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Raptured! To Heaven or Somewhere Else?

Will Christians be raptured to heaven before Jesus Christ returns to the earth – or will we be taken somewhere else?

Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 are some of the most comforting and encouraging words in the Bible, especially for those who have lost loved ones. He writes, “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. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 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. 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. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

It’s quite clear from this passage, that Jesus will return to raise the dead and then gather those who are still alive. These events are also referred to in Matthew 24:30-31, “they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Where will we be taken?

In 1 Thessalonians 4, it says that those of us ‘who are left’ will ‘be caught up together’ with them in the clouds… “Caught up” is the Greek word ‘harpazo’ which doesn’t in itself indicate direction whether up, down, east, west, etc. ‘Harpazo’ simply means ‘to seize, catch, pluck, pull, take by force’. It is used in the New Testament when people wanted to make Jesus king and plotted to ‘take him by force’ (John 6:15), or of when a wolf ‘catcheth’ the sheep (John 10:12), or of Paul knowing a man (likely himself) who was ‘caught up’ to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2). Philip the evangelist, was ‘caught away’ after baptizing the eunuch and taken to Azotus. So, as you can see, ‘harpazo’ doesn’t indicate direction – it simply means being ‘taken’ or ‘seized.’

In 1 Thessalonians 4, the passage goes on to say that we will be taken away to be ‘in the clouds’ and ‘to meet the Lord in the air’. What is this talking about, if this is not heaven? Why would anyone think that it isn’t heaven? Well, because these events are interconnected with Jesus returning to earth – not believers going to heaven.

In order to investigate the correlation between Jesus’ return, the resurrection, the granting of immortality, and the beginning of the Kingdom on earth, the following ten passages are helpful:

Jesus will call the dead to life.

John 5:25-29, “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.“

Jesus’ angels will gather the good and the bad, and then the righteous ‘will shine.’

Matthew 13:40-43, “Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”

Jesus will come ‘with the clouds’ and ‘every eye will see him’

Revelation 1:5-7 “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.”

Those ransomed by Jesus will be priests and reign on earth

Revelation 5:9-10 “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

The earth is the ‘inheritance’ of the faithful

Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Psalm 37:34 “Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off.” (see also verse 9, 11, 22, 29)

The saints will be given an everlasting kingdom over all other nations

Daniel 7:27 “And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.”

God’s kingdom will break all other kingdoms and ‘stand forever’

Daniel 2:44 “And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,”

All nations will serve, worship and bring gifts to the rulers of God’s kingdom

Isaiah 60 “For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste. The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane, and the pine, to beautify the place of my sanctuary, and I will make the place of my feet glorious… they shall call you the City of the LORD, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory…Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified.”

Jesus will be revealed to the world when he returns to the Mount of Olives with the ‘holy ones.’ This will be the beginning of his kingdom over all the earth.

Zechariah 14 “For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle… Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward… Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him… On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem… And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and his name one… Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts…”

We see from these ten references above, that Jesus is returning to raise the dead and grant immortality to his chosen ones. When he shows himself to the world and saves Israel from the nations that come against her, his ‘holy ones’ – the immortal saints – are with him. This deliverance will be the beginning of the ‘little stone’ of Daniel 2 taking over all the kingdoms of the world, and the saints inheriting the earth… not heaven.

So, where will we be gathered to, if not heaven? Why will we be in ‘the clouds’, and meet the Lord ‘in the air’?

The New Testament often speaks of Jesus returning ‘in the clouds’ (See Matt. 24:30; 26:64; Mark 13:26; 14:62; Luke 21:27; Rev. 1:7). In Hebrews 12:1, Paul talks about all the faithful believers mentioned in the chapter before, as ‘a cloud of witnesses.’ The ‘clouds’ may refer to all the saints being together. Believers are caught away to be with the Lord and all the others who have been caught away.

Where is ‘the air’?

The Greek word that is used here is ‘aer’. Thayer’s defines it as ‘the air, particularly the lower and denser air as distinguished from the higher and rarer air, or the atmospheric region’. Strong’s defines it as coming from the root ‘aemi (to breathe unconsciously, that is respire; by analogy to blow)’ Therefore the air cannot refer to heaven where God dwells… but must be somewhere in our atmosphere.

