Jud 1:1 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called
To them that are sanctified by God the Father.
To them that are preserved in Jesus Christ.
To them that are called.
Made holy by God the Father
Preserved by God the Son
Called.
We ALL need to be made holy by God the Father, don't we? Is there any one at all that doesn't need this? We cannot make ourselves holy it's impossible. We can submit to God and He will make us holy. Jesus Christ will preserve us. We need preservation, don't we? How great would it be if we could be preserved say- like something frozen. Frozen in Christ, made holy by God the Father never changing, forever kept holy by God, forever preserved by Christ. It sounds so wonderful and it really is the only way. We can't make ourselves holy and we can't preserve ourselves- we can't save ourselves. We can only choose to be saved. People make choices every day- many who are ill make choices that affect whether or not their lives are prolonged. A person with a damaged heart can op to allow a surgeon to repair their heart- or they can choose not to allow that surgeon to do surgery. That choice may determine whether they live or die. They choose. We choose often - making decisions that affect our lives, the quality of our lives- our eternal life.
I want to be among THEM who are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called.
Jud 1:1 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called
Jud 1:2 Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.
Jud 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
EARNESTLY contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints.
We need to do this- contend for the faith. Fight for the faith, struggle for the faith. Living in the world we live in today even more so we need to contend for the faith that was GIVEN to the saints. Satan works diligently , untiringly using any and all he can.
Jud 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jud 1:5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.
We CANNOT forget that the people God saved--- were destroyed later for unbelief!
The Lord saved people from slavery to the Egyptians, He freed them from bondage. The Lord saves us from bondage to sin. Just as a lot of those who benefitted from being freed by God from Slavery were later DESTROYED because they chose not to believe in the God that saved them, all those who are freed from the bondage of sin and are given salvation and then go on to believe no longer will be destroyed.
People don’t want to hear that! People don't want to be alarmed, people don't want to listen to those they consider doomsayers. Yet, all through the Bible there are warnings, many, many warnings so is it any wonder we are to pay attention to these warnings, that we are to HEAR and TALK about these warnings? With the warnings comes the hope. The doomsayers are only proclaiming the doom in the hope of avoiding it, of having others avoid the doom. We must not forget those God freed were LATER destroyed because they lacked faith.
May God help us to heed the words He's given to us! May we learn and take His words to heart, trusting in Him to guide us, having faith forever in Him, always, only in Him!
Amen
Monday, January 24, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Are you deluded?
2Th 2:10 ... because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
They received NOT the love of the truth.
Do you LOVE the truth?
The truth saves us. Not indifference to the truth, not denial of the truth, not disdain for the truth, and certainly not hatred for the truth.
To love is to make a choice to believe in love. If you don't believe love exists then you can't love, can you?
So much has been touted about love, being IN love, falling IN love and yet at the end of the day when you've BEEN in love for a long while, when you've HIT rock bottom in that fall you took into love, when you FEEL none of the emotions of what people have made love out to be- what then?
Loving something isn't being infatuated with something- it isn't a faze with something. We've skewed the word love up so badly when we talk about loving the truth we instantly begin to question our relationship with God. We question whether or not we have that so-called 'love' feeling towards the truth. Do we FEEL the love. We treat love as an emotion, but the Bible tells us plainly that - God is love.
1Jn 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
God is the source of LOVE. God is the source of our ability to love. God CHOOSES to love us. God made the CHOICE to love us. Did making that choice to love us mean God would have tender feelings for us always? Did making that choice mean God would never punish us? God loves us with a perfect love. But God's love is IN God's law. The two are inseparable.
Rom 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Love is the fulfilling of the law.
If God is love and fulfilling of the law is love - we need to KNOW God and to KNOW the law to know love.
God was REVEALED to us by His Son.
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
Joh 14:8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Joh 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Joh 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
Joh 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.
Joh 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
Joh 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Joh 14:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
Joh 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Joh 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Joh 14:19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
Joh 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
Joh 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Joh 14:22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Joh 14:24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.
Joh 14:25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Joh 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Joh 14:28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
Joh 14:29 And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.
Joh 14:30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
Joh 14:31 But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.
Beautiful!
If we have a love for the truth, we have a love for God. If we have a love for God, we have a love for the truth. If God is love, and if keeping God's law is love then for us to LOVE God we must want to OBEY Him.
Love isn't purely an emotion that we need to feel, but love is obeying God no matter what we feel.
We've WARPED love into meaning that true love- is UNCONDITIONAL love- that it is loving NO MATTER what and that's not true.
Jesus loves us and forgives us the worst of sins, yet that forgiveness must be something we desire along with a repentance of the sin. We are NOT forgiven if we do not desire that forgiveness, if we do not desire to repent and sin no more. So to say it's and UNCONDITIONAL love would be a distortion of facts. We don't deserve the love, we are loved and forgiven without deserving any of it and we cannot save ourselves in any way, shape, or form- but we MUST accept salvation. WE WILL NOT BE SAVED IN SPITE OF OURSELVES. NO one who chooses NOT to be saved, will be saved. There is NO forced salvation. There is NO forced love of the truth.
We make the choice for Salvation. We make the choice to love God- and that means OBEYING God, because we are told IF YOU LOVE ME KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS. We are told LOVE IS THE FULFILLING OF THE LAW. If we choose to KEEP God's commandments we would find ourselves loving our fellow man, we would find ourselves loving God, we would find ourselves loving truth and knowing we love God, knowing we love our fellowman, knowing we love the truth- NOT because of some misguided emotional responses we feel, but because of the knowledge of what love truly is.
Not all of us are able to be overly affectionate people. Not all of us can be overly sweet to others. It's a fact that we all have different dispositions and some are naturally more sour than others but does this mean a person whose disposition is pessimistic, or depressive, or even reclusive doesn't LOVE others? They might not FEEL that FEELING we are taught to believe is love, but their ACTIONS will speak louder than any feeling ever could.
2Th 2:10 ... because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
The love of the truth is the love of God and only the love of God can save us.
If we CHOOSE not to receive God's love, God will not force Himself upon us, in fact God will allow you to live with that choice and you will reap the consequences of that choice. You will believe STRONG DELUSIONS believing lies, because you choose not to believe truth. Yes, EVERYONE that chooses NOT to receive the love of the truth will be damned. Everyone who chooses unrighteousness will be damned. Making the choice to not receive the love of the truth is something the majority of people will do- and that's not to say they will all be atheists, devil worshippers, or those who do not believe Jesus is the Son of God. Many who do not receive the love of the TRUTH, will be those who believe they are worshipping God- only they are worshipping a manufactured God, not the One True God who makes it more than clear that if we love Him we will keep His commandments- ALL of His commandments.
Do you have a love for the truth that you might be saved? Or are you deluded, believing lies?
May God give us all a LOVE for the TRUTH that we might be saved. May we not rather have delusions that will feed our egos nurturing self-love. May our eyes be opened fully, may all deception that would keep us from loving God, from loving the truth- be wiped away.
We will be allowed delusions, given delusions make NO mistake about it at all. And delusions seem real to those who are captive to them, delusions appear as truth to them.
Please Lord help us not be given strong delusions to believe in lies! We want Your truth! Only Your truth! We want to receive the love of Your truth! By Your grace!
Amen.
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
They received NOT the love of the truth.
Do you LOVE the truth?
The truth saves us. Not indifference to the truth, not denial of the truth, not disdain for the truth, and certainly not hatred for the truth.
To love is to make a choice to believe in love. If you don't believe love exists then you can't love, can you?
So much has been touted about love, being IN love, falling IN love and yet at the end of the day when you've BEEN in love for a long while, when you've HIT rock bottom in that fall you took into love, when you FEEL none of the emotions of what people have made love out to be- what then?
Loving something isn't being infatuated with something- it isn't a faze with something. We've skewed the word love up so badly when we talk about loving the truth we instantly begin to question our relationship with God. We question whether or not we have that so-called 'love' feeling towards the truth. Do we FEEL the love. We treat love as an emotion, but the Bible tells us plainly that - God is love.
