Misconceptions

Part 1:Introduction - Starting with an Intelligent Designer
Part 2: Overview of Human History - God's Agenda Unfolds
Part 3: How I see the Future & Answering some Misconceptions (this page)
Part 4: Time and Timelessness

Despite ignorance and misconceptions all around, here's how I see the future; although I'm truly sorry to see so many suffer, I do expect the current rate of wars and rumors of wars, and earthquakes and great disasters to continue as they have, - increasing this year as never before in my life! The Bible indicates it will continue until the Rapture, when Jesus will call for His Bride, the Church to come with Him up to Heaven for the Wedding Feast. All those who have truly received Jesus in advance as their Saviour and Lord, and are watching and waiting for Him will be up there with Jesus Christ in a fraction of a second!

You really do NOT have to be here for that terrible Tribulation! That's contrary to a major misconception - even among Christians. But we can get our facts straight from God's Word, in the Bible.

Those left on earth after the Rapture of the Church will go through the Seven Years of Tribulation, which will make every other cruel thing in history pale by comparison. My heart aches over that, but we've been warned!

Then Jesus and His Church will come down to put an end to the wickedness, and to reign in peace for a thousand years upon this earth. For spiritual beings, that may seem to us like a mere day! But it is something to look forward to. I expect to be very busy serving Christ, and very fulfilled!

I'm confident God can handle Satan, and all the wicked who will be judged at the Great White Throne judgment, and cast into Hell forever after that final rebellion. Jesus will keep me pure through that, and will assign me a suitable suite in that glorious New Jerusalem. From there I expect to continue to worship and praise and serve Him forever. Not on a white cloud, stumming a harp (a non-Biblical misconception created by cartoonists), but using all my gifts and facalities He has already given me, and He will make me perfect by that time!

Misconception: That God is too holy and busy with loftier things than to talk with me.

God said, "Let us reason together..." (Isaiah 1:18)

He gives many other invitations in the Bible; here are two more. Jesus said, "Abide in me, and let my word abide in you...." In Revelation 21: ... He says, "Behold, stand at the door and knock. If anyone will hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me."

Misconception: We just have to believe there is a God, and sure, Jesus too. Everything will work out fine.

The truth is that you don't get the full benefits of life in Christ unless you become convinced you are a sinner, and unholy, and cannot get near God, nor answers to your prayers, UNLESS you repent before God, and confess you need the atonement of Jesus Christ, God's pure and only begotten Son; that is, He became human so He/Jesus, could die for the sins of the whole world, including yours. Upon that transaction of faith you are made a new creature in Christ Jesus, and thus a son or daughter of God by faith. But only and always just through Jesus do we become Christians.

Listen, this salvation and union with Christ is so wondrous and marvellous, that it deserves to be saved for those who will humble themselves, and enter into the relationship with God on HIS terms! It would cheapen it terribly if it became an ordinary, secular take-it-or-leave-it amusement.

Misconception: Nobody can make sense of the pain and suffering on earth. If God's in charge, it's all His fault!

No. Suffering and pain, and broken relationships, diseases and death are all as a result of sin on the earth. If sin were removed, all these other bad things would be gone. God gives mankind a choice. Whenever we choose sin, we have to see the consequences. Unfortunately, often these affect the ones we love the most. Or even strangers too.

God is very ready and eager to clear up the consequences of sin for us, but we've got to follow the principles set up in His Manual for humans - the Bible. It calls for a clear repentance, and a new choice to obey all His laws. Living by His Book produces lives of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. When whole families, communities, and nations start living by God's principles, we will see a riddance of pain and suffering.

Misconception: History is full of wicked people doing unspeakable things in the name of the church. Even the best of them are full of hypocrites.

That's not God's fault. He has grieved tremendously over all those things! But they only prove that religion is man-made and even good things we do, when not done in and through the power of Jesus Christ, and God's Holy Spirit, are sin!

We must also make a distinction between organized churches and religions, and the true "spiritual" Church of Christ, which is not a building or a hiarchy of leaders. Christ is the Head, and only those who are in truth abiding in Him and obeying His commands are part of that universal, invisible Church. That includes people from any and all denominations, where the individual has understood his or her need of a Saviour and has personally accepted that Jesus Christ died and rose for his or her sins, and that new life is only through faith in Him.

On the other hand, it IS possible to find churches and groups of Christians who are mature in their faith and that is expressed in great love and kindness towards newcomers! They admit their faults and are forgiving of yours. You may need to go on a hunt for a while, but if you sincerely want to become part of a godly church family, God will see to it that you find such Believers. Why, often there's a pocket of such Christians right in the midst of a church full of hypocrites! Like salt, God scatters them all over the world.

When we look at human history like we just have, we are bound to find sin and all kinds of it. But during that Tribulation, those who have not repented and become believers, will not have the Holy Spirit present with them to give insight into the spiritual Church. Nor all the good that has been done, and all the martyrs who had remained true to Christ despite what was done to them. (Although I do like to hope that those Tribulation Believers will have access to our Bibles, and Christian books, and videos that we'll leave behind. These will help those who are desperate for answers. Although the Antichrist will try to have these resources destroyed).

These spiritual things are kept secret from the secular eyes. God knows not to cast His pearls before swine. Nor does He cringe in fear at the accusations thrown at Him because of false church leaders. He knows the truth, and He knows that the accusers are speaking from a very limited perspective.

Misconception: I'll get another chance after this life. The earth may look like a wasteland, but we'll stumble up from the ashes, and rebuild our communities and cities and nations - and we'll do much better.

