The Truth about the Tribulation

By Jim Lewis

When I was in High School in the early 1960s, I was taught there was nothing more that needed to happen before the rapture of the saints and that the tribulation could come at any time. If that was the case, what was God waiting for? So my wife and I have read many books on end time events since we were married. But they all seemed to repeat what I learned in high school. So there is a great thing God does. He equips the called. That is what he did with me. God is the true author of this book. When I didn’t know a word or have any idea how to proceed, I prayed and God allowed the words to flow and gave me understanding. That is how this book came to be.

About ten years ago, I started serious research on the subject. I found the answers were not as I was taught during my high school years. The more I studied, the more truth I found. I decided to put what I learned into a book to teach others the real truth about the tribulation and what will happen in the Last Days. They say what you don’t know can’t hurt you. I found out that’s a lie. There are things you need to know before the tribulation starts.

This book is about the Tribulation, culminating in the Battle of Armageddon, and the 1000 reign of Christ on Earth, occurring in the near future.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Oct 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9798385002498

Jim Lewis

Jim Lewis is the author of two previous books, a novel ‘Sister’, and in collaboration with photographer Jack Pierson, a book about Las Vegas, ‘Real Gone’.

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Copyright © 2023 Jim Lewis.

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ISBN: 979-8-3850-0248-1 (sc)

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WestBow Press rev. date: 10/17/2023

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1     QUESTIONS

Are We Involved? Why Is This Study Relevant?

How to Understand the Bible Spiritually

What Is Christianity?

Who or What Is God?

All Roads Lead to Heaven

How to Be Saved

Believe There Is Only One God Who Created the Universe and All That Is in It

God Loves Everybody and Wants Us to Live with Him In Heaven for Eternity

There Is Only One Obstacle That Stands in Our Way of Going to Heaven, and That Is Sin

God Offers Us a Solution to the Sin Problem

The Potential Solution

How to Make Use of This Opportunity

Where Do We Find Reliable Information about the Tribulation?

Current Events Point the Way

How Do We Understand Scripture from God’s Perspective?

The Holy Spirit Is Our Teacher

CHAPTER 2     CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS

The Concept of Symbolic versus Literal

How Do We Understand the Future from the Past?

Two Important Concepts Related to Time

God’s Concept of Time versus Our Concept of Time

God Knows What Will Happen in the Future but Does Not Make It Happen

The Example

Each Day of Creation Is a Pattern for One Thousand Years of Human History on the Earth

What Exactly Is the Tribulation?

How Much Does God Love Me?

Organization of the Book

CHAPTER 3     AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL

Part 1—Daniel 1–3

Daniel Chapter 1, Carried Off to Babylon

Daniel Chapter 2, Neb’s Dream Statue

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream Statue

Daniel Chapter 3, From the Fiery Furnace Freed

CHAPTER 4     AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL

Part 2—Daniel 4–6

Daniel Chapter 4, I’ll Humble Neb Some More

Daniel Chapter 5, Says the Handwriting, You Die

Daniel Chapter 6, The Lion’s Jaws Fixed

CHAPTER 5     AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL

Part 3—Daniel 7

Daniel Chapter 7, There is a God in heaven

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream Statue

The Little Horn Comes Out of the Roman Empire

1. In Order to Rise to Power, the Little Horn Must Uproot Three Other Horns

2. He Had Eyes Like the Eyes of a Man

3. He Had a Mouth Speaking Boastfully—Think Blasphemy

CHAPTER 6     AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL

Part 4—Daniel 7 Continued

Heads, Horns, Crowns, and Heraldry

Heraldry

Image: Coat of Arms of Great Britton

Image: Coat of Arms of Prince Charles of Wales

The Vision Changes

Daniel Steps into His Own Vision

Who Are the Saints?

Chart: Symbols for the Four Kingdoms

CHAPTER 7     AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL

Part 5—Daniel 8

Daniel Chapter 8, Antiochus Spreads Hate

The Divisions of Alexander’s Kingdom

Chart: The Kings of Greece From Seleucus I to Antiochus IV

Typology, Dual Referencing, Dual Fulfillment

God Is Using Known Facts to Teach Us the Unknown

Who Is in the Vision?

CHAPTER 8     AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL

Part 6—Daniel 8 Continued

What Does Jesus Tell Us through Daniel?

