Spiritual Vision

Spiritual Vision - By Grant Phillips - https://www.raptureready.com/2021/07/04/spiritual-vision-by-grant-phillips/ If we were to take a spiritual eye exam, what would the Great Physician tell us of our vision? Would we need spiritual glasses to improve our vision at a distance or closeup, or is our spiritual vision at 20/20? Most of the world has a severe problem seeing at a distance … spiritually. They are spiritually nearsighted, in other words. What I mean by that is that there is littlethought given to our eternal state, the far-off factor. We are only interested in what is happening in our lives today. The future can take care of itself … so we think. Only the wise realize there is an eternal state determined for every soul, and that eternal state may not be as far away as we think. It could be just around the corner.It could be today. The gamblers will take a chance. The wise will deal with it now. Even Christians, true born-again Christians, may need their spiritual vision corrected. For example, some Christians want nothing to do with prophecy, even though about30% of the Bible is prophecy. Others may concentrate only on prophecy and ignore the “Go ye therefore” command of our Lord. Jesus expects His followers to feed on all of His Word (100%), not just the portion we choose. God’s Word, the Bible, is not a buffet where we just pick and choose whatappeals to us. For our spiritual vision to be 20/20, we need to see well at a distance and also close up. Going back to the eternal thought, consider that the Bible, in the King James Translation (KJV), uses the words eternal or everlasting a total of 144 times. Eternal andeverlasting both come from the Greek word aionios. The definition of aionios is: without beginning and end, that which always has been and always will be without beginning without end, never to cease, everlasting Since only God is “without beginning,” numbers one and two cannot apply to anyone other than God. Therefore, only number three concerns mankind. Every person born will spend eternity in one of two places after the physical life ends, either Heaven or Hell. Due to that Biblical fact, eternity (aionios #3 above) shouldbe foremost in all our minds. Unfortunately, and sadly, that is rarely the case. Those without Christ are nearsighted when it comes to their soul. Their eyes are set on the here and now, and little if any thought is given to eternity. They live likethey will never die and have to face their Creator, but none of us are exempt. They shrug God off and give little thought about what awaits them down the road. The clock ticks as time marches on, but what lies ahead is never brought into focus. Only the present matters. As little children who live from minute to minute, so arethose who are only interested in this world and its siren call. What happens at the end of life is ignored, “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: …” (Luke 12:20). The one who has placed his faith in Jesus looks off to eternity, knowing that life is short. He does not play the fool but considers the welfare of his soul. He looks downthe corridor of time and knows he needs to secure his place in Heaven now and not depend on tomorrow. “Look here, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.’ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’ Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil. Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it” (James 4:13-17, NLT). Many will follow the broad road and never trust Jesus to save them. The future is too far off in the distance to look upon it, and today is just another day of misery intheir fallen world. Nothing appeals to them, either in the present or down the road. They just exist. Only the wise have secured their eternal future by recognizing they are a sinner and asking Jesus for His saving grace. They have everything to look forward to, and theyenjoy each day serving their Savior and Lord. They can say with the Apostle Paul, “I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live” (Philippians 1:23-24NLT). How is our spiritual vision? Are we looking toward eternity, or are we too involved in this world to care? The worldly man mistakenly thinks the man of God must deny allpleasure while in the flesh to reap an everlasting life with God. If they only knew. Actually, the man of God will enjoy this life many times more with Jesus Christ living within him. The Godly man gets the best of both worlds, but the fool just doesn’t seeit … until it’s too late. Following are just a few verses among many that each man, woman, boy and girl need to seriously consider: “And these shall go away into everlasting [aionios] punishment: but the righteous into life eternal [aionios]” (Matthew 25:46). If you do not have Jesus in your life, the never-ending punishment of hell awaits you. That can be resolved in an instant by simply recognizing that you are a sinner andneed a Savior, and asking Jesus Christ to save you. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting [aionios] life” (John 3:16). Jesus Christ, who is the only begotten Son, paid with His blood the price we will never be able to pay. We will not perish if we turn to Him, but instead, we will live foreverwith Him in Heaven. “Who shall be punished with everlasting [aionios] destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (2 Thessalonians 1:9). To deny Jesus is to spend eternity apart from Him in hell. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting [aionios] life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). God is love, and He is also holy. No one can enter His presence unless they are 100% righteous. In Jesus, we can be just that because He clothes us with HIS righteousness.He will judge sin, but if we belong to Jesus, all of our sins are paid, and we will never be condemned. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal [aionios] life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). This last verse is only dark and gloomy for those who refuse to come to Jesus and be saved. However, for those who follow Jesus Christ, there is nothing but joy. This ageis quickly coming to an end. In just one heartbeat, we could be standing before Him. Don’t wait. Grant Phillips VISIT: PROPHECY WATCHER WEEKLY NEWS: HTTP://PROPHECY-WATCHER-WEEKLY-NEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM