To,
My Dear Friends in Japan,
Greetings in the name of Jesus!
Let me introduce myself first. I am Bertrand…your friend from India.
I wish this
letter finds you in the best of health. I am writing to you to say something that so many of
you will find to be extremely important. Since quite some time I have been
wanting to talk to you. I think what I have to tell you is very important -
both for you and me. Also, I consider myself bound by responsibility towards
you to say what I am going to say to you NOW. It is my ardent desire that you
spend some of your invaluable time on seriously pondering over it.
It’s about JESUS!
I do not have slightest doubt about it that you know
this name. But, do you know that HE also knows you? Yes, not only HE knows you
but HE knows you personally! Because HE loves you and cares for you! Because HE
knows that you need HIM!
Please do not think I am projecting my views on you!
That, surely, is not my intention. But, if you believe in GOD, it is your own
faith that testifies to the fact that you need JESUS. Let me explain.
To begin with, you need GOD. The problem is how to
reach out to Him. Nobody has ever seen HIM! Not even the person who believes
that GOD does exist! Having said this, I must add that it surely does not mean
that you cannot see Him. You can! That’s the whole point of this letter!
Because you need GOD, you need JESUS! Because JESUS is
GOD! JESUS is GOD because HE is the Son of GOD. Just as the son of man cannot
be anything else but man, the Son of GOD cannot be anything else but GOD. This
brings us to the next question: How can one believe that JESUS is the Son of
GOD?
The answer to the question posed above is given in the
Book of Romans, Chapter 1, where it is written that GOD proved JESUS to be HIS
Son by raising HIM from death.
This brings us to the question: “How GOD can ever take
birth and die?!” The answer to this question starts from the simple fact that
JESUS lived even before He took birth in this world in order to take upon HIM a
flesh-and-blood existence. The Gospel of St. John, Chapter 1 says:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All
things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that has been
made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light
shines in the darkness, and the darkness
has not overcome it.”
Even when there was nothing, there was GOD. Neither GOD’s
existence started nor it ends at any point of time. Simply because HE is GOD.
The WORD who was with GOD is JESUS. HE was actively
involved in creating the universe and everything that is in it. The verse
quoted above also says that in JESUS is life. To be more specific, JESUS is
life. In John 14:6, JESUS said:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
So, what happened when JESUS died and was buried? The
answer lies in the emboldened words in the passage quoted above from John,
Chapter 1. Darkness has not overcome the light. So, what happened after Jesus
died on the cross for you and for me, and was buried in the grave for three
days is extremely interesting.
He went into the realm of death where all those who
died before HIM were imprisoned in death. There HE preached ‘freedom’ in HIM to
them – to those who would accept it! This was HIS work for three days that HE
spent in the grave.
On the third day, JESUS rose to life and came out of
the grave. HE spent 40 days in the world with HIS disciples before HE went up
into heaven in full view of HIS disciples. When they were watching JESUS go
into heaven, two angels of God appeared to them and spoke with them in this
manner:
“Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into
heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in
like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
Having said this, I must inform you about a very
interesting phenomenon that the world will witness. Seven years prior to JESUS
actually landing on the earth to establish HIS millennial kingdom, HE will
appear in the sky – not literally descend on the earth. This appearance of HIS
is meant for gathering up HIS people and take them out of the world into heaven
so that they may stay with HIM forever. This action is intended to save them
from the perilous time that is going to come upon this world – time such as the
world history has never witnessed before. HIS people are collectively called
the Church.
Now, as soon as the Church is taken up from the earth
into heaven, this earth will be subjected to Satan for seven years. The reason
behind allowing Satan to rule the earth is to open its eyes to see the choice
of its own making and also the consequences thereof. GOD has given enough time
to the world to accept HIM through JESUS. But the world has chosen to accept other
gods who would help it satisfy its lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and
the pride of life. It rejected JESUS because HE asked the world to do this:
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
The world seeks ‘Self’; it does not seek to deny this
Self. Self-denial means keeping oneself from committing sins. ‘Taking up his
cross’ in the above quoted verse means exactly the same – keeping oneself from
committing sins.
As it is, the world wants to commit sins; because the
pleasure of the flesh lies in committing sins. Sin leads to destruction –
destruction of mind, body and spirit. JESUS asked a valid question to the
world: “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses
his own soul?”
JESUS cares for your soul – if you allow HIM to take
care of your soul. Even if you gain the whole world, it is not going to mean
anything if you lose your soul. This world is going to end one day but the
spirit of a man does not. Either the spirit of a man lives forever in hell or
in heaven. Living forever in hell means losing one’s soul. It is terrible to
lose one’s soul – terrible beyond description. JESUS wants that people of the
world live forever with HIM in heaven and enjoy life to the full there. That is
real life.
But the crux of the matter is that sinners cannot enter
heaven with their sinfulness. Only the righteous can enter heaven. And nobody
can do anything to make himself righteous. That is the reason why JESUS sacrificed
HIMSELF on the cross to atone for our sins. For our sake HE died and was buried
and rose from death on the third day. In other words, HE won battle against
death. According to Bible, the wages of sin is death. In other words, death is
there because of our sins. JESUS’s victory over death means that HE won the
battle against sin first before going on to defeat the consequences of sin.
All who accept HIM (JESUS) are on HIS side and,
therefore, they too are on the side that has won victory over sin and death. In
JESUS the whole mankind has the hope of resurrection – hope of righteousness.
JESUS not only took away our sins, HE also gave us HIS righteousness. All we
need to do is to accept JESUS. It is through HIS acceptance that we become
righteous. Accepting JESUS means accepting righteousness. It opens way for us –
way to heaven – to eternal life – to eternal joy.
The question is: Will you accept JESUS as your personal
SAVIOR? And choose to follow HIM? It is not easy to follow HIM. But the
end-result is infinitely greater than the price you pay for it. Bible says,
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and
broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and
there are few who find it.”
I am writing you to plead with you to choose the narrow
gate and the difficult way. Choose JESUS. In HIM is life and that life is the
light of the mankind.
Thanks for taking the pains to read my letter to you.
GOD bless you.
Please do not hesitate to talk to me if you have any
query. This is my email id: audrephus@gmail.com.
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