Have you ever considered?

 

 

Genesis 1

³ Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. ⁴ And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
⁶ Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” ⁷ Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. ⁸ And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.
⁹ Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. ¹⁰ And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
¹¹ Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. ¹² And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ So the evening and the morning were the third day.
¹⁴ Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; ¹⁵ and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. ¹⁶ Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. ¹⁷ God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
²⁰ Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” ²¹ So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” ²³ So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
²⁴ Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. ²⁵ And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
²⁶ Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ²⁷ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. ²⁸ Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
²⁹ And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. ³⁰ Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. ³¹ Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

The story of creation.  If we pause and meditate on it for a moment, great awe comes over us.

Have you ever considered?



• The distance and positioning of the Earth in relation to the Sun in its rotation and its specific tilt make it ideal for life?
  
  In contrast, Venus has a surface temperature of 800 -1000°F. 

• That our atmosphere, is made up of various gases that act as a protective shield for the Earth and allow life to exist. Without it, we would be burned by the intense heat of the sun during the day or frozen by the very low temperatures at night.

• That the Earth is the only planet where oxygen has been found in abundance and has bonded to hydrogen to form water.  Without water, life would not exist.

• On Earth, carbon can be considered the most important of all the chemical elements, because it is the essential element in practically all of the chemical compounds in living things. Carbon compounds are what make the processes of life work. Beyond Earth, carbon-atom nuclei are an essential part of the nuclear fusion reactions that produce the energy of the Sun and of many other stars. Without carbon, the Sun would be cold and dark.
  
  Soil, from which God created man, contains: carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sodium, iron, copper, hydrogen, calcium and in tiny amounts all the other elements found in organic compounds. 
  
  In comparison, 99% of the mass of the human body is made up of only six elements: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus. Every organic molecule contains carbon. Since 65-90% of each body cell consists of water (by weight), it isn't surprising that oxygen and hydrogen are major components of the body.

• Without plants, life would not be sustainable.  Plants take in CO2, cleaning our air, and give off oxygen, so we can breathe. Without plants we would not be able to breathe and our air would become very polluted.

What perfection!!

And doesn't it take more faith to believe...


Our position relative to the sun, our protective atmosphere, the presence of water, oxygen, plants, level of gravity, and the very formation of man is all random? That the elements somehow came together randomly to form life and became increasingly more complex, until we reached man?  They are even willing to set aside the natural laws of thermodynamics to accomodate their disbelief in an intelligent design.

^{ROMANS 1
18} But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. ¹⁹ They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. ²⁰ For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
 ²¹ Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. ²² Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.


Peter makes this observation in his second letter...

³ Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. ⁴ They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”
 ⁵ They deliberately forget that God made the heavens by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. ⁶ Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. ⁷ And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.
 ⁸ But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. ⁹ The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.
 ¹¹ Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, ¹² looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. ¹³ But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.

Jesus is Lord of all the universe!

Luke 19:37-40

New King James Version (NKJV)

³⁷ Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, ³⁸ saying:

“ ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

³⁹ And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”

⁴⁰ But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

Thank You God for the food we eat,

Thank You God for the world so sweet,
Thank You God for the birds that sing,
Thank You God for everything!
Amen

From Angels to Demons

I recently watched Ron Howard's cinematic vision of Angels and Demons which brought to mind the myriad of beliefs and teachings about our common Christian faith and the hidden spiritual realm of which the pulpits speak so little of.

Calling attention to this latter realm can be dangerous, for our great adversary: Satan (Hebrew: הַשָׂטָן ha-Satan; note: the Hebrew suggests by the use of "ha" or "the", is to show that this is a title bestowed on a being, versus the name of a being.), is not one to be taken lightly. 

Peter 5:8

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁸ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Let's begin in the book of Jude, who was the half brother of Jesus (son of Mary and Joseph), from his writing we read:

³ Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. ⁴ I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

 ⁵ So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later he destroyed those who did not remain faithful. ⁶ And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment. ⁷ And don’t forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment.
 ⁸ In the same way, these people—who claim authority from their dreams—live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings. ⁹ But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels, did not dare accuse the devil of blasphemy, but simply said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (This took place when Michael was arguing with the devil about Moses’ body.) ¹⁰ But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction. ¹¹ What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion.

If one of God's mighty angels, Michael, dare not bring an accusation against the enemy (adversary/accuser) then we know that we dare not deal carelessly about this topic.

Disclaimer: At the same time, we should not be fearful for as John teaches in his first Epistle:

1 John 4:4

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁴ You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

The Apostle Paul also teaches how we, as a body, can overcome this dark spiritual force in the world:

Ephesians 3:10-11

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ¹⁰ God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. ¹¹ This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.

