2 Kings 8 - God Uses Us Unexpectedly and In Relationships

2 Kings 8

I want to start with a cute story about how the kids in Sunday school say some funny things, like “Mr Keef, Mr Keef, can we do a dance challenge today?”   Or how so often, even this Sunday, they show me their owees and I get to pray for them, right then and there, and say, “Lord bless it, dear Lord heal it”.  Julie and I chuckle all week as we banter back and forth about the cute stories from Sunday school, “did you hear what so and so said?”  In fact we still chuckle over some things the kids said from 12 or 13 years ago.  We do the same thing with things our own kids said as well.

What does any of that have to do with the study tonight?   You’ll see...

2 Kings 8:1-6
These stories from the Old Testament are historical, real stories that happened.   We have this follow-on story about the Shunamite woman whose son had been restored to life by Elisha.   The note I put in my margin here says, "the story continues..."   Just the story itself on face value, tells us a lot about the nature of God.     We’re going to learn about that.

POINT 1: God can use you unexpectedly
Here in the text, we get to see how Elisha ministers to this same woman again.   Elisha is getting pretty old by this time.   In chapter 13, we see Elisha’s final hours on earth.   In God’s economy though, there is no such thing as retirement.   We can be used by God whenever and wherever He wants.   We can even be used after we’re dead and gone.   That’s what the men are learning about at the quarterly Men’s Legacy breakfasts.   My point though is; don’t just be open to God’s assignments, pray for them. Ask for Him to give you a task for the day, and then watch for the opportunity He places in front of you.

POINT 2: More often than not, God uses us in the context of relationships.
Elisha and this woman already have a strong relationship.   Remember how the woman had asked her husband to build a little room with a desk and a lamp and a cot for Elisha to stay in, whenever he passed through town?   I can tell you from experience that God uses me mostly in the context of existing relationships.   For example, more than once, people have come by my cubicle at work, to tell me of a problem they’re going through, and we’ve prayed together right there.   Also, this reminds me of Life Group.   We develop relationships; we laugh together and cry together and encourage each other.

POINT 3:  God's Nature
On the one hand, God is holy, righteous and just, and He called for the famine.   On the other hand, God is rich in mercy and full of compassion and God spares this woman from losing her son, again.   God, through Elisha, gives this woman the heads-up, "hey get out of town, there's a famine coming".  We want to receive inside information just like she got.  We might not have an Elisha nearby, but what’s stopping us from inquiring of the Lord.  Proverbs 25:2 It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings [is] to search out a matter.

QUESTION: What are some causes of famine?
ANSWERS: drought, pestilence, war
QUESTION: From behind the scenes, what are some causes of drought, pestilence and war?
ANSWERS: It could be a judgement for sin, or a warning wake-up call for revival.

If we offend God by sinning against Him, there will be consequences.   Remember, we learned in Romans chapter 8, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”.   But, Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life”.

God can and does use natural events, such as famine for punishment, or correction.   In general though, not every bad thing that happens is for punishment or correction.   Bad things in the form of tribulations are promised to us by Jesus.   Just living in a fallen world; sometimes there will be collateral damage, but God is absolutely in control, and He will use those things for His purposes.

POINT 4: God’s Timing is Impeccable
Whenever we’re in the middle of some trial or tribulation, God’s timing is never to our liking.   But notice how at the right time (there are no coincidences with God), just as the Shunamite woman heads to the King to make an appeal for her house and land, Gehazi is in with the king, and the king asks, Gehazi to tell him all the great things Elisha did.   So Gehazi starts telling the story of the Shunamite woman whose son had been restored to life, and right then the woman shows up.   Gehazi is like, “and this is her”.

Rewind for a second, some two, three or four years earlier, the Shunamite woman is living among the Philistines; certainly not God’s favorite people, and almost certainly the woman herself was discriminated against, possibly bullied.  Away from family, friends and her home, she was put in an uncomfortable situation, to say the least.   All that to say, in the midst of the difficult times, when you’re under severe stress and pressure undergoing trial and tribulation, that is a time for you to exercise your spiritual muscle of “faith”.   We think of exercise as putting in the ear buds and getting on the treadmill, or the low-impact elliptical machine.   But it’s not always like that.  Let me give you a silly analogy from something recently in my own life.   I’ve been doing some concrete work around my house.   You know, if it’s a place where weeds grow, why not just fill it in with cement…   Anyways, I jokingly told Julie at the end of the project, those 80 pound bags of concrete were starting to get light.   It wasn’t fun during the project, but the more I used my muscles, the less they objected.   Those bags of concrete weren’t light, but they were lighter.   So it is in trials and tribulations, God is putting our faith to the test, and we come out the other end with stronger faith.   So, God would have us trust Him in His timing.

2 Kings 8:7-15
In their culture, if you were going to show honor to someone, you’d bring them a gift (in this case a camel-load of gifts).   Elisha tells Hazael that BenHadad will recover from this sickness, buuuuut he’s gonna die.   Huh?   That’s a strange thing to say.   What he’s saying is the sickness isn’t going to kill him, but something else will.   Then Elisha stares Hazael down; almost as if to look into his soul.   Hazael loses the staredown, and Elisha weeps, knowing what Hazael is going to do.   In New Testament terms, Elisha has a “word of knowledge “.   But Hazael makes this kinda strong denial, saying, “What am I a dog, that I should do this gross thing?”   How much are we like this?   Even as Christians, when God reveals to us some area of sin or depravity, my first inclination is denial.   We don’t want to hear it.   Jeremiah 17:9-10 says, “the heart of man is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it?   Then the answer comes “I the Lord search the heart, and I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings”.   So, as I grow as a Christian, I become more aware of how sinful I am.   I do become more sensitive to my sins, failures, missteps, etc.    But not so with Hazael, and he kills Benhadad by smothering him with a wet towel.

POINT 5: It is God Who Reveals Things
We need to understand whatever we know, we know it's because God has revealed it.

Mark 4:21-23 NASB — And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a fnbasket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? “For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Deuteronomy 29:29 — The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Proverbs 25:2 — It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.

POINT 6: The Gospel of “the Kingdom” is Foreshadowed in the Old Testament (specifically here in Kings)

One of my guiding, principles in understanding the Bible is from Psalm 40:7 (ref. Hebrews 10:5-9).   So, If I see Jesus on every page, it’s because He’s there.   So, one of the characters in this chapter is referred to as the "son", and that son was “restored to life” AKA “resurrected”, does it remind you of someone?   We can take this even further, after the son is restored to life, he’s taken away for a time, and when he returns He will take rightful ownership of what is His.

So, when it says in First Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.   3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures

So my question to you is where in the scriptures is it foretold that Jesus would rise from the dead on the third day?

With that in mind I want to go through some new testament scriptures about the resurrection:

Matthew 16: 21, From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.