What Does This Answer Say?

What Does It Mean: 2,300 Mornings and Evenings?

How Long Will the Altar Stay Shut Down during the Tribulation?

What Can Account for the Passing of Days but Not the Passing of Evenings and Mornings?

The Interpretation of the Vision

CHAPTER 9     AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL

Part 7—Chapter 9

Daniel Chapter 9, Seventy Sevens in Time

What Did Jeremiah Say?

How Did Daniel Respond?

Gabriel Brings the Answer

What Are the Seventy Weeks of Daniel?

When Will the Seventy Weeks Begin?

The Decree That Starts the Clock Ticking

Chart: The Decrees at a Glance

Why Is a Decree Required to Start the Seventy Weeks of Daniel?

Why Were They Carried Off to Babylon?

Why Did God Let This Happen to His Chosen People?

Notes on the Book of Ezra

CHAPTER 10     AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL

Part 8—Chapter 9 Continued

The First Seven Weeks of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks of Years

Chart: Events That Occurred during the First Seven Weeks of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks of Years

The First Decree

Weren’t the Captivity and Destruction the Same Event?

The First Invasion—605 BC

The Second Invasion—597 BC (605 Plus Eight Years)

The Third Invasion—586 BC (597 Plus Eleven More Years)

The Second Decree

The Third Decree

CHAPTER 11     AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL

Part 9—Daniel 9 Continued

The Fourth Decree

The Fifth Decree

The Seventy Weeks of Daniel

Are Not One Continuous Block of Time

The Start of the 490 Years

Chart: The Divisions of the 490 Years

Why Is the Church Not Mentioned in the Old Testament?

Why the Church Age?

What Is the Sign for the Start of the Seventieth Week?

What Is the Abomination of Desolation?

CHAPTER 12     CONCEPTS ON TIME MEASUREMENT

How Is Time Measured during the Tribulation?

How Does the Jewish Calendar Work?

Chart of the 483 Years

Concept 1: Abstract or Concrete

Concept 2: The Dimension of Time

Concept 3: The Dimensions of Times (Years)

Concept 4: The Dimension of Months

Concept 5: The Dimension of Days

Concept 6: The Dimension of Evenings and Mornings

CHAPTER 13     WHEN DID JESUS COME THE FIRST TIME?

Will We Be Waiting for Him When He Comes Again?

Who Are the People of the Ruler Who Will Come?

Who Is the He Who Will Make a Covenant with Many?

CHAPTER 14     AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL

Part 10—Chapter 10

Daniel Chapter 10, Where’s the Angel Then?

Who Was in the Vision?

A Special Blessing

The Story of the Angel Detained for Three Weeks

What Will Happen in the Future? The Short Answer

Why Did Daniel Need to Know This History?

What Is the Sign That a Prophet Is a True Prophet?

The Parenthetical Statement

CHAPTER 15     AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL

Part 11—Chapter 11

Daniel Chapter 11, A Vile King’s Succession

Chart: The Kings of Persia

Chart: The Kings of the North And South

Seleucus IV Philopator

The New Roman Empire

The Faithful Ones

CHAPTER 16     AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL

Part 12—Chapter 11 Continued

The Antichrist

The Time of the End

Where Will This Last Battle Take Place?

CHAPTER 17     AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL

Part 13—Daniel 12

Daniel Chapter 12, Shine Bright ’Til All Is Well

Daniel’s Vision Continues

When Will the Book Be Understood?

The Rapture

Jesus Swears with Uplifted Hands

Who Are the Holy People?

Two New Time Dimensions

1,290 Days

1,335 Days

CHAPTER 18     MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE TRIBULATION

Misconception 1

Christians Are Raptured before the Tribulation

Misconception 2

The Return of Christ is Eminent; Christians Could Be Raptured at Any Time

Misconception 3

There Is No Prophesy Yet to Be Fulfilled before Jesus Comes Back

Misconception 4

The Restrainer Is the Holy Spirit

Michael Arises, and Then There Will Be Distress

God Provides a Means for Escape

Misconception 5

The Tribulation Lasts Seven Years

Misconception 6

Jesus Doesn’t Know When the Rapture Will Occur

CHAPTER 19     WHY WILL THERE BE A FALLING AWAY

Why Will There Be a Falling Away?

