If I Die Before I Wake

7/29/2019 If I Die Before I Wake

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Want Reality?It seems like modern thinking has brought us to the place where wedont believe Hell is as hot as it was y years ago. Wed rather not

believe in Hell, so we choose to exercise the option to just not believein it at all. Well believe in Heaven, o course, but not Hell. Have youever heard someone say, My God is bigger than that. My God is theGod o lovemyGod would never send someone to Hell. And, ocourse, those people will go on to say that God couldnt possiblyhaveany standards or their lives because my God is bigger than thatmyGod wants me to be happy. Actually, their god is much smaller thanthe REAL GOD because their god is made in their own image (insteado the other way around)!

It doesnt do us any good to approach lie that way. Its not smart

because i oesn change hings. o believe a certain way aboutsomething doesnt change the reality. Believing that the world is atdoesnt make the world at. Tere is a reality involved. God isnt up ora vote. Heaven and Hell are not up or a vote. It doesnt really matterwhat we hink. Our job is to seek he ruh iligenly an o hie ourlives in ruh an realiy.

Do you have the character and the courage to examine your own heartand toss out the things that would keep you rom really believing thetruth about Heaven or Hell? About who Jesus is? About who Godis? About the laws o God and walking with God? Do you have thecharacter to FORGE the things youve always thought, and FIND

if I debefore I wakeAs always, i we can help you in any way, please contact the church here at

P.O. Box 68309, Indianapolis, IN 46268 USA.

www.JesusLifeTogether.comCopyright 1995 [email protected]

Copyright laws, as crazy as they are when we are talking aboutGods Word, require us to say the ollowing: Tis material is copyrightedand may not be quoted and/or reproduced without its complete context

(the entire document) except by the authors permission. You may, however,reely reproduce this in its entirety. And, o course, this publication is never

to be sold or any price (2 Corinthians 2:17, Matthew 10:8).


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OU what HE says he ruh is? Maybe we will nd out as we look atsome very practical and relevant things1

Only a Few Find ItTen Jesus en hrough he ons an villages, eaching ashe mae his ay o Jerusalem. Someone aske him, Lor, areonly a e people going o be save? He sai o hem. Makeevery eor o ener hrough he narro oor, because many, Iell you, ill ry o ener an ill no be able o. Once he onero he house ges up an closes he oor, you ill san ousieknocking an pleaing, Sir, open he oor or us. Bu he illanser, I on kno you or here you come rom.

Luke 13:22-25

1 Jesus spoke ar more about Hell than He did about Heaven. Jesus spoke

more about Hell than virtually any other subject during His time here on

earth. He wanted to make Hell very clear to us. I think you can see how it

would be an injustice to withhold such a prominent part o Jesus teaching.

I we dont bring that truth to you in about the same proportion that Jesus

did, we really wouldnt be walking as Jesus walked. Knoing he ear o he

Lor e persuae men,were the words o Paul. He certainly had a crystal

clear understanding o what it was he was dealing with. One denomination

took a poll amongst their members and discovered that two-thirds did not

even believe in the existence o an everlasting place o torment called Hell.

Being religious doesnt necessarily mean that you understand what God hassaid about the eternal destination o His creation, whether it be to paradise or

to torment. I am sure that, intellectually, most o us believe in the airy-tale

version o Hell, but being able to hear and understand with the ears o our

heart the screams o agony o millions o people that are in torment right

now, is harder to grasp. o actually believe that they are in the torment o

Hades, in the re o torment righ no, is a little bit hard to relate to. But

it is happening. And those who are ull o aith, ull o the Holy Spirit will

understand and be able to actually hear those screams, and it will motivate

them to tell others.

Ener hrough he narro gae. For ie is he gae an broais he roa ha leas o esrucion, an many ener hroughi. Bu small is he gae an narro he roa ha leas o lie,an only a e n i.

Matthew 7:13 & 14

From these two statements spoken by Jesus and recorded in theBible, its clear that there wont be one person who will make it toHeaven by accident, or by wishing it were so. Tere will actually bemany people who are trying to make it to Heaven, and the Son oGod (who I dare say knows what He is talking about) said they willnot be able to!

