King Duncan writes about the small boy who “was consistently late coming home from school. His parents warned him one day that he must be home on time that afternoon, but nevertheless, he arrived later than ever. His mother met him at the door and said nothing. His father met him in the living room and said nothing.

“At dinner that night, the boy looked at his plate. There was a slice of bread and a glass of water. He looked at his father’s full plate and then at his father, but his father remained silent. The boy was crushed. The father waited for the full impact to sink in, then quietly took the boy’s plate and placed it in front of himself. He took his own plate of meat and potatoes, put it in front of the boy, and smiled at his son. When that boy grew up, he said, ‘All my life I’ve known what God is like by what my father did that night.’”²

We, too, can know what God is like by what Jesus did for us when he came to earth as a babe in Bethlehem and then to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for all our sins so we can be freely forgiven and receive God’s gift of eternal life to be with him in heaven forever.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, how can I ever thank you enough for your great love gift to me at Christmas time some 2000 years ago in giving your Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for all my sins through his death on the cross so that I could receive your gift of forgiveness and eternal life? Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Romans 5:8 (NIV).

2. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com.

How often have you heard the argument, “If God is a God of love, how could he ever send anyone to hell?” Others who say they believe in God just don’t believe there is such a place as hell.” But what if there is a hell? The fact is that Jesus in God’s Word repeatedly speaks about hell and warns people about the wrath to come.

Keep in mind, however, that hell was prepared first of all for the rebellious devil and his fallen angels [demons]. Also realize that in a very real sense it isn’t God who sends us to hell, but it is we ourselves when we disbelieve God’s warning and reject or fail to accept his pardon for all our sins and receive his gift of eternal salvation. God will not force us to spend eternity with him when we have refused his fellowship and forgiveness in life.

In his book, Echoes of Eternity, Dennis Kastens writes about people who never heeded the following warning: “During World War II the city of Palermo, Sicily, a military objective of the Allied Powers, was to be bombed by the American Air Force. To warn the Sicilians, telling them to flee, thousands of pamphlets were dropped on the city beforehand, but the citizens simply did not believe the warning. They listened, but they did not hear! When the American planes came and dropped their bombs, hundreds of Sicilians were killed; in fact, in some cold, dead hands were found the very pages urging them to leave the city.”²

Whatever you do, don’t fail to heed God’s repeated warning about hell and the wrath to come after this life. Make absolutely sure your name is written in God’s book of life. See also the article below: “The Why of Hell.”*

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I confess to you that I am a sinner and believe that your Son, Jesus, died on the cross in my place to pay the penalty for all my sins. Please forgive me of all my sins, and Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and life and be my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

NOTE: If you have never accepted Jesus as your savior and prayed the prayer above, please let us know by filling in the form at https://learning.actsweb.org/decision.php and we will send you the web address for free online helpful articles.

*The WHY of Hell. Because God is a God of holiness no sin or sinner can ever exist in his presence any more than darkness can survive in the presence of light, or a moth in a flame. And because God is a God of justice, all sin (the breaking of God’s universal moral laws) must be judged and that judgment is death, which is eternal separation from God in the place the Bible calls hell. The good news is that God is also a God of infinite love. That’s why he gave his Son, Jesus, to die in our place on the cross to pay the penalty for all our sins and save us from spending eternity in hell. All we need to do is confess our sinfulness to God, believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died on the cross in our place, and ask God for his forgiveness and accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior.

To accept God’s Invitation to receive his full and free pardon and his gift of eternal life click on http://tinyurl.com/6k49w or see the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” in No. 3 below.

1. Revelation 20:13-15 (KJV).

2. Dennis Kastens, Echoes of Eternity, CSS Publishing.

3. See “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

“In our Monday morning group,” wrote Milt Richards, “we have been reflecting on what it means to follow Jesus. In our scripture lesson for today we read the story of Jesus meeting Matthew. Here is a person who is one of the most disrespected and loathed persons in the community. Crowds of people had been clamoring to see and hear Jesus, the new miracle worker among them who claimed to be the promised ‘Messiah.’ Yet as Jesus moved on his way, a very special thing happened. The record specifically states that Jesus saw Matthew.”

