Eternity!

Eternity

“He has made everything suited to its time, also, He has given human beings an awareness of eternity; but in such a way that they can’t fully comprehend, from beginning to end, the things GOD does.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 CJB

“And eternal life is this; to know You, The One True GOD, and Him whom You sent, YESHUA The Messiah.”  John 17:3 CJB

Any questions?

Mark 4

Mark 4

4:1-20 JESUS is teaching the public again and He tells them the parable of sowing seed and He concludes the teaching with the phrase, “Whoever has ears to hear with, let him hear!” vs. 9 CJB. This is a key statement that He makes when teaching, especially in The Revelation. The reason He makes this statement when teaching is explained in the next few verses; after the teaching time the disciples asked Him why He taught the people in parables. He replied, “To you the secret of the Kingdom of GOD has been given; but to those outside, everything is in parables, so that they may be always looking but never seeing; always listening but never understanding. Otherwise, they might turn and be forgiven!” vss. 11-12 CJB, which is a quote from Isaiah 6:9-10. Speaking to Isaiah when Isaiah realized he is a sinner from a people who are sinners because they have GOD’s Word but they do not follow it.

“He said, ‘Go and tell this people:

                        ‘Yes, you hear, but you don’t understand.

                        You certainly see, but you don’t get the point!

                        Make the heart of this people [sluggish with] fat,

                        stop up their ears, and shut their eyes.

                        Otherwise, seeing with their eyes,

                        and hearing with their ears,

                        then understanding with their hearts,

                        they might repent and be healed!’”

CJB “Then YESHUA said to them, ‘Don’t you understand this parable? How will you be able to understand any parable?’” vs. 13 CJB then He goes on to explain the parable to the disciples. The sower sows the message, those along the path no sooner hear it then the adversary comes and steals it; the rocky patches are trials or persecutions that come along and those who had received the message with joy fall away; the thorns are the cares of life and the world that choke out the truth and they are fruitless; and the rich soil produces 30, 60 or 100 fold of fruit.

Verses 21-25, “He said to them, ‘A lamp isn’t brought in to be put under a bowl or under the bed, is it? Wouldn’t you put it on a lampstand? Indeed, nothing is hidden, except to be disclosed; and nothing is covered up, except to come out into the open. Those who have ears to hear with, let them hear!’ He also said to them, ‘Pay attention to what you are hearing! The measure with which you measure out will be used to measure to you – and more besides! For anyone who has something will be given more; but from anyone who has nothing, even what he does have will be taken away.’”CJB Verses 24b & 25 are often misquoted in reference to finances and giving. But JESUS is talking about what we hear and what we do with and about it! GOD knows everything, nothing is hidden from Him so when we try to hide things like secret sins or our relationship with GOD that we are embarrassed about in certain company it will be revealed.

Verses 26-32 JESUS returns to planting seed to teach His Eternal Kingdom, “And He said, ‘The Kingdom of GOD is like a man who scatters seed on the ground.’” The sower cannot see what is happening but the seed and the ground are doing what they are supposed to do and that brings forth fruit, then comes the harvest. That is all we need to know, we sow the seed by sharing the Gospel and HOLY SPIRIT works in the soil of the persons heart to bring forth fruit of the Kingdom. Then He talks about the mustard seed, the littlest of the field (food) seeds yet the result of its growth is a plant that birds can nest in it. In Matthew JESUS tells the disciples that if they have faith as a grain of mustard seed than they can move a mountain just by telling it to move: Matthew 17:14-21.

Verses 33-34, emphasize that JESUS only taught the people in parables but explained them to His disciples.

Verses 35-41, later that day JESUS and the disciples cross the sea of Galilee and get caught in a storm so severe that they think the boat is about to sink; even though JESUS is asleep in the stern of the boat. When they wake Him up in fear and ask doesn’t He care that they are about to die; He chastens them for their lack of faith or trust. Then He commands the storm to stop and the disciples wonder in fear who he really is. The word faith has become almost mystic in the Church, but its basic meaning is trust (I have done a study on this). So JESUS was asking the disciples, “Don’t you have any trust in Me yet?” That is the same question JESUS is asking us!

He Who Has Ears to Hear, Let Him Hear!

“Whoever has ears to hear with, let him hear!”

Mark 4:1-12 JESUS is teaching the public and He tells them the parable of sowing seed and He concludes the teaching with the phrase, “Whoever has ears to hear with, let him hear!” This is a key statement that He makes when teaching, especially in The Revelation. The reason He makes this statement when teaching is explained in the next few verses; after the teaching time the disciples asked Him why He taught the people in parables. He replied, “To you the secret of the Kingdom of GOD has been given; but to those outside, everything is in parables, so that they may be always looking but never seeing; always listening but never understanding. Otherwise, they might turn and be forgiven!” Which is a quote from Isaiah 6:9-10. Speaking to Isaiah when Isaiah realized he is a sinner from a people who are sinners because they have GOD’s Word but they do not follow it. “He said, ‘Go and tell this people: ‘Yes, you hear, but you don’t understand. You certainly see, but you don’t get the point! Make the heart of this people [sluggish with] fat, stop up their ears, and shut their eyes. Otherwise, seeing with their eyes, and hearing with their ears, then understanding with their hearts,             they might repent and be healed!’” “Then YESHUA said to them, ‘Don’t you understand this parable? How will you be able to understand any parable?’” Then He goes on to explain the parable to the disciples.

