One of the hardest verses for me to understand in the book of Revelation was in chapter 4.
Revelation 4:6-7;"and before the throne there was, as it were, a sea of glass like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. And the first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle".
I read this verse many times and prayed for understanding and final several months later I received what I believe is the correct interpretation. Are these creatures literal or symbolical?
You should know the answer by now, they are symbolical, why? Chapter 4 is describing a vision that takes place in heaven. What is the sea of glass? If you have read my past blogs, you will know that the sea is symbolic of ___________. "The gentiles", yeah, you got it. Why a sea of glass? I think we have already discussed this also. When you take sand and heat it up, it is purified, cleansed, and becomes clear as glass. This is symbolic of the fact that the gentiles have been cleansed by "fire", their sins have been burned away and only the purified body is left.
Look at 1 Corinthians 3:13-14, "each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. If any man's work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; by he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire."
Wow, by a fire judgement. That makes my last blog seem a little more realistic. Notice that we are not judged by guilt, we are not setting in front of the throne of God watching our life go by and accounting for every deed. What a great plan, burn off all the bad stuff, all the deeds done for selfish reasons, and only look at what makes it through the fire. What will be left after the fire. Your obedience. Christ gave us two main commandments, Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind; and serve the needs of others. That is what is left, our service to others that refects our obedience to Christ. This service was done because the Holy Spirit had put it on your heart to do so.
Who are these creatures? This was the hard one. I have never read of anyone's interpretation of this verse. I believe it is the four creatures "phases" of salvation.
First was the lion. Symbolic of the "lion of the tribe of Judah". Symbolic of the bloodline of Christ. Those who were in the bloodline had a connection to God. This bloodline led straight through Abraham where God made a covenant to him and his people. That was an eternal covenant.
Second was the calf. The calf represents the sacrificial blood of the old testiment. The law was created by God to show people that the sheding of blood was essential for purification of sin. This was done once a year by the Jews on the day of Atonement. The blood was sprinkled on the Ark of the Covenant to cleanse the sin of the people for one year. The time frame was during Moses' reign. It is easy to see that this salvation technique also pointed to the coming Messiah.
Third was the one that had a face like a man. This is salvation by Jesus, the true sacrificial lamb. The Son of God who gave His life for you and me that we may live eternally. So, one day we can be with Him.
Wait a minute, if the first three are symbolic of types of salvation then what is the fourth creature. It would have to be a salvation technique also. Is there a different salvation after Christ? I believe the answer is yes.
The fourth creature was represented by a flying eagle. We have already seen "the wings of an eagle" discussed in Revelation 12:13-14. "and when the dragon(satan) saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman(Israel), who gave birth to the male child(the church). And the two wing of the great eagle were given to the woman in order that she might fly into the wilderness to her place where she was nourished for a time, times, and half of time(3 and 1/2 years) from the presence of the serpent." You can see that the woman(Israel) is saved from the persecution of Satan by the wings of the eagle for 3 and 1/2 years of the tribulation.
I believe that the "wings of eagles" is a salvation technique that will save Israel during the tribulation. This is the last salvation technique. At the end of this time period, Jesus will return in the clouds and rapture up all those who have been protected by the wings of the eagle. So, the fourth technique of salvation is for the ones going through the tribulation. The ultimate reason is to point to the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. At that time Romans 11:26, "and thus all Israel will be saved;" will be fulfilled.
Here is the thing, God created this place for a reason. The reason is to give us the chance to have "free will to choose". God also placed several forms of salvation on this earth from the beginning of time for us, all pointing to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as the answer to salvation. Time is running out, we are closer to the end than ever. It most likely will be in my lifetime. My wife and I went to an Aggie Muster last week in honor of her father who passed away this year. When they called the names of all of the fallen aggies, they started with the class of 2012. There were at least 15-20 young aggies who had not even graduated from college who had their name called. Death is final, no second chances, make a decision to follow Christ today.
God bless, Dean
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Judgement to come
As we see swine flu on the verge of a pandemic, my thoughts turn back to Bible prophecy. Revelation 6:8, "And I looked and behold an ashen horse and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. And authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth."
As we get closer to the end more and more pestilence, eg swine flu, bird flu, etc, will increase.
Can you believe that as much as one fourth of the population will be killed. This has been made possible by the decrease in the ozone layer. The ozone layer is created to destroy the growth of mold, mildew, bacteria, and viruses. As the ozone layer has to work overtime, its volume decreases which allows more growth of harmful bateria. Ozone, attaches to any harmful elements in the environment and destroys it. Basically, it is like hydogen peroxide, it disinfected the problem. So, you can easily see why these pestilences will increase in intensity, less ozone.
Also, the ease of travel increases the potential of the spead of pestilence growing across the world in a matter of days.
Revelation 6:8 is talking about the fourth seal judgement. Personally, I believe that the first four seals were broken at the ascension of Christ and the one fourth of the population that will be killed is the people who die from the time of Christ until the return of Christ.
