November 22, 2025

The Garden of Gethsemane

Almost everyone wants to know, “Are any of the olive trees inside the modern garden the same ones from the time of Jesus?” Well, in my best Tevye voice from his memorable quip in The Fiddler on the Roof, “I’ll tell you! I don’t know!”

The traditional site of the Garden of Gethsemane is located in the compound of the Church of All Nations which sits at the foot of the Mount of Olives just across the Kidron Valley from the Old City of Jerusalem. Though usually crowded and loud, the garden is nonetheless gorgeous, picture perfect, and most definitely worth a visit. Could this be the very site where Jesus prayed on the night before his death? Absolutely, for there is good archaeological and topographical evidence to suggest that an ancient footpath passed nearby, leading from the Golden Gate (the eastern gate of the temple), up the Mount of Olives, across its summit and down the eastern slope to Bethany.

The oldest trees in the garden have been dated to no earlier than 1100 A.D., but their root systems could very well date to the time of Jesus, for olive trees can regenerate from ancient roots. There are eight ancient olive trees in the garden with grayish bark and twisted trunks, the biggest being almost five feet in diameter and twenty-six feet tall. You’ll also find several younger, smaller olive trees as well as cypress trees, rose bushes, lavender, geraniums, marigold and ivy.

As you walk along the western side of the garden, don’t forget to look up and locate the Dome of the Rock peeking above the eastern wall of the Old City. You might also want to enter the church to see a rock claimed to be the one on which Jesus prayed.

– Daniel McCabe

Trivia

Which popular voice/video calling app was originally developed in Israel before being purchased by Microsoft?

Scripture Study: Watching Jesus Pray, Part 4

(Luke 22:39-46)

II. Prayer keeps you from sinning (vs. 40, 46).

a. Look at what Jesus says in v. 40, “When He came to the place, He said to [the disciples], ‘Pray that you may not enter into temptation.’”

Do you ever have to repeat things to your customers, your employees or your children? It can be frustrating. In v. 46 Jesus has to repeat himself to the disciples, “Then He said to them, ‘Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.’”

Twice Jesus emphasized that prayer keeps you from sinning. The disciples simply weren’t catching on to the truth of what he was saying.

Let me add as a quick side note that the Bible keeps us from sinning too. In a verse that I learned while growing up in church, King David writes, “Your word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).

b. Prayer connects you to your Friend. When we are with friends we find strength. If you found a friend to walk with daily, you’d walk more and probably lose weight. If you found a friend to be accountable to about your struggle with sin, you’d probably find greater victory over your sin. We find supernatural strength when we pray.

Daniel McCabe

Scripture and Archaeology: Jericho

Does the Bible Agree with Archaeology? Part 1

It may be the oldest city in the world, and, oh, if those ancient walls could only talk! Every child knows the story of Joshua and how he and the Israelites marched around the city of Jericho, shouted, and watched its walls fall down. There are songs about it. Movies. Even video and board games. But did it really happen the way we’re told in the Bible?

The Bible: “The people shouted … [and] the wall fell down flat” (Joshua 6:20).

The Archaeology: A lower mud brick wall collapsed, fell outward and down.

The Bible: “Then the people went up into the city” (v. 20).

The Archaeology: The fallen brick wall rolled down the hillside, creating a rough ramp up which an invading army could have climbed.

–The Bible: “They burned the city and all that was in it with fire” (v. 24).

The Archaeology: A three-foot burn layer of ash and collapsed roof timbers has been identified.

The Bible: “The city shall be doomed by the LORD to destruction; it and all who are in it” (v. 17), except for Rahab and her family, of course. In other words, the Israelites were to take nothing out of the city except items of gold, silver, bronze and iron (v. 19).

The Archaeology: Storage rooms with jars of wheat were discovered untouched (though the Israelites could certainly have used the wheat for food).

The Bible: a) “The feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water, for the Jordan overflows its bank during the whole time of harvest” (3:15). The level of the Jordan River always rises in the spring, following the rainy season in Israel, which runs from late October through March. Additionally, in early spring the Jordan River rises from the annual run-off of snow atop Mount Hermon, the headwaters of the Jordan. Finally, barley and wheat are regularly harvested in the spring to this day—barley from April to May and wheat from May to June; and

b) “Now the children of Israel … kept the Passover” (5:10), which likewise takes place in early spring.

The Archaeology: The burnt storage jars were filled with wheat, evidently following the spring harvest.

The Bible: “Cursed be the man before the LORD who rises up and builds this city Jericho” (6:26).

The Archaeology: Above the destruction layer was a visible abandonment layer.

The text of Scripture and the spade of the archaeologist are so far in complete agreement.

Daniel McCabe

Scripture Study: Theology Proper-God’s Essence

“Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? It is higher than heaven—what can you do? Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?” These are the words of Job 11:7-8. Even though God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways, let’s make a humble attempt to understand God Himself with a look into the biblical doctrine of Theology Proper.

Have you ever heard of this? Does it mean a “proper” theology? Actually it refers to the person of God, the triune God. In future segments, I plan to discuss the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ (the doctrine of Christology) as well as the Holy Spirit (the doctrine of Pneumatology). I could also write future segments about God the Father (the doctrine of Paterology), but instead I’ll wrap that doctrine into the general topic of Theology Proper, which I’ll break down into several small subcategories. For example, I’ll address God’s essence (who He is), His nature (what He’s like), His attributes, and His relationship with the created order. I’ll walk through several statements and refer to key verses along the way.

Again, this is how I understand Scripture on this theological topic. In my opinion, it’s probably the least controversial in that most people wouldn’t argue much with anything that I’ll share, so this one should be pretty straightforward and simple.

Let’s start with the essence of God, namely, who He is in His being. God is spirit in essence. Jesus says so in John 4:24. God is spirit and He is invisible. We can’t see Him although He has at times been manifested in a physical form to be apprehended by human senses. We see this in Genesis where God walked in the garden with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3; cf. Exodus 19; Judges 2).

1 John 1:1-3 also notes that the disciple John and others beheld God. They touched Him. They saw Him. They lived with Him. Every time that God has been seen, I think that it’s the second person of the Trinity. I don’t think we ever truly see God the Father, and that’s how we can make sense of the aforementioned passages as well as the one in which Moses saw the backside of God (and lived) or the passage in Isaiah 6 in which Isaiah went up and saw God on the throne. I think that in these passages and elsewhere it’s the second person of the Trinity whom Moses, Isaiah and all the others beheld. But in essence God is invisible. He is spirit.

Adam Keim

Greatest New Testament Archaeological Discoveries

#6 in Our Top Ten Countdown of theTemple Inscriptions Part 1 of 2, The Warning

During the time of Jesus, Herod’s Temple dominated the skyline of Jerusalem, built on 35 acres where Solomon’s Temple once stood. Faithful Jews from near and far traveled regularly to Jerusalem to worship in the temple. Gentiles too were permitted to visit the temple grounds, but they could not approach the temple itself. Instead they were forced to stand behind a barrier and merely admire the building from a distance. Although beautifully decorated and standing 4½ feet tall, this barrier bore Greek and Latin inscriptions warning Gentiles not to pass beyond the barrier. A crowd of Jewish worshippers who hated Paul for his teachings once detained him at the temple, falsely asserting that he “[has] brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place” (Acts 21:28-29). So, clearly Gentiles were not allowed to draw near the temple, but how do we know any barrier with signs ever existed? Well, a first-century historian named Josephus described them, and then in 1871 a French archaeologist discovered a complete stone tablet, inscribed with painted red letters that read, “No outsider shall enter the protective enclosure around the sanctuary, and whoever is caught will only have himself to blame for his ensuing death.”

Many see an immediate connection between this warning inscription and Paul’s words in Ephesians 2:13, “But now in Christ Jesus you [Gentiles] who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ,” and it becomes even more obvious when we continue reading v. 14, “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation.” Let’s rejoice that both the torn veil of the temple and the broken barrier surrounding it symbolize free access for all into the presence of God. Step on in! There is no threat of death as we approach—only the promise of life.

Daniel McCabe

Answer to the Trivia

Which popular voice/video calling app was originally developed in Israel before being purchased by Microsoft?

C. Skype

Week Forty-Seven, 2025

“Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24)

Sincere prayer is an incredible spiritual tool. It is a vital practice of communicating with God, marked by continuous devotion, thankful hearts, and sincere belief in His will. Key aspects include praying with faith and the confidence that God hears our requests, but also praying for others, confession of sins, and praying through a personal room rather than for show.

Have you stopped to think about what you pray for? All too often, we pray for what we want: “Give me this” or “Give me that.” There’s nothing wrong with that, and there is nothing wrong with praying for the needs of others.

But here is a unique way to view prayer: not as a way to gain, but as a way to give up. Once a man was asked, “What did you gain by regularly praying to God?” The man replied, “Nothing… but let me tell you what I lost: anger, ego, greed, depression, insecurity, and fear of death.” Sometimes, the answer to our prayers is not gaining but losing, which ultimately is the gain.

Prayer can be a sincere cleansing, like spring cleaning. Too often, I pray for what I want rather than the attitudes I want to get rid of. I can pray for security, but I need to first ask God to rid me of insecurity. The list goes on.

Prayer is a two-way communication that encompasses talking to God (through petition, praise, and confession) and listening to Him, as well as strengthening our relationship with Him. It is a continuous act, described as “praying without ceasing,” and involves aligning one’s will with God’s will. Prayer is not limited to requests but includes worship, thanksgiving, and confession of sin, ultimately bringing peace and a deeper connection with Him.

While physical health is valuable, spiritual wellness and avoiding sin are paramount to prevent worse consequences, potentially including spiritual and eternal separation from God.

So, the next time you pray, ask God to take away those things and attitudes that hold you back before you pray for what you need. The results will be miraculous, and ultimately, you will gain.

Sometimes True Stories

“You are the light of the world… let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father Who is in Heaven.” (Matthew 5:14, 16)

Darkness cannot overcome light. We know this when we stand in a pitch-black room and turn on just one small light. Also, evil cannot overcome the truth of good. Without the standard of good, evil cannot exist. When Jesus was in the world, He said He was the light of the world. In other words, He spoke the light of Truth, and evil was defeated.