This is what is happening in America today! Those who are socialist in our government and society, those who want a socialist government to support their vision of a one world socialist government hear the truth BUT they cannot believe it. Why? Because their ears are closed and their eyes are closed and their hearts do not want to know the truth!

They want what they want and that is; to not have to live by GOD’s standards of morality, integrity and righteousness. As a class of people they want to live by their own standard of “If it feels good, do it.” “I’m my own person and I can do whatever I want whenever I want with whomever I want.”

They are haters therefore they have no grace or place for anyone who disagrees with them. Hate closes people off to hear the truth and accept other points of view as being as legitimate as theirs. The Jewish people of JESUS’ time were proud and arrogant of their religion, but they had lost touch with GOD. In John 8:31-33, “So JESUS said to the Judeans who had trusted Him, ‘If you obey what I say, then you are really My disciples, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.’ They answered, ‘We are Abraham’s seed and we have never been slaves to anyone; so what do You mean by saying, “You will be set free.”’”

Really!? They were slaves in Egypt for 430 years, the spent 70 years in captivity in Babylon, they had been enslaved by the Syrians, the Greeks and at the time by the Romans. That is vanity and pride!

JESUS was talking about being slaves to sin and that is the problem of the whole world. We are slaves to sin no matter our governmental, social or religious situation. And that is the problem with those who want a socialist government; only those who are the elite truly understand that the bulk of society in a socialist system is not free to do what they want. They are enslaved by the government and elitist to provide what they want and the masses get what is left.

And the masses do not realize it until it is too late because they believe the lies of the elitists and government that they will all be equal! Only GOD can and does promise equality in life and eternity. This is through JESUS CHRIST, all are equal in sin and the need of salvation and all are equal in receiving salvation through JESUS CHRIST! Study John 1 and 2, Romans 1,2,6 and 8.

Denial and Communion

Daily Devotional April 29

Oswald Chambers – My Utmost For His Highest

“Then JESUS said to the twelve, ‘Will you also go away.’” John 6:67

“The look of JESUS will mean a heart broken for ever from allegiance to any person or thing. Where you are “soft” with GOD is where the LORD has looked at you.”

This statement made me think of Peter’s denial of JESUS during His “trial”; when Peter had made his third denial of knowing JESUS, JESUS looked at him. Then Peter seeing JESUS’ look was broken hearted and went out and wept bitterly: Luke 22:54-62.

Peter did not remember that JESUS had told him that He prayed for him and when he returned to JESUS he was to strengthen his brothers. He only remembered that JESUS had told him he would deny Him three times: Luke 22:31-34.

Then after being with JESUS four times after His resurrection JESUS restored Peter and commissioned him to feed and care for the Church: John 21:15-19.

So Oswald’s original comment was about when JESUS was telling the people that He was the Living Bread and Living Water and they would have to eat His flesh and drink His blood and some disciples left because it was too hard to understand and believe: John 6:41-71. We know that this is the communion from the Last Supper that celebrates JESUS and our salvation by His sacrifice: Luke 22:14-20.

The communion that we take in remembrance of JESUS and what He did also reminds us that He has restored us as children of the Father and Servants of His Eternal Kingdom. That as we are one with Him we are one with the Father and His SPIRIT now lives in us: John 16 & 17.

Mark 3

Mark 3

3:1-6 this is a continuation of 2:23-28 showing that JESUS is The LORD of Sabbath and that He will do the Works of GOD’s Kingdom in the earth as it is in Heaven everyday! The fact that the religious self-righteous leaders want to kill Him for that is proof that you can think you know GOD and are serving Him and be wrong! The evidence is in the fact that they joined with some from Herod to plot to kill JESUS in verse 6. Herod was a secular Jew appointed by Caesar both of whom were hated and feared by the general populace and the religious leaders of Israel. Again like the Mark 2 passage this brings to mind JESUS’ warning in Matthew 7:21ff and 25:31ff. The key thought for us is verse 5, “Then, looking them over and feeling both anger with them and sympathy for them at the stoniness of their hearts…” CJB

In verses 7-12 JESUS is healing many people who are coming from far and wide to be healed and delivered. But He dies not heal everybody! “For He healed many people,…” 3:10 CJB. There are passages in the Gospels that say that JESUS healed all that were there, but we know that He did not heal everybody. In Acts 3 the story is told of Peter and John going to pray in the Temple and seeing a man lame from birth, who was laid daily at the Temple gate called Beautiful. You do not think that JESUS never when in or out of that gate during His ministry or did not see the man begging? The key to this passage in Mark is verse 9, “He told His talmidim (disciples) to have a boat ready for Him, so that He could escape from the crush of the crowd if necessary.” CJB He understood the selfishness of humanity: that we can destroy the thing or person who can help us in our frenzy to get it.

In verses 13-20 JESUS picks the 12 men He wants to concentrate His teachings on and sent them out to preach and gave them authority over demons. Wow! This is pretty early in the disciplining period. In Mark this event and the following event are run together, but there is an unknown period of time between verse 19a and 19b. In Luke 9:1-6 and 10ff the choosing, sending, and return of the Apostles are separated by 3 verses about Herod and John The Baptist; but in Mark 3 these events are separated by three chapters, the return and report by the Apostles happens in Mark 6. This is one of the issues that confuse people who read but do not study the Bible.