So, as we join together as the body of Christ, Jesus manifests His great power to the unseen rulers of this world.

Again, Paul teaches us, as in Jude, that there is something going on in a different plane, in an unseen spiritual realm that is not visible to the human eye nor perceivable by our common senses in his letter to the church in Ephesus, chapter 6:

¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Ever wonder what got into the heads of murderers, pedifiles, terrorists and the like to do the terrible and disgusting things they do?  They have been influenced and manipulated by the enemy.  Whispered to and sold a lie.  That is why the Lord has called us to love them and pray for them:

(Matthew 5): ⁴³ “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’^[r] and hate your enemy. ⁴⁴ But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! ⁴⁵ In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. ⁴⁶ If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. ⁴⁷ If you are kind only to your friends,how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. ⁴⁸ But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

KNOW YOUR ENEMY

Since we now have an understanding that we are at war in a spiritual battle (beyond the reach of our senses...of what we can see, hear, feel, smell, taste), we look to the words recorded in the authoritarian writing: "The Art of War" as quoted by the great Chinese military strategist, Sun Tzu: 

It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.

So before we examine our enemy, let's first understand his strategy with us as described by James in chapter 1:

¹³ Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

So you see, the enemy knows you, has studied you, and knows what are your weak points...


So now let us turn the tables and study him, the serpant of the Garden of Eden...from Ezekiel 28:


      “ You were the seal of perfection,
      Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
       ¹³ You were in Eden, the garden of God;
      Every precious stone was your covering:
      The sardius, topaz, and diamond,
      Beryl, onyx, and jasper,
      Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold.
      The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes
      Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
       ¹⁴ “ You were the anointed cherub who covers;
      I established you;
      You were on the holy mountain of God;
      You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
       ¹⁵ You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
      Till iniquity was found in you.
       ¹⁶ “ By the abundance of your trading
      You became filled with violence within,
      And you sinned;
      Therefore I cast you as a profane thing
      Out of the mountain of God;
      And I destroyed you, O covering cherub,
      From the midst of the fiery stones.
       ¹⁷ “ Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;
      You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor;
      I cast you to the ground,
      I laid you before kings,
      That they might gaze at you.
       ¹⁸ “ You defiled your sanctuaries
      By the multitude of your iniquities,
      By the iniquity of your trading;
      Therefore I brought fire from your midst;
      It devoured you,
      And I turned you to ashes upon the earth
      In the sight of all who saw you.
       ¹⁹ All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you;
      You have become a horror,
      And shall be no more forever.”’”

And from the prophet Isaiah in chapter 14:

    ¹² “ How you are fallen from heaven,
      O Lucifer, son of the morning!
      How you are cut down to the ground,
      You who weakened the nations!
       ¹³ For you have said in your heart:

      ‘ I will ascend into heaven,
      I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
      I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
      On the farthest sides of the north;
       ¹⁴ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
      I will be like the Most High.’
       ¹⁵ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,
      To the lowest depths of the Pit.
       ¹⁶ “ Those who see you will gaze at you,
      And consider you, saying:

      ‘ Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
      Who shook kingdoms,
       ¹⁷ Who made the world as a wilderness
      And destroyed its cities,
      Who did not open the house of his prisoners?’
       ¹⁸ “ All the kings of the nations,
      All of them, sleep in glory,
      Everyone in his own house;
       ¹⁹ But you are cast out of your grave
      Like an abominable branch,
      Like the garment of those who are slain,
      Thrust through with a sword,
      Who go down to the stones of the pit,
      Like a corpse trodden underfoot.
       ²⁰ You will not be joined with them in burial,
      Because you have destroyed your land
      And slain your people.
      The brood of evildoers shall never be named.
       ²¹ Prepare slaughter for his children
      Because of the iniquity of their fathers,
      Lest they rise up and possess the land,
      And fill the face of the world with cities.”

And Jesus was witness to the enemy's great fall:

 ¹⁸ “Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! ^{(Luke 10:18)}

John, gives us further insight to this event in Revelation chapter 12:

⁷ Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. ⁸ And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. ⁹ This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.