Not only did Jesus see Matthew—the despised and hated tax collector—but he also called him saying, “Follow me.” In choosing to accept Jesus’ invitation, Matthew became one of Jesus’ special disciples—and his life and writings continue to make an impact on the world today.

Jesus, of course, was heavily criticized by the religious elite of his day for mixing with despised tax collectors and obvious sinners, but he had no intention of being “politically correct” in order to please the elite. He lived only to please his Father, who sent him to earth to seek and to save the lost; that is, the spiritually lost.

No matter how you and I are accepted, rejected, neglected or made to feel, Jesus sees us too. And his invitation is exactly the same as it was to Matthew: “Follow me.”

Accept Jesus’ invitation and your reward in heaven will also be great.

Be sure to click on God’s Invitation at: http://tinyurl.com/6k49w.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for Jesus’ invitation to me to follow him. I gladly accept his invitation. Please help me to live in totally harmony with your will and to honor Jesus and you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 9:9 (NIV).

Ron Clarke of Tasmania tells the following story about the devastating Irish famine (1845-1849) that wiped out a million people some 150 years ago when many thousands left Ireland for the New World, or Australia and New Zealand searching for a new life.

“One of these was a penniless boy who hid as a stowaway on an immigrant ship bound for America. In the mid-Atlantic the ship began to sink, but there was enough time to get everybody into life-boats. Deep down in the bowels of the ship the boy wondered why the ship had stopped and as he emerged from his hiding place there was no-one around. He came up on deck just as the captain was about to step into the last seat of the last life-boat. In the highest tradition of the sea, the captain stepped back and put the boy in his place, and as the life-boat was pushed off, he said to the lad: ‘Never forget what has been done for you.’

“As the life-boat pulled away, the lad could see the captain standing on the deck, and that vision never left him. He became a successful businessman in the New World, and when people asked him about the secret of his achievement, he always told the story of the captain giving his life for him, and how he was urged to never forget what had been done for him. ‘Whenever I get discouraged and feel negatively about myself,’ he said, ‘I recall the vision of what has been done for me, and it gives me new courage to keep on keeping on to be worthy of such a price.’”²

To sacrifice one’s own life for that of another is without doubt the supreme sacrifice. But that is exactly what Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Creator of the universe, did for you and me when he left the ivory palaces of Heaven, laying aside his external robes of deity, and came to earth as a man to pay the just penalty for your sins and mine through his death by crucifixion on the insufferably cruel Roman cross. As today’s Scripture reminds us: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”¹

May we never forget the overwhelming sacrifice that Jesus paid for you and me! And because Christ gave his life to die in our place, with God’s help, may we give our life to live for him always in all ways.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, how can I ever thank you enough for dying in my place on the cross at Calvary to pay the just penalty for all my sins, so that I can be freely forgiven and receive your gift of eternal life in your Heaven? Help me always to live a life that is well-pleasing and honoring to you. And help me to be ‘as Jesus’ in some way to every life I touch, and grant that they, seeing Jesus in me, will want you to be in their life too. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: If you have never thanked God for dying for you and received his gift of forgiveness you can do that today. For help read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” online at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

1. Romans 5:6-8 (NKJV).

2. Ron Clarke, w4w2@bigpond.com.

We can endure many trials in life as long as we have hope. Without hope, however, many people in seemingly hopeless situations give up and die before their time. Too many end up taking their life.

If anyone ever had a reason to feel hopeless it was Job. He lost his wealth, his health, and his children. His body, covered with boils, was racked with pain. His life had become a living nightmare. His friends said it was because of his sins and failures. He was so destitute his wife suggested he curse God and die.

Job had no idea that God was allowing Satan to test him. But through all his tests and attacks, Job never lost his faith in God. In the midst of his despair his soul cried out the profound words upon which Handel based his “Messiah.”

“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.” Job instinctively knew that he was more than a body in that he was a living soul and that, in the end, he would see God.