Judgment and the Marriage Feast

In other New Testament passages, Jesus told us that when he returns there will be a time of judgment, when the ‘sheep’ will be set on his right hand and invited to ‘inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,’ while those on his left will be told to depart (Matthew 25:31-46). Revelation 19:6-10 speaks of the ‘marriage supper of the Lamb’ – a time for the saints to meet their ‘bridegroom’ and begin an eternal relationship with him. (see also Matthew 25:1-10; Luke 12:36). So, when the angels gather believers from all over the earth, we are not told specifically where we will be taken, perhaps because Jesus wants this wedding feast to be a private event. However, we know that we will be together both with those who have been raised from the dead and those who have been gathered from all over the earth. We know that we will be in the air that we can breathe – somewhere in our atmosphere. Best of all, we know that Jesus is returning to set up an everlasting Kingdom on this earth that will subdue all other governments and bring in a time of peace, righteousness and godliness that will last for 1000 years (Revelation 20). May that day come soon!

Did Jesus Christ Pre-exist?

Was Jesus with God before the creation of the earth? Did he enjoy life in heaven with his Father long before he roamed the earth as a man? If this is true, how could he also be the Promised Seed, an actual descendant of Abraham, David and Mary? In Colossians 1 Jesus Christ is called the ‘firstborn of every creature,’ but does this refer to the Genesis creation, or a new creation?

God knows the End from the Beginning

To begin with, Isaiah 46:9-10 tells us something special about God. He says, “I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done… “

It may be difficult for us to comprehend, but God says He knows the future before it happens. When He began His acts of creation, He already knew ‘the end from the beginning.’

The Word

The record in Genesis 1, repeatedly says ‘God said,’ and it happened. God’s word and His spirit power moved on the surface of the world and brought His incredible plan into effect. We are told in Psalm 33:6-9, “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth… let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
For he SPAKE, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.”

If you were to push back time before the first day of creation, everything that has happened since would all be in the mind of God. He knew the ‘end from the beginning.’ Genesis, Psalms and Isaiah tell us that the creation of our planet and all life upon it was accomplished through His spoken word and spirit power.

Was Jesus with God when the Earth was Created?

We read in 1 Peter 1:8-11, “Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” This passage tells us that the prophets who prophesied about Christ in the Old Testament didn’t understand what they were writing as they recorded the words that God gave them about the Messiah’s sufferings and glory. In the Old Testament there are passages that tell us about Jesus’ inner feelings through the trials he would endure. (See Psalm 22, Isaiah 53 for example) His sufferings and glory were also foretold in the story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac, the promises made to Abraham, Joseph forgiving his brothers in order to save them, the sacrifices of a perfect lamb, and other rituals of the Law… the colors and symbols of the tabernacle, the Passover feast, Daniel’s prophecies and so much more.

Jesus Christ is ‘seen’ throughout the Old Testament. He fulfilled more than 100 Messianic Old Testament prophecies. God knew exactly what was going to happen to His Son from the beginning of time and even how His Son would feel during those experiences. Our Father’s plan to reconcile the world was clearly outlined and foreshadowed long before it occurred. This is why after Jesus was resurrected, he explained his life, sufferings and purpose based on the Old Testament. (Luke 24:25-27) The Apostle Paul did the same in Acts 26:22-23, saying, “I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.”

John 1

When we come to John 1 and read ‘THE WORD’ was with God from the beginning, this ‘beginning’ most likely refers to Genesis 1 when God began to bring His plan for this world into existence. God has no beginning, but our world does. The Greek word for ‘word’ is ‘LOGOS’ which means ‘something said (including the thought), a topic, reasoning, motive, computation…’ Here we have another reference to God’s plan which He had in mind before He began to create. In John 1:14 we are told that the ‘word’ (logos – the plan) became flesh…a man. So, yes, Jesus existed in God’s mind and purpose before creation, but he didn’t become an actual person until he was born. He was a true descendant of Abraham, David and Mary – just as God had promised (Matthew 1:1; Luke 1:30-35)

Gabriel announced to Daniel the coming of Christ in Daniel 8:15-26 and 9:20-27, telling him specific things the Messiah would do in the future.  When Gabriel announced hundreds of years later to Mary in Luke 1:26-33 that she would have a son, the announcement also included the proclamation that this boy who had not yet even been conceived would reign as king. The fulfillment of these kingdom prophecies is still in the future! God’s plan has always been in His mind since the beginning of our creation and He has been gradually working it out through 6000 years of history. 

Others Whom God ‘Foreknew’

Jesus isn’t the only one that God speaks of knowing before birth. John the Baptist was also named and ‘sent’ (John 1:6) before he was conceived. His life’s mission was given to Zechariah in Luke 1:11-20 before he was born.

