Forgiveness, The Gospel

The Love That Forgives and Won’t Let Go

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The Love That Forgives and Won’t Let Go

AnswersFromScriptureOnline.com

Forgiveness is deeply personal.

Forgiveness is a deep personal need. It is not just a theological concept—it is the heartbeat of heaven and the personal gift God extends to every soul. Through Scripture, we see a forgiveness flows from a God who pursues us relentlessly, not to condemn, but to restore. He doesn’t wait for us to get it all together; He meets us in our brokenness, and we are all broken.

Darkness filled the Earth, as the sins of the world were laid on the sinless lamb of God.

From the first fall to the foot of the cross, the story of the Bible is the story of the One who loves us and who refuses to give up on us. The cost of Forgiveness was exposed at Calvary, but it was promised in Genesis, foreshadowed in the sanctuary, thundered from Sinai, and whispered in the quiet of a broken heart. It reaches everyone: from the lost and lonely people looking for a home to royalty in palaces, and to you.

Forgiveness in Jesus is not merely a divine pardon—it’s a personal invitation.

Jesus says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, NKJV).

He doesn’t just blot out our sin; He offers to heal our hearts and walk with us into a transformed future.

Changed by Forgiveness: Zacchaeus, Mary, and Peter

Zacchaeus was a tax collector—despised, corrupt, and spiritually empty. Yet when he heard Jesus was coming, something stirred. He climbed a tree just to see Him. What did Jesus do? He looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house” (Luke 19:5, NKJV).

The result? Zacchaeus declared: “Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold” (Luke 19:8, NKJV). Jesus responded, “Today salvation has come to this house”(Luke 19:9). Forgiveness transformed a greedy heart into a generous one.

Mary Magdalene was once bound by darkness—Jesus cast out seven demons from her (Luke 8:2). She had a painful past, yet she became one of Christ’s most devoted followers. It was Mary who anointed Jesus with costly oil, wiping His feet with her tears and hair (Luke 7:38). When criticized, Jesus said, “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little” (Luke 7:47, NKJV).

Mary’s love wasn’t a performance—it was a response. Forgiveness gave her back her dignity, her identity, and her future.

Peter, bold but flawed, denied Jesus three times when fear overcame him. After the resurrection, Jesus asked him not once, but three times, “Do you love Me?” (John 21:15-17). Each time Peter answered yes, and Jesus commissioned him, “Feed My sheep.”

Peter’s guilt was not the end of his story. Forgiveness led him to preach powerfully at Pentecost, when three thousand souls were baptized (Acts 2:41). Jesus’ love didn’t discard him—it restored him.

Forgiveness Is for You—Right Now

These are not abstract stories. These are the stories of real people, with real sin, who found real forgiveness—and so can you.

Jesus still sees the hearts that climb trees to catch a glimpse of hope. He still defends the broken who weep at His feet. He still meets those who’ve denied Him and calls them by name.

Jesus offers you complete forgiveness & so much more. Open the door to Him.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20, NKJV).

Forgiveness begins the moment we turn toward Him. It’s not earned. It’s received. Jesus isn’t waiting for your perfection—He’s knocking at your door right now.

So today, open your heart. Let Him in. Say yes to His love. Say yes to His mercy. Say yes to a forgiven life.

Because the truth is, you’re not too far, and it’s not too late.

Resurrection

The Resurrection-Before and After

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Introduction

Christian believers, worldwide, celebrate Christ’s resurrection on a particular day in March or April.  Why Sunday (Biblically called the “First Day.”) and why during these months?  The first question is easy to answer; the second is harder for the average person to calculate. 

*“Easter Sunday always occurs on the first Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon. What is the Paschal Full Moon? This is specifically the first Sunday following the full Moon that occurs on or after the March or spring equinox.” 

*This information was taken from the 2025 Almanac.   Click on these links if you want to learn more.

The purpose of this brief discourse is to focus more on the event than the timing. Such a history-changing event seems only to get attention at Easter time. I am also not here to discuss the origin of the pagan event called Easter, which, over the course of history, has blended in with Christian teachings and writings. That is another topic for another time.

The Resurrection of Christ is the support beam that keeps the building of Christianity from falling. Paul knew this when he argued with those Christians who were preaching that there is no resurrection of the dead.  Listen carefully to Paul’s logic and the bold statements he makes about the vital importance of the resurrection:

“But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.  And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” 1 Corinthians 15: 12-14 (NLT)

Logic: We are preaching that Christ was raised from the dead.  If you don’t believe in the resurrection of the dead, then Jesus has not been raised (resurrected). 

Conclusion: The preaching of the followers of Christ is useless, and so is your faith! Wow!  The resurrection of the dead is absolutely critical to the follower of Christ!

Paul expounds further:

More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if, in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 1 Corinthians 15:15-18 NKJV

Paul repeats himself: if there is no resurrection of the dead, there are consequences. The support beam (resurrection) for Christianity is absent, and the building will fall to the ground.

  • Apostles and Disciples are false witnesses (liars),
  • Your faith is futile (has no purpose and is ineffective),
  • You are still in your sins (the cross would mean nothing!)
  • Those who have fallen asleep (died) in Christ are lost.
  • And finally, you are to be pitied among all the people if there is no resurrection of the dead!

From Paul’s appeal, we can understand why the Christian faith would fall if the resurrection were not true. This likely explains why the enemy makes so many sly efforts to minimize or discount the resurrection of Christ, AND why the resurrection is watered-down with Easter Bunnies, candy, and hiding Easter eggs. The topic of the resurrection is too important not to understand!

Another reason why it is not explored more is that it blows up some ancient myths about life and death. The following few articles will be on the resurrection of the dead.

Let’s start with the words of the Patriarch, Prophets, Apostles, and Disciples.

To properly understand the idea of dying and coming back to life, we must understand how our Creator made us…how complex life came into being…and finally how death happens…and what becomes of dead people, both righteous and unrighteous. 

The Origin of Us

Moses

Moses (in his book of Genesis) described the elements of life for the first man God created. Most scholars consider Job the oldest book in the Bible, also written by Moses. From these two writings, we get a good start on understanding life, death, and life again.

Adam’s first day started with the physical element of earth (dust). God formed his body parts from the dirt. Standing before his Creator was Adam, a grown young man with all the elements for life but not alive yet. Next came the spiritual component: God’s heavenly breath.  God’s breath, or Spirit, combined with the body to make a human soul…Adam’s first experience with life and conscience. 

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Genesis 2:7 (KJV)

This verse has a formula: 

Dust + God’s breath = living soul. 

Notice it didn’t say God put a human soul into Adam. It clearly states that the two components of earth and heaven make up a human soul. We don’t have a soul; we ARE a soul.  This is life.  We are all souls living and dying on this earth. 

At death, the reverse of life takes place: the body returns to dust, and the Spirit God gave to produce life returns to God who gave it in the first place.

For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12:7 NIV. Here is another formula:   Body – God’s Spirit = death

Notice, it is not our spirit that returns to God, it is His, as described in the book of Job.

If He should set His heart on it,
If He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath,
All flesh would perish together,
And man would return to dust. Job 34: 14-15

If God wanted to, God could end life for all of us by taking back His Spirit and His breath.

This sounds final.  But the glory of God is His desire and ability to resurrect the righteous (those who trust Him).  Remember, if Christ was not raised, those who have fallen asleep (died) would be lost. Here is why our personal resurrection is our hope.  Many people dismiss the resurrection and claim that you go to your reward in heaven at death as our hope. 

BC Resurrection

But Moses, in his book called Job, makes a statement from the main character.  It is Messianic and points to his hope in the resurrection:

For I know that my Redeemer lives,

And He shall stand at last on the earth;

And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,

That in my flesh I shall see God,

Whom I shall see for myself,

And my eyes shall behold, and not another.

How my heart yearns within me!

