Today we live in a culture of death. Society glorifies death. The focus is no longer on finding real cures and helping the terminally ill to get well and live, but that they should supposedly “die with dignity.”
Nowhere does the Bible say anything about “dying with dignity.”
God sees death as an enemy, and He has promised to destroy it someday.
1 Corinthians 15:26 “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”
God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked.
Ezekiel 33:11a “Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live:”
Even though Christians go to heaven, God does not like the deaths of Christians either.
Psalms 116:15 “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.”
Most Christians misunderstand this verse. Usually when we think of something being precious to us, we think of it meaning that something is dear to us, and we really love it.
That is not what the word precious in this verse means. This word was translated from the Hebrew word “yaw-kawr” which means costly (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance number 3368 in the Hebrew dictionary.)
This verse means that the death of Christians costs God something, not that God likes it when a Christian dies. You can also see this meaning by reading the verse in context with the other verses around it.
Now everyone dies, because Adam sinned and we all became sinners.
It is now just a natural thing for people to die. Jesus takes the sting out of death for Christians, because we go to heaven and someday we will be resurrected and live in our glorified bodies, never to die again.
God even has a set time for each person to die.
So yes, it is true that each person will come to a time, when it is God’s will for them to die (unless Jesus comes back first). But God still sees death as an enemy, He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, and the death of Christians costs Him something, because they are no longer able to serve Him and help Him lead others to Him.
Therefore, we should never take action to end an innocent person’s life, or fail to take action to keep someone alive, no matter the condition of their health. Because if it is God’s will for a person to die, then there is nothing that anyone is going to be able to do to keep them alive. If someone is on life support and they are still alive, then God wants them to be alive. And we are to do everything we can to keep them alive, until God takes their life from them. Otherwise the Bible says we are guilty of murder.
Genesis 9:5-6 “And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.”
Proverbs 24:11-12 “If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?”
The Bible commands us to have compassion and support the week, not kill them!
1 Thessalonians 5:14 “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.”
“Mercy killing” is Murder and the Bible says it is cruel!
Proverbs 12:10b …”the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.”
The God honoring attitude about terminal illness or permanent disability is not “I wouldn’t want to live that way, so end my life” but rather “I would not want to live that way, so do everything you can to get me well until I die a natural death by the had of God.”
I have been there, I know!
15 years ago I was poisoned with mercury by Jesuits. I lost my cognitive abilities to the point that at times I did not know my own name. I also had stage 4 lymphoma cancer that had spread to my liver. My doctor gave me 3 weeks to live. Before I lost my mind really bad, I had heard my Dad imply that he wanted to euthanize me. He said, “How long do you ALLOW someone to live, if they don’t know anything”?
About a year before I was poisoned I had spent 2 years working on the Terri Schiavo case, and my Dad had been right there by my side helping me with it.
When I heard him say this I felt the worst betrayal of my life! I learned how to fight against euthanasia literally by sitting on my Daddy’s knee! But now that I am the one who is sick and he has to be inconvenienced by taking care of me, he wants to kill me!
A flood of adrenalin hit me, and my body went into flight and fight mode! I immediately downloaded and filled out a legal document call a “Will to Live.” Stating that I in no way ever wanted to be euthanized or “allowed to die.” I also designated my brother as my legal guardian in the “Will to Live.”
Canada had offered Terri Schiavo asylum, if someone could have gotten her there. Therefore, I told my brother that if I got bad enough and Dad started to take legal steps to euthanize me, then he was take me in my car and get me to Canada and beg for asylum. One of the last things I ever said to my brother, with a look of fear and desperation in my eyes, before I completely lost my cognitive abilities was “Don’t let them kill me!” He promised me he wouldn’t.
Soon after that I did completely lose all awareness and recognition of anyone. There are about 5 days I still have no memory of. My Mom and my brother have told me that I slept most of that time, and they were very careful not to let Dad know that my mind was gone. At the end of those 5 days I woke up in the middle of the night, and I started dying. Jesus asked me if I wanted to live and I said “Yes.”
The next morning when I woke up my mind was much better, and ironically that evening it was my Dad who came home with a supplement called DMSO. That ended up curing my cancer, restoring my cognitive abilities, and controlling my seizures.
Over the next 15 years I struggled a lot with seizure, mini strokes, and anxiety. I did not want to live that way, so I was determined to get fully well! I continuously looked for anything that would cure me. I did hyperbaric oxygen, chelation, sound frequency therapy, specialized diets, different supplements, and we anointed me with oil and prayed for healing a lot. Finally one day in October 2021, God fully healed me when again my brother anointed me with oil and prayed over me.
The doctor said I was going to die! My Dad wanted to euthanize me! And no I did not want to live that way! So I fought hard, I kept looking for answers, I kept praying for and believing God would do a miracle, and now after 15 years I am alive and fully well!
Do not take the easy way out of death! Do the hard work, and fight to live and get well!
My brother fully supported me for 12 years after our Dad left. I am now able to work and I am going to school to become an Internal Auditor. I work from home and I go to school online, so I will not be poisoned again (I was actually poisoned twice at 2 different jobs see the About Page).
My brother also wants me to keep living with him for safety reasons.
Someone just tried to kidnap me about a month ago at Walmart, and a few weeks ago our burglar alarm went off at 3AM, because someone tried to come through the kitchen window. My brother works nights and was at work. Now, he is panicked and is using credit cars to fence and gate the whole property.
I have had 4 kidnapping attempts on me in the last 5 years. My brother had me take a self defense class taught by people who had been in Mosaad, Black Opps, Green Berets, and other Special Forces. That training has now kept me from being kidnapped 2 times.
