Lazarus And The Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31)

By: Gladys Raquel Hernández




This passage about Lazarus and the Rich Man in the Bible, warns us what is going to happen to us after our physical death if we have not accepted Jesus Christ as our unique Savior and if we have not repented of our faults and sins while we lived on earth.

This chapter states that there was once a rich man who wore expensive clothes and every day ate the best food. But a poor beggar named Lazarus was brought to the gate of the rich man´s house. He was happy just to eat the scraps that fell from the rich man´s table. His body was covered with sores, and dogs kept coming up to lick them. The poor man died, and angels took him to the place of honor next to Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. (Luke 16:19-22)

“He went to hell and was suffering terribly. When he looked up and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side, he said to Abraham, “have pity on me!. Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water and touch my tongue. I´m suffering terribly in this fire”. Abraham answered, “My friend, remember that while you lived, you had everything good, and Lazarus had everything bad. Now he is happy, and you are in pain. And besides, there is a deep ditch between us, and no one from either side can cross over”. But the rich man said, “Abraham, then please send Lazarus to my father´s home. Let him warn my five brothers, so they won´t come to this horrible place”. Abraham answered, “Your brothers can read what Moses and the prophets wrote. They should pay attention to that”. Then the rich man said, “No, that´s not enough! If only someone from the dead would go to them, they would listen and turn to God”. So Abraham said, “If they won´t pay attention to Moses and the prophets, they won´t listen even to someone who comes back from the dead”. (Luke 16:23-31)

This interesting and alarming passage clearly teaches us in detail the terrible consequences that disobedience to the Lord bring about, as He is our unique and wise God, Sovereign over history.

Abraham talks plainly to the rich man as he points to the deep ditch that separates the Hades or Sheol from heaven. That means that even though we would yearn to help someone to get out of the Hades or Sheol, we just cannot do so.

It is important to notice that the Hades (in Greek “Kingdom of death”) or Sheol (in Hebrew) is a place full of torment, of darkness, of complete separation from God, where the rebels, cowards, immoral, unfaithful or dirty-minded people go (those who have rebelled against God and whose names are not written in the book of life) before being thrown into the lake of fire and burning sulfur after the judgment at the Great White Throne (final judgment) and will be in pain day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:10-15 and 21:8)

We can view the following biblical verses:

“I also saw all the dead people standing in front of that throne. Every one of them was there, no matter who they had once been. Several books were opened, and then the book of life was opened. The dead were judged by what those books said they had done. The sea gave up the dead people who were in it, and death and its kingdom also gave up their dead. Then everyone was judged by what they had done. Afterwards, death and its kingdom were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Anyone whose name wasn´t written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire”. (Revelation 20:12-15)

In said passage, Abraham warns the rich man to listen to What Moses and the prophets wrote. At present, this story is repeated, as God´s plan is extended to all the human race of all times. God also warns us to listen to His different servants, (Apostles, Prophets, Missionaries, Pastors and Teachers), that is, people who have matured in their faith, who have had personal encounters with Jesus Christ throughout their lives, who have accepted Him as Savior and who have understood God´s plan for them.

We can appreciate clearly through this present passage that it is only during this earthly life that we can have the possibility to encounter Jesus and accept Him as our savior. Therefore, no one and nothing can intervene in our favor after our physical death. “The opportunity to get redemption of our souls is only during our lives”.

How is it possible not to take care of our eternal life, to divert our attention from it?. We must guard our thoughts and our own salvation, by persevering to the end of our lives. If we do not do it for ourselves, who will do so? It is important to reflect seriously on this. God is even patient and is waiting for you with His arms extended so that you go back to Him and so that He can live forever in your life!!!!

“Carefully guard your thoughts because they are the source of true life”. (Proverbs 4:23)

“The Lord isn´t slow about keeping His promises, as some people think He is. In fact, God is patient because He wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost”. (2º Peter 3:9)

AMEN!!!

Who Is The Ruler Of This World?

By: Gladys Raquel Hernández



"Put on all the armor that God gives, so you can defend yourself against the devil´s tricks. We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world. So put on all the armor that God gives. Then when that evil day comes, you will be able to defend yourself. And when the battle is over you will still be standing firm”. (Ephesians 6:11-13)

“This world´s people are now being judged and the ruler of this world is already being thrown out!. (John 12:31)

It is possible to view through these biblical verses that there is an opponent, an adversary, an enemy who opposes our love relationship with God. This spiritual being once belonged to God´s army in heaven and was the protector cherubim: one of God´s winged attendants and the most important angel in God´s kingdom, who was in charge of taking care of all God´s creation in the holy mountain. This spiritual being was perfect to fulfill his mission, but he had a shortcoming and made a serious mistake: he became conceited with his complete beauty and perfection and wanted to occupy God´s place. Therefore, God threw him down to the earth. This spiritual being was Lucifer. Lucifer is Satan, the angel rebelled against God and forced out of his place in heaven together with a third of angels in his favor.

