Welcome to BibleTalk

Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
– – – – – – – – – – – – –
I have often said show me a man who fears the Lord and I will show you a man who fears no man!

The simple truth is that if we have received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior then death of any kind, in any way should hold no power over us. No fear! While the mind set on the flesh is death, the believer’s mind is set on the Spirit and that is life and peace. {Rom.8:6}

We do need to know and understand that death is inevitable. It is the consequence of Adam’s sin in the Garden so long ago when he disobeyed the Lord and ate the fruit of the one tree in all of God’s creation that had been forbidden to him. {Gen.3:6} It was from that day on that there was appointed for all men to die followed by the judgment. {Heb.9:27} Everybody has to die, there is no avoiding that! Yikes!

Jesus, starting on His way to Jerusalem where He would suffer death on the cross, said that ‘But for this purpose I have come to this hour.’ {Jn.12:27} He was born to die—for us so that we could have eternal life! It was not His natural desire, it was the Father’s super-natural desire. Jesus always did the will of the Father! He faithfully fulfilled His ministry and then afterward ascended into heaven {Lk.24:51}

Simply put, the horror of the cross IS the glory of God! It was the apostle Paul who would then say, “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” {Gal.6:14} All mankind will recognize that when they die! So I for one am so blessed that I have already died and now my life is hidden with Christ in God.” {Col.3:3} It really wasn’t so bad—it was the best day ever! It was the day I was born again! {Jn.3:7}

The key to all of this is found in the statement that Jesus made to Martha, the sister of Lazarus, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” {Jn.11:25-26} Well, I for one absolutely do believe what He said! Martha had proclaimed “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.” {Jn.11:27}

That will be put to the test at some point in every life. That was put to the test in my life when I was hit by a speeding semi-truck one night on a lonely road in Central America. My wife Alice and I were living there to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. That night I was on foot, having gotten out of my vehicle to help somebody, when the truck came along and crashed into us, throwing me through the air a good distance away. My body was very, very broken and I was sure that I was about to die. But then the Lord said to me, ‘Do you believe what you have been preaching?’ I said yes Lord and I am ready. To which He responded, ‘Not now.’

That was back in 1989 and today as I write this I am still proclaiming the excellencies of Him who called me! {1Pt.2:9} I have not yet come to the appointed time of departure. Still in the body and walking in faith, absent from the Lord, I like Paul would prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. {2Cor.5:7-8} It has to be His appointed time!

“Being found in appearance as a man, (Jesus) humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:8-11)

FAITHFUL IS GOD WHO HAS CALLED YOU