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For quite some time now, I have observed what I view as a serious problem within the Body of Christ. This problem is particularly noticeable on some of the social networks, such as Facebook, where I have been a member since early 2011. So what is the nature of the problem of which I speak? Sadly, I have seen so many of my Christian brethren saying or praying something like "Lord, this world is so wicked now. Please, Lord, come soon and take me out of this terrible place." In other words, some of these Christians seem to want an express train to Heaven. They want an easy ride out of here. Is this your attitude?

Well, my friends, I am sorry to tell you, but if that is your attitude, then based on my understanding of the Scriptures, my opinion is that it is the WRONG attitude to have. In fact, for those of you who may be guilty of doing this, I hope that you can see that having such an attitude really borders on selfishness. This is a subject which I likewise discuss in my four-part series entitled "Selfishness: A Prophesied Sign of Our Times?". You may want to read it after finishing this current article.

Personally, the aforementioned attitude is NOT my attitude whatsoever. Quite to the contrary, it is the exact opposite. My attitude has long been along the lines of "Lord, please give me the health, the strength and the stable mind I need to complete the work which you have begun in me. Please give me enough time, Lord, so that I can complete everything which I would yet like to accomplish for You." That is how I have personally prayed, and I mean every word of it. I am in no hurry to take an express train to Heaven. No bullet train for me.

My prayer has become more earnest in recent years, because as some of my longtime friends and readers will know, since 2017 I have been hospitalized twice for two occurrences of DVT -- Deep Vein Thrombosis -- and also for Acute Bilateral Pulmonary Emboli. In other words, due to my rather sedentary life, and spending so many long hours sitting at my computer desk, I have had a serious issue with blood clots forming in my legs and throughout my lungs. As some of you will know, if a blood clot migrates to my heart or to my brain, I could die quickly. Thus, I am now required to take an anticoagulant -- or blood thinner -- on a daily basis for the remainder of my mortal life.

I have a number of other long-standing health issues as well which have forced me to slow down considerably in regards to the amount of work I can accomplish for the Lord each day. As I have mentioned a few times before, it is not like the 1990s when I was a lot younger and could write and write and write, and get by on very little sleep for a few days straight. It's clear that those days are now long gone. At any rate, after almost a two-year hiatus due to my two bouts with DVT, I was finally able to muster some self-discipline, and I have begun my exercise regimen again. I use light dumbbells, along with a set of body weight exercises, which I perform several times each week. But it is not easy at my age, my friends. The old flesh rebels daily and I have to bring it into subjection, as the Apostle Paul writes in the following group of verses:

"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown: but we an incorruptible: I therefore so run, not as uncertainly: so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."


So to reiterate my earlier point, unlike some of my Christian brethren, personally, I am not looking for a fast exit from this current earthly life, or for an express train to Heaven. There is still so much that I want and feel that I need to do with the Bill's Bible Basics and the Christian Social Network ministries before Jesus calls me to my Eternal Home. I have so many articles and series which remain to be completed that have been sitting in limbo for literally years now. Likewise, I have many older articles which now require an update. More KJV Bible Verse Lists will no doubt be compiled in upcoming years as well, and more poems will be composed as inspiration leads. And, of course, I'll never be done making new graphics for the BBB Graphics Library. So, as you can see, I want to run the full course of my earthly race before my time runs out here. I am reminded of the following additional verses regarding running the race of faith:

"Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil."


"Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?"


"Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain."


"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."


"For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."


"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith: who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds."


As the Apostle Paul wrote above in his first Epistle to the brethren at Corinth, we run this race of faith, in the hope that when all is said and done, and we have finally finished running our course in this present life, we will each receive our Crown of Life in Heaven. Here again is a set of some of my favorite Scriptures regarding this subject of receiving our Crown of Life. I hope that you enjoy them as much as I do:

"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him."


"And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away."


". . . be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."


"Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown."