We too, can have this same confidence and hope knowing that no matter what happens to us, by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and trusting our life to God day by day, we too can have the hope and confidence that we too, like Job, will see God face to face and remain with him forever in heaven.

God’s Word promises, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son [Jesus Christ]. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”² There is no greater hope than this in all of life. Do make sure this hope is yours. For help, read the article in No. 3 below.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to know you in a personal way, so that I have the assurance that all my sins are forgiven, and that I have the hope of eternal life when, like Job, I will see you face to face. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Job 19:25-26 (NIV).

2. 1 John 5:11-13 (NIV).

3. “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

A Daily Encounter subscriber writes, “I just asked a friend why I was not able to reach her via her telephone. She told me that God had told her to separate herself from everyone—not to be in touch with anyone, even family, so she changed her home and cell phone numbers. Have you ever heard of anything like this? Or is she listening to the wrong spirit?”

Dear AB, “When people like this say that God has told them to do (or not to do) such and such, I always discredit it if it is contrary to what the Word of God teaches. What this person has said certainly appears to be contrary to God’s Word the Bible.”

Speaking personally, I never say that God has told me to do anything apart from what His Word has already said. If I sense that God may be leading me to do something, I always put it to the test to see if it is of God or of myself. People who have OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) tendencies can easily believe that their own compulsive thinking is from God. I like to remind myself that “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty”²—never compulsions!

In one church where I was a deacon we had one deacon who claimed to have many “gifts of the Spirit.” In deacon meetings, when we had major issues to discuss, he would sometimes say, “The Lord has told me how it is to be.” On one of these occasions I said, “Because the Lord hasn’t told me how it should be, can we discuss the issue at hand.” On another occasion this same man came to my office and told me that God had told him that he was to work for me. I didn’t give him a job because he was not in any way qualified to do the work that we do!

Then there are those who want a special word from God to know what they are supposed to do when God’s Word has already made that very plain. For instance, I heard one lady say that she didn’t support evangelism because God didn’t tell her to do this. However, the fact is that Jesus has commissioned [told] EVERY Christian in his Word saying, “You are to go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere.”³ For many things we don’t need any special word from God because he has already given that to us.

Yes, it is certainly true that God does lead and call people to undertake certain tasks and responsibilities, but if it is from God, it is always in harmony with what his Word teaches and never contrary to it. If we feel God is “speaking” to us or leading us, we need to “test the spirit” to see if it is of God. For instance, years ago I felt very strongly that God was leading me to write and do literature work, something I had never ambitioned to do. So as a test I started to write and guess what? That test was in 1968. It worked. I’ve been writing ever since.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to discern the difference between ‘a word from you’ and a word from myself or from any other source. Always face me with the truth in every such situation. And when the word or directive is from you, please give me the courage to step out and put it to the test. Furthermore, help me to always obey what is clearly written in your Word, the Bible. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 John 4:1 (NKJV).

2. 2 Corinthians 3:17 (NKJV).

3. Mark 16:15 (TLB) (NLT).

A friend, a former professor from the University of Queensland in Brisbane Australia, was telling me how, back in the 1970s when Communism was the greatest threat to world peace, she heard a speaker who predicted that it wasn’t Communism we needed to fear for the future but Islam. Who would have ever believed that radical claim back then?

Some time ago Chuck Colson in his daily BreakPoint wrote, “In the mid-1990s Harvard professor Samuel Huntington predicted that the twenty-first century would see a great clash of civilizations between Islam and the West. Nobody paid much attention. After all, we had just defeated communism. There was peace in the world. All was well.

“Then came September 11, when we awoke to the fact that there are people out there who want to destroy us—not just defeat us, but annihilate us.”¹

For radical Muslims their only worldview is convert to Islam or die. The numerous suicide bombers ought to wake us up to this fact. They are all too willing to die for their cause.

Can we in the West negotiate with such radicals? The reality is that we can’t negotiate with terrorists any more than we could negotiate with Hitler or Stalin. Their goal was to conquer the world. It didn’t matter one iota how many people they killed to achieve their goal of world domination. To them, the end always justified the means. That, too, is the goal and philosophy of radical Muslims.