Excuse me, but that's not in the Bible. Re-incarnation is a faint hope of many pagan tribes and peoples, but we are getting all the chances to make our decision in this life right now. When it's over our destiny is set. It's either Heaven or Hell, and that forever and ever and ever, Amen.

Misconception: It's not fair! Some people have never heard this gospel. Why should they go to Hell because they don't know of this plan of God's through Jesus?

If you knew God's perspective you would see it is fair and just. He does want ALL people every where to hear this gospel, and Jesus entrusted this message to His followers when He went back up to Heaven to prepare a place for us. His Great Commission was to go into all the world and preach this gospel to every living human being! We are to teach them His words commands, and to baptise them as a way of deliberately taking them into that spiritual, invisible Church, the Body of Christ.

If we fail, that is our fault. Whenever you find true believers who love the Lord, you will find people though, who really care and work at spreading the gospel. This is like a clear sign that they are in right fellowship with Christ, because those who are not usually find excuses, and have no interest in passing on the faith.

Besides, the amazing work done by godly believers in spreading the gospel does not get media coverage. Until you get into a group of truly evangelical and mission-minded Christians you will never have even a glimpse at the fantastic work that is being done - behind the scenes, so to speak.

Those who make an effort to get involved find the Holy Spirit more than willing to help them out, to provide opportunities, and the resources, for God has promised to take care of His servants in the gospel.

From another perspective; it is sad that so few have a passion to tell this good news, and win individuals to faith in Christ. I believe there should be far more. It is the most wonderfully GOOD thing in all the universe. Our eternity depends on the choice each human individual makes!

On the other hand, all of this gives me an under current of excitement and anticipation and wonder! I'm fairly convinced that Jesus Christ will return for all true expectant believers any day now. I'll be at that seven-year-long wedding feast of the Lamb of God very soon!

Meantime, I want to be busy, using the gifts and skills God has already built into my life, to share the gospel and to minister to others. I know that we are not all expected to do this in the same way. Some of us are better at raving about the plan of salvation, and some of us are better at teaching those who have begun to believe the many truths in God's Word that help us to mature and live godly lives. Some are better at helping behind the scenes and some definitely should be out in public, speaking out articulately, and boldly.

In my case, God has taught me that He loves to walk and talk with the lonely and those who feel wounded and weak. He seems to have given me a gift for faith, and for teaching, and my best medium seems to be by writing. So - I keep very busy trying to do as many things in this way as God gives me a desire and time, and tools to do.

Hell is... really HELL! You don't want to go there! It is described in the Bible as a pit or lake of fire, which burns continually, and forever. You never become that final, feelingless crisp. Your suffering really will continue forever. Not just physically, either. The worst punishment is to be totally separated from God. He will be finished with you, if you end up there. That will create the greatest loneliness imaginable. Nor would you party with cronies there. You'd be ALL ALONE. And without water!

Anyone and everyone who has rejected Christ as their personal Saviour and Lord, will end up in Hell.

Heaven is... a wonderful place, more glorious and marvellous than anything we can imgine! There are peeks into it in the Bible, but for a lot of it, we have trust the character and Word of God. First of all, He will be there! That alone will make it Heaven, because it will be fully in keeping with His character; holy, pure, full of light, joy, peace, and all the LOVE this universe can hold.

God is also very intelligent and creative. It will be beautiful, and stimulating, and active. But nothing will go wrong, or disappoint, and no one will quarrel or cry. Life will be real and busy in an unfrantic way. We will not worry about enough 'time' to accomplish anything, because of course, we are in eternity there. Everything is in the present tense, even our past on the earth.

In fact, our past deeds ( the things we are doing in this life now) will shape who we are and what we will do in Heaven, and even what our accommodations will be like. The spiritual things we do now are being sent ahead of Believers, and they form the essence of our place and work in Heaven. So it IS very, VERY important what you and I are doing now, today!

There is a strong indication that when God has judged the wicked of this world, He will destroy and rebuild this earth through fire. Just as the flood of Noah's day completely changed the face of the earth, and the atmosphere, and so forth, one day the earth will burn and come out in the end like a huge jewelled city on a golden surface.

And no, Praise God! - next time around there will not be any Satan, evil, or chance for sin to sneak in. Eternity in that place will be perfect, lovely, beautiful, and full of unspeakable joy and music!

Don't you just want to go there? I sure do! Glory to God, I have trusted Christ to make me pure and fit, and I have His promises that I'll be there!

With all my heart, I want you and everyone else, no matter how bad, to repent and trust Christ and to be there too! Come and go with me - to that Holy City!

Now if all this sounds too mystical or etheral, and you like to see someone actually living like a true Believer in God - someone you can watch for a while, then you really should read my novel, Ruthe's Secret Roses.>. It gets you into the head and heart of a young woman who loves God and wants to always listen for His Spirit speaking to her, and to do as He prompts. You see her when she's scared of making a move in the city to reach out to strangers, but she knows she has been nudged.

I'm speaking of the novel, Ruthe's Secret Roses. For just $19.95 US and about $6 shipping, you can read this unique story of Ruthe Veer, who, although rather shy and naive, begins to work in the city, and commutes to her job as a telephone operator. In her off hours she reaches out to others in need, and puts aside her fears and timidity to help them. Each one in a different situation. After a while she grows bolder, and is very busy just keeping up with all her many different friends in the city of Saskatoon. She thinks of her friends as roses in her private garden with God.

You would be bound to pick up a thing or two from watching how Ruthe copes with her weaknesses and fears, by running prayer conversations with the Lord, and by daring to do what she knows is right and important.