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Death of Osama Bin Laden, House of War, Israel

Monday, May 9th, 2011
Osama Bin Laden watching himself on TV in his final hideout in Abbottabad Pakistan

Osama Bin Laden watching himself on TV in his final hideout in Abbottabad Pakistan

(May 9, 2011)  With the news of the death of Osama Bin Laden this past week, there are two Islamic concepts that the non-Muslim world needs to understand. Before discussing those concepts I want to comment on the death of Osama Bin Laden.

The Death of Osama Bin Laden

Late last Sunday night, May 1st, I was on the Internet while watching television when I saw the news that Osama Bin Laden had been killed. I switched to a news channel to find out what had happened. President Obama was in the middle of telling the nation that the American military had tracked down and killed Bin Laden.

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After his announcement, the television  showed images of Americans celebrating in Times Square and in front of the White House. As I watched these celebratory gatherings they did not feel right to me. The first thing I thought of were the images of the Arabs around the Middle East celebrating the 9/11 attacks on America. It also struck me that Osama Bin Laden did not make it to the tenth anniversary of those attacks. From a worldly perspective I can understand the celebrations by Americans as all of our lives have been changed since that September day nearly ten years ago. However, I saw the events of last Sunday night from a biblical viewpoint. God makes it clear that governments are to protect their citizens from evil: “1 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.” (Romans 13:1-4) Also: “13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. 15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.” (1 Peter 2:13-15)  The American government and the military fulfilled this mandate by punishing the leader of the Al Qaeda Terror network, Osama Bin Laden. However, Christians are not to rejoice over the death of their enemies: “17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; 18 or the LORD will see it and be displeased, and turn His anger away from him. 19 Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked; 20 For there will be no future for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.” (Proverbs 24:17-20) To the contrary, Jesus said that we are to love our enemies: “43 You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:43-45)  Understandably, this a hard concept for many people to accept, especially when the enemy has committed great evil. Yet God states, “9 But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life. 10 Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus you have spoken, saying, “Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we are rotting away in them; how then can we survive?”‘ 11 “Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live, Turn back, turn back from your evil ways!” (Ezekiel 33:9-11) One of the most revered men in Christendom is the apostle Paul yet before his conversion he was responsible for the torture and death of many Christians. This is why Jesus said to pray for your enemies that they may turn from their wicked ways and be converted to the righteousness of God. A few weeks ago I wrote an article for this blog titled God’s love for Muslims: A highway of salvation. There I discuss the fact that at Jesus’ second coming both Jews and Muslims will accept Jesus as their Savior and Messiah. In the meantime millions of Muslims are converting to Christianity at the present time. Christians are not to rejoice over deaths of their enemies but to pray for them before they die. And governments are ordained by God to protect their citizens from evildoers.

Islamic Terrorism will continue

Even though Osama Bin Laden is dead terrorism will continue around the world because of Dar al-Islam and Dar al-Harb. In March of 2009 I wrote an article declaring that there would never be a successful peace process between Israel and the fundamentalist Muslims. In that article I wrote:

“There are two concepts in Islam that will never allow Israel to have peace until the Messiah returns. The first is Dar al-Islam which means House of Islam or House of Submission. Its adherents are made up of Muslim extremists. Dar al-Islam refers to countries where the law of Islam prevails and an Islamic government rules. Non-Muslims may live there under subjugation. Dar al-Harb means House of War and refers to those countries that are not under Islamic rule. It also refers to those lands which were once Islamic but were conquered by non-Muslims. The lands that are not Muslim are not legitimate because they are not under the authority of Allah. In the case of Israel those Muslims who subscribe to Dar al-Harb believe that the Jews are living on land that Allah gave to Islam. Therefore it is a disgrace to Islam and can only be rectified by Israel returning to Islamic rule. The Muslims riot over cartoons depicting their prophet Muhammad because it is a dishonor to him. How much more will they fight to regain Israel since it is a dishonor to Allah. No matter how many moderate Muslims may want peace with Israel the Islamic hardliners can never allow Israel to exist. Under Dar al-Harb treaties and truces may be made but only with the goal of eventually retaking the land that once was under Islamic rule. Since Israeli soldiers swear an oath declaring “Never again” will they be brought under the power of another government, they will never stop fighting to keep Israel.” (Why There will never be peace in Israel until the Messiah returns)

Dar al-Harb (House of War) and Dar al-Islam (House of Islam/Submission), although not well known concepts, caught the attention of the writers for a 2008 Hollywood movie about the CIA’s secret war against Muslim terrorists. In that movie, Body of Lies, the Jihadists interrogate an innocent Jordanian whom the CIA framed as the leader of a terrorist group. The interrogator says to this Jordanian, “Allah praises you for your work. The Sheikh praises you for your work. The House of Islam rejoices at the strike you have made against the House of War.” Since many of the Islamic terrorists subscribe to these two concepts, they will never give up until they have destroyed the nation of Israel. The death of Osama Bin Laden will not end Islamic terrorism. Reportedly, Osama Bin Laden’s final video tape confirms this: “In an audio message addressed to US President Barack Obama, [Osama Bin Laden] said: ‘America will not be able to dream of security until we live in security in Palestine. It is unfair that you live in peace while our brothers in Gaza live in insecurity. Accordingly, and with the will of God, our attacks will continue against you as long as your support for Israel continues,’ he warned.” (Bin Laden vows no US security in final tape: website)  As long as the Jews live in the land of Israel peace will not come to the Middle East or the rest of the world until Jesus Christ returns and sets up His earthly kingdom.

Israel: The three most important Biblical Covenants

Of the various covenants or promises that God made to Israel and through them to the world, three have relevance to world events going on today. They are the Abrahamic Covenant, the Davidic Covenant, and the New Covenant.

The Abrahamic Covenant

In Genesis chapters 12, 13, and 17 God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham. God promised him that He would make a great nation out of Abraham’s descendants, that He would bless those that bless Abraham and curse those that curse him,  that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through Abraham, and that He would give the land of Israel to the Jews for an everlasting possession. In chapter 17 God confirms that this covenant will be fulfilled through Abraham’s son Isaac. In chapter 25 God further confirms that this covenant will be passed on through Isaac’s son Jacob and his descendants, the Jews. Later on God tells the Jews that if they obey His commandments He will bless them in the land of Israel. Likewise, if they disobey His law then He will remove them from the land which did occur in 586 B.C. but He also promised to bring them back seventy years later. Therefore, the Bible makes it clear that God decides when the Jews live in the land of Israel and when they don’t. However, in the Prophets God declared that one day He would bring them back to the land and they would nevermore be removed from it. This then is the Abrahamic Covenant. (For a fuller discussion of this covenant with the corresponding Scripture references see my article: Christian Zionism: Christians and the Jews)

The Davidic Covenant

King David wanted to build a Temple in Jerusalem for God. However, God only allowed him to purchase the land where the Temple was to be built (where the Temple Mount is today). But He would not allow David to build the Temple but rather ordained his son King Solomon to build it. King David, a man after God’s own heart, wanted to honor God but instead God honored King David with a covenant or promise: “12 When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish His kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever. 16 Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.” (2 Samuel 7:12-13,16) One of King David’s descendants would rule on the throne of God’s kingdom forever. This will be fulfilled when the Son of David, Jesus Christ, returns and establishes His kingdom on earth. Jesus will reign over the whole world from Jerusalem. Since Jesus has not returned yet the Davidic Covenant will be fulfilled in the future.

The New Covenant

The most important promise God made in the Bible was to send the Messiah to die for the sins of the world and thereby reconcile humanity to Himself. The Old Covenant or Testament gave the Law to the Jews.  It was a set of external laws which sinful humankind was unable to keep.  Therefore God promised through His prophet Jeremiah: “31 ‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,’ declares the LORD. 33 ‘But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’” (Jeremiah 31:31-33)  Under the New Covenant God was going to change human hearts. He declared through the prophet Isaiah that He was going to send His Servant, the Messiah, to die for our sins so that we would be made righteous with God: “4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed…11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:4-5,11-12) At the final Passover meal with His disciples, Jesus referred to His sacrificial and atoning death: “19 And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ 20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.’” (Luke 22:19-20) All the early Christians were Jews who believed Jesus was the Messiah and received His atoning sacrifice for themselves. As a nation though, the Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah and rejected the New Covenant promised by God through the prophet Jeremiah. However, the apostle Paul declares that one day all Israel will be saved through Jesus Christ: “25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this is My covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” (Romans 11:25-27) When Jesus returns the Jews and the Muslims will turn to Him for their salvation.