In our world today, the world may seem as evil has the upper hand. But evil will never be the ultimate victor. When we place our trust in Christ Jesus and Him alone, we reflect His light and His Truth. We have nothing to fear when we proclaim the Truth of who Jesus is—not persecution, not death.

“But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15 ESV).

Shine on! —Rich Jensen

– 0 –

And now for a little humor… 😃😃😃

Only in America… do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions, while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

Only in America… do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a Diet Coke.

Only in America… do banks leave vault doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.

Only in America… do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

Only in America… do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.

Only in America… do they have drive-up ATMs with Braille lettering.

EVER WONDER….

Why the sun lightens our hair but darkens our skin?

Why women can’t put on mascara with their mouths closed?

Why you never see the headline “Psychic Wins Lottery”?

Why “abbreviated” is such a long word?

Why doctors call what they do “practice”?

Why lemon juice is made with artificial flavor, while dishwashing liquid is made with real lemons?

Why the man who invests all your money is called a broker?

Why the time of day with the slowest traffic is called rush hour?

Why there isn’t mouse-flavored cat food?

Why Noah didn’t swat those two mosquitoes?

Why they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

You know that indestructible black box used on airplanes? Why don’t they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!

Why sheep don’t shrink when it rains?

Why they are called apartments when they are all stuck together?

If “con” is the opposite of “pro,” is Congress the opposite of progress?

If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?

Hope this made you smile a little bit 😃 As I edited this, I smiled a lot… Beverley

Quotes You Can Use

In our day, however, partisan politics have taken the place of foreign enemies. More than three-fourths of voters now believe that Americans who strongly support the other side are a “clear and present danger” to our nation. —Jim Denison

Christ’s church is unstoppable and secure. Though opposition may rise, those who stand against Jesus will ultimately fall. Pray and trust in our sovereign Lord. Pray and entrust yourself to our caring Lord. Rejoice with the church and give God the glory. —Edgar Aponte

Diversity is not America’s strength. Unity is. —Michael Smith

A pastor is not called to entertain the goats, but to feed the sheep.

America has always been a nation that believes in the power of prayer, and we will never apologize for our faith. —Donald Trump

There is only one gospel. We are saved by grace through faith, not by works.

The further a society shifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it. —Selwyn Duke

Don’t let your circumstances control your heart, because today is a day God has made for each of us. —Tony Ferguson

It is sad when people do something permanently stupid because they were temporarily upset. —Tony Ferguson

Satan wants to win people over or disrupt their witness. One thing we know from Christ being tempted while in the wilderness: Satan has no defense for the Truth of God’s Word. —Rich Jensen

Anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone; unfortunately, most times the holder is the one who gets burned.

We must be more concerned with what we can do for others than what others can do for us. You’ll be surprised at the results! —John Wooden

The riches Jesus desires to share with you are eternal riches, which cannot be measured by temporal things like gold or silver. —Dan Shock

Secular society would have us believe that what we think is good is often bad. Artificial Intelligence will never be more than the name implies—”artificial.” —Tony Ferguson

The devil is not fighting religion, as he is too smart for that. He is producing counterfeit Christianity so much like the real one that good Christians are afraid to speak out against it. —Vance Havner

The reason people speak out against the Bible is because the Bible speaks out against their lifestyle.

To educate a person in the mind but not in morals is to educate a menace to society. —Theodore Roosevelt

Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak. —Alan Dundes

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. —Alvin Toffler

No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot. —Mark Twain

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to contribute your ideas and thoughts, address all items and comments to [email protected].

© Thoughts on Life Copyright 2025

November 19, 2025

I was born nearly two years before we entered World War II, when a bottomless cup of coffee cost a nickel, and gasoline cost 18 cents a gallon. And when the war ended in 1945, I had yet to taste ice cream, to sip a Coke, or eat a candy bar. Sugar was the first food rationed, and the last removed from the ration board’s list of restricted foods.

But those were the least of the problems facing my generation, for we would reach adulthood with the specter of nuclear war hanging over our heads. And while no plane then existed that could make the one-way flight of 4,680 miles from Moscow to my home town, our elementary school classes, like those of schools across America, were interrupted by air-raid drills, and we were taught to duck and cover. Besides, why would little Poughkeepsie be a target? New York City was closer. (In my 2005 book, You Can Triumph Over Terror, there are photos of our large family fallout shelter under construction.)

In spite of the fact that my mother’s two beloved brothers served in the military—the youngest in the Pacific, and the oldest in the OSS—she tried to keep our innocent minds free of any knowledge of their involvement, much less the events occurring world wide. And that wasn’t easy, because newspapers, magazines, and radio stations constantly published updates on the wars, while Hollywood churned out a steady stream of movies that dealt with every aspect of war, from spying, to blood and guts combat, on land, sea, and in the air.

But she tried. When one uncle gave Bob and me little wooden rifles at Christmas, toys guns that made an annoying rat-a-tat noise when we turned the little crank that served as a trigger. We loved them, but those little toy guns disappeared overnight. Mom didn’t even like us listening to the songs of the various military services, but I had no trouble learning them all, including the song of the Army Air Corp (now the United States Air Force).

The song did not appeal to my over protective mother, and I suspect that the boast to “…live in fame or go down in flame,” lost its glamour when the fliers, who initially flew inferior airplanes, found themselves faced by seasoned Germans and Japanese pilots, especially considering the fact that over 52,000 American fliers and crewmen lost their lives in combat.

A year after the war ended, when I was only six years old, England’s indomitable wartime leader, Winston Churchill, delivered a speech in which he declared,“From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent,” coining a phrase that would be repeated innumerable times over the next thirty years. An “Iron Curtain” had descended that kept millions enslaved and hungry by Communism. George Orwell, in his book, Animal Farm, exposed the central and ironic lie of communism. It is supposed to be the great leveler that makes all equal, but it simply enslaves the multitudes to the will of a few. So Orwell wrote, “some animals are more equal than others.”

The communists argued that the Berlin wall was necessary to keep westerners out, but in fact, it was built to keep the people of East Germany from escaping to freedom. That wall symbolized Communism’s failure, and it stood from more than 30 years, until Ronald Reagan stood beside it and said, “Mr Gorbachev, tear down that wall.”

So while our mother kept us away from the big old floor model Zenith radio when the war news came on each evening, she was unable to keep us unsullied by reality. Hollywood grew rich on taxpayer’s money, producing countless propaganda films that served to boost morale, sell war bonds, and inspire young men (and later, young women) to visit their local recruiters and demonstrate their patriotism by joining one of the services. And even if our parents avoided taking us to watch war films, there were always the Movietone newsreels shown between the “double features,” two movies played back to back, and the children’s ticket price was only ten cents, as was a box of popcorn.

And those movies were badly needed because, after Pearl Harbor, morale had sunk as deep as the battleships of our Pacific fleet. In fact, across the southwest Pacific, the United States suffered the worst surrenders in our nation’s history, with over 160,000 men ordered to lay down their arms. And just four days after the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor, Adolf Hitler—whose Blitzkrieg lightning warfare had driven the Anglo-French army into the North Sea, and whose armies occupied all of Western Europe—declared war on the United States. We were suddenly at war with the Axis powers, and the Second World War was a reality.

There were many war movies, and their production didn’t end with VJ-Day. Decades after the war ended, Hollywood was still marketing a variety of war movies, many actually motivated by the left to discourage Americans from opposing the spread of Communism. Many were actually anti-war movies, and a number were produced during the Vietnam war, bending the minds and crippling the will of the American people. Their producers were sometimes attacked as enemies of America, men who used their freedom of speech to promote ideas that would ultimately destroy all freedom of speech. And it’s obvious that their “progressive” descendants are far more influential today than they were eighty years ago, for we have Communists openly running for and winning public office.

Some of us remember the shocking realism of “Saving Private Ryan,” and the horrors of the Holocaust depicted in “Schindler’s List.” But perhaps more telling than Oscar Schindler’s secret story of heroism was a mini-series based on a two books written by Herman Wouk, The Winds of War and War and Remembrance.

All of these movies, pro and con, are stark and realistic; but they cannot truly capture the essence of war, the sights, sounds, or stench, much less the depths to which men will go in their mad desire for wealth and power, nor the satanically inspired depravity which did immeasurable harm to our world, and even now taints it, as is evidenced by the rise of socialism and the re-emergence of anti-Semitism.

These movies tended to glamorize life-threatening situations that civilians and warriors alike experienced, from Humphrey Bogart in “Casablanca,” to Matt Damon in “Saving Private Ryan.” And while we rightly honor the sacrifices of those who gave their lives for love of country, there are no winners in war. Even those venal souls who never wore a uniform, but exploited circumstances to profit politically or financially, deluded themselves. They compromised their integrity and honor, and are destined to lose the most important thing of all, their own souls.

And were it not for the spiritual values of the largely Christian U.S.A, and the willing sacrifices of those who won that war, it’s unlikely that a single republic or democracy would survive today.Americans certainly weren’t the only ones, but they crossed the Atlantic to fight for other nations. They stood in the gap. Sadly, it appears to be a different world today; the “greatest generation” is gone; and with it, “Mom and apple pie,” an expression that identified the core beliefs of the people of the United States; we’ve seen those cherished values diluted and even perverted by immigrants who fled oppression in their own lands to secure the benefits of our constitutional freedom, but brought their failed culture with them.

Television and motion pictures have undermined the ideal of self-sacrifice for our friends, family, and nation, and left us with anti-heroes. And their content not only reflects, but shapes the opinions of Americans who are too quick to surrender the freedoms and the principles that made America great.

And yet, as dark as those movies are, and as much as they reveal man’s sinful humanity to man, yet no book or movie can begin to encompass the scope of the horrors yet to come, as described in The Revelation of Jesus Christ. And even that glorious book simply skims over the unimaginable suffering, and merely describes the characters and events as they will unfold, and perhaps have already begun to unfold..

Until now, wars were fostered by evil people living out their lives, unwitting dupes of Satan, people who readily followed the Napoleons, Hitlers, and Stalins who were all types of antichrist.