After the seal judgements comes the trumpet judgements. Revelation 8:7, "And the first sounde, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up and all of the grass was burned up." How in the world can such a thing happen. Ok, I can see that if an asteroid hit the earth it might destroy one third of the trees and earth; but, how is it possible to burn up all of the grass without killing everyone? This fits well with Revelation 6:12-16; "and I looked when he broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth make of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree cast its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. And the sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves among the rocks of the mountains, and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the lamb';"
For a long time I thought that this verse might mean a nuclear war, however, I realize that God doesn't need our help. He had planned everything from the beginning of time. There is an interesting thing that is going to happen in a few years. December 21, 2012 we are suppose to be visited by a brown drawf star that has several planets and moons following it. It is reported that this event has happened several times in the past, occuring approximately every 3600 years. Supposely, this system will travel into the orbits of the planets and will have some effects on the earth according to the position of the earth as it orbits the sun and returns to outer space. It seems that on December 21, 2012 this planet, some call planet "x" and others call Nibiru, will be in line with the sun and the earth on that date. However, it will be on the opposite side of the sun from the moon and I believe there will be little or not effect. As the planet rotates around the sun, the brown drawf fire will be attracted toward the sun as it happens with a comet. The tail of the fire will extend toward the sun. In February 2013, the earth will be in a position between the sun and Nibiru. This will allow the flame of the brown dwarf star to extend toward the sun and sweep across the earth thus burning all of the grass of the earth within a 12 hour period of time. We will start to understand if this is truly a possibility in the next month or so because Nibiru will become visible to the naked eye. The world will start to understand what is about to happen. You can see why the kings of the earth are hiding in caves. We have already seen the sinario in the movie "Deep Impact". It is kinda scary, in the movie they had Morgan Freeman playing the part of the president. Sound familiar. The important people were put into the caves to make sure the human race survives. Us unimportant people will be left out. They have places like that. Rumors have it that they have underground facilities that are 37 floors deep fully functional in case of such a disaster.
I am sure many will survive, however the world will be changed if we are flamed. It is predicted by the Bible. It makes sense. We will have no technology, satelites will be destroyed, power grids will go down. There will be no food for us or animals, if you have no food stored.
I never really got it until I understood the roll of Nibiru. The battle of Armageddon is on horseback. I thought it was symbolic, but now I know it is not. All electronical devices will be worthless including your cars. Instantly, we will be put back into a third world nation.
Ok, maybe it is not such a bad idea to store up a little food, maybe a little gold or silver. Most of all, remember that God is in control and He will protect us for the time of our purpose.
God bless, Dean PS: More on Nibiru if it become visible in the next month
As we get closer to the end more and more pestilence, eg swine flu, bird flu, etc, will increase.
Can you believe that as much as one fourth of the population will be killed. This has been made possible by the decrease in the ozone layer. The ozone layer is created to destroy the growth of mold, mildew, bacteria, and viruses. As the ozone layer has to work overtime, its volume decreases which allows more growth of harmful bateria. Ozone, attaches to any harmful elements in the environment and destroys it. Basically, it is like hydogen peroxide, it disinfected the problem. So, you can easily see why these pestilences will increase in intensity, less ozone.
Also, the ease of travel increases the potential of the spead of pestilence growing across the world in a matter of days.
Revelation 6:8 is talking about the fourth seal judgement. Personally, I believe that the first four seals were broken at the ascension of Christ and the one fourth of the population that will be killed is the people who die from the time of Christ until the return of Christ.
After the seal judgements comes the trumpet judgements. Revelation 8:7, "And the first sounde, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up and all of the grass was burned up." How in the world can such a thing happen. Ok, I can see that if an asteroid hit the earth it might destroy one third of the trees and earth; but, how is it possible to burn up all of the grass without killing everyone? This fits well with Revelation 6:12-16; "and I looked when he broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth make of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree cast its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. And the sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves among the rocks of the mountains, and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the lamb';"
For a long time I thought that this verse might mean a nuclear war, however, I realize that God doesn't need our help. He had planned everything from the beginning of time. There is an interesting thing that is going to happen in a few years. December 21, 2012 we are suppose to be visited by a brown drawf star that has several planets and moons following it. It is reported that this event has happened several times in the past, occuring approximately every 3600 years. Supposely, this system will travel into the orbits of the planets and will have some effects on the earth according to the position of the earth as it orbits the sun and returns to outer space. It seems that on December 21, 2012 this planet, some call planet "x" and others call Nibiru, will be in line with the sun and the earth on that date. However, it will be on the opposite side of the sun from the moon and I believe there will be little or not effect. As the planet rotates around the sun, the brown drawf fire will be attracted toward the sun as it happens with a comet. The tail of the fire will extend toward the sun. In February 2013, the earth will be in a position between the sun and Nibiru. This will allow the flame of the brown dwarf star to extend toward the sun and sweep across the earth thus burning all of the grass of the earth within a 12 hour period of time. We will start to understand if this is truly a possibility in the next month or so because Nibiru will become visible to the naked eye. The world will start to understand what is about to happen. You can see why the kings of the earth are hiding in caves. We have already seen the sinario in the movie "Deep Impact". It is kinda scary, in the movie they had Morgan Freeman playing the part of the president. Sound familiar. The important people were put into the caves to make sure the human race survives. Us unimportant people will be left out. They have places like that. Rumors have it that they have underground facilities that are 37 floors deep fully functional in case of such a disaster.
I am sure many will survive, however the world will be changed if we are flamed. It is predicted by the Bible. It makes sense. We will have no technology, satelites will be destroyed, power grids will go down. There will be no food for us or animals, if you have no food stored.