John 10:17 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

Acts 13:33 God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.’ 34 And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus: ‘I will give you the sure mercies of David.’ 35 Therefore He also says in another Psalm: ‘You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption.’

Romans 1:3-4 Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

1 Corinthians 15:12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Philippians 3:10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death

Suicide is not an option

This is the obit of a friend of mine.    Sad, sad, sad...

Christopher David Ward Dec. 28, 1967-Aug. 2, 2009

Christopher David Ward was born on December 28, 1967 in St. Louis, Missouri to Phillip Albert and Van Pearl Ward. He was the youngest of 10 children. Chris spent his childhood in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. In 1986 he joined the navy and in 1990, he was stationed in to Seattle, Washington where he made his home. Most of his career was in the mortgage industry. For the last five years he was a valued employee at Mortgage Advisory Group in Everett, WA. His love of God and family was of utmost importance in his life. Chris' many hobbies included motorcycling, crabbing, fishing, scuba dive, hunting, fishing, snowboarding, and vacations with his family. Chris was always quick to lend a helping hand to those that needed it, without asking for anything in return. Chris was an important part of many people's lives and will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him. He leaves behind his wife, Amber of six years; sons, Alex 11, and Gabriel 5; and daughter, Lyvia 3. Chris also leaves behind his parents, Phillip Albert and Van Pearl Ward; six sisters, Teresia Rushing, Angela Williams, Cindy Williams, Laura McGee, Vicki Rayfield and Terrie Stone; and three brothers, Jason Rushing, Joseph Rushing, and Phillip Ward; along with numerous nieces and nephews as well as many friends. Services will be held for Chris at 3 p.m., Friday August 7, at North Shore Christian, 5700 23rd Dr. W. Everett, WA. Reception is to follow. All are invited. In lieu of flowers, donations will be accepted at Mortgage Advisory Group in Everett for Alex, Gabriel and Lyvia Ward at 2902 Colby Ave. Everett, WA 98201.

Published in The Herald (Everett) from Aug. 6 to Aug. 7, 2009.

Devin and Dan on the green belt trail

as Devin and Dan were whittling away on a 30 foot tall dead cedar I shared the gospel with them.

Devin paced back and forth the whole time.   Just to show how someone who says they don’t believe in God, can’t think or act consistent with that profession, as I left, Devin yelled, “hails satan”.

God bless...

Backstreet Boys

one of the biggest crowds I’ve seen at angel of the winds arena heard the Gospel last night.

Very little heckling but very little encouragement as well.

Handed out almost three hundred Gospel tracts.

God bless...

Romans 5:1-2 and Romans 6:11

 Good morning. For this communion meditation, we’re going to look at Romans 5:1, 2 and Romans 6:11. Please turn to Romans 5:1,2 first.

To introduce myself, I'm Keith and I'd categorize myself in the age bracket where I'm pretty much on the downhill side of life. I don't mean that in a bad way; life is good, I just mean in terms of age, I'm certainly well beyond any potential halfway point. I'm
comfortable with that. I mean that's just where I am; there isn't anything I could do about it anyway.

Something you might find, if you're in a conversation with someone of my age or older is that the topic of conversation might at some point, tend toward our latest health issue or medical condition. You're probably already going "oh brother,
here he goes, boring".

So I apologize in advance, but I want to use a short snippet from my heart attack story, as an illustration for the text of Romans 5:1,2. It's been almost 4 1/2 years since the incident; it was the morning of May 7, 2015. I was having chest pains, and my wife drove me to the Swedish Medical Center in Mill Creek. They did an EKG and quickly ascertained, "yes Mr. Reed, you've had a heart attack", but they don't have the equipment at that facility to provide any treatment for a heart attack, so they called an EMT and I got a red lights and siren ride to the Swedish in Edmonds. Problem was the traffic on the I5 was backed up the whole way there, but we made it in a jiff because they got special access. Then, when we arrived at the hospital, they wheeled me out of the ambulance, in through the automatic sliding ER doors, down a hallway, and directly into the operating room. That's as much of the story as you get right now.

The point is my condition warranted special access on freeway and direct access at the hospital. Under normal circumstances, you don't get any special access on the freeway , and you certainly don't get direct access at the hospital, but I was as good as dead.   My condition was dire.

Romans 5:1-2 out of the NKJV, says Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

If you are not a believer/follower of Jesus Christ, I’m glad you’re here. Welcome! With all gentleness and respect, you’re in dire condition. Just like I was, only spiritually. Ephesians 2:1 says, we’re dead in your trespasses and sins. In Mark 2:17, Jesus said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” So, if you’d recognize your need to be wheeled into the operating room of heaven, you can receive life, true life, eternal life (heaven when you die) and new life (abundant life) for the here-and-now. You might be saying to yourself, I'm not a sinner. I'm a pretty good person.

Let’s do a simple exam to see if you exhibit any of the symptoms. Have you’ve lied? Have you ever taken something that wasn’t yours?   Have you ever used God’s name in vain, or according to Jesus is even just looked with lust at someone who isn’t your husband or wife. If you've broken any of those four of the Ten Commandments, you'd be guilty before God as a lying, thieving, blasphemous adulterer at heart. That’s bad news, but the good news is, Jesus died on the cross for your sins. Now you’ve probably heard that, but do you understand the legal implications of it. You and I broke God’s law, and Jesus’ paid our fine in His life’s blood. I'm just saying, come clean to God. Cop to your crimes (that’s repentance), and place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone. When you do that, you’ll be what’s called “born again”. You’ll pass from death to life, from darkness to light and God himself will give you a new heart that beats to the rhythm of God’s heart with new desires to know, love, follow and please God. And do it today, because none of us is guaranteed tomorrow.

While I was preparing this meditation, I got to this point, and I was like, “uh-oh, where do I go with this now?” I want to be able to say something encouraging to you believers in Jesus; but we already have immediate and direct access to God. Period. Okay, let me repeat that; if you are a believer in Jesus, you have an anytime/anyplace all-access pass to God. To keep with this theme of death and dying. So I’m going to cherry pick one verse from Romans chapter 6. Romans 6:11 Paul writes, Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

One aspect of our growth in the Lord comes by dying to our self.

In Luke 9:23-24 Jesus echoes the same concept, …whoever loses his life for My sake, will save it, and in John 12:24 unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. John the Baptist said something
similar in John 3:30 “He must increase but I must decrease”.

In Galatians 2:20 Paul writes, I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

In Colossians 3:5 Paul writes, Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.

Anyways, dying to self is not just difficult, it’s impossible naturally, which is why we need the Holy Spirit to supernaturally work in us, to help us yield our lives more fully to Him. It comes by faith. You came to salvation by faith and you walk by faith. It’s a process of faith. So here’s my exhortation, ask God to help you surrender your life more fully into His control. Just like Jesus prayed in the Lord’s prayer, “Thy
will be done”. Have faith, He will. He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.  

1 Kings 20

Right now, in this existence, within time, we aren’t guaranteed life will be an easy go.   In fact, we aren’t guaranteed much of anything. You know the old saying the only sure things in life are death and taxes, but some people avoid taxes, so guess what we all have to look forward to.   Anyways, we aren’t guaranteed to be well off financially, health-wise or any other way. Ultimately, in our troubles, our trials, our failings, our tribulations, we are intended and purpose-built to bring glory to God.   Really, we have no glory of our own, we’re meant to reflect God’s glory. That’s what it means to be created in God’s image. We represent Him in some small way.

1 Kings 20

1 Now Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his army, and there were thirty-two * kings with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged * Samaria and fought against it. 2 Then he sent messengers to the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, "Thus says Ben-hadad, 3 'Your silver and your gold are mine; your most beautiful wives and children are also mine.' " 4 The king of Israel replied, "It is according to your word, my lord, O king; I am yours, and all that I have."

I’ll be honest with you, that would not be my response.   You can mess with me, but don’t mess with my wife or kids.   In fact my response to this proposal would probably not have been very Christian.   Julie will recall at least one situation where I didn’t respond very Christ-like when I felt she was being physically targeted.   I can recall at least one story where Julie came on like a mama-bear when one of our sons was threatened.

5 Then the messengers returned and said, "Thus says Ben-hadad, 'Surely, I sent to you saying, "You shall give me your silver and your gold and your wives and your children," 6 but about this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants; and whatever is desirable in your eyes, they will take in their hand and carry away.' "

Oh, that’s how it’s going to be huh?   I’ve read this section of scripture dozens of times (if not hundreds of times), and I still have to re-read it to make sure I’m understanding this correctly.   What does this say about Ahab that Ben-hadad even thought this was even possible? Have you ever negotiated a deal that went so easily that when you walked away, you thought to yourself, “I may have left something on the table?”  So you go back and ask for more. I think that's what happened.

7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, "Please observe and see how this man is looking for trouble; for he sent to me for my wives and my children and my silver and my gold, and I did not refuse him." 8 All the elders and all the people said to him, "Do not listen or consent." 9 So he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, "Tell my lord the king, 'All that you sent for to your servant at the first I will do, but this thing I cannot do.' " And the messengers departed and brought him word again. 10 Ben-hadad sent to him and said, "May the gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria will suffice for handfuls for all the people who follow me." 11 Then the king of Israel replied, "Tell him, 'Let not him who girds on his armor boast like him who takes it off.' "

Was Ahab encouraged by the backing and support he got from the elders?   This seems a little too little, and a little too late. Spineless Ahab gets a little bit of a backbone, maybe?   Even the thought of Ahab being willing to follow-through and keep his initial commitment seems unthinkable. Maybe he would have been glad to get rid of his wife, Jezebeel.   I don’t know about that though, she was the woman behind the man; the driving force in their relationship. Reminds me of Ephesians 4: 27 and do not give the devil an opportunity.  You give the devil an inch and he’ll take a mile.   Translation of verse 11, don’t count your chickens until they hatch.

12 When Ben-hadad heard this message, as he was drinking with the kings in the temporary shelters, he said to his servants, "Station yourselves." So they stationed themselves against the city.

13 Now behold, a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, "Thus says the LORD, 'Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver them into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the LORD.' "

Wow!  Interesting, as evil, wicked, horrible, spineless, incompetent and bad as Ahab was, God wasn’t finished with him.   This speaks to God’s character and nature; God shows his patience, forbearance, kindness, generosity and mercy by giving Ahab this promise.   We have got to remember, the promises of God are irrevocable, absolutely sure. You can take God’s promises to the bank. You just need to know what they are.   Hint, hint...

14 Ahab said, "By whom?" So he said, "Thus says the LORD, 'By the young men of the rulers of the provinces.' " Then he said, "Who shall begin the battle?" And he answered, "You." 15 Then he mustered the young men of the rulers of the provinces, and there were 232; and after them he mustered all the people, even all the sons of Israel, 7,000.

So, Ahab asks “By whom?” which shows Ahab’s head is spinning, because earlier he’d  called Ben-Hadad lord. Ahab had already conceded the loss. So Ahab wonders, “Who will set the battle in order?”   The LORD answers, “You Ahab”. This is an interesting example of how when we’ve lost all hope, when the chips are down (and I’ve done this so many times), we ask questions of the LORD.   We kinda go “why is this happening Lord?”, or “why me Lord?”, or “why now?” or “how’s this going to happen Lord?”. When things look difficult, even impossible, we all of a sudden are hungry for answers from God.   Our posture, our standard operating procedure ought to be a consistent mode of seeking God, not just the tough times, but always. Matthew 4:4 Jesus says, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Last point from 14 and 15 is that 7000 men of Israel were mustered for battle.   I wonder, and this is just speculation, and you know what that’s worth; what you paid for it.   But could it be that this 7000 men were the 7000 mentioned earlier in 1 Kings 19:18 "Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him."   Wouldn’t it be ironic if the 7000 God uses to win the battle are the 7000 faithful men.   If these were the 7000 who didn’t bow the knee to Baal, and they’re being used to “bail out” if you will (pun intended), this Baal worshiping Ahab; the one who made Baal worship popular in Israel.

16 They went out at noon, while Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the temporary shelters with the thirty-two  kings who helped him. 17 The young men of the rulers of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out and they told him, saying, "Men have come out from Samaria."

Couple of things here:    1) on the Israeli side, the tactics of commencing at noon; the hottest time of day is questionable.   That would be the worst time to launch an attack. The point here is Israel was outnumbered and disadvantaged by the time-of-day, but they have God’s Word on it.   This all just goes to show, the battle is the LORD’s, and no one will ever be able to take credit for what He obviously has done. 2) on the Syrian side, Ben-hadad drinking himself drunk, seems a little overconfident, dontcha think?

18 Then he said, "If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive." 19 So these went out from the city, the young men of the rulers of the provinces, and the army which followed them. 20 They killed each his man; and the Arameans fled and Israel pursued them, and Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen. 21 The king of Israel went out and struck the horses and chariots, and killed the Arameans with a great slaughter.

Here’s what’s happening; Ben-hadad in his drunken stupor makes this nonsensical statement, “if they come out for peace take ‘em alive, or if they come out for war take ‘em alive.   It’s really difficult to get any sense out of a drunk person. BUT GOD… BUT GOD gave them a great slaughter. God is true to his Word, just like He’s always been and always will be.   He’s trustworthy. He is faithful and true. We can trust our future to Him, like it says in Revelation 19:2 BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and HE HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS BOND-SERVANTS ON HER."

22 Then the prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, "Go, strengthen yourself and observe and see what you have to do; for at the turn of the year the king of Aram will come up against you." 23 Now the servants of the king of Aram said to him, "Their gods are gods of the mountains, therefore they were stronger than we; but rather let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they. 24 "Do this thing: remove the kings, each from his place, and put captains in their place, 25 and muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they." And he listened to their voice and did so.

