What in Heaven is God up to?
by Elbert Hardy
by Elbert Hardy
THE GRAND DEVELOPER
What in Heaven is God up to?
His Great Goal of Life: To train his people and prepare them to reign with him in God's Kingdom which will remake the Earth anew… And after that the Colonization of the entire Universe!
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
PART 1: IT’S NOT ABOUT ‘GOING TO HEAVEN’
PART 2: GOD'S WILL, CALLING AND PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE
PART 3: GOD’S KINGDOM IS WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT
PART 4: CAN WE LEARN RULERSHIP FROM JESUS?
PART 5: WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THE ANCIENT KINGS?
PART 6: HOW JESUS WILL RESTORE THE WORLD
PART 7: TRAIN TO REIGN: ACQUIRING GOD’S ATTRIBUTES
PART 8: THE RENEWED MASTERPIECE: EARTH
PART 9: REIGN IN PEACE
PART 10: PICTURE PERFECT EARTH; NOW ON TO THE UNIVERSE!
PROLOGUE
This book is dedicated to the proposition that Jesus knows what he is talking about. He created planet Earth and everything in it. He owns the place and reserves all its rights to himself. This includes you and me.
Did Jesus say people ‘go to heaven’ when they die? Let’s find out. If he did say people ‘go to heaven’ when they die, this book is no good, useless and just trash. But please hear me out before you trash the book. It’s NOT about ‘going to Heaven’!
Could it be possible that there is something else God has in mind for our eternity other than floating around in the clouds or walking the streets of gold or singing his praises in a never ending church service? YES! And it’s way better! In fact, once you understand what you will read here, you may just abandon your former concept of Heaven for ever. I hope you do.
Here’s what Jesus did say about it in John 3:11-13:
11 ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, we speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and you receive not our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and you believe not, how shall you believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
13 And no man has ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.’
Why is it that I have NEVER once heard this scripture quoted by any TV preacher, evangelist or evangelical minister? If ‘no man’ has ascended into heaven, why does the church tell us they have? ‘He went to be with the Lord.’ Or ‘He’s in heaven with Jesus.’
Not according to Jesus. If the decedent didn’t ‘go to heaven’, where is he? If he was good, surely he went to heaven, right? Wrong.
So, am I ‘going to Heaven’ when I die? What exactly does ‘going to heaven’ mean? Can anyone pin it down for me? Is ‘going to heaven’ really what life is about? If not, what is the real purpose of life? Why was I born? Where am I headed? What is will eternity be?
Have you ever pondered the stars and wondered about them? Aren’t you awestruck every time you get to see the sky on a clear night?
Why did God build all those stars? What in the universe is God up to? Would you enjoy space travel and exploration if it were safely possible for you? What is out there? What new vistas would you see?
Is there life on other planets?
What is the purpose of it all? Why did God make the universe? What does it all have to do with you and me? Will we ever travel out there? Does the Bible mention anything about this?
Many writers of late have composed books about Heaven, such as Randy Alcorn, Joni Eareckson Tada, Billy Graham and Erwin W. Lutzer to name a few. But none of them seem to get what I get out of the Bible about this topic.
They say that ‘one second after you die’ if you accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, you will be there with him in heaven. But they all fail to show chapter and verse in the Bible that says or even alludes to the idea that this is so. Why? It is because there isn’t even one.
To me, their ideas are cute but puny, tiny, near-sighted and weak. They paint God as unimaginative, colorless, powerless and small-minded, far from the Great Visionary and Powerful Adventurer he really is.
They go to great lengths to detail vivid colors, rainbows and streets of gold, using a single word or perhaps two from the book of Revelation and adding the rest from the pages of their imagination.
They picture white-robed people riding pure white horses racing through white billowy clouds. Pleasure and fun are the central theme.
Sensuality in Heaven is not only OK, but it rises to new heights, even to the point of having sexual intercourse with none other than Jesus himself! That is blasphemous and scandalous poppycock! How perverse and absurd!
There is nothing that creative, ingenious, powerful or interesting to do for all time to come in these views of Heaven. Boredom would overtake after about fifteen minutes in Heavens such as these, seems to me. No thanks. I don’t want it.
One pastor even said his view of Heaven was that it would be like the Holo-deck on the starship Enterprise. Here, you step into a magic black room with white grid lines on all the walls, floor and ceiling. Then, at the touch of a few buttons on a computer screen, the room suddenly transforms into a bright sun-lit world and I am on a horse riding through the woods by a lake!
Another day I could program the Holo-deck to play tennis or golf. Thus, Heaven is reduced to one fun game after another. Snore. After thousands of years of this (or probably much less) I would be bored silly.
I told him my version of what Heaven will be: that God is the Grand Developer and he has the universe ‘under construction. Scientists are finding new galaxies where there were none the week before regularly.
These all have potentially millions of habitable planets, just waiting to be brought to life.
We talked long into the night under starry skies about 30 miles from the nearest town.
The stars were out in force and extremely beautiful and inspiring. I told him in my view, God is the Grand Real Estate Developer who is in the process of bringing the universe to life through his own spirit-born sons and daughters. (That is you and me.)
Months later he changed his tune about the Holo-deck idea and told me he thought I was right. Wow!
So, think BIG. Think bigger than you may have ever thought before. Think universe-wide. Escape this Earth’s atmosphere and project into space. God inhabits the universe and time.
We, as his children will have it too. It is under construction. God is the Grand Developer bringing it to life. This is the Biblical Plan of God for you, all mankind and the universe, if you ask me.
There IS a connection and you DO have a grand part to play, and not just now, but for all time to come. To me it is way more exciting, thrilling and magnificent than anything I have ever seen or heard of.
It gives me great joy just thinking about it.
There can never be anything that matches or tops it. Sometimes I get so excited by it that I cannot sleep. This is where I want to take you. Come along with me and you may never be the same.
CHAPTER 1: IT’S NOT ABOUT ‘GOING TO HEAVEN’
If you go to church or have gone in the past, you know what they say from the pulpit. They say ‘He went to ‘be with the Lord.’(He died) Or ‘When we get to Heaven…’ But is this kind of talk even remotely biblical and accurate? I dare say NO.
You can search from Genesis to the end of Revelation but you will never find a single word about ‘going to heaven’ when you die, or in fact ‘going to heaven’ PERIOD! Humans manufactured this whole doctrine.
It is NOT BIBLICAL and it is offensive, even blasphemous in the sight of God, if you ask me. We have a very narrow, Earthbound concept stuck in our heads about our destiny.
So why do I say this? It is not to upset you but to clarify what the Bible truth is about your future and your real eternal Destiny, which FAR SURPASSES all these silly myths!
I want to take you on a journey to the future of the world and the universe. I want us to focus on a new look at the goal of life that transcends our Earth, space and time… It’s NOT about ‘getting to Heaven’ or ‘going to Heaven when I die’, as you might think.
Plenty of other writers have written about what it will be like when we ‘get to heaven’, and not very well, I might add. This is especially true, realizing the magnitude of outer space and the narrow-mindedness of the earthbound thinking they have been preaching in church for the last four hundred years.
Visualize the magnitude of the heavens. Billions upon multiple billions of galaxies without end, as far as we can know. Each galaxy is filled with billions of stars which are solar systems probably similar to our own. Each solar system has planets with gyroscopic and gravitationally balanced properties, keeping them orderly and functional.
Now imagine some of these planets are made suitable for human habitation. They have a similar star or sun, and the multitude of parameters required to maintain and oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere.
They have liquid water on them. They have land with tillable and fertile soil. Plant life covers the land and animals numbering in the billions of varieties, each reproducing after its own kind.
Jesus said ‘And no man has ascended to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, the Son of man.’ (John 3:13). But we stubborn humans can’t accept that. We want to believe our dead loved ones are alive and well in Heaven, enjoying their eternal retirement. But that is not what Jesus said.
Why don’t we believe him, instead of mere mortals? Instead of us going to heaven, God is coming here.
In pictures I have seen in peoples’ living rooms, Christ Jesus is in the center of the picture, dressed in a long white robe, hugging the new arrival (also in white), surrounded by white clouds as far as the eye can see, where they will get their wings, harp and halo, only to endure abject boredom for all time to come. YECH!
Gary Larson made a funny cartoon in his ‘The Far Side’ series showing a newbie in Heaven. He’s sitting on his cloud, sporting his white robe, halo and wings. The caption below reads: “Wish I’d brought a magazine!” Indeed!
Let’s face it. The picture of ‘Heaven’ most people seem to have is clouds. Clouds? Pretty as they may be, life swimming in them all day would get more boring than anything I can imagine.
This view of heaven is just wrong; it is naïve, Earthbound and boring in the extreme. Heaven as the ‘goal line’ is thus vague, ethereal and largely unacceptable, especially for today’s enlightened youth. It is weak, dull and lifeless, though air-conditioned, which is always a plus.
One pastor told me his idea of Heaven is like the ‘Holodeck’ on the Starship Enterprise where each day can be ‘anything you want it to be’. Everyday sports, travel or any other Earth-bound pursuit common to man today would surely get boring after a few thousand years, seems to me.
It’s no longer enough to just ‘get saved’. What are we saved for… an eternal life of abject boredom? What will it look like in Heaven day in and day out? What will I be doing for all eternity?
When Jesus said ‘I go to prepare a place for you’, what did he mean? Where did he go? He went into outer space. He and his Father God are Real Estate Developers; Developers of planets, stars and solar systems. It’s what they do. When fully ready, they build life on them, starting with planet Earth.
They didn’t save you for eternal retirement in excruciating boredom. No, it’s about building worlds, exploring them, perfecting and finishing them and establishing life on them.
He knows all his planets by name. Imagine the thrill of exploring space. You won’t need or want a ship to ride in; you’ll have the power to go there yourself. Think of it. That could never get boring.
Even NASA doesn’t have a clue how big the universe is. It is surmised that some suns (or stars) are much larger than our entire solar system!
They estimate that there are more than 100 billion galaxies. There are all shapes and sizes of these great galaxies. Each galaxy contains clusters of billions of star which are suns similar to ours.
It is highly probable that planetary systems like our own orbit around these suns. Some of them may be able to support carbon-based life like we have right here on Earth. It is my belief, based on the Bible, that God designed them to be inhabited!
It also seems to me that there could never be a bigger, more God-sized project than colonizing the entire universe. Only the Great Creator could pull it off! It makes good sense. God wants to share the magnificent life he leads with his children!
That is his purpose for his universe. We, as his children, will be participating in this, filling other planets with our own children and their descendents for all time to come. And they will all eventually be given permanent bodies that will never get sick, be hurt or die. That is what eternal living is all about!
CHAPTER 2: WHY WE WILL NEED A SUPER-NATURAL RESCUE
Buckle up; this is going to get ugly. They are going to nuke the Mid-east oil fields. Let that sink in a little while I tell you what a well-meaning Creation Science Author/Teacher and Speaker said when I mentioned this to him. He said: ‘Yes, but that is a half a world away. It won’t affect us here in America!’ I just laughed.
Yes, it will affect us here in America. It will seriously affect everyone on Earth. How? For starters, let’s look at size. Iraq alone is more than two thirds the size of Texas. But we’re also talking about Saudi Arabia, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Iran, Turkey, Kuwait, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Bahrain and Djibouti.
The problem is that Muslims cannot coexist with anyone who is non-Muslim. All no believers must convert or die. Women are second class. Christians and Jews are demonized, tortured, raped and murdered but not a single Muslim is outraged. If this were to happen in the USA, a public outcry would capture these criminals and lock them up.
Push will come to shove in the Mideast. The war will escalate into nuclear dimensions and the oil fields will be nuked. We can all see it coming if we will just look.
The ramifications of such an event are extinction level. A worldwide unstoppable smoke atmosphere would block sunlight; it would also destroy weather, rain and crops. Panic and starvation would kill billions. We are going to NEED an Super-natural intervention.
The polar ice caps would melt and the result would be submersion of the world’s islands and the flooding of coastal lands worldwide. The balancing effect of the ice caps would cause the Earth to quake and shake violently perhaps for months. No one could survive this. Every building and wall, every fortress and stronghold would collapse.
Then there’s the heat. Men would cook if the daytime temps reach 140 degrees or more. All of these things and a lot more are predicted throughout the Bible. It’s time we paid attention. But this is not the book for that. Please read my book ‘WHY END TIME PROPHECIES MATTER’ for more.
But, getting back to the oil mess we all are in, the next thing to look at is the quantity of the oil and its location. Saudi Arabian oil is reportedly in decline while Iraqi oil remains almost untapped. Yet, according to the Brookings Institute’s website article entitled ‘Where’s the oil?’ Iraq has more than Saudi to the tune of 300 Billion barrels per day of output. That’s a lot of oil.
So, what does it all have to do with you and me? We depend on oil for everything in our world. That’s what it has to do with us. We will have to face some great cataclysms because of this dependence. This is what I believe the Word of God contains. He wants is to know.
There IS an out, by the way. Safety lies with him and him alone. Trust him. Jesus owns the planet and will not let it be totally destroyed forever.
So, then why are we here? What does God have in mind for you and me, specifically? For what purpose were we born? What does the Bible say about it?
Did Jesus say what our purpose in life should be? Jesus instructed his disciples to ‘Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. Is that the purpose of life?
The answer lies in the words of none other than Jesus himself. He said in Luke 16:16 ‘The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presses into it.’ (KJV) Everyone ‘presses’ into the Kingdom of God and there, in a nutshell from the lips of none other than Jesus himself, is the Great Purpose of Life.
That Kingdom is our reason for being. We, you and me, are in the process of being groomed for our place in the Kingdom of God. Jesus is its King. He owns the whole Earth. He wants his children to learn to be like him. He wants us to love what he loves and hate what he hates. In short, he wants to rear us into his children who are like him in thought, word, desire and deed.
We are his Cabinet trainees or co-heirs of the Kingdom as mentioned in Romans 8:16 ‘The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature (creation) waits for the manifestation of the sons of God.’
Glorified together? Just what do you think being ‘glorified’ means? Well, imagine you are in an arena that holds 20,000 people. You are the long-awaited guest speaker everyone has come to see. The place is packed to the hilt. Your introducing announcer himself is famous in his own right. When he comes out to introduce you, the crowd breaks out in loud and long applause. He arrives at the podium and quiets the crowd so he can introduce you.
He takes his sweet time introducing you. Your qualifications, righteous acts of altruism, your accomplishments, your friends and family, the long list of books you have on the bookstore shelves, your powerful worldwide ministry and your deep love for Jesus have all been mentioned. Then, you walk out and take his place at the podium. As you do, the massive crowd snaps to their feet in a standing ovation. That is a form of glory.
But in the case of Jesus, when he returns to usher in his Kingdom, the entire globe is covered with a thick, black cloud cover so that the sun itself is darkened and the moon no longer shines. (Revelation 9:2 and Matthew 24:29, along with many other scriptures… just do a Bible search for ‘darkness’). All the people on Earth are hurting and adversely affected because of this.
Everything has changed and not for the better. (See ‘Unexpected Consequences’ from the Home Page for details). Everyone is afraid. Suddenly, a very bright light pierces through the darkness. It is Jesus and his entourage of saints. All eyes shall see him coming in the clouds or should I say through the clouds with power and GREAT glory.
Here it is in Matthew 24:30: 'And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 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.'
We are there coming in the clouds with Jesus having been gathered there or taken there by his holy angels. All nations and every eye shall see him and us. That is glory. We, Jesus and us, are coming to rescue and save alive those who remain. There will be much work that has to be done to planet Earth to remake it into a habitable place.
First the skies must clear and fresh breathable air restored. Then the weather, rain and fresh potable water will have to be restored. Next, food, clothing and shelter will have to be given supernaturally through Jesus.
We will clothe, feed, water shelter and comfort them in the love bestowed upon us through Jesus. That is the good news for all people. We will not die out, but be saved alive.
CHAPTER 3: JESUS SHOWS UP TO RESCUE THE PEOPLE, FIX EARTH’S PROBLEMS AND RESTORE THE EARTH
SO WHAT THEN IS THE TRUE GOSPEL? IT IS THIS: Jesus paved the way so we can rule and reign as Kings and Priests under him as the Great King of kings in his Kingdom right here on Planet Earth; then forever after throughout the universe!
Evangelicals and most of Christendom got it wrong. The Gospel according to them is that Jesus paid it all on the cross so you could be forgiven and live with him forever. But wait! There’s more!
Is that what Jesus taught the gospel is? No. What did Jesus himself talk about more than anything else? Going to Heaven when you die? No, he NEVER said that! In fact he said in John 3:13 the ‘…no man has ascended into heaven…’ Hence I named the title of this book ‘WHY NO ONE GOES TO HEAVEN.
This is not something I made up, for it is straight from the lips of Jesus. Jesus told us NO ONE. But do we hear that from the pulpits of Christendom? Of course not! Why? Why don’t the churches and pastors tell the truth? It is because they care more about tradition and the money, than about the truth.
If they sacrifice the truth for the money they will receive from patrons, they get to keep their jobs. If they tell the truth, come what may, where would they go to work when Monday gets here?
Did not Jesus himself despise tradition? Isn’t he the One who said: “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you nullify the word of God that you might hold on to your own tradition.”?
Tradition has it that when we die, we either ‘go to heaven or hell.’ Jesus taught different things than that. Rather, he spoke about the Kingdom of God and acquiring his righteousness. That is what our lives should be all about.
The Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of heaven is coming to the Earth. It is not located in heaven some place. It is a literal government to be set up right here on Earth. Many seem to have been taught that the ‘Kingdom of God’ is merely an imaginary mental gymnastic that is inside of us. Few Christians believe that Jesus is a real King, that he is THE Great King of kings or the King of nations. But that, my friend is reality. He owns the planet and he is the BEST ONE to run it.
To most Christians though, Jesus was merely a good teacher, maybe a prophet and the king of their heart, but nothing like a President, Prime Minister or Governor. They have missed the whole intent of the entire Bible. They do not know God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit. He is not their Leader or Head. They are not listening.
Notice Revelation 20: 4 ‘And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; with and they lived and reigned Christ a thousand years.’
We, as those who follow Jesus, will live and reign with Jesus, right here on Earth. Also take a look at Revelation 5:10: ‘And has made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.’ It cannot be said any clearer.
Again in Daniel 7:22 ‘Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.’
We who are believers and followers of Christ Jesus ARE those saints who will ‘occupy’ the Kingdom under Jesus. That is, we will be the ones privileged to serve under Jesus as Kings and Priests.
Many have been taught for years that they are ‘going to Heaven’ when they die. But that is not what any scripture says. That is what men say. I’d much rather believe God and what HE said in his word than what men say.
The Bible quotes Jesus telling Nicodemus in John 3:13: ‘And no man has ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.’ This is one scripture you may never hear from the pulpit or a TV preacher. They’d rather perpetuate the falsehood of ‘going to Heaven’.
But what I believe doesn’t matter; it is what God’s word says that matters. Read it from your own Bible and believe what you see. Just make sure you get all the related scriptures together before you decide how you read it. Add them up like arithmetic and the sum will always point out the truth.
The truth is you were born for so much more than this life can offer. You have a grand destiny under Jesus as a king and priest. Visualize the splendor of the reign of King Solomon. He was richer and wiser than all the kings of the Earth before, during or since Solomon’s reign. His palace and the Temple of the Lord became landmarks of unparalleled beauty and splendor.
The temple utensils, bowls, goblets, furnishings, etc were of solid gold or overlaid with pure gold. Even the walls of the temple were covered floor to ceiling with gold, inlaid with ivory, bronze & silver and decorated with ornate designs. Gold pomegranates festooned the capitals atop each pillar in the temple. There were no buildings like them before or since.
Solomon’s robes were second to none in splendor as well. His throne rose high with many steps leading up to it. Each step was guarded by a pair of gold lions on either side.
Here’s the way the Bible sums up the Reign of Solomon in 2 Chronicles 9:1-28: ‘And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.
2 And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not.
3 And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built,
4 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cup bearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.
5 And she said to the king, It was a true report which I heard in mine own land of your acts, and of your wisdom:
6 Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the one half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me: for you exceed the fame that I heard.
7 Happy are your men, and happy are these, your servants, which stand continually before you, and hear your wisdom.
8 Blessed be the LORD your God, which delighted in you to set you on his throne, to be king for the LORD your God: because your God loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore made he you king over them, to do judgment and justice.
9 And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.
10 And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, which brought gold from Ophir, brought Algum trees and precious stones.
11 And the king made of the Algum trees terraces to the house of the LORD, and to the king's palace, and harps and psalteries for singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah.
12 And King Solomon gave to the Queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which she had brought unto the king. So she turned, and went away to her own land, she and her servants.
13 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold;
14 Beside that which the men and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15 And King Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one target.
16 And three hundred shields made he of beaten gold: three hundred shekels of gold went to one shield. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
17 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.
18 And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on each side of the sitting place, and two lions standing by the stays:
19 and twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps. There was not the like made in any kingdom.
20 And all the drinking vessels of King Solomon were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: none were of silver; it was not anything accounted of in the days of Solomon.
21 For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
22 And King Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
23 And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
24 And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, harness, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.
25 And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.
26 And he reigned over all the kings from the river even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt.
27 And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar trees he made as the sycamore trees that are in the low plains in abundance.
28 And they brought unto Solomon horses out of Egypt, and out of all lands.’
Solomon was unique. No king before him or since him has been greater in wealth, splendor and wisdom. Yet Jesus said he is even greater.
Notice Matthew 12: 38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from you.
39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
42 The Queen of the South shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
And again in Luke 11: 29 And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.
30 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.
31 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
32 The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
I want to investigate the scriptures and find out why Jesus would be greater and maybe even more importantly how he would be greater. Then we will look at the ancient kings of Israel and Judah to see what the ‘bad’ kings did wrong and what the ‘good’ kings did right.
Then let’s find out what it takes to follow Jesus into his righteousness by exploring his divine attributes. We will see many examples in the Old Testament and New which will train us in righteousness. That’s what separated the good from the bad. Their heart was right before God as we will see.
Why is Jesus greater than Solomon and how will his throne and kingdom be greater than Solomon’s? In the first place, Solomon was not God and Jesus IS. Solomon was gifted by God with wisdom, yet he married many foreign women.
Wasn’t he wise enough to see they would lead him astray? His wives wanted to worship their pagan gods, so Solomon accommodated them by building altars, shrines and idols for them to bow down to and Solomon participated to please them!
Jesus kept himself from women and from anything that would have kept him from his goal because he had bigger things on his mind, namely finishing God’s work. Nothing was more important to him. On one occasion he was addressing the scribes and Pharisees about his mission.
Notice John 8:21 Then said Jesus again unto them, ‘I go my way, and you shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: where I go, you cannot come.
22 Then said the Jews, “Will he kill himself?” because he said, “Where I go, you cannot come.”
23 And he said unto them, “You are from beneath; I am from above: you are of this world; I am not of this world.
24 I said therefore unto you, that you shall die in your sins: for if you believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sins.”
25 Then said they unto him, “Who are you?” And Jesus said unto them, “Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.
26 I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him.”
27 They understood not that he spoke to them of the Father.
28 Then said Jesus unto them, “When you have lifted up the Son of man, then shall you know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father has taught me, I speak these things.
29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father has not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.”
30 As he spoke these words, many believed on him.
His goal or purpose in life was to do those things that pleased his Father God. His mission was not just that his will, calling and purpose would ‘line up’ with that of his Father, but rather Jesus’ will WAS God’s will.
60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, “This is an hard saying; who can hear it?”
61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, “Does this offend you?
62 What and if you shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
63 It is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
64 But there are some of you that believe not.”
For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
65 And he said, “Therefore I said unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it was given unto him of my Father.”
66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Jesus did not run after them to win them back. He knew his sheep from the goats. He seemed OK with the fact that some would not accept him as their Messiah. God the Father must do the calling and choosing. Jesus wanted what his Father wanted and nothing else. This should be our mindset too.
Notice another passage in John 4: 27 And upon this came his disciples, and marveled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, “What do you seek? Or, “Why do you talk with her?”
28 The woman then left her water pot, and went her way into the city, and said to the men,
29 “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?”
30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, “Master, eat.”
32 But he said unto them, “I have meat to eat that you know not of.”
33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, ‘Has any man brought him anything to eat?’
34 Jesus said unto them, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
35 Don’t you say ‘There are yet four months, and then comes harvest? Behold, I say unto you, ‘Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
36 And he that reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit unto life eternal: that both he that sows and he that reaps may rejoice together.”
Jesus would not be detracted from his mission. He’d rather work for God than eat. Jesus is the ‘KING of kings’ and LORD of lords, so what can we learn from Jesus about God’s will, calling and purpose for our lives? What examples of Kings are there in the Bible? What can we learn from them?
Study the life of Jesus in my book ‘WHY JESUS MATTERS NOW’. Go to my website ITellWhy.com. From the Home Page, you can click on ‘WHY I TEST YOUR BIBLE IQ’ or any of my other books and read them. These are in depth Studies for those who are in hot pursuit of the King.
Are you a mere ‘fan’ of Jesus or a real ‘follower’ of him? (Get Kyle Idleman’s great book: ‘NOT A FAN’ and find out which you really are! It’s an excellent volume and I highly recommend it.)
We can learn best from the King of kings. He will teach us and lead us into all truth through his Spirit that lives in us.
Here’s how the apostle John put it in his gospel, chapter 16: 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
John 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin (committed), and of righteousness (forfeited), and of judgment (to come):
9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and you see me no more;
11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now.
