5 tips to Enjoy that Intimate Relationship with JESUS CHRIST! ♥

Many people that are saved would like to have a very close relationship with Jesus Christ. Many hear of people seeing Jesus in visions, going to heaven and meeting God, people doing healing and all sorts of signs and they want this sort of life for themselves. In this article I am going to discuss 5 tips that will get you to the place that will bring great rewards.

Tip 1 - Faith in God ♥

There is a verse that says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God." The difference between a nominal Christian and one that walks in the supernatural all the time comes down to the amount of faith a person has. I read a book once on faith and out of twelve authors that contributed; the first four said that the number one contributing factor to their strong faith was the trials that they had been through. They said that in the midst of trials they developed strong faith and the more trials that they experienced the stronger their faith grew. I think that is a very interesting thing as we live in a world of Christianity that says that you are blessed when you are trial free, but the opposite seems to be true. James says we should rejoice with trials in our life.

So is it possible to develop strong faith without a lot of trials. I guess that it is possible; however the short cut is going through hard times and enduring them with your faith in God. Not everyone that endures trials has a strong faith, but many who have a strong faith have exercised their faith in the trials they have been through.

Peter had faith when he stepped onto the water that day. Peter had a trial when he denied Jesus three times after Jesus prophesied that he would. Jesus said that Satan had wanted to sift him and that he would endure. We hear a lot about Peter denying Jesus three times and a lot less about how Peter's shadow healed people. Peter used to go on a daily walk each day when he was free and take the same route and people used to bring their sick out to the road and line them up and Peter would merely walk past them. That sort of thing doesn't happen much today, that was where Peter's faith was by the time he was an apostle.

Faith is an integral part of healing, doing signs and wonders and walking in the supernatural. Many people mock me when I say that I walk with saints from heaven on earth, their faith does not allow them to think that was possible for me. Instead they think that I am being deceived by familiar spirits. That is sad for them and still hurts me in a way that they mock me.

You have to know that all things are possible for those that believe. Because when you really do believe that all things are possible you suddenly start to walk in the impossible.

Tip 2 - Knowledge of the Word ♥

One day in the year 2000 as I read the New Testament and found that Paul's writings were really annoying me as they were hard to understand, I heard Jesus tell me that I should start to read the Gospels only and that I should ask myself a few questions as I read it.

I was to ask what Jesus was feeling like in this situation. I was to ask what Jesus meant when he said that And I was to ask why did Jesus do or say that.

Jesus said I was to only read the Gospels and I was to stop reading them when He told me. This went on for three years.

About a year into the reading schedule I met a homeless man and I fed him. He asked me if I wanted to hear what he thought Jesus meant when he taught on earth. I was immediately interested. He commenced speaking and it was so rich and profound what he was saying that my mind could not handle anymore after a minute. I knew that if I let him keep on speaking that I had no hope of remembering anything and I was tempted to tell him to be quite so I could remember a paragraph of what he had said. You have to remember that I had been reading the Gospels for a year by then every day and it was subject I knew well, but still with all that reading what this man said was so profound that I had my head filled up to capacity within a minute. The man went on for ten minutes, every minute as profound as the first.

He went on later to do a few signs that were impossible to do and then at the end of the forty five minutes we spent together he disappeared into thin air. I had been in the presence of Jesus Christ in the flesh that day.

You can only come to know Jesus well when you know the Jesus of the Gospels and you can only know Him not through books on Him but through reading the Bible yourself and asking the Holy Spirit to teach you.

The whole Bible speaks of Jesus so it is important to know the whole Word and the promises of the Bible that speak to God's character, but it is imperative for intimacy with Jesus to know the Gospels.

Tip 3 - Humility ♥

The Bible says that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. The Bible says that we are to humble ourselves under God's mighty hand and in due time He will lift us up. These two verses teach us that humility is a key to a close relationship with Jesus. You simply can't be close to God and be proud. We are called to humble ourselves but God can and will humble us if He sees a purpose in our life where humility is needed.

Tip 4 - Prayer ♥

I had a prophecy once by Jesus and it said in the future people will look at the size of my ministry and say that they want a ministry as big as that. Then they will hear that my ministry got so big due to two reasons. The trials of life and the time I spent in prayer. Then the prophecy said that when they hear that many of them will not be prepared to put in the work.

I talk to Jesus and the Father all the time. Well so regular that you would call me crazy if you could hear me speaking out loud as I walked down the street. You will never be close to Jesus if you don't talk to Him a lot and hear Him speak back. One easy way to get to know Him well is to ask Him questions about all sorts of things.