Is God the God of the hills only?    No, He is the God of all creation.   If Ben-hadad pictures our adversary the devil, this shows us how relentless he is in his quest to bring us down.   Sometimes he wins the battle, sometimes he loses, but you can be sure you have an adversary who’ll show up at your door again.   We have to be in it for the duration. The war itself is lifelong. This is to the believer, because the devil isn't concerned about someone who is not following God.    The encouragement is, if you feel like you’re in a war, that’s a good thing. Since we have God on our side, and God is the God of all people, places and times and He is the same yesterday, today and forever, you can trust Him; you can count on Him.

26 At the turn of the year, Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27 The sons of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and went to meet them; and the sons of Israel camped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Arameans filled the country. 28 Then a man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel and said, "Thus says the LORD, 'Because the Arameans have said, "The LORD is a god of the mountains, but He is not a god of the valleys," therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.' "

Look at this vivid word picture, “two little flocks of goats” versus the Syrians who “filled the countryside”.   This is the why behind the what; Why? So you will know that I am the LORD. Why does God have to prove Himself?   Purely for our benefit. In this second battle, Israel is even more outnumbered than before. God took their statement about “God being the God of the hills” personally.   It was a blasphemous insult to God about His nature. So we have two little flocks of goats against the great and mighty numerous Syrian army. Is anything too hard for the LORD?   God’s power is not limited to the hills or any other place, but it’s easy when we’re in a difficult situation to be overwhelmed by the “multitude”. You might be backed into a corner, with no way out, you think to yourself, “this is it, this is how it ends, I might as well write my final goodbyes”.  That's when you can wait on God's salvation to come.

29 So they camped one over against the other seven days. And on the seventh day the battle was joined, and the sons of Israel killed of the Arameans 100,000 foot soldiers in one day. 30 But the rest fled to Aphek into the city, and the wall fell on 27,000 men who were left. And Ben-hadad fled and came into the city into an inner chamber. 31 His servants said to him, "Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings, please let us put sackcloth on our loins and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will save your life." 32 So they girded sackcloth on their loins and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, "Your servant Ben-hadad says, 'Please let me live.' " And he said, "Is he still alive? He is my brother." 33 Now the men took this as an omen, and quickly catching his word said, "Your brother Ben-hadad." Then he said, "Go, bring him." Then Ben-hadad came out to him, and he took him up into the chariot. 34 Ben-hadad said to him, "The cities which my father took from your father I will restore, and you shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria." Ahab said, "And I will let you go with this covenant." So he made a covenant with him and let him go.

The Syrians start out trying some psychological warfare; camped across the street for seven days.   But the battle goes to Israel by the LORD again. Then in verse 31, they hatch a plan to look humble and beleaguered, and they plan to tug on the heart-strings of Ahab for mercy.    You can’t make this stuff up! Truth is often stranger than fiction, “My brother!” No, he’s your mortal enemy. Treaty, what in the world? If it weren’t there in scripture, I wouldn’t believe it.   Again, I have to re-read this section of scripture over and over, slowly to make sure my eyes aren’t playing tricks on me. Here's the takeaway from this chapter. If I were going to give this chapter a title, it would be “Ahab’s Mistake, How He Gave Away the Victory that God had Won”.   Can we all agree; this is not ok?   So Ahab, in his infinite wisdom spares Ben-Hadad, when God had appointed him to destruction.

Why do you think Ahab did this?

My take is that Ahab was politically motivated by fear and the quest for self gratification.   Those two things will make you do some pretty dumb things. Ahab was emasculated by Jezebeel; she ran the show.

Application: are we driven by fear?   Do we give our enemy more credit than he deserves?   Are we selfish, self-seeking, self-focused? What motivates us?   You have to answer that for yourself.

35 Now a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to another by the word of the LORD, "Please strike me." But the man refused to strike him. 36 Then he said to him, "Because you have not listened to the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as you have departed from me, a lion will kill you." And as soon as he had departed from him a lion found him and killed him. 37 Then he found another man and said, "Please strike me." And the man struck him, wounding him. 38 So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes. 39 As the king passed by, he cried to the king and said, "Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, 'Guard this man; if for any reason he is missing, then your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.' 40 "While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone." And the king of Israel said to him, "So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it." 41 Then he hastily took the bandage away from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him that he was of the prophets. 42 He said to him, "Thus says the LORD, 'Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.' " 43 So the king of Israel went to his house sullen and vexed, and came to Samaria.

This reminds me of how God used Nathan to bring conviction to David when he’d sinned with Bathsheba and killed Uriah.   God often uses props and costumes to get a message across. The point here is “Partial obedience is disobedience”. Obedience is paramount.   To obey is better than sacrifice, 1 Samuel 15:22 Samuel said, "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.

Ahab didn’t really repent, he went away sullen and vexed.   No change of heart, just more of a bad attitude. Yuck, Ahab gags me.   In spite of all this, Ahab’s sin, wicked, evil sin, God is faithful and always comes through for His people.  

When you get a chance to get the bread and cup of juice, please hold it so we can take it together.

Communion/the Lord’s supper reminds us of God’s faithfulness.  It’s a reminder of the great cost and suffering our Lord went through to save us.   It’s a reminder that our hope is in the Lord, the battle is the Lords and the victory is the Lord’s.   Even though death is sure for us, we've been given the victory. 1 Corinthians 15:55 "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O GRAVE, WHERE IS YOUR STING?"   Jesus won the victory on the cross.   He conquered death and the grave through his death and resurrection.   We no longer live with the fear of death. The grave is not the goal, the funeral is not the finish. God has the last word over all of that.

We take communion 1 Wednesday evening and one Sunday per month.   This is for believers and followers of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, just pass, but come talk to me and find out how to become a believer in and a follower of Jesus.

Matthew 26:26 - the bread represents Jesus’ body broken for us

Matthew 26:27-29 - the grape juice represents Jesus’ blood (His life) given for us

2 Corinthians 12:9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

Legacy Men's Breakfast - Abraham

I want to start off with a current event that illustrates what Legacy is not.   You’ve all probably heard how some movie stars were recently caught bribing people at certain prestigious colleges to get their kids admitted into those colleges.   This is a big scandal. These rich movie stars were trying to smooth out the road for their kids to get into college. That is totally the wrong lesson or legacy to leave for their kids.   Instead, of smoothing out the road for their kids, they should have been preparing their kids for the road. My working definition of Legacy is, preparing our kids for the road ahead of them.

