For many in the Christian community, this can be a difficult question to tackle. The bible very clearly tells us that salvation is through Christ alone (John 14:6, Acts 4:12) so what happens to those who never knew Christ? Although scripture doesn't address this directly to the extent where we can navigate to a specific book, chapter, or verse, there are still some truths revealed to us throughout scripture that helps shed light to this issue and offer us a way we can answer these questions. In this post, I take a look at how creation, our conscience, God's divine sovereignty concerning our place of origin, and lastly, bible prophecy aids us in providing an answer to this question.

What does a red heifer, the Jewish messiah, and a previously extinct species of grapes have in common? They add into the increased preparations and calls for the rebuilding of the third temple.Daniel 9:27 tells us that the antichrist will confirm a covenant for a “week”, being 7 years. Half way through this 7 year period, he will break this covenant and put an end to the temple sacrifices. For these prophecies to come to pass there must first be a rebuilt temple and then a reinstating of the sacrificial system within the temple. And we're seeing efforts made for these two things now! Logically, it shows us the tribulation period is near and even closer, the rapture of the church.

Israel and the UAE have normalized ties in a "historic" peace agreement that has made waves in the Christian community and the world in general. What are the pros and cons to this plan? Is this another "land for peace" deal like many we've seen in the past or does Israel have nothing to lose and everything to gain? In this article I also discuss why this is not the Daniel 9:27 covenant and elaborate on how it could add to the stage setting for Ezekiel 38-39.

A temporary basic income or universal basic income (UBI) is essentially a system in which the government gives a guaranteed income to its citizens. Although the U.N. is playing the hero role by promoting this idea as a positive way forward, to me, it appears that this may be something that largely benefits them as it appears to align with a few of their objectives as outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Pope Francis has also come out in support for the system earlier in April. That alone is reason enough for me to ask some serious questions about this initiative when considering the fact that much of what the Pope does is contrary to God's word. When we consider these facts, it makes the topic of UBI something worth keeping our eyes on.

India's new digital health card system - dubbed the "One Nation One Health Card" - seems to hearken back to what the immunity/health passports are designed to do. This sounds like where many of us have been saying things could go. A digital health card system first and foremost raises privacy concerns. Who's privy to the data being collected? And how could this data be used to target specific individuals who possibly are unwilling or don't comply? As technology races forward it seems that our privacy and rights are likewise being stripped away or at the very least threatened to varying degrees. What does the bible have to say about this dystopian future that's increasingly being laid out around us?

Could a covid-19 vaccine be mandated? Is it legal? If done, how could such an action be carried out? What may have been seen as an impossible feat at the start of this year is now becoming more of a talking point as more voices are bringing it up to the forefront. If they aren't mandated, the other option may just be to make the lives of those who refuse to take the vaccine as difficult as possible until they submit, possibly barring them from society. Sounds familiar? It should when we read Revelation 13:16-17. It seems to me that the minds of people are being readied for this system and that this system is being put in place piece by piece today showing us the nearness of the tribulation.

Visa recently announced its plans to advance digital currency as a payment option, an initiative that would of course, be global in scope owing to their status as a "global payments technology company". That again should show us the general trend of things especially as various nations such as the US and China prepare themselves for their own digital dollar and digital yuan respectively. As time goes on it seems that the picture of how things may come together to bring about a cashless society becomes increasingly clear to us.

This year already I've reported on Amazon's new hand scanning technology as well as quantum-dot tattoos. Now it's being reported that Google is working on a new smart tattoo currently called "SkinMarks". Not only are we seeing a variety of technologies that could possibly be used in creating the mark of the beast that's later implemented during the tribulation, the system itself is being set up all around us. For the believer, these are exciting times as we see the road being paved quite quickly now for the tribulation period. This should further add to our joy as it points to our soon redemption!

The Pentagon UFO unit is to release their findings on "off-world vehicles not made on this earth". The world is not only entertaining this subject but we're already seeing it being discussed in mainstream news. The question for the believer is how should we handle this? As the church, we better learn how to tackle this issue fast before the culture runs away with it and provides their own answers. Now more than ever the world is looking to the stars in an attempt to find intelligent life beyond earth, all the while ignoring the supreme intelligent being who created the vast universe. Let's use this as an opportunity to point people to God's existence and the truth of the gospel.

The rapture and second coming of Christ are 2 events that are often seen as one and the same. However, as we read through scripture, God's word paints a different picture for us. In part 2, we'll see how the glorification of believers at the rapture, the return of the saints with Christ at his second coming, and the judgment of the goat and sheep nations further helps us identify the differences between the rapture and second coming.