Prayer does not need to be formal. You simply need to chat to Jesus and let Him speak back to have a very good prayer life. Walking in the supernatural is just not possible without an active prayer life.

Tip 5 - Obedience ♥

There exists a favorite chorus of mine that is really old. It says "Trust and obey for there is no other way, to be happy in Jesus, then to trust and obey."

Trusting is having faith and obedience is doing everything that Jesus commanded us to do. Also obedience involves doing what the Holy Spirit tells you to do or what Jesus tells you to do. You cannot go a long way toward intimacy with Jesus if you have no idea what He taught and are not doing it.

We don't need to obey in a legalistic sort of way. We obey because that is what loving God and your neighbor really is, to obey the commands of Jesus. Jesus said in John 15 that we are His friends if we do what He commands us to do. Therefore if you are not doing what Jesus taught you may be saved but you are not on a friendship level.

God Moves in Mysterious Ways

 "For in the day of trouble he [God] will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock." - King David (Psalm 27:5, NIV).

I have read that William Cowper, like many people today, suffered from times of deep melancholy and depression. One night when he was in a particularly dark mood of despair, he decided to take his life by jumping into the Thames River.

That night the city of London was blanketed with an extremely heavy fog and Mr. Cowper, searching to find the river, lost his way. Stumbling blindly through the fog he was dumbfounded when he found himself on the doorstep of his own home. Going to his

room he penned the words of the beautiful hymn:

God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform;

He plants his footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm.

His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour; The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flower."

The Secret

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have
plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every
situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
- Philippians 4:12-13. (NIV) . 




I pray that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. - Ephesians 3:17-18.


Have you ever thought about the fact that flowers have no choice whatsoever as to where they are planted? Bulbs tend to be planted by gardeners. Some seeds are planted, but many are scattered. Some are picked up by the wind, others get caught in the fur of animals, while still others are dropped off here and there by birds. Whatever the case though, the flowers have no choice in where they will grow and bloom.


Life can be a lot like this too. The circumstances of life can carry us in directions we would never have chosen. They can drop us off into situations far different from any we have thus far experienced.


The apostle Paul discovered this first hand. He was beaten up, run out of town, unjustly tossed into jail, shipwrecked, and bitten by a poisonous snake. Yet, amidst it all, he grew and bloomed where he found himself, for he had discovered a secret. Paul had found that things and circumstances weren't as important as where he was: rooted and established in the soil of God's love. God's love empowered him to be content, growing and blooming for Jesus, within his innermost being as well as outwardly, glorifying God through his words and actions, no matter where life's circumstances planted him.


Have you found Paul's secret yet?

A War Time Prayer

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in ChristJesus." - Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV). 

Ravi Zacharias shares how, "At the historic Amsterdam Conference for Itinerant Evangelists in 1986, a renowned Korean speaker, Billy Kim, told the story of an American soldier hiding in a bunker during the Korean War. When his commander ordered him to rescue some of his fallen mates on the front lines, the soldier nodded his head, took a covert glance at his watch, stalled till his commanding officer was out of sight, and simply made no move. Several minutes went by, and a colleague reminded him of his rescue assignment. Again he looked at his watch and delayed. Finally, he leaped out of the bunker and fearlessly began carrying his compatriots to safety.

"At the end of the day, a friend asked him to explain his actions. The soldier said, 'I was afraid because I knew I was not ready to die. I waited until my fear would be overcome—remembering that at a certain time every hour my mother had said she would pray for me. Then I knew that no matter what awaited me, I could face it.'"

Prayer does matter. Prayer does change things. Prayer is a powerful means of connecting to God of the eternal. How thankful I am for all who pray daily for me and the Daily Encounter ministry. How thankful I am that I can pray every day for my loved ones and commit and trust them to God and his care. And how thankful many a serviceman/woman is that every day loved ones and friends at home are also praying for them.

And as wars and acts of terrorism continue, and as Christians in various parts of the world are being persecuted and killed, let us pray faithfully for God's care for all his children, and that the day of Christ's return will hasten so that in God's time all wars, suffering, sickness and starvation, will finally be ended forever. Pray, too, that everyone in the world will have the opportunity to hear the saving gospel of Jesus Christ and accept God's forgiveness and eternal life.

Challenging Fear

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The man who fears is not made perfect in love" - (1 John 4:18, NIV). 