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.
15 All things that the Father has are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.
Thus Jesus is a Revealer of mysteries and of truth. After all, he owns the planet. He made it in the first place. He knows all about it, how it works and how we are going to wreck it. He is the ONLY ONE who can and will become its Savior. We cannot go wrong if we put our trust in him.
CHAPTER 4: JESUS BECOMES KING OF KINGS, LORD OF LORDS AND REIGNS IN HIS GOVERNMENT
Read my eBook about his life: ‘WHY JESUS MATTERS NOW’ to study the life, times, works and words of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Take the ‘WHY I TEST YOUR BIBLE IQ’ challenge. Investigate the Names of Jesus, the Prophecies about his first coming and the Parables of Jesus, which are there for your use.
You can do this for free on my website: www.ITellWhy.com. Study his life, his character and his motive of love for all, even his enemies.
Look at the way Jesus treated people. Watch for how he managed his disciples, taxes, money, his powers, his thoughts, his reactions, his relationships, his friends and his enemies.
To his enemies he was very mighty, strong and he rebuked them dead center straight and he did it in love for them. To his friends he honored them, protected them and kept them straight, ultimately laying down his life for them, setting the standard for us to follow.
He does not want his enemies to die, but that they should turn and he should heal them. He stood his ground and stayed until he had humiliated them in front of the very ones his enemies were trying desperately to impress.
The bravest among us today would at best have told them off, turned on our heels and stomped off; but Jesus just stayed there, making them hot with rage. No one has courage, strength and resolve like that these days. No wonder they plotted to kill Jesus. They had to protect their precious status and prestige in the community.
This is the way our hero King set the standard high for each of us. He said we followers (not mere fans) should strive for his type of perfection. Take for example Luke 6. Here we can glean a lot about how to make proper relationships, where to embed our foundation, what kind of fruit to bear with our lives (and how to do this) and how to judge righteous judgments:
Luke 6:20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, ‘Blessed are you poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you that hunger now: for you shall be filled. Blessed are you that weep now: for you shall laugh.
22 Blessed are you, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.
23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
24 But woe unto you that are rich, for you have received your consolation.
25 Woe unto you who are full! For you shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! For you shall mourn and weep.
26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! For so did their fathers to the false prophets.
27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
29 And unto him that smites you on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that takes away your cloak forbid not to take your coat also.
30 Give to every man that asks of you; and of him that takes away your goods ask them not again.
31 And as you would that men should do to you, do you also to them likewise.
32 For if you love them which love you, what thank have you? For sinners also love those that love them.
33 And if you do good to them which do good to you, what thank have you? For sinners also do even the same.
34 And if you lend to them of whom you hope to receive, what thank have you? For sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
35 But love you your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36 Be you therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
Judging Righteous Judgment
37 Judge not, and you shall not be judged: condemn not, and you shall not be condemned: forgive, and you shall be forgiven:
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you mete out withal it shall be measured to you again.
39 And he spoke a parable unto them: Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch?
40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.
41 And why point out the mote that is in your brother's eye, but perceive not the beam that is in your own eye?
42 Either how can you say to your brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in your eye, when you see not the beam that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of your own eye, and then shall you see clearly to pull out the mote that is in your brother's eye.
A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit
43 For a good tree does not bring forth corrupt fruit; neither does a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush do they gather grapes.
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
The House Built on a Rock
46 And why call you me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
47 Whosoever comes to me, and hear my sayings, and does them, I will show you to whom he is like:
48 He is like a man which built an house, and dug deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
49 But he that hears, and does not, is like a man that without a foundation built a house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
These are but a handful of the wise sayings and training words Jesus used to convey the heart of the King of kings to us as his future Cabinet members. Jesus told his disciple they would sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. We are the ‘other sheep’ Jesus is bringing into his sheep pen or his Kingdom.
That is why we are here... to learn from him how he thinks and why we should strive to be like him and emulate his ways of righteousness. Allow yourself to be instructed by the Greatest Tutor of all. (Not me... Jesus.) He alone knows what is best for me and you and all who shall ever live, for he is the author and the authority of life itself. Of course he knows best... it is his idea.
Jesus is the Great King and his Capitol city is Jerusalem, the ‘City of the Great King.
Here’s a couple of references for you on this: Psalms 48:1-3 ‘Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.
2 Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.
3 God is known in her palaces for a refuge.
And Matthew 5: 34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:
35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
There can only be one number one. Jesus will be THE number One King on the planet and he will rule all nations and they all will serve and obey him. Every knee shall bow to Jesus and every tongue shall confess that he is Lord of ALL.
(Romans 14: 11 ‘For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.’
And Philippians 2:9 ‘Wherefore God also has highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’
What will the reign of Jesus be? To what can we compare it? Let’s read Revelation 21-22 to get a glimpse:
Revelation 21:1’And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
(Note: He does NOT say they would burn forever, but that it is the second DEATH. Refer to my book: ‘WHY LIE ABOUT HELL’ for 40 Good reasons Bad People to NOT burn in Hell for ever.)
The New Jerusalem
9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
16 And the city lies foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it.
25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
26 And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.
27 And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defiles, neither whatsoever works abomination, or makes a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.’
Then continue in Revelation Chapter 22:
Revelation 22:1 ‘And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God gives them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
Jesus Will Come Soon
6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keeps the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things.
9 Then said he unto me, “See that you do it not: for I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.”
10 And he said unto me, “Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loves and makes a lie.
16 I, Jesus, have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let him that hears say, “Come.” And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
18 For I testify unto every man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
20 He which testifies these things said, “Surely I come quickly.”
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Suffice it to say here that after we human beings nearly destroy the Earth beyond repair, Jesus will come with his whole army to make good and drastic changes to the planet.
The first thing Jesus and his Entourage must do is to clean up the mess we human beings have made of our only home during WW3. If you have read my book on the subject (WHY END TIME PROPHECIES MATTER), you have clarity on all the ramifications the Earth will suffer as a result. Everything will be ruined. The sky and the air will become black, unbreatheable and toxic. Few men will be left alive. This is the BIGGEST problem and only God can fix it.
Then the water will be deadly to drink, if there is any available. That will have to be purified immediately upon arrival. So will the food supply. The Earth will be in no condition to supply that food, once all stored food is gone. So Jesus and his Cabinet will probably have to supernaturally supply it like he did before, giving Manna to the Israelites in the wilderness.
Next, the people still alive will need comforting and consolation. Some may need healing. Following that, clothing and housing will likely be the next priority. The first night after will be long. But then, a new day dawns; it is a brand new day. Jesus has landed. His saints have made themselves ready. They know what needs to be done to restore Planet Earth. They all have been given powers to do such things. It is their joy to be doing this work.
Jesus will have put down ALL principalities and powers, kings and their armies, governors, congressmen and senators. Politics will be history. He will replace all governments with his own as the new King of kings. He will provide for all for he is Lord of lords.
A ‘lord’ is a provider. It is the lord who is the ‘loaf warden’ which is where the term ‘lord’ comes from. The loaf warden or lord, makes sure the people have the food they need, when they need it. (Also, the lord gives them their water and everything else.)
This is only one of more than 80 characteristics or attributes of our Lord and only Savior. He will provide everything needed for life. And not just for the chosen few, but for ALL! That is what he and he alone has the power and ambition to do. He will make ALL THINGS NEW. He will also provide thrilling jobs for each person and a sure future we all can look forward to.
Now THAT will truly be new!
Read Chapter Seven: ‘TRAIN TO REIGN’ to absorb a detailed study of the attributes of God found in Jesus and which he wants to bestow into us as his children. There is much more to our salvation than just being forgiven. It is a global RESCUE! That is a good place to start.
But as his children and saints (Body or Believers), there is much work to do. We must get ready for our jobs. We will need to be trained, able and ready when Jesus arrives to take the reins of government over his Earth.
So, let’s delve further into rulership. What can be gleaned from history and the ancient kings of Israel?
CHAPTER 5: OUR PLACE AND PURPOSE IN HIS KINGDOM: POSITIONS IN HIS CABINET
Why the ancient kings did what they did what we can learn from them:
What we need to know is why. Why some of the good kings went bad, why some of the sons of good kings went bad, why some of the sons of the bad kings got worse while others repented and became good. It is a matter of choices. The choices we make in life affect not only ourselves but the next generation. Even so it is with kings.
I have noticed that many of the kings are too pre-occupied with running the country to spend adequate time with their children. Their kids turn out spoiled, attitudinal and almost no earthly good. Also, in many cases, the sons are reared by the women their fathers married. Many of them are foreign and worship other gods besides the True God and they teach their ways to their children. Then the sons take the kingdom and reign in terror. They are total jerks. They ruin everything their forefathers built up.
God had warned these kings not to marry such women, lest they turn their own hearts away from God and that is exactly what happened in nearly every case. Plus they had more than one wife, as if one wasn’t enough. Many had ‘concubines’ which constitute a harem dedicated to giving the king pleasure at his whim. Big mistake! Too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the pie.
Notice what God said about wealth and power in Deuteronomy 17: 14 When you have come unto the land which the LORD your God gives you, and shall possess it, and shall dwell therein, and shall say, ‘I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me’;
15 You shall in any wise set him king over you, whom the LORD your God shall choose: one from among your brethren shall you set king over you: you may not set a stranger over you, which is not your brother.
16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD has said unto you, ‘You shall henceforth return no more that way.’
17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself that his heart turns not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
God said a lot right there. First, mankind rebelled by rejecting God so they could follow a mere mortal man as king over them. But what more could a man do that God could not do? Nothing good. Well, a man could turn a blind eye to injustice. He could have some thug murder the kings neighbor for refusing to sell him his vineyard. Then, once he’s dead he could confiscate the vineyard.
As it is recorded for us in 1 Kings 21:1-29:
1 And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
2 And Ahab spoke unto Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give you for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you the worth of it in money.
3 And Naboth said to Ahab, “The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my father’s unto you.
4 And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, ‘I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.’ And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.
5 But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, “Why is your spirit so sad, that you eat no bread?
6 And he said unto her, “Because I spoke unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it please you, I will give you another vineyard for it’: and he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’
7 And Jezebel his wife said unto him, “Do you now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let your heart be merry: I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
8 So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.
9 And she wrote in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people:
10 And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, ‘You blasphemed God and the king.’ And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.”
11 And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them.
12 They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.
13 And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth did blaspheme God and the king.” Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.
14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.
15 And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.
16 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
17 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
18 Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.
19 And you shall speak unto him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, Have you killed, and also taken possession?’ And you shall speak unto him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, ‘In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your blood, even yours.’
20 And Ahab said to Elijah, ‘Have you found me, O mine enemy?’ And he answered, ‘I have found you: because you have sold yourself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.
21 Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will take away your posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisses against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,
22 And will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith you have provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.
23 And of Jezebel also spoke the LORD, saying, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.
24 Him that dies of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dies in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.’
25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.
26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
28 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
29 Do you see how Ahab humbles himself before me? Because he humbles himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.
Ahab humbled himself and repented. He could have been indifferent and uncaring instead. So God relented of the evil he had planned to bring on him as punishment until a later time. God knew how evil man could get under the influence of the Devil. And he knew what would happen, not if but when, they elected a king instead of him. This is but one example of a king repenting after doing great evil.
Secondly, since he knew this danger of Israel wanting a king instead of retaining God as their King, God wanted them to choose a king who was righteous. Their king must be one of them, instead of some foreigner who did not revere the ways of God but instead served other gods. Then God addressed the issue of wealth and power.
He knew the deceitfulness of wealth; that it takes away sound judgment and leads men to look to it as a god in the place of God. It does seem to a man that money is the answer to all things.
Trouble is, in the end, money is trouble, especially when it goes too far into a man’s heartfelt desires and replace God as number one in his thoughts and life. This is what God knew would happen to the kings, if they did not constantly seek him instead of money and power.
The first king of Israel was Saul of the house if his father Kish, a Benjamite. Saul was a handsome man who stood a head taller than most of the other men. (1 Samuel 9:1-2 ‘Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
2 And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.’
At first he was a good and upright individual or else God would not have chosen him. In fact, in the beginning he was so humble, he hid himself among the baggage rather than be discovered and proclaimed as king. Once he became king, He took good care of the people and they loved him.
But then, he let his fame go to his head and he became proud of his accomplishments as king. He liked the notoriety and praises from the people. At one point in his life, Saul actually prophesied like one of the prophets of old. (See 1 Samuel 10:9-15)
In chapter 15 of 1 Samuel, Saul took matters into his own hands which should have been left for the priesthood by offering a sacrifice instead of waiting for Samuel, who had taken longer than anticipated to arrive. Then God told Samuel he regretted making Saul king because of his irreverent act.
Next, after defeating the Amalekites, he and his men spared Agag, the king of the Amalekites and kept the best of the flocks and herds, though God had commanded him to wipe them out. (I will note here that God, being the owner of all animals and people, had the right to do what he wanted with them, including annihilating them.)
Later, when King Saul prayed to God to find out his fate but God did not answer him, he consulted a medium (witch), even though King Saul had mostly purged the land of them. This was clearly wrong for anyone, let alone the King himself, to do.
Rather than reiterate all the stories of the Kings of Israel and Judah which you can study for yourself by reading the books of 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles, I want to focus on what the ‘good’ kings did right, what the ‘bad’ kings did wrong, why some ‘good’ kings went bad and why some ‘bad’ kings repented in the end and became ‘good.
I urge you to Google ‘biblical kings list’ or ‘Old Testament Kings’ to learn more about them, the dates they ruled, how long they ruled, etc. Good examples with a Timeline, Dates, Years Reigned and whether good or bad are: www.biblestudy.org
www.padfield.com/acrobat/harbison/kings-and-prophets-rh.pdf
www.crivoice.org/israelitekings.html
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZajfDa9-r0
As I studied these kings of Israel and Judah, I tried to keep in mind why they did what they did. There is always a reason people do things even though they may not be apparent at first blush. So, here is what the bad kings did wrong:
BAD KINGS AND THE REASONS WHY THEY FAILED
1. They served foreign gods
2. They refused to listen to God’s prophets
3. They made treaties with their enemies
4. They rebelled against God and rejected him
5. They did not seek God’s counsel
6. They married foreign women
7. They exposed their treasure to their enemies
8. They fought against their own people
9. They gave in to their foreign wives appeals to erect idols to worship
10. They made graven images to bow down to
11. They killed or imprisoned God’s prophets and righteous subjects
12. They became proud which led to their downfall
13. They disobeyed and even provoked God on purpose
14. They were punished with leprosy
15. They sacrificed their sons in the fire to Molech
16. They were defeated by their enemies
17. They were captured, robbed, stripped of their positions and their wealth
18. They were forced to watch as their sons were murdered and then had their eyes gouged out
19. They lost their health due to their indulgences
20. They mocked and despised God’s prophets
21. They burned God’s temple and perished in the flames
22. They were assassinated
23. They were carried into foreign lands in exile
24. They made priests out of non-Levites
25. They prayed in vain to Baal
26. They cowed down to bullies
27. They erected altars and idols (Molech and Baal) to be worshipped by their subjects
28. They profaned God’s temple
29. They led the people astray, which carried over to the next generation
30. They sinned worse than the pagan nations they had deposed
GOOD KINGS AND THE REASONS WHY THEY SUCCEEDED
1. They led the nation in repentance, faith and worship
2. They burned pagan idols and the bones of the pagan priests
3. They prayed to the true God and received honor and blessing
4. They responded to the rebukes and admonitions of God’s prophets with weeping, fasting and real repentance
5. They restored the temple and worship of the true God
6. They researched the word of God, studied it and took it to heart
7. They hired scribes to copy the word of God by hand every year
8. They subdued pagan kings and destroyed their altars and high places of worship
9. They let God lead and Father them
10. They listened to God’s Prophets
11. They applied themselves to great tasks as directed by God
12. They refused to be influenced by people, the status quo or tradition
Our true destiny is to rule under Jesus as sub-kings and priests. Doesn’t it follow then, that we should all be about the business of learning what all it entails? What does a king do? What should he do for his people?
Politics is dead, out dated and now irrelevant. Not one of the kings under Jesus is human. They all have been changed into spirit beings that can’t be hurt, killed or ushered out of office. They are permanent members of God’s own family and Kingdom.
The way we will rule starts with the word love. It will be tough love to those who would dare rebel. It will be compassionate love to all those humble of spirit. Either way, it will be a different world because everyone on Earth will know God and love and serve him, being led by the Spirit of God which he will pour out on all flesh!
CHAPTER 6: BLESSINGS FOR OBEDIENCE OR CURSINGS FOR REBELLION AND WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THE BIBLE ABOUT RULERSHIP IN THE NEW GOVERNMENT OF GOD
Deuteronomy 28:1- ‘And it shall come to pass, if you shall hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD your God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command you this day, that the LORD your God will set you on high above all nations of the earth:
2 And all these blessings shall come on you, and overtake you, if you shall hearken unto the voice of the LORD your God.
3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field.
4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds, and the flocks of your sheep.
5 Blessed shall be your basket and your store.
6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
7 The LORD shall cause your enemies that rise up against you to be smitten before your face: they shall come out against you one way, and flee before you seven ways.
8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon you in your storehouses, and in all that you set your hand unto; and he shall bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you.
9 The LORD shall establish you an holy people unto himself, as he has sworn unto you, if you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and walk in his ways.
10 And all people of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of you.
11 And the LORD shall make you plenteous in goods, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your ground, in the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers to give you.
12 The LORD shall open unto you his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto your land in his season, and to bless all the work of your hand: and you shall lend unto many nations, and you shall not borrow.
13 And the LORD shall make you the head, and not the tail; and you shall be above only, and you shall not be beneath; if that you hearken unto the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day, to observe and to do them:
14 And you shall not go aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
The Consequences of Disobedience
15 But it shall come to pass, if you will not hearken unto the voice of the LORD your God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command you this day; that all these curses shall come upon you, and overtake you:
16 Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. 17 Cursed shall be your basket and your store.
18 Cursed shall be the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your land, the increase of your herds, and the flocks of your sheep.
19 Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.
20 The LORD shall send upon you cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that you set your hand unto for to do, until you be destroyed, and until you perish quickly; because of the wickedness of your doings, whereby you have forsaken me.
21 The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto you, until he have consumed you from off the land, where you go to possess it.
22 The LORD shall smite you with consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue you until you perish.
23 And your heaven that is over your head shall be brass, and the earth that is under you shall be iron.
24 The LORD shall make the rain of your land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon you, until you are destroyed.
25 The LORD shall cause you to be smitten before your enemies: you shall go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shall be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
26 And your carcasses shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.
27 The LORD will smite you with the botch of Egypt, and with the hemorrhoids, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof you canst not be healed.
28 The LORD shall smite you with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:
29 and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind gropes in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways: and you shall be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save you.
30 You shall betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: you shall build an house, and you shall not dwell therein: you shall plant a vineyard, and shall not gather the grapes thereof.
31 Your ox shall be slain before your eyes, and you shall not eat thereof: your ass shall be violently taken away from before your face, and shall not be restored to you: your sheep shall be given unto your enemies, and you shall have none to rescue them.
32 Your sons and your daughters shall be given unto another people, and your eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in your hand.
33 The fruit of your land, and all your labors, shall a nation which you know not eat up; and you shall be only oppressed and crushed always:
34 So that you shall be mad for the sight of your eyes which you shall see.
35 The LORD shall smite you in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of your foot unto the top of your head.
36 The LORD shall bring you, and your king which you shall set over you, unto a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known; and there shall you serve other gods, wood and stone.
37 And you shall become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword; among all nations where the LORD shall lead you.
38 You shall carry much seed out into the field, and shall gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.
39 You shall plant vineyards, and dress them, but shall neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
40 You shall have olive trees throughout all your coasts, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil; for your olive shall cast his fruit.
41 You shall beget sons and daughters, but you shall not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.
42 All your trees and fruit of your land shall the locust consume.
43 The stranger that is within you shall get up above you very high; and you shall come down very low.
44 He shall lend to you, and you shall not lend to him: he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.
45 Moreover all these curses shall come upon you, and shall pursue you, and overtake you, till you be destroyed; because you hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded you:
46 And they shall be upon you for a sign and for a wonder, and upon your seed for ever.
47 Because you served not the LORD your God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;
48 Therefore shall you serve your enemies which the LORD shall send against you, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon your neck, until he have destroyed you.
49 The LORD shall bring a nation against you from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies; a nation whose tongue you shall not understand;
50 A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor to the young:
51 And he shall eat the fruit of your cattle, and the fruit of your land, until you be destroyed: which also shall not leave you either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of your herds, or flocks of your sheep, until he have destroyed you.
52 And he shall besiege you in all your gates, until your high and fenced walls come down, wherein you trusted, throughout all your land: and he shall besiege you in all your gates throughout all your land, which the LORD your God has given you.
53 And you shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and of your daughters, which the LORD your God has given you, in the siege, and in the dearth, wherewith your enemies shall distress you:
54 So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave:
55 So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he has nothing left him in the siege, and in the dearth, wherewith your enemies shall distress you in all your gates.
56 The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter,
57 And toward her young one that comes out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and dearth, wherewith your enemy shall distress you in your gates.
58 If you will not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD;
59 Then the LORD will make your plagues wonderful, and the plagues of your seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.
60 Moreover he will bring upon you all the diseases of Egypt, which you were afraid of; and they shall cleave unto you.
61 Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon you, until you be destroyed.
62 And you shall be left few in number, whereas you were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God.
63 And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to naught; and you shall be plucked from off the land where you go to possess it.
64 And the LORD shall scatter you among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known, even wood and stone.
65 And among these nations shall you find no ease, neither shall the sole of your foot have rest: but the LORD shall give you there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:
66 And your life shall hang in doubt before you; and you shall fear day and night, and shall have none assurance of your life:
67 In the morning you shall say, ‘Would God it were evening!’ And at even you shall say, ‘Would God it were morning!’ for the fear of your heart wherewith you shall fear, and for the sight of your eyes which you shall see.
68 And the LORD shall bring you into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spoke unto you, You shall see it no more again: and there you shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.
Thus we can easily see that God wants our success. He wants us to prosper and be in health, free and not subject to foreign powers or foreign gods. This freedom is what he must bring to us when he returns as the Great King.
We may become enslaved to these foreign powers here in America, for we are rejecting the only God. He is no longer welcome in our schools, government or media. He is giving us more than ample evidence that wicked ways lead to trouble we do not want. But we don’t care. That is a shame and disgrace. Rather, let’s take heed and obey. It’s for our own good. He loves us too much not to share these truths with us, his children.
Let us face the facts of life: God is the One who made Heaven and Earth. As its Maker, he is also its Owner. The Owner has all the rights to what is his. He has the power to do anything he wants to do. He can bless or destroy. No one can question him saying ‘What are you doing?’
Thankfully he is benevolent. He loves to bless and refrains from cursing his children unless there is no other way to get through to them. His ultimate goal is to save them and empower them to live permanently. He is developing real estate. He is putting his own children there to dress and keep it and to enjoy doing so.
May we all keep these things in mind. God is not out to hurt or harm us, but he does have the power and right to do so if and when he so chooses as the tool of last resort. He doesn’t need our permission for anything. In fact he does not need us at all. But he wants us, and he wants us to be his children in his Kingdom for all time to come.
May we all relinquish our ‘control’ over our own wills, so that we may be embraced by God and Fathered by him. He will take us the rest of the way that our human fathers could not. They could only take us part of the way. God wants to finish our course and make us his children. Allow him to do the driving. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths. (See Proverbs 3:6)
Walk with God through your life. He will bring you to a good place you want to be in. Otherwise, you have no hope and no future. He longs to give you a better life, but we all must acknowledge him and grow in him and his ways.
Study his word each day. Stay in close contact with him through prayer. Though you don’t see him physically yet, he sees you and loves you. Wait for his answers. He will answer your prayers and take care of you. If you trust him, he will never leave you nor forsake you. May each of us grow up in him as he is our true Father.
WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM BIBLE ABOUT RULERSHIP IN THE NEW GOVERNMENT OF GOD
1 God is Sovereign. He will return and take charge of his planet and rule it with a rod of iron. Psalm 2:9, Revelation 2:27, 12:5 & 19:15:
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
4 He that sits in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
7 I will declare the decree: the LORD has said unto me, You are my Son; this day have I begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I shall give you the heathen for your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; you shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
10 Be wise now therefore, O you kings: be instructed, you judges of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
CHAPTER 7: TRAINING TO REIGN IS ACQUIRING GOD’S ATTRIBUTES IN PREPARATION FOR RULERSHIP ON THE RESTORED EARTH
We are in training to take our positions in the Cabinet of the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ the Great King of the planet. God is our Trainer. The Earth today is our Training Center, work-out facility and our ‘boot camp’ where we were hand-picked for the positions of government God has in mind. Troubles and trials are our exercise routines. We are learning from our experiences and from the Best Trainer there is.
He’s been there and done that himself. He feels our pain because it is now in his memory bank. He remembers what it is like to be fully human with all its pain and suffering, but every bit of it is for a good reason: to make us fully like him in character and integrity.
The Training we receive from him is of the Holy Spirit working with our spirit to enable us to acquire his attributes. And what are they?
You may ask, as I did, ‘How can I learn all these and acquire God’s attributes in me?’ Here’s how: ASK! Ask; seek; knock and it shall be given you.
Read all my other Books for free at www.itellwhy.com. You will learn what years of research, training from God’s word and listening to God’s Spirit within me has taught about the truth.