Until that time though, evil will continue to cause chaos in the world and the Devil will “prowl around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour”.

 

It was an external Law

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Darkness and Deliverance: The first Passover, the first Easter, the Second Coming

Friday, April 22nd, 2011


(Good Friday – April 22, 2011) God has revealed His purposes and His will for Creation in the Bible. The reason He created the universe and humankind is stated in the Book of Revelation: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Revelation 4:11) We were created because it was God’s pleasurable will to create us in His image and to fellowship with Him. That God has a plan for the universe and humankind is revealed by Him through the prophet Isaiah: “9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.” (Isaiah 46:9-10) The plan begins with Adam and Eve in Genesis and ends (or begins again) with eternity in Revelation. Because He gave His human creations free will in relating to Him and because humans chose sin over God’s ways, His plan included corrective measures. There are three great deliverances that God ordained for humankind from before the foundation of the earth because He knew that humans would disobey Him and turn from Him. Two of these have already occurred and the third is yet in the future. Each of these deliverances has a common aspect to them. The darkness of God’s judgment preceded the light which radiated from each of these redemptive acts.

The First Passover

The first deliverance in God’s plan actually has its roots in His choosing of Abraham to bless all nations through his descendants. He told Abraham that he would have a son who would have a son who would become the father of the Jewish nation of Israel. But He also showed him that his Jewish descendants would suffer the bondage of slavery in another country before He brought them back to the land of Israel. As a result of a famine the Jews migrated to the land of Egypt where they eventually were enslaved for a few hundred years. At the time of God’s choosing, He sent Moses to deliver His people from their bondage to Pharaoh the king of Egypt. Pharaoh’s heart was hard even after God had brought ten plagues against Egypt. The eleventh plague preceded God’s final judgment on Pharaoh and his nation:

“21 Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt.’ 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. 23 They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings.” (Exodus 10:21-23)

This darkness was unlike a natural darkness in that it could be felt! God’s final judgment fell immediately after this plague of darkness when the Angel of Death killed all the firstborn sons of Egypt who were not under the protection of the Passover lamb’s blood which was spread on the doors of the Jewish homes. Out of this judgment came a redemption for the Jews from the dark bondage of slavery to the Egyptians and resulted in their receiving the light of God’s law on Mt. Sinai: “For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light.” (Proverbs 6:23) When the Jews obeyed God’s law they lived under His blessing. Eventually though, they repeatedly turned from His law and succumbed to the bondage of sin and suffered His painful judgment. However, the second deliverance God had planned would not only deliver the Jews but also the rest of the world.

The First Resurrection (Easter)

“4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5) In God’s plan, at the perfect time, He sent His Messiah to deliver the world from the bondage of sin and in doing so fulfilled His promise to Abraham to bless all the nations of the world. In the law God had ordained the Jews to sacrifice innocent animals to atone for their sins. In reality, these animal sacrifices only covered their sins. His plan was to send His Son, Jesus Christ, to be the sacrificial lamb who would take away the sins of the world and thereby restore fellowship between humans and God forever. The sacrifice was offered on the cross of crucifixion with His shed blood and death atoning once and for all for the sins of humanity. Once again the darkness of God’s judgment preceded the redemptive light of God’s grace and mercy:

“33 When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left…44 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 because the sun was obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two. 46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, Into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ Having said this, He breathed His last.” (Luke 23:33,44-46)

During this darkness God laid every human sin ever committed or that will be committed on His sinless firstborn Son and poured out His wrathful judgment on Jesus. The veil in the Temple which separated sinful man from a holy God was ripped away because Jesus’ death made a way for humans to once again fellowship with God. In the light of Easter morning, the empty tomb where the crucified body of Jesus had been laid and now was resurrected to eternal life, confirmed that God accepted His Son’s sacrifice on behalf of humanity. The Light of the World redeemed humanity from the dark bondage of slavery to sin: “11 He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. 12 But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” (John 1:11-12) However, as John wrote, not everyone receives Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Those who reject Him are still under the power of Satan, the ruler of this world as the apostle Paul wrote: “3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4) The third and final deliverance in God’s plan will redeem the world from the power of the Devil and usher in Jesus’ kingdom on earth.

The Second Coming

After Jesus’ ascension to Heaven, God sent His Holy Spirit upon the followers of Jesus in order to guide them into all truth and to spread throughout the world the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ alone. When the worldwide preaching of the gospel is accomplished, Jesus will return to earth and reign from Jerusalem. Before that occurs however, the world will grow more and more rebellious in its attitude towards God’s authority and in its rejection of Jesus Christ as His Savior. Instead, they will turn to the Devil and his servant, the beast or Antichrist, to be their savior. This demonic leader will try to rule the world through the power of Satan. Initially he will have some success but ultimately he leads the world to destruction and the judgment of God. Jesus said the signs of the End-Times will be like labor pains. This means that at the very end, God’s final judgments, the seven bowl judgments, will occur quickly and close together. Darkness again is at the very end of this horrible time:

“10 And the fifth angel poured out his bowl upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, 11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.” (Revelation 16:10-11)

This darkness is followed by the culmination of the battle of Armageddon. During that battle the light of Jesus’ second coming appears: “8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonder.” (2 Thessalonians 2:8-9) Jesus destroys the Antichrist and his rebellious armies at His second coming. At long last the world is redeemed from the dark bondage of slavery to the world’s ruler and his wicked system. What Jesus said during His first time on the earth will once again be true when He walks the earth the second time and sets up His millennial kingdom: “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” (John 9:5) Though the world had been in darkness both literally and spiritually, the true light will reign on the earth.

The Conclusion of God’s Plan

After Jesus reigns for a thousand years the Book of Revelation declares what happens next:

“7 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, 8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. 9 And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:7-15)

For reasons known only to God, He allows Satan one last chance and once again he leads a rebellion against God which is quickly put down. The Devil is thrown into the lake of fire for eternity. Then God judges those who rejected Jesus’ sacrificial atonement for their sins and they too are judged and cast into the lake of fire. What this eternal fire looks like is not known. However, it seems that this judgment includes darkness of some kind as Jesus stated: “And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 25:30) This then is the final judgment of God in eternity. After the darkness comes the light of God’s eternal presence:

“1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away’. 5 And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new’ And He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.’…21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. 22 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:1-5,21-23)

Good Friday

Today is Good Friday, the day we commemorate our Lord’s crucifixion and sacrificial death for our sins. We need to understand that this was part of God’s plan from the beginning to the end. The end of the plan is only possible because “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” If we confess our sins and repent of our sins and receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior then He gives us the power to become sons of God. Then we will be part of the fulfillment of God’s plan which He made before the foundation of the world. Then as His children we can lovingly declare the final words of His plan:

“20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. 21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” (Revelation 22:20-21)

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Fulfilled prophecy: 146,000,000,000,000,000 sins

Saturday, April 9th, 2011

(April 9, 2011) “4 Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4-5)

With His first coming Jesus Christ fulfilled hundreds of Old Testament prophecies concerning God’s promise to send a suffering Messiah to die for the sins of the world. Likewise, Jesus will fulfill all the prophecies concerning the coming of the victorious Messiah in the End-Times. I believe this passage in Isaiah is the most important prophecy God gave to humanity because it promises that humankind will be reconciled to the Him through His Messiah.  A few years ago I wrote an article titled “Did Jesus only suffer physically during His crucifixion?” for my original website at iesouschristos.com (I have recently changed the content of this site). With this article I was hoping to illustrate the enormity of what actually occurred to Jesus while He was on the cross. As you will see, I calculated the number of sins in a very unscientific manner (albeit a mathematical one) and the result is staggering. It helped me understand why only the incarnate God of the universe was able to accomplish the salvation of humankind. He had to take every sin ever committed or that will be committed by human beings onto Himself. Mel Gibson  illustrates this truth at the beginning of his movie The Passion of the Christ where Satan is tempting Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Satan says to Him, “Do you really believe that one man can bear the full burden of sin? No one man can carry this burden, I tell you. It is far too heavy. Saving their souls is too costly. No-one. Ever. No. Never.” Thankfully the Devil was wrong and Jesus did accomplish God’s will for Him by bearing  our sins on the cross and reconciling humankind to their Heavenly Father and Creator. In a couple of weeks Christians will be observing Good Friday, the day Jesus was crucified. Hopefully this article will help you to observe this Day with a more spiritual understanding of what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross.