After he bough his house a couple of years ago, my brother also bought me a hand gun and taught me how to use it. Tennessee has now passed Constitutional carry, so I carry it everywhere I can now, and not just at home. Showing my gun is what stopped the last kidnapping attempt.
Internal Auditing is a job that I can do 100% from home. I have checked online job boards and there are a lot of those jobs available, but they all require a degree, So I am working on my degree. Also, I have a 4.0 GPA and I plan to keep it.
Fight to live and get well! Support the weak and help them get well! Chose Life! Never Chose Death!
For many Christians the thought of sharing the gospel with others seems to be a daunting task.
Some may feel that they are inadequate to share the gospel with others and fear they will make a mistake. Others may feel that salvation is a personal matter, and that sharing the gospel with someone else would be too intrusive into the other person’s personal life.
However, Jesus commanded us to share the gospel with everyone.
Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
So, how can Christians overcome their fears and effectively share the gospel with others?
Probably the easiest way to share the gospel with another person is to give them a gospel tract. Always pray before sharing the gospel with someone and if possible have another Christian with you.
Make sure the gospel tract includes the whole gospel including repentance.
I have found many “gospel tracts” that do not say anything about repentance. A person cannot get saved without repenting of their sins. To read more about repentance see my page “How To Get To Heaven.”
And especially do not pass out something that just says “Pray this prayer and be saved.” With no Bible verses or explanation of true salvation. I have seen things like this. These kind of things give people false hope. They think they are saved just because they said a prayer, but they are still lost and on their way to hell. A person does not get saved by saying a prayer.
One of the best salvation tracts that can be passed out to anyone is “This was Your Life” by chick publication. You can order these at www.chick.com. (I do not receive anything for recommending this). All tracts from chick.com include repentance.
I have found some tracts from Fellowship tract league that do not mention repentance. So if you want to order other titles, please read the whole tract before ordering.
Here are some ways that you can use gospel tracts to share the gospel with others:
Just hand them to people. If you are shy, this can be done very simply by just walking up to someone on the street and saying “Hello may I give this to you,”and then hand them a Gospel tract. In addition, you can leave a gospel tract in places like on your table (with a good tip) at a restaurant.
Start a conversation with someone and then give them a gospel tract. If you are more outgoing, you can strike up a conversation with someone before giving them the gospel tract by introducing yourself to them, asking them if they go to church anywhere, telling them where you go to church at, inviting them to your church, and then giving them the gospel tract. It is also a good idea to ask the person if there is anything that they would like for you to pray with them about.
Use a gospel tract as a script. You can also use a Gospel tract as a script to help you personally lead a lost person to Christ. After you introduce yourself to the person, tell them which church you go to and ask them if they go to church anywhere, you can then ask them a question like “If you died today would you go to heaven?” If they give you an answer like “I hope so” or “No,” then you need to ask them if they would like for you to show them how they can know for sure (1 John 5:13) that they are going to heaven.
If they say that they would like for you to show them, then you can read the gospel tract to them. After reading the Gospel tract to them, then ask them if they believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross and arose from the dead 3 days later, if they are willing to repent of their sins and commit their life to following Christ, and want to pray and ask God to forgive them of their sins and save them.
If they say yes to these questions, then you can have them repeat a prayer after you. You can use the prayer on the back of the tract as a guide or just have them pray it word for word. The words of the prayer are not what saves, it is the belief and repentance of the heart.
In addition, if someone tells you that they know that they would go to heaven, then you need to ask them how they know that. If they say something like “I’m a good person, or I go to church” etc. then you need to explain to them that salvation is of faith and not works (Ephesians 2:8-9). You also need to take them through the 10 commandments and show them that in God’s eyes we have all broken His laws and no one is good. You can learn how to explain this in detail by reading my article entitled “How to get to Heaven” You can print this out and use it as a Gospel tract or script if you would like to. After showing the person that they cannot be good enough to go to Heaven, then show them how they can be saved and lead them to Christ.
However, if at any time the person you are talking to says that they do not want to hear what you have to say, politely ask them if you can give them the gospel tract and tell them that you will be praying for them. It is not our job to argue with people, or to convince anyone of anything. It is our job to try to share the gospel with others, love them and pray for them and most importantly we need to share the gospel with others by our actions and not just by our words.
The world can spot a hypocrite a mile away, and hypocrisy turns more people away from the gospel than anything else. It is important to go out and share the gospel with others, but you should treat others and live your life in a way that causes others to come and ask you what is different about you. Then you have an open door to share the gospel with them.
God command’s everyone to share the gospel with others, and gospel tracts make it easy for anyone to obey this command.
The Bible says in 2 Peter 1: 5-11 “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.“
Therefore, if faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity abound in you, you will receive an abundant entrance (Hero’s welcome into heaven.
Now we will look at each one of these attributes individually:
Faith
Faith is trusting God that He will do what He says, before He does it.
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Faith of course is the first thing you need, because you cannot even get saved without faith.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”
You cannot even began to please God without Faith.
Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
We must have faith that God will save us and answer our prayers if we diligently seek Him. Meaning we must be fully committed and obedient to Him. We cannot just cry out to Him when we are in trouble, and then forget about Him the rest of the time.
Virtue
Virtue is courage and an outward showing of our faith.
To have virtue means that you have enough faith to stand alone for God against the whole world believing that God will cause you to win against the whole world.
One with God is a majority!
2 Samuel 23:8 “These be the names of the mighty men whom David had: The Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite: he lift up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time.“
2 Samuel 23:9 “And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away: He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the LORD wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil.”
It also means that you will stay faithful to God even in the face of death, torture, financial loss, loss of health, and isolation. And not only concerning yourself, but others also.
Matthew 10:39 “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”
Matthew 10:37 “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
I personally have suffered financial loss, loss of health, death, and isolation for Christ. God has now delivered me from all but the isolation. I find isolation the most challenging, but being delivered from the other problems has considerably lightened my burden.