However, today’s struggle goes far beyond that of Nazism and Communism of the 20th Century. Today we are not so much in a war against terrorism as we are, as Chuck Colson put it, in a clash of civilizations. Terrorism is just a means to an end. For instance, “The history of Islamic hostility toward the West goes back centuries. Radical Muslims are still smarting over the defeat of their armies south of Paris in the year 732, not to mention the catastrophic defeat of the Ottoman Empire at the gates of Vienna on September 11, 1683. That’s right, September 11. Bin Laden chose his date for a reason. He was avenging the defeat of Muslim armies more than four hundred years earlier. September 11 has roots in an [ongoing long-term] irrational hatred of the West.”²

Today, September 11, is a graphic reminder that we are indeed in a clash of civilizations. The politicians and political pundits don’t have the answer. The United Nations doesn’t have the answer. The media doesn’t have the answer. Sadly much, though not all, of Western Christendom, which has become wishy-washy, doesn’t have the answer either. And as much as I appreciate the military powers of the West that we desperately need to protect us, they don’t have the answer either. True, we need to pray for our leaders and our military that God will direct and guide them, but we need more than these for our protection.

Why do I claim this? Because we need to realize that long before Bin Laden and radical Islam the world has been in a clash of “civilizations” from the beginning of time—the clash between the world of evil and the world of good—a clash that seems to be heating up.

So wherein is the answer? What can we do? How can we win against suicide bombers—those who “hide in darkness” and are willing to die for their cause?

First, we in the West need to wake up and smell the “gun powder” and face reality. The radical Muslims are coming. They’re growing. They are on the increase around the world. We’re in a life-and-death struggle against the forces of evil.

Second, we in the West who claim to be Christian need to get serious and be willing to live for, be genuinely committed to, and practice our faith. If we don’t, we may die because those who are willing to die for their faith are intent on killing us.

Third, because we are in a battle between good and evil, the bottom line is that we in the West desperately need a great spiritual awakening. And that needs to start with you and me.

And fourth, be sure to note who of late has wanted God removed from their political platform. The reality is that the farther we move away from God, the more we move ourselves away from God’s protection.

As God’s word reminds us, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse [and military might] is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.”³

Suggested prayer, “Dear God, as King David prayed, ‘we wait in hope for the LORD; [you are] our help and our shield. In [you] our hearts rejoice, for we trust in [your] holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.’⁴ Please send a great spiritual awakening to our land and let your work begin in me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Chuck Colson, BreakPoint, August 16, 2006.

2. Ibid.

3. Psalm 33:12, 16-17 (NIV).

4. Psalm 33:20-22 (NIV).

Undoubtedly, this is where the term, “the handwriting on the wall,” originated. It is used today as a warning that something significant is about to happen or come to an end. In a very real sense God’s handwriting “is on the wall” again today; that is, on “the wall of world history”—warning all mankind of the coming climax of world history—a climax that will be marked by two spectacular worldwide events the likes of which have never ever been seen before—one exciting; the other terrifying!

What Are the Two Events?

One, the exciting: This will be the return of Jesus Christ to earth to rapture (the catching up to heaven) of every Christian who has accepted Jesus Christ as his/her Savior, and whose sins have been forgiven by God.

Two, the terrifying: The other dramatic event will be the entrance of the Antichrist onto the stage of world history to launch his worldwide reign of terror during the seven-year Great Tribulation period which will be a horrific time of hell on earth. The Antichrist will be a world-leader who will violently oppose anything and everything that has to do with God, with Jesus Christ, and with Christianity. While there is not always agreement as to which of these two events will happen first, the critical issue, however, is that we are ready for Christ’s return so we won’t be left behind when he comes.

God’s Handwriting Today

So what is God’s handwriting today telling us? It is all but flashing in neon lights that the world as we know it is about to end, perhaps more quickly than we think. As Jesus said, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption [the return of Jesus Christ] is drawing near.”²

The Bible refers to “these things” as signs to indicate the approaching nearness of these two major events we are discussing today. While it is true that some of these signs—especially those relating to wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes and the like—have been happening since Jesus Christ was on earth 2,000 years ago, today, as another has said, “THEY ARE ALL STANDING UP AT ONCE!”