Most of us struggle with fear of one sort or another at one time or another—some mild, some serious, some healthy, some unhealthy and self-defeating.


Healthy fear is a self-protective mechanism. We rightly fear (or should) driving through a red light, or doing anything that could hurt us or others. Unhealthy fear is that which is caused by someone who hurt us deeply, and especially when we bury and deny it. This fear can become a floating anxiety and cause us to be fearful of everyday living, separate us from close relationships and cause loneliness, give us ulcers or other physical ills, or cause us to hide it and "protect" ourselves with anger.


Fears that are relatively harmless can often be overcome by doing the thing we fear and thereby reconditioning our response to the particular thing we fear.


Unhealthy or self-defeating fears need to be dealt with at their root cause. For example, a person who was abused or abandoned as a child may be fearful of being treated the same way as an adult. And, for some strange reason, unless he faces and resolves this fear, he will tend to either withdraw from close relationships or be attracted to people who will repeat the abuse or abandonment he experienced in the past. Sadly, the things we fail to resolve we are destined to repeat.


As today's Scripture points out, "The man [person] who fears is not made perfect in love." Thus, to be made perfect in love means we need to resolve any unhealthy fears. To do this these fears need to be recognized and if repressed, they need to be brought into the conscious mind so they can be confronted and resolved.


Look at the symptoms in your life. Do you avoid close relationships? Is your life filled with anxiety? Are you an angry person? Do you have any impaired close relationships? Is your marriage a wreck? If any of these apply to you, chances are you may have unresolved fear.


So when you pray admit these and any other symptoms to God and ask him to give you the courage to see the root cause of these—and to lead you to the help you need to overcome these. If the fears are buried, you may need qualified professional counseling help to overcome these.


As we resolve unhealthy fears, we open ourselves to love, and the more we are filled with God's love, the less fearful we will be because perfect love drives out fear.

Obstacle Lessons

"Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything." - James 1:2-4 .


Years ago there was a song that said: "Into each life some rain must fall, But too much is falling in mine." The first line certainly is true. Problems, difficulties, challenges, and obstacles come to us all. That's life. And without doubt, the more noble our life's purpose is, the greater the obstacles we will be confronted with and challenged by.


However, the important thing to realize is that it's not what obstacles we are confronted with that count, but how we respond to and what we do about them.


Obstacles are meant to be object lessons for us—to teach us how to grow, become strong in character and mature—ready for anything. They are meant to challenge us...to stretch us...to show us what potential and possibilities we can see and achieve.


The reality is we can either run from our problems—the obstacles placed in our path—or we can, with God's help, overcome and learn from them and thereby become more mature persons, and stronger in character. The choice is ours. Remember, character counts—always in all ways!

Heading Toward A Crash?

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. - John 10:10.

The word crash immediately brings to mind a car accident. But, that isn't the sort of crash I'm speaking of here. In fact, it's a crash that, hopefully, many of you will never have to go through.


This past week, We began to experiment bouts of 'illness' within my computer. We knew it was getting sick, but never did we think it was about to have a 'breakdown'. Well, Thursday night, that is exactly what happened. On Friday morning, I got up, thinking I'd work on my web site and  devotionals, only to find my machine would whine, jump between the CD Rom and Zip Drive, but never boot up to Windows. There was nothing we cuold do to bring it to life again. It had completely crashed - 'bit the dust'! So, now, I'm in the process of getting new parts to replace those 'sick' ones, to update this machine, and perhaps the failure won't happen again any way soon.


Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. - II Timothy 2:15.


Many Christians, as they go through their spiritual life, experience bouts of crashes. Some are more evident than others, in that they fully lose their trust in God. I have no answers as to why these people get down on God so badly.  Perhaps they have been dis-illusioned in their experience with other Christians, the church, etc. Perhaps they fell into complacency, and just lost out on their spiritual life. Whatever the reasons for their 'crash', God has a 'fix'. There is nothng to bad that the Lord can't help a person to get back upon their 'spiritual feet', and be able to function as a fruit-bearing Christian.


We need to guard our minds and hearts from things contrary to the Word of God. If we constantly study the Word, let the Holy Spirit speak to us about the Word, then we will be more prepared to deal with things that come along that could be make us a potential crash victim.


Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, - Jude 1:24 .

Faith Vs. Sincerity

"Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth ... this man stands here before you whole ... Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." - Acts 4:10, 12 (NKJV). 


