The BOOK OF REVELATION symbolically describes what, in my opinion, are the general conditions of the world TODAY and in the near future. It describes them in the context of certain calamatous events which are soon to come about.....AND already have.
If these conditions do place us in the "end times", then I owe it to myself and you to take the time now to pass along the most important message that I as a father can give to you, my children whom I love dearly.
How you receive this message and what you think or do about it is strictly up to you as individuals. You have been raised as independent thinkers and you have been taught what I believe are "proper" values so I must trust your individual judgements.
Because I have some difficulty expressing myself verbally and because much of what I have learned is, in my opinion, essential to your lives and your happiness, I am going to try to pass along what I have learned by way of this text.
What follows is from the heart. Some of it may seem radical, some of it may be hard to believe, but please indulge me and hear what I am trying to say.
As I am getting older, it is becoming clearer to me that we did not just happen to be here on Earth simply as a result of a biological function. Additionally, I am sure that we did not evolve from some lower form of life.
To be perfectly honest, why I was here and who was responsible never really entered my mind until 1977. That was the year that, upon the recommendation of Jim Rockwell, I read a book called "The Late, Great Planet Earth" by Hal Lindsey.
This book started me on a whole new outlook on life in general. More specifically, it made me realize, that in spite of substantial religious training throughout my early life, I truly had no idea about a personal relationship with God or how it affected my daily life.
I learned that the Bible IS the Word of God. It is not just a guide, but is instead, a road-map. Even casual study of it is sufficient to show me the path I should be following.
I also learned that I am no Bible scholar. On initial perusal, I found myself with more questions than answers. However, I believe that people like Hal Lindsey are God's tools. They are the Bible scholars and have been given the abilities to interpret the Bible and then to pass it along to people like me.
Because of Mr. Lindsey and others, I have been able to understand much more than if I had relied on myself. These people have helped me to rely on the Bible as being truthful in all instances. The resulting knowledge that I have now (which I am adding to daily) has gained me something more valuable than gold, more valuable even than life itself.
I have learned the secret of Peace and Love.....I didn't say I perfected it.....working on it.
It is important for you to know that I know that I am far from being a perfect Christian. I will never be a perfect Christian, but I also know that I am not expected to be one. All I have to do is to have Faith. The rest will come in time.
Psychiatrists and psychologists have all kinds of answers for the problems that man has. They say that man is influenced by society and conforms to whatever is expected of him. They blame economy, religion, society, personality and many other things, but never do they blame the fact that man has fallen away from God. Never do they recognize that if everyone loved one another, instead of hating them, crime would disappear, drugs would be unnecessary, wars would end, families would stay intact and so on.
The secret of being at peace with yourself and others is simple. Learn to love. Learn to treat every person as you yourself would want to be treated. As you give love, you receive it back again.
You cannot give more love than you receive no matter how hard you try.
In order to be able to accomplish this (it doesn't happen all at once) you have to believe that God loves you and expects you to return His love. Not just to Him but to everyone. Needless to say, being nice to someone who is not being nice to you can be very difficult. It takes considerable self-discipline to not hate someone who hates you.
Fortunately, a Christian knows that God is aware of our trials and will guide us in our actions and reactions. He will not allow us more burden than we can handle. In fact, the burdens He gives us serve a purpose. That purpose is to strengthen us and to prepare us for our future with Him.
The important thing for us to know, is that we MUST have these trials and burdens. Without them, we would be unprepared to carry out His will.
One of the great things about the process of "growing in faith" is being able to see the difference in yourself. The miraculous change from a bitter, vengeful person into a happier, less critical and more tolerant individual. The process is slow but not so slow that you can't watch the transformation.
It is by seeing the change that you develop more and more desire to continue the process.
I would be doing a great disservice here if I didn't point out that in my case, as I'm sure in everyone else's case, I am only learning. I am not a master. I am not even a good student.
I most certainly am not perfect in my attitudes. I frequently am impatient and profane. I lose my temper and say or do things that a good Christian shouldn't say or do. I am not as charitable as I should be and I am guilty of all kinds of sins.
In spite of all my imperfections, my attitudes and beliefs are so strong and so much improved since 1977 that even I can't believe that I am the same person. I realize now that every thing that happens has a purpose. Life is not a series of coincidences, but is more like a test.