Jeremiah was also told,  “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5

Ephesians 1:4-5 tells us that the faithful were also chosen ‘before the foundation of the world’ and have been ‘predestinated’ to adoption. This doesn’t mean the faithful existed as actual people before creation, but simply that God has a supernatural ability to know ‘the end from the beginning.’ While we all have freewill, God knows how everything is going to turn out. As humans we think we are pretty good when we can make accurate two week forecasts of the weather based on the data we collect. We don’t force the weather to happen, we just understand the patterns – and sometimes our forecasts are accurate and sometimes they are not.  The Creator of the world is so far above us!! The Bible is full of completely accurate prophesies concerning the nations of our world, recorded thousands of years before the events occurred or will occur. God knows even what the nations will do! (Ezekiel 36 to 38, Zechariah 12-14; Psalm 83; Joel 3; Isaiah 60-66)

The Firstborn of All Creation

So, how then can it be said that Jesus is the ‘firstborn of every creature’? Surely, Colossians 1 proves that Jesus pre-existed? Let’s examine Colossians 1: 15-18 carefully: “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”

Note that all the things listed which were ‘created’ by Jesus are not part of the Genesis 1 creation. Instead, Colossians lists ‘thrones, or dominions, or principalities or powers.’ This creation sounds more like a kingdom than a creation of plants, trees, animals and humans. Verse 18 tells us that Jesus is the ‘firstborn from the dead’! This is the start of a new creation! Here are a few more references where we are told that Jesus was the firstborn from the dead:

Acts 26:23 “that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”

1 Corinthians 15:20 “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.”

Revelation 1:5-6 “and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.“

Notice in the Revelation passage the references to a Kingdom! Jesus wasn’t the first person to be resurrected in the Bible, but he was the first man to rise from the dead and receive God’s gift of immortality! To be a part of the new Creation – a kingdom of ‘kings and priests’ (Revelation 5:9-10) we must also be given the gift of immortality. Jesus was the first to receive this gift, and through his obedience and sacrifice, God has also promised this gift to us. This is the new Creation, of which Jesus is the firstborn and the Creator!

“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:9-10

If you would like to look into this subject in more detail, click on the handout link below

Did-Jesus-Pre-ExistDownload

The ‘Mountains of Israel’- God’s Gift to the Jews

Annexing Judea and Samaria has been a hot topic in the news lately and so it should be. Anyone reading Ezekiel 36 to 39 in the Old Testament Scriptures knows that God promised – thousands of years ago – that in the ‘latter years‘ the Jewish people would be regathered from all over the world. It has happened! God promised that He would make the Jewish people a nation again in their land, which happened in 1948. God promised that the mountains of Israel would become productive, their wastelands restored, cities rebuilt, and people and animals would multiply upon the hills. This is happening! And God promised that in these ‘latter years’ Israel would be dwelling safely and peacefully on these very mountains, otherwise known as ‘the West Bank’, or ‘Judea and Samaria’  (Ezekiel 38:8). This will happen, one way or another. At the moment, annexing Judea and Samaria appears to be a possible way for this state of ‘peace and safety’ to occur.

But, take a good look at the prophecy in Ezekiel 37: 21-22: “Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land. And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all…”

Who is this King? Having a King is the next step in the fulfillment of this prophecy. Will democracy be overturned? And if so, by whom?

To answer this question, we must first ask, why is it that God’s favor is being poured out upon Israel in these ‘latter years’? The answers are given in Ezekiel 36 to 39. God has a plan which He is bringing to pass and this plan will eventually include the whole world! Through the miraculous fulfillment of God’s prophetic word all nations will come to believe in Him!

God’s plan was first promised to a man named Abraham who believed and trusted God implicitly. Because of this man’s faith, God promised to give him the land of Israel to Abraham and to his SEED… forever. He promised to bless all nations through Abraham and through his SEED… forever. (Genesis 13:14-17;17:3-8; 22:12-18) But Abraham never received this land in his lifetime. We learn in the New Testament that God has not yet fulfilled His promise to Abraham because this promise was given for the future. Abraham remained a wandering pilgrim living in a tent his whole life because he trusted that this promise would be fulfilled when he rose from the dead. (See Acts 7:2-5; Hebrews 11:8-16) Abraham looked for a ‘heavenly city’ that was to come, not a city in heaven or the promise will never be fulfilled, but rather God’s Divine restoration of the Promised Land here on earth! God’s will done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

We learn from the New Testament that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is the primary descendant promised to Abraham. (Galatians 3:16) It is through the Jewish Messiah – Jesus Christ – that all nations of the world can find salvation, and be blessed through him. (Genesis 22:12-18) The Gospel message was first preached to Abraham! (Galatians 3:8-9) The Jewish Hope is the foundation of the Gospel message (Acts 28:20).

