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 Posted September 13th, 2010 05:51 PM IP   
I was ask about having a discussion on the Bible please
make your self at home and talk about the Bible.
God, Whose Love Is Always Stronger
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today
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Posted September 14th, 2010 08:34 AM IP
false prophets today! Do you know what a false prophet means in today's End Times?
Heres a link to look it over so what do you think about the link?
http://www.heisnear.com/falseprophets.html
God, Whose Love Is Always Stronger
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Posted September 16th, 2010 02:28 PM IP
Do We live in a world that rejects God, Biblical Truth, and Christ!
"… this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:" (Isaiah 30:9).
We live in a world where the majority of the people reject the God of the Bible, thoroughly reject Biblical Truth, and live their lives without Christ in their hearts. Moreover, they don’t want anything to do with God because they love their sin. That is why the Bible calls us a "peculiar people," and to most of the world we are extremely peculiar and in many cases hated because of our faith in Christ. They hate us because we make them uncomfortable and remind them of their sin. They don’t want to face, think about or deal with the reality of their lives and life after death. They think that if they ignore it or deny the truth that somehow they can escape it and get by with their sin. Most people in this world have made the conscious choice to live their lives apart from Christ and in rebellion to the Truth of His Word, and those who embrace the Lord and His Truth are seen as the enemy.
Those who choose to live in rebellion to God and His Word are always on the offensive, marketing their rebellion to the masses, finding great comfort and strength in others who have also chosen to live their lives in rebellion to God. They only love those who are like them, in the same rebellion they are in. It is like drunks in a bar. Someone once said that drunks love company. Wrong! Drunks love drunken company, others who are just like them.
These unbelievers are loud, bold, aggressive, and use all of the modern tools of communication to reach the masses 24/7 with their lies and deceptions. They believe that by fighting the truth and denying it, they can escape it and they can be free to live their lives of sin without rebuke. Because we have the better percentage of two full generations out there who have never been to church, and who have no foundation of Biblical faith in their life, these lost masses have become easy prey for these tools of Satan who propagate a lifestyle of rebellion to God, rejecting Christ's love and the Absolute Truth of the Bible. The lies of the rebels make their flesh feel good and tell them they are alright just like they are and that they can live as they please and there is no one who will stop them or judge them for it.
The very first thing that those who choose to live a life of rebellion MUST do, is minimize and try to discredit God's Word. You see the Bible is God's inspired, inerrant Word, representing Absolute Truth, and is our final authority in all matters. Anyone who doesn’t believe that is NOT a true believer, whether or not they go to church, profess to be a Christian or not. The Bible is the very book that condemns them for their rebellion against God’s commandments! That is why you will always hear those who have chosen to live in rebellion to God endlessly mocking and trying to castigate the Bible and calling it fiction, fairy tales, made up by men and more. The fact is, the Bible was written by God Himself, through the pens of men who were operating under His Divine inspiration. It is 100% accurate in ALL matters of life. Those who deny it will always attack it, but in the end, God's Word will still be standing. The truth is the truth, whether or not you accept it, believe it or live by it. It remains truth no matter what is said about it or thought about it. Truth is absolute and eternal, just like God is for He and His Word are one and Jesus is the Word made flesh so we could see a demonstration of the Word and the Love of God lived out in our world.
The biggest problem we have in our world today is not those who choose to live in rebellion to God and His Word; it is those who know Christ as their Savior who do not live the life and stand up for what they profess to believe! While the haters of God without shame stand in the public square declaring their false beliefs, we, the people who know the Lord have chosen to hide behind the four walls of our churches and in the comfortable Christian subculture we have created to separate and isolate ourselves from the non-believing world. Excuse me, but I must have missed something in the Bible. God never said to isolate yourself from the world, but to be the "salt and light" of the world. How can you be a light to the world when you are hiding your light under a bushel (within the four walls of church or on “Christian TV”?
The reason the enemies of God have such a loud voice in the world is because they are speaking for the most part unopposed! Nobody is standing next to them declaring the Truth of God and exposing them for the liars they are. What this all really boils down to is a battle for the souls of men and we are supposed to be ambassadors for Christ in this world. Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy, while Jesus came to give life and life more abundantly, but most of the world doesn’t know that and has never heard that. Sadly those who serve Satan are more passionate about serving him, than those who serve the Lord are about serving Him! God’s people are lukewarm or just plain uncaring about a lost world going to hell and the unbelievers are doing everything in their power to take others to hell with them, to force others to believe and follow their evil ways that lead to ****ation.
It is time for every man, woman, and child who knows Jesus Christ in the pardon of their sins to start taking a stand for righteousness and not allow the spokesmen of Satan to go unopposed. Don't be fooled. They are NOT nice people, they are NOT your friends, they are NOT your buddies, they are deadly serious in taking as many people to hell with them as they can. Are you as serious about taking others to heaven with you?
When you stand up for truth, you will be made to fell like you are facing a stacked deck in every sense of the word, all against you. But never forget, YOU AND GOD ARE ALWAYS A MAJORITY! He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” and “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” So never feel alone, or intimidated when you are with a group of non-believers. Many so called Christians will end up being swayed by the majority so that they don’t appear "offensive" because they want to go along and get along. They would rather compromise and go along with the crowd headed for hell than stand for Jesus, forgetting that Jesus said; “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” If you will not stand up for Jesus when it counts, then neither will He stand up for you when it counts. Stop accepting or letting others say that they can make it because they are good, or do good works or are not like the bad sinners or whatever because the Bible declares there are NONE that are "good" and all sin God sees and will judge one day. At some point, everyone has to eventually decide what they will believe and who they will follow. God has designed it that way. No one will be in hell that really wanted heaven and Jesus and no one will be in heaven that didn’t want to be there enough to follow Jesus and obey Him. You either follow God or you deny Him, there is no middle ground.
The bottom line is that either you believe the Bible represents Absolute Truth or you don't, and if you don't, that means it is now up to you and each person to determine what Truth is for yourself, making yourself God. Of course, for those who deny the Truth of Gods' Word, will immediately go into attacking the validity of the Bible since again, it is the very Word that defines their choice as sin and condemns them for their sin. “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved” (John 3:20).
When you stand for the truth know that the wicked will say that you are "full of hate" and "intolerant" because you call their sin, sin and tell them God will not accept it or them unless they repent of their sin. They will tell you that God is a God of "love" and He doesn’t judge and condemn men, making God’s love a cheesy meaningless love. They don’t understand that true love warns and protects the object of love, true love will correct one who goes astray, as a parent who loves a child will do everything to protect the child from running into the street or sticking a clothes hanger into an electric outlet. That is also love, but a part of it they reject as love when it has to do with God. Instead of dealing with the real issues and reality, they will just make endless personal attacks and you will be able to literally see satan manifesting in the faces, body language, and speech as they rant and rave against the truth and you for speaking the truth. Doesn't the Word talk about being persecuted for Christ, and to count it joy when you are? But today the church doesn’t want to be persecuted for Christ but to be popular and accepted by the world more than they want to be accepted by God. Who are you trying to please, God or the world?
This is the typical ploy of those who reject God's Truth. They use shrill mindless empty rhetoric in an attempt to silence those who believe the Bible. To not accept their life of sin and agree with their rejection of truth means that you are full of hatred and a religious bigot. Yes, God is a God of love, but He is also a God of JUDGMENT and won't be mocked! Those who oppose Christ are experts at trying to demonize people of Faith by trying to bully them into being silent so that they can share their false message unopposed. Sadly, for the most part it has worked and the church is hiding from them and so most of our young people today have only heard their message of lies and deceits.
People of Faith don't have the stomach to stand up to these bullies and usually back down, leaving them to propagate their lies to the masses unopposed. But the only way God doesn't win is when you don't put Him in the game. No, that doesn’t mean that all men will accept the truth, but then God never said they would, only that they truth will cause them to have to make a choice for or against the truth, knowing what they are doing and so then they will have no covering for their sin. The difference is that the will die in and for their sin, but you will be free of their blood and it will not be upon your hands. But if you don’t warn the wicked, God said he will still die and be judged for his sin, but his blood will be upon your hands for not warning the sinner. All of the abusive language, the name-calling, the mocking, can't put one dent in the Truth, doesn't mean for a second that God doesn't exist, and never changes the fact that each person will die one day and at that moment the only thing that will matter is do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior!
There are masses of hurting people, dying and going to hell every day and we have got to reach them. The agents of Satan are bold and relentless in bringing their lies to people and putting them into bondage that will end up destroying their lives and leading them to the depths of hell. That is why we must be dedicated and passionate about reaching those same masses each day with God's Truth and the hope and love of Christ.
My word to you today is to BE BOLD in Christ. If you will stand for the truth, God will give you boldness, and He will give you courage. Why should the servants of Satan be so bold with a lie, and we who posses the Absolute Truth of God's Word be so passive with the Truth we have been given and entrusted with? Remember, it is not YOU they are rejecting, it is Christ, so don’t take it personally. When the lost attack you, they are simply being used as instruments of unrighteousness and it is not you they were attacking, but Jesus in you, whom you are representing. Our job is to simply share the Truth, what those who hear that Truth do with it is up to them. It is then their responsibility, not ours. Our responsibility is to tell them the truth.