Continuing on to better understand our adversary, I have come across a writing that I will assert, in my opinion, may lend itself to add insight and color to our discussion: The Book of Enoch (which is considered a pseudepigraphical work, or one in which the author is not considered to be the one which the work lends its credit to)

So before we begin to examine this work in understanding our adversary, I submit:

• Book of Enoch was quoted by Jude in verses 14-15
• Aramaic fragments were found with Dead Sea Scrolls in Qumran cave 4 (dating back between 150 BCE to 70 CE).
• And so, from the Book of Enoch I submit chapters 7 - 10:

http://reluctant-messenger.com/1enoch01-60.htm#Chapter07

These writings seem to mesh well with the Biblical accounts found in Genesis and in first and second Peter:

Genesis 6

A World Gone Wrong

 ¹ Then the people began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them. ² The sons of God saw the beautiful women and took any they wanted as their wives. ³ Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years.”
 ⁴ In those days, and for some time after, giant Nephilites lived on the earth, for whenever the sons of God had intercourse with women, they gave birth to children who became the heroes and famous warriors of ancient times.
 ⁵ The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. ⁶ So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. ⁷ And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.” ⁸ But Noah found favor with the Lord

1 Peter 3:18-22

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ¹⁸ Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.

 ¹⁹ So he went and preached to the spirits in prison—²⁰ those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood. ²¹ And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 ²² Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.

2 Peter 2:4-5

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ⁴ For God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, in gloomy pits of darkness, where they are being held until the day of judgment. ⁵ And God did not spare the ancient world—except for Noah and the seven others in his family. Noah warned the world of God’s righteous judgment. So God protected Noah when he destroyed the world of ungodly people with a vast flood.

Footnotes:

1. 2 Peter 2:4 Greek Tartarus.
2. 2 Peter 2:4 Some manuscripts read in chains of gloom.

So from these writings we can glean the following points:

1. There were a number of angels that rebelled against God and on the Earth they had relations with human females.
2. The offspring of those relations were a "demi-god" (half spiritual/half human) race of giants called the Nephilites.
3. The fallen angels were locked up in the prison of hell until a set time in the end.
4. The offspring of these fallen angels may have very well been the purported Greek and Roman mythological legends that have prevailed in historical literature and art.
5. This race of beings had their human bodies destroyed in the flood of Noah, but their spirits survived and were released into the world to be known as demons (spirits without bodies).

The Apostle Peter warns us that even today, our enemy is roaming the Earth, bent on our demise:

1 Peter 5:8

Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

⁸ Be ye sober, and wake ye, for your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion goeth about, seeking whom he shall devour.

I like this translation as not only does it call for us to be alert to the hidden plans of the enemy, but it further illustrates that when we are under the influence of controlled substances, our defenses are down and the enemy can slip into our thoughts and guide our decisions into destruction and morning- after missery.

Absent of the leading of the Holy Spirit we are void and misguided as Paul tells Timothy:

¹ Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. ² These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.

And Jesus warns us that if the Holy Spirit is not living in you, guarding your heart, and filling your temple then beware...

²⁰ But if I am casting out demons by the power of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. ²¹ For when a strong man like Satan is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe—²² until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his belongings.

 ²³ “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.

 ²⁴ “When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ ²⁵ So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and in order. ²⁶ Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.”

But to those of us who are in Christ Jesus, Paul writes...

"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-to the praise of his glory."  Ephesians 1:13

And thus, now knowing your enemy, the father of lies (John 8:44), realizing there is a spiritual battle going on, here is what we must do:

Ephesians 6:10-20

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Whole Armor of God

 ¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, ¹⁹ and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

So, in summary...stand firm

• Remain truthful
• Clothed in Christ
• Peaceful and full of grace
• Holding on to our faith
• Strengthened by the knowledge of our salvation
• Fed by the Word of God
• and dispatching the mighty power of God, the Lord of Heaven's Armies.

*  For homework, I would ask you also to consider the "Day of Atonement" as described in Leviticus 16:8-10.  It speaks of the scapegoat to Azazel whom the Book of Enoch describes as one giant leaders of rebellion prior to the flood.  See also: http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2203-azazel

Through the Cloudy Mirror - Tribulation, Rapture and All That Stuff

 ¹² Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.  (1 Corinthians 13:12)

As the Apostle Paul reveals above, what I will present here is my understanding.  But on this side of eternity, I can only share what I believe the Spriit has revealed to me.

With that said, allow me to state that I stand in agreement with Charles H. Spurgeon, and that my position is one of historical pre-millennialism:

	Second Coming of Christ	Rapture of the Church	Resurrection	Nature of the Millennium
Historic Pre- millennial- ism	Prior to the start of the millennial kingdom	At the end of the tribulation period	2 Resurrections: the just at Christ's return; the unjust at the end of the millennium	Culmination of the church age. Christ will rule and reign over the world thru the agency of the church. Israel will be nationally converted and be a part of the church.

I will summarize a few of Spurgeon's sermon's which I believe document his position:

We know that Christ was really, personally, and physically here on earth. But it is not quite so clear to some persons that he is to come, really, personally, and literally the second time. . . Now, we believe that the Christ who shall sit on the throne of his father David, and whose feet shall stand upon Mount Olivet, is as much a personal Christ as the Christ who came to Bethlehem and wept in the manger.