Attitudes of the Heart

Why Is This Attitude Everywhere?

What Was, and Is, the Specific Attitude Problem?

The False Doctrine

How Will It Unfold?

The Truth Will Be Revealed

There Must Be a Political and Religious Structure in Control to Elevate the Antichrist to Power The Political System

The Religious System

CHAPTER 20     THE OLIVET DISCOURSE—PART 1

When Will the Tribulation Occur?

What Did the Disciples Want to Know?

Disciples: Question 1

When Will the Temple Be Destroyed?

Non-signs of Jesus’s Return

Warning 1: Don’t Look for Jesus on Earth

Human Pretenders Cannot Be Jesus Christ

Warning 2: War Is Not a Sign

Warning 3: Revolution Is Not a Sign

Warning 4: Famines and Earthquakes Are Not Signs

Warning 5: Christians Will Be Persecuted for Their Faith

Warning 6: Many Will Fall Away from the Faith; Many Will Betray Each Other; Many Will Hate Each Other

Warning 7: False Prophets Will Deceive Many

Warning 8: Wickedness Will Cause the Love of Most to Grow Cold

Consolation: Stand Firm to the End, and You Will Be Saved.

CHAPTER 21     THE OLIVET DISCOURSE—PART 2

Real Signs of Jesus’s Return

The First Real Sign

The Second Real Sign

Where will the Abomination of Desolation be Set Up?

The Third Real Sign

The Final Real Sign of the Coming of Jesus

Jesus Will Return from the Sky!

Disciples: Question 2

What Will Be the Sign that Jesus Is Coming Back to Earth?

CHAPTER 22     CONTEXT IS KEY TO UNDERSTANDING

The Correct Context: Israel Must Be a National Entity

Divisions of the Seventy Weeks of Daniel

Chart: What Are All These Things?

Disciples: Question 3

What Would Be the Sign of the End of the Age?

Who or What Is This Generation?

The Sign of the End of the Age Was the Reconstitution of the Nation of Israel in 1948

CHAPTER 23     THE OLIVET DISCOURSE—PART 3

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

The Parable of the Talents

The Sheep and the Goats

CHAPTER 24     THE JUDGMENTS IN REVELATION: SEQUENTIAL OR PARALLEL

The Seal Judgments

Misconception:

The Judgments in Revelation Are Sequential

Judgments in Sequential Order

The Judgments in Revelation

The Seal Judgments

The First Seal: False Religion

Syncs with Matthew

The Second Seal: Religious War

Chart: Religious Wars Since the First Century

Syncs with Matthew

The Third Seal: Famine

Syncs with Matthew

The Fourth Seal: Death and Hates

Syncs with Matthew

Syncs with Revelation

The Pattern of the Judgments

The Fifth Seal: Impatient Martyrs

Syncs with Matthew

The Sixth Seal: Earthquakes, Darkness, Meteors

Syncs with Matthew

The Seventh Seal

CHAPTER 25     THE TRUMPET JUDGMENTS IN REVELATION

The First Trumpet

The Second Trumpet

The Third Trumpet

The Fourth Trumpet

The Three Woes and the Pattern of the Judgments

The First Woe—The Fifth Trumpet

A Star Fell from Heaven

The Abyss Is Opened

What Is the Abyss?

Who Is in the Abyss?