However, I have never backed down. I still preach the same things that got me into trouble in the first place. And I still believe that God will cause me to win.
My life is not my own, and if I left God, where else could I go?
1 Corinthians 6:19-20a “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price:”
John 6:67-69 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Knowledge
You must constantly increase in knowledge of the Bible in order to know more about how to serve Jesus and tell others about Him.
Furthermore, the more we study the Bible the more God approves of us.
2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Temperance
Temperance means that you have self control to keep from falling into sin.
One thing that will help to increase your temperance is to avoid sin.
Proverbs 4:14-15 “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.”
Proverbs 23:31-33 “Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.”
James 1:14 “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.”
If you are suddenly faced with any temptation, take the way of escape. Sometimes you may just have to quickly leave the situation.
1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
Patience
We are to be patient with everyone.
1 Thessalonians 5:14 “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.“
Godliness
Godliness is holiness. This means that you consistently do your best to obey God in all things.
We are commanded to be Holy.
Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
1 Peter 1:15-16 “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
If godliness abounds in you, then people do not have to wonder if you are a Christian, they can quickly see that you are, by your actions.
Brotherly Kindness
This means you are kind to other Christians.
Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
Romans 12:13 “Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.”
Romans 12:15 “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, andweep with them that weep.”
1 Thessalonians 5:14 “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.”
The feebleminded are those who suffer from things like depression and anxiety.
We are to be patient and comfort these people.
The weak are those who are sick or disabled and cannot work. The word support in that verse actually means to adopt, even to the point of financial responsibility. (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Hebrew and Greek dictionaries G4722 which roots back to G2192 which can mean “Go to law” this would be for an adoption or obtaining legal guardianship over a person who cannot take care of themselves.)
And this is not speaking of the church as a whole supporting these people, but individual Christians.
1 Timothy 6:17-19 “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”
Romans 12:16 “Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.”
Charity
Charity is the bond of perfectness. Charity includes everything above and more.
Charity is love in action and it includes you attitude and motives.
You can die for Christ, and give all your goods to the poor and not have charity if your attitude and motives are wrong.
1 Corinthians 13: 1 “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8a Charity never faileth:”
To have true charity you must be:
Patient
Kind
Not Envious of what others have
Humble
Not rude or inconsiderate
Seek to help others not just enrich yourself
Not have a short temper
Have no evil thoughts
Have no pleasure in sin, but in the truth
Bear all burdens – Not run away from responsibility
Believe everything the Bible says, and believe everything else that people tell them that does not contradict the Bible and is proven right.
Have a steadfast hope that all of God’s promises for deliverance will come to pass
Endure all trouble and stay faithful to Christ till death
Therefore, if you focus on abounding in these things: faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity, you will receive an abundant entrance (Hero’s welcome into heaven.)
Everyone always wants to know who the Anti Christ is, but the first question we need to answer is “What is the Anti-Christ”?
What is the Anti Christ?
The Bible says in:
1 John 4:3 “And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.”
1 John 2:18 “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.”
The Anti Christ is an evil spirit that possesses any one he can. Hitler was possessed by him.
The Bible makes it very plain that our true enemies are never people, but the evil spirits who possess them.
Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
The Bible also makes it very plain that God wants ALL people to be saved, ALL people can be saved, and we are to pray that ALL people do get saved.
1 Timothy 2:1-4: 1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
However, we are not to doubt or be wrathful.
1 Timothy 2:8 “I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”
When we pray for evil rulers to get saved (including the man possessed by the spirit of Anti-Christ) we are to have full faith and assurance that they will get saved, and not doubt or pray in a spirit of anger, but love.
The Bible teaches that we are fighting spiritual enemies, and we must fight them with spiritual weapons.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”
This says we have the power to cast down every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God. That would include the Anti Christ.
Through the Name of Jesus, we have the power to cast and bind the evil spirit of Anti-Christ into hell forever, and lead the man to Christ!
The Spirit of Anti Christ cannot get saved, but any man who he possesses can.
If every person in the world gets saved, then the spirit of Anti-Christ would have no one to possess!
God commands us to pray and believe that everyone will get saved!
1 Timothy 2:1-4: 1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
1 Timothy 2:8 “I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”
Mark 10:27 “And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”
It is God’s will that everyone gets saved, and God promises that if we pray anything according to His will, He will give it to us!
1 John 5:14-15 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”
Biblical prophecy does not nullify the promises of God!
The Bible says in the New Testament that prophecies shall fail and the word prophecies in that verse can mean scriptual or other! (Strong’s # G4394)
1 Corinthians 13:8a “Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail;”
The bad things prophesied in Revelation and Daniel do not have to happen! That is worse case scenario!
There have always been some prophecies dependent upon human action.
God has always told His people that if they obey Him He will bless them, but if they disobey Him then He will curse them!
Deuteronomy 28:1-2 “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.“
Deuteronomy 28:15 “But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:”
God never changes!
Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
Why does Daniel 7 say that God allows the Beast to prevail against the saints? When Jesus said that the gates of hell would not prevail against the church in Matthew 16:18? Because they have disobeyed Him! They did not obey 2 Chronicles 7:14! Further, they refused to pray and try to get everyone in the world saved and stop the Beast (as God clearly commands them too in His Word) because they limited God and did not believe that everyone could or would get saved, and they did not believe that they could stop the spirit of the beast either!
Psalms 78:41 “Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.”
Isaiah 59:1-2 ” Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”
Isaiah 50:2a “Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver?”
Now, if we being the saints today, do the opposite of what Daniel 7 shows we would do, then the opposite result would also happen. We have a free will, we do not have to limit God and refuse to believe and obey Him!