We can appreciate the following biblical verses that establish these concepts:

“At one time, you were perfect, intelligent, and good-looking”. (Ezekiel 28:12)

“I appointed a winged creature to guard your home on my holy mountain, where you walked among gems that dazzled like fire”. (Ezekiel 28:14)

“You said to yourself, I´ll climb to heaven and place my throne above the highest stars. I´ll sit there with the gods far away in the north. I´ll be above the clouds, just like God Most High”. (Isaiah 14:13-14)

“You traded with other nations and became more and more cruel and evil. So I forced you to leave my mountain, and the creature that had been your protector now chased you away from the gems”. (Ezekiel 28:16)

“But the dragon lost the battle. It and its angels were forced out of their places in heaven and were thrown down to the earth. Yes, that old snake and his angels were thrown out of heaven! That snake, who fools everyone on earth, is known as the devil and Satan”. (Revelation 12:8-9)

Satan as well as his demons (fallen angels) thrown down to the earth are full of hatred and rancor towards the entire human race, which they have been enticing and deceiving since the very beginning, because the devil and his demons know that they will be finally thrown into the lake of fire and burning sulfur from which they will never get out and will be in pain day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:10 and 21:8)

“Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. But you must resist the devil and stay strong in your faith. You know that all over the world the Lord´s followers are suffering just as you are”. (1º Peter 5:8-9)

That final fate is also reserved to all the human beings who have rebelled against God, according to the biblical prophecies. We, the human beings, have the same sinful nature as Satan (Revelation 20:13-15).

However, our good God, who is completely merciful, loved us so much that He planned to redeem us if we accept His Son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior, who died in our place in order to save us from our sins. (John 3:16)

We can view the way the human beings also wanted to reach God on their own, by building the Babel´s tower. This attitude clearly shows that we have the same sinful spirit as Satan:

“They said: let´s build a city with a tower that reaches to the sky! We´ll use hard bricks and tar instead of stone and mortar. We´ll become famous, and we won´t be scattered all over the world”. (Genesis 11:4)

BUT THE LORD GOD DID NOT ALLOW IT TO HAPPEN!

We can view it through these biblical verses:

But when the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower, he said: These people are working together because they all speak the same language. This is just the beginning. Soon they will be able to do anything they want. Come on! Let´s go down and confuse them by making them speak different languages – then they won´t be able to understand each other. So the people had to stop building the city, because the Lord confused their language and scattered them all over the earth”. (Genesis 11:5-8)

We can see the Holy Trinity´s presence working over the human race, that is, God Father, God Son and God Holy Spirit, who are coexisting, infinite and eternal, through these biblical verses where God says “Let´s go down and confuse them” as well as when He says “Now we will make humans and they will be like us.” (Genesis 1:26)

God loves the sinner but He hates the sin. We can view this biblical verse:

“The Lord corrects the people he loves and disciplines those he calls his own”. (Hebrews 12:6)

Therefore, God created men to be like Him and corrects them when they make mistakes due to His endless love, because His holiness so demands.

Probably, we may wonder why God decided to condemn Satan and the demons, and to forgive the human beings who accept Jesus and repent of their sins, if they all have a sinful nature. If we consider when Satan was Lucifer, the protector cherubim, who lived in a state of complete harmony and happiness together with the other fallen angels in heaven, a condition of life we never knew, perhaps, God, in His justice, wants to make a difference and condemn those who never had any pain, disease, anguish, sorrow, grief, despair and desolation whatsoever and, in spite of it, they rebelled against God, and to redeem the human beings through Jesus Christ, who do suffer affliction on earth.

Now, we can view the devil´s possibilities:

- He brought down other nations. (Isaiah 14:12)
- He made the world tremble. (Isaiah 14:16)
- He shook up kingdoms. (Isaiah 14:16)
- He made earth a desert. (Isaiah 14:17)
- He captured every city. (Isaiah 14:17)

Some of the devil´s power´s traits are:

- The sinners are under the power of the devil. (1º John 5:19)
- He distresses God´s children. (Job 1:12)

Other sources of God´s children´s distress are:

a. Caused by men´s negligence. (Deuteronomy 9:14)
b. Caused by God Himself. (Genesis 22:1-2)

- The devil blinds the minds of unbelievers. (2º Corinthians 4:4)
- He fights against God´s children. (Ephesians 6:12)
- He fools people on earth by pretending to work all kinds of miracles, wonders and signs. (Ezekiel 7:10-12 – 2º Thessalonians 2:7-10 - Revelation 13:13-14)
- He entices, deceives and tests everybody. (Luke 4:13)
- He makes false promises. (Matthew 4:8)
- He accuses God´s children. (Job 1:9 – Zechariah 3:1 – Revelation 12:10)
- He causes painful sores. (Job 2:7)
- He steals, murders and destroys. (John 8:44)
- He is a liar. (John 8:44)
- He deceives and fools people. (Matthew 7:21 – Revelation 12:9 – 1º John 4:1-3)
- He tests people. (Luke 22:31)
-He stops God´s work. (1º Thessalonians 2:18 – 2º Thessalonians 2:7-10)
- He wants to get the better of us. (2º Corinthians 2:11)

The following are some traits within the demons´ organization:

- They are organized according to hierarchies. (Ephesians 6:12)
- They are distributed worldwide. (Daniel 10:13-20)
- They use unbelievers to cause harm. (John 8:44)

The demons (fallen angels) serve Satan. Their illegitimate authority comes from the one of Satan himself. Jesus showed His power over the enemy by forcing out demons easily during his earthly life. Upon unmasking and destroying the power of hell, He made the kingdom of heaven of His own dominion.