Verse 21 does not appear in any of the other Gospels, ^19b“Then He entered a house, ²⁰and once more, such a crowd came together that they couldn’t even eat. ²¹When His family heard about this, they set out to take charge of Him; for they said, ‘He’s out of His mind!’” Verses 22 – 30 talk about what happened while His family was seeking Him; we’ll come back to them. Verses 31-35 are also told in Matthew 12:46-50 and Luke 8:19-21. “Then His mother and brothers arrived.” verse 31. So thinking JESUS was crazy they went to “take charge of Him”. Take charge by making Him go home with them, even if by force? We don’t really know but they were worried about Him and themselves. It is difficult to have a well known family member who is agitating the ruling sectors of society. But JESUS not only did not go with them, He proclaimed that whoever obeyed Him was His family.

In verses 22-30 the religious leaders are attacking JESUS again; “The Torah-teachers who came down from Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) said, ‘He has ba’al-zibbul in Him,’ and ‘it is by the ruler of the demons that He expels the demons.’” 3:22 CJB Then JESUS goes on to tell the parable of a house divided and asks, “How can satan expel satan?” Then He talks about how a strong man has to be overcome before you can ransack his home. Then without skipping a beat JESUS tells them what the unforgivable sin is, blaspheme of The HOLY SPIRIT and why; “For they had been saying, ‘He (JESUS) has an unclean spirit in Him.” 3:30 CJB This statement is found only in Mark’s Gospel, study Matthew 12:22-32 and Luke 11:14-23, 12:8-11.

Mark 2

Mark 2

Mark 2:1-13 is the story of the paralyzed man whose friends opened the roof of a home where JESUS was teaching and lowered him into JESUS’ presence. JESUS on seeing the trust of the man’s friends told the man his sins were forgiven. The religious leaders who were there said in their minds that JESUS was blaspheming because only GOD could forgive sins. JESUS knowing their thoughts asked them what was easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven. or Take up your mat and walk?” Then to prove He had the authority and power to forgive sin He told the man to take up his mat and walk. Everyone was amazed. The thought I had this morning was that the man did not understand nor have the trust to test his forgiveness. When JESUS said ‘Your sins are forgiven.” he just lay there. Then the discussion ensued about JESUS’ ability to forgive sin. In his heart the man might have rejoiced that his sins were forgiven, but he did or could not associate that with healing for his body. In the accounts of this event it says that it was his friends that trusted JESUS and brought him and literally forced him into JESUS’ presence. There was still little known about JESUS and much controversy about His ministry and authority to do what He did and say what He said. So it’s understandable when JESUS told the man his sins were forgiven to continue to lay on his mat. This is still happening today, many in the Church do not understand the authority of JESUS that He gave to those who believe in Him and the power to set people free physically, emotionally and spiritually. So when we pray for salvation for people we do not pray Sozo and Shalom, we just pray for the forgiveness of sins and going to heaven someday. If you do not understand what I mean by Sozo and Shalom then you need to do a word study of them. And, we all need to start not praying with people for salvation by leading them in some formulaic prayer but by speaking over them in our GOD given authority Sozo and Shalom. Ask the same questions but pray over them in authority not leading them in a prayer of repentance that you can find no example of in the Bible!

In 2:13-17 is the account of JESUS calling Levi and then having a meal at his home. The religious leaders question JESUS’ disciples about why JESUS is dinning with sinners and JESUS tells them it is not the healthy that need a doctor but the sick. Therefore He was not there for the righteous but for the sinners. The problem is that the righteous religious leaders of His day are the same as the righteous religious leaders of today and of every age. They do not see that their righteousness is not from GOD but from themselves and those who are like minded. Throughout the Gospels JESUS tells and shows the religious leaders that their righteousness is not from GOD and will not save them, in fact He tells the people to not follow their leader’s righteous acts but to seek GOD. This is shown clearly in Matthew 7:21ff and 25:31ff; in Matthew 7 there are those who do miracles in JESUS’ name but He calls them lawless and says He does not know them. In Matthew 25 there are those who do the natural works of mercy and He rewards them, but those who do not do the natural works of mercy He calls lawless and condemns. Where does our righteousness come from and what works of mercy are we doing?

In 2:18-22 JESUS is questioned about why His disciples do not fast and He tells them that His disciples cannot fast at that time because of His presence but that when He was gone they would fast. Are we fasting? Then He talks about patching old clothes with new material and putting new wine in old wind skins and how these are the ruin of the old and the new. Do you see what He is saying to the Church? He gave us a New Covenant based on the Old Covenant but we cannot apply the style of sacrifice of the Old to the New and The HOLY SPIRIT that He sent to the New will not function under the ways of the Old. The truth of the Old is still true and must be lived but the process of the New in His SPIRIT is the only way it will lead to life and not death. GOD did not give us The HOLY SPIRIT so that we could fulfill the law – JESUS did that – but to teach us how to incorporate into our daily life. There is a lot in this passage take your time to study, meditate and pray about your lifestyle.