Locusts Emerged from the Smoke

The Second Woe—The Sixth Trumpet

Four Angels Are Bound at the Euphrates River

The Kings of the East

The Third Woe—The Seventh Trumpet

CHAPTER 26     THE BOWL JUDGMENTS IN REVELATION

The First Bowl

Painful Sores on Those with the Mark of the Beast

The Second Bowl

The Sea Turned to Blood

The Third Bowl

Rivers and Springs Turned to Blood

The Fourth Bowl

The Sun Scorched People with Fire

The Fifth Bowl

Complete Darkness on Kingdom of Beast

The Sixth Bowl

Euphrates River Dried Up for Army of Two Hundred Million

The Seventh Bowl

The Thunderstorm of All Thunderstorms

It Is Done

Chart: Judgment Comparison

The Mystery of God

Chart: The Seventh Trumpet Is the End of the Judgments

CHAPTER 27     REVELATION 7 AND 10

Four Angels Holding Back the Winds of Earth

Revelation Chapter 7

The First Interlude

Four Angels Holding Back the Winds of the Earth

The 144,000 Sealed Jews

The Multitude in White Robes

Revelation Chapter 10

The Second Interlude

The Seven Thunders

The Mystery of God Is Revealed

CHAPTER 28     REVELATION 11

Measure the Temple and the Worshippers

The Third Interlude

The True Temple Mount

Historical Facts

Scriptural Evidence

Jesus’s Testimony

Layout of Fort Antonio and the Location of Solomon’s Temple

Video Evidence

The Two Witnesses

Chart: The Final Judgment

CHAPTER 29     REVELATION 12

The Woman and the Dragon

The Fourth Interlude

CHAPTER 30     REVELATION 13

Who Is on the Seashore?

The Fifth Interlude

The Beast Out of the Sea

CHAPTER 31     REVELATION 13 CONTINUED

The Beast Out of the Earth

The Mark of the Beast

Chart: Numerical Value of Hebrew Letters

Chart: Numerical Value of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher

Chart: Numerical Value of President Obama

Chart: Numerical Value of President Donald Trump

Comparison of the Beasts

Chart: Horns, Heads, and Crowns

CHAPTER 32     REVELATION 14

The Lamb and the 144,000 on Mount Zion

The Sixth Interlude

They Are Virgins

The End Is Announced

Who or What Is Babylon the Great?

Punishment for Those Who Worship the Beast

A Blessing to Those Who Die for Christ

The Harvest of the Earth—Part 1

The Rapture of the Saints

The Harvest of the Earth—Part 2

Unbelievers Face Judgment

CHAPTER 33     REVELATION 17

Babylon the Great Is a System of False Religion

Revelation Chapter 17

The Seventh Interlude

The Punishment of the Great Prostitute

The Scarlet Beast

The Riddle of the Beast

CHAPTER 34     REVELATION 17 CONTINUED

The Seven Hills

Four Interpretations

Interpretation One

They Represent the Religious Capital of False Religion

Interpretation Two

Seven Hills Represent the First Seven Rulers of the Roman Empire

Chart: The First Rulers of the Roman Empire

Interpretation Three

Seven Hills Represent Seven Foundations of Power

Interpretation Four

Seven Hills Represent Seven Past Rulers of the Roman Empire with the Same Name

CHAPTER 35     REVELATION 17 CONTINUED

The Mystery of the Eighth King

Some Answers from Zechariah

Who Are the Ten Kings?

How Does False Doctrine Work?

Who Supports the Prostitute?

What Ultimately Happens to the Prostitute?

CHAPTER 36     REVELATION 18

Babylon the Great Is a Political and Economic System

The Destruction of Political and Economic Babylon

Who Is the Angel That Announces This Destruction?

The Announcement of the Destruction of Babylon

The Verdict

The Call

The Punishment

What Do the Kings Say?

What Do the Merchants Say?

What Does God Say?

The Final Pronouncement

The Overview of Babylon the Great

CHAPTER 37     REVELATION 19

Rejoicing in Heaven

The Responsive Reading

A Shout from Heaven

The Wedding Supper of the Lamb Is Starting

The Truth about Resurrection

Facts from God’s Word

Observations

Overwhelmed

When Do These Events Occur?

CHAPTER 38     REVELATION 19 CONTINUED

Two Time Periods after the Tribulation

Chart: Options for the Wedding Supper of the Lamb

Where Do the Judgment of Christians and the Wedding Supper of the Lamb Fit in God’s Timeline?

The Battle of Armageddon Described

CHAPTER 39     REVELATION 20

The Judgment of Christians

The Story of Ananias and Sapphira

The Parable of the Workers

CHAPTER 40     REVELATION 20 CONTINUED

When Is the First Resurrection?

Definitions

What Is the Second Death?

The First Resurrection and Death

The Second Resurrection and Death

The Great White Throne Judgment

The New Jerusalem

The River of the Water of Life

CHAPTER 41     SUMMARY

The Sequence of Events

To the watchmen of Ezekiel.

The word of the LORD came to me:

"Son of man, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and make him their watchman,

and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people,

then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.

He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life.

But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand."