Job 19: 25-27 (NKJV)

Job describes a resurrection experience: His Redeemer lives and one day will stand on the earth (Jesus and His second coming). Even if Job’s skin is destroyed, the flesh will return to his bones, and he will see God with his eyes (resurrection). There is no wispy spiritual body; it has flesh and eyes. God has revived the destroyed (decayed) body parts!

Isaiah states almost exactly what Job and Paul saw concerning our resurrection:

But those who die in the Lord will live;
    their bodies will rise again!
Those who sleep in the earth
    will rise up and sing for joy! Isaiah 26:19

 Isaiah clearly states that those who die in the Lord, will live again,

When does this happen?  It is at the Second Coming of Jesus.  The last trumpet will sound, then the resurrection desired by Moses, Job, and Isaiah will come to pass.

But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. 1 Corinthians 15: 51-53 NLT

Is it not clear that the wonderful secret, that all who have ever lived will be changed as fast as an eye can wink, will be completely changed at the last trumpet?  The last trumpet is when Jesus returns.  Paul explains:

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died (fallen asleep) will rise from their graves. 1 Thess. 4: 16 NLT

The picture is clear: Jesus comes down from heaven, but it is not silent or quiet. There is a loud trumpet and a shout from the heavens! Those who died and sleep in their graves are resurrected! Next come those who are alive and remain (have survived the destruction of the last days).

 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 1 Thess 4: 17 NLT

In the very next verse, Paul gives us the words of hope by his description of the second coming and the resurrection that occurs:

So encourage each other with these words. 1 Thess 4: 18

As believers, we are to encourage each other about the second coming of Christ and what takes place then! If we die, we are resurrected, and then we meet those in the air who didn’t die in the last day’s destructive events predicted by Jesus.

Part 2 will examine Jesus’s words that He is “the resurrection and the life.”  We will also see what the Bible says about how we are changed at the second coming. Part 3 will explore the 1st and 2nd resurrections.

Twenty years ago, I had open-heart surgery to save my life.  The procedure took about 4 hours. Before they gave me anesthesia, the nurse said,

“Mr. Armstrong, we are going to put you to sleep now.” 

The very next words I heard were instantaneous,

“Mr. Armstrong, it is time to wake up!” 

The 4 hours that passed were a mere microsecond.  So, it will be for those who have died in Christ.  Even though it may have been many years since their passing, the concept of time will not be recognized.  Could this be why Jesus compared death to a sleep?

Until next time…encourage one another with these words… 

Church

What Are The Requirements to Be a Saint

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As I write this, the world focuses on numerous catastrophic events, including wars and rumors of wars. The new President of the United States is preparing to take office with an agenda addressing various issues, from economic challenges to mass migration from other countries. On the religious front, the Catholic Church has decided to canonize another saint. However, this one differs from our typical conception of a “saint.”  This is the purpose of this article…to help us understand the idea of sainthood.

“A video-gaming Italian teenager will become the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint after his cause for canonization was approved by church authorities.

Carlo Acutis, who died from leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, was renowned for using his computing skills to spread awareness of the Catholic faith and earned the nickname “God’s influencer.” By Christopher Lamb, CNN.

As I read about this new “saint” from the perspective of a protestant, I wondered a couple of things.  First, what are the requirements to become a saint?  Secondly, who has the authority to declare someone a saint and create, as it were, a cult-like following?  The Catholic church has quick answers from church tradition, but having learned that tradition is not always the best source for answers, I turned to God’s word, from Genesis to Revelation.

Scope:

Understanding the word “saint” in the Bible and its scope and usage led me to a clearer picture. The singular version of the word translated ” saint” ( qāḏôš-Hebrew- hagios-Greek) appears only two times in both the King James and the New King James versions (Psalm 106:16 and Philippians 4:21).

When they envied Moses in the camp,
And Aaron the saint of the Lord, Psalm 106:16

Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you. Philippians 4:21

As you can see, Aaron is called the “saint of the Lord.”  That is understandable, although he encouraged Israel to sin by making a golden calf (Exodus 32: 1-5) to worship even though God had specifically said not to (Exodus 20:4).  As I reread the story in Exodus 32, the actions of Aaron (the saint of the Lord) are very shocking and highly disobedient to God!  These are the things evil kings did, as recorded in the books of Kings, but Aaron was forgiven and continued to be a leader among the people.  God’s grace is so powerful!

Paul calls those brothers who visit Philippi and, in Christ, “saints.” This is a nice segway into the plural version of a saint.  If we go back to the 1 chapter of Philippians, we see Paul and Timothy’s greeting:

“To all the saints (hagios-Same Greek word as above.)  in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.”  Philippians 1: 1

So, there is a whole town of saints in Philippi. At this point, the only requirement seems to be those “in Christ.” Specific good works to become a saint are also not a requirement.

Interestingly, when I checked the newer translations (NIV, NLT, NLV), the word “saint” was absent. The exact Greek and Hebrew words are available, but “saint” is often replaced with a phrase like “holy one of the Lord.” This would seem to be in line with the aura of a saint.  They are holy or set apart for God’s purposes.  Set apart from the unbelievers, not the believers, as will be shown below. 

Example of saints in the Old Testament:

Now, let’s turn to the 96 times the plural version of the word “saint” is used -33 times in the Old Testament and 65 times in the New Testament. Since this study is not exhaustive, let’s focus on a few examples to understand the requirement for “sainthood.”

The Book of Psalms uses the term “saints” more than any other book in the Old Testament, 21 times of the 33 or 64%. Here are some notes on how it is used:

Psalm 16:3-They are excellent and delight the Lord

Psalm 31:23-Referred to as the “faithful.”

Psalm 50:5-They have made a covenant with God by sacrifice

Psalm 97:10-God delivers them from the hands of the wicked.

Psalm 149:5-They are joyful.  They sing aloud on their beds.

You can see that the “saints” are not dead as you read through these passages.  They are alive.  Also, they are described as a delight to the Lord, faithful, and covenant-minded with God. They are joyful and even sing when they are in their beds!

Daniel is the next in line with five references to saints. So, here is a quick review of all 5:

Daniel 7:18-They receive the kingdom forever

Daniel 7: 21-The little horn makes war on them.  So, they have an enemy.  This is a reference to the religious persecution of those who broke away from the Roman Catholic traditions, as verified in the history of the Reformation.

Daniel 7:22-Before the time comes for them to possess the kingdom (verse 8), judgment is made in favor of them.

Daniel 7:25-The fourth power on earth or the fourth beast will make war on the saints and be given to make war with them for a specific time in history.  A separate study shows that this time was historically accurate. (See Prophecies for Our Time. The Beast and Little Horn of Daniel 7)

Daniel 7:27–Again the kingdom and dominion given to the saints.

So, the saints described here are prophetical (From Daniel’s era) and are compared to the fourth beast described in this chapter, which was historically identified as the apostate church of Roman Catholicism. 

Examples of saints in the New Testament

Paul is the champion of the word in the New Testament, having used it 43 of the 64 times!  Here are just a few examples:

Romans 1:7-The letter to the Christians in Rome who are all called saints.

Romans 15:25-He refers to the believers in Jerusalem as saints

Colossians 1:2-The faithful brethren in Colosse are called saints.

Ephesians 2:19-Those who were once Gentiles in the flesh are no longer strangers but “fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.”

1 Corinthians 1:2– Those sanctified in Christ are called to be saints along with those who call upon the Lord.

The one book of the New Testament that uses the word “saints” the most is Revelation.  The saints are identified 14 times in the prophetic book.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ talks about the saints’ prayers (Revelation 5:8; 8:3-4), their patience and faithfulness (Revelation 13:10; 14:12), their martyrdom and blood (Revelation 17:6, 18:24), and finally, their lodging in the New Jerusalem in heaven (Revelation 20:4,9) that eventually comes down to earth.

Conclusion

The saints, as described by the Bible, are alive.  They are not declared saints after they die, but while they are still alive and active for the Lord.  The requirement is to be “in Christ” and live a life that God gives you.  It is not based on your good works or righteousness deeds because nobody has any righteousness (Romans 3:10) apart from the imparted righteousness of Christ (Isaiah 61:10, Romans 5:17).