I never really got it until I understood the roll of Nibiru. The battle of Armageddon is on horseback. I thought it was symbolic, but now I know it is not. All electronical devices will be worthless including your cars. Instantly, we will be put back into a third world nation.
Ok, maybe it is not such a bad idea to store up a little food, maybe a little gold or silver. Most of all, remember that God is in control and He will protect us for the time of our purpose.
God bless, Dean PS: More on Nibiru if it become visible in the next month
Friday, April 24, 2009
Can we fall from grace?
CAN WE FALL FROM GRACE?
Is it possible that I can trust in Jesus Christ and then mess up and lose my salvation?
The first point comes from:
John 10:26-30. Jesus said, “But you do not believe, because you are not My sheep. My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to Me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
John 6:37-40 Jesus said, “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. For I have come down from Heaven not to do My will but the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life; and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgement, but has passes out of death into life.
Did you read that, my trusting in Jesus Christ erases judgement. Total forgiveness, a new creation because of the blood of Christ.
2 Peter 3:17 “falling from steadfastness” does not mean falling from grace. This means turned away from a close relationship with Christ. Our steadfastness is Christ. He is our stability, He directs our life. If we lose our steadfastness we are as a sail boat in the ocean with no rudder. We will go where ever the wind blows. Christ is the rudder; He is the one who will direct our path during the storms of life.
Hebrews 12:14 says “no one will see the Lord without sanctification” This means that we will not go to be with Christ if we don't truly choose to do so. You know, the devil and all the demons believe in Jesus Christ and they know that He is the Son of God. However, they chose not to serve Him. The salvation is in the committment not the knowledge.
Galatians 5:1-4 says: “you Jews go toward Christ the Savior that will set you free”
If you receive circumcision as a condition of salvation, you are turning away from grace, not accepting salvation by grace” Here is the hardest part, there are no conditions, it is a free gift, my only job is to accept Him, trust Him, and follow Him. A believer should have fruit, no fruit means the tree is not alive. If you really believe He is who He said He is, and you have committed to serve Him, you would have a desire to tell others, to help others, to serve others, thus fruit.
Is it possible that I can trust in Jesus Christ and then mess up and lose my salvation?
The first point comes from:
John 10:26-30. Jesus said, “But you do not believe, because you are not My sheep. My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to Me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
John 6:37-40 Jesus said, “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. For I have come down from Heaven not to do My will but the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life; and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgement, but has passes out of death into life.
Did you read that, my trusting in Jesus Christ erases judgement. Total forgiveness, a new creation because of the blood of Christ.
2 Peter 3:17 “falling from steadfastness” does not mean falling from grace. This means turned away from a close relationship with Christ. Our steadfastness is Christ. He is our stability, He directs our life. If we lose our steadfastness we are as a sail boat in the ocean with no rudder. We will go where ever the wind blows. Christ is the rudder; He is the one who will direct our path during the storms of life.
Hebrews 12:14 says “no one will see the Lord without sanctification” This means that we will not go to be with Christ if we don't truly choose to do so. You know, the devil and all the demons believe in Jesus Christ and they know that He is the Son of God. However, they chose not to serve Him. The salvation is in the committment not the knowledge.
Galatians 5:1-4 says: “you Jews go toward Christ the Savior that will set you free”
If you receive circumcision as a condition of salvation, you are turning away from grace, not accepting salvation by grace” Here is the hardest part, there are no conditions, it is a free gift, my only job is to accept Him, trust Him, and follow Him. A believer should have fruit, no fruit means the tree is not alive. If you really believe He is who He said He is, and you have committed to serve Him, you would have a desire to tell others, to help others, to serve others, thus fruit.
Monday, April 20, 2009
The Parable of the Workers
Matthew 20:1-16, For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. And he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; and to those he said, "You too go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you," Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing; and he said to them, "why have you been stand here idle all day long?" They said to him, because no one hired us. He said to them, "you too go into the vineyard." (9) and when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. And when those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more and they also received a denarius. And when they received it, they grumbled at the landowner saying, These last men have worked only one hour and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day. (15) Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous? Thus the last will be first and the first last.
Jesus used parables to confused the Pharasees. All parables had a common sense meaning and a spiritual meaning. This is obvious by the way Jesus started the parable, "the kingdom of heaven is like". Actually, this parable is a prophecy. The key is "the last will be first and the first last. This has a lot to do with the rapture that we have talked about in past blogs. The parable is representing SALVATION. Some people received salvation from the beginning and has lived a Christian life the whole time, some later, and some will receive salvation at the last hour. However, each person will receive the same wages, SALVATION. The thief on the cross is a good example, he was a sinner, and just before he died he was forgiven of his sins and saved by Jesus who was dying right beside him. Jesus told him, "today you will be with me in paradise".
So, this parable is establishing the fact that salvation will continue into the tribulation and will end at the "last hour" which we have proven is the 30 days just after the first 3 and 1/2 years of the tribulation. That is the end of the time of the gentiles, that is the end of the two great witnesses, and that is the time of Jesus returning in the clouds, and harvesting the earth.
It amazes me that the Bible is soo perfect, everything fits, you just have to study enough to see it.
The only problem is, that we cannot know when our last hour to make a choice is, we don't know at what minute you might die. This weekend, 5 little kids drown when the father ran off the road into a ditch that was flooded from all the rain we have received this weekend. Death comes quickly. A decision can't wait, if you wait you may never get the chance again. Accept Jesus as Lord and Savior now, its priceless.
