by Randy Willis

“A Rider is coming on a magnificent steed, a white horse, I’m told.

“He knows all the brands and earmarks, for you see, He owns the cattle on a thousand hills.

“He will separate the goats from His sheep.

“If you listen carefully, you might even hear hoofbeats, for you see, He’s mounted even as I speak.

“Not even a Texas Wind can change the fact that He’s coming—coming again!”

—Randy Willis 2026 Texas Wind

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For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. —Ephesians 6:12

Persia became Iran on March 21, 1935.

The Prince of Persia is described in Daniel 10. The demonic “Prince of Persia” is still actively working against God’s plan for Israel. Today’s conflict is not just geopolitics; it is a 2,600-year-old spiritual war.

Based on biblical prophecy, Iran (Persia) is aligning with a coalition described in Ezekiel 38, primarily including Russia (Magog) and Turkey (Gomer), aimed against Israel. These countries and all of the others listed in Ezekiel today have formed a coalition that hopes to destroy Israel.

How many of them? All of them. Have all of them ever done this at once? No. Watch, we are seeing Ezekiel 38 unfold in the world’s headlines.

Who is the leader of this wolf-pack? Persia, known as Iran today.

When I was young, Iran was a close ally of the United States. The Shah of Iran was our ally from 1941 to 1979. But since Ayatollah Khomeini took control in 1979 during the Iranian Revolution, their leadership has hated Israel, America, and Jews and Christians.

This is not all of the people of Iran, but their demon-controlled leadership. There is a growing number of Christians among Iranians today. We should pray for them.

And always remember Ephesians 6:12: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Our enemy is not the people of Iran, but the rulers of the darkness that control their government.

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God named “Persia” (modern-day Iran) as the very head of a massive coalition destined to invade Israel. Iran publicly vowing to destroy Israel is setting the stage for an unprecedented historical event: the rise of the Antichrist, Armageddon, and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

As Christians, we are not to fear any of this for ourselves, for we are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 that believers are not destined for God’s wrath but are destined to obtain salvation through Jesus Christ, who took on our punishment for our sins.  The Bible says 365 times: “Fear not.”

Before the Antichrist is revealed, God will take his bride, the Church of Jesus Christ, to Heaven. Some reject the use of the word rapture. Then use “catching away” as a metaphor, or “caught up” or “snatching away.” No matter what words you use, nevertheless, Jesus is coming for His bride, the church. He will snatch His bride away from harm’s way in “the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:52).

 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. —1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

But we should sound the alarm (Matthew 24:19) to those who have rejected Christ’s substitutionary atonement on the cross of Calvary. Based on Matthew 24:24, the Antichrist and False Prophet will perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect of God. The optimum word is “decieve.”  Satan and his puppets on a string are masters of deception. Read: 2 Corinthians 11:14 (disguise), John 8:44 (father of lies), and Revelation 12:9 (deceiver of the whole world). 

The Bible states in Revelation 13:13 that the second beast (the False Prophet who supports the Antichrist) performs great signs, including making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of men. 

I struggled with this in my youth. The Antichrist and False Prophet are not God. How can they rain fire down from Heaven? Today, many kids can rain down fire from Heaven with AI (artificial intelligence). Imagine how these masters of deception can use such a tool to deceive the world.

The Bible says 2 Thessalonians 2:9: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders.” They are counterfeit miracles.

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders. —2 Thessalonians 2:9

My ancestors struggled with Matthew 24 when Jesus said the fig tree (Israel) would come back to life. How could this be? They had not been a nation since the Babylonian Captivity (686 BC). It occurred more than 1,900 years after Jesus spoke those words, on May 14, 1948, marking its “rebirth.” My grandfather and namesake never got to see this miracle.

For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. —1 Thessalonians 5:9 

How powerful is the fallen angel, the demon known as the Prince of Persia? An angel (perhaps Gabriel) was sent to Daniel, but was opposed by the “Prince of Persia” for 21 days. Daniel prayed and fasted.