Until now, the Lord has held back the darkness in order to provide every human being with the opportunity to say, “Yea” or “Nay” to Jesus Christ, God’s gift of salvation. But soon God will say, “Enough!” and the opportunity to be saved will be withdrawn. The Holy Spirit—who convinces everyone of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment, will be removed—so that people will not be have access to the wisdom, knowledge, and power to call on the name of Jesus. And men who do not know God will call on the mountains to fall on them because they will lack the wisdom, knowledge and grace to call on the name of Jesus Christ. And our righteous God will prove he is also our just God, by doling out punishment for sin, as well as rewarding the faithful service of the born again,

The Revelation describes God’s judgments on the human race at the end of this age, an end which appears to be rapidly approaching. It covers a mere seven years, and reveals the rise of the antichrist. The first three-and-a-half years provide the illusion that all may be well, just as the German people prospered under Hitler while they became inured and even supportive of the enslavement and wholesale slaughter of Jews, Christians, the mentally retarded, physically impaired, and anyone that didn’t fit the madman’s definition of the Aryan race.

And God’s harsh judgment on such as those who committed such evil will come in waves, starting with the breaking of the seals by the only worthy one. As John records:

And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne…stood a lamb as it had been slain…and he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

Revelation 5:6

This is John’s vision of the risen Christ taking the book of the Revelation from the hand of his Father. And when he took the book, every being in the throne room of God, as well as millions of angels, worshiped him.

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.”

Revelation 5:12

But the sounds of worship were soon replaced by the sounds of thunder as the Lamb opened one of the seals that bound the book, and one of the beasts told John, “Come and see. (Rev 6:1).

So this “preview of coming attractions” begins, for Jesus Christ will open seven seal judgments, seven trumpet judgments, and seven vial judgments in succession, each one worse than the last. And during this succession of horrendous judgments, we will be introduced to the indescribably evil characters that somehow twist the truth and beguile the lost souls in order to promote the perverted goals of Satan, until the Lord finally casts them into hell.

So intrigued are the people of this world with the first four seal judgments—each depicting four men on four different color horses, with each given the power and mission to do vast harm to the world—that Hollywood even produced a film entitled, “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”

See first a white horse, ridden by a man with a bow in hand and a crown of gold, who was told to go forth conquering and to conquer (Rev. 6:2).

And the second seal is broken, and the second rider straddles a red horse, and the rider has power to take peace from the earth, that they should kill one another, and he was given a great sword.

When I hear of men driving vehicles into crowds of strangers, throwing acid in the faces of innocent women, setting people afire, pushing them under subway trains, and slashing them with knives, it’s pretty easy to believe that the second seal has already been broken. And the rise of a religious cult that promises paradise to those who murder any of its skeptics certainly demonstrates that the love of many has waxed cold. Consider how Christians are being slaughtered every year.

But let’s move on. Christ opens the third seal, and we see the situation worsen, but the third beast seems nonplussed as he says to John, “Come and see.”

And I beheld, and lo a black horse: and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

Revelation 6:5

The scale symbolizes the weighing of small amounts of food at exorbitant prices that results when crops fail and famine prevails. It’s a condition that accompanies wars, when farmers can’t til their fields, when they are forced to take up arms, and their fields lie fallow. So, if there is any food available, it’s weighed carefully and priced well above the means of most people, and starvation will be rampant. Of course, here in the United States, much of the farm land has been bought up by Chinese Communists, and other tracts by billionaires who have unusual ideas about how that land should be used. I’m sure they will tell you that they have your best interests at heart.

What happens? One example is how Hitler proved he cared nothing for the German people, but indicated that hs prefer the entire nation to be leveled by Allied bombers rather than surrender. And then the madman commanded that old men and teenagers fight to the last man, but he committed suicide, aand his subordinates finally surrendered. Then the starvation began. The Marshall Plan would bring food to the starving peoples of the world, but the demand was overwhelming. Women across Europe would sell their virtue for a Hershey bar or a few cigarettes.

I had a prof in Bible college who was a child in Germany during the war. He told us that his mother would hug him to her, and press her fists into his stomach to assuage his hunger pains while he tried to fall asleep. And he told how, when he searched along the railroad tracks for a piece of coal to heat their room, that he risked being shot by soldiers for pillaging.

Okay. The Lord has broken three seals; four to go, followed by two more sets of judgments. So another beast said to John, “Come and see.”

“And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”

Revelation 6:5-6

I recently read of voracious sea creatures coming up from the depths of the ocean, appearing on beaches, animals never before seen by scientists, hideous things that kill our sea food. And some sort of ticks coming up from Mexico that threaten the survival of our cattle herds. And ticks that infect men with Lyme disease, and the likelihood of recurrent infection for the remainder of their lives. Not to speak of horrors of man made viruses like Covid 19, another gift from our friends, the Chinese Communists. Are these also a “preview of coming attractions.”

This I do know!

“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him.”

Revelation 1:7

And the Lord says to we who are saved:

“Fear not, I am the first and the last; I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore.”

Revelation 1:17-18

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”

Rev 2:7; 11; 17; 19; 3:6; 13; and 22.

*In my 2005 book, You Can Triumph Over Terror, I have photos of the construction of the large bomb shelter my family built in response to what came to be known as the “Cuban Missile Crisis.”

Copyright 2025, Frank Becker

File: 19 NOV 25, The Four Horsemen.odt

November 15, 2025

Ten of My Favorite Places in Israel …

#8, the City of David

“David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the City of David … and David lived in the stronghold and called it the City of David. And David built the city all around from the Millo inward” (2 Samuel 5:7, 9).

Bethlehem is considered the City of David because that town was the birthplace of the great king (Luke 2:4). However, the site of our consideration this week is the city that David captured, which later came to be known as Jerusalem!

Until King Hezekiah’s expansion, Old Testament Jerusalem was just the hill of Ophel on the southeast corner of the New Testament city. That whole area is one of my favorite places to visit in Israel, not only because King David is a bona fide hero of mine, but because there is so much to see.

The City of David is a necessary stop on any visit to Jerusalem today. You will walk through partial remains of David’s own palace and gaze upon a stepped stone structure (pictured) on the hill’s east side. As David walked the walls of his palace, he looked down on the rooftops below and saw Bathsheba. Was one of these ancient remains her house?

Hezekiah’s tunnel is a popular destination as well. You will walk through 1,750 feet of tunnel, carved through the rock, that ends up near the recently discovered Pool of Siloam. After you emerge from the tunnel, walk past the small reservoir that they once thought was the pool, turn to your left, and go down just a little in order to visit the actual location.

You will have to take my word for it, but I once encountered some archaeologists working in the City of David at a secured site that is likely Melchizedek’s shrine, the place where Judah’s kings were anointed. A few years ago we dropped some names to get close enough to see the inside of the cave. Also, a large stone tower still stands that was part of Nehemiah’s rebuilding project (Nehemiah 3).

I can’t wait for the day that I can return to the palace of my hero, and to take in the rich history and many wonders of David’s old city!

Adam Keim

Scripture Study: Watching Jesus Pray, part 3

Luke 22:39-46

E. In the last phrase of v. 41 we read that Jesus “knelt down and prayed.” It literally says that Jesus prayed by placing the knees. It may be that not only did Jesus go to the same spot to pray on a regular basis, but he placed his knees on the same spot each time. If you were to have passed the place where he prayed, there might have been two worn circles in the grass.

Wouldn’t it say something if I went to your bedside and found two worn circles in the carpet or on the linoleum? Of course we’re not required to pray kneeling down, but if you want a humbling and meaningful experience, try it. Place a pillow under your knees for comfort if you like and talk to your King from your knees. Maybe not all the time, but try it.

Other gospel writers explain that Jesus prayed “face down.” Many people all over the world still pray face down. Maybe you’ve seen pictures. It’s still very common for folks in the Middle East to pray face down. One famous Bible teacher, William R. Newell, said that kneeling is a good way to pray because it is uncomfortable.

Daniel prayed on his knees three times a day. Jim Elliot, famous in death for being one of the five missionaries murdered by the Auca Indians over half a century ago, said, “That saint who advances on his knees never retreats.”

I’ll never forget the scene I personally witnessed in Libre Union, Mexico, some years ago. We had arrived at the church to set up for evangelistic movies, and I peeked inside the church that was sponsoring the event. There at the front by the altar I saw three teenage girls kneeling in prayer. Their bare knees on the hard concrete floor. Mesmerized by the scene I watched for some 10-15 minutes. They never moved. They must have been so captivated by their Savior that they did not even consider their own discomfort.

F. Then there’s the phrase in v. 45, “when He rose up from prayer.” After Jesus prayed he stood to his feet and almost immediately was taken into custody, beaten, mocked and crucified.

After prayer we must face our world. Jesus didn’t hide out in the garden to escape the world. He prayed to prepare himself to face the world.

G. Let me offer now a few practical suggestions about your time of prayer.

1. Keep a pad of paper and a pencil (or your phone) next to where you pray, so that you can write down things that come to mind as you pray. You suddenly remember that you promised to pick up your friend tomorrow at 3 pm and don’t want to forget. Jot it down really quick so that it won’t keep distracting you. Or just ask the Lord to remind you again when you’re done.

2. Don’t lay down when you pray. No one has the self-discipline to pray while lying down.

3. Pray when you are most fresh. Showers and coffee are for those times when you can barely keep your eyelids open. Prayer is for those times when you are most alert. Give God the best part of your day. Morning, noon, or night. Whatever time works for you.

We’ve already seen that prayer was a habit for Jesus. Next time we’ll begin at verse 40.

Daniel McCabe

Trivia

What desert covers more than half of Israel’s land mass?

On Location: The Neighborhood of Mea Shearim

This ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem is a fascinating place to visit, but tourists who do so should treat the local residents with respect. The people who live there are not museum pieces. It is their home. Therefore, please keep these general guidelines in mind if you ever choose to visit.

1. Walk through the neighborhood in very small groups, perhaps no more than three or four. Avoid loud talking and laughter. A quiet presence is greatly appreciated by the residents.

2. Men, although it’s not strictly a requirement, you will be better received if you cover your heads. Be sure to wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts as well.