One of my favorite illustrations about "misguided faith" comes from an
advertising piece put out by a business firm. On it was glued a small seed with
the claim that if you have as much faith in our business as you do in this
mustard seed, you will be guaranteed great results.


Some months later a customer wrote back to the company saying, "You will be
interested to know that I planted your mustard seed and it is now grown into a
healthy plant bearing great tomatoes!"


I wonder how many times I've been hoodwinked by a less than honest sales person or manipulated by false advertising. Guess most of us have been at one time or another.


Of much greater significance is how many of us are deceived by the promoters of
false religions.


Too many believe if they live a good life that will get them into heaven.
Others, like I used to believe, believe that if they do enough good things to
outnumber the bad things they've done, that will get them into God's heaven.
Others believe that as all roads lead to Rome so all religions lead to God. Not
so. Such beliefs, no matter how sincere, couldn't be farther from the truth.


The religious Pharisees of Christ's day were zealots in their sincerity but were wrong—totally wrong—in that they missed the very Messiah (Savior) for whom they were looking because he didn't come in the way or did what they expected him to do.


There are many religions today, too, that have very sincere zealots and
religious people who are equally as wrong even though they sincerely believe
that they have THE truth!


Jesus made it clear—very clear—that he was the only way to God. "I am the way,
the truth, and the life," Jesus stated emphatically. "No one comes to the Father
except through Me." - John 14:6 (NKJV).


And God's Word, the Bible, affirms: "Nor is there salvation in any other, for
there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."


And that name is Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God. Only in him can
forgiveness of sins, salvation, and the gift of eternal life be found.
Furthermore, had there been other ways to God, why on earth would Jesus have
come to earth to suffer an incredibly excruciating death on the cross to pay the
penalty of all your sins and mine?


The question we all need to ask ourselves, "Have I trusted Jesus as my Lord and
Savior? If not right now surrender your life to Him and accept Him as your
personal Saviour.

“And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments. . .” Luke 16:23

What you're about to read is hard to believe. . . We're going to examine the place the Bible calls hell. We'll present documented evidence for a place called hell. Don't take what you're going to read lightly. If what you read is true — YOU COULD BE IN SERIOUS DANGER!  Several years ago a book was published, entitled Beyond Death's Door by Dr. Maurice Rawlings. Dr. Rawlings, a specialist in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease, resuscitated many people who had been clinically dead. Dr. Rawlings, a devout atheist, "considered all religion "hocus-pocus" and death nothing more than a painless extinction". But something happened in 1977 that brought a dramatic change in the life of Dr. Rawlings! He was resuscitating a man, terrified and screaming —descending down into the flames of hell: "Each time he regained heartbeat and respiration, the patient screamed, "I am in hell!" He was terrified and pleaded with me to help him. I was scared to death. . . Then I noticed a genuinely alarmed look on his face. He had a terrified look worse than the expression seen in death! This patient had a grotesque grimace expressing sheer horror! His pupils were dilated, and he was perspiring and trembling — he looked as if his hair was "on end." Then still another strange thing happened. He said,"Don't you understand? I am in hell. . . Don't let me go back to hell!" . . .the man was serious, and it finally occurred to me that he was indeed in trouble. He was in a panic like I had never seen before." (Maurice Rawlings, Beyond Death's Door,(Thomas Nelson Inc., 1979) p. 3). Dr. Rawlings said, no one, who could have heard his screams and saw the look of terror on his face could doubt for a single minute that he was actually in a place called hell! The Bible continually warns of a place called hell. There are over 162 references in the New Testament alone which warns of hell.And over 70 of these references were uttered by the Lord Jesus Christ!  In Luke 16, Jesus Christ gives a frightening picture of hell: 22 . . . the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. (Luke 16:22-28) HELL IS A PLACE OF FIRE The man in Luke 16:24 cries: ". . .I am tormented in this FLAME." In Matthew 13:42, Jesus says: "And shall cast them into a FURNACE OF FIRE: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." In Matthew 25:41, Jesus says: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting FIRE,. . ." Revelation 20:15 says, " And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the LAKE OF FIRE." THE BIBLE GIVES THE LOCATION OF HELL When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He descended into hell. In Acts 2, Peter is speaking, verse 31, " . . . seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in HELL"  When Jesus Christ died His soul went into hell. And in Matthew 12:40, Jesus Christ says: "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly: so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the HEART OF THE EARTH. " The Bible is clear — Hell is inside the earth! Ephesians 4:9, says of Jesus: "Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the LOWER PARTS OF THE EARTH." ". . . this place seems to be UNDERGROUND or WITHIN THE EARTH in some way." On page 85 of Beyond Death’s Door, Dr. Rawlings writes patients who described hell said,