The Archangel Michael intervened, allowing the angel’s message to be delivered to the prophet Daniel. Michael remained there to continue the fight.

Satan’s murderous passion to annihilate the Jewish people is still influencing Iran’s leadership today. What is driving the escalating hostility in the Middle East? Satan’s hatred of Jesus Christ.

 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. —Daniel 10-13

Michael is the only angel in the Bible called an Archangel. The mighty warrior Michael is identified in Jewish and Christian tradition as the guardian angel and protector of Israel, particularly in the Book of Daniel.

The often mentioned “bearer of good news” Gabriel is not called an Archangel in the Bible. Jesus said he could have called 12 legions (72,000) of angels to protect him. One angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian soliers in a single night. 72,000 x 185,000 is over 13 billion. There were less than 300 million people alive on earth when Christ spoke those words. The Bible mentions innumerable angels in Hebrews 12:22. Perhaps billions, trillions or more exist.

One third of the angels followed Lucifer (Satan) in his rebellion in Heaven. (Revelation 12:4, 7-9) They are known as demons today.

No human becomes an angel when they die. We are a little lower than angels on earth, but this is not the case in Heaven. When Christ returns all of the holy angels will accompy Him, and all born again Christians and the saints of all ages.

Of all the nations on earth why is Satan so transfixed on a tiny country only 290 miles from north to south. And a mere 9 to 85 miles wide? Israel is roughly the size of New Jersey. Why is Israel and it’s capital Jerusalem the subject of so many headlines today worldwide.

Throughout Scripture, Israel is portrayed as the nation through which the Messiah, Jesus Christ, would come into the world. 

Satan and the Prince of Persia hate Israel. God calls them My people and Jerusalem My city.

Satan aims to prevent Jesus from returning to the nation of Israel, where He is prophesied to rule from the throne of David.

Satan seeks to destroy the nation that acts as the center of God’s prophetic promises. Because a massive portion of the Bible hinges on God’s future promises to Israel, destroying the Jewish people is an attempt to destroy God’s testimony.

Because a massive portion of the Bible hinges on God’s future promises to Israel, destroying the Jewish people is an attempt to destroy God’s promises. Satan wants to prove God cannot keep His Word.

Satan desires to destroy Israel to thwart God’s plan of redemption, invalidate His promises, and prevent the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

It began in the Garden of Eden. It has not only made its way into secular conversations, but into most of what were once the great evangelical denominations of the world. Many are denying the fundamental tenets of their founders: the inerrancy of scripture, the blood atonement, the Deity of Christ, and the miracles of the Bible. Like their leader, they cry, “Did God say?”

And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,’These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.  So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.  Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. —Revelation 3:14-17

Did God Say?

I’ve heard “Did God Say” packaged and repackaged in hundreds of ways in the press and pulpit. Lucifer, known as Satan today, wants us to think we can’t trust God. So Satan attacks the accuracy of the Word of God. Satan wants us to think we can’t believe the Word of God, the Bible.

Then Satan tells Eve another lie, “You will not surely die.” Satan wants us to believe there is no punishment for rebelling against God—sin. Satan wants us to think there is no eternal separation from God because of sin—hell. Tell the Judge of the universe that when you stand before Him.

Satan explains to Eve why God lied. “For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Now, Eve, you will be enlightened. Reminds me of what we were told in college if we did LSD.

Satan tells Eve what he said of himself in Isaiah 14, “You will be like the Most High.”

It’s the same lie we hear daily: You can be like God and be in control. You are your own God. You are a God. It’s all about me, myself, and I. No one can tell me what I can and can not do.

You are in control of your body, not God, we hear daily. 73 million induced abortions take place worldwide each year, according to the World Health Organization. That’s 200,000 a day.

“Hands that shed innocent blood” is a phrase from the Bible, specifically Proverbs 6:17, which lists seven things hated by God. The sanctity of life condemns violence against the vulnerable or defenseless.