3. Ladies, although only the married women of Mea Shearim are required to cover their hair with a scarf, hat or wig, it would be thoughtful for you to cover your hair whether you are married or not. Be sure to wear long skirts, long-sleeved blouses and high necklines. Modesty is necessary and expected.

4. Taking pictures and video is not typically well received, and any use of smartphones should be done discreetly so as not to offend.

5. Men should address men, and women should address women. Don’t ask provocative questions or barter aggressively with shop owners.

6. Visit on a weekday, not on the Sabbath (Saturday) or on holy days. Definitely do not drive a car through the neighborhood on the Sabbath as it might be met with verbal or even physical resistance.

Daniel McCabe

Scripture Study: Your Very Own Fig Tree

1 Kings 4:25 mentions that “Judah and Israel lived in safety from Dan even to Beersheba [that’s from the far North to the far South of the country] every man under his vine and under his fig tree all the days of Solomon.”

In Isaiah 36:16 the Rabshakeh challenges Israel to abandon King Hezekiah and make peace with the king of Assyria so that “each one of you will eat of his own vine and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern.” This haughty Assyrian official was trying to convince the people that they could experience peace in their homeland of Israel if they would just submit to the king of Assyria.

These two passages came to mind recently, for I’m trying to nurse back to health a young fig tree in my backyard. My dream someday is to eat figs from my very own fig tree and even to relax under it.

But do you know what prophet describes a future for Israel in which everyone will be able to do just that? The answer is found in Micah 4:4. Micah is a wonderful book. Like many of the minor prophets and all the prophets in general, Micah speaks of a judgment that’s coming to Israel in his own day, but also of a great promise of restoration in the future.

I must admit that I may have to transplant my fig tree to a better spot in my yard or perhaps I may have to buy a new fig tree altogether. But in celebration of this future hope for Israel, let me share with you Micah’s beautiful promise from 4:1-5. He writes, “It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills, and peoples shall flow to it. And many nations shall come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob that He may teach us His ways, and that we may walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the LORD. From Jerusalem He shall judge between many peoples and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”

This has not yet happened in history. There is much recorded by the Old Testament prophets and even in the New Testament that might be confusing and cause you to consider, “When did this happen?” This isn’t the reality I see when I look around me, and I haven’t see this in history either, so then it must take place in the future.

Now vs. 4-5, “But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid. For the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken, for all the people walk each in the name of his God, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.”

Beautiful words! Hopeful words!

Adam Keim

Answer to the Trivia

C. The Negev

*****

This message was sent to [email protected] from [email protected]

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Dr. Mark Ballaard, November 15, 2025

This is the most important Three Strands Letter I have ever written. Please read it carefully and prayerfully.

God is at work in ways that this region has not seen since the days of D. L. Moody. People who have never been to church and even some who have been strongly opposed to the Gospel are coming to churches across the Northeast, hearing the Gospel, and turning to Jesus in faith and repentance. We may very well be on the front end of a regional and even a national spiritual awakening.

Though not the only contributor to this movement, the Lord is using NEBC in unprecedented ways. We have the largest student body in our history. It appears that we are on the cusp of even greater and more rapid growth in the coming days, months, and years. Our students are gaining the mind of a scholar, the heart of a shepherd, and the perseverance of a soldier. They are growing in their walk with Jesus. They are being used by the Lord every day to share the Gospel, build up believers, serve churches, and help start new churches across this region. Just this week, two of our students were at the YMCA working out. After their workout, the Lord opened the door to share the Gospel with a man who had been sensing a need for God in his life. This weekend, the man plans to bring his family to the new church plant in Bennington for the first time. These kinds of stories are being repeated daily across the region.

Yet, as of this moment, Vermont still stands as the least-churched state in the country with 150 towns that have no Gospel witness. New Hampshire stands as the second least-churched state in the nation with over 60 towns that have no Gospel witness. NEBC exists to change those statistics, and God is blessing the work with both numerical growth and Gospel fruit.

Shortly after 2025 began, the Lord led me into a 40-Day Prayer Focus seeking His leading for the future of NEBC. As the 40 days neared an end, the Lord showed me a few things. He also let me know that He was leading me to continue seeking Him on this front throughout the year. He would lead me step by step and day by day. The year has been an amazing journey. One day, I may describe the journey on the printed page. Suffice it to say, He has been faithful to lead me step by step.

Today, I am writing to share the most significant steps the Lord has led me to take. With the rapid growth NEBC is experiencing, the growing spiritual impact across the region, the nation, and the world, and with the realities this kind of unprecedented growth brings, He has led me to focus my attention on two primary areas. First, I have appointed a special task force to help me develop the next strategic plan for the college. The Until Jesus Comes Task Force includes administration, faculty, staff, trustees, and alumni. We will prayerfully focus on seeking the Lord’s leading in developing a strategic plan that will guide us to a student body of 300 students and beyond.

Second, for the founding president of the college to properly prepare the college to continue to be firmly planted on the inerrancy and sufficiency of Scripture, and faithfully impacting the region, nation, and the world with the Gospel Until Jesus Comes, I must have added leadership support. Therefore, on Saturday November 8^th , I met with our Trustees and asked them to approve a 5-year plan to provide that support. The Trustees added their wisdom to the plan and together, we are confident that the Lord is leading us each step of the way.

Effective Immediately, I have been named the Chancellor of NEBC. In this role, I will provide general oversight of the work of the college, begin a decreasing teaching role over the next five years, and continue to focus on the Until Jesus Comes Campaign. The Trustee Board has formed a Presidential Search Committee to seek God’s man to take over the day-to-day presidential responsibilities. I will maintain both roles until the new president is on board. I am confident of the Lord’s leading in this action and believe that the transition process will provide for a smooth transition and a bright future for NEBC. In fact, I believe that the best days of NEBC are ahead.

Once again, I am turning to you, our Three Strands Partners. We need you to continue to pray, to give, to come on mission trips, and to invite others to get involved. In fact, we need your help now more than ever. To this moment, the Lord has used all of us working together to bring us to this time of unprecedented growth and spiritual impact. He will continue to use our partnership to expand the work even greater than we can imagine.

Please continue to pray with me that the Lord will use our 2025 year-end campaign to move us forward in Phase Two of the Until Jesus Comes Campaign. We are asking the Lord to use His people to meet the following goals by December 31, 2025:

1. 1.       Presidential Partners’ Scholarship Fund – $2,000,000
2. 2.       Dr. Gray Allison Student Housing Fund – $1,136,425
3. 3.       Downtown Campus Fund – $2,000,000

Meeting these year-end goals will set us up to move toward the full completion of Phase Two of the campaign in the coming year.

As you pray, please give as the Lord leads you. There is no gift too large or too small to make a difference. Together, we will move into the future and see an even greater impact for the glory of God, Until Jesus Comes!

Thank you for your faithful prayers, encouragement, and support!

In Him,

Week Forty-Six, 2025

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him” (John 3:17).

It is one of the most quoted and memorized verses in the Bible: John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” It gives a message for all to hear.

But the next verse is not so often read or memorized. It is like a postscript to the preceding verse, telling us that Jesus came not to condemn, but to save. God’s goal in sending His Son is salvation, not condemnation. John 3:17 means that God’s primary purpose for sending His Son, Jesus, into the world was not to pass judgment and condemn humanity, but to provide a way for the entire world to be saved through Him. This verse explains that salvation is the ultimate goal of Jesus’ mission, offering rescue, healing, and wholeness to all who believe.

God might justly have sent Him for this: to condemn the world. Man deserved condemnation, and it would have been right to have pronounced it; but God was willing that there should be an offer of pardon, and the sentence of condemnation was delayed. But, although Jesus did not come then to condemn mankind, the time is coming when He will return to judge the living and the dead.

Sent by God on a mission to save, Jesus came not to judge, condemn, or pass sentence, but rather to redeem. Jesus came to save—to deliver us from that spiritual death which is common to all men because of Adam’s sin. He sought to make us whole and to preserve us from danger, loss, or destruction. God’s own arm worked this salvation for us.

Remember that God sent Jesus to save you, not condemn you. Verse 17 clarifies that mission, but the requirements of Verse 16 are yours. Have you confessed your sins and believed in Him, that you might have everlasting life?

Sometimes True Stories

My name’s Frank. I’m 64, a retired electrician.

Forty-two years I spent running wires through houses, fixing breakers, making sure people had light in their kitchens and heat in their winters. Never once did anyone ask me where I went to college. Mostly, they just wanted to know if I could get the power back on before their ice cream melted.

Last May, I was at my granddaughter Emily’s school career day. You know the drill—doctors, lawyers, a software guy in a slick suit talking about “scaling startups.” I was the only one there with a tool belt and work boots.

When it was my turn, I told the kids, “I don’t have a degree. I’ve never sat in a lecture hall. But I’ve wired schools, hospitals, and your principal’s house. And when the hospital generator failed during a snowstorm in ’98, I was the one in the basement with a flashlight, keeping the lights on for newborn babies upstairs.”

The kids leaned forward. They had questions—real ones. “How do you fix stuff in the dark?” “Do you make a lot of money?” “Do you ever get zapped?” (Yes, once, and it’ll curl your hair.)

When the bell rang, one boy hung back. Small kid, freckles, hoodie too big for him. He mumbled, “My uncle’s a plumber. People laugh at him ’cause he didn’t finish high school. But… he’s the only one in the family who can fix anything.”

I looked that boy in the eye and said, “Kid, your uncle’s a hero. When your toilet overflows at midnight, Harvard ain’t sending anyone. A plumber is.”

Here’s the thing nobody told me when I was young—the world doesn’t run without tradespeople. You can have all the engineers you want, but if nobody builds the house, wires the power, or lays the pipes, those blueprints just sit in a drawer.

We’ve made it sound like trades are what you do if you can’t go to college, instead of a path you choose because you like working with your hands, solving problems, and seeing your work stand solid for decades.

Four years after high school, some kids walk away with diplomas. Others walk away with zero debt, a union card, and a skill they can take anywhere in the world. And guess what? When your furnace dies in January, it’s not the diploma that saves you.

