Jesus’s preexistence

Now that we’ve established the fact that the Bible is completely reliable. let us consider what it has to say about Jesus Christ. Since we can be absolutely confident that the Bible gives us an accurate record of the important events, and teachings, in the life of Jesus Christ, as well as the beliefs concerning Him held by the first Christians, let us see Who this Jesus was: 1. JESUS, A MAN OF HISTORY That Jesus lived is evident, not only because Scripture testifies about Him, but, also, because such historians as Polycarp, Eusebius, Iranaeus, Ignatius, Justian, Origin, and others of the early Church Fathers, proclaim Him, as well as other non-Biblical sources such as, Cornelius Tacitus [A.D. 52-54], Lucian [2nd century], Flavius Josephus [A.D. 66], Tertullian {A.D. 197], Thallus, the Samaitain-born historian [A.D. 52], Letter of Mara Bar-Serapion [A.D. 73], Pontius Pilate’s report [A.D. 150, and The Jewish Talmud. It is interesting to note that the Encyclopedia Britannica has 20,000 words describing Jesus. 2. JESUS, HIS PRE-EXISTENCE A. BEFORE HIS CONCEPTION For any one else but Jesus Christ to make the assertion that He existed before He was conceived in His mother’s womb would be without warrant. However, Jesus, in John 6:62, said to some of His followers, “What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before!” Christ lived in heaven before He was born on this earth. In Hebrews 10:5 we find Christ talking immediately before His coming into this world and speaking about the body which He was to receive upon that advent. Hebrews 10:5 states, “Therefore, when Christ came into the world He said: `Sacrifice and offering You [Speaking to His Heavenly Father] did not desire, but a body You prepared for me.” In John 1:15 we read these striking words from the lips of John the Baptist concerning the Christ, “This was He of whom I said, `He Who comes after me has surpassed Me because He was before me.” Now John was born before Jesus was, and yet he says that Jesus existed before he did. Let us trace this existence through the pages of Holy Writ. The Apostle John tells us in chapter one, verse 18, of his Gospel, “No one has ever seen God, but God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.” According to this verse no person has ever seen God, but Christ has declared or made known to men. In the Old Testament times God on numerous occasions appeared to individuals. In these appearances He took the form of either a man or an angel. If we accept the teaching of the above verse [John 1:18] , then we must come to the conclusion that since no man has ever seen God the Father, it must have been Jesus Christ the Son Who took upon Himself the form of an angel or a man and appeared to Old Testament characters. With this thought in mind let us make a study of some of these appearances. The New Testament will identify Christ in some of these appearances for us. The context will make it clear that more than merely an angel is meant. [Other Scripture to study on this subject would be John 6:38; and 17:5 & 24.] B. AT THE TIME OF JEWISH CAPTIVITY 2 The experience of Daniel’s three friends who refused to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s image and were thrown into the fiery furnace is a familiar story. In Daniel 3:25, the king looking into the furnace, says, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the god.” No doubt this is the accurate translation of what the king actually said, however, the translators of the old version gave us the true situation when they expressed these words , “The form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” Certainly this fourth Person was none other than Jesus Christ, the Second Person in the Trinity! In verse 28 the king calls Him an “angel.” He no doubt had that appearance to those who saw Him. What a comfort to know that the Lord Jesus Christ made His presence known to those who were going through trials even in the Old Testament times! C. DURING THE TIME OF THE PROPHETS The Apostle Peter in his first epistle, chapter one, verses 10 and 11, speaks about the Old Testament prophets, when he states, “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.” The Spirit of Christ was in them. He existed in those days! It is true that He made Himself known to them through His Holy Spirit, but it is more than likely that at times He actually appeared unto them in human or angelic form when He revealed to them the teachings which have become a part of the Word of God. And, how appropriate that it should be so! D. IN THE DAYS OF KING DAVID When the Lord Jesus debated with His enemies we find Him using a quotation from David concerning the Messiah indicating that He was alive in those days. Matthew 22:41-46 states, “While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, `What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?’ `The son of David,’ they replied. He said to them, `How is it then that David , speaking by the Spirit, calls Him `Lord’ For he says…[Jesus, then, quotes Psalm 110:1]…`The Lord said to My Lord: Sit at My right hand until I put your enemies under Your feet.'” The question, Jesus asks, was, “Since David calls Him, `Lord,’ how is He his son?” And, verse 46 goes on to say, ‘No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask Him any more questions.” Here, under divine inspiration, David listened to a conversation carried on between God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son. He wrote down what They said and has given it to us. We need no further proof than this, that our Savior lived in those days when the Psalms were being written. E. AT THE TIME OF THE JUDGES In the thirteenth chapter of Judges we find the story of the appearing of the “Angel of Jehovah” unto the parents of Samson. Verse 3 says, “The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, `You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son.” In verse 6 this angel is called “A man of God.” In verse 19 he is referred to as “The Lord.” Here then was a revelation of God in human form, and as we have already seen, it must have been 3 through the Person of the Second Person in the Trinity – the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 18 is a further confirmation of this fact, for we read, “And the angel of Jehovah said unto him, Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?” [Reminds us of Isaiah 9:6 where Messiah is named, “Wonderful.”] A similar appearance was made to Gideon in chapter six. Verse 12 states, “When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, `The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.'” In verse 22 Gideon talks to the angel and says to him, “Ah, Sovereign LORD!” Deity is most certainly indicated here. And, as no human being could have looked into the face of God the Father, we conclude this was once again the Lord Jesus Christ come down to earth to encourage one of the Old Testament saints. F. DURING THE LIFETIME OF JOSHUA Joshua and the Israelites had crossed over the river Jordan, and the manna, the food from heaven, had ceased. The tremendous task of conquering this land was before General Joshua and his army. Just here a fresh revelation of God was needed to encourage Joshua and it was supplied in the Person of Jesus Christ. Listen to the story in Joshua 5:13-15, “Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, `Are you for us or for our enemies?’ `Neither,’ he replied, `but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.’ Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence and asked him, `What message does my Lord have for his servant?’ The commander of the Lord’s army replied, `Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.’ And Joshua did so.” After this remarkable appearance Joshua never needed to be afraid for the real captain of his army was the Second Person in the Trinity, whom we know to be the Lord Jesus Christ. And He is our Captain today. May we go forth under His banner to win battles under His leadership! G. AT THE TIME OF ISRAEL’S EXPERIENCES IN THE WILDERNESS Was Jesus Christ present with the Israelites in their wanderings through the wilderness as well as their coming forth out of Egypt? He most certainly was. Paul says so twice in the tenth chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians. Verse 9 states, “We should not test the Lord, as some of them did – and were killed by snakes.” Christ was there and the Israelites tempted Him by their unbelief. And verse 4 states, “They drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.” Christ followed with them all through those wilder- ness experiences. And He will follow with us, but may we not tempt Him as they did! Jesus Christ led the way for the hosts of the Israelites as they journeyed on! Exodus 14:19 states, “Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them.” When protection was needed in the rear His position was changed. The prophet Isaiah gives us an interesting name for this “angel.” In Isaiah 63:9, refers to this angel as, “the angel of His presence.” [Literally translated this verse would read, “the angel of His face.”] It would be appropriate then to call the angel, “The Face of the Lord.” And is that not exactly what Jesus Christ is? It is in the face that a person’s real character is seen, and when we look at the face of Jesus we see the character of God, His heavenly Father and ours. 4 H. AT THE TIME OF MOSES Moses was one of those highly favored in Old Testament times by having numerous revelations of God made known unto him. The first appearance of God to Moses is found in Exodus 3:1-6, which states, “Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, `I will go over and see this strange sight – why the bush does not burn up.’ When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, `Moses, Moses!’ And Moses said, `Here I am.’ `Do not come any closer,’ God said. `Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’ Then he said, `I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’ At this Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.” In the verses which follow Moses is commissioned to go and deliver the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. Moses then asks God concerning what name he should use in telling Israel God had sent him to them. God answers in verse 14 and says, “I AM THAT I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: `I AM has sent me to you.'” Again and again Jesus Christ used the expression “I am” in making claims of deity for Himself. Here are a few of such claims: “I am the bread of life.” “I am the light of the world.” “I am the resurrection and the Life.” “I am the true vine.” ” I am Alpha and Omega.” “I am the bright and morning star.” And each time such a statement was made, Jesus was saying, “I am the same Personage who appeared to Moses in the burning bush.” As a result of this appearance to Moses, he had to make a momentous decision. On the one hand was Egypt and a position of wealth, involving pleasure and popularity. On the other hand was the wilderness experience with God’s people, and according to the writer of Hebrews, the presence of Christ. Hebrews 11:25-26 states, “He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.” Moses chose the presence of Christ, although it meant reproach rather than all that Egypt had to offer him. Yes, Jesus Christ was with Moses in the long ago! When the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai we know that Moses went up into the mount and there talked with God. The tables of the law were given and these commandments were soon broken by the people. But after Moses had destroyed the golden calf he went into the tabernacle and there he talked with God. Exodus 33:11 says concerning that conversation, “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.” [This was a temporary “tabernacle,” called the “the tabernacle of the congregation” which the children of Israel worshiped at before the Tabernacle, which God commanded, at Sinai, to be built, was built.] Could language be any more beautiful than that? But certainly Moses could not have looked into the face of God the Father. The Apostle John tells us no man has seen God the Father at any time. Hence we are driven to the conclusion that it must have been the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son, with Whom Moses held conversation with “face to face.” One such 5 an experience would more than make up for all the hardships and trials of those wilderness experiences! I. AT THE TIME OF JACOB As we go back to the time of Jacob we find that God appeared to this patriarch in a most remarkable way. It was just before Jacob’s reconciliation to Esau. The account of it is found in Genesis 32, beginning with verse 24. A man is said to have wrestled with him, but prevailed not to get him to surrender. Then this Person touches the hollow of Jacob’s thigh and puts it out of joint. However, Jacob would not let Him go without a blessing which was given in the form of the new name, Israel. After this experience was over Jacob gave a name to the place where it occurred. Verse 30 states, “So Jacob called the place Penial, saying, `It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” This Person then was God having taken upon Himself human flesh, and Jesus Christ is the Person in the Godhead Who, is said to have done this. Jacob could never be quite the same after this experience as he had been before. J. AT THE TIME OF ABRAHAM’S PILGRIMAGE We know from the lips of Christ Himself that He lived in the days of Abraham. Jesus said in John 8:56-58, “`Your Father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day’ he saw it and was glad.’ You are not yet fifty years old,’ the Jews said to Him, `and you have seen Abraham!’ `I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, `before Abraham was born, I am!'” Let’s examine two experiences, recorded in the Old Testament, which Abraham had with the Lord Jesus Christ. The first one is given to us in Genesis 18:1, it states, “The Lord appeared to Abraham.” Then verse 2 speaks of three men standing by him. Hospitality is given these three men by Abraham and Sarah. In verse 9 they ask concerning Sarah’s whereabouts. But in verse 10 we find one of these three men doing the talking, promising Sarah a son in words which could only be true of God. In verse 13 this Person is definitely called “The Lord.” The promise made was repeated a second time and then the three men started toward the city of Sodom and Abraham went with them to bring them on their way. But the Lord …one of the three…gave Abraham another promise of blessing, evidently as they walked along together. Then the Lord revealed to Abraham His purpose of destroying Sodom, and Abraham began to make his plea for Sodom because of Lot’s presence in the city. And this wonderful chapter ends with these words, “When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, He left, and Abraham returned home.” In the light of New Testament teaching which we have already studied, there can be no question that one of these three men who appeared to Abraham was none other than Jesus Christ. The other experience in the life of Abraham is given in the twenty-second chapter of Genesis. God tested the faith of Abraham by asking him to offer up his son Isaac as a burnt offering unto the Lord. Abraham obeyed God but as he took the knife to slay his son Heaven intervened. Verse 11 states, “But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, `Abraham! Abraham!'” The life of Isaac was spared, and a ram caught in a thicket was offered in his place. Then verse 15 states, “The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time.” A marvelous blessing was bestowed by this personage. The expression used here is, “The Angel of the Lord.” This expression is used in the Old Testament is specific and not general in its usage. This expression is never used in the plural of angels, but always in