Predestiny

                A major problem that I’ve been hearing lately is the idea of predestination. So many people I know, including Christians, believe that people are chosen before they are born to go to heaven or hell. This keeps people from having a relationship with God because they feel that no matter what, they can’t help where they end up after death. They believe that salvation is given only to chosen people and that the elect will come to have faith and believe until the end.

“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan

of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order

 that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.”

-Ephesians 1:11-12

                A lot of people take this verse as confirmation that there is undoubtedly predestination. However, what God means is that He chose them to have certain spiritual gifts. He chose the disciples and He chose the apostles. He has a plan for each and every one of us to do His works; we just need to accept the duty and responsibility. Also, the next verse contradicts the idea of predestination.

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word

of the truth, the gospel of your salvation.”

-Ephesians 1:13

                This verse declares that those who hear the Word and believe in it will receive salvation and a place in heaven. Deuteronomy 7:6-8 talks about the people of Israel being the chosen people. This doesn’t mean that they are the only ones permitted in heaven. What this means is that they have a special ranking in Heaven (see Revelation 7).

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever

believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. For God

did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does

not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed

in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

John 3:16-18

                No one is excluded from having everlasting life in heaven. All who believe will see the kingdom and reside in it! God loves each and every person that has ever walked this earth. He does not choose to send anyone to hell; He did everything to save us. He sent His only Son to perish for us. He became like us to be a sacrifice for us. He remained compassionate while Israel was arrogant and judgmental. The Bible tells us that whoever confesses with their mouth that Jesus is Christ and commits their life to God will receive life in heaven. We are told that we have our own will. Therefore, we are not predestined.

                Don’t be convinced that you can’t help set the way for where you will end up after death. One thing is, you are on a predetermined course. But you don’t have a predetermined destination. The course that you take, can have detours based on your decisions and if you stray from God's will, and so does your destination. Satan is not omnipotent or omnipresent. He can only attack you every now and then, putting thoughts in your head for short moments, hoping that those thoughts will turn you from God. So don’t let him convince you that you’re either set to go to heaven or hell. YOU make your own decisions and if you love God and live by His word than you are going to heaven. If you disobey God, then you are on a wide path to the lake of fire. You are not Satan’s to have-you are God’s. So live your life for Him and know that your destination is not predestined.

Understanding the Book of Revelation: The Thousand Years

            Chapter 20 has become, unfortunately, one of the more disputed passages in scripture. It is the only place in Revelation where the thousand years appears. In Chapter 20 Satan is bound for one thousand years so that the earth may be restored and the remaining men will not be deceived by him. The Church is allowed to begin to take charge of the nations. Instead of being an outcast and overruled, she now has a voice. The martyrs and overcomers are given thrones during this time so that they may help judge during the millennial kingdom.

There are three interpretations:

a. Premillennialism: This argues that Christ comes pre- (before) the millennium of a literal thousand years. Christ's return in power and glory will deprive Satan of all his power, raise the Christian dead, and set up the kingdom of the saints on earth. After a thousand years, Satan will re-emerge from his imprisonment, attempt once more to destroy the saints, fail, and be destroyed himself. Then will come the resurrection of the rest of the dead, the judgment of the great white throne, the final destruction of the wicked, and the making of a new heaven and earth. The appearing of the Antichrist, the tribulation, the rapture is usually held to have taken place before Christ's coming in victory, and that comes before (pre-) the millennium: hence the name of this interpretation. This doctrine is sometimes called chiliasm which is derived from the Greek chilios, a thousand.

b. Amillennialism: There is no literal millennium, the 1,000 years is symbolic. It stands for the whole time between the life of Jesus on earth and his second coming. There is a biblical millennium. The saints are raised with Christ at the new birth, this is the first resurrection, (Ephesians 2:6, Colossians 2:12, Colossians 3:1), and they reign with Christ in life (Romans 5:17).
 

c. Postmillennialism: Christ returns after (post) the millennium. The millennium is the triumph of the gospel in this present age, sometimes a literal 1,000 years.

In Chapter 20 Satan is bound for one thousand years so that the earth may be restored and the remaining men will not be deceived by him. The Church is allowed to begin to take charge of the nations. Instead of being an outcast and overruled, she now has a voice. The martyrs and overcomers are given thrones during this time so that they may help judge during the millennial kingdom.