So fear not, when it comes to those in your family, those you go to school with, those you work with, those you meet in the course of your life who have chosen to deny the Truth and reject Christ. Stand up to them with the Word of God, knowing that in the end His Truth will still be standing when nothing else is. God never told you to hide the light within you, but to let your light shine for the world to see. God puts people in your life every day who are hurting, lost, and needing His love. Don't neglect the opportunity to share that love with them as God gives you the opportunity. The fact is the world is sharing its lies with them 24/7, you may be the only person they come across this day who will give them the words of life!
Now more than ever the men and women of God have got to stand up and be heard. If those who serve Satan can do it, why can't we? The lost masses are out there, looking for answers. Satan is out there 24/7 giving them answers that will lead them to eternal ****ation. It is our job as those who know the Lord, know His Truth, to bring those masses the ONLY answer there is to life...Jesus Christ!
God, Whose Love Is Always Stronger
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Posted September 22nd, 2010 08:09 AM IP
Disappointment With God
Many church people seem to be saying with their actions what they would never admit with their mouths. Even the expressions on their faces suggest that they are unhappy and bored. Their behavior makes it difficult to believe that their faith gives them any real satisfaction. How can others be expected to trust a God who hasn't lived up to the expectations of His followers? One answer offered by the Bible is that some who claim to be followers of Christ are not authentic. For a while they look genuine. But they are not (Matthew 7:21-23; 13:24-30; 1 John 2:18-19). The infiltration of impostors, however, is not the whole story. The Bible does not hide the fact that real people of faith also have been disappointed with God. Both Old and New Testaments give examples of people who were distraught and even angry with God because He allowed them to suffer circumstances they expected Him to protect them from (Numbers 14:1-4; Psalm 73 ).
God, Whose Love Is Always Stronger
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Posted September 22nd, 2010 08:10 AM IP
Distraction
Under pressure, and even in times of prosperity, real Christians can be distracted from the confidence that their ultimate well-being doesn't lie in the hands of other people or circumstances. Because of ever-present diversions and distractions, the Bible urges the people of God to renew their minds continually by remembering what God has done for them (Romans 12:1-2). The Scriptures urge believers to keep their hope and faith alive by stirring up the memories of what they already know (see 2 Peter 1:1-15). The reason is clear. A lack of basic Christian behavior can often be attributed to a critical lapse of memory (Deuteronomy 6:10-12).
God, Whose Love Is Always Stronger
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hseg10
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Posted September 27th, 2010 10:52 PM IP
Unfortunately, we have many in the pulpits across this nation that now deny a virgin birth and many other truths in the bible. That's why the world has gotten into their churches and pushed God out.
I can do nothing except God wills it.
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Posted September 28th, 2010 11:51 AM IP
In the news today hseg10!!
Survey: Americans don't know much about religion
By RACHEL ZOLL, AP Religion Writer Rachel Zoll, Ap Religion Writer – Tue Sep 28, 12:02 am ET
A new survey of Americans' knowledge of religion found that atheists, agnostics, Jews and Mormons outperformed Protestants and Roman Catholics in answering questions about major religions, while many respondents could not correctly give the most basic tenets of their own faiths.
Forty-five percent of Roman Catholics who participated in the study didn't know that, according to church teaching, the bread and wine used in Holy Communion is not just a symbol, but becomes the body and blood of Christ.
More than half of Protestants could not identify Martin Luther as the person who inspired the Protestant Reformation. And about four in 10 Jews did not know that Maimonides, one of the greatest rabbis and intellectuals in history, was Jewish.
[Related: Texas resolution on Islam]
The survey released Tuesday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life aimed to test a broad range of religious knowledge, including understanding of the Bible, core teachings of different faiths and major figures in religious history. The U.S. is one of the most religious countries in the developed world, especially compared to largely secular Western Europe, but faith leaders and educators have long lamented that Americans still know relatively little about religion.
Respondents to the survey were asked 32 questions with a range of difficulty, including whether they could name the Islamic holy book and the first book of the Bible, or say what century the Mormon religion was founded. On average, participants in the survey answered correctly overall for half of the survey questions.
Atheists and agnostics scored highest, with an average of 21 correct answers, while Jews and Mormons followed with about 20 accurate responses. Protestants overall averaged 16 correct answers, while Catholics followed with a score of about 15.
Not surprisingly, those who said they attended worship at least once a week and considered religion important in their lives often performed better on the overall survey. However, level of education was the best predictor of religious knowledge. The top-performing groups on the survey still came out ahead even when controlling for how much schooling they had completed.
On questions about Christianity, Mormons scored the highest, with an average of about eight correct answers out of 12, followed by white evangelicals, with an average of just over seven correct answers. Jews, along with atheists and agnostics, knew the most about other faiths, such as Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism. Less than half of Americans know that the Dalai Lama is Buddhist, and less than four in 10 know that Vishnu and Shiva are part of Hinduism.
The study also found that many Americans don't understand constitutional restrictions on religion in public schools. While a majority know that public school teachers cannot lead classes in prayer, less than a quarter know that the U.S. Supreme Court has clearly stated that teachers can read from the Bible as an example of literature.
"Many Americans think the constitutional restrictions on religion in public schools are tighter than they really are," Pew researchers wrote.
The survey of 3,412 people, conducted between May and June of this year, had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, while the margins of error for individual religious groups was higher.
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Online:
Pew online quiz about religion: http://features.pewforum.org/quiz/u...gious-knowledge
Its a shame when I grew up we had missionary came to school once a week
and tought us about God. As a kid we went to Church and in the summer we
went to Bible school this has "Never" left me I was save at the age 13 teen!
Now we talk about the religious-knowledge I have 1 question where
does "GOD" name go in this survey?
God, Whose Love Is Always Stronger
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hseg10
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Posted September 28th, 2010 11:54 AM IP
That's interesting Thanks.
I can do nothing except God wills it.
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Posted September 30th, 2010 08:59 AM IP
What does the Bible say how do we have Access to God?
Psalms 65:4 Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.
Can you fine more verse?
God, Whose Love Is Always Stronger
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Posted January 15th, 2011 09:02 AM IP
The Judgments - (Past, Present, and Future)
Study By: J. Hampton Keathley, III Share11
Download Word Doc
Introduction
A great deal of confusion exists with respect to the subject of God’s judgments and particularly regarding the final judgment. It is the purpose of this study to cover all the major judgments (past, present, and future) that we find in Scripture to help resolve this confusion. For instance, many do not understand that instead of one final judgment, the Bible teaches that there are a series of five to seven future judgments (depending on how they are categorized) that differ in respect to time, purpose, subjects, and circumstances. Understanding these various judgments will give insight into God’s program, but the goal here is not just information. God wants Christians to understand the truth of the judgments to both comfort and motivate them to godly living. He wants those who have not trusted in Christ to understand the judgments that this might motivate them to trust in Christ as their personal Savior because He bore the judgment for their sin in their place. The Christian will not face the final judgment because Christ was judged for us, but all believers will face a judgment called the Judgment Seat of Christ, the nature of which will be covered in the material to follow. (See Appendix A for an explanation of how to become a Christian.)
Sin always has its consequences and the Doctrine of the Judgments calls our attention to both the reality and nature of the consequences of sin. The details of this will be developed in a summarized fashion in the material that follows.
Though one’s primary focus might be on the future judgments, this study will also cover the judgments of the past and the present because they are related and form a part of the total picture revealed in Scripture.
The Past Judgments
The Judgment of Satan and the Fallen Angels
Key Scriptures (Matt. 25:41; Isa. 14:12-14; Ezek. 28:11-19; Rev. 12:3-4)
This is God’s judgment to cast Satan down from his position in heaven as the anointed cherub with all those angels who followed him to this earth and its atmosphere as the primary abode of their operations (cf. Eph. 2:2 “the ruler of the kingdom of the air,” NIV [“air” is the Greek, aer, the atmospheric heavens]). Evidently, immediately after Satan’s fall, God sentenced Satan and his angels condemning them to the Lake of Fire (Matt. 24:41). Though anticipated as certain and viewed as accomplished, this sentence against Satan and his evil host will not be carried out until after the millennial reign of Christ (cf. John 12:31 with Rev. 20:10). The basis of Satan’s judgment and final disposal is the finished work of Christ on the cross first anticipated in the protevangelium of Gen. 3:15. Then in anticipation of His death on the cross, the Lord spoke of Satan’s judgment and doom in John 12:31; 16:11, and Luke 10:18-19. Compare also Romans 16:20; Ephesians 1:20-21; Colossians 2:14-15; Hebrews 2:14-17.
The Edenic Judgments of Genesis 3
After the fall of Adam and Eve, and as a judgment for mankind’s disobedience regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:17), certain curses or judgments were placed upon Satan (the promise of his final doom), upon Adam and Eve, and upon the earth. Adam and Eve died spiritually and began to die physically. Physical death became a certainty for their future because they took of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Therefore, as the Scripture says, “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). The judgment of Genesis 3 included the loss of the perfect Edenic conditions and in its place, the curse of the earth with its often extreme weather conditions, disease, thorns, and the warfare with Satan and his hosts (cf. Rom. 8:18-22; Eph. 6:10-12; 1 Pet. 5:8).