So as I mentioned earlier, I want the Lord to perform and to complete the good work which He has begun in me, so that in the end, by God's Grace, I will be able to claim my Heavenly Reward. That is, my Crown of Life. That is in fact one of the reasons why I have begun to exercise again. I believe that I need to give the Lord my cooperation by doing what I can to keep my body healthy and pliable. If you are also an elderly person, then I am sure you also understand how the human body begins to stiffen up, loses muscle mass, and becomes a lot less pliable if we become too sedentary, exactly as I've been doing in recent decades. Need I even mention the extra fat around the sides and belly which I really do not like? As the Apostle Paul wisely wrote to the Philippians:

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"


Getting back to the problem I mentioned earlier, what saddens me even more is that it is compounded by the fact that on a number of occasions, I have actually seen people on Facebook -- meaning my Christian brethren -- say such things as "Lord, destroy the wicked!", meaning the wicked people who run the United States. Look, my friends; we all know that there is a lot of wickedness in this present world, including in the US. I am not going to enumerate the sins and evils here, because we all already know what they are. As I have said before, it does not matter which political party is in power. It does not matter who is president. It does not matter who sits on the Supreme Court of the United States. Decade after decade, the blatant rebellion against God's Laws, sin and depravity just keep getting worse and worse.

But, my friends, here's the thing. Do you honestly think that the world was any less evil during the First Century when the Lord walked the Earth? People are people. Sin, and our fallen nature, has been the same for thousands of years. Yet, even though Jesus was fully aware of that fact, when the Disciples made a slip-up similar to what some of these Christians are saying on Facebook today, consider how the Lord reacted to their callous lack of love and mercy:

"And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village."


Just think about that. Jesus turned around and rebuked His very own followers, because they wanted to wipe out a town who chose not to receive Him. Now, tell me. How is that any different from these Christians today who say "Destroy the wicked, Lord!"? Do you see my point? Let me tell you this. Those of us who understand God's Word realize that sooner or later, yes, God is indeed going to have to pour out His Wrath on the United States. They have been begging for it for literally decades by scoffing at the Lord and His Word. I honestly don't know when it will happen, or exactly how it is going to happen. However, when it does begin to happen, I am willing to bet that you will be sorry that you ever said "Lord, destroy the wicked!", because I suspect that it will be very bad. Even people you know and love might feel His Wrath. Please think about that for a moment.

I have shared the story of Abraham before. No doubt, Abram was fully aware of how vile and evil Sodom and Gomorrah and the other cities of the plain were. They were probably a lot like Las Vegas or New Orleans, or any other big city where fleshly lust is trafficked. They had their reputation. Now, on top of that, to complicate the situation, Abraham's own nephew, Lot, lived in that wicked city with his family. Who knows. Maybe it was good for his business. Yet even though he knew how absolutely wicked those cities were, did Abram say "Destroy the wicked, Lord!"? No he did not. That dear man did the exact opposite. He pleaded with the Lord. He bargained with Him. He started out at fifty righteous, then forty-five, then forty, then thirty, then twenty, and then finally merely ten righteous. Of course, as you can read in Genesis 18 and 19, the Lord had His way anyway, and those cities were utterly destroyed.

But the point is, just like Abraham and Jesus, God expects us to show mercy to the wicked, because that is the way God is Himself. If He is forced to destroy a city or nation, it is usually as a last resort, because they are simply beyond redemption and totally incorrigible. Just stop and think for a moment about how the Lord constantly preached about love, forgiveness and mercy in the Gospels. Following are some additional verses which describe not only the extent of the Lord's Mercy, but His desire that we all come to repentance:

"Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?"


"For the Lord will not cast off for ever: But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men."


"Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish."


"For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."


"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."


"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began."


"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."


"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."


"And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but LET IT RATHER BE HEALED."


In light of all the previous verses I have now shared with you, we can conclude that the errors of some of these online Christians are basically two. First, some of them seem to think that they deserve a quick and easy exit to Heaven. "Alright, Lord. Just beam me up! I am ready to go! Any time now will be just fine, Lord!" And then, to compound their first error, they add "Oh, and by the way, Lord, destroy the wicked while you are at! Just wipe them all out!" Can you see how contrary that attitude is to the Scriptures we have examined? Can you see how selfish and self-righteous such an attitude is?