The Bible Promises that God will heal the land if His people obey Him!
2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Again, biblical prophecies do not nullify the promises of God!
1 Corinthians 13:8a “Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail;”
The Bible Prophecies That We Successfully Defeat The Beast Before Christ Comes Back!
The Bible says that the saints take the kingdom in Daniel 7:18 “But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.”
And that all nations of their own free will make themselves subject to Israel and then there would be world peace.
Isaiah 14 1 “For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. 2 And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors. 3 And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve, 4 That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! 5 The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. 6 He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth. 7 The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing.”
There is nothing in Isaiah 14 that suggests that Christ’s kingdom has been set up yet when these things happen.
Jesus has given us the power and command to stop the Anti-Christ, if we neglect that duty because of unbelief, then we will be the least in the kingdom of heaven!
Matthew 5:19 “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so,he shall becalled the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
1 Timothy 2:1-6 1 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”
Notice: The Bible says we are to pray for all earthly authorities that they get saved, so that there can be world peace in godliness and honesty. It does not say we are supposed to sit back do nothing while the world goes to hell and just pray that Jesus comes back and brings world peace!
Since we are commanded to pray for world peace through the salvation of all people (Including and especially all earthly authorities), we are commanded to believe that it will happen.
Mark 11:24 “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”
James 1:6-8 “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Since world peace through the salvation of all people is God’s will, God will give it to us if we pray and believe.
1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”
Ezekiel 22:30 “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.”
We are to fight against evil, so God does not destroy our land.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
What Is Duty?
Duty is your moral obligations to God and others. It can also include legal obligations to others.
Christians have many duties.
It is true that all Christian duty can be summed up in one verse:
Luke 10:27 “And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.”
However, because of the moral decline of society and the apathy of the church, people are no longer taught what specific duties they have, and therefore they are neglecting them.
The end of Christian Duty is to create a better worldfor everyone
Seek to bring everyone to Christ
Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
1 Timothy 2:4 “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
It is God’s will for everyone to be saved, Therefore, it is possible for everyone to be saved. 1 John 5:14-15 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” Also, Mark 11:24 “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”
2. Pray that everyone comes to Christ
1 Timothy 2:1-4 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
3. Seek peace and ensue it
1 Peter 3:10-12 ‘For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.”
1 Timothy 2:1-4 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
Are you praying for your political leaders, or just griping about them?
4. Seek the happiness and prosperity of others above your own
1 Corinthians 10:24 “Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth.”
Romans 15:2 “Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.”
Love is sacrificially giving. Not selfish!
5. Seek justice for everyone
Isaiah 56:1 “Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.”
Proverbs 21:3 “To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.”
James 3:17 “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”
1 Timothy 5:21 “I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.“
Deuteronomy 1:17a “Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: “
Deuteronomy 16:19 “Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.”
Proverbs 24:23 “These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.“
Proverbs 28:21 “To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress.”
Proverbs 24:24 “He that saith unto the wicked, Thou are righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him:”
Colossians 3:25 “But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.”
Proverbs 17:26 “Also to punish the just is not good, nor to strike princes for equity.”
James 2:1 “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.”
James 2:9 “But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.”
Ezekiel 45:9 “Thus saith the Lord GOD; Let it suffice you, O princes of Israel: remove violence and spoil, and execute judgment and justice, take away your exactions from my people, saith the Lord GOD.”
God has made all Christians kings! Therefore, all Christians have the sacred duty to God and their fellow man to remove violence and spoil, and to make sure judgment and justice are executed in their Country and the rest of the world!
Revelation 5:10 “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”
Malachi 2:7 “For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.”
To give up and neglect your Christian Duty to create a better world because Jesus is coming back soon is the ultimate betrayal of God’s trust, and you are trampling over the blood of Christ!
Jesus died to save the world and make it better!
John 10:10b ” …I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
Jesus did not just die to save everyone’s souls! But also to make everyone’s physical lives better! How can we have “abundant life” if our world is full of evil and injustice? Therefore, in order to have the abundant life Jesus died for us to have we must diligently seek to remove evil from our world! If we don’t, then we are disregarding His death!
The Bible indicates that the world being full of evil hinders Christ’s return!
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
The more evil the world is, the more longsuffering God is to wait for Christ’s return, because He wants to give people as much of a chance as possible to repent.Therefore, if the world became Holy, He would come back faster.
Romans 11:14-15 “If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?”
That “life from the dead” is speaking of the rapture! Therefore, if the whole world got saved, and especially Israel, then Jesus would come back faster!
Therefore, if Christians want Jesus to come back faster, then they had better stop being lazy and apathetic, and start doing their DUTY to diligently work and pray for the salvation of Israel and the rest of the world! And start doing their DUTY to diligently work and pray for the removing of evil and injustice in the world!
And Fasting and Praying is essential!
Jesus said one of the best ways to get rid of devils is through fasting and prayer.
Mark 9:25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. 26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. 27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. 28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? 29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
The world is full of devils, who facilitate evil and injustice. Therefore, fasting and prayer is essential to riding the world of evil and injustice. Churches must start calling on their people to fast, and they must start having all night prayer services in order to save the world and make it fit for Christ’s quick return!
Only faithful Christians will rule and reign with Christ.
Matthew 25:23 “His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”
Luke 16:10-12 “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?”
Revelation 2:10 “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.“
Jesus is our King! No king will reward a lazy unfaithful servant to a position of power!
Matthew 25:
24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: 27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. 28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
The Talent that God hath given to us is the abundance of the Christian life. If we do not seek to multiply that talent by bringing others to Christ, teaching them to observe all things that Christ has commanded us, and thereby removing evil and injustice from the world, then we have hidden our talent! If you shirk your Christian Duty to diligently seek to remove evil and injustice from the world because Jesus is coming back soon, you will not rule and reign with Him!
