Now I Belong To Jesus :: By Dennis Huebshman
Up until just about 40 years ago, if I had taken my last breath on this earth, right now I would be waiting for my place at the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11-15. That Judgment isn’t to see if we’re going to Heaven or the lake of fire, but to determine the degree of punishment each soul there will endure in hell forever. (ESV – all emphasis is mine)
All who have passed from this earth who were in the will of the Father, and those from Calvary on who had received and accepted Jesus, are at peace waiting for the Judgment Seat of Christ found in 2 Corinthians 5:10. This Judgment is to find out what rewards have been gained or lost, but the outcome is still eternity in Heaven with our Lord and Savior.
Psalm 103:11-12 states, “for as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him; for as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.” Please note that “fear” here is not to be terrified but to respect God’s will.
Our Heavenly Father does not take delight in preparing eternal punishment for all who pass from this life without being in His will, or without having received and accepted His Son, Jesus the Christ. He knows that no human has ever lived a sinless life on this earth except for His Son. That is why He has given all believers a pathway to forgiveness, found in 1 John 1:8-10.
And for all the false prophets and antichrists that are saying that there are many ways to Heaven without Jesus, they need to check several verses from our Father’s “love letter” to us known as the Bible. John 3:18, John 3:36, John 14:6, 1 John 2:23, and 1 John 5:10-12 all state that if we have the Son, we have the Father. Simply put, no Jesus – no Heavenly Father.
Probably the best parable that Jesus gave about this is found in Luke 16: 19-31. This is the one about the rich man and Lazarus. Jesus made it clear that Lazarus had died in the will of God and was comfortable in “Abraham’s Bosom.” The rich man was already in agony, waiting for his final judgment.
In Philippians 1:21-23, Paul tells us, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet, which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard-pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ.”
Paul, who had been a major persecutor of Christians, turned out to be one of the Savior’s most zealous disciples. Even through all the persecutions that were put on him, once converted, he never turned back to his old ways. He was telling us that when he would take his last breath here, his next instant would be with the Savior. That should be a trait for each of us to follow.
From the encounter on the road to Damascus to the end of Paul’s life, he belonged to Jesus. Everyone who receives and accepts Jesus as their Savior, Redeemer, Shepherd, and absolute Best Friend can also declare, “Now I Belong To Jesus!”
This happens to be the title of a song written by Norman J. Clayton (1903-1992) in 1943.
1.) Jesus, my Lord will love me forever; from Him no power of evil can sever. He gave His life to ransom my soul; Now I Belong To Him.
Ref.) Now I belong to Jesus; Jesus belongs to me; not for the years of time alone but for eternity.
2.) Once I was lost in sin’s degradation; Jesus came down to bring me Salvation. Lifted me up from sorrow and shame; Now I Belong To Him. (ref)
3.) Joy floods my soul, for Jesus has saved me. Freed me from sin that long had enslaved me; His precious blood He came to redeem; Now I Belong To Him.
We do not know the day or hour that our Savior will come to take all believers up to meet Him in the air, just as He stated in Matthew 24:36. “But concerning that day and hour, no one knows; not even the angels or Heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”
Some have used this verse to say that if Jesus were God, He would’ve known the day and hour. Hebrews 2:7-8 states, “You made Him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned Him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under His feet.”
When our Savior came to this earth to be our perfect blood sacrifice, He willingly became fully human. In order for the sacrifice to be accepted by the Father, Jesus did not sin even once, no matter what false prophets are saying.
Hebrews 10:4, “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” As long as the sacrifices were made in accordance with God’s will prior to Calvary, He allowed sins to be forgiven. However, the sacrifices had to be made on a regular basis.
When our Savior stated, “It Is Finished!” in John 19:30, He was declaring that the ultimate sacrifice that would take away the sins of all who would receive and accept Him was fully completed. His blood that was shed at Calvary reached back to those who had been in the will of the Father prior to Calvary. No longer would there be any sacrifice of animals for sins that the Father would accept. One very special sacrifice fulfilled the Father’s need for perfection.
The instant our Savior took His last breath as a human, He was immediately back as fully God. His statement to the repentant thief was evidence of this. Luke 23:43, “And He said to him, ‘Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’” Jesus was telling the thief that from that moment on, the thief belonged to the Savior.
The hardest part about being a Christian is believing it’s actually true. Some people believe they must do work or figure out a way to pay their way into Heaven. This is covered completely by Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast.”
Many so-called man-made religions have so many rules, regulations, and requirements that no one ever fully knows if they’re going to paradise or not.
Romans 10:9-13 gives the ABCs of Salvation, which are: Admit we’re all sinners and cannot save ourselves; Believe Jesus is the Son of God who is the only way to Salvation; and Call on the name of the Lord to be saved. Anyone who believes there’s more than this needs to reread Ephesians 2:8-9.
When a person receives and accepts Jesus as their eternal Savior, they receive the Holy Spirit to live within them while they are on this earth. Yes, we will still fall short and sin, but that’s what 1 John 1:8-10 covers. For all who have left this earth and were in Christ when they died, when the Rapture takes place, all will receive a forever body and the mindset of our Savior, which will be immune from any further temptations from Satan and his demons.
The key phrase in Romans 10:13 is “ALL who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” It doesn’t matter what a person’s background has been as long as they truly call on Jesus to be their Savior. The timing is critical. This must be done before the Rapture to avoid the 7-year tribulation that will take place. People will still be able to be saved during that terrible time, but the cost will most likely be martyrdom.
Today, right now would not be too early to call on Jesus to be your forever Savior. He is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Also, this choice is absolutely yours, as the Father will force no one to accept His Son. Hope to see you at Jesus’ feet!
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