Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Genesis 2:8 And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
9 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
It should be apparent to even the casual reader of these texts that God's original intent was that Man, Adam and Eve were to eat of the tree of life, not of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and be fruitful and multipling and remaining in the garden of Eden eternally.
We can garner further proof from what mankind's future holds:
Revelation 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
We may also garner from this passage that men will enter into eternity in physical, terrestrial bodies (if that's what they will be called) for otherwise why would there be the tree of life which leaves were for the healing of the nations? And we know they are not glorified bodies for, "Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven." (Matt 22:29,30)
We should also know that mankind will continue to be fruitful and multiply throughout eternity: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the INCREASE of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." (Isaiah 9:6,7)
As I pointed out in my previous post those who enter the millennial kingdom, the "sheep", "those who were left of all the nations that went up against Jerusalem" are a unique group of people. They and their descendants, the ones who are not deceived when Satan is released at the end of the 1000 years, will also enter on in to eternity in the new heavens and the new earth in physical non glorified bodies. As we should know, glorified bodies are for the Saints alone. There is no scriptural evidence that the inhabitants of the new heavens and the new earth will receive glorified bodies, other than we glorified Saints who rule and reign throughout eternity with Jesus having already obtained our celestial glorified bodies at the "first resurrection".
Finally, God's original intent of dwelling intimately with His special creation, man, in his physical state, being fruitful and multiplying throughout eternity, for ever and ever in obedience and righteousness will be fulfilled.
The next time someone asks you, "how could all those planets exist in the universe without the possibility of life on them" you can tell them, "Not yet!" All the universe is for the future habitation of eternal mankind which God never intended to cease producing offspring, for ever and ever.
That is God's original intent for eternity!
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Inhabitants of the Millennial Kingdom
In my previous post I wrote of certain Bible scholars who have falsely stated that during the great tribulation people “…can take the mark of the beast and still be saved…” Listen to the interview here to understand why I say falsely... because it goes directly against what scripture says.
Starting in Revelation 14:9
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
I don't know about you but it seems pretty clear to me that if you "...receiveth the mark of his name...the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb!"
The question then is, how did these learned scholars come to this point of absolute false teaching?
Let me preface the answer with this: Everyone, yes everyone, is subject to biases or mindsets. These biases can cause us to approach certain topics with deeply ingrained presuppositions which may not necessarily be true. The topic of the rapture is one of those particular topics that is very difficult to discuss without each individual involved entering into the discussion with a set mind as to what they think they already know is true. Presupposition makes it very difficult for us to see outside our pre-existing mindset. In other words, we've already decided what we will believe, true or not.
If we will, however, seek God with a heart to know the truth rather than looking to have our own opinion reinforced we can indeed have our minds changed by the Holy Spirit in truth. The interesting thing is, on the topic of the rapture very few of us actually hold our own opinion. We hold an opinion that was fed to us. Now, before you get upset with me, answer for yourself this question, "How many hours have you spent actually studying scriptures about the rapture?" Reading about what others have said about it or listening to preachers talk about it does not count. Preachers, teachers and authors are where we got our presuppositions from. Let's do a little honest study of the scriptures on one presupposition that has been established by the pretribulation rapture teaching.
Only those who are saved shall enter the Millennial Kingdom? Well, yes and no.
This particular presupposition states that only those who are saved will enter the millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ. Here are a few scriptures that I believe teach that this group of people are not particularly "Christians":
Zech 14:16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
This verse tells us that the millennial kingdom consists of "every one" that is left, but if we take this verse in context with these verses from Matt 25:31-46, which speaks specifically about what will occur when Jesus returns to set up His kingdom on earth, we see a dividing of "every one" that is left:
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
...
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
...
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
So, if we take all of these verses in context with each other we find that the survivors of all the nations which came against Jerusalem will be divided as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. The sheep will then be declared "righteous" and told, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."
Nowhere in these scriptures, nor anywhere else in scripture are we told that Christians will enter the millennial kingdom in physical, terrestrial bodies. In fact, aren't we (Saints, Christians, Believers) told in other scriptures that we will either be raised from the dead or be caught up to meet the LORD in the air? (1 Thess 4:16,17, 1 Cor 15:51,52) And that "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Cor 5:17) And "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Col 3:1-4) And "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: (Eph 2:5,6)
Will we Saints, having been raised and/or changed to receive our resurrection bodies be divided as sheep from goats? No. We will rule and reign with Him for 1000 years.
Those who enter the millennial kingdom in physical, terrestrial bodies are a peculiar group of people. They were not Christians who were resurrected nor changed to their glorified bodies, nor did they take the mark of the beast and become condemned to eternal damnation, but were, as these scriptures say, "left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem." The saints never come against Jerusalem. They are judged righteous based upon their treatment of brethren of Jesus Christ:
Matt 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
The coming of the Lord and the transition and setting up of His government for the millennial kingdom is very different than any other time in the history of man:
"And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light." (Zech 14:5-7)
Have not the Saints been judged already at the Cross?
