Tag: FRIENDS

3, 2, 1…Watching the Countdown (NOW)

Here is the introduction and reason for this post: (click link here)

Time is getting close, some are running out of time and are not aware of what is ahead for ALL of us! Look into this now, “you’ll thank me, many others and most importantly: GOD later” for sharing this information with you!

Here are the links I promised in the introduction:

Revealing Revelation by Amir Tsarfati, you can also find the book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other places.

I’m not promoting this book to increase their sales; I have no affiliation, in fact you can hear and see much of this information via YouTube (at no cost), but some prefer to read and other prefer to listen, so either way, don’t delay! The most important is that you comprehend this information.

As I mentioned in the introduction, there are many others (some who have studied bible prophecy for 40 years!) I will provide YouTube links to the main account, you will need to search their videos to to listen to their opinions, and there are many different opinions, but there are also points that all agree, namely:

  1. There will be a final 7 years until the return of Jesus (for judgement this time: both good and bad)
  2. There is an Eternity ahead, nothing to fear, a beautiful future ahead: an abundance of laughter, happiness, beauty, adventure, music, no more tears, immortality, peace and love for those who take action now (Read Revelation 21 and Revelation 22)
  3. There are warnings for ALL of us in the Book of Revelation
  4. We appear to be in the End Times right now: either in the beginning of the final 7 years or just slightly before the 7 years start (there are mixed opinions about where we currently are in this timeline)
  5. There will be a major battle involving Israel forthcoming.
  6. There will be a global governance. It will be both political and religious.
  7. The leader of both will be inspired by evil and will deceive the majority of the population sending them into eternal torment through deception. The deception will involve miracles.
  8. The only way to “save” ourselves is to accept Jesus as our Savior, put all our trust in Jesus, ask God for forgiveness of our sins, change our sinful ways, get baptized, then watch and wait for all this to happen, staying in close contact through prayer and reading the bible so that we do not fall for the forthcoming deception and that we have endurance through trials and testing. Technically we are NOT “saving ourselves”- Jesus did that by his death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. This is how it is possible for us to be “saved” only through Jesus, we can’t do it on our own. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, no one can come to the Father (be in eternity/God’s Kingdom) except through him.
  9. There will be a time when Jesus calls his followers (those who have prepared in advance- see #8) to meet him in the clouds (some will raise from the dead and others will ascend alive and will be changed due to God’s spirit residing in us). This happens before Jesus’ return for judgement of all. Jesus will protect us from God’s wrath. (There are many opinions about when this happens: before, during and towards the end of the 7 year period. I honestly don’t know who is correct. I think the towards the end, but it’s better to prepare now so when it comes we are ready)
  10. The leaders of this political and religious governance will eventually force people to “take a mark” in their right hand or forehead and this will be the only way we will be able to buy or sell anything. They will be all about controlling the population.
  11. The leaders of this political and religious governance will be revealed soon and rule for 3 years and 6 months.
  12. Jesus will conquer them (evil) after this period and he will be recognized as the only authority, the King of All when he returns on the clouds in Jerusalem, Israel, visible by all (made possible perhaps because of the Internet/technology?)
  13. Jesus will rule (here on earth) for 1,000 years. Mortal and Immortal people will be present during this time, the immortal reigning under Jesus, as appointed by Jesus.
  14. There will be a final battle with evil after the 1,000 years are over. God wins, He destroys evil supernaturally forever and Judgement Day occurs (Jesus will be the judge of all of us). People will be raised from the dead for judgement day, then sentenced to eternal life or eternal torture based on the choices they made during their life on earth.
  15. For those who receive Eternal Life, Immortal, new bodies will be given to us. God has prepared a New Heaven and New Earth that will come down and replace what we have today (the present earth will be completely destroyed) and God will LIVE in eternity WITH us!!!

As I mentioned, if you want to see, hear, listen to the various opinions on End Times through a variety of personalities, here are some YouTube accounts to check out- but as always, let the Bible be the “truth checker,” people are not perfect, everyone makes some mistakes and there are “opinions” discussed in each that are open to interpretation, but they have been typically forthright in telling us when it is “an opinion” vs “fact from the bible”:

AOC Network

Behold Israel

El Shaddai Ministries

Endtime Inc.

J.D. Farag

Nelson Walters

Ken Raggio

In addition to those listed above, here are some YouTube accounts that will help you grow in faith:

Answers in Genesis

Got Questions

The Bible Project

One for Israel

Maranatha Bible Church- Chicago

I pray that you don’t take this lightly; that you do something today if you haven’t already. There is much to be hopeful about in the future, and to look forward to, but it all depends on the actions we take today! There will be trials ahead, but don’t loose faith- keep your eyes on Jesus and what he preached. (Read the gospel of John to know more about Jesus- John was one of the original followers of Jesus and he was also the one who received the vision from Jesus that is documented in Revelation)

My prayer for you right now: Dear Jesus, Please open the eyes and minds of those who read this and reveal your truth. Amen.

May God bless you today in some way!

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Listen Earth!

Yes, I had another one of those times, just now, when I prayed to God asking: “show me something in the bible” about how I should communicate this, and this is the page I opened to: Isaiah Chapter 1 Sometimes I just chuckle when stuff like this happens, as in: “Thanks God, once again!” From reading this before, I had underlined “Listen earth!”…because this is a message for “the entire earth” as was Isaiah’s message.

The purpose of this post is to give you a link to (4) Episodes of a podcast (for your benefit), please don’t delay doing this. Fit it in before you go to sleep, if you go on a walk, or if you have a long drive. Fit it in while you’re doing something else that doesn’t take much concentration- you need to hear this as soon as possible!

Episode 70: The Future

Episode 71: Prepare

Episode 72: Others

Episode 73: Understand the Times

Thank you!

by Categories: bible study, Face Fear, FAITH, FAMILY, FITNESS, FRIENDSHIP, God, HAPPINESS, Improvement, Love, Make It Count, priorities, RELATIONSHIPS, WellnessTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

12 Questions to answer and find out if you will have eternal life.

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:

  1. 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?
  2. Are you familiar with the 10 Commandments? Yes or No?
  3. Do you admit that you break God’s commands? Yes or No?
  4. 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?
  5. Have you rebelled against/sinned against God by doing anything in #3 or #4? Yes or No?
  6. Have you asked God for forgiveness and subsequently made an effort to avoid all things listed in #3 or #4? Yes or No?
  7. 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?
  8. Do you ask God for forgiveness then change the behavior if, or when, you do anything listed in #3 or #4? Yes or No?
  9. 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?
  10. Have you asked Jesus for God’s spirit (the Holy Spirit) to help you live according to God’s will? Yes or No?
  11. Do you know God personally? Do you have a personal relationship (ie. pray, read the bible, study the bible) with God? Yes or No?
  12. 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:

  1. John 14:6
  2. 10 Commandments: Exodus 20
  3. We all sin: 1 John 5:17, Romans 3:23, 1John 3:4, John 8:34
  4. Many Verses, Drinking
  5. Mark 21:7, Romans 3:12
  6. Acts 3:19
  7. Matthew 7:21
  8. 1 John 1:9
  9. Get Baptized, Matthew 10:32, Romans 8:2
  10. John 15: 26
  11. Matthew 7:14, Hebrews 8:12
  12. Romans 8:11, 1 John 5:18, 1 Thessalonians 4:8
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“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.

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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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