1.- Christ forced out demons. (Matthew 12:27-29)
2.- God wiped out the charges that were against us for disobeying the Law of Moses. He took them away and nailed them to the cross. There Christ defeated all powers and forces. (Colossians 2:14-15)
3.- The demons were tormented by Jesus Christ. (Luke 4:34 – Luke 8:28)
4.- Jesus Christ freed people under the power of the devil. (Luke 4:41)
5.- Jesus Christ destroyed all that the devil has done from the very beginning. (1º John 3:8)
6.-God´s own Son, Christ, protects His children and the devil cannot harm them. (1º John 5:18))
7. Everybody was amazed for Christ´s authority and power to order evil spirits out of people. (Luke 4:36)

God´s children have authority and power on evil spirits.

We can view the following biblical verses:

“In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us”. (Romans 8:37)
“Children, you belong to God, and you have defeated these enemies. God´s Spirit is in you and is more powerful than the one that is in the world” (1º John 4:4)
“I am sure that nothing can separate us from God´s love – not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God´s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord! (Romans 8:38-39)
“Jesus called together his twelve apostles and gave them complete power over all demons and diseases”. (Luke 9:1)
“Everyone who believes me will be able to do wonderful things. By using my name they will force out demons, and they will speak new languages”. (Mark 16:17)
“God´s Spirit doesn´t make cowards out of us. The Spirit gives us power, love and self-control”. (2º Timothy 1:7)
All God´s children must know that they cannot be possessed by evil spirits.

It is important to notice the following biblical verse:

“We are sure that God´s children do not keep on sinning. God´s own Son protects them, and the devil cannot harm them”. (1º John 5:18)

We can be sure and self-confident that the Lord has perfect control over all things created. Should you follow Him step by step, day after day during all your life, you will always be within His good will. You will enjoy yourself with His endless peace, joy and love towards you. Thus, the enemy will not be able to harm you. But you must be on the alert, by praying continuously to God, your Lord.

God will be in control forever! (1º Peter 5:11)

AMEN!!!

Music As An Instrument Of Praise And Worship

PRAISE AND WORSHIP MINISTRY












By: Gladys Raquel Hernández



Music has been an element, an essential means of worship to God which has been carried out since the Old Testament times until now by the people of Israel: the first people chosen by God, His pioneer and loved people, in order to take the Good News of salvation all over the world.

The Christian music, through the different musical instruments played individually or jointly, giving even a greater harmony, is a way of expression, of communication, of manifestation of feelings, thoughts and emotions under deep inspiration, on the part of those people who play it, accompanied also by deeply inspired songs, new songs, psalms, hymns, poems, poetry and praises. Likewise, the Christian music is a blessing channel for all God´s faithful people, considering that it allows them to enter God´s presence.

God´s Word establishes that God enjoys Himself through His faithful people´s praise. We can view the following biblical verses:

“Everyone in Jerusalem and Judah, celebrate and shout with all your heart! Zion, your punishment is over. The Lord has forced your enemies to turn and retreat. Your Lord is King of Israel and stands at your side; you don´t have to worry about any more troubles. Jerusalem, the time is coming, when it will be said to you. “Don´t be discouraged or grow weak from fear! The Lord your God wins victory after victory and is always with you. He celebrates and sings because of you. And he will refresh your life with his love” (Zephaniah 3:14-17)
“City of Zion, sing and celebrate!. The Lord has promised to come and live with you”. (Zechariah 2:10)

God´s faithful people celebrate the Lord´s Greatness. We can view the following biblical verses:

“Sing, people of Zion!. Celebrate the greatness of the holy Lord of Israel. God is here to help you”. (Isaiah 12:6)
“Moses and the Israelites sang this song in praise of the Lord: I sing praises to the Lord for his great victory! He has thrown the horses and their riders into the sea. The Lord is my strength, the reason for my song, because he has saved me. I praise and honor the Lord - he is my God and the God of my ancestors”. (Exodus 15:1-2)
The time is coming when the people of Judah will sing this song: Our city is protected. The Lord is our fortress, and he gives us victory”. (Isaiah 26:1)
“After the battle was over that day, Deborah and Barak sang this song: We praise you, Lord! Our soldiers volunteered, ready to follow you”. (Judges 5:1-2)

As soon as David caused the Levites to bring back the arc of the pact to Jerusalem, there was music and joy. We can view it.

“David then told the leaders to choose some Levites to sing and play music on small harps, other stringed instruments, and cymbals”. (1º Chronicles 15:16)

As we can appreciate through these previous biblical verses, every time a battle was won, when something was recovered, when people conquered any city, overcome the enemy, or celebrated a victory, there were musical instruments being played and voices singing.