When a person truly gets saved the Holy Spirit will keep them from doing really bad sins like murder and adultery (see post “Sins A Saved Person Cannot Fall Into”), but true Christens can still struggle with lesser sins, which the Bible refers to as besetting sins.
Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”
These besetting sins can include things like:
Impatience
Having patience towards others is a command.
1 Thessalonians 5:14 “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.”
Impatience shows a lack of love for others.
When struggling with the sin of impatience put yourself in the other persons shoes, and think of how you would want to be treated if you were them.
James 2:8 “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:”
Also think of how patient Jesus is with you.
John 13:34 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
Worry
Worrying shows a lack of faith in God.
When struggling with the sin of worrying remember worrying does not please God.
Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
RememberGod cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
RememberGod seeks your good not harm.
Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
RememberGod promises to supply your needs.
Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
RememberGod cannot lie.
Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
Complaining
Complaining shows a lack of contentment.
When struggling with the sin of complaining, write down all the blessings God has given you, and then thank God for them.
1 Timothy 6:8 “And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”
Also remember, Jesus is always with you.
Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
And if you humble yourself to God in hard times, He will deliver you.
1 Peter 5:6 “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:”
Apathy
Apathy is when we do not work for God like we should, and it shows a lack o care for God and for others.
Apathy is when we neglect things like praying, studying the Bible, witnessing to others etc.
The Bible commands us to:
Pray
I Timothy 2:1 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
2. Study The Bible
2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
3. Witness to Others
Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
I see a lot of Christians falling into the sin of apathy right now, because they are discouraged.
The world is evil, and they have lost hope that serving God would do any good, so they are ready to give up on trying to change the world and save it.
2 Timothy 2:1-5 “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”
Even though we are now living in the time where people will not endure sound doctrine, we are still commanded to work for God by witnessing to others, and to make full proof of our ministry.
We are to continue to work for God in these hard last days, because we love God and we want to please Him.
Plus the Church has the power to overcome the world. If all Christians were working and praying to save the world, we could save it! God says it is His will for all to be saved. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.“
And He says that anything we ask according to His will He will do it for us. 1 John 5:14-15 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”
We can save the world, but it is not going to be easy! We must continue working and praying. We cannot give up! The one sure thing that will destroy this world is the Church giving up!
When struggling with the sin of apathy, hold onto God’s promise that His Word will not return void. If you work for God long enough, someone will get saved, although you may never know it until you get to heaven.
Isaiah 55:11 “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
Also remember, God does not judge you on results, just on your faithfulness to do the work.
Matthew 25:23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Now, this is not a complete list of sins that Christians struggle with, but it is some of the more common ones.
Just remember any sin hurts Christ and we do not want to hurt Him.
Our #1 Priority is to Please God.
Also, if we just focus on always doing our best to love God and others, then it will be easier to overcome these sins.
Don’t dwell on the sin, dwell on the solution for the sin.
If you dwell on not doing the sin you will become discouraged and miserable. If you dwell on the solution you will remain hopeful, which will help you get victory over it.
More Tips for Overcoming Besetting Sins:
Pray that you do not enter into temptation.
Jesus said in Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
If you ask God to help you overcome sins, He will.
Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:”
You should also ask Him for wisdom on how to overcome your besetting sin or sins.
James 1:5-7 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.”
Take The Way Of Escape
God always give a way of escape for temptation.
1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
If you find yourself tempted to complain, or already complaining, immediately stop, pray (ask God to forgive you if you had already sinned), and start thinking God for his blessings.
If you find yourself tempted to be impatient, or you are already being impatient, immediately stop, pray (ask God to forgive you if you had already sinned) ask God to give you peace, and then maybe excuse yourself from the situation for a while if you can. If you can’t leave the situation, ask God for wisdom on how to properly handle the situation in the moment.
If you find yourself tempted to worry or already worrying, immediately, stop, remember how God has delivered you and others in the past, and pray (ask God to forgive you if you had already sinned) asking God to give you peace, thanking Him for His former deliverances, and thanking Him that He will deliver you this time as well.
If you find yourself being tempted to be apathetic or already being apathetic stop, pray (ask God to forgive you if you had already sinned) asking God to give you strength to continue working to save the world, even if you do not see results, and peace that at least some will listen and be saved, and that it is God’s will to save the whole world, so therefore it is Possible!
We will never be completely sinless until we get to heaven, but we should always try our best to not sin, by focusing on loving God with all of our heart, soul, and mind; and loving others as Jesus loves us. This will really help to cut down on our sinning.
The Bible says in Matthew 5:19 “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 18:4 “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
God Does Not See Everyone The Same
Christians who dilligently obey Him he sees as Great, but Christians who break even small commandments and teach others to break them, He sees as the least.
God Does Not Even See All Lost People The Same
The Bible says in Luke 7:47 “Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.”
Some people are forgiven much, others are forgiven little.
This shows plainly that their are different degrees of sin and different degrees of righteousness.
God does not see a Christian who diligently obeys Him as a sheep gone astray or as an evil sinner. He sees them as a Great Friend.
John 15:14-15 “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”
Abraham was called the Friend of God, and you can be too. Just simply obey Him in all things.
In addition, God does not see a moral, law abiding person, who is just not saved, as bad of a sinner as He does a murderer, thief, or adulterer.
Jesus Himself said that some people are forgive much and others are forgiven little.
When God looks at you He can see you as Great, Perfect, Blameless, and as a Friend.
You don’t have to walk around with your head down all the time saying “God just sees me as an awful sinner, and I can never be good enough for Him no matter what I do.”
That is a lie from the Devil designed by him to discourage great Christians and cause them to stop serving God!
That attitude is not humbleness either!
