Eternal Life (Part 1)
I believe most people want to go to Heaven simply because they don’t want to go to Hell. Heaven is being in God’s presence and having a relationship with Him. Therefore, it is not about works. There is nothing we can do to make ourselves worthy of Heaven. If you do not want a relationship with God now, why would you want to spend eternity with Him?
Most of us are familiar with John 3:16. It reads, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son and that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” What is everlasting (or eternal) life? Is it just living forever?
I don’t think so since we are ALL going to live forever somewhere—either in God’s presence or apart from Him.
Jesus defined eternal life as “knowing the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom He had sent” (John 17:3). So, eternal life is knowing God, not just knowing about Him. It is experiencing Him in a relationship.
This is why Jesus emphasized the concept of God as Father. The Jews saw God as God but Jesus wanted them (and us) to know Him as a Father who wants a personal relationship with His children.
Yes, There is a God
Five Reasons the Rapture and the Second Coming Are Two Different Events- Part 5
5. The Jewish Feasts Point to It.
There are those that believe the Old Testament no longer has any relevance to modern times. That would be incorrect. Just as the temple worship ceremonies pointed to the life and ministry of Christ. The Jewish Feasts give us some hint the God’s timetable. Just as the sacrificial lambs and scapegoats pointed to the ministry of the Messiah, these feast point to the order that God intends to bring about the end of the world.
| Feast Name | Old Testament Observance | New Testament Reality |
| Passover | Exodus 13, Leviticus 23:1-8.The Hebrews were to roast a lamb (or goat) and eat it fully dress; they were to take the blood from the lamb and paint the doorposts and lintel so when the Angel of Death came through the land of Egypt, He would see the blood and pass over the house. Where there was no blood, He would kill the firstborn of every person and animal. | Luke 22:14-22. Jesus was the Passover Lamb who shed His blood for the sin of the world. God placed upon Him our sin and treated Him as though He had committed every one of them. When we come to faith in Christ, we are credited with the sinless life He lived. After we come to faith in Christ, when God sees us, He sees the perfect life of His Son and His wrath passes over us. |
| Unleavened Bread | Exodus 13, Leviticus 23:1-8. Celebrated with the Passover. The Hebrews were to make bread without leaven to eat with the Passover Lamb. (It was because they would not have time to let the leaven rise but the spiritual meaning was to put away sin.) | Luke 22:14-22. Jesus Christ took away our sin on the cross. In fact, on the night He celebrated His last Passover meal, He took unleavened bread and broke it and gave it to the disciples and told them that it represented his body that was broken and His blood was shed for the removal of our sin. |
| First Fruits | Leviticus 23:9-14. The Jews were to present to God the sheaf of the first fruits of their harvest to be raised in worship to the Lord for the harvest He provided. | Luke 24:1-12. When Jesus was raised from the grave, He became the First Fruit of those who will also be raised from the dead. |
| Pentecost | Leviticus 23:15-22. This is celebrated 50 days after the Sabbath of the First Fruits when the Jews would make an offering of new grain unto the Lord. They were to hold a holy convocation. | Acts 2:1-4. Fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection (a day following a Sabbath), the Holy Spirit came and indwelt the believers leading to the birth of the church—the new grains of the harvest of souls that would come through their ministry and the ministry of those who follow after them, through the end of the age. |
| Trumpets | Leviticus 23:23-25. The Jews were to celebrate a holy convocation commemorated with trumpet blasts. | 1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. These passages speak of the return of Christ accompanied by a trumpet blast (or the voice of a trumpet sound) in which the dead in Christ will rise first then everyone else will be caught up, all being changed in the twinkling of an eye. |
| Atonement | Leviticus 23:26-32. There is to be a holy convocation, a Sabbath Day of rest; no work is to be performed by anyone lest they be cut off from the land by God. The high priest would enter into the Holy of Holies to offer sacrifice on behalf of the nation. | Revelation 20:11-15. Jesus Christ, the High Priest, will judge the work of every man. Each person will be judge out of the Book of Works. Their final appeal will be the Book of Life. If their name is not found there, they will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. |
| Tabernacle (or Booths) | Leviticus 23:33-44. The Jews were to live in booths (or tents) for seven days. The first and eighth day were to be holy convocations to the Lord. This was to be a reminder of how they dwelt in tents with the Lord as He led them out of Egypt. | John 14:1-3, Revelation 21-22. This refers to our eternal rest in heaven. Jesus said in His Father’s house there are many rooms and He has gone to prepare a place for us. Revelation 21 speaks of how the tabernacle (or dwelling place) of God is with mankind. |
The Feasts of Passover/Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Pentecost have passed. We are now waiting to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets. I don’t know how true it is but I once heard a speaker say this about the Trumpet: When a Jew heard the sound of the trumpet blast, he knew it was a call to convocation. He would stop whatever he was doing and head to the Temple/synagogue. If this is true, this is a true parallel to the Rapture. For when we hear the trumpet blast, we will immediately stop doing whatever we are doing and go to meet Him in the air. What a day that will be.