I say that to sort o shock you into thinking with me through theremainder o this writing, because i you are not with me at this point,the rest o this will be a waste o time. You must take these things veryseriously and personally or your own heart. Not or somebody else.Otherwise, God will not speak to you through this and your heart willbe hardened. And i your heart is hardened, then there will be littlechance that God will be able to prick your heart and bring you back. Itwill be much harder. Careully consider what Im about to saytakeit practically and personally.

Embrace the ruthTe rah o Go is being reveale rom heaven agains all

golessness an ickeness o men ho suppress he ruh byheir ickeness, since ha may be knon abou Go is plain

o hem, because Go has mae i plain o hem. For since hecreaion o he orl Gos invisible qualiieshis eernal poeran ivine naurehave been clearly seen, being unersoo

rom ha has been mae, so ha men are ihou excuse. Foralhough hey kne Go, hey neiher glorie him as Go nor

gave hanks o him, bu heir hinking became uile an heiroolish hears ere arkene. Alhough hey claime o be ise,hey became ools

Romans 1:18-23


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Tis verse rom the Bible clearly tells us that God judges whether wesuppress the truth that He shows us and choose to live wicked, sel-centered lives, or i we embrace His ruth. Have we invested ourselvesto nd out what Gods ways are? Or are we lazy and apathetic?

Our job in lie is, as the Bible says, to love the truth and so be saved.Te person who seeks shall nd. Tats what all o us have to be doingno matter what stage we are at in our pursuit o ruth. God answersthe prayer o those who are iligenly seeking, not those who are restingon their laurels (looking into the past and counting some good thingsas sucient).

No ExcusesWhat about the situation where our environment has somehowblinded us? Maybe weve grown up in a very wicked environment orin some very materialistic environment, and we are clouded to the

truth o God. We had all these things pushed in our ace year aeryear, either because o bad amily situations or some terrible thinglater in lie. What about all these sorts o things?

While some would like to think that those are valid reasons to ignoreGod and His truth, the Bible says that God has made His truth clear.And God knows what He is doing. It says that all men are withoutexcuse. It doesnt matter what your environment was. It doesntmatter what your physical limitations are or what your sociologicallimitations have beenthat has absolutely nothing to do with it. Allmen are without excuse because God has made it His project to show

us enough truth to nd out whether we are going to pursue truth, orwalk away rom it. He has shown us enough truth to make knownthe inclination o our hearts.

In John 16, it says the Holy Spirit was brought to convict he orlo guilt in regard to sin. Te orlin other words, everyboy.Everyone is without excuse because God has shown us all enoughtruth to see whether we will pursue i, or let it lie by the road as wewalk on by. In that sense, it is pretty easy to understand that whenGod has this thing called Heaven and this thing called Hell thatHe is not being unair. He has made the choice clear to uswe are

all without excuse.

Go is jus: He ill pay back rouble o hose ho rouble youan give relie o you ho are rouble, an o us as ell. Tisill happen hen he Lor Jesus is reveale rom heaven inblazing re ih his poerul angels. He ill punish hose hoo no kno Go an o no obey he gospel o our Lor Jesus.Tey ill be punishe ih everlasing esrucion an shu ou

rom he presence o he Lor an rom he majesy o his poeron he ay he comes o be glorie in his holy people an o bemarvele a among all hose ho have believe. Tis inclues

you, because you believe our esimony o you.2 Tessalonians 1:6-10

Tere is punishment in store or those who dont know God and orthose who dont obey the gospel o the Lord Jesus. When He returnswith blazing re, as a hundred million angels ll the sky, there willbe comort or Gods people. But, it says that those who dont knowGod, and who dont obey the gospel o the Lord Jesus, ace destruction

that is everlasting. Tey will be shut out rom the glorious presenceo God Almighty.

What is Hell?What exactly is Hell? Is that where God decides He will get out awhip and lash us because we didnt do what He wanted us to do? Teanswer to that is NO. Hell actually is to be shut out rom the glorious

presence o Go.