On June 13, 1869, he told his congregation:

We are to expect the literal advent of Jesus Christ, for he himself by his angel told us, "This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner [emphasis his] as ye have seen him go into heaven," which must mean literally and in person.

If I read the word aright, and it is honest to admit that there is much room for difference of opinion here, the day will come, when the Lord Jesus will descend from heaven with a shout, with the trump of the archangel and the voice of God. Some think that this descent of the Lord will be post-millennial — that is, after the thousand years of his reign. I cannot think so. I conceive that the advent will be pre-millennial; that he will come first; and then will come the millennium as the result of his personal reign upon earth

There is, moreover, to be a reign of Christ. I cannot read the Scriptures without perceiving that there is to be a millennial reign, as I believe, upon the earth, and that there shall be new heavens and new earth wherein dwell righteousness.

Jesus is not coming in a sort of mythical, misty, hazy way, he is literally and actually coming, and he will literally and actually call upon you to give an account of your stewardship. Therefore, now, to-day, literally not symbolically, personally and not by deputy, go out through that portion of the world which you can reach, and preach the gospel to every creature according as you have opportunity.

Notice that this reaping comes first, and I think it comes first in order of time. If I read the Scriptures aright, there are to be two resurrections, and the first will be the resurrection of the righteous; for it is written, "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power."

For further reading of Spurgeon, I would recommend the following site:

http://www.spurgeon.org/eschat.htm


This, therefore, is in stark contrast to many modern teachings following the belief of dispensational pre-millennialism (as taught by John MacArthur among others):

	Second Coming of Christ	Rapture of the Church	Resurrection	Nature of the Millennium
Dispen- sational Premillen- nialism	Prior to the start of the millennial kingdom	Just prior to the beginning of the tribulation period (although in modern times some, such as Moo, have opted for a post-tribulational rapture; but this was unknown in Spurgeon's day).	2 Resurrections, with the 1st in 3 phases: Christ as the "firstfruits"; Church saints at the rapture; OT & tribulation saints at the 2nd coming. The Unjust at the end of the millennium	Culmination of God's promises to Israel. The millennium will see Christ reign over the world thru the agency of Israel. Modified OT worship will resume in the rebuilt Temple.

 The Dispensational Pre-Millennialism does, in my opinion, propose some challenges:  

The theory presented by the dispensational pre-millennialists is that during the tribulation, the raptured saints will be involved in the wedding feast of the bride (in Heaven); then after the tribulation is over, the saints will return with Christ.

First, where and under what conditions does the Bible tell us the wedding feast will take place?  Let's start in Isaiah 25:

Isaiah 25:6-8

 ⁶ In Jerusalem,^[a] the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
      will spread a wonderful feast
      for all the people of the world.
   It will be a delicious banquet
      with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat.
 ⁷ There he will remove the cloud of gloom,
      the shadow of death that hangs over the earth.
 ⁸ He will swallow up death forever!^[b]
      The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears.
   He will remove forever all insults and mockery
      against his land and people.
      The Lord has spoken!
Footnotes:

1. Isaiah 25:6 Hebrew On this mountain; also in 25:10.
2. Isaiah 25:8 Greek version reads Death is swallowed up in victory. Compare 1 Cor 15:54.

This appears to suggest that the wedding feast occurs in post -tribulational Jerusalem and not Heaven.

This seems to confirm what the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 23:

Psalm 23:5

 ⁵ You prepare a feast for me
      in the presence of my enemies.
   You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
      My cup overflows with blessings.

Again, Revelation 19, in my opinion, appears to be after the tribulation period:

Revelation 19:6-9

New Living Translation (NLT)
 ⁶ Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder:
   “Praise the Lord!
      For the Lord our God,^[a] the Almighty, reigns.
 ⁷ Let us be glad and rejoice,
      and let us give honor to him.
   For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb,
      and his bride has prepared herself.
 ⁸ She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.”
      For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.
 ⁹ And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”

Finally, if the wedding feast does not occur until Christ physically returns, when the righteous are raised on the last day, who then returns with Christ on that day?

Jude 1:14

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ¹⁴ Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, “Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of his holy ones

I note that the KJV and NKJV are the only versions that change the ending from holy ones to: saints.

Now, if Jude was truly quoting from the pseudepigrapha work of the Book of Enoch, then, according to the translations of that work, the correct wording would be: "holy ones".

But what do other scriptures state?