The Judicial Judgment—All Are Under Sin
Galatians 3:22 But the Scripture has shut up all men under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may become accountable to God;
Romans 5:12-15 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned— 13 for until the Law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.
All of mankind without distinction are under the curse of sin and judged as sinful and separated from God apart from the saving grace of God in Christ. All fall short of the glory of God—the immoral, moral, and religious (Rom. 1:18-3:9, 23). The only exception is the person of Jesus Christ who, through the virgin birth, escaped the sin problem that is normally passed down from generation to generation.
The Judgment to Moral Degeneration
According to Romans 1:18-32, when men turn away from the knowledge of God revealed so vividly in creation, God, as an expression of His holy wrath, turns men over to their own devices and foolish imaginations. This always results in moral devolution and degeneration. Paul teaches us that the varied forms of the awful sinfulness of man have their beginnings in the rejection of the revelation of God in creation. Ungodliness is always the source of unrighteousness; ungodliness (turning away from God) leads to idolatry (man worshipping the products of his own mind and hands), and idolatry leads to unchained sensuality.
As they refused to follow the light, they were brought to folly in their thoughts—“became vain in their [corrupt] reasonings, and their foolish [senseless] heart was darkened.” The intellectual revolt against what they knew to be right was attended by a darkening of the whole understanding. The refusal to accept the truth destroys the power to discriminate between truth and error.1
But this happens as a judgment from God against man’s arrogant independence. This condition is the expression of God’s wrath (vs. 18) and twice we have the statement that this moral breakdown occurs because God “gave them over” (vss. 24 and 25). Compare also Ephesians 4:17-19:
This I say therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; 19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality, for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.
The Judgment of Christ for the Sin of the World
This takes on two aspects:
(1) Christ’s judgment for sin, dying in the place of the sinner, bearing his sin and judgment on the cross as the sinner’s substitute.
Isaiah 53:4-6 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. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.
2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
1 Peter 2:24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
Romans 3:24-26 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Sin requires a penalty, the penalty of death as God’s holy judgment on sin. Jesus Christ, the sinless and perfect Son of God, the only one who could qualify as our substitute, died to satisfy the demands of God’s absolute holiness. Sin calls for judgment and the cross of Jesus Christ became that place of judgment. It was there Christ paid the penalty for the sin of the world (1 John 2:2).
(2) Christ’s Judgment Unto Sin’s Reign; the Judgment of the Believer’s Sin Nature
Not only did Christ die for our sin as the Lamb of God (John 1:29), but He died to break the reign of sin in the lives of those who put their trust in Him as their Savior. This means that, through coidentification with Christ in His death on the cross, the believer’s sin nature was also judged, crucified, with Christ in His death so that its power has been broken or neutralized. Though the death of Christ does not obliterate the presence of the sin nature and though it is still a powerful enemy (Rom. 7:15-24), the believer’s union with Christ in His death provides for divine forgiveness for the fact of the sin nature and for victory over its reigning power.
Romans 6:4-11 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should 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.
See also Colossians 2:10-13; Galatians 2:20; and Romans 8:1-2.
The Present Judgments
The Self-Judgment of the Believer
An interesting and important passage to this study is Acts 24:15-16 because in this passage Paul implicitly made reference to two judgments which are closely related. The text reads:
Acts 24:15-16 having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16 In view of this, I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men.
The resurrection of the just mentioned in verse 15 will be followed by the Judgment Seat of Christ or the Bema, the place and time when believers will be examined for rewards or their loss (see discussion below). Knowing and having the hope of the resurrection and all that this means to the Christian, the Apostle spoke of his commitment to maintain a clear conscience, one cleared by confession and the forsaking of all known sin (1 John 1:9; Prov. 28:13). He wanted to walk blamelessly, to keep short accounts with God, and to stay in close communion with the Lord lest he should become disqualified for rewards at the Bema (cf. 1 Cor. 3:10-15 with 9:24-27).
Though believers are saved and justified by faith in Christ as the crucified Saviour, the Scriptures assume that Christians will battle with sin and will not always be victorious. So it is necessary for believers to judge their own sins in the light of Scripture.2
This is a serious matter with consequences both for time and eternity since the failure to do so leads not only to the loss of rewards, but the judgment of God’s discipline of His believing children as a loving Father and as the Vine Dresser who must prune the vine for production (Heb. 12:4-11; John 15:1-7). A very interesting, enlightening, and important passage to this subject is 1 Corinthians 11:27-32 for in this passage we have a reference to both the self-judgment of the believer and the discipline judgment of God on believers.
1 Corinthians 11:27-32 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he does not judge the body rightly. 30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord in order that we may not be condemned along with the world.
Some of the Christians at Corinth were being externally religious. They were assembling themselves with other believers and partaking of the Lord’s supper, but they were out of fellowship with the Lord and were controlled by the sinful nature, the flesh, rather than by the Holy Spirit. This is why earlier the Apostle called them “fleshly” (the Greek sarkikos, “adapted to, controlled by the flesh”) (3:3). Unfortunately, this condition had continued because some of these believers had failed to examine their hearts and judge their sin by honest confession followed by a commitment to deal with it in the power of the Spirit (11:28, 31). As a result, a number of things occurred: (1) they were making a mockery of the significance and meaning of the Lord’s supper (11:27); (2) they were experiencing personal discipline by the Lord which existed in three conditions, evidently progressively so (11:30, 32); and though not mentioned here, (3) they were producing wood, hay, and stubble—they were losing rewards (1 Cor. 3:14-15).
As to the immediate consequences, some were weak (feeble, a loss of energy), some were sick (probably chronic disease), and some were asleep (physical death, sin unto death) (11:30). But these were not the only consequences of failing to judge sin in their lives. There were also divisions and factions and the focus on personalities rather than the Savior. They were showing favoritism and hurting other believers rather than showing love and concern as it should be among believers in Christ. In other words, when we fail to honestly judge sin in our lives it spills over in one area after another. As the loving Father that He is, God must break out the board of discipline in His loving commitment to bring us back to Himself.
So Christians need to examine their hearts and actions for sin according to the Scripture and then judge the sin they find as sin and confess it to the Lord. Our tendency is to rationalize and excuse our sins, but God says we are to judge them as sin to God. Confession of sin restores us to fellowship and to the Spirit’s control. With the Spirit back in control and the believer in fellowship (in the state of abiding in the Vine) he or she can then produce fruit for which they will receive rewards at the Bema.
The Discipline Judgments of God
As seen in the above section dealing with self-judgment, the New Testament clearly teaches us that one of the ministries of our heavenly Father is the ministry of loving discipline. God’s discipline is patterned after the principles of Proverbs 13:24 which read: “He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.” Discipline is an evidence of love. So we read in Hebrews:
Hebrews 12:4-11 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; 5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; 6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. 11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
From this passage in Hebrews and others like 1 Corinthians 11:27-32, God disciplines His children for the following reasons:
(1) To bring a wayward child who refuses to judge himself back into fellowship (1 Cor. 11:31-32; Ps. 32:3-5).
(2) It is part of the training process by which God’s children are brought into the experience of God’s holiness (Heb. 12:10).
(3) It is an expression and a proof of God’s love (Heb. 12:6, 8).
(4) It is designed to produce obedience and to protect them against untimely physical death (Heb. 12:9; Rom. 8:13; 1 Cor. 11:30).
(5) It yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness (Heb. 12:11).
Human Judgment of Others
Generally speaking, the principle is stated in Matthew 7:1-5.
Matthew 7:1-5 Do not judge lest you be judged. 2 For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
We are not to judge others in the sense of condemning them or passing judgment on the opinions of others on doubtful matters as discussed in Romans 14.
Romans 14:1-5 Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. 2 One man has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. 3 Let not him who eats regard with contempt him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats, for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind.
However, Scripture does call us to show what we might call critical discernment on certain matters. For instance, Matthew 7 which tells us not to judge, is immediately followed with the command, “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces” (Matt. 7:6).
How do we know who falls into the category of swine, those incapable of appreciating the truth, if we do not make certain judgments? Furthermore, we are called upon to make judgments in the sense of evaluations when it comes to selecting elders and deacons, or in dealing with those who have fallen into sin (1 Tim. 3:1-13; Tit. 1:9-16; Gal. 6:1-5; 2 Thess. 3:6-15).
The Future Judgments
The Judgment of the Bema (The Judgment Seat of Christ)
The next prophetic event in God’s timetable will be the rapture or the catching up of the body of Christ, the church, as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. A number of things occur at this time. There is the glorification of living believers in glorified bodies, the resurrection of those believers who have died in the Lord also in glorified bodies, and the translation of both to meet the Lord in the air. This will be followed by their examination before the Judgment Seat of Christ. This is not the final judgment mentioned in Revelation 20:11-15 which is limited to only the unbelieving world. Rather, the Judgment Seat of Christ is for the body of Christ, the church. A similar judgment will occur for resurrected Old Testament and Tribulation saints, but probably not until after the Tribulation (cf. Dan. 12:1-3 with Rev. 20:4).