1Jn 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
God is the source of LOVE. God is the source of our ability to love. God CHOOSES to love us. God made the CHOICE to love us. Did making that choice to love us mean God would have tender feelings for us always? Did making that choice mean God would never punish us? God loves us with a perfect love. But God's love is IN God's law. The two are inseparable.
Rom 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Love is the fulfilling of the law.
If God is love and fulfilling of the law is love - we need to KNOW God and to KNOW the law to know love.
God was REVEALED to us by His Son.
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
Joh 14:8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Joh 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Joh 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
Joh 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.
Joh 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
Joh 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Joh 14:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
Joh 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Joh 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Joh 14:19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
Joh 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
Joh 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Joh 14:22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Joh 14:24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.
Joh 14:25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Joh 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Joh 14:28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
Joh 14:29 And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.
Joh 14:30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
Joh 14:31 But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.
Beautiful!
If we have a love for the truth, we have a love for God. If we have a love for God, we have a love for the truth. If God is love, and if keeping God's law is love then for us to LOVE God we must want to OBEY Him.
Love isn't purely an emotion that we need to feel, but love is obeying God no matter what we feel.
We've WARPED love into meaning that true love- is UNCONDITIONAL love- that it is loving NO MATTER what and that's not true.
Jesus loves us and forgives us the worst of sins, yet that forgiveness must be something we desire along with a repentance of the sin. We are NOT forgiven if we do not desire that forgiveness, if we do not desire to repent and sin no more. So to say it's and UNCONDITIONAL love would be a distortion of facts. We don't deserve the love, we are loved and forgiven without deserving any of it and we cannot save ourselves in any way, shape, or form- but we MUST accept salvation. WE WILL NOT BE SAVED IN SPITE OF OURSELVES. NO one who chooses NOT to be saved, will be saved. There is NO forced salvation. There is NO forced love of the truth.
We make the choice for Salvation. We make the choice to love God- and that means OBEYING God, because we are told IF YOU LOVE ME KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS. We are told LOVE IS THE FULFILLING OF THE LAW. If we choose to KEEP God's commandments we would find ourselves loving our fellow man, we would find ourselves loving God, we would find ourselves loving truth and knowing we love God, knowing we love our fellowman, knowing we love the truth- NOT because of some misguided emotional responses we feel, but because of the knowledge of what love truly is.
Not all of us are able to be overly affectionate people. Not all of us can be overly sweet to others. It's a fact that we all have different dispositions and some are naturally more sour than others but does this mean a person whose disposition is pessimistic, or depressive, or even reclusive doesn't LOVE others? They might not FEEL that FEELING we are taught to believe is love, but their ACTIONS will speak louder than any feeling ever could.
2Th 2:10 ... because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
The love of the truth is the love of God and only the love of God can save us.
If we CHOOSE not to receive God's love, God will not force Himself upon us, in fact God will allow you to live with that choice and you will reap the consequences of that choice. You will believe STRONG DELUSIONS believing lies, because you choose not to believe truth. Yes, EVERYONE that chooses NOT to receive the love of the truth will be damned. Everyone who chooses unrighteousness will be damned. Making the choice to not receive the love of the truth is something the majority of people will do- and that's not to say they will all be atheists, devil worshippers, or those who do not believe Jesus is the Son of God. Many who do not receive the love of the TRUTH, will be those who believe they are worshipping God- only they are worshipping a manufactured God, not the One True God who makes it more than clear that if we love Him we will keep His commandments- ALL of His commandments.
Do you have a love for the truth that you might be saved? Or are you deluded, believing lies?
May God give us all a LOVE for the TRUTH that we might be saved. May we not rather have delusions that will feed our egos nurturing self-love. May our eyes be opened fully, may all deception that would keep us from loving God, from loving the truth- be wiped away.
We will be allowed delusions, given delusions make NO mistake about it at all. And delusions seem real to those who are captive to them, delusions appear as truth to them.
Please Lord help us not be given strong delusions to believe in lies! We want Your truth! Only Your truth! We want to receive the love of Your truth! By Your grace!
Amen.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Years of Pilgrimage
Pilgrim- I want to take a moment and remind myself that I'm just a pilgrim in life.
We grew up being taught a pilgrim was someone who came from another country to a new one to start a new life. Who here in the United States hasn't been taught the story of the pilgrims and indians? It's the foundation of our Thanksgiving holiday. We are taught pilgrims are a people who lived long, long ago and who exist no more- the pilgrims having integrated themselves into this country. The descendants of the pilgrims were born natural citizens of this country and were no longer considered pilgrims but descendants from pilgrims.
But all that is talked about as something that happened a very long time ago. We don't call anyone that comes over to this country now- a pilgrim. We call people who come over here now- immigrants.
We keep the word pilgrim for our ancestors dating way back, for those who were adventurous and coming to a NEW land. If you told someone you were a pilgrim today they'd smile and nod, and then they'd play along. You could tell someone you're on a pilgrimage and they'd be more understanding- you're on an adventure but you're not really a pilgrim. It's more acceptable to be on a pilgrimage than to be considered a pilgrim. Yet, anyone who accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and longs for His return is a pilgrim. It's too easy for us to forget this fact. It's too easy for the devil to skew our thinking and get us to believe that we are home, that this is our home, this existence is our beginning, middle, and end. We will be born here and therefore we will live here and die here, and that's all there is.
It is true, we are born here.
It is true, we live here.
It is also true, we might die here, many have.
Yet you can die in a strange land can't you? Many pilgrims died in the foreign land they traveled to- all of them did if they didn't return to their homeland.
How many of those who travel to other lands and make a living there, spending the majority of their lives in that new place, always think of their homeland? I imagine those who left their original place of birth and didn't want to leave think of their homeland fondly and those who left under threat of persecution are glad have gotten out from under oppression. I know having just moved about here in the U.S.A. that I consider the place of my birth, the place I spent most of my life, home and yet I wouldn't want to return there to live. I have a million fond memories of that place, but life changes so much and there is no true going back because you can't go back to a time, just a place.
Do I like the place I live now? Do I consider it my home? The fact that I actually live here makes it my home, but I don't necessarily like living here. In fact every place I've lived has had its downsides. I imagine even the most perfect place we could find would still have it's downsides. The truth of the matter is… we are pilgrims here on earth and by the grace of God we will NEVER find a place here in this sin-filled, degraded earth that we are willing to call our true home, perfect in all ways. While we can have a certain peace here on earth it must be a peace we find in Christ, not in things, not in our earthly homes, not in our earth bound, flesh bound, sin encumbered lives. We have to find peace outside of ourselves, outside of our surroundings whatever they may be, however wonderful, or however awful they may be.
We cannot forget we are pilgrims. I know I've spoken on this before but it's something that's touched me again.
Gen 47:8 And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou?
Gen 47:9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.
Gen 47:10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.
The days of my pilgrimage.
People talk about birthdays and whether or not we should celebrate them. Some people say only the ungodly celebrated birthdays and we shouldn't and I do understand their point of view but I also have to wonder at the fact birthdays were NOTED, every time someone's age is mentioned in the Bible- it's a fact that their birth day was noted, it was remembered. The celebration aspect is something that can be perverted in my estimation. As with a lot of things you can celebrate them in a perverted fashion and by that I mean celebrate them taking glory to yourself, or putting glory upon another. All glory goes to God. When we note the day of our birth we CAN do so and give glory to God.
Here Jacob was brought before Pharaoh as Joseph brought him from the land of Canaan to Egypt to survive the famine under his care. Pharaoh sees this old man, the father of the one who has literally saved Him and all of Egypt and then some, because God gave him the interpretation to dreams, dreams God gave to Pharaoh.
Think about it a moment-- Joseph was 17 when he was sold into slavery- He was 30 years old when Pharaoh set him over all the land of Egypt. Seven good years passed after that, so Joseph was 37 years old at that point. Two years into the famine Joseph was reunited with his father again, at 39 years of age. For NINE years Pharaoh knew Joseph on a personal level. Pharaoh knew Joseph had been a slave, he most likely learned all there was to know about him and knew that he'd been in Egypt for 22 years- without any family. Then miraculously his family is there. It isn't any wonder that Pharaoh would want to meet the father of the man who saved all of Egypt. Upon meeting him Pharaoh wants to know how old this man was, this father of Joseph, and he's told-
Gen 47:9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.
