In speaking with a fellow
Christian lately via email, his last response was, “Many
church people are
scared of dying and the thought of End Times. Part of it is due to the
uncertainty of where they are going. Another part is pastors have done such a
poor job of telling them what Heaven is really like. Most Christians think we
will just sit around, sing and listen to Jesus preach. Hollywood has taken all
the joy and excitement out of going to Heaven and the church has done little to
counter it.”
· Is it possible that Christians are afraid of dying?
· Is it possible that Christians become frightened when
speaking of End Times?
· Is it possible that Christians are not sure where
they’re going after they die?
· Is it possible that pastors have done a poor job of
informing the flock of Heaven?
· Is it possible that Christians think we sit around in
Heaven, just singing and listening to Jesus preach?
· Is it possible that Hollywood has confused so many
about Heaven, and the Church has done little to counter it?
I’ve read my friend’s
statement several times, and would have to totally agree. All that is stated is
not only possible, but it must be true. As I recall my experiences with other
Christians, listening closely to their comments, it becomes quite evident they
are experiencing fear when they should be enjoying peace and an excited
expectation of our Lord’s return. Generally though, this isn’t the case.
· Is it possible that Christians are afraid of dying?
I don’t guess anyone looks
forward to the dying process, but a Christian should have no fear of death. Actually,
none of us really dies. Our body dies, but the real ‘me’ never dies, Christian
or non-Christian.
When the Christian dies, he
or she leaves the body and goes immediately to Heaven to be with God. When the
non-Christian dies, he or she leaves the body and goes immediately to hell to
be apart from God.
The Christian: “We are
confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be
present with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8)
The non-Christian: “… the
rich man also died, and was buried; And
in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments …” (Luke 16:22-23)
Let’s go back to that part of
the actual dying process. Should we fear dying? We can see that the Christian
should have no fear of death, but what about getting there; i.e. the dying
process. The first verse that comes to mind is one that is very familiar to all
of us. It goes like this.
“Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalms 23:4)
I believe with all my heart
that the Lord pours out additional grace for His children when it is time for
us to go home. Notice from the verse that as we go through the dying process we
have no fear, because the Lord Himself is with us and He provides the comfort
only He can give.
· Is it possible that Christians become frightened when
speaking of End Times?
Perhaps the reason for being
scared of End Time events is not realizing that if you are a Christian, you
won’t be here.
It is most evident when
reading about the seals, trumpets and bowl judgments that life on earth during
the Tribulation is going to be so bad that God will cut it short so that all of
humanity will not be slaughtered. BUT, if you are a Christian, you will not be
here. You will be in Heaven.
Jesus says to the Church in
John 14:1-4 that He will take us out first.
He says in 1 Thessalonians
4:13-18 the same thing.
He says in Revelation 3:10 He
will keep us FROM that hour (of Tribulation).
He says in 1 Thessalonians
5:9 that we (the Church) are not appointed to wrath (the Tribulation).
He shows us in Revelation 4:1
that as soon as the Church age ends, the Church is removed from the earth and
taken to Heaven and the Tribulation begins afterwards.
I haven’t gone in depth but
these Scriptures give us brief but solid evidence the Church will not be here
when the bad stuff happens. We’ll be in Heaven. So don’t be afraid about the
End Times. For the Christian, there is nothing to fear.
I love the way the New Living
Translation (NLT) translates Philippians 4:6, “Don’t worry about anything;
instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all
he has done.”
· Is it possible that Christians are not sure where
they’re going after they die?
To answer this question, go
back and read the answers to “Is it possible that Christians are afraid of
dying?” Again, we should not fear. Our home is in Heaven, and when the last
breath leaves our body, we will be home with the Lord.
· Is it possible that pastors have done a poor job of
informing the flock of Heaven?
Oh Yeah! Is it ever?! This is
one of my biggest pet peeves, pastors who refuse to declare the WHOLE Word of
God. Prophecy comprises at least 25-33% of the Bible, yet it is totally ignored
by most that stand behind the pulpit. And then there are those pastors and
religious speakers who address prophecy, but are so inept at doing so they
confuse the confused even more.
Do as the Bereans. “And the people
of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened
eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if
Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.” (NLT)
Wherever you attend church,
listen eagerly, (not critically) and search the Scriptures daily while asking
for God’s guidance.
· Is it possible that Christians think we sit around in
Heaven, just singing and listening to Jesus preach?
Strangely enough, this is
exactly what so many unlearned Christians think, and there can be only one
reason for that, laziness. I’m sorry for being so blunt, but that’s pretty much
it in a nutshell. So many Christians are just too lazy to actually study the
Bible. Most don’t even read it, let alone study it. What does God say about
this?
“Study to shew thyself
approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing
the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
Right there is the number one
problem from the pulpit to the pew. It is a lack of getting into the Word and
asking God to lead us by His Spirt in knowing what He wants us to know.
I’ve known many preachers who
don’t study (you can tell), but get up and ‘speak off the cuff,’ or ‘study’ the
night before. Apparently, they think what they have to say is more important
than what God has to say.
If you are not being
nutritionally fed, then maybe you need to go elsewhere. Concerning prophecy, it
may never come from your local shepherd, or it may be distorted. With that in
mind, you may need to look around even more.
One thing about the
millennial period and Heaven we should all know is that we will be busy. We
each will have responsibilities assigned us by the Lord based on our
faithfulness to Him while on earth. It can be seen with just a casual reading of
the Bible that God does not endorse laziness. We will be busy and loving every
minute of it.
· Is it possible that Hollywood has confused so many
about Heaven, and the Church has done little to counter it?
It most certainly is
possible. Can’t you just hear, “I saw the movie, so it must be true.” “It was
on the History channel, and you know they wouldn’t lie.”
Hollywood pours out the
garbage, and a lot of people have become garbage collectors. They say, “One
person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” That may work occasionally in
antique collecting, but not in the spiritual realm. Trash is trash, and will
always be trash and garbage is garbage.
I would hesitate to even
guess at what percentage Hollywood, from the big screen to the living room
screen, has affected our thinking in the United States of America. Could it be
that nearly all our beliefs have been grown from the seeds that Hollywood has
planted in our brains over the last 50-60 years? By the way, they’ve kept those
seeds well fertilized with an abundant supply of manure.
Think about the influence on
our minds from; movies, TV shows, talk shows, comedies, sitcoms, reality shows,
political programs, news programs, even sports, etc.
Our brains have been
bombarded from all these sources and are at the mercy of someone else’s point
of view. That is why it is very important
as Christians to saturate our minds with the Word of God! HOWEVER, most
Christians do not do that, and this is why they are so confused about “What is
the Truth?” How are we going to know the Truth, when all we listen to is the
bologna coming from Satan’s pundits?
Wrapping this up let me say
this, as a Christian you do not need to fear or be in doubt. Everything you
need to grow spiritually and overcome the doubts and fears has been provided by
God in His Word. In addition, His Spirit resides in you and will patiently lead
you throughout your life and bring you safely home when the time comes.
So relax, and enjoy your walk
with the Lord on earth, because when we leave here it gets even better, so much
better the Apostle Paul couldn’t even put it in words.
“that I was caught up to
paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words,
things no human is allowed to tell.” (2 Corinthians 12:4) NLT
Grant Phillips
Email: grantphillips@windstream.net
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