2 Cor 5:17. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Where did we get the idea that only Christians will enter the millennial kingdom? We were taught it, but we didn't study it out and find it in scripture. It has become one of our presuppositions, it's what we automatically assume is true when this topic comes up, but it's not based on the truth of scripture. So, let's change our mind about it.
In Conclusion... Do NOT take the mark of the beast so that you may later repent in order to enter the Millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ (see Apostasy Beginning Among Leadership)...that is NOT for the Saints! If you are a true Believer in Jesus Christ and have put your trust and confidence in Him through His shed blood which he gave for your sins, you already are no longer an "inhabitant of the earth". You have already been raised in the Spirit to newness of life and ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ Jesus in the Father. Persecution will touch you in completion of the sufferings of Christ but the "tribulation that is to come upon the whole earth..." will not touch you.
Starting in Revelation 14:9
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
I don't know about you but it seems pretty clear to me that if you "...receiveth the mark of his name...the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb!"
The question then is, how did these learned scholars come to this point of absolute false teaching?
Let me preface the answer with this: Everyone, yes everyone, is subject to biases or mindsets. These biases can cause us to approach certain topics with deeply ingrained presuppositions which may not necessarily be true. The topic of the rapture is one of those particular topics that is very difficult to discuss without each individual involved entering into the discussion with a set mind as to what they think they already know is true. Presupposition makes it very difficult for us to see outside our pre-existing mindset. In other words, we've already decided what we will believe, true or not.
If we will, however, seek God with a heart to know the truth rather than looking to have our own opinion reinforced we can indeed have our minds changed by the Holy Spirit in truth. The interesting thing is, on the topic of the rapture very few of us actually hold our own opinion. We hold an opinion that was fed to us. Now, before you get upset with me, answer for yourself this question, "How many hours have you spent actually studying scriptures about the rapture?" Reading about what others have said about it or listening to preachers talk about it does not count. Preachers, teachers and authors are where we got our presuppositions from. Let's do a little honest study of the scriptures on one presupposition that has been established by the pretribulation rapture teaching.
Only those who are saved shall enter the Millennial Kingdom? Well, yes and no.
This particular presupposition states that only those who are saved will enter the millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ. Here are a few scriptures that I believe teach that this group of people are not particularly "Christians":
Zech 14:16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
This verse tells us that the millennial kingdom consists of "every one" that is left, but if we take this verse in context with these verses from Matt 25:31-46, which speaks specifically about what will occur when Jesus returns to set up His kingdom on earth, we see a dividing of "every one" that is left:
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
...
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
...
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
So, if we take all of these verses in context with each other we find that the survivors of all the nations which came against Jerusalem will be divided as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. The sheep will then be declared "righteous" and told, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."
Nowhere in these scriptures, nor anywhere else in scripture are we told that Christians will enter the millennial kingdom in physical, terrestrial bodies. In fact, aren't we (Saints, Christians, Believers) told in other scriptures that we will either be raised from the dead or be caught up to meet the LORD in the air? (1 Thess 4:16,17, 1 Cor 15:51,52) And that "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Cor 5:17) And "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Col 3:1-4) And "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: (Eph 2:5,6)
Will we Saints, having been raised and/or changed to receive our resurrection bodies be divided as sheep from goats? No. We will rule and reign with Him for 1000 years.
Those who enter the millennial kingdom in physical, terrestrial bodies are a peculiar group of people. They were not Christians who were resurrected nor changed to their glorified bodies, nor did they take the mark of the beast and become condemned to eternal damnation, but were, as these scriptures say, "left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem." The saints never come against Jerusalem. They are judged righteous based upon their treatment of brethren of Jesus Christ:
Matt 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
The coming of the Lord and the transition and setting up of His government for the millennial kingdom is very different than any other time in the history of man:
"And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light." (Zech 14:5-7)
Have not the Saints been judged already at the Cross?
2 Cor 5:17. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Where did we get the idea that only Christians will enter the millennial kingdom? We were taught it, but we didn't study it out and find it in scripture. It has become one of our presuppositions, it's what we automatically assume is true when this topic comes up, but it's not based on the truth of scripture. So, let's change our mind about it.
In Conclusion... Do NOT take the mark of the beast so that you may later repent in order to enter the Millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ (see Apostasy Beginning Among Leadership)...that is NOT for the Saints! If you are a true Believer in Jesus Christ and have put your trust and confidence in Him through His shed blood which he gave for your sins, you already are no longer an "inhabitant of the earth". You have already been raised in the Spirit to newness of life and ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ Jesus in the Father. Persecution will touch you in completion of the sufferings of Christ but the "tribulation that is to come upon the whole earth..." will not touch you.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Apostasy Beginning Among Leadership
Something very troubling is currently underway in the body of Jesus Christ. It is the falling away or apostasy that Paul, the writer of the letters to the Thessalonians warned us about, saying, "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” 2 Thess 2:3
There are those in the body of Christ who do not believe that true believers can fall away from the faith. They say something like, “If they fall away then they were never really saved, or in the faith.” To which I would reply, “How can someone fall away from something they never had?”