As promised, Jesus Christ will soon be returning to be the KING in Jerusalem. According to the Scriptures, Jesus must first deliver Israel from a terrible onslaught, returning to stand on the Mount of Olives, triggering a massive earthquake that will split the mount in two (Zechariah 14). According to the Scriptures, Jesus must turn the Jewish people to him when they see ‘him whom they have pierced,’ and ‘weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.’ (Zechariah 12). Jesus must receive the promised ‘throne of his father David’ in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 7:12-16 ; Luke 1:30-35). When Jesus has established himself as the King in Jerusalem, he will then call upon all nations to come up and learn of God’s ways. (Isaiah 2:2-4; Zechariah 14; Psalm 72)

With all these prophecies coming true one by one, we have every reason to believe we are living in the last days and that God is fulfilling His promises. May the Jewish people have the courage to accept God’s gift and find a way to live on the ‘mountains of Israel’ in peace and safety. May the whole world soon recognize that we are seeing incredible promises being fulfilled! God is at work!

Jesus – Son of God, Not God the Son.

Who is Jesus? During the past two thousand years, many passionately reasoned that to deny Christ’s divinity is to blaspheme God Himself. Others fatefully accepted a martyr’s death, fully convicted that Jesus was the Son of God, but not God the Son. And still others have been completely repulsed from ‘Christianity’ all together, because of the teaching that God is ‘three in one’. 

So, who is Jesus? And who is God? And does it matter what we believe?

No doubt a proper understanding of Jesus and his relationship to His Father is essential, based on John 17:1-3 and 1 John 4:1-4.

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.” 1 John 4:1-4

Jesus’ Victory Over Sin

Consider this: to say that Jesus is God, completely robs him of his victory over sin and death. For if Jesus wasn’t like us in every way (Hebrews 2:17-18) then his victory in overcoming human nature and temptation, and his submission to God’s will, was just a facade. 

“Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.” Hebrews 2:17-18

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:14-15

“And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39

These scriptures are clear. Jesus WAS tempted like we are, had OUR nature and struggled with a will that was DIFFERENT from His Father’s. This alone should be sufficient to show that Jesus cannot be God.

Relationship Between the Father and the Son

If Jesus is actually God, then the beautiful relationship of a Father and a Son becomes only an analogy, not a true relationship.

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” John 20:17

“Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:5

The Difficult Sacrifice

If Jesus is actually God, it diminishes the difficult sacrifice that God made for us. It is much more difficult for a father to give a faithful, obedient, loving Son over to death, than to give up his own life. Any truly loving father, given the choice of dying himself, or giving his son’s life – would choose to die himself. Giving up one’s son is a much harder choice.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:35-36

“In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.” Hebrews 5:7-8

These passages continue to show the wonderful relationship of a father and a son in perfect harmony, working together to resolve the problem of sin and death, and bringing salvation to all mankind.

Who is God in the Old Testament? 

The first commandment God gave to Israel was, ““Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Deuteronomy 6:4.

In Isaiah 45, God emphasizes over and over that He is THE ONLY God. 

“I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God…” (Isaiah 45:5). 

“Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me.” (Isaiah 45:21)

The Jewish and Islamic faiths have remained resolutely monotheistic since their inception thousands of years ago. Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, does not alter this timeless Truth. Only the concept of Jesus as God in the Trinitarian formulation contradicts God’s decree, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” (Deuteronomy 6:4)

Old Testament Promises to Abraham and David

Abraham was promised a descendant through whom all the nations of the world would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). We are told in Galatians 3:8, 9 & 16 that this promised descendant was first and foremost Jesus. “… preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith… Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.”

David was promised, 

“When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.” (2 Samuel 7:12-14) 

When the angel Gabriel visited Mary, he reiterated the promise to David, saying, 

“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:31-33)

Both Abraham and David were clearly told that God’s Son would be from their genetic line. This is verified in the genealogy of Jesus, in Matthew 1:1 “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”

Even now while Jesus is in heaven with his Father, he refers to this genealogy, saying in Revelation 22:16, “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

If Jesus is actually God, then why did God promise Abraham and David that the Messiah would be their descendant? What is the point of this ‘human’ genealogy if Jesus is really God?

Consistent with the passages already referred to above, Jesus was a human being, with human nature, and human ancestors. The Trinity makes a mockery of these facts, which is why is it often referred to as a MYSTERY.

What did Jesus say about himself and his Father?

Jesus said he came to glorify God (John 17:4), which we are told he did through his willing submission and obedience (Philippians 2:9-11).  From Jesus’ own words we learn:

  • Jesus does nothing of himself (John 5:30, 19; 8:28)
  • It is ‘God’s word that Jesus speaks’ and not his own (John 8:26; 7:16)
  • Only God is good (Mark 10:18)
  • Only God knows the ‘day and the hour’(Mark 13:33)
  • His Father is greater than he is (John 14:28)
  • God was still Jesus’ God, even after the resurrection! The resurrected Jesus told Mary that he was about to go to, “my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
  • We are told that Jesus LEARNED obedience through suffering and was MADE perfect (Hebrews 5:7-9)
  • We are told that Jesus prayed to his Father (Matthew 26:53; John 14:16; Hebrews 5:7-9)
  • We are told Jesus is ONE with the Father (John 17), but a few verses later, Jesus requests that the believers also be ‘ONE’ with him and his Father. This indicates that the ‘oneness’ referred to, is a oneness of mind and purpose.