The Judgment Seat of Christ is not a place and time when the Lord will mete out punishment for sins committed by the child of God. Rather, it is a place where rewards will be given or lost depending on how one has used his or her life for the Lord. Both Romans 14:10 and 2 Corinthians 5:9 speak of the “judgment seat.” This is a translation of one Greek word, the word bema. While bema is used in the Gospels and in Acts of the raised platform where a Roman magistrate or ruler sat to make decisions and pass sentence (Matt. 27:19; John 19:13), its use in the epistles by Paul, because of his many allusions to the Greek athletic contests, is more in keeping with its original use among the Greeks.
This word was taken from Isthmian games where the contestants would compete for the prize under the careful scrutiny of judges who would make sure that every rule of the contest was obeyed (cf. 2 Tim. 2:5). The victor of a given event, who had participated according to the rules, was led by the judge to the platform called the Bema. There the laurel wreath was placed on his head as a symbol of victory (cf. 1 Cor. 9:24-25).
In all of these passages, “Paul was picturing the believer as a competitor in a spiritual contest. As the victorious Grecian athlete appeared before the Bema to receive his perishable award, so the Christian will appear before Christ’s Bema to receive his imperishable award. The judge at the Bema bestowed rewards to the victors. He did not whip the losers.”3 We might add, neither did he sentence them to hard labor.
In other words, it was a reward seat and portrayed a time of rewards or loss of rewards following examination. It was not a time of punishment where believers are judged for their sins. Such would be inconsistent with the finished work of Christ on the cross because He totally paid the penalty for our sins.
Though believers are under no condemnation in respect to their sins, having been justified by faith (John 3:18; 5:24; Rom. 8:1, 13-17), they are subject to judgment at the Judgment seat of Christ in relation to their works. At the Judgment Seat of Christ believers’ works will be evaluated to demonstrate whether they are good or bad, and rewards will be conferred (2 Cor. 5:10; cf. Rom. 14:10-12; 1 Cor. 3:9-14; 9:24-27). The goal of the Christian in his life is to be pleasing to God whether in time or eternity. The Judgment Seat of Christ is not related to salvation but to the bestowal of rewards, and every Christian is assured that he will receive some reward (1 Cor. 4:5; cf. Eph. 6:8; 2 Tim. 4:8; Rev. 22:12).4
God, Whose Love Is Always Stronger
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Posted January 17th, 2011 06:49 AM IP
What Does The Bible Say About Accusation, False?
God, Whose Love Is Always Stronger
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Posted January 18th, 2011 09:42 AM IP
Israeli and the PLO, Hudna or peace?
Jeremiah 6:14 “ They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace .”
I you believe the current press reports, peace is about to break out between the Palestinian militants and Israel . The really believe the post-Arafat PLO is actually taking steps toward peaceful co-existence with Israel , including our deceived leadership. In this one, Bush is being suckered and made a fool.
To prove this the report now that there is a real cease fire and pledges made by both Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and PLO President Mahmoud Abbas , as the shake hands at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, on Tuesday, February 8, 2005. They were there at the invitation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and also joined by Jordan 's King Abdullah II. The headlines of the MSNBC article on this event is titled; “ Mideast cease-fire paves way for peace talks”
In return for Abbas' going to this meeting and pledging peace, the United States new Secretary of State, Dr. Rice, said we will immediately give the PLO 40 million dollars to give them a jump start with promises of hundreds of millions more. How stupid can we be?
Even in the same article, it is mentioned that Hamas immediately let it be know that they were questioning the deal.
We need to get back to that which is rational and known facts in this issue. We must try to separate facts from fantasy.
First, the fantasy: The new PLO president Mahmoud Abbas is really actively seeking a ceasefire with Israel . Before Abbas was even sworn in ABCNEWS had an article with the headline “Palestinians Vow Action Against Militants” and tried to promote the idea that the PLO was really serious about peace. This feeds the perception that the next step is up to Israel . As in the past, the PLO many times under Arafat vowed to take action, but as we have seen from their past history, vowing to take action and taking action are two entirely different matters.
Yasser Arafat vowed to take action all during the Oslow Accords. He did, but the wrong kind of action. And perception is often so different from reality. Recently the Kansas City Star ran the story of a suicide bomber attack against Israel . They headline read, “Attack Complicates Push for Ceasefire.” That headline shows the crazy view of western media to the events and situation in the Middle East . An attack in the context of an offer for a cease fire merely complicates things because it causes Israel to doubt their sincerity for wanting a ceasefire and being willing to prove it. The fact that it is all an insincere ploy by the PLO is inconsequential. The intent of the headline is meant to create the fantasy that if peace talks break down, it has to be Israel 's fault, even though they are being attacked. It also implies that the PLO is really trying as hard as they can. This is a very dangerous illusion the western media is creating.
Let us now define some of the tactical terms Muslims use. Possessing an accurate vocabulary of historic Islamic terms is extremely important to understanding the current events.
Recently the PLO executive committed endorsed Abbas' called for “hudna,” which the western media translated as a ceasefire. The PLO Statement said, “The committee calls for halting all military operations that cause harm to our national interest and provide Israel with an excuse to disrupt stability on the Palestinian arena” What a pile of smooth deception.
The PLO statement was carefully crafted after the ways of Arafat. It does NOT call for a halt of all military operations, but only those they deem to be harmful to their national interests. Implicit in the statement is a green light for attacks that advance their interests, making the statement meaningless on its face and deliberately so. In addition the different terrorist factions have not agreed to a ceasefire but to a “hudna” which is entirely different and means something different to the militant factions of the PLO. To them a “hudna” is a temporary tactical truce.
The Prophet Mohamnmed stuck a legendary 10 year hudna with the tribe that controlled Mecca in the seventh century. During the first two years of the temporary truce to rearm. Then he used a minor infraction of their agreement to break the hudna and launch a full conquest of Mecca , which became the holiest city of Islam . A hudna, as the Muslims understand it, is made for tactical reasons and advantage rather than for the purpose of a real and honest ceasefire and an ultimate peace.
In 1994, Arafat infamously invoked Mohammed's hudna to describe his own Oslow commitments on the road to Jerusalem . The implication is clear. Six years later Arafat's hudna came to an end when he launched what has been termed the Oslow war against Israel .
Hamas also understands the concept of hudna. IT has agreed to no less than ten hudna's in the past ten years. After every single one, they have returned, freshly armed to new terror.
It is not difficult to discover the religious, historical and diplomatic facts regarding the actual meaning of a hudna. That is why it is so disturbing to see the western media translate it as a truce, which implies permanence. Their anti-Israeli bias is nowhere more obvious. The mainstream media was impressed with Abbas' integration of the Al Aqusa Martyr's brigade into the Palestinian security services. They reason by co-opting the terror groups into the PA's official security apparatus the Al Aqusa's terrorist group will become subordinate to President Abbas. Government. What they don't perceive is that there is no difference between the terrorists and the Palestinian Authority other than the PA's tactical use of the concept of plausible deniability
Former security minister Mohammed Dahlan is expected to play a major security role in the new P.A. cabinet. HE said that Abbas has no intent of disarming the Palestinian group that are fighting with Israel . He told the Saudi daily, “Abbas's pledge to end lawlessness had been misunderstood. He was not referring to the weapons that are in the hands of the Palestinian resistance. These weapons constitute only 10 percent of the problem. The remaining weapons, which are responsible for lawlessness, come from arms dealers and smugglers.” – Mohammed Dahlan, Former PA Security Minister.
Dahlan said the PA would not use force to disarm any Palestinian group because it prefers to engage in dialogue with all factions “… to reorganize the weapons of the resistance.” – Mohammed Dahlan
This is an evident reference to Palestinian terrorist groups being absorbed into the Palestinian Authority. It is easy to determine these facts. So why is most of the mainline media either failing to report them or covering them up?
Mohmoud Abbas, the man of the hour, was carried on terrorists shoulders at his election rallies. He held high the banner of the Al Aqusa Martyrs brigade and referred to Israel as the Zionist enemy. He promised to protect the terrorists. As the new leader of the Palestinian Authority Abbas demands the following for “peace” with Israel :
+ The dismantling of all Israeli settlements in Gaza amd the West Bank .
+ A return to pre-1967 borders
+ Israeli acceptance of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capitol
+ Israeli agreement to the Right of Return
+ The release of all Palestinian prisoners
And all of this was before there is a possibility of peace. Those are exactly the same demands made by Arafat. Abbas has shown that he intends to carry on in Arafat's footsteps. It was Arafat's insistence on the “Right of Return” that torpedoes the Camp David Accords and launched to Oslo War. It was Abbas who counseled Arafat not to give in. Remember, the “Right of Return” is part of the PLO's long term plans for the destruction of Israel . It provides that all 1949 refugees and all their descendants be allowed to settle in Israel as immediate Israeli citizens. It doesn't mean the right of return to a new Palestinian state. It demands that all those who fled in the 1948 war be allowed to settle inside the borders of Israel . Abbas is also coordination the strategy with Syrians President, that way Israel cannot make peace with the Palestinians without making peace with the Syrians as well.