These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood. —Proverbs 6:16-17

I’ve tried being in control. Spoiler alert—it does not work. You’ll lose your peace, joy, purpose, and life. We were created in God’s image. He is the potter, and we are the clay. Take hold of His pottery wheel, and what a mess we make.

In the Twinkling of an Eye

Stop letting the news fill you with anxiety. All of this has been foretold in the Bible. God is in sovereign control.

If you have been saved, you have nothing to fear, for Jesus is coming to deliver you from all of this. He will do it in the twinkling of an eye. And always remember, Jesus who is in you is greater than Satan and all the hounds of hell. In James 2:19, the demons shudder at the mere mention of Jesus’s name.

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. —1 John 4:4

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Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

How fast is a twinkling of an eye? The average person blinks over 10,000 times a day.

In the twinkling of an eye, Jesus Christ, God the Son, will step from His throne in Glory. He is at God, the Father’s right hand in Heaven. He will return to this earth for His Bride, the Church. This is not a denomination, building, or organized group, but all those born-again believers in Christ.

The Rapture of Jesus’ bride, the church (believers in Christ), is a clandestine event that occurs in a nanosecond. It is a signless event.

No one will have time to pray, repent of sin, or call their pastor for advice. If your pastor, spiritual advisor, counselor, or esteemed theologian answers the phone, they have been left behind.

Can you imagine the chaos on that day? I suspect the churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques will be full of those in shock seeking answers. But all those qualified to explain are gone.

Those Christians whose bodies lie in a grave or are scattered somewhere will be resurrected. They will be reunited with their souls and spirits, which are already with Christ.

This is why Apostle Paul wrote, “Absent from the body, present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). Jesus is the bridegroom; we are His Bride and will go to the place He has prepared for us (John 14:3). Jesus Christ has been preparing us an abiding place (mansion in the King James Version of the Bible) for 2,000 years.

Jesus, the Lord of Creation in Colossians 1:15-17 (all things created by/for him), John 1:1-3 (the Word made all things), and Hebrews 1:2 spoke the universe into existence in six days. He alone can create something from nothing by speaking the universe into existence. Makes me wonder what our new home will be like after He spends 2,000 years.

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We will recognize each other as we did on Earth. (1 Corinthians 13:12) Oh, how I long for this day. I get to meet my Savior and Lord, who gave His lifeblood for me.

I will also see my sainted mother. You could see Jesus in her kind and loving eyes. I will see my grandmother. She poured the love of Jesus into the warp and woof of my soul as a boy. She continued to do so during my teenage years until her death. No greater gift can a parent or grandparent give than the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

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For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

Christ himself is coming for us. Many Christians refer to being caught up to Jesus Christ as the rapture. The English word rapture is not found in the Bible. The word “rapture” (rapiemur in Latin) originates from Jerome’s Latin translation of the Bible, specifically his work on the Vulgate, completed around 400 AD. If this is a stumbling block to you, I would suggest using “caught up” or a sudden catching away.”

The Greek word for this is harpazo, which means “a catching away.” Christ will descend with a shout that will raise the dead in Christ. Then those Christians who are alive will be caught up to meet Christ in the air.

My mother’s cancer-riddled dust will be raised. It will join her spirit once again. Her spirit has been with the Lord since she died in 1994. She will have a new body, perfect in every way. I may hug her for the first 1,000 years. Perhaps she will be 33 as Jesus was when He was resurrected. I don’t know. Jesus is the first fruits of our resurrection. (1 Corinthians 15:20)

But there is One who will still have scars. Jesus’s nail-scarred body will remain that way forever. It serves as a reminder of the great price He paid for our salvation and this reunion in Heaven. This reunion will continue for eternity.

If you’ve been heaven-born, you are heaven-bound. If you are born again, Heaven is your destiny. Heaven is your home for eternity. Jesus Christ is coming in person to take you to your new home in heaven. Do not fret, stand on His promises.

