Time Is Running Out For All Of Us

by David J. Stewart | April 2016

James 4:14, “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

       By God's grace, I recently turned 49 years old in March. It dawned on me recently that I'll be 70-years-old in just 21 years!!! Whoa!!! The strange thing is that I randomly picked one of Brother Hyles sermons to listen to this evening (as I normally do), but in this particular sermon Brother Hyles was 47 (about my age now), and he pondered the same exact thing I did (i.e., that I'll be 70 years old in just 21 years). The MP3 sermon by Pastor Hyles is titled, “Be Ye Kind One To Another.” I was intrigued!

Dr. Hyles was preaching together with Dr. Bob Gray in Kankakee, Illinois. While they were fellowshipping, Dr. Hyles asked Brother Gray if he realized that in just 22 years they will both have reached their “threescore-and-ten” years (70-years-old). (A “score” numerically is 20) Dr. Hyles said he was 47 years old at the time of the sermon, and Dr. Gray was also 47. I'm their age now, 49! Oh listen my friend, this life goes so fast. In hindsight, it seems like just yesterday that I was in Bible college. It seems like just yesterday that I was lighting off fireworks as a kid, slurping Big Gulp sodas from 7-11, and living fairly carefree as a youth. Truly, time changes everything! Now I have multiple health problems, surviving in constant pain, diabetic, and coping with Cervical Degenerative Disk Disease (i.e., my neck is all messed up). Based on a 70-year average lifespan for a man, my life is two-thirds over. Granted, it could be today! I'm ready to go into eternity, are you?

I feel exactly like the apostle Paul, who under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit said:

Philippians 1:21-24, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.”

It was heart-warming that me and Brother Hyles were both thinking the same thought at the same age, although nearly a half century apart. Dr. Hyles was born in 1926. So if he is 47 years old in the sermon, then it must be about 1973 when he is preaching this sermon. That is a sobering thought that I'll be 70-years-old in just a brief 21 years!!! That is God willing! Life goes so fast!!! That really puts one's age into perspective, doesn't it! I was intrigued that Me and Brother Hyles had the same exact thought, at nearly the same exact age, about the shortness of this earthly life. It's a sobering realization that I will be a 70-year-old man in just 21 years. I'm 49 years old!!! My oh my, where did the time go? It seems like I was enjoying highschool with my friends yesterday, and now I have so much bodily pain due to cervical stenosis, radiculopathy and displaced disks. Although I have the peace of God that passes all understanding (through continual prayer), and I have the joy of the Lord as my strength (knowing that everything is OK in my heavenly Father's house); yet, I am still homesick for Heaven to be with Jesus my Lord and Savior.

In the following sermon, ironically Brother Hyles is 74 years old (47 reversed), talking about when he dies, but he has no idea that he'll never see his 75th birthday. It really is interesting as you listen to the sermon, and it is an awesome sermon! Double Mindedness, Double Heartedness, And Double Tongued (MP3 by Pastor Jack Hyles). I hope you'll listen to it. Brother Hyles' preaching is one of the most precious gifts in my life from the Lord. You're really missing out if you don't listen to fundamental King James Bible-preaching regularly. In particular, I wish folks would listen to Brother Hyles' pour his heart out in his preaching. You can think what you want about Brother Hyles, but I assure you that there was never a more sincere man of God in America!!! Dr. Hyles loved people and did so much to help them. I feel sorry for all these generic pastors today, who share the pulpit with others because so they're afraid of being labeled as “cult” if the pastor becomes popular with his congregation. There is a lack of natural affection in churches today! Thank God for strong leaders!

Seven Reasons Why I Want To Go To Heaven (by Pastor Castle). I'm so sick of this sinful world!!! I want to get off this sin-cursed insane-asylum called “earth.” But in God's time, not mine. I claim Proverbs 3:5-7 often:

Proverbs 3:5-7, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.”

I don't know about you, but I want to be as kind as possible for the rest of my life. I'm running out of time. Granted, I could be dead by sundown tomorrow. Proverbs 27:1, “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” I'm ready to go when the Lord calls my number (Hebrews 9:27). I want to sow seeds of kindness everywhere that I go. Life's too short to live with a burden of hatred. Let it go! Let go, let God! Cast your burdens upon the Lord, because He cares for you (1st Peter 5:7). Pray about everything, making your requests known unto God (Philippians 4:6-7). Life is short my friend, Hell is hot, and eternity is a long time. What are you doing for God? What are you doing to preach the Gospel? There is so very much that we can (and should) all do to help others in Jesus' precious name, and to share the Gospel to lead people to Jesus Christ. There are literally hundreds of potential Church ministries available to either join, start or support to help the cause of Christ.

I was thinking today about the number of days in a person's life. The average lifespan is said to be 70 years of age. There are 365 days in a year. Actually, there are 365.242189 days in a year, which is why every 4 years there is a leap year, adding one day to the month of February. I'll bet you didn't know that! Anyway, if we multiply 365 days by 70 years, we get 25,550 days total in a person's life. Of course, a visit to any cemetery will evidence that many people die before age 70. I have often questioned the claim that the average person lives to be 78.74 in the United States. Frankly, I was ready to go home to Heaven yesterday, but hey, what the heck, when it's over it's over! When you view life as being 25,000 days long, it puts a different perspective on things. It compels us to think about how we spend our time each day. Of course, today could be the last day of our life! This temporal life will be over before we know what happened. The Bible teaches that the invisible things of this life are the things that really matter:

2nd Corinthians 4:18, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Amazing Things Ahead, But Only For Born-Again Believers!