Therefore, the church can make a big deal about someone who did good works and was a God Influencer, but all who are in Christ are saints and described as such in God’s irrefutable word.  Brothers and Sisters, if you are in Christ, you are a saint called to honor him.  You will know whether you are called or not, but it can’t be based on counting or pursuing good works.  Those good works find their origin in the root of Christ.  He is the root; works are the fruit.  He is the vine. We are the branches. As branches, we cannot produce the fruit if not connected to the source of the fruit, the vine. John 15:5

Any church or pope cannot declare who is a saint. This is God’s work.

And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron (the saint of the Lord) was.  Hebrews 5:4

Prophecies for Our Time

The Spirit of the Antichrist-Opposition by Replacement

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The Antichrist is Here Today!

“…And this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard was coming and is now already in the world.”  1 John 4:3

This phrase, written by John, the beloved disciple, to a congregation of believers, contains a warning:

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1

Notice the word “spirit” in each passage. The “spirit” of the antichrist is not written verbatim anywhere else in Scripture.   The word antichrist is used only four times in the Bible.  All four incidences are in the brief but urgent letters of John (1 John 2:18, 1 John 2:22, 1 John 4:3, and 2 John 1:7). So why is this important to the believer or anyone who is unknowingly under the spell of the spirit of the antichrist?  Many teachers today are so concerned about the identity of the antichrist that they miss the message about the spirit of the antichrist.  At the core of John’s warning is that spirit (character) that motivates the work of the antichrist.

 In these two instances, the spirit of the Antichrist is pointing to false prophets (teachers) of the Antichrist.  We are instructed to be cautious about believing spirits described as false teachers.  False teachers have existed since the beginning of time, and there are false teachers today. It would be safe to say that most of the world, including a portion of the body of believers, is deceived in one way or another by the spirit of the antichrist, not just the doctrines. Understanding the spirit, not just the words in a creed or set of beliefs can trip us up.  John points out that the spirit of the antichrist is in the world today.  That was 2,000 years ago.  It is just as true today as it was then.

The Spirit of False Teaching VS Incorrect Teaching

Let’s put this stake in the ground so we don’t proclaim individuals as the antichrist because their teaching doesn’t align with ours or our understanding of Scripture. Remember, God’s teaching (or doctrine) came through holy men who the Holy Spirit inspired, guiding our understanding.

For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:21

True teachings always aim to bring people to Christ. Someone can love Jesus and not have all the doctrines straight in their mind. In other words, let’s not be too quick to judge another person’s experience because they may have different nuances in their Christian beliefs. The spirit of deception should be our main concern.

Today, many false teachers proclaim this or that person, or persons, to be the antichrist.  But, before someone can break the spell of the antichrist, they must understand its spirit. To get started, let’s break down the opening passage:

  • The Antichrist has a motive.  It has developed this spirit within itself over time.
  • John’s audience has heard that the antichrist is coming.  Where did they hear this?  What was their source?  Would it not be in the written word of God, particularly from the Old Testament, not to mention the other writers of the New Testament?
  • The antichrist, or at least its spirit, is already in the world!

So, we have a spirit motivated by an experience that opposes Christ, the Messiah. 

What is this spirit?  What is its motive? Let’s consider this question from Scripture.  Let’s go way back!

We know from Scripture (the Old Testament included) that this enemy of Jesus is Lucifer, who became Satan, the devil. Historically, we can see this spirit in Biblical characters. Satan is working behind the scenes, deceiving and lying, to set up his plan to deface the image of God and to dethrone Him from His rightful position as God.  Satan was defeated at the cross and the resurrection, but he continues even though he knows his fate.   If he goes down, he will take as many of God’s beloved sinners with him!

Paul also knows about the antichrist. He describes him using two additional terms: “man of sin” and  “son of perdition.” Notice that these are male references.

“who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits]as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2: 3-4

Opposition by Replacement

Again, breaking down these verses, we observe something subtle about the Antichrist, aka “the man of sin” and “the son of perdition.’ He opposes by attempting to replace God.

  • Not only does he oppose God, but he exalts himself above all that is called God. In effect, he wants to replace God. Opposition by replacement!
  • He replaces worship due to Jesus with his own. Again, Opposition by replacement!
  • He sits in the temple, where Jesus should be, and proclaims himself to be God!   He shows “himself” that he is God.  He is not God, but he thinks he is.  Opposition by replacement!
  • Eventually, the antichrist will be revealed for who he is. But preceding this event, a “falling away” will occur.  There will be the spirit of apostasy within the church. Indeed, this has happened over the life of the church.  Hundreds of denominations were created by “falling away” from the truth and God’s supremacy.

In effect, Satan wants to replace God.  He does it through surrogates:  This has been Satan’s motive from the start…to oppose God, but to do it indirectly by replacing God with someone else.  This is the spirit of the Antichrist.  Paul seems to be drawing on this passage in Isaiah,

“How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation.
On the farthest sides of the north,
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’ Isaiah 14: 12-14

Opposition by Replacement!

Satan, the father of lies, does not work in an ugly, devilish way but by impersonation.  Through the false prophets that John describes in our opening verses.  How are they deceived?  Are only the scholars not deceived? Those not deceived know God’s word, but the knowledge that means the most is the life-saving knowledge- a personal experience and knowledge of the spirit of God.

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3

Satan seeks to place himself between you and the spirit of God (His character and motivation).  The character or spirit of the antichrist has a resemblance to the worship of the true God. Still, ultimately, the spirit is about control and his motivation for destruction/defacing God’s image.  He seeks to steal, kill, and destroy the spirit of God by replacing Him and creating followers who think they are doing God’s will.  This is not just a denomination but a spirit that can flow through any church.

In conclusion, while we are looking for one man designated as the “antichrist,” the spirit of control, replacement, and disfigurement of who God is (His character) is alive and well today, even in those who profess to be followers of Christ.

But a man of perdition, a beast, and a woman riding on a dragon will be revealed as the church begins to decline—a state we find ourselves in in 2024. We will talk about this next time as we examine Old Testament Characters that are examples of the spirit of the antichrist.  Eventually, the man of perdition will be revealed through the prophecies inspired by God and communicated to us by angels to men of God who spoke under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

The Antichrist and his spirit are in the world today. Over the subsequent few sessions, the Antichrist will be identified through markers found throughout scripture and history. But remember, the spirit of the Antichrist is to deceive (look like the real thing) and seek to replace God by receiving only what is due to the Great God of the Universe.

Healthy Living, Reasons to Believe

How To Become An Extremist

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Navigating the perils of polarization by Torben Bergland

Torben Bergland, M.D., is a psychiatrist and an associate director of the General Conference Health Ministries Department.

“I just want to be an ordinary person!” Those were the emphatic words of my four-year-old niece. We, her uncles, a theologian and a medical doctor, were asking about her aspirations. We were stunned. Don’t you want to be something special, exceptional, best at something? Shouldn’t you at least try to be better than your peers? Just ordinary—that’s so devoid of narcissism!

Extremism becoming mainstream

Dear niece, our world seems to be moving away from the ordinary fast. Polarization is everywhere, especially in politics and religion, at a baffling speed and intensity. Moderates who used to contribute stability through willingness to dialog, negotiate, and compromise responsibly and respectfully, are becoming rare.  What used to be fringe and extreme is becoming mainstream with strong opposing currents to be swept up by carrying us away from one another. So far that though we occupy the same space, we are not living in the same reality.

Becoming an extremist may sound like something that requires intentionality and hard work, but it comes rather naturally. Many effortlessly drift into extremism, and when caught up in a current, it may take them very far. As they drift away and any opposing current weakens, they typically become more dedicated and zealous. The purer and more undiluted your current is, the faster and deeper you’ll be carried into extremism. Staying out of extremism is what requires intentionality and effort!

