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What is the way out?
by toye faleye The dungeon was burning hot and choking. Jerry Agodo was panting for a way to escape, but help was far away. All his joints were aching as if hard stones were being pounded on them. He couldn't find anything to lean on as he sought to obtain some rest. All hopes were waning. There were traces of thick, rising smoke which engulfed the whole vicinity, and every other thing that his eyes could catch was left charred. The atmosphere was buried in dead silence. Other than some noise that gave impression that some people were groaning and moaning as a result of excruciating pain that they were passing through, if a pin dropped you would hear its sound. Those fainting, failing noise seemed as though coming from afar. For Jerry, the situation was becoming unbearable. His body was paining him beyond description. The skin, fingers and the entire body appeared scotched, as if he had suffered third degree burns. Worst of all, his throat longed for water, but water was forbidden in that atmosphere, while dryness was cherished. His tongue and lips were melting having being dehydrated, and nothing was left in him to weather the terrible situation he was in. He was desperately in need of just a drop of water to soothe his throat. He was gaping, sobbing and sometime would, being so daring, effortlessly attempt to climb up the burning dungeon with his remaining strength, struggling to fix his feet in small holes that doted it, but was unsuccessful. Suddenly a warning bell clanged from afar, reminding every suffering soul that it was only some seconds left before the dungeon would be set ablaze in an everlasting fire. Tension mounted and his hearth thundered. Jerry became cold and sought more desperately to escape the eerie. But, help refused to come. "Can somebody not help here!" he thought aloud and wondered. "Somebody help me!" he shouted and his voice jeered as his heart was violently pounding as a result of the doom that was to befall all the condemned souls. "Somebody heeeeeelp!" the noise echoed. "I'm dying! The noise faded. Above, a big, thick finger was being lowered. It was descending, dangling down and was nearing the bottom of the dungeon right above Jerry's head. Jerry was anxiously hoping for the finger to be lowered a bit more so he could grab it. He couldn't wait any longer so he eagerly lifted his body lazily and clung to the helping finger. Tired and worn out, he held on like a helpless baby to the rescuing finger until he was pulled out of the dreaded dungeon. Outside, the finger placed him right at the foot of a golden cross. Heaving a sigh of relief, Jerry knew he had just experienced hellfire. Such is the nasty, brutish experience that awaits a life without Jesus. Jerry tasted a bit of it in a true life situation. No one needs to pass through this. What is, then, the way out when Satan and his collaborators have determined to lure as many as possible to eternal damnation? The scripture says in Philippians 2:10, "That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of those in the heaven, of those in the earth and of those under the earth," meaning that Jesus holds all authority. Jesus possesses the canopy under which you can seek cover and He has the wherewithal to bring peace. No wonder he says, "When you hear of wars and revolutions, do NOT BE FRIGHTENED." He says this confidently because He knows the weight of power He carries. The power to save belongs to Him in as much as you will submit to His will. As the world gradually moves to the close of age, you should realise that the decision to give your life to Jesus should be taken now even as most of the end-time prophecies are being fulfilled. Our world is faced with one terrible event or the other. Countries are manufacturing Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), and are threatening war and brimstone against one another. Of recent was a nuclear test carried out by North Korea. And more disasters will still follow as prophesied in the Bible. As if to justify our Lords' prophecy, scientists have researched that a great tsunami that is capable of swallowing a whole country at once will occur in not too distant a feature. Yet, in the prophecy that our Lord gave to John in the book of Revelation, there will be more tribulations and the Antichrist, with his prophets, will seize the world and plant his own system of government (Fascism, one world government) in which his worship (Antichrist) will be imposed upon the world. There shall be an economic system that will recognize the use of one currency throughout the world. "And that no one may buy or sell except one has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name," says the Bible in Revelation 13:17.) It will be such that whoever is found not bearing the number 666 would be cut off and not be able to make any purchase unless he bears the satanic number. 1 John 2:8 reminds the saints of this; "Little children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour." That such a world government will one day become a reality is beyond question or a shadow of doubt. According to Thessalonians 2:3, the ruler who will head the coming government is called the "man of sin . . . the son of perdition," while in Revelation 13:7 we are told that the coming world ruler will have power "over all kindreds, and tongues and nations," an absolute political power. Revelation 13:8 informs us that the Antichrist will be worshipped as a god by "all that dwell upon the earth . . . whose names are not written in the book of life," an ecclesiastical power. And in Revelation 13:16-17, it is foretold that everyone in the world must have his mark and number in order to "buy or sell," depicting a total economic power. What must you do? It is as simple as acknowledging that you are a sinner and that He died for your sins. Accept Him as your Lord and personal saviour and His arms are ready to embrace you. There are no other names under heaven by which anybody could be saved except the name of Jesus. It is the only name that can save in this terrible time. The Bible says in John 3:16 that "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. Find the escape route in His bosom. All Bible texts used are taken from NKJV A Nigerian journalist. Writes for Afrimag, the publisher of SmartInvestor Magazine. Has published articles in BusinessWorld Newspaper, SmartInvestor, Nigerian Extra and other Nigerian-based magazines and Newspapers. Serves as a Copy Editor for Afrimag at present. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |