Let’s just get to the point. Russia is currently setting up outside Ukraine. China has been threatening Taiwan. Iran is enhancing its nuclear capacity and openly expresses its unacceptance (to put it mildly) of Israel and the United States. The Middle East in general is continuously in some level of conflict.
If you haven’t done this yet, it’s time to make sure your ETERNAL future is in the place of your choosing, because you may not end up where you expect. You need to make a decision and take action now. So here are 12 questions to know where you may end up and find out what you need to do if you don’t get the answer you want:
Do you believe that JESUS is the ONLY way that you can be in eternity with God? (You can’t be “good enough” based on your own actions.) Yes or No?
Are you familiar with the 10 Commandments? Yes or No?
Do you admit that you break God’s commands? Yes or No?
Do you know the following is prohibited by God and those who continually do this (and don’t change these ways) will not enter God’s eternal kingdom? (sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, theft, lying, slander, “magic” such as seances, astrology, mediums, practice of witchcraft, spiritist, interpreting omens, casting spells, anger, getting drunk, sexual perversion, false teachers of religion, false prophets of religion, pride, a person who stirs up conflict in the community, a person who loves and practices any false teaching, hypocrites, taking advantage of other people, practicing homosexuality, slave traders, anyone who speaks against God’s Spirit (the Holy Spirit), being conceited, prioritizing money or wealth) Yes or No?
Have you rebelled against/sinned against God by doing anything in #3 or #4? Yes or No?
Have you asked God for forgiveness and subsequently made an effort to avoid all things listed in #3 or #4? Yes or No?
Have you told God that you want and intend to be obedient to Him by not breaking anything in #3 and #4, even though it is hard to do and you will mess up occasionally, but not regularly? Yes or No?
Do you ask God for forgiveness then change the behavior if, or when, you do anything listed in #3 or #4? Yes or No?
Have you publicly shown your commitment and surrendered to God and without hesitation state your belief in Jesus being the Son of God, the Messiah, who made it possible for you to be in eternity with God by being Baptized? Yes or No?
Have you asked Jesus for God’s spirit (the Holy Spirit) to help you live according to God’s will? Yes or No?
Do you know God personally? Do you have a personal relationship (ie. pray, read the bible, study the bible) with God? Yes or No?
Is the Spirit of God residing in you? Yes or No?
If you honestly answered “Yes” to ALL the questions above, you can know that you will have eternal life with God. If you answered “No” to any of the questions above, then you have work to do if you want eternal life with God.
Here are some (but not all) links to scripture validating the questions above:
Began Questioning. In 2020 this question came to my thoughts for the first time ever. I don’t remember thinking about this before or having any reason to think about this, but 2020 events stood out to me. In 2019 I read the bible for the first time (front to back) so I was familiar with the bible and knew this question was covered in several Old Testament Books (covering the time period of approximately 1900 BC until Jesus was born) and New Testament Books (the story of Jesus and his followers covering the time period up to approximately 95 AD). The entire Bible covers events for approximately 2,000 years in total time.
Researching. I read the relevant scripture in the Bible, found Bible studies on this and listened to several people who have dedicated their “ministry” to learning and understanding the prophecies from a biblical perspective, a few having done this for 40 plus years, not from someone of today’s “dreams or visions,” but what does the Bible say about it? Yes, some people, many people in fact, add their opinions, it’s hard not to do that in order to explain one’s understanding of what they read. So I’ve seen and heard various versions of opinions about the “signs” and whether the end is near and at the beginning 2020, some Christians were skeptical while other Christians were saying there is very little doubt that we are living in the end times.
Various Viewpoints. In 2013, the Washington Times published an article, survey stating that approximately 41% of people they surveyed thought we were living in the end times: 54% Protestants, 77% Evangelicals and 27% Catholics (but the percentage of Catholics grew for the “practicing” Catholics, it went up to 45%) who believed we were living in the end times. What I found interesting is that I did not find a more recent article (from a neutral source- non-religious) than 2013 about this topic. I’m surprised! The exact opposite is true for people of faith who are close to scripture (and I am referring to many faiths, not just Christians): The Jewish are preparing for the coming Messiah, the Muslims are preparing for the Mahdi and coming Messiah and the Christians are preparing for the return of Jesus.
