FROM THE HEART OF DR. REXELLA VAN IMPE

Looking Through the Window

Have you ever heard the old gospel song that says, “This world is not my home, I’m just ‘a passin’ through …?”

Lately that’s how I’ve been feeling – like “a stranger in a strange land.” I’m completely out of step with a world filled with child abuse, wife abuse, animal abuse … with a world filled with hatred, violence, war, and famine. I can’t adjust my mind and heart to a place where many people accept no responsibility for their actions and feel no remorse for the bad things they do to others.

Nor am I able emotionally to cope with the throngs of homeless people on the streets of major metropolitan areas. It’s one thing to watch the news and hear statistics about the down-and-out people living in alleys and under bridges – something else altogether to meet these unfortunate ones face to face and look into their eyes. While in Toronto, my heart was abruptly opened to the real tragedy of homeless people.

One night Jack and I went to dinner in a downtown area and decided to walk back to our hotel several blocks away. Our route took us past Eaton Center – an enclosed mall which is open late, with people milling around inside until all hours. We started across a busy intersection near a major department store, amazed at the throngs of people out and about so late at night. Jack and I have always felt very safe in this wonderful Canadian city.

Before we made it across the intersection, a beautiful young girl we’d passed on the corner came running after us. She came up behind me and fell into step. “Hello there,” she said. “Where are you going?”

“Well, my husband and I have been to dinner and we’re on our way back to our hotel,” I said, noticing that she seemed to be one of the homeless crowd. Her face was smudged, and her clothing wrinkled and soiled. But I went ahead and asked, “Are you going home?”

“Oh, no,” she responded, “I am home!” And she pointed to the streets.

We walked the final step or two across the street and stepped up on the sidewalk – beside the department store, its window ablaze with a display of television sets and video equipment. The girl touched my arm and peered up into my face and Jack’s. “I told my friends who you were,” she said. It was obvious she seemed to recognize us.

“Sometimes at night when I can’t sleep,” she continued, motioning toward the display of TV sets, “I look through the window and watch you!”

As soon as she said it, she was gone, running, back to her friends on the street. Then a rush of people gathered behind and carried Jack and me on down the block. I looked back but I never caught sight of her again.

But I will never forget the touch of her hand and her simple words that seemed to bring the whole burden of her desperate situation crashing down upon my heart. “I look through the window and watch you,” she said.

How I wished I could have held her hand and brought her along with me, to tell her she could have a better life. I have no idea what she had run away from or where she was trying to go. I do know that life on the streets so often ends in tragedy. If only I could have a little more time to talk with her, I would tell her about God’s love, about the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I feel almost compelled to go back to Toronto soon and spend some time in the area where I first saw her. I can only hope the Lord will allow me to find her and spend some time witnessing to her. Somehow, my heart is so impacted by her words that I just can’t let go until I’ve at least tried to find her again.

For days now the Lord has been impressing upon my mind the fact that there are countless other people floundering in life who are looking through the window of our lives, seeking for answers and hope. Oh, you may not be on TV like Jack Van Impe and I, but your life, your light, is on view to someone trying to find a better way.

What would people see if they looked through the “window” at you? Are you living a life “like Christ,” filled with love, joy, peace, and purity?

Is the glass of that window dingy and soil-streaked, or is it bright and clear, clean and sparkling? When someone who has lost their way looks through your window, can they see Jesus in you? Or is what you claim blurred by who you are and how you act?

Since I met that homeless girl who said she looked through the window and watched me, I’ve been checking up on myself. The Lord has given me three checkpoints:

1. Living the life.

The great gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson, cried out, “I’m going to live the life I sing about in my song!” The life we live for God must be the same on Tuesday as on Sunday. We must treat our family and neighbors, the people at work and in the marketplace, the same way we treat the people at church when everybody is watching. I promise you that the way you act when you think nobody is looking is exactly what someone will see when they look through your window!

2. Offering a pure and simple testimony.

The most effective testimony is simply to uplift Jesus – He will do the rest. We do not have to know scores of scripture verses, or be able to explain the complexities of doctrine. All that is necessary is to say, “This is what Jesus has done for me.” As one great Christian described it, “Our witness is really just one beggar telling another where to find bread” – the Bread of life!

3. Being consistent.

A nursery rhyme describes a little girl who, “when she was good she was very, very good, but when she was bad, she was horrid.” Have you ever known a person who, on one day, was helpful and kind … and on the next was cranky as can be? What does this kind of erratic behavior say about the depth and validity of our Christian experience? Our Lord is described as Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). And we are to be like Him!

