Beginning a little more than 200 years ago, the English-speaking peoples wielded power that thwarted the belligerent, aggressive nations—the Central Powers in World War I and the Axis Powers in World War II. Twice in the twentieth century, the English-speaking peoples have restored a warring world to a measure of peace and security. Yet in spite of that, most Americans and Britons, individually, have turned away from the true God. At most, they continue to praise the Lord hypocritically. “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines’” (Mark 7:6–7,)
There are numerous end-time prophecies that reveal to the American and British-descended peoples exactly what God Almighty says will happen to them—if they do not turn from their present wayward course of disobedience to Him and His commandments.
THE PIVOTAL OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECY; The pivotal scripture for understanding end-time prophecy is found in the Old Testament, in chapter 26 of the book of Leviticus. When we rightly understand our national identity, this prophetic chapter takes on new, urgent meaning. Here is basic, foundational information for modern Israel—among whom are to be counted the American people and British-descended peoples of the Commonwealth nations. Those peoples are among the descendants of the so-called “Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.” This prophecy is talking about ancient Israel, and it is also speaking of their children and grandchildren at the end of this age!
We should watch for the fulfillment of those prophecies that foretell the downfall of the United States and Great Britain, insofar as their national prestige and power are concerned, even before their cities are totally demolished in a future round of world war—World War III—which will be the most deadly time humanity will ever experience.
Speaking of the coming end-time Great Tribulation, God says that “if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you” (Leviticus 26:14–17). God Almighty says He will bring us down very low. If we continue transgressing His commandments, He will discipline us in more ways than we can begin to imagine. He goes on to say, “And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more [or “sevenfold more” as many versions render it] for your sins. I will break the pride of your power” (v 18–19).
Our competitors for global power and influence are looking down on us with increasing glee as we stumble in resolving domestic and international problems. These things are happening to us because we have turned aside from God. We have not obeyed the God of our fathers.
Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 are powerful prophetic warnings for us today because God does not change (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). God promised that if we would obey Him, He would set us “high above all nations of the earth” (Deuteronomy 28:1). However, if we do not obey God and keep His commandments, “Cursed shall you be in the city” (v. 16). Are we cursed in our cities? Think about it. Millions of Americans are afraid to go out of their own homes at night. Elderly people and women and others all over this land are afraid to venture out in the evening—in this “land of the free, and the home of the brave.” We are locked in our homes like prisoners!
People turning the pages of a book, some the corners or even 1/2 of a page, gggrrr People talking through a movie or even TV while the other is watching it. People eating with their mouths open............
And many old scourges of humanity (malaria and tuberculosis to name just two) are reemerging as super, drug-resistant diseases that ignore penicillin and other drugs that were formerly used to combat them! Of course, degenerative diseases such as cancer and heart disease continue to affect greater numbers of people, as our food and water supplies become increasingly tainted with the pollutants of our technological age.
The Bible indicates clearly that future disease epidemics will be, in part, spread by wild animals (Revelation 6:8). Some of the worst plagues of humanity have been animal-borne, like bubonic plague. Bubonic plague is a naturally endemic problem among wild animals in certain regions. It is only due to society’s diligence in maintaining sanitary standards that such problems stay at the fringes of civilization.
People are aware that whenever society is disrupted due to war or natural calamities, there is always the threat of disease. But these disease problems are just a small foretaste of the deadly contagious pandemics that are prophesied to sweep the earth. “I heard the fourth Living Being say, ‘Come!’ And now I saw a pale horse, and its rider’s name was Death. And there followed after him another horse whose rider’s name was Hell. They were given control of one-fourth of the earth, to kill with war and famine and disease and wild animals” (Revelation 6:7–8, The Living Bible).
The Greek word translated as “pale” is chloros, which signifies the pale green or sickly yellow-greenish color of severe disease. Jesus Christ predicted that great “pestilences” would be one of the signs to mankind to warn of His imminent return (Matthew 24:7).
Would God afflict the earth with lethal disease plagues? Moses was inspired by God to write this: “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you on high above all the nations of the earth” (Deuteronomy 28:1). God, speaking directly through Moses, is saying that if His people today would obey Him, and diligently observe to do His commandments, He would set us on high above all the nations of the earth. That is exactly what God did for the ancient Kingdom of Israel at the time of King David. When King David turned to God with all his heart, He began to bless and prosper Israel magnificently.
But what happened when “the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel” because they were disobeying? (2 Samuel 24:1). “So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died. And when the angel stretched out his hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, ‘It is enough; now restrain your hand’” (vv. 15–16). We, whatever our descent or ethnicity, are no better than those ancient Israelites.
The Old Testament Israelites, who accepted a relationship with Almighty God, promised to live by His word. They praised His name with their mouths and thought of themselves as God’s people. The great God of the universe, however, is not impressed with hypocrisy—mere words of loyalty and love—but requires us to back up our words with action, genuineness, and honesty.
“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?