God bless, Dean
Jesus used parables to confused the Pharasees. All parables had a common sense meaning and a spiritual meaning. This is obvious by the way Jesus started the parable, "the kingdom of heaven is like". Actually, this parable is a prophecy. The key is "the last will be first and the first last. This has a lot to do with the rapture that we have talked about in past blogs. The parable is representing SALVATION. Some people received salvation from the beginning and has lived a Christian life the whole time, some later, and some will receive salvation at the last hour. However, each person will receive the same wages, SALVATION. The thief on the cross is a good example, he was a sinner, and just before he died he was forgiven of his sins and saved by Jesus who was dying right beside him. Jesus told him, "today you will be with me in paradise".
So, this parable is establishing the fact that salvation will continue into the tribulation and will end at the "last hour" which we have proven is the 30 days just after the first 3 and 1/2 years of the tribulation. That is the end of the time of the gentiles, that is the end of the two great witnesses, and that is the time of Jesus returning in the clouds, and harvesting the earth.
It amazes me that the Bible is soo perfect, everything fits, you just have to study enough to see it.
The only problem is, that we cannot know when our last hour to make a choice is, we don't know at what minute you might die. This weekend, 5 little kids drown when the father ran off the road into a ditch that was flooded from all the rain we have received this weekend. Death comes quickly. A decision can't wait, if you wait you may never get the chance again. Accept Jesus as Lord and Savior now, its priceless.
God bless, Dean
Thursday, April 16, 2009
The Prize
As I prepare to fish in a tournament to catch the biggest bass in Sam Rayburn lake, I have high hopes of what could occur if I win. First place, $250,000. Oh, come on, the odds are against it, there are 8000 people in the tournament, thunderstorms in the forecast, and a huge body of water, and a wimpy boat, only to try to find the one fish. But yet, in the back of my mind I have a believe I have a chance. There is still one fact, if you do go to the tournament you can't win.
When you think about it, I have the same hope in the back of my head for life after death. However, the odds are different. I could know exactly where the big bass was, have the perfect bait, the best boat, and fish all day and still not catch the winner. Heaven is different, I know how to catch the prize, all I have to do is go for it, ask forgiveness and I win. Everyone wins who asks. You would think if you knew that you will win, you would go for it every time. However, most don't choose salvation by the blood of Christ because they choose not to participate. They actually walk away from the prize voluntarily.
Think about it, offer $250,000 and 8000 show up, offer eternal joy and happiness, very few are interested. I dream of winning a boat, going on a fishing circuit, and paint JESUS SAVES or BE A FISHER OF MEN on the boat.
Well anyway, I hope you choose to win the prize if you haven't. The odds of winning: 100%.
God bless, Dean
Sunday, April 12, 2009
This is the DAY
This is the day. The day that God had planned from the beginning. The day that God planned from Adam and Eve. This is the day that God had planned to give us the "free will" to love Him, to choose Him, to prove that we really want to be with Him for eternity.
God gave us prophetic hints throughout history. The first was in Genesis after the fall of Adam and Eve. Genesis 3:21-22, "and the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. Then the Lord God said 'Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil,'" You see, God used the sacrifice of an animal's blood to cover the sin of Adam. This was the first indication that sin had to be covered by blood.
Exodus 11:3, 4-7, 13, 'Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers' households, a lamb for each household. Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month,then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight. Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. And the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you or destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt."
Here is God's next prophecy. The blood will save you and the ones who don't have the blood will be cursed. The sacrifice had to be a perfect unblemished lamb. You see, God was pointed all mankind to this day, a day that His perfect lamb would be killed at the twilight of the passover to spill His blood to save us. He was sinless, without blemish, His blood was required to save me from the coming judgement. The blood allowed the passover of judgement to occur. Thank God that his plan is perfect. He planned a way for us to have free will, to freely choose to love Him or not. If we chose to do so, He had a plan to wash away our sin by using a perfect sacrifice, the Son of God on a cross, and His blood set me free. I am not good enough, I don't deserve it and never would, but yet, God planned a day, 4000 years after the fall of Adam, several thousand years after the passover in Egypt, a day that proclaimed to all the world that He loved us. He wants to gather us together with Him for eternity.
This is the day, this is the day that we should celebrate by proclaiming to the world that God's plan for man existed from the beginning of time. Now, for over 2000 years we have known that His son freely gave His life as the sacrificial lamb to spill His blood so that I can have eternal life. It is easy to see, He was killed at twilight on Passover, however, the greatest part of the story was yet to come. After three days, Jesus was resurrected from the grave. He lives. He walked out of the tomb and talked and walked with others. He met with the disciples and ate with them. He could walk through walls and appear in a blink of an eye. You see, He was in His glorified body as an example of what we have to look forward to when we die. He is the promise, He is our hope, a hope of a great future after death, living with Him eternally.
You would think that after 2000 years we would get it and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. It is obvious that God gave us clear prophecies or hints of what the plan was. He gave us over 300 prophecies to proclaim the coming of Jesus as the sacrificial lamb. He gave us prophets, kings, and Judges that told us that God had a plan for us and He gave us the Holy Spirit as a helper during our time to guide us. However, He still gives us free will to not choose Him.