Humbleness is simply believing that your not greater than God, and loving your neighbor as yourself.
God saw Job as Perfect, Moses as Humble, Daniel as Blameless, and John The Baptist as Great, and none of them had the blood of Jesus applied to them.
They were all saved by believing that God would come as a man and die for them to pay for their sins, but they did not have the Holy Spirit indwelling them to keep them from sinning. They were practically righteous enough to have God’s favor, without the help of the Holy Spirit.
Believers Today Have The Holy Spirit, So We are Without Excuse!
As a Christian, you have a lot more power over sin than the people in the Old Testament did, and if they could achieve God seeing them as great, then so can you.
If you believe the Gospel, are fully committed to Christ, and diligently obeying Him, then God sees you as a Great Friend, not as a sheep gone astray or as an evil sinner.
Don’t allow wolves masquerading as Pastors tear you down. They only do that to gain manipulative power over you, and to make them feel comfortable in their own evil sins.On Judgment Day God will call you Great, and He will cast them into Hell!
I have been taught all my life that the age of accountability is different for each person. And that a person reaches the age of accountability as soon as they understand right from wrong, even if they are only 5 years old (or even younger).
The way I have been taught as a Baptist all my life is that if a child as young as 5 (or even 3) understands right from wrong, but they have not received Christ as their Saviour yet, and they die, they will go to Hell.
I was also taught that the rapture was only for those who had made a decision for Christ. So, then all babies would be left behind, when the rapture happened.
The Baptist Belief About the Age of Accountability is Based On:
2 Samuel 12:22-23 “And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”
In this passage David’s baby died and was taken to paradise. The baby was not sent to hell, because he was still innocent and was too young to be accountable to God for anything.
I Agree With Other Baptist that this Passage Does Establish an Age of Accountability Doctrine.
Babies are innocent, and if they die they go to heaven.
However, this Passage Does Not Say When a Person Becomes Accountable to God.
It just shows that babies are not accountable to God.
A Few Years Ago I Began to Hear of More and More Parents Becoming Very Worried that the Rapture Would Happen Soon, and their 5, 6, 7 Year Old Kids Would be Left Behind.
This troubled me, because Christians receive a special crown for loving Christ’s appearing. It is our Blessed Hope.
2 Timothy 4:8 “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”
Titus 2:13 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”
I began to search out exactly what the Bible says about the age of accountability, and what I found out both shocked me and gave me great peace.
Now I want to share this with all Christians everywhere, especially Christian parents, so they can have peace too.
To Begin with, Jesus Said That the Kingdom of Heaven Belongs to Children.
Matthew 19:14 “But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
Furthermore, Paul said in Romans 7:9 “For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.”
This shows a person is not accountable to God for their sins until they are old enough to be accountable to the law (God’s law).
So, the New Testament does show that there is an age of accountability.
Then I Noticed that in Genesis the Bible Shows That Cain and Able Were Grown When They Brought Their First Offerings to God.
Genesis 4 1 “And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. 2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. 8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. 9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper? 10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground. 11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; 12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. 13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. 15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. 16 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. 17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.”
This shows that Cain was already married by the time he gave his offering. The first couple of verses indicate that Cain and Able were twins. It mentions 1 conception, but then says Eve bare 2 sons.
Therefore, it appears that Cain and Able were both grown and Cain was already married, but Able may not have been married yet.
Furthermore, we know these offerings were meant to be sin offerings, (not tithe offerings as my Dad taught me), because Hebrews 11:4 says they were sacrifices and Able had witness that he was righteous because of his proper sacrifice.
Hebrews 11:4 “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.”
A person is never said to be righteous because they give their tithes. A person is only said to be righteous if they have atoned for their sins through a sacrifice, and it must be a proper blood sacrifice. Vegetables are not accepted!
Hebrews 9:22 “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.“
Today, we must accept Jesus’s sacrifice as the blood atoning sacrifice for our sins for God to call us righteous, back then they had to sacrifice an animal like a lamb, goat, or bull.
This shows that the first 2 children born in the world did not bring an offering to God to atone for their sins until they were adults.Cain and Able had reached adulthood, (Cain was even married already) and the time had come for them to present themselves before God with a proper blood sacrifice to atone for their sins. Able did it right and was accepted of God, Cain refused to do it right and was rejected by God.
Note: I am not saying that children cannot get saved. Jesus said very plainly not to forbid children from getting saved. Children need to get saved once they truly understand salvation in order to preserve them. Jesus said this Himself. I explain all this in great detail later in this post.
Then I Noticed that When God Decided to Destroy Israel in the Wilderness He Set an Age Limit of 20 and Above.
This shows that God does not see a person as an adult until they are 20.
Now, this is according to the Hebrew calendar, so according to our calendar it would be 18 1/2.
Human nature never changes, and even today we know that if the parents are rebellious against an authority, their teenage children will usually stand with them against the same authority.
God decided to destroy all the adults, because they did not want to go into the Promised land, they wanted to return to Egypt, and were actually starting to pick up stones to kill Moses and Aaron. Numbers chapter 14.
You know there were teenagers there also who were picking up stones to try to help their parents kill Moses and Arron. But in this instance, God had mercy and spared the teenagers from death.
Why? Because they were not adults yet. They were not accountable to God for their sins yet.
Then I Found that the Only Time in the Bible Where an Age is Mentioned that Anyone Had to Make an Atonement for Their Souls is the Age of 20 and Above.
Exodus 30:
11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 12 When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. 13 This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD. 14 Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD. 15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls. 16 And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.
This passage in Exodus also shows that people are not accountable to God, nor subject to God’s law, until they are 20 years old.Remember what Paul said in Romans 7:9 “For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.”
God is a King and a Judge, and the Bible is a Legal Book.