Israel is not likely to open peace talks with Syria unless the United States is convinced that they have stopped supporting terrorism. This adds an unnecessary obstacle for a genuine peace deal for the Palestinians.
Israel has said it will never give up Jerusalem to the Palestinians to have as their capitol and they will never do that which would be an obvious and immediate national suicide. Allowing a right of return for all Palestinians to Israel and not to a Palestinian state, would be national suicide for Israel . The four stage plan for the destruction of Israel has survived it's author, Yasser Arafat. For the Palestinians, peace is not an option, but a weapon of war. What is so astonishing about this is the willingness of the so-called “quartet for peace” to overlook these facts and are knowingly supporting a regime that is being constructed of active terrorist groups. These terrorist groups have refused to renounce terrorism as a legitimate form of political expression. In stead, they are simply pretending that they have turned over a new leaf by ignoring any evidence to the contrary.
Just looking at a sketch of Abbas' history should bring up red flags. In his doctorate at the University of Moscow , he argued that the Zionist conspired with the Nazis to create the holocaust to force the surviving Jews to immigrate to Israel after the war. For more on his history and what he has accomplished, read the short article, “ The Mahmoud Abbas Victory and Israel ”
God, Whose Love Is Always Stronger
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Posted January 18th, 2011 09:43 AM IP
Russia, China and the Middle East
The Bible prophets predicted that there would be a mighty Middle East power in the last days descended from Ishmael and Esau and would rise up against Israel. The way they have become a world power is truly amazing. Mohammed, a direct descendant of Ishmael created the Muslim religion, a religion intensely grounded in the seventh century culture of the Arabian Peninsula. It makes a religion of that seventh century culture. It spread phenomenally around the world and many others have been brought under its power.
Ezekiel foresaw that Persia, modern day Iran will be a leader in the confederacy against Israel in a great attack. As Ezekiel in chapter 38, they are being armed with nuclear weapons by the communist state of Russia. Beginning in February of 1991, world class nuclear scientists began building their infrastructure to make Iran a nuclear power and it is almost there. It has also developed missiles that can threaten the west. And 2004 ended with Iran thumbing its nose at the world community, refusing to cease it goal of nuclear tipped missiles. With Russian built S300 Sam missiles defending all the airspace of Iran, the vaulted Israeli Air Force is virtually powerless to attack and destroy Iran’s widely dispersed nuclear infrastructure. This is a checkmate that will soon lead to Armageddon.
Russia, it its effort to regain its status as a world power has cast its lot with Iran and Muslims in an all out effort to overthrow and throw out all western influence in the Middle East. The die has been cast for Armageddon as now Russia and China have strategic pacts with Iran.
The hope that possibly Israel would attack and once again stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power as was done in the past, because America was not in a place to do anything about Iran being tied down in Iraq, has been dashed as Russia equipped Iran with these deadly S300 missiles in 2004 which basically guarantees their ability to continue their quest for nuclear power unhindered. These missiles are so sophisticated they can bring down any plane in the Western arsenal except the B-2 and the as yet un-deployed F-22 (if and when it is deployed). This has upset the balance of power in the whole region.
In the 1990’s there was a vision of a new vibrant Russian trading economic partner, including President Bush’s famously naive declaration that he could see into this man’s soul, after his first meeting with this ex-KGB leader, V. Putin. He though they were friends and could work together. Instead we have discovered that the Russian bear never changed and never died, but only went into hibernation as I have preached all along, saying that it would rise again because prophecy declared it. Russian communists have always hated America and wanted to get even for what we did to them in the past. They found out how to get the west to give them the help and money they needed to get jump started and now there is no stopping them. Now, Russia is like a bear backed into a corner and Putin envisions no such peaceful partnership with America or the West as he has show in the recent controversy over the elections in a former satellite state in which he sought to place a puppet president. Russia’s role in the last days will be as that of a hostile invader who will also attack Israel and possibly America first, even with nuclear missiles.
Also the Bible prophets predicted that a great military power would arise in Asia and called them the ‘kings from the East.” A rise in power of China has been expected also in fulfillment in Bible prophecy. In 2004 China became the second financial power in the world, but also a military threat to the world. Chinese espionage, especially during the Clinton years, stole nuclear secrets and with these plans has now developed the W-88 thermonuclear warhead, much smaller and lighter than the others with the same power. That gives China the ability to strike America with its ICBM’s.
In addition, because we hired China to launch some of our non-military satellites, they were able to steal many secrets with military guidance applications giving them the ability to hit any target in the U.S. with lethal accuracy. This is not good for America. In the end, 1/3rd of the population of the world will be wiped out with fire, smoke and brimstone (nuclear holocaust). They are now fully prepared for nuclear war. They also have an available pool of men for military of over 350 million and the decades old clash between China and Russia has been resolved and for the first time they are having joint military maneuvers. All of this show that the Asians are preparing for their fateful role in prophecy. They will soon extend their power over other Asia nations.
According to Bible prophecy, in the last days, Israel will become the most hated nation on earth and Jerusalem will become the focus of the attention of the world and their concern. That has already come to pass. Think about how unlikely this predicted scenario really was. Jerusalem is a tiny city in a tiny nation. Israel is smaller than Rhode Island. Jerusalem is smaller than the capitol of Rhode Island, Providence. Nevertheless, the prophet Zachariah, predicted 2600 years ago predicted that Jerusalem would be the center of global attention. He predicted that its ownership would become the focus of global controversy, with all nations being drawn into war because of it. He wrote in Zechariah 12:2-3 “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.”
We are truly living in the last days. All of the prophetic signs are in place to tell us that Jesus will be returning soon. That should motivate us to work for Him and win all we can to Him.
God, Whose Love Is Always Stronger
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Posted January 18th, 2011 09:43 AM IP
The Mahmoud Abbas Victory and Israel
For some reason, much of the world has a lot of hope in Abbas as the new Palestinian leader. After Sunday’s election (1/8/05), on Monday Reuters World News Service had the headline “Abbas Victory Stirs Peace Hopes.” I don’t know why, considering all the facts. However, Mahmoud Abbas won the election with 62%, considered a landslide by anyone’s definition of a democratic election, even those one group of militants boycotted the elections.
In describing Abbas, Shimon Peres, Leader of the Israeli Labor Party said; “A moderate man was elected, an intelligent man, an experienced man. Let’s give him a change.” Please remember, it was Shimon Peres that said the same thing about Yasser Arafat. His intense longing for peace at any cost has cost him to live at times in a kind of dream world. Is Mahmoud Abbas the bright shining hope of peace that everybody claims? Let look at his history.
Abbas was born in Israel in 1935. He was educated in Syria and Moscow, earning a PH. D. in history at the Moscow University. His doctrinal dissertation asserted that the Zionist movement conspired with the Nazis to force the surviving Jews to immigrate to Israel. Mahmoud Abbas, born Abu Mazen, co-founded the Fatah movement along with Yasser Arafat and has been a member of the Palestinian National counsel since 1968. He was elected by the PLO executive committee as it Secretary General in 1996, confirming his position as Arafat’s deputy. Abbas has been in the Palestinian struggle from the beginning. He was complicit in everything Arafat did. His hands are no less bloodstained than Arafat’s. When Yasser Arafat walked away from the Camp David Accords and plunged his people into a four year war of attrition with Israel, he did so on the advice of Mahmoud Abbas! His counsel was to refuse any peace offering that did not include the “right of return” for Palestinian refugees.
The issue of the “right of return” is what makes the labeling of Abbas so puzzling. The so-called “right of return” doesn’t mean that Palestinian refugees have a right to return to a new Palestinian state. No, the “right of return” specifically demands that they and their descendants be allowed to return to Israel as automatic full Israeli citizens. If Israel agreed to this, the Jews would become an instant minority and Israel would become a majority Arab state. In the very first election, Israel would cease to exist.
While campaigning for Arafat’s job, Abbas promised that he would follow in Arafat’s footsteps. He promised that he would never give up his demand for the “right of return.” He also declared his solidarity with the terrorist groups. He promised them funding and protection and promised to defend their cause. Mahmoud Abbas also promised to refuse any compromise over the division of Jerusalem for their use as a Palestinian capitol. He also promised to fight for the freedom of all Palestinians in Israeli prison for terrorism and murder.
In short, his promises of peace comes with conditions that he knows that Israel cannot accept. That is why he imposed these conditions in the first place. Exactly as Arafat did! It’s deja vu all over again. To call Mahmoud Abbas a moderate is to take a plunge into self induced delusion. It is no less bizarre than when they called Yasser Arafat a peace maker and gave him the Nobel peace prize. For what? For being one of the world’s foremost terrorists and the father of modern terrorism as we know it, the inspiration for Osama bin Laden. Abu Mazen, alias Mahmoud Abbas is a terrorist himself by all reality and definition as much as Arafat.
