Scoffers Abound

By Dennis Huebshman  /  Rapture Ready

First, a disclaimer: For anyone who may think that I post messages for any material gain, consider that Jesus said, “What does it profit a person who gains the whole world, yet loses his/her soul?” (Mark 8:36). I assure any and all who read these messages, there has not been one penny added to my pockets. My goal in posting them is very simple; spread the word of the Lord to anyone who will receive it; cause (but not force) them to consider accepting Jesus as their Savior; gain souls for Jesus that will be rapture ready; and honor the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in doing so. (any emphasis is mine.)

This is “sharing” the good news without any monetary gain whatsoever. The main reward will be to discover that souls were saved from the Lake of Fire.

Those who seriously study end-times prophecies are of the mindset that our Savior is going to call His Church (all believers) Home very soon. Scoffers are following 2 Peter 3:3-4 to a tee, saying, “Where is He?” It’s expected that the secular world would consider the word of the Lord foolishness; however, even people in evangelical churches are voicing their doubts as well. The messages they are receiving are being twisted by false preachers to give people what they “want” to hear, and not what they need to hear. They will pay dearly in the end (James 3:1).

Looking at 1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the message about the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are saved, it is the power of God.”

There is a term, “dead man walking,” which describes a convicted person who is awaiting execution in prison. For scoffers, “they are dead people walking” on this earth, and most aren’t even aware of it.

The Bible talks about a “second death” which is close to the same as the term above. This one has no relief, and is an eternal punishment where death – total extinction – would be preferred. Revelation has several verses where the second death is referred to, and the Lake of Fire is a final destination. Revelation 2:11; 19:20; 20:6; 20:14-15 and 21:8 are several of them. Jesus talked about an “outer darkness” throughout His ministry on earth.

There is one verse that a true believer will never hear, but all scoffers will finally understand their foolishness because of their unbelief: Matthew 25:41, “Then He will say to those on His left, Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (demons).”

Isn’t it interesting that the “left” in the Bible was used to describe radical and unbelieving elements, and today it is used in a similar way to describe radical elements in our society?

One other point about Matthew 25:41: God prepared the Lake of Fire (currently unoccupied until Revelation 19:20) specifically for the devil and his demons who rebelled against the Father, and have no pathway to salvation. When they fell from grace, there was no forgiveness for them. For all humans, there is a path that leads to salvation, and all but one sin can be forgiven. That one is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, found in Mark 3:28-30:

“I tell you the truth, people will be forgiven for all sins, even all the blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, but is guilty of an eternal sin because they said He has an unclean spirit.”

Miriam Webster’s definition of blaspheme is “the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God. One additional definition is “Impenitence” or to die without having accepted the gift of God. For example, Luke 12:8-9:

“I tell you whoever acknowledges Me before man, the Son of Man will acknowledge before God’s angels. But the one who denies Me before man will be denied before God’s angels.”

There were people who denied the Savior at first, but later accepted Him. Paul is the best example of this in the New Testament. He was a persecutor of any he could find that were a part of “the Way” (Christians), but was later able to be forgiven and became a great advocate of Jesus. Those who died without having accepted Jesus, from the Cross forward, have committed the unforgivable sin because they have denied the works of the Holy Spirit. This holds true today, and will be so to the end of the Millennium. Pre-cross, one had to have been in the will of the Father to be saved – not worship other gods or idols.

People can “scoff” all they want, saying Jesus is not necessary for salvation, but they are calling John 14:6 a lie. “Jesus said, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” They are also denying that Jesus is also God which is plainly stated in John 10:30. Jesus said, “The Father and I are One.”

Jesus and many others declared there would be antichrists and false prophets (preachers) in the last days. They have been around since Calvary, but the numbers are increasing at an unprecedented rate today. There is an obvious shift away from anything that pertains to Jesus, Christianity, and even God’s chosen, the Jews. It should be noted that, even though the Jews have a covenant with the Father that goes back to Abraham, they still have to accept Jesus as their Messiah or be lost. During the Tribulation, God will focus His attention on them, and by the end of the 7-year period, all will believe. Sad part is, the cost will be high, as Zechariah 13:8 states that 2/3 will be killed in that time.

In the past, all the signs given by Jesus in Matthew 24, and by Paul in 2 Timothy 3, have been present to a limited degree, and not all at the same time. However, with all the weather changes, earthquake frequency and increased magnitude, and of course the attitude of the world’s population becoming more negative almost daily, those scriptures are a full description of today. Evil is becoming more and more rampant, and the pure meanness of some is at an all-time increased level.

Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 2:11, “Consequently, God sends on them a deluding influence, so that they will believe what is false.”

This is done about the time the “lawless one” makes an appearance, as given in 2 Thessalonians 2:9. The influence that is holding him back has to be removed first (Holy Spirit-indwelled believers), which is the reason for the Rapture.

Scoffers can say what they will, but the tribulation – wrath – will take place. They can call it a myth all they want, but God will not be mocked.

Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived, God will not be made a fool (mocked). For a person will reap what he/she has sown.”

Believers have a true hope in that we will not go through God’s wrath. That is promised in several places such as 1 Thessalonians 5:9, “For God did not destine us for Wrath, but for gaining Salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We will be taken off this earth (Raptured) prior to the actual appearing of the ultimate evil one.

Those who have not accepted Jesus will enter the 7-year tribulation if they are still alive. It will be the worst nightmare imaginable. Anyone who accepts Jesus during that time will most likely be martyred. Anyone who takes the “mark of the beast” (Revelation 13:16-17) just to be able to buy and sell anything will be condemned to the Lake of Fire.

To overcome the “scoffers,” daily reading of God’s word can offer security for believers to show that we are only here temporarily. Our true home is with Jesus forever, if we have accepted Him as our Savior.

The books of John and Romans are good guidelines to begin with. They give good instructions on how to call on the Savior, and to accept His free gift, and tell of His complete love for all of us. He paid our price completely at Calvary, and all we have to do is accept that. We confess that we are sinners, and we believe His blood is able to totally cleanse us before the Father. Once Jesus is your chosen Savior, the Holy Spirit will be within you until you go Home.  To reject this is like receiving a gift but refusing to open it.

The only other choice is to not accept Jesus, and therefore you will be accepting Satan. No other option is available. Jesus wants us to be with Him, but loves us enough to allow us to make our own choice. Satan will do everything in his power to pull us away from the Savior. Daily talking (prayer) to the Father helps strengthen us. He also knows we aren’t perfect and will slip and sin. That is why we have 1 John 1:8-10 to help us.

The time is rapidly approaching when the ability to choose will become almost impossible. Now would not be too soon, as we don’t know the day or hour – in fact minute – that Jesus will call. Act now and be ready. Hope to see you at Home!

Maranatha

https://www.raptureready.com/2019/01/11/scoffers-abound-dennis-huebshman/

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