When we look out the window, we cant help but see the Glory o

God. Tats what it says in the Bible in Romans chapter 1. His creationdisplays His majesyand His glory and His love. We see the treesgrowing up out o dirt, o all things. How could that be? Te sunshine,the blue skies, the birds in the air, the oxygen we breathe, the cool othe evening, the moon, the starscreation is beautiul. Tats part othe nature o God. He gave us all these things because He loves us. Nomatter what your situation is in lie (whether you are walking in totalrebellion to God, or in total ellowship with God), at this point you arestill sharing the glories o the heavenlies. For now, we are all sharingthe goodness o God and ellowshipping with His creation.


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Yet, there will be a day when the elements melt with a ervent heat andthe heavens and the earth will be destroyed, and that day shall, all oa sudden, draw a line between the light and dark that exist right now.Obviously, there is darkness, sin and corruption on earth. No questionabout that. Light and dark are mingled, and we are all clearly given anopportunity to see enough light to pursue that light, leaving darkness

behind. Yet, there will be a time when that line is rmly drawn, and allthose who walk in rebellion to God will be shut out rom the presenceo God. Tere will be no more o God in anything.

You can imagine that in your mind by considering what would happeni tomorrow morning the sun didnt come back up again. Just a smallthingjust a small part o Gods creation. I the sun didnt come up,and the winds started to howl, and the trees and the animals started todie, and then the snows came and lie was just sufocated, earth wouldbecome a miserable, ugly place and all lie would be destroyed.

Tats what would happen i God took away the sun, just that little bit o

His goodness. I you can imagine God instantly taking away everythingthat is good and whole and beautiulall the love, all the kindness, allthe beautyand leaving nothing but blackness, ugliness, hatred anddisgustthat is exactly whats going to be lef. Tere will be nothing oGod lef in Hell. Tats what Hell is. Its not some judgment that Godcasts down on people who dont do things His way. Its just that thosewho have chosen to ellowship with God on this earth will walk in ullellowship as they see Him ace to ace, and those who have chosen toplease their own sinul natures and serve the ather o lies will see Godwithdrawing the ellowship that He hasbeen sharing with them. Tatsall it is. And what is lef is awul beyond wordsthats Hell. He will shareHis ellowship with those who have ellowshipped with Him here, andwithdraw it completely and absolutely rom those who have chosen notto ellowship with Him here. Tats what Hell is all about.

So, Who Is in Danger o Hells Grasp?Te ollowing verse is taken rom the book o Galatians in the Bible:

Te acs o he sinul naure are obvious: sexual immoraliy, impuriy(which apparently is something diferent than sexual immorality),

moral corrupion, ebauchery, iolary(putting something, anythingbeore Godin your checkbook, in your time, in your thoughts),ichcraf(that might include the newspaper column that tells yourdaily horoscope or playing with a Ouija board), hare, iscor,

jealousy (something simple like jealousy is right up there withwitchcra and sexual immorality), s o rage (temper tantrumsHow

are you doing with that one? With your roommates, co-workers, trac,children, parents, spouse?), selsh ambiion, issensions, acions anenvy(looking at other peoples things and just wishing you could havethem), runkenness, orgies, an he like. I arn you, as I i beore,ha hose ho live like his ill no inheri he kingom o Go.

Be not deceived. I any o those things are a description o yourliestyle, your way o living, dont think you will inherit the Kingdomo God. You can go to church nine days a week and it wont changethat passage. We tend to orget to deal with our own lives, thinkinginstead that some orm o godliness will save our souls. Its just not so.

It doesnt say that. Te Word o God says, Dont think that anyonewho lives like this can possibly go to Heaven. Te reason that this istrue is because there is a thing called sin, and the wages o sin is alwaysdeath. Tats the nature o the universe. And there is only ONE Man,

JESUS, who can ree us!