The final signs of the times have to do with the nation of Israel; the entrance, or preparation for the entrance of the Antichrist; the mark of the beast; the new Jewish temple in Jerusalem; an exponential knowledge explosion; and the worldwide gospel outreach—all of which are either happening right now or in the process of getting ready to happen.

For an explanation of each of these final signs in detail read this complete article online at: http://tinyurl.com/wall-handwriting … It is exciting to see how the predictions of God’s Word are happening right now in our day and age. In a vital way they are God’s warning to us, in the words of Jesus: “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] is coming at an hour you do not expect.”³

Suggested prayer: Dear God, thank you for your Word that informs us of the signs that will precede your return and that will take place immediately prior to the end of this world age. Please help me to know and understand your Word, be aware of what is happening, and be prepared for your coming by accepting your Son, Jesus Christ, as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for this blessed hope and assurance of your salvation and for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

If you are not sure that you are ready for Christ’s return, please read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian,” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

1. See Daniel 5.

2. Luke 21:28 (NIV).

3. Matthew 24:44 (NKJV).

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If you were to ask me what I thought might be the number one evidence for the validity of God’s Word, the Bible, I would answer that question in one word by saying, “Israel.”

In fact, the nation of Israel is one of the clearest evidences for the validity of God’s Word. Its history is a continual story of biblical prophecy being fulfilled. For instance, some fifteen hundred years B.C., God said through Moses that Israel would turn from him and be driven by enemies from their homeland. God said, “I will bring the land into desolation … I will scatter you among the nations … your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.”²

The result? In 721 B.C., the ten northern tribes of Israel were taken into captivity by Assyria, and in 586 B.C. the two southern tribes were taken captive by Babylon. Seventy years later a small remnant of 40,000 Jews returned to Israel while the rest were scattered throughout the world. In A.D.70 Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, and the remnant of Israelites was dispersed among the nations. Israel then became desolate as predicted 1,600 years before.

God’s word also stated that the nation of Israel would be restored, saying, “Neither will I destroy them utterly.”³ “For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all countries and will bring you into your own land.”⁴ “I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and live in them again,”⁵ and the nation “will blossom as the rose.”⁶ The beginning of these prophecies being fulfilled was on May 14, 1948 when Israel once again became a nation.

The people of Israel have survived heinous atrocities committed against them by the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Romans, Hitler and others. And even today there are surrounding nations who want to “wipe Israel off the map.” Israel’s repeated survival against overwhelming odds and the rebuilding of their nation—which is still taking place at this time, twenty-five hundred years after God said that it would happen—is irrefutable evidence of the validity of the Bible.

But God has not finished with the nation of Israel by any means. According to the Bible the climax of world history as we know it will be when the nations of the world, headed by the Antichrist (Satan’s emissary), will unite to come against Israel in an attempt to destroy her forever.⁷ This war, the like of which the world has never before seen, is known as Armageddon. At this point Jesus Christ will return to earth from Heaven, will rescue Israel and totally destroy all opposing armies. Christ will then set up his Kingdom and rule and reign on earth from Jerusalem for a thousand years⁸—after which he will create a new earth and a new heaven.⁹

Keep an eye on Israel. This tiny nation is without doubt—in God’s plan—the center stage for the world’s final battle between good and evil. Thus, the more we see nations uniting to oppose Israel, the more we need to realize that the setting of the stage for the entrance of the Antichrist is accelerating. At the same time the setting of the stage for the second coming of Jesus Christ will also be accelerating.

Of these yet unfulfilled biblical prophecies regarding Israel, we can be just as certain that they will be fulfilled in minutest detail just as all prior prophecies regarding Israel have been fulfilled in minutest detail.

