Earthquake!

It is written in the canonized Bible that the Lord Jesus Christ himself said: “… Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name. And Ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars; see that ye be not troubled; for all these things shall come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matt. 24:4-8 KJV).

Last week an earthquake of the magnitude of 7.2 devastated the Islands of Cebu and Bohol, Philippines, wherein several hundreds died and were wounded, and buildings and houses collapsed and many houses were destroyed. Even old historical churches established by the occupying Spaniards in the fourteenth century were not spared.

There were similar devastating earthquakes that struck other nations in diverse places before, which prove that the Bible is really true. Indeed, our God is strong enough to shake diverse places in this world.

We who know Him as our heavenly Father through faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, can also find comfort and courage in threatening circumstances like these. We are in the hands of One who is all-powerful and all-knowing. Nothing is too strong or hard for Him to control. But He is able to care for and protect His own no matter what happens, for “with God all things are possible and with Him nothing is impossible” (Luke 1:37; 18:27).

In those life-threatening situations, we who are children of God and are trusting in the Lord can experience a deep, settled peace as we relax in the everlasting arms of our all-powerful God. Who can be our refuge and savior? Only God himself. Like the psalmist King David, we, too, can say, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust” (Ps. 18:2 KJV). He is the great and all-powerful God who can shake the world in His time and at anytime without further notice, as the notice was already given by God through His only begotten Son long before.

When the world around us is crumbling, God alone is the rock on which we, the believers, can cling to and trust our soul. It might be the end of our earthly life, but for the believer, it will be the beginning of an eternal life that God had promised: “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5). Let us trust fully what our God had promised in His Word, for His Word is Truth.

A Debt We Do Not Have To Pay

A story is told that at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., in the winter of 1777-78, George Washington, who later become the General of the US Army and President, and his troops were in utterly desperate situation. All of them were doomed to die. Gen. Washington appealed to the governor of Pennsylvania for help. One very rich citizen by the name of Jacob DeHaven, who lived near Valley Forge, was a staunch believer in the revolutionary cause. Responding to Washington’s appeal, he loaned him $50,000 in gold and $400,000 in supplies. In those days, such amount of money was so huge, especially if we convert that into our Peso value.

The army led by Gen. Washington survived the winter and the war, but after the war DeHaven was allegedly never repaid. He himself did not attempt to collect from Gen. Washington or from the U.S. government, even when Washington became President.

Similarly, because of sin and the penalty for sin, all mankind are doomed to die eternally. But because of the love of God for mankind, His very special creation, he gave his only begotten Son to die or receive the penalty of sin on behalf of all sinners to give them eternal life. The only requirement is that the sinner must repent, accept and receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ as his LORD and only Savior.

There is a debt all of us sinners owe that we can never repay. I said, “us” because I include myself. It is the price Jesus Christ paid to give us liberty from the bondage of sin’s guilt and judgment. He redeemed us with His precious blood so that we might have spiritual freedom - - the freedom from the penalty of death or eternal damnation.

The Bible says, “You were not redeemed with ... silver or gold ... but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19). “Grace to you and peace from … Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins” (Gal. 1:3-4).

Jesus wants nothing from us in return except our faith, our love, our gratitude, and obedience. This is not to repay Him for what he has done, but the only appropriate response to a loving savior of our soul, so those who will respond willingly (whosoever will) and in love will have eternal life and be in heaven with Him forever and ever. This is true love - - giving something very precious – His very life; life is in the blood – not expecting anything in return. This is how God love us. How do we respond to His love? “We love him (in return) because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). In fact, the Bible tells us: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8 NIV).

When the LORD Jesus was asked by a lawyer who was a Pharisee, “Which is the great commandment in the law?” He answered: “Thou shalt love they God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matt. 22:36-40 KJV).

Paul speaking on the primacy of LOVE, said:

“13 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing” (1 Cor. 13 1-3 NIV).

Stated differently, after we believe God and repent from all our sins, God needs only our reciprocal LOVE for him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and our neighbor as we love ourselves (Luke 10:27 KJV). “Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (Isaiah 55:1 KJV). No blood or money required. Only repentance and LOVE for God and our neighbor.

Salvation Is By Grace Of God Through Faith Plus Nothing

Grace is simply defined as unmerited favor from God. We don’t deserve it because we are sinners. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). In fact, we deserve to be punished with death. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3). Furthermore, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 KJV). The Lord Jesus Christ redeemed all repentant sinners by pouring out his precious blood in the cross of Calvary. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold… but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19 KJV). Jesus Christ is God’s and our sacrificial lamb.

Jesus Christ is GOD’s gift of love to mankind. The Bible tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16 KJV). The Apostle John, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, continued: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17 NIV). “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:18 NIV).

Being a gift from God the Father, we have to believe, receive and accept Jesus Christ by faith, and repent from all our sins, so we can attain eternal life. Similarly, if we do not accept or receive a gift given to us by someone, we will not own the gift. If we don’t believe and receive Jesus Christ by faith in our heart and repent from all our sins, then our soul cannot be saved.

We can’t pay enough to buy our way into heaven, to buy eternal life, to buy the happiness that Jesus brings. Accepting salvation through Jesus Christ by faith after our repentance is a work of God’s grace. “For by grace have you been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast (Eph. 2:8-9 KJV). We cannot earn a gift or else it would not be a gift.

We cannot earn by good works our salvation, but when we are saved, necessarily, we are moved to do good works in the kingdom of God. Thus, the Word of God says, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10 NIV).

Salvation is not a reward, it’s not pay, it’s not wages; it is a gift we can’t earn by any kind of works of our own. Our good works can’t save us. We are saved after we repent purely by faith in Jesus Christ, the gift of God to mankind, by His grace. Thus, heaven is full of repentant sinners, saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

What is this saving faith? The canonized Bible defines what is a saving faith as follows: “It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see” (Hebrews 11:1 NLT).

Hence, as of now, we cannot yet see, but are yet hoping that we have eternal life, and we believe it simply because the Word of God says so. This kind of faith is otherwise defined as “taking God at His Word” or “blind trust and obedience to what God says in His word” (the canonized Bible). This is saving faith. Expressed in a different manner, we are saved purely by the grace of God by repenting, believing, receiving by faith in our heart Jesus Christ as our only Savior and Lord. The canonized Bible tells us, “I (Jesus Christ) am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

The Kingdom Of God And Heaven Here On Earth

The kingdom of God is not like an earthly kingdom with geographical boundaries. Instead, it begins with the work of God’s Spirit in people’s lives and in relationships.

The kingdom of God is necessarily connected with the idea of heaven. Heaven is described in Rev. 21:3-5 as a place where “the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new”. This describes the “future heaven” or new heaven. This implies that there is an “old heaven”.

This means that even now, God’s invisible heavenly kingdom (which I call “old heaven”) is already in existence and in operation. It not only surrounds us, but is within us. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21).

If you have Jesus and are filled with the Holy Spirit, it has already entered you. If you lived in the continual heaven of His love, peace, and joy, you are already in Heaven in spirit. So, if you are looking for the invisible kingdom of God on earth, at this time you will only find it within your own heart and in the fellowship of God’s children.

We who have been found by God and have faith in God (in person Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit) have found heaven on earth. But those who don’t know God and His only begotten Son Jesus Christ (God in person) and the Holy Spirit and have no faith in Him (in Jesus) have nothing but fear and uncertainty on everything on earth.

Receive Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit of God by faith into your heart and you’ll have a taste of Heaven here and now!