Going to my Source for truth: the Bible. So what does the Bible tell us about the signs? I view the Bible as truth, so unless it’s written in the Bible, it’s an opinion to me. Based on the Bible, the “end times” have been approaching, at a slow rate though, since the days following Jesus’ death and resurrection, so that means we’ve been in this process for a long period. However, the signs appear to be increasing rapidly. When I first wondered in 2020 if the end was truly approaching, I was skeptical too, but equally concerned, enough to motivate me to look into it and I’ve seen nothing but affirmation since then. I tell people if nothing happens by 2023 and things go back to “normal” maybe I’ll change my mind that this is further away than I anticipate, but unless or until there is a significant change from the real events that are happening, I can’t prove otherwise and I believe we are rapidly getting closer to Jesus’ return. Unless there are significant changes in events, I believe this could happen in my lifetime, which is something I never thought I would say. I’ll list the signs and provide the links to scripture:
Many will claim to be the Messiah following Jesus (as well as False Prophets): a good way to know if it is the Messiah is if the return is witnessed out of the clouds, not any other way. So anyone who claims to be the Messiah, even if they perform miracles, they are fake unless they arrive out of the clouds and are witnessed by everyone. (That’s a pretty challenging feat, so it should be very easy to know if someone claims to be the Messiah, but Jesus warned that even believers may be deceived, because there will be one who arrives who will be charming and deceptive and convince many.) I’m sure if we searched, we’d find people who had mental issues that made this claim. Besides people claiming to be “the Messiah” there are also “false prophets” which is another reason people need to know what is written in the Bible, look at how many people were destroyed because they believed a person who distorted the truth from the bible in a convincing way such as in Waco Texas 1993, and Charles Manson was another one. These evil cult leaders distorted biblical truths and convinced others.
Wars and Rumors of Wars. (This will continue until Jesus returns, the bible tells us we will not have global peace until Jesus rules, after his return. So all of this working hard to reach global peace is futile, we understand this if we look in the bible for truth.)’
Famines. (This has also been continuous throughout history and documented in the Bible, so this alone doesn’t necessarily mean the end is near.)
Earthquakes. Again they have been occurring throughout history, but something interesting that I discovered is that they have been increasing in numbers of earthquakes over the years. I read an article that stated they were not reporting on this because too many people were getting concerned about this trend.
Christian persecution. Unfortunately this appears to be rapidly increasing too. It certainly happened to Jesus’ disciples, many of them were killed due to their beliefs. I was unaware this was continuing today until I started paying attention: China (and another article), Turkey, Russia, Iran, Afganistan and North Korea, and not only that, but in the US we are seeing a rise in anti-christian values and laws being promoted.
The Gospel will be preached to the whole world. With the ability of the Internet, the Gospel has the ability to circulate to most of the world. Many Christians feel this is their obligation: to share the Gospel (the story of Jesus and the ability for those who want to be “saved” to be saved). Jesus did tell his followers to go and share the “good news” which they did and it continues today through Christians. There is also a verse in Revelation 14:6 that tells us that in the very end, there will be an angel proclaimed to every nation, tribe, language and people, just before judgement. But if you read Revelation, the circumstances at this time are not ones most of us would want to experience. Becoming saved at the end is possible, but not likely due to the impact of evil that will surge. But God does give EVERYONE one last chance.
The AntiChrist is revealed. This was first told in the book of Daniel foretold by God’s messenger, the angel Gabriel and Jesus affirms this will happen in the book of Matthew. The Anti-Christ is revealed when he tells the world he is God from the temple (as written in the book of Daniel and by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:4. The third temple is not built yet, but the Jewish community has plans ready, interior furnishings ready and are waiting for the permission to build it.