Even now that he is in heaven, Jesus is still referred to as:

  • a ‘man’ (1 Timothy 2:5) – the ‘mediator BETWEEN God and men.’ 
  • He still has a God (John 20:17; Ephesians 1:3; Romans 15:6)

How was Jesus Miraculously Born?

In Luke 1:33-35, we are told that God’s power – the Holy Spirit – overshadowed the virgin Mary. From one of the eggs in her womb, a baby boy was miraculously created without the involvement of a man. In this way, through Mary’s human genealogy, Jesus Christ was both the promised descendant of Abraham (Galatians 3:16) and David (Luke 1:33-35), and also the miraculous ‘Son of God’. He was a man, just like us, tempted in every way that we are (Hebrews 4:15), yet through his single-minded focus on willingly serving his Father, God’s intimate conversations with him every day, and angels strengthening him in times of deep temptation – he NEVER sinned!

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.” Luke 1:35  

To create a baby from an egg, without the involvement of a sperm, is a wonderful miracle – yet it is not the only time that God through his power – the Holy Spirit – has created miraculous births. God spoke and Adam was created from a pile of dust. Adam is also referred to as ‘the son of God’ (Luke 3:38). In the line of Jesus Christ – the ‘promised seed’, God restored the ‘dead’ womb of Sarah to bear Isaac, and healed the barren womb of Rebekah to bear twins.

What do Historians Say About the Development of the Trinity?

“The formulation ‘one God in three persons’ was not solidly established, certainly not fully assimilated into Christian life and its profession of faith, prior to the end of the 4th century.  But it is precisely this formulation that has first claim to the title the Trinitarian dogma.  Among the Apostolic Fathers, there had been nothing even remotely approaching such a mentality or perspective.” (New Catholic Encyclopedia.  New York: Guild Publishers; 1967-1974.  Trinity;14:299)

“The Trinity is a corruption borrowed from the heathen religions and engrafted on the Christian faith.” (A Dictionary of Religious Knowledge.  Lyman Abbott; 1875.  Trinity;944)

“If Paganism was conquered by Christianity, it is equally true that Christianity was corrupted by Paganism.  The pure Deism of the first century Christians was changed by the Church of Rome, into the incomprehensible dogma of the trinity.  Many of the pagan tenets, invented by the Egyptians and idealized by Plato, were retained as being worthy of belief.” (Gibbon, E. History of Christianity.  New York: Arno Press; 1972)

“The term ‘Trinity’ is not a Biblical term, and we are not using biblical language when we define what is expressed by it as the doctrine that there is one only and true God, but in the unity of the Godhead there are three coeternal and coequal Persons, the same in substance but distinct in subsistence.” (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia – article on the Trinity by Benjamin B. Warfield)

“It must be admitted by everyone who has the rudiments of a historical sense that the doctrine of the Trinity, as a doctrine, formed no part of the original message. St. Paul knew it not, and would have been unable to understand the meaning of the terms used in the theological formula on which the Church ultimately agreed.” (Dr. W.R. Matthews, Dean of St. Paul’s in “God in Christian Thought and Experience” pg. 180)

And perhaps to summarize all that has been said so far, here is a quote from the Encyclopedia Britannica: (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Trinity-Christianity)

“Neither the word “Trinity” nor the explicit doctrine appears in the New Testament, nor did Jesus and his followers intend to contradict the Shema in the Hebrew Scriptures: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4)… The doctrine developed gradually over several centuries and through many controversies. Initially, both the requirements of monotheism inherited from the Hebrew Scriptures and the implications of the need to interpret the biblical teaching to Greco-Roman religions seemed to demand that the divine in Christ as the Word, or Logos, be interpreted as subordinate to the Supreme Being. An alternative solution was to interpret Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three modes of the self-disclosure of the one God but not as distinct within the being of God itself… It was not until later in the 4th century that the distinctness of the three and their unity were brought together in a single orthodox doctrine of one essence and three persons. The Council of Nicaea in 325 stated the crucial formula for that doctrine in its confession that the Son is “of the same substance [homoousios] as the Father,” even though it said very little about the Holy Spirit. Over the next half century, St. Athanasius defended and refined the Nicene formula, and, by the end of the 4th century, under the leadership of St. Basil of Caesarea, St. Gregory of Nyssa, and St. Gregory of Nazianzus (the Cappadocian Fathers), the doctrine of the Trinity took substantially the form it has maintained ever since.”