Just like the legal age of accountability in America is 18, and they usually do not prosecute a teenager on the same level as an adult, God is the same way.
The legal age of an adult in God’s eyes is 20, and that is according to the Hebrew calendar, so according to our calendar it would be 18 1/2. America got it pretty close!
Then I Noticed that God Commanded in the Bible for Parents to Take their Drunkard Teenagers Out and Have them Stoned.
Deuteronomy 21:
18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: 19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; 20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. 21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
God was commanding here to stone teenagers who were drunkards, rebellious towards authority, or glutenous which includes drug addiction, slothfulness, basically the loose party type lifestyle.
It is what we would call a troubled teen today. A teenager who won’t go to school, won’t work, disrespects and disobeys their parents, drinks, does drugs, and lives that kind of an irresponsible lifestyle.
That verse is not speaking of little kids telling their parents “No!” God did not say to take your 5 yr old and have them stoned for telling you “No!” Like I was taught in the Baptist church.
The Bible puts very clear and specific guidelines. The kid must be a rebellious drunk or drug addict, who has no respect for authority, will take no responsibility, and only wants to have a “good time” with no regard for anyone else.
This is clearly talking about rebellious teenagers, not little kids!
Now, The Bible Says that a Teenager Who Lives This Way is to be Put to Death, But it Never Says that An Adult Who Lives This Way Should be Put to Death.
The reason why God commanded that rebellious teenagers be put to death was to save their souls! Because if they reached adulthood at the age of 20 with that rebellious attitude and lifestyle, they would then be accountable to God and would be in danger of Hell.
By ending their life before adulthood it protected them from facing God’s judgment in Hell.
This is why God commanded that teenagers, who lived a rebellious lifestyle like this were put to death, but not adults.
It is already too late to kill an adult who lives like that to save them from hell, because they are already on their way to hell. They have already reached the age of accountability. Their only Hope is to get saved.
So, in both cases it is about God’s mercy on people’s souls. Rebellious teenagers are to be put to death in order to save their soul, because they are not yet accountable to God.
However, rebellious adults (unless they do something specifically worthy of death like murder) are to be allowed to live, in hope that they will get saved, before their sins catch up with them and they end up going to hell.
So, Christians Can Have Peace Concerning Their Children’s Spiritual Protection.
You do not have to worry about whether your little kid truly understands salvation, they are still safe even if they don’t.
Now, Jesus Said Not to Forbid Children to Come to Him.
It is very important that children do get saved, so that way they are saved in innocence and are never in danger of going to Hell.
Jesus Even Said This In Matthew 18:
10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. 11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. 12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? 13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
Notice, it says sheep go astray, not lambs. What Jesus is saying here is do not forbid children to get saved. Children need to get saved so they don’t ever become lost and condemned to hell, when they reach adulthood. (Jesus did command Peter to feed His lambs in John 21:15.)
Matthew 18 also shows that children can get saved because Jesus talks about the 99 sheep that never went astray (meaning: they never became lost and condemned to hell!) Just let that truth sink into your heart for a minute “99 sheep that were never lost and condemned to hell!” This is why children need to get saved! Even though they are protected from hell now, they need to be preserved from hell forever!
Remember Paul said:
Romans 7:9 “For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.”
So when Paul became an adult without being saved he died (perished) spiritually!Jesus said that it is not the Father’s will for any child to ever die spiritually! This is why He said to allow the children to come to Him and not forbid them from getting saved!
Just because children are not accountable to God for their sins yet does not mean that they cannot or don’t need to get saved. They are still sinners! They just are not condemned to hell yet!
And most children can fully understand salvation between the ages of 7 and 13.
Also, once a person gets saved the Holy Spirit will not allow them to become a drunkard, or a drug addict, or do some other really bad sins (see my post “Sins A Saved Person Cannot Fall Into” at https://shiningthelightministries.com/2021/05/12/sins-a-saved-person-cannot-fall-into/.) Salvation goes a long way to protect children from ruining their lives later on in life. So, if you want to ensure that your child never becomes a drug addict, drunkard, murderer etc. Make sure they get saved, when they do show that they can understand the Gospel, including repentance, and that salvation is a commitment to obeying Christ, not just a head belief concerning the facts about Christ.
You Do Not Want Your Children to Believe in Jesus Like They Believe in Santa Clause!
I fear that many times that is what happens, because parents are so scared their little kids are going to go to Hell or be left behind if the rapture happens, that they push them to say a prayer, and the kids do not truly understand it, and no one realizes that they did not truly get saved until they have already messed up their life as a teenager or even died and went to hell as an adult.
Salvation is not obtained by just believing that Jesus is real. It goes much deeper that that. A person must also truly repent of their sins and make a life long commitment to obeying Christ.
Now once a person is 18 1/2 years old you do not have to wonder if they can understand the Gospel or not, you know they can. Unless they have a mental illness that makes it to where they cannot understand on an adult level. In this case they are still in the state of innocence. God sees them as being legally incompetent, just like our American courts do.And most children can understand salvation between the ages of 7 and 13.
Now, When it Comes to the Rapture, the Bible Shows that the Children of Saved People (Under 18 1/2) Go With Them in the Rapture, Even if the Children Themselves Are Not Saved Yet.
1 Corinthians 7:14 -16″ But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?”
The Bible says that the children of saved people are Holy. The word Holy means “set apart.”
So, since all children go to heaven if they die, whether their parents are saved or not, then what would the children of saved people be “set apart” to?
It would have to be the rapture.
Therefore, when the rapture happens all children under 18 1/2, who have at least 1 parent that is saved, will be taken, even if they are not saved themselves yet.
How the False Doctrine of Children Being Accountable to God Affected My Brothers and I.