As journalist William Broad pointed out, a million people died in earthquakes during the twentieth century, and scientists acknowledge that the twenty-first “might see 10 times as many deaths, with a million lost in a single blow” (“Earthquakes: A Matter of Luck, Most of It Bad,” New York Times, September 28, 1999).
U.S. Geological Survey scientists reported in May 2008 that a 7.8 magnitude quake along the San Andreas Fault would likely result in more than 50,000 injuries, thousands of deaths, and $200 billion in quake-related damage (“The ShakeOut Scenario,” U.S. Geological Survey Open File Report 2008-1150). That is in a region where for decades there has been extensive warning about, and extensive preparation for, earthquakes. Yet human nature often leads people to ignore warnings. In the wake of China’s devastating May 2008 earthquake in Sichuan Province, Chinese scientists have been quick to point out that they have for decades known the risk of a potentially catastrophic quake along the very fault that gave way. “But they say preparations for a quake there were cursory at best, and building codes remained well short of the codes that have become standard in other well-known earthquake zones” (“Experts Warned of Quake Risk in China,” New York Times, June 5, 2008).
In the near future, there will be more earthquakes even in places where they are not normally expected. A report by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in September 2000 warned that while California is at greatest risk of severe economic harm from earthquakes, cities across the U.S. are also at risk of heavy damage—yet are not doing enough to prevent or prepare for such harm. Earthquake expert John Nance put the matter into perspective: “‘The Eastern Seaboard is in more danger than the West because they are abysmally unprepared,’ with building standards far less stringent than California’s” (“Superquake May Lie Ahead Almost Anywhere in U.S.,” Los Angeles Times, March 26, 1989).
In recent years, scientists have come to a better understanding of the immensity and magnitude of the tremendous fault systems that trace themselves underneath the whole earth. However, not all the earthquakes of the near future will be natural disasters—the usual groans and strains of planet earth’s crust. Some will be directly induced by God as a sign of His power and will be designed to help people wake up. God will take a direct hand in the affairs of men. The earthquakes specifically mentioned by Jesus Christ as a foreshadowing sign of His return will be unusual by their location or unparalleled magnitude.
Why? Most of us understand. But remember that Jesus Christ directly predicted, “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places” (Matthew 24:7). Have there not always been earthquakes? Of course. So Jesus must have been speaking of more earthquakes than usual—and more powerful earthquakes. And certainly that is exactly what has been happening over the past several years!
In Isaiah 29:6, God says of Jerusalem, “You will be punished by the Lord of hosts with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with storm and tempest and the flame of devouring fire.” God says, “I do not change” (Malachi 3:6). He did punish ancient Jerusalem with earthquakes and storms. Now, He is beginning to punish modern Israel in the same way.
Dear readers, please watch for increasing earthquakes as a sign that Christ is coming soon. And if you would like to know more about God’s intervention in natural phenomena, write for your free copy of our booklet Who Controls the Weather?
4. DISEASE EPIDEMICS A plague of disease epidemics and pandemics is beginning to worry public health officials all around the world.
What can start a Revival in a dead church? It can be that one man does not like another man for certain reasons. It may have been going on for some time.
One man wishes this was not the case any longer. He goes to the other man and says; I am sorry, we had a disagreement but It does not matter to me anymore. Can we just forget it? The other man is glad the other man came to him and the two now embrace each other. When an open confession is made in a church like that, it often happens that others follow suit. There is a cleansing in the church going on............ Yes, Christians can hold grudges towards each other that need to be confessed and forgiven. When that happens this can lead to a Revival..............
The past enriches our lives in surprising ways. In our past, our family history, we see examples of faithful disciples. We can be encouraged and even inspired by their faithfulness. But far more, we see examples of God’s faithfulness to His people.
Stephen J. Nichols This concludes the series of 25 Influential Figures in Church History. I chose not to include famous contemporary Christians though they are already leaving their marks in history. Time will show the full impact of their ministry, and another generation will commemorate their legacy.
Learning the stories of these men, and their faithfulness despite their tremendous adversity deeply inspired me. I didn’t expect it would impact me that much. If you followed along, I hope it blessed you too.
John Wesley was an Anglican evangelist and theologian who co-founded the Methodist movement in the Church of England. He was born in Epworth, England, and was the fifteenth child of Samuel Wesley, a nonconformist priest and poet, and Susanna Wesley. John’s mother oversaw his education until he went to Charterhouse when he was eleven. Six years later, he attended Oxford University and graduated in 1724. And following his father’s footsteps, he was ordained in 1728.
A year later, he returned to Oxford to fulfill some requirements for his fellowship. During that time, he joined a small student group started by his younger brother Charles. They regularly met to pray, study the Scriptures, and take communion. Other students mockingly called them “the Holy Club,” and “the Methodists” due to their method of spiritual discipline and strict, self-imposed schedules. In 1735, John left Yale and went on a missionary trip to the American colonies in Savannah, Georgia.
