By Brenda Cannon Henley
I am not a prophet nor a daughter of a prophet, but one of my ladies that I teach in small group on Thursdays asked me a question this week, and the attached is my answer. With every newscast we see or hear, it seems that there is more conflict, war, unrest, rumors of war, and trouble on every front. None of us know exactly when the rapture (called out or taken away) of Christian men and women will take place, but every day now, we see and hear events that make us know it is getting real. I quoted my old pastor when answering my friend. “The stage is certainly set for Jesus to come for His own at any moment.”

We are taught in Scripture “that in the day of the coming of the Son of Man, that the world will be like the days of Sodom and Gomorrah.” Folks, we are there. Little respect is left for human life. Families are splintered. Killing, rioting, fires, weird and wicked weather, heartbreak, abortion, death and destruction on every hand. The evening news, if you can stomach it, confirms this every night and every morning. We are truly watching very old prophecies fulfilled before our very eyes.

For the record, I am a “pre-tribulation” believer based on II Thessalonians, meaning Christians will be raptured or removed from this earth BEFORE the seven year tribulation begins. The first half of three and one half years will be terrible. The last half will be so awful that words do not adequately describe it. The word “rapture” doesn’t appear in Scripture. Instead, it says “caught up.” This is a super important doctrine because some (that I believe are very wrong) believe that even Christians will have to endure one half of the tribulation or even all seven years. We have a lady in our church that believes this, but she has no Scriptural basis or proof text for her assumption.

With each event unfolding, I say, based on Scripture, that we could been soon gone. No man or woman knoweth the day or hour, but the world is waxing colder and colder and is a scary place to be.

With this being said, every individual must ascertain that he or she has trusted Christ for their eternal salvation and we should be busy making certain our loved ones and those we meet are trusting. We live in the darkest, but most glorious days ever. We may be the generation that does not die, but are called to meet Jesus in the air. Glory! I will meet my heavenly Father and I will meet my earthly father for the first time. My Mama Cole, Ted, and so many of my loved ones will be there because I believe Heaven is real.

I don’t know the day or hour, but I do believe it could be soon and I am excited. I am sharing this answer with you, not to be offensive or quarrel, please know I love many of you deeply and care about you and your loved ones. I want you to be in Heaven for all eternity, with your family members and loved ones. I am not intending to frighten, alarm, or insult you.

Salvation is very simple in realty.
A. Admit that you are a sinner and need to be saved. Know you cannot save yourself.

B. Believe in your heart that Jesus, God’s son, came to earth to die on the cross to pay for our sins. Salvation is a free gift, but we must accept the offer or close the deal.

C. Once we have trusted Him, we should confess Him (tell others about) as our salvation. It is helpful and comforting to visit and find a good local church in which we feel welcome and join with believers that believe the same truths taught in Scripture.

No church is perfect because people are certainly not perfect. Find one anyway. The teaching and fellowship are so needed during these days. You and your family need the connection, encouragement, a sense of belonging to a team, a place to minister, and the joy of companionship. We need these things at every stage of our life, but never more so than in this day and in which we are living.

I had church in my living room today as I thought of all the promises of God made about eternity. I miss my Texas friends so, and others I’ve met along the way. The Lord has allowed me to serve with many wonderful friends across this world in various ministries.

The Lord eased my heart by letting me think of all eternity with those I love. I have so many dear family members and friends now waiting on the other side. My heart is at peace knowing I will see them again. We’ll never say goodbye up there.

I am respectfully praying for our readers this early morning. May God bless each of us.

Brenda Cannon Henley can be reached at 409 781 8788, or
[email protected]

[Mar-29-2022]