A few weeks ago, that same freckled kid’s mom stopped me at the grocery store. She said, “You probably don’t remember, but you told my son trades are important. He’s shadowing his uncle this summer. First time I’ve seen him excited about anything in years.”

That’s the part we forget—for some kids, knowing their path is respected changes everything. It’s not about “just” fixing wires or pipes. It’s about pride. Purpose. The kind that sticks with you long after the job’s done.

So next time you meet a teenager, don’t just ask, “Where are you going to college?” Ask, “What’s your plan?” And if they say, “I’m learning to weld,” or “I’m starting an apprenticeship,” smile big and say, “That’s fantastic. We’re going to need you.”

Because we will. More than ever. And when the lights go out, you’ll be glad they showed up.

Quotes You Can Use

Listening carefully to a person’s speech will be a good start in understanding their heart and character. —Tony Ferguson

Acceptance of God’s will is the only path to true peace. Without that acceptance, there is only turmoil and struggle within. —Dan Shock

America has always been a nation that believes in the power of prayer, and we will never apologize for our faith. —Donald Trump

To please God even a little is infinitely more important than to have the praise of mankind. —Charles Spurgeon

Some people get an education without going to college. The rest get it after they get out. —Mark Twain

Stay away from negative people. They have a problem for every solution. —Albert Einstein

God said, “Be still, and know,” not “freak out and question everything.”

Life is full of questions. Idiots are full of answers. —Socrates

Yes, I am a Christian. Yes, I make hypocritical decisions. Yes, I fall. I stumble. I struggle. I am a mess, and God can turn a mess into a masterpiece.

Sacrifice—the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something with a higher claim. Are we willing to be a living sacrifice for Christ… no matter the cost? —Marty Stubblefield

We must protect Gospel unity and Gospel advancement despite disagreements and conflicts.

Ministry does not stop when you share the Gospel. Follow up with others. Don’t let conflict or disagreements hinder Gospel advancement. Be willing to forsake your freedoms in order to win others to Jesus. Don’t do ministry alone. Who are you investing in? —Edgar Aponte

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what is in us. —Ralph Waldo Emerson

He told us to not only be as harmless as doves, but also as wise as serpents. Christ wants a child’s heart, but a grown-up’s head. —C.S. Lewis

_______________________________

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to contribute your ideas and thoughts, address all items and comments to [email protected]

. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2025

Revelation 4:9”

November 15, 2025

True worship is voluntary. At its best it is a spontaneous outburst of heart, mind, and soul that springs forth unrestrained. It may be sober and thoughtful, or an overflowing of joy and thanksgiving. It is born out of the spiritual maturity of the worshiper, as he or she is released from the grip of temporal concerns to glimpse for a moment the loving care of our creator and deliverer. True worship is directed to God because it is God’s unmerited favor that gives us the understanding and ability to recognize his presence, and to give glory and honor and thanks.

You and I have heard some pretty silly excuses from people who refuse to even consider Jesus Christ to be their creator and Lord, much less the potential Savior of their souls. In spite of the fact that their eternal destinies rest with this fatal decision, and will dictate whether they spend all eternity enjoying the delights of heaven rather than the torments of hell, based on each individuals willful ignorance or prudent attention to God’s message.

It’s sad when a person responds with a mocking laugh, and turns away. I once offered such a shallow, careless, and indifferent response to those who introduced the idea of God’s great gift of salvation, even mocking them and him. I marvel that he didn’t strike me dead on the spot. But I subsequently learned that:

The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.

Psalm 145:8

Instead of listening to the claims of God, they tend to grasp foolish arguments they gather along the way, like trash from the streets. And, like Adam and Eve, they cling to each feeble argument as tightly as a barnacle clings to the hull of a ship racing to is doom upon the rocks. They are prepared to mouth the lies that Satan suggested to them as viable reasons to commit their sins. And, like Adam and Eve, they dare stand before the Lord and spout those lies in defense of their own obvious sins.

I’ve heard some of these arguments, and sadly I mouthed a few myself. I did not simply delude myself, but, miss-quoting Shakespeare, I became guilty of “…leading fools the way to dusty death.”

One of those so-called arguments is somehow born out of passages like this one, from the fourth chapter of The Revelation. There we are introduced to four “beasts” who, from time to time,

“give glory and honor and thanks to him who sat on the throne, who lives forever and ever,

And there are four and twenty elders with seated near them, who then

…fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

Revelation 4:9-11.

When non-Christians read this passage, they often respond with mocking laughter, because four strange “beasts” lead in worship to a god they do not believe exists. And you may ask, “Why would anyone pay tribute to some king whom we’ve never seen?”

Others argue, “There is no God,” and console themselves with the idea that we all came out of some primordial ooze and are merely products of evolutionary change. They therefore conclude that we are little higher than any other creature, and that life has little value except to gather all the toys we can while we can, because “He who dies with the most toys wins;” and many conclude that it is prudent to “Do unto others before they do it unto you,” a perversion of Christ’s actual command.

We are taught that life is terminal, and everything is relative. The unavoidable implication is that it’s okay to exploit others while avoiding any personal exposure to pain or inconvenience. Those arguments, taken to their logical conclusion, finds people perverting the discoveries of science and engineering to murder multitudes with advanced weapons, whether nuclear or biological. We see mothers freely aborting their own flesh and blood; men and women violating God’s natural plan for their relationships; and multitudes robbing, raping, and exploiting one another, even in the name of religions; abusing one another in every conceivable way in order to advance their own concept of pleasure and success. All this by those whom God created a little lower than the angels.

But even among the least greedy and self-centered among us, those who might even entertain the idea of a heaven and a hell—there springs the amazing argument that, “Heaven would be boring,” they would say, and then add, “I don’t want to sit on a cloud and strum a harp for all eternity.”

Perhaps the most mindless of all—in complete ignorance of the fact that God created hell for the devil and his fallen angels, as well as for all who reject the salvation offered through the gift of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, who loves us and gave himself for us—is this statement; “I’d rather be in hell with my friends.”

Those who are in hell have discovered that they are not among friends, but eternal enemies. For those people they knew, who they might recognize among the multitudes of the lost, will be filled with an enormous rage and hatred toward their former friends and associates because they hadn’t helped steer them toward heaven. Never mind that they had also failed family and friends; they will be endlessly bitter, their souls gnawed away by their inability to blame themselves for their own ignorance and willful rejection of Christ. Instead of the peace and joy of heaven–the crystal streams, flowered fields, and golden streets–they will be preoccupied with wailing and gnashing of their own teeth,suffering interminable agonizing pain for un-confessed and therefore unforgiven sins against God; sins that they committed against themselves and against others whom God created for fellowship with him. For that’s why God created us. His overflowing love required an object for his love. And yet people spurn him. So they will live in outer darkness, with not a gleam of God’s love to light their way, and without hope that their circumstances will ever change, because hell is punitive, not rehabilitative, and for those who go there, it is forever. There is no light at the end of the tunnel.

Even we Christians trifle with this awful reality, neglecting opportunities to witness about our experiences with the Lord, failing to testify of him, and neglecting Bible study and prayer.

The Bible has sobering words for those of us who spend our lives in endless pursuits of pleasure, and in shallow conversation, neglecting Christ’s great commission. Jesus warned,

For every idle work that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”

Matthew 12:36

Yet some glibly joke that they would rather go to hell rather than be bored in heaven? Really?

When those of us who have been born again—those who have made peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ—reach heaven, we shall receive glorified bodies. Our minds will be clear of confusion, our hearts filled with righteousness. We will be free of the evil thoughts and temptations and guilt we experienced in this world, free of envy and lust, and at peace with God and our fellow believers. That won’t b boring.

So please keep in mind the words of the four and twenty elders:

“…for thou has created all things, and for thy pleasure were they created.”

Revelation 4:11

That has always been God’s plan. Adam and Eve had it, but squandered their privileges. But for a while they walked and talked with God in the midst of the garden. Now we have terminated that relationship, just as our great, great, great….grandfather Adam did, so long ago.

No, my friends, heaven won’t be boring, for God created us with minds to think, hands to achieve, and hearts to love. Heaven, where we will experience joy unspeakable and full of glory, is in easy reach of all of us. The apostle Paul understood much of this, having reached a level of maturity where his fellowship with God was so intimate and conventual and uninterrupted that, whether faced with poverty or plenty, or when he was attended by a multitude of faithful friends, or faced with imaginable dangers, he had learned to be satisfied because he prayed without ceasing.

I’ve had just a taste of that kind of life as I have undertaken work both spiritual and worldly, and been compelled to keep the lines of communication between me and the Lord open in order not merely to succeed, but to survive. Like Peter, slipping beneath the waves, we’ve all learned to cry, “Help, Lord!”

But we need to be able to say, “For me, to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21).

Those four and twenty elders who serve God night and day with praise and thanksgiving have reached a much higher plane than we have found. Is it important who they are? Probably the twelve patriarchs of the Old Testament and the twelve apostles of the New. Whatever the case, they grew enough in faith, through the trials they experienced, to be quite content and joyful giving thanks to their deliverer. So remember this:

“But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him.”

I Corinthians 2:9

We are terribly limited in our spiritual understanding, and ought simply to embrace the truth that, “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17). And as we grow older, we begin to understand how fleeting this life is, and how “…we spend our years as a tale that is told” (Psalm 90:9).

You will discover soon enough what lies in wait for you. Will you understand and act before it is too late. Will you receive Jesus Christ as your savior and lord? And will you ultimately enjoy the things which God has prepared for those who love him?

11 November 2025

Un hombre se acercó a Jesús de noche y le dijo: «Rabí, sabemos que eres un maestro que ha venido de Dios, porque nadie podría hacer los milagros que tú haces si Dios no estuviera con él».

Jesús le respondió: «Les aseguro que el que no naciere de nuevo no puede ver el reino de Dios».

— Del Nuevo Testamento, la Santa Biblia (Juan 1:1-3).