Furthermore, the Palestinians of today were invented by Yasser Arafat. This act of invention occurred after Israel won the six day war in 1967. After driving out the invading Arab nations, Israel kept the so-called West Bank and Gaza strip. On June first of 1967, West Bank residents were Jordanian and Gaza residents were Egyptian. Yet on June 7th, 1967 they were miraculously transformed into Palestinians under Israeli occupation. Mahmoud Abbas is walking as he promised, in Yasser Arafat’s footsteps. As president of a non-existent people, the Palestinians, in a non-existent country, Palestine, and that he wants Israel to hand over it’s capitol, Jerusalem, to his mythical state as its capitol. As preposterous as this is to those who know true history, in the Middle East (not to leave out such other idiots as the leader of France) it seems to sound perfectly reasonable to everyone except of course, the Israelis.
What seemed like some possibility of hope at the death of Yasser Arafat for things to change and peace to come was quickly dashed by Mahmoud Abbas, even before the election. The day after New Years on a stage surrounded by armed militants Abbas offered his protection for the terrorists fighting against Israel.
Today, 1/14/05 Israel has broken off communication ties with Mahmoud Abbas and cancelled a meeting between the two leaders because of the recent attacks by Hamas and the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, which has ties to Abbas’ ruling Fatah movement. As soon as the elections were over, the military attacks and suicide bombings restarted. According to the top Hamas official in the West Bank, Hassan Yousef, he has freedom to act and attack Israel as long as there is no agreement between Hamas and the government. Israel now basically is saying, we gave you a chance, but now you’re going to have to prove you want peace and to do something to reign in the terrorism before we can talk peace. Makes logical sense to any logical mind, but there seems to be a shortage of those among the Palestinian leadership. Arafat kept trying to place the two faced game for years, acting like he wanted peace on one side to the world while preaching and teaching and leading terrorism to Palestinians.
God, Whose Love Is Always Stronger
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Posted January 23rd, 2011 08:16 AM IP
Major Discovery! The Largest Deepwater Gas Find In A Decade Could Provide Israel’s Gas Needs For 100 Years
There has been a major discovery of natural gas just off the coast of Israel. At this point it has now been officially confirmed that one gigantic offshore gas field alone contains 16 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. That is the largest deepwater natural gas find in a decade, and it is being projected that it could supply Israel's gas needs for 100 years.
Wow!
God provides, eh?
The following is an excerpt from a recent Wall Street Journal article about this amazing discovery....
On Wednesday, the frenzy got fresh fuel: Noble confirmed its earlier estimates that the field contains 16 trillion cubic feet of gas—making it the world's biggest deepwater gas find in a decade, with enough reserves to supply Israel's gas needs for 100 years.
Getting all of that natural gas out of the ground is not going to be easy, but there is already talk that Israel could actually become a net exporter of energy.
Wouldn't that be something?
But the truth is that we all knew that Israel would be abundantly blessed in the last days, didn't we?
The other nations in the region are already expressing envy. Lebanon has announced that it wants to start looking for gas off its own shores, and the Palestinians are less than pleased that Israel has found all this gas and they are not going to get any of it.
But it isn't just natural gas that has been found by Israel.
As I have written about previously, one Israeli oil prospecting and production firm has formally announced the discovery of a "commercially sized" oil field in central Israel.
A recent article in Haaretz provided some intriguing details on this new discovery....
Givot Olam Oil Ltd notified the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange of the find in its "Megev Five" drill near the town of Rosh Ha’ayin, saying it can produce 470 barrels of oil a day.
Isn't all of this exciting?
God is doing something amazing in the land of Israel.
For years, there have been some Bible teachers that have pointed to scriptures such as Deuteronomy 33:24 as evidence that Israel would someday be blessed with oil....
"And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil."
Well, we have witnessed some incredible oil and natural gas discoveries in Israel this year and many believe that there will be even larger discoveries of oil in Israel over the next several years.
But as Israel keep making these discoveries the Palestinians are going to get jealous and it is going to change the political equation in the Middle East.
Even as you read this, Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria are feverishly preparing for war. The next war in the Middle East could break out at any time.
So all of this oil and natural gas is not going to provide Israel with any kind of lasting peace and security. In fact, Israel will not truly experience lasting peace and security until Yahshua the Messiah returns.
http://signsofthelastdays.com/archi...s-for-100-years
God, Whose Love Is Always Stronger
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Posts: 13135
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Posted January 23rd, 2011 08:19 AM IP
The Vast Majority Of The Palestinians Still Believe That They Will Eventually Take Every Single Inch Of The Land Of Israel Away From The Jews
The politicians that are working so hard toward a "two state solution" are completely and totally deluded if they actually believe that it will bring lasting peace to the region. The truth is that according to Islamic law, any lands that have once belonged to Muslims belong to them forever. Radical Muslims will never recognize the right of the Jews to live on even one inch of the land of Israel. It simply is not going to happen. Any "peace agreement" that gives the Palestinians control over more land is only going to be viewed as an "intermediate step" toward the eventual goal of completely eliminating the nation of Israel. Anyone who doubts this should check out the results of a recent poll by The Israel Project.
The poll asked Palestinians living in Judea, Samaria and Gaza a variety of questions about Israel and about the peace process. The following are some of the results.....
*60 percent were in favor of direct negotiations with Israel that would result in a "two state" solution.
*Approximately two-thirds of the respondents agreed that "over time, Palestinians must work to get back all the land for a Palestinian state."
*Only 23 percent of the respondents believed that "Israel has a permanent right to exist as a homeland for the Jewish people."
*58 percent of those surveyed preferred "armed struggle" over "engagement with Israel."
*Just 12 percent of the respondents said that official maps, documents and school textbooks should show the name "Israel".
Are you starting to get the message?
In Islam, it is taught that you can negotiate with an enemy, lie to an enemy and even make peace agreements with an enemy if it will put you in a better position to achieve eventual victory.
That is what the Palestinians are doing. They have no intention of living peacefully alongside Israel forever. Instead, they are just going to grab land however they can grab it.
If Israel will give them some of the land now peacefully, then so be it. Later on they will take the rest by force if necessary.
Any attempt at a "two state solution" is absolutely foolish and just puts Israel in even more danger.
Radical Islam does not compromise. Radical Islam does not forget what the eventual goal is. Radical Islam will not honor any peace treaty for long.
For years, the top Palestinian leaders have said "peace, peace" to the rest of the world and then have turned right around and have told their constituents that of course they would never give up the eternal struggle to take back "the land of Palestine" for the Palestinians.
But world politicians have been totally fooled. They keep wanting to believe that if the Palestinians are given more land and more control that they will eventually be satisfied.
But they will never, ever be satisfied. Not until the entire state of Israel has been wiped off the map.
There will never be lasting peace in the Middle East until Yeshua the Messiah (the Lord Jesus Christ) returns to this earth. Unfortunately, our politicians are never going to understand that
http://signsofthelastdays.com/archi...y-from-the-jews
God, Whose Love Is Always Stronger
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today
Administrator
Posts: 13135
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Posted February 8th, 2011 09:59 AM IP
Angels: God's Messengers
Bible Teaching About God's "Ministering Spirits"
Back to the Bible
Positive answers to such questions are to be found only in the Bible. We have no other source of reliable information. The Bible is the inspired Word of God and contains a whole library of information on the subject: so where better to look?
Let us go straight to the Bible to remarkable evidence about these heavenly beings. The example we are to look at first is not the earliest occasion when angels are mentioned, but it is a particularly illuminating one. In the days when the kingdoms of Syria and Israel were at war in the 8th century BC, the king of Syria was much frustrated by the constant discovery of the whereabouts of his advancing forces (2 Kings 6:8-11). Being told that the informer was Elisha the prophet of God, his agents tracked down Elisha and his servant to a small hill town in northern Israel. He dispatched a large army to capture the prophet, and surrounded Dothan with chariots and horsemen under cover of night. When Elisha's young servant looked out the next morning and saw this great host, he was terrified: "Alas, my master! How shall we do?"
The Man whose Eyes were Opened
It was a natural response. Totally outnumbered by a cruel and sadistic enemy who would show no mercy, he might be excused for being terrified. Yet his master's reaction was quite different! Calm and confident, Elisha's response was: "Don't be afraid!" Not be afraid? Who would not be, in these circumstances? The reason was: "They that be with us are more than they that be with them." What did he mean? Could Elisha see something that the servant could not? All became clear when the prophet prayed to God:
"LORD. I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." (2 Kings 6:17)
Elisha was a man of God, and the LORD had sent his protective forces in the service of His prophet. Elisha had already experienced a similar thing a short time before, when his predecessor Elijah was taken up from him and Elisha had cried, "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof" (2 Kings 2:12). Elisha knew from that experience that the angels were there, but the inexperienced young steward had not yet learned where true strength lies. His spiritual eyes were closed.
God, Whose Love Is Always Stronger
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Posted February 8th, 2011 10:00 AM IP
God Works Through His Servants
The Dothan experience is an instructive revelation of how God works on man's behalf through His hosts of messenger servants. They were more numerous than the chariots of the Syrian army: they were powerful and like a consuming fire, and they were invested with the authority of the "King of kings" who sent them. Did their presence at Dothan achieve anything? Certainly it did, for in addition to saving the two men and the town's inhabitants, the Syrian army was neutralised, their soldiers temporarily blinded and led away from Dothan into the hands of the king of Israel.