What extremists are

There are many kinds of extremists, but they are surprisingly similar. They may differ wildly in their beliefs and practices, but how they feel, think, operate, and relate to others and their needs and motivations, are much the same. Beneath the surface, you’ll often find a desire to affirm a sense of superiority or escape from a sense of inferiority. These are typical manifestations of narcissism.

Extremists do not recognize how ordinary we all are and that we can have community despite our differences. They typically see others as inferior to themselves and diversity as a threat to their existence.

Life as an extremist

Becoming an extremist is easy, but living as one is hard. They so narrowly define how everybody should think and act that nobody is capable of complying perfectly. In the discrepancy between what they proclaim, pretend to be, and what they indeed are, there is worry and stress about being found out and lying to themselves and others to cover up the gap. They partially deny any guilt and shame they feel for being “fake.” The rest they project on others. They may consistently, without evidence, accuse others especially the ones they define as enemies, of the “sins” they themselves are guilty of. When encountering an extremist obsessed about some sin or fault in others, I wonder what they themselves are fighting or covering up. Though they are typically critical and harsh toward anyone, they are sometimes incredibly tolerant of evils committed by their allies.

Dear niece, as you probably have realized by now, psychologically, morally, and relationally, the lives of extremists are quite messy. Being “ordinary” is the best way to go if you want peace, happiness, and genuine love.

Becoming an extremist is easy, but living as one is hard.

Torben Bergland

Extremism Self-Test

If you want to see how you “extreme” you are, try the extremism self-test.

Use it to see how you measure up. These are the attitudes, convictions, and behaviors you need to cultivate if you are going to become a genuine extremist. Remember, supremacy is what you’re really after. The ideology is secondary, a means to gain and portray supremacy. With extremists, sometimes the only visible ideology is “Self.” But, of course, you should make it appear as if ideology is what it’s all about. That was Lucifer’s strategy in heaven, and it still works surprisingly well.

You should start with the characteristics listed first and then build step by step. Unless you have laid a firm foundation by taking the initial steps toward extremism, you probably won’t master the advanced ones. But, as I’ve said already, many of these traits come quite naturally to us as human beings. The more you have of them, the easier it will be to develop the others.

Extremism Self-Test*YesNo
Us-versus-Them Mentality: Do you often think in terms of “us” (people who are like you and share your beliefs) versus “them” (people who are unlike you and do not share your beliefs)?  
Recruitment: Are you actively seeking to spread your views, beliefs, and practices with the intent of making others adopt them?  
Certainty: Do you prefer clarity over nuance, quickly form firm opinions and beliefs about most things in life, and feel confident about categorizing them as either good or bad, right or wrong?  
Confirmation bias: Do you primarily get information from sources that support and reinforce your beliefs, or those of your group?  
Dogmatism: Do you believe your views and beliefs, or those of your group, are absolutely and unquestionably true?  
Isolationism: Do you avoid and dissuade interacting with or listening to people or sources who have different beliefs and practices than you or your group?  
Supremacy Thinking: Do you believe you or your group are better than others because of what you are, do, or believe?  
Enemy Identification: Do you have a clear understanding of who inside or outside your group you can trust, and who is a threat against your interests, beliefs, and existence?  
Conspiracy Mindset: Do you believe certain people, groups, or institutions are secretly and maliciously plotting against you, your group, or others?  
Propaganda: Do you strategically disseminate information about you and your group with the intent of promoting your interests rather than accurately and truthfully representing a nuanced reality?  
Obscurantism: Do you ignore, dismiss, hide, or attack information that refutes your beliefs or critiques your actions?  
Dehumanization: Do you consider those who differ significantly from you or your group to be of inferior ability and worth, or inherently evil?  
Gaslighting: Do you strategically seek to make people distrust their senses, reason, and memories if these contradict the version of reality you prefer them to have and believe in?  
Authoritarianism: If you have the power, are you willing to impose your will against the interests and freedoms of those who differ significantly from you in traits, beliefs, or practices?  
Scoring (total)  
Interpretation 2 or less “Yes”: Low risk; likely to tolerate diverse viewpoints and perspectives. 3-4 “Yes”: Moderate risk; consider reflecting on the balance and openness in your beliefs and interactions. 5-7 “Yes”: High risk; significant potential for extremist tendencies. Reflect deeply and consider seeking diverse perspectives or professional guidance. 8 or more “Yes”: Very high risk; strong indications of extremist thinking. It is crucial to seek professional help and engage with a broader range of viewpoints.  

What extremism leads to

History teaches us of the outcomes of extremism. Extremists, political or religious, grow fruits on the same old tree. Ultimately, they rot as they ripen. What Paul called “works of the flesh” (Gal 5:19 ESV) are commonly seen in extremists: “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these” (Gal 5:19-21 ESV). Since there are many kinds of extremists, you’re unlikely to find every sin represented in every extremist, but as it ripens, extremism seldom fails to reveal its sins. Jesus said that “a bad tree bears bad fruit … nor can a bad tree bear good fruit” (Matt 7:17-18 NKJV). If the fruits are bad, we know that the tree is bad.

What being ordinary leads to

Dear niece, if you stick to being ordinary and stay humble and honest, the Spirit may be with and in you. Then, your fruits will grow on a different tree. In Galatians, Paul listed the fruits from the Spirit’s tree: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal 5:22-23 ESV). I’m joyful as I see these good fruits growing in your life more than a decade after that “I just want to be an ordinary person”-conversation.

Prevention of extremism

And, dear reader, if you have lost your appetite for extremism and want to prevent it in yourself and your group, then listen to the counsel of the Spirit: “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Phil 2:3 NKJV). What Paul urges here opposes any extremist’s supremacy mindset. There is no supremacy of gender, race, nation, religion, or anything. One human being is never entitled to assert supremacy over another.

Christ came as the servant of all, not the ruler. When the disciples argued about who was the greatest, He rebuked them, saying: “Yet I am among you as the One who serves” (Luke 22:27 NKJV). He who was above us took a position below us so He could be with us as one of us. That was the incarnation. “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being” (Phil 2:5-7 NLT).

How different from Lucifer, who said, “I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High” (Isa 14:13 NLT). But the fate of the devil will be the fate of every supremacist: “Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths” (Isa 14:14 NLT).

If you want to be an extremist, be like the devil. If you want to be like Christ, let extremism be far from you. Before God, we are all the same. There is no one or nothing supreme except God; therefore, there’s no justification for extremism.

*This self-test has been peer-reviewed but has not been scientifically validated.

In An Hour As You Think Not, The Soon Return of Jesus

The Last Day on Earth-According to Jesus

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“Trying to navigate end-time events without a fundamental understanding of the Gospel will leave you confused about both.”

The secular community, as well as Christians, pretentiously poked fun at Harold Camping’s prediction of the “Rapture.”  He said it would occur on May 21, 2011.  The day came and went as usual. 

Now, flashback to 23 years earlier. Charles Hays (a Christian Friend) and I had a daily 15-minute radio program on a small Christian channel in Nashville. We were invited to come on the big secular radio station in Nashville, WLAC, to discuss the prediction of Edgar C. Whisenant, who had sold millions of books about the prediction of the Rapture on September 11 or 13th, 1988. The book was called 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Occur in 1988.   We predicted it would not occur on that day.  That day also came and went.  It was just another day. 

Every Christian worldwide knew from the words of Jesus Himself that Mr. Camping’s and Mr. Whisenat’s predictions were in error.

History reveals that second-coming predictions are not a recent phenomenon. According to one source, over 300 dates have been set since the first century, all proving false.

These false claims underscore the need to trust in Jesus’ words, a source of unwavering truth and guidance. Just one sentence from Jesus sets at least one boundary for prognosticators.  Most Christians can quote Jesus’ words by heart, a testament to the enduring truth of His teachings!  