We can picture this description:

“The singers come first, and then the musicians, surrounded by young women playing tambourines”. (Psalm 68:25)

The combination of musical instruments and songs is an order of God. We can view it:

“Sing as you play tambourines and the lovely sounding stringed instruments. Sound the trumpets and start the New Moon Festival. We must also celebrate when the moon is full. This is the law in Israel, and it was given to us by the God of Jacob”. (Psalm 81:2-4)

God´s faithful people combined instruments, voices and new songs which came directly from divine inspiration. We can view it:

“Praise the Lord with harps! Use harps with ten strings to make music for him. Sing a new song. Shout! Play beautiful music”. (Psalm 33:2-3 – Psalm 144-9)
“And you gave me a new song, a song of praise to you. Many will see this, and they will honor and trust you, the Lord God”. (Psalm 40:3)

The following biblical verses establish that all the inhabitants on this earth must praise the Lord with new songs, in complete joy

“Sing a new song to the Lord! Everyone on this earth sing praises to the Lord, sing and praise his name”. (Psalm 96:1)
“Tell everyone on this earth to sing happy songs in praise of the Lord”. (Psalm 98:4)
Psalm 96:2-4 – Psalm 98:1 – 100:1-2 – 149:1 – Isaiah 42:10 – 1º Chronicles 16:23-24

We can sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with joy:

“Make music for him on harps. Play beautiful melodies!.(Psalm 98:5)
“As long as I live, I will sing and praise you, the Lord God”. (Psalm 104:33)
“…. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God”. (Colossians 3:16)
“Sing praises to the Lord! Tell about his miracles”. (Psalm 105:2)
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God, while the other prisoners listened”. (Acts 16:25)

There exist praises and new songs in front of God´s Throne:
“And a new song was being sung in front of God´s throne”. (Revelation 14:3)

God´s Word establishes that God gives us songs at night.

“Every day, you are kind, and at night you give me a song as my prayer to you, the living Lord God”. (Psalm 42:8)
“The Lord´s people will sing as they do when they celebrate a religious festival at night”. (Isaiah 30:29)

It is possible to enter God´s presence with praises:

“Come to worship him with thankful hearts and songs of praise”. (Psalm 95:2)

The faithful People of Israel sang and praised the Lord in thanksgiving because He is good. We can view it:

“They praised the Lord and gave thanks as they took turns singing: The Lord is good! His faithful love for Israel will last forever”. (Ezra 3:11)
“At that time you will say: Our Lord, we are thankful, and we worship only you. We will tell the nations how glorious you are and what you have done”. (Isaiah 12:4)

God´s Word teaches us to sing God´s justice and glory:

“Sing about his glorious name. Honor him with praises”. (Psalm 66:2)

God´s Word uses exaggerated words to make us praise the Lord. We can view it:

“All of you faithful people, praise our glorious Lord! Celebrate and worship. Praise God with songs on your lips and a sword in your hand. Take revenge and punish the nations. Put chains of iron on their kings and rulers. Punish them as they deserve; this is the privilege of God´s faithful people. Shout praises to the Lord! (Psalm 149:5-9)

God´s Word establishes that the dead will rise to life and will praise God when Jesus returns to the earth to take His church with Him forever:

“Your people will rise to life! Tell them to leave their graves and celebrate with shouts. You refresh the earth like morning dew; you give life to the dead”. (Isaiah 26:19)

God´s faithful people sang Jacob´s redemption which is like our redemption through Jesus Christ. We can view it:

“Tell the heavens and the earth to start singing!. Tell the mountains and every tree in the forest to join in the song!. The Lord has rescued his people; now they will worship him”. (Isaiah 44:23)

It is possible to praise the Lord with the spirit as well as with the mind:

“…. Sometimes I should sing with my spirit, and at other times I should sing with my mind”- (1º Corinthians 14:15)

We can praise with joy:

“… If you are feeling good, you should sing praises”. (James 5:13)

God´s Word establishes that even the stars in the sky praise the Lord. We can view it:

“What supports the foundation? Who placed the cornerstone, while morning stars sang, and angels rejoiced?”. (Job 38:6-7)

Praises were accompanied by sacrifices in front of God in the Old Testament times:

“… Now that you are once again acceptable to the Lord, bring sacrifices and offerings to give him thanks”. (1º Chronicles 29:31)
“I am God Most High! The only sacrifice I want is for you to be thankful and to keep your word. Pray to me in time of trouble. I will rescue you, and you will honor me”. (Psalm 50:14-15)

Other biblical verses which refer to praise sacrifices are:

Exodus 15:2 – 1º Chronicles 16:8-9 and 29:13 - Nehemiah 12:27 – Psalms 7:17 and 9:1 - Psalm 30:12 – Psalms 42:5 and 11, and 43:4-5 - Psalm 50:23 – Psalm 57:9 - Psalm 65:1 – Psalm 67:3 and 5 - Psalm 69:30 – Psalm 71:22 - Psalm 79:13 – Psalms 92:1 and 95:2 – Psalms 96:6 and 99:3 – Psalms 100:4, 105:1, 106:1, 107:8-15-21-31, 111:1 and 113:1, Psalms 116:17, 117:1, 118:21 and 119:7-62-164 – Psalms 135:1 and 138:1 – Psalm 136:2 – Psalms 140:13 and 145:3 – Psalm 146:1-2 - Psalm 147:7 and 12 – Isaiah 38:19-20 – Jonah 2:9 – Zephaniah 3:19-20 – Matthew 11:25 and 21:16 - Luke 10:21 and 24:53 – Romans 15:11 - 2º Corinthians 8:18 - Ephesians 5:19 - Hebrews 2:12 and 13:15 – Revelation 5:13 and 19:5.

