Category: Love

“The Rapture”: Christians Ascending to meet Jesus?

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!

First of all, what is “The Rapture”?

  • rapture[ˈrapCHər]NOUNthe Rapture (noun)
  • a feeling of intense pleasure or joy.” Leonora listened with rapture”synonyms:ecstasy · bliss · euphoria · elation · exaltation · joy · joyfulness · [more](raptures)expressions of intense pleasure or enthusiasm about something.”the tabloids went into raptures about her”synonyms:enthuse · rhapsodize · rave · gush · wax lyrical · [more]
  • 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:

  1. to seize, carry off by force
  2. to seize on, claim for one’s self eagerly
  3. 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 huge amount 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.

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

Now is the time to prepare.

by Categories: Face Fear, FAITH, FRIENDSHIP, God, HAPPINESS, Improvement, Letting Go, Love, Make It Count, priorities, RELATIONSHIPS, WellnessTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

What happens when it’s time for you to leave the Playground? Are you ready?

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?

It is time to prepare.

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Is Satan the embodiment of Sin?

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?

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If God is good, why do bad things happen to people?

This is a question I had and one that I still hear people ask. It is a question that was answered after I read the bible. I’ll share the answers I found in the bible:

  1. Sin: Evil Spiritual Beings having access to the world is the reason that “bad things” happen. Sin didn’t originate from God, it came from the evil spiritual beings who rebelled against God then introduced people to sin and people were deceived and followed it. Evil spiritual forces continue to influence, manipulate , deceive and destroy people today. Bible/study references:
  2. Discipline from God: God sometimes uses bad things to discipline a person who is sinning and turn them from their sin, restore and reconcile with Him. Think of the saying: “Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” The bible is full of examples of this, throughout the Old Testament is very clear when God says if you repent and turn from your sinful ways, I will restore you.
  3. God is Just: God will destroy evil and He doesn’t relent when He chooses to do this. If God wasn’t just, then how would victims of evil ever be consoled? God is clear about evil, He will destroy it: sometimes people will see it during their lifetime, but if not, God promises it at the end.
  4. A Test of our Faith from God: God sometimes allows bad things to test our faith and trust in Him. This is found in the story of Job. But the story also tells us that God will restore everything and even more later on, if we pass the test and remain faithful to God despite our circumstances.

In summary, bad things happen for various reasons and we don’t always know which reason or understand completely why something specific happened, but sometimes we understand it in hindsight and I believe God will reveal why in the end. Trusting in God, despite the circumstance, will come with a reward from God; we see that in the Bible repeatedly. It does require faith, strength, endurance and perseverance- which God will give to those who ask Him for this, those who remain loyal to God, He provides. Personally, it helps me to think of bad things as “temporary,” during a “transitional” time. In eternity, all will be restored- that is God’s promise!

God’s Promise: Revelation 21

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Happily Ever After: The True Story Everyone Should Know

Once upon a time…yes, this is a true story, but it happened “once upon a time.” There was this creative King who enjoyed making beautiful things filled with joy and happiness. There is no one greater than Him in any way; He was the first King. He created the earth and everything in it, on it and surrounding it out of enjoyment. He created people and made them to look similar to Him. He used His own breath to breathe life into the people and make them living. He was delighted and interacted with His creation. The people He made were not like puppets or programmed a certain way, although He did give them unique abilities and skills. It was enjoyment for Him to see what they did. He gave the people complete freedom because complete freedom is love. This King became known as LOVE.

Because this King had been around for awhile, He had made other things prior to the earth. We only know a little about the prior creations He made because the beings live in a different realm than we do. There are spiritual beings that can travel between realms, unlike people who are limited. One of the spiritual beings began to think He was as good or better than the King and became competitive with the King. He convinced a few other spiritual beings that he was as good or better and they joined him in rebelling against the King, that’s how the spiritual war began.

Not very long after the earth was created, the Rebelling Being determined he would destroy everything the King created and went into action. He knew that people had certain limitations making them easily able to be manipulated and influenced by unseen spiritual forces and he knew the King loved the people. So that became the Rebel’s focus: separate the people from the King and destroy them. The Rebel was also creative in a manipulative, crafty way. He uses lies, deception, and fake promises to convince people to believe and be led by him. He started in the King’s garden and convinced the people to disobey the one rule the King gave them. He was successful at this because he put doubt in their minds and convinced them that the King was trying to limit their knowledge, keep them oppressed, and they believed the lie and disobeyed the King. At that point, the people unknowingly allowed the Rebel access to their lives and their children’s lives from that point forward. Not very long after this happened, the first murder on earth took place: one brother killed his own brother out of jealousy.