Hell Does ExistLets go back and talk some more about this modern day deceptionthat says, Tere is no Hell. Tere is an old saying that says, Te man

who tries to prove that there is no Hell generally has a personal reasonor doing so. Te act is that Hell oes exist. Since thats true, God,who cares or His Creation, certainly wants to make that inormationavailable to us! He wants us to have an understanding o the act thatHell is very real. Its something that we cant eliminate just becauseits unpleasant. Ignoring Hell wont make it go away any more thanignoring death will make death go away. Hell is real, and we need tounderstand that its realjust as Heaven is.


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No Fun and GamesIve heard some people make a joke out o Hell. Tey say, Well, thatswhere all my riends are going to be anyway, so thats okay. At leastIll have riends to keep me company down there. Well just have onebig party there. I want you to know that is a very, very dangerousway o thinking. For one thing, its ignorant o the Scripturesitsalso distorted, unbiblical and suicidal. Tere wont be any un andgames in Hell at all! It will be a place o total darkness. It will be aplace o weeping and gnashing o teeth. Its hard to have a lot o unwith your riends when youre in total darkness and agony. God islight and God will not be present there. You wont even be able tosee your nger in ront o your ace. Tere will be no light and nocomort o companionship.

In Revelation 14:11 it says, Te smoke o heir ormen rises oreveran ever.Revelation 20:10 says, Tere is no res ay or nigh.Tereis no entertainment or recreation there. It continues on and on. No

un and gamesjust a pathetic loneliness and a deep crying out orsomething or SOMEONE that is not there. otal loneliness. You willbe all alone in this place o torment.

otal Darkness ForeverTe worst part is that Hell is eternal. I it would just last 1,000 years, aferI made it through the rst day I could say to mysel, Well, just 999.997more years to go. But it doesnt work that way. Hell is eternal.

Mahe 25:46 Tey ill go aay o eernal punishmen, bu herigheous o eernal lie.Hell is an eternal punishmentweeping andgnashing o teeth. Tere is eternal punishment or those who are apartrom Christ, and there is Eternal Lie or those who are righteous.Some have said that this punishment is a one-time thingthat oursouls are totally destroyed and thats the end o it. Some people willtell you that in Hell we will have no more problems because we aredestroyed once and or all. Tis oally neglecs ha Go has sai onha subjec. Te smoke o their torment cries out orever and ever.Jesus used the same word or eternal lie as He did or eternalpunishment. However long Heaven is, thats how long Hell is. Te

two are synonymous in that way. Tey run parallel to each other. Liedoesnt end in one ell swoop.

Hell is a place o re. We nd that description over and over again.You ask yoursel, Well, how could it be a place o re and not beconsumed? Is God who created all things not capable o doingANYHING (remember Moses and the aming bush that wouldntburn up)? Regardless o whether our eeble minds understand it, Godis capable o doing anything like that. I we reuse to change our livesand to live or Christ and obey Him in every area, then we will ndourselves in that place o re that is never consumed. Tats a promisethat God has made. God doesnt lie. He will ulll that promise.

As he ees are pulle up an burne in he re, so i ill bea he en o he age. Te Son o man ill sen ou his angelsan hey ill ee ou o he kingom everyhing ha causessin an all ho o evil. Tey ill hro hem ino he ery

urnace, here here ill be eeping an gnashing o eeh.

Ten he righeous ill shine like he sun in he kingom o heFaher. He ho has ears, le him hear.

Matthew 13:40-43

Apparently, Jesus was dealing with a people who didnt want to listen.Jesus said, i you have ears, please hear what I am saying. Christcertainly didnt come to destroy the world, but to save it. He oesndesire or anyone o all ino Hells grasp.He wasnt saying, Ha, Ha, Ha,some o you are going to burn in Hell. He was saying, Please listento what I am saying. Hell is real. It does exist. Please judge and dealwith your lie accordingly. Tere is going to be reits REAL! We

are not talking about the airy tale version o lie aer death. Hell issomething very real that Jesus spent much o His time talking about.Its a place o re and a place o darkness. Here are some more o Jesuswords on the subject:

Tro ha orhless servan ousie into the darkness, herehere ill be weeping and gnashing o teeth.