2:23-27 is about the Sabbath, where JESUS proclaims that the Sabbath is for man and not man for the Sabbath. In the Old Testament under the law of Sabbath it became a ritual of religion rather than a blessing of rest; for the people and the land and GOD judged them for that. The Sabbath still applies today, especially today when we live such hurried and busy lives. We must take our Sabbath rest weekly! It is life and death. GOD also judged Israel for being religious rather than being personal, from the beginning when He brought them miraculously out of slavery in Egypt they wanted GOD ‘s blessings but not His presence. They wanted the benefits of His being their GOD but did not want to interact with Him personally, they wanted Moses and Aaron to stand and speak with GOD so they could continue to live how they desired, and we do the same today. Most Christians rather spend an hour or so a week hearing about GOD rather than spending any amount of time per day seeking His presence and learning of Him. Trust, righteousness, The HOLY SPIRIT, Sabbath and service are all a part of our salvation and should be a part of our daily lives.

The End Of Days

The End Of Days

Revelation 10-20

The End of Days Revelation starts in Revelation chapter 10, everything in the rest of Revelation is about the very end of time, the one thousand year reign of JESUS CHRIST in the earth from Jerusalem, the final conflict with satan and those who follow him in rebellion against JESUS, the Great White Throne judgment; then the New!

Revelation Chapters 1-3 are to the Church of that day which have applications to the Church of today. In chapter 4 the Heavens are open to John and the revelation of the End of Days begins. Chapters 5-9 are the first three and one half years of the Great Tribulation; that period comes to an end in chapter 11:14. Finally chapters 21 & 22:1-5 are about the New Earth, New Heaven, and New Jerusalem. Chapter 22:6-21 is a reminder and warning to be ready and obedient till the end.

“Next I saw another mighty angel coming down from Heaven. He was dressed in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head; his face was like the sun, his legs like columns of fire, and he had a little scroll lying open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and shouted in a voice as loud as the roar of a lion; and when he shouted, seven thunderclaps sounded with voices that spoke. I was about to write; but I heard a voice from Heaven say,

‘Seal up the things the seven thunders said,

do not write them down!’

Then the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted his right hand toward Heaven and swore by the One who lives forever and ever, who created Heaven and what is in it, earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it.

‘There will be no more delay; on the contrary,

in the days of the sound from the seventh angel

when he sounds his shofar,

the hidden plan of GOD

will be brought to completion,

the Good News as He proclaimed it

to His servants the prophets.’”

Revelation 10:1-7 CJB

“The seventh angel sounded his shofar; and there were loud voices in Heaven, saying,

‘The Kingdom of the world

has become the Kingdom

of our LORD and His Messiah,

 and He will rule forever!’”

Revelation 11:15 CJB

Then:

“Everyone living on the earth will worship it (the anti-Christ) except those whose names are written in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was founded. Those who have ears, let them hear!

‘If anyone is meant for captivity, into captivity he goes!

If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he is to be killed!’

This is when GOD’s holy people must persevere and trust!...Also it forces everyone – great and small, rich and poor, free and slave – to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead preventing anyone from buying or selling unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This is where wisdom is needed; those who understand should count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person, and its number is 666.” Revelation 13:8-18 CJB (emphasis mine)

Verse 10 is a quote from Jeremiah.

“Then ADONAI said to me, ‘Even if Moshe (Moses) and Sh’mu’el (Samuel) were standing in front of Me, My Heart would not turn towards this people! Drive them out of My sight, get them out of here! And when they ask you where they should go, tell them this is what ADONAI says:

“Those destined for death – to death!

Those destined for the sword – to the sword!

Those destined to famine – to famine!

Those destined to captivity – to captivity!”

I will assign them four kinds [of scourges],’” says ADONAI, “the sword to kill, dogs to drag away, birds in the air and wild animals to devour and destroy. I will make them an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, because of M’nasheh (Manasseh) son of Hizkiyahu (Hezekiah) king of Y’hudah (Judah), because of what he did in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem).” Jeremiah 15:1-4 CJB (emphasis mine)

“Then this Word of ADONAI came to Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) in Tachpanches (Tahapanes, Egypt): ‘With the men of Y’hudah watching, take some big stones, and set them with mortar in the pavement at the entry to Pharaoh’s palace in Tachpanches. Tell them, “This is what ADONAI-Tzva’ot (LORD of Hosts), the GOD of Isra’el, says: I will summon N’vukhadretzar (Nebuchadnezzar) the king of Bavel (Babylon), My servant, take him and set his throne on these stones I laid here; he will come and spread his royal canopy over them. He will come and attack the land of Egypt.

                        Those destined for death – to death!

                        Those destined for captivity – to captivity!

                        Those destined for the sword – to the sword!’”

Jeremiah 47:8-11 CJB (emphasis mine)

The key thought from above is, “This is when GOD’s holy people must persevere and trust!” from Revelation 13:10b. Why? Because The LORD is telling John that some Christians will experience GOD’s Will for their life as difficult and even deadly. In Jeremiah 15 GOD is talking to Israel, in Jeremiah 47 GOD is talking to Egypt where some Israelites have taken refuge. There is a great misconception in the Western Church today – that GOD will keep us from persecution and hard times. That He is going to rescue the Church from the earth before the great tribulation or last seven years before He establishes His one thousand year reign on the earth from Jerusalem.*

I believe that every person conceived is destined to be redeemed because of John 1 and 3, but not every person accepts that salvation based on Mark 16:14-18 and Romans 1:16-2:29. GOD counseled Cain not to be jealous of Able, but to serve GOD. Cain did not want to serve GOD GOD’s way so he killed his brother, Genesis 4:1-8. In Genesis 6&7 GOD saw the wickedness of humanity and destroyed all but 8 people.  In Malachi 1:2-3 GOD reminds the Israelites that He loved Jacob and hated Esau, why? Because He knew that Esau would reject Him, even from his youth.