Things became even worse. Other rebellious spiritual beings from another realm came to earth and impregnated women creating unusual evil offspring. These rebellious spiritual beings also taught people things that were not meant to be known by the people of this world. The rebels taught people to contact the rebellious spiritual beings rather than the King for information and the people did. The people on the earth were quickly becoming influenced and spreading evil, killing, lying and reflecting the actions of the Rebels rather than the King. This angered the King because the good He created was being corrupted and dying, so the King decided to destroy the majority of the living beings, keeping only a small portion who remained loyal to Him. He destroyed everything with a flood and gave His people a new start.

It didn’t take long for people to be manipulated by the evil spiritual beings once again because the spiritual beings that can travel between the realms hadn’t been destroyed. So this began the cycle that continues today: people reconcile with the King, the evil spiritual beings manipulate the people, they separate from the King, the King disciplines the people so they learn a lesson, the people reconcile with the King and the evil spiritual beings manipulate people again.

As time goes on, the King finds loyal people who are willing to break this cycle and want Him to protect them from the evil beings. The King does, He is willing to do this for anyone who recognizes what is happening. The King is then able to work through the loyal people. But even the loyal people are not perfect and mess up, but the difference is that they ask for forgiveness and try to never do it again. The King gave the people 10 rules to live by and gives His Spirit along with protecting angels to help His loyal people. The King saw that the people had good intentions but were too weak to resist evil completely.

The King can’t be in the presence of evil, so this had to be solved so one day He could live with the people He created once again. He sent his Son to earth to break the curse that evil had placed on the earth. The Son lived on earth, taught people about the King and explained what was happening on the earth. Some people believed him, but others didn’t. He taught people for approximately 3 years and told those people who believed him to continue to let others know about the King. He told the people the King has future plans and everything will be made new again and the earth will be repaired and the King will once again live among the people. The Son told the people that he himself would be killed, but would continue to live (in another realm) but would someday return to to bring all who believe and love him back together, including those who had died already and those who would die in the future. All will be brought back to life by the King’s spirit, His breath of Life.

The Son was killed, but returned, living, as proof to those he had told of this. Thousands of people saw him, ate with him and communicated with him before he ascended to another realm. He promised he will return and today we are waiting for his (Jesus’) return. Those who are loyal, believe what Jesus taught and show God (the King) that we love Him by our actions (i.e. willingly obeying the 10 commands the King gave) will live forever with God after Jesus returns…happily ever after!

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Our Parents, Parenting and Jesus

Oh my gosh when information found in the Bible starts connecting to various scripture throughout the Bible about a single subject, an awakening/eye opening occurs and, I felt compelled to write about this even though there are so many other things I have to do right now.

Months ago, while reading in Genesis, I noticed something that stood out to me:

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring (seed) and hers; he will crush (strike) your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15

This is God speaking to the serpent. Does anyone else notice something odd? He is talking to a serpent and refers to your “offspring”. Look at this definition of a “serpent” too, then pay attention to a detail in Genesis 3:14:

So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You WILL crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.

This statement refers to the future, not the current moment. Evidently the “serpent” WASN’T existing as a snake crawling on its belly UNTIL God cursed it! It (the serpent) was something specific, but not what we know as a “snake” when all this took place. What we understand from the bible comes from translations and depictions in artwork, but when we study God’s word, a deeper understanding occurs. Did you ever wonder why God, in the commandments He gave to Moses, told them not to make images of ANYTHING in heaven or on earth or below earth? (See Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 4) This was meant to discourage worshiping anything other than God, but also when we make an image in our mind of something we have not seen, it is only our imagination; it is not true reality! This is also the reason many people can mock this story, saying: wow a snake talking to people, right?!…but this isn’t just a “snake”!

So after we discover the fact that this wasn’t a hissing snake that deceived Eve, then there is the second part of this odd statement: “your offspring” or “your seed”. This implies that there are offspring from this serpent! This explains why God could justifiably wipe out or destroy a bunch of people.

Remember God is just, God is trustworthy, God is faithful to His people, God NEVER abandons His people. People abandon God, by their own choice.

People may bring up examples of good people who were hurt, destroyed or died untimely deaths and say: “that is not just, that is not fair, God is not just” but the answer to this is in the Bible too. When this happens, this is NOT God! Remember that. In God’s future Kingdom, there is no death, no weeping, no pain, no disease- this is God’s future plan for those who don’t CHOOSE to abandon God! The only reason for disease, pain, sadness, depression, etc. is due to the opposing evil forces working against God in an attempt to destroy our relationship and reliance on God. God is good; only God is good. Be careful, we need to be able to recognize evil and we only get that intuition from God (the Holy Spirit) who gives wisdom and discernment. Evil forces are deceiving, why do you think Paul said to put on the armor of God? Evil spiritual forces will appear enticing, to lure us in, and then after “the lure,” they destroy us. It’s like fishing bait, where we are the fish that gets fried if we can’t discern. That is the truth.