Si deseas saber cómo nacer de nuevo, puedes emprender el camino que se conoce como el «Camino Romano». No, no se trata de una de las antiguas calzadas construidas por los romanos alrededor de la cuenca del Mediterráneo. Es un camino espiritual, y la guía se encuentra en otro libro del Nuevo Testamento llamado «Romanos». Es una carta divinamente inspirada a la iglesia cristiana de Roma, escrita unos veinte años después de la muerte y resurrección de Jesucristo. Si de verdad te interesa reconciliarte con Dios, estos versículos te ayudarán a lograrlo. Pero no te equivoques.

Algunas personas creen que irán al cielo porque su comportamiento cumple con ciertos estándares. O razonan que si hacen algún tipo de sacrificio para aplacar a Dios por robar, mentir, asesinar o cometer adulterio, Dios quedará satisfecho. Otros incluso creen que matar a sus enemigos en nombre de su dios les ayudará a llegar al cielo. ¡Absurdo! Dios es amor.

En las culturas occidentales, muchos creen erróneamente que se salvan por someterse al bautismo y seguir las prácticas de sus iglesias. Algunos piensan que si tratan bien a los demás o ayudan a los necesitados, complacerán al Dios Todopoderoso. No entienden que las buenas obras ocasionales no les ayudarán a llegar al cielo ni los salvarán del juicio eterno.

La Biblia señala lo obvio: ninguno de nosotros puede alcanzar la santidad de Dios por sí mismo. Dado que la idea de comprar nuestro camino al cielo haciendo buenas obras, donaciones caritativas o cumpliendo ciertas leyes apela a nuestro orgullo, la mayoría buscamos una religión que enseñe estas cosas. Otros, inconscientemente, crean su propia religión estableciendo un conjunto de reglas que parecen funcionarles, aunque se contradigan entre sí. Pero todos los que intentan labrarse su propio camino al cielo terminan viviendo vidas confusas que no satisfacen a Dios, pues su justicia exige que equilibre la misericordia con la justicia, y castiga a los injustos del mismo modo que recompensa a los fieles.

Nacimos para vivir vidas sin pecado, pero hemos fallado, y en nuestro orgullo, la mayoría intentamos ganarnos el cielo haciendo alguna buena obra de vez en cuando. Imaginen a los hombres ricos de la historia que, muy probablemente, acumularon su riqueza infringiendo la ley y perjudicando a innumerables personas. Sin embargo, al final de sus vidas, sintieron que quizá habían ganado el mundo entero, pero habían perdido su alma. Entonces, en un intento inútil de enmendar sus vidas pasadas, regalaron grandes sumas de dinero. Demasiado tarde descubrieron que la vida es corta y que la eternidad sin Dios no tiene fin. Estadista, artista, científico o ingeniero, puede que hayas desarrollado tus talentos, pero tu genio no proviene de este mundo.

Ricos o pobres, débiles o fuertes, no podemos vivir lo suficiente para expiar las malas acciones que hayamos cometido. Quizás un recuerdo fugaz acaba de cruzar nuestra mente, un vistazo al pasado. Esa sería la obra del Espíritu Santo de Dios, recordándonos algún pecado y dando testimonio de estas verdades. Aquellos momentos en que hicimos algo malo representan lagunas en nuestros días en las que deberíamos haber estado haciendo el bien. Son como baches que cavamos en nuestro propio camino, trampas que obstaculizaron y hicieron tropezar a otros. No podemos regresar y repararlos ni suavizarlos. El daño está hecho y no se puede deshacer. La oportunidad de corregir el daño se perdió en el momento en que cometimos el acto. Todos sabemos que las palabras dichas con ira no se pueden recuperar. E incluso cuando intentamos arreglar las cosas, dejamos tras de nosotros corazones rotos y vidas arruinadas, incluso la nuestra. Así que, aunque intentemos excusarnos, no podemos deshacer el daño que hemos causado a otros. Pero Dios puede sanar donde a menudo dañamos.

Si queremos ir al cielo, debemos reconciliarnos con el Dios del cielo. Necesitamos tomar el camino angosto que lleva a Dios. No debemos confiar en nuestras propias obras, sino en lo que Dios ya ha hecho por nosotros.

Lo que llamamos «El Camino Romano» es como un mapa, instrucciones paso a paso que muestran el plan de reconciliación de Dios. Si lo sigues, te llevará a la comunión eterna con Él. Aquí está:

1. Primero, debes reconocer que Dios es el Creador de todo, aceptando tu humilde posición en el orden y propósito de su creación:

«Porque desde la creación del mundo, sus atributos invisibles, su eterno poder y su divinidad, se perciben claramente a través de las cosas creadas, de modo que no tienen excusa. Pues, habiendo conocido a Dios, no le glorificaron como a Dios ni le dieron gracias, sino que se envanecieron en sus razonamientos, y su necio corazón fue entenebrecido.» (Romanos 1:20-21).

2. Entonces debes confesar que eres pecador y que necesitas perdón. Nadie es digno de él.

«Por cuanto todos pecaron y están destituidos de la gloria de Dios» (Romanos 3:23).

3. Debes comprender que solo Dios hace posible el perdón. Él nos demostró su amor al darnos la posibilidad de vivir mediante la fe en Jesucristo, quien murió en nuestro lugar para recibir el castigo por nuestros pecados.

«Pero Dios demuestra su amor para con nosotros, en que siendo aún pecadores, Cristo murió por nosotros» (Romanos 5:8).

4. Debes considerar tus pecados, arrepentirte sinceramente de haberlos cometido y luego apartarte de las prácticas impías. Si permaneces pecador, morirás. Sin embargo, si te arrepientes de tus pecados y aceptas a Jesucristo como tu Señor y Salvador, tendrás vida eterna.

«Porque la paga del pecado es muerte, pero la dádiva de Dios es vida eterna en Cristo Jesús, nuestro Señor». (Romanos 6:23).

5. Debes entregarte a Jesucristo como Señor, creer de corazón que Dios lo resucitó de entre los muertos y serás salvo.

«Si confiesas con tu boca que Jesús es el Señor y crees en tu corazón que Dios lo resucitó de entre los muertos, serás salvo. Porque con el corazón se cree para justicia, pero con la boca se confiesa para salvación» (Romanos 10:9-10).

Es tan sencillo que parece increíble. Pero no se requieren fórmulas ni rituales religiosos. ¡Solo invoca el nombre del Señor y serás salvo!

«Porque todo aquel que invoque el nombre del Señor será salvo» (Romanos 10:13).

¡No esperes más! Decide ahora mismo en tu corazón aceptar a Jesucristo como el Señor de tu vida.

«Porque de él, por él y para él son todas las cosas. A él sea la gloria por los siglos de los siglos. Amén.» (Romanos 11:36).

Ese es el camino de salvación. Eso es lo que debes hacer para cumplir con el requisito de Dios de nacer de nuevo.

¿Estás listo para liberarte de la culpa y el peso del pecado que llevas, para sentir la pureza y el gozo de ser un hijo renacido del Rey de reyes y Señor de señores? ¿Estás listo para aceptar el regalo de la salvación que Dios te ofrece ahora? Si es así, vuelve a leer esos cinco versículos. Cree en lo que Jesucristo hizo por ti cuando murió en la cruz. Arrepiéntete de tus pecados y entrégale el resto de tu vida.

Considera hacer una oración como esta:

“Padre, sé que he quebrantado tus leyes y mis pecados me han separado de ti. Lo siento de corazón y ahora quiero apartarme de mi vida de pecado y volverme a ti. Por favor, perdóname y ayúdame a no pecar más. Creo que tu Hijo, Jesucristo, murió por mis pecados, resucitó de entre los muertos, está vivo y escucha mis oraciones. Invito a Jesús a ser el Señor de mi vida, a que reine en mi corazón desde hoy en adelante. Por favor, envía tu Espíritu Santo para que me ayude a obedecer, me enseñe, me proteja, me guíe y me bendiga. Me comprometo a hacer tu voluntad y te agradezco que, cuando esta vida termine, viviré contigo para siempre. En el nombre de Jesús oro. Amén.”

Si decidiste recibir a Jesús hoy, bienvenido a la familia de Dios. Ahora, para acercarnos más a Él, la Biblia nos dice que cumplamos con nuestro compromiso.

«Arrepentíos, y bautícese cada uno de vosotros en el nombre de Jesucristo para perdón de los pecados; y recibiréis el don del Espíritu Santo» (Hechos 2:38).

Bautízate en agua como Cristo lo mandó.

Comparte tu nueva fe en Cristo con alguien.

Dedica tiempo a Dios cada día. No tiene que ser mucho tiempo. Simplemente crea el hábito diario de orar y leer su Palabra, la Biblia. Pídele a Dios que aumente tu fe y tu comprensión de la Biblia.

Busca la comunión con otros seguidores de Jesús. Forma un grupo de amigos creyentes que puedan responder tus preguntas y apoyarte.

Encuentra una iglesia local donde puedas adorar a Dios.

¡Y Dios te bendecirá abundantemente!

11 November 2025

جاء رجل إلى يسوع ليلاً وقال: “يا معلم، نعلم أنك معلمٌ من عند الله، لأنه لا يقدر أحدٌ

أن يصنع هذه المعجزات التي تصنعها إن لم يكن الله معه”.

أجاب يسوع: “الحق الحق أقول لكم: لا يقدر أحدٌ أن يرى ملكوت الله إلا إذا وُلِد من جديد”.

– من العهد الجديد، الكتاب المقدس (يوحنا ١: ١-٣).

إذا أردت أن تعرف كيف تولد من جديد، يمكنك أن تسلك ما يُسمى “الطريق الروماني”. كلا، هذا ليس أحد الطرق السريعة القديمة التي بناها الرومان حول حوض البحر الأبيض المتوسط. إنها رحلة روحية، والخريطة موجودة في سفر آخر من العهد الجديد يُدعى “الرومان”. إنها رسالة موحى بها من الله إلى الكنيسة المسيحية في روما، كُتبت بعد حوالي عشرين عامًا من موت يسوع المسيح وقيامته. إذا كنتَ مهتمًا بصدقٍ بالتصالح مع الله، فستساعدك هذه الآيات على تحقيق هدفك. لكن لا تُخطئ.