Did Jesus only suffer physically during His crucifixion?

Several years ago I was talking with a friend of mine who was an agnostic. It wasn’t until I explained to him the true significance of Jesus’ death on the cross did he have a better understanding of it. My friend thought that other humans had suffered worse physically in history than did Jesus. He was correct in that assessment. I then pointed out to him the two aspects of Jesus’ crucifixion that set Him apart from all other human beings that have ever lived.

The first is that Jesus is the only sinless human being to ever walk the earth. He was tempted in all ways yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus is the spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Jesus came to earth to save people from their sins so that they may be with God for eternity (John 3:16). That humans would crucify a sinless man was indeed a unique event in history. There is a difference between being innocent of a particular sin and being innocent of all sins.

The second is that for the first time in eternity Jesus would not experience the presence of God the Father. Jesus became sin for us when God laid all the sins of the human race on Jesus at His sacrificial death (II Corinthians 5:17-21). This means that the Father treated and punished Jesus on the cross as a murderer, a thief, a rapist, a child molester, a drunkard, a liar, a blasphemer, an idolater, a sexually immoral person, and every other sin that humans have ever committed. As a human being I know the guilt feeling I’ve had when I committed a sin. I cannot imagine what Jesus felt when every sin that has been or will be committed was laid upon Him. Since Jesus had never committed a sin this feeling was something He had never experienced before. Just as our sins separate us from God, our sins separated Jesus from His Father (Isaiah 59:2). In the garden of Gethsemane did Jesus dread the physical suffering He knew He was about to endure or was there more to it than that? While Jesus was totally God he was also totally a human being and therefore suffered physical pain (John 1:1-3,14). However, I believe the reason Jesus asked His Father to use His will to find another way to save mankind was not because Jesus was afraid of the flogging and the excruciating pain of the crucifixion He was about to experience. Rather it was because Jesus knew that for the first time in eternity He would not feel the Father’s presence. What I really find amazing about this is that Jesus knew after three days the presence of His Father would be restored to Him. Yet Jesus did not want to be away from His Father’s presence for even that short period of time. But we know that on the cross Jesus could not sense the presence of His Father because He said, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46).

This says a lot to me about what heaven is going to be like. Heaven is not going to be about playing harps, being in the most beautiful places in the universe, speaking with the great men of God who lived on earth, or even being with family and friends for eternity. All of these things will be part of our eternal lives but they will not be the zenith of our heavenly experience. No, the supreme experience we will have will most definitely be the feeling of love, safety, serenity, ecstasy, joy, peace, rest, and security that can only come when we are in the immediate presence of God!

Conversely Hell will be a terrifying, nightmarish experience but just as the best part about dwelling in heaven is being in the presence of God, the worst part about dwelling in Hell will be not experiencing the presence of God.

________

146 Quadrillion Sins: [With the understanding that all the numbers in this section are unverifiable estimates because of the nature of the data, I have endeavored to give a quantification to the suffering of Jesus on the cross] – According to the Population Reference Bureau website , there have been more than 100 billion human beings who have lived on the earth. The average lifespan throughout history would be close to 40 years (taking into account that the greatest number of human beings in history have lived on earth in the last 200 years):

Neolithic – 20 yrs
Bronze Age – 18 yrs
Classical Greece – 28 yrs
Classical Rome – 28 yrs
Medieval England – 33 yrs
End of 19th Century – 37 yrs
Early 20th Century – 50 yrs
Circa 1940 – 65 yrs
Current – 77-81 yrs

source: answers.com

The number of thoughts a human being has per day ranges from 2,000 to 55,000 according to various sources. Taking the lowest number on the thoughts spectrum (2000 per day) would mean that a human would have 730,000 thoughts a year. If only 100 of these thoughts per day (whether they led to negative actions or not) are of a sinful nature, that would mean that the average human throughout history would commit 36,500 sins a year. Taking the average lifespan of 40 years means that a single human being commits a total of 1,460,000 sins in their lifetime. With the total number of human beings consisting of more than 100 billion souls (not including future sins committed by those who come along until Jesus Christ returns and judges the world) means that Jesus took the judgment for over 146 quadrillion (146,000,000,000,000,000) sins committed by His human creations. Only a God of love come in the form of a human being could have made such a sacrifice.

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Obviously the numbers listed above are pure speculation but the real number of sins is probably much higher. Only God come in the form of His Son could endure the punishment for billions and billions of people and their sins. The important thing is that God fulfilled Bible prophecy by sending His Son to die for our sins and save us. This means that He will also be faithful in fulfilling all the prophecies about the second coming of Jesus and as the apostle Paul said in I Thessalonians 4:18, “Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

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The Great Apostasy and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ

Sunday, April 3rd, 2011

(April 3, 2011) “8 When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8) I believe this is one of the most intriguing things Jesus said during His earthly ministry. To whom was He directing this question? Was He trying to motivate the Disciples to spread the faith? No, He knew they were going to preach the gospel throughout the Roman Empire and lead many to faith in Him (Luke 21:12-15). Was He trying to motivate future generations which would include us to spread the faith? No, because in Matthew 24:14 He stated as a fact that the gospel would be preached in all the world and then the end would come. Or was He asking a rhetorical question of Himself? I believe that He indeed was making a statement with this question indicating that true faith would be lacking on earth when He returns again. The context of this question begins in the last section of chapter 17 of Luke where He describes His second coming. He immediately follows this with a parable of the Unjust Judge and persistent prayer in the first seven verses of chapter 18. The meaning of this parable is that His followers should be persistently praying that His kingdom would come without further delay. He concludes this parable by asking if He will find faith on earth when He does come again. The answer to this question lies in biblical prophecy.

The Tribulation Period

The apostle Paul’s first written letters were to the Christians in the Church of Thessaloniki, Greece. He wrote them circa 50-52 A.D. which was about twenty years after the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. End-Times prophecy pervades these two letters and reveals that the early Church had a tremendous interest in the second coming of Jesus and the events leading up to it. In chapter four of 1 Thessalonians Paul explains the event that Christians call the Rapture or taking away of Christians from the earth. Chapter five discusses the timing of the Day of the Lord. In chapter two of 2 Thessalonians Paul speaks of the evil ruler (whom Christians call the Antichrist) and the events surrounding his ascension to power:

“1 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? 6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. 13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-13)

Paul states that the Antichrist will come to power and enter the rebuilt third Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and will declare himself to be God. Then Jesus will return and destroy him at His second coming. However, before that happens there will be an apostasy or falling away from the Christian faith which will cause the world to look for an earthly leader to rule over them. They will reject the truths of God’s word concerning His Son Jesus Christ and turn to Satan’s son for their earthly salvation. These events are corroborated in chapter 13 of the Book of Revelation which talks about how the beast or Antichrist will deceive the whole world.