The Name Above All Names

Yes, Jesus has been ‘GIVEN the name that is above every name’ (Philippians 2:9-11). Because of his faithful and obedient life, submitting his own will to the Father’s will, God has given Jesus a position higher than the angels, shared his immortal nature with his Son, and promised that he will be King of the world. 

Philippians 2:9-11 – “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

The Creator of the New Creation

God has elevated Jesus to be the Creator of a NEW creation. Those who give their lives to Jesus, guided by the Spirit of the Word, choose to ‘die’ to a life of sin and be born anew to serve God (Romans 6:2-10). This is the beginning of the new creation.   

John 3:5-6 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” 

Romans 6:2-10 – “…Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in NEWNESS of life. For if we have been PLANTED together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection…”

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.” (NKJV)

FIRSTBORN From the Dead

Jesus is the ‘firstborn from the dead’ (Colossians 1:18), the ‘first to rise’ (Acts 26:23) to receive God’s immortal nature. Our hope is to rise from the dead – like Jesus – and receive immortality (1 Corinthians 15:20-54). This will be the ultimate creation of immortal beings, of which Jesus is the author and finisher. Jesus has the power to create a spiritual mind in us now so that we can be fully like him in the future (1 John 3:1-3).

Colossians 1:15-18 “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature (creation):…And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, THE FIRSTBORN FROM THE DEAD; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”

Acts 26:22-23 “I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.” 

1 Corinthians 15:20-54 – “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the FIRSTFRUITS of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his order: Christ the first fruits; afterwards they that are Christ’s at his coming…And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly…For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

1 John 3:2 – “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

God – All in All

Yet, even with this elevated position and the ‘name above every name’ that God has given Jesus, it is only for an allotted time. We are told in 1 Corinthians 15:28, that Jesus will give back this position to God at the end of the kingdom. 

 1 Corinthians 15:28 – “And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.”

Why Did the Trinity Become Church Teaching?

The book ‘When Jesus Became God’, by Richard E. Rubenstein (available on Amazon), tells the real story of the bitter infighting among many questionable ‘Christians’ in AD 300, as they all vied for power and Constantine’s approval for their own interpretation and creed. Constantine, an uncommitted Christian until his deathbed, had power to choose which creed he felt would best unite the empire, but he was not purely interested in preserving God’s truth, but rather in avoiding dissent and commotion to make his empire strong. He wavered back and forth between the teachings of Arius and his rival Athananius.

This little clip from the book ‘When Jesus Became God’ is very telling as to why Trinitarian teachings became the popular choice:

“While Arians tended to emphasize people’s potential to follow the moral example of Jesus, anti-Arians like St. Augustine focused on their continued self-enslavement, which implied the need for a Christ who was God. Only God could liberate His people from the crushing forces of habit and concupiscence. Only a Christ who was God could forgive them even if they remained helpless sinners…” Pg. 96

“most people’s primary need was the need for security. Only a strong God, a strong Church, and a strong Empire could provide helpless humans with the security they craved.” Page 74

Warnings in the N.T. About False Teachings

Throughout the New Testament the inspired writers warned that ALREADY in THEIR MIDST, wrong beliefs were being taught concerning the relationship between Jesus and God (1 John 2:18-23; 2 Peter 2:1; 2 John 1:7-9; Acts 20:30; Matthew 24:24). The First Epistle of John 4:1-4  warns that those who cannot fully assert that Jesus shared our nature (came in the flesh) are teaching doctrines which should be avoided. The Apostle’s Creed is so simple. It only uses language and ideas that are found in the Bible. The Nicene Creed, and its follow-on – the Athanasian Creed, are filled with ideas and language that are not found in the Bible. Take note that the phrase “God the Son” is never found in the Bible, neither is “God the Holy Spirit”, “consubstantial with the Father” nor the word “incarnate”.

“Restating the relationship between the Father and the Son, in other words, redefined both parties, not just the Son. As a result, Christians who accepted this triune God, distributed over three Persons, no longer shared Jehovah with their Jewish forebears or the Supreme Being with their pagan neighbours, nor could Jews or pagans claim to believe in the same God as that worshiped by the Christians.” When Jesus Became God, Richard E. Rubenstein. pg. 209.

“Indeed! Everything about this theory is beyond human understanding. The bishop ridicules the Arians for saying that Jesus, being a creature of God, had the power to grow or decline in virtue, and that he chose to be virtuous through the exercise of his uniquely powerful will. No, Athanasius says, Christ, being God, was perfect by nature and could not change as humans do. But how can Jesus be called virtuous if he had not the power to choose? How can he be a model for human behaviour if he was incapable of change? The answer: this is a matter that is beyond human understanding!