Five Reasons the Rapture and the Second Coming Are Two Different Events–Part 4
Fourth, there are signs that precede the Second Coming
A fourth reason the Rapture and the Second Coming are two separate events is that there are signs that precede the Second Coming but there are no signs that precede the Rapture of the Church. As stated in Point 3, Jesus said He would return like a thief in the night. A thief does not leave clues that he is coming to warn the people. Instead, he tries to make his approach as stealthily as possible, as not to get caught. Jesus’ return to get us will be without warning as He pointed out in Matthew 24:39 and 44. That is not to say that there are no signs that foretell when His return is near. In Matthew 24, Jesus gave many signs that will portend His return such as the increase in the number of wars and threats of wars, ethnic groups fighting one another, increase in disease and famine and earthquakes, the rise of many false prophets, and increase in lawlessness and a decrease in the love of many. Though these seem to be general signs, the things He wants us to know is that as the end of the world gets near, these signs will grow in frequency and intensity—like birth pangs on a woman in labor (Matthew 24:8).
According to the scriptures, there are some things that must first happen before the return of the Lord.
- The Great Apostasy (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3)—Paul speaks of the falling away of the church. He spoke of this in his letters to Timothy and Titus but not to this degree. In this passage, he speaks of a “rebellion (ESV)” or apostasy (NASB). What is an apostasy? It is the desertion or departure from sound doctrine. The mainstream church will stop teaching sound doctrine but will teach things that appeal to the flesh of man. It will depend upon programs rather than prayer. It will have concerts and call it worship. It will replace anointed sermons with eloquent speeches. It will stop teaching about sin and the need for repentance. It will stop teaching that Jesus is the only way. It will stop teaching about hell and punishment. Instead, it will teach about the goodness of man and the love of God. It will have a form of godliness but no power.
- The rise of the Antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3)—Jesus will not return until after the Antichrist comes on the scene. Who or what the Antichrist is, no one knows. Some have suggested it may not be a person but a system. At any rate, until there is someone who is going to try to declare himself as the savior of the world, Jesus will not be back. Revelation 19 speaks of how Jesus will destroy the Antichrist and the False Prophet in the Lake of Fire. As was pointed out in Point 1, something catastrophic must happen to facilitate his rise, where the nations of the world will cede to him their power.
- The Mark of the Beast (Revelation 13:16-17). The Antichrist will force the world to take a mark of allegiance. This mark will likely be sold as a way to facilitate the transfer of money, the locating of criminals, and readiness of medical data. However, it will also be a mark of loyalty to the devil and his kingdom. Taking the mark will mean the forfeiture of your soul. It is how he will control you, track you, and maybe even torture you. What is the mark? No one knows. It has been suggested to be everything from a tattoo to a microchip. It will be placed in the forehead or on the right hand. You cannot travel without it. You cannot buy food without it. If you do not have it when stopped, you will be arrested. If you refuse it then, you will be killed. This is the means by which the Antichrist will establish a one-world economy.
- One world government. As stated before, the Antichrist will conquer the world through peace, then though the military that he will control. After whatever disaster happens that opens the door for him, he will persuade the world that he has the answers, and through smooth talk, he will get nations to give him their power, their military, and establish him as their leader. Once he has that, he will use that power to keep the people in line. He will be the supreme ruler with a bunch of potentates that will answer to him. As yet, there is no one world government, though the world seems to be headed that way.
