A lot of chatter is “out there” expressing that we are in “The End Times”. Soaring inflation, wars and rumors of wars, global pandemics and plagues, global food shortages, severe weather patterns, earthquakes, and the overall theme of chaos. What does all of this mean???

Along with any talk about The End of the World comes certain buzz words like: Armageddon, Plagues, The Anti-Christ, 666- The Mark of the Beast, The New World Order, The Rapture, The Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse, A Shadow Government, A One World Government and Religion – to name a few. What does all of this mean???

As you can see – this is way too much for any one person to have all the answers. I have felt a burden to take the next several posts and try to provide all of us some basic clarity about The End Times. Unfortunately, it is a topic rarely addressed by pastors.

Here is the upcoming blog post breakdown “rough draft”:

1. How do I know for sure that I am going to Heaven when I die? (Today’s post)
2. What are the major events of The End Times?
3. Reasons why we may not be in The End Times.
4. Reasons why we may be in The End Times.
5. How to be filled with hope and joy instead of fear and anxiety if we are in The End Times.

Phew . . . That is a lot about a heavy topic. Disclaimer: I am not an End Times expert or prophet (I wish I was 🙂 However, this is a subject that has fascinated me for the last three decades and I’ve tried to study up on it. Even listening to podcasts and reading quality books about the subject – I am still learning daily! Another disclaimer: My motivation when I first started studying was to know more about it than other people. I know, that’s called pride (a sin) – and a terrible, non-sustaining motivator. My goal now is to take what I’ve learned and condense it so you understand it and then you in turn can help others understand it.

The best book out there to read regarding The End Times = The Bible. Especially a Bible that has a commentary explaining verses. Bible prophecy is a sneak preview of things to come (not just The End Times), similar to a movie trailer. It can be found in the Old and New Testaments. God warned a guy named Noah that a devastating flood was coming. At another time in a dream – God warned Jesus’s earthly father, Joseph, that their lives were in danger and that they needed to go hide and wait it out in Egypt.

Many books of the Bible contain End Times prophecies. However, the majority of Bible prophecy regarding The End Times can be found in the last book of the Bible – The Book of Revelation. This book is often avoided, sounds scary to some, rarely preached about, or is misunderstood and misinterpreted. However, the book of Revelation has several special qualities. Check out the first 3 verses of the book:

This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the events that must soon take place. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant John, who faithfully reported everything he saw. This is his report of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near (Revelation 1: 1 – 3).

1. The message of this book is from Jesus. The first 3 chapters are direct words from him to 7 ancient churches (and also a few verses in chapter 22).
2. Revelation was written by one of Jesus’s disciples and closest friends – John.
3. Revelation is the only book of the Bible that offers you a blessing if you read it!

So back to today’s topic: How do I know if I’m going to Heaven? The book of Revelation (and many other books of the Bible) talk about an eternal life and an eternal home called Heaven. Not to be blunt – but Revelation (and other books of the Bible) also talk about an eternity in a destination called Hell. To assure your citizenship in Heaven – here is what the Bible says we can do right now:

1. Admit that we are sinners (that we have done wrong, evil, rejected God’s way for our lives). For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
2. Accept that Jesus died and rose from the dead for our sins. And yet while we were still sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
3. Ask for Jesus to come into our lives by His Spirit. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes (trusts in, clings to, relies upon) in him will have eternal life (John 3:16). If we confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead we will be saved (Romans 10:9).
4. Allow Jesus through His Holy Spirit to lead you day by day. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

Four steps: Admit – Accept – Ask – Allow. If you haven’t already taken care of this step in your life – say a basic prayer based on the 4 points above and get things right between you and God through his son Jesus Christ. That way, if we are in The End Times – you have absolutely nothing to be fearful of!

We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed (Titus 2:13).

Next blog – A timeline of the main events during The End Times.

Blessings,

Dave 🙂

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