Matthew 25:30

I anyone causes one o hese lile ones ho believe in me osin, i oul be beer or him o be hron ino he sea ih a

large millsone ie aroun his neck. I your han causes you


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o sin, cu i o, or i is beer or you o ener ino lie maimehan ih o hans an o go o Hellwhere the fre nevergoes out.

Mark 9:42

Again, or those who claim that Hell is instantaneous annihilation, weknow that Jesus canbe wrong. And Jesus said that Hell is a place oweeping, and Hell is a place o gnashing o teeth. How does a personthats instantly vaporized have time to weep? How do they have timeto gnash their teeth? Obviously, Hell is not instant annihilation assome might claim.

he orm oes no ie anthe fre is not quenched.Mark 9:48

Te Soul is Conscious

Its a place o darkness, a place o re, a place o torment. Te soulis conscious. Its not just in some world o oblivion where you dontunderstand or recognize anything. In act, in Luke 16 Jesus draws backa curtain and lets us take a glimpse into eternity. While some wouldwant to label these eachings o Jesus as gurative, the context andcontent both indicate that Jesus was totally clear and serious aboutwhat Eternity is really like. Te nature o Eternity is just like Jesusdescribes it! What can we glean?

Lazarus is reed rom the burdens o this lie. He is reed rom thepoverty, humiliation, and shame he had in lie as a beggar. In the

aerlie, Lazarus was clothed with a robe o splendor and greatriches. And thats really what Heaven is all about. Tats the destinyor someone who walks as Jesus walked and will live as Jesus wantsthem to.

However, the rich man ound himsel in a very diferent situation. Terich man was stripped o all his possessions and all his wealth. He wasstripped o his honor, his dignity, his powerhis ability to tell peoplewhat to do. He was undergoing the wrath o God and sufering thehumiliation and bitter anguish o being apart rom God in the lie aerdeath. Tat was the rich mans destiny because o the choices he made

in his lie on Earth.

In Luke 16, we see that the rich man called out or Lazarus to puta drop o water on the rich mans tongue. Tat alone means thereis a consciousness. It is also clear that the rich man rememberedhis brothers who were in danger o the same thing. Hell is notan oblivion where we dont understand or eel anything. Tereis weeping and gnashing o teeth. Its a conscious state. Intense

sufering in total darkness.

Punishment Tat Fits the CrimeA common question people ask is: Isnt eternity too long to sufer?Wouldnt you think eternity is too long to sufer as penalty or a ewshort years o rebellion here on this earth? Tat is a good question,but I have two other questions. First, on what basis then would youthink you could ever deserve Heaveneternal paradise, glory, peace,comort, righteousness and lie or eternityor a ew short years o

having abandoned your lie into the Blood o Jesus? How could itbe that you deserve eternity in paradise in exchange or a ew shortyears on earth? And yet, thats easy to conceive, while eternal tormentin exchange or a ew short years o sel-centered living, somehow isnot. Tat doesnt seem honest or logical, does it? Second, oes a jugeconsier he punishmen or a crime by ho long i ook o commi hecrime? Or oes he consier he penaly accoring o he rasic naureo he crime involve?

Lets say that a person committed a crime that took only veseconds to commit. Would it be right or the judge to sentencehim to lie in prison or a crime that took only ve seconds tocommit? For instance, murdering your children or your neighbor?It doesnt take very long to put a bullet into someones chest. Andi someone brutally murdered your only child, you would havesomething to say about it i the judge only sentenced the murdererto ve seconds in prison, wouldnt you? Or even ve years orthat matter

It doesnt have anything to do with how long we sin, does it? It has todo with two things: What is the nature o that crime? And who was thelawgiver that declared it a crime in the rst place?


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I you did not obey your librarian, there wouldnt be a whole lot thatcould be done about it. She doesnt have much authority. However,your countrys government carries a lot more authority, doesnt it?So, when I have wronged them, a greater punishment can be invokedupon me. Now, consier he punishmen or hose ho ey AlmighyGo! Tose ho ey heir Creaor are in grave rouble. Because o the

Majesty o the Lawgiver, the punishment is that much more severeand certain. We make ourselves out to be gods and we say God doesntcount. Im going to do it myway. Im ree. I can live mylie howeverseems best to me. Making ourselves out to be gods is a very arrogantand serious crime.