The Great Tribulation. There will be tough times, greater than have ever been on earth before, but God cuts the time short for this so that all people do not perish (I think the bible means perish eternally, not in a physical sense) The longer this horrible time continues, the more than likely the more people will turn away from God when they are being tested. This repeatedly occurs in the bible: when people are tested they either seek God more or turn away from him. There are many stories in the bible of this. Jesus warned us, when this happens, if we are present, we need to persevere with the knowledge he gave us about this, don’t loose faith.
These are the signs, as told by Jesus that we can look for to know if the End is near. As you can see there are several events that must occur before the end happens. The book of Revelation, as well as other prophets share several events that support this too and I may write about them in a future post, but trust me, or better yet, discover for yourself: none of this should come as a surprise; we were warned in scripture, in advance:
32Now learn this lessone from the fig tree: As soon as its branches become tender and sprout leaves, you know that summer is near. 33So also, when you see all these things, you will know that He is near,f right at the door. 34Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened. 35Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.
Jesus also told his companions, the disciples, that the end would happen as a surprise to many (those who are not familiar with scripture), there will be some still living the carefree life (but this doesn’t mean they won’t be affected; it will be devastating for them; they will perish). Matthew 24: 36- 51
Jesus also warned his companions that people need to prepare, this shouldn’t be dismissed, we have a window of opportunity to get ourselves prepared (acknowledge our ways that need to be changed to live a life God “approves”, make a commitment to change, ask Jesus for help changing and let God know that you’ve made that decision, stick with that decision- don’t fall away), but if we don’t, we face destruction. That window of opportunity is which ever comes first: our physical death or when Jesus returns. Matthew 25: 1-13
Jesus wants his followers, the believers to share the Way with other people, not to hoard what they know or keep it a secret, it needs to be shared so others benefit from this amazing gift, treasure: eternity that Jesus told people about. Matthew 25:14-28
Judgement will happen following Jesus’ return. Matthew 25:31-46.
All of this above is the signs leading up to and the events that were told by Jesus. We are in the End Times, and we should remain watchful for the future signs, but most importantly we should be prepared and help others to prepare.
Christians have very different view points on this subject: some never heard of it, some don’t believe it, some think the “rapture” will happen before “the tribulation” occurs, some think it will happen in the middle of “the tribulation” and some think it will happen at the end of “the tribulation”- before God’s wrath occurs. In my opinion, the timing doesn’t matter, but a person’s knowledge about this event and preparation does matter. As we know, the Bible is open to interpretation and people present compelling reasons for their beliefs, but the truth will exist (despite any erroneous beliefs), so on this subject (because it is not a Heaven or Hell topic, but could be), it’s important to know about it and consider all views, look into it yourself, pray about it and most of all be prepared no matter what interpretation turns out to be correct on the timing. The “Rapture” event is in the Bible, I can confirm that!
NORTH AMERICAN(the Rapture)(according to some millenarian teaching) the transporting of believers to heaven at the Second Coming of Christ.
When I first heard it explained I heard that it was derived from the Latin word which had the meaning “snatch, carry off” which is where “rapture” came from. In scripture, the Greek word is harpazō which is defined as:
to seize, carry off by force
to seize on, claim for one’s self eagerly
to snatch out or away
raptura ( Latin)
rapturus ( Latin) Future active participle of rapiō (“snatch, carry off”).
So that is how the word “Rapture” came about, and Yes, it (the event) is in the Bible.
Jesus was crucified, was dead for 3 days, then rose from the dead and visited numerous people, it was reported that he had been seen (alive again) by a group of over 500 people over a series of days. (1 Corinthians 15:6) He then ascended, was “carried up” while he was giving a blessing to his disciples. (Luke 24: 50-51), (Mark 16:19) (Acts 1:9) In a similar way believers will ascend. Enoch was also believed to have experienced this, maybe that’s why Paul refers to Jesus as the “first fruits” (plural) because Enoch also went this way; and fruit, seeds, growing, and harvesting is a commonly used symbol used throughout the bible.