In this Legacy series, we’re learning how to leave something valuable for our kids.    Obviously, this is really pertinent to us as fathers, but even if you’re not a dad, you're going to leave a legacy to someone, whether you want to or not.   We want to leave a good, solid, positive legacy for our children. Not just in a material or physical sense, although we do want our kids to be healthy, prosperous, well behaved, good citizens.   But it's more than that. We want you, our sons (and our daughters as well) to know the LORD; to follow Him and love Him with all your heart. That's our desire. With that in mind, I'm going to talk through some practical, "matter of fact" things, but my hope is that God the Holy Spirit would make these ideas sink deeper, into your hearts, your souls, and your spirits.   Only the Holy Spirit reveals truth so can we know it and experience it. Hopefully He'll use this to deepen our walk and our relationship with Him. When I heard the word Legacy was the theme of this series, my first thought was "father Abraham". So I want to take a few key experiences from his life and use them as illustrations; lessons for us.

#1 Genesis 12:1-3 Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

God commands Abram (remember, his birth name was Abram), to move away from his country and his family.   ouch. Moving away from your country and your family hurts; I can attest to that first hand. I think it did a couple things for Abram.   Since it hurt,  it taught Abram that obeying God would be painful and costly.   And it taught Abram that he'd have to rely entirely on God, not on his family.   Then, God promised to bless Abram, make his name great and that he would be a blessing to those who bless him.  This is all about the fact that the Messiah (the Savior) was to come from Abram’s family line. That's a big deal.   The lesson for us is that the Christian life is not easy; there will be pain; it will be costly. Think about our savior; it cost Jesus His life.   We know that salvation is a free gift, but the Christian life will cost us our very life, Matthew 16:24 says, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. My point is that a lasting, valuable legacy will be painful and costly.

#2 Genesis 12:7-8  Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent [with] Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.

Abram "calls on the name of the LORD".   He understood the need to call out to God.  He understood the need for sacrifice… We’ll have to make some sacrifices to point our kids to God.   Sacrifices as in time; as in desires…. let’s put our kids ahead ourselves. There are lots of ways you can make this a reality, but one aspect of this is don’t leave your kids spiritual formation up to Sunday school.   Just bringing your kids to church is a good start, but it isn’t good enough. One thing we can do is open the Bible and read it to our kids. Besides the fact there are some great stories in there, it will stimulate questions and responsibility to what you've learned together.  My point here is one of priorities; we need to put our kids faith in God ahead of satisfying our own desires and goals. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these other needs/wants/desires will be met. Get started, it’s never too late.

#3 Genesis 15:1-6  After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." 2 But Abram said, "Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 Then Abram said, "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!" 4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir." 5 Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." 6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

God is our shield, and so are you to your kids.   We’re protective of our kids lives, hearts, minds.  There's a very fine line though, between being protective and being overprotective and overbearing.   Being protective is instinctual; God made us that way, but the best thing we can do is foster our kids walk with the LORD, so that He'd be their shield.   God is our exceedingly great reward. How much more could we ask for? God Himself is our reward. He is life itself. He is everything that's good. He owns everything and He’s generous.   He’s infinite, He has all wisdom and knowledge and He makes that available to us. He’s the best thing we have going for us and He has our best interests at heart. He is truly our exceedingly great reward.   God made the promise to Abram that he would have a son (an heir) and Abram believed God and God counted Abram’s faith as righteousness. We all, I’m sure have seen that God is faithful to keep His promises to us, we need to show our kids how God has come through for us over and over again.

#4 Genesis 17:5-15 "No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 "I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 "And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 8 "Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." 9 And God said to Abraham: "As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 "This [is] My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11 "and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 "He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. 13 "He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 "And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant." 15 Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah [shall be] her name.

Two things of note in this section: name change and skin removal.  First, God changes Abram’s name to Abraham. Notice the insertion of the h.   The sound of the h is the breath sound. Put your hand in front of your mouth and make the ‘H’ sound.   I believe this is looking forward to the Holy Spirit, “The breath of God”, being inserted into the lives of believers.   I believe this is a foreshadowing, a word picture pointing ahead to when God would insert His spirit into the lives of believers.  In other words, being “born-again”. I know Abraham was not born again. He didn't have the Holy Spirit like we do as Christians.  The Holy Spirit was not given into the hearts and lives of Christians until 50 days after the resurrection; on the day of Pentecost.  Here's the deal, I want to ask you a question; you don't have to answer to me, and you don't have to answer out loud, but I want you to think about this question and answer to yourself: Do you know that you know that you’ve been born again?   Can you point to a time in your life when there was a noticeable change in your life. Where you were changed from going away from God to going toward God. I time where you can say, you trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior and God came into your life?   Where you turned away from following your own desires, and turned to follow God? If not, please come talk to me afterward.

   

Next, Abraham got circumcised.   Woe right there Keith. This is a sensitive subject.   Ok, I know, but I’m going to go there, so stay with me.  We are all men here, right? Fathers and sons should be able to talk about anything right?   Let me just preface this with the understanding that God’s command of circumcision was for the Jews (the Israelites).    It isn’t something commanded to Christians per se, but many of us, I don’t know who, and I’m not going to check, but many of us are circumcised, in honor of this commandment.   So, for those of you young enough not to know what circumcision is, it is a minor surgery performed on baby boys (according to the Bible, it’s supposed to be done on the eighth day after birth).   It is a minor surgery where they remove some extra skin we have around our penis. This commandment of circumcision to Abraham was supposed to signify that a man was in the family of the Hebrews (or to be a member of the Jewish people).   But, Romans chapter 2 tells us what circumcision means to us: Romans 2:28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit.   This actually isn’t new to the New Testament though, Deuteronomy 10:16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.  So physical circumcision is supposed to point to a deeper, inward, spiritual circumcision of the heart.   With physical circumcision, from the time a baby is circumcised, he bears that mark. He’s changed, but it isn’t something others would normally see.   So too, you and I (if we’ve been born-again), we bear the mark of Christ himself in our hearts and in our lives. We're changed on the inside. Just like with physical circumcision, that little bit of skin is removed, or rolled away, when hearts are circumcised, our old fleshly life is removed and we are different.   John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and [they] are life.   

2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore, if anyone [is] in Christ, [he is] a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.   And it’s a change that keeps on working in our lives.   Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what [is] that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.  So, circumcision signifies the rolling away of the flesh, and trusting in God by the spirit.   Galatians 6:7-8 says Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.   So, for any real, substantial, meaningful Legacy, you and I as father’s need to lead our sons and daughters, from belief, to faith, to a spiritual, life changing walk with God.  Without that; well nothing else really matters.

Last point from Abraham’s life

#5  Genesis 22:1-2  Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 2 Then He said, "Take now your son, your only [son] Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

What God?   I can’t be reading this right.   Well, you know the story, Abraham took Isaac and wood for the fire up on mount Moriah, and as Abraham lifted the knife, God stopped Abraham from killing Isaac, and God provided a Ram stuck in the thicket for an offering.   That story is about Abraham’s obedience, and God’s provision of the substitute.