Scientist and Bible teacher, Henry Morris also agrees the Bible plainly teaches that hell is in this earth:

"So far as we can tell from Scripture, the present hell, is somewhere in the heart of the earth itself. It is also called 'the pit' (Isa. 14:9, 15: Ezek. 32:18-21) and 'the abyss' (Rev. 9:2). . .
The writers certainly themselves believed hell to be real and geographically 'beneath' the earth's surface. . .To say this is not scientific is to assume science knows much more about the earth's interior than is actually the case. The great 'pit' [hell] would only need to be about 100 miles or less in diameter to contain, with much room to spare, all the forty billion or so people who have ever lived, assuming their 'spiritual' bodies are the same size as their physical bodies."
(Henry M. Morris, The Bible Has the Answer, p. 220)

The Birmingham News, April 10, 1987 had an article entitled "Earth's Center Hotter Than Sun's Surface, Scientists Say". The article stated that scientists have recently discovered, "THE EARTH'S INNER CORE HAS A TEMPERATURE OF OVER 12,000 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT!" 

Have you seen pictures of a volcano erupting, spewing a lake of fire from inside the earth — consuming everything within miles just from the heat? When Mount St. Helens erupted in May 18, 1980, it was described by reporters, "when HELL surfaced upon the earth." The book, Volcanoes, Earth's Awakening (p.91) describes an erupting volcano as "descent into HELL".

Thousands of years ago, the Bible described a place called hell in the heart of the earth that matches exactly what science is discovering.

YES! THERE IS A PLACE CALLED HELL!
In Numbers 16, the Bible gives the account of people falling into hell alive!

"And THE EARTH OPENED HER MOUTH, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive INTO THE PIT, and the EARTH CLOSED UPON THEM:" Numbers 16:32-33

Caspar Peucer, a famous fourteenth century astronomer and physician, who also researched and documented the volcanoe eruptions at Heklafell wrote some very frightening information in his research findings. Peucer, claims (as others) that "fearful howlings, weeping and gnashing of teeth" could be heard "for many miles. . ." as these volcanoes erupted:

"Out of the bottomless abyss of Heklafell, or rather out of Hell itself, rise melancholy cries and loud wailings, so that these can be heard for many miles around. . . there may be heard in the mountain fearful howlings, weeping and gnashing of teeth."
(Haraldur Sigurdsson, Melting the Earth, The History of Ideas on Volcanic Eruptions, p. 73)

And Caspar Peucer is not alone. There are others who believe they have heard "cries and screaming" coming from volcanoes. Most have tried to ignore the obvious. Some simply explain the "sounds of hell" to some rational meaning. But they are there. . .

"The fearsome noises that issued from some of their volcanoes were certainly thought to be the screams of tormented souls in the fires of hell below".
(Haraldur Sigurdsson, Melting the Earth, The History of Ideas on Volcanic Eruptions, p. 73)

Inside this earth, this very moment, there are millions of lost, tormented souls — burning, weeping, wailing — without any hope whatsoever!
In Mark 9:46, Jesus Christ says about hell: "Where THEIR WORM dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."

Jesus said explicitly — THEIR worm — not a worm, or the worm — but THEIR worm. The Bible teaches that Christians will one day have a body like the Lord Jesus Christ. Could it be, as some Bible students teach — that men and women in hell take on the form of their father, Satan (John 8:44)? In Revelation 12:3, Satan is described as a red dragon. Could Jesus Christ be referring to the body lost men and women will have for eternity?

The earth’s crust on land is normally 50 miles thick. You’d have to go down 50 miles before the edge of the fire. But in parts of the ocean floor, the earth’s crust is less than a mile thick.

Scientists recently discovered cracks on the ocean floor where fire was leaking out. Do you know what they found around these fire-breathing vents in the crust? Eight-foot long worms, found no other place in the world! The book, The Deep Sea, by Joseph Wallace (p.39), reads, "Perhaps the strangest of ocean creatures recently discovered are Riftia, the giant tube WORMS. Measuring up to 8 feet in length, the worms are ONLY FOUND NEAR DEEP SEA VENTS."

And Jesus Christ said, "Where THEIR WORM dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."

Have you read Isaiah 66 where the Lord Jesus Christ is quoting Mark 9:46?