Jesus also warned that many would be led astray from Him, the true Messiah, just before His second coming:

“3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ 4 And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘See to it that no one misleads you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many…21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22 Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25 Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27 For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” (Matthew 24:3-5,21-27)

The Great Apostasy

In his second letter to Timothy and the last epistle he wrote, Paul issues two warnings about the apostasy coming in the last days:

“1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

and:

“1 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” (2 Timothy 4:1-4)

Jesus said that the signs of the last days would be like labor pains (Matthew 24:8), meaning they will get more and more intense in nature and come closer and closer together. Thus, the apostasy will also be great with those who turn away from the true faith of Jesus Christ just before His return. Paul described the beginning of the end of true Christianity by stating that people will have “a form of godliness but denying its power”. The Christian Church began its slide toward this final, great apostasy with the Age of Enlightenment beginning in the late 1700s. The world then was declaring that reason should triumph over superstition and religious authoritarianism. This led to the decline of the Church and to the denial of the supernatural aspects of the Bible while at the same time giving rise to secular humanism and liberalism. Although Protestant churches went on having a form of godliness, they denied the power thereof which eventually led to the near extinction of any Spirit-filled churches in Europe by the 21st Century. It appears that Islam is now filling the vacuum left by the exit of true Christianity in Europe.

Elements of the modern Christian Church in America seem to be fulfilling Paul’s final warning that “the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” There are church leaders who teach that the orthodox doctrine of eternal Hell and torment is false and that a loving God would not punish someone forever. Consequently they support the heretical doctrine of Universalism which states that every human being will eventually experience salvation whether or not they receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Others teach that all religions have good aspects to them and that believing in Jesus is only necessary for those of the Christian faith. Therefore we can be united with those who have chosen to find God through other faiths. If Christians declare that Jesus is the only way to salvation then they are being intolerant of those of other faiths. If Christians state that homosexuality or abortion is sinful then they are narrow-minded bigots and hatemongers who don’t care about or love others. Experience, sentimentality, and relativity dominate the teaching of these modern church leaders while sound biblical doctrine is reinterpreted or dispensed with altogether. All of this leads many in the modern church movement to denigrate and disparage those Christians who maintain a belief in the doctrinal truths of God’s word. Tragically, I believe it will cause many in the future to participate in the great apostasy that is going to occur during the End-Times.

When the Son of Man returns will He find faith on earth?

There are a couple of other prophecies which have a bearing on the answer to this question. The first is the Rapture of the Christian Church. If the Rapture occurs before the Tribulation Period, there will be no Christians left on the earth at that time. However, God seals 144,000 Jews who will apparently lead millions to Christ during that seven-year period of Tribulation. But John sees many of those same millions of new believers in heaven after they had been martyred by the Antichrist and his followers. Thus, after the Rapture and the apostasy and the martyrdom of the Tribulation saints and the devastation of the earth because of God’s judgment, it appears that there will be few left who have faith when Jesus returns at His second coming. There will be more goats than sheep on earth at the time of His return (Matthew 25:31-46).

having a form of godliness but denying its power.”

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God’s love for Muslims: A highway of salvation

Sunday, March 27th, 2011

(March 20, 2011) Jehovah, the God of the people of the Book, declares through His prophet Isaiah: “1 The oracle concerning Egypt: Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt; The idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them. 2 So I will incite Egyptians against Egyptians; And they will each fight against his brother and each against his neighbor, City against city and kingdom against kingdom. 3 Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be demoralized within them; And I will confound their strategy, So that they will resort to idols and ghosts of the dead and to mediums and spiritists. 4 Moreover, I will deliver the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel master, and a mighty king will rule over them,” declares the Lord GOD of hosts…18 In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will be speaking the language of Canaan and swearing allegiance to the LORD of hosts; one will be called the City of Destruction. 19 In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD near its border. 20 It will become a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the LORD because of oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Champion, and He will deliver them. 21 Thus the LORD will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day. They will even worship with sacrifice and offering, and will make a vow to the LORD and perform it. 22 The LORD will strike Egypt, striking but healing; so they will return to the LORD, and He will respond to them and will heal them. 23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. 24 In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.” (Isaiah 19:1-4,18-25)

This prophecy is speaking of the End-Times when the Antichrist (“a cruel master, and a mighty king will rule over them”) comes to power and subjugates Egypt under his oppressive reign. However, God will send them a Savior and He will deliver Egypt from the Antichrist. The Book makes it clear that this Savior is Jesus the Messiah who is called Isa in the Qur’an and whom Christian Arabs call Yasu:

“11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” 17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.” 19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.” (Revelation 19:11-21)

When Jesus returns to earth at His second coming, the Egyptians, Syrians, Jews, and the rest of the world will know that He is the Messiah. The Muslim and Arab world along with the Jews will accept Him as the true and only Savior. There will be unity among Jews and Arabs in Jesus the Messiah which God calls a “highway from Egypt to Assyria”. This will indeed be a highway of salvation.

Jesus and the Qur’an

The Qur’an declares, like the Bible, that Jesus’ birth was miraculous and that Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Him:

“19. He said: “Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son.
20. She said: “How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?”
21. He said: “So (it will be): Thy Lord saith, ‘that is easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us’:It is a matter (so) decreed.”
22. So she conceived him, and she retired with him to a remote place.” (Maryam sura 019:019-022)

Only Jesus’ birth was without human intervention (apart from Mary giving birth to Him). God miraculously placed Jesus inside of Mary as an unborn baby! Muhammad, Isaiah, Mary and every other human being who has ever lived was conceived with human seed.

The Qur’an also states that Jesus was full of the holy spirit:

“110. Then will Allah say: “O Jesus the son of Mary! Recount My favour to thee and to thy mother. Behold! I strengthened thee with the holy spirit, so that thou didst speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught thee the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel and behold! thou makest out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and thou breathest into it and it becometh a bird by My leave, and thou healest those born blind, and the lepers, by My leave. And behold! thou bringest forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did restrain the Children of Israel from (violence to) thee when thou didst show them the clear Signs, and the unbelievers among them said: ‘This is nothing but evident magic.’” (Al-Ma’idah sura 005:110)

Of course the Qur’anic perspective on the nature of these events is different from the biblical perspective. The biblical accounts are given to prove that Jesus is the Son of God and therefore the only one able to save humankind from its sins. He is more than a prophet: He is the Messiah! It is extremely important that you understand that the biblical accounts of Jesus were written primarily by those who knew Him personally. They wrote them down within a few decades of His ascension to Heaven. This means they were written five hundred years before the birth of Muhammad.

Balance Scales of Judgment: Good deeds vs. Bad deeds

The Qur’an teaches that people will be judged by how many good deeds they have done in their life versus how many bad deeds they have done:

“101. Then when the Trumpet is blown, there will be no more relationships between them that Day, nor will one ask after another!
102. Then those whose balance (of good deeds) is heavy, they will attain salvation:
103. But those whose balance is light, will be those who have lost their souls, in Hell will they abide.” (Al-Muminun sura 023:101-103)

Here again the biblical perspective differs on this issue of good deeds and the condition of the human heart:

God states through His prophet Jeremiah:

“9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

History has shown us just how evil and sinful humanity is through wars, hatred, racism, bigotry, adultery, lust, pride and all the other sins we each commit daily in our own lives.

The Book of Romans declares:

“9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin; 10 as it is written,”There is none righteous, not even one; 11 there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God…23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:9-11,23)

Again, the history of the human race has proven this to be true. Islam, like all the other religions of the world, believes that if we do enough good deeds we will earn a place in heaven. However, God disagrees:

“6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags [literally: garments of menstruation]; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6)

Our good deeds or works are as useless as menstrual rags when done apart from the love of God. Thus, no matter how many good deeds we have done they will not take away our sins nor will they override our sinful nature. Our sins actually keep us separated from God:

“1 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not so short that it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.” (Isaiah 59:1-2)

The Good News

The good news is that we don’t have to be separated from God because:

“16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

God is not some distant deity sitting on His throne detached from His human creations waiting to sit in judgment on them. He loved the world and sent His Son to save it. The word “world” here means that Jesus died for all the sins of everyone who ever lived whether they were Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Christians, atheists, agnostics, or any other religion that has ever existed. Some of His followers saw Him die on the cross. They knew that it was Jesus and no one else who died on that cross. They also knew He was resurrected from the dead. They knew it so well that many of them died horrible deaths because of their belief in Jesus’ death and resurrection!