Start with Galatians 5:16-22 which says:
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that you would.
18 But if you be led by the Spirit, you are not under the (penalty of the) law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
This is the beginning of acquiring God’s attributes. This is what God is like. He is slow to anger, full of compassion and tender mercies. The scriptures are saturated with acknowledgements of his tender mercies.
This is the nature God can use if it is resident and active in us. The good news is that it can and will be if we study his word and, listening to the prompting of his Holy Spirit, we apply them in real life situations.
He will share them with us if we just ask. Then study to show yourself approved unto God.
As it is written in 2 Timothy 2:14-16:
14 ‘Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.
15 Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.’
The entire goal of Christian endeavor is not to ‘get to heaven’ as commonly taught. It is to be prepared to enter service in the Kingdom or the Government of God, right here on Planet Earth. There is much more to it than just ‘signing up’.
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:
GIFTS YOU ASK FOR AND ACTUALLY GET. JUST ASK!
01 LOVE
At the top of the list of the things God wants to teach us is Love. Love is outgoing concern for another. Love is hard work, sometimes, but worth the effort. Everyone benefits when we employ love. Love is doing the work of taking care of the needs of another.
Ask and you will receive. He will prompt you to love someone through a thought, word or deed. And then respond to his promptings. That is, LISTEN and REPEAT (obey). Here’s what to look for, as you search the scriptures for his attributes:
Here’s the way the apostle Paul put it:
1 Corinthians 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love suffers long, and is kind; love envies not; love vaunts not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil;
6 Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7 Bears all things, believeth all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.
8 Love never fails: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child; I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abides faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
So, how do we acquire love? We acquire love by practicing outgoing concern and care for someone else, and over a long time, perhaps a lifetime. Ask God for more love, that you may become more like him, for love is his chief attribute. He is more than willing to share his love with us. Just ask.
Here is something I learned just today: Jesus was and still is perfect AND vulnerable. We humans tend to strive for one or the other, but seldom do we find perfect attributes combined with perfect vulnerability. Let me explain: Vulnerability allows imperfections due to our humanity. Perfection is striving to do everything we do as perfectly as possible.
Jesus never messed up. He never sinned, never used foul language and always spoke the truth. Yet he cried, laughed, made jokes, and did not consider himself perfect or good. He said ‘There is NONE good but One, that is God. (See Matthew 19:17 & Mark 10:18)
I am every bit as weak and vulnerable as you are. We are mere mortals after all. But we should be working toward a measure of the fullness of the stature of Christ Jesus. That is our job as Christians and our calling. May we all be about our Father’s business!
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:
02 JOY
Psalm 16
1 Preserve me, O God: for in you do I put my trust.
2 O my soul, you have said unto the Lord, You are my Lord: my goodness extended not to you,
3 But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.
4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.
5 The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup: you maintain my lot.
6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yes, I have a goodly heritage.
7 I will bless the Lord, who has given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
8 I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
10 For you will not leave my soul in hell (Heb. Sheol—the grave); neither will you suffer your Holy One to see corruption.
11 You will show me the path of life: in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
There are numerous scriptures containing the word ‘joy’, 155 to be exact. The Hebrew is ‘sa-makh’ meaning to rejoice and be glad.
When I am tempted to be down instead of joyful, and trust me I have those moments as you do, I remember his goodness. I thank him for some good thing he has put in my path today, even when going through troubles, hospital visits, nursing home troubles, persecutions, bullying and even death threats. There is ALWAYS something to be thankful for. Through thankfulness I find strength in God.
Here’s a favorite saying of mine: “Thankfulness extinguishes sadness on contact.’ It certainly has helped me.
May this bring you ‘fullness of joy’: THANKFULNESS. It works for me. It makes me realized where all the good in my life comes from and it is not from me. Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of Lights, that is God.
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:
03 PEACE
Psalm 85:1 Lord, you have been favorable unto your land: you have brought back the captivity of Jacob.
2 You have forgiven the iniquity of your people, you have covered all their sin. Selah.
3 You have taken away all your wrath: you have turned yourself from the fierceness of your anger.
4 Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause your anger toward us to cease.
5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you draw out your anger to all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again: that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your mercy, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.
8 I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.
10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11 Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
12 Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.
13 Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.
Comment: How many Blessings, Comforts, Assurances and Reliefs can we find in just this one Psalm? The favor of God himself, forgiveness, freedom and rest from wrath, resurrection, rejoicing, mercy, salvation which is rescue, his word, peace spoken into us, truth, righteousness, goodness and leadership as a shepherd or Father, all found in a mere thirteen verses.
This to me is the definition of peace.
Another is Psalm 34:
1 ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps round about them that fear him, and delivers them.
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusts in him.
9 O fear the Lord, his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.
10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.
11 Come, you children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 What man is he that desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking guile.
14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saves such as be of a contrite spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones: not one of them is broken.
21 Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.
22 The Lord redeems the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.’
There are hundreds of verses in the Bible containing the word ‘PEACE’. This one Psalm is but one short passage. May I suggest you research this word further?
Here are a few links to resources from websites that will speed your search and advance your faith (Just Copy and Paste in your web Browser):
ABibleConcordance.com
AnswersInGenesis.org
Angelfire.com
Bible.org/pastor
BibleGateway.com
BibleHelps.net
BlueLetterBible.org
BibleStudyTools.com
ChristNotes.org
ChristianPodcasts.com
ChristianVideoBlog.org
CrossWalk.com
DailyAudioBible.com
DailyBibleGuide.com
DODResources.com
Eliyah.com/lexicon.html
RaviZachariasInternationalMinistries.org
StrongsExhaustiveConcordance.com
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:
04 PATIENCE
Patience is a great quality God applies to all of us. That is, he is amply patient with us. As with all of his attributes, it can be asked for and granted by God. But be careful what you ask for... you might just get it. Many times patience is acquired through hard times and trials, so be aware of that.
In my Architectural Drafting practice for example, I have been accused of being a man of patience. It is really his patience on loan until I make it my habit. One client could not visualize what her house would look like to save her life. I made numerous illustrations, using my best powers of persuasion, but she was never satisfied. Perhaps she loved the process of developing new concepts, who knows? I ended up redrawing her floor plan TEN times! This is what takes and builds patience: waiting with control.
Look with me at this passage from Luke 8:4 and note what explanation Jesus gave us concerning patience: ‘And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spoke by a parable:
5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.
7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bore fruit a hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that has ears to hear, let him hear.
9 And his disciples asked him, saying, ‘What might this parable be?’
10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
Patience waits. The question is: Can I?
Luke 21:19 In your patience possess you your souls
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:
05 GODLINESS
My favorite passage on this subject of godliness is 1 Timothy 2:1-15:
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior;
4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
7 Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
8 I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness (innocent and pure) and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;
10 But (which becomes women professing godliness) with good works.
11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.
These are words given through the apostle Paul and are inspired of God or they would not be there. God is pure, innocent, full of love, self-control, decency, true and honest. This is the essence of godliness, to me. This is what I must strive to be.
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:
06 GOODNESS (KINDNESS LIVING INSIDE)
I say that goodness is kindness living inside because there is an outward or outgoing kindness as well. But in this attribute, I want to show that we can and should be kind to ourselves also. In order to love and be kind to others, we must know to be kind to ourselves.
Lighten up. This is what I must keep telling myself. You are too serious. Smile. Relax. Savor the moment. Slow down. Don’t be so hasty. Be deliberate. Think before you speak. Don’t be so quick that you’re are too quick. Be more careful. Be cheerful.
The scripture I want to use here is found in one of King David’s songs:
Psalm 31:1-24: In you, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Bow down your ear to me; deliver me speedily: be my strong rock, for a house of defense to save me.
3 For you are my rock and my fortress; therefore for your name's sake lead me, and guide me.
4 Pull me out of the net that they have laid privately for me: for you are my strength.
5 Into your hand I commit my spirit: you have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
6 I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your mercy: for you have considered my trouble; you have known my life in adversities;
8 And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: you have set my feet in a large room.
9 Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.
10 For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength fails because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.
11 I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbors, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me.
12 I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.
13 For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.
14 But I trusted in you, O LORD: I said, ‘You are my God.’
15 My times are in your hand: deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from them that persecute me.
16 Make your face to shine upon your servant: save me for your mercies' sake.
17 Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon you: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.
18 Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.
19 Oh how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for them that fear you; which you have wrought for them that trust in you before the sons of men!
20 You shall hide them in the secret of your presence from the pride of man: you shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
21 Blessed be the LORD: for he has showed me his marvelous kindness in a strong city.
22 For I said in my haste, ‘I am cut off from before your eyes’: nevertheless you heard the voice of my supplications when I cried unto you.
23 O love the LORD, all you his saints: for the LORD preserves the faithful, and plentifully rewards (avenges) the proud doer.
24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all you that hope in the LORD.
Notice how many times he uses the personal pronouns in this Psalm. It is a song about what God is doing on his behalf. It’s mostly about himself and how God is good to him. It’s a song about the goodness God bestows upon his beloved. And that includes you and me.
David is living in a desperate dependence on God, though he was a mighty warrior. God is also good to us. We should be good to ourselves as well and, for our own good, live in a desperate dependence on our Father God. Let’s listen to what our Father is saying. Be good to yourself and you learn how to be good to others.
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:
07 FAITHFULNESS
There are several scriptures to explore on this one such as:
Psalms 36:1The transgression of the wicked said within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful.
3 The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he has left off to be wise, and to do good.
4 He devises mischief upon his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he abhors not evil.
5 Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and your faithfulness reaches unto the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the great mountains; your judgments are a great deep: O LORD, you preserve man and beast.
7 How excellent is your loving kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of your wings.
8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of your house; and you shall make them drink of the river of your pleasures.
9 For with you is the fountain of life: in your light shall we see light.
10 O continue your loving kindness unto them that know you; and your righteousness to the upright in heart.
11 Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me.
12 There are the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise.
And Lamentations 3:21-54:
21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22 It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning: great is your faithfulness.
24 The LORD is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.
26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
28 He sits alone and keeps silence, because he has borne it upon him.
29 He puts his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.
30 He gives his cheek to him that smites him: he is filled full with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
32 But though he causes grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
33 For he does not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
34 To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
35 To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,
36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approves not.
37 Who is he that says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord commanded it not?
38 Out of the mouth of the most High proceeds not evil and good?
39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
With Psalm 89:
1 I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known your faithfulness to all generations.
2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up forever: your faithfulness shall you establish in the very heavens.
3 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,
4 Thy seed will I establish forever, and build up your throne to all generations. Selah.
5 And the heavens shall praise your wonders, O LORD: your faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.
6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?
7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
8 O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto you? or to your faithfulness round about you?
9 You rule the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, you stillest them.
10 You have broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; you have scattered your enemies with your strong arm.
11 The heavens are your, the earth also is your: as for the world and the fulness thereof, you have founded them.
12 The north and the south you have created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in your name.
13 You have a mighty arm: strong is your hand, and high is your right hand.
14 Justice and judgment are the habitation of your throne: mercy and truth shall go before your face.
15 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of your countenance.
16 In your name shall they rejoice all the day: and in your righteousness shall they be exalted.
17 For you are the glory of their strength: and in your favor our horn shall be exalted.
18 For the LORD is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.
19 Then you spoke in vision to your holy one, and said, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.
20 I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:
21 With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not exact upon him, nor the son of wickedness. Afflict him.
23 And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him.
24 But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25 I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.
26 He shall cry unto me, ‘You are my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.’
27 Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.
28 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.
29 His seed also will I make to endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven.
30 If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;
31 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;
32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.
33 Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
35 Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.
36 His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me.
37 It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.
38 But you have cast off and abhorred, you have been wroth with your anointed.
39 You have made void the covenant of your servant: you have profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.
40 You have broken down all his hedges; you have brought his strong holds to ruin.
41 All that pass by the way spoil him: he is a reproach to his neighbors.
42 You have set up the right hand of his adversaries; you have made all his enemies to rejoice.
43 You have also turned the edge of his sword, and have not made him to stand in the battle.
44 You have made his glory to cease, and cast his throne down to the ground.
45 The days of his youth have you shortened: you have covered him with shame. Selah.
46 How long, LORD? Will you hide yourself forever? Shall your wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember how short my time is: wherefore have you made all men in vain?
48 What man is he that lives, and shall not see death? Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.
49 Lord, where are your former loving kindnesses, which you swore unto David in your truth?
50 Remember, Lord, the reproach of your servants; how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people;
51 Wherewith your enemies have reproached, O LORD; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of your anointed.
52 Blessed be the LORD for evermore. Amen, and Amen.
And remember the beauty God will bring to the Earth when he comes in his faithfulness written in Isaiah 11:
1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
13 The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.
14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.
15 And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dry shod.
16 And there shall be a highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.
Jesus is the King of Faithfulness. His word is true and we all can rely on it coming to pass in his timing. His will is faithful and he WILL do it!
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:
08 MEEKNESS
Zephaniah 23 Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be you shall be hid in the day of the LORD's anger.
Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you are called in one body; and be thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Here the apostle Paul seems to be teaching me how to be meek. Meek is not weak; it is remaining free from ego. It is esteeming others as better than me.
Here is what Paul urged the Romans to hold as their attitude of choice:
Romans 12:1 ‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.
4 For as we have many members in one body and all members have not the same office:
5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one is a member, one of another.’
Meekness is a gift of God through his Holy Spirit, enabling us to not get puffed up in our own importance. God is the important One. I must strive to be like him and love what he loves. I want to be his child, with he and me on the same page. I want to want the same as he; not out of fear or mere obedience, but out of mutual interest, purpose and choice.
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:
09 SELF-CONTROL
Perhaps the best chapter teaching ‘self-control’ in the entire Bible is Galatians 5. All through this chapter Paul clarifies what self-control or ‘temperance’ is and how to exercise it. As you read this chapter, I suggest you watch for the cues and clues which make it clear:
Galatians 5:1- Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; you are fallen from grace.
5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision avails anything, nor un-circumcision; but faith which works by love.
7 You ran well; who hindered you that you should not obey the truth?
8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calls you.
9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump.
10 I have confidence in you through the Lord, that you will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubles you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he is.
11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? Then is the offence of the cross ceased.
12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you.
13 For, brethren, you have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love, serve one another.
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
15 But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you are not consumed one of another.
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that you would.
18 But if you be led of the Spirit, you are not under the (penalty of the) law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, reveling, and such like: of which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
These bold highlighted words clarify self-control. It is how we as Christ followers are to live our lives.
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:
10 FORGIVENESS
The word ‘forgiveness’ only appears in the King James Bible seven times:
Psalm 130:4, Daniel 9:9, Mark 3:29, Acts 5:31, 13:38, 26:18, Ephesians 1:7 and Colossians 1:14.
Of these, Daniel speaks to God about his own sins and then the sins of his fellow Jews and countrymen while in Babylonian exile under King Darius, the Mede. He attributed to God righteousness, faithfulness in keeping his word, forgiveness and mercy:
Daniel 9:1-In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;
2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;
5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from your precepts and from your judgments:
6 Neither have we hearkened unto your servants the prophets, which spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
7 O Lord, righteousness belongs unto you, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither you has driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against you.
8 O Lord, to us belongs confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you.
9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him;
10 neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
11 Yes, all Israel has transgressed your law, even by departing, that they might not obey your voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the Law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.
12 And he has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven has not been done as has been done upon Jerusalem.
13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand your truth.
14 Therefore has the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.
15 And now, O Lord our God, that has brought your people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and has gotten for yourself renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
16 O Lord, according to all your righteousness, I beseech you, let your anger and your fury be turned away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people are become a reproach to all that are about us.
17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of your servant, and his supplications, and cause your face to shine upon your sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.
18 O my God, incline your ear, and hear; open your eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by your name: for we do not present our supplications before you for our righteousness, but for your great mercies.
19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for your own sake, O my God: for your city and your people are called by your name.
Forgiveness is different than grace in that grace is given, though they do not ask for it. (It is unmerited pardon, meaning it like a king overlooking an offense.) But when we turn toward God and seek him with a whole heart, he relents and releases us.
Notice that Daniel was pleading with God to grant repentance and forgive. This is what they needed to do, as do we. Then we can be forgiven through God’s great mercies. That is what America needs now. May God grant us that repentance!
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:
11 MERCY
It has been noted that only the guilty need mercy. But we are ALL guilty until God has forgiven us, so we are ALL in need of his mercy. It is the one who humbles himself and asks for forgiveness and mercy that gets it. The arrogant in their rebellion and resistance toward God do not get mercy.
They get his grace until they repent and change their ways, but if they never do, they may face the judgment and wrath of Almighty God. He holds the power of life and death for each of us, for he owns the Earth and everything on it including you and me. He retains all the rights. Yet his mercy is vast; he puts up with a lot.
Notice David’s need and his expectation for mercy from God in Psalm 59:1 ‘Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men. 3 For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O LORD.
4 They run and prepare themselves without my fault: awake to help me, and behold.
5 You therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah. (Selah means ‘stop and think’)
6 They return at evening: they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.
7 Behold, they belch out with their mouth: swords are in their lips: for who, say they, doth hear?
8 But you, O LORD, shall laugh at them; you shall have all the heathen in derision.
9 Because of his strength will I wait upon you: for God is my defense.
10 The God of my mercy shall prevent me: God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies.
11 Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by your power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield.
12 For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak.
13 Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God rules in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah.
14 And at evening let them return; and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.
15 Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied.
16 But I will sing of your power; yes, I will sing aloud of your mercy in the morning: for you have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.
17 Unto you, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defense, and the God of my mercy.’
Study these highlighted words or phrases and you will better understand mercy. It is defending someone; it is being the ‘go to guy’ in times of difficulty; it is taking appropriate control of a situation and making your decisions stick for the well being of someone else.
It is restricting danger, damage or loss for someone; it is shielding them from harm or even pain. It is staying alert to the needs of others and it is coming to their rescue.
This is exactly what God loves to do and wants to do for you and all mankind. It is exactly what he will bring with him when he comes, after he destroys all his enemies. Even in destroying them, God is merciful. He does it quickly and decisively, putting them out of their misery for the benefit of the rest of humanity that does not go astray.
Thank God he is a God of Mercy!
May I recommend that you study these attributes (following) for your own understanding of God and his character. I like to use www.christnotes.org or www.biblegateway.com for excellent resources in you pursuit of him. Use these as keywords for your search. Or just ‘Google it’.
HERE ARE A FEW MORE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD (FOR FURTHER STUDY):
12 PURITY (as in being pure)
13 UNDERSTANDING
14 WISDOM
15 CAREFULNESS
16 KINDNESS (GOODNESS GOING OUT)
17 ENTHUSIASM
18 CONFIDENCE
19 SOUNDNESS OF MIND
20 CALMNESS
21 COURAGE
22 PRAYERFULNESS
23 PASSION
24 POWER
25 PERSERVERENCE
26 PRAISEWORTHINESS
27 PROPHECY and its understanding
28 PRUDENCE
29 COUNSEL
30 MIGHT
31 DRIVE
32 AMBITION (Godly)
33 KNOWLEDGE
34 JUDGMENT
35 FAITH
36 GENEROSITY
37 TRUTH
38 PERFECT (DIVINE) NATURE
39 HONESTY
40 GRACE
41 HARMONY
42 BEAUTY
43 CAREFULNESS
44 BLESSING
45 MERRY
46 CHEERFULNESS
47 COURTEOUSNESS
48 GLADNESS
49 HONOR
50 STRENGTH
51 REVERENCE
52 EDIQUETTE
53 RESPECT
54 TEACHING
55 SHARING
56 INTELLIGENT
57 LOYALTY
58 PURPOSE
59 HEALING
60 MIRACLES
61 DISCERNMENT
62 LOVING COMMUNICATION
63 RESPONSIVENESS
64 ENLIGHTENMENT
65 THOUGHTFULLNESS
66 FATHERSHIP
67 ORDERLINESS
68 ABILITY
69 APTITUDE
70 ENERGY
71 ADVOCACY
72 VALUE
73 THRIFT
74 SENSIBLENESS
75 TEMPERANCE
76 HOSPITABLE
77 STEADY
78 STABLE
79 CARING
80 GIVING
CHAPTER 8: THE BLESSED RENEWED EARTH AND 1000 YEAR INTRODUCTORY REIGN OF THE PRINCE OF PEACE
After the smoke clears, God and his saints will restore the whole earth, though we humans royally mess up our only home. This is logical because why would Jesus upon his return tolerate the conditions of wreckage and chaos that he will most certainly find?
Let’s find out what the Bible can tell us about this. Here’s a good place to start:
Isaiah 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
13 The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.
14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.
15 And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dry shod.
16 And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.
Then 35:1 The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
2 It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God.
3 Strengthen you the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
7 And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
8 And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
9 No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up there on, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:
10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Ironic, isn’t it, that we stubborn humans must be forced to be happy? But that is the way we are. People will have to abandon their prejudices, religions, superstitions, apathy and antagonism towards God. They will learn to love God and serve him as if they did. They will have to learn new truths they have never entertained before.
God will permanently remove Satan and his evil spirit of rage, violence, deceit, hatred and murder.
Satan will die the death and stay dead for all time to come. Look what it says in Ezekiel 28:11-19: ‘11 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
12 ‘Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus says the Lord GOD; You seal up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
13 You have been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of your tabrets and of your pipes was prepared in you in the day that you were created.
14 You are the anointed cherub that covers; and I have set you so: you were upon the holy mountain of God; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15 You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, till iniquity was found in you.
16 By the multitude of your merchandise they have filled the midst of you with violence, and you have sinned: therefore I will cast you as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17 Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty, you have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness: I will cast you to the ground, I will lay you before kings, that they may behold you.
18 You have defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of you, it shall devour you, and I will bring you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold you.
19 All they that know you among the people shall be astonished at you: you shall be a terror, and never shall you be any more.’
It’s clear to me that this passage can be speaking of none other than Satan and cannot be referring to a human being. No human was a former ‘covering cherub’. No human was walking around in heaven’s ‘stones of fire’. No human has ever been found ‘perfect in all your ways’. No human has been ‘cast out of the mountain of God’ for no man has ever seen it or been there.
Satan corrupted himself and took about one third of the angels with him. Jesus told us ‘I saw Satan fall as lightning from heaven.’ (Luke 10:18 and Revelation 12:9)
God’s Holy Spirit will saturate the whole earth. Satan, our Adversary, will be permanently dead and gone. No more war, anger, hostility, greed, crime, rape, murder or lying, for by this time all of that will be history.
Imagine then, a different spirit in both men and beasts that will not hurt nor destroy anywhere on the Earth. Even lions will be tame and eat straw like the ox. That will take some getting used to. But this wild, renegade and hostile spirit will leave man and beast. It is a Spirit of love, joy and peace. What a needed and welcome change that will be and that is his promise.
Notice: Acts 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
19 And I will show wonders in heaven above...
Can you imagine a world where everyone has and uses God’s Holy Spirit in everything they do in life? WOW! Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness... all these are attributes of God himself and they can and will reside in human beings. What a great day that will be!
CHAPTER 9: ‘HEAVEN’ IS ABOUT FILLING THE UNIVERSE WITH LIFE!
Here’s more of the way the Bible talks about your future and that of the universe under the reign of Jesus:
Psalm 72:1 Give the king your judgments, O God, and your righteousness unto the king's son.
2 He shall judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with judgment.
3 The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.
4 He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.
5 They shall fear you as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.
6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.
7 In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endures.
8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.
9 They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
11 Yes, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.
12 For he shall deliver the needy when he cries; the poor also, and him that has no helper.
13 He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls (lives) of the needy.
14 He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.
15 And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.
16 There shall be a handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
17 His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.
18 Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only does wondrous things.
19 And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory;
Let’s see what we can learn about Jesus Christ’s reign from
Isaiah 66:5-24: ‘Hear the word of the LORD, you that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified’: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.
6 A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that renders recompense to his enemies.
7 Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.
8 Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
9 Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? The LORD says: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? Your God says.
10 Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all you that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all you that mourn for her:
11 That you may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that you may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.
12 For thus says the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall you suck, you shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees.
13 As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you; and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
14 And when you see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies.
15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, says the LORD.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
19 And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.
20 And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD.
21 And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, says the LORD.
22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, says the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.
23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, says the LORD.
24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
(Note: Their ‘worm’ and their ‘fire’ is referred to in other places as their ‘reputation’ especially Jeremiah 23:40. It is not that they themselves will be alive to see it. They will be dead and gone, never to be seen or heard from again. But their foul reputation shall be abhorred for all time to come.
See Daniel 12:2, Revelation 2:11, 20:6 & 10, 21:8 with Jeremiah 23:33 through 40: ‘And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask you, saying, ‘What is the burden of the LORD?’ You shall then say unto them, ‘What burden?’ I will even forsake you, says the LORD.
34 And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people that shall say, ‘The burden of the LORD’, I will even punish that man and his house.
35 Thus shall you say everyone to his neighbor, and every one to his brother, ‘What has the LORD answered?’ And, ‘What has the LORD spoken?’
36 And the burden of the LORD shall you mention no more: for every man's word shall be his burden; for you have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God.
37 Thus shall you say to the prophet, ‘What has the LORD answered you? And, ‘What has the LORD spoken?’
38 But since you say, ‘The burden of the LORD’; therefore thus says the LORD; Because you say this word, ‘The burden of the LORD’, and I have sent unto you, saying, ‘You shall not say, ‘The burden of the LORD’;
39 Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence:
40 And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.
The reputation of the unrepentant and wicked will follow them long after they are gone. This means all who hold God in contempt. They must repent or die. Why would God reward their rebellion with eternal life?