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only..” Matthew 24:36 (NKJV)

Each false prediction has a detrimental effect on Christians and non-Christians alike.  It leads to more people distrusting Christ and the Word of God.  A spiritual “crying wolf” kills the idea of preparation for the day when it does come.  By then, it will be too late. The wolf will have devoured its prey.    The same exclamation of doubting people…the people we are trying to reach…was heard in the first century as well as the 21st Century:

What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.” 2 Peter 3:4 (NLT)

Nothing has changed.  Sunrise, sunset…life continues as it always has.  The waiting and false predictions lull people to sleep.  Paul said it this way,

For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 1 Thess. 5:3 (NKJV)

The enemy of souls works through man-inspired false predictions to discourage and procrastinate and make people unprepared. But there is a new deception regarding the second coming and the end of time as we know it. It is having the same adverse effects on both Christians and non-Christians. 

Setting Event Scenarios-A Growing Deception for 21st Century Christians:

It is not about setting dates but setting events.

Creating man-made scenarios leading up to the Second Coming is equally dangerous as time setting.  It is actually the same wolf in different clothing.    If the events don’t come true, they produce the same doubt, discouragement, and procrastination regarding preparing for the end of time. 

The proof is in the popular Biblical fiction novels written in the last several decades and turned into movies. These have made their authors wealthy, yet none of the predictions have come true.  Nor are they likely to come true because mainly because that is not the way God works.  I go back to the opening statement to keep the point:

  “Trying to navigate end-time events without a fundamental understanding of the Gospel will leave you confused about both.”

I heard of a young man who said, “I will get right with God when I see them building the temple in Jerusalem. If not, I have a second chance during the seven years of tribulation.”    Is this safe? Is this right?  What if He dies before then? Just as we know no man knows the day or the hour of His coming, there is another equally powerful statement from Jesus:

You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

Matthew 24:24 (NLT)

God’s Prerogative to Bypass

Jesus’ teachings (particularly in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21) remind us that we can know His coming is near and inevitable in specific scenes. Nevertheless, we must remain ever-vigilant, as it is within God’s prerogative to bypass the scenarios we might have in our minds.

“…when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door.”

Matthew 24:33 (NLT)

Sometimes, we don’t listen to everything Jesus tells us.  Look closely at these two verses from Matthew 24

And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Matthew 24: 6 (NLT)

How Many Wars are going on now?  32! Since 1300 BC, thousands upon thousands of wars have been fought.  This will continue even up to the time Jesus will return.  Wars and rumors of wars are nothing new.  It will part of the landscape before the Lord comes.  We will never reach Utopia.

Will God Shorten the Final Events?

And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, those days will be shortened. Matthew 24: 22

From the words of Jesus, the answer to this question is “Yes!”

What does this mean? God, in His mercy, may shorten or even change the events of the end times.  We have precedence of this in the story of Jonah when God said He was going to destroy Ninevah in forty days:

The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai:“Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” Jonah 1:1,2 (NLT)

We know the story of how Jonah ran away from God.  He may have been thinking, why preach a prophecy of destruction for the people of Nineveh when God had said He was going to destroy it? But Johnah missed the underlying nature of God to save the lost (the gospel!).  Eventually, Jonah preaches a message of destruction, but underneath it is the good news of a merciful God. 

Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you.”

This time, Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all. On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!” The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow. Jonah 3: 1-5 (NLT)

The Forty Days came and went because they were convicted and repented of their sins.  Was it a false prophecy?  No.  It is God’s prerogative to change end-time events, particularly if the people repent, as did the city of Nineveh.

When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened. Johah 3:10

Why did God change His mind?  It is because He is in the business of saving people!  This is the gospel!  Salvation! Destruction is not the gospel! 

“Trying to navigate end-time events without a fundamental understanding of the Gospel will leave you confused about both.”

 This leads us to consider the following question:

What Prompts the Father to Send Jesus Back?

What will push God the Father to send Jesus back to our sinful dying planet and rescue His people? As one reads the Bible, the answer is dynamic but understandable. However, those who don’t understand the gospel often provide multiple one-liners.  Here are a few:

  1. The temple in Jerusalem has to be rebuilt. I have looked at this closely and feel confident it is false. It is based on a severe misunderstanding of the 70-week prophecy of Daniel 9 and the role of literal Israel. This error helped create scenarios in the minds of second-coming fictional novels written in Lindsay and LaHay’s Left Behind novels.

  1. Christ’s character must be completely restored in His people. Christ’s character is a powerful witness when fully reproduced in His people. This underscores the importance of personal ongoing transformation as a result rather than the idea of salvation by reaching perfection. But I still don’t see from Scripture this as what God the Father is waiting on.  Has anyone ever reached this point?  We are perfect before God when we ask Jesus to come into our lives, and we believe him. 

His righteousness is imputed to us “And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. James 2:23

3.  Sin will get so bad that God’s wrath will send Jesus to destroy the earth. No doubt, sinful man will grow more and more wicked with each generation.  The world is headed to the same point as the antediluvians.  “Their thoughts were only evil continuously.”  Probably, the most hideous sin of all is the sex trafficking of children.  I don’t think Sodom and Gomorrah went this far. It makes most people want to eradicate those who do such things. Immoral sex is like a virus that infects a majority of the world.  It is listed as one of the identifying marks of those who perish forever: 

4. “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”” Revelation 21:8

The gospel has to be preached to the entire world. This is a solid reason and is true because Jesus said,

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

Matthew 24:14

Everyone has to have a chance to hear the gospel!

This worldwide gospel preaching event demonstrates God’s power and desire that no one perishes, but all come to repentance.  This is why He waits.  It is His mercy for us and those we have been praying for!

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 2 Peter 3: 9

Jesus did not provide details between the preaching of the gospel to the entire world and His coming. The apostles and disciples, including John, would later provide much more detail in the book of Revelation, which describes the seven last plagues, the time of trouble, the beast and his mark, etc.

All the scenarios above can make us comfortable because none have occurred and are unlikely to happen next week (except for the moral condition of the world)!

The Last Day on This Earth

So, what will the last day be like before the Lord returns? If we are to believe Jesus,  It will be a day just like every other one:

“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24: 37-39

This sure sounds like Jesus comes and takes away the saved (Rapture.).  But look closely at the same passage in Luke.

And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Luke 17: 26-27

Matthew and Luke are saying the same thing.  Those who are not prepared in Christ are taken away in destruction.  They are drowned (destroyed) in Noah’s day and destroyed by fire in Lot’s day. 

Likewise, as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built, but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.

 Luke 27 28-29

I hope you don’t want to be taken in destruction but left from the destruction.

But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives should you live?

2 Peter 3: 10-11

Now is the Time to Be Prepared

The point of this writing is this.  Being prepared for Jesus’s return, which includes preparing for your death when there are no more changes, is today….

So the question today is:  “Are you waiting for certain events to happen before you get serious with God?  Will we be found like the person whose home is broken into?  Will it surprise us? Are you ready? What will be your response when Jesus comes?

Will it be…

“Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?” Revelation 6: 16-17

or will it be…

“Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.” Isaiah 25:9

Will you be going about your regular routine unprepared or will you be going about your routine and prepared?

Jesus tells us we can be prepared now…at this very moment.  The gospel and salvation are not complicated if you put your complete trust in Him!

How is your faith in Him?  Is your anchor in the solid Rock of Jesus? Be sure your anchor holds the solid rock. In times like this we need a Savior!

 Please take a moment to hear George Beverly Shea sing this song (Click Here). Here are a few of the words

In times like these, you need a Savior.
In times like these, you need an anchor.
Be very sure, be very sure.
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

This Rock is Jesus. Yes, He’s the One
This Rock is Jesus, the only One.
Be very sure, be very sure.
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

In times like these, you need the Bible.
In times like these, O be not idle

Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

This Rock is Jesus. Yes, He’s the One
This Rock is Jesus, the only One.
Be very sure, be very sure.
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

Daniel and Revelation

What Does the Pale Horse Mean? Part 1

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The bizarre opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics have stirred discussions within the Christian community. Various interpretations of the “Pale Horse and its Rider” from both Christians and others have emerged, characterized by creativity, speculation, and a wealth of imagination in attributing significance to it.

