Dear friend,
As you may recall, I grew up attending church. My household was quite religious by all accounts. While I have never been the bastion of faith my mother and father were, I nonetheless have come to accept the Bible as the complete and inerrant Word of God. Oh, I wish I were more of a zealot and crusader like many in the church. And I aspire to be a beacon of faith for others to follow. However, I’m mortal, and I struggle with sin on a daily basis. Needless to say, I am not a role model Christian by any standard. I say all of that by way of admission and introduction. You see, we are living in very interesting times, what many theologians, scholars, and believers refer to as the last days. Now, before you object to that idea, just hear me out, okay?
Remember, I grew up attending private Christian schools and attended Sunday school and church every week. I’m no theologian but I know a thing or two about the Bible and prophecy. Ironically, I didn’t immediately accept biblical truth. No, in my younger days I rebelled against my parents and God. I was something of an agnostic. For a time I went down the rabbit hole of science and even believed in aliens due to the many UFO sightings, books, and television shows that occupied the 70s (more on that later). In my early twenties, I read Bertand Russells’s Why I Am Not a Christian. Oh, I thought I had all the answers and could easily refute biblical arguments. But I was wrong. No matter how much I tried, I was never really able to answer the question, why? Why are we here?
Evolution was a predominant theory at the time. Although it has lost much of its momentum, it still permeates modern thinking. Interesting enough, the theory of evolution just doesn’t hold up under close examination. And it doesn’t answer the question, why are we here. Evolution leaves too much to chance, and it negates the existence of life after death, thereby reducing the significance of our existence to this life. Life is funny thing. When we’re young, we look at our parents and grandparents and tell ourselves we’re not going to get old, that we are going to be the ones who remain young and somehow cheat death. Such is the folly of youthful thinking that gradually changes with the seasons of our lives.
Recently your father was diagnosed with an illness. On top of his existing health issues, this recent development compounds the situation. Such a realization on serves to solidify the brevity of this life and reinforces its fleeting importance. I’m not one to preach or share what I believe, preferring instead to enjoy the safety of silent faith like many believers. And if it weren’t for the state of the world, I might have remained comfortable in my silence. But I believe time is running out – for everyone. It took several years, but I finally found my way back to the church shortly after enlisting in the Navy. With a few years, I was living in Virginia Beach and attending a church regularly each Sunday. I was active in the church. Years later my daughters were baptized in the church and attended with us. And life went on.
But that isn’t the end of the story. No, during my time at church I struggled with sin. I still do. That’s part of being a believer. We struggle with sin. Non-believers have no such struggle; they just wallow in it like a pig in mud. I fell away from the church for a time. A victim of temptation, I succumbed to the desires of the flesh. I fell into one of the many snares intended to derail me, which left me feeling empty, lonely, and depressed to the point of not wanting to live. I continue to struggle in this area. While I had all but abandoned my faith, God remained faithful to me. Slowly I managed to get back on track. I began reading my Bible more frequently. As you know, I entered therapy and began to reassess my worth based on who I was, not what I had. Additionally, I came to realized that I am a unique person. I have a gift that is extremely rare. Confronted with that in conjunction with my belief in the Bible, I concluded I did not possess that ability by happenstance. No, it was part of God’s providence and it was for a reason.
I believe that reason is for me to share the Gospel while there is still time. As I stated at the beginning, time is running out. In the end death comes for us all. Sure, we try not to think about it. We dismiss it as something that happens to others. For much of our lives, we blissfully live in ignorance of how close death really is. That is until the day it makes its presence known. It could be a subtle knocking on the door – a terminal diagnosis. Or it could be a full-fledged door kicking that comes in the form of an unforgettable phone call. Regardless of how it makes its presence known, in the end time runs out for everyone. The real question, and the only question of any importance, is, where are you going to spend eternity?
While many don’t believe in Heaven, I wonder how many believe in Hell. Both, I assure you, are real. Before we get to that, though, let me take a moment to establish a foundation for the remainder of my comments. For centuries the authenticity of the Bible has been debated. In reality, the topic of debate has been the authority of the Bible, not its historical accuracy. You see, if the Bible is authoritative, that means it comes from God and has power to condemn, which people don’t like. What I find particularly interesting is the Bible has been proven to be historically accurate. In 1974, Time Magazine concluded:
The breadth, sophistication and diversity of all this biblical investigation are impressive, but it begs a question: Has it made the Bible more credible or less? Literalists who feel the ground move when a verse is challenged would have to say that credibility has suffered. Doubt has been sown, faith is in jeopardy. But believers who expect something else from the Bible may well conclude that its credibility has been enhanced. After more than two centuries of facing the heaviest scientific guns that could be brought to bear, the Bible has survived —and is perhaps the better for the siege.