يعتقد بعض الناس أنهم سيدخلون الجنة لأن سلوكهم يفي بمعايير معينة. أو يظنون أنهم إذا قدموا أي تضحية لإرضاء الله على السرقة أو الكذب أو القتل أو الزنا، فإن الله سيرضى. ويعتقد آخرون أن قتل أعدائهم باسم إلههم سيساعدهم في الوصول إلى الجنة. هذا هراء! الله محبة.

في الثقافات الغربية، يعتقد الكثيرون خطأً أنهم ينجون لأنهم يخضعون لمعمودية الماء ويتبعون ممارسات كنائسهم. ويشعر البعض أنهم إذا عاملوا الآخرين باعتدال، أو تبرعوا للمحتاجين، فإنهم سيرضون الله القدير. إنهم لا يدركون أن الأعمال الصالحة العرضية لن تساعدهم على الوصول إلى الجنة، ولن تنقذهم من الدينونة الأبدية.

يشير الكتاب المقدس إلى أمر بديهي: لا أحد منا يستطيع أن ينال قداسة الله بمفرده. وبما أن فكرة شراء طريقنا إلى الجنة عن طريق الأعمال الصالحة أو التبرعات الخيرية أو الامتثال لبعض الشرائع تثير كبرياءنا، فإن معظمنا يبحث عن دين يعلم هذه الأمور. يُنشئ آخرون، دون وعي، دينهم الخاص بوضع قواعدهم الخاصة التي تبدو مناسبة لهم، حتى وإن تناقضت. لكن كل من يسعى إلى الجنة ينتهي به المطاف إلى عيش حياة مضطربة لا تُرضي الله، لأن بره يقتضي منه الموازنة بين الرحمة والعدل، ويُعاقب الظالم كما يُكافئ المؤمنين.

لقد خُلقنا لنعيش حياةً بلا خطيئة، لكننا فشلنا، وفي كبريائنا يسعى معظمنا إلى دخول الجنة بفعل الخير بين الحين والآخر. تخيّل أثرياء التاريخ الذين جمعوا ثرواتهم على الأرجح بمخالفة القوانين وإيذاء عدد لا يُحصى من الناس. ومع ذلك، في نهاية حياتهم، شعروا أنهم ربما ربحوا العالم كله، لكنهم خسروا أنفسهم. ثم، في محاولة يائسة لإصلاح حياتهم الماضية، ضحوا بمبالغ طائلة. اكتشفوا بعد فوات الأوان أن الحياة قصيرة، وأن الخلود في الكفر لا نهاية له. يا رجل الدولة، يا فنان، يا عالم، يا مهندس، ربما تكون قد طورت مواهبك، لكن عبقريتك لم تأتِ إليك من هذا العالم. وسواءً كنت غنيًا أم فقيرًا، ضعيفًا أم قويًا، فلن تعمر طويلًا بما يكفي لتكفير ما اقترفته من شرور. ربما خطرت ببالك ذكرى عابرة، لمحة من الماضي. هذا من عمل روح الله القدوس، تُذكرك بذنوب، وتُثبت لك هذه الحقائق. تلك الأوقات التي ارتكبنا فيها فعلًا سيئًا تُمثل فجوات في أيامنا كان ينبغي أن نكون فيها صالحين. إنها كحفر حفرناها في دروبنا، فخاخ أعاقت الآخرين وعثرتهم. لا يمكننا الرجوع إليها وإصلاحها أو تنعيمها. الضرر قد وقع، ولا يمكن إصلاحه. لقد فاتتنا فرصة تصحيح الضرر لحظة ارتكابنا الفعل. نعلم جميعًا أن الكلمات التي تُقال في غضب لا تُستعاد. وحتى عندما نحاول تلطيف الأمور، نترك وراءنا قلوبًا مكسورة وحياة مدمرة – حتى حياتنا. لذا، بينما نحاول تبرير أنفسنا، لا يمكننا إصلاح الضرر الذي سببناه للآخرين. لكن الله قادر على الشفاء حيث نؤذي الآخرين غالبًا. إذا أردنا بلوغ الجنة، فعلينا أن نتصالح مع إله السماء. علينا أن نسلك الطريق الضيق المؤدي إلى الله. يجب ألا نعتمد على أعمالنا، بل على ما صنعه الله لنا.

ما نسميه “الطريق الروماني” هو بمثابة خريطة طريق، توجيهات خطوة بخطوة تُظهر لك خطة الله للمصالحة. باتباعك إياها، ستقودك إلى شركة أبدية مع الله. وإليك ما يلي:

1. أولًا، يجب أن تُقرّ بأن الله خالق كل شيء، مُقرًّا بمكانتك المتواضعة في نظام الله المخلوق ومقصده:

“لأن صفاته غير المنظورة تُرى منذ خلق العالم، مُدركة بالمصنوعات، حتى قدرته السرمدية وألوهيته، حتى إنهم بلا عذر، لأنهم لما عرفوا الله، لم يُمجّدوه ولا شكروه كإله، بل حمقوا في أفكارهم، وأظلمت قلوبهم الغبية.” (رومية 1: 20-21).

٢. إذًا عليك أن تعترف بأنك خاطئ وأنك بحاجة إلى الغفران. لا أحد منا مستحق

.

“لأن الجميع أخطأوا وأعوزهم مجد الله.” (رومية ٣: ٢٣).

٣. عليك أن تفهم أن الله وحده هو الذي يجعل الغفران ممكنًا. لقد أظهر لنا محبته بمنحنا إمكانية الحياة بالثقة بيسوع المسيح الذي مات بدلًا عنا ليتحمل عقاب خطايانا.

“ولكن الله بيّن محبته لنا، إذ ونحن بعد خطاة، مات المسيح لأجلنا.” (رومية ٥: ٨).

٤. عليك أن تفكر في خطاياك، وأن تندم عليها ندمًا حقيقيًا، ثم تتوب وتبتعد عن الممارسات الخاطئة. إذا بقيت خاطئًا، ستموت. أما إذا تبت عن خطاياك، وقبلت يسوع المسيح ربًا ومخلصًا لك، فستنال الحياة الأبدية.

“لأن أجرة الخطيئة هي موت، وأما هبة الله فهي حياة أبدية بالمسيح يسوع ربنا.” (رومية ٦: ٢٣).

٥. يجب أن تُسلّم نفسك ليسوع المسيح ربًا، وأن تؤمن إيمانًا حقيقيًا في قلبك بأن الله أقامه من بين الأموات، فتُخلّص.

“لأنك إن اعترفت بفمك بالرب يسوع، وآمنت بقلبك أن الله أقامه من بين الأموات، خلصت. لأن القلب يُؤمن به للبر، والفم يُعترف به للخلاص.” (رومية ١٠: ٩-١٠).

الأمر بسيط لدرجة أنه يبدو غير واقعي. لكن لا توجد صيغ أو طقوس دينية مطلوبة. فقط ادع باسم الرب، فتُخلّص!

“لأن كل من يدعو باسم الرب يخلص” (رومية ١٠: ١٣).

لا تنتظر! صمّم في قلبك الآن أن تجعل يسوع المسيح ربًا لحياتك.

“لأن منه وبه وله كل الأشياء، له المجد إلى الأبد. آمين.” (رومية ١١: ٣٦). هذا هو الطريق الروماني. هذا ما ستفعله لتلبية مطلب الله “أن تولد من جديد”.

هل أنت مستعد للتخلص من ذنب وعبء خطاياك، لتشعر بنقاء وفرح كونك مولودًا من جديد لملك الملوك ورب الأرباب؟ هل أنت مستعد لقبول هبة الله للخلاص الآن؟ إذا كان الأمر كذلك، فراجع الآيات الخمس أعلاه. آمن بما فعله يسوع المسيح من أجلك عندما مات من أجلك على الصليب. تب عن خطاياك، وسلم له ما تبقى من حياتك. فكّر في تلاوة صلاة كهذه:

“يا أبتِ، أعلم أنني خالفتُ شرائعك، وأن خطاياي فصلتني عنك. أنا آسفٌ جدًا، والآن أريد أن أتوب عن حياتي الماضية الخاطئة إليك. أرجوك سامحني، وساعدني على تجنّب الخطيئة مرةً أخرى. أؤمن أن ابنك، يسوع المسيح، مات من أجل خطاياي، وقام من بين الأموات، وهو حيّ، ويسمع صلواتي. أدعو يسوع أن يصبح ربّ حياتي، ليحكم ويملك في قلبي من هذا اليوم فصاعدًا. أرجوك أن ترسل روحك القدوس ليساعدني على الطاعة، ويعلّمني ويحميني، ويهديني، ويجلب البركات إلى حياتي. ألتزم بتنفيذ مشيئتك، وأشكرك لأنه عندما تنتهي هذه 14 ptالحياة، سأعيش معك إلى الأبد. باسم يسوع أصلي. آمين.”

إذا قررتَ قبول يسوع اليوم، فمرحبًا بك في عائلة الله. والآن، كطريقةٍ للتقرّب منه، يُعلّمنا الكتاب المقدس أن نلتزم بالتزامنا.

• «توبوا، وليعتمد كل واحد منكم باسم يسوع المسيح لغفران الخطايا، فتنالوا عطية الروح القدس» (أعمال الرسل ٢: ٣٨).

• اعتمدوا بالماء كما أمر المسيح.

• أخبروا غيركم بإيمانكم الجديد بالمسيح.

• اقضوا وقتًا مع الله يوميًا. ليس بالضرورة أن تكون فترة طويلة. فقط طوّروا عادة يومية بالصلاة إليه وقراءة كلمته، الكتاب المقدس. اطلبوا من الله أن يزيد إيمانكم وفهمكم للكتاب المقدس.

• اسعَوا إلى الشركة مع أتباع يسوع الآخرين. كونوا مجموعة من الأصدقاء المؤمنين للإجابة على أسئلتكم ودعمكم.

• ابحثوا عن كنيسة محلية حيث يمكنكم عبادة الله.

وسيبارككم الله بسخاء!

11 November 2025

Un homme vint trouver Jésus de nuit et lui dit : « Rabbi, nous savons que tu es un maître venu de Dieu, car personne ne pourrait accomplir les miracles que tu fais si Dieu n’était pas avec lui. »

Jésus lui répondit : « En vérité, en vérité, je te le dis, si un homme ne naît de nouveau, il ne peut voir le royaume de Dieu. »

— Extrait du Nouveau Testament, la Sainte Bible (Jean 1:1-3).

