You Have To See Something To Be A Witness

Hebrews 12:1-2, “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.”

There has always been a theological debate over the meaning of Hebrews 12:1. Does the “witnesses” refer to the great patriarchs of the faith in Hebrews chapter 11, or does it refer to the saints who are presently alive up in Heaven?

I agree with Pastor Curtis Hutson (1934-1995), who taught me that in order to become a witness, you first have to SEE SOMETHING. How can you be a witness unless you've seen something firsthand yourself? Amen. That is a good observation (no pun intended...lol).

The saints who are alive up in Heaven can see us here on earth. I am not sure of the limitations of what they can see. I do not know if they can see into our homes. I tend to think that God respects our privacy, and only allows the inhabitants of Heaven to see our public lives. However, that is mere speculation. I simply do not know. But I am firmly convinced that the angels and saints up in Heaven can watch us down here on earth.

Luke 15:10, “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” If there is joy IN THE PRESENCE of the angels, then who is doing the rejoicing? It could be that the angels are rejoicing. It could also be that the saints are rejoicing. I humbly think it is obvious to say that all of Heaven rejoices when someone gets saved. 

I do not believe in the doctrine called “Soul Sleep.” This is the teaching that when a person dies, their soul and spirit sleep in the earth until a future resurrection. The person's soul is allegedly unconscious. But what saith the Scripture? 2nd Corinthians 5:8, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” The Bible says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. I think the Bible is abundantly clear that there is no Soul Sleep. In Luke 16:19-32 we read that Abraham was alive. Lazarus was alive.

What did Jesus say? Mark 12:27, “He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.” Luke 20:38, “For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.” The Pharisees believed in a bodily resurrection, but the Sadducees did not. Jesus rebuked the Sadducees who came unto Him (Mark 12:18). The Sadducees were sad you see...lol. The Sadducees remind me of the Bob Jones University and Pensacola Christian College camps. They are stubborn fools who won't take heed to THE TRUTH. When I TOLD THE TRUTH to Marty Herron, Joe Hansen, Jared Baldwin and Gary Walton (all shameful pastors of the corrupt Harvest Baptist Church on Guam), they all despised me and rejected THE TRUTH that I personally handed to them on a silver platter.

These are all corrupt graduates of BJU, who preach another gospel of Lordship Salvation (which is rooted in Calvinism). They all promote Satan's corruptible seed of the modern Bible perversions. They all promote Martin Luther (1483-1546) as a born again hero, when in reality Mr. Luther preached the Devil's heresy of Baptismal Regeneration (i.e., you must be water baptized to go to Heaven) until his death in 1546 AD. These infidels of the faith are cocky, rebellious, arrogant, corrupt and high-minded against THE TRUTH of God's Word. Not one verse in the Bible says to repent “of your sin” to be saved. Not one verse in the inspired King James Bible teaches that you must do good works or else your faith is not genuine, and you're not really saved. Nowhere does the Bible say to turn away from a lifestyle of sin in order to get saved. Yet this is exactly what these wicked men all preach today!!!

Another infidel is Pastor Chuck Phelps of The Colonial Hills Baptist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. Phelps is personal friends with Marty Herron and Steve Pettit, and is on the shameful Board of Directors at Bob Jones University (BJU). Birds of a feather flock together, partners in spiritual crime. Take a look at Chuck Phelps contemptible reputation! These are ungodly FALSE PROPHETS, who prey upon the simple and naïve. What saith the Scripture? Romans 16:17-18, “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”

These ungodly leaders in the Pensacola Christian College camp don't love people. These fake fundamentalist religious institutions today, like Bob Jones University and Pensacola Christian College are filled with hatred for people like me who are divorced and hoping to remarry someday. Pastor Jeff Redlin made me feel like a bag of garbage in July of 2021 for being divorced for 15 years, even though my former wife filed and refused to reconcile with me. Redlin expressed utter contempt for me as a human being, and toward my ministry because I contend for the faith (which he is too Caspar Milquetoast to do). This is how Bob Jones University mistreats people, a victimized female student, showing zero love or compassion for a hurting human being.

That is how Pastor Marty Herron sinfully discarded me at the Harvest Baptist Church on Guam between 2014 to 2018, throwing me under the bus because I befriended him with THE TRUTH (the very truths I am sharing with you my precious friend to help you). And then his successor, Pastor Gary Walton, also backed the bus up over me, continuing the hatred and ostracization of the former pastor, because they hate me so much for loving them enough to tell them THE TRUTH. Psalms 109:5-6, “For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer. And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.”

There is no love in the BJU and PCC camps. They woefully lack God's love, have little understanding and shamefully lack compassion for hurting people. Ichabod (the glory of the Lord is departed) is written over the entrances of these apostate institutions today, to their utter SHAME!!! I speak THE TRUTH in love dear friends (Ephesians 4:15). Somebody's got to care! I CARE!!! Our merciful God certainly cares (1st Peter 5:7).

I love you dear reader, whoever you may be. I love you unconditionally with God's love. If you are a sinner, as I am, I love you as you are. If you are a practicing homosexual, I love you dear friend. Christ died for YOU, because He loves you, and so do I (Romans 5:6-9). If you are backslidden and out of church, I love you dear friend. I hate the sin, and so should you, but I love you because God loves you, and God lives inside me in the form of the blessed Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9; 1st John 3:24). No saint can be right with God and hate any living human being on earth. Matthew 5:44, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” We are commanded by God to love our enemies! Amen.

My dear friend Curtis Smale (1965-2022) just went to Heaven a couple weeks ago. He turned 57 years old on January 13th, 2022. Over a four year period me and Curtis exchanged 1,028 emails. Curtis was a gifted prolific writer. He had a big heart, which often got depressed and saddened by the way people and his own family mistreated him. Curtis knew he could always come to me to have a friend to listen, and I did. He told me oftentimes of pastors that he had contacted for help, who either didn't even bother to write him back, or brushed him off quickly. Me and Curtis often wrote book length emails to each other, sharing our souls as Christian brothers. I miss my friend but rejoice that he is in Heaven with Jesus.

I was looking at some of his YouTube videos this evening and found this one. Curtis correctly preaches a Pretribulation Rapture...

 A Pretribulation Rapture (by Curtis Smale, 1965-2022)

As I was thinking about my departed dear friend up in Heaven, I was reminded by the Holy Spirit of Hebrews 12:1-2, “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.” Amen and amen!!!

The heavenly saints are all watching dear reader. We are on display. Eventually it will be our time to die and graduate from this life to the next. Each day of this life is a day in class. We are learning day by day how to be more like our blessed Savior. Proverbs 4:18, “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” Since learning that my dear friend Curtis Smale has gone onto Heaven, I am even more firmly committed to earnestly working harder day and night to preach the Gospel, contend for the faith; and be a blessing to as many people as I can, as long as I can, as much as I can, wherever I can, whenever I can, for my precious Lord Jesus Christ.

God bless you dear reader and thank you for taking the time to read me blogs. It means more to me than I can express in words. YOU dear reader are my ministry. 2nd Corinthians 3:2-3, “Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.” Kindest regards.  = -)