GOD uses people according to His Will whether they purposely serve Him or not. That is why JESUS taught us to pray,

“Your Kingdom come,

Your Will be done on the earth

as it is in Heaven.”

Matthew 6:10.

In Exodus 9:13-16 GOD tells Pharaoh that He has kept him alive so He could show His Power and declare His Name to the world. GOD gave Nebuchadnezzar a dream (Daniel 2) and Daniel interpreted it that Nebuchadnezzar was a king of kings and GOD used him to judge Israel and other nations. In Revelation 17 GOD uses those opposed to Him for His own purpose.

There are those who say that some are destined to be saved and some are destined to be condemned, how is that fair or just? Some say that Romans 9 and Ephesians 1 say that some people are born to be saved and some are not. But what Romans 9 says is that some are born for honor and some for dishonor; that is not talking about salvation but purpose (GOD’s Will). Ephesians 1:3-14 with Revelation 13:8 show that GOD ordained that all men could be saved before He even made the earth or gave us life. We know that GOD is omniscient – that is that He know all things and He sees all things; there is nothing hidden from Him, He knows the beginning from the end; even the darkness is as light to Him; He knows our thoughts and what we will say before we say it; He knows the heart of mankind. Therefore He knows who will believe and serve Him and who will believe but not serve Him; who will reject Him and who will fight against Him.

Jeremiah 32:17-20 shows that GOD judges each person according to how they live, Revelation 20:11-15 show that everyone will be judged according to how they live. So every person is born with the opportunity to know GOD and believe in Him and serve Him with their life no matter when or where they live and we will all be judged by GOD for how we lived no matter when or where!

*1 Thessalonians 4 and 5 with 2 Thessalonians 1 and 2 clearly teach that Christians will be persecuted with trials and tribulations but that our eternal hope is in JESUS CHRIST who died for us and is coming back to take us to Himself.

In Revelation 2 and 3 are the letters to the seven Churches in Asia at the time of JESUS’ Revelation. Each letter ends with the phrase, “He who overcomes… and he who has an ear, let him hear what the SPIRIT says to the Churches.” We can’t overcome unless we are being tried and tested through tribulation and persecution. In chapters 5 through 8 there is a scroll with seven seals and only JESUS is able to open the seals which He does. Then in chapter 8 there begin seven trumpet blasts which are described through chapter eleven.

The scripture in Revelation 3:10-11 in the letter to the Church at Philadelphia JESUS says to them and thus us, “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which will come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”

Some use it to say the rapture is before the tribulation! But, to persevere means to get through the trial, to last to the end. His coming quickly is not fast but as a surprise to those not ready.

As a young Christian I believed what people told me, in Bible College I got a larger perspective about end time teaching. For the last three decades as I read and studied and listened to teachings I believed that the rapture was at the return of CHRIST, that the Church would go through the tribulation; then the one thousand year reign of CHRIST in Jerusalem.

In Revelation 11:14-19 is the third woe when the seventh trumpet is sounded, this seems to go with chapter 14:9-20 the reaping of the saints and the sinners and 16:17-21 the seventh bowl of GOD’s fury. In chapter 14 the saints are reaped first and there is no reference to the time between the two reaping events. We know that the Church will be raptured or taken out at the last trumpet when Christ returns to establish His thousand year reign on the earth – before the final battle and judgment of all humanity.

Revelation 19:9-20:6 chronicles the defeat of the anti-Christ and the false prophet and their human army. Christ and His angelic host defeat them and the anti-Christ and false prophet are thrown into the Lake of Fire for eternal punishment. But, satan was only chained up for one thousand years in the Abyss; this is during the thousand years of Christ’s reign on the earth.

In 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 Paul tells us that at the Last Trumpet sound the dead in Christ will be raised and those who serve GOD and are alive will be caught up and transformed in the air. Then there will be no more death for the saints. This seems in conflict with Revelation 20:4-6 “And I saw thrones and they sat on them and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to JESUS and for the Word of GOD,…and they lived and reigned with CHRIST for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and Holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of GOD and of CHRIST, and shall reign with Him for a thousand years.” (emphasis mine)

This comes after the thousand year reign of CHRIST on the earth where there are saved and unsaved people living. We know this because Revelation 20:7-15 tells us that at the end of the thousand years satan will be released and over an unknown period of time he will raise up an army of humans to revolt against CHRIST’s reign and attack Jerusalem. This is the final battle of satan and his followers, satan is thrown into the Lake of Fire for eternal judgment and all humanity is brought before GOD for judgment out of the books and The Lamb’s Book of Life; and everyone whose name was not written in The Lamb’s Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire which is the second (eternal) death.