- Attack on Israel (Ezekiel 38-39). The prophet Ezekiel speaks of an alliance, believed to be between the Russians and the Muslims, who will lead an attack against the land of Israel. That attack will fail. The Bible says that God will fight for Israel. It will take seven months to bury the dead. If there is any prophecy the church believes may be fulfilled in our lifetime, it is this one. Even today, the Islamic nations are seeking to destroy Israel. They chant, “Death to Israel.” It will not happen. Israel will never again be invaded. She will never again be destroyed. The world is worried about Iran getting a nuclear weapon. It will not matter for it will not hurt Israel. God has promised. If Israel is destroyed, you can take it to the bank that there is no God. He has made an oath.
- Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16). The Battle of Armageddon is the event that immediately precedes the return of Christ. It is at this battle that the Antichrist leads his army and the armies of the world into a final battle against the land of Israel, Jerusalem, in particular. He has already declared himself to be God and the Jews expel him as a blasphemer. It is after this even that he declares war on them. Much of Israel will be invaded (not destroyed). People will seek asylum in the Negev and Petra. The armies from the east will go to Israel to fight, not against the Jews, but against the Antichrist. Israel will be caught in the middle. The cause of this battle is unsure. It is believed that something will be discovered either in Israel or by Israel that will cause the Antichrist to sign a [false] peace treaty with them. It is likely he is going to invade them to take control of this resource. The Oriental army, numbering 2 million, will also invade seeking to gain control of it, as well as attach the Antichrist and his army. With all the weapons of war ready to level poor Israel, Jesus returns to save the day (Revelation 19:11-21). In their foolishness, they will have the audacity to turn their weapons on Jesus but it will futile because Jesus will destroy them all.
The Bible says that these things must come to pass before the Return happens. Therefore, we can rest assure that it is not soon. The same cannot be said about the Rapture. In my next post, I discuss the final reason why the Rapture and the Second Coming are two different events: The Feast of Trumpets.
Five Reasons the Rapture and the Second Coming Are Two Different Events–Part 3
3. He will come as a “thief in the night”.
Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour[a] your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.—Matthew 24:40-44
Have you ever heard a strange noise in the middle of the night and wondered what it was? Did you imagination start to run wild wondering if it was a burglar only to find out it was just the wind? Perhaps, you have been home when someone tried (or succeeded) in breaking into your home. Were you prepared? Did you know they were coming? Rarely, if ever, do thieve announce their intent to break in. They do not send a postcard saying, “Tonight, I will break in at three o’clock in the morning. Be sure to leave your valuables out where I can find them.” No, thieves usually take their victims by surprise. It’s what gives them an upper hand.
Jesus said when He comes to get us, it will be like a ‘thief in the night’. In verses 40-41, Jesus spoke of how two men would be working in the field: one will be taken and the other left or how two women would be working at the mill, one would be taken and the other left. This speaks of the suddenness of the Rapture. In fact, the term Paul uses for caught up or snatched away gives the connotation of sudden speed and force. The word, rape, comes from the Greed word used because of the amount of force often associated with it. Why like a thief in the night? Jesus is not going to announce when He is coming so people can play and ignore Him until the last minute when a time of worldwide prayer vigils start right before He returns. Using terminology from the news, why would God ‘telegraph’ what He is going to do to the devil and his team (not that they can be any resistance)?
The preceding verses speak of life going on as usual when suddenly everything changes. The verses say one will be taken and one left. Just like in the Rapture. Not everyone will go. There will be those who rejected Christ who will be left behind. There will be those who are religious who will be left behind. There will be those who thought they were saved but were not that will be left behind. This is why Peter exhorted the Believers to “make [their] calling and election sure’ (2 Peter 1:10). Those who are going to go are those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ, and Him alone, for their salvation (John 3:16, Ephesians 2:8-9).
Some have thought these verses referred to the culling that happens in Matthew 25. However, this seems to point to a different event because Matthew 25 speaks of everyone being taken and separated into sheep and goats in Christ’s presence. He speaks of how the angels will gather all people from under heaven and bring them to Him. He then will separate the wheat from the tares (Matthew 13:30), the true believers from the pretenders. The Matthew 24:40-41 passage, however, gives the impression that one is taken (caught up) while the other is left behind.
It happened suddenly and without warning. Like the five foolish virgins, the ones left behind who were not prepared. They thought they had enough time to get ready. This is why Jesus said ‘watch (pay attention, be alert) because we do not know the time of His return. People often put off turning to Jesus until tomorrow. Tomorrow may never come. Tomorrow may be too late. Look at the tragedies on the news. Tomorrow did not come for them. Today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Repent of your evil ways, put your faith in the work of Jesus Christ, and ask Him to forgive you of your sins—knowing that He will do it because the debt has already been paid on behalf of those who will believe.