130 years.
Jacob knew his age and it was termed in this way- The days of the years of my PILGRIMAGE are 130 years. Those years had to be kept track of. Our birth days were NOT ignored, they were noted. The days of the years of OUR PILGRIMAGE … The days of the years of my pilgrimage are 47. Say your age that way, let it roll off your tongue. Or simply say the years of my pilgrimage are… (for me) 47. Isn't that beautiful? Seriously, it's a STARK reminder to us of what? Not to celebrate the years we've lived, not to celebrate the age we've attained as if it's some great achievement, not to celebrate our existence alone, but rather a celebration of the number of years we've been on our pilgrimage here on earth. A celebration of acknowledgement that we've been given by God those years however few or however many they may be. We are acknowledging our journey just at is was acknowledged throughout the Bible. Acknowledging our pilgrimage!
Remember this…
Gen 5:5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
Gen 5:8 And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.
Gen 5:11 And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.
And so on… noting years of our lives is something that was done from the beginning. They HAD to take note of the day of birth to keep track of the years of their lives, right?
Every single acknowledgment of that day of birth added to the years of pilgrimage they had lived. Just imagine for a moment- that day comes around and the person knows it's that day- do they just simply ignore it completely? Don't you think they acknowledge it, seriously? If someone came up to them and asked them how old they were do you really think they have to stop and calculate it, or have they made note of their age as that day in the year passed so they could readily give an answer? Age isn't something that is ignored in the Bible at all, yet there are people who would have us just ignore our day of birth completely.
Can you imagine Jacob upon the day of his birth that year noting that his age is now 130. Don't you imagine that they day might bring some reflection with it?
Jacob went on to say this about his age--
Gen 47:9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.
Gen 47:10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.
Few and evil have the days of the years of my life have been.
Few and evil.
We, who don't live as a rule into our 130's, 140's, but rather mostly into our 70's and 80's- can say the same can't we? The days of our years of life are few and evil.
We may want to deny the evil part but in truth we live among evil and we sin, falling into evil over and over again. By the grace of our Savior we can be forgiven of the evil in the days of the years of our life, but that doesn't make them any less evil-- it makes us forgiven.
This study isn't intended to be a plug for keeping birthdays, but simply an acknowledgment of our PILGRIMAGE and yes, we need to note the days of the years of our pilgrimage, there is no shame in that and as we note our age, our birthdays, we need to note especially that we are MARKING the years we've been PILGRIMS here on earth, and bring to mind more pointedly that we are STILL on this pilgrimage. We still live in this strange land that isn't anything like the land we are promised will be ours one day. We are pilgrims in this life- everything around us is temporary. If we don't feel as if we belong to this world, PRAISE GOD, we don't! We are PILGRIMS!
David said--
Psa 119:54 Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.
Paul said--
Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Peter said--
1Pe 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul
From now on upon your birthday think of it the way God would have us think of it- as marking the years of our pilgrimage here. Let it be a reminder of our being pilgrims still and all that entails. Let our birthdays remind us even more starkly that we are here only temporarily and we live for eternal life in our Savior. All praise, all honor, all glory to our God!
By the most amazing, wondrous grace of our God, in His love now and forever!
Amen.
We grew up being taught a pilgrim was someone who came from another country to a new one to start a new life. Who here in the United States hasn't been taught the story of the pilgrims and indians? It's the foundation of our Thanksgiving holiday. We are taught pilgrims are a people who lived long, long ago and who exist no more- the pilgrims having integrated themselves into this country. The descendants of the pilgrims were born natural citizens of this country and were no longer considered pilgrims but descendants from pilgrims.
But all that is talked about as something that happened a very long time ago. We don't call anyone that comes over to this country now- a pilgrim. We call people who come over here now- immigrants.
We keep the word pilgrim for our ancestors dating way back, for those who were adventurous and coming to a NEW land. If you told someone you were a pilgrim today they'd smile and nod, and then they'd play along. You could tell someone you're on a pilgrimage and they'd be more understanding- you're on an adventure but you're not really a pilgrim. It's more acceptable to be on a pilgrimage than to be considered a pilgrim. Yet, anyone who accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and longs for His return is a pilgrim. It's too easy for us to forget this fact. It's too easy for the devil to skew our thinking and get us to believe that we are home, that this is our home, this existence is our beginning, middle, and end. We will be born here and therefore we will live here and die here, and that's all there is.
It is true, we are born here.
It is true, we live here.
It is also true, we might die here, many have.
Yet you can die in a strange land can't you? Many pilgrims died in the foreign land they traveled to- all of them did if they didn't return to their homeland.
How many of those who travel to other lands and make a living there, spending the majority of their lives in that new place, always think of their homeland? I imagine those who left their original place of birth and didn't want to leave think of their homeland fondly and those who left under threat of persecution are glad have gotten out from under oppression. I know having just moved about here in the U.S.A. that I consider the place of my birth, the place I spent most of my life, home and yet I wouldn't want to return there to live. I have a million fond memories of that place, but life changes so much and there is no true going back because you can't go back to a time, just a place.
Do I like the place I live now? Do I consider it my home? The fact that I actually live here makes it my home, but I don't necessarily like living here. In fact every place I've lived has had its downsides. I imagine even the most perfect place we could find would still have it's downsides. The truth of the matter is… we are pilgrims here on earth and by the grace of God we will NEVER find a place here in this sin-filled, degraded earth that we are willing to call our true home, perfect in all ways. While we can have a certain peace here on earth it must be a peace we find in Christ, not in things, not in our earthly homes, not in our earth bound, flesh bound, sin encumbered lives. We have to find peace outside of ourselves, outside of our surroundings whatever they may be, however wonderful, or however awful they may be.
We cannot forget we are pilgrims. I know I've spoken on this before but it's something that's touched me again.
Gen 47:8 And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou?
Gen 47:9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.
Gen 47:10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.
The days of my pilgrimage.
People talk about birthdays and whether or not we should celebrate them. Some people say only the ungodly celebrated birthdays and we shouldn't and I do understand their point of view but I also have to wonder at the fact birthdays were NOTED, every time someone's age is mentioned in the Bible- it's a fact that their birth day was noted, it was remembered. The celebration aspect is something that can be perverted in my estimation. As with a lot of things you can celebrate them in a perverted fashion and by that I mean celebrate them taking glory to yourself, or putting glory upon another. All glory goes to God. When we note the day of our birth we CAN do so and give glory to God.
Here Jacob was brought before Pharaoh as Joseph brought him from the land of Canaan to Egypt to survive the famine under his care. Pharaoh sees this old man, the father of the one who has literally saved Him and all of Egypt and then some, because God gave him the interpretation to dreams, dreams God gave to Pharaoh.
Think about it a moment-- Joseph was 17 when he was sold into slavery- He was 30 years old when Pharaoh set him over all the land of Egypt. Seven good years passed after that, so Joseph was 37 years old at that point. Two years into the famine Joseph was reunited with his father again, at 39 years of age. For NINE years Pharaoh knew Joseph on a personal level. Pharaoh knew Joseph had been a slave, he most likely learned all there was to know about him and knew that he'd been in Egypt for 22 years- without any family. Then miraculously his family is there. It isn't any wonder that Pharaoh would want to meet the father of the man who saved all of Egypt. Upon meeting him Pharaoh wants to know how old this man was, this father of Joseph, and he's told-
Gen 47:9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.
130 years.
Jacob knew his age and it was termed in this way- The days of the years of my PILGRIMAGE are 130 years. Those years had to be kept track of. Our birth days were NOT ignored, they were noted. The days of the years of OUR PILGRIMAGE … The days of the years of my pilgrimage are 47. Say your age that way, let it roll off your tongue. Or simply say the years of my pilgrimage are… (for me) 47. Isn't that beautiful? Seriously, it's a STARK reminder to us of what? Not to celebrate the years we've lived, not to celebrate the age we've attained as if it's some great achievement, not to celebrate our existence alone, but rather a celebration of the number of years we've been on our pilgrimage here on earth. A celebration of acknowledgement that we've been given by God those years however few or however many they may be. We are acknowledging our journey just at is was acknowledged throughout the Bible. Acknowledging our pilgrimage!