The problem is not only that Athanasius’s theory mixes God with His creation, but that it removes Jesus entirely from human society, for the universe of moral turmoil, and places him in the unchangeable heavens. If Christ is not a changeable, choosing creature at least something like us, how can we hope to imitate him? And if he is God himself, not our representative and intermediary, how can he intervene on our behalf? Athanasius apparently thinks that Christlike behaviour is to be limited to a few desert saints like Antony, while the rest of us sinners wait in hope of unmerited salvation. It substitutes the sacraments of the Church for sacrificial action in the world. What, one wonders, would Jesus have made of that?” Ibid, Page 119

Several times in the Gospel, Jesus encourages every believer to ‘deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me’ (Luke 9:23), he tried to help his disciples learn to overcome sin by following his example of prayer (Matthew 26:41) and filling our hearts with God’s written word to combat temptation (John 6:63) as he did in Luke 4 and Luke 22. This is not the message of “God did it all for you – so there’s nothing left for you to do”, but rather, to follow in Jesus’ footsteps (1 Peter 2:21), to be inspired by his example to overcome (Revelation 3:21). And yet, of course, keeping in mind that sometimes we will fail, and through confession and repentance we are blessed to be covered with the forgiveness and salvation that is only available based on the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 3:21 – “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.”

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10 Reasons to Believe in God

THE DESIGN OF OUR PLANET AND SOLAR SYSTEM

Our Planet Earth and solar system are perfectly designed for life to exist. If any one of a number of factors wasn’t finely-tuned for our survival, we would not be here.

  • DISTANCE FROM SUN – Our Earth is the perfect distance from the sun. Too much closer and everything would burn up. Too much further away and everything would freeze.
  • WATER – Life-giving water is constantly recycled through evaporation and rain, and filtered through to reachable, underground reservoirs all over the earth.
  • ATMOSPHERE – Without the 60-mile-high atmosphere, life couldn’t exist. Without the perfect balance of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide, life couldn’t exist.
  • GRAVITY – Just the right amount of gravitational pull keeps us stationed on the rotating earth, but doesn’t make us too heavy to move.  The moon’s gravitational pull keeps the tides circulating in the oceans.

 WATER – A VITAL ELEMENT FOR LIFE AS WE KNOW IT

  • UNIVERSAL SOLVENT – The simple bond of the water molecule makes it possible for most substances to dissolve in water. Therefore water can distribute important minerals and nutrients throughout the world and inside the cells and organisms of our body. Water also flushes out toxins and carries them away.
  • EARTH’S OCEANS – Water has the ability to absorb heat in the summer and release it during the winter. Therefore the presence of large quantities of water regulates the temperatures on earth so that life doesn’t burn up or freeze. Water has the unique ability to be a liquid, solid and gas within the narrow temperature range on earth.
  • ICE – The way in which water freezes to a solid is unique. Because it is less dense than its liquid form (unlike other solids) ice is able to float on top of water. If this wasn’t the case, and ice sunk to the bottom of lakes, the whole body of water would freeze over and aquatic life would die.

THE MULTI-FUNCTIONING, PRE-PROGRAMMED HUMAN BRAIN

  • PRE-PROGRAMMED – A vast amount of necessary body functions occur without us even having to think about them. Activities such as: heart rhythm, breathing, digestion, immune responses, reactions to pain, and so many more, keep us alive. 
  • VASTLY MORE CAPACITY THAN IS NECESSARY – The human brain has more potential than anyone can ever use in their lifetime. It is more powerful for its size than the best super computer that has been designed. Its capabilities extend to understanding mathematics and the laws of nature, music, art, abstract thought, processing emotion, language, creativity, invention, and the list goes on!

UNIFORM LAWS OF NATURE BASED ON MATHEMATICAL EQUATIONS

  • FRACTALS – Fractals are reoccurring patterns that become smaller and smaller based on mathematical equations. Fractals occur throughout nature in plant life, animal life, water crystallization, and even lightning. These patterns don’t attest to random development, but intelligent design.
  • MATHEMATICS – Humans didn’t invent mathematics, humans discovered math was already in existence. Incredibly complex, constant, and predictable patterns are behind many forms of life, and the movement of planets.

IRREDUCIBLE COMPLEXITY

An irreducibly complex machine has complicated parts that must all be present for the machine to function. Creation abounds with these examples. For example, our eye is an incredibly complex camera which has millions of working parts. The pupil must be there to control the light, the crystalline lens behind the iris allows us to focus on close and distant objects, the retina has many thin layers of photoreceptors which bundle the images and send them to the brain for interpretation. If the brain couldn’t process the images, or if one of those important parts were non-existent, the whole machine would fail to work. It is not reasonable to assume that so many helpful mutations could occur perfectly all at once, and in so many varied, perfectly-functioning, living machines!