Let’s think about this story in terms of Abraham and Isaac’s father-son relationship.   I think I can safely read into the story that Isaac was absolutely precious to Abraham. Isaac was the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham for a son to be his heir.   Come back to the here and now, If I try to put myself in Abraham’s shoes, and someone came up to me and told me that I’m supposed to kill my son, I’d know it wasn’t God. How’s that you say?  Abraham was completely unique in all of history. He'd already received a promise from God, not only that he’d have a son, but that his son would have children of his own. So for God to keep His promise, Abraham surmised that God would raise Isaac from the dead.   We learn this from Hebrews 11:17-19 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten [son], 18 of whom it was said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called," 19 concluding that God [was] able to raise [him] up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.   This is some difficult stuff.   But Jesus echos this same concept, in Luke  14:26 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.   I’d say being willing to kill your son is like hate.  Yet, Jesus is not telling us to hate our family members.  What He is saying though is compared to our love for God, every other love should be as if it were hate. Even our love for our kids, which is arguably about the strongest love you can have for someone, should seem like “hate” compared to our love for God.  With that kind of relationship with God to be able to pass down a successful, positive legacy to our kids.

That is really the crux, of what I wanted to share, but as a postscript let me say a few things about my dad, and a few things about my sons.

When I think back about the upbringing my mom and dad gave me, I am blown away by what model parents I had in so many ways.  My dad was always very involved in my life. I think this is key, my dad was very involved in my life; from family vacations, family picnics, to taking me fishing, to motorcycle riding, to sports from a very early age.   My dad was always there for me; playing catch, coaching me, cheering me on. When it came to school, he was very willing to help me with my homework.   When it came to my spirit, I count my dad on the short list of people who pointed me toward God and faith in Jesus Christ. I remember going to Sunday school from a very young age, and I went to private Christian schools from preschool through my first year of High School.   But more than that, he prayed for me. When I was straying from God, and living a very sinful life, he was praying for me. He kept encouraging me, why don’t you go to youth group at that church down the street.

Now, a story about my youngest son, and then a couple of things I remember doing with my sons, when they were young…   My youngest son Daniel, was my little shadow when he was young. If I had tool in my hand, he was there asking questions.   If I was working on my computer, he had to be sitting on my lap, even frustratingly if it was way past his bedtime. Here’s a story that cracks me up about Daniel at his baby dedication.   Picture this; Pastor Steve was holding Daniel, the whole family was up on the stage, and I was standing next to the pastor. We all bow our heads, Pastor Steve starts praying, and Daniel begins to squirm, and reach for me.   As Pastor Steve is praying, Daniel starts for fuss, squirm, and reaches for me, and just about jumps out of Pastor Steve’s arms. Without skipping a beat, Pastor Steve hands Daniel over to me, and the whole comotion was over.

But as my boys were growing up, I tried to do things like read to my sons.   We read the Bible, we read christian fiction, we read all kinds of books together. When the boys were old enough to sit still at the dinner table, we started reading though the Bible after dinner every night.   So I guess, all that to say, keep the lines of communication open. Overall to pass a lasting, meaningful, positive Legacy to your children, prepare them for the road ahead by being involved in their life, focusing on their hearts and spirits.

What Time is Purple

Friday June 7th, Thomas,  Travis and I went to Everett Community College, University of Washington at Bothell and University of Washington in Seattle and handed out about 500 Gospel booklets called "What Time is Purple".

I had the opportunity to open air a couple of times and had several interesting one -to-one conversations.

God bless...

A Look at our Hearts in Bellevue

Friday evening, I printed out a bunch of verses about the “heart” of the matters being a matter of the heart.  I’d read a verse and sermonize it for the 30 seconds between each stop light, to each group of pedestrians as they waited for the light to turn green.

Praise God!

Motorcycle ice racing

Angel of the Winds arena was the location for professional motorcycle ice racing tonight.   I'm not sure whether it was colder outside or inside, but it was 38 degrees outside.   As well, there was some sort of a ethnic Russian event, (maybe a dance) Attended by several hundred very well dressed people.

I gave out almost 200 Gospel tracts and preached 5 or 6 times.  No one-to-one conversations, but people heard the Gospel with a call to repentance and faith in my Lord Jesus.  Not many of the Russian people accepted tracts.   In fact more than one of the Russians looked at me with disdain as they passed by.

I was encouraged by one man and said he couldn’t understand why people don’t  listen and pay attention to such an important message.

Completely unaffiliated with me, there were a couple of street evangelists there too,Nathan and Daniel were there with banners.

God bless...

Alice Cooper

i think it’s safe to say, there is an aspect of darkness to an Alice Cooper concert.

Besides being flashed the devil horns, being told to shut up and leave, and having heads wag at me , it was a successful evening.

Got to chat with more drunks than I ever have during a single outreach.

I read much scripture.

God bless...

DSP -Baliwood

God chooses a very small remnant out of the world to hear and receive His message.

Ten year old Shree heard, on Saturday evening.

Also a drunk guy in a wheelchair.

God bless...

Lake Stevens Aqua Fest

A lake Stevens Aqua Fest official came up to me when I was handing out tracts inside the festival barricades at the entrance to the festival.   She told me I couldn’t do that and I had to leave.   I told her no I didn’t have to leave. She said yes you do, I said the US constitution gives me the right to do this.   She said everyone else had paid for a booth.   I repeated the the constitution gave me the right to hand out tracts.   She said this isn’t how Jesus would want you to act .  I said well you need Him, she said I have my own religion.  She said “you’re supposed to obey government “.  I asked why do you want to hinder the Gospel... she was getting upset and so was I.

I said why don’t you call the cops. She said I’m going to do that.  I said please do.  So she went off in a huff and called them.

That’s when Thomas arrived.

We continued to hand out tracts.

When several officers arrived, they conferred with the lady official and began to watch Thomas and I as we continued to hand out tracts.

After about 15 minutes a sergeant arrived and he and another officer came up to Thomas and I.  They greeted us and shook our hands, and told us to speak respectfully when talking with the festival officials.  I agreed. And the cops left.

Other than that drama, I handed out about 400 Gospel tracts.

God bless...

War and Peace

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

For the Christian, we're in a war, whether you've noticed or not, and whether you believe it or not.   If you're a Christian, you have an enemy, whether you like it or not. Just as dangerous as any bad guy here on earth, we have enemies in the spiritual realm, who'd like to put us out-of-commission.   The Bible says the devil is like a roaring lion prowling around seeking whom he may devour. And, just as serious and deadly as any weapon we might hold in our hands, are the weapons we possess in the spiritual realm.   So, we may be in a war, but to the Christian, Jesus says, “fear not”, for greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world.