The important issue for you and me today is that we are ready for these end-time events and especially for the return of Jesus Christ to earth. You will not want to be left behind. To make sure you are ready, be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for your Word, the Bible, that informs mankind regarding the ultimate defeat of Israel’s enemies and assures us of the return of Jesus Christ to earth to end forever the rule of evil over mankind, and to set up your eternal kingdom. Thank you, too, for your great gift of salvation so that all who trust in you and accept your forgiveness will be delivered from the coming evil and spend forever with you in eternity. Please help me to be absolutely certain that I am ready for the day of your return. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name.”

Note: Again, if you are not absolutely certain that you are ready for Christ’s return, be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

1. Psalm 121:4 (NIV).

2. Leviticus 26:32-33.

3. Leviticus 26:44.

4. Ezekiel 36:24.

5. Amos 9:14 (TLB) (NLT).

6. Isaiah 35:1.

7. Revelation 16:12-16.

8. Revelation 20:1-6.

9. Revelation 21:1-3.

In Christ’s day, Nicodemus, a well-known Jewish religious leader, and undoubtedly an outstanding man of noble character and high moral living, came to Jesus one night wanting to find out just who this miracle-working Jesus was. Knowing what was really on Nicodemus’s mind, Jesus ignored his statement and went directly to the heart of Nicodemus’s personal need, and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”²

Understandably, Nicodemus didn’t understand what Jesus was talking about; but to underscore the point he was making, Jesus said, “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”³ To reiterate the imperativeness of what Jesus was seeking to communicate to Nicodemus, he said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”⁴

Jesus was saying to Nicodemus that unless a person is born again, he won’t even see the Kingdom of Heaven, let alone enter it. That truth applies to every one of us.

So what does it mean to be born again—to be born of God’s Spirit? Obviously, to enter earth we had to be born physically, so to be born again means that if we want to enter Heaven after this life, we need to be born spiritually. For one thing, our physical bodies could never survive out of earth’s atmosphere, so obviously could not survive in Heaven. Furthermore, the fact that we are all sinners, God would never ever allow sin or sinners to enter his Heaven and pollute it. Furthermore, because God is a God of infinite holiness, no sinner could ever survive in God’s presence—like a moth in a flame, we would be consumed.

But because God is also a God of infinite love, He sent his Son, Jesus, to die in our place to pay the just penalty for all of our sins. We are born spiritually when we, as an act of faith, believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that he died on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins, and in our hearts accept and with our lips confess Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. When we do this, we are born again—spiritually, and in so doing receive God’s forgiveness and are made fit to enter God’s Heaven. This means that after we die, at the resurrection, we will be given a new body, just like the body that Jesus had following his resurrection. We know this because Jesus said that when we see him, we will be like him.⁵

When it comes to entering God’s Heaven, there are no “ifs,” “buts,” or “maybes.” It’s an imperative! As Jesus said to Nicodemus, ‘You must be born again.”⁶ The same truth applies to you and me. We, too, must be born again to see and enter God’s Kingdom of Heaven.

If you are not absolutely certain that you are born again (spiritually), you can be today by genuinely praying the following prayer: “Dear God, I do believe that Jesus Christ is your Son—the Son of God, and that he died on the cross to pay the penalty for all my sins. I confess that I am a sinner; please ha ve mercy on me and forgive me for all my sins. And, Lord Jesus Christ, I invite you to come into my heart and life as my Lord and my Savior. I thank you for taking the punishment for all my sins by dying in my place on the cruel Roman cross. And I thank you, God, for giving your Son, Jesus, to die for me; for your gift of forgiveness, for the gift of spiritual re-birth, and the gift of eternal life so I will be able to live with you in Heaven forever. Thank you for the assurance that I am now born again according to your instructions. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer; gratefully, in Jesus name, amen.”

Note: If you prayed this prayer and genuinely meant it, please let us know by filling in the brief form online at: www.actsweb.org/decision.php and we will give you additional help without charge. Be sure to do this today. Or if you need further help, be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian—without having to be religious” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

1. John 3:1-2 (NKJV).

2. John 3:3 (NKJV).

3. John 3:7 (NKJV).

4. John 3:5 (NKJV).

5. 1 John 3:2 (NKJV).

6. John 3:3 (NKJV)