During the trip, a storm came upon them, and John feared for his life. But when he noticed that the Moravian preachers who accompanied them remained perfectly calm, he realized he lacked something. John’s ministry in Savannah didn’t go well, and he returned to England after only one year. Upon his return, he met Peter Böhler, a Moravian minister, who taught him more about faith. And on May 24, 1738, while listening to a reading from Martin Luther’s preface to Romans, John came to saving faith in Christ.
He said, “while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation, and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”
After his conversion at age 35, John wanted to preach the gospel. However, several churches closed their doors to him due to his enthusiastic way of preaching. Consequently, he held outside meetings and went to religious societies to preach, and it led to several revivals within the church in England.
John also partnered with George Whitfield, but they eventually parted ways due to their conflicting doctrinal views (John was Arminian, while Whitefield was a Calvinist).
John remained an Anglican throughout his life and never intended to create a new denomination. But his followers eventually became one, and today there are over thirty million Methodists worldwide.
22. Charles Wesley (1707 – 1788) Charles Wesley was a poet and hymn-writer who co-founded the Methodist movement with his brother John Wesley. He is hailed as the most excellent hymn writer in Church history and has written 8, 989 hymns.
Charles was the eighteenth child and the youngest son of Samuel and Susanna Wesley. Nine of his siblings died in infancy, and Charles almost didn’t make it due to his premature birth and weak health as an infant. But he prevailed.
Charles’s mother also oversaw his education and taught him Greek, Latin, and French. In 1716, he attended Westminster School in London and studied there for thirteen years. Afterward, he went to Oxford University for nine years and obtained his Master’s degree there.
While at Oxford, Charles and a few of his classmates created a group later dubbed as the “Holy Club,” by other students. Charles’s elder brother John then joined the club, took over the leadership, and helped increase their numbers and activities.
After he graduated from Oxford, Charles became an ordained priest and joined John on a missionary trip to Georgia in 1735. But the mission was marred with so many hardships and setbacks that Charles returned to England the following year.
Upon his return to England, Charles taught Peter Böhler English, and under his influence, Charles self-examined his faith.
This is the fifth and final post in a five-part series titled “25 Influential figures in Church History.”
Christianity wouldn’t be what it is if not for several men who labored faithfully to lay the foundation and build the pillars of the Church. To remember and appreciate their legacy, I have compiled a list of twenty-five men whose works still influence us today. This list is neither exhaustive nor comprehensive, so I encourage you to check out the sources in the footnotes for more information.
Onward we go with the leaders of the great awakening! The Great Awakening and beyond (1700 – 1900) Throughout this series, we have traveled through significant eras of Church history and identified some key figures starting with our Lord Jesus. We learned more about the lives of some of the apostles, the Church fathers, the reformers, the puritans, and lastly, we are going to look at the revivalists and a couple of modern history makers.
The revivalists ushered the First Great Awakening or Evangelical Revival, a period marked by several revivals in Britain and the colonies of America between 1730 and 1740.
20. Jonathan Edwards (1703 – 1758) Jonathan Edwards was a pastor, theologian, and revivalist of the new world. Many consider him as America’s greatest theologian and philosopher.
Edwards was born in East Windsor, Connecticut, seventy years after the first Puritan settlements in New England. His father was a pastor, and his mother was the daughter of Solomon Stoddard, pastor of the largest church in New England.
When Edwards was thirteen, he attended Yale College and graduated top of his class. He decided to remain at Yale to obtain his Master’s, and a year into his program, a significant event happened. Edwards experienced a “delightful conviction” while meditating on 1 Timothy 1:7.
He said, “As I read the words, there came into my soul, and was as it was diffused through it, a sense of the glory of the Divine Being; a new sense, quite different from anything I ever experienced before.”
After that watershed moment, Edwards began to delight in God’s sovereignty and became highly concerned with expanding God’s kingdom. Hence, he interrupted his studies to work at a Presbyterian church in New York. But he stayed there for only eight months before returning to Yale.
In 1726, Edwards was invited to preach at his grandfather’s church in Northampton and got ordained in 1727. That same year, he married Sarah Pierrepont, whom he met during his studies at Yale. His grandfather died two years later, and Edwards assumed the full leadership of the church.
Edwards quickly became concerned about the spiritual state of the congregants. Consequently, he began preaching sermons to bring them to repentance.
His fiery sermons caused a multitude of revivals in his church and the new world that saw hundreds of people come to saving faith. It is said that his sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God (his most famous sermon and one of the most famous sermons in history), convicted many members of the congregation with holy fear.
Edwards faithfully pastored his grandfather’s church for over twenty years. But his fruitful ministry came to an end when the board of his church discharged him in 1750. He found employment a year later in a small church in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. He then became the president of the College of New Jersey (Princeton University) in February 1758. But he died from a fever the following month.
Jonathan Edward’s legacy lives on through his multitudes of writings and sermons still available today. Some of his most popular works include The Sermons of Jonathan Edwards, Charity and Its Fruits, The Religious Affections, and Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.