Therefore, God will put an end to war. He will no longer tolerate wickedness which always leads to war. Today we do not know peace. We do not know what peace would feel like. We do not know the way to peace. Today every one of us is worried about some real or imagined potential for war, starvation, sickness, accident, terrorist attack or crime.
There is no day when we can avoid seeing or hearing some rumor of these proverbial atrocities or their likelihood of befalling our own neighborhoods. We as a people have lost our way. We don’t know the way to peace, either on an individual basis or collective. No nation or leader knows the way either. It’s just not in us.
But the way can be known. It is two parties who love one another as Jesus the Christ loved us: sacrificially.
This brings up a good point God led me to see just recently:
If we are wise in pursuing a spouse, we must find out about compatibility, before we marry lest we be unequally yoked. It would be like trying to plow a field with a horse and a cow yoked together. It just doesn’t work. The same goes for marriage and for faith.
Marital compatibility should be evaluated prior to the marriage. If you are contemplating marriage consider these areas: 1. Spiritually or Biblically are you both on the same page or level? 2. Check your communication skills: are you both pledging to always and forever be transparent and willing to talk it out? 3. How about the household? Who will do what? How will you raised your children? 4. Do you both engage in similar entertainment choices? 5. Money issues kill more marriages than anything: are you really both on the same page there? And 6. Eating habits: what about your diets?
Get compatible, sign and date a covenant document before witnesses and mount it under glass where you both can refer back to it forever. Do not be unequally yoked.
Another example would be if I love the out-of-doors, biking, hiking, gardening, exploring and sight-seeing and the woman I’m considering hates all that but rather loves TV, needle-craft and knitting, while I despise them, there is going to be conflict.
Or if I am a health food nut and she is a junk food junkie there would be constant friction. If she loves the things I hate or vice versa, it is time to say ‘good-bye’. It just would never work out. So it is with faith. Muslims, Jews, Christians and all religions are not compatible. In order for Jesus Christ to reign in peace and in order for people to be all they were meant to be, religion must go.
When Jesus returns, all faiths will be eliminated other than faith in him. The true faith of Jesus is not to be found in any denomination, but rather in the individual who trusts Jesus. Starting at his return, all will come to know him from the least to the greatest.
We can apply this to the new-fangled idea of universal salvation. This is the idea that all people everywhere will be ‘saved’ and ‘go to heaven’, otherwise God would not get what he wants, for he wants ‘all men everywhere to be saved’.
Proponents should re-read the so-called Old Testament. This is the ONLY Bible Jesus and his disciples had at the time they lived. The wicked perish. The rebellious cease to live. It is as though they had never been.
So then, is God inadequate to save them? Does God not ‘get what he wants’? My answer is that he is adequate to save them IF they turn to God and follow him. He gets what he wants because he wants to give all men the freedom to choose. They can either choose life or death, but the choice is theirs.
What I want to show you now are some remarkable scriptures which lead me to believe with all my heart that the Great Architect of the Universe, the Grand Developer is building billions of Earth-like worlds and intends on filling them with life including multiple billions of his sons and daughters like you and me!
God is a Real Estate Developer Extraordinaire to be sure. It’s his Big Idea and there could never be one bigger. The universe is so incredibly huge, if we could travel at the (slow) speed of light, it would require more than 500,000 light years to (possibly) reach the outer bands. We do not really know.
Why? Because it is impossible for us to probe that far. The scientific ‘measurements’ that lead scientists to these conclusions are not really scientific at all, but merely speculation. Once you see this, you will laugh at the ideas we’ve all heard in church services all our lives about Heaven.
We’re all familiar with cartoons, pictures in the media and paintings done by sincere but grossly mis-informed artists who depict Heaven and a cool place of retirement in the clouds with zero responsibilities. Here the ‘saved’ get to ‘roll around Heaven all day’.
It’s a ridiculous playpen in the sky where everyone is dressed in white flowing robes. They all don wings on their backs and a halo encircles their heads. Harp music is heard everywhere. Jesus is there to hug the new recruits and Saint Peter is standing by to welcome the newbie.
But this is so lame and Earth-bound it is pathetic. Think about it like this: Is that the best idea the Great God who built the entire universe can come up with? Is that what would make eternity worth living?
Would that be enjoyable for God and you for all time to come? Or would it be so excruciatingly boring, you’d be ready to go home after the first hour or so? Why would God want this? Why would such a Great Creator limit his prowess to a scenario so weak and futile? And why would his children call that ‘endless delight?
Perhaps you have pondered such questions yourself. If not, may I suggest that it is high time you did? We all have a grand future to look forward to thanks to the Grand Developer, our Father, Life-giver and Savior King. Why not participate?
Speaking in Athens, Greece at Mars Hill, the apostle Paul said this:
Acts 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwells not in temples made with hands;
25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he gives to all life, and breath, and all things;
26 And has made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he is not far from every one of us:
28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by are and man's device. 30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now he commands all men everywhere to repent:
31 Because he has appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained; whereof he has given assurance unto all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.
Now look with me at some remarkable passages from the book of Isaiah:
Isaiah 40:18-26, and particularly verse 22:
18 To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare unto him?
19 The workman melts a graven image, and the goldsmith spreads it over with gold, and casts silver chains.
20 He that is so impoverished that he has no oblation chooses a tree that will not rot; he seeks unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, which shall not be moved.
21 Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he that sits upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretches out the heavens as a curtain, and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in:
23 That brings the princes to nothing; he makes the judges of the earth as vanity.
24 Yes, they shall not be planted; yes, they shall not be sown: yes, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.
25 To whom then will you liken me, or shall I be equal, says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who has created these things, that brings out their host by number: he calls them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one fails.
God is Sovereign. He stretched out the heavens like a curtain and as a tent to DWELL in. Wait a minute. Did you grasp that? The heavens are built to dwell in? That’s what it said. He designed the universe and our lives for permanent living in his Kingdom, which will be universe-wide. He stretched the heavens and all their heavenly bodies out like a tent to dwell in; in other words, to BE INHABITED!
He can and will do what he wants with what is his. He made, sustains and owns the entire universe and all that it contains. He can do what he wants with what he owns, which is everything, including you and me.
It seems to me what he wants to do with us is to give us freedom to explore, enjoy, invest in and help bring to life the entire universe. But he will not force it on anyone. It is the freedom to choose to love God and pursue him wholeheartedly or to remain in denial and disregard. He gives us the right to choose.
He also gives us many other freedoms, like free will, the right and ability to think, speak, remember, the choice to love others or not and more. It boils down to what I am going to do with all the freedoms he grants so generously.
My choice is to love him and serve him like a good son should serve his Father who loves him without limit. How can I but serve, honor, obey and love him? He is my Creator, Sustainer and Father. I love him and want to serve him because that is what I want to do for all time to come. That is forever.
Look at all he is and has done for me and indeed all mankind. Like providing life, providing everything we need like air, food, water, clothing, shelter and something interesting to do with our lives, just to name a few of the basics. There are numerous others.
On top of it all, God provides a future and a hope. A pain free future without an end with great things to do throughout the universe sounds awesome to me. This is what our Great Father wants to share with his children, based on his own words.
Notice Isaiah 45:5-19, (but especially verse 18):
5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded you, though you hast not known me:
6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
8 Drop down, you heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it.
9 Woe unto him that strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioned it, ‘What are you making? Or your work, He has no hands (abilities)?
10 Woe unto him that says unto his father, ‘What are you fathering? or to the woman, What have you brought forth?’
11 Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, ‘Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.
12 I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.
13 I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, says the LORD of hosts.
14 Thus says the LORD, ‘The labor of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto you, and they shall be yours: they shall come after you; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto you, they shall make supplication unto you, saying, ‘Surely God is in you; and there is none else, there is no (other?) God.
15 Verily you are a God that hides yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior.
16 They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them: they shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols.
17 But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.
18 For thus says the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he has established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
19 I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.
He created the universe to be inhabited. We can trust God implicitly to tell the truth and not to lie to us. Here, God tells us plainly that he IS the Creator of the entire universe. He says HE is the One who established it all. And that he created it all not in vain for no good reason, but rather he formed it all to be inhabited. Notice he did not say that he formed the Earth only, but also the heavens.
Nothing God does or made is useless. He has a design and purpose for all he does. We can and should depend on him for everything; after all, he is our Provider and without him, we are all dead meat! But through him and because of him we can live forever, doing all the great things he wants done by us throughout the future and throughout his universe! WOW! Now that is the greatest project, the greatest joy and the greatest hope we could possibly have. Take some time to let this sink in and realize your awesome potential because of him!
Couple Isaiah 45:18 with Isaiah 51:11-16:
11 Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
12 I, even I, am he that comforts you: who are you, that you should be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;
13 And forgets the LORD your Maker, that has stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and has feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? And where is the fury of the oppressor?
14 The captive exile hastens that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.
15 But I am the LORD your God that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is his name.
16 And I have put my words in your mouth, and I have covered you in the shadow of my hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, You are my people.
To me, the ‘shadow of my hand’ can be none other than Jesus Christ. He is the only One who can cover my sins. And why did he do this? So that he might ‘plant the heavens’ through us, his children.
The Hebrew word rendered as ‘plant’ here means ‘establish’ ‘settle’ or ‘colonize’. It is to bring more and better life to an area. That is exactly what I believe is the purpose God has for me and all mankind in his universe!
We are the privileged sons and daughters of the Great God of the Universe! Through the resurrection, we will be given permanent bodies so we can do great things with God throughout the limitless universe.
We don’t ‘go to heaven’ when we die. We go to the grave unconscious to await our renewal in the resurrection. There is no such thing as an ‘immortal soul’ that lives inside you and carries on consciously after death.
That is what Paul preached. That is what Jesus himself preached. His message was always ‘the resurrection’. Nowhere did Jesus ever say we ‘go to heaven’ when we die. In fact, as a reminder he himself said in John 3:13 that ‘…no man has ascended into heaven…’ That is except Jesus himself.
Notice what the apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:
12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; you are yet in your sins.
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he has put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
27 For he has put all things under his feet. But when he says all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him that God may be all in all.
29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?
30 And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?
31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
32 If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is there to me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die.
33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
36 You fool, that which you sow is not quickened, except it die:
37 And that which you sow, you sow not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
38 But God gives it a body as it has pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differs from another star in glory.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
In this meaty passage, we can learn many things, but mainly it is all about our resurrection from the dead. The resurrection is KEY. These mortal bodies we live in must be made immortal if we are to live for all time to come. Those new bodies can never be sick, get hurt or die. Some who are alive today may be among those who are instantaneously changed in the twinkling of an eye into their permanent bodies.
We were all born to experience a glorious resurrection. Some will face judgment then. But is it reasonable that one who dies in his sins, when God raises him up to be judged that God would refuse his repentance? Could God confront him with his sins, only to say to him ‘You should have thought about that while you were living. Now it’s too late. There’s nothing more to be said. Depart from me you cursed! Go to straight to Hell!’
I’m saying no, it is not reasonable. Pretend you are God for a moment. Judgment Day has come. Someone is standing before you who is guilty and worthy to die the death, according to your judgment. But she is your beloved daughter. You have nourished and cared for her throughout her entire life.
During her time on Earth, she got duped by her professors in college to believe in evolution. She rejected you as God. She walked away from the church. She threw her Bible in the trash can. She believed that when she died she would just get buried by someone and that would be the end of it.
But now she knows better. You as God have raised her from the dead and now she stands before you afraid. She expects to be punished. You confront her with her sins: Her betrayal; her abandonment; her rejection of you as God. She breaks down and starts to cry. Soon she is overwhelmed with sorrow. She begs you for forgiveness and shows heart-felt remorse. You can tell she is truly sorry.
Would you as God tell your daughter ‘Sorry, but you should have listened when I called you. You should have obeyed your parent and teachers. You are hereby condemned to Hell for all eternity!’
What kind of God would that be? Would he be a kind, loving God, full of compassion and mercy? NO. How much hatred would he have to have to do such a thing? Why, he would be consumed with anger, hatred and murder. But instead of just killing his own daughter, he would TORTURE her. And not just for her 70 year life span, a day for a day. Oh, no. He must punish her forever and ever. For all time to come, he must endure her screams, shrieks, moans and groans because she is now separated from you in the flames of hell.
This is not the God I know. This is not the God of the Bible. No, God would do everything in his power to reinstate his beloved daughter and welcome her back to the land of the living.
But what if she still refused to repent, you may ask. Then she would be physically punished to see if by that she would change her mind. More than likely she would. But to those few God deems as unredeemable, they will die the second death and stay dead for all time to come. He will not torture them forever.
You want Bible proof on this? OK. Jeremiah 51:39 and 57:
Starting in verse 36 ‘Therefore thus says the LORD; “Behold, I will plead your cause, and take vengeance for you (Israel?); and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry (Babylon?).
37 And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling place for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant.
38 They shall roar together like lions: they shall yell as lions' whelps. 39 In their heat I will make their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, says the LORD. 40 I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with male goats.” ’
This is the second and permanent death mentioned in Revelation 20 and 21.
Then in verse 57: ‘55 Because the LORD hath spoiled Babylon, and destroyed out of her the great voice; when her waves do roar like great waters, a noise of their voice is uttered:
56 Because the spoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, every one of their bows is broken: for the LORD God of recompenses shall surely requite.
57 And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, says the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.
58 Thus says the LORD of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall labor in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they shall be weary.
God means what he says. He gives us all freedom to choose. He gets what he wants, because he wants us to have that freedom, even if we choose poorly and the consequences are permanent. That is the truth of the Bible, like it or not.
True Christians are being judged now. The point is that we humans are designed to live permanently in God’s family. We are his offspring and were created in his image.
We have a purpose and a matchless and brilliant destiny to fulfill. It is to become his born child. It is to acquire his divine nature. It is to be clothed in his righteousness. It is to become like our Great Father. That is why he is rearing us and preparing us for his Kingdom.
Notice 1 Peter 4: 12 ‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
13 But rejoice, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy.
14 If you be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are you; for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.
16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
God IS a Faithful Creator who cannot lie.
He has promised eternal life to those who fully put their trust in him. He will not let us down. He will achieve what he set out to do: build a universe, fill it with life, put his family together and share with them the permanent life he himself leads. He is coming here to live with his people, and what a grand day that will be!
The universe was planned, designed and built by God to be inhabited. You and I were designed and built to be a part of that Grand Scheme. How can we but love and serve our Great and Awesome Father? Yet, few people today even want to get to know him.
Instead, good Christians have been dumbed-down to believing in the shameful and shallow myths we find in churches today. Some of them are: the concept of the ‘immortal soul’, the idea that good people ‘go to heaven’ and bad people ‘go to hell’, the ‘secret rapture’ of Christians away from their responsibilities, the ‘kingdom inside’ you fallacy and many other such practices and teachings that are extra-biblical.
No wonder there are atheists; there are Christians like these! Many are those who know little else about Jesus and the Christian faith, other than the fact that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. They say ‘That’s all I need to know.’
My response to that is they use this as an excuse to shirk their responsibilities. Now that they have signed their name, they are done. Their course is set for ‘heaven’ and they are then free to live however they choose. With an attitude like that, they are done. They are done growing, done learning and done serving. They have their reward.
But the reality is that we are to ‘grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord, who is King of the entire universe. We are built to do of his will and good pleasure. We are made to enjoy this Grand Adventure with God.
Joy seems rather understated in our day. Little importance is placed on joy as a reason for doing what we do. I’m not talking about pleasure, but the deep inner awareness of the goodness of God and what he is doing for me and through me to enhance the spiritual lives of others.
It is a joy, for example, to write this book for you and many more like you who seek truth. I care about you because you seek the same things I do, like truth, the awesome potential reality God is bringing us to and simply loving our Father God for caring so deeply about us.
I want to please him in everything I do and think. I want him to be pleased with my heart’s desire, for it is to serve and obey him for all time to come. I love what he is doing in the universe. I want to be a part of the Great Project he is doing.
In the last chapter, I’d like to encourage you to get involved in this. But not just with me. There are many resources available to help you. I’ve included a list of some of my favorites. I use them to research material for my books which you may read for free on my website: www.itellwhy.com.
You can also download a .pdf copy so you can print out a printed copy and distribute them to your friends. Feel free to do this with my blessing as often as you like. It’s about telling the truth and getting the message to the people in as many ways as possible.
Please consider the many options you can utilize to get involved.
CHAPTER 10: WHAT YOU CAN DO TO ADVANCE THE CAUSE OF CHRIST TODAY…
1. Start a Podcast
A Podcast carries your voice to potentially millions of people hungry for what you have to say. It is easy to record your voice on a Voice Recorder such as the one I use which is a Roland R-05. You can record directly into MP3 or WAV formats. It uses ordinary AA batteries and records onto the standard SD cards.
You can plug the card into your computer to edit or convert into MP3 (needed for Podcasting). You can also plug in with the included USB cord. The sound quality is all-Pro. It is a great piece of gear. The cost as of today is below $200 US.
The next step is to record. Use the Bible and talk about it. Ask questions and answer them. Tell how you did your research. Do an interview format show, if you wish. Have callers record their questions, prayer requests or praise reports as a part of your ‘show’. Listen to other Podcasts to get ideas. Ask God to guide you and it will be great. It is such fun and a real joy to do it. It has never been easier to reach millions of people!
After recording I recommend uploading your MP3 audio files to Libsyn.com. They will help you get up and running. You can go to YouTube and watch their ‘School of Podcasting.com’ Quick Cast. Here you can learn all about it. Jump in and get your feet wet.
They have great stats to monitor your growth. Each country is listed, times, months, days, you name it. Check out their Website. Get excited by this ‘new’ media.
As Cliff Ravenscraft (Podcast Answer Man) says: YouTube has 92,000,000,000 Videos out there, compared to only about 250,000 Podcasts. You hay stack is much smaller. This means your chances of getting found are much greater. And they do not have to watch a TV or Computer screen because it is Audio. They can take it on a walk, listen on their commute to work or at the gym, etc. It’s a Mobile World now.
You will start out at zero but in only a few years you could have millions of listeners! For example Brian Hardin’s ‘DailyAudioBible’. After about 6 years he now has over 56,000,000 listeners.
Libsyn will even build an iPod APP for you using your artwork. When someone buys your APP from iTunes, you get ½ the money from Libsyn’s Revenue Share Program. This could eventually amount to a fortune. This adds to your joy and fun.
Podcasting is fun to do and it can help many people know and love God more. It builds faith. But you need to learn how. Basically, you Record, Edit, Upload, Syndicate and Tell people about your show. Getting started in any new endeavor is always the hardest part. But once you’re set up, it gets much easier.
Your audience will grow over time and you can cross pollinate your platforms. For example, you mention your Website, YouTube Videos, Books, DVD’s, CD’s, etc on your Podcast. You Website connects them with a link to your Podcast. Your Website links them to your YouTube Videos. On your YouTube Videos, you mentions your Podcast and Website. Then mention everything on Face Book or Twitter.
2 Build a Website
Building a Website is easy and fun at my favorite Website Builder WebStarts.com. You can drag and drop in your Photos, Videos, Audio files, Text (Word.doc files) etc. WebStarts is fun to use, fast and intuitive. It runs rings around all the others I’ve tried and you can even build a Website for free. Their Toll Free number is 1-800-805-0920.
I have built several sites using them and they have a great and kind support staff to assist you, in the unlikely event you need it. They have over one hundred starter themes or templates for you to use and customize any way you like.
All my books, audios and videos I post through them. And I would rate them five stars. If you buy one of their paid programs you get more features. Their Features list is lengthy, high quality, gorgeous and extremely useful and valuable. Many of them have Video Tutorials to help you get started.
There is also the Shopping Cart feature you can sign up for and it is incomparable, easy and quick to get you up and running in short order. The helpful videos are included right on the Features Pages. There are many of them to help you and teach you how to build a beautiful and fully functional website.
If you become a paid ‘pro’ account, you can call them Toll-free to get help from their friendly staff. They have always been good to me, even when I asked what must have seemed to them ‘stupid’ questions. The only truly ‘stupid’ question is the one not asked!
I love WebStarts and hopefully, will continue to use them in the coming years. It is by far faster than any other way I have seen or tried. I recommend them to everyone I can. Use them and see if you agree.
3 Make and Upload YouTube Videos REGULARLY
A good way to be prolific at this is to get Sony Vegas or Movie Studio software for your computer and a Camcorder like my JVC Everio GZ-E300 Full HD. I love it because it gives a gorgeous sharp image and it takes rapid-fire stills that are incredible.
You can buy one for just under $200 from B & H Photo (800) 894-9703 (good pricing and fast delivery). With almost no practice, anyone can make outstanding images and movies and easily edit them and upload them to YouTube with the included software.
Do keep in mind, however, that HD requires a lot more disc space. It takes longer to process HD. Standard definition is still good. You can still get your messages out to the people in Standard Def. Most YouTube Video is still in standard, though High Def is preferred and recommended by YouTube.
If you are using a standard definition camcorder, the brighter the lighting, the sharper the images. Outdoor light is best.
You can also save disc space and time by just recording the Intro in Video, followed by a slideshow and your voiceover for the narrative. That way, you can record the Intro in High Definition for about 30 seconds to one minute, then do the Slide Show using a series of stills.
For the voiceover part, all you have to do is get a microphone that will plug into your computer. The store you bought your computer from may have an inexpensive mike that should work just fine. Just drop your stills onto the Timeline of your Editing software, hit the Record button and talk. This makes the process simple, quick and effective.
YouTube is a great Social Media Platform. It is a powerful (World’s Number 2 Search Engine) tool you can explore and utilize regularly to communicate your message. It’s a great way to spread your message about our soon-coming Savior Jesus Christ.
YouTube has many hidden features most viewers do not know about. For example, most people think you can put a maximum of fifteen minute videos up there, but if you go into the upload section and sign up, you can upload longer videos.
They have great ‘stats’ and will even help you promote your work. It is a great tool and it is getting better all the time. They are trying to weed out the junk and anything pornographic, thank God. Thank God for YouTube!
4 Write Books and make them available on all your other outlets
Writing a book has never been this easy. That’s why so many are doing it. Why not you? You have it in you and you probably have a computer or laptop you can use for the purpose. You can do this. If I can, so can you. Just stay with it until you are done. Tell your story. Someone needs to hear it.
I use Microsoft Word ® for everything I write. If you are like me, your work will have lots of scripture verses quoted from the King James Version. You can cut and paste these into your Word document from many Internet sources. My favorite is ChristNotes.com.
On ChristNotes.com you can type in the search bar any word and it will find all the scriptures where the word is used. The same is true for phrases. You can read the verses individually or just click to read the whole chapter. The Advanced Search feature narrows the field even further and helps you quickly find whatever you are seeking.
You can use these look-ups in your writings. Just copy and paste any portion of the chapters or even whole chapters. It is so easy.
They also have the Bible in many different translations for you to use. But do keep in mind that permissions in writing may need to be obtained for other than educational or free use.
I challenge you to have one book written by this time next year. It takes me about a year to write one, set it aside for a week or two and then perfect it (edit). But it is not hard, it just takes time and patience.
5 Engage Social Media, like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter
Facebook and Twitter followers are looking for new things from you. They are hungry for information and they need to hear the truth from you. So, give it to them. When you produce new content, tell them. It is part of the cross-pollination process we all need to do to get our message out.
If you are reluctant do this, as I tend to be, just realize that every new endeavor seems more difficult than it really is in the beginning. It’s actually easier than I thought. What’s more is you will reach farther and influence more people by using these services than you could ever do without them. And let’s not forget they are free.
The advantage to you is one ‘friend’ will tell someone else, who will tell their friends and on it goes. Rome wasn’t built in a day; neither will your platform be. Take time to enjoy a little! Before a week goes by, you will be an expert. This may be your ONLY chance to influence thousands or maybe even millions of people for Christ.
There is nothing that can match him and his Grand Scheme. ‘Heaven’, as currently taught, can’t touch it. No human idea cannot come remotely close to matching it, no matter how grandiose it may seem. Because of his love, generosity and providence, we can share in the most thrilling adventure of all time!
May I invite you to tell everyone who will listen and understand this message? Let’s all be doers, not just hearers. Become part of his story. Spread the good news. Write about it. Do a Podcast. Make a Website. Read into a recorder and turn it in to an Audible ® Audio Book.
Feel free to copy this book and give copies away. You hereby have my written permission. Tell your friends on Facebook and Twitter. Build each other’s faith. Teach the truth. Stand for something. Be a grizzly Bear Christian instead of a Teddy Bear Christian. Make every minute count for the advancement of the cause of Christ. You will never be the same. Thank you and, God willing, I will see you ‘on the Rock’!
APPENDIX 1
SUGGESTED ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
ABibleConcordance.com
AnswersInGenesis.org
Angelfire.com
Bible.org/pastor
BibleGateway.com
BibleHelps.net
Biblia.com
Biblestudents.com/
BlueLetterBible.org
BibleStudyTools.com
Bibleworks.com
Bible-truths.com/
ChristNotes.org
Christianbook.com
Christianity.about.com
Christianparables.com
ChristianPodcasts.com
ChristianVideoBlog.org
CrossWalk.com
DailyAudioBible.com
DailyBibleGuide.com
Day4ministries.com
DODResources.com
E-sword.net
Eliyah.com/lexicon.html
Joanneellison.com/Bible Study
Ligonier.org
Logos.com
Ntslibrary.com
Ocfusa.org/
RaviZachariasInternationalMinistries.org
StrongsExhaustiveConcordance.com
Studylight.org
The Bible Scholar.com
Ucg.org
What in Heaven is God up to?