                Each interpretation brings its own meaning to each of the verses. I know I might not be right but I will share with you the interpretation that the Lord has given to me. You don’t have to agree with me; that’s not the purpose of this blog. You can interpret each passage your own way.

The Thousand Years

                After the thousand years, Satan will again be released to test the nations for the final time. In verse 5 there are two different resurrections mentioned. The first resurrection is for the believers. The second resurrection is for all those who are left that have not believed. In verse 6 we can see that this is true. It says that those who partake in the first resurrection will not see the second death, which is being cast to hell and having death of the spirit. 

Gog and Magog

                Verse 8 is Satan’s last chance to gather everyone from around the earth. Gog and Magog are mention in Ezekiel 38:2-3 and 39:1-2. This battle that will occur is separate from the battle of Armageddon. Ezekiel 38:2 indicates Gog is of Rosh, Meschech, and Tubal, which correspond to Russia, Moscow, and Tobolsk. Magog relates to Eastern Europe. Satan deceives them so that they can be his warriors. He instigates this final war and causes man’s rebellious nature to show again. During the thousand years, man’s rebellious nature still existed but it didn’t show because there was no temptation or deception from Satan. The camp mentioned in verse 9 is the lodging place of the overcoming believers who reside on earth as Heaven’s army. The beloved city is Jerusalem and God won’t let any harm come to them. He instantly brings fire and destruction against the enemy. 

The Dead are Judged

                In saying that the dead are standing in verse 12 indicates that they have been resurrected. The dead unbelievers are the last to be judged. Death is the last enemy to be destroyed. Death can no longer come to God’s people so it is cast to Hell where torment is prominent. During the first death, the flesh is separated from the spirit and our spirits will be put in a waiting place (Luke 16:22-24). Those who are not in the book of life, they will surely be cast to the lake of fire, the kingdom of Satan, and the dwelling place of death.

Understanding the Book of Revelation: The Seven Plagues and the Temple

                Chapter 15 is a short chapter but it’s important in informing us about the seven bowls of God’s wrath. 

The Seven Plagues

                The seven plagues mentioned are the fury of God in the seven bowls. They are not separate from the bowls but they are what make them up. They are the third woe, which comes at the sounding of the seventh trumpet. The victors in verse 2 are the late overcomers who went through the Great Tribulation and did not follow the Antichrist. “Standing by the glassy sea” signifies that they’ve been resurrected and raptured to Heaven so they’re above the lake of fire with God. The song of Moses that these overcomers sing is in Exodus 15:1-18. It praises God for the victory over the forces of the Pharaoh by allowing him to part the Red Sea. In singing this song, the overcomers are praising God for their victory over the powers of the Antichrist. The song of the Lamb that is sung praises Christ’s redemption. 

The Song of Moses and of the Lamb

                In the song that they sing, God’s ways are His governing principles and His works are His judgments. Moses knew His ways but the children of Israel only knew His works (Psalm 103:7). The Greek word for holy in this case refers to the sum of qualities that are His divine character. Holy is His nature and righteous are His principles. 

The Temple and the Seven Angels with the Seven Bowls

                In verse 5 we see mentioned the temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony. The testimony is the law of God, and was put into the Ark (Exodus 25:16). The Ark was put into the tabernacle so therefore the temple in heaven is the Tabernacle of the Testimony. The seven angels that carry the seven bowls of God’s wrath are dressed like priests (Ezekiel 44:17). “Clean bright linen” indicates they are white garments. These angels are girded at the breasts with golden girdles. To be girded at the breasts is to indicate love and golden girdles indicate divine strength. No one can enter the temple until the angels release the seven bowls. This is so that no one can appease God’s fury with their prayers at this point until the seven bowls are poured out on the rebellious people influenced by the Antichrist. 

Understanding the Book of Revelation: The Seven Trumpets

The Angel at the Altar      

         Chapter 8 introduces the Seven Trumpets. Christ is the angel that stands at the altar of prayers of the saints. He is the incense added so that their prayers may be found acceptable to God. The smoke rising in verse 4 signifies that the prayers of the saints become effective. Their prayers are answered for judgment on the earth which is signified by the fire, thunder, voices, lightening, and earthquake. The fire is not literal fire; God, throughout Revelation, lets us know that his judgment is represented by fire. It is fire because eternal punishment is being cast into the Lake of Fire. The first four trumpets are not judgment directly on man yet but rather a warning to repent through destruction of things vital to man’s survival. 