This is why, in my last blog, I said that we’re living in the most exciting time in history. God is setting up another reformation right now—a new wave of revivals and reforms—and it’s right around the corner! It has the power to stop the curse in America and all over the world. It will set people free from the orphan spirit and restore the family culture of Heaven on earth. It’s called the Agape Reformation, and I’ll talk about how you can recognize it and be part of it in my blog in two weeks. Next week, we’ll look at what God is doing in the world through women!
Notice, though, that this new beginning is for “those who received his word” (v. 41, not for those who merely heard it. You see, the Bible does not teach that you are automatically forgiven just because Jesus died on the cross. You must individually receive Christ and make Him your own.
Babel Reversed; With the coming of the Spirit and the forgiveness of sins being proclaimed in at least fifteen languages (Acts 2:9–11), Pentecost was essentially a reversal of what had happened at Babel, when human languages were confused and the nations were scattered (Genesis 11:1–9). On that unforgettable day in Jerusalem, the language barrier was supernaturally overcome as a sign that the nations would be gathered together in Christ.
Instead of assimilating all of God’s people under a common tongue, Pentecost makes clear that every language is an appropriate vehicle for the praise and the proclamation of Jesus. This is one reason we have groups like Wycliffe Bible Translators: so that the heart language of men and women may be able to receive this fantastic news, just as at Pentecost. We don’t want people to have to learn English in order to discover “the mighty works of God” (Acts 2:11). We want even the most remote, unreached people groups to rejoice in God with us in their own unique languages.
Ultimately, this is why Pentecost happened, why God has left us His Spirit: so that we can continue the great work of proclaiming the good news of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. One day, we will see with the apostle John “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages.” And these people of every tongue will be singing the same song together: “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9–10).
This article was adapted from the sermon “Pentecost” by Alistair Begg.
The group from Bonnie Brae Street eventually discovered an available building at 312 Azusa Street in downtown Los Angeles, which had originally been constructed as an African Methodist Episcopal Church in what was then an impoverished part of town. The rent was $8.00 per month. A newspaper referred to the downtown Los Angeles building as a "tumble down shack". Since the church had moved out, the building had served as a wholesale house, a warehouse, a lumberyard, stockyards, a tombstone shop, and had most recently been used as a stable with rooms for rent upstairs. It was a small, rectangular, flat-roofed building, approximately 60 feet (18 m) long and 40 feet (12 m) wide, totaling 2,400 square feet (220 m2), sided with weathered whitewashed clapboards. The only sign that it had once been a house of God was a single Gothic-style window over the main entrance.
Discarded lumber and plaster littered the large, barn-like room on the ground floor. Nonetheless, it was secured and cleaned in preparation for services. They held their first meeting on April 14, 1906 Church services were held on the first floor where the benches were placed in a rectangular pattern. Some of the benches were simply planks put on top of empty nail kegs. There was no elevated platform, as the ceiling was only eight feet high. Initially, there was no pulpit. Frank Bartleman, an early participant in the revival, recalled that "Brother Seymour generally sat behind two empty shoe boxes, one on top of the other. He usually kept his head inside the top one during the meeting, in prayer. There was no pride there.... In that old building, with its low rafters and bare floors..."
The second floor at the now-named Apostolic Faith Mission housed an office and rooms for several residents including Seymour and his new wife, Jennie. It also had a large prayer room to handle the overflow from the altar services below. The prayer room was furnished with chairs and benches made from California Redwood planks, laid end to end on backless chairs.
By mid-May 1906, anywhere from 300 to 1,500 people would attempt to fit into the building. Since horses had very recently been the residents of the building, flies constantly bothered the attendees. People from a diversity of backgrounds came together to worship: men, women, children, Black, White, Asian, Native American, immigrants, rich, poor, illiterate, and educated. People of all ages flocked to Los Angeles with both skepticism and a desire to participate. The intermingling of races and the group's encouragement of women in leadership was remarkable, as 1906 was the height of the "Jim Crow" era of racial segregation, and fourteen years prior to women receiving suffrage in the United States.
Services and worship; Worship at 312 Azusa Street was frequent and spontaneous with services going almost around the clock. Among those attracted to the revival were not only members of the Holiness Movement, but also Baptists, Mennonites, Quakers, and Presbyterians. An observer at one of the services wrote these words:
No instruments of music are used. None are needed. No choir- the angels have been heard by some in the spirit. No collections are taken. No bills have been posted to advertise the meetings. No church organization is back of it. All who are in touch with God realize as soon as they enter the meetings that the Holy Ghost is the leader.
Meetings are held in a tumble-down shack on Azusa Street, and the devotees of the weird doctrine practice the most fanatical rites, preach the wildest theories and work themselves into a state of mad excitement in their peculiar zeal.