—Ezekiel 33:1–6 (NIV)

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CHAPTER 1

QUESTIONS

W hen it comes to the topic of the Tribulation, there are almost as many opinions as the people you talk to. There are many people who could care less about the Tribulation; it’s all doomsday talk to them. Others are so wrapped up in their own lives that they do not see—or care to see—what the future holds for them. Another group includes the ones who are totally ignorant of what is getting ready to overtake the world. There are those who have heard the topic but just don’t believe anything is going to happen. We could call them the sci-fi generation. They think we will make it into the twenty-third century and be flying all over the galaxy at warp speed. There are others who call this too hard to understand. The saying is What you don’t know won’t hurt you. However, they really should know what is going to happen in the near future because they will be involved, and it will hurt them if they are not prepared. In fact, the entire world will be involved. Finally, there are those who are genuinely seeking answers. They may be confused about what they have heard. They actually want to know, but they don’t know who to ask or even what to ask; they just want to learn and understand what the Tribulation is and what it means. If you are in that group, this book is for you. Here are some of those questions and the answers.

ARE WE INVOLVED? WHY IS THIS STUDY RELEVANT?

The focus of this study is to discover and understand details about the Tribulation and the days leading up to it. But there is one primary question we need answered: will we be involved anywhere in those last days? Because if we are, then we will definitely need to know what it will take to make it through to the end successfully. The short answer is yes, we will be here for the Tribulation. But our good fortune is that God has provided all the details and answers in the Bible. So as we proceed through this book, we will explore what the Bible has to say and will provide the answers to this and many more questions in detail.

HOW TO UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE SPIRITUALLY

Before we get too far, there is a problem to overcome. How do we understand the Word of God? I don’t mean just reading it; I mean how do we understand it spiritually? How do we understand what God intended for us? To solve that problem requires spiritual help. We can’t understand anything in the Bible on any spiritual level without the help of the Holy Spirit. Just as there are many levels of knowledge between first grade and high school graduation, there are many spiritual levels between a new Christian and a mature Christian like Billy Graham.

Think of it like teaching children that God loves them. They understand that you love them, so that works on an elemental level. But if you try to teach a four-year-old about the Tribulation, they can’t understand. They don’t have the vocabulary, education, or attention span. And they don’t have the maturity to be interested. In our case, understanding the end-times and the Tribulation requires that we have the desire to learn, the focus, a spiritual vocabulary, Bible doctrine, and the most important part, God’s Holy Spirit, who will be our teacher.

We base our spiritual vocabulary on the amount of doctrine we’ve stored up. Some people simply don’t have much stored up, so they won’t have the capacity to understand the deep doctrines found in the Word of God. But with the leading of the Holy Spirit, we will be able to understand the elementary truths of God’s Word. The point is that we must allow the Holy Spirit to teach us the truth that we can understand. And don’t worry; God knows what we can understand.

WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY?

We need to think about Christianity for a minute. What is it? Christianity consists of the God of the universe having a personal relationship with the people of earth. This is totally different from any of the religions of the world. None of the religions in the world have a personal relationship with their god. In fact, no person who ever started a religion is alive today. For example, Buddha died in 483 BC, Confucius died in 479 BC, and Muhammad died in AD 632. Religion, as defined by Wikipedia, is a cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that relates humanity to supernatural, transcendental, or spiritual elements. However, there is no scholarly consensus over what precisely constitutes a religion. It sounds like religion is ritual: practicing beliefs, obeying rules, and having only a priest to guide you in life.

Think about the Aztec and Mayan civilizations. The Mayan empire covered most of the Yucatan Peninsula, beginning in about 2600 BC. It existed in what we know today as Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador. Some of them lived into the early twentieth century. The Aztecs were in power during the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries, beginning in northern Mexico. In fact, Mexico City was built on the ruins of their capital city, Tenochtitlan. Both used human sacrifice to appease their gods. They wanted fertility, which came in the form of rain. But when the drought came, no amount of human sacrifice changed the weather.

WHO OR WHAT IS GOD?

I just realized some of you don’t know much about God. Most of you have heard the word trinity. It is a word that describes God because He is three in one. He is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This is another phrase you may have heard. To understand the three-in-one concept, God gave me this illustration: I am a son to my father, a father to my sons, and I am a husband to my wife. In all three relationships, although I seek a common goal, I act in a different way, I have different objectives, and I play a different part. God is the master architect of the universe.