Secondly, where is “The Rapture” of believers mentioned in the Bible?
BABY CHRISTIAN. Before I read and began studying the Bible, I never heard of “the Rapture”, yet I called myself a Christian. I was a little shocked at what I found in the Bible: so many things I never heard about, nor remember being taught. Not knowing much of what is the Bible, besides the “famous” Bible stories of Noah’s Ark, The “edited” 10 Commandments, Miracles, The Last Supper, the Crucifixion, and I was raised “Christian.” What I realized is that I was “a baby Christian“- at least that’s what I call it now! I didn’t understand what a true Christian/Believer meant or entailed. But I think this is very common, Paul refers to it in the Bible! I believed in Jesus and I knew I was supposed to “be good” and I hoped in the end, God would decide that I lived my life “good enough” to make it to Heaven. I now know those beliefs are not correct, according to the Bible: we can know right now if we WILL or we won’t be in eternity with God: it is a simply a heartfelt DECISION (decide to love God, prioritize Him, ask Him to guide your life, give your “control” to Him/surrender, willingly accept His commands with the intent to abide by His commands) we choose and by the grace of God, a “gift” made possible by Jesus’s death and resurrection, we are offered eternity, because God loves us that much! A hugeamount of anxiety goes away when a person finally comprehends this! We can be “saved” while we are still broken, imperfect people, working towards improvement, if we simply choose God, prioritize God in our life, believe the information found in the Gospels about Jesus.
Places that mention “the Rapture” (being taken, caught up)
Matthew 24: It’s important to read and pay attention to every statement in this chapter in regards to the timing of the rapture. It tells us “one will be taken and the other left” when Jesus returns. I believe Jesus will take the one who prepared and leave the one who is not prepared, as the wrath will occur next. Also in Revelation 14, One like the Son of Man (Jesus) gathering his people, the “good grapes” (the earth was harvested) and then leaving the remainder for the angels with the sickle. Logically thinking when a harvest occurs, the good is gathered and the rest is left to perish, right?
1 Corinthians 15: especially verses 23 and 52, this is when the resurrection occurs for those “who belong to Him” meaning those who have surrendered/given/chose to give their life to Him
1 Thessalonians 4: this tells us those who have died (as Believers) will rise first, then those true believers who are still alive will be “caught up to “Jesus in the clouds when he returns (the Second Coming)- I think this happens to protect the true believers during the Wrath of God. This is very interesting because this could be something we experience!
What are the various beliefs about when it happens and why do people believe what they do? Here is an excellent resource (link) for detailed thoughts and opinions about this question: www.gotquestions.org
Are the Rapture and the return of Jesus are the Same Event? To be honest, this is my thought/opinion. I have a different view from the Got Questions link: I believe the second coming and the rapture ARE the same event after reading the bible, I don’t think the rapture is kept “secret,” because it is revealed in the Bible, for any of us who read it. It is only “a secret” for the people who don’t read the Bible, they will not know about this, that’s where the “secret” is. There are many “secrets” about the universe that only those who read scripture learn. After reading the Bible, my opinion is that Believers will go through Tribulation, but will not go through God’s Wrath, I believe the rapture is the first resurrection described in Revelation. (Revelation 20: 4-6) and because in Daniel 7:21-22: The “saints” are being persecuted by the AntiChrist (described as the “horn”) so how could the saints be persecuted if they were already raptured? In Daniel 7:25 the saints/holy people are persecuted for 3.5 years (a time, times and half a time)- just prior to Jesus’ return. Revelation 13:7-8 this says that the saints will be at war with the beast that was “given authority” through the power of Satan, the ruler of the air- the saints are those whose names are written in the book of life.
Defining Saint. It’s probably important to define the word “saint” because I understood through the religion I grew up with there was a special process that had to be done to determine if someone was a saint and there were miracles involved typically, but today, I believe differently, yes those are definitely saints but so are more people than those who were involved with miracles, there is much to study in the original scripture to arrive at this conclusion: (link here) from this, I believe that “saints” or “holy people” are all those who have surrendered their life to God; those who have God’s spirit residing in them as a result of surrendering their life to God. As Jesus once said, “only God is good” meaning we are all sinners, there is not one person who is “good” naturally, it is a choice that someone makes; therefore all people have the ability to be a “saint” or “holy”. It is a choice and when a person chooses to live their life according to God’s commands, God sends his spirit to help that person (God’s spirit resides within a person), therefore they are a “saint”. Revelation 7:13 also seems to explain this: those who have washed their robes (ie. symbolically made themselves “clean/holy” by changing their natural ways, deciding to live by God’s commands).
Defining Tribulation. As I mentioned, my opinion is Believers will go through Tribulation, but not Wrath. So what is the Tribulation? Everything that happens before Jesus returns (Matthew 24: 29-30) John 16: 33: Jesus warned everyone that in this world we will face trials, trouble, etc. known as tribulation (but it is temporary). Tribulation is the persecution, trouble, affliction caused by evil people/Satan, not punishment from God prior to Jesus’ return. The Great Tribulation is the final test of faith that God allows to happen, just like he allowed a test of faith with Job, just like he allowed with Abraham and Issac, just like he did with Noah and the flood, just like he did with Moses coming out of Egypt and the manna. Why should we think we will avoid all tests when some of the most faithful in the Bible were tested? We need to be prepared. If we are certain that we will avoid the Tribulation, then what happens if we see these things occurring? Will we doubt God’s promise? Will we think we are not in the Book of Life? Will we loose faith? No, we shouldn’t. We should keep this possibility in the back of our mind (or in the forefront ideally), we could very well be here during the Tribulation, but remember it is only a test of our faith; it is not punishment from God. We just need to endure it, persevere, don’t loose faith, because Jesus forewarned us about this.
Defining Wrath. As I mentioned, my opinion is Believers will go through Tribulation, but not Wrath. So what is the Wrath? Wrath is God’s punishment. Here is a link to wrath references. God is not going to punish His people (the people who have committed to Him; made Him a priority; agree to live by His commands, have His spirit residing in them)! God’s wrath is pretty intense. Here is a link, if you want to know about it.
1 Thessalonians 1: 10: This tells us Jesus will deliver the saints from wrath, not from Tribulation.
1 Thessalonians 4: 13-17: This happens with the sound of the Trumpet (and this is usually a warning signal)
In summary. The Bible is clear to me that the “Rapture” will occur. There are many differing opinions which I shared and explained my personal opinion too. Ultimately when it happens doesn’t matter as much as being prepared PRIOR to it happening. That means seek God, reconcile/make up with Him, don’t be an enemy of God, tell Him you choose to give Him the rest of your life, ask Him for the Holy Spirit to help you through the rest of your life, then you/we have nothing to worry about! The rest is in His very capable and powerful hands. We will be “fine”, and better than “fine”, once Jesus returns! After God’s wrath, it is going to be AWESOME. This is what God has planned: Revelation 21
Did you ever consider: what if all this “biblical truth” is in front of your eyes, not to condemn you, but to reach you out of love? Have you ever experienced this situation with a friend? You saw something that was harmful to them, they may know it too, but they don’t want to accept it. You try to encourage them out of love (because you care about them) encouraging them in a different direction, but they won’t accept what you are saying and they keep doing what you know is, or will be, harmful to them if they keep going in the same direction. What if God loves you so much that it hurts Him to see what’s happening in your life because He knows the ultimate outcome and He doesn’t want you to experience it? One fact I know is true: God works through people in our lives, there are no “coincidences,” things happen for a reason, this reason: to fulfill God’s will. God will work all things (even the bad stuff) for the ultimate good in His people’s lives.