Pentecostal flame; ............Azusa Street Revival; The Azusa Street Revival was a historical series of revival meetings that took place in Los Angeles, California. It was led by William J. Seymour, an African-American preacher. The revival began on April 9, 1906, and continued until roughly 1915. On the night of April 9, 1906, Seymour and seven men were waiting on God on Bonnie Brae Street, "when suddenly, as though hit by a bolt of lightning, they were knocked from their chairs to the floor," and the other seven men began to speak in tongues and shout out loud praising God. The news quickly spread; the city was stirred; crowds gathered; services were moved outside to accommodate the crowds who came from all around; people fell down as they approached, and attributed it to God; people were baptized in the Holy Spirit and the sick were said to be healed. The testimony of those who attended the Azusa Street Revival was "I am saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost" in reference to the three works of grace of Holiness Pentecostals, the original branch of Pentecostalism. To further accommodate the crowds, an old dilapidated, two-story frame building at 312 Azusa Street in the city's industrial section was secured. This building, originally built for an African Methodist Episcopal church, had more recently been used as a livery stable, storage building, and tenement house. In this humble Azusa Street mission, a continuous three-year revival occurred and became known worldwide. Stanley H. Frodsham, in his book, "With Signs Following", quotes an eye-witness description of the scene: The revival was characterized by spiritual experiences accompanied by testimonies of physical healing miracles, worship services, and speaking in tongues. The participants were criticized by some secular media and Christian theologians for behaviors considered to be outrageous and unorthodox, especially at the time. Today, the revival is considered by historians to be the primary catalyst for the spread of Pentecostalism in the 20th century.
Praise the Lord God is great and all around us I love the animals he created.....[/quote The great part realdeal is that one day we will have lots of animals with us on the new Earth . We can pet the lions.....................
Background checks, when calling a former landlord who might want to get rid of the guy/gal in the worse way and tell you lies like what great people they are. It would take more than one former landlord to check them out. You need a first and last rent payment plus a good damage deposit............ Also, some towns might not let you remove the tenant before winter............
But then a boarder may be great having ...................
Creation and new creation are the bookends of the Bible. God is concerned for the renewal of this earth.
6. The destruction of the earth does not mean its obliteration. The Bible talks of the total destruction of the earth twice: once in the flood in the days of Noah and the other in the final destruction of the earth by fire. Both of these events are mentioned in 2 Peter 3, a chapter of the Bible that is sometimes cited as proof that all will be destroyed. But this raises the question, What do we mean by destroyed? The flood in Noah’s time certainly destroyed the world, but it did not obliterate it.
2 Peter 3:10 states: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” The image is that of a purifying fire which removes the dross of imperfections. The dross of sin will be removed and the purity of the gold will be exposed. What we do on earth matters.
7. The Holy Land expands to be a Holy Earth. God’s intentions for one land, Israel, have ramifications for the future of the whole earth. Within an understanding of God’s ownership of the entire earth, God elected one nation, Israel, to be his chosen people. They were to live in a Promised Land (Ex. 3:8, 17; 13:5; 33:3) that is compared with the Garden of Eden (Isa. 51:3; cf. Ezek. 36:35). When the Old Testament closes, the people of Israel had returned from the Babylonian captivity and were reestablishing themselves in the land, but they were still awaiting a messiah who would accomplish God’s purposes.
As the New Testament opens we are introduced to this Messiah. Jesus fulfills all the promises of God. God’s purpose in the choosing of one nation was that all the nations of the earth would be blessed; God’s purpose in choosing one land was that all the earth would be blessed. In the wake of Jesus’s fulfilment of all that Israel stood for, the New Testament begins the transition from a holy land to a holy earth, from Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). The ultimate realization of this will be seen in “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pet. 3:13).
8. Away from the body and at home with the Lord. The Apostles’ Creed asserts belief in both “the life everlasting” and “the resurrection of the body,” but immortality and resurrection are not the same thing. Immortality means that our life will not be interrupted by death, but resurrection means the raising of our physical bodies. What will be the state of those who die before the general resurrection at the return of Jesus?
The ultimate hope for the Christian is “a new heaven and a new earth” (Rev. 21:1) within which our resurrected bodies will live. But should we die prior to this, death will not be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:38–39). As we await the general resurrection, we will be “away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8). Questions abound at this point, but what we know should give comfort in the face of what we don’t know. We will be with Jesus, and that will be sufficient.
Of great things to look forward to........... The saved will not be in heaven forever! According to Scripture, Christians will be in heaven with Christ for a short period of time (The wedding feast?) and then return with him to earth. Christians will then be involved with the responsibilities of Christ’s earthly Kingdom.
In the future Kingdom, there will be different positions and responsibilities. At the Judgment, each person will “receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). Therefore, every person will not receive the same reward or assume the same responsibilities. So, the question is not, “What will we be doing in heaven,” but, “What will we be doing in our future life on earth?” The answer to this question can be found in the Word of God.