DNA – THE CODE FOR ALL LIVING CREATURES 

  • INSTRUCTION CODES – All life is governed by DNA instruction codes far more complex than any programming that human engineers have coded in the last 100 years of research. The DNA code can even replicate itself, self-correct for errors, and reprogram itself to account for changing circumstances as needed.

“PRE-PROGRAMMED” INSTINCTS IN LIVING CREATURES

  • MIGRATION AND SURVIVAL – All birds, reptiles and animals have incredible pre-programming that causes them to act in predictable patterns beneficial to their existence. Many birds, fish, butterflies, and insects have migratory instincts that cause them to follow set patterns and return to the same breeding/migratory territories again and again. Many will do this without ever being shown where to go by their parents. Magnetic ‘GPS’ systems are built into their brains, not ‘learned,’ but pre-programmed. 

THE MIRACLE OF REPRODUCTION 

Humans have invented many moving systems, but never has there been a way for their inventions to reproduce! What a miracle it is that living creatures and living plants are able to reproduce so perfectly, passing on amazing combinations of genetics from both parent sources.

THE COMPLEXITY OF THE BIBLE

God states that the Bible is His inspired Word. Just as his intelligence, mathematical patterns, complexity are seen in His creation, so these attributes shine through in His Word. 

  • THE MESSIAH – Even though the Bible was penned by around 40 different authors over a period of 4000 years, the same consistent message about a promised saviour who would die to save the world from sin, occurs throughout. The majority of these promises have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ, with some still remaining to be fulfilled in the future. 
  • HEALTH AND HYGIENE – The ‘ Law of Moses’ demonstrates an advanced understanding of germs, disease and the way in which illnesses are transmitted, thousands of years before humans invented the microscope. The insistence on washing with running water, keeping contagious disease and discharge isolated, covering human excrement, avoiding the consumption of ‘unclean’ animals, and so much more, demonstrates that God understood medical science long before we did. 
  • CROSS-REFERENCES – There are at least 340,000 acknowledged cross-references throughout the Bible, identifying common themes, quotations or people. Keeping in mind the numerous writers, vast expanse of time and geographical locations, these common themes, repeated quotations and accurate recollections of various characters are impressive. https://a.openbible.info/blog/2010-04-cross-references-2000.png 

FULFILLED BIBLE PROPHECY

Detailed prophecies were recorded in the Bible involving various nations that have come and gone on the earth. Those details have been fulfilled in the past – with the nations of Egypt, Tyre, Babylon, Greece, Rome, and more. In our day, we are seeing the incredibly miraculous fulfillment of prophecy concerning the re-establishment of the nation of Israel. So many details are given, and one by one, they are being checked off, mostly ‘against all odds’.

THE ENORMOUS IMPACT OF JESUS CHRIST

  • HISTORICALLY VALID – That Jesus Christ lived and died is attested to by various sources, namely the Bible (over 5000 copies of New Testament manuscripts, before the invention of the printing press, are available today, as opposed to most Classical works which rarely have more than 20 copies in existence). However, other writers in the first three Centuries attest to Jesus’ historical legitimacy, namely the Jewish historian Josephus and the Roman historian Tacitus. Many Early Christian bishops and church fathers also penned references to Jesus Christ in the first three centuries.
  • THE CALENDAR – The year 2020 attests to the life of Jesus Christ, since our dating system was changed to be based on his birth – a true testament to the importance placed on his life, and quite a feat if he never existed. It has been approximately 2020 years since Jesus Christ was born.
  • MARTYRS – Not many people will give their life to proclaim a lie. The fact that so many early Christians willingly submitted to torturous deaths, demonstrates the power of their conviction that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead to be our Saviour.
  • A LEADER LIKE NO OTHER – The heroes in cultures outside of Christianity are generally powerful super-men, “gods” who are valiantly powerful and make others subservient to them. Many of these ‘gods’ act in immoral ways, fill their lives with pleasures, and are a law to themselves. Jesus Christ never put on a show of human strength. His message was that those who wanted to be great should serve others. He led a completely moral and sinless life devoid of self-serving pleasures. Willingly, he submitted to a humiliating death in order to ‘destroy’ the greatest enemy of all mankind – ‘the devil’ – sin in our nature. (Hebrews 2:8-19) Through his life and death he gave us an amazing example to follow. Through his death and resurrection we have forgiveness and the hope of immortality. (Romans 5:11-21)
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