The psalms 145, 146 and 147, refer to the praise to God for His kindness and mercy, for His justice and for His favor towards Jerusalem. Psalm 148 exhorts all the Creation to praise the Lord God. Psalm 149 exhorts the people of Israel to praise the Lord God with musical instruments. Psalm 150 finishes with a universal calling of attention. We can view it:

“Let every living creature praise the Lord. Shout praises to the Lord! (Psalm 150:6)

Worship to God is more than singing, more than the combination of musical notes, more than a song, a psalm or an hymn… It means to surrender our heart to God and it implies meditation, respect, obedience and service to God, and sometimes, silence in front of the Lord. We can view it:

“He told his servants: Stay here with the donkey, while my son and I go over there to worship. We will come back”. (Genesis 22:5)
“Moses quickly bowed down to the ground and worshiped the Lord”. (Exodus 34:8)
“Everyone on this earth will remember you, Lord. People all over the world will turn and worship you, because you are in control, the ruler of all nations”. (Psalm 22:27-28)
“Everyone on earth, now tremble and worship the Lord, majestic and holy”. (Psalm 96:9)

Other biblical verses that refer to worship to God are:

1º Samuel 1:3 - Nehemiah 9:6 - Psalm 5:7 – Psalm 29:2 – Psalm 66:4 - Psalm 86:9 - Psalm 95:6 - Isaiah 27:13 - Isaiah 66:23 – Zechariah 14:17 – Matthew 2:2 – Matthew 4:10 - Matthew 28:17 – John 4:20, 22 and 24 – John 9:38 – John 12:20 – Acts 8:27 – Acts 10:25 – Acts 17:23 – 1º Corinthians 14:25 – Hebrews 1:6 – Revelation 4:10 – Revelation 14:7 – Revelation 15:4 – Revelation 19:4 and 10 – Revelation 22:8

Praise and worship to God imply exaltation, glorification, thanksgiving, honor, magnification and service to our God Creator and Heavenly Father.

“And now, because of Jesus Christ, we can praise the only wise God forever! Amen.” (Romans 16:27)

The Narrow Door

The Narrow Door (Luke 13:22-30)







By: Gladys Raquel Hernández




Someone asked Jesus if few people would be saved and He answered:

“Do all you can to go in the narrow door! A lot of people will try to get in, but will not be able to”. (Luke 13:24)

This biblical verse is very important and invites all human beings of the planet to reflect seriously about the expression: “The Narrow Door”.

Jesus was referring to the fact that it is not always easy for all the people in the world to live a proper Christian life such as He has taught and is established in the Sacred Scriptures as regards the ten Commandments and further Laws and teachings that God has ordered to obey and follow so that we could be able to live according to His will, and therefore, we could be blessed by Him. (Deuteronomy 5:1-21)

Even though the salvation of an individual is due to God´s Grace and not due to his works or any merit whatsoever, Jesus teaches us that if we allow Him to inhabit our hearts and govern our lives, God´s Commandments and His Laws can be perfectly fulfilled through Him. That is, God will always strengthen and comfort us when we fall down, when we go wrong or when we commit sins, considering that His mercy endures forever.

“Shout praises to the Lord! He is good to us, and his love never fails”. (Psalm 107:1)

The Sacred scriptures state that even the Jewish people could not obey God´s Laws as He would have wished them to.

We should view the following biblical verse that establishes this concept:

My friends, the message is that Jesus can forgive your sins! The Law of Moses could not set you free from all your sins. But everyone who has faith in Jesus is set free”. (Acts 13:38-39)

However, a Christian person who is matured in his faith cannot abuse of God´s Grace and basically must make great efforts and be brave during all his Christian life.

“I´ve commanded you to be strong and brave. Don´t ever be afraid or discouraged! I am the Lord, your God, and I will be there to help you whenever you go”. (Joshua 1:9)

Therefore, if we do not obey God faithfully, we will lose our eternal salvation. On the other hand, when people in general refer to death, they usually think that any person who dies, goes to God´s presence. How easy it is for people who belong to the world´s system to solve this topic, isnt´t it? Did Jesus mean the same? The answer is: No.

Jesus continues talking:

"Once the owner of the house gets up and locks the door, you will be left standing outside. You will knock on the door and say, “Sir, open the door for us!”. But the owner will answer, “I don´t know a thing about you!”. Then you will start saying, “we dined with you, and you taught in our streets.” But he will say, “I really don´t know who you are! Get away from me, you evil people!” Then when you have been thrown outside, you will weep and grit your teeth because you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the prophets in God´s kingdom. People will come from all directions and sit down to feast in God´s kingdom. There the ones who are now least important will be the most important, and those who are now most important will be least important”. (Luke 13:25-30)

This alarming message on the part of Jesus is clearly addressed to the human race of all times. We have free will to decide and choose what kind of life we want to live and which path to follow during all our lives.