I hope that this day, the day, the day that God provided salvation through a blood sacrifice of a perfect lamb, that you will accept Him as your Lord and Savior if you have not done so. If you are a Christian, I hope that you take this special day to remember what an incredible God we have that He would have such a plan that included me. This day, the day, is a reminder of the fact that all of my sins have been covered up by His blood forever. Praise God! Praise God! Praise God!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
How can a loving God allow pain?
Probably the number one excuse that people have for not believing in God or the Bible is that they can't understand "How a loving God can allow pain and suffering" or "How a loving God could send someone to Hell". We have lots of people in this world today that has created their on god. That is the god that loves and accepts everyone into heaven. All paths lead to heaven.
God created that situation one time. He created all of the angels to worship and praise Him. The problem was they were created to praise and worship Him. They didn't choose to do so because they loved Him, they did it because they were created to do so. It is kind of like if you have a lot of money. How do you know that the people who say they are your friends, are your friends because they care about you and like being with you, or are they hanging around because you have money?
God came up with a great solution. It is called "free will". You choose what to do in your life and in your future. The problem with "free will" is there has to be a choice. If there is a good side, there has to be a evil side for "free will" to exist. You see, God loved you soooo much that He created evil. Boy, that is a hard concept to understand. However, without it we can't choose.
When we are born on this earth, we are created for one main reason, to choose our future. In God's eyes, life on earth is only a second compared to eternity. Our real problem is that we don't understand eternity. We believe that everything has an end. So, if evil creates a little suffering, and it gets you to turn to the truth and make a decision that will affect you eternal future, what a deal. It is like a parent who spanks his son that is trying to touch the fire. How dare the parent be mean and spank the child, I thought he was a loving parent? The parent understands that a little pain will kept the child from destroying his future by touching the fire. A small price to pay for the safety of the child, even when the child looks at you with "that look" with tears in his eyes saying "why did you do that?". A loving parent would protect his child and provide for a great future. God does that, His protection is using evil as a deterant to you loosing you chance at everlasting life.
A great example is Job. Satan was roaming the earth and went up to God and asked God to allow him to sift Job. Job was a godly man. God said, "there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil". He was pleasing in the eyes of God. However, God allowed satan to torture him up to the point of death, but satan could not take his life. So, satan destroyed his family, destroyed his sheep, camels, servants, and destroyed his health. He lost everything except his wife and a few friends. Guess what, satan used them against Job. Job had many reasons to do as his wife told him to do, "curse God and die". Back then, they thought like his friend did. They asked him, "what sin have you commited for God to curse you?". They thought God has sent all of this evil against him because of his sin. Why would a loving God allow his whole family to die? What did they do wrong? Nothing. We look at a life that is shortened by a dissaster, God looks at it as a blessing. They get to the real life, eternal life sooner. This trial on earth is over. You see, if you don't get it, you really don't get that there is a life after this one, an eternal life. We will be complete there, we will be perfect, without sin, and have a pupose to serve in the kingdom.
I have had a lot of suffering in my life that should make me question if there is really a God. My parents were killed when I was 14 months old. My brother died of pneumonia at the age of 25. I was adopted by my aunt and uncle. My uncle was an alcoholic. I was legally kicked out of the house at the age of 17 without anything. How could a loving God allow a 14 month old child to suffer like that? The answer is because He loves me. He replaced a father who killed my mother and then himself, with a Father that loved me unconditionally. He provided for me when no one else would. I got a college education, the first in my family, totally paid for, not deserved, but God provided the opportunity. I felt his presence in my life even before I became a Christian.
Let's be logical, there are many people in this world who have had near death experience. People try to explain these occurances away by saying that it is a chemical reaction in the brain, etc. However, there are many examples of people who die on the table and describe how they left their body and went down the hallway, into other rooms and described everything in the room, who was there, and what color their clothes were that they were wearing. Some have described words on the top of the surgical lamps that can only be seen from the ceiling. There is no doubt that we have a spiritual body and that there is a life after we die. The ones who deny it or deny God really don't want to see the facts.
Know this, there is a God, He unconditionally loves us so much that He gave us "free will" which in turn could not exist without evil. He has a plan for us, if nothing else to freely choose to believe in His Son who came and died for me. The least I can do is learn about Him, trust Him, and serve Him.
God bless, Dean
God created that situation one time. He created all of the angels to worship and praise Him. The problem was they were created to praise and worship Him. They didn't choose to do so because they loved Him, they did it because they were created to do so. It is kind of like if you have a lot of money. How do you know that the people who say they are your friends, are your friends because they care about you and like being with you, or are they hanging around because you have money?
God came up with a great solution. It is called "free will". You choose what to do in your life and in your future. The problem with "free will" is there has to be a choice. If there is a good side, there has to be a evil side for "free will" to exist. You see, God loved you soooo much that He created evil. Boy, that is a hard concept to understand. However, without it we can't choose.
When we are born on this earth, we are created for one main reason, to choose our future. In God's eyes, life on earth is only a second compared to eternity. Our real problem is that we don't understand eternity. We believe that everything has an end. So, if evil creates a little suffering, and it gets you to turn to the truth and make a decision that will affect you eternal future, what a deal. It is like a parent who spanks his son that is trying to touch the fire. How dare the parent be mean and spank the child, I thought he was a loving parent? The parent understands that a little pain will kept the child from destroying his future by touching the fire. A small price to pay for the safety of the child, even when the child looks at you with "that look" with tears in his eyes saying "why did you do that?". A loving parent would protect his child and provide for a great future. God does that, His protection is using evil as a deterant to you loosing you chance at everlasting life.