His Great Goal of Life: To train his people and prepare them to reign with him in God's Kingdom which will remake the Earth anew… And after that the Colonization of the entire Universe!
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
PART 1: IT’S NOT ABOUT ‘GOING TO HEAVEN’
PART 2: GOD'S WILL, CALLING AND PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE
PART 3: GOD’S KINGDOM IS WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT
PART 4: CAN WE LEARN RULERSHIP FROM JESUS?
PART 5: WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THE ANCIENT KINGS?
PART 6: HOW JESUS WILL RESTORE THE WORLD
PART 7: TRAIN TO REIGN: ACQUIRING GOD’S ATTRIBUTES
PART 8: THE RENEWED MASTERPIECE: EARTH
PART 9: REIGN IN PEACE
PART 10: PICTURE PERFECT EARTH; NOW ON TO THE UNIVERSE!
PROLOGUE
This book is dedicated to the proposition that Jesus knows what he is talking about. He created planet Earth and everything in it. He owns the place and reserves all its rights to himself. This includes you and me.
Did Jesus say people ‘go to heaven’ when they die? Let’s find out. If he did say people ‘go to heaven’ when they die, this book is no good, useless and just trash. But please hear me out before you trash the book. It’s NOT about ‘going to Heaven’!
Could it be possible that there is something else God has in mind for our eternity other than floating around in the clouds or walking the streets of gold or singing his praises in a never ending church service? YES! And it’s way better! In fact, once you understand what you will read here, you may just abandon your former concept of Heaven for ever. I hope you do.
Here’s what Jesus did say about it in John 3:11-13:
11 ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, we speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and you receive not our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and you believe not, how shall you believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
13 And no man has ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.’
Why is it that I have NEVER once heard this scripture quoted by any TV preacher, evangelist or evangelical minister? If ‘no man’ has ascended into heaven, why does the church tell us they have? ‘He went to be with the Lord.’ Or ‘He’s in heaven with Jesus.’
Not according to Jesus. If the decedent didn’t ‘go to heaven’, where is he? If he was good, surely he went to heaven, right? Wrong.
So, am I ‘going to Heaven’ when I die? What exactly does ‘going to heaven’ mean? Can anyone pin it down for me? Is ‘going to heaven’ really what life is about? If not, what is the real purpose of life? Why was I born? Where am I headed? What is will eternity be?
Have you ever pondered the stars and wondered about them? Aren’t you awestruck every time you get to see the sky on a clear night?
Why did God build all those stars? What in the universe is God up to? Would you enjoy space travel and exploration if it were safely possible for you? What is out there? What new vistas would you see?
Is there life on other planets?
What is the purpose of it all? Why did God make the universe? What does it all have to do with you and me? Will we ever travel out there? Does the Bible mention anything about this?
Many writers of late have composed books about Heaven, such as Randy Alcorn, Joni Eareckson Tada, Billy Graham and Erwin W. Lutzer to name a few. But none of them seem to get what I get out of the Bible about this topic.
They say that ‘one second after you die’ if you accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, you will be there with him in heaven. But they all fail to show chapter and verse in the Bible that says or even alludes to the idea that this is so. Why? It is because there isn’t even one.
To me, their ideas are cute but puny, tiny, near-sighted and weak. They paint God as unimaginative, colorless, powerless and small-minded, far from the Great Visionary and Powerful Adventurer he really is.
They go to great lengths to detail vivid colors, rainbows and streets of gold, using a single word or perhaps two from the book of Revelation and adding the rest from the pages of their imagination.
They picture white-robed people riding pure white horses racing through white billowy clouds. Pleasure and fun are the central theme.
Sensuality in Heaven is not only OK, but it rises to new heights, even to the point of having sexual intercourse with none other than Jesus himself! That is blasphemous and scandalous poppycock! How perverse and absurd!
There is nothing that creative, ingenious, powerful or interesting to do for all time to come in these views of Heaven. Boredom would overtake after about fifteen minutes in Heavens such as these, seems to me. No thanks. I don’t want it.
One pastor even said his view of Heaven was that it would be like the Holo-deck on the starship Enterprise. Here, you step into a magic black room with white grid lines on all the walls, floor and ceiling. Then, at the touch of a few buttons on a computer screen, the room suddenly transforms into a bright sun-lit world and I am on a horse riding through the woods by a lake!
Another day I could program the Holo-deck to play tennis or golf. Thus, Heaven is reduced to one fun game after another. Snore. After thousands of years of this (or probably much less) I would be bored silly.
I told him my version of what Heaven will be: that God is the Grand Developer and he has the universe ‘under construction. Scientists are finding new galaxies where there were none the week before regularly.
These all have potentially millions of habitable planets, just waiting to be brought to life.
We talked long into the night under starry skies about 30 miles from the nearest town.
The stars were out in force and extremely beautiful and inspiring. I told him in my view, God is the Grand Real Estate Developer who is in the process of bringing the universe to life through his own spirit-born sons and daughters. (That is you and me.)
Months later he changed his tune about the Holo-deck idea and told me he thought I was right. Wow!
So, think BIG. Think bigger than you may have ever thought before. Think universe-wide. Escape this Earth’s atmosphere and project into space. God inhabits the universe and time.
We, as his children will have it too. It is under construction. God is the Grand Developer bringing it to life. This is the Biblical Plan of God for you, all mankind and the universe, if you ask me.
There IS a connection and you DO have a grand part to play, and not just now, but for all time to come. To me it is way more exciting, thrilling and magnificent than anything I have ever seen or heard of.
It gives me great joy just thinking about it.
There can never be anything that matches or tops it. Sometimes I get so excited by it that I cannot sleep. This is where I want to take you. Come along with me and you may never be the same.
CHAPTER 1: IT’S NOT ABOUT ‘GOING TO HEAVEN’
If you go to church or have gone in the past, you know what they say from the pulpit. They say ‘He went to ‘be with the Lord.’(He died) Or ‘When we get to Heaven…’ But is this kind of talk even remotely biblical and accurate? I dare say NO.
You can search from Genesis to the end of Revelation but you will never find a single word about ‘going to heaven’ when you die, or in fact ‘going to heaven’ PERIOD! Humans manufactured this whole doctrine.
It is NOT BIBLICAL and it is offensive, even blasphemous in the sight of God, if you ask me. We have a very narrow, Earthbound concept stuck in our heads about our destiny.
So why do I say this? It is not to upset you but to clarify what the Bible truth is about your future and your real eternal Destiny, which FAR SURPASSES all these silly myths!
I want to take you on a journey to the future of the world and the universe. I want us to focus on a new look at the goal of life that transcends our Earth, space and time… It’s NOT about ‘getting to Heaven’ or ‘going to Heaven when I die’, as you might think.
Plenty of other writers have written about what it will be like when we ‘get to heaven’, and not very well, I might add. This is especially true, realizing the magnitude of outer space and the narrow-mindedness of the earthbound thinking they have been preaching in church for the last four hundred years.
Visualize the magnitude of the heavens. Billions upon multiple billions of galaxies without end, as far as we can know. Each galaxy is filled with billions of stars which are solar systems probably similar to our own. Each solar system has planets with gyroscopic and gravitationally balanced properties, keeping them orderly and functional.
Now imagine some of these planets are made suitable for human habitation. They have a similar star or sun, and the multitude of parameters required to maintain and oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere.
They have liquid water on them. They have land with tillable and fertile soil. Plant life covers the land and animals numbering in the billions of varieties, each reproducing after its own kind.
Jesus said ‘And no man has ascended to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, the Son of man.’ (John 3:13). But we stubborn humans can’t accept that. We want to believe our dead loved ones are alive and well in Heaven, enjoying their eternal retirement. But that is not what Jesus said.
Why don’t we believe him, instead of mere mortals? Instead of us going to heaven, God is coming here.
In pictures I have seen in peoples’ living rooms, Christ Jesus is in the center of the picture, dressed in a long white robe, hugging the new arrival (also in white), surrounded by white clouds as far as the eye can see, where they will get their wings, harp and halo, only to endure abject boredom for all time to come. YECH!
Gary Larson made a funny cartoon in his ‘The Far Side’ series showing a newbie in Heaven. He’s sitting on his cloud, sporting his white robe, halo and wings. The caption below reads: “Wish I’d brought a magazine!” Indeed!
Let’s face it. The picture of ‘Heaven’ most people seem to have is clouds. Clouds? Pretty as they may be, life swimming in them all day would get more boring than anything I can imagine.
This view of heaven is just wrong; it is naïve, Earthbound and boring in the extreme. Heaven as the ‘goal line’ is thus vague, ethereal and largely unacceptable, especially for today’s enlightened youth. It is weak, dull and lifeless, though air-conditioned, which is always a plus.
One pastor told me his idea of Heaven is like the ‘Holodeck’ on the Starship Enterprise where each day can be ‘anything you want it to be’. Everyday sports, travel or any other Earth-bound pursuit common to man today would surely get boring after a few thousand years, seems to me.
It’s no longer enough to just ‘get saved’. What are we saved for… an eternal life of abject boredom? What will it look like in Heaven day in and day out? What will I be doing for all eternity?
When Jesus said ‘I go to prepare a place for you’, what did he mean? Where did he go? He went into outer space. He and his Father God are Real Estate Developers; Developers of planets, stars and solar systems. It’s what they do. When fully ready, they build life on them, starting with planet Earth.
They didn’t save you for eternal retirement in excruciating boredom. No, it’s about building worlds, exploring them, perfecting and finishing them and establishing life on them.
He knows all his planets by name. Imagine the thrill of exploring space. You won’t need or want a ship to ride in; you’ll have the power to go there yourself. Think of it. That could never get boring.
Even NASA doesn’t have a clue how big the universe is. It is surmised that some suns (or stars) are much larger than our entire solar system!
They estimate that there are more than 100 billion galaxies. There are all shapes and sizes of these great galaxies. Each galaxy contains clusters of billions of star which are suns similar to ours.
It is highly probable that planetary systems like our own orbit around these suns. Some of them may be able to support carbon-based life like we have right here on Earth. It is my belief, based on the Bible, that God designed them to be inhabited!
It also seems to me that there could never be a bigger, more God-sized project than colonizing the entire universe. Only the Great Creator could pull it off! It makes good sense. God wants to share the magnificent life he leads with his children!
That is his purpose for his universe. We, as his children, will be participating in this, filling other planets with our own children and their descendents for all time to come. And they will all eventually be given permanent bodies that will never get sick, be hurt or die. That is what eternal living is all about!
CHAPTER 2: WHY WE WILL NEED A SUPER-NATURAL RESCUE
Buckle up; this is going to get ugly. They are going to nuke the Mid-east oil fields. Let that sink in a little while I tell you what a well-meaning Creation Science Author/Teacher and Speaker said when I mentioned this to him. He said: ‘Yes, but that is a half a world away. It won’t affect us here in America!’ I just laughed.
Yes, it will affect us here in America. It will seriously affect everyone on Earth. How? For starters, let’s look at size. Iraq alone is more than two thirds the size of Texas. But we’re also talking about Saudi Arabia, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Iran, Turkey, Kuwait, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Bahrain and Djibouti.
The problem is that Muslims cannot coexist with anyone who is non-Muslim. All no believers must convert or die. Women are second class. Christians and Jews are demonized, tortured, raped and murdered but not a single Muslim is outraged. If this were to happen in the USA, a public outcry would capture these criminals and lock them up.
Push will come to shove in the Mideast. The war will escalate into nuclear dimensions and the oil fields will be nuked. We can all see it coming if we will just look.
The ramifications of such an event are extinction level. A worldwide unstoppable smoke atmosphere would block sunlight; it would also destroy weather, rain and crops. Panic and starvation would kill billions. We are going to NEED an Super-natural intervention.
The polar ice caps would melt and the result would be submersion of the world’s islands and the flooding of coastal lands worldwide. The balancing effect of the ice caps would cause the Earth to quake and shake violently perhaps for months. No one could survive this. Every building and wall, every fortress and stronghold would collapse.
Then there’s the heat. Men would cook if the daytime temps reach 140 degrees or more. All of these things and a lot more are predicted throughout the Bible. It’s time we paid attention. But this is not the book for that. Please read my book ‘WHY END TIME PROPHECIES MATTER’ for more.
But, getting back to the oil mess we all are in, the next thing to look at is the quantity of the oil and its location. Saudi Arabian oil is reportedly in decline while Iraqi oil remains almost untapped. Yet, according to the Brookings Institute’s website article entitled ‘Where’s the oil?’ Iraq has more than Saudi to the tune of 300 Billion barrels per day of output. That’s a lot of oil.
So, what does it all have to do with you and me? We depend on oil for everything in our world. That’s what it has to do with us. We will have to face some great cataclysms because of this dependence. This is what I believe the Word of God contains. He wants is to know.
There IS an out, by the way. Safety lies with him and him alone. Trust him. Jesus owns the planet and will not let it be totally destroyed forever.
So, then why are we here? What does God have in mind for you and me, specifically? For what purpose were we born? What does the Bible say about it?
Did Jesus say what our purpose in life should be? Jesus instructed his disciples to ‘Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. Is that the purpose of life?
The answer lies in the words of none other than Jesus himself. He said in Luke 16:16 ‘The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presses into it.’ (KJV) Everyone ‘presses’ into the Kingdom of God and there, in a nutshell from the lips of none other than Jesus himself, is the Great Purpose of Life.
That Kingdom is our reason for being. We, you and me, are in the process of being groomed for our place in the Kingdom of God. Jesus is its King. He owns the whole Earth. He wants his children to learn to be like him. He wants us to love what he loves and hate what he hates. In short, he wants to rear us into his children who are like him in thought, word, desire and deed.
We are his Cabinet trainees or co-heirs of the Kingdom as mentioned in Romans 8:16 ‘The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature (creation) waits for the manifestation of the sons of God.’
Glorified together? Just what do you think being ‘glorified’ means? Well, imagine you are in an arena that holds 20,000 people. You are the long-awaited guest speaker everyone has come to see. The place is packed to the hilt. Your introducing announcer himself is famous in his own right. When he comes out to introduce you, the crowd breaks out in loud and long applause. He arrives at the podium and quiets the crowd so he can introduce you.
He takes his sweet time introducing you. Your qualifications, righteous acts of altruism, your accomplishments, your friends and family, the long list of books you have on the bookstore shelves, your powerful worldwide ministry and your deep love for Jesus have all been mentioned. Then, you walk out and take his place at the podium. As you do, the massive crowd snaps to their feet in a standing ovation. That is a form of glory.
But in the case of Jesus, when he returns to usher in his Kingdom, the entire globe is covered with a thick, black cloud cover so that the sun itself is darkened and the moon no longer shines. (Revelation 9:2 and Matthew 24:29, along with many other scriptures… just do a Bible search for ‘darkness’). All the people on Earth are hurting and adversely affected because of this.
Everything has changed and not for the better. (See ‘Unexpected Consequences’ from the Home Page for details). Everyone is afraid. Suddenly, a very bright light pierces through the darkness. It is Jesus and his entourage of saints. All eyes shall see him coming in the clouds or should I say through the clouds with power and GREAT glory.
Here it is in Matthew 24:30: 'And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 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.'
We are there coming in the clouds with Jesus having been gathered there or taken there by his holy angels. All nations and every eye shall see him and us. That is glory. We, Jesus and us, are coming to rescue and save alive those who remain. There will be much work that has to be done to planet Earth to remake it into a habitable place.
First the skies must clear and fresh breathable air restored. Then the weather, rain and fresh potable water will have to be restored. Next, food, clothing and shelter will have to be given supernaturally through Jesus.
We will clothe, feed, water shelter and comfort them in the love bestowed upon us through Jesus. That is the good news for all people. We will not die out, but be saved alive.
CHAPTER 3: JESUS SHOWS UP TO RESCUE THE PEOPLE, FIX EARTH’S PROBLEMS AND RESTORE THE EARTH
SO WHAT THEN IS THE TRUE GOSPEL? IT IS THIS: Jesus paved the way so we can rule and reign as Kings and Priests under him as the Great King of kings in his Kingdom right here on Planet Earth; then forever after throughout the universe!
Evangelicals and most of Christendom got it wrong. The Gospel according to them is that Jesus paid it all on the cross so you could be forgiven and live with him forever. But wait! There’s more!
Is that what Jesus taught the gospel is? No. What did Jesus himself talk about more than anything else? Going to Heaven when you die? No, he NEVER said that! In fact he said in John 3:13 the ‘…no man has ascended into heaven…’ Hence I named the title of this book ‘WHY NO ONE GOES TO HEAVEN.
This is not something I made up, for it is straight from the lips of Jesus. Jesus told us NO ONE. But do we hear that from the pulpits of Christendom? Of course not! Why? Why don’t the churches and pastors tell the truth? It is because they care more about tradition and the money, than about the truth.
If they sacrifice the truth for the money they will receive from patrons, they get to keep their jobs. If they tell the truth, come what may, where would they go to work when Monday gets here?
Did not Jesus himself despise tradition? Isn’t he the One who said: “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you nullify the word of God that you might hold on to your own tradition.”?
Tradition has it that when we die, we either ‘go to heaven or hell.’ Jesus taught different things than that. Rather, he spoke about the Kingdom of God and acquiring his righteousness. That is what our lives should be all about.
The Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of heaven is coming to the Earth. It is not located in heaven some place. It is a literal government to be set up right here on Earth. Many seem to have been taught that the ‘Kingdom of God’ is merely an imaginary mental gymnastic that is inside of us. Few Christians believe that Jesus is a real King, that he is THE Great King of kings or the King of nations. But that, my friend is reality. He owns the planet and he is the BEST ONE to run it.
To most Christians though, Jesus was merely a good teacher, maybe a prophet and the king of their heart, but nothing like a President, Prime Minister or Governor. They have missed the whole intent of the entire Bible. They do not know God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit. He is not their Leader or Head. They are not listening.
Notice Revelation 20: 4 ‘And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; with and they lived and reigned Christ a thousand years.’
We, as those who follow Jesus, will live and reign with Jesus, right here on Earth. Also take a look at Revelation 5:10: ‘And has made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.’ It cannot be said any clearer.
Again in Daniel 7:22 ‘Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.’
We who are believers and followers of Christ Jesus ARE those saints who will ‘occupy’ the Kingdom under Jesus. That is, we will be the ones privileged to serve under Jesus as Kings and Priests.
Many have been taught for years that they are ‘going to Heaven’ when they die. But that is not what any scripture says. That is what men say. I’d much rather believe God and what HE said in his word than what men say.
The Bible quotes Jesus telling Nicodemus in John 3:13: ‘And no man has ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.’ This is one scripture you may never hear from the pulpit or a TV preacher. They’d rather perpetuate the falsehood of ‘going to Heaven’.
But what I believe doesn’t matter; it is what God’s word says that matters. Read it from your own Bible and believe what you see. Just make sure you get all the related scriptures together before you decide how you read it. Add them up like arithmetic and the sum will always point out the truth.
The truth is you were born for so much more than this life can offer. You have a grand destiny under Jesus as a king and priest. Visualize the splendor of the reign of King Solomon. He was richer and wiser than all the kings of the Earth before, during or since Solomon’s reign. His palace and the Temple of the Lord became landmarks of unparalleled beauty and splendor.
The temple utensils, bowls, goblets, furnishings, etc were of solid gold or overlaid with pure gold. Even the walls of the temple were covered floor to ceiling with gold, inlaid with ivory, bronze & silver and decorated with ornate designs. Gold pomegranates festooned the capitals atop each pillar in the temple. There were no buildings like them before or since.
Solomon’s robes were second to none in splendor as well. His throne rose high with many steps leading up to it. Each step was guarded by a pair of gold lions on either side.
Here’s the way the Bible sums up the Reign of Solomon in 2 Chronicles 9:1-28: ‘And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.
2 And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not.
3 And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built,
4 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cup bearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.
5 And she said to the king, It was a true report which I heard in mine own land of your acts, and of your wisdom:
6 Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the one half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me: for you exceed the fame that I heard.
7 Happy are your men, and happy are these, your servants, which stand continually before you, and hear your wisdom.
8 Blessed be the LORD your God, which delighted in you to set you on his throne, to be king for the LORD your God: because your God loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore made he you king over them, to do judgment and justice.
9 And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.
10 And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, which brought gold from Ophir, brought Algum trees and precious stones.
11 And the king made of the Algum trees terraces to the house of the LORD, and to the king's palace, and harps and psalteries for singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah.
12 And King Solomon gave to the Queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which she had brought unto the king. So she turned, and went away to her own land, she and her servants.
13 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold;
14 Beside that which the men and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15 And King Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one target.
16 And three hundred shields made he of beaten gold: three hundred shekels of gold went to one shield. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
17 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.
18 And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on each side of the sitting place, and two lions standing by the stays:
19 and twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps. There was not the like made in any kingdom.
20 And all the drinking vessels of King Solomon were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: none were of silver; it was not anything accounted of in the days of Solomon.
21 For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
22 And King Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
23 And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
24 And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, harness, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.
25 And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.
26 And he reigned over all the kings from the river even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt.
27 And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar trees he made as the sycamore trees that are in the low plains in abundance.
28 And they brought unto Solomon horses out of Egypt, and out of all lands.’
Solomon was unique. No king before him or since him has been greater in wealth, splendor and wisdom. Yet Jesus said he is even greater.
Notice Matthew 12: 38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from you.
39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
42 The Queen of the South shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
And again in Luke 11: 29 And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.
30 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.
31 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
32 The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
I want to investigate the scriptures and find out why Jesus would be greater and maybe even more importantly how he would be greater. Then we will look at the ancient kings of Israel and Judah to see what the ‘bad’ kings did wrong and what the ‘good’ kings did right.
Then let’s find out what it takes to follow Jesus into his righteousness by exploring his divine attributes. We will see many examples in the Old Testament and New which will train us in righteousness. That’s what separated the good from the bad. Their heart was right before God as we will see.
Why is Jesus greater than Solomon and how will his throne and kingdom be greater than Solomon’s? In the first place, Solomon was not God and Jesus IS. Solomon was gifted by God with wisdom, yet he married many foreign women.
Wasn’t he wise enough to see they would lead him astray? His wives wanted to worship their pagan gods, so Solomon accommodated them by building altars, shrines and idols for them to bow down to and Solomon participated to please them!
Jesus kept himself from women and from anything that would have kept him from his goal because he had bigger things on his mind, namely finishing God’s work. Nothing was more important to him. On one occasion he was addressing the scribes and Pharisees about his mission.
Notice John 8:21 Then said Jesus again unto them, ‘I go my way, and you shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: where I go, you cannot come.
22 Then said the Jews, “Will he kill himself?” because he said, “Where I go, you cannot come.”
23 And he said unto them, “You are from beneath; I am from above: you are of this world; I am not of this world.
24 I said therefore unto you, that you shall die in your sins: for if you believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sins.”
25 Then said they unto him, “Who are you?” And Jesus said unto them, “Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.
26 I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him.”
27 They understood not that he spoke to them of the Father.
28 Then said Jesus unto them, “When you have lifted up the Son of man, then shall you know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father has taught me, I speak these things.
29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father has not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.”
30 As he spoke these words, many believed on him.
His goal or purpose in life was to do those things that pleased his Father God. His mission was not just that his will, calling and purpose would ‘line up’ with that of his Father, but rather Jesus’ will WAS God’s will.
60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, “This is an hard saying; who can hear it?”
61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, “Does this offend you?
62 What and if you shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
63 It is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
64 But there are some of you that believe not.”
For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
65 And he said, “Therefore I said unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it was given unto him of my Father.”
66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Jesus did not run after them to win them back. He knew his sheep from the goats. He seemed OK with the fact that some would not accept him as their Messiah. God the Father must do the calling and choosing. Jesus wanted what his Father wanted and nothing else. This should be our mindset too.
Notice another passage in John 4: 27 And upon this came his disciples, and marveled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, “What do you seek? Or, “Why do you talk with her?”
28 The woman then left her water pot, and went her way into the city, and said to the men,
29 “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?”
30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, “Master, eat.”
32 But he said unto them, “I have meat to eat that you know not of.”
33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, ‘Has any man brought him anything to eat?’
34 Jesus said unto them, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
35 Don’t you say ‘There are yet four months, and then comes harvest? Behold, I say unto you, ‘Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
36 And he that reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit unto life eternal: that both he that sows and he that reaps may rejoice together.”
Jesus would not be detracted from his mission. He’d rather work for God than eat. Jesus is the ‘KING of kings’ and LORD of lords, so what can we learn from Jesus about God’s will, calling and purpose for our lives? What examples of Kings are there in the Bible? What can we learn from them?
Study the life of Jesus in my book ‘WHY JESUS MATTERS NOW’. Go to my website ITellWhy.com. From the Home Page, you can click on ‘WHY I TEST YOUR BIBLE IQ’ or any of my other books and read them. These are in depth Studies for those who are in hot pursuit of the King.
Are you a mere ‘fan’ of Jesus or a real ‘follower’ of him? (Get Kyle Idleman’s great book: ‘NOT A FAN’ and find out which you really are! It’s an excellent volume and I highly recommend it.)
We can learn best from the King of kings. He will teach us and lead us into all truth through his Spirit that lives in us.