God says that the ugliness o our pride, or jealousy, or selshness, orslanderous tongue murders the only begotten Son o God. Would yousay thats a serious crime? It is, whether you think so or not. And thatsthe reason why Hell is an eternal punishment and we are sentencedor orever, not just a short period o time. Te book o Revelation

uses the phrase orever and ever thirteen times. It is used ten timesin regards to the liespan o God, the liespan o Jesus Christ andthe praises o Heaven. Te other three times its used to reer to thesmoke o torment in Hell. So, however long Gods liespan is, thatshow long Hell isthats how long torment is. Hell is a conscious,enless suering.

I that werent enough (which it is), there is another way o lookingat it as well. Our sins never stop with ourselves. Tey carry on intoother peoples lives. Our sins hurt, afect, and inuence other people.Our decisions and ways o living have an efect on and change thevery lives o all those we encounter. For this very reason, there is nosuch thing as a small sin.

A wise man once said, Te sign on the doorpost o Hell reads thisway: Tose who enter this door leave all hope behind. Tere is nohope once we enter those gates. Hebrews 10:31 says, not withoutreason, that it is a earul thing to all into the hands o the livingGod, a terrible and hideous thing to all into His hands. Tere isntany nightmare you could have that would come close to the terror oliving in Hell or one minute, let alone eternity.

But Ohhhhh, What an Opportunity!Now, lets consider another popular questionHave you everwondered why a wonderul, kind, generous, loving, glorious Godwould allow such a terrible place to exist? Its because this terribleplace wasnt meant or YOU!!!One o the reasons its so bad is becauseit wasnt prepared or us. Jesus said it was prepared or the devil andhis angels. He doesnt an you to be there. Tats why its such aterrible, terrible place. Jesus said the road is broad and the path thatleads to destruction, Hell, is broad. Te vast majority o people willtake that broad, terrible road that leads to destruction. But, THAT isnot what God desires or you!

Do you want to know what He does have in store or those who willtotally and completely give their lives to Him?He intends or us tolive in he ullness o Him where time doesnt exist and joy overows.Im sure youve experienced a time when you were with someone orin some circumstance that was absolutely abulous, a antastic time.You looked at your watch and you thought it had been 30 minutes, buthours had gone by! ime didnt exist. Tats the kind o relationshipthat Jesus really wants to have with us, and or us to have with eachother, or that matterwhere time doesnt exist. We are so lost andoverowing in His joy and in a relationship with Him that we stepout o the bounds o time. Te pressures, the priorities, and all thedemands o our circumstances, our worries, and our concernsdontmatter. Isnt that what happens when you are really in a situation olove and exuberance and joy thats ullling and real and alive? Youjust lose track o time. Wow! It seems like weve been here just a ew

minutes. Weve all had some point in our lives where God showedus that shao o ha is like o be ih Himi we would just openour eyes to see Him. ime doesnt exist in His realm.

God knows that i we will take the time to be with Him that Hewill demonstrate His character to us in such a way that He will beabsoluely irresisible. Te qualities o His character are staggering.Being lost in time happens when there is something amazing aboutwhat is happening. Tere is something about being with Him thatcatapults you out o all the other things that you were encumberedand dragged down by. Suddenly you are dazzled by something that isoutside o the realm o your normal ow o experience. Jesus is like


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that. He is inviting us to come walk with Him. Come, lets reasontogether. I will dazzle you with all My qualities o kindness, mercy,and everlasing orgiveness.