The chariot and horsemen revealed to Elisha's servant were the angels of God, concerned for those who feared God. The incident demonstrated what another "man of God", king David, well understood and which he described in the following Psalms:
"The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them." (Psalm 34:7)
"The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place." (Psalm 68:17)
"Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure." (Psalm 103:20,21)
"Bless the LORD ... who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind: who maketh his angels spirits: his ministers a flaming fire." (Psalm 104:1-4)
The Hosts of God
Here are all the elements of the Dothan experience: the chariots, as a symbol of strength; the surrounding army, a mighty protective force around those who put their trust in God; the symbol of fire, holding back Dr destroying the enemy. We note the impressive numbers, telling us of the great host at God's disposal. Jesus told Pontius Pilate that he could summon "more than twelve legions of angels" (over 72,000) to his help, against which the Roman governor's legions would have had no power at all (Matthew 26:53). We observe, too. that these forces are God's forces. They are "his angels", "his hosts", and they are "his ministers", doing His pleasure. In other words, the LORD God has total control over them. They "excel" in strength they have more than enough power to complete their commissions.
With the evidence of this important Bible event, it is clear that there are such beings as angels, and that they have been at work on behalf of God and man. If we wish to know more about them, we must start with a simple question.
Who are the Angels?
The English word "angel" comes from the Greek angelos, which means 'messenger'. In the Old Testament, with two exceptions, the Hebrew word for "angel" is malak, also meaning 'messenger'. The prophet Malachi took his name from this word. He was himself a messenger, and he prophesied about the coming of "the messenger of the covenant", Jesus Christ (Malachi 3:1).
Although the word "angel" in the Bible, meaning a messenger, nearly always applies to heavenly beings, it can occasionally apply to human messengers. Malachi himself said a priest was a messenger (malak) of the LORD of hosts (Malachi 2:7), and in the Book of Revelation the elders of the seven churches of Asia were called angels (1:20; 2:1 etc.). But when we meet messengers doing supernatural things, there is no doubt they are heavenly beings - God's messengers, working for Him and for the ultimate benefit of mankind.
The Creator of the Universe
The LORD God is the Creator of everything in the universe, and He made the angels. Of course, atheists and agnostics do not see the need for angels. If (as they believe) everything around them has come about by chance rather than by design they will be indifferent to how God works. But there is overwhelming evidence of a Supreme Designer who not only created, but is in control of a master plan for the earth and the human race. The sympathetic reader will therefore understand why the Creator will wish to explain His purpose to the intelligent beings that He has created.
The LORD God has always been there, and He always will be there, so that the Bible describes Him as being "from everlasting to everlasting" (Psalm 90:2). He is a living God (in contrast to all other so-called "gods"); the source of all power, all life and all things necessary for life to continue. In creating the galaxies, the stars, the planets and everything else in space. He singled out the earth for a special purpose, with the intention that it should become the home of a race of beings who would reflect His own glory and emulate His own characteristics. "All the earth shall be filled with my glory" (Numbers 14:21) is His promise. Although He is a spirit power, He is not some kind of automatic machine.
God did not create robots with automated responses for life on earth; rather, He desired to generate a willing response to His will from men and women who revere and obey Him:
"Thus saith the LORD. The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool ... but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word." (Isaiah 66:1,2)
Why did God Create Angels?
The Creator Himself is so powerful and glorious that He cannot be approached in person by human beings. He alone "hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto: whom no man hath seen, nor can see (1 Timothy 6:16). Angels do not have man's shortcomings, and can therefore act for God and represent Him when communicating with men and women. They bridge the huge gap between the holiness and perfection of God in heaven and the shortcomings of dying people on this planet. Angels were made immortal (that is, never to die). Their eternal quality was spoken of by Jesus when he said:
"They which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God. being the children of the resurrection." (Luke 20:35.36)
Jesus was saying that, in the same way as the angels (the children or "sons" of God) live for ever and are of one gender, so those who will be called the "sons" and "daughters" of God when Jesus returns will also live for ever and will not marry.
The "Sons of God"
Having been brought into existence by God, the angels are called the "sons of God". In an example of this, God described to the patriarch Job the creation of the earth, and asks him:
"Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? ... Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:4-7)
These "sons of God" were there working for the Almighty. The Creator commanded, and the tasks were carried out. As Psalm 33 says, "For he spake, and it was done: he commanded, and it stood fast" (33:9). The LORD only had to speak the word and the angels responded; and what they did, they did well - which is why the record in Genesis 1 repeatedly says that "God saw that it was good". Good, because "a faithful messenger refreshes the soul of the master who sends him" (Proverbs 25:13).
Man Made Lower than the Angels
When the first man was being created, the angels gave him a form resembling their own:
"Let us make man in our image. after our likeness ... So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him: male and female created he them." (Genesis 1:26-27)
This does not mean that the first of the human race had exactly the same physical nature as the angels, for the angels were made to live for ever. Adam and Eve were not made never-dying: they did sin, and they suffered death as the punishment for it. That is why the whole human race has been dying ever since. The fact that man was created in the image of the angels speaks of God's ultimate intention for His creatures.
Psalm 8 is a Psalm in which the creation of the earth is extolled. Here we are told that man's position is lower than the angels:
"What is man, that thou art mindful of him? ... For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour." (Psalm 8:4,5)
The New Testament quotes this passage, and tells us that mankind - including the Lord Jesus himself - was made a little lower than the angels, "for the suffering of death" (Hebrews 2:9). Angels do not die, but men and women do. Even Jesus, the Son of God, was mortal, but has now received the glory and honour which was his due when, as he said after his resurrection, "all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matthew 28:18).
The "Mighty Ones"
Psalm 8 is also very helpful because here the original word for "angels" is not malak ('messenger'), but elohim, a plural word meaning 'mighty (or powerful) ones'. Elohim is the Hebrew word which is most often rendered "God" in the Old Testament. Although there are exceptions to this, it is useful when reading the Old Testament to note the intended connection between God and those who represent Him.
This introduces an important aspect of the angels and their work. As God's representatives, they bear His name and carry out His will. They are glorious because He is glorious. The LORD is the Almighty. and the angels are "the sons of the mighty" (Psalm 89:6). Another of God's titles is "LORD of hosts" because, as we have seen, He has such extensive forces at His command.
We have seen that the angels execute the LORD God's commands, they were involved at the creation of the earth, they act as messengers and they operate in the name of the LORD. We shall now look at how they guided, led and protected God's people, the nation of Israel.
Angels in Old Testament History
There was the notable case of Abraham, who "entertained angels unawares" (Hebrews 13:2). One day "the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; and he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him" (Genesis 18:1,2). The "men" were provided with a meal, but they turned out to be angels and they had come on a double mission: firstly to tell Sarah that she would have a son, and secondly, to talk about the fate of the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. After the meal, Abraham left the tent to set "the men" on their way. Two of them went down to Sodom, where "two angels" came into the city at evening, while the other man, who is referred to as "the LORD", stayed to listen to Abraham's plea for mercy on the town where his nephew Lot lived.
Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, witnessed several angelic manifestations. On his flight into Padan-aram from the wrath of his brother Esau he had a dream, when he saw "the angels of God ascending and descending" a ladder going up from earth to heaven (Genesis 28:12). It was a dramatic representation of how communication between heaven and earth is maintained and how the angels are watchful over those who put their trust in God.
Jacob returned to his homeland some 20 years later, but was fearful of meeting Esau who was approaching with 400 men. The divine encouragement and protection was there again: "The angels of God met him. And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host" (Genesis 32:1,2). But belief in the presence and power of angels does not eliminate the need for action on our part, as Jacob found out when he wrestled with a "man" in a painful night-long encounter. His opponent proved to be an angel, who did Jacob the honour of changing his name to "Israel", meaning a 'prince with God'. Jacob declared, "I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved" (Genesis 32:24-30).
The Angel that Bore the Name of God
When the Israelites were released from their slavery in Egypt and started their journey back to the land of promise, it was the angel of God who led the tribes of Israel (Exodus 14:19). Arriving at Mount Sinai some months later, the congregation of two million people gathered at the foot of the "holy" mountain (where Moses had seen the angel in the burning bush) and were terrified by the manifestation of divine power in the thunder and lightning, smoke, fire and earthquake. Moses was called up to Sinai to meet with God's representative in all his glory, and the tables of stone with the famous ten commandments were "written with the finger of God". A rebellion by the Israelites during his absence almost brought about the breaking of the covenant that God made with this nation; but Moses interceded and pleaded with the LORD God to lead the people, personally, on their journey to Canaan. The LORD replied that He would not go in person, but:
"Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not: for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him." (Exodus 23:20,21)
The Angel of God's "Presence"
Observe the authority given to this angel! God had put His name into the messenger: the angel would guard them on the journey, but he must be obeyed or he would punish them. Yet the LORD Himself would "not go up in the midst of thee" but would allow His "presence" to be with them (Exodus 33:3.14). The divine power, glory and authority would be wholly vested in this angel. It does not mean that the angel would be seen by the people, but the evidence of his presence would be there in the pillar of cloud in the daytime and the pillar of fire that would be over the tabernacle at night. If they had "eyes to see" they would know that he was there, looking after their interests. Moses and the High Priest would be able to get closer than anyone else. But none of the people, only the High Priest on one day in the year (the Day of Atonement) was able to experience the brilliant glory which resided between the wings of the gold "cherubim" over the ark in the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle.