Remember this…
Gen 5:5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
Gen 5:8 And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.
Gen 5:11 And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.
And so on… noting years of our lives is something that was done from the beginning. They HAD to take note of the day of birth to keep track of the years of their lives, right?
Every single acknowledgment of that day of birth added to the years of pilgrimage they had lived. Just imagine for a moment- that day comes around and the person knows it's that day- do they just simply ignore it completely? Don't you think they acknowledge it, seriously? If someone came up to them and asked them how old they were do you really think they have to stop and calculate it, or have they made note of their age as that day in the year passed so they could readily give an answer? Age isn't something that is ignored in the Bible at all, yet there are people who would have us just ignore our day of birth completely.
Can you imagine Jacob upon the day of his birth that year noting that his age is now 130. Don't you imagine that they day might bring some reflection with it?
Jacob went on to say this about his age--
Gen 47:9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.
Gen 47:10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.
Few and evil have the days of the years of my life have been.
Few and evil.
We, who don't live as a rule into our 130's, 140's, but rather mostly into our 70's and 80's- can say the same can't we? The days of our years of life are few and evil.
We may want to deny the evil part but in truth we live among evil and we sin, falling into evil over and over again. By the grace of our Savior we can be forgiven of the evil in the days of the years of our life, but that doesn't make them any less evil-- it makes us forgiven.
This study isn't intended to be a plug for keeping birthdays, but simply an acknowledgment of our PILGRIMAGE and yes, we need to note the days of the years of our pilgrimage, there is no shame in that and as we note our age, our birthdays, we need to note especially that we are MARKING the years we've been PILGRIMS here on earth, and bring to mind more pointedly that we are STILL on this pilgrimage. We still live in this strange land that isn't anything like the land we are promised will be ours one day. We are pilgrims in this life- everything around us is temporary. If we don't feel as if we belong to this world, PRAISE GOD, we don't! We are PILGRIMS!
David said--
Psa 119:54 Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.
Paul said--
Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Peter said--
1Pe 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul
From now on upon your birthday think of it the way God would have us think of it- as marking the years of our pilgrimage here. Let it be a reminder of our being pilgrims still and all that entails. Let our birthdays remind us even more starkly that we are here only temporarily and we live for eternal life in our Savior. All praise, all honor, all glory to our God!
By the most amazing, wondrous grace of our God, in His love now and forever!
Amen.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Hell 2- You don't burn ashes
Yesterday we began a study on Hell. Let's recap a bit.
There are four words translated as hell in the Bible.
1. Sheol
2. Hades
3. Geenna ( gehenna )
4. tartaroō
Sheol is one of the words used for hell. In a verse from Psalms David is prophesying of Jesus and he says this--
Psa 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Hell- sheol)
Paul repeats the words of David-
Act 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Hell- hadēs)
We know for a fact our Savior never went to man's fictional idea of hell, upon His death. Christ did go to the grave and He was left in the grave for three days.
Let's look at the word Hades.
Hades
G86
ᾅδης
hadēs
It never means the place of punishment. Its meaning is 'an unseen place', 'the grave', 'pit', 'region of the dead'.
Act 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
Rev 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Rev 6:8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Wait… what?! What was that last verse? 'And death and HELL were cast….' WHERE? 'INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE.'
Okay, let's get this straight. Hell is imagined by the majority of people to be a lake of fire right? I mean we've all seen it depicted in movies and such and it's always a huge fiery place where people are suffering endlessly. And yet the Bible clearly says- and HELL is going to be cast into a lake of fire. So if Hell is a huge fiery place of torment and it's cast into a lake of fire would that make any sense at all whatsoever?
Again this word can mean grave as we've already noted.
1Co 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
That word grave there is hades.
Now the word - Geeena- Gehenna
G1067
γέεννα
geenna
gheh'-en-nah
Of Hebrew origin ([H1516] and [H2011]); valley of (the son of) Hinnom; gehenna (or Ge-Hinnom), a valley of Jerusalem.
(2Ch 28:1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did NOT that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father:
2Ch 28:2 For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim.
2Ch 28:3 Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.
(2Ch 33:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem
2Ch 33:2 But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. )
2Ch 33:6 And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
This was a REAL place. And it was considered a place of punishment. There WILL be a punishment for evil make no mistake about that, none. The Bible is clear that that wicked will be punished and this place of punishment was a place of punishment that no one who walk through that fire in the valley survived- they were destroyed utterly after suffering the pain of burning in that fire. There will be a LAKE of FIRE. Remember we just read about 'hell' being cast into a lake of fire. That fire will exist and the wicked will be punished in that lake of fire- but it isn't a place that exists right now where spirit bodies go to suffer endlessly.
Mat 23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell (geenna)?
Mar 9:43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched
Jas 3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
Jas 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
Read this--
1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
1Co 15:24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1Co 15:25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
1Co 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
Every man in his OWN order shall be MADE alive- after death.
Christ
The firstfruits
They that are Christ's at his coming
THEN cometh the end… he must reign till he hath put ALL enemies under his feet.
And read this--
Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Rev 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
There is a lake of fire for those NOT written in the book of life- but NO ONE is cast into this lake of fire until after Christ comes, until after Christ and His people reign in heaven 1000 years!
Now the last word for hell-
G5020
ταρταρόω
tartaroō
ONE time in the entire Bible does the word hell mean this.
2Pe 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment
Cast them to hell- to chains of darkness to be reserve unto the JUDGMENT. Who was cast there? A person? No! Angels that sinned! Angels are not flesh and cannot die as our flesh dies. Angels can suffer eternal death- the second death, but only after the judgment. Until then - these angels that sinned are kept in darkness- hell. This word hell doesn't mean those angels are suffering eternally in a pit of fire.
Surprisingly hell as people have been taught to believe- DOESN'T EXIST!
A lake of fire will exist at the end of the world.
Another question that is brought up is the eternity this fire is supposed to burn.
I don't know about you but I cannot ever imagine God keeping a lake of fire burning forever and ever and ever, never ending it, but having people (those who are with Him) see and KNOW former loved ones, suffering horrifically. I can't comprehend this aspect and with good reason- God would NEVER do that. God would never keep a place we would call the HELL people imagine exists even now-forever and eternally in existence. Satan is the root of all pain and suffering, not God! Satan would win a victory even in eternal, endless suffering if people were to be forever reminded of sin and it's horrors. God is a JUST God. God is a fair God! All we know of goodness and of God the Father was revealed to us by His Son and His Son showed ONLY compassion for the suffering.
So these words- eternal fire, unquenchable fire, forever and ever- what exactly are meant by them?
Let's look at a few examples--
Jeremiah 17:27
But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.
Obviously there is NOT fire STILL destroying Jerusalem. Right? Jerusalem was destroyed as Jeremiah predicted it would be if the people did not turn from their evil ways. They didn't turn from them and they were taken captive to Babylon, though many were killed and the temple was completely destroyed. There were fires but saying it would not be quenched did not mean it would go on forever and ever without end. Not being quenched as any fireman could tell you means a fire that is unable to be subdue burns until there is NOTHING left to burn. It's not quenched by man, it goes out on its own only when it no longer has a source of fuel.
2 Chronicles 36:19-21
2Ch 36:19 And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.
2Ch 36:20 And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:
2Ch 36:21 To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.
Jude 7
Jud 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
READ that again!
Suffering the vengeance of ETERNAL FIRE.
Is Sodom still burning?
Is Gomorrha still burning?
No and no. The eternal part of the fire is the END results. Eternal destruction, eternally destroyed. That eternal fire from God was truly an eternal fire as only such as God can possess.
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
2Pe 2:6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly
Ashes.
Eternal fire.
You don't burn ashes- the result OF the burning- is the ashes. The fire has burned all it can burn.