According to what we decide and choose, God will guide us step by step towards His right paths or not, because He will never compel us to do anything. However, the consequences of disobedience will be terrible.

We can view this biblical verse and should pay attention to it:

“Turn to the Lord! He can still be found. Call out to God! He is near”. (Isaiah 55:6)

Otherwise, we can view the consequences:

“The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everyone who does wrong or causes others to sin. Then he will throw them into a flaming furnace, where people will cry and grit their teeth in pain. But everyone who has done right will shine like the sun in their Father´s kingdom. If you have ears, pay attention!”. (Matthew 13:41-43)

We are confined into God´s Laws and into His Plan of eternal salvation, as we are His creation!!! We can neither escape nor decide different alternatives.

Therefore, we should look for our God only!

AMEN!!!

Talents Versus Spiritual Gifts

By: Gladys Raquel Hernández



Talents are all those qualities or attributes granted to a person and may be either physical, manual or verbal skills. Talents are all those abilities, capabilities, cleverness and creativeness a person has in order to carry out a specific task. Talents are generally found in sportsmen/women, singers, musicians, dancers, scientists, investigators, researchers, etc. However, talents are not limited to our favorite characters, but all human beings have been given different talents, which we cannot always discover inside of us because we have been imposed ways of life that have limited us in our human and professional development many times, what has caused frustration and bitterness to us throughout our lives.

On the other hand, the spiritual gifts are divine attributes, that is, they come directly from our Creator towards our lives due to God´s grace, which is a present we are not worthy of at all. When we open our sincere hearts to God, He distributes different spiritual gifts to all of us according to His will.

The following biblical verses state these concepts:

“The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others. Some of us can speak with wisdom, while others can speak with knowledge, but these gifts come from the same Spirit. To others the Spirit has given great faith or the power to heal the sick or the power to work mighty miracles. Some of us are prophets, and some of us recognize when God´s Spirit is present. Others can speak different kinds of languages, and still others can tell what these languages mean. But it is the Spirit who does all this and decides which gifts to give to each of us”. (1º Corinthians 12:7-11)

Talents as well as spiritual gifts are granted by God because all what we are and have, has been given by God. He has created us to be like Him (Genesis 1:26). He has deposited a soul into each body created (which comprises our minds, thoughts, intellect and emotions), so that our souls are developed, they may encounter our Creator and get redemption (to be born again upon accepting Jesus Christ as savior) in order to get the subsequent eternal life and our incorruptible, glorious and powerful bodies such as the one our Lord Jesus lives in.

We can appreciate the following biblical verse:

“Our Lord Jesus Christ has power over everything and he will make these poor bodies of ours like his own glorious body”. (Philippians 3:21)

The spiritual gifts are: leadership, teaching, knowledge, wisdom, prophecy, science, discernment, exhortation, healthiness, pastorate, faith, evangelism, apostolate, service, mercy and generosity.

God yearns that we open our sincere hearts to Him so that He may not only enter and live into us forever, but He also wishes to distribute spiritual gifts and to spill His infinite Grace over us, due to His tender and good heart. We can grow, mature and develop well as efficient Christ´s soldiers through God´s Grace and the spiritual gifts we receive from Him, in order to carry out our ministries and service to God successfully.

We can view how good God is through this biblical verse:

“If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God and it will be given to you. God is generous and won´t correct you for asking”. (James 1:5)

AMEN!!!

Conversion Versus Religion

By: Gladys Raquel Hernández



The genuine conversion to christianity is the result of the full conviction about the existence of the Unique Living God carried out by the power of the Holy Spirit through His Divine touch called “anointing” and who reveals Jesus Christ, the Savior, to our hearts. The word “anointing” comes from the greek word “Chrisma” = Charisma, which means to rub, to cover with oil. This word gives the idea of a shadow which covers us. The idea of this word is that the Holy Spirit covers us with His traits, qualities and virtues. When the anointing comes to us is when God rubs us and anoints us with the Holy Spirit´s personality. In other words, it is His personality that covers us with His virtues, character and power.

We can view what Jesus tells His disciples as regards the Holy Spirit´s Work, through the following biblical verses:

“But I tell you that I am going to do what is best for you. That is why I am going away. The Holy Spirit cannot come to help you until I leave. But after I am gone, I will send the Spirit to you. The Spirit will come and show the people of this world the truth about sin and God´s justice and the judgment. The Spirit will show them that they are wrong about sin, because they didn´t have faith in me. They are wrong about God´s justice, because I am going to the Father, and you won´t see me again. And they are wrong about the judgment, because God has already judged the ruler of this world”. (John 16:7-11)

“The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn´t speak on his own. He will tell you only what he has heard from me, and he will let you know what is going to happen. The Spirit will bring glory to me by taking my message and telling it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine. That is why I have said that the Spirit takes my message and tells it to you”. (John 16:13-15)

Pursuant to these biblical verses, we can be completely sure and self-confident that the Holy Spirit is among us here on earth and lives into those people who look for Him with all their hearts.