The Lord is going to make a new earth that will literally be an “Eden” or “Paradise” and, just as God gave Adam and Eve work to do in the Original Paradise, there will be work to do in the coming Paradise. In fact, looking back at what God gave Adam and Eve to do in the Garden of Eden provides a prototype or a snapshot of what life will be like in the future Paradise. Genesis 2:15 speaks about two tasks that Adam and Eve had to perform. God put them in Eden “to work it and take care of it.” The NASB says, “to cultivate it and keep it.” Like any farm or garden, Eden required work or “cultivation.” Adam and Eve had to cultivate the garden just as any farmer has to cultivate and work the soil and take care of the plants.
Eden was a garden with wonderful fruits and vegetables, and therefore the second part of Adam and Eve’s job was to “take care of” or “keep” it. The Hebrew word translated as “take care of” is shamar, which means, “oversee, protect, keep, have charge of, tend (for flocks and herds), guard, watch, preserve.” The world was full of animals and, in the Original Paradise, all of them were plant eaters (Gen. 1:30). Part of Adam and Eve’s work was to guard the garden and keep the wild animals from grazing in the Garden of Eden. Imagine Eve looking out the window of her house and shouting; “Adam, the lions are eating my favorite shrubbery. Adam! Get them away from my bushes!” Remember, lions will again eat plants in the future, so you may end up shooing them away from your bushes or your vegetable garden.
God gave Adam and Eve authority and responsibility in the Garden of Eden. He gave them work to do. It should, therefore, be no surprise that various types of work will be part of life on the new earth. The types of works mentioned below are almost always found in the context of the Millennial Kingdom, not the Everlasting Kingdom. Some types of work, like “gravediggers,” could not be available in the Everlasting Kingdom because there will be no death. Likewise, because there will not be a temple in the Everlasting Kingdom, all the duties associated with the Temple will be eliminated. Some types of work are clearly stated, while others are only implied.
For many years I have a photo of the Shroud of Turin in the front of my Bible. I have always believed that it was real. The Shroud shows exactly where the nail wounds were. Christians don't need the proof of this Shroud but as the above article tells, other formerly unbelievers, became believers after seeing the Shroud this is why it is so very important.
For the man of faith that you are, what particular significance does it have that this image of Christ’s face was revealed to the world at the end of the 19th century, which also corresponds to the century of “the death of God”?
Indeed, there seems to have been a will of Providence to preserve this cloth as a testimony to the world. What is really amazing is the way it has escaped destruction several times and two fires, the last one in 1997, when the cathedral of Turin burned down. Mario Trematore, the firefighter on site, was moved by a particular grace and an inner voice that told him “Strike here, on this side, not here.” He was driven, driven by a feeling that was perhaps divine. He took a sledgehammer, broke the glass protection to save the relic, and admitted himself that if it had been a work of a great Italian Renaissance painter, he would not have taken so many risks. The authenticity of this shroud is not a truth of faith as you have pointed out, but the long-term work that you have carried out over the last decades will necessarily have had an impact on your life of faith.
I was incredibly struck by the beauty and serenity of Christ’s face. It is touching and striking, it is something very strong. The words of Claudel always come to my mind: “more than an image, a presence...”
I am deeply marked by this Shroud but I am not the only one. It has also converted many Christians; it made them understand that the Resurrection was not simply a symbol, as many unfortunately think, but a historical reality. Christ is risen, body and soul.
The Shroud of Turin: 7 The controversial shroud that is claimed to have once covered the body of Jesus first appeared in the 1350s and is now available for online viewing. BECKY LITTLEUPDATED:MAR 25, 2021ORIGINAL:APR 9, 2020
The Shroud of Turin is a 14-foot linen cloth bearing an image of a crucified man that has become a popular Catholic icon. For some, it is the authentic burial shroud of Jesus Christ. For others, it is a religious icon reflecting the story of Christ, not necessarily the original shroud.
More than 600 years after it first appeared in historical records, the Shroud of Turin remains an important religious symbol for Christians around the world.
The shroud first surfaced in medieval France. The earliest historical records of the Shroud of Turin place it in Lirey, France during the 1350s. A French knight named Geoffroi de Charny allegedly presented it to the dean of the church in Lirey as Jesus’ authentic burial shroud. There’s no record of how de Charny got his hands on the shroud, nor where it was during the 1300 intervening years since Christ’s burial outside Jerusalem.
The pope soon declared it was not an actual historic relic. After the church of Lirey put the shroud on display, the church began to draw a lot of pilgrims, and also a lot of money. However, many prominent members of the church remained skeptical of its authenticity.
Around 1389, Pierre d’Arcis—the bishop of Troyes, France—sent a report to Pope Clement VII claiming an artist had confessed to forging the shroud. Furthermore, d’Arcis claimed the dean of the Lirey church knew it was a fake and had used it to raise money anyway. In response, the pope declared the shroud wasn’t the true burial cloth of Christ. Still, he said the Lirey church could continue to display it if it acknowledged the cloth was a man-made religious “icon,” not a historic “relic.” Today, Pope Francis still describes it as an “icon.”
