F.M. Riley (28
Mar 2021) "Goodbye! Or Good
Morning?"
Goodbye!
Or
Good Morning?
By Pastor F. M. Riley
March
25, 2021
“If
there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a
thousand to shew
unto man his uprightness.
Then He is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver
him from going down to
the pit: I have found a ransom.
His flesh shall be fresher than a child’s: he shall
return to the days
of his youth:
He shall pray unto God, and He will be favorable
unto him: and he shall
see His face with joy: for He will render unto man His
righteousness.
He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned
and perverted that
which was right, and it profiteth me not;
He will deliver his soul from going into the pit,
and his life shall see
the Light.”Job
33:23-28.
INTRODUCTION
Beloved
readers, this may (or may not?) be
the last article you will receive from me.I am so nearly blind I can hardly see my computer
screen to write.I
have been writing studies for several
months using a large magnifying glass to see what I was
writing, and to check
the studies for typos..I began writing
out the great truths of God’s Word 68 years ago, as I began
pastoring my first
church. I have
no desire to stop
writing, but my failing eyesight makes it appear that the
Lord says it is time
for me to stop, and just wait on His coming.
As
I write this morning, I can feel my 87
year old body, drawing near to the time to go.I know I have only a short time to remain here in
this life.But
I am not writing this because of any fear
of my future.I
realized many years ago
that this life is only a preparation for that which is to
come, and I have
perfect assurance of where I am going when I leave this
life.I
need no sympathy, for I am looking forward
to meeting my Savior with great rejoicing in my heart. And I
know that when I
meet Him, I will be able to see Him clearly. I also have a great
host of loved ones and
friends in Heaven, whom I am eager to meet again..
What a
joy it will be to be reunited with
my Dad and Mom, my brother and sisters, the beloved wife of
my youth, and many
other believers who have touched and blessed my life.GLORIOUS VICTORY!
THE
DOORWAY
Most
people don’t want to even think about
or discuss the subject of death and dying.But why not?Death
is only a
doorway into eternity.When death comes
to this mortal body, we simply step through that doorway
into
eternity.,,,,,,,where?
Every true
believer shall step through that
doorway into everlasting
joy, which the
Lord God has prepared for those who love Him, John 14:3; 1
Corinthians 2:9.
But
when those of mankind who refuse to
repent of sin, believe on and receive
the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, whom God Himself
provided for the
salvation of fallen mankind, step through that doorway, they
will smell the
burning sulphur (brimstone), hear the screams of the damned
who preceded them
in death, and feel themselvesfalling
downward into the pit, Revelation 20:15.
A
BRIEF EXPOSITION
In our
Scripture text in Job, the “messenger” is a
born again “witness”
doing what the Lord told His disciples to do, Acts 1:8.However, not even
some believers are
obedient; “one among
a thousand”who
will lovingly and patiently show lost
unbelievers how to acquire the righteousness 0f Christ which
theLord God
requires before one can enter
Heaven.This is
the Lord’s righte to
ousness, and it is imputed to the repentant believer by
FAITH.
When
one truly repents, God is gracious to
him (or her), due to Christ Jesus becoming the “ransom”
for all who will believe, Matthew 20:28,
Then,
even though one may be old and sick in body and health in
thislife, at
the time of the resurrection and
rapture, their “flesh
shall be fresher
than a child’s:” and they “shall
return to the days of [their] youth.”Oh,
glory to God!Aging
is due to our fallen
“sin nature.”There
are no “old people”
in Heaven.Many
die of old age, but
every true believer who passes through the doorway returns
to their youth.
When
the true believer prays, God is “favorable
unto him,” and at the time of the rapture “he shall see His face with joy,” for the
Lord God will place His
own righteousness upon and within the soul of the believer.Glory to God! Praise the Lord!Hallelujah!
Due to
the righteousness of Christ imputed
to every true believer, our soul will be delivered “from going into the pit.”Rather,
when we believers step throudh the doorway of death, we see
Him who is “the
light,” John 8:12.
An
interesting note:I
have read the
testimony of a number of people who have had “near death”
experiences, but were
then revived.Many
of them related that
“when they died” they found themselves in a tunnel, and
heard a voice saying to
them, “Go to the light,” which was shining at the end of the tunnel.Wow!Just “coincidence?”I don’t think
so!When a
believer dies, they go to the
Lord Jesus, who is the “light of the
world.”
Any
reader who wants a blessing should
STUDY this entire chapter of Job 33.It
is wonderful in what it reveals about the future of every
true believer.
Doesn’t
Ph through ilippians 3:20-21, 1
Thessalonians 4:16-17, Titus 2:13-14, and 1 John 3:1-3, all
tell us that we who
are true believers shall SEE the Lord Jesus Christ for
ourselves, and be made
like Him?Every
honest reader knows
these Scriptures reveal this glorious truth.
DON’T
GRIEVE FOR ME
I
truly do sense the approach of DEATH in
my body.I
truly believe in a few more
days I will be leaving this present evil world, and going
“home” to be with my
Savior and my loved ones who have gone before.I do not know whether I will be leaving as the
rapture occurs, or
whether the death angel will be sent for me before the
rapture.
But I
have chosen this way to say “Goodbye”
to those whom I have known and loved in this present world.However, when I
step through the doorway into
eternity, my earnest prayer is that I will have the blessing
of saying “Good
Morning” to those who are awaiting my arrival, and to every
readers of this
study who is yet to come.
So if
my readers who are true believers
don’t hear from me again, don’t waste your time nor tears
grieving for me.Just
know that I will be enjoying the
blessings of Heaven a few days before you get there.My thanks and
gratitude is hereby expressed
to every reader who has supported this Bible Study ministry
with your prayers
or your gifts.May
your rewards be great
in glory.I
close praying for the
blessings and comfort of the Lord upon every reader.
In
the love of Christ Jesus, Revelation
22:20.
<<<<<<<O>>>>>>>
Pastor
F. M. Riley, 14275 Co. Rd. 8120, Rolla, MO 65401