The opening scripture, Revelation 13:8 says it all, “Everyone living on the earth will worship it (the anti-Christ) except those whose names are written in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was founded. Those who have ears, let them hear!”  (emphasis mine) If everyone on earth will worship the anti-Christ who will rule over the earth during the Great Tribulation except those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life; that means that there will be Christians during the tribulation. Where do they come from? Some believe they are those who knew but never really gave their life to JESUS who will repent when they realize they have been left behind. There will be one hundred and forty four thousand virgin Hebrew young men who are sealed with the Seal (Name) of GOD on their foreheads by The HOLY SPIRIT, Revelation 7:1-8, 14:1-5. Those are with CHRIST on Mount Zion not scattered throughout the earth. Revelation 14:6 says, “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth–to every nation, tribe, tongue and people.” So people will be getting saved. JESUS said in Mark 13:20 when talking about the End of the Age and the Great Tribulation, “And unless the LORD had shortened those days, no flesh would have been saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.”

JESUS taught us to know the signs of the times and be ready for His return. Every parable He taught about the return of the master resulted in reward or punishment – that is judgment. He never taught about a catching away or a rescue of His servants from tribulation. In fact from the Sermon on the Mount until His teaching on the End of Days He taught that we would be persecuted and killed for our faith in Him and our obedience to the works of His Kingdom.

Time:

There are six times in Revelation that time as we experience it is mentioned, I am not questioning the events as described but the time frame of some. Are they literal or symbolic?

(1) In 2:10, to the Church at Smyrna, “Do not fear any of those things that you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of life.” I do not know if that was for ten days literally or symbolically for a different time period.

(2) In 8:1, “When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in Heaven for about half an hour.” Literal or symbolic? In 17:12 it speaks of the ten kings (rulers) who will receive authority with the beast (anti-Christ) for one hour, “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast.” Literal or symbolic? This takes place in the first 3 ½ weeks (years as described in Daniel) of the tribulation. In 3:10 when JESUS says to the Church at Philadelphia, “I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world.” This is symbolic of an extended time event.

(3) In 9:1-12 the fifth trumpet sounds and locusts with power to hurt men for five months, vss. 5&10, “And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man…They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt man five months” Literal or symbolic?

(4) Three and one half years is mentioned several times in different formats: 11:3, “And I will give power to My two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand, two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” (1260 / 365 = 3.45 years) In 12:6&14 speaking of Israel who gives rise to the Messiah, “Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by GOD, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days…But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time, times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.”(time = 1 year, times = 2 years, half a time = half a year) In 13:5 speaking of the anti-Christ, “And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies and he was given authority to make war for forty-two months.” (42 / 12 = 3.5 years)

(5) In 11:9&11, “Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues and nations will see their dead bodies (the two witnesses) three-and-a-half-days, and not allow their bodies to be put into graves…Now after the three-and-a-half-days the breath of life from GOD entered them , and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.” This seems to be literal.

(6) One thousand years, 20:2-3&7, “He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the devil and satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while…Now when the thousand years have expired, satan will be released from his prison.” Most importantly of all, CHRIST’s millennial (one thousand year) reign, 20:4-6, “…And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to JESUS and for the Word of GOD, who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with CHRIST for the thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of GOD and of CHRIST, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” This is literal!

Is CHRIST’s thousand year reign the seventh day – the Sabbath day of the dominion of man on the earth?

Salvation

Salvation!

I have been thinking about what non-believers and nominal Christians think about GOD, most think either that He is a judgmental being that holds people to an unattainable or unreasonable standard. Or that He just does not care what happens to us and in His anger causes bad things to happen to us.

Pastor Chris Leeper said, that many in the Church in America believe that Christianity is all cupcakes and ice cream. JESUS did not teach this, He told us to take up our cross and follow Him. When GOD gives us something He also tells us to give it to others, it’s not just for us.

Joseph Prince said that grace is the flow of GOD’s provision for believers and living under the law squeezes it closed.

Is it oxymoronic to say: “Christianity is about keeping the 10 commandments or going to hell.” and “GOD loves us and excepts us as we are without judgment.” No, actually both are wrong!

Is it oxymoronic to say: “GOD is Love!” and “GOD will judge everyone!” No, these are both true statements.

What do these random thoughts have in common? They speak of the misconception that many people whether believers or not have about GOD.

GOD is Love and He is the Righteous Judge of all His creation! But, He is not going around looking for people to condemn.

“GOD so loves the world that He gave His only begotten Son that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. He did not send His Son to condemn the world, but that through Him the world might be saved. Those who believe in Him are not condemned but those who do not believe in the only begotten Son are condemned already because they do not believe. The condemnation is that the only begotten Son is light and life and they rejected Him choosing evil rather than light.” John 3:16-19 my paraphrase.

The Gospel is good news there is nothing good about hell except not going there. The Church in America fell into the habit of preaching hell fire and damnation trying to convince people to stop sinning so that they would not go to hell. JESUS came as the demonstration of GOD’s love to those already condemned to hell so that in believing in Him they would be delivered from hell. JESUS taught more about the Kingdom of GOD than hell because humanity was already condemned to eternal hell but He wanted to save us to His eternal Kingdom.

Keeping the 10 commandments or religious rules will not save anyone from hell or get anyone into Heaven. Rules and regulations stifle faith and growth, the two things that every believer needs to have in their life. If we make being a Christian about keeping rules and doing works we will choke off GOD’s grace which is the flow of His love, mercy, favor, provision, healing, etc.

No Person Will Go To Hell For Any Sin They Have Committed. Every Person Who Goes To Hell Will Go Because They Rejected JESUS, GOD’s Gift Of Salvation To Humanity! This is the Gospel, the good news that there is true salvation, a gift from GOD!