Being on television these last several years has been a real challenge and amazement to me. One thing I’ve learned is that the TV camera sees through our facades and reveals us as we really are to the view of the people. On screen you simply can’t hide who you are. I believe this is why people say so often, “I know you. I’ve seen you on TV!”

I can never forget that the Lord has His divine TV camera on us all the time. He looks past our outer front and sees inside us to our very heart and soul. Lord, help me to live for You consistently.

Although I know our programs are seen throughout the United States and Canada, and in numerous places overseas, it still boggles my mind to consider the numbers of people and the kinds of individuals in different walks of life who are being reached and touched by the program.

I could never have imagined a homeless street girl going up to a department store window late at night to watch Jack and me on TV through the glass. I hope and pray that something she saw and heard will stay with her … and that God and His wonderful grace will reach her.

On that day when we stand before the Lord, this young woman will discover that she need not stand outside on the sidewalk wistfully watching through a glass. For as her eyes catch a glimpse of Jesus and she reaches out to take His hand, He will throw open that window and make it a door – a grand entrance through which she can walk freely into His presence.

Waiting to go home

Never in my life have I felt more of a longing for the coming of the Lord than in recent days. “Oh I want to see Him, look upon His face, there to sing forever of His saving grace.” I long to see Him and feel His arms wrapped around me. I can’t wait to hear His voice saying, “Welcome home, thou good and faithful servant!” Oh, how I pray that my life will allow this salutation to be so.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). How wonderful that will be.

God is so good to me even here in this life. His presence never leaves me, and I take joy in intimately communing with the Holy Spirit inside my heart. But more and more I feel a strange longing to be in heaven. And I sense that time is running out. Our Lord Jesus is coming soon.

First Corinthians 13:12 says, For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

But until then, I will keep on keeping on. I will try to use all my time, all my talents, all my opportunities to shine out the story of Jesus to help all who may be looking through the window of my life. With God’s help, I will keep on living the life of love, joy, peace, and purity. I will keep on giving my pure and simple testimony about what the Lord has done for me. And I will endeavor to be consistent in my living for Jesus, daily keeping the window glass, looking into my life, clean and unsmudged.

You can do it, too, God will help you. Join me in making a new commitment to Christ’s commission and calling. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Mathew 5:16).

A CLASSIC MESSAGE OF HOPE FROM DR. JACK VAN IMPE

Revelation 11:7-19

Verse 7: And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

Isn’t it wonderful to know that nothing can happen to any child of God without the Lord’s divine permission? “What have I to dread, what have I to fear; leaning on the everlasting arms? I have blessed peace, with my Lord so near; leaning on the everlasting arms.” That’s right; no one can take a believer’s life without the permissive will of God: Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? (Job 7:1). It is appointed unto men once to die (Hebrews 9:27). This is why Christians should always say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that (James 4:15). At this point the time of the witnesses’ testifying ends. God’s purpose for His two servants has been completed. Soon they will be called home. The method of their release from the body is death at the hands of the beast. His conduct is identical to that of the now deceased Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran, who had the bodies of America’s brave servicemen displayed in the streets of Tehran following the April 1980 hostage rescue attempt. His action was one of the most repulsive, repugnant sights ever witnessed. The Antichrist commits the same dastardly deed with the bodies of Moses and Elijah.

Verse 8: And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

Since the Lord was crucified in this city, we know it to be Jerusalem. The term great city is the Holy City (Jerusalem) of verse 2. Why, then, is it called Sodom and Egypt? Because the moral and spiritual conditions that existed in Sodom before its destruction, and the idolatrous iniquities that abounded in Egypt before God judged the land, are found inundating Jerusalem during this period of time. All the preaching of repentance by the two witnesses in sackcloth does not change the wicked complexion of the city.

The death of the two witnesses is observed by the entire world, as evidenced by the next verse.

Verse 9: And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

Satellite television, beaming the identical image to every nation on earth, and into every home equipped with a receiver, allows the spectacle to be observed internationally. The action constitutes a victory celebration by the Antichrist, similar to Khomeini’s televised production. In response, the world rejoices. The two “gloom and doom” preachers are gone! No longer will two hellfire advocates spoil their tea parties. No longer will their beer and salami festivals be hindered. The two witnesses are dead.

Verse 10: And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

Wait! The party is coming to an end! Their food will soon stick in their throats. A miracle of spectacular proportions is about to occur!

Verse 11: And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.

Verse 12: And they heard a Great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

Elijah and Moses receive the same treatment as the raptured saints in Revelation 4:1. Hallelujah! They depart for glory in a twinkling of an eye. As this awe-inspiring sight is being observed, God sends judgment for all the sacrilegious acts the violent, drug-crazed crowds perpetrated on these two servants.