De Charny’s granddaughter was excommunicated for selling it to Italian royals. In 1418, when the Hundred Years’ War threatened to spill over into Lirey, Geoffroi de Charny’s granddaughter Margaret de Charny and her husband offered to store the cloth in their castle. Her husband wrote a receipt for the exchange acknowledging that the cloth was not Jesus’ authentic burial shroud and promising to return the shroud when it was safe. However, she later refused to return it, and instead took it on tour, advertising it as Jesus’ real burial shroud.
In 1453, Margaret de Charny sold the shroud in exchange for two castles to the royal house of Savoy, which ruled over parts of modern-day France, Italy and Switzerland (the house later ascended to the Italian throne). As punishment for selling the shroud, she received ex-communication.
There are almost 1700 pages of just the blogs, that not many, if any ever look at. I wonder why they are staying there and not deleted to make room.............
You can receive Christ right now. Remember that Jesus says, “I’m standing at the door and I’m knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in.”14 Would you like to respond to his invitation? Here’s how.
The precise words you use to commit yourself to God are not important. He knows the intentions of your heart. If you are unsure of what to pray, this might help you put it into words:
“Jesus, I want to know you. I want you to come into my life. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin so that I could be fully accepted by you. Only you can give me the power to change and become the person you created me to be. Thank you for forgiving me and giving me eternal life. I give my life to you. Please do with it as you wish. Amen.” If you sincerely asked Jesus into your life just now, then he has come into your life as he promised. You have begun a personal relationship with God.
Jesus said he could answer prayer, forgive sin, judge the world, and give us eternal life. His countless miracles supported his words.
Jesus was clear, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one can come to the Father except through me.”7
Instead of trying to reach God, he tells us how we can begin a relationship with him right now. Jesus says, “Come to me.” “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink...out of his heart will flow rivers of living water"
It was Jesus’ love for us that caused him to endure the cross. And he now invites us to come to him, that we might begin a personal relationship with God.
Just knowing what Jesus has done for us and what he is offering us is not enough. To have a relationship with God, we need to welcome him into our life…
We must individually accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
The Bible says, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”9
We accept Jesus by faith. The Bible says, “God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”10
Accepting Jesus means believing that Jesus is the Son of God, then inviting him to guide and direct our lives.11 Jesus said, “I came that you might have life, and have it more abundantly.”12
And here is Jesus’ invitation. He said, “I’m standing at the door and I’m knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in.”13
What does it take to begin a relationship with God? Wait for a spiritual experience? Devote yourself to unselfish religious deeds? Become a better person so that God will accept you? NONE of these. God has made it very clear in the Bible how we can know Him. This will explain how you can personally begin a relationship with God, right now…
Principle One: God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life. God created you. Not only that, he loves you so much that he wants you to know him now and spend eternity with him. Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."1
Jesus came so that each of us could know and understand God in a personal way. Jesus alone can bring meaning and purpose to life. What keeps us from knowing God? …
Principle Two: All of us sin and our sin has separated us from God. We sense that separation, that distance from God because of our sin. The Bible tells us that “All of us like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way.”2 Deep down, our attitude may be one of active rebellion or passive indifference toward God and his ways, but it’s all evidence of what the Bible calls sin.
The result of sin in our lives is death -- spiritual separation from God.3 Although we may try to get close to God through our own effort, we inevitably fail. find God - know God - God helpThere is a distance, a gap between us and God. The arrows show our efforts to reach God...doing good for others, doing religious rituals, trying to be a good person, etc. But the problem is that none of these good efforts actually cover up our sin or remove it.
Our sin is known by God and stands as a barrier between us and God. Further, the Bible says that the penalty for sin is death. We would be eternally separated from God. Except…for what God did for us.
So to all "Christians" who are following your church's instructions, if you continue doing these things below, you are not reconciled with God, and are still in your sins. And therefore He cannot bless you nor intercede for you, and bad things will continue to happen: Born again, doing nothing keeping it simple... Singing hymns in church on Sundays; not growing spiritually. Likely became spiritually dead.
Praying to God, but also praying to Mary and saints because "it doesn't hurt; the more the merrier". God rejects it all. Calvinist - thinking God already decided, and it's not your call it's His. You don't really know God. And therefore He does not know you. Not seeking God in the whole Bible. Only looking at parts that agree with their false theologies.
Not praying the Lord's prayer daily with the "Bread" meaning the spiritual Bread of life for the forgiveness of sins. Not having a genuine love for, or faith in God, always skeptical. Not having a genuine love for all people of all ethnic backgrounds, religions, and financial statuses.
"God's plan" is when true believers ask God for something, and He does not give it to them, but instead He gives them something much better. For the rest of the people on earth, it is a world in random motion - good and bad things happen randomly to unbelievers.