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions. (John 14:1-3)

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The often-debated question is whether we, the Bride of Christ, those who are saved, go through the Tribulation or the last half of the seven years, known as the Great Tribulation. Our belief in a “pre-trib,” “mid-trib,” or a “post-trib” rapture is not a cardinal doctrine for salvation; therefore, why write about it?

The reason is fear, as headlines around the world scream the warning signs of Christ’s Second Coming, as laid out in Matthew 24 and Luke 21, and throughout the fourth of the New Testament. I hope that believers in Jesus will not fear, as the hoofbeats of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse seem to be getting louder. The Lord has not appointed His saints to this wrath. And yes, the closer we get to our removal, the rapture, from this judgment, wickedness will intensify. The eyes of man are never satisfied.

But do not fear, the Lord, as He delivered Noah and his family from the flood and Lot and his family from Sodom before the wicked city was destroyed, He will deliver His precious blood-bought Bride, born-again Christians.

For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10)

Some friends think the Bride of Christ, the blood-bought Church, will experience part of the tribulation. A few believe we might go through all of it. Let me ask you a question: How many weddings have you attended without the bride? Why do we not go through the Great Tribulation? How do we escape it?

The answer is the Blood of Jesus. He has paid for our wrath through His blood shed on the cross. Jesus’s blood has redeemed you and me from God’s punishment for our past, present, and future sins. Jesus took our wrath on the Cross of Calvary. That center cross was mine; it was yours. He took our place on that bloody tree.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus… (Romans 8:1)

Do you believe Jesus’s Bride will be brought to “The Wedding Feast of the Lamb” bloody, bruised, beaten, and tortured? Not hardly. Christ suffered so you and I don’t have to. The Righteous suffered for the unrighteous. The sinless Lamb of God took the place of the sinner, you and me. How can this be? By His precious blood shed high on a hill for all the world to see.

 For You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood. (Revelation 5:9-10)

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In the Book of Revelation, the church is mentioned 19 times in the first three chapters. From chapters 6 through 19, the church is not mentioned a single time. Revelation 13 unveils the Antichrist. The church is not mentioned. In Revelation 15 and 16, the seven last plagues are described. The church is not mentioned. Why? Because the church, the bride, has been caught up to “The Wedding Feast of the Lamb.”

Seven years later, Christ will return at His Second Coming. The church, the bride, will accompany Him. Saints of all ages and every single angel, who are innumerable, will also be with Him.

We will witness the Lord of Creation, Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:6), who spoke the universe into existence with His words, appear in all power, all authority, and in His shekinah glory (Matthew 24:3). Only God can create something from nothing. And only God can end this rebellion.

This time, as when He spoke the universe into existence, Jesus Christ will only need to speak words to end the fallen angel Lucifer, known as Satan, today’s rebellion. And the third of the angels that rebelled with him, who are called demons. And every human who has chosen their way over God’s way will spend eternity separated from God.

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My late pastor and friend, Dr. Ralph Smith, at Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin, used to say he strongly believed in the pre-tribulation rapture. He joked that he would not even eat Post Toasties.

For those who believe in the post-tribulation rapture of the church, the rapture happens after the seven-year tribulation. I reckon you will immediately be brought back once you are caught up. That’s a short wedding feast. Jesus comes for his church at the rapture. He comes with his church at the Second Coming.

How can you tell that it is close? 

The Bible does not contain signs for the rapture of the church. Nothing needs to happen for the rapture to occur; it could happen at any moment.

However, there are signs for the Second Coming of Christ seven years after the rapture. We see the signs of the Second Coming in every newscast, so we know we should be on “high alert” for the rapture.

Jesus said, “For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24:38-39)

Life will go on as usual, and then suddenly Jesus appears. That’s why Jesus said, ” Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” (Matthew 24:44)

Throughout my lifetime, many have claimed to have figured out the date of Christ’s Second Coming. But Jesus warned us of this. He said, “But of that day and hour no one knows. Not even the angels of heaven know it. Only My Father knows.” (Matthew 24:36)

No one knows the date, except God in Heaven. But Jesus, in the same chapter, gives us signs: “So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!” (Matthew 24:33)

Is your hope in a political party or any man or woman? “Do not look to the right or the left…” (Proverbs 4:27). We are to look up towards God in Heaven. We should not rely on someone on Earth who claims to have all the answers.

Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near. (Luke 21:28)

Why is He coming again? 

First of all, it is a rescue. Before God allows the great tribulation, He will take His church out of this world. Before God declares war on this world, He will call His children home.

Second, it is for a reunion. All believers will be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air, where we will reunite with our Christian family members, friends, and ancestors.

Third, He will separate the righteous (those who are saved) from the unrighteous, with the righteous receiving eternal life and the unrighteous (those who have rejected His gift paid for on the cross with His lifeblood) facing eternal separation (Hell) from God.  Christ is our righteousness.

Our Sovereign God is the Lord God Almighty. He spoke this universe into existence. He does not go into “panic palace,” drinking Maalox. He created time and space. All of time is before Him. Nothing that happens is unforeseen. He sees the end in the beginning. The two most often used words in the Bible, 365 times, are “fear not.” He has you in the palm of His hand. Nothing can separate you from His grip. Rest in this truth.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39)

Trust His promise: Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. (Revelation 3:10)

Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. (Romans 5:9)

A Footnote for My Family. I don’t expect or ask anyone to believe this.

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I’m cautious when I hear someone say, “God told me.” Therefore, I might not believe you if you told me a story like this, but it happened.

I used to walk in Walnut Creek Park near my home in Austin. I would sit under the same tree and read the Bible. It would often be 100 degrees or more, but a strong, cool breeze would blow across me as I read. I looked around when this happened for the first time and at later times. I noticed that only this tree’s limbs were swaying from the powerful, cold breeze. None of the surrounding trees moved. I eventually asked the Lord what this was about, not expecting an answer, and He spoke to my mind and heart.

“Lord, what’s all this about?” I murmured. I had no clue.

And, to my surprise, the Holy Spirit asked me a question. “Do you remember when Adam and Eve walked in the cool of the day in the garden?”

“Yes, Lord, I remember reading that.”

“That was not a time of day.”

I turned to my Bible and looked up the scripture in Genesis 3:8-10. It concluded with “Where art thou?” The Lord was not asking me where I was located but where I stood. Do I stand for Him or me? It was a question that broke my heart, for I was far from walking with Him and serving Him. Much of what I was doing was for adulation, even feeding the homeless and giving away Bibles. Pride is a slippery slope.

I had religion up to my ears. I could quote scripture in detail and exegete them. I taught a Sunday School class at Hyde Park Baptist. But I was living a life of sin. I learned that you cannot sin successfully. It is a hard lesson, one that can cause widespread destruction in your life. It also impacts those you love.

I had never shared that story before, but I do now. I dared to ask another question in the cool of that day: “Lord, if I am alive when the Rapture occurs, why will my mother be caught up to You before me?” I had no problem with that, but was curious why not at the same time.

“So, you will recognize her?” That was the last thing the Lord said, but His peace still overwhelms me as it did when He spoke.

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I must sound like a charlatan to some, but it happened. Our Lord is coming to take His Bride to a great wedding feast. Seven years later, He will return. His Second Coming will be with us, His bride, the saints of all ages, and every angel in Heaven. Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess Him as Lord.

How can we ensure that we’re not left behind?

How did I come to know Christ?

I was headed to Temple Baptist Church with Grandma, and my owner’s manual: the Bible. It was Grandma Lillie Hanks Willis who first poured Jesus into me; sometimes, she even used words. That’s my dog Pedro wanting to follow me.

We attended Temple Baptist Church in Clute, Texas, every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. It seemed that everyone attended church in those days.

On a Wednesday night, my mother could not attend church. I walked to church from our home at 519 Coleman Street. My twelve-year-old sister Marjorie accompanied me. I was only eight.