The Pale Horse is one of the four symbolic horses described in Revelation 6. Interpreting its meaning requires sound exegesis and understanding of the context of previous chapters, including the timeline of the Christian church.

A Quick Basis for Understanding Revelation Prophecies

Establishing a solid foundation is crucial as we embark on this brief journey of understanding Revelation prophecies.

The following interpretation of the pale horse is derived swiftly from Biblical texts, not from personal creativity, speculation, or imagination. It relies on the principle of letting scripture interpret itself and aligning it with historical events. Some prophecies have been fulfilled in the past, as confirmed by history. However, as time progresses and prophecies continue to unfold, they merge with our present and extend into our future.

At the heart of the Book of Revelation lies its ultimate purpose- to reveal the nature and character of Jesus. Amidst the myriads of creatures and symbols, the central theme remains Jesus, making Revelation a fifth gospel, presented by the writer John in both symbols and literal statements.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, Revelation 1:1

The concept of “time being near” applied to John (the prophecies during or after his lifetime) as well as to those of us living two thousand years later (the prophecies before, during, and after our lifetime). This is because prophecies are dynamic; some have been fulfilled, while others remain to be seen. This idea is exemplified in a passage that describes a beast that “was” (past tense), “is not” (present tense), and “will come” (future tense).

The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. Revelation 17:8 (NIV)

Secondly, John does not confirm the idea that Revelation cannot be understood or is only for those in the future or the past. Indeed, it is actually the opposite.

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near. Revelation 1:3

If this is settled in your mind, you are ready to open your mind to allowing scripture to interpret itself. History confirms what was the future for John but is the past for us. This will give us confidence that those yet to come are accurate.

Let’s get started. Note that this is a brief study without the context provided by previous chapters of Revelation or the book of Daniel, which also describes some of the things that John saw in his vision, such as beasts that rose and fell over time. Note to reader:  An abbreviated Zoom class and Podcast are in the process of being created for the study of Daniel and Revelation.  We have done a couple of Zoom classes in the last few years, verse-by-verse, but we feel we can shorten it without losing the impact.  If you are interested, leave a comment.

Overview of Revelation 6 and the Four Horsemen

Your Bible may have headings. If it does, you will see that the main topic in this chapter is “Seals.” There are seven seals that the “Lamb” opens.

 I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals.  Revelation 6:1

Without providing a multitude of proof texts, we can know, with certainty, that the “Lamb” is Jesus Christ Himself. The four horses with their riders are under the first four seals.

1.) The first seal describes the first horse (“white horse “) in verse 2

2.) The second seal describes the second horse (“fiery red horse “) in verse 4

3.) The third seal describes the third horse (“black horse “) in verse 5

4.) The fourth seal describes the fourth horse (“pale horse) in verse 8

These riders have something in their hands and the power to do things. Next time, we will answer the following questions:

1.) What were the horsemen holding?

2.) What power did they have?

3.) What do these symbols represent?

4.) How do the horses and horsemen relate to each other?

5.) Is all of this future, or has some of it already been fulfilled? What is yet future?

See you next time!

Reasons to Believe

PREPARED

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A well-meaning Christian who feels the urgency of the times said,

“We need to be prepared for the end of time.” 

An elderly man responded,

“I am prepared.”

This puzzled her. How could he say this? Didn’t he need to start storing food and weapons, get more righteous, keep the law better, go to church more, etc.?

He explained,

 “I am prepared, first because of the goodness and grace of God, who wants me to be saved (2 Peter 3:9). It all started when He brought conviction of sin upon me through the Holy Spirit and led me to confess and turn away from a life of sin.  His death on the cross for my sins made it clear the penalty for my sins was paid for (Revelation 1:5).  I surrendered to the urging of God’s spirit and gave Him my life to be directed by Him (John 16:8).  In return, He gave me His righteousness, and I found peace and trust in Him (Isaiah 26:3).  I was born again (John 3:3, 1 Peter 1:23).  I began to think differently and to follow Him (Romans 12:2 NLT).   I wanted to learn more about Him and to know Him better (John 17:3, Matthew 11:30. I obey because I want to honor and love Him, not because I have to do it (John 14: 15, John 14: 21).  I know Jesus and put all my trust in Him; I am prepared in Him! Anyway, I may not live to see Jesus come.  I could die in the next moment, but I am prepared in Him alone.  Have I reached perfection of character?  No! It is not required that I reach a state of perfection through my efforts.  I wear His righteousness by faith (trust) in Jesus alone.  Because of Him, I am perfect by His perfection.”

There are those who believe they must attain perfection of character before claiming salvation. I find this belief saddening. They have yet to experience the profound joy and peace that comes from resting in the assurance of God’s work to free us from sin.

______________________________________

Today, most of Christ’s followers know that we live in the days before His return. He has promised to come back (John 14: 1-3), and His word is trustworthy (Titus 1: 1-3, John 17:17). Moreover, the Apostles, Disciples, and Prophets have prophesied about that glorious day when He will return to Earth visibly and powerfully, and all of heaven will be emptied to come to this earth (Matthew 25: 31, 2 Peter 3:10, Revelation 1:7).  This momentous event will mark the end of sin and death for eternity. 

He will resurrect the saved of all ages and give all who are “in Him” eternal life (1 Corinthians 15: 50-55 (NLT) 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-18. ).  Many put a lot of emphasis on the last days and the events surrounding them.  It is exciting to learn the details of the prophecies, as long as it is of no private interpretation or embellished (2 Peter 1: 19-21).  I am thankful that I belong to a body of believers who do not think they are the only denomination to be saved.  We are all “one” in Christ, no matter what church we attend (1 Corinthians 12:12).  Jesus came to save individuals, not herds who follow a set of creeds or documented sets of beliefs that a person must confess to become a member of an organization.

Let us be clear: there is only one path to salvation: through Christ alone (Acts 4:12). Not a denomination, not physical preparation, acts of good deeds, or religious forms and ceremonies.    His life, teachings, death, resurrection, and ongoing ministry to us on Earth through the Holy Spirit all bear witness to the fact that we are saved from eternal destruction (Romans 8:16).  We have the privilege of knowing we have eternal life . (1 John 5:13).

 It is not through our works or some diluted grace that allows a person to claim Jesus but to go on living a life of sin (Matthew 7: 21-23 NLT). I am confident that many who know Christ in other churches will concur that the shed blood of Jesus is our sole assurance of salvation in Christ alone, not through any works or achievements in our spiritual journey (Ephesians 2: 8-10).

When we are born again, we are born from the inside out, not through our efforts to clean up the outside and become acceptable to God (Matthew 23:25).  We sing about God accepting us just as we are.  Jesus died for us when we were still in our sins (Romans 5:8).  God slowly changed us so that we now hate the sins we once loved and love the good things we once hated. But Jesus told the highly respected religious leader you must be born again to receive eternal life and be changed (John 3:3).  We need a new starting point. When this happens by the act of the Holy Spirit, our journey with Jesus begins not when we graduate from our religious schools.

The chart below helped me understand this journey. It includes the possibility of turning from Jesus and returning to a life of sin. This happened to me, but God would not leave me. I returned, but some of my brothers did not (2 Peter 2: 20-22, Luke 11: 24-26).