Here’s how the apostle John put it in his gospel, chapter 16: 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
John 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin (committed), and of righteousness (forfeited), and of judgment (to come):
9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and you see me no more;
11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now.
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.
15 All things that the Father has are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.
Thus Jesus is a Revealer of mysteries and of truth. After all, he owns the planet. He made it in the first place. He knows all about it, how it works and how we are going to wreck it. He is the ONLY ONE who can and will become its Savior. We cannot go wrong if we put our trust in him.
CHAPTER 4: JESUS BECOMES KING OF KINGS, LORD OF LORDS AND REIGNS IN HIS GOVERNMENT
Read my eBook about his life: ‘WHY JESUS MATTERS NOW’ to study the life, times, works and words of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Take the ‘WHY I TEST YOUR BIBLE IQ’ challenge. Investigate the Names of Jesus, the Prophecies about his first coming and the Parables of Jesus, which are there for your use.
You can do this for free on my website: www.ITellWhy.com. Study his life, his character and his motive of love for all, even his enemies.
Look at the way Jesus treated people. Watch for how he managed his disciples, taxes, money, his powers, his thoughts, his reactions, his relationships, his friends and his enemies.
To his enemies he was very mighty, strong and he rebuked them dead center straight and he did it in love for them. To his friends he honored them, protected them and kept them straight, ultimately laying down his life for them, setting the standard for us to follow.
He does not want his enemies to die, but that they should turn and he should heal them. He stood his ground and stayed until he had humiliated them in front of the very ones his enemies were trying desperately to impress.
The bravest among us today would at best have told them off, turned on our heels and stomped off; but Jesus just stayed there, making them hot with rage. No one has courage, strength and resolve like that these days. No wonder they plotted to kill Jesus. They had to protect their precious status and prestige in the community.
This is the way our hero King set the standard high for each of us. He said we followers (not mere fans) should strive for his type of perfection. Take for example Luke 6. Here we can glean a lot about how to make proper relationships, where to embed our foundation, what kind of fruit to bear with our lives (and how to do this) and how to judge righteous judgments:
Luke 6:20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, ‘Blessed are you poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you that hunger now: for you shall be filled. Blessed are you that weep now: for you shall laugh.
22 Blessed are you, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.
23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
24 But woe unto you that are rich, for you have received your consolation.
25 Woe unto you who are full! For you shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! For you shall mourn and weep.
26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! For so did their fathers to the false prophets.
27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
29 And unto him that smites you on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that takes away your cloak forbid not to take your coat also.
30 Give to every man that asks of you; and of him that takes away your goods ask them not again.
31 And as you would that men should do to you, do you also to them likewise.
32 For if you love them which love you, what thank have you? For sinners also love those that love them.
33 And if you do good to them which do good to you, what thank have you? For sinners also do even the same.
34 And if you lend to them of whom you hope to receive, what thank have you? For sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
35 But love you your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36 Be you therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
Judging Righteous Judgment
37 Judge not, and you shall not be judged: condemn not, and you shall not be condemned: forgive, and you shall be forgiven:
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you mete out withal it shall be measured to you again.
39 And he spoke a parable unto them: Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch?
40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.
41 And why point out the mote that is in your brother's eye, but perceive not the beam that is in your own eye?
42 Either how can you say to your brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in your eye, when you see not the beam that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of your own eye, and then shall you see clearly to pull out the mote that is in your brother's eye.
A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit
43 For a good tree does not bring forth corrupt fruit; neither does a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush do they gather grapes.
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
The House Built on a Rock
46 And why call you me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
47 Whosoever comes to me, and hear my sayings, and does them, I will show you to whom he is like:
48 He is like a man which built an house, and dug deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
49 But he that hears, and does not, is like a man that without a foundation built a house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
These are but a handful of the wise sayings and training words Jesus used to convey the heart of the King of kings to us as his future Cabinet members. Jesus told his disciple they would sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. We are the ‘other sheep’ Jesus is bringing into his sheep pen or his Kingdom.
That is why we are here... to learn from him how he thinks and why we should strive to be like him and emulate his ways of righteousness. Allow yourself to be instructed by the Greatest Tutor of all. (Not me... Jesus.) He alone knows what is best for me and you and all who shall ever live, for he is the author and the authority of life itself. Of course he knows best... it is his idea.
Jesus is the Great King and his Capitol city is Jerusalem, the ‘City of the Great King.
Here’s a couple of references for you on this: Psalms 48:1-3 ‘Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.
2 Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.
3 God is known in her palaces for a refuge.
And Matthew 5: 34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:
35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
There can only be one number one. Jesus will be THE number One King on the planet and he will rule all nations and they all will serve and obey him. Every knee shall bow to Jesus and every tongue shall confess that he is Lord of ALL.
(Romans 14: 11 ‘For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.’
And Philippians 2:9 ‘Wherefore God also has highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’
What will the reign of Jesus be? To what can we compare it? Let’s read Revelation 21-22 to get a glimpse:
Revelation 21:1’And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
(Note: He does NOT say they would burn forever, but that it is the second DEATH. Refer to my book: ‘WHY LIE ABOUT HELL’ for 40 Good reasons Bad People to NOT burn in Hell for ever.)
The New Jerusalem
9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
16 And the city lies foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it.
25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
26 And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.
27 And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defiles, neither whatsoever works abomination, or makes a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.’
Then continue in Revelation Chapter 22:
Revelation 22:1 ‘And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God gives them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
Jesus Will Come Soon
6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keeps the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things.
9 Then said he unto me, “See that you do it not: for I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.”
10 And he said unto me, “Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loves and makes a lie.
16 I, Jesus, have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let him that hears say, “Come.” And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
18 For I testify unto every man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
20 He which testifies these things said, “Surely I come quickly.”
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Suffice it to say here that after we human beings nearly destroy the Earth beyond repair, Jesus will come with his whole army to make good and drastic changes to the planet.
The first thing Jesus and his Entourage must do is to clean up the mess we human beings have made of our only home during WW3. If you have read my book on the subject (WHY END TIME PROPHECIES MATTER), you have clarity on all the ramifications the Earth will suffer as a result. Everything will be ruined. The sky and the air will become black, unbreatheable and toxic. Few men will be left alive. This is the BIGGEST problem and only God can fix it.
Then the water will be deadly to drink, if there is any available. That will have to be purified immediately upon arrival. So will the food supply. The Earth will be in no condition to supply that food, once all stored food is gone. So Jesus and his Cabinet will probably have to supernaturally supply it like he did before, giving Manna to the Israelites in the wilderness.
Next, the people still alive will need comforting and consolation. Some may need healing. Following that, clothing and housing will likely be the next priority. The first night after will be long. But then, a new day dawns; it is a brand new day. Jesus has landed. His saints have made themselves ready. They know what needs to be done to restore Planet Earth. They all have been given powers to do such things. It is their joy to be doing this work.
Jesus will have put down ALL principalities and powers, kings and their armies, governors, congressmen and senators. Politics will be history. He will replace all governments with his own as the new King of kings. He will provide for all for he is Lord of lords.
A ‘lord’ is a provider. It is the lord who is the ‘loaf warden’ which is where the term ‘lord’ comes from. The loaf warden or lord, makes sure the people have the food they need, when they need it. (Also, the lord gives them their water and everything else.)
This is only one of more than 80 characteristics or attributes of our Lord and only Savior. He will provide everything needed for life. And not just for the chosen few, but for ALL! That is what he and he alone has the power and ambition to do. He will make ALL THINGS NEW. He will also provide thrilling jobs for each person and a sure future we all can look forward to.
Now THAT will truly be new!
Read Chapter Seven: ‘TRAIN TO REIGN’ to absorb a detailed study of the attributes of God found in Jesus and which he wants to bestow into us as his children. There is much more to our salvation than just being forgiven. It is a global RESCUE! That is a good place to start.
But as his children and saints (Body or Believers), there is much work to do. We must get ready for our jobs. We will need to be trained, able and ready when Jesus arrives to take the reins of government over his Earth.
So, let’s delve further into rulership. What can be gleaned from history and the ancient kings of Israel?
CHAPTER 5: OUR PLACE AND PURPOSE IN HIS KINGDOM: POSITIONS IN HIS CABINET
Why the ancient kings did what they did what we can learn from them:
What we need to know is why. Why some of the good kings went bad, why some of the sons of good kings went bad, why some of the sons of the bad kings got worse while others repented and became good. It is a matter of choices. The choices we make in life affect not only ourselves but the next generation. Even so it is with kings.
I have noticed that many of the kings are too pre-occupied with running the country to spend adequate time with their children. Their kids turn out spoiled, attitudinal and almost no earthly good. Also, in many cases, the sons are reared by the women their fathers married. Many of them are foreign and worship other gods besides the True God and they teach their ways to their children. Then the sons take the kingdom and reign in terror. They are total jerks. They ruin everything their forefathers built up.
God had warned these kings not to marry such women, lest they turn their own hearts away from God and that is exactly what happened in nearly every case. Plus they had more than one wife, as if one wasn’t enough. Many had ‘concubines’ which constitute a harem dedicated to giving the king pleasure at his whim. Big mistake! Too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the pie.
Notice what God said about wealth and power in Deuteronomy 17: 14 When you have come unto the land which the LORD your God gives you, and shall possess it, and shall dwell therein, and shall say, ‘I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me’;
15 You shall in any wise set him king over you, whom the LORD your God shall choose: one from among your brethren shall you set king over you: you may not set a stranger over you, which is not your brother.
16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD has said unto you, ‘You shall henceforth return no more that way.’
17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself that his heart turns not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
God said a lot right there. First, mankind rebelled by rejecting God so they could follow a mere mortal man as king over them. But what more could a man do that God could not do? Nothing good. Well, a man could turn a blind eye to injustice. He could have some thug murder the kings neighbor for refusing to sell him his vineyard. Then, once he’s dead he could confiscate the vineyard.
As it is recorded for us in 1 Kings 21:1-29:
1 And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
2 And Ahab spoke unto Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give you for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you the worth of it in money.
3 And Naboth said to Ahab, “The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my father’s unto you.
4 And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, ‘I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.’ And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.
5 But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, “Why is your spirit so sad, that you eat no bread?
6 And he said unto her, “Because I spoke unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it please you, I will give you another vineyard for it’: and he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’
7 And Jezebel his wife said unto him, “Do you now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let your heart be merry: I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
8 So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.
9 And she wrote in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people:
10 And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, ‘You blasphemed God and the king.’ And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.”
11 And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them.
12 They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.
13 And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth did blaspheme God and the king.” Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.
14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.
15 And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.
16 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
17 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
18 Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.
19 And you shall speak unto him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, Have you killed, and also taken possession?’ And you shall speak unto him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, ‘In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your blood, even yours.’
20 And Ahab said to Elijah, ‘Have you found me, O mine enemy?’ And he answered, ‘I have found you: because you have sold yourself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.
21 Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will take away your posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisses against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,
22 And will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith you have provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.
23 And of Jezebel also spoke the LORD, saying, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.
24 Him that dies of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dies in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.’
25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.
26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
28 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
29 Do you see how Ahab humbles himself before me? Because he humbles himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.
Ahab humbled himself and repented. He could have been indifferent and uncaring instead. So God relented of the evil he had planned to bring on him as punishment until a later time. God knew how evil man could get under the influence of the Devil. And he knew what would happen, not if but when, they elected a king instead of him. This is but one example of a king repenting after doing great evil.
Secondly, since he knew this danger of Israel wanting a king instead of retaining God as their King, God wanted them to choose a king who was righteous. Their king must be one of them, instead of some foreigner who did not revere the ways of God but instead served other gods. Then God addressed the issue of wealth and power.
He knew the deceitfulness of wealth; that it takes away sound judgment and leads men to look to it as a god in the place of God. It does seem to a man that money is the answer to all things.
Trouble is, in the end, money is trouble, especially when it goes too far into a man’s heartfelt desires and replace God as number one in his thoughts and life. This is what God knew would happen to the kings, if they did not constantly seek him instead of money and power.
The first king of Israel was Saul of the house if his father Kish, a Benjamite. Saul was a handsome man who stood a head taller than most of the other men. (1 Samuel 9:1-2 ‘Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
2 And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.’
At first he was a good and upright individual or else God would not have chosen him. In fact, in the beginning he was so humble, he hid himself among the baggage rather than be discovered and proclaimed as king. Once he became king, He took good care of the people and they loved him.
But then, he let his fame go to his head and he became proud of his accomplishments as king. He liked the notoriety and praises from the people. At one point in his life, Saul actually prophesied like one of the prophets of old. (See 1 Samuel 10:9-15)
In chapter 15 of 1 Samuel, Saul took matters into his own hands which should have been left for the priesthood by offering a sacrifice instead of waiting for Samuel, who had taken longer than anticipated to arrive. Then God told Samuel he regretted making Saul king because of his irreverent act.
Next, after defeating the Amalekites, he and his men spared Agag, the king of the Amalekites and kept the best of the flocks and herds, though God had commanded him to wipe them out. (I will note here that God, being the owner of all animals and people, had the right to do what he wanted with them, including annihilating them.)
Later, when King Saul prayed to God to find out his fate but God did not answer him, he consulted a medium (witch), even though King Saul had mostly purged the land of them. This was clearly wrong for anyone, let alone the King himself, to do.
Rather than reiterate all the stories of the Kings of Israel and Judah which you can study for yourself by reading the books of 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles, I want to focus on what the ‘good’ kings did right, what the ‘bad’ kings did wrong, why some ‘good’ kings went bad and why some ‘bad’ kings repented in the end and became ‘good.
I urge you to Google ‘biblical kings list’ or ‘Old Testament Kings’ to learn more about them, the dates they ruled, how long they ruled, etc. Good examples with a Timeline, Dates, Years Reigned and whether good or bad are: www.biblestudy.org
www.padfield.com/acrobat/harbison/kings-and-prophets-rh.pdf
www.crivoice.org/israelitekings.html
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZajfDa9-r0
As I studied these kings of Israel and Judah, I tried to keep in mind why they did what they did. There is always a reason people do things even though they may not be apparent at first blush. So, here is what the bad kings did wrong:
BAD KINGS AND THE REASONS WHY THEY FAILED
1. They served foreign gods
2. They refused to listen to God’s prophets
3. They made treaties with their enemies
4. They rebelled against God and rejected him
5. They did not seek God’s counsel
6. They married foreign women
7. They exposed their treasure to their enemies
8. They fought against their own people
9. They gave in to their foreign wives appeals to erect idols to worship
10. They made graven images to bow down to
11. They killed or imprisoned God’s prophets and righteous subjects
12. They became proud which led to their downfall
13. They disobeyed and even provoked God on purpose
14. They were punished with leprosy
15. They sacrificed their sons in the fire to Molech
16. They were defeated by their enemies
17. They were captured, robbed, stripped of their positions and their wealth
18. They were forced to watch as their sons were murdered and then had their eyes gouged out
19. They lost their health due to their indulgences
20. They mocked and despised God’s prophets
21. They burned God’s temple and perished in the flames
22. They were assassinated
23. They were carried into foreign lands in exile
24. They made priests out of non-Levites
25. They prayed in vain to Baal
26. They cowed down to bullies
27. They erected altars and idols (Molech and Baal) to be worshipped by their subjects
28. They profaned God’s temple
29. They led the people astray, which carried over to the next generation
30. They sinned worse than the pagan nations they had deposed
GOOD KINGS AND THE REASONS WHY THEY SUCCEEDED
1. They led the nation in repentance, faith and worship
2. They burned pagan idols and the bones of the pagan priests
3. They prayed to the true God and received honor and blessing
4. They responded to the rebukes and admonitions of God’s prophets with weeping, fasting and real repentance
5. They restored the temple and worship of the true God
6. They researched the word of God, studied it and took it to heart
7. They hired scribes to copy the word of God by hand every year
8. They subdued pagan kings and destroyed their altars and high places of worship
9. They let God lead and Father them
10. They listened to God’s Prophets
11. They applied themselves to great tasks as directed by God
12. They refused to be influenced by people, the status quo or tradition
Our true destiny is to rule under Jesus as sub-kings and priests. Doesn’t it follow then, that we should all be about the business of learning what all it entails? What does a king do? What should he do for his people?
Politics is dead, out dated and now irrelevant. Not one of the kings under Jesus is human. They all have been changed into spirit beings that can’t be hurt, killed or ushered out of office. They are permanent members of God’s own family and Kingdom.
The way we will rule starts with the word love. It will be tough love to those who would dare rebel. It will be compassionate love to all those humble of spirit. Either way, it will be a different world because everyone on Earth will know God and love and serve him, being led by the Spirit of God which he will pour out on all flesh!
CHAPTER 6: BLESSINGS FOR OBEDIENCE OR CURSINGS FOR REBELLION AND WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THE BIBLE ABOUT RULERSHIP IN THE NEW GOVERNMENT OF GOD
Deuteronomy 28:1- ‘And it shall come to pass, if you shall hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD your God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command you this day, that the LORD your God will set you on high above all nations of the earth:
2 And all these blessings shall come on you, and overtake you, if you shall hearken unto the voice of the LORD your God.
3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field.
4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds, and the flocks of your sheep.
5 Blessed shall be your basket and your store.
6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
7 The LORD shall cause your enemies that rise up against you to be smitten before your face: they shall come out against you one way, and flee before you seven ways.
8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon you in your storehouses, and in all that you set your hand unto; and he shall bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you.
9 The LORD shall establish you an holy people unto himself, as he has sworn unto you, if you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and walk in his ways.
10 And all people of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of you.
11 And the LORD shall make you plenteous in goods, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your ground, in the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers to give you.
12 The LORD shall open unto you his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto your land in his season, and to bless all the work of your hand: and you shall lend unto many nations, and you shall not borrow.
13 And the LORD shall make you the head, and not the tail; and you shall be above only, and you shall not be beneath; if that you hearken unto the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day, to observe and to do them:
14 And you shall not go aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
The Consequences of Disobedience
15 But it shall come to pass, if you will not hearken unto the voice of the LORD your God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command you this day; that all these curses shall come upon you, and overtake you:
16 Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. 17 Cursed shall be your basket and your store.
18 Cursed shall be the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your land, the increase of your herds, and the flocks of your sheep.
19 Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.
20 The LORD shall send upon you cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that you set your hand unto for to do, until you be destroyed, and until you perish quickly; because of the wickedness of your doings, whereby you have forsaken me.
21 The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto you, until he have consumed you from off the land, where you go to possess it.
22 The LORD shall smite you with consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue you until you perish.
23 And your heaven that is over your head shall be brass, and the earth that is under you shall be iron.
24 The LORD shall make the rain of your land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon you, until you are destroyed.
25 The LORD shall cause you to be smitten before your enemies: you shall go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shall be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
26 And your carcasses shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.
27 The LORD will smite you with the botch of Egypt, and with the hemorrhoids, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof you canst not be healed.
28 The LORD shall smite you with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:
29 and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind gropes in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways: and you shall be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save you.
30 You shall betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: you shall build an house, and you shall not dwell therein: you shall plant a vineyard, and shall not gather the grapes thereof.
31 Your ox shall be slain before your eyes, and you shall not eat thereof: your ass shall be violently taken away from before your face, and shall not be restored to you: your sheep shall be given unto your enemies, and you shall have none to rescue them.
32 Your sons and your daughters shall be given unto another people, and your eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in your hand.
33 The fruit of your land, and all your labors, shall a nation which you know not eat up; and you shall be only oppressed and crushed always:
34 So that you shall be mad for the sight of your eyes which you shall see.
35 The LORD shall smite you in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of your foot unto the top of your head.
36 The LORD shall bring you, and your king which you shall set over you, unto a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known; and there shall you serve other gods, wood and stone.
37 And you shall become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword; among all nations where the LORD shall lead you.
38 You shall carry much seed out into the field, and shall gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.
39 You shall plant vineyards, and dress them, but shall neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
40 You shall have olive trees throughout all your coasts, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil; for your olive shall cast his fruit.
41 You shall beget sons and daughters, but you shall not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.
42 All your trees and fruit of your land shall the locust consume.
43 The stranger that is within you shall get up above you very high; and you shall come down very low.
44 He shall lend to you, and you shall not lend to him: he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.
45 Moreover all these curses shall come upon you, and shall pursue you, and overtake you, till you be destroyed; because you hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded you:
46 And they shall be upon you for a sign and for a wonder, and upon your seed for ever.
47 Because you served not the LORD your God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;
48 Therefore shall you serve your enemies which the LORD shall send against you, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon your neck, until he have destroyed you.
49 The LORD shall bring a nation against you from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies; a nation whose tongue you shall not understand;
50 A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor to the young:
51 And he shall eat the fruit of your cattle, and the fruit of your land, until you be destroyed: which also shall not leave you either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of your herds, or flocks of your sheep, until he have destroyed you.
52 And he shall besiege you in all your gates, until your high and fenced walls come down, wherein you trusted, throughout all your land: and he shall besiege you in all your gates throughout all your land, which the LORD your God has given you.
53 And you shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and of your daughters, which the LORD your God has given you, in the siege, and in the dearth, wherewith your enemies shall distress you:
54 So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave:
55 So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he has nothing left him in the siege, and in the dearth, wherewith your enemies shall distress you in all your gates.
56 The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter,
57 And toward her young one that comes out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and dearth, wherewith your enemy shall distress you in your gates.
58 If you will not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD;
59 Then the LORD will make your plagues wonderful, and the plagues of your seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.
60 Moreover he will bring upon you all the diseases of Egypt, which you were afraid of; and they shall cleave unto you.
61 Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon you, until you be destroyed.
62 And you shall be left few in number, whereas you were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God.
63 And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to naught; and you shall be plucked from off the land where you go to possess it.
64 And the LORD shall scatter you among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known, even wood and stone.
65 And among these nations shall you find no ease, neither shall the sole of your foot have rest: but the LORD shall give you there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:
66 And your life shall hang in doubt before you; and you shall fear day and night, and shall have none assurance of your life:
67 In the morning you shall say, ‘Would God it were evening!’ And at even you shall say, ‘Would God it were morning!’ for the fear of your heart wherewith you shall fear, and for the sight of your eyes which you shall see.
68 And the LORD shall bring you into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spoke unto you, You shall see it no more again: and there you shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.
Thus we can easily see that God wants our success. He wants us to prosper and be in health, free and not subject to foreign powers or foreign gods. This freedom is what he must bring to us when he returns as the Great King.
We may become enslaved to these foreign powers here in America, for we are rejecting the only God. He is no longer welcome in our schools, government or media. He is giving us more than ample evidence that wicked ways lead to trouble we do not want. But we don’t care. That is a shame and disgrace. Rather, let’s take heed and obey. It’s for our own good. He loves us too much not to share these truths with us, his children.
Let us face the facts of life: God is the One who made Heaven and Earth. As its Maker, he is also its Owner. The Owner has all the rights to what is his. He has the power to do anything he wants to do. He can bless or destroy. No one can question him saying ‘What are you doing?’
Thankfully he is benevolent. He loves to bless and refrains from cursing his children unless there is no other way to get through to them. His ultimate goal is to save them and empower them to live permanently. He is developing real estate. He is putting his own children there to dress and keep it and to enjoy doing so.
May we all keep these things in mind. God is not out to hurt or harm us, but he does have the power and right to do so if and when he so chooses as the tool of last resort. He doesn’t need our permission for anything. In fact he does not need us at all. But he wants us, and he wants us to be his children in his Kingdom for all time to come.
May we all relinquish our ‘control’ over our own wills, so that we may be embraced by God and Fathered by him. He will take us the rest of the way that our human fathers could not. They could only take us part of the way. God wants to finish our course and make us his children. Allow him to do the driving. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths. (See Proverbs 3:6)
Walk with God through your life. He will bring you to a good place you want to be in. Otherwise, you have no hope and no future. He longs to give you a better life, but we all must acknowledge him and grow in him and his ways.
Study his word each day. Stay in close contact with him through prayer. Though you don’t see him physically yet, he sees you and loves you. Wait for his answers. He will answer your prayers and take care of you. If you trust him, he will never leave you nor forsake you. May each of us grow up in him as he is our true Father.
WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM BIBLE ABOUT RULERSHIP IN THE NEW GOVERNMENT OF GOD
1 God is Sovereign. He will return and take charge of his planet and rule it with a rod of iron. Psalm 2:9, Revelation 2:27, 12:5 & 19:15:
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
4 He that sits in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
7 I will declare the decree: the LORD has said unto me, You are my Son; this day have I begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I shall give you the heathen for your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; you shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
10 Be wise now therefore, O you kings: be instructed, you judges of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
CHAPTER 7: TRAINING TO REIGN IS ACQUIRING GOD’S ATTRIBUTES IN PREPARATION FOR RULERSHIP ON THE RESTORED EARTH
We are in training to take our positions in the Cabinet of the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ the Great King of the planet. God is our Trainer. The Earth today is our Training Center, work-out facility and our ‘boot camp’ where we were hand-picked for the positions of government God has in mind. Troubles and trials are our exercise routines. We are learning from our experiences and from the Best Trainer there is.
He’s been there and done that himself. He feels our pain because it is now in his memory bank. He remembers what it is like to be fully human with all its pain and suffering, but every bit of it is for a good reason: to make us fully like him in character and integrity.
The Training we receive from him is of the Holy Spirit working with our spirit to enable us to acquire his attributes. And what are they?
You may ask, as I did, ‘How can I learn all these and acquire God’s attributes in me?’ Here’s how: ASK! Ask; seek; knock and it shall be given you.