Mal 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
Mal 4:3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
Do you see? With Sodom and Gomorrha as our example for the ungodly- we know that there will be a punishment that will be eternal in its results. Just as stubble is burned to ash, the wicked will be burned to ash without any ROOT or BRANCH left for them to ever live again. This is the second death- the death that NO ONE who receives it will live again. There will be no spirit body given to these people to suffer endlessly, they will be GONE, entirely gone. Anyone that has had the great misfortune of living through a house fire understands the eternal state of things they possessed being forever gone. Medical examiners understand that a cremated body is beyond examination-the fire having destroyed all that was flesh. God's eternal fire, eternal in its results is ALL consuming and hotter than anything we can ever fully imagine. Satan will be destroyed in that fire, death will be destroyed in that fire.
There is NO eternal suffering, but there is eternal nothingness. And honestly this is a just punishment for all evil, for all sin- not some ongoing ever burning pit of agonizing pain.
People love to use that idea to scare people into wanting to be good, into wanting to be in heaven, but at the same time it has people wondering about the LOVE of GOD. They can't comprehend a loving God allowing something so horrifying to exist- with good reason too. How many people have NOT wanted to know anything about their Savior because people have succumbed to this belief in hell, to this belief in ongoing suffering?
If we believe our God is love then we KNOW in our hearts just as we abhor the suffering going on in the world, that He abhors it infinitely more than we do. He could NEVER be an advocate of ongoing suffering, but rather just punishment and then and end to all sin and the results of all sin.
The earth will be made new and it will not contain any lake of fire for people disembodied or not to know suffering.
So, yes, there is a hell- but really studying the Bible reveals the truth to it all.
Death is a sleep. (Jn 11:11-14)
Resurrection will come when Christ returns- the holy in Christ will rise to meet the Lord then and the wicked will be killed. (1 Thess 4:16,17; 2 Thess 2:8)
A second resurrection will come after 1000 years as the earth is left desolate- Satan confined- having NO one to deceive. (Rev.20:3-7)
The wicked dead will rise again in this resurrection and Satan will be loosed allowed to deceive all over again and then all will be judged and accordingly punished, and destroyed in the second death. (Rev.20:7)
Sin, Satan, Death- all will be GONE ENTIRELY! (Rev.8-15)
Rev. 21 (All)
AMEN!!!!!!!
There are four words translated as hell in the Bible.
1. Sheol
2. Hades
3. Geenna ( gehenna )
4. tartaroō
Sheol is one of the words used for hell. In a verse from Psalms David is prophesying of Jesus and he says this--
Psa 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Hell- sheol)
Paul repeats the words of David-
Act 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Hell- hadēs)
We know for a fact our Savior never went to man's fictional idea of hell, upon His death. Christ did go to the grave and He was left in the grave for three days.
Let's look at the word Hades.
Hades
G86
ᾅδης
hadēs
It never means the place of punishment. Its meaning is 'an unseen place', 'the grave', 'pit', 'region of the dead'.
Act 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
Rev 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Rev 6:8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Wait… what?! What was that last verse? 'And death and HELL were cast….' WHERE? 'INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE.'
Okay, let's get this straight. Hell is imagined by the majority of people to be a lake of fire right? I mean we've all seen it depicted in movies and such and it's always a huge fiery place where people are suffering endlessly. And yet the Bible clearly says- and HELL is going to be cast into a lake of fire. So if Hell is a huge fiery place of torment and it's cast into a lake of fire would that make any sense at all whatsoever?
Again this word can mean grave as we've already noted.
1Co 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
That word grave there is hades.
Now the word - Geeena- Gehenna
G1067
γέεννα
geenna
gheh'-en-nah
Of Hebrew origin ([H1516] and [H2011]); valley of (the son of) Hinnom; gehenna (or Ge-Hinnom), a valley of Jerusalem.
(2Ch 28:1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did NOT that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father:
2Ch 28:2 For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim.
2Ch 28:3 Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.
(2Ch 33:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem
2Ch 33:2 But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. )
2Ch 33:6 And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
This was a REAL place. And it was considered a place of punishment. There WILL be a punishment for evil make no mistake about that, none. The Bible is clear that that wicked will be punished and this place of punishment was a place of punishment that no one who walk through that fire in the valley survived- they were destroyed utterly after suffering the pain of burning in that fire. There will be a LAKE of FIRE. Remember we just read about 'hell' being cast into a lake of fire. That fire will exist and the wicked will be punished in that lake of fire- but it isn't a place that exists right now where spirit bodies go to suffer endlessly.
Mat 23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell (geenna)?
Mar 9:43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched
Jas 3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
Jas 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
Read this--
1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
1Co 15:24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1Co 15:25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
1Co 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
Every man in his OWN order shall be MADE alive- after death.
Christ
The firstfruits
They that are Christ's at his coming
THEN cometh the end… he must reign till he hath put ALL enemies under his feet.
And read this--
Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Rev 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
There is a lake of fire for those NOT written in the book of life- but NO ONE is cast into this lake of fire until after Christ comes, until after Christ and His people reign in heaven 1000 years!
Now the last word for hell-
G5020
ταρταρόω
tartaroō
ONE time in the entire Bible does the word hell mean this.
2Pe 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment
Cast them to hell- to chains of darkness to be reserve unto the JUDGMENT. Who was cast there? A person? No! Angels that sinned! Angels are not flesh and cannot die as our flesh dies. Angels can suffer eternal death- the second death, but only after the judgment. Until then - these angels that sinned are kept in darkness- hell. This word hell doesn't mean those angels are suffering eternally in a pit of fire.
Surprisingly hell as people have been taught to believe- DOESN'T EXIST!
A lake of fire will exist at the end of the world.
Another question that is brought up is the eternity this fire is supposed to burn.
I don't know about you but I cannot ever imagine God keeping a lake of fire burning forever and ever and ever, never ending it, but having people (those who are with Him) see and KNOW former loved ones, suffering horrifically. I can't comprehend this aspect and with good reason- God would NEVER do that. God would never keep a place we would call the HELL people imagine exists even now-forever and eternally in existence. Satan is the root of all pain and suffering, not God! Satan would win a victory even in eternal, endless suffering if people were to be forever reminded of sin and it's horrors. God is a JUST God. God is a fair God! All we know of goodness and of God the Father was revealed to us by His Son and His Son showed ONLY compassion for the suffering.
So these words- eternal fire, unquenchable fire, forever and ever- what exactly are meant by them?
Let's look at a few examples--
Jeremiah 17:27
But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.
Obviously there is NOT fire STILL destroying Jerusalem. Right? Jerusalem was destroyed as Jeremiah predicted it would be if the people did not turn from their evil ways. They didn't turn from them and they were taken captive to Babylon, though many were killed and the temple was completely destroyed. There were fires but saying it would not be quenched did not mean it would go on forever and ever without end. Not being quenched as any fireman could tell you means a fire that is unable to be subdue burns until there is NOTHING left to burn. It's not quenched by man, it goes out on its own only when it no longer has a source of fuel.
2 Chronicles 36:19-21
2Ch 36:19 And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.
2Ch 36:20 And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:
2Ch 36:21 To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.
Jude 7
Jud 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
READ that again!
Suffering the vengeance of ETERNAL FIRE.
Is Sodom still burning?
Is Gomorrha still burning?
No and no. The eternal part of the fire is the END results. Eternal destruction, eternally destroyed. That eternal fire from God was truly an eternal fire as only such as God can possess.
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
2Pe 2:6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly
Ashes.
Eternal fire.
You don't burn ashes- the result OF the burning- is the ashes. The fire has burned all it can burn.
Mal 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
Mal 4:3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
Do you see? With Sodom and Gomorrha as our example for the ungodly- we know that there will be a punishment that will be eternal in its results. Just as stubble is burned to ash, the wicked will be burned to ash without any ROOT or BRANCH left for them to ever live again. This is the second death- the death that NO ONE who receives it will live again. There will be no spirit body given to these people to suffer endlessly, they will be GONE, entirely gone. Anyone that has had the great misfortune of living through a house fire understands the eternal state of things they possessed being forever gone. Medical examiners understand that a cremated body is beyond examination-the fire having destroyed all that was flesh. God's eternal fire, eternal in its results is ALL consuming and hotter than anything we can ever fully imagine. Satan will be destroyed in that fire, death will be destroyed in that fire.