Are you ready to meet your Maker? Have you been born-again by faith in the Gospel? Trusting your good works will send you to Hell. Trusting forsaking sinful behavior will send you to Hell. I don't care how much good you do. You can even join a church, sing in a choir, tithe, love others, tell other people about the name of Jesus, do many wonderful works, and even cast out devils... AND YET GO STRAIGHT TO BURN IN HELL FOR EVER!!! (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 13:23-24; Romans 10:3-4)

I am thinking much more about Heaven than earth these days. I just had my gallbladder removed in September of 2015. I had my appendix removed in December of 1999. I had C5-C6-C7 disks removed from my neck in June of 2009. The next year in April of 2010, I had the surgery redone, by a neurosurgeon who said he thought he could help get rid of my neck pain, but the surgery made me 100% worse, greatly exasperating the afflictions caused by my stenosis, radiculopathy and nerve damage. I'm going out piece-by-piece! As Brother Roloff used to say, “Praise the Lord anyhow!” Although “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14) by God, the apostle Paul referred to the flesh as “our vile body.” Yes, I certainly agree! Philippians 3:21, “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”

I love that. God is going to give us a transformed immortal body, fashioned like unto the Lord's glorified resurrected body. Jesus walked through walls (John 20:19, 26). Jesus was able to fly through the air (Acts 1:9). Cool huh? Since there's no air as you leave the Troposphere, that means Jesus didn't need air to breath either. How else could the Lord ascend up into Heaven, since there is no air in outerspace, and the temperature is absolute zero (which is 459.6 degrees below zero Fahrenheit)? This is speculation, for the Bible does not tell us anything more than that Jesus was taken up into the clouds in Acts 1:9-11, and that He is seated on the right-hand of the Father (Colossians 3:1). But we know that Jesus was taken up physically, after raising up bodily from the dead, which are both supernatural events. Somehow the Lord went to Heaven bodily, which can only suggest the spectacular to human understanding.

I also believe that Jesus was able to travel MUCH faster than light-speed. The nearest star to the earth is our solar system's sun, at a distance of 93,000,000 miles. After that, the nearest star is Alpha Centauri, at a distance of 27 trillion miles away. Traveling at the speed of light (which is 186,282 miles per second), it would take 4.6 years zooming at that speed to reach Alpha Centauri from the earth. I sincerely doubt if the Lord took years to get to Heaven. Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus BODILY ascended into the heavens? I don't know where Heaven is, but it must be a physical place, since Jesus is sitting upon a “throne” (a concrete object, not abstract). Colossians 3:1, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” It is commonly believed by Bible theologians that Heaven is located in the northern sky...

Beyond the Stars in the North

Read slowly through these statements. Because from them we can glean several facts about heaven.

1. Heaven is “up.” (I will ascend to heaven).
2. Heaven is beyond the stars in outer space (above the stars).
3. Heaven is in the northern area of space (recesses of the north).

A Hole in Northermost Universe

Scientists say that there is a "hole" in the northernmost part of the universe. It's possible that heaven is beyond that - about 21 light years away from us (Balsiger 2005, 71).

Job 26:7 tells us, "He stretches out the north over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing." Some feel that the "stretched out" space in the north may contain heaven, while the rest of the verse refers to earth suspended by gravity (by itself an incredible scientific fact).

A Parallel World or Dimension

Heaven may also exist in a parallel world or dimension. Quantum physicists claim that there are many parallel universes. Furthermore, Jesus clearly stated, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). His statement may mean far more than we think.

Some biblical characters speak of the "heavens opening" before them. For example, Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56).

Peter, James and John saw Jesus transfigured into brilliant white light along with Moses and Elijah - right in front of them (Matthew 17:2-3).

Elisha told his servant not to fear the surrounding enemies because “those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16).

It appears that physicists are right. There is an entire multiverse and beings existing around us in the here and now. Fantastic!

SOURCE: Heaven's Location - A Literal Place?

Very interesting! Jesus has a wonderful resurrected body, which same type body God has promised to every believer at the future Rapture (1st Corinthians 15:52-57; 1st Thessalonians 4:17). Jesus drank and ate in His glorified body (Luke 24:30; John 21:13). I've heard some Bible scholars claim that our resurrected bodies won't have any blood, but I disagree. I believe John R. Rice (1895-1980) is correct, who believed that our glorified bodies will have blood, evidenced by the need for bodily processes associated with eating food and drinking beverages. We know that the angels also eat, who ate a feast which Lot had prepared for them (Genesis 19:3). They pigged-out! Amen!

Just like the Lord did, I believe we will be able to appear and disappear at will, and walk through solid objects at will. When Jesus went to pray for the food, they recognized Him, and He “vanished” from the apostle's presence (Luke 24:30-31). Amazing! Although it is beyond our human comprehension, and limited scientific technology, we know that it will be wonderful. Man just learned in the past century about atomic energy. Folks, God created the atom! Can you imagine the technology that God has? The Lord has unlimited technology my friend!!! Think about the wildest, most modern and advanced technology imaginable in a Star Trek movie, or other spectacular science fiction film, and then realize that God can do anything!!! God can make transporters like those used in Star Trek. In fact, as we read in Luke 24:30-31, Jesus didn't even need a transporter to move from one location to another. Jesus physically ascended for our benefit (Acts 1:9-11), the angels proclaiming God's promise that Christ would return in the same manner as He departed, descending from the clouds to the earth at His Second Coming (Revelation 1:7). Even so, come, Lord Jesus!