For the non-Christian, it's a whole different ball game.  The non-Christian is in a war, he's just fighting the wrong enemy.  He's made God his enemy. You ever watched one of the many reality cop shows on tv?  You've probably seen seen a cop wrestling someone and having the person's arms twisted behind their back, and the cop commands, “stop resisting! “.   That’s what the non-Christian needs to do, with God. I'm going to ask you to do something, if you haven't already, please surrender your life (the good and the bad) to the Savior.   God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. So it’ll take humility to admit your sin to God, but you must own up to it before Him. And, instead of trusting in anything you have, or you’re capable of, trust Jesus alone.   Then he will forgive your sins. You'll pass from death to life; from darkness to light. You'll be what's called 'born again'.

Then, as it says in Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

And you’ll be at peace with God.

The Rapture, Tribulation, Second Coming, Eternity

The Rapture, Tribulation, Second Coming, and Eternity

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Introduction    2

Foundations: Why “End Times”?    2

What is the formal name for this topic?    3

Don't take my word for any of this    3

What do I hope you take away from this study?    3

Why does this matter?    4

What leads up to what’s next?    4

The Rapture    5

What is it?    5

When will it occur?    6

Where are the direct references to it?    6

Are there allusions to it, elsewhere?    7

What is its purpose?    7

The Tribulation    7

What is it?    7

When will it happen?    8

What about the church and tribulation?    8

What is its purpose?    8

How long will it be?    8

What will it be like?    9

The Second Coming    11

Marriage of the Lamb    11

The Coming of Christ    11

Doom of the Beast and False Prophet    12

According to Jesus, Hell is forever.    12

The Millenium    12

Satan Bound    12

Satan Freed, Doomed    13

Judgment at the Throne of God    13

By what standard are non-christians judged?    13

Are there degrees of punishment?    13

How will Christians be Judged?    14

Eternity    14

The New Heaven and Earth    14

The New Jerusalem    15

Our Resurrected Bodies    16

Introduction

Foundations: Why “End Times”?

When I saw “End Times” in the list of topics for this series, I thought; this seems kind of esoteric, and difficult; maybe too hard to understand for the new believer.   But I realized, the reason it is part of the Foundations Series is because Jesus Himself taught his disciples this subject during His ministry on earth. Paul thought it essential to teach the Thessalonians in his few weeks with them.   This topic of “End Times”, also called, “Prophecy”, “Last Days”, “Future Things”. This is really a study about the sovereignty of God. In other words, the fact that “God is in control”. We believe, as it says in Daniel 4:17 God rules in the kingdom of men.   When we look back, we call it “history”, which is “His-Story”.   The biblical Christian worldview is that the events of history are purposeful, and time moves forward towards a conclusion that brings glory to God. For the follower of Jesus Christ, God will be glorified in showing grace and mercy, but to those whom God condemns, He’ll be glorified in His righteousness and justice.   When we look forward, we call it prophecy. So prophecy is just history written in advance.

As an aside: I hope you understand what I mean when I use the word “worldview”.   A person’s worldview is the set of baseline, foundational beliefs upon which they build everything else.  It’s like this; when your kids ask you a question, and you give them an answer, and they ask “why?”, you answer again, and they say, “why?”, and you answer that, and they say “Why?”.   Ultimately, the answer goes back to; “because God made it that way”. Worldview is the lens through which we look at everything. It is the filter through which we process everything in life.   We have a Biblical foundation for how we evaluate everything in our lives. Our approach to everything; politics, how we raise our family, our career, our finances, what we do for education, our approach to science, how we look at history, even how we look at arts and entertainment are all governed by a Biblical Christian worldview.   So “End Times” fits very nicely into our “Foundations of the Faith” series.

Just so you know, not every christian agrees with our understanding of how these “End Times” events will unfold.   So we “agree to disagree, agreeably”.

What is the formal name for this topic?

This is the doctrine of eschatology; the study of future things.  “End Times”, is “serious business”, so I plan on covering it seriously, but I want to start off with a silly little story that illustrates my approach to this study.

“Imagine you’re adrift in the middle of the ocean in a life-raft.  Imagine a pack of sharks are circling your life-raft, when all of a sudden, your life-raft springs a leak.   How do you survive? Easy, stop imagining!

We’re going to do the same thing with this study.   We’re not going to let our imagination run wild. If I say anything that’s guesswork, or speculation or conjecture, I’ll say so, but there’ll be very little of that.

Don't take my word for any of this

Acts 17:10-11 Now the Berean Jews were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.

2 Peter 1:20-21 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

So, I’m going to use scripture to interpret scripture.   There’ll be very little commentary from me.

What do I hope you take away from this study?

Titus 2:13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus

Why is this a message of hope?   It’s not a message of selfish escapism.   It is a message about how not to be caught off guard.   It’s a message that should cause us to keep our feet set solidly on the Rock of Jesus Christ and His Word, especially as we see the stage being set.   Things aren’t falling apart, they’re falling into place.

Hebrews 10:24-25  and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Why does this matter?

27% of the Bible is prophecy, but more importantly, Jesus taught it and promised a blessing to us for studying it.

Revelation 1:3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Luke 21:36 But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.

1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.

Matt 24:4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you.

What leads up to what’s next?

2 Peter 3:3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.

Matthew 24:1-8 Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. 2 And He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”     3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. 6 You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12  Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? 6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.

The Rapture

What is it?

The catching away of the church directly to heaven.   In Greek the word is “harpazo”. The word “Rapture” is not in our English Bible, but Latin vulgate version of the Bible has “rapiemur”,  from which we get the word rapture.

When will it occur?

It could happen at any time. This is the doctrine of imminence.

Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

Explain why the rapture could happen at anytime, you ask?   Ok, since we’re called called the bride of Christ, this whole concept of a rapture is patterned after the Jewish wedding process:

1. The match is negotiated (usually by the parents)
2. The price (dowry) is paid
3. The contract is confirmed (ketubah)
4. The betrothal begins (as binding as marriage)
5. The bridegroom goes away to prepare a place (usually in the Father’s house)
6. The bridegroom returns unexpectedly
7. The wedding ceremony is performed
8. The bridegroom takes the bride to the place he’s prepared

Where are the direct references to it?

1 Corinthians 15:51-53 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18   But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord,4 that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Are there allusions to it, elsewhere?

John  Revelation 4:1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.

Paul  2 Corinthians 12:2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago--whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows--such a man was caught up to the third heaven.

Philip in Acts 8:39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.

Enoch   Genesis 5:24  Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.  

What is its purpose?

1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ

The Tribulation

What is it?

Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

1:15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 1:16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.

Ezekiel 22:23 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 22:24 Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation.

Jeremiah 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, There is none like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s distress, But he will be saved from it.

Isaiah 24:1-6 Behold, the LORD lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface and scatters its inhabitants. 2 And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his master, the maid like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the creditor like the debtor. 3 The earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled, for the LORD has spoken this word. 4 The earth mourns and withers, the world fades and withers, the exalted of the people of the earth fade away. 5 The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left.

When will it happen?

Matthew 24:15-21 Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. 18 Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.