A great example is Job. Satan was roaming the earth and went up to God and asked God to allow him to sift Job. Job was a godly man. God said, "there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil". He was pleasing in the eyes of God. However, God allowed satan to torture him up to the point of death, but satan could not take his life. So, satan destroyed his family, destroyed his sheep, camels, servants, and destroyed his health. He lost everything except his wife and a few friends. Guess what, satan used them against Job. Job had many reasons to do as his wife told him to do, "curse God and die". Back then, they thought like his friend did. They asked him, "what sin have you commited for God to curse you?". They thought God has sent all of this evil against him because of his sin. Why would a loving God allow his whole family to die? What did they do wrong? Nothing. We look at a life that is shortened by a dissaster, God looks at it as a blessing. They get to the real life, eternal life sooner. This trial on earth is over. You see, if you don't get it, you really don't get that there is a life after this one, an eternal life. We will be complete there, we will be perfect, without sin, and have a pupose to serve in the kingdom.
I have had a lot of suffering in my life that should make me question if there is really a God. My parents were killed when I was 14 months old. My brother died of pneumonia at the age of 25. I was adopted by my aunt and uncle. My uncle was an alcoholic. I was legally kicked out of the house at the age of 17 without anything. How could a loving God allow a 14 month old child to suffer like that? The answer is because He loves me. He replaced a father who killed my mother and then himself, with a Father that loved me unconditionally. He provided for me when no one else would. I got a college education, the first in my family, totally paid for, not deserved, but God provided the opportunity. I felt his presence in my life even before I became a Christian.
Let's be logical, there are many people in this world who have had near death experience. People try to explain these occurances away by saying that it is a chemical reaction in the brain, etc. However, there are many examples of people who die on the table and describe how they left their body and went down the hallway, into other rooms and described everything in the room, who was there, and what color their clothes were that they were wearing. Some have described words on the top of the surgical lamps that can only be seen from the ceiling. There is no doubt that we have a spiritual body and that there is a life after we die. The ones who deny it or deny God really don't want to see the facts.
Know this, there is a God, He unconditionally loves us so much that He gave us "free will" which in turn could not exist without evil. He has a plan for us, if nothing else to freely choose to believe in His Son who came and died for me. The least I can do is learn about Him, trust Him, and serve Him.
God bless, Dean
Anti-depression
Sometimes when I get depressed about things, I reflect back on salvation.
Have you ever stolen anything? I have. Have you ever used God's name in vane? I have. Have you ever murdered someone? I have not. But, Jesus said, if you have anger against someone, you have committed murder in your heart. I'm guilty :( Have you every committed adultery? I have been faithfully married to my wife, Joni, for 28 years this summer. However, Jesus said, if you have looked at someone with lust, you have committed adultery in your heart. So, that means I am a lying thief that has committed adultery and murder. Man, trying to live a good life so I can have eternal life with God in heaven is harder than I thought.
The truth is the 10 commandments' purpose is just that. It is to reveal to me that I don't deserve eternal life because I am a sinner. I can't earn it no matter how hard I try.
If you kill someone and you go before a just Judge, should you be judged guilty and receive punishment? No doubt, you are guilty and deserve a punishment. Lets say the Judge sentences you to life in prison or $10,000,000. As you are being halled off, someone comes in and pays your debt and sets you free. You do not have to go to prison for the rest of your life because someone paid your debt. That is what Jesus did for you and me. He was perfect, sinless. He died on the cross and shed His blood for the payment of my sinfulness. He gave me a GIFT that I can't repay and all I have to do is ask for forgiveness of my sins, accept His gift and sacrifice for my sins, and learn to follow Him. If you haven't done that, all you have to do is pray a prayer to ask for forgiveness of your sinful ways and let Him know of your commitment to change your life.
The Bible says that you are suppose to accept Him as Lord and Savior. The savior part is what we have been talking about. The Lordship part is what most never get. Most people believe that I am suppose to be perfect if I am a Christian. All I am after accepting Jesus as savior is a sinner with a better future. The sinner part is still there but my fine has been paid by someone who has taken the burden away. However, when I accept Him, He promised to send me a helper. This helper is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit's job is to guide me in becoming more like Christ each day. I am suppose to grow. That means that I will still make mistakes, but, hopefully through the power of the Holy Spirit, I will not make as many mistakes today as I have in the past and I will make less in the future. When you have been forgiven for your sins, you get to walk free and in a relationship with Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit, until you sin again. What do I do now? The Holy Spirit will make you feel guilty and your conscience will bug you to let you know that you are out of the relationship. To get back into this relationship, as in marriage, you have to admit your mistake and ask forgiveness. It is a daily process of falling on your knees and searching your heart. That is one reason we pray. Paul ask Christ to forgive him of sins that he may have committed out of ignorance. Now that is seeking to be closer to Him!
If you are not a Christian or are not sure, God has given you the "free will" to choose to serve Him by accepting Him as Lord and Savior. If you haven't done that, I pray that you will. If you do that let me know and I will pray for you and try to guide you into being an obedient servant that has a wonderful future of eternal life with Jesus. What a gift.
If you are a Christian, but, you have had troubles. You should get back into the relationship. That is where you receive the peace and happiness that we all long for. It comes in serving Him.
