It is link to a letter written my ex-wife. A copy is posted on the site because it was written as an encouragement for her and myself, but I then realized, it can help everyone; expecially those of us getting older! The material that follows in this introduction for the letter explains my reasoning for writing her, and why I believe it is important for you as well. The material in the linked letter serves as a valuable warning of a danger faced by us all, including you; if you will read the scriptures contained in, and referenced by, the letter. In addition to those referenced scriptures bringing me comfort in my old age, I have found the Bible exposes an often hidden or unrealized danger to our personal relationships; and, it is one faced by everyone alive!
To set the stage for her letter, you should know a few basic things about the Bible: Jesus said something about your future that are some of the most valuable words ever uttered. He said in
Matthew 24:37-39: . . .For just as the days of Noah were, so the presence of the Son of man will be. 38 For as they were in those days before the flood, eating and drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark; 39 and they took no note until the flood came and swept them all away, so the presence [or second coming] of the Son of man will be.
Did you notice about the earth full of people who were destroyed in Noah's day, that they took no note, not even one of them took note... [Or, they "had no care" as another translation words it.] If any one of them had taken God's warning seriously, he or she could surely have joined Noah in building the Ark; and thereby preserved themselves alive. They all died, however; but because they took no note of what? Was it something hard for them to notice?
They every one died because they failed to take to heart God's warning. It was surely not, however, because they "didn't actually know" about it... Noah and his family spent 50 or 60 years constructing the Ark up on the side of a mountain; far from water. The Ark was at least 1 and 1/2 football fields long and a little wider than a football field. It was about 45 feet tall. Their close neighbors and no doubt the whole inhabited earth heard about "Noah's project" to preserve life, which they obviously dismissed as foolishness. The Bible makes clear that Noah, as a "preacher of righteousness," did his best to let everyone know they were facing a cataclysmic event; the destruction of the whole earth. (2 Pet 3:6 of 5-7; 2 Pet 2:5 of 5-9) Still, the entire world of them "took no note until the flood came and swept them all away." What about you, then... Are you taking note of God's modern day and similar warning? But once again for us, what warning from God should we be "taking note" of?
Jesus's teachings and world events indicate mankind is once again facing the destruction of the earth by God! (Isa 26:21 of 19-21; Psa 37:9-11; Mal 3:16-4:3) It is God's promise... (2 Pet 3:5-7) And, once again, it is impossible to avoid seeing God's warning in the world conditions surrounding us! There are, of course, those fools who say our day is no different from the past... They are unwilling to consider God has promised to once again intervene to help the righteous; as He did with Noah and Lot and Rahab (Joshua 2:1-6:25) and others. (2 Pet 3:3-7) Please! We read above (Mat 24:39) where Jesus said his return would be just like the days of Noah, with, it seems logical to assume, most people once again paying no attention. Jesus said something else that helps understand what YOU "should take note" of! He said in
Luke 21:25-28: “Also, there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth anguish of nations, not knowing the way out because of the roaring of the sea and [its] agitation, 26 while men become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 But as these things start to occur, raise yourselves erect and lift YOUR heads up, because YOUR deliverance is getting near.”
[All righteous people, those who are seeking God and have found him in the Bible, (2 Chron 16:9) can now see the son of man coming (or that he has come, actually); but invisibly to those without faith (as if he is "in the clouds" - Psa 110:2 of 1-3). Jesus's separating work, now happening in the earth, (Mat 25:31-34) is made visible to those who believe, by their faith in his words. Christians have faith in these words you are now reading!] Those sincerely looking for God can't possibly miss the signs Jesus gave in
Mark 13:19-22 ESV: For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. (20) And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved[or, "no one will be left alive" - from the Contemporary English Version; "nobody would survive" - Good News Bible; "no flesh would have been kept from destruction" - Bible in Basic English]But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose[or, is choosing], he shortened the days. (21) And then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it. (22) For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect.
Those indicators making up the "sign" Jesus mentioned are not hid in a corner. Are you one God has chosen for the preservation of life? (John 15:16 of 11-16; Mark 13:20) Everyone who is truly "searching" for God (2 Chron 16:9) is being helped (John 6:65) to see the tribulation Jesus foretold... It was the fool who didn't notice Noah's preaching and construction work some 4500 years ago. It is the fool who today refuses to recognize the sign Jesus told us to watch for. Also comprehend, everyone on the ancient earth was proved wicked by rejecting that warning; except Noah and his family! Jesus says there in Mark 13, we will be just as foolish [or worse (Heb 10:26-31)] if we pay no attention to the latter day sign Christ Jesus gave us. One thing Jesus warned is the earth is full of religious people worshipping false Gods. (Mark 13:22-23; 1 Kings 18:25-40) Today, we see a church for every little community, each with different teachings and condemning everyone who isn't a member. Why do they have different teachings, and why to they judge each other? (1 Cor 4:5) Because they are all following their doctrines framed by men instead of the Bible teachings by Christ. (Mat 15:9 of 6-9; John 5:44 of 39-44) Danger: The Bible should "must" be your only doctrine. In addition to fake Christians, we have religions that "read" chicken bones imagining they are receiving God's message, or dance around poles in the firelight, or worship and follow the words of some human or group. (Acts 17:29-31) It is just as Jesus said, the earth is full of "false Christs and false prophets." (Mark 13:21-23) Then, right in among all the Religionists and anti-Religionists [those people who deny God's existence] of this world; in among all those ignorant or wicked individuals and groups joined in fighting among themselves to destroy each other and our world; (1 John 5:18-21; John 8:24) are those known only to God, known by having their names inscribed in heaven. (Luke 10:20) There in the midst of the chaos brought on themselves by wicked and/or ignorant humans, "there are many" "there are a few" "there are some" individuals who actually are getting the sense of who God is (Mat 13:14-15) and demonstrating it by following God's command to listen to his son. (Mat 17:5) Is there a lot of us? (Luke 13:23 of 23-28) God knows; but Jesus did say it will be just like the days of Noah... There is danger: Actually following Christ is not something you can accomplish by following one of the religious sects of men. Following any human, or any group of them, is not following Christ! (John 5:44 of 39-44) You must personally hear and follow God's command (Mat 17:5) to read your Gospels and follow only Christ. (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) Another indicator Jesus gave is the witness of the tribulation itself. He mentioned problems upon problems that would overwhelm the earth. (Mat 24:3-14) Today, we see em all! If his father didn't intervene, he went on to warn promise, no flesh would be left
alive. (Mat 24:22) Sound similar to Noah's day? Or Lot's? Are you different from those ancient people who ignored God's warning? (Luke 17:26-30) Don't you recognize Jesus has warned you to be on the watch for the sign comprised of wicked world we now see?