Matthew 25:31

New Living Translation (NLT)

The Final Judgment

 ³¹ “But when the Son of Man^[a] comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne.

Mark 8:38

New Living Translation (NLT)

³⁸ If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Matthew 16:27

New Living Translation (NLT)

²⁷ For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.

Daniel 7:10

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ¹⁰ and a river of fire was pouring out,
      flowing from his presence.
   Millions of angels ministered to him;
      many millions stood to attend him.
   Then the court began its session,
      and the books were opened.

And, if the resurrection of the righteous dead truly comes upon the physical return of Christ, then the following passage seems to make much more sense:

Matthew 24:30-31

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ³⁰ And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.^{[a] 31} And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world^[b]—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

I hope I have been able to convey my understanding of some of the things yet to come...but...

 ¹² Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.^[c] All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.  (1 Corinthians 13:12)

May you be blessed by His abundant grace and receive peace!

Come Home! A Calling for Prodigals to Return.

I have a burden: how can we sow seed in the hearts and minds of our youth that will take root and grow into a tree of life?

Jesus has taught us through the Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed: Matthew 13:1-23 that only 1 in 4 will ever truly embrace the Gospel. 

So how do we sow the seed to ensure a faithful harvest amongst our children?  Research is suggesting that tomorrow's generation is leaving the faith in great numbers...

Study: Why Young Christians Leave the Church

By Jeff Schapiro | Christian Post Reporter

Nearly three out of every five young Christians disconnect from their churches after the age of 15, but why? A new research study released by the Barna Group points to six different reasons as to why young people aren't staying in their pews.

The results of this study come from the interviews of teenagers, young adults, youth pastors, senior pastors and parents that were taken over the course of five years.

First, the study says, churches appear to be overprotective. Nearly one-fourth of the 18- to 29-year-olds interviewed said “Christians demonize everything outside of the church” most of the time. Twenty-two percent also said the church ignores real-world problems and 18 percent said that their church was too concerned about the negative impact of movies, music and video games.

Many young adults also feel that their experience of Christianity was shallow. One-third of survey participants felt that “church is boring.” Twenty percent of those who attended as a teenager said that God appeared to be missing from their experience of church.

The study also found many young adults do not like the way churches appear to be against science. Over one-third of young adults said that “Christians are too confident they know all the answers” and one-fourth of them said that “Christianity is anti-science.”

Some also feel that churches are too simple or too judgmental when it comes to issues of sexuality. Seventeen percent of young Christians say they've “made mistakes and feel judged in church because of them.” Two out of five young adult Catholics said that the church's teachings on birth control and sex are “out of date.”

The fifth reason the study gives for such an exodus from churches is many young adults struggle with the exclusivity of Christianity. Twenty-nine percent of young Christians said “churches are afraid of the beliefs of other faiths” and feel they have to choose between their friends and their faith.

The last reason the study gives for young people leaving the church is they feel it is “unfriendly to those who doubt.” Over one-third of young adults said they feel like they can't ask life's most pressing questions in church and 23 percent said they had “significant intellectual doubts” about their faith.

David Kinnaman, Barna Group president and author of the book on these findings, You Lost Me: Why Young Christians are Leaving Church and Rethinking Church (click link), said part of the problem may be that many churches are geared toward “traditional” young adults.

“But most young adults no longer follow the typical path of leaving home, getting and education, finding a job, getting married and having kids – all before the age of 30,” he said. “These life events are being delayed, reordered, and sometimes pushed completely off the radar among today's young adults.”

The Barna Update that highlights this study also says that today's young adults are heavily influenced by the major social, spiritual and technological changes that have occurred in the last quarter century.

Dan Smith, pastor of Momentum Christian Church in Cleveland, Ohio, told The Christian Post in an email that the six points “resonate” with him.

“I feel like part of God's calling on my life is to reach those 85 percent (made-up stat) who want to connect with God ... but don't feel like the typical church is helping with that,” he said.
“Most of our church is made up of 20s, 30s, and 40s – younger people – because our leaders have the same mindset as some of the younger people do – we won't tolerate inauthenicity 'on stage,' trite answers, anti-scientific discussion, etc. As Scripture says, we believe that if Jesus is lifted up, young people should also be drawn to him ... so we try to lift him up in a way they can participate.”

Instead of overreacting to these statistics (by gearing churches specifically toward young people) or remaining indifferent to them, Kinnaman suggests that churches should cultivate “intergenerational relationships” within their congregations.

“In many churches, this means changing the metaphor from simply passing the baton to the next generation to a more functional, biblical picture of a body – that is, the entire community of faith, across the entire lifespan, working together to fulfill God's purposes."