I just had another “coincidence” occur: people saying the same thing I was thinking but didn’t want to accept. This morning I prayed to God and asked Him to point me to relevant scripture that He wants to be shared and when I opened the bible, it happened again (another affirmation) what if this is the truth? I opened the Bible to this: The left page was this (Acts 8:20 – 32) and the right page was this (Acts 8:33-Acts: 9:11). As I was linking Acts 9:11 just now, I mixed up the numbers accidently and entered Acts 1:9-11! Read it! Wow.
If you read any of my prior posts, you may notice the underlying “truth” which I’m hesitant to express, but weighs heavily on me. What if we truly don’t have much time ahead of us? Are you prepared? Am I prepared? How much time do we have to get prepared? I can’t answer how much time we have, but I can share that I feel a sense of urgency and I have a hard time accepting it, but it only keeps being affirmed: by the bible and by religious leaders (Pastors, Rabbis and Muslims). This situation is like a child having a great time playing on a playground and the parent calling the child, saying it’s time to go. Some children obey willingly and other children throw a temper tantrum because they are not ready. This represents all of us, right now! We are the children and God is calling us. Which child are you? (I was the temper tantrum child, I’ll be honest about it, but I’ve accepted it now and I’m not sad about it. I’m prepared to “leave the playground,” because something better is waiting for me and you, if you believe.)
These are the words that I’ve been hearing lately: “It’s not going to get better.” Who wants to hear that? None of us! Why do you think I didn’t want to accept it? Those who read scripture (Christians, Jewish and Muslims) are all saying the same thing right now. I’ve listened to each. That’s one subject all faiths agree upon. It is concerning because, as a Christian, I believe the bible after reading it: prior predictions (prophesies) came true, many other reasons (I wrote about here) and the purpose (2 Timothy 3) of the bible is very clear to me.
I searched the bible, not accepting what religious leaders said, I didn’t trust them. I wanted to know what does the bible teach us about “getting ready”? It’s pretty simple actually: “come as you are” with a desire of seeking God, understanding the truth and a willingness to let God lead your life. We are not perfect people and we will never be (until God completes us and gives us immortal bodies- yes that will happen). But right now, don’t worry about “cleaning up” your life before willfully giving the rest of your life to God, if you do that, you will be setting yourself up for a long struggle, don’t waste your time: Commit to God while your life is still messed up, God’s power will help your life get cleaned up. What’s impossible for us is possible with God (Luke 18:27). Jesus called this process “being born again” (John 3). This is simply making a decision.
If you choose to commit to God, believe in Jesus and let the Holy Spirit lead your life, you have nothing to fear about the future. God has incredible plans for our future; it’s something to be excited about. (John 14 and Revelation 21 and Revelation 22)
Once you make the decision, stay connected to God because you will need Him to succeed: pray as often as possible, take time to study the bible (know what’s in it so you don’t believe lies), find other people who have made the same choice as you for encouragement when times get tough (gather together), and get a bible if you don’t have one. Currently, we have internet access to bibles, but what if we don’t someday? We need to know what is in it, so we aren’t manipulated in the future. I was told about a study bible which I bought and have shared with other people who found it helpful. It is helpful because it includes many common questions (the top 100 most asked questions) and biblical answers to them. Here is a link to the study bible I have, if you want one?
I woke up with this concept on my mind: “Is Satan the embodiment of sin?” Please give this some thought, does this make sense to you?
Mornings tend to be the most spiritual time for me. Some mornings, I wake up with a strong thought about something and I have no idea why that thought popped into my mind. Sometimes it’s a dream, sometimes it’s a clarity about something, sometimes it’s a “message” that I feel compelled to share. Often when it is the “message” type, later in the day I will see the same message, sometimes even the exact same sequence of words being spoken by another Christian, and sometimes numerous Christians in the same day will say the same thing. When that happens, I can’t help but think there was more to it. It wasn’t just “my thought”, it was God using various people to pass on the message. I don’t know if God is giving me clarity here about Sin and Satan?