The cherubim are first mentioned when Adam and Eve were driven from Eden. They guarded the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:24), and were modelled in gold on the Ark to represent God's protection and care.
Again, when Moses on Mount Sinai desired to see the face of God Himself he was not permitted to do so, only to witness the glory of the LORD passing by: "Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live" (Exodus 33:20). The Lord Jesus confirmed this when he said, "No man hath seen God at any time" (John 1:18). The angels therefore brought divine information to men and women, which they could not otherwise receive because of God's holiness and man's sinfulness.
Angels with Names
Only occasionally are the angels given names. "Michael", for instance, was "the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people (Israel)" (Daniel 12:1). Undoubtedly, among the most significant of angelic appearances were those by the angel whose name was "Gabriel". He was sent twice to the prophet Daniel. On the second occasion Daniel was at prayer, and Gabriel, "being caused to fly swiftly, touched me ... and talked with me" and proceeded to prophesy the date of the first coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ (Daniel 9:21-27). There was therefore great expectation among the Jews at the time when Jesus Christ was about to be born, and this was heightened by the personal appearance of Gabriel again, firstly to Zacharias the priest while on duty in the temple, and then to Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph. To Zacharias, the angel announced. "I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God: and am sent to speak unto thee" (Luke 1:19). We notice that angels can stand in the glorious presence of the LORD. whereas men cannot. and angels are sent to do whatever God wishes. His mission here was to announce the miraculous birth of John the Baptist.
Six months later, Gabriel appeared to Mary, who was in the royal line of King David. Her prayer, said the angel, had found favour with God, and she would be the mother of the expected Messiah. Gabriel told her that she would conceive through the power of the Holy Spirit and her son would be Jesus, the Saviour, and he would be the Son of God and would occupy the royal throne of David (Luke 1:26-33). It was an extraordinary meeting because Mary was not yet married. Nothing is impossible with God! Joseph, her husband-to-be, also received angelic messages advising him what steps to take in this unique situation.
When Jesus came to be born in Bethlehem, the birth was the signal for a glorious witness of divine approval, seen by shepherds:
"An angel of the Lord (could this have been Gabriel?) appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear ... And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!'" (Luke 2:9-14, RSV)
Angels Preach the Gospel
In this majestic event we observe first the specialised work of the one angel, appearing in the divine glory: secondly, the enormous numbers of his colleagues who are involved in the fulfilment of the promise - all, in unison, proclaiming the glory of the supreme God; and thirdly, the proclamation of the Gospel of the coming kingdom of God on earth, and peace among "them that fear him" and "who tremble at his word". It was an exciting confirmation of how the Almighty God conveys His purpose through His messengers.
When Jesus grew up he was ever conscious of the part that angels played in his life. We read that at the end of his lonely six-weeks trial in the Judean wilderness, when he was very hungry and suffering from the stress of his temptations, and needed support and company, "angels came and ministered unto him" (Matthew 4:11). Again, in the Garden of Gethsemane, the angel was there, a personal companion with whom Jesus could commune and share his feelings. When even his closest disciples could not bear the pressures of the situation, the angel was a friend indeed!
The Angels in World Affairs
When Jesus prayed. "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as in heaven", he was testifying to the efficiency of the angels' work in the universe. It is they who, with the power generated by God, keep the stars and planets in precise order. When Christ is here again, the arrangements on earth will be like that. Meantime, as Daniel said, "The Most High rules in the kingdoms of men" (Daniel 4:17), and uses his servant-angels to bring about His will among the nations. They bear His characteristics: they are, for example, His "eyes". An angel once described his fellow angels to the prophet Zechariah as, "they whom the LORD has sent to patrol the earth ... the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth" (Zechariah 1:10; 4:10, RSV). "Eyes" seems a fitting description, when these messengers are out on patrol!
Angels at the Second Coming of Christ
Powerful as they are, the angels do not know everything. For example, their knowledge of the precise time when Jesus will come back is limited, for Jesus said, "Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only" (Matthew 24:36). But it is certain that they are going to be greatly involved with the events of his second coming and the setting up of the kingdom of God. Theirs will not be a passive role. Their tremendous energy and ability will be much in evidence when:
"The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ ... when he shall come to be glorified in his saints." (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10)
"The tribes of the earth shall mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." (Matthew 24:30,31)
The heavenly aides will be there with Jesus when the dead are raised:
"For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first ..." (1 Thessalonians 4:16, RSV)
They will be present, as witnesses, at the great judgement, when the Son of man will confess those who confess him, "before the angels of God" (Luke 12:8). They are the "reapers" of the harvest when "the Son of man shall send forth his angels. and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend. and them which do iniquity" (Matthew 13:39-41). Thereafter, they will remain in the service of those followers of Jesus who will be given eternal life and who will rule the world of the future as God's representatives here on earth.
Can Angels Help Us?
All that we have considered from the Scriptures demonstrates that angels have existed since the foundation of the world, that they exist today and that they will be there in the Kingdom of God on earth. They have been given tremendous power, they maintain the universe and they bridge the gulf between the unapproachable glory of the LORD God and those human beings on earth who are prepared to reverence Him.
Yet the very fact that they are not visible to us may lead us to discount their presence and their effectiveness in our lives. The truth is that since the writings of the Bible were completed at the end of the First Century AD. there has not been what the Bible calls any "open vision", as there had been at certain times before that. The completed Bible is sufficient to supply all information necessary for salvation, and we are invited to read it, to accept its direction and to live by faith. Faith is not blind acceptance of things we know nothing about, but it is built on the evidence of God's word and work and is an essential requirement for believing the truth.
We are asked to "open our eyes" to all the evidence around us that God's plans are being fulfilled. If we do this we shall have the confident expectation of the return of Jesus Christ very soon. But we can go further than this: we can say quite positively that, for those who trust God and are prepared to follow and obey Jesus in readiness for his kingdom, there is angelic help at hand - for each disciple personally. Do you remember Psalm 34? "The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him". With our limited eyesight, we may not see him; but he is there! Are you ready to believe that?
Guardian Angels?
Because angels work on behalf of those who seek to be God's children - His sons and daughters - many people ask if there are personal "guardian" angels. When Peter was released from prison by an angel (Acts 12:7-15) and arrived at the door of the house where the brethren were staying, they could not believe it was Peter in person but said, "It is his angel". Before that, Jesus had told his own followers that those who in simple, child-like faith obey and reverence God would have the services of His messengers: "Their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 18:10). These are powerful indications of how much personal care and comfort God is prepared to provide for those who truly fear Him.
Followers of Jesus are left in no doubt when they read the Letter to the Hebrews. The early chapters demonstrate how God has communicated with man, how the angels are His servants and how Jesus, the Son of God, is now superior to the angels and commands their obedience. Likewise, those who become the "sons of God" and are destined to be the rulers in the coming kingdom of God will be above the angels. In chapter 1, the writer says that God spoke in the past in many different ways (for example, by angels conveying God's word to patriarchs and prophets) but He now speaks directly through His Son, who is "the express image of his person ... being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they". The Son is greater than the servants. Yet, he says, the angels still have their work to do:
"Of the angels he says, 'Who makes his angels winds, and his servants flames of fire.' ... Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?" (Hebrews 1:7,14, RSV)
"The whole family in heaven and earth"
The angels are presently part of what the Apostle Paul called "the family in heaven" - God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the angels. Soon that family will be completed by the return of the Son of God to earth and the addition of the "sons of God" - Christ's faithful disciples - who will rule the earth with him: "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named" (Ephesians 3:14,15). The Creator lives in unapproachable light, and may seem very remote from us at times. But the family of God has breached the gulf, and the day will come when, by the end of the Millennium, all sin is removed, death is conquered and "God will be all in all" (1 Corinthians 15:28).
How Can the Angels Serve Us Now?
For the believer. knowing that the angels are there for his or her benefit is itself a great help. Just as we can have complete confidence in a skilled surgeon when undergoing a major operation (although we may never see him while our "eyes are closed" under the anaesthetic). So, to understand the work of the angels is to be confident in God's care for us and in the ways of providence that surround our lives. Indeed. in practice it is something more than that. If we are sincere, we pray to God and God answers our prayers in harmony with His will. He sends His angel who, unseen, orders the circumstances and situations around us, so changing our lives: "The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way" (Psalm 37:23).
Let us sum up: Yes, angels do exist and they are there to help us, if we fear God. Truth does not depend on what you can see. That was the big mistake made by Mr. Khrushchev: The things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18, RSV).
When the heavenly hosts are sent to gather together the "elect" for judgement at the return of Jesus, the elect may meet and see the angels for the first time The invitation may well be, "The Master is come, and calleth for thee!" (John 11:28). Now is the time to believe in the LORD God and His angels and to prepare for this great event:
"Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." (Psalm 119:18)
God, Whose Love Is Always Stronger
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