The Holy Spirit reveals Himself to our lives and invites us to open our sincere hearts to Him so that He can enter and live into us forever. The one who accepts Him, will start feeling inside the marvelous flow of His Spirit, who will manifest Himself in any special way that each human being will identify as such. Thus, the individual will become a supernatural being through the marvelous anointing spilt over him, as his Creator will make him perceive this and therefore, He will convince the individual about this. That is, it is a strictly personal relationship with each individual wherein other people do not take part.

Jesus Himself was anointed, chosen and sent to tell the oppressed the good news, to heal the brokenhearted and to announce freedom for prisoners and captives, to show kindness to us and punish our enemies, to comfort those who mourn, to give them flowers in place of their sorrow, olive oil in place of tears and joyous praise in place of broken hearts (Isaiah 61:1-3). That is, Jesus was anointed and trained in order to supply all our needs.

The Word “Christian” means “anointed person” and all the christians have the same anointing as Jesus in different measures. The preaching of God´s Word without anointing, hardens, dries, irritates, kills everything, is boring, makes us sleep and look for another thing to do. This is the result that causes the pursuit and following of a religion, that is, the repetition of words and concepts as a routine, in a mechanized way and done by heart. The individual has neither discernment nor revelation of God´s Word. Thus, he can neither encounter his Creator nor have intimate communion with Him effectively.

God´s Word´s tradition steals effect to the real value of the Word. Therefore, sometimes the christian is lost and diverts himself from Jesus´s doctrine (His correct teaching) (1º Timothy 4:6). It is necessary to be acquainted with the Sacred Scriptures deeply in order to understand how God is and what He demands from us, His children, if we have accepted Jesus as our Savior.

Despite this, God´s power is present everywhere but it is not always activated. That is to say, we cannot always view results with our eyes. Likewise, it is proper to stand out that incredulity and disbelief do not allow God´s power to flow through people. The anointing is like electricity which flows through wire and the anointing´s purpose is to heal, to restore, to train, to sanctify and to take honor and glory to our Lord, Jesus.

“The Spirit will bring glory to me by taking my message and telling it to you”. (John 16:14)

Furthermore, every single believer should receive a fresh anointing frequently so as to become an efficient Christ´s soldier and to be able to fight well.

We should consider the following biblical verses wherein the apostle Paul refers to his labor within his evangelization ministry to the gentiles (non-Jewish people) and the way all of us can work in different ministries, by also fighting well and being faithful until Jesus´s return:

“I have fought well. I have finished the race, and I have been faithful. So, a crown will be given to me for pleasing the Lord. He judges fairly, and on the day of judgment he will give a crown to me and to everyone else who wants him to appear with power”. (2º Timothy 4:7-8)

AMEN!!!

The Lord Is About To Return

WHY HASN´T JESUS RETURNED TO FETCH HIS CHURCH YET?













By: Gladys Raquel Hernández



“I am coming soon! And when I come, I will reward everyone for what they have done”. (Revelation 22:12)

What does it mean that the Lord is about to return or that Jesus is coming back soon?. Will the Lord be referring to a chronological period of time, which sounds reasonable for our quite limited human understanding?

It is important to analyze the following concepts:

The last order Jesus gave to His disciples before He were raised to the sky in His glorified body, was that they should be spread throughout the countries bearing the Good News about the Kingdom of Heaven.

“Go and preach the good news to everyone in the world”. (Mark 16:15)

Furthermore, the Great Commission states:

“Jesus came to them and said: I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world”. (Matthew 28:18-20)

Jesus also promises the following:

“I will send you the one my Father has promised, but you must stay in the city until you are given power from heaven”. (Luke 24:49)

Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit, who would remain definitively on earth until Jesus´s second return, in order to fetch His church: the Lamb´s bride. (Revelation 19:7)

We should consider the following biblical verses when Jesus appears in front of His disciples after having been raised from the dead:

“After Jesus had greeted them again, he said: I am sending you, just as the Father has sent me. Then He breathed on them and said: Receive the Holy Spirit”. (John 20:21-22)

Likewise, Jesus promises:

“Then I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit who will help you and always be with you. The Spirit will show you what is true. The people of this world cannot accept the Spirit, because they don´t see or know him. But you know the Spirit, who is with you and will keep on living in you. I won´t leave you like orphans. I will come back to you”. (John 14:16-18)

After Jesus were raised from the dead and taken up to heaven where His Father is, the Apostle Paul also refers to His second return to the earth, which is very important for the church.

“With a loud command and with the shout of the chief angel and a blast of God´s trumpet, the Lord will return from heaven. Then those who had faith in Christ before they died will be raised to life. Next, all of us who are still alive will be taken up into the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the sky. From that time on we will all be with the Lord forever”. (1º Thessalonians 4:16-17)

These events have been foretold two thousand years ago. Therefore, What do we understand when it is said that the Lord is about to return?