My personality will be so attractive to you that you wont be able tostand it. You wont be able to resist Me, so just come walk with Mea little while. I you wi ll just isolate yoursel a little bit, youll see My

smile, youll see the gleam in My eye, youll see how the wind blowsthrough My hair, youll see and hear and experience things that takeyou to another realm, and time wont exist there anymore. You willsee My leadership and My strength. You will see how I have a resolveagainst sin. Youll see that I have a ocus and a clear vision o what lieis supposed to be. And youll hear the depth o My laughter and eelthe warmth o My encouraging embrace. AND, I kno ho o akeyou here!Come ollow Me. Ill show you leadership. Ill show youstrength. Ill show you an immovable character and quality o lie thatwill dazzle you, that will make you want to come with Me because its

sae and secure where I am. I ll show you a kindness and a sensitivitythat will see right into your heart and lie. I you come to Me andlay down your miserable lie ull o yoursel, then Ill wash you, andcleanse you, and put My Spirit inside o you. Ten, Ill draw out thediamonds and the rubies and the jewels that are there. Ill draw thosethings out. Ill make you a queen, Ill make you a king.

Jesus has all these qualities. He is percepive in 1,000 ieren aysan ise beyon ors. Tis is our Maser. Tis is Jesus. Tis isnt someairytale. Tis isnt some story out there about some god that createdthe earth and sits on a big ole white throne and we are all going to bejudged. Tis is about the person o Jesus and His Father who rule overus. I we will just be looking, i we will take the time to encounter Him,there is absolutely no way to resist Him any longer. Te problem hasbeen a lack o willingness to abandon ourselves into His very capableand loving hands. His trustworthiness is beyond belie. But we dontalways get close enough to see it because we get a little too busy, tooselsh, too carelesswe just wont take the time to be dazzled andwooed by Him.

He wants to build an army o ollowers, but its not just sometheoretical, logical, doctrinal issueFollow Me or youll go to Hell.Well, that is true, but that has nohingto do with what Jesus came

to show the twelve. Do you think they ollowed Jesus all over thecountryside because He was wagging His nger at them and tellingthem to ollow Him or they would go to Hell? Do you remember anyscriptures like that? Is that what He did when He went and prayed tothe Father all night? Did He say, Father, show Me what I should say,and then stand up and say, You twelve, you come with Me or youre

going to go to Hell? No. Tey ane o be ih Him because hey sasomehing abou Him ha jus amaze hem. Tey saw His wisdom,kindness and patience. Tey saw strong leadership and an unwaveringcharacter. Tey saw someone who could take the pummeling o lieand stand tall with just a little corner o His mouth smiling in the aceo it, with courage in His eyes. And they wanted to be like Himtheywanted to be with Him. Tey werent going anywhere because therewas nowhere else they wanted to be other than by His side. He didnthave to threaten them, and Hes not threatening us either. Hes inviingus to see Him or who He is and to see the amazing qualities and theamazing personality that He hasso that we would anto be with

Him, in this lie and the next.

An Invitation to a WeddingYOURS!I you think about the picture thats in the Scriptures o how lie orand with Christ culminateswhat is it? Its a courtship and a weddingsupper. Hes appealing to us, saying, I have this condence aboutMysel, saith the Lord, that i you will be with Me and take a look atwho I really am, there will be no other suitors that compare. Tereis nothing else in the whole universe that will win your heart like

I can, because I mae you or Me. Te other things have distractedyou, but i you will just take the time and step up alongside Me, youwill see what lie was meant to be. I want you to marry Me. I wantyou to come with Me and be Mine. I want you to give up your lie osin and rebellion and come to Me. Fall into My arms and let me takecare o you. Let Me wash you and make you as white as snow. I diedso that you could be made cleantake up your cross and ollow Me.Put your hand in Mine and I will take you to a place youve neverdreamed o. And well have a weddingthe most beautiul weddingyouve ever seen!


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Tat invitation is the thing that has rom the beginning o time broughtpeople to seek aer Him. Tats the invitation or us, too. Tats theinvitation to pray. Tats the invitation to obey. Tats what its allabout. It isnt just some external doctrinal thing. Its a drawing and awooing o whats inside o us. Its looking at all that He is and saying,I cant live without that! I dont want to live without that! I would

never dream o living outside o His will or my lie and outside o Hispurposes. I want to ollow the Lamb wherever He goes. Whatever Hewants or my lie, Hes got it! Hes the Bread o Lie, and where all mynourishment and ulllment are ound. Hes that picture o leadershipand kindness and orgiveness and mercy that I cant live withoutthatI dont ever want to live without. I want to see Him be strong. I wantto see Him be severe. I want to see Him be kind. I want to see Him beloving and compassionate. I want to see Him be wise beyond words.