I had no intention of that night being any different from any other. I cannot recall a word Pastor Bill Campbell said in his sermon. But I remember vividly another voice that spoke to my mind—my heart—my spirit.   

It was not an audible voice.  It was a still, gentle voice, tender but ever so clear, telling me to go forward and accept Christ as my Savior.

I recall my response to the Holy Spirit as if it were five minutes ago: “Lord, I am too shy. I would if my mother were here to go with me.”

I felt someone touch my left shoulder. My sister Marjorie was sitting in the back row with her friends.   She could not see my face, for I was seated near the front.

She said, “I’ll go with you if you want me to.” I immediately stood, walked with her to the front of the church, and made my decision public.

I know you do not have to have an experience like that to be born again. Nevertheless, I am grateful for that experience; it has never left my mind or my heart.

I was eight when I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior.

More Photos of Aaron Willis

Josh, Adam & Aaron Willis skiing a few years after the auto accident.

Aaron, Randy, Josh, and Adam Willis.

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Aaron Willis Hyde Park Baptist Church Austin 1991

Aaron and Alana’s daughter, Presley Willis Wimberley, First Baptist

Aaron and Alana’s daughter, Baylee Willis Wimberley, First Baptist.

Alana, Baylee, Presley, and Aaron Willis, Maui, Hawaii

My Family

Children’s children are the crown of old men, And the glory of children is their father. —Proverbs 17:6

L to R: Presley Willis, Baylee Willis holding Baby Violet Willis, Corbin Willis, and Olivia Willis holding Juliette Willis

Our family at Port Aransas, Texas

Our Family Costa Rica

Our Family Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii

Our family is in my “backyard” in the Texas Hill Country. I took this photo.

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I found this charred letter from my pastor, Dr. Ralph Smith, after my home burned in the Texas Hill Country. It was the encouragement I needed.

This most extraordinary destiny ever offered to mankind.

You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness. —Habakkuk 1:13

The Lord God in Heaven cannot look upon sin, for He is Holy. Yet He loves us, sinful man, and has provided a way for us to be reconciled to Him. To spend eternity with Him.

This is the story of this most extraordinary destiny ever offered to mankind.

Let’s begin with the last invitation in the Word of God, which is in Revelation 22:17.

“And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” —Revelation 22:17

Are you thirsty? Then come. Let him who hears come. And whosoever will, can come.

The invitation is to you—to me—to “whosoever will”—to everyone!

Bring your disappointments, failures, fears, and heartaches. The Holy Spirit says, Come to Jesus, our Savior.

God loves you. He wants to save you. He will save you. Come to Jesus, and drink the water of life freely.

Christ suffered, He bled, He died because He loves you and me. Listen to the still voice of the Holy Spirit, bidding you come to Jesus.

Don’t wait—come today! The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:2 today is the day of salvation.

The Ends of the Earth

Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. —Isaiah 45:22

All you ends of the earth” includes the Aboriginal people of the Central Australian desert.

All you ends of the earth” are those in darkest Africa.

All you ends of the earth” are the isolated tribes in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.

All you ends of the earth” are presidents, world leaders, and kings.

All you ends of the earth” is the polished lawyer, the gifted doctor, and the brilliant college professor.

All you ends of the earth” is the prostitute. It is the drug dealer. It is the rapist. It is the thief. It is the murderer.

All the ends of the earth is me—and you. Come today!

Why a Bronze Serpent

“So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was if a serpent had bitten anyone when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. —Numbers 21:19

Bronze represents judgment. The serpent is destructive, deceptive, and the most dangerous creature you will ever encounter. He is our adversary and the father of all lies. His name is Satan.

He does not appear with horns, a red cape, and an ugly face. Instead, he appears as an angel of light and says, what harm can what I offer do? No one will know. No one will be hurt.

It’s your body. You are in control. You can be your own god. You can be like god. No one can tell you what you can and can’t do. He is Satan, and he comes to destroy God’s most cherished and loved creation: You.