The Highway of Salvation

As I said at the beginning of this article, when Jesus returns to set up His kingdom on earth, Muslims and Jews will come together in their knowledge that Jesus is their Savior. Many Muslims today are not waiting for that to happen. They are already receiving Jesus as their Savior as the non-Christian Shiekh Ahmad Al-Katani said in an interview on Al-Jazeera television:

YouTube Preview Image

Ahmad Al Katani:
The reality is that these words say a lot less than they should. As we said in the beginning, everyone has the right to invite others to his religion; this is what is known as evangelism (or proselytizing). As for Christianization, no one has the right to take Muslims out of their religion, and you asked for references and the references are too numerous.

Islam used to represent, as you previously mentioned, Africa’s main religion and there were 30 African languages that used to be written in Arabic script. The number of Muslims in Africa has diminished to 316 million, half of whom are Arabs in North Africa. So in the section of Africa that we are talking about, the non Arab section, the number of Muslims does not exceed 150 million people. When we realize that the entire population of Africa is one billion people, we see that the number of Muslims has diminished greatly from what it was in the beginning of the last century. On the other hand, the number of Catholics has increased from one million in 1902 to 329 million 882 thousand (329,882,000). Let us round off that number to 330 million in the year 2000.

As to how that happened, well there are now 1.5 million churches whose congregations account for 46 million people. In every hour, 667 Muslims convert to Christianity. Everyday, 16,000 Muslims convert to Christianity. Ever year, 6 million Muslims convert to Christianity. These numbers are very large indeed …

Maher Abdallah (interrupting):
Hold on! Let me clarify. Do we have 6 million converting from Islam to Christianity or converting from Islam and other religions?

Ahmad Al Katani:
Great (question)! The other religions are not placed on the list of Christianization; rather they are placed on the list of evangelization. The other religion in Africa is paganism; so it’s Islam, Christianity or paganism. There isn’t something similar to Asia for example where you have Buddhism or Zoroastrianism. In Africa it is just these three, so if you talk about Christianization then it targets the only other heavenly religion which is Islam. As for paganism, those people worship animals and planets and the like.

Maher Abdallah:
So 6 million Muslims a year convert?

Ahmad Al Katani:
Every year… In the African nations this century a tragedy happened. Take for example what happened in Ethiopia. Ethiopia is an Arab nation and I am not saying a muslim nation. If any student looks up the word Habasha (Ethiopia) in the book Ocean Dictionary written by Al-Fairuz Abady, he will find that the word Habashat means “people of different tribes” and this is what happened. Ethiopia was a place where Arabs from different tribes would go to live for a while. We all know that Islam entered Ethiopia before Islam entered the city of Medina. We all know that AL-Najashy (the ruler of Ethiopia) was a Muslim. It is mentioned by Al-Darkatny in his biography of the prophet “Allah’s prayer and peace be upon him ” that during the month of Rajab in the 9th year of the Hijra (Muslim calendar) that the prophet said to his companions: “Rise up and pray on your brother Al-Najashy.” From that year on the practice of praying on the absent was established. Therefore from the time of the prophet “Allah’s prayer and peace be upon him ” Islam entered Ethiopia. So what has happened to Ethiopia?
__________

God’s righteous judgment is coming upon the whole world in the last days. He is going to allow a “cruel master, and a mighty king” to rise to power who will attempt to rule the world as Adolph Hitler tried to rule Europe. The people of the world look to earthly rulers for their salvation while at the same time rejecting and spurning and mocking Jesus who is their true and only salvation. This leader is going to be exponentially worse than Hitler and he will lead the world to destruction. Jesus and the prophet Daniel said this will be a time unlike any other the earth has experienced or will experience again. Billions will be destroyed because of their wicked ways until Jesus comes again and sets up His earthly kingdom. He said there would be signs when this occurs. Whether it happens in our lifetime or is still yet in the future is unknown. What is known is that each of us will experience our own End-Times sooner or later. Therefore, every person should turn to God and repent of their sinful ways and receive Jesus Christ as their Savior. It is the only hope we have because the world doesn’t care about you or me.

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The Kinsman-Redeemer and the Avenger of Blood

Sunday, March 13th, 2011

(March 13, 2011) In certain segments of the modern Church there is a misunderstanding and sometimes a denial of the biblical revelation of God’s nature. Some of those segments believe that traditional evangelicalism is ineffective or at least falls short in meeting the needs of the modern world. I suppose a case could be made that this is true of every generation since the Church’s formation two thousand years ago. It is true that Christians should be living the gospel of Jesus Christ and not just preaching it. The Books of James and 1 John among others talk about showing your faith to others by helping those in physical need as well as spiritual need. The problem as I see it is that experience, sentimentality, and relativity triumph over the truth of God’s word within areas of the modern Church: We are to love our neighbors by not offending them with the truth about complete salvation in Jesus Christ. If they are of a different religion, who are we to tell them their beliefs are wrong? Why not worship and pray together with them regardless of their religions? And certainly we have to stress only the love of God and never His judgment of sin or sinners!

Of course the Bible reveals God’s love for His human creations. He loved the world so much that He sent His Son to die for it. He wants His love to spread throughout the world among His human creations and makes it clear that this is accomplished by His children loving one another, “34 A new commandment I give unto you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:34-35) (Incidentally, disagreeing with someone is not necessarily unloving them). I could quote hundreds if not thousands of scriptures which speak of God’s love. However, that isn’t the problem within these segments of the modern Church. They apparently overwhelm their listeners with the subject of love and tolerance. It seems though that they neglect to talk very much, if at all, about the consequences of sin and a sinful lifestyle nor of a righteous God who is unable to tolerate sin in His Holy Presence (Hebrews 12:29). The purpose of this post is to illustrate two aspects of the nature of God.

End-Times prophecy, which this blog discusses, is full of both God’s love and His judgment. I realize that most of my articles deal with the coming judgment of God on all the world (I do have a few articles on the prophetic meaning of Easter, Christmas, and Palm Sunday which illustrate God’s love for the world). My purpose in making God’s judgment the focus of this blog is to warn people of what God says is in store for them if they continue in their rebellious attitude towards Him and His Son Jesus Christ. I’m sure there are plenty of blogs which focus purely on the love of God and I commend them for that as long as they are presenting God’s love in a biblical and truthful way. God is not the author of confusion (I Corinthians 14:33) but has ordained all existence: “4 For the word of the LORD is right and true; He is faithful in all He does. 5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His unfailing love. 6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; He puts the deep into storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere Him. 9 For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm. 10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. 11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations.” (Psalm 33:4-11) Likewise, the Bible is orderly and reveals the nature and purposes of God and His Son. The Old Testament sacrifices He commanded the Jews to offer point to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The feast days and holy days also had a purpose which was to teach us something about God’s plans as the apostle Paul wrote, “16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17) The great men of the Bible such as Joseph, Moses and prophets were types of Christ through their behavior and circumstances. The Bible is comprised of 66 Books written over a period of 1400 years by many human authors yet it presents an orderly account of the purposes of God because His Holy Spirit is the true Author of it. However, there is one Messianic type given by God in the Old Testament that I want to focus on which also has an End-Times prophetic aspect to it. It is an example of both the love of God for His people and also of His judgment which is coming upon the whole world.

The Kinsman Redeemer

One of the laws God told Moses to issue to the people was the law of the kinsman-redeemer or goel in the Hebrew language. The kinsman referred to a person’s relative who was to act on behalf of that relative. The first law is found in Leviticus:

“25 If a fellow countryman of yours becomes so poor he has to sell part of his property, then his nearest kinsman is to come and buy back what his relative has sold.” (Leviticus 25:25)

The kinsman of a poor relative was to buy back any land this relative sold. The second law is:

“47 Now if the means of a stranger or of a sojourner with you becomes sufficient, and a countryman of yours becomes so poor with regard to him as to sell himself to a stranger who is sojourning with you, or to the descendants of a stranger’s family, 48 then he shall have redemption right after he has been sold. One of his brothers may redeem him, 49 or his uncle, or his uncle’s son, may redeem him, or one of his blood relatives from his family may redeem him; or if he prospers, he may redeem himself.” (Leviticus 25:47-49)

If a poor relative’s circumstances became so dire that he sold himself into slavery then his kinsman was to redeem or purchase back his freedom. The third law is:

“5 When brothers live together and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the deceased shall not be married outside the family to a strange man. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her to himself as wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her.” (Deuteronomy 25:5)

Here the brother is to marry his brother’s widow. In the Book of Ruth we see that the kinsman who could marry a relative who is widowed is not restricted to just the deceased husband’s brother. Other eligible relatives could fulfill the role of kinsman-redeemer. The fourth law is:

“11 But if there is a man who hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and rises up against him and strikes him so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities, 12 then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. 13 You shall not pity him, but you shall purge the blood of the innocent from Israel, that it may go well with you.” (Deuteronomy 19:11-13)

The Hebrew words for the name avenger of blood is goel haddam. Goel is the same word translated as kinsman in the above verses. This law meant that if a person murdered your relative, then you as his kinsman had to avenge his death by hunting down and killing the murderer.