Let’s think about when “sin” entered the world. It happened in the biblical story of Adam and Eve when the serpent deceived Eve and she disobeyed, then caused Adam to disobey the only command God gave them. Pay attention to this too: God was walking (and you can trace this back to the Hebrew word: Halak in scripture) in the garden when He called for Adam. My conclusion is that God was present with Adam and Eve. This concept works whether you believe the story of Adam and Eve is figurative or literal. God was present with mankind on earth at that point in time, before sin entered, but then the Bible doesn’t seem to describe the same possible “physical” presence after that: God remains omnipresent though, it just seems “differently described” after that. It seems (my opinion) that if God is present and a sinful person comes into His presence, the “sinful” person will die: an example is when God told Moses to keep the people away or they would die at Mt. Sinai when he revealed the 10 Commandments to Moses. And interestingly, the 10 Commandments were placed in the Ark of the Covenant and God appointed a specific group of people, the Levites, to be the ones to carry the Ark. The arc was known to be “holy” and there were many rules about being in the presence of the Ark. In fact, there was a story of men transporting the Ark and one of the men reached out and touched the Ark to save it from falling (which would be a “kind” action), but he instantly died. If the man was sinful (and all people are naturally) and the Ark is holy, that would make sense, follow the logic, explaining why he died instantly. Yes the bible tells us God caused that to happen, but was it because of the law (Sin leads to death and the sinful will die in the presence of God or what God defines as “Holy”)? There were also stories of people who stole the Ark and then had calamities happen to them and at one point there was a passing back and forth of the Ark (you take it, “no, you take it”) that I recall from reading the Bible too. This logic seems to make sense to me.
As I was writing this, I had more clarity about “sacrificing.” I wrote about this before and have always struggled with God requiring a “sacrifice.” Why would He ever do that? Why would God allow people to kill animals in the sinner’s place? I really struggled with these questions. However, I just recalled there are many entries in the bible where God states: “I am not happy with your sacrifices! They are worthless!” But yet God told the people specifically what they had to do. Think about this logically: if sin leads to death, then death is a consequence of sin. We know God places a high value on people and doesn’t want people to perish so if God made the law that Sin becomes Death, then if a person sins, according to God’s law, the person must die, but God didn’t want that, but in accordance with His law, there had to be a death as a penalty for sin. Therefore a life must be sacrificed or given up, so God allowed animals as a substitute for people during the Old Testament time. Of course I would not question God about that sacrifice not being proper, knowing who He is, I just didn’t understand this, I couldn’t accept it, but I knew there had to be a reason for it, I just didn’t understand. But throughout the Bible it states that God’s word will remain. Now I think I am beginning to understand: God didn’t want ANY OF THIS! Remember one of the 10 Commandments God gave us: Do not murder. (Does this have a slightly different definition than kill?) The living sacrifice only came about because of Sin and the law was the penalty of Sin is death. There had to be a resolution, an end to the killing, an end to the sacrificing. But it couldn’t stop unless the law was fulfilled, so God (the only one more powerful than all) took personal action, through Jesus, who became the final sacrifice that ended it. Jesus was the sacrifice that no one else could be, no one else has the value of Jesus, was sinless, without blemish, only Jesus. The Son of God is the only one who is worthy to be the substitute for all the sacrifices, and to be the sacrifice for our sin, Jesus was the final sacrifice. We should be thankful, Jesus ended this horrible act.
Getting back to Satan being the embodiment of Sin. The Bible tells us the life we are experiencing is more than what most of us realize: it is a spiritual war happening. Satan, and his followers, rebelled against God and are fighting against God still today. You may ask: Why doesn’t God simply kill Satan then? If He is all powerful, why doesn’t He just take care of it now? My opinion, from what I understand from the bible is that God gives everyone a choice to love and obey Him, but God has a timeline for each and every one of us already determined: a time to be born and a time to have a physical death and that time in between is our opportunity to choose God or reject God. We have numbered opportunities (so don’t waste them). If God did that for us, wouldn’t it be possible for God to do that for Satan too? If God is Love, that conclusion/opinion makes sense.