The First Four Trumpets 

 

                During the first trumpet, the third part of the earth probably refers to the most evil and sinful regions. Fire and hail falling upon these regions is a supernatural calamity. It’s an unusual combination but God, in his power, will allow for it to happen. 1/3 of the earth will be destroyed by fire. During the second trumpet another third of a creation of God is destroyed. This time it is the sea, and 1/3 of the creatures and ships of the sea. Some people speculate that the “huge mountain, all ablaze” is a meteorite or asteroid. The third trumpet destroys another 1/3 of something created by God. This time it’s the springs and rivers. Jeremiah 9:15 tells us that men will drink poisoned water, provided by God. Right now, even those who don’t abide in God enjoy his Creation. But, during the third trumpet, they will no longer be able to enjoy it. It’s His vengeance against man, destroying something that is so crucial to human life. The fourth trumpet will cause darkness to overwhelm most of the day and a 1/3 of the earth. 

The Fifth and Sixth Trumpets  

 

                The last three trumpets, the three woes, will occur during the last half of the Tribulation which is 3 ½ years, 42 months (Revelation 11:2, 13:5), or twelve hundred and sixty days (Revelation 11:3, 12:6). 

 

                Chapter 9 is the fifth and sixth trumpets.  The star in verse 1 that fell to the earth is Satan. The angels are likened to stars and Satan was the Daystar (Isaiah 14:12). He is given authority over the dwelling place of demons. The locusts in verse 3 are not like those in Exodus but rather these have tails like scorpions and bring harm to men (9:10)  and they are demon-possessed. Only the Israelites who have the seal of God will not be harmed by these locusts. Mankind will be made to suffer, not die for verse 6 says:

“And in those days men will seek death and shall by no means find it;

and they will long to die, and death flees from them.”

                The angel of the abyss mentioned in verse 11 is the Antichrist. The Hebrew word Abaddon means destruction and the Greek work Apollyon means destroy. In verse 13, during the sixth trumpet, the golden altar is the incense altar that the blood of redemption was put on (Exodus 30:10). This verse indicates that God’s judgment is based on the redemption of Christ because men do not believe in His redemption. The four angels that are released will kill men first for one hour then one day, then one month, and then finally one year. The two hundred million horsemen in verse 16 will join the battle at Armageddon. The horses and their riders in verse 17 bear fire and hyacinth and brimstone to kill people and cast them into the lake of fire. These horsemen are more powerful than the locusts with the tails of scorpions. These horsemen kill men, not just torment them. These woes upon men were meant to bring them to repentance, but there are still men who refuse to repent even after these traumatic events. 

Understanding the Book of Revelation: The Seven Seals and the 144,000 Sealed

                Today we will be looking at chapters 6-9 in the book of Revelation- the Seven Seals, the 144,000, and the Seven Trumpets. 

The Four Horsemen

                The opening of the seven seals occurs immediately after Christ ascends into Heaven and they concern all living creatures. The white horse mentioned in verse 2 symbolizes the preaching of the gospel, which is clean, pure, just, and approvable in the eyes of God. The first four seals consist of four horses with the four riders who are not actual people but rather personified things. Some people interpret this verse as the rider being Jesus but it is the gospel. Immediately after Christ’s ascension, the four things began to run rampant in the Earth and they will continue until Christ’s Second Coming. The gospel started spreading in the first century and simultaneously war has continued among mankind. War causes famine and famine causes death. The reason why the first rider has a bow is to fight the enemy and the crown is because the gospel has been crowned with the glory of Christ.

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the

light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

-2 Corinthians 4:4

                The second horse is the rider of war. The red color of the horse represents bloodshed which is prominent in war. When this verse says “…to take peace from the earth…” it clearly indicates war. The third horse is that of famine. The blackness of the horse symbolizes a deficiency (Jeremiah 14:1-4) and represents famished people (Lamentations 4:8-9). Here, the balance is to weigh food. Verse 6 says, “…; and do not harm the oil and wine.” because oil and wine are for man’s pleasure and tend to be in short supply. They become precious and valuable in a time of famine. The fourth and final horse is that of death. It is a pale horse because when one dies they become pale in the face. Hades is the place where the unsaved dead are kept before judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). Hades follows this horse to obtain those that Death kills. The reason why beasts are mentioned here to kill man is because one of the punishments by God upon man is death by animals, such as in 2 Kings 2:24 and 2 Kings 17:25. 