There is NO eternal suffering, but there is eternal nothingness. And honestly this is a just punishment for all evil, for all sin- not some ongoing ever burning pit of agonizing pain.
People love to use that idea to scare people into wanting to be good, into wanting to be in heaven, but at the same time it has people wondering about the LOVE of GOD. They can't comprehend a loving God allowing something so horrifying to exist- with good reason too. How many people have NOT wanted to know anything about their Savior because people have succumbed to this belief in hell, to this belief in ongoing suffering?
If we believe our God is love then we KNOW in our hearts just as we abhor the suffering going on in the world, that He abhors it infinitely more than we do. He could NEVER be an advocate of ongoing suffering, but rather just punishment and then and end to all sin and the results of all sin.
The earth will be made new and it will not contain any lake of fire for people disembodied or not to know suffering.
So, yes, there is a hell- but really studying the Bible reveals the truth to it all.
Death is a sleep. (Jn 11:11-14)
Resurrection will come when Christ returns- the holy in Christ will rise to meet the Lord then and the wicked will be killed. (1 Thess 4:16,17; 2 Thess 2:8)
A second resurrection will come after 1000 years as the earth is left desolate- Satan confined- having NO one to deceive. (Rev.20:3-7)
The wicked dead will rise again in this resurrection and Satan will be loosed allowed to deceive all over again and then all will be judged and accordingly punished, and destroyed in the second death. (Rev.20:7)
Sin, Satan, Death- all will be GONE ENTIRELY! (Rev.8-15)
Rev. 21 (All)
AMEN!!!!!!!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Hell -1
I've been talking about death lately or rather the state of the dead. The Bible tells us beyond a doubt that the 'dead know nothing' . Jesus tells us death is a sleep. We are told the dead will rise again when Jesus returns- not before, not upon dying. These are all Biblical facts. More facts from the Bible have led me to believe that there are a few other things that the majority of people seem to get wrong.
God is love.
God wants pain and tears done away with.
Rev 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Do we believe God? Should we? Yes, we should. And God is telling us through His amazing word that HE shall wipe away ALL tears, that there will be NO death, NO sorrow, NO crying, NO Pain.
Yet people want to believe that there is a place filled with pain, filled with sorrow that will exist forever without end.
The opposite side of the heaven scenario is the hell scenario. People going to heaven or hell upon death. Because we've already established that people don't go to heaven when they die, it's a given that they aren't going to a place called hell. We've discussed heaven and now we need to discuss hell.
What exactly is hell?
Let's look at the word itself--
There are four words translated as hell in the Bible.
1. Sheol
2. Hades
3. Geenna ( gehenna )
4. tartaroō
Taking them one at a time--
Sheol- this word is used a lot and it's necessary to note that both the righteous AND the wicked go to sheol.
Gen 37:35
Gen 37:34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
Gen 37:35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.
Sheol-grave ( this is Jacob, righteous before God, who talks of going to the grave- going to sheol.)
Psa 89:48 What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.
Man. Man cannot deliver himself from death or the grave. We can't keep ourselves from dying and we can't bring ourselves out of the grave. But God can do both.
We have to note this as well-
Sheol is the same as Hades in the New Testament compare- Ps.16:10 with Acts 2:27
Psa 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Hell- sheol)
Act 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Hell- hadēs)
Who is the Holy One? Jesus. Jesus was NEVER in the HELL people envision - burning and torment, the place of the wicked. Jesus was in the grave for three days, not descended into a burning, fiery pit alive. Yet you say the word hades, the word hell and that's what people believe. This word has the meaning of GRAVE. Christ was left in the grave, but not for long. Christ saw NO corruption.
Let's read more of this passage - it's enlightening really.
Act 2:24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
Act 2:25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
Act 2:26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
Act 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Act 2:28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
Act 2:29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
The patriarch David DEAD and BURIED and IN his sepulchre IN PAUL'S time- many, many, many years after He'd died. David was NOT in heaven.
Act 2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
Act 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
Christ was not left in the GRAVE. This makes such perfect sense.
Act 2:32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
Act 2:33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
Act 2:34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand.
More tomorrow by the grace of our Savior.
Amen.
God is love.
God wants pain and tears done away with.
Rev 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Do we believe God? Should we? Yes, we should. And God is telling us through His amazing word that HE shall wipe away ALL tears, that there will be NO death, NO sorrow, NO crying, NO Pain.
Yet people want to believe that there is a place filled with pain, filled with sorrow that will exist forever without end.
The opposite side of the heaven scenario is the hell scenario. People going to heaven or hell upon death. Because we've already established that people don't go to heaven when they die, it's a given that they aren't going to a place called hell. We've discussed heaven and now we need to discuss hell.
What exactly is hell?
Let's look at the word itself--
There are four words translated as hell in the Bible.
1. Sheol
2. Hades
3. Geenna ( gehenna )
4. tartaroō
Taking them one at a time--
Sheol- this word is used a lot and it's necessary to note that both the righteous AND the wicked go to sheol.
Gen 37:35
Gen 37:34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
Gen 37:35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.
Sheol-grave ( this is Jacob, righteous before God, who talks of going to the grave- going to sheol.)
Psa 89:48 What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.
Man. Man cannot deliver himself from death or the grave. We can't keep ourselves from dying and we can't bring ourselves out of the grave. But God can do both.
We have to note this as well-
Sheol is the same as Hades in the New Testament compare- Ps.16:10 with Acts 2:27
Psa 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Hell- sheol)
Act 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Hell- hadēs)
Who is the Holy One? Jesus. Jesus was NEVER in the HELL people envision - burning and torment, the place of the wicked. Jesus was in the grave for three days, not descended into a burning, fiery pit alive. Yet you say the word hades, the word hell and that's what people believe. This word has the meaning of GRAVE. Christ was left in the grave, but not for long. Christ saw NO corruption.
Let's read more of this passage - it's enlightening really.
Act 2:24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
Act 2:25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
Act 2:26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
Act 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Act 2:28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
Act 2:29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
The patriarch David DEAD and BURIED and IN his sepulchre IN PAUL'S time- many, many, many years after He'd died. David was NOT in heaven.
Act 2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
Act 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
Christ was not left in the GRAVE. This makes such perfect sense.
Act 2:32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
Act 2:33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
Act 2:34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand.
More tomorrow by the grace of our Savior.
Amen.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Sleep Death
Psa 6:5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?
None. Yet don't you believe that giving thanks would be something done constantly if you've gone over from a flesh body to a spirit body leaving behind all the infirmities the flesh has with it? Wouldn't you be shouting your thanks if you were granted heaven upon death? There is NO thanks in death. Death is something to be abhorred, not something to welcome. Don't get me wrong, death can be welcomed by many who are fighting for their lives against a painful, vile disease. What is it that is welcomed though? The end of the pain, not the end of life, just the end of the pain life brings. People who are happy don't wish to die, why? Because they know on some level that death is an ending. Death is the end of their flesh existence and their ability to interact with those still living. If death were something wonderful- an immediate passing into a spirit life living in a wondrous heavenly abode where you could still know everything there is to know about all that is going on with your loved ones- wouldn't it be wise to just encourage the death of ALL the world. Seriously, wouldn't death be desired if we REALLY believed it was a passing into that sort of existence? The thing is people AREN'T sure what happens after death. People want to believe it's a wondrous passing into a spirit life living in a wondrous heavenly abode, but there is something wrong about that belief- it's not TRUE. It simply isn't TRUE. Death isn't any great mystery! It isn't! There is NO question about what death is, not if you believe in Jesus Christ God's Son, the Savior of the World. He says--
Joh 11:11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
Joh 11:12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
Joh 11:13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
Joh 11:14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
JESUS said plainly-- Lazarus is DEAD.
But Jesus just said-- our friend Lazarus sleepeth.
There are different types of sleeping. A sleep that is nightly. A sleep that is healing (have you ever notice how the majority of sick people seem to need more sleep?). A sleep that is the sleep of death.