Jesus Our Kinsman-Redeemer

Each of these kinsman-redeemer laws have either been fulfilled or will be fulfilled by Jesus Christ. His atoning death gave Him all rights to purchase back humanity and the earth. The first three laws speak of God’s love in caring for the poor and the widowed. The fourth law speaks of God’s coming judgment.

1) Redeeming the land – When Adam and Eve sinned by listening to Satan rather than obeying God they forfeited the right to till and cultivate the lush land of the Garden of Eden. They gave up humanity’s title deed to live on an uncursed earth to Satan. The apostle Paul acknowledges Satan’s current authority over the world, “3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (II Corinthians 4:3-4) Jesus said concerning Satan, “30 I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me; 31 but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded.” (John 14:29-31) Jesus will redeem the land of the earth which His children sold with their sins to Satan during the End-Times and will reign over it:

“1 I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?’ 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. 4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; 5 and one of the elders said to me, ‘Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.’ 6 And I saw between the throne with the four living creatures and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. 7 And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8 When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 10 ‘You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.’” (Revelation 5:1-10)

2) Redeeming the slave – By sinning, humanity sold themselves as slaves to sin and death but Jesus has redeemed us from our slavery to sin:

“You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.” (I Corinthians 7:23)

“5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:5-14)

3) Marrying a widowed relative – Through our sin we joined ourselves with Satan in an unholy bond, “8 The one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” (I John 3:8) When the world system and Satan are destroyed during the End-Times, Jesus will take His Church to be His bride:

“7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb’ And he said to me, ‘These are true words of God.’” (Revelation 19:7-9)

4) Avenging His relative’s blood – God is our Father: “12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13) Until the very end when Jesus returns, Satan and those who reject Jesus Christ will continue to kill God’s children. As our kinsman, Jesus will avenge the blood of His children and destroy the world during the End-Times:

“9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also. 12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. 14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16 and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Revelation 6:9-17)

The Love of God and the Judgment of God

As you have just read God is both Love and Holy Judgment as those in Heaven attest to, “7 And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.” (Revelation 16:7) No matter how hard those in the modern Church try to deny or explain away God’s judgment they cannot do it without erasing large portions of the Bible. They need to be faithful to all aspects of God’s nature. Although it is God’s desire that everyone be saved it’s not going to happen no matter how sentimental or watered down our teaching is. The truth is that there are those who will receive God and those who will reject Him, “1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. 7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning; The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.” (I John 3:1-10) Christians are to love others including their enemies, but denying the truth about God’s complete nature is not loving Him or loving those to whom you misrepresent Him. It always bothers me when I hear someone say “my Jesus” did this or “my Jesus” wouldn’t do that. He is not your Jesus nor is He my Jesus. Jesus is who He is. He is not who you want Him to be. You either receive Him on His terms or you don’t, but you cannot make Him into your image, He made you in His image. Be a loving witness to the world but also be a truthful witness to the world according to His Word!

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Rob Bell: False teachings about Hell and God’s judgment

Monday, March 7th, 2011

(March 7, 2011) Part of eschatology or End-Times study deals with the last event to occur before eternity. This event is called The Great White Throne Judgment and is recorded in chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation:

“10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:10-15)

At the end of time and just before eternity begins, God showed to His servant John the final judgment of mankind. It is not pleasant reading to know that people are going to enter into eternal torment in Hell. It is so unpleasant that there have been those who have tried to explain away Hell or allegorize it or simply deny its existence. One such person, according to ABC News, is coming out with a book that purportedly challenges the Christian concept of Hell. His name is Rob Bell and he is the pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His book is titled Love Wins: Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Has Ever Lived. Christianity Today linked to a site which gives the publisher’s (HarperOne) official description concerning the book and its author Rob Bell:

“Fans flock to his Facebook page, his NOOMA videos have been viewed by millions, and his Sunday sermons are attended by 10,000 parishioners—with a downloadable podcast reaching 50,000 more. An electrifying, unconventional pastor whom Time magazine calls “a singular rock star in the church world,” Rob Bell is the most vibrant, central religious leader of the millennial generation. Now, in Love Wins: Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, Bell addresses one of the most controversial issues of faith—the afterlife—arguing that a loving God would never sentence human souls to eternal suffering. With searing insight, Bell puts hell on trial, and his message is decidedly optimistic—eternal life doesn’t start when we die; it starts right now. And ultimately, Love Wins.”

This is the first time I’ve ever heard of Rob Bell but obviously there are thousands who listen to his teachings. Since the book doesn’t come out until later this month I don’t know what this pastor specifically believes about Hell although his publisher claims “Bell addresses one of the most controversial issues of faith—the afterlife—arguing that a loving God would never sentence human souls to eternal suffering.” If this publisher has misrepresented Rob Bell’s position on a literal Hell then it incumbent upon him to tell them to remove this statement. As it is though, in the following video, which is also posted on the link above affiliated with the Christianity Today website and also on Amazon under his book’s listing, Rob Bell does seem to be speaking and supportive of such a belief as stated in this publisher’s official release.

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In the video he says:

“Will only a few, select people make it to Heaven? And will billions and billions of people burn forever in Hell? And if that’s the case how do you become one of the few? Is it what you believe or what you say or what you do or who you know or something that happens in your heart or do you need to be initiated or baptized or take a class or converted or being born again? How does one become one of these few? And then there is the question behind the questions; the real question, What is God like?, because millions and millions of people were taught that the primary message, the center of the gospel of Jesus is that God is going to send you to Hell unless you believe in Jesus. And so what gets subtly sort of taught and caught is that Jesus rescues you from God. But what kind of God is that, that we would need to be rescued from this God? How could that God ever be good? How could that God ever be trusted? And how could that ever be good news? This is why lots of people want nothing to do with the Christian faith. They see it as an endless list of absurdities and inconsistencies and they say, Why would I ever want to be a part of that? See, what we believe about Heaven and Hell is incredibly important because it exposes what we believe about who God is and what God is like. What you discover in the Bible is so surprising, unexpected, and beautiful that whatever we’ve been told or taught, the good news is actually better than that, better than we could ever have imagined. The good news is that love wins.”

Even though the book hasn’t come out yet, what Rob Bell says in this video through a series of rhetorical questions indicates that what he believes about Hell and God is unbiblical and a false teaching.

He firsts asks “Will only a few, select people make it to Heaven? And will billions and billions of people burn forever in Hell?” I will let Jesus answer his question, 13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14) Jesus declares there are few who find life and many who find destruction.

He next asks “How does one become one of these few?” Again, the Word of God answers his question, “9 That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13)

Then he asks some questions based on a false premise which he creates, “The center of the gospel of Jesus is that God is going to send you to Hell unless you believe in Jesus. And so what gets subtly sort of taught and caught is that Jesus rescues you from God. But what kind of God is that, that we would need to be rescued from this God? How could that God ever be good? How could that God ever be trusted? And how could that ever be good news?” Jesus doesn’t rescue us from God but God rescues us from our sins through His Son Jesus Christ! “23 But I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:23-25 NIV) And, “3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 Who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Galatians 1:4-5 NIV) And, “12 And giving joyful thanks to the Father, Who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, 14 in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:12-14 NIV) And, “10 And to wait for His Son from heaven, Whom He raised from the dead—Jesus, Who rescues us from the coming wrath.” (1 Thessalonians 1:10 NIV) Notice in this last verse that Paul speaks of a coming wrath which will fall on those whom Jesus has not rescued.