What about the church and tribulation?

John 16:33  These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.

What is its purpose?

Daniel 12:1  Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.

The tribulation is for the salvation of the Jewish nation of Israel

How long will it be?

Daniel 9:27 And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.

It is divided in two, three and a half year periods.

Revelation 13:5 There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him.

Revelation 12:6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

What will it be like?

Answer: I’m not gonna lie, you don’t want to be there.

The Seven Seals on the scroll, Chapters 6 — 8:1

    1st seal, 6:1, 2 (Rider on a white horse - military dictator/conqueror)

    2nd seal, 6:3, 4 (Rider on a red horse - violence and war)

    3rd seal, 6:5, 6 (Rider on a black horse - famine, economic collapse)

    4th seal, 6:7, 8 (Rider on a pale horse - Death, Hell, evil, famine)

    5th seal, 6:9-11 (Prayer of the martyred remnant)

    6th seal, 6:12-17 (God’s great wrath, Cosmic catastrophe, Geologic catastrophe)

Interlude between 6th and 7th seal, Chapter 7

    The interlude is to seal 144000, vv. 1-3

    Remnant of Israel sealed, vv. 4-8

    Redeemed multitude of Gentiles, vv. 9-17

    7th seal, 8:1 (The seven trumpets telescope out of the 7th seal)

The Seven Trumpet Judgments, Chapters 8:2 — 11:19

    Angel at the altar with censer of incense, 8:2-6

    1st trumpet — trees burnt, 8:7

    2nd trumpet — seas become blood, 8:8, 9

    3rd trumpet — fresh water becomes bitter, 8:10, 11

    4th trumpet — sun, moon, stars shaken, 8:12, 13

    5th trumpet — fallen star and plague of locusts, 9:1-12

    6th trumpet — angels loosed at river Euphrates, 9:13-21

Interlude between the 6th and 7th trumpets, 10:1— 11:14

    The strong angel with the little book, 10:1-7

    John eats the little book, 10:8-11

    Date for the ending of “the times of the Gentiles,” 11:1, 2

    Duration of the prophesying of the two witnesses, 11:3-12

    Doom of the second woe — great earthquake, 11:13, 14

    7th trumpet — Announcement of God’s Kingdom being ushered in, 11:15-19

The actors in the Great Tribulation, Chapters 12, 13

    The woman is Israel, 12:1, 2 Genesis 37:9

    The red dragon is Satan, 12:3, 4 Gen 3:1

    The child of the woman is Jesus Christ, 12:5, 6

    Michael, the archangel, wars with the dragon, 12:7-12

    The dragon persecutes the woman, 12:13-16

    Remnant of Israel, 12:17

Wild beast out of the sea — a powerful political leader, 13:1-10

    Wild beast, description, vv. 1, 2

    Wild beast, death-dealing stroke, v. 3

    Wild beast, deity assumed, vv. 4, 5

    Wild beast, defying God, vv. 6-8

    Wild beast, defiance denied to anyone, vv. 9, 10

Wild beast out of the earth — a religious leader, 13:11-18

    Wild beast, description, v. 11

    Wild beast, delegated authority, vv. 12-14

    Wild beast, delusion perpetrated on the world, vv. 15-17

    Wild beast, designation, v. 18

Looking to the end of the Great Tribulation, Chapter 14

    Picture of the lamb with the 144,000, vv. 1-5

    Proclamation of the everlasting gospel, vv. 6, 7

    Pronouncement of judgment on Babylon, v. 8

    Pronouncement of judgment on those who received mark of the beast, vv. 9-12

    Praise for those who die in the Lord, v. 13

    Preview of Armageddon, vv. 14-20

Pouring out of the seven mixing bowls of wrath, Chapters 15, 16

Preparation for final judgment of the Great Tribulation, 15:1 — 16:1

Tribulation saints in heaven worship God because He is holy and just, 15:1-4

Seven angels have seven golden bowls proceed from temple in heaven, 15:5 — 16:1

    Pouring out of the 1st bowl, 16:2 - sores on those who received the mark

    Pouring out of the 2nd bowl, 16:3 - sea blood

    Pouring out of the 3rd bowl, 16:4-7 - fresh water blood

    Pouring out of the 4th bowl, 16:8, 9 - sunburn

    Pouring out of the 5th bowl, 16:10, 11 - painful darkness

    Pouring out of the 6th bowl, 16:12 - Euphrates dried up

Interlude: kings of inhabited earth proceed to HarMagedon, 16:13-16

    Pouring out of the 7th bowl, 16:17-21 - completion announced

The two Babylons judged, Chapters 17, 18

    The apostate church in the Great Tribulation, Chapter 17

    Great harlot riding the wild beast, vv. 1-7

    Wild beast destroys the great harlot, vv. 8-18

    Political and commercial Babylon judged, Chapter 18

    Announcement of fall of commercial and political Babylon, vv. 1-8

    Anguish in the world because of Babylon’s judgment, vv. 9-19

    Anticipation of joy in heaven because of judgment on Babylon, vv. 20-24

The Second Coming

Marriage of the Lamb

Revelation 19:6-9 Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.  7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.     9 Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.” 10 Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

The Coming of Christ

Revelation 19:11-19   And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”    17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.”    19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.

Doom of the Beast and False Prophet

Revelation 19:20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

According to Jesus, Hell is forever.

Matthew 25:31-46 But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. [..] 41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; [..]’ 46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

The Millenium

Satan Bound

Revelation 20:1-6 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.    4 Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

Satan Freed, Doomed

Revelation 20:7 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, 8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. 9 And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Judgment at the Throne of God

Revelation 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

By what standard are non-christians judged?  

Psalm 9:8  And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity.

Acts 17:30-31 God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness

Are there degrees of punishment?

Matthew 11:20-24 Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. 24 Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.

How will Christians be Judged?

Jesus Himself was our stand-in, he was our substitute; on the cross He got the judgement, justice and punishment that we deserved, and we get His righteousness through faith:   2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

But, as far as rewards go…

1 Corinthians 3:14-15 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

Eternity

The New Heaven and Earth

Revelation 21:1-9 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”   5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” 6 Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. 7He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. 8 But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”     9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

The New Jerusalem

Revelation 21:10-27 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper. 12 It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.  15 The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal. 17 And he measured its wall, seventy-two yards, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements. 18 The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; 20 the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.  22 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; 26 and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; 27 and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Our Resurrected Bodies

1 Corinthians 15:35-49 But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?” 36 You fool! That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies; 37 and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own. 39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.   42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So also it is written, “The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.

My goal is to encourage you in this way:

• That you would invest your time wisely in the things that matter: Your relationship with the LORD, your family, your coworkers and your school-mates, by sharing the Gospel.

If you’ve ever been excited about your relationship with the Lord Jesus, you have something to look forward to, because as wonderful as it is now, it will only be better in eternity: 1 John 3: 2-3 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.