Here is another opinion/thought about the Bible: maybe God knew how confusing and tough this spiritual war would be for all of mankind to comprehend and experience, so in His love for us, He spoke through the authors and gave us this information (the scripture), so we would know there is a good ending (God wins): don’t give up!
The Bible reveals the last thing that Jesus conquers in this spiritual battle is DEATH. The Sin that leads to death is blasphemy of the Spirit. (Blasphemy: the act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things; profane talk.) All other sins can be forgiven by God, if a desired change in action occurs and one asks God for forgiveness, God is merciful and he forgives. Satan is cast into the lake of fire for eternity = Sin and Death are gone forever.
Think about this: God is Love. Satan is Sin. There is a spiritual battle happening and it is between God and Satan.
Sin separates us from God. Satan is sin. Satan wants to separate us from God; he seeks to kill and destroy. When we choose sin, we are allowing, permitting Satan spiritual access to our bodies, our mind, our being. Satan/Sin is powerful, appealing but deceiving, it’s manipulative, full of lies and people are influenced and drawn to it naturally (sin is an evil spiritual force). People are not more powerful than the spiritual beings, but God is. Who/whatever we give access to will influence and determine the outcome of our existence.
When we allow God access (by surrendering our life, or asking God to take over/guide our life) we then permit God spiritual access (through the Holy Spirit) to our bodies, our mind, our being.
God has always allowed “choice.” So what are you choosing?
The end of the year is a logical time to reflect on life: What did we learn? Do we notice a pattern? What good happened? What are we grateful for? What do we want to change? What will our goals be heading into the New Year?
If you’ve read any of my prior blogs, you will understand this: our lives have a purpose, we are where we are for a reason. Do you know your purpose? Do you know the reason your life is the way it is right now?
I went through most of my life not thinking about this until my life was “shaken” in 2015 by an untimely death. That caused me to question everything in life: purpose, reasons, etc. I had no answers, only questions. I was confused about life and wanted answers, started searching. It led me to evaluating and making significant changes in life, taking action, but without knowing my purpose or the answers to the “reason.” I was lost, but moving, aimlessly, seeking, wanting life to be better but not knowing how to make it better.
2016 was continued seeking, transitioning to a “changed life.” I began praying more than I ever did in the past and in 2017 “surrendered” my life to Jesus, wanting his guidance. I was lost, I needed guidance, I didn’t have the answers, but I knew my way of doing things wasn’t effective; it was lacking. 2017 was a year of mild turbulence: ups and downs and I was wondering why since I surrendered but I kept my trust in God. 2018 seemed to be the turning point, everything seemed to be falling in place and I was grateful. 2019 brought a noticeable “dark cloud” into my life but I still trusted in God and went to Him for answers. I was led to the Bible and read it front to back for the first time and it literally made me want to change my life even more. My eyes were opened. I realized I was not living as God wanted me to. I decided to try to live better. I was hopeful heading into 2020. (LOL) I don’t need to explain 2020 to anyone; I think we all had the same year! But that’s when I “woke up” I realized what was happening in the world. I continued to go to God for answers to my questions and He revealed the answers in the Bible. It was amazing to experience this “communication” from God through prayer and the Bible.
2021 in summary was probably the worst year I’ve experienced in life, but not in every way: God was all I had to help me through it and He did. God is truly all I needed. When the Bible says God is faithful, God provides, God protects – all that is true. Throughout these past 6 years, I’ve learned to fully trust God. I’ve learned the answers to most of my questions (through the Bible). I have a different outlook on 2022, than I have in past years. In past years I looked forward to the hope of a better year. I don’t have that outlook this time. I don’t expect a better year. I actually expect a more challenging year, but I have all I need: God.
I have a mindset very different from a few years ago. I foresee the years ahead as getting tougher, but I KNOW (not just guess) this is only a transition to the greatest years of all time ahead, and I look forward to that with much anticipation. This is a time for endurance and perseverance. I don’t yet know how many future years ahead, but my intuition is that it won’t be too far away. Stay strong, stay connected with God and we will make it through.
S.A.I.L. 