lot more than we do now. All the different ways of marketing on the Internet can be mind boggling and defeating. All the things you supposedly have to do to be successful is overwhelming.
Prayer is still the number one ingredient to success. When I started my first Roofing Company in Whitestone, NY, I din’t have a cell phone or a computer. I came up with a catchy name, Cry Wolfe Roofing and my wife answered the phone when anyone called my number. I returned calls every evening, made appointments when it was convenient and followed through. I built a business based on quality, responsiveness and kindness. I thanked God for every job and I sowed the seed He blessed me with into ministries that promoted His Word.
The second biggest key to success, abundant sharing. Most people go by the word tithing which implies giving 10% of your income to a charity. No matter what you call it, it is a biblical principle that most successful people apply. Giving of your time and money to others is a great principle for success.
People are constantly building their own towers of Babel. The Internet is one such tower. If God’s not in it then it’s all about you. Do you want to be a “self-made man” or Spirit-made?
Blogging Sucks
Who really has time to “blog?” I really don’t think it makes a whole helluva lot of difference how frequently you blog except for the fact that you lose a lot of time when you could be doing something a lot more constructive! People who have time to blog regularly are obviously either very blessed financially or they have nothing better to do with their time.
Pastime
My favorite pastime is fishing/boating. Tomorrow I am going with a friend here at our apartment complex who has a boat. God bless him! Fishing is fun, but Catching is even better! Whenever I come home with no fish, Joanne says where’s the fish? I say, I went fishing, not catching! Ha!
I have been a Deep Sea fisherman in the Sea of Cortez for 21 years. Here in California it is predominantly bottom fishing for Halibut and White Sea Bass. I have yet to catch one. It is a whole new paradigm for me, a big learning curve.
It is a lot like rightly dividing the Word. You know something one way your whole life, then you learn that there is another way to understand the Bible. You’re resistant at first, thinking you know all you need to. Over time you end up making “investments” in new equipment, become humbler, and learn about “grace.” You start listening to people you never thought you would.
Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t have a pastime, an activity that brings them closer to God and the Lord Jesus and their fellow man, outside of their normal everyday activities. Even Jesus took time for himself.
What do you do to get away from “it all?”
The Logic of the Old/New Testament?
The Logic of the Old/New Testament?. See how believing in this concept of dividing the Bible into these 2 sections is completely illogical.
Home of the Rightly Divided Word 