His Son, Jesus, spoke the world into existence, according to John 1:1–4, and is called the Word. In verse 14 of John 1, John says Jesus became flesh and lived among us. Hebrews 4:15 declares to us that Jesus was tempted in every way that we are, but He never sinned. Think of it; Jesus lived on earth as a man yet never sinned. This is important to understand because this is the very reason why Jesus is uniquely qualified to die for our sin and be our spiritual judge. The Holy Spirit convicts us of the sin of unbelief before we become Christians. After we are saved, He convicts us of sins that break our fellowship with God, and He is our spiritual teacher. Therefore, Christians can communicate with the God of the universe through His Son, Jesus. And having that relationship means we have the Holy Spirit in us, who teaches us spiritual truth.

Now here is something to think about. Some of you reading this don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If that is the case, you don’t have the Holy Spirit living in you. That means you don’t have any spiritual sense. Therefore, you cannot understand anything beyond mere facts. Understand that intellectual knowledge and spiritual truth are two very different things. Knowing something intellectually and knowing it in your heart spiritually are in no way the same thing, especially when it comes to spiritual matters. It’s the same with book learning. You can read about driving a car, but you can’t understand completely until you actually drive one.

ALL ROADS LEAD TO HEAVEN

All of this leads us to a myth in our world that is a stumbling block in our path for truth. We need to debunk this myth right now. People proclaim, All roads lead to heaven! Let’s consider this for a moment. How exactly does a person get into a college or university? First, they must meet or exceed the standards set by that institution. Second, they must supply documentation proving that they meet or exceed those standards. Third, they must apply. Question: who controls entry into that place of higher learning? Answer: the college or university controls the admission process.

Let’s make a second observation. How does a person get a job? The simple answer is that there must be an opening for which the person is qualified, and then they must apply. And once again, who controls the hiring? The employer controls the hiring. So these people who say all roads lead to heaven are saying that they control admission to heaven. Do you understand how ludicrous this thinking is? They will follow the rules established by universities and employers but think they can control the God of the universe. How can they be so deceived by the devil as to think this is in any way possible?

God says the prerequisite to get into His heaven is to be a child of God. To be a child of God requires that a person have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That is more than intellectual knowledge. If that has happened in your life, you should know it. If you aren’t sure, you can be sure. If it has never happened, you can make it happen.

HOW TO BE SAVED

I think a couple of definitions are in order before we go on. Saved and born again mean the same thing. They mean a person has the personal relationship with God that I talked about. It means those with that personal relationship will go to heaven when they die. When I was young, I questioned whether or not I was born again and would go to heaven when I died. I really wanted to know, but I was afraid to ask. I guess I thought they would laugh at me. The real problem was that I was raised in church, and I knew all the answers. That way, without realizing it, I fooled everybody into thinking I was saved. To admit I wasn’t would have been embarrassing, or so I thought. So the answer continued to elude me. When I was in Germany in the army, I finally got up the courage to ask my Sunday school teacher about it. After I explained why I thought I was a Christian, she helped me to understand why I wasn’t. It wasn’t embarrassing, and the answers came from the Bible, not man’s opinion. Here is what I learned.

BELIEVE THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD WHO CREATED

THE UNIVERSE AND ALL THAT IS IN IT

Believing there was only one God was not an issue for me. I already believed that. But I found that believing there was a God of the universe and believing in that God were two different things. That is; knowledge of and faith in are not the same. As I thought about it, I realized that throughout the world, people believed in many gods. Some didn’t believe in any god. Just between you and me, I don’t understand how anybody could believe the world was not created by a supreme being. As I continued to think of this, evolution came to mind. I don’t have a problem with animals adapting to their environment. But basically, evolution says things grow more complicated from simple things. This idea is represented by sea creatures climbing onto dry land and growing legs and apes becoming humans. I don’t know how they could believe this when potholes in roads get worse, cracks in the sidewalk don’t heal themselves, and cars and machinery break down when not maintained. I guess they don’t give it enough thought to see that it can’t be true.

When Paul was on a missionary journey in the first century, he came to Athens. In Athens, there was a place that had temples and monuments to many, many gods. The Athenians were so afraid they would miss a god that they even had a monument to an unknown god. Paul used that opportunity to declare to them the one true God. Part of this sermon is found in Acts 17:24–26. Paul tells them there is one God who created heaven and earth and all that is in it.