Read all my other Books for free at www.itellwhy.com. You will learn what years of research, training from God’s word and listening to God’s Spirit within me has taught about the truth.
Start with Galatians 5:16-22 which says:
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that you would.
18 But if you be led by the Spirit, you are not under the (penalty of the) law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
This is the beginning of acquiring God’s attributes. This is what God is like. He is slow to anger, full of compassion and tender mercies. The scriptures are saturated with acknowledgements of his tender mercies.
This is the nature God can use if it is resident and active in us. The good news is that it can and will be if we study his word and, listening to the prompting of his Holy Spirit, we apply them in real life situations.
He will share them with us if we just ask. Then study to show yourself approved unto God.
As it is written in 2 Timothy 2:14-16:
14 ‘Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.
15 Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.’
The entire goal of Christian endeavor is not to ‘get to heaven’ as commonly taught. It is to be prepared to enter service in the Kingdom or the Government of God, right here on Planet Earth. There is much more to it than just ‘signing up’.
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:
GIFTS YOU ASK FOR AND ACTUALLY GET. JUST ASK!
01 LOVE
At the top of the list of the things God wants to teach us is Love. Love is outgoing concern for another. Love is hard work, sometimes, but worth the effort. Everyone benefits when we employ love. Love is doing the work of taking care of the needs of another.
Ask and you will receive. He will prompt you to love someone through a thought, word or deed. And then respond to his promptings. That is, LISTEN and REPEAT (obey). Here’s what to look for, as you search the scriptures for his attributes:
Here’s the way the apostle Paul put it:
1 Corinthians 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love suffers long, and is kind; love envies not; love vaunts not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil;
6 Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7 Bears all things, believeth all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.
8 Love never fails: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child; I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abides faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
So, how do we acquire love? We acquire love by practicing outgoing concern and care for someone else, and over a long time, perhaps a lifetime. Ask God for more love, that you may become more like him, for love is his chief attribute. He is more than willing to share his love with us. Just ask.
Here is something I learned just today: Jesus was and still is perfect AND vulnerable. We humans tend to strive for one or the other, but seldom do we find perfect attributes combined with perfect vulnerability. Let me explain: Vulnerability allows imperfections due to our humanity. Perfection is striving to do everything we do as perfectly as possible.
Jesus never messed up. He never sinned, never used foul language and always spoke the truth. Yet he cried, laughed, made jokes, and did not consider himself perfect or good. He said ‘There is NONE good but One, that is God. (See Matthew 19:17 & Mark 10:18)
I am every bit as weak and vulnerable as you are. We are mere mortals after all. But we should be working toward a measure of the fullness of the stature of Christ Jesus. That is our job as Christians and our calling. May we all be about our Father’s business!
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:
02 JOY
Psalm 16
1 Preserve me, O God: for in you do I put my trust.
2 O my soul, you have said unto the Lord, You are my Lord: my goodness extended not to you,
3 But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.
4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.
5 The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup: you maintain my lot.
6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yes, I have a goodly heritage.
7 I will bless the Lord, who has given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
8 I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
10 For you will not leave my soul in hell (Heb. Sheol—the grave); neither will you suffer your Holy One to see corruption.
11 You will show me the path of life: in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
There are numerous scriptures containing the word ‘joy’, 155 to be exact. The Hebrew is ‘sa-makh’ meaning to rejoice and be glad.
When I am tempted to be down instead of joyful, and trust me I have those moments as you do, I remember his goodness. I thank him for some good thing he has put in my path today, even when going through troubles, hospital visits, nursing home troubles, persecutions, bullying and even death threats. There is ALWAYS something to be thankful for. Through thankfulness I find strength in God.
Here’s a favorite saying of mine: “Thankfulness extinguishes sadness on contact.’ It certainly has helped me.
May this bring you ‘fullness of joy’: THANKFULNESS. It works for me. It makes me realized where all the good in my life comes from and it is not from me. Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of Lights, that is God.
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:
03 PEACE
Psalm 85:1 Lord, you have been favorable unto your land: you have brought back the captivity of Jacob.
2 You have forgiven the iniquity of your people, you have covered all their sin. Selah.
3 You have taken away all your wrath: you have turned yourself from the fierceness of your anger.
4 Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause your anger toward us to cease.
5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you draw out your anger to all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again: that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your mercy, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.
8 I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.
10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11 Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
12 Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.
13 Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.
Comment: How many Blessings, Comforts, Assurances and Reliefs can we find in just this one Psalm? The favor of God himself, forgiveness, freedom and rest from wrath, resurrection, rejoicing, mercy, salvation which is rescue, his word, peace spoken into us, truth, righteousness, goodness and leadership as a shepherd or Father, all found in a mere thirteen verses.
This to me is the definition of peace.
Another is Psalm 34:
1 ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps round about them that fear him, and delivers them.
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusts in him.
9 O fear the Lord, his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.
10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.
11 Come, you children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 What man is he that desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking guile.
14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saves such as be of a contrite spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones: not one of them is broken.
21 Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.
22 The Lord redeems the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.’
There are hundreds of verses in the Bible containing the word ‘PEACE’. This one Psalm is but one short passage. May I suggest you research this word further?
Here are a few links to resources from websites that will speed your search and advance your faith (Just Copy and Paste in your web Browser):
ABibleConcordance.com
AnswersInGenesis.org
Angelfire.com
Bible.org/pastor
BibleGateway.com
BibleHelps.net
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THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:
04 PATIENCE
Patience is a great quality God applies to all of us. That is, he is amply patient with us. As with all of his attributes, it can be asked for and granted by God. But be careful what you ask for... you might just get it. Many times patience is acquired through hard times and trials, so be aware of that.
In my Architectural Drafting practice for example, I have been accused of being a man of patience. It is really his patience on loan until I make it my habit. One client could not visualize what her house would look like to save her life. I made numerous illustrations, using my best powers of persuasion, but she was never satisfied. Perhaps she loved the process of developing new concepts, who knows? I ended up redrawing her floor plan TEN times! This is what takes and builds patience: waiting with control.
Look with me at this passage from Luke 8:4 and note what explanation Jesus gave us concerning patience: ‘And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spoke by a parable:
5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.
7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bore fruit a hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that has ears to hear, let him hear.
9 And his disciples asked him, saying, ‘What might this parable be?’
10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
Patience waits. The question is: Can I?
Luke 21:19 In your patience possess you your souls
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:
05 GODLINESS
My favorite passage on this subject of godliness is 1 Timothy 2:1-15:
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior;
4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
7 Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
8 I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness (innocent and pure) and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;
10 But (which becomes women professing godliness) with good works.
11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.
These are words given through the apostle Paul and are inspired of God or they would not be there. God is pure, innocent, full of love, self-control, decency, true and honest. This is the essence of godliness, to me. This is what I must strive to be.
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:
06 GOODNESS (KINDNESS LIVING INSIDE)
I say that goodness is kindness living inside because there is an outward or outgoing kindness as well. But in this attribute, I want to show that we can and should be kind to ourselves also. In order to love and be kind to others, we must know to be kind to ourselves.
Lighten up. This is what I must keep telling myself. You are too serious. Smile. Relax. Savor the moment. Slow down. Don’t be so hasty. Be deliberate. Think before you speak. Don’t be so quick that you’re are too quick. Be more careful. Be cheerful.
The scripture I want to use here is found in one of King David’s songs:
Psalm 31:1-24: In you, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Bow down your ear to me; deliver me speedily: be my strong rock, for a house of defense to save me.
3 For you are my rock and my fortress; therefore for your name's sake lead me, and guide me.
4 Pull me out of the net that they have laid privately for me: for you are my strength.
5 Into your hand I commit my spirit: you have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
6 I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your mercy: for you have considered my trouble; you have known my life in adversities;
8 And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: you have set my feet in a large room.
9 Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.
10 For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength fails because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.
11 I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbors, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me.
12 I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.
13 For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.
14 But I trusted in you, O LORD: I said, ‘You are my God.’
15 My times are in your hand: deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from them that persecute me.
16 Make your face to shine upon your servant: save me for your mercies' sake.
17 Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon you: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.
18 Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.
19 Oh how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for them that fear you; which you have wrought for them that trust in you before the sons of men!
20 You shall hide them in the secret of your presence from the pride of man: you shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
21 Blessed be the LORD: for he has showed me his marvelous kindness in a strong city.
22 For I said in my haste, ‘I am cut off from before your eyes’: nevertheless you heard the voice of my supplications when I cried unto you.
23 O love the LORD, all you his saints: for the LORD preserves the faithful, and plentifully rewards (avenges) the proud doer.
24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all you that hope in the LORD.
Notice how many times he uses the personal pronouns in this Psalm. It is a song about what God is doing on his behalf. It’s mostly about himself and how God is good to him. It’s a song about the goodness God bestows upon his beloved. And that includes you and me.
David is living in a desperate dependence on God, though he was a mighty warrior. God is also good to us. We should be good to ourselves as well and, for our own good, live in a desperate dependence on our Father God. Let’s listen to what our Father is saying. Be good to yourself and you learn how to be good to others.
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:
07 FAITHFULNESS
There are several scriptures to explore on this one such as:
Psalms 36:1The transgression of the wicked said within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful.
3 The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he has left off to be wise, and to do good.
4 He devises mischief upon his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he abhors not evil.
5 Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and your faithfulness reaches unto the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the great mountains; your judgments are a great deep: O LORD, you preserve man and beast.
7 How excellent is your loving kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of your wings.
8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of your house; and you shall make them drink of the river of your pleasures.
9 For with you is the fountain of life: in your light shall we see light.
10 O continue your loving kindness unto them that know you; and your righteousness to the upright in heart.
11 Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me.
12 There are the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise.
And Lamentations 3:21-54:
21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22 It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning: great is your faithfulness.
24 The LORD is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.
26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
28 He sits alone and keeps silence, because he has borne it upon him.
29 He puts his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.
30 He gives his cheek to him that smites him: he is filled full with reproach.
31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
32 But though he causes grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
33 For he does not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
34 To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
35 To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,
36 To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approves not.
37 Who is he that says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord commanded it not?
38 Out of the mouth of the most High proceeds not evil and good?
39 Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?
40 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.
41 Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.
With Psalm 89:
1 I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known your faithfulness to all generations.
2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up forever: your faithfulness shall you establish in the very heavens.
3 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,
4 Thy seed will I establish forever, and build up your throne to all generations. Selah.
5 And the heavens shall praise your wonders, O LORD: your faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.
6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?
7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
8 O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto you? or to your faithfulness round about you?
9 You rule the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, you stillest them.
10 You have broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; you have scattered your enemies with your strong arm.
11 The heavens are your, the earth also is your: as for the world and the fulness thereof, you have founded them.
12 The north and the south you have created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in your name.
13 You have a mighty arm: strong is your hand, and high is your right hand.
14 Justice and judgment are the habitation of your throne: mercy and truth shall go before your face.
15 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of your countenance.
16 In your name shall they rejoice all the day: and in your righteousness shall they be exalted.
17 For you are the glory of their strength: and in your favor our horn shall be exalted.
18 For the LORD is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.
19 Then you spoke in vision to your holy one, and said, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.
20 I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:
21 With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not exact upon him, nor the son of wickedness. Afflict him.
23 And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him.
24 But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25 I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.
26 He shall cry unto me, ‘You are my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.’
27 Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.
28 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.
29 His seed also will I make to endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven.
30 If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;
31 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;
32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.
33 Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
35 Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.
36 His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me.
37 It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.
38 But you have cast off and abhorred, you have been wroth with your anointed.
39 You have made void the covenant of your servant: you have profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.
40 You have broken down all his hedges; you have brought his strong holds to ruin.
41 All that pass by the way spoil him: he is a reproach to his neighbors.
42 You have set up the right hand of his adversaries; you have made all his enemies to rejoice.
43 You have also turned the edge of his sword, and have not made him to stand in the battle.
44 You have made his glory to cease, and cast his throne down to the ground.
45 The days of his youth have you shortened: you have covered him with shame. Selah.
46 How long, LORD? Will you hide yourself forever? Shall your wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember how short my time is: wherefore have you made all men in vain?
48 What man is he that lives, and shall not see death? Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.
49 Lord, where are your former loving kindnesses, which you swore unto David in your truth?
50 Remember, Lord, the reproach of your servants; how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people;
51 Wherewith your enemies have reproached, O LORD; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of your anointed.
52 Blessed be the LORD for evermore. Amen, and Amen.
And remember the beauty God will bring to the Earth when he comes in his faithfulness written in Isaiah 11:
1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
13 The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.
14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.
15 And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dry shod.
16 And there shall be a highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.
Jesus is the King of Faithfulness. His word is true and we all can rely on it coming to pass in his timing. His will is faithful and he WILL do it!
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:
08 MEEKNESS
Zephaniah 23 Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be you shall be hid in the day of the LORD's anger.
Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you are called in one body; and be thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Here the apostle Paul seems to be teaching me how to be meek. Meek is not weak; it is remaining free from ego. It is esteeming others as better than me.
Here is what Paul urged the Romans to hold as their attitude of choice:
Romans 12:1 ‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.
4 For as we have many members in one body and all members have not the same office:
5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one is a member, one of another.’
Meekness is a gift of God through his Holy Spirit, enabling us to not get puffed up in our own importance. God is the important One. I must strive to be like him and love what he loves. I want to be his child, with he and me on the same page. I want to want the same as he; not out of fear or mere obedience, but out of mutual interest, purpose and choice.
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:
09 SELF-CONTROL
Perhaps the best chapter teaching ‘self-control’ in the entire Bible is Galatians 5. All through this chapter Paul clarifies what self-control or ‘temperance’ is and how to exercise it. As you read this chapter, I suggest you watch for the cues and clues which make it clear:
Galatians 5:1- Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; you are fallen from grace.
5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision avails anything, nor un-circumcision; but faith which works by love.
7 You ran well; who hindered you that you should not obey the truth?
8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calls you.
9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump.
10 I have confidence in you through the Lord, that you will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubles you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he is.
11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? Then is the offence of the cross ceased.
12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you.
13 For, brethren, you have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love, serve one another.
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
15 But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you are not consumed one of another.
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that you would.
18 But if you be led of the Spirit, you are not under the (penalty of the) law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, reveling, and such like: of which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
These bold highlighted words clarify self-control. It is how we as Christ followers are to live our lives.
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:
10 FORGIVENESS
The word ‘forgiveness’ only appears in the King James Bible seven times:
Psalm 130:4, Daniel 9:9, Mark 3:29, Acts 5:31, 13:38, 26:18, Ephesians 1:7 and Colossians 1:14.
Of these, Daniel speaks to God about his own sins and then the sins of his fellow Jews and countrymen while in Babylonian exile under King Darius, the Mede. He attributed to God righteousness, faithfulness in keeping his word, forgiveness and mercy:
Daniel 9:1-In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;
2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;
5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from your precepts and from your judgments:
6 Neither have we hearkened unto your servants the prophets, which spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
7 O Lord, righteousness belongs unto you, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither you has driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against you.
8 O Lord, to us belongs confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you.
9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him;
10 neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
11 Yes, all Israel has transgressed your law, even by departing, that they might not obey your voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the Law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.
12 And he has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven has not been done as has been done upon Jerusalem.
13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand your truth.
14 Therefore has the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.
15 And now, O Lord our God, that has brought your people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and has gotten for yourself renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
16 O Lord, according to all your righteousness, I beseech you, let your anger and your fury be turned away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people are become a reproach to all that are about us.
17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of your servant, and his supplications, and cause your face to shine upon your sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.
18 O my God, incline your ear, and hear; open your eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by your name: for we do not present our supplications before you for our righteousness, but for your great mercies.
19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for your own sake, O my God: for your city and your people are called by your name.
Forgiveness is different than grace in that grace is given, though they do not ask for it. (It is unmerited pardon, meaning it like a king overlooking an offense.) But when we turn toward God and seek him with a whole heart, he relents and releases us.
Notice that Daniel was pleading with God to grant repentance and forgive. This is what they needed to do, as do we. Then we can be forgiven through God’s great mercies. That is what America needs now. May God grant us that repentance!
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:
11 MERCY
It has been noted that only the guilty need mercy. But we are ALL guilty until God has forgiven us, so we are ALL in need of his mercy. It is the one who humbles himself and asks for forgiveness and mercy that gets it. The arrogant in their rebellion and resistance toward God do not get mercy.
They get his grace until they repent and change their ways, but if they never do, they may face the judgment and wrath of Almighty God. He holds the power of life and death for each of us, for he owns the Earth and everything on it including you and me. He retains all the rights. Yet his mercy is vast; he puts up with a lot.
Notice David’s need and his expectation for mercy from God in Psalm 59:1 ‘Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men. 3 For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O LORD.
4 They run and prepare themselves without my fault: awake to help me, and behold.
5 You therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah. (Selah means ‘stop and think’)
6 They return at evening: they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.
7 Behold, they belch out with their mouth: swords are in their lips: for who, say they, doth hear?
8 But you, O LORD, shall laugh at them; you shall have all the heathen in derision.
9 Because of his strength will I wait upon you: for God is my defense.
10 The God of my mercy shall prevent me: God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies.
11 Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by your power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield.
12 For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak.
13 Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God rules in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah.
14 And at evening let them return; and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.
15 Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied.
16 But I will sing of your power; yes, I will sing aloud of your mercy in the morning: for you have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.
17 Unto you, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defense, and the God of my mercy.’
Study these highlighted words or phrases and you will better understand mercy. It is defending someone; it is being the ‘go to guy’ in times of difficulty; it is taking appropriate control of a situation and making your decisions stick for the well being of someone else.
It is restricting danger, damage or loss for someone; it is shielding them from harm or even pain. It is staying alert to the needs of others and it is coming to their rescue.
This is exactly what God loves to do and wants to do for you and all mankind. It is exactly what he will bring with him when he comes, after he destroys all his enemies. Even in destroying them, God is merciful. He does it quickly and decisively, putting them out of their misery for the benefit of the rest of humanity that does not go astray.
Thank God he is a God of Mercy!
May I recommend that you study these attributes (following) for your own understanding of God and his character. I like to use www.christnotes.org or www.biblegateway.com for excellent resources in you pursuit of him. Use these as keywords for your search. Or just ‘Google it’.
HERE ARE A FEW MORE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD (FOR FURTHER STUDY):
12 PURITY (as in being pure)
13 UNDERSTANDING
14 WISDOM
15 CAREFULNESS
16 KINDNESS (GOODNESS GOING OUT)
17 ENTHUSIASM
18 CONFIDENCE
19 SOUNDNESS OF MIND
20 CALMNESS
21 COURAGE
22 PRAYERFULNESS
23 PASSION
24 POWER
25 PERSERVERENCE
26 PRAISEWORTHINESS
27 PROPHECY and its understanding
28 PRUDENCE
29 COUNSEL
30 MIGHT
31 DRIVE
32 AMBITION (Godly)
33 KNOWLEDGE
34 JUDGMENT
35 FAITH
36 GENEROSITY
37 TRUTH
38 PERFECT (DIVINE) NATURE
39 HONESTY
40 GRACE
41 HARMONY
42 BEAUTY
43 CAREFULNESS
44 BLESSING
45 MERRY
46 CHEERFULNESS
47 COURTEOUSNESS
48 GLADNESS
49 HONOR
50 STRENGTH
51 REVERENCE
52 EDIQUETTE
53 RESPECT
54 TEACHING
55 SHARING
56 INTELLIGENT
57 LOYALTY
58 PURPOSE
59 HEALING
60 MIRACLES
61 DISCERNMENT
62 LOVING COMMUNICATION
63 RESPONSIVENESS
64 ENLIGHTENMENT
65 THOUGHTFULLNESS
66 FATHERSHIP
67 ORDERLINESS
68 ABILITY
69 APTITUDE
70 ENERGY
71 ADVOCACY
72 VALUE
73 THRIFT
74 SENSIBLENESS
75 TEMPERANCE
76 HOSPITABLE
77 STEADY
78 STABLE
79 CARING
80 GIVING
CHAPTER 8: THE BLESSED RENEWED EARTH AND 1000 YEAR INTRODUCTORY REIGN OF THE PRINCE OF PEACE
After the smoke clears, God and his saints will restore the whole earth, though we humans royally mess up our only home. This is logical because why would Jesus upon his return tolerate the conditions of wreckage and chaos that he will most certainly find?
Let’s find out what the Bible can tell us about this. Here’s a good place to start:
Isaiah 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
13 The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.
14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.
15 And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dry shod.
16 And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.
Then 35:1 The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
2 It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God.
3 Strengthen you the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
7 And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
8 And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
9 No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up there on, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:
10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Ironic, isn’t it, that we stubborn humans must be forced to be happy? But that is the way we are. People will have to abandon their prejudices, religions, superstitions, apathy and antagonism towards God. They will learn to love God and serve him as if they did. They will have to learn new truths they have never entertained before.
God will permanently remove Satan and his evil spirit of rage, violence, deceit, hatred and murder.
Satan will die the death and stay dead for all time to come. Look what it says in Ezekiel 28:11-19: ‘11 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
12 ‘Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus says the Lord GOD; You seal up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
13 You have been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of your tabrets and of your pipes was prepared in you in the day that you were created.
14 You are the anointed cherub that covers; and I have set you so: you were upon the holy mountain of God; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15 You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, till iniquity was found in you.
16 By the multitude of your merchandise they have filled the midst of you with violence, and you have sinned: therefore I will cast you as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17 Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty, you have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness: I will cast you to the ground, I will lay you before kings, that they may behold you.
18 You have defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of you, it shall devour you, and I will bring you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold you.
19 All they that know you among the people shall be astonished at you: you shall be a terror, and never shall you be any more.’
It’s clear to me that this passage can be speaking of none other than Satan and cannot be referring to a human being. No human was a former ‘covering cherub’. No human was walking around in heaven’s ‘stones of fire’. No human has ever been found ‘perfect in all your ways’. No human has been ‘cast out of the mountain of God’ for no man has ever seen it or been there.
Satan corrupted himself and took about one third of the angels with him. Jesus told us ‘I saw Satan fall as lightning from heaven.’ (Luke 10:18 and Revelation 12:9)
God’s Holy Spirit will saturate the whole earth. Satan, our Adversary, will be permanently dead and gone. No more war, anger, hostility, greed, crime, rape, murder or lying, for by this time all of that will be history.
Imagine then, a different spirit in both men and beasts that will not hurt nor destroy anywhere on the Earth. Even lions will be tame and eat straw like the ox. That will take some getting used to. But this wild, renegade and hostile spirit will leave man and beast. It is a Spirit of love, joy and peace. What a needed and welcome change that will be and that is his promise.
Notice: Acts 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
19 And I will show wonders in heaven above...
Can you imagine a world where everyone has and uses God’s Holy Spirit in everything they do in life? WOW! Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness... all these are attributes of God himself and they can and will reside in human beings. What a great day that will be!
CHAPTER 9: ‘HEAVEN’ IS ABOUT FILLING THE UNIVERSE WITH LIFE!
Here’s more of the way the Bible talks about your future and that of the universe under the reign of Jesus:
Psalm 72:1 Give the king your judgments, O God, and your righteousness unto the king's son.
2 He shall judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with judgment.
3 The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.
4 He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.
5 They shall fear you as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.
6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.
7 In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endures.
8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.
9 They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
11 Yes, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.
12 For he shall deliver the needy when he cries; the poor also, and him that has no helper.
13 He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls (lives) of the needy.
14 He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.
15 And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.
16 There shall be a handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
17 His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.
18 Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only does wondrous things.
19 And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory;
Let’s see what we can learn about Jesus Christ’s reign from
Isaiah 66:5-24: ‘Hear the word of the LORD, you that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified’: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.
6 A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that renders recompense to his enemies.
7 Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.
8 Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
9 Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? The LORD says: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? Your God says.
10 Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all you that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all you that mourn for her:
11 That you may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that you may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.
12 For thus says the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall you suck, you shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees.
13 As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you; and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
14 And when you see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies.
15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, says the LORD.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
19 And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.
20 And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD.
21 And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, says the LORD.
22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, says the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.
23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, says the LORD.
24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
(Note: Their ‘worm’ and their ‘fire’ is referred to in other places as their ‘reputation’ especially Jeremiah 23:40. It is not that they themselves will be alive to see it. They will be dead and gone, never to be seen or heard from again. But their foul reputation shall be abhorred for all time to come.
See Daniel 12:2, Revelation 2:11, 20:6 & 10, 21:8 with Jeremiah 23:33 through 40: ‘And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask you, saying, ‘What is the burden of the LORD?’ You shall then say unto them, ‘What burden?’ I will even forsake you, says the LORD.
34 And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people that shall say, ‘The burden of the LORD’, I will even punish that man and his house.
35 Thus shall you say everyone to his neighbor, and every one to his brother, ‘What has the LORD answered?’ And, ‘What has the LORD spoken?’
36 And the burden of the LORD shall you mention no more: for every man's word shall be his burden; for you have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God.
37 Thus shall you say to the prophet, ‘What has the LORD answered you? And, ‘What has the LORD spoken?’
38 But since you say, ‘The burden of the LORD’; therefore thus says the LORD; Because you say this word, ‘The burden of the LORD’, and I have sent unto you, saying, ‘You shall not say, ‘The burden of the LORD’;
39 Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence:
40 And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.
The reputation of the unrepentant and wicked will follow them long after they are gone. This means all who hold God in contempt. They must repent or die. Why would God reward their rebellion with eternal life?