 The Fifth and Sixth Seals           

               The fifth seal discusses Christian martyrs. They are given white robes because their martyrdom was approved by God. Verse 11, when saying that the number of their fellow slaves and brothers were about to be killed, is talking about the martyrdom of the great tribulation (Revelation 20:4).  The sixth seal marks the beginning of the supernatural calamities and marks the beginning of the changing into the new heaven and the new earth. 

 

The 144,000

                Chapter 7 shows how God will still care for His people during the time of judgment. The winds mentioned in the first verse are the winds of His judgment (Jeremiah 22:22, 51:1). The angel in verse 2 is Jesus. He is a special messenger, granted power by God. Verse 3 lets us know that the Israelites whom He has chosen will be protected during the seventh seal and the seven trumpets. These are the Israelites who keep the commandments of God during the tribulation.There are 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel.

                Verse 9-17 is about the redeemed ones from all nations and all generations. They are raptured to the presence of God right before the sixth seal is opened. They’re conduct has been approved by God so they’ve been washed by the blood of the lamb, hence the white robes. The palm branches in their hands signify the victory of the saints over suffering they went through in Christ’s name and the satisfaction of being watered. The great tribulation mentioned is not the one that occurs in Revelation but rather the suffering of God’s people throughout all generations. They will have no dissatisfaction once they are living in the kingdom of God. 

  

Are You Committed?

“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the

one and love the other, or he will be devoted

to the one and despise the other.”

-Matthew 6:24

                In our relationship with God we need to be 100% committed to Him. We cannot say that we live for Him if we only go to him when we need something and then continually sin or forget about God when we are financially stable or feel that things are going good for us. We can’t maintain a strong relationship with the Lord if we don’t do his will for us. He won’t let his grace rain down on us if we turn our backs.We will be punished when the time for His judgment comes. We cannot wait and delay our confession of Christ until we are on our death bed so we can live rebelliously either because we do not know when we are going to die. We could die instantly in a car accident and never receive the opportunity again to be saved.

               

“But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless

and in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.”

-Hebrews 6:8

                We need to be careful not to backslide into our old ways. God is a jealous god and will not let His kingdom be a divided one.  If we confess Jesus as our savior but then don’t live according to His law and His will then we are not useful to Him and we bear bad fruit. We bear bad fruit because we are not being righteous. When we bear bad fruit we are not drawing people to Christ; we are turning them away or not even letting them see who Jesus is. What is fruit in biblical terms? It is the manifestation of God’s works. And the only way to bear good fruit is through Him. You can say that you are a follower of Christ but that won’t save you; how do you live your life? Are you just a wolf in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15)?

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain

 in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

-John 15:4

                How do we remain in Him? Through Christ’s words. We must take up our own cross so that our sinful life can be cut off and we can be made alive in the Spirit. In Luke, when it says that we are to lose our life to save it, it means that we are to give up our own free will to perform God’s will so that we may bring others to Him and have Jesus as our savior. Therefore, we do save our life but it’s not our earthly life we save. Instead, we are saving our everlasting life so we aren’t cast into the lake of fire. The things on this earth are not as important as the promise of new life that we will have in Heaven after the Son of Man returns to harvest his people during the Rapture.

“Then he said to them all, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his

 cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses

his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole

world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?”

-Luke 9:23-25

“And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

-Luke 14:27

Repentance and Humilty

           

                There is no such thing as a perfect person or a blemish free Christian. Many people outside of the Christian faith believe that Christians are not allowed to make mistakes. This is very far from the truth. We are not to seek sin or continue to live as we did before we knew God.  God understands that as humans we may stumble and fall. That’s why he sent his one and only son to die for us; so that we may be forgiven and have a way to the Father.

“The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where

sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as

sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign though

righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

-Romans 5:20-21

“How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through

the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to

God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death,

so that we may serve the living God.”

-Hebrews 9:14

                Just because we have accepted the Lord into our lives does not mean that we are automatically accepted into the kingdom of our Father in Heaven.

“Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’

will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only he who does

the will of my Father who is in Heaven.”