Why Did We Choose to be Christians? ?We did not choose to be Christians. We're Christians because our parents are Christians. I have heard this question asked often, usually by non-Christians who may be unhappy or suffering where they are and want to try something different, seeking blessings from a real God. I have genuine respect for all people and their beliefs; I don't condone criticizing other religions. And I feel for the atheist, who thought it was so cool when they chose to become atheists, but when tragedy hit they didn't know what to do. They get the urge to get on their knees to pray but find themselves in a dire dilemma. To this person I say, there is nothing wrong with turning back to the only true God of the Bible.
Why do we Feel so Strongly about a Religion we Inherited? And what if we weren't Born to Christian Parents? ?Let's face it, most Christians today are Christians because their parents are Christians. They did not research the subject or look at other religions, then decided to choose Christianity. Obviously, it is the same with all other religions; they all follow their ancestors’ choices. Then the next question becomes, how is it that we feel so strongly about a religion we inherited? And what if we were born to non-Christian parents, what would be our position then? Very valid question. Here's my answer:?
Most Christians are actually not true Christians as I detailed in my link Are we True Christians? They're mostly there for the social aspect of it, not truly seeking God. Therefore, one answer to this question is that these people are there as in a social or political group - with an "us and them" attitude. So they'll defend their parents' choices regardless.
?As for the few truly genuine Christians, the Bible says God foreknew true believers. Romans 8:29, For those God, foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, as in, He foresaw our hearts and our attitude towards Him before we were born. Then placed us in the right environment to nurture our tendency toward Him. This Bible verse says God first "foreknew" us before we were born, then He acted accordingly, He did not mysteriously choose us. I have a page on How to Be True Christians.
?This does not mean all Christians are souls placed there by God. Remember, not all Christians are genuine Christian believers nor will they all go to heaven later! In fact, only a small percentage of them will -
Tune into God's Thoughts! Thank You, Father, that my mind is designed to pick up Your thoughts and that my heart has been created to welcome the feeling of love, Your Spirit within. Thank You, Father, that I can in this time of prayer, have the freedom to reach out and let the thoughts that are in me come out. Touch them, bless them, and ordain them to become the seeds of better living. Grace, mercy, and God's peace are with You now. Amen.
It Is No Secret what God can do............ The chimes of time ring out the news, another day is through Someone slipped and fell, was that someone you? You may have longed for added strength your courage to renew Do not be disheartened, I have news for you
It is no secret what God can do What he's done for others he'll do for you With arms wide open, he'll pardon you It is no secret what God can do … There is no night for in his light you'll never walk alone You'll always feel at home, wherever you may roam There is no power can conquer you while God is on your side Take him at his promise, don't run away and hide
It is no secret what God can do What he's done for others he'll do for you With arms wide open he'll pardon you It is no secret what God can do
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What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............
Beginning a little more than 200 years ago, the English-speaking peoples wielded power that thwarted the belligerent, aggressive nations—the Central Powers in World War I and the Axis Powers in World War II. Twice in the twentieth century, the English-speaking peoples have restored a warring world to a measure of peace and security. Yet in spite of that, most Americans and Britons, individually, have turned away from the true God. At most, they continue to praise the Lord hypocritically. “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines’” (Mark 7:6–7,)There are numerous end-time prophecies that reveal to the American and British-descended peoples exactly what God Almighty says will happen to them—if they do not turn from their present wayward course of disobedience to Him and His commandments.
THE PIVOTAL OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECY;
The pivotal scripture for understanding end-time prophecy is found in the Old Testament, in chapter 26 of the book of Leviticus. When we rightly understand our national identity, this prophetic chapter takes on new, urgent meaning. Here is basic, foundational information for modern Israel—among whom are to be counted the American people and British-descended peoples of the Commonwealth nations. Those peoples are among the descendants of the so-called “Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.” This prophecy is talking about ancient Israel, and it is also speaking of their children and grandchildren at the end of this age!
We should watch for the fulfillment of those prophecies that foretell the downfall of the United States and Great Britain, insofar as their national prestige and power are concerned, even before their cities are totally demolished in a future round of world war—World War III—which will be the most deadly time humanity will ever experience.
Speaking of the coming end-time Great Tribulation, God says that “if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you” (Leviticus 26:14–17). God Almighty says He will bring us down very low. If we continue transgressing His commandments, He will discipline us in more ways than we can begin to imagine. He goes on to say, “And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more [or “sevenfold more” as many versions render it] for your sins. I will break the pride of your power” (v 18–19).
Our competitors for global power and influence are looking down on us with increasing glee as we stumble in resolving domestic and international problems. These things are happening to us because we have turned aside from God. We have not obeyed the God of our fathers.
Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 are powerful prophetic warnings for us today because God does not change (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). God promised that if we would obey Him, He would set us “high above all nations of the earth” (Deuteronomy 28:1). However, if we do not obey God and keep His commandments, “Cursed shall you be in the city” (v. 16). Are we cursed in our cities? Think about it. Millions of Americans are afraid to go out of their own homes at night. Elderly people and women and others all over this land are afraid to venture out in the evening—in this “land of the free, and the home of the brave.” We are locked in our homes like prisoners!