Look at the context and time period of Isaiah 66:22-24:

Isaiah 66:22-24:
22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.
23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.
24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

The "new heavens and new earth" of Isaiah 66:22 matches Revelation 21:1. This occurs AFTER the Great White Throne Judgement of Revelation 20:10-15! The references to "carcases"; "their worm"; "their fire" (vs 24) — is AFTER the Great White Throne Judgement of the LOST people! The reference to ". . the men that have transgressed. . ." are the LOST people AFTER the Great White Throne Judgement.

And at this point — they have received their NEW BODY! Notice what Isaiah says, the saved people shall "LOOK upon theCARCASES of the men that have transgressed. . ." It's worth mentioning that a "carcase" is not always a "DEAD body". For instance, two times the Bible specifically uses the term "dead carcase" (Deut. 14:8 and Ezek 6:5). If a carcase is ALWAYS a "dead" body, then why say "dead" carcase? And there's NOTHING in the context of Isaiah to imply these "men that transgressed" are "dead".

In fact, Isaiah clearly says, "their worm shall NOT DIE". Even in our language, we refer to a living body as a "carcase". For example, "Get your carcase [body] in here". Why is that important? Because when the saved people in Isaiah 66:24 are "looking upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed" — And do you know what they are SEEING? "Their worm"! The "carcase" they are seeing is "their WORM that shall not die". The end of Isaiah 66:24 is a frightening endorsement of this interpretation. What the saved people are viewing Isaiah says is , ". . . an abhorring unto all flesh". And my friend, that is not JUST a normal flesh body they are looking at! It is something that will send chills screaming through your soul at the horror. And it will happen!

And it will happen TO YOU if you die without the Lord Jesus Christ!

Even though the world tries to extinguish the cries and reality of hell — the truth of hell echoes throughout our world. We desperately pretend to cover our ears and igonore the "screams, the weeping, the wailing, the gnashing of teeth" but it is there. . .And we know it. We refuse to accept such a place exist. But it is there. And we know it. Nothing we can do, nothing we can say, can erase the horror of hell from our minds.

It is there. And we know it.

National Geographic magazine truthfully titled their story on Volcanoes "Going To Hell". When PBS did a series on The Savage Earth, one episode was titled "Hell's Crust: Our Everchanging Planet". Everything we know. Everything we observe. Echoes the truth of a place called hell.

Guilty or Not Guilty

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." - Romans 8:1-2 (NIV). 

"Why do I feel so guilty when I haven't done anything wrong," someone asks. Another asks, "Even when I have asked God to forgive me for things I have done wrong, why do I still feel awful?"


I think these are questions many struggle with. I certainly have in the past. The problem lies in the confusion between real guilt, false guilt, and shame. First, let me again qualify real guilt. In the Bible and in our society guilt is a legal term. If we have disobeyed God or the law of the land, we are guilty whether we feel guilty or not. The appropriate emotional response for when we have done wrong in biblical terms is godly sorrow. This is the way we rightly feel when we have sinned and done wrong. If we don't, we may have a dulled or dead conscience. However, at least in our Western society, we tend to think of guilt as an emotional response, so that's the way I will address it here.


With real guilt, as we said yesterday, when we confess our sin and wherever possible put wrongs right, we should no longer feel guilty. God forgives us and we are no longer under condemnation. If we still feel guilty, chances are it is false guilt and/or shame.


True guilt says you have done bad (or badly). False guilt makes you feel bad even when you are not guilty. And shame says you are bad; that is, a bad person. The latter two are both psychologically damaging and are conditioned or learned responses.


For example, some children grow up in families where guilt is used as a means of control. That is, the message (usually non-verbal) is communicated that if you do what I want you to do; behave the way I want you to behave; conform to my wishes; and for some, if you believe what I want you to believe, I will give you my love and approval. If the child doesn't conform, love and approval are withheld and the child is made to feel guilty. This kind of love is called conditional love, which isn't love at all. It's control. And tragically, false guilt is often used in religious circles to get adherents to conform to leaders' dictatorial control—and people who don't conform are made to feel guilty. This is false guilt.


On the other hand, if a child grows up with a condemning family and constantly gets the message, "Shame on you ... you are such a bad boy (or girl)," over time this message is programmed into his unconscious mind and he comes to believe deep down that he is a bad, shameful person. So when things go wrong—even if he isn't responsible for it—his shame-based belief about himself is triggered and he feels wretched.