Matthew 7:21

                The difference between a believer of Christ and someone who has not yet received Him as their savior is that we know the difference between right and wrong, sin and righteousness. We recognize this and the Holy Spirit convicts us when we do something wrong. Without our spirit committed to God, we cannot receive the Holy Spirit to grasp us when we start to slip away. When Jesus died for us, sin could no longer come after us but we could still seek sin. After we are saved by the grace of God and our faith in Jesus Christ, we are less likely to fall into sin but it still happens.

“Therefore, no one will be declared righteous in his

sight by observing the law; rather, through the law

we become conscience of sin.”

-Romans 3:20

                But it doesn’t just take believing in Jesus to be saved from our sins. We must also have repentance and humility. When we ask for forgiveness of our sins, and mean it from our hearts, he will forget our sins.

“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake,

and remembers your sins no more.”

-Isaiah 43:25

                In Luke 18:9-14, a Pharisee and a tax collector went to the temple to pray. The Pharisee prayed about himself and was not humble; he did not admit to any sin but rather raised himself up higher than everyone else. The tax collector however confessed that he was a sinner and begged for mercy. The tax collector was justified with God for he humbled himself. This is how we are to be. We should not exalt ourselves before God or before men.

“If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now

that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”

-John 9:41

                   This is a difficult passage to understand but let’s look at it logically, bearing in mind that Jesus was talking about spiritual blindness. Jesus is not saying that people who are physically blind are innocent of sin, as if God overlooks their sin because of their disability. The Bible teaches that everyone will be held accountable for their sin (Romans 3:9-19). Jesus was not speaking about sin in general but about the sin of spiritual pride. Those who were spiritually blind and did not claim to understand spiritual truth were not guilty of the sin of spiritual pride, but those who were spiritually blind and yet claimed to be spiritual leaders were guilty, and Jesus said that their guilt would remain.

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor,

but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous,

but sinners to repentance.”

Luke 5:31-32

                There are three Greek words used in the New Testament to denote repentance. The verb metamelomai is used of a change of mind, such as to produce regret or even remorse on account of sin, but not necessarily a change of heart. This word is used with reference to the repentance of Judas (Matt. 27:3). Metanoeo means to change one's mind and purpose, as the result of after knowledge. This verb, with the cognate noun metanoia, is used of true repentance, a change of mind and heart and purpose and life, to which remission of sin is promised. Evangelical repentance consists of a true sense of one's own guilt and sinfulness; an apprehension of God's mercy in Christ; an actual hatred of sin (Psalm 119:128; Job 42:5, 6; 2 Corinthians 7:10) and turning from it to God; and a persistent endeavor of a holy life in a walking with God in the way of his commandments. The true penitent is conscious of guilt , of pollution, and of helplessness. Therefore, he apprehends himself to be just what God has always seen him to be and declares him to be. But repentance comprehends not only such a sense of sin, but also an apprehension of mercy, without which there can be no true repentance (Psalm 51:1; 130:4). We must have a change of heart to have true repentance!

                As I said earlier, through Jesus’ blood we are saved; he was the sacrifice to the Lord and with him our sins were buried. We have been forgiven.

“If we have been united with him like this in his

death, we will certainly also be united with him in his

resurrection. For we know that our old self was

crucified with him so that the body of sin

might be done away with, that we should no longer

be slaves to sin-…”

-Romans 6:5-6

                However, not all men are forgiven just because of Jesus’ death for us sinners. You can pray and ask for forgiveness but do you have true repentance? Have you confessed with your mouth that Jesus is Christ and your savior and changed your heart and life accordingly? If not, I urge you to do so today so that you can receive the full grace of God and have the joy of knowing that you will have everlasting life not full of gnashing teeth and fire but rather of the light of God in Heaven. Say a prayer like this and mean it from the bottom of your heart:

Father God in Heaven,

I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to you that I am

a sinner and I’m sorry for the life I’ve lived; I need your forgiveness.

I believe that your only Son Jesus Christ shed his precious blood on

the cross and died for my sins so I may have everlasting life in your

kingdom. Right now I confess Jesus as my Lord and savior. I believe

with my heart that you raised Jesus from the dead. From this moment

on I live for you. Transform me so I may bring glory and honor to you

alone and not myself. Use me as you see fit. Thank you for your

unlimited grace that saved me from my sins. Amen.