Why is it so hard for people to believe that GOD is who He says He is? Even many Christians have a hard time believing what GOD reveals about himself in the Bible. I myself have had experiential doubts while knowing what the Bible says. So why do we as humans, the favored creation of GOD, have such doubts about GOD?

Take salvation from an eternity in hell, no person in their heart of hearts really wants to go to hell and suffer for eternity. Yet we easily reject the only promise of salvation from hell, JESUS’ life, death and resurrection. No religion offers a guarantee of salvation other than Islam, which says (to my limited understanding) that if you die in defense of or while expanding their religion by conquering you will go to paradise.  That in reality is not a faith based religion but a works based religion, just like every other religion. They all teach that you must earn your way to paradise, nirvana (or whatever they call it) and it may take many lifetimes or you may never achieve paradise at all (that would be hell on earth).

So why is it so hard to believe that GOD so loved the world that He saves us from eternal judgment in hell? Is it that GOD so loves us? No religious founder or god loves humanity they do not even care if you make it to their version of heaven. It is about you doing enough to earn their respect or acceptance and then you can enter into their godhood or whatever they are.

Many reject the concept of hell, a place that we go to when our physical life is over if we rejected JESUS, where we are tormented for how we lived our life. Some religions do not even speak of a hell and of course those who say they do not believe in GOD believe that we just die and cease to exist (what a sad empty concept).

So what is wrong with earning our way into heaven? Nothing, if we were able to and it was the requirement for entrance. That is why in some religions it takes many lifetimes or if you are allowed only one lifetime it is impossible to know before your physical death whether you have achieved heaven. So according to religion you cannot know if you have earned heaven and you cannot know if a family member or friend has earned heaven; and after death we are not known to the living. So in religion we always strive but never know.

So what does the Bible teach about salvation? “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with GOD, and the Word was GOD. He was in the beginning with GOD. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  For GOD so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For GOD did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of GOD. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in GOD.”  John 1:1-5; 3:16-21.

It seems clear to me even though I did not understand how it worked early in my Christian life. So let me clear up this issue, Christianity is not a religion it is a life! We have life from GOD who created everything that exists and we have new life (being born again) in Christ Jesus. GOD did not create us to be His slaves or to satisfy His ego by making life hard for us. GOD created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden. They were immortal beings in a perfect environment with only two requirements, take care of the earth and populate it; and not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That was it. GOD walked and talked with them, but through deception and rebellion they ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Thus rebellion (sin) entered the heart of man and he became corrupt and his flesh began to die. That is why we are born into sin, destined for eternal hell. Hell was created for Lucifer, the devil and the angels who joined him in his rebellion against GOD, hell was created as the eternal place of their punishment, and Adam having joined in the devil’s rebellion now condemned humanity to the judgment of eternal damnation in hell.

That is why GOD ordained and JESUS accepted the call of the Cross, but it could only work if a man, the Son of Man – JESUS CHRIST, paid the price of redemption. Under GOD’s law, the 10 commandments, man was not able to redeem himself. So GOD Himself had to do it and it had to be something that man could not do for himself. Thus JESUS the only begotten Son of GOD (virgin birth) lived as a human resisting every temptation that we have to face and living a sinless life, gave His life on the Cross (becoming sin for us). Because we could not do it ourself!

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of CHRIST, for it is the power of salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of GOD is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” Romans 1:16-17

So what is clear is that if you reject GOD’s plan of salvation through JESUS CHRIST than you will spend eternity in hell!

If you do not want to go to hell than the only option is to believe that The One True GOD JEHOVAH gave His Only Son, JESUS CHRIST to be a sacrifice for the sins of humanity; so that everyone that believes and excepts this gift of salvation will not go to hell.

The left is hoping you don’t remember . . .

President Trump and many governors, Republican and Democrat, are focused on getting America through this global pandemic and back to work safely. The left’s political class, meanwhile, is fixated on something else: dividing Americans for partisan gain.

The difference is that real leaders want results. Many are working with the President to achieve just that. Media pundits and Democrat leaders in Congress, on the other hand, are in the business of manufacturing conflict. They lose out if Americans unite.

Yet the left botched the Coronavirus story again and again. Now, they blame the President and hope you don’t remember how they fought him every step of the way:  

• The President formed a Coronavirus Task Force on January 29, when there were just a handful of confirmed cases in the United States. That day, The New York Times warned its readers to “beware the pandemic panic.” By the next day, Democrats were busy fighting each other over the impeachment spotlight.
   
• President Trump restricted travel from China two days later. Democrat leaders called the ban “xenophobic” and unnecessary. The Washington Post published a piece that day: “How our brains make coronavirus seem scarier than it is.”
   
• In an Oval Office address on March 11, President Trump spoke about the U.S. response and announced travel restrictions from Europe. Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined the media and other Democrats in questioning the action: “We’ll see whether it’s worth the trouble.”
   
• The Trump Administration negotiated with Congress later in March to get immediate relief for working Americans through the bipartisan CARES Act. Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats stalled the Senate bill with their own list of demands—filled with partisan items that had nothing to do with Coronavirus.

There are more examples, but the pattern is clear: The left attacks President Trump for overreacting to Coronavirus, then later claims he didn’t do enough. It’s a classic Washington stunt, but it won’t work this time. Americans have seen these tricks before.

President Trump is holding the WHO accountable

 

American taxpayers send $400-500 million to the World Health Organization each year. China, with its 1.4 billion people, contributes about one-tenth of that amount.