Even on the critics' own terms—historical fact—the Scriptures seem more acceptable now than they did when the rationalists began the attack.
So, if the Bible has been proven to be historically accurate, meaning Jesus did exist, why do so many reject it? Well, the simple answer is they do not wish to live under its judgment. For the purposes of my comments, I will stick with that and not delve any deeper.
Getting back to my initial point, we are running out of time. According to biblical prophecy, we are living in the last days. True, many have argued this point for decades and were wrong. I grew up in the 70s when everyone thought the world would end by the end of the decade. Others predicted the end in 2000 due to the millennium. An in-depth discussion of biblical prophecy is beyond the scope of my comments. Suffice it to say, though, that since May 14, 1948 we have been living in the last days. When Israel was reborn as a nation, the final countdown began. Jesus stated the generation (approximately 70-80 years) that lived to see Israel re-established as a nation would live to see all things come to pass. Those things include the rapture of the church. That is, the complete removal of believers from the planet. In what the Bible refers to as “the twinkling of an eye,” all believers will disappear from this planet.
Shortly after this occurs, the earth will enter a time referred to as the Tribulation – a seven- year period that will be the worst time ever in human history never to be equaled. This is significant because end times prophecy is unfolding at an alarming rate. We don’t have decades left before all of this unfolds. Read the headlines. The world is falling apart in a way it never has. Oh, I know what you’re thinking. The world has always been bad, but it’s not too bad, just more of the same. What can you do, right? Wrong! The world is spiraling out of control. Things are heating up in the Middle East – things that have been predicted in the Bible. You may think this the ranting of a madman, but you’ve known me for over twenty years. While I have my faults, lunacy is not one of them.
So, here’s the scary part. I’ve shared the Gospel with you, which means you are without excuse. My job is to share the Gospel. I can’t make anyone believe. I wish I could. But that’s beyond my purview. No, my job is to share what I believe and why in an effort to soften the hearts of others so they will believe. Now, here’s the easy part. Faith isn’t complicated. Oh, it might seem complicated when you consider the grandiosity and complexity of the Bible. I can certainly appreciate that. But all you really have to do is believe Jesus died on the cross for your sins. Accept that you are a sinner and seek forgiveness. He’ll do the rest. It’s up to you.
If one day you wake up and the news is filled with stories of millions vanishing from the planet, heed these words. Don’t buy in to the official story that will be linked to UFOs (told you I’d come back to that). You see, for those who are left behind, an explanation will be necessary. And since those left behind are in fact non-believers it isn’t like they can blame it on the rapture! No, they will need to find an explanation that is palatable. [Side note: Check out all of the recent stories about UFOs in the news. Hmm!]
My friend – yes, you are my friend – someone I care about, someone who matters to me, someone who has made an impact in my life. I do not share these things as someone bent on converting you. I’m old enough to know such campaigns don’t work. No, my reason for sharing is because I do believe prophecy is unfolding. In the history of the world only the Bible has been demonstrated to be prophetically accurate. I invite you to investigate some of the things I have mentioned and to discuss them with me. Healthy debate is the foundation of knowledge and understanding, something too few participate in today.
As you know, I lost both of parents. While the death of grandparents, friends, and co-workers are tragic, they do not instill the sense of mortality that comes with the loss of one’s parents. Parents provide a connection to the very origin of our lives. When they die, we begin to ponder our lives and contemplate our eventual demise. It is during this time many search for meaning, particularly if they have children. I speak from experience. The death of my father ten years ago ushered in a wave of reality that caused me to seek validity and purpose for my life. I now believe my purpose is to write, to use my gift to share what I believe with others, and to employ creative means to make biblical issues simple and easy to understand.
You can dismiss this as folly or some sort of well-intended attempt to convert you. Neither is the case. My only intention, given your current family situation, is to share my experience and beliefs with you so that you might believe before time runs out. I will leave you with a quote from And When I Die by Blood, Sweat, and Tears: “I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell.”
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