Five Reasons the Rapture and the Second Coming Are Two Different Events-Part 2
2. In the Rapture, Jesus does not come to us; we go to Him.
“For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Those who argue against a Rapture say that we believe that there are two Second Comings: a visible one and an invisible one. This is false. There is only one Second Coming and it will happen at the end of the age (more on that later). The text tells us that Jesus does not come to the earth but only to the upper atmosphere. He may not even enter the earth’s atmosphere but be in space. The Bible does not say. But it does describe His ascension.
In the opening chapter of the Book of Acts, it reads speaks of how Jesus gave His Disciples the promise of the Holy Spirit and the command for them to remain in Jerusalem until the promise was fulfilled. It goes on to say, “Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” So what happened? Did He float up into outer space or did a doorway into Heaven open up but the Disciples did not see it because their view was obstructed by the cloud? The same could be true of the Rapture. Somewhere, up above the clouds, Christ could be standing at the doorway of Heaven waiting to welcome us home.
Another picture of the Rapture is in the 4th chapter of the Bible in the Book of Revelation. John writes:
“After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”
There are a few things we can see in this passage. First, John writes, “after these things…” What things was he referring to? He had just finished writing a letter to the Seven Churches. It is believed that the Seven Churches represent the stages of the church age—going from a Church that loves Jesus to a church that is lukewarm. Sounds familiar? If this is the case, John may be hinting that at the end of the church age, the Rapture will happen. Second, there is a doorway in heaven and someone is standing in or at the doorway. Third, the voice was like the sound of a trumpet (same terminology used in Paul’s passage above). Finally, the voice says, “Come up here.” This could be Jesus’ call (shout) to us to come home.
Although some of this is speculation, one thing is certain. Jesus does not come back to the earth. His return to earth is chronicled in the 19th chapter of the Book of Revelation. We go meet the Lord in the air.
Five Reasons the Rapture and the Second Coming are Two Different Events–Part 1
There are many who believe that the Rapture and the Second Coming are the same event. In both events, the Lord returns and, as many point out, there is only one Second Coming, not a Second and Third Coming. Just as the early Jews confused the Suffering Servant Messiah with the Conquering King Messiah (two different ministries), many confuse the Rapture and the Second Coming.
Luke 4:16-22 recounts when Jesus went into the Temple to read and teach the daily passage as was the custom for Rabbis. The attendant handed Him the scroll and He began reading from Isaiah the prophecy concerning the Messiah—how He would preach the Gospel to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives… However, Jesus stops in mid-sentence when He read: “To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” He stopped in mid-sentence because the rest of the sentence had to do with His ministry in the Second Coming. Just as the Jews did not understand that the Messiah would have two Advents, Christians do not understand that there are two “comings.”
The Rapture is not called a coming because Jesus does not return to the earth. We go to Him; He does not come to us as He does in Revelation 19. In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul writes:
For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
From this passage, we can see that Christ descends from Heaven but does not actually enter the earth. We, on the other hand, rise to meet Him in the air above the clouds. Some have referred to this as the Secret Coming because we do not see Him when He returns in the Rapture. There will be nothing secret about it, though, as hundreds of thousands, even millions of people suddenly disappear from the earth in the blink of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:51).
There are five additional reasons why the Rapture and the Second Coming are two distinct events.
First, we are not appointed for judgment.
It is believed that the Rapture will usher in the Tribulation period, a time also known as Jacob’s troubles. It is called this because it is a time when God will deal specifically with His chosen people, the Jews. At this point the church age will have ended and God will direct His attention back to Israel. In Romans 11 the Apostle Paul says that a partial hardening has come upon Israel so it is harder for them to believe. He has given then a spirit of stupor in which they will see and not see, hear and not understand. He did this because they rejected the Messiah He sent to them. But once the Rapture takes place, He will remove the hardness and lift the stupor so they will mourn over Him whom they have pierced (Zechariah 12:10).