He then follows with an unbiblical statement, “This is why lots of people want nothing to do with the Christian faith. They see it as an endless list of absurdities and inconsistencies and they say, Why would I ever want to be a part of that?” God states plainly why they don’t want anything to do with Christ or His followers, “18 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. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 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 3:18-21) People don’t want anything to do with Jesus Christ or Christianity because they love darkness rather than light and don’t want their evil deeds exposed in the light of God’s truth.

Then, finishing up he states, “See, what we believe about Heaven and Hell is incredibly important because it exposes what we believe about who God is and what God is like.” Well, we have just seen what Rob Bell thinks about Hell. Now let’s see what Jesus says about it:

“21 You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.” (Matthew 5:21-22) Here Jesus speaks of human judgment in the first three instances but states clearly that the fourth judgment is hell fire!

“27 You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” (Matthew 5:27-30) The word hell is the Greek word Gehenna which means hellfire. Jesus is not saying that we should actually maim ourselves to keep from sinning. What He is saying is that it is so important, eternally important, that we turn from our sinful attitudes; that if it were necessary, we should maim ourselves to accomplish this. Thankfully, it is not necessary. Accepting the forgiveness of Jesus and receiving the Holy Spirit to guide us allows us to walk in His ways without taking such drastic measures. The alternative to heeding His warning is spending eternity in Hell. If there is no eternal Hell why is Jesus using such drastic language in order to illustrate how important it is that we don’t end up there?

“28 Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) How many times did Jesus tell His followers to fear not or do not be afraid? Here He tells them something to fear! Why? Is it because Hell isn’t a real place of punishment or is it because Jesus did not want them to end up there because it is the most horrific place in eternity? One other noteworthy aspect to this saying of Jesus is the fact that there will not be disembodied souls or spirits suffering in Hell. Just as believers in Jesus receive an eternal, glorified body for their souls and spirits, so too will the unsaved have eternal bodies.

“6 Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! 8 “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.” (Matthew 18:6-9) Jesus declares here that anyone who causes a child to turn from God will regret it for eternity. Again, He states the importance of turning from a life of sin rather than spending eternity in Hell. Notice too that Jesus refers to Hell as everlasting fire. Revelation affirms that Hell is for eternity, “9 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” (Revelation 14:9-11)

Jesus clearly teaches that Hell is an eternal punishment for those who reject His atoning sacrifice for their sins, “23 And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” (John 8:23-24)

Rob Bell concludes his video by saying “love wins”. He is right! God’s love is a victory for those who love Him and are truly His children: “12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13) “55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)

There is one other underlying problem with Rob Bell’s assessment of the doctrine of Hell. He, and those who agree with him, maintain that a loving God would never punish a person in Hell for eternity. In doing so they set themselves up as judges and arbiters over God by telling Him what the definition of true divine love is and they say divine love is not a God who would punish people for eternity. They are making God into their image as to what a loving God is like. Thus, when God states in His word that unrepentant sinners who reject the salvation of Jesus Christ will be punished in Hell for eternity, the God of the Bible according to them is unloving. Human beings do not tell God what the truth is but God tells human beings what the truth is. The apostle Paul wrote of such people, “18 Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden. 19 One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist His will?” 20 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use? 22 What if God, although choosing to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the objects of His wrath prepared for destruction? 23 What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the objects of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory.” (Romans 9:18-23)

I believe Rob Bell is emblematic of the problems facing the modern Church. Many leaders have been influenced by the political correctness and feel-good attitude of our culture. They water down the gospel and the whole word of God in order not to offend anyone and to add to their number of followers. The apostle Paul warned Christians of such leaders, “3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4) I’ve had a website since 2003 located at iesouschristos.com. I had 48 pages and 191 images on that site discussing the Culture War from a biblical perspective. Two days ago I wiped out the entire site and replaced it with one page. God has been directing my heart recently in the area of true salvation and what passes for salvation in our modern times. It is stories like the one about Rob Bell that motivated me to change my website to a straightforward account of true salvation in Jesus Christ. The modern Church is flawed and is misleading people about the complete nature of God and His dealings with His human creations. He is a God of love but He is also a God of righteous judgment. The prophet Ezekiel declares, “11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11) Paul writes, “4 [God] wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” (I Timothy 2:4-5) God knows what awaits those who reject His Son and He declares in His Word that it is going to be horrific. He doesn’t desire that anyone should go to Hell and takes no pleasure in those that do. If the Church doesn’t return to the literal truths of God’s Word and share them in a saving way with the world then I’m afraid in the Day of Judgment… “22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23″And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; Depart from Me you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:22-23) Let us pray for God’s truth to return to the Church so that the world will be jealous of the peace with God that Christians have and want to become a true child of God and His Son Jesus Christ.

[NOTE: For a fuller discussion of the biblical doctrine of Hell see chapter 13 of my book Even at the Doors: Jesus, Israel, and the End-Times 13 - The Great White Throne and Hell. In this chapter I discuss the fact that humans can only understand the concept of Hell from the finite, human dimension while God speaks of it from an infinite, eternal dimension and therefore we don't understand why God created Hell.]

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“…and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven”

Sunday, February 6th, 2011

(February 6, 2011)  On January 29, 2011 the following video was posted on YouTube purportedly showing a UFO hovering over the Temple Mount in Jerusalem:

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This video has gone viral and was covered by some major news outlets: salon.com, npr.org, ABC News, huffingtonpost.com, and Fox News. Another video shows two synchronized videos side by side of this event:

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Another person posted a video debunking the Temple Mount UFO video:

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It would appear that this video is a hoax (The closeup of the pulsating light looks exactly like an alien pulsating light in an episode of the original Star Trek series).

The month before the above videos were shot another video was taken in which an object is seen zipping through the air above the Western Wall in Jerusalem:

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Some have speculated that the “wheels” the prophet Ezekiel described seeing were actually some type of UFO:

“1 In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the river Chebar, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. 2 On the fifth day of the month (it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoi’achin), 3 the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chalde’ans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was upon him there. 4 As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness round about it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming bronze. 5 And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the form of men, 6 but each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf’s foot; and they sparkled like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: 9 their wings touched one another; they went every one straight forward, without turning as they went. 10 As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man in front; the four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle at the back. 11 Such were their faces. And their wings were spread out above; each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies. 12 And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit would go, they went, without turning as they went. 13 In the midst of the living creatures there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, like torches moving to and fro among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. 14 And the living creatures darted to and fro, like a flash of lightning. 15 Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel upon the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them. 16 As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of a chrysolite; and the four had the same likeness, their construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. 17 When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went. 18 The four wheels had rims and they had spokes; and their rims were full of eyes round about. 19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose. 20 Wherever the spirit would go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.” (Ezekiel 1:1-21)

In describing the End-Times Jesus said:

“8 And He said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. 10 Then said He unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: 11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.” (Luke 21:8-11)

However, Jesus wasn’t referring to the signs from heaven constituting UFOs. In the Book of Revelation God’s servant John describes the events Jesus was saying would occur during the End-Times:

“12 And I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Revelation 6:12-17)

Jesus declared that the End-Times would be unlike any other time in earth’s history. The future judgment coming upon the world will be horrific. As the writer of Hebrews wrote, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31)

It doesn’t have to be fearful though if you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. He said, “24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:24-27) Whether or not the End-Times occur in our lifetime we each will have personal storms in our lives. If Jesus is our Savior He will help us get through them and we won’t have to rely on the world for peace in our lives and that truly is the good news of the gospel.

 

 

 

 

 

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Is the prophecy the most important element of God’s Word, The Holy Bible?