Get on your knees and repent and ask for direction in your life through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Wow, my depression is gone. How can I be depressed when I know that when I die, I will be with Him living an eternal life. He has promised that there will be no more sin, no more tears, when I go to be with Him.
Hope I see you there, God bless, Dean
Have you ever stolen anything? I have. Have you ever used God's name in vane? I have. Have you ever murdered someone? I have not. But, Jesus said, if you have anger against someone, you have committed murder in your heart. I'm guilty :( Have you every committed adultery? I have been faithfully married to my wife, Joni, for 28 years this summer. However, Jesus said, if you have looked at someone with lust, you have committed adultery in your heart. So, that means I am a lying thief that has committed adultery and murder. Man, trying to live a good life so I can have eternal life with God in heaven is harder than I thought.
The truth is the 10 commandments' purpose is just that. It is to reveal to me that I don't deserve eternal life because I am a sinner. I can't earn it no matter how hard I try.
If you kill someone and you go before a just Judge, should you be judged guilty and receive punishment? No doubt, you are guilty and deserve a punishment. Lets say the Judge sentences you to life in prison or $10,000,000. As you are being halled off, someone comes in and pays your debt and sets you free. You do not have to go to prison for the rest of your life because someone paid your debt. That is what Jesus did for you and me. He was perfect, sinless. He died on the cross and shed His blood for the payment of my sinfulness. He gave me a GIFT that I can't repay and all I have to do is ask for forgiveness of my sins, accept His gift and sacrifice for my sins, and learn to follow Him. If you haven't done that, all you have to do is pray a prayer to ask for forgiveness of your sinful ways and let Him know of your commitment to change your life.
The Bible says that you are suppose to accept Him as Lord and Savior. The savior part is what we have been talking about. The Lordship part is what most never get. Most people believe that I am suppose to be perfect if I am a Christian. All I am after accepting Jesus as savior is a sinner with a better future. The sinner part is still there but my fine has been paid by someone who has taken the burden away. However, when I accept Him, He promised to send me a helper. This helper is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit's job is to guide me in becoming more like Christ each day. I am suppose to grow. That means that I will still make mistakes, but, hopefully through the power of the Holy Spirit, I will not make as many mistakes today as I have in the past and I will make less in the future. When you have been forgiven for your sins, you get to walk free and in a relationship with Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit, until you sin again. What do I do now? The Holy Spirit will make you feel guilty and your conscience will bug you to let you know that you are out of the relationship. To get back into this relationship, as in marriage, you have to admit your mistake and ask forgiveness. It is a daily process of falling on your knees and searching your heart. That is one reason we pray. Paul ask Christ to forgive him of sins that he may have committed out of ignorance. Now that is seeking to be closer to Him!
If you are not a Christian or are not sure, God has given you the "free will" to choose to serve Him by accepting Him as Lord and Savior. If you haven't done that, I pray that you will. If you do that let me know and I will pray for you and try to guide you into being an obedient servant that has a wonderful future of eternal life with Jesus. What a gift.
If you are a Christian, but, you have had troubles. You should get back into the relationship. That is where you receive the peace and happiness that we all long for. It comes in serving Him.
Get on your knees and repent and ask for direction in your life through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Wow, my depression is gone. How can I be depressed when I know that when I die, I will be with Him living an eternal life. He has promised that there will be no more sin, no more tears, when I go to be with Him.
Hope I see you there, God bless, Dean
Friday, April 3, 2009
A trillion
Howdy, Do you know how much a trillion is? Since our government is spending $3.5 trillion in the budget, you would think we would know how much it is.
If you spend one million dollars a day, it would take you 2739.7 years to spend a trillion. Do you get the picture, we are spending money that we don't have and we will never have. Do you think they care? Do you really think that the investment will stimulate the economy to grow and we will get our money back in the future?
Personally, I believe they know that they are running the ship to ground. I guess to save the rats! Man, I wish I was one of the rats. I think that the idea is to destroy the dollar as to lower the value which will reduce the debt that we owe to other countries. However, it will also reduce your life savings which has already been cut in half if you are in a 401K. There has been rumors of changing us to the Amero dollar. If they do that, there will be an exchange rate. You can see that the idea is to drain the country of the money. They have pretty much taken all of the wealth of the country. There is only one big pie left, that is the retirement funds. The next step will be to take over those as well. It has already been proposed. The government wants to confiscate all the retirement money and put it in a "guaranteed government retirement plan" that is run by the social security system. Boy, buying gold looks good about now.
God bless, Dean
If you spend one million dollars a day, it would take you 2739.7 years to spend a trillion. Do you get the picture, we are spending money that we don't have and we will never have. Do you think they care? Do you really think that the investment will stimulate the economy to grow and we will get our money back in the future?
Personally, I believe they know that they are running the ship to ground. I guess to save the rats! Man, I wish I was one of the rats. I think that the idea is to destroy the dollar as to lower the value which will reduce the debt that we owe to other countries. However, it will also reduce your life savings which has already been cut in half if you are in a 401K. There has been rumors of changing us to the Amero dollar. If they do that, there will be an exchange rate. You can see that the idea is to drain the country of the money. They have pretty much taken all of the wealth of the country. There is only one big pie left, that is the retirement funds. The next step will be to take over those as well. It has already been proposed. The government wants to confiscate all the retirement money and put it in a "guaranteed government retirement plan" that is run by the social security system. Boy, buying gold looks good about now.