  1. The picture is divided by a line. The top part is salvation, and the bottom is a condition the Bible calls lost.
  2. The squiggly line represents our life journey, full of ups and downs. Even after we are born again, we are guaranteed troubles, doubts, and challenges.
  3. On the left is our start.  We are all born as sinners because we come from a long line of sinners.
  4. As life continues, we live lost lives due to heredity and bad choices.  We are selfish. As the popular song goes…”We are born this way!”
  5. But, because of God’s love for us and His amazing grace, God draws us to Him with His kindness.  We learn of Him and hear the good news about salvation. We become convicted about our sins and realize we can do nothing without Him. 
  6. We surrender to God’s pull towards Him, confess that we are sinners, and repent (turn away from sin to God). We invite Him to control our lives. Then, we are baptized as our first act of following God’s word and obedience.  We are saved from the wages of sin that cause death! The baptism doesn’t save us. We are saved before we go down in the water. Our baptism is the public display of an inward experience in Christ.
  7. Our lives are his workmanship.  He molds and shapes us through life experiences.  A preponderance of our life’s journey reveals evidence of Christ in our lives. 
  8. We can, however, become discouraged and leave God if we choose to. God never interferes with our choices, and we may even return to the life we died to. We are lost again.
  9. But greater is God than the sin we are living.  We can get tired of sin, realize what we have done, and return to Him like the prodigal son.  We doubt the Father will take us back, but we are surprised that He comes running to us and throws a party!  (Luke 15: 11-32 NLT). God will forgive us 70 X 7 (Matthew 28: 21-22 NLT).
  10. Our second time around makes us even stronger. 
  11. Even though we may have never become completely like Christ, ultimately, we have His righteousness, which gives us title to eternity and the city of God.
  12. Salvation and preparation are found only in Jesus, who leads you on your journey. We have eternity to contemplate the sacrifice of the Heavenly Trio and continue to experience sanctification.

Reasons to Believe

The Rest of the Story–Post-Resurrection

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1.) The disciples were gathered on the first day of the week behind closed doors for fear of the Jews. They were not together to worship a risen Savior. It would be later that evening before Jesus appeared to them. Jesus would give them a Scripture study that told of the prophecies about Himself. Thomas wouldn’t see Jesus for eight more days. Then he would believe with the others.

Luke 24: 28-45, John 20:19, 26-28

2.) After the resurrection, Jesus was seen by all the Apostles and 500 other people, including Paul.

1 Corinthians 15: 1-8

3.) Jesus would stay on the earth, teaching the disciples and Apostles, for forty days before ascending to the Father, promising He would return “in like manner.”

Acts 1:1-11

4.) Believing in your heart God raised Jesus from the dead is necessary for salvation

Romans 10:9

5.) Our entire faith rests on Jesus rising from the dead. If He didn’t, we are still in our sins, our faith in Jesus is futile, and all our friends and family who were believers have perished. Also, it would mean all the eyewitnesses are liars.

1 Corinthians 15: 12-19

6.) Paul tells us that we are not to mourn for those who die in the Lord as those who mourn and have no hope. Hope in the coming of the Lord and our resurrection.

1 Thess 4: 13

7.) Our comfort concerning those who have died and slept in the Lord is that Jesus will come again with the shout of the Archangel, and they will rise from the grave. If we are alive, then we will meet the Lord in the air. It is then we will be with the Lord forever. He will take us to where He is now (Heaven, aka Paradise). It is these words that should comfort us and other believers.

1 Thess 4:16-18

Paul’s greatest desire was to know the power of the resurrection and to experience it. Is that your desire, too? You can ask the Lord to come into your life if it is. Then follow Him wherever He leads you. You, too, can experience the resurrection when you fall asleep in Christ.

 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another, I will experience the resurrection from the dead!

Philippians 3: 10-11

May be an image of text that says 'AND ANDSO,SOMEHOW,TO so, SOMEHOW, ATTAIN To THE RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD. -PHILIPPIANS 3:11'

Resurrection, What is God Like?

Is He, Or Isn’t He?

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A Critical Question About Jesus

Forward

I didn’t know my journey would start when I was so young….

My parents divorced when I was six, and my brother was barely two. I remember when my dad knelt, held me close, and said,

“You can call me uncle now.” 

I had no idea what this meant, but I knew it hurt.  Soon, my mom, brother, and I moved in with my grandmother.   During those early years, my grandmother had a great influence on me for God, but an elder in her church would turn me to atheism even though he thought he was doing the opposite. The questions about God began at age eight.

Mom began working full-time as a switchboard operator for a trucking company. So, for about four years, Ronnie (my brother) and I were raised by our sweet grandmother, whom we called “Mamaw.” She fed us, bathed us, and loved us. Though it seemed large then, the house had only two bedrooms and two showerless bathrooms. I slept in Mamaw’s bedroom on a cot beside an unused fireplace; Ronnie and Mom were in the other bedroom, which was part of an open duplex or apartment.

 In her room at night, just before we all retired for the evening, I heard my grandmother talking to God.  It frightened me initially, but after a few nights, I felt comfortable listening to her talk to her God as if they were close friends, unlike the elders of her church who prayed to Him with choice, carefully enunciated flowery words.

Though I never looked at her praying, I imagined her sitting on the floor with Jesus as they discussed her family and their problems.  As the oldest grandson, my name came up near the end of the lengthy conversation.  I could “see” my name floating to the throne room of God the Father, bore on the wings of the Holy Spirit.  I liked the God of my grandmother; He seemed likable, but I would meet a new god at Vacation Bible School a few years later.  This god, I did not like.  He scared me.

Vacation Bible School was fun.  I especially liked the crafts.  On the last day of VBS, all of us children waited anxiously for our parents to arrive so we could show them what we had made during the week. I had painted a King Edwards cigar box black and put decals and shells on it.  It made a perfect jewelry box.  My mom loved her jewelry.  But, before the moms, dads, and grandmothers arrived, we all met in a little room to hear an elder tell us about the upcoming service and how we could participate.  He wanted us to be baptized, so he began to tell us how much Jesus loved us.  I knew this God!  My grandmother talked to Him every night!

Then, the elder told us what would happen if we were not baptized.  We would go to “hell” and burn forever.  He described hell in disgusting detail. This didn’t sound like the God my grandmother talked to each night!  Something was wrong here. It was my first step toward unbelief.  No one, especially my grandmother’s Jesus, could be so cruel as to let all this happen!  Was my uncle in hell because he didn’t believe in Jesus but was a good husband and father?  Later in my journey, I would figure this out through scripture alone. 

Time marched on for my brother and me. I went through elementary school, high school, and eventually to college. In an ancient history class, I learned more than history; I learned about atheism directly from an atheistic professor. He made sense to me as I considered the contradiction of the two gods I had met when I was younger: one very loving and the other watching to ensure I was good or I would burn forever.

At age 18, I married a sweet, petite Christian gal.  We had three lovely children, but before that, we had some tough times and separated for a while.  When I returned, she (Julie) had been attending some “evangelistic” meetings.  I instantly began to make fun of her, telling her how silly it was to believe such nonsense.  I harassed her so much that she threw a dare at me.

“Eddie, if I am wrong, take this Bible and my notes and prove me wrong.”

My snarky response was, “Sure, this will be easy.”

For months, I went to the library for secular information (no web back in 1975) and began to read the Bible and her notes.  Quickly, I realized my attack had to be on this character, Jesus.  He had made some bold claims about Himself.  So, it came down to three questions: 

1.)  Did He exist? That was an easy question, even in secular history. 

2.) Was He all He claimed to be? and

3.) What was I going to do with what I learned? I had no idea. 

The primary and most critical question was, “Is He, or Isn’t He?  The following is just a small portion of my journey to know for myself about Jesus without the influence of denomination, tradition, or opinion.  The result?   I fell in love with Jesus and was baptized into His church, His body. Julie was right.  I was wrong.  My personal story is in my second book, “The Pig Returns To Its Mud.”

 Along the way, I realized that, as followers of Jesus, we must be united on the core beliefs based on God’s grace, compassion, and love expressed perfectly through Jesus. This is where God’s power is most effective. People can know the real Jesus for themselves if they only take time to look and hear. Too many beliefs, opinions, and traditions block out the sunlight of truth as found in Jesus. 

I will likely step on some toes in this book, but I pray that the initial pain will turn into something that will help the reader understand Jesus, as revealed by the prophets, kings, disciples, and apostles. This is my source material. While other “holy books” are written by one man, the story of Jesus is written by 35 to 40 men throughout thousands of years. That should tell us something.