Thursday, December 23rd, 2010

(December 23, 2010)  If you are a  Christian how would you answer the following question: What is the most important element in the Bible? Many, if not most, would say God’s plan of salvation. From a human perspective that indeed is the most critical part of God’s revelation to humanity. God created humans to fellowship with Him and love Him. It was so important to God that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for us so that we could fellowship with Him for eternity instead of being separated from Him forever. Thus, the Gospels and the New Testament are very important in revealing God’s plan of salvation to us.  Still, others may say the most critical element of the Bible is the revelation to God’s creation of His nature  such as His love, His mercy, His grace, and His compassion. This indeed is important and helps us as humans to understand the purpose of our existence. Some may have other answers to this question. However, I believe the most important element from God’s perspective is prophecy.

Other religions declare that their founders or gods have the answers to life’s existence. How do we know they are not right in their beliefs? A biography of Buddha or Muhammad or other religious leaders can help us to know their nature and attributes just as the Bible does concerning God and His Son Jesus (although as a Christian I believe the Holy Spirit confirms with our spirits the truths about God).  Their holy writings may contain some miraculous stories or some truths about human existence just like the Bible. So what separates the Bible from the other religious writings that have arisen throughout human history? How do we know the Bible is true (apart from the spiritual confirmation in our spirits)? God Himself answered this question.

“5 ‘To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal And compare Me, that we should be alike? 6 They lavish gold out of the bag, And weigh silver on the scales; They hire a goldsmith, and he makes it a god; They prostrate themselves, yes, they worship. 7 They bear it on the shoulder, they carry it And set it in its place, and it stands; From its place it shall not move. Though one cries out to it, yet it cannot answer Nor save him out of his trouble. 8 Remember this, and show yourselves men; Recall to mind, O you transgressors. 9 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure.’”  (Isaiah 46:5-10)

God says that He alone is God and there is no other God. He alone declares the end from the beginning. God is stating here that the proof that He is God are the prophecies He revealed declaring what was going to happen in the future. By doing this He is proving that He is God. God’s word is full of thousands of prophecies that have come true and others that will come true. All the prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the coming of the suffering Messiah came true with the first coming of Jesus Christ to earth and thus proving that Jesus is the Anointed One or Messiah. There are all kinds of prophecies in the Bible. Jesus prophesied of His approaching crucifixion, death, and resurrection to His disciples. He also prophesied that Christians will suffer persecution because of Him and will be hated for His name’s sake. Old Testament prophets under the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit spoke of judgments that would come against Israel because of their rebellion against God. A New Testament prophet told the apostle Paul that he would be arrested and bound when he visited Jerusalem for the last time. And of course both the Old and New Testaments prophesy of the End-Times.

Since God declares that He uses prophecy to prove that He is God and that there is no other god  means that prophecy is of the utmost importance in proving that the Bible is true and thereby proving that God’s plan of salvation is true and all the other aspects of His nature and His purpose for human existence are true. Therefore, biblical prophecy should be of the utmost importance to Christians and should be studied. You can rely on what God’s Word says is going to happen in the future and the End-Times because He alone is God, “declaring the end from the beginning” .

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Rosh Hashanah and the End-Times

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

(September 8, 2010)  Tomorrow the Jews will celebrate Rosh Hashanah as the beginning of the New Year on the Jewish civil calendar.  Rosh Hashanah begins on the first day of the Jewish month of Tishri (which occurs during September-October of the solar calendar). The Jews celebrate Rosh Hashanah with the blowing of shofars or trumpets. That is because this holy day is actually the biblically ordained Yom Teru’ah or Day of Shouting or Raising a Noise. God commanded the Jews to blow trumpets (shofars) on this day:

“24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.” (Leviticus 23:24)

The seventh month in this passage refers to the religious calendar and the month of Tishri. Tishri is also the first month of the civil calendar. Thus, the Day of Blowing the Trumpets (Numbers 29:1) is celebrated on the same day as Rosh Hashanah. This day is one of seven biblical Jewish days/feasts that God commanded the Jews to observe every year. God gives no reason for the observance of the Feast of Trumpets except to say it is a “memorial of blowing of trumpets”. However, it is possible that this holy day has an End-Times prophetic significance.

The apostle Paul in his letter to the Church at Colossae may have given some insight into the holy days God commanded the Jews to observe:

“16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17)

Paul says that the feasts and holy days were a shadow of things to come or in other words Christians can learn something about God’s purposes and plans. There are seven feasts/holy days that God declared the Jews had to observe every year. The first three are Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Firstfruits which occur in the Jewish month of Nisan (also called Aviv) in the spring months of March-April. The fourth is the Feast of Weeks or Harvest (also called Pentecost) which occurs in the third Jewish month of Sivan or May-June. The final three feasts occur in the autumn during the seventh Jewish month of Tishri. They are the Feast of Trumpets, Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), and the Feast of Tabernacles.

What is significant in regards to the Feast days is that Jesus fulfilled the first four feasts on the exactdays of their observance. He was crucified on Passover, buried on Unleavened Bread, resurrected on the Feast of Firstfruits, and baptized the disciples with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. This means that it is possible that Jesus will likewise fulfill the final three autumn feasts on the exact days of their observances.

The first is the Feast of Trumpets which, as mentioned above, is to be observed on the first day of Tishri and begins with the first sighting of the New Moon. In modern times, the Jews celebrate Tishri as the first month in their calendar. The first day of Tishri is now called Rosh haShanah which means head of the year. Hence, the Jews celebrate it as their New Years Day. In biblical times though, they called it Yom Teru’ah which means the day of the sounding of the shofar or trumpet.

Jews actually celebrate the Feast of Trumpets on the first and second days of Tishri. This is because the Jewish calendar is based on the lunar cycles. Each month begins on the new moon. In times past the Jews declared the new moon by observation. When the Sanhedrin (the Jewish ruling council) saw the new moon they declared that a new month had started. They then sent out messengers to tell people when the month began. However, they could not always notify those Jews who lived in distant communities in time to tell them that the new month had started. Since sending out messengers took some time these distant Jewish communities might not hear the announcement until the second day of the month. Therefore, the Jews celebrated the holidays on both days so that they would be faithful in obeying God’s Law.

All God says about the Feast of Trumpets is that it is to be celebrated as a memorial by the blowing of trumpets. The Bible gives no other reason as to why God told the Jews they must observe this holy day. I believe the answer could lie in prophecy.

Why then did God order the blowing of trumpets on the first (and now second) day of Tishri for a memorial?  I believe it was foretelling of the day that the Messiah would appear in the sky and sound the trumpet to rapture and gather together His followers in the sky:

“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. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. 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. 16 For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 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.” (I Thessalonians 4:13-17)

 If this is so then the Rapture may take place on the first or second day of Tishri. For two reasons this does not violate Jesus’ statement that “…of that day and that hour knows no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.”  (Matthew 24:36) The first is that we still don’t know the year in which the Rapture will take place and therefore wouldn’t know the date. The second is that the Feast of Trumpets is celebrated on two successive days of Tishri. Thus, we would not know which of these days the Rapture would occur.

The second fall feast is the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur which occurs on the 10th of Tishri and is the only day every year when the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies in the Jewish Temple and atone for the sins of the Israelites by offering a sacrifice to God on their behalf. As a result of this offering God would forgive the Jews of their sins. Jesus’ second coming could therefore occur on the Day of Atonement. The prophet Zechariah speaks of that day as being a time of Jewish recogniton of Jesus as their Messiah and God then pouring out His saving Spirit upon them:

“9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced.” (Zechariah 12:19-10)

The apostle Paul may also be speaking of that Day in his letter to the Roman Christians:

“25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” (Romans 11:25-27)

The final autumn feast is the Feast of Tabernacles and occurs on the 15th of Tishri. That day the Israelites were to dwell in booths or tabernacles/tents in the care of the Lord. After Jesus’ return to earth He is going to enter into the rebuilt Temple/Tabernacle of God in Jerusalem and reign over the renovated earth from His throne. Thus He will be tabernacling with His people and thereby possibly fulfill the Feast of Tabernacles.

Of course Jesus could fufill these feasts in a different way than the ones I have speculated about here. For that reason Christians are always to be watching because we do not know when our Master will return.

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