Lazarus is sleeping.
Lazarus is dead.
Which is it? Both. Lazarus is sleeping death's peaceful sleep of nothingness, of painlessness.
There is NO mystery here! None! Jesus wasn't confused about what death was. Jesus understood that death is exactly like sleeping, knowing nothing until you wake again. Is it any wonder you can't give thanks in death, do you thank people when you're sleeping? No. Is it any wonder the dead know nothing? No. Do you know anything when you are sleeping? You're clueless as to what is taking place around you, completely clueless until you wake up and your thought process begins again.
Read this…
Psa 88:10 Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.
No, the dead have no thought why would you show them wonders?
No, the dead won't rise up and praise you, they can't…they're dead.
Ecc 2:16 For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.
Everyone dies the same. Death is the same for EVERYONE. Death is the same slipping down into nothingness of death's sleep for every single person. You can be the richest man in the whole world and when you die you will sleep just as the poorest man. The wisest man and the biggest fool both inherit the sleep of death.
Job 7:8 The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more: thine eyes are upon me, and I am not.
Job 7:9 As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.
Job 7:10 He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.
You go down to the grave and you come up NO MORE!
You do not return to your house!
Your place will not know you any more!
Death is a sleep, not some grand adventure into the spirit realm where you can watch the living as they go through the struggle of life. How wondrous would it be to have to watch your loved ones suffer and be able to do absolutely nothing for them? Death is a sleep and nothing more. A sleep you can and will wake from- some to eternal life and others not.
1Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16 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:
1Th 4:17 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.
1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
The DEAD in Christ will RISE!
Why would they need to rise if they are already living as spirit beings in heaven?
1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52 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.
1Co 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Co 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
1Co 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
1Co 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
The DEAD SHALL BE RAISED incorruptible, when? At the LAST TRUMP.
Remember this… we just read it…
1Th 4:16 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:
The LORD will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the TRUMP of God!
When our Savior return if we've died in Christ, if we are in death's sleep, we will be awakened by our Savior! Just as the moment awareness comes to us upon waking in the morning from a night's sleep, we will wake when Christ returns for us and the first awareness after we die that we have will be rising to meet the Lord. How amazingly wonderful is that?! How awesome is it to know that death is NOTHING to fear if we live in Christ and have accepted Him as our Savior, loving Him more than life itself.
Our loved ones are not without us in some spirit form in heaven, because truthfully, could they really be happy being without us… their loved ones? Oh sure, people like to pretend they are up there visiting with all those that passed on before them, but it's just not so. They are sleeping, they're not existing in another form without us. What a blessed sleep that is, knowing they'll be woken up by the calling of our Savior Himself!
By the grace and mercy of our Lord, may we be found in Him alive or in death's sleep. To hear the sound of our King's calling us to Him, it's a day not far off, and it's a sound I long to hear.
In HIS love, in HIS righteousness now and forever!
Amen.
None. Yet don't you believe that giving thanks would be something done constantly if you've gone over from a flesh body to a spirit body leaving behind all the infirmities the flesh has with it? Wouldn't you be shouting your thanks if you were granted heaven upon death? There is NO thanks in death. Death is something to be abhorred, not something to welcome. Don't get me wrong, death can be welcomed by many who are fighting for their lives against a painful, vile disease. What is it that is welcomed though? The end of the pain, not the end of life, just the end of the pain life brings. People who are happy don't wish to die, why? Because they know on some level that death is an ending. Death is the end of their flesh existence and their ability to interact with those still living. If death were something wonderful- an immediate passing into a spirit life living in a wondrous heavenly abode where you could still know everything there is to know about all that is going on with your loved ones- wouldn't it be wise to just encourage the death of ALL the world. Seriously, wouldn't death be desired if we REALLY believed it was a passing into that sort of existence? The thing is people AREN'T sure what happens after death. People want to believe it's a wondrous passing into a spirit life living in a wondrous heavenly abode, but there is something wrong about that belief- it's not TRUE. It simply isn't TRUE. Death isn't any great mystery! It isn't! There is NO question about what death is, not if you believe in Jesus Christ God's Son, the Savior of the World. He says--
Joh 11:11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
Joh 11:12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
Joh 11:13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
Joh 11:14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
JESUS said plainly-- Lazarus is DEAD.
But Jesus just said-- our friend Lazarus sleepeth.
There are different types of sleeping. A sleep that is nightly. A sleep that is healing (have you ever notice how the majority of sick people seem to need more sleep?). A sleep that is the sleep of death.
Lazarus is sleeping.
Lazarus is dead.
Which is it? Both. Lazarus is sleeping death's peaceful sleep of nothingness, of painlessness.
There is NO mystery here! None! Jesus wasn't confused about what death was. Jesus understood that death is exactly like sleeping, knowing nothing until you wake again. Is it any wonder you can't give thanks in death, do you thank people when you're sleeping? No. Is it any wonder the dead know nothing? No. Do you know anything when you are sleeping? You're clueless as to what is taking place around you, completely clueless until you wake up and your thought process begins again.
Read this…
Psa 88:10 Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.
No, the dead have no thought why would you show them wonders?
No, the dead won't rise up and praise you, they can't…they're dead.
Ecc 2:16 For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.
Everyone dies the same. Death is the same for EVERYONE. Death is the same slipping down into nothingness of death's sleep for every single person. You can be the richest man in the whole world and when you die you will sleep just as the poorest man. The wisest man and the biggest fool both inherit the sleep of death.
Job 7:8 The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more: thine eyes are upon me, and I am not.
Job 7:9 As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.
Job 7:10 He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.
You go down to the grave and you come up NO MORE!
You do not return to your house!
Your place will not know you any more!
Death is a sleep, not some grand adventure into the spirit realm where you can watch the living as they go through the struggle of life. How wondrous would it be to have to watch your loved ones suffer and be able to do absolutely nothing for them? Death is a sleep and nothing more. A sleep you can and will wake from- some to eternal life and others not.
1Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16 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:
1Th 4:17 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.
1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
The DEAD in Christ will RISE!
Why would they need to rise if they are already living as spirit beings in heaven?
1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52 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.
1Co 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Co 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
1Co 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
1Co 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
The DEAD SHALL BE RAISED incorruptible, when? At the LAST TRUMP.
Remember this… we just read it…
1Th 4:16 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:
The LORD will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the TRUMP of God!
When our Savior return if we've died in Christ, if we are in death's sleep, we will be awakened by our Savior! Just as the moment awareness comes to us upon waking in the morning from a night's sleep, we will wake when Christ returns for us and the first awareness after we die that we have will be rising to meet the Lord. How amazingly wonderful is that?! How awesome is it to know that death is NOTHING to fear if we live in Christ and have accepted Him as our Savior, loving Him more than life itself.
Our loved ones are not without us in some spirit form in heaven, because truthfully, could they really be happy being without us… their loved ones? Oh sure, people like to pretend they are up there visiting with all those that passed on before them, but it's just not so. They are sleeping, they're not existing in another form without us. What a blessed sleep that is, knowing they'll be woken up by the calling of our Savior Himself!
By the grace and mercy of our Lord, may we be found in Him alive or in death's sleep. To hear the sound of our King's calling us to Him, it's a day not far off, and it's a sound I long to hear.
In HIS love, in HIS righteousness now and forever!
Amen.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
You know you will die
Ecc 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
You know you will die.
We ALL know we will eventually die.
We know that when a person dies that which keeps them alive- their breath, their heartbeat- all stops. We know that decay begins in a dead body and that body goes through a breakdown process until- if left untouched- the flesh returns to dust, and if even more time passes, the bones turn to dust also. There is NO dispute here, it's all proven fact that can't be denied by anyone whatsoever. The flesh dies. The person that was that flesh is no more. Some have the process of returning to dust accelerated through cremation, burning the flesh and bone until it is nothing more than ashes. These are all known facts.
We know we will die. We know what happens to us when we die. We cease to function ever again. We are buried and eventually we are forgotten (unless we are famous in some way and the memory of our actions become part of history. Us, being able to partake of ANYTHING is gone.