The Sacred Scriptures state that neither Jesus nor the angels know the day or hour of Jesus´s return, as only the Father knows. (Matthew 24:36 – Mark 13:32)

One of the signals registered in the Bible about the Lord´s return is:

“When the good news about the kingdom has been preached all over the world and told to all nations, the end will come”. (Matthew 24:14)

At present, God´s people are working all round the world in order to spread the good news to the people who have never had an encounter with Jesus, specially in those countries wherein the Sacred Scriptures´diffusion is forbidden. Likewise, God warns us to continue evangelizing people these days as Jesus Christ´s disciples did two thousand years ago, by making us feel interest in His kingdom of love, peace and joy.

Why hasn´t Jesus returned to fetch His church as He promised, in spite of the great effort in evangelization carried out up to now?

The answer to this question is that we are more than six thousand million people living in the planet and everybody should have at least one encounter with Jesus Christ, the Savior, during his life, and most people haven´t had any opportunity yet due to different reasons. In general, God´s Work is developed slowly, due to the negligence, carelessness, laziness, disobedience, incredulity, disbelief and even lack of organization on our part to spread the good news effectively. The Lord yearns to reach a great number of people worldwide who have accepted Jesus as their savior and have repented of their sins, in order to get the eternal salvation of their souls.

Pursuant to God´s criteria, He still feels mercy for us and wants to go on giving us redemption opportunities in order to reach a greater number of people He will consider suitable to constitute His great chosen people, before His coming anger is manifested against the wicked people and the rebels who will not be raised to heaven in order to encounter the Lord and who will suffer the Great Tribulation.

We can appreciate the following biblical verses that express the concepts hereinabove mentioned:

“From heaven God shows how angry he is with the wicked and evil things that sinful people do to crush the truth”. (Romans 1:18)
“But you are stubborn and refuse to turn to God. So you are making things even worse for yourselves on that day when he will show how angry he is and will judge the world with fairness”. (Romans 2:5)
“They also tell how you are waiting for his Son Jesus to come from heaven. God raised him from death, and on the day of judgment Jesus will save us from God´s anger”. (1º Thessalonians 1:10)
“This will be the worst time of suffering since the beginning of the world, and nothing this terrible will ever happen again”. (Matthew 24:21)

Other biblical verses that mention God´s anger are in Revelation 16:1 – Romans 5:9 - Luke 3:7 and Matthew 3:7

God is good and merciful, but according to the biblical prophecies, He will spread His anger over the wicked people and the rebels who have not accepted Jesus, during the time of the Great Tribulation and He will save His church from His anger (dead in Christ raised to life and alive people transformed who have accepted Jesus), who will live with Him forever.

According to God´s time, the period is already fulfilled to send Jesus to fetch His redeemed church. It was fulfilled on June 7th, 1967 when Jerusalem, which had been in possession of the Hachemite Kingdom of Jordan, was recovered by Israel. (Luke 21:24)

We can appreciate the following biblical verses:

“So be on your guard! You don´t know when your Lord will come. (Matthew 24:42)
“Always be ready! You don´t know when the Son of Man will come”. (Matthew 24:44)

Despite the fact that God has drawn our attention and has warned us about all these events to happen, His Word has been distorted throughout the centuries with the introduction of the many diverse religions and sects which have confused the human race and have diverted people from Jesus Christ´s doctrine (His correct teaching). We can only understand the spiritual world and Jesus´s wise doctrine, when the Holy Spirit is revealed to our lives, because God gives us understanding and wisdom to that effect.

We should consider these biblical verses:

“Don´t keep changing what you were taught about Christ, or else God will no longer be with you. But if you hold firmly to what you were taught, both the Father and the Son will be with you”. (2º John 1:9)
“If you teach these things to other followers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus. You will show that you have grown up on the teachings about our faith and on the good instructions you have obeyed”. (1º Timothy 4:6)
“Titus, you must teach only what is correct”. (Titus 2:1)

At present, God is looking for servants (men and women) engaged in their responsibilities, in order to spread the good news all round the world effectively because His purpose is to fulfill His Work in our lives and He will do so as it is already foretold in the Bible. God yearns to touch you with His Holy Spirit and that you allow Him to mould you so that He can guide you and direct your life according to His purposes.

“They replied, Have faith in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved! This is also true for everyone who lives in your home”. (Acts 16:31)

I would like to finish this article with a biblical verse that is a noble and marvelous God´s promise that springs from His tender heart. It is the promise that encloses all the promises. It is the plan that God Father, God Son and God Holy Spirit sealed at any time of the eternity, when you and I did not even exist, when the world did not even exist. The Three of Them in One (the Holy Trinity) thought about you and me and loved us so much that they decided to create us to be like Them (Genesis 1:26). Furthermore, they wanted us to rule all over the world!!! (Genesis 1:28). How much love to us! But all of us disobeyed. In spite of it, our heavenly Father amazed us with the good news of getting the redemption of our souls through the sacrifice of our faithful savior: Jesus.

“You died, which means that your life is hidden with Christ, who sits beside God. Christ gives meaning to your life, and when he appears, you will also appear with him in glory”. (Colossians 3:3-4)

We should receive this marvelous promise on the part of our Creator and good God who will always love us !!! (Jeremiah 31:3)

AMEN!!!