Thank God He has intervened. If you just express faith in the words of Jesus Christ, you can preserve yourself alive. (John 8:51; 2 Kings 5:1-14)
No matter who you are, the scriptures in this linked letter serve as a valuable lesson for you; if YOU listen... The recipient is the wife of my youth and the mother of our three daughters. When we met, I was so crazy about her I couldn't eat or sleep. We were together for fifteen years but the marriage ended in a bitter divorce. It has been unpleasant between us mostly ever since. The letter is my attempt to make it better!
Realizing what happened to us, and to lots of other couples, can be a protection for YOU. It is a very common problem! There were lots of problems with our marriage, of course, as is the case with all people who work to build one. The primary or insurmountable reason our marriage failed, however, is the one I write to warn you about. Our most significant problem, and what finally destroyed our marriage and even our friendship, was religion.
You see, in disagreement with her religious beliefs, I joined a different religious sect. The conflict of faith generated by my new path [and her determination to stay with her existing one] destroyed not only my marriage and the friendship with the woman I had loved so deeply, but also most of my family relationships and the friendships I had built over the course of my whole life... [In fairness, I suppose I should say they "helped" me destroy those relationships. No one forced me to join! They certainly did, however, deceive me about who they were, asserting they were Bible students and in that way different from the other churches.] The sect I joined was extreme, but certainly not different as to the effects they have on members. I do not mention the name of the group because it absolutely does not matter. Religious sects are every one just alike in this sin.
Be clear it wasn't just me and my religion at fault. The more main stream church my wife was part of had an equal share in the destruction of our marriage. No, you might be saying; that can't possibly be true! Make no mistake, if you join and become a zealous supporter of any religion, it will destroy or undermine all your other relationships. Really, how could it not? The act of joining a church, is by definition, your judgment that all nonmembers are lost to God; or at least "lesser" in God's sight or servants of a "lesser God." That's what church membership means... Jesus said religious people would hate Christians. (Mat 10:34-36; John 16:1-3) My wife was a member of a church with a preacher that taught her I "was plagued with a demon of confusion" for even considering the teachings of the sect I did wind up joining. My church was telling me my wife was lost to God because she wouldn't join me "in joining them." A childhood friend recently shared with me something he read, he couldn't remember where. He quoted: "Religion is man's attempt to reach God. Jesus Christ is God's attempt to reach mankind." What an insightful turn of phrase.
The point of writing this is to warn you to understand: Religion is very different from Christianity. Religionists follow the doctrine of some group of men. (John 5:44 of 39-44) Their doctrine is the subset of scriptures they have pulled out of context, or even the human reasoning's they have accumulated for themselves... (2 Tim 4:3-4) Christians are the actual followers of Jesus Christ, and their only doctrine is the Gospel recordings of Jesus's life and teachings. (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John)
The letter this introduces should interest you! Although my ex-wife and myself are the central characters, the scriptural principles are not personal at all. It includes scriptures that introduce a work you can do, a work that is greater than the works of Jesus Christ. Jesus did say that! (John 14:12) [One work we can do that is greater than Christ is accept his gift of eternal life. Jesus was born to die for our sins. Unlike Jesus, by listening to him and building faith, we can avoid ever having to die. (John 11:26; Job 33:13-30)] The letter this links reflects my attempt to rebuild my friendship with my ex-wife, and that simply mirrors my attempt to rebuild my relationships with everyone I have known; and to build one with if you love Christ. A shared faith in Christ is the only basis for real friendships! It is my attempt to help others avoid making the same mistake my first wife and I made, by destroying our relationship over religion. Again, you will note I didn't mention the name of my religious sect or hers. The point is, it doesn't matter. All religious sects are just alike. This material is safe because it is mostly just scriptures. And, it expresses my hope that is more wonderful to me than my words can express... (Mat 13:44) I promise Jesus promised, the hope of Christ's Kingdom will make you happy! (John 15:11)
To read the letter:
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