ANd I wANt tO BE wItH HIM!I want to hear every word thatHe has to say, and I dont ever want to be more than a step away romHim the rest o my lie. I cannot turn my back on Him because o my

own selsh pride or laziness or hurt eelings. I cant turn my back onHim. Te loss is just too great. Te temptation is there, but the lossis too great.

Last Chance? Dont Miss it!I hope that you have given your lie to Jesus and have repented osinthrowing all wickedness, vileness, and selshness aside. I hopeyou are living or Him and making your decisions or Him and in Him,not coddling those seemingly little bad habits and living in carnal

ways o thinking. In other words, I hope that youve abandoned yourlie into His arms and thereore have been washed in His Blood. Tereis no reason or low living. Go has somehing much beer in min or

you. Hell is a real place, its not a antasy. God doesnt play games withHis creation. Te Bible doesnt mix antasy and reality. God doesntmake any idle threatsnot even one. As dicult as it might be, theseare all truths that you and I have to deal with.

On that great and horrible day or those who have lived orthemselves, and lived by their own opinions, each will stand beorethe Trone to give an account or every deed done. Tere will be

no excuses; there will be no additional opportunities; there will beno exceptions to the Judgement due. Tose who are not living nowas abandoned into the Will o the Son o God, Jesus Christ, and HisCommandswill be separated rom amily members by the demonso Hell, and orever banished in torment and aloneness to the vile,loathsome ury o satans ery Hell. Ta ill happen Its a very real

thing. I just tremble at what awaits a person who is outside o Christand is reusing to obey Him. It will be a nasty, nasty thing, or boththe christian unconverted masses (Mat.7), as well as those who havenever claimed Him.

Some people have listened and listened and listened but have reusedto o anything about what theyve heard. Tey have said a lot o holywords, but their actions dont support them. Tey have a lot o leaves,but absolutely no ruit. Jesus cursed the g tree or that same reason.In Luke 12:47,48 it says that the severest punishment, the hottestplaces in Hell, are or those who understand the will o the Master

and dont do it. Tey dont make themselves ready to meet Jesus. Forhose ho hear he ors o he Maser, an eiher reuse o obey hemor on make hemselves reay or Him, he hoes place in Hell illbe aaiing hem.

I dare say that many, many people have heard and listened andunderstood these things over and over again. Are you one o thosepeople? Are you sure you have another tomorrow le? Some o youmay not. Some o you may be sprouting gray hairs now, and time isgrowing very, very short. I want you to understand the reality o this,just as Jesus made it abundantly clear over and over again. I you haveproven your lack o repentance or your denial o His Lordship bystubbornly hanging on to bad habits and doing your own will ratherthan His, then that is sin that will cost you your soul. By your stubbornreusal to obey His will, your lie and your soul will be required oyou. Dont think, Ive got a ew more years to get my lie in order.God may say to you, You ool. Your lie will be required rom youthis very night! It is oolish to operate in the uture. Call on Himwhile He is near.

But remember, i you come to Christ, who brings salvation ulland reethen all those sins are gone. Tere is, thereore, now noconemnaion or those who are in Jesus Christ, who live or Him and


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walk in His love, mercy, and compassion. But its a decision that youwill makeonce and or all. We do have memory in the aerlie, andI hope your memory isnt a memory ull o regrets rom a burningHell. I really wish I had obeyed Jesus and that I had responded to Hisopen arms. I hope that wont be your regret. I hope that wherever youare right now, you will make it right with Jesus and commit your lie

to Him totally and completelybecause there is no salvation withoutthat: or this is the denition o Biblical aith. I want you to understandwhat God intends or you to have, and its NO the place preparedor the devil and his angels!

Hell as no prepare or you. Choose somehing ieren or your lie.Okay? Come Along an Fin ou ha He HAS prepare or you!

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If I Die Before I Wake