God bless, Dean
Thursday, April 2, 2009
The Shout of "COME UP HERE"
Today I would like to talk about the key phrase "come up here". This phrase helps us to line up the events during the tribulation as well as helps us identify where the rapture of 1Thessalonians 4 is really located.
"Come up here" is located in Revelation 4:1 and Revelation 11:12. We have discussed Revelation 11:12 last time and saw how the "in one hour" represents a 30 day period just after the first 3 and 1/2 years of the tribulation. Revelation 11:11-13, "And after the three and one half days the breath of life from God came into them(the two great witnesses) and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were beholding them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here" and "in that hour" there was a great earthquake". So, it is easy to see that there is a relationship between the hour and the "come up here" key phrase. They happen at the same time, which is just after the first three and one half years.
Revelation 4:1, "After these things I looked and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, "Come up here". Most pre-rapture people teach that from chapter 4 throughout the rest of Revelation the Church is not mentioned. Their logic is chapter six is the beginning of the tribulation, starting with the seven seal judgments, so, there is no church in the tribulation.
I do agree that the church is not present after chapter 4. However, the thing they miss is that if you look at the alignment of the key phrases, there is no doubt that Revelation 4 starts just after the first 3 and 1/2 years of the tribulation. Look at the evidence,
First: "the sound of a trumpet", represents the trumpet judgments which are after the seven seal judgments. If their logic was right and the tribulation started with the breaking of the first seal, then the trumpet judgments are in the middle of the tribulation. Look at 1 Corinthians 15:51, "Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall all be changed".
Second: We have already discussed in detail in my last blog, how the key phrase "in one hour" is the 30 days just after the first 3 and 1/2 years of the tribulation. You can easily see in Revelation 11:13 that "in one hour" and "come up here" are during the same time frame.
Third: We can see now that Revelation 4 must occur during the same time frame.
Fourth: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, The man of lawlessness must be revealed before the gathering together to Him (Jesus).
Ok, I feel like I am beating a dead horse, but, I hope and pray that all the talk about pre-rapture and that we are out of here at the beginning of the tribulation has not deceived you to the truth.
The truth is we need to be looking at the signs and know that we have a purpose. Our purpose is to be a witness unto the world in the last days by staying true to the Word of God and trusting in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior no matter what.
Here is my biggest fear, suppose a seven year peace tready is signed in Israel and the Jews are allowed to rebuild the Temple in some form. The world will look at these two events and say "these are the signs that your preachers said would occur at the beginning of the seven years of the tribuation". They also said, " the Christians would be raptured at the beginning of the tribulation". Why are the Christians still here? Apparently, your religion is a lie. If you believe in the pre-rapture and you do not have a strong faith you might crumble under the pressure if it happens like this. Look at 2 Peter 3:3-4, "Know this first of all, tht in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation'."
"Come up here" is located in Revelation 4:1 and Revelation 11:12. We have discussed Revelation 11:12 last time and saw how the "in one hour" represents a 30 day period just after the first 3 and 1/2 years of the tribulation. Revelation 11:11-13, "And after the three and one half days the breath of life from God came into them(the two great witnesses) and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were beholding them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here" and "in that hour" there was a great earthquake". So, it is easy to see that there is a relationship between the hour and the "come up here" key phrase. They happen at the same time, which is just after the first three and one half years.
Revelation 4:1, "After these things I looked and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, "Come up here". Most pre-rapture people teach that from chapter 4 throughout the rest of Revelation the Church is not mentioned. Their logic is chapter six is the beginning of the tribulation, starting with the seven seal judgments, so, there is no church in the tribulation.
I do agree that the church is not present after chapter 4. However, the thing they miss is that if you look at the alignment of the key phrases, there is no doubt that Revelation 4 starts just after the first 3 and 1/2 years of the tribulation. Look at the evidence,
First: "the sound of a trumpet", represents the trumpet judgments which are after the seven seal judgments. If their logic was right and the tribulation started with the breaking of the first seal, then the trumpet judgments are in the middle of the tribulation. Look at 1 Corinthians 15:51, "Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall all be changed".
Second: We have already discussed in detail in my last blog, how the key phrase "in one hour" is the 30 days just after the first 3 and 1/2 years of the tribulation. You can easily see in Revelation 11:13 that "in one hour" and "come up here" are during the same time frame.
Third: We can see now that Revelation 4 must occur during the same time frame.
Fourth: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, The man of lawlessness must be revealed before the gathering together to Him (Jesus).
Ok, I feel like I am beating a dead horse, but, I hope and pray that all the talk about pre-rapture and that we are out of here at the beginning of the tribulation has not deceived you to the truth.
The truth is we need to be looking at the signs and know that we have a purpose. Our purpose is to be a witness unto the world in the last days by staying true to the Word of God and trusting in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior no matter what.
Here is my biggest fear, suppose a seven year peace tready is signed in Israel and the Jews are allowed to rebuild the Temple in some form. The world will look at these two events and say "these are the signs that your preachers said would occur at the beginning of the seven years of the tribuation". They also said, " the Christians would be raptured at the beginning of the tribulation". Why are the Christians still here? Apparently, your religion is a lie. If you believe in the pre-rapture and you do not have a strong faith you might crumble under the pressure if it happens like this. Look at 2 Peter 3:3-4, "Know this first of all, tht in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation'."
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