The U.S. foots the bill, and here is what it receives in return: A WHO response to the Coronavirus outbreak that has been filled with one misstep and cover-up after another.

The WHO repeatedly parroted the Chinese government’s claims that the virus was not spreading between humans, despite dire warnings from doctors and health officials. When Taiwan contacted the WHO in December after seeing reports of human-to-human transmission, the WHO cowered to China and kept it from the public.

In addition to covering for the Chinese Communist Party, the WHO went out of its way to attack U.S. officials working to contain the virus. WHO leaders voiced strong opposition to travel restrictions from China and other countries, despite applauding travel restrictions within China itself. That led to further spread of the virus globally.

On February 24, President Trump requested $2.5 billion from Congress in emergency funds to fight the virus. That same day, the WHO insisted Coronavirus was not a pandemic—and chillingly praised China’s government for getting it under control. 

In a global health crisis, telling the truth is a matter of life and death. In this basic duty, the WHO failed. Until these mistakes are acknowledged and fixed, President Trump has halted U.S. funding for the organization. “Maybe WHO will reform, and maybe they won’t,” President Trump said. “But we’ll be able to see.”

“Timeline Proves WHO Helped China Make COVID-19 Pandemic Worse”

From 1600 Daily The White House <info@mail.whitehouse.gov>

America is Winning the Covid War

America is winning its war on the Coronavirus. President Trump announced another milestone over the weekend: More than 4 million Americans have now been tested.
 
“That’s a record anywhere in the world,” he said. The United States has now conducted more tests than France, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, India, Austria, Australia, Sweden, and Canada—combined.

President Trump’s response is unprecedented for another reason, too—one that most Americans won’t see covered in the news. “Throughout history, national emergencies have led to a more powerful and centralized federal government,” Hudson Institute Distinguished Fellow Christopher DeMuth writes in The Wall Street Journal.
 
Until now. “For the first time in U.S. history, an administration is responding to a crisis with deregulation and decentralization,” he says.
 
Here’s why. Career politicians, both in Washington and around the world, have one instinct during an emergency: to grab power. It’s rarely temporary, and it often has little to do with the situation at hand. Instead, politicians create more agencies and more red tape, claiming that Bigger Government will prevent the next great threat. 
 
The opposite happens. A slow, bureaucratic response globally made the Coronavirus worse. The World Health Organization, with its $2.4 billion annual budget, didn’t prepare the world for Coronavirus—it downplayed the risk while parroting claims from the Chinese Communist Party that the virus wasn’t spreading between humans.
 
Elsewhere in the world, countries with government-run socialized medicine have been forced to ration care, often at the expense of older patients.
 
In the United States, President Trump moved to slash red tape quickly, eliminating outdated rules and bureaucracy around testing, treatments, telemedicine, and more to speed up our nationwide response to his standards.
 
President Trump knows that Washington works best when it leads, not controls. His priority is making sure that every state, locality, and frontline worker has the resources needed to fight this virus. Whether it’s securing more ventilators or rapidly expanding testing, he’s brought in the full power of America’s best-on-Earth private sector to help. 
 
The results show that America is unstoppable when it works together. Closely watched areas such as New York, Detroit, and New Orleans are stabilizing and seeing progress. Nationwide, the latest data suggests that America is past its peak for new cases—and on track to see far fewer deaths than even the most optimistic models once projected. 
 
The President knows who to thank for winning this war: you. Our nation’s doctors, nurses, innovators, essential workers, and patriotic citizens are the best in the world.
 
“The American people have done a hell of a job,” he says.  

From 1600 Daily 04/20/2020 The White House <info@mail.whitehouse.gov>

Team Trump to Jim Acosta: Here’s Your Examples of Mail-In Voter Fraud

Team Trump to Jim Acosta: Here’s Your Examples of Mail-In Voter Fraud

“You’ve been talking about voter fraud since the beginning of this administration and where is the evidence of it?” Acosta asked during the White House press briefing, insisting that “all the experts say voter fraud is rare.”

Trump replied, “I think there’s a lot of evidence, but we’ll provide you with some, okay?”

The president’s re-election campaign responded quickly to Acosta’s request, noting there were nine people charged in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas with “vote harvesting” and mail ballots, a political operative in New York stealing and submitting absentee ballots, and a resident in Pennsylvania receiving seven separate ballots in the mail.

The campaign also shared a Heritage Foundation document of over 1,000 proven cases of vote fraud.

“Democrats and the mainstream media always scoff at claims of voter fraud, but then completely ignore evidence from across the country,” Trump 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale said in a statement. “The obvious reason is that Democrats are just fine with the possibility of voter fraud. And many in the media just see the world their way.”

The Trump campaign also quoted an election expert in the New York Times who said although election fraud was rare, “the most common type of such fraud in the United States involves absentee ballots” through the mail.

President Trump cited ongoing legal action from Judicial Watch forcing states to clear millions of ineligible voter registrations within 90 days as proof of voter fraud.

The White House also shared details of 2005 commission led by President Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush’s secretary of state James A. Baker III that concluded mail-in ballots “remain the largest source of potential voter fraud.”

“Outside those in the establishment media who are more interested in attacking the President than the facts, there’s a clear consensus that universal mail-in voting would be vulnerable to fraud,” a White House source told Breitbart News in a statement.