Don't get me wrong. We all desire our Heavenly Home, myself included. But if God needed you there, and wanted you there, you would be there already. However, you are NOT there. So what does that tell you, or what SHOULD it tell you? In my view, it should tell you that your job here on Earth is not finished yet, and that God still needs you here, and NOT up there in the City of Light. The First Century Christians understood this. They too desired their Heavenly Abode. But at the same time, they realized that they still had a very important job to fulfill here on the Earth first. In fact, the Apostle Paul contemplated this very same issue in his Epistle to the Philippian brethren. Paul desired Heaven. He wanted to go be with Jesus. Yet he realized that it was more needful for him to remain on Earth for the time being, as we can clearly determine by the following set of verses:

"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. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again."


So the lesson is rather clear. You need to stop your whining and complaining about how wicked the world has become, stop demanding the express lane to Heaven, and get busy doing the job which the Lord has for you to do in the here and now. If you really want the reward -- meaning your Crown of Life -- you need to do the work first. God does not like freeloaders. Do you remember Jesus' Parable regarding the talents? Do you recall how the lazy servant was rebuked, and in fact lost his talent? If not, consider the following verses:

"For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."


As I point out in the series entitled "Parable of the Sower: Salvation and Service", Salvation is indeed free through the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. However, we each need to earn our rewards by dedicating our lives to the Lord's service in some fashion. And, unlike the Mormons who do a two-year stint as missionaries for their church on some far-flung field, and then return to the world, serving the Lord is supposed to be a lifelong commitment. Consider what the Apostle Paul wrote in the following verses regarding certain lazy loafers who were a problem in the First Century Church:

"For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread."


So, tell me, my friends. What is YOUR attitude? Do you put God's lost and hungry sheep first? Do you feed His lambs as He instructed us to do with the pure waters of His Word? Do you offer up your life and body on the altar of sacrificial service to the Lord? Are you a witness of your faith as much as lies within you? Do you truly redeem the time and use it wisely for His glory? Are you crucified with Christ? Do you deny yourself and take up your cross daily? Or are you like some of these Christians I see on Facebook who basically say "Forget about the lost sheep! Just get me out of this wicked place, Lord! Pronto!"? Do you just think about saving your own skin, and avoiding any risk of persecution, pain and suffering for His Name's sake? Do you demand that God rains down hellfire on the wicked?

As we have now clearly seen by way of the Scriptures, that certainly was not the attitude of the First Century Apostles and Disciples. They were known by their love for each other, and their love for the lost, even when it was to their own hurt. Yes, it was indeed hard for them, but so many of them gladly suffered persecution, and willingly gave their lives as a testimony of their faith in Christ. Why? Because their eyes were set firmly on the recompense of the reward. They knew that their works for the Lord would follow them into the Next Realm, and that a Crown of Life awaited them there, as we can easily determine by the following set of verses:

"If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?"


"Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him."


"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."


"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works."


"Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets . . . But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil."


"Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building . . . Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."


"Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,"


"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ."


"Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry."


"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him . . . By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward."


"And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:"


"Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward."


". . . I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works."


"And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth."


"And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them."


"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works."


"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward ‭is‭ with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."


In conclusion, my friends, do not look for an express train to Heaven. Yes, keep your sight on Heaven, but concentrate on what the Lord wants you to do in the here and now. And please don't be too quick to condemn the wicked, or to demand their destruction. After all, at one time, you were lost as well, and living in rebellion against the Lord.

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

Are You a Burning Ember for the Lord?
Are You Crucified With Christ?
Are You Redeeming the Time?
Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah: A Warning to Modern Society
Don't Ever Underestimate Our Spiritual Enemy
My Personal Vision and Your Challenge
Parable of the Sower: Salvation and Service
Selfishness: A Prophesied Sign of Our Times?
Sluggards and Sloths: Are You Diligent and Faithful in the Affairs of God's Kingdom?
Study, Work and Don't Be Ashamed
The Heavenly Vision: Have You Got It?
This Little Light, Glory of the Lord and Our Bright Future
What is God's Will for My Life?
Why Did the Apostle Paul Have a Low Opinion of Physical Exercise?

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