Over 150,000,000 American's believe in ghosts (as per a site on the internet how true it is, I don't know) .
74% of American's believe in life after death. (Same note as above)
It doesn't say on the site I read if that's INSTANT life after death or DELAYED life after death, but I'm more than willing to believe that MOST of that percentage believe in INSTANT life after death. You can tell just by the mainstream media - people LOVE to console other people with the words- 'They are in heaven NOW.'
This is DECEPTION! People want me to shut up about it and are quick to say- 'It's a HARMLESS deception if it is one, which it isn't. Believing people go right to heaven after death hurts NO ONE. If the majority of people believe this it can't be wrong!'
DECEPTION! I can't shout it here any louder. DECEPTION!!!!!
This is a deception that was begun BEFORE our first parents- Adam and Eve- ever sinned. This was part of the LIE that caused them to sin. This was part of the deception SATAN used! He used it back then and He hasn't stopped using it, and He won't stop using it until He is no more.
Gen 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die
If SATAN is telling the truth then there IS life right after death- which means there is life after life because obviously there is no REAL death. If your conscious being never dies, if your consciousness never ceases at all whatsoever but just goes on and on and the moment you die your consciousness breaks free from your flesh body- then you don't DIE. If your consciousness goes on endlessly then you KNOW you are transformed in that moment of death, you know your body is dead, you know you are living on in another form and you know everything that is going on around you- you might even go to heaven- where people say all the time that loved ones go and watch over us. Your knowing awareness of things around you is endless after death if you no longer possess a body that needs to sleep to function. But this can't be true, not according to the Bible, not according to our Creator.
Remember this…
Ecc 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing
The DEAD KNOW NOT ANY THING.
If the part of you that makes you - you- conscious of yourself, the part of you that KNOWS things- never ever dies, never ceases to exist, never stops, then you continue to know things, right? You are still living.
We aren't told that the living know their bodies will die but they will continue to have knowledge. Where in the Bible are we told that? We aren't told that upon the body dying we will live on forever bodiless. We aren't told that upon death part of us will keep living and that part will be rewarded or punished. We are told that our reward comes WITH Christ.
Rev 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Read this… There is more than one resurrection -
Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
IF people DON'T REALLY DIE- this makes NO SENSE whatsoever. The REST of the dead lived NOT again. IF everyone just keeps on living, why would the dead need to live again? Why????
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell(the grave) delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Why are the dead being delivered up from anywhere?! Why, if we just keep on living after our bodies die???
Christ dying means NOTHING if we just continue to live on in some disembodied form after our body dies. If we have this spirit form that lives on happily in heaven why would we ever want to go back into a body? We can't believe in Christ if we believe we just keep on living after we die and there really is no such thing as real dying- mind and body.
Christ came and NOT even HE went on to live in spirit form in heaven after He died. He lay physically in the grave- dead in body and mind- dead - as in what being DEAD REALLY means- knowing nothing until He was brought to life again by God days later. He even says He hasn't gone to His Father yet, He hadn't gone to heaven yet.
For some reason people think they are greater than the God that came to save them. They believe they live on and on endlessly, and not even the God-Man who died did that.
Satan's deception is alive and well and many have bought into it, believing it's harmless to believe that the dead are still alive- it some how eases our minds when we grieve and it helps when we have to linger in illness or injury before dying ourselves.
Deception is NEVER harmless, and this great deception is far from being harmless.
What is the harm? Believing in a lie, not believing in the truth.
Lies. Deceit.
Psa 101:7 He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.
May God help us as we continue to study on this subject, this VERY important subject.
We must not believe in deception no matter how much we might be inclined to do so.
By the grace and mercy of our Savior may we be found in HIS TRUTH, not believing in lies and deceit.
In His love!
Amen.
You know you will die.
We ALL know we will eventually die.
We know that when a person dies that which keeps them alive- their breath, their heartbeat- all stops. We know that decay begins in a dead body and that body goes through a breakdown process until- if left untouched- the flesh returns to dust, and if even more time passes, the bones turn to dust also. There is NO dispute here, it's all proven fact that can't be denied by anyone whatsoever. The flesh dies. The person that was that flesh is no more. Some have the process of returning to dust accelerated through cremation, burning the flesh and bone until it is nothing more than ashes. These are all known facts.
We know we will die. We know what happens to us when we die. We cease to function ever again. We are buried and eventually we are forgotten (unless we are famous in some way and the memory of our actions become part of history. Us, being able to partake of ANYTHING is gone.
Over 150,000,000 American's believe in ghosts (as per a site on the internet how true it is, I don't know) .
74% of American's believe in life after death. (Same note as above)
It doesn't say on the site I read if that's INSTANT life after death or DELAYED life after death, but I'm more than willing to believe that MOST of that percentage believe in INSTANT life after death. You can tell just by the mainstream media - people LOVE to console other people with the words- 'They are in heaven NOW.'
This is DECEPTION! People want me to shut up about it and are quick to say- 'It's a HARMLESS deception if it is one, which it isn't. Believing people go right to heaven after death hurts NO ONE. If the majority of people believe this it can't be wrong!'
DECEPTION! I can't shout it here any louder. DECEPTION!!!!!
This is a deception that was begun BEFORE our first parents- Adam and Eve- ever sinned. This was part of the LIE that caused them to sin. This was part of the deception SATAN used! He used it back then and He hasn't stopped using it, and He won't stop using it until He is no more.
Gen 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die
If SATAN is telling the truth then there IS life right after death- which means there is life after life because obviously there is no REAL death. If your conscious being never dies, if your consciousness never ceases at all whatsoever but just goes on and on and the moment you die your consciousness breaks free from your flesh body- then you don't DIE. If your consciousness goes on endlessly then you KNOW you are transformed in that moment of death, you know your body is dead, you know you are living on in another form and you know everything that is going on around you- you might even go to heaven- where people say all the time that loved ones go and watch over us. Your knowing awareness of things around you is endless after death if you no longer possess a body that needs to sleep to function. But this can't be true, not according to the Bible, not according to our Creator.
Remember this…
Ecc 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing
The DEAD KNOW NOT ANY THING.
If the part of you that makes you - you- conscious of yourself, the part of you that KNOWS things- never ever dies, never ceases to exist, never stops, then you continue to know things, right? You are still living.
We aren't told that the living know their bodies will die but they will continue to have knowledge. Where in the Bible are we told that? We aren't told that upon the body dying we will live on forever bodiless. We aren't told that upon death part of us will keep living and that part will be rewarded or punished. We are told that our reward comes WITH Christ.
Rev 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Read this… There is more than one resurrection -
Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
IF people DON'T REALLY DIE- this makes NO SENSE whatsoever. The REST of the dead lived NOT again. IF everyone just keeps on living, why would the dead need to live again? Why????
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell(the grave) delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Why are the dead being delivered up from anywhere?! Why, if we just keep on living after our bodies die???
Christ dying means NOTHING if we just continue to live on in some disembodied form after our body dies. If we have this spirit form that lives on happily in heaven why would we ever want to go back into a body? We can't believe in Christ if we believe we just keep on living after we die and there really is no such thing as real dying- mind and body.
Christ came and NOT even HE went on to live in spirit form in heaven after He died. He lay physically in the grave- dead in body and mind- dead - as in what being DEAD REALLY means- knowing nothing until He was brought to life again by God days later. He even says He hasn't gone to His Father yet, He hadn't gone to heaven yet.
For some reason people think they are greater than the God that came to save them. They believe they live on and on endlessly, and not even the God-Man who died did that.
Satan's deception is alive and well and many have bought into it, believing it's harmless to believe that the dead are still alive- it some how eases our minds when we grieve and it helps when we have to linger in illness or injury before dying ourselves.
Deception is NEVER harmless, and this great deception is far from being harmless.
What is the harm? Believing in a lie, not believing in the truth.
Lies. Deceit.
Psa 101:7 He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.
May God help us as we continue to study on this subject, this VERY important subject.
We must not believe in deception no matter how much we might be inclined to do so.
By the grace and mercy of our Savior may we be found in HIS TRUTH, not believing in lies and deceit.
In His love!
Amen.
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