GOD LOVES EVERYBODY AND WANTS US TO LIVE

WITH HIM IN HEAVEN FOR ETERNITY

Since I grew up going to church, I had heard John 3:16 many times.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NIV)

But I learned something else that I had not understood before. God loves all people, even before they are saved. Paul reinforces this in the book of Romans.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 NIV)

When I was a youth, I thought this verse said, But God demonstrated His love for us. The verb in past tense referred back to the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross. But the price He paid has a continuing action. Saying He demonstrates is much clearer. It means His action two thousand years ago is relevant in all generations. The verb in the Greek says there was an action that took place once, but the effects of that action carry down to the present day and beyond. So, in practical terms, every day God is demonstrating to someone that He loves them now and has loved them since they were born.

THERE IS ONLY ONE OBSTACLE THAT STANDS IN OUR

WAY OF GOING TO HEAVEN, AND THAT IS SIN

In the book of Romans, Paul is talking about true righteousness, not self-righteousness, when he makes a startling statement:

This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:22–24 NIV; my emphasis)

Paul says we all are sinners and we all fall short of God’s perfection. If, in our whole lifetime, we sinned only one time, it would be enough to move us from the perfect category to the sinner category. But the fact is that because Adam and Eve sinned, everyone born into this world becomes a sinner by birth. You couldn’t have changed that fact if you wanted to. And here is the bottom line: there is really only one sin that will keep you from going to heaven when you die. That sin is not having faith in Jesus Christ and accepting the gift of salvation from God. That’s it. That’s all that stands between eternal life in hell and eternal life in heaven. Murder, robbery, worshiping the devil, adultery, fraud—whatever you consider is so bad that God could never forgive you—is only a symptom of your status, a drop in a bucket compared to rejecting the truth that Jesus is God’s Son and the only way to heaven. It’s like when you have a cold. The coughing and runny nose are not the cause of your discomfort. They are only symptom of the cold. John reinforces what Paul said by emphasizing that we are all sinners.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." (1 John 1:8, 10 NIV)

This is just part of the picture. In Romans 6, Paul gives us this shocker:

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NIV; my emphasis)

Do you see it? The word sin is singular. That’s the not trusting Jesus part. Only one sin determines your destiny for eternity. Paul says everything else we do to be good—to make us look good in God’s sight—will pay us back the wrong way. Those things are sins. They give us a false sense of security and help us believe we are on the right track to heaven. The more we go this way, the more we miss the right way. The New American Commentary says the severance check for our good works is spiritual death—eternity in hell. I don’t think that lost people believe they are working to go to hell, but they are.

GOD OFFERS US A SOLUTION TO THE SIN PROBLEM

Now look at the second half of the verse.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23 NIV; my emphasis)

Rather than trying to work our way to heaven, which will only pay us back with death, God has provided the gift of eternal life through His Son, Jesus. You might ask, how can we be saved through Jesus if He died on the cross? Paul, in his first letter to the church in Corinth, reviews the Gospel message for them and answers this question.

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. (1 Corinthians 15:1, 3–5 NIV; my emphasis)

God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day, and now He sits at the right hand of the throne of God. So as we look at Romans 6:23, the second half of the verse says that God is offering us a way to get to heaven. God loves us so much—and wants us to live with Him for eternity—that by His grace He made a way for us to get to heaven. And it is a gift. Think of it this way: you committed a crime, you are convicted, and you ready to be sentenced to death. Then Jesus steps up and says He will take your punishment. He dies in your place, and you are set free. Where does this leave you? You were on the negative side, but now you are neutral. Now you can choose between heaven or hell. Paul tells us how it works.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9 NIV; my emphasis)

Paul says the way to heaven is provided by God’s grace. Verse 9 makes it clear we can’t do anything good enough to make it to heaven on our own. This way pays a salary of death. The right way is through faith in Jesus. Peter tells us about it.

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. (1 Peter 3:19a NIV)

THE POTENTIAL SOLUTION

The right way to heaven is not in doing but in accepting and trusting. That’s why this is the potential solution. To be saved, you—and only you—must accept by faith the gift of eternal life offered by God. Only you can make it happen! No one can pray you in or light candles for you because you are the one who must trust God. How is this accomplished? Jesus Himself gives us more details when He is talking to Nicodemus:

In reply, Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no