Verse 13: And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Talk about a television spectacular! Two men come to life again and then vanish in a cloud! Next an unprecedented earthquake hits the city and 7,000 celebrities (the interpretation of many scholars)-yes, big names among the elite-are killed. This video extravaganza will make the nightly news seem like child’s play.

Those who live through the experience become exceedingly frightened and begin to praise God. However, it is not from converted hearts that they exalt Him. Instead, their praise is the result of astonishment and alarm. Their reaction is similar to that of the scribes and the Pharisees who witnessed the miracle of the healed paralytic and were all amazed, and glorified God, and were filled with fear (see

Luke 5:26). They did not get saved, just scared! Some people develop a spiritual vocabulary in a hurry. Wait until atomic bombs begin flying. Prayer and praise will become the order of the day!

We come now to the third woe. Remember the angel in chapter 8, verse 13 who cried, “Woe, woe, woe“? Each woe depicted a different judgment. Each, in turn, became more severe. The first woe was the fifth trumpet blast, the second woe the sixth trumpet blast. At this point the final woe, or seventh trumpet, is about to sound.

Verse 14: The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.

Seventh trumpet

Verse 15: And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

The picture before us is the same as the one in chapter 19, verses 11 through 16-the return of the King. If one remembers that chapters 6 through 11 and 12 through 19:15 run concurrently, or side by side, during the Tribulation hour, he will understand why the King returns both in chapter 11, verse 15 and in chapter 19, verse 16. Chapters 12 through 19 are but a repeat of the events described in chapters 6 through 11. Now, as the King returns, a praise and worship service begins.

Verse 16: And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshiped God.

This is an act of gratitude. Remember that the twenty-four elders represent all believers-Old and New Testament-who have lived on this earth and who have been raptured to heaven in chapter 4, verse 1. They know firsthand that Satan has been the God of this world system (see 2 Corinthians 4:4). They understand fully that the nations of this world have been under his control (see Matthew 4:8, 9). But now, praise God, Satan’s reign has finally ended-the King has come! There is great rejoicing in heaven among the raptured saints as the midnight newscast is shared. They unitedly pray…

Verse 17: Saying, We give thee thanks, 0 Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.

Their prayer is to Christ, the One who used the title, which art, and wast, and art to come. The power that was always His has now been embraced, and He has begun His reign. The wicked are upset over the King’s return.

Verse 18: And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

Notice the number of happenings which transpire at the King’s return.

First, the nations are angry. This is also observed in the other text describing the King’s descent to earth: And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army (chapter 19, verse 19).

Second, the day of God’s wrath has come as the King returns. This is the period of time when out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God (chapter 19, verse 15).

Third, at the conclusion of the King’s 1,000-year reign, the wicked are judged. The setting is chapter 20, verses 11 through 15.

Fourth, the faithful prophets and saints, small and great, are rewarded at the end of the 1,000 years. This is not a picture of the Judgment Seat of Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:10). Then believers were raptured (chapter 4, verse 1), investigated (chapter 4, verse 2), coronated (chapter 4, verse 4), and exalted as they laid their crowns at Jesus’ feet (chapter 4, verse 10), long before the Tribulation hour ended. The rewards presented at this time are for those who were faithful during the kingdom age-those who did not rebel and follow Satan at its conclusion (chapter 20, verses 7, 8).

Fifth, those who destroyed the earth are destroyed. This refers to spirit beings who followed the destroyer, Satan. Their destruction is separate from that of the nations, hence the division between the two in verse 18. Satanic beings receive their judgment at this hour as well as the earth dwellers. In the midst of all of this, Israel is spared.

Verse 19: And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

The temple of God and the Ark of the Testament, both connected with Jewish worship, picture Israel. Thus, in the midst of lightnings, and voices and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail, God spares His covenant people.

CHANGED LIVES-one at a time

Dear Rexella,

I want to thank you for all your years in the TV ministry. I remember visiting my relation in the U.P. when I was a child. While visiting, one of my Aunts had your program on. It made me stop in my tracks and listen to you for a moment until I was called by my cousins to continue playing in another room. Well, little did I know I would again be drawn to watching your program as an adult. Jack was very personal about the alcoholism in his family and I too had a Belgian alcoholic father. I fell into the demons of alcohol also but when I finally quit 14 years ago, your program helped me through each week and I continue to watch every weekend. From one cat lover to another, thank you both so very much!!!

Your sister in Christ,

Lisa C.

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