During this period, God will not only deal with newly repentant Jews but with an unbelieving and unrepentant Gentile world. As He did in Egypt, God will pour our judgment upon the nations (Revelation 4-9). He will turn the waters to blood, rain down hail mixed with blood, release demons upon the earth, turn off the water, and turn up the heat. One verse said it will be so bad that men will seek death and it will elude them (Revelation 9:6). God’s church, Christ’s Bride, will not be here to endure these things. She will be caught up with the Bridegroom. The Church will be with Christ (John 14:3) where her members will be judged and rewarded for the things done for Christ and His glory. Jesus did not appoint His Bride for judgment but for salvation. Revelation 3:10, Jesus said to the Church: “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”
Judgment is the reward for sin—disobedience and rebellion against God. Because of sin, mankind is judged guilty and condemned along with the devil and his angels (John 3:17-18, Matthew 25:41). Romans 6:23 tells us that what man earns for his rebellion is death, but God gives us the gift of salvation (eternal life) through His Son, Jesus. We (Believers) are not to face any of the judgment of God because Jesus Christ bore all the judgment and wrath for us. He was punished as though He personally committed every sin so those who put their trust in Him will be treated as though they never sinned. This is the true believers in Christ will miss the Tribulation because we would be enduring a judgment Jesus already did.
Who is God? Part III
One of the oldest questions ever asked since the creation of the universe must have been, “Who is God?” From the dawn of civilization, people have posited the fact that this creation must have a Creator. They understood that all this did not come from nothing. According to the Bible, this Creator made Himself known to His creation in the Garden of Eden. But because of man rebellion in the Garden, he has been separated, cut off even, from his Creator. Yet, God did not leave Himself without a testimony. Through over 40 writers on three continents over thirty-five hundred years, God gave His people a personal testimony of Who He is. Over the last two posts, we have discovered some of God’s self-witness: some of who God says He is. In this post, we will look at four more attributes of God—Creator, Judge, Love, and Triune.
Creator. He is the Maker, the Creator of all things, both the heavens and the earth, things seen and unseen. Genesis 1:1 tell us that “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Its companion passage, John 1:1-3 says of Jesus, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” Colossians 1:16-17 adds, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Psalm 24:1-2 reminds us that “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.” When Job questioned God as why he was suffering, God asked him:
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone,
7 when the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:4-7)
Romans 1 accuses mankind in that we know God is the Creator but we (evil mankind) suppress that truth and come up with lies to explain creation so that they do not have to acknowledge Someone to whom they will one day give an account. Men would rather believe a lie and exchange the glory of God for foolishness. Believing and professing themselves to be wise they become foolish and futile in their thinking. They attempt to explain away God and creation with nonsense and even compel others to believe it.
Judge. As the creation, we must give an account to the Creator for what we have done with the resources (life, talent, treasure) He has given us. God will judge us based on those works. The Bible teaches that only that which is done for Christ will last. All the righteousness and works of the wicked are as filthy rags before a holy God (Isaiah 64:6). God must punish sin or His justice is perverted. A Stalin or a Hitler or a Bin Laden should not inherit the same heaven as a Paul or a Timothy or a Billy Graham. If ‘good’ people went to heaven, the heaven would become polluted like earth. God will judge the wicked. They will suffer eternally because eternally is how long they’ll live.
The question has been asked, why would a loving God send people to Hell? The reason there is a hell in the first place is to punish the devil and his angels because of their rebellion against God (Isaiah 14:12-15). The reason people will go to hell is because, since they share in the devil’s rebellion—rejection of God’s authority, they will share in his punishment.
God will judge us, His Saints, as righteous, not based on any work that we have done, but based on the work Christ did on the cross. Isaiah 1 says, “Though our sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.” 1 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we may become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Love. Many know the phrase, God is love. Love is just one attribute of God. Yes, He loves us. It does not mean that He has some warm, fuzzy feeling for us but that He chose to act in our best interest whether we deserved it or not. His loves us unconditionally and He demonstrated it for us sacrificially. Unconditional love does not mean that God loves us just the way we are and we do not have to change. On the contrary, God loves us the way we are and because of His love for us, we will change for we are called to be confirmed into the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). Conformation means change. He loves us just the way we are but loves us too much to leave us the way we are. He knows the plans He has for us. He knows what He made us to be. We are a love gift to His Son and God does not give junk gifts. Yes, He loves us. He saved us from ourselves and from a fate we rightly deserve. But love does not mean that God overlooks sin. It is not his will that any should perish but that all would come to the knowledge of the truth. He made it possible for people to do that through His greatest demonstration of love—His Son, whom He sent to be punished for our sins so we can be rewarded with His righteousness.