There are also those who through eisegesis attempt to retranslate a “falling away” into a “catching away” of the church in a secret pre-tribulation rapture. This is a totally dishonest interpretation of apostasia, which the original translators rendered a “falling away” (from the faith). See Strong’s definition below.
Strong's Concordance G646
apostasia: defection, revolt
Original Word: ἀποστασία,ας, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: apostasia
Phonetic Spelling: (ap-os-tas-ee'-ah)
Short Definition: defection, apostasy
Definition: defection, apostasy, revolt.
(See the Blue Letter Bible: G646 is apostasia
http://www.blbclassic.org/search/translationResults.cfm?Criteria=falling+away&t=KJV)
An exegetic interpretation is the only honest interpretation of 2 Thess 2:3. The falling away Paul warned about is a defection or revolt from the faith!
At this point I would like to momentarily expound onWhat is even more alarming is where this apostasy has already begun! It has started within the ranks of the leadership of the body of Christ!
2 Thess 2:1-3
1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
At the bold type "falling away" is where pre-tribulationists attempt to reinterpret a "falling away" from apostasia: "defection, apostasy, revolt" to "departure". Here is a prime example:
(Quote taken from RaptureReady.com)
"I believe that there is a strong possibility that 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is speaking of the rapture. What do I mean? Some pretribulationists, like myself, think that the Greek noun apostasia, usually translated " apostasy," is a reference to the rapture and should be translated " departure." Thus, this passage would be saying that the day of the Lord will not come until the rapture comes before it. If apostasia is a reference to a physical departure, then 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is strong evidence for pretribulationism. (end qoute)
However, if we want to do a more accurate rendition of what changing apostasy to departure would read like, here it is:
"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him...that day (What day? The day of our gathering together unto him) shall not come, except there come a gathering together unto him first..."
Let's look at it again:
"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him...the day of our gathering together unto him shall not come, except there come a gathering together unto him first..."
Using this honest reading of what changing scripture looks like the truth becomes obvious. Apostasia means apostasy, a falling away, plain and simple!
I am curious what those who try to change apostasy to "physical departure" do with this passage: "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" (1 Timothy 4:1)
I recently listened to a recording with Brannon Howse of Worldview Weekend Radio and Jimmy DeYoung, prophecy teacher, author, journalist, and evangelist. The topic of discussion was about a recent Q&A with the congregation of famous pastor and bible teacher John MacArthur. MacArthur was asked, “Once a man takes the mark (of the beast) is there any possibility of them coming to Christ?” John MacArthur answers, “…I think the answer to that is yes…” (I will further discuss his reasoning later.)
Here is what scripture says:
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Rev 14:9-11
I ask you, how could this be any clearer?
IF YOU TAKE THE MARK OF THE BEAST YOU WILL “drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb, and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”
IF YOU TAKE THE MARK OF THE BEAST YOU WILL BE ETERNALLY LOST!
Now let’s discover where John MacArthur and Jimmy DeYoung get their damnable doctrine that anyone who takes the “mark” can still be saved. If we listen further on in this recording we hear MacArthur, after saying yes you can take the mark, “…otherwise there would be no salvation of anybody in the end of the tribulation…”
WHAT? John, are you telling us that in order to be saved during the tribulation you must first take the mark of the beast? He continues, “…and you’ve got to have the salvation of folks in the end of the tribulation…” There you go again, equating the possibility of anyone being saved during tribulation to their willingness to take the mark! This just blows my mind!
Further, Jimmy DeYoung follows with, “…if nobody gets saved in the last three and a half years, because they have received that mark…” he goes on to reason that there would be no one left to inhabit the millennial kingdom of Christ. So, take the mark so you can survive to repent and be saved so you may enter the millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ. Is that not what they are both saying? UNBELIEVABLE!
With both of these men the heresy stems from their belief and teachings of the false doctrine of a pre-tribulation rapture. How so? In their minds since all Christians have already been taken off the earth in a secret pre-tribulation rapture, the only way for anyone to survive so that they may be saved is to take the mark!
Do you see how this doctrine has prepared the body of Christ to receive all manner of lies and deceit? In order to reconcile the falsehood that they have received already they must continue to pervert the word of God further and further.
Who could have imagined that the leadership of the Body would fall so low, from the high positions which they held? Scripture says, “And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake.” (1 Thess 5:12-13) We are also told, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)
I’m not entirely certain that we should yet label these men as false prophets, but to tell you the truth I’m not sure why. They have come dangerously close to apostasy because what they are teaching is indeed false, and may result in the leading of many babes in Christ to forfeit their salvation by going directly against God’s word and taking the mark of the beast. I say ‘not yet’ because as long as they remain in Christ(?) there is yet time for them to come to repentance. In my opinion, they cannot possibly have prayed and sought God about this issue.
Here is a link to the video in question:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwaiH-LhVpA
In my next post I will expound upon MacArthur's and DeYoung's belief that only born again saints will inhabit the millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ and why it is a false belief.
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