My parents believed that a child as young as 3 years old could be condemned to hell. And that the rapture was only for people who have made a decision for salvation. So, they believed that all babies would be left behind in the rapture.
My brothers and I all made professions of faith at 3 and 4 years old, because our parents thought we knew right from wrong, and were therefore already condemned to hell.
They were also afraid we would be left behind, if the rapture happened.
However, none of us kids truly understood salvation at those young ages, so none of us actually got saved at that time.
Now, I ended up truly getting saved at the age of 12.
My youngest brother truly got saved at the age of 7.
However, my middle brother did not truly get saved until he was 22 years old(about 4 years after reaching adulthood).
He showed he was having doubts at the age of 16, but Dad blew up at him saying “We are missionaries and were supposed to already be saved!
He finally ended up getting saved at the age of 22 after our Dad left.
My brother is a very disciplined person, so he never got into any really bad sins like drinking or doing drugs, but he still was not saved. Being a good person does not save you. You must believe the Gospel, repent of your sins , and make a lifelong commitment to obeying Christ. My brother was struggling with believing in the resurrection, but God convinced Him and he got saved.
Therefore, the false doctrine of the Baptist that children must get saved or they will go to hell or miss the rapture actually put my brother in danger of going to hell, because he reached adulthood without being saved, after being pressured into making a profession at 4 and then practically being forbidden to get saved at 16 by Dad.
And I believe there are many other people in the same situation.
This Is Why Over 80% of Children Raised In Christian Homes, Become Atheist In College!
This is why the Church Is Losing Their Children!
They are not truly saved! They have never been saved! They were pressured into making a profession as a child, and then looked down on if they ever questioned it!
So, then when they get into college and become exposed to liberal ideologies they end up believing them, because they do not have the Holy Spirit in them.
The Bible Teaches Very Plainly that a Truly Saved Person Cannot Completely Turn Away From God and Become an Atheist.
Psalms 14:1 “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.”
Jesus said that a person who believes in Him is wise, like a man who builds his house on a rock. (Luke 6:48)
A person cannot be saved and an Atheist at the same time. if someone becomes an Atheist, they were never saved!
1 Corinthians 6: 9-10 “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
Yes, children need to get saved! Not to immediately protect their souls, but to preserve their souls! So they do not perish (spiritually die)! As Jesus said, it is not the Father’s will for them to perish! Meaning: ending up becoming lost sheep condemned to hell as adults! Jesus said not to despise the little ones (meaning do not forbid them to get saved), because the Father does not want them to become condemned to hell, when they reach adulthood!
And Yes, Children’s ministries (like bus ministries, AWANA, etc), are vital! Not only so that children can get saved in innocence, and never actually be lost and condemned to hell, but so that if both of their parents are lost and the rapture happens, then the saved child will be taken!
But make sure children truly understand salvation. Do not pressure them into making a decision they do not truly understand. And never look down on anyone for doubting their salvation. There is nothing wrong with anyone doubting their salvation and making a new commitment to Christ. God commands all Christians to doubt their salvation and make sure they are in the faith! 2 Corinthians 13:5a “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.” If anyone is ever doubting their salvation just explain the Gospel to them again, and then lead them to make a new commitment to Christ. Because we cannot see the person’s heart! We cannot know if they are truly saved! No matter how good of a life they live! Therefore, we have no right to ever tell anyone that they are saved and not to be concerned about it! Convincing someone that they are saved is the Holy Spirit’s job, not ours!
I pray this gives you peace, knowing that your children under the age of 18 1/2 years old will go to heaven if they die, and will be taken in the rapture, even if they have not gotten saved yet. They are protected, and are not accountable to God for their sins yet. However, most children can truly understand salvation by the time they are 13.
And no, your children will not have to make a decision for Christ in the Millennial Reign. There is no biblical support for that. The Bible says very clearly that after death is judgment (Hebrews 9:27). How a person dies is how they spend eternity. If they die in innocence, they spend eternity in innocence in heaven.
The Bible says in Revelation 16:15 “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”
Your garments become dirty by sin.
Jude 1:23 “And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. “
Therefore, we are to watch for Christ’s coming by being diligent to not sin and by quickly repenting wen we do sin.
The Consequences of not watching for Christ’s Return.
Revelation 16:15 “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”
This mean that if we are committing a sin at Christ’s return, then Jesus will expose our sin to everyone and openly judge us for it. Everyone is going to know about it, we will lose rewards, and we will be ashamed.
Now, the Bible teaches that any sins we have repented of Jesus will not judge us for, nobody will ever know about them, and we will not be ashamed.
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 11:31 “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”
The Bible says in 1 John 4:17 that we can have boldness in the day of judgment.
Boldness is the exact opposite of shame.
Moreover, A true Christian cannot fall into really bad sins like adultery, murder, theft, bearing false witness against someone, drunkeness, or drug addiction, because the Holy Spirit will not allow them to fall that bad. He puts God’s love into our hearts and makes it impossible for us to commit the worst sins. Someone who falls into those kinds of sins has never been saved.
However, A true Christian is capable of falling into sins like: impatience, crankiness, apathy, worry, gossip, pride unforgiveness, selfishness, leaving their first love (no longer seeing Jesus as their Dearest Friend. Meaning they are serving Him, but they see it as more of a Master/Servant Relationship instead of truly serving Him out of love like in a Dear Friendship. Revelation 2:4), etc.
For example, if Jesus comes back and you are arguing with your spouse over something that either does not matter or you are in the wrong, then you are not going to have time to repent before judgment. Jesus is going to openly expose that sin and judge you for it, everyone is going to know that you were arguing with your spouse, you are going to lose rewards, and you are going to be openly ashamed.
Therefore, we need to be watching for Christ’s return by being diligent to not sin and by quickly repenting when we do sin, so that we are not ashamed.