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. —John 10:10

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Satan transforms himself into an angel of light. “Take a little cocaine,” Satan whispers. “It will make you feel good. No one will know. You’re not hurting anyone.”

The Greek term pharmakeia, in the Bible, is the root of the word “pharmacy,” in English.  Pharmakeia is used in the New Testament (Galatians 5:20; Revelation 9:21; 18:23) to describe sorcery, witchcraft, and drug-related magic.

Jesus says, He has come that we may have life and have it more abundantly. Choose an abundant life in Jesus today.

You don’t need hangouts, hangups, or hangovers. You need a personal relationship with the Lord of Creation, who created the Universe and you. Jesus is His name.

In that relationship lies your future, your blessed Hope, your salvation, and your joy. And your Christ blood bought destiny. Choose your destiny today. It has already been paid for with Jesus’s blood on the cross of Calvary. But you must accept God’s free gift of eternal life. That is done through faith in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.

For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. —2 Corinthians 11:14

You and I have been bitten by sin, like the Israelite’s who followed Moses out of Egyptian bondage.

The Israelites had to choose whether to put their faith in God. It was a simple act of faith, but a life-or-death decision. We too face such a choice.

Those who looked lived.
Those who looked were healed.
Those who looked were made whole.
Those who looked were saved.
They didn’t wait until they were better people.
They didn’t have to touch it.
They just looked.

Jesus tells us in John 3:14-15 that this is a picture of Him being lifted up on the Cross of Calvary.

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. —John 3:14-15

The bronze serpent represented the people’s sin. According to the Scriptures, Christ was made sin for us.

Will you look to Jesus?—will you put your trust in Him?—the One who died for your sins.

Will you put your faith in Jesus?—the One who shed His lifeblood for you—and me.

My son Aaron Willis’s Automobile Accident

Some years ago, my eldest son, Aaron, was in an automobile accident. His back was broken so severely that the doctors said he might not ever walk again.

Several vertebrae in his lower back were fused. After that, he was able to begin the long task of healing from the spinal fusion surgery. He was encased in a rigid plastic back brace from his neck to his waist.

Later, his doctor agreed to let him briefly remove the brace and shower as long as someone was with him.

I was driving to pick Aaron and his brothers up for the weekend. Unbeknownst to me, his brother Josh helped him remove the brace as instructed by the doctor. Aaron could take a hot shower in his shorts. Josh was with him, but was much smaller than Aaron at that time. Aaron’s doctor approved all of this.

I began to exit to stop at the Austin post office on St. Johns, off Interstate 35, when a small but clear voice said, “You need to go now.”

I passed the post office exit. I drove as fast as possible to Wimberley, an hour away. I wondered what that warning was about.

There were no cell phones then. As I entered their mother’s home, I asked his mother where Aaron was. She said in the shower.

I ran to it, and the moment I entered the bathroom, Aaron said, “Dad, I’m dizzy.”

I stepped into the shower and placed my arms under his arms from his back. He immediately passed out.

I told Josh to help me move him to a bed while their mother called 911. His dead weight was more than I could have imagined.

We got him onto his bed without re-injuring his back. I knew if he had fallen, he probably would have been paralyzed.

I prayed as I followed the ambulance to the emergency room at Austin’s Seton Medical Center. I noticed the symbol on the back of the ambulance.

It was the American Medical Association’s (AMA) logo of a serpent wrapped around a staff.

The sign of healing medicine reminded me of the bronze serpent on the staff lifted up by Moses. Christians believe that’s where the symbol originated.

But, more importantly, it reminded me of Jesus being lifted up on a cross for my son. God’s son suffered in place of my son.

To this day, I cannot see that symbol without giving thanks to the Lord for that warning. I remember the shed blood of Christ lifted high upon a cross. It was for my sins, your sins, and the entire world’s sins.

When we arrived at the hospital’s emergency room, the doctors gave him intravenous (IV) fluids. They also gave him two bottles of Gatorade for dehydration.