Bad things happen to good people for two reasons, found in the bible: 1) as a consequence to our own sin that we choose or 2) if God allows it to test us, to test our trust in God, our relationship with God. You may have heard this: “Whatever doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger” well that is the truth, and God does that to strengthen us. God could end our life, if He wanted to, but when He doesn’t, He wants us to be strengthened by that experience. We also have to remember or understand from the bible: God will RESTORE anything that is taken from us in the testing of us; this grows our faith in God. Read the book of Job if you want to understand this. This may happen in our life on earth, but it may also be reserved for eternity. Read about future blessings here. We need to trust God and have patience.

OUR PARENTS

I just comprehended this after studying the Bible. All of us are “adopted” in a sense. Our true parent, the one who created us, the one who enabled our parents to produce us, is God. We are His children. Our parents are ultimately given a purpose, from God, to raise us and to introduce us to God, to encourage us to seek God, to share the knowledge of God. And God gives our parents the choice in how they do it and if they choose to do it. Just like anything else, some are good at the job and others aren’t good at the job God gave them. But God knows parents are not perfect and He knows when a parent is trying their best or if they are not trying at all; that’s between God and that person but it doesn’t make any child less loved by God, if that child didn’t have parents who encouraged. God makes each child for a reason and with a purpose. The purpose, as we learn from the bible, is ultimately helping others so that others will enjoy God’s future Kingdom and will not be deceived by the evil spiritual forces and lose out on what God has planned for His children (us). Here is an example from the book of Jeremiah, the prophet. Get to know God personally, then help others to know God, to know the Truth.

PARENTING

If we truly comprehend the truth in the paragraph above, we will realize this is why abortion is so wrong. In an abortion, we are destroying a child that God thought of and has plans for, the child God created for a purpose. God can bring good from bad. So even if the physical connection between the parents was “bad”, trust God, seek God, God can do amazing things with that child and with us. Don’t forget that Rahab, the prostitute, was part of Jesus’ ancestry/lineage. So can good come from “bad”? Yes, Jesus was a descendant and proves this. Jesus also said there will be prostitutes entering God’s kingdom ahead of the people who know God’s word, appear religious, keep the commandments, but whose hearts are far from God. (Of course the prostitutes in this example are the ones who realize what they have done, ask God for forgiveness and change their ways; God forgives.) Remember: God forgives easier than people do; He knows what’s in our hearts.

God is our parent, he gives us guidelines to follow, but as rebellious children, we don’t listen to Him. Starting with marriage; God tells people in the bible to not intermarry with “foreign” people- this has NOTHING to do with race or nationality! This is about individuals priorities: who or what is their priority? It should be God. God is warning people that life WILL be more difficult if we don’t follow his guidelines. If one person has God as their priority and the other doesn’t, that is going to be a rough road ahead. He warns because often the person who doesn’t have God as their priority slowly turns the God focused person away from God. If you want examples of this, look at what happened in Solomon’s life, in Samson’s life, in the book of Ezra (these people took drastic measures to avoid separation from God), and those a just a few examples, there are many more. It’s ultimately about getting separated from God and loosing eternity with God (by our own choice) when we choose a partner who does not have God as a priority. History repeats, don’t think that this won’t happen today; it does. The bible is there to help us, not harm us. There is an eternity and it is one of two outcomes: 1. With God or 2. Without God.

“What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” Matthew 16:26 (Jesus’ words)

“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 24 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ 25 When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order.26Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.” (Jesus’ words of warning) Luke 11 This is scary, concerning and further evidence of this spiritual war that is happening.

Read all these verses in this link about Children. Tying this into the beginning of this article; God tells us in the bible, the first book of Genesis: there is an evil spiritual seed/offspring. How do you think this happens? By uniting with someone who has evil residing in them. This doesn’t mean that it is hopeless because you have to remember that Jesus is more powerful than evil, Jesus saves and Jesus can defeat this evil spiritual force, if we seek him, call upon Him. God is faithful and merciful. Despite our shortcomings and mistakes, He ultimately loves us and wants us back. Connect with God in prayer and He will rescue a person in this situation! Last night I came across this (visit the links for the details), “Ahab” kept showing up in my reading, Ahab was connected/married to Jezebel and when you read the bible about them, that is the worst combination, look what happens to their descendants, how their character is described in these verses: “did evil”. And notice their fate too. God wants to save His children from this. Jesus is how we are saved from this; seek Jesus.

JESUS

Getting back to the initial verse in Genesis: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring (seed) and hers; he will crush (strike) your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15

Jesus is the one that crushes the serpent/Satan’s head and Satan continually tried/tries to strike Jesus.

There are so many things the bible tells us about Jesus. He is the most powerful, and will defeat all of this evil as we are told through prophecies. Check out the numerous verses in this link.

Summary: Seek Jesus for any and all of your needs. It is only through Jesus that we will overcome the evil spiritual forces that attack and surround our broken world.

Please share this with others who may benefit in knowing this. In doing so, you may help others enjoy God’s future Kingdom.

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