Si vous souhaitez savoir comment naître de nouveau, vous pouvez emprunter ce que l’on appelle le « Chemin de Rome ». Non, il ne s’agit pas d’une des anciennes routes construites par les Romains autour du bassin méditerranéen. C’est un cheminement spirituel, dont la carte se trouve dans un autre livre du Nouveau Testament intitulé « Romains ». C’est une lettre inspirée par Dieu, adressée à l’Église chrétienne de Rome et écrite une vingtaine d’années après la mort et la résurrection de Jésus-Christ. Si vous désirez sincèrement faire la paix avec Dieu, ces versets vous aideront à atteindre votre but. Mais ne vous y trompez pas. Certaines personnes croient qu’elles iront au ciel parce que leur comportement répond à certains critères. D’autres pensent qu’en faisant un sacrifice pour apaiser Dieu après avoir volé, menti, tué ou commis l’adultère, Dieu sera satisfait. D’autres encore croient que tuer leurs ennemis au nom de leur dieu leur permettra d’accéder au ciel. Absurde ! Dieu est amour.

Dans les cultures occidentales, beaucoup croient à tort être sauvés parce qu’ils se font baptiser et suivent les pratiques de leur Église. Certains pensent qu’en traitant les autres raisonnablement bien ou en aidant les nécessiteux, ils satisferont le Dieu tout-puissant. Ils ne comprennent pas que les bonnes actions ponctuelles ne leur permettront ni d’accéder au ciel, ni de se sauver du jugement éternel.

La Bible est claire : nul ne peut atteindre la sainteté de Dieu par ses propres moyens. Puisque l’idée de gagner notre place au ciel en faisant de bonnes œuvres, en faisant des dons ou en respectant certaines lois flatte notre orgueil, la plupart d’entre nous recherchent une religion qui enseigne ces choses. D’autres, inconsciemment, créent leur propre religion en établissant un ensemble de règles qui leur semblent convenir, même si elles se contredisent. Mais tous ceux qui tentent de se frayer leur propre chemin vers le paradis finissent par mener une vie confuse qui ne satisfera pas Dieu, car sa justice exige qu’il équilibre la miséricorde et la justice, et qu’il punisse les injustes tout comme il récompense les fidèles.

Nous sommes nés pour vivre une vie sans péché, mais nous avons échoué, et, dans notre orgueil, la plupart d’entre nous essayons de gagner notre place au paradis en faisant occasionnellement de bonnes actions. Imaginons les hommes riches de l’histoire qui, très probablement, ont amassé leur fortune en enfreignant les lois et en nuisant à d’innombrables personnes. Pourtant, à la fin de leur vie, ils ont senti qu’ils avaient peut-être gagné le monde entier, mais perdu leur âme. Alors, dans une vaine tentative de corriger leur passé, ils ont fait don de sommes considérables. Trop tard, ils ont découvert que la vie est courte et qu’une éternité sans Dieu est sans fin. Homme d’État, artiste, scientifique ou ingénieur, vous avez peut-être développé vos talents, mais votre génie ne vous vient pas de ce monde.

Riche ou pauvre, faible ou fort, la vie est trop courte pour expier le mal commis. Un souvenir vient peut-être de vous traverser l’esprit, un aperçu du passé. C’est l’œuvre du Saint-Esprit, qui vous rappelle un péché et confirme ces vérités. Ces moments où nous avons mal agi représentent des lacunes dans nos vies, des périodes où nous aurions dû faire le bien. Ils sont comme des nids-de-poule que nous avons creusés sur notre propre chemin, des pièges qui ont entravé et fait trébucher autrui. Impossible de revenir en arrière pour les réparer ou les aplanir. Le mal est fait, irréparable. L’occasion de corriger nos erreurs s’est envolée dès l’instant où nous avons commis l’acte. Nous savons tous que les paroles prononcées sous le coup de la colère sont irrévocables. Et même lorsque nous essayons d’apaiser les tensions, nous laissons derrière nous des cœurs brisés et des vies ruinées, y compris la nôtre. Alors, même si nous cherchons à nous excuser, nous ne pouvons réparer le mal que nous avons causé. Mais Dieu peut guérir là où nous blessons. Si nous voulons aller au ciel, nous devons faire la paix avec le Dieu du ciel. Il nous faut emprunter le chemin étroit qui mène à Dieu. Nous ne devons pas nous fier à nos propres œuvres, mais plutôt à ce que Dieu a déjà fait pour nous.

Ce que nous appelons « la Voie romaine » est comme une feuille de route, un guide étape par étape qui révèle le plan de réconciliation de Dieu. Si vous le suivez, il vous conduira à la communion éternelle avec Dieu. Le voici :

1. Premièrement, vous devez reconnaître que Dieu est le Créateur de toute chose, en acceptant votre humble place dans l’ordre et le dessein qu’il a établis :

« En effet, depuis la création du monde, ses attributs invisibles, sa puissance éternelle et sa divinité, se voient clairement, étant perçus par ce qu’il a fait. Ils sont donc inexcusables, car, ayant connu Dieu, ils ne l’ont point glorifié comme Dieu, ni ne lui ont rendu grâces ; mais ils se sont égarés dans leurs pensées, et leur cœur sans intelligence a été plongé dans les ténèbres.» (Romains 1:20-21).

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2. Ensuite, vous devez confesser que vous êtes pécheur et que vous avez besoin de pardon. Nul n’en est digne.

« Car tous ont péché et sont privés de la gloire de Dieu. » (Romains 3:23)

3. Vous devez comprendre que seul Dieu rend le pardon possible. Il nous a manifesté son amour en nous donnant la possibilité de la vie par la foi en Jésus-Christ, qui est mort à notre place pour expier nos péchés.

« Mais Dieu prouve son amour envers nous, en ce que, lorsque nous étions encore pécheurs, Christ est mort pour nous. » (Romains 5:8)

4. Vous devez examiner vos péchés, éprouver un véritable regret de les avoir commis, puis vous repentir et vous détourner des pratiques impies. Si vous persistez dans le péché, vous mourrez. Cependant, si vous vous repentez de vos péchés et acceptez Jésus-Christ comme votre Seigneur et Sauveur, vous aurez la vie éternelle.

« Car le salaire du péché, c’est la mort ; mais le don gratuit de Dieu, c’est la vie éternelle en Jésus-Christ notre Seigneur. » (Romains 6:23).

5. Vous devez vous soumettre à Jésus-Christ comme Seigneur, croire sincèrement dans votre cœur que Dieu l’a ressuscité des morts, et vous serez sauvés.

« Si tu confesses de ta bouche le Seigneur Jésus, et si tu crois dans ton cœur que Dieu l’a ressuscité des morts, tu seras sauvé. Car c’est en croyant du cœur qu’on parvient à la justice, et c’est en confessant de la bouche qu’on parvient au salut. » (Romains 10:9-10).

C’est si simple que cela semble incroyable. Pourtant, aucune formule religieuse ni aucun rituel n’est requis. Invoquez simplement le nom du Seigneur et vous serez sauvés !

« Car quiconque invoquera le nom du Seigneur sera sauvé. » (Romains 10:13).

N’attendez pas ! Décidez dès maintenant, en votre cœur, de faire de Jésus-Christ le Seigneur de votre vie.

« Car c’est de lui, par lui et pour lui que sont toutes choses. À lui la gloire éternellement ! Amen. » (Romains 11:36).

Voici le chemin de Rome. C’est ce que vous devez faire pour satisfaire à l’exigence de Dieu : « Il vous faut naître de nouveau. »

Êtes-vous prêt à vous libérer de la culpabilité et du fardeau du péché, à ressentir la pureté et la joie d’être un enfant né de nouveau du Roi des rois et Seigneur des seigneurs ? Êtes-vous prêt à accepter dès maintenant le don du salut offert par Dieu ? Si oui, relisez les cinq versets ci-dessus. Croyez en ce que Jésus-Christ a accompli pour vous en mourant sur la croix. Repentez-vous de vos péchés et confiez-lui le reste de votre vie. Vous pourriez réciter une prière comme celle-ci :

« Père, je sais que j’ai transgressé tes lois et que mes péchés m’ont séparé de toi. Je le regrette profondément et je veux maintenant me détourner de ma vie passée de péché pour me tourner vers toi. Pardonne-moi, je t’en prie, et aide-moi à ne plus pécher. Je crois que ton Fils, Jésus-Christ, est mort pour mes péchés, est ressuscité, est vivant et entend mes prières. J’invite Jésus à devenir le Seigneur de ma vie, à régner dans mon cœur dès aujourd’hui. Envoie ton Saint-Esprit pour m’aider à obéir, pour m’enseigner et me protéger, pour me guider et pour bénir ma vie. Je m’engage à faire ta volonté et je te remercie car, après ma mort, je vivrai avec toi pour toujours. C’est au nom de Jésus que je prie. Amen.»

Si vous avez décidé d’accueillir Jésus aujourd’hui, bienvenue dans la famille de Dieu. Pour approfondir notre relation avec lui, la Bible nous invite à persévérer dans notre engagement. « Repentez-vous, et que chacun de vous soit baptisé au nom de Jésus-Christ, pour le pardon de vos péchés ; et vous recevrez le don du Saint-Esprit » (Actes 2.38).

Faites-vous baptiser d’eau, comme le Christ l’a commandé.

Parlez de votre nouvelle foi en Christ à quelqu’un.

Prenez du temps avec Dieu chaque jour. Il n’est pas nécessaire que ce soit long. Prenez simplement l’habitude de prier Dieu quotidiennement et de lire sa Parole, la Bible. Demandez à Dieu d’accroître votre foi et votre compréhension de la Bible.

Recherchez la communion fraternelle avec d’autres disciples de Jésus. Entourez-vous d’un groupe d’amis croyants qui pourront répondre à vos questions et vous soutenir.

Trouvez une église locale où vous pourrez adorer Dieu.

Et Dieu vous bénira abondamment !