Trinity. Of all of God’s attributes or characteristics, that of being three Persons in one is the most difficult to understand or explain. Three persons in one? Do Christians worship three Gods? No. Christianity is a monotheistic faith. We worship one God. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” God is one in essence but manifests Himself in three different persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each of them were present at creation (Genesis1:1-2, John 1:1-2). Each were present at Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:13-17). We are to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (not names). One God—three individual manifestations.
How can God be one in three? I believe the grandest illustration is man. In Psalm 8:5, the Psalmist writes, “You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.” The term angels, is Elohim, God. So the verse could also be interpreted, “You have made them a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor.” In Genesis 1:26, God said, Let Us make man in Our image and after Our likeness…” There are many ways we are made like God. We have the power of choice. We have emotions. We can think. We are self-aware. We know the difference between good and evil. But another way we are made like God, I believe, is our makeup. We are made triune beings—not to the extent of God, but we are soul and spirit that live in flesh. Paul alluded to this in Romans 7:
21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being (spirit), 23 but I see in my members (flesh) another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
We believe in the Trinity even if we do not understand it. We pray to the Father through the Spirit (or in the Spirit) in the name of Jesus. We recognize that salvation is being reconciled to the Father through the Son and later indwelt by the Spirit. Jesus said in John 15, my Father and I will make our home in you. How will they do this? They will do it through the Holy Spirit.
This is just a short study on who God is. As someone pointed out, even throughout eternity, we will never fully understand God—mainly because we are the creation and He is the Creator—our minds will only understand so much and yet our God is so great!
Who is God? Part II
One of the oldest questions ever asked since the creation of the universe must have been, “Who is God?” From the dawn of civilization, people have posited the fact that this creation must have a Creator. They understood that all this did not come from nothing. According to the Bible, this Creator made Himself known to His creation in the Garden of Eden. But because of man disobedience in the Garden, he has been separated, cut off even, from his Creator. Yet, God did not leave Himself without a testimony. Through over 40 writers on three continents over thirty-five hundred years, God gave His people a personal testimony of Who He is. Over the next few posts, we hope to discover some of God’s self-witness: some of who God says He is. This is by no means an exhaustive list but some of the main attributes of God.
Omniscient. Omniscience comes from two Greek words, “Omni” and science. Omni means all and science means knowledge. So Omniscience means God has all knowledge or God is all-knowing. In short, He knows everything about everything. As the Creator, He knows everything about His creation. He told Isaiah,
“for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me,
10 declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose (Isaiah 46:9b-10),”
He knows what is going on within His creation at all times. He is very aware of the blood that is coursing through your veins at this very instant as well as what a lion is doing in the jungles of Africa, what a bird is eating in Anytown, America, the cries of the hungry in Cambodia, and what’s going on with a dust storm on Saturn. He even knows what is going on in the very hearts of men. Examples of this appear in Matthew 9:4, “But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” and Matthew 12:25, Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand…”
Satan reminds me of the king of Syria in 2 Kings 6. The king of Syria was making plans in its war against Israel but God was telling Elisha who told the king of Israel. This happened more than once. So the king of Syria called together his counselors and asked them who was working for the king of Israel because he seems to know the plans the Syrian king makes in his bedchambers. Likewise, the devil really things he is going to outsmart God who knows his plans before he does. If he reads the back of the Book, he will see that he loses. God knows everything about everything.
Omnipresent. God exists everywhere in His creation at all times. There is never anyplace we can be or any time we can be that God is not there. The Psalmist wrote:
“Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you (Psalm 139:7-12).”
Omnipotent/Sovereign. God is all-powerful. He can bring about whatever effect He desires in His creation. He is above every king and potentate. In fact, their hearts are in His hands (Exodus 14:8, Revelation 17:17). He controls, not only the hearts of men, but nature itself. He causes the sun to stand still (Joshua 10) or causes the rivers to change their courses (Exodus 14). Job 38-41 tells of God’s sovereignty over His creation.
Omnipotence means that God is all-powerful or fully sovereign over His creation but it does not mean that God can do anything. There are many things God cannot do. God cannot lie. God cannot die. God cannot sin. God cannot look upon sin. God cannot overlook sin. God cannot change His nature. God cannot do anything that is outside of His nature.
Cyber-Discipleship 