I have settled these questions about Jesus. My atheism changed to a full-fledged believer in Jesus because I searched for the truth, and God directed my paths. He does this for everyone who will search with “all their heart.” It is not a casual search.  There are obstacles along the way. 

The journey continues. I am by no means perfect, but He is! He is worthy. I am not.  I hope that as you read this, you will discover Jesus’ reality and His faithfulness, whether you are a believer or not.  The reward will be greater than you can imagine.  Thank you, Julie.  May you rest in peace knowing God Himself directed your dare.  He knew what I needed.

“And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.” John 17:3 NLT

Introduction

The world is full of, to use an old Yiddish word, “Shysters.”  There are a multitude of con artists, liars, and cheats who are typically motivated by money, fame, self-gratification, or even worship! The knowledge of a person’s true identity can have life-and-death outcomes.

As I write this, countless writers and speakers are making money and fame from conspiracy theories, health-related topics, and merchandise that have no basis in facts, science, or common sense. They exist off the pocketbooks of the naive, uneducated, and those without critical thinking abilities. Deception includes marketing products, broadcasting news, education, music, and, of course, philosophy. These “industries” make billions of dollars of their victims each year.

Recently, I heard of a woman whose name I will not mention. She writes books and charges money to her fans to listen to her speak on various naturalistic remedies for almost every ailment, including cancer.  You would think she would be a doctor or someone with excellent credentials and that her presentations would include facts and figures to demonstrate her success rate.  On the contrary, this person failed in the medical industry and has been banned in several countries because of her unfounded and often dangerous instructions.  What confounds me is that she packs the house whenever she speaks!  Those in her audience are the anti-doctor, anti-vaccine, anti-science, anti-everything they don’t like.  In my opinion, it would seem that if we want something to be correct, we can find those who will help us feed our disillusionment.  Instead of searching for truth systematically, they search for confirmation from flawed information, reasoning, or feelings. This routine has been going on since the beginning of time.

Then comes Jesus onto the scene. In one of His prayers, he boldly states, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3 A knowledge of God the Father and Jesus Christ leads to eternal life. If this is true, we need to know if He is true. Is He, or isn’t He?

He walks, talks, teaches the ordinary people, and tries to reach the religious people who feel they have everything to know about Jehovah.  The religious leaders, the Pharisees, Scribes, and Sadducees prided themselves in thinking they had God all figured out and processed the authority to speak on behalf of God and express His will.  But Jesus claimed to be four things. He states, without hesitation, that he is “ The way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father (Jehovah) except through me (Jesus).”  John 14:6

       The question is, “Is He? or Isn’t He?  Is Jesus like one of the many Shysters of history and today that prey on the naive, uneducated, and those without common sense? Either Jesus is all He claims to be, or He is not.  His statement in John has no middle ground or room for compromise.  He is either the only way, or He is not.  His disciples took three and a half years to conclude that Jesus was real. What convinced them to die for their faith in Jesus as “… the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16 was not in wars between cultures but at the hands of those of their culture who hated them.  What convinced them should also convince us, although we aren’t able to physically handle and touch Him as they did.  They could rightly say, we have “…heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—” 1 John 1:1We cannot.      

However, others existed before Jesus was born who never saw or touched Him but saw Jesus in the future. These were the many prophets, kings, and inspired writers of the Old Testament. On the other hand, modern society has had all this testimony from people for many generations. Those before Jesus looked forward in faith; the disciples and apostles lived by faith at the moment, and we today live in faith, looking back at the record of those before us. There is a need to study these patriarchs to determine Is He, or Isn’t He.  As we discover Jesus, our faith will grow in Him.  Therefore, we can say, “Little time with Jesus and the Bible will result in little faith in Jesus.  Conversely, much time with Jesus and the Bible will result in much faith in Jesus.    “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”  Romans 10:17

After the resurrection of Christ, Jesus first saw Mary and then showed up on a dusty road talking with two men who thought he was a stranger who just happened to walk up and begin a conversation.  They were walking away from the discouragement and sorrow of Jerusalem on a journey to a new beginning in Emmaus,

 As they walked along, Jesus gave them a study from the scriptures.  What is unusual about this study was that there was no New Testament pocket Bible for Jesus to pull out of His robe because printing, as we know it, had not been invented. Still, even more important, the New Testament had not been written yet!  So, this was a “Scripture” study from what we call the Old Testament and what the modern Jews call the Tankah.  It contains the writings of the many prophets and inspired writers.  Something happened to these men that greatly increased their faith in Jesus and set their hearts on fire: “Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Luke 24:27. Jesus did this from memory! 

The men were familiar with these writings, but now they had meaning about Christ (the long-awaited Messiah).  Their eyes were opened, and their hearts were greatly encouraged by Jesus because they had heard Him and later looked across the table at Him!    They were so amped up that they ran back the seven miles to Jerusalem to find the other eleven disciples behind closed and locked doors, afraid of what might happen to them. (A side note from a former runner:   If they were seven miles away and ran back within the hour (Luke 24:33), this was equivalent to less than a seven-minute mile pace.  That is fast!  I’ll bet today’s runners could not do that in a robe and sandals!) 

When these two speed-runners made it back to Jerusalem and found the original disciples, they noticed they weren’t gathered to conduct Sunday worship in honor of the resurrection.  No!  They were in a state of disbelief and thought that the body of the One they loved was dead in a tomb in the beginning stages of decay (John 20:9).  Just as our two runners show up, Jesus pops into the sealed room.  The disciples think He is a spirit! (Luke 24:37).  After inviting them to touch him, He said some critical words for us to hear that I will discuss later.  “Look at My hands and My feet. See! It is I, Myself! Touch Me and see for yourself. A spirit does not have flesh and bones as I have.” Luke 24: 39

Then, Jesus did something that conflicted with their expectations of a resurrected immortal body: He asked for food, and they gave him fish and a honeycomb, and he ate it in front of them! (Luke 24: 42, 43).  What does that say about our resurrected immortal bodies and our heavenly experience?  At the very least, we will have bodies that enjoy eating, and we will live in flesh and bone bodies!  Our bodies will be just like His!  I don’t know about you, but that is much more exciting than sitting on a cloud plucking a harp as a ghost! “…we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”  1 John 3:2

So, after the short meal, Jesus conducts the second Scripture study of the day. This time, He has the eleven disciples plus the two believers who ran back to Jerusalem from seven miles away in less than an hour. Wow! I’m still amazed by their athleticism, but I digress. 

Jesus expands the scripture study to include the Psalms (These are the poetic books of the Bible that include Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon.). From these writings of thirty-five men, he showed them “all the things that must be fulfilled” about Him! Luke 24 44, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.  And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures” Luke 24 45.  After this study, Jesus covered all of the Old Testament divisions: The first five books of the Bible (Law of Moses), the major and minor prophets (the Prophets), and the poetic books (Psalms).  Jesus is there in those many books!  How could we miss that?  It may be because we are not looking or want it to be true.    

Is He or isn’t He all those things written in the Scriptures and the eyewitnesses of the New Testament?  For us to know that Jesus is all He claims to be, our eyes must be opened to understand the scriptures.  Otherwise, we will be like the pious religionists who knew and practiced religion the way they desired it to be, with all the trappings of pride, power, and control.  They didn’t want Jesus to be faithful.  They wanted a king to come riding on a white horse into Jerusalem with a giant sword, chopping off the heads of the Romans whom they despised. 

There is danger in creating a Jesus we want rather than what He really is.  What He is can be found in the Old and New Testaments, not by a popular speaker, philosopher, or even our particular religion/denomination or set of beliefs. 

I take this journey as a person wanting to discover the depth of the Jesus of Scripture, not of my denomination (not that they are bad) nor of what I want Him to be.  At whatever point I am along the way, I desire to feel the presence of Him in my life.  That is enough even if I never have enough time to reach my literary and study goals, I hope you will join me in this Jesus Journey and that Scripture and the Holy Spirit will lead us into a deeper understanding of the One who claims to be the way, the truth, and the life.

"He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. Colossians 1:28