Yes, that's right. A test.
Those people who choose to believe that they are the ultimate deciding factors in how the world is run are in for a terrible shock. Those people that have relegated God to the "King of the fools" or "just a symbol" have no Hope and nothing to look forward to, except misery.
The people who have faith in God and His promises, however, though they may suffer in this life, have eternity with God to look forward to.
Now, realistically (and honestly) answer these questions for yourself. If our life here on Earth is, or might be, a test, wouldn't you be better off to forgo some of lifes "pleasures" and "instant gratifications" and dedicate your life to following Jesus' Commandment in order to spend forever in paradise? Or do you think that the Bible is wrong and that our short life here on Earth is the whole ballgame?
You'll have to admit that the answer to these questions creates a dilemma. If the above questions accurately give the two alternatives available to us, then the phrase "play now and pay later" takes on a whole new meaning doesn't it?
If the Christian view is wrong then the Christian will literally have been "good for nothing" and will have sacrificed many opportunities to partake in the various orgies, thefts, drug parties and the like.
But what if the non-believer is wrong. That person will have had some fun while he/she was here but can you imagine having to spend eternity in "the Lake of Fire". Eternity goes on beyond millions of years. It seems to me to be a pretty heavy penalty for a few short years of fun.
Many things, good and bad, will happen to you all. If you can put things in their proper perspective, then you will be able to deal with, and accept, the bad things which happen as readily as you can the good things.
No matter what you believe, God does not cause accidents or misfortunes in order to punish us for something we did or failed to do. He does, however, watch to see how we handle things. He also notices when we fail to do something such as helping others in need or just failing to show kindness, obedience, sympathy or love to someone who needs it.
Basically, God has future plans for all of us. Our life here on Earth is a test which will determine what those plans are. It is my utmost hope that you will give serious consideration to your lives and the way you live them.
My whole purpose in writing this piece is to make sure that you are aware that there is a choice to be made.
It isn't an easy choice either. No matter what you decide, you will suffer for it. Life is a working example of the saying "You can pay me now, or you can pay me later". I am not a preacher or a theologian so all I can try to do, in the only way I know, is to point out to you what I have learned and am learning.
God is the Way!
No matter what you have done wrong in your life He will forgive you. All you have to do is to confess to God what you have done and believe that you are forgiven. If you can do that then all the promises in the Bible will come true for you
I hope that you will each take the time and effort to research what I have said here. It has taken me many years to achieve the knowledge and level of Faith that I now have and I haven't even scratched the surface. God has been telling his story for thousands of years and most people still aren't listening, so I don't expect that you will become experts or even "converts" overnight.
The most important thing you can do is to simply accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. Once you can do that, He will help you to understand the things you need to know. His single Commandment is that you love one another as He has loved you. This ONE Commandment replaces the Ten Commandments.
If you love and don't hate and are not obsessed with material wealth and treat everyone as you would like to be treated, then you can be made right with God.
I don't think of myself as a "religious fanatic" but I guess that is what I SEEM TO BE for believing the way I do. Probably, because I don't stand on corners and preach what I believe, I might be considered a "closet religious fanatic". Whatever I am considered to be isn't the least bit important. What IS important is that there is no gray area here. Either I am right or I am wrong.
If I am wrong, and if the Bible interpreters are wrong, and if the Bible is wrong, then perhaps all the good things that have been done by the millions of people over the thousands of years were wasted and there would be no reward in Heaven for eternity.
We would simply exist for our seventy or so years, die, and that would be that. It seems like there should be more to it than that, doesn't it?
If it truly does make sense to you that there must be some purpose to our being here, then one of the considerations HAS to be that the Bible and its interpreters are accurate and true. If the Bible IS the Word of God, then we had all better take a good, hard look at our lives and how we live them. We also had better start figuring out what we are going to do about changing from our way of doing things to God's way of doing things.
Remember that God doesn't expect us to be perfect Christians.
What He does expect is for us to believe in Him and have faith in Him. That's not really asking too much is it?
I love you all and I pray that God will help you to discover Jesus and His perfect love so that you can have the same inward peace and assurance that I and all true Christians have found.
Maranatha!
Dad