Therefore, God will put an end to war. He will no longer tolerate wickedness which always leads to war. Today we do not know peace. We do not know what peace would feel like. We do not know the way to peace. Today every one of us is worried about some real or imagined potential for war, starvation, sickness, accident, terrorist attack or crime.
There is no day when we can avoid seeing or hearing some rumor of these proverbial atrocities or their likelihood of befalling our own neighborhoods. We as a people have lost our way. We don’t know the way to peace, either on an individual basis or collective. No nation or leader knows the way either. It’s just not in us.
But the way can be known. It is two parties who love one another as Jesus the Christ loved us: sacrificially.
This brings up a good point God led me to see just recently:
If we are wise in pursuing a spouse, we must find out about compatibility, before we marry lest we be unequally yoked. It would be like trying to plow a field with a horse and a cow yoked together. It just doesn’t work. The same goes for marriage and for faith.
Marital compatibility should be evaluated prior to the marriage. If you are contemplating marriage consider these areas: 1. Spiritually or Biblically are you both on the same page or level? 2. Check your communication skills: are you both pledging to always and forever be transparent and willing to talk it out? 3. How about the household? Who will do what? How will you raised your children? 4. Do you both engage in similar entertainment choices? 5. Money issues kill more marriages than anything: are you really both on the same page there? And 6. Eating habits: what about your diets?
Get compatible, sign and date a covenant document before witnesses and mount it under glass where you both can refer back to it forever. Do not be unequally yoked.
Another example would be if I love the out-of-doors, biking, hiking, gardening, exploring and sight-seeing and the woman I’m considering hates all that but rather loves TV, needle-craft and knitting, while I despise them, there is going to be conflict.
Or if I am a health food nut and she is a junk food junkie there would be constant friction. If she loves the things I hate or vice versa, it is time to say ‘good-bye’. It just would never work out. So it is with faith. Muslims, Jews, Christians and all religions are not compatible. In order for Jesus Christ to reign in peace and in order for people to be all they were meant to be, religion must go.
When Jesus returns, all faiths will be eliminated other than faith in him. The true faith of Jesus is not to be found in any denomination, but rather in the individual who trusts Jesus. Starting at his return, all will come to know him from the least to the greatest.
We can apply this to the new-fangled idea of universal salvation. This is the idea that all people everywhere will be ‘saved’ and ‘go to heaven’, otherwise God would not get what he wants, for he wants ‘all men everywhere to be saved’.
Proponents should re-read the so-called Old Testament. This is the ONLY Bible Jesus and his disciples had at the time they lived. The wicked perish. The rebellious cease to live. It is as though they had never been.
So then, is God inadequate to save them? Does God not ‘get what he wants’? My answer is that he is adequate to save them IF they turn to God and follow him. He gets what he wants because he wants to give all men the freedom to choose. They can either choose life or death, but the choice is theirs.
What I want to show you now are some remarkable scriptures which lead me to believe with all my heart that the Great Architect of the Universe, the Grand Developer is building billions of Earth-like worlds and intends on filling them with life including multiple billions of his sons and daughters like you and me!
God is a Real Estate Developer Extraordinaire to be sure. It’s his Big Idea and there could never be one bigger. The universe is so incredibly huge, if we could travel at the (slow) speed of light, it would require more than 500,000 light years to (possibly) reach the outer bands. We do not really know.
Why? Because it is impossible for us to probe that far. The scientific ‘measurements’ that lead scientists to these conclusions are not really scientific at all, but merely speculation. Once you see this, you will laugh at the ideas we’ve all heard in church services all our lives about Heaven.
We’re all familiar with cartoons, pictures in the media and paintings done by sincere but grossly mis-informed artists who depict Heaven and a cool place of retirement in the clouds with zero responsibilities. Here the ‘saved’ get to ‘roll around Heaven all day’.
It’s a ridiculous playpen in the sky where everyone is dressed in white flowing robes. They all don wings on their backs and a halo encircles their heads. Harp music is heard everywhere. Jesus is there to hug the new recruits and Saint Peter is standing by to welcome the newbie.
But this is so lame and Earth-bound it is pathetic. Think about it like this: Is that the best idea the Great God who built the entire universe can come up with? Is that what would make eternity worth living?
Would that be enjoyable for God and you for all time to come? Or would it be so excruciatingly boring, you’d be ready to go home after the first hour or so? Why would God want this? Why would such a Great Creator limit his prowess to a scenario so weak and futile? And why would his children call that ‘endless delight?
Perhaps you have pondered such questions yourself. If not, may I suggest that it is high time you did? We all have a grand future to look forward to thanks to the Grand Developer, our Father, Life-giver and Savior King. Why not participate?
Speaking in Athens, Greece at Mars Hill, the apostle Paul said this:
Acts 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwells not in temples made with hands;
25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he gives to all life, and breath, and all things;
26 And has made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he is not far from every one of us:
28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by are and man's device. 30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now he commands all men everywhere to repent:
31 Because he has appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained; whereof he has given assurance unto all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.
Now look with me at some remarkable passages from the book of Isaiah:
Isaiah 40:18-26, and particularly verse 22:
18 To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare unto him?
19 The workman melts a graven image, and the goldsmith spreads it over with gold, and casts silver chains.
20 He that is so impoverished that he has no oblation chooses a tree that will not rot; he seeks unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, which shall not be moved.
21 Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he that sits upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretches out the heavens as a curtain, and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in:
23 That brings the princes to nothing; he makes the judges of the earth as vanity.
24 Yes, they shall not be planted; yes, they shall not be sown: yes, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.
25 To whom then will you liken me, or shall I be equal, says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who has created these things, that brings out their host by number: he calls them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one fails.
God is Sovereign. He stretched out the heavens like a curtain and as a tent to DWELL in. Wait a minute. Did you grasp that? The heavens are built to dwell in? That’s what it said. He designed the universe and our lives for permanent living in his Kingdom, which will be universe-wide. He stretched the heavens and all their heavenly bodies out like a tent to dwell in; in other words, to BE INHABITED!
He can and will do what he wants with what is his. He made, sustains and owns the entire universe and all that it contains. He can do what he wants with what he owns, which is everything, including you and me.
It seems to me what he wants to do with us is to give us freedom to explore, enjoy, invest in and help bring to life the entire universe. But he will not force it on anyone. It is the freedom to choose to love God and pursue him wholeheartedly or to remain in denial and disregard. He gives us the right to choose.
He also gives us many other freedoms, like free will, the right and ability to think, speak, remember, the choice to love others or not and more. It boils down to what I am going to do with all the freedoms he grants so generously.
My choice is to love him and serve him like a good son should serve his Father who loves him without limit. How can I but serve, honor, obey and love him? He is my Creator, Sustainer and Father. I love him and want to serve him because that is what I want to do for all time to come. That is forever.
Look at all he is and has done for me and indeed all mankind. Like providing life, providing everything we need like air, food, water, clothing, shelter and something interesting to do with our lives, just to name a few of the basics. There are numerous others.
On top of it all, God provides a future and a hope. A pain free future without an end with great things to do throughout the universe sounds awesome to me. This is what our Great Father wants to share with his children, based on his own words.
Notice Isaiah 45:5-19, (but especially verse 18):
5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded you, though you hast not known me:
6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
8 Drop down, you heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it.
9 Woe unto him that strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioned it, ‘What are you making? Or your work, He has no hands (abilities)?
10 Woe unto him that says unto his father, ‘What are you fathering? or to the woman, What have you brought forth?’
11 Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, ‘Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.
12 I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.
13 I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, says the LORD of hosts.
14 Thus says the LORD, ‘The labor of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto you, and they shall be yours: they shall come after you; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto you, they shall make supplication unto you, saying, ‘Surely God is in you; and there is none else, there is no (other?) God.
15 Verily you are a God that hides yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior.
16 They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them: they shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols.
17 But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.
18 For thus says the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he has established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
19 I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.
He created the universe to be inhabited. We can trust God implicitly to tell the truth and not to lie to us. Here, God tells us plainly that he IS the Creator of the entire universe. He says HE is the One who established it all. And that he created it all not in vain for no good reason, but rather he formed it all to be inhabited. Notice he did not say that he formed the Earth only, but also the heavens.
Nothing God does or made is useless. He has a design and purpose for all he does. We can and should depend on him for everything; after all, he is our Provider and without him, we are all dead meat! But through him and because of him we can live forever, doing all the great things he wants done by us throughout the future and throughout his universe! WOW! Now that is the greatest project, the greatest joy and the greatest hope we could possibly have. Take some time to let this sink in and realize your awesome potential because of him!
Couple Isaiah 45:18 with Isaiah 51:11-16:
11 Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
12 I, even I, am he that comforts you: who are you, that you should be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;
13 And forgets the LORD your Maker, that has stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and has feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? And where is the fury of the oppressor?
14 The captive exile hastens that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.
15 But I am the LORD your God that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is his name.
16 And I have put my words in your mouth, and I have covered you in the shadow of my hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, You are my people.
To me, the ‘shadow of my hand’ can be none other than Jesus Christ. He is the only One who can cover my sins. And why did he do this? So that he might ‘plant the heavens’ through us, his children.
The Hebrew word rendered as ‘plant’ here means ‘establish’ ‘settle’ or ‘colonize’. It is to bring more and better life to an area. That is exactly what I believe is the purpose God has for me and all mankind in his universe!
We are the privileged sons and daughters of the Great God of the Universe! Through the resurrection, we will be given permanent bodies so we can do great things with God throughout the limitless universe.
We don’t ‘go to heaven’ when we die. We go to the grave unconscious to await our renewal in the resurrection. There is no such thing as an ‘immortal soul’ that lives inside you and carries on consciously after death.
That is what Paul preached. That is what Jesus himself preached. His message was always ‘the resurrection’. Nowhere did Jesus ever say we ‘go to heaven’ when we die. In fact, as a reminder he himself said in John 3:13 that ‘…no man has ascended into heaven…’ That is except Jesus himself.
Notice what the apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:
12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; you are yet in your sins.
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he has put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
27 For he has put all things under his feet. But when he says all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him that God may be all in all.
29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?
30 And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?
31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
32 If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is there to me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die.
33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
36 You fool, that which you sow is not quickened, except it die:
37 And that which you sow, you sow not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
38 But God gives it a body as it has pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differs from another star in glory.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
In this meaty passage, we can learn many things, but mainly it is all about our resurrection from the dead. The resurrection is KEY. These mortal bodies we live in must be made immortal if we are to live for all time to come. Those new bodies can never be sick, get hurt or die. Some who are alive today may be among those who are instantaneously changed in the twinkling of an eye into their permanent bodies.
We were all born to experience a glorious resurrection. Some will face judgment then. But is it reasonable that one who dies in his sins, when God raises him up to be judged that God would refuse his repentance? Could God confront him with his sins, only to say to him ‘You should have thought about that while you were living. Now it’s too late. There’s nothing more to be said. Depart from me you cursed! Go to straight to Hell!’
I’m saying no, it is not reasonable. Pretend you are God for a moment. Judgment Day has come. Someone is standing before you who is guilty and worthy to die the death, according to your judgment. But she is your beloved daughter. You have nourished and cared for her throughout her entire life.
During her time on Earth, she got duped by her professors in college to believe in evolution. She rejected you as God. She walked away from the church. She threw her Bible in the trash can. She believed that when she died she would just get buried by someone and that would be the end of it.
But now she knows better. You as God have raised her from the dead and now she stands before you afraid. She expects to be punished. You confront her with her sins: Her betrayal; her abandonment; her rejection of you as God. She breaks down and starts to cry. Soon she is overwhelmed with sorrow. She begs you for forgiveness and shows heart-felt remorse. You can tell she is truly sorry.
Would you as God tell your daughter ‘Sorry, but you should have listened when I called you. You should have obeyed your parent and teachers. You are hereby condemned to Hell for all eternity!’
What kind of God would that be? Would he be a kind, loving God, full of compassion and mercy? NO. How much hatred would he have to have to do such a thing? Why, he would be consumed with anger, hatred and murder. But instead of just killing his own daughter, he would TORTURE her. And not just for her 70 year life span, a day for a day. Oh, no. He must punish her forever and ever. For all time to come, he must endure her screams, shrieks, moans and groans because she is now separated from you in the flames of hell.
This is not the God I know. This is not the God of the Bible. No, God would do everything in his power to reinstate his beloved daughter and welcome her back to the land of the living.
But what if she still refused to repent, you may ask. Then she would be physically punished to see if by that she would change her mind. More than likely she would. But to those few God deems as unredeemable, they will die the second death and stay dead for all time to come. He will not torture them forever.
You want Bible proof on this? OK. Jeremiah 51:39 and 57:
Starting in verse 36 ‘Therefore thus says the LORD; “Behold, I will plead your cause, and take vengeance for you (Israel?); and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry (Babylon?).
37 And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling place for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant.
38 They shall roar together like lions: they shall yell as lions' whelps. 39 In their heat I will make their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, says the LORD. 40 I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with male goats.” ’
This is the second and permanent death mentioned in Revelation 20 and 21.
Then in verse 57: ‘55 Because the LORD hath spoiled Babylon, and destroyed out of her the great voice; when her waves do roar like great waters, a noise of their voice is uttered:
56 Because the spoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, every one of their bows is broken: for the LORD God of recompenses shall surely requite.
57 And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, says the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.
58 Thus says the LORD of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall labor in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they shall be weary.
God means what he says. He gives us all freedom to choose. He gets what he wants, because he wants us to have that freedom, even if we choose poorly and the consequences are permanent. That is the truth of the Bible, like it or not.
True Christians are being judged now. The point is that we humans are designed to live permanently in God’s family. We are his offspring and were created in his image.
We have a purpose and a matchless and brilliant destiny to fulfill. It is to become his born child. It is to acquire his divine nature. It is to be clothed in his righteousness. It is to become like our Great Father. That is why he is rearing us and preparing us for his Kingdom.
Notice 1 Peter 4: 12 ‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
13 But rejoice, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy.
14 If you be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are you; for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.
16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
God IS a Faithful Creator who cannot lie.
He has promised eternal life to those who fully put their trust in him. He will not let us down. He will achieve what he set out to do: build a universe, fill it with life, put his family together and share with them the permanent life he himself leads. He is coming here to live with his people, and what a grand day that will be!
The universe was planned, designed and built by God to be inhabited. You and I were designed and built to be a part of that Grand Scheme. How can we but love and serve our Great and Awesome Father? Yet, few people today even want to get to know him.
Instead, good Christians have been dumbed-down to believing in the shameful and shallow myths we find in churches today. Some of them are: the concept of the ‘immortal soul’, the idea that good people ‘go to heaven’ and bad people ‘go to hell’, the ‘secret rapture’ of Christians away from their responsibilities, the ‘kingdom inside’ you fallacy and many other such practices and teachings that are extra-biblical.
No wonder there are atheists; there are Christians like these! Many are those who know little else about Jesus and the Christian faith, other than the fact that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. They say ‘That’s all I need to know.’
My response to that is they use this as an excuse to shirk their responsibilities. Now that they have signed their name, they are done. Their course is set for ‘heaven’ and they are then free to live however they choose. With an attitude like that, they are done. They are done growing, done learning and done serving. They have their reward.
But the reality is that we are to ‘grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord, who is King of the entire universe. We are built to do of his will and good pleasure. We are made to enjoy this Grand Adventure with God.
Joy seems rather understated in our day. Little importance is placed on joy as a reason for doing what we do. I’m not talking about pleasure, but the deep inner awareness of the goodness of God and what he is doing for me and through me to enhance the spiritual lives of others.
It is a joy, for example, to write this book for you and many more like you who seek truth. I care about you because you seek the same things I do, like truth, the awesome potential reality God is bringing us to and simply loving our Father God for caring so deeply about us.
I want to please him in everything I do and think. I want him to be pleased with my heart’s desire, for it is to serve and obey him for all time to come. I love what he is doing in the universe. I want to be a part of the Great Project he is doing.
In the last chapter, I’d like to encourage you to get involved in this. But not just with me. There are many resources available to help you. I’ve included a list of some of my favorites. I use them to research material for my books which you may read for free on my website: www.itellwhy.com.
You can also download a .pdf copy so you can print out a printed copy and distribute them to your friends. Feel free to do this with my blessing as often as you like. It’s about telling the truth and getting the message to the people in as many ways as possible.
Please consider the many options you can utilize to get involved.
CHAPTER 10: WHAT YOU CAN DO TO ADVANCE THE CAUSE OF CHRIST TODAY…
1. Start a Podcast
A Podcast carries your voice to potentially millions of people hungry for what you have to say. It is easy to record your voice on a Voice Recorder such as the one I use which is a Roland R-05. You can record directly into MP3 or WAV formats. It uses ordinary AA batteries and records onto the standard SD cards.
You can plug the card into your computer to edit or convert into MP3 (needed for Podcasting). You can also plug in with the included USB cord. The sound quality is all-Pro. It is a great piece of gear. The cost as of today is below $200 US.
The next step is to record. Use the Bible and talk about it. Ask questions and answer them. Tell how you did your research. Do an interview format show, if you wish. Have callers record their questions, prayer requests or praise reports as a part of your ‘show’. Listen to other Podcasts to get ideas. Ask God to guide you and it will be great. It is such fun and a real joy to do it. It has never been easier to reach millions of people!
After recording I recommend uploading your MP3 audio files to Libsyn.com. They will help you get up and running. You can go to YouTube and watch their ‘School of Podcasting.com’ Quick Cast. Here you can learn all about it. Jump in and get your feet wet.
They have great stats to monitor your growth. Each country is listed, times, months, days, you name it. Check out their Website. Get excited by this ‘new’ media.
As Cliff Ravenscraft (Podcast Answer Man) says: YouTube has 92,000,000,000 Videos out there, compared to only about 250,000 Podcasts. You hay stack is much smaller. This means your chances of getting found are much greater. And they do not have to watch a TV or Computer screen because it is Audio. They can take it on a walk, listen on their commute to work or at the gym, etc. It’s a Mobile World now.
You will start out at zero but in only a few years you could have millions of listeners! For example Brian Hardin’s ‘DailyAudioBible’. After about 6 years he now has over 56,000,000 listeners.
Libsyn will even build an iPod APP for you using your artwork. When someone buys your APP from iTunes, you get ½ the money from Libsyn’s Revenue Share Program. This could eventually amount to a fortune. This adds to your joy and fun.
Podcasting is fun to do and it can help many people know and love God more. It builds faith. But you need to learn how. Basically, you Record, Edit, Upload, Syndicate and Tell people about your show. Getting started in any new endeavor is always the hardest part. But once you’re set up, it gets much easier.
Your audience will grow over time and you can cross pollinate your platforms. For example, you mention your Website, YouTube Videos, Books, DVD’s, CD’s, etc on your Podcast. You Website connects them with a link to your Podcast. Your Website links them to your YouTube Videos. On your YouTube Videos, you mentions your Podcast and Website. Then mention everything on Face Book or Twitter.
2 Build a Website
Building a Website is easy and fun at my favorite Website Builder WebStarts.com. You can drag and drop in your Photos, Videos, Audio files, Text (Word.doc files) etc. WebStarts is fun to use, fast and intuitive. It runs rings around all the others I’ve tried and you can even build a Website for free. Their Toll Free number is 1-800-805-0920.
I have built several sites using them and they have a great and kind support staff to assist you, in the unlikely event you need it. They have over one hundred starter themes or templates for you to use and customize any way you like.
All my books, audios and videos I post through them. And I would rate them five stars. If you buy one of their paid programs you get more features. Their Features list is lengthy, high quality, gorgeous and extremely useful and valuable. Many of them have Video Tutorials to help you get started.
There is also the Shopping Cart feature you can sign up for and it is incomparable, easy and quick to get you up and running in short order. The helpful videos are included right on the Features Pages. There are many of them to help you and teach you how to build a beautiful and fully functional website.
If you become a paid ‘pro’ account, you can call them Toll-free to get help from their friendly staff. They have always been good to me, even when I asked what must have seemed to them ‘stupid’ questions. The only truly ‘stupid’ question is the one not asked!
I love WebStarts and hopefully, will continue to use them in the coming years. It is by far faster than any other way I have seen or tried. I recommend them to everyone I can. Use them and see if you agree.
3 Make and Upload YouTube Videos REGULARLY
A good way to be prolific at this is to get Sony Vegas or Movie Studio software for your computer and a Camcorder like my JVC Everio GZ-E300 Full HD. I love it because it gives a gorgeous sharp image and it takes rapid-fire stills that are incredible.
You can buy one for just under $200 from B & H Photo (800) 894-9703 (good pricing and fast delivery). With almost no practice, anyone can make outstanding images and movies and easily edit them and upload them to YouTube with the included software.
Do keep in mind, however, that HD requires a lot more disc space. It takes longer to process HD. Standard definition is still good. You can still get your messages out to the people in Standard Def. Most YouTube Video is still in standard, though High Def is preferred and recommended by YouTube.
If you are using a standard definition camcorder, the brighter the lighting, the sharper the images. Outdoor light is best.
You can also save disc space and time by just recording the Intro in Video, followed by a slideshow and your voiceover for the narrative. That way, you can record the Intro in High Definition for about 30 seconds to one minute, then do the Slide Show using a series of stills.
For the voiceover part, all you have to do is get a microphone that will plug into your computer. The store you bought your computer from may have an inexpensive mike that should work just fine. Just drop your stills onto the Timeline of your Editing software, hit the Record button and talk. This makes the process simple, quick and effective.
YouTube is a great Social Media Platform. It is a powerful (World’s Number 2 Search Engine) tool you can explore and utilize regularly to communicate your message. It’s a great way to spread your message about our soon-coming Savior Jesus Christ.
YouTube has many hidden features most viewers do not know about. For example, most people think you can put a maximum of fifteen minute videos up there, but if you go into the upload section and sign up, you can upload longer videos.
They have great ‘stats’ and will even help you promote your work. It is a great tool and it is getting better all the time. They are trying to weed out the junk and anything pornographic, thank God. Thank God for YouTube!
4 Write Books and make them available on all your other outlets
Writing a book has never been this easy. That’s why so many are doing it. Why not you? You have it in you and you probably have a computer or laptop you can use for the purpose. You can do this. If I can, so can you. Just stay with it until you are done. Tell your story. Someone needs to hear it.
I use Microsoft Word ® for everything I write. If you are like me, your work will have lots of scripture verses quoted from the King James Version. You can cut and paste these into your Word document from many Internet sources. My favorite is ChristNotes.com.
On ChristNotes.com you can type in the search bar any word and it will find all the scriptures where the word is used. The same is true for phrases. You can read the verses individually or just click to read the whole chapter. The Advanced Search feature narrows the field even further and helps you quickly find whatever you are seeking.
You can use these look-ups in your writings. Just copy and paste any portion of the chapters or even whole chapters. It is so easy.
They also have the Bible in many different translations for you to use. But do keep in mind that permissions in writing may need to be obtained for other than educational or free use.
I challenge you to have one book written by this time next year. It takes me about a year to write one, set it aside for a week or two and then perfect it (edit). But it is not hard, it just takes time and patience.
5 Engage Social Media, like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter
Facebook and Twitter followers are looking for new things from you. They are hungry for information and they need to hear the truth from you. So, give it to them. When you produce new content, tell them. It is part of the cross-pollination process we all need to do to get our message out.
If you are reluctant do this, as I tend to be, just realize that every new endeavor seems more difficult than it really is in the beginning. It’s actually easier than I thought. What’s more is you will reach farther and influence more people by using these services than you could ever do without them. And let’s not forget they are free.
The advantage to you is one ‘friend’ will tell someone else, who will tell their friends and on it goes. Rome wasn’t built in a day; neither will your platform be. Take time to enjoy a little! Before a week goes by, you will be an expert. This may be your ONLY chance to influence thousands or maybe even millions of people for Christ.
There is nothing that can match him and his Grand Scheme. ‘Heaven’, as currently taught, can’t touch it. No human idea cannot come remotely close to matching it, no matter how grandiose it may seem. Because of his love, generosity and providence, we can share in the most thrilling adventure of all time!
May I invite you to tell everyone who will listen and understand this message? Let’s all be doers, not just hearers. Become part of his story. Spread the good news. Write about it. Do a Podcast. Make a Website. Read into a recorder and turn it in to an Audible ® Audio Book.
Feel free to copy this book and give copies away. You hereby have my written permission. Tell your friends on Facebook and Twitter. Build each other’s faith. Teach the truth. Stand for something. Be a grizzly Bear Christian instead of a Teddy Bear Christian. Make every minute count for the advancement of the cause of Christ. You will never be the same. Thank you and, God willing, I will see you ‘on the Rock’!
APPENDIX 1
SUGGESTED ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
ABibleConcordance.com
AnswersInGenesis.org
Angelfire.com
Bible.org/pastor
BibleGateway.com
BibleHelps.net
Biblia.com
Biblestudents.com/
BlueLetterBible.org
BibleStudyTools.com
Bibleworks.com
Bible-truths.com/
ChristNotes.org
Christianbook.com
Christianity.about.com
Christianparables.com
ChristianPodcasts.com
ChristianVideoBlog.org
CrossWalk.com
DailyAudioBible.com
DailyBibleGuide.com
Day4ministries.com
DODResources.com
E-sword.net
Eliyah.com/lexicon.html
Joanneellison.com/Bible Study
Ligonier.org
Logos.com
Ntslibrary.com
Ocfusa.org/
RaviZachariasInternationalMinistries.org
StrongsExhaustiveConcordance.com
Studylight.org
The Bible Scholar.com
Ucg.org