The hot shower, combined with pain medication and dehydration, caused his blood to rush to his feet. This resulted in him fainting.

Look

Will you look to the One lifted up on a cross for you and me? Will you look to the Great Physician—Jesus—to heal you of all your pain, emptiness, and disappointments?

Will you look to Jesus? He took your place on the cross and died for your sins. Through Him alone, you can be made new, whole, and born again.

Choose

Jesus hung between two thieves (criminals) on a cross. One rejected Him, but the other put his faith in Him.

“Will You remember me when You enter Your kingdom?” one thief asks.

Jesus replied, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

Both of those men were guilty of crimes serious enough to warrant the Roman death penalty. One put his trust in Jesus, and the other chose not to.

The question is, which thief on the cross are you? The one who said yes or the one who said no?

Now, there was the third cross that day. It was for another criminal named Barabbas, and he represents us.

Jesus was crucified on a cross meant for Barabbas—it was your cross—it was my cross, too.

Come

Come just as you are.

Will you say yes to Jesus—today?

There’s a Scripture that I love, and it explains things so clearly even I can understand.

If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. —Romans 10:9-10

You can settle this question in heaven and on earth today. Say yes to Jesus. Accept His pardon, just as that one thief did on the cross. There are no prescriptive or mandated words. Praying is just talking to the Lord.

Open

Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” — Revelation 3:20

Ask

Self-improvement will not qualify you for salvation, for God’s Word says, “There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10)

Comparing yourself to others will not work either: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

We seek to commend ourselves to God. However, God says our good works are like filthy rags in His sight [Isaiah 64:6]. If we are ever accepted in the eyes of Holy God, it must be through Christ our Lord.

There is no other way for says in Habakkuk 1:13, “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness.”

If you could be good enough to pay for your sins, think about this. Why did Jesus have to die for you?

Jesus bore your cross and my cross. He took our place on the cross. He shed His blood for our sins on that cross high on a hill for all the world to see.

The Just for the unjust. The Righteous for the unrighteous. The Godly for the ungodly. The sinless Lamb of God for the sinner.

According to the Bible, we all have feet of clay and fall short of God’s glory. Our righteousness is described in the Bible as filthy rags. God’s grace (his undeserved favor) is available to us all. However, we must accept His gift of forgiveness. This gift was bought and paid for on the cross with Jesus Christ’s lifeblood. You can say yes to Jesus’s free gift right now.

Our greatest need is forgiveness. Christ came to forgive us, but we must accept that free gift. Jesus said in Revelation 3:20:

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. —Revelation 3:20

Jesus knocks, but you must open the door to your heart, to your life, to your future.

It’s not a prescribed list of words. In Luke 23:42, one of the criminals crucified with Jesus pleads, “Lord, remember me when You come into your kingdom. His heartfelt cry of faith from the cross saves him.

Jesus answers in the next verse with a promise. He says, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” The first person to accompany Christ to Heaven was this lowly thief on the cross.

Isn’t it time to decide which “thief” on the cross you are? Are you the one who put his faith in Jesus Christ? Or are you the one who rejected our Savior who gave His lifeblood for us?

The most famous 25 words ever written.

For God so loved the world. He gave His only begotten Son. Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. —John 3:16

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If these words are how you feel in your heart, then pray:

Heavenly Father,

I pray to You, asking for the forgiveness of my sins.

I confess with my mouth. I believe with my heart that Jesus is Your Son. He died on the cross at Calvary so that I might be forgiven.

Father, I believe that Jesus rose from the dead. I ask Jesus to come into my life as my personal Lord and Savior.

I turn from my sins and will surrender to your will throughout my life.

Your word is truth. I confess with my mouth that I am born again. I am cleansed by the blood of Jesus!

In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen!

Reach out and touch Him today!

For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well. —Matthew 9:21

“Many today have just enough religion to inoculate them from knowing Christ.” —Randy Willis

Vaya con Dios for He has Risen, and Jesus is coming again!