the singular, thus indicating that there is only one of the heavenly Beings to whom this title 6 belongs. Thus the Angel of the Lord Who called unto Abraham on Mount Moriah is the same Person Who appeared unto Moses, Jacob, and Abraham as recorded in Genesis 18. How highly favored of men was Abraham! God says of him in Isaiah 41:8, “Abraham, my friend.” And the Lord Jesus Christ was his friend! K. AT THE TIME OF THE TRIALS OF HAGAR Genesis 16 gives the story of the birth of Ishmael. When Sarah saw that Hagar was with child she despised her, and Hagar fled from her mistress. But the Lord did not forsake her. Verse 7 states, “The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert.” He told her to return and gave her a promise concerning her son and posterity. Verse 13 reveals that this was more than an angel, when it states, “She gave this name to the LORD Who spoke to her: `You are the God Who sees me,’ for she said, `I have now seen the One Who sees me.” The writer of Genesis calls the “angel” who appeared unto Hagar, “the Lord,” and she herself spoke of this “Angel” as God seeing her. The Angel of God came to her rescue again when, after the birth of her son, she was cast out of the home of Abraham and Sarah. And what a comfort to know that his angel is none other than Jesus Christ Who is “the same yesterday, and today, and for ever!” L. AT THE TIME OF NOAH AND ENOCH As we go farther back in Bible history we discover a statement made concerning both Noah and Enoch which throws light on the pre-existence of Jesus. Genesis 6:9 says of Noah, “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” In Genesis 5:24 it says of Enoch, “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” Now here are two men who are said to have “walked with God.” What does that expression mean? Was it simply a spiritual fellowship between the Creator and these men? It seems it was that and more than that. After seeing how the Lord through the Second Person in the Trinity took upon Himself the form of an angel or of a man and actually appeared unto various Bible characters, it seems more logical to believe that He did similarly in the case of these two men. If so, then it was Jesus Christ with Whom they walked. And what an experience it must have been to these men of old. M. AT THE TIME OF THE GARDEN OF EDEN Did Jesus Christ walk in the Garden of Eden? Let’s see! Genesis 3:8 states, “Then the man and his wife heard the word of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day.” Adam and Eve had sinned and so they are now afraid of God’s presence and hide themselves because of their nakedness. But this verse is an indication that before their fall they had been in the habit of walking with the Lord God. Now this account of God’s coming and talking in the cool of the evening with Adam and Eve is very personal. The Almighty is represented as appear- ing in human form and conversing with man. And Scripture makes it plain that such appearances were customary for the blessed Second Person of the Trinity, so it seems certain that our Christ was in the Garden of Eden even as He will be the prominent Person in the final Paradise of Heaven. Can you imagine Paradise without Him? N. AT THE TIME OF THE CREATION OF ALL THINGS 7 How far back does the pre-existence of Christ extend? Was He in existence when the world and all the vast universe was created? When God created man, we learn from Genesis 1:26, that more than one Person in the Godhead was involved, because this verse states, “Then God said, `Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.” The plural pronouns indicate that at least two persons of the Godhead had to do with creation. A careful study of Scripture will indicate that all Three Persons of the Godhead had a part in this marvelous event. But how could this be? A good way to understand the part each One had in creation is to think of God as the Architect of the universe…Jesus Christ as the Contractor, or Builder…and…the Holy Spirit as the Furnisher, or the One Who bestows life. Let us see what the New Testament says about Jesus Christ as the Creator: John 1:3 says, “Through Him [Christ Jesus] all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.” 1 Corinthians 8:6 states, “Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.” Ephesians 3:9 states, “God, Who created all things.” [King James translates this verse as, “Who created all things by Jesus Christ.”] Colossians 1:16 states, “For by Him [Jesus Christ] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.” Hebrews 1:2 states, “…through Whom [Christ Jesus] He [God, the Father] made the universe.” So what? What difference will it make to me if I realize that the same Christ Who dwells in my heart as my Savior is the One Who created all the vast universe? A number of year ago a South American firm purchased from the United States the first printing press that was sent down to that land. After it was set up, for some reason or other it would not work. so word was sent to the ones from which it had been purchased asking that someone be sent down who could fix the machine. However, when the man arrived they refused to let him work on the machine because he was too young. They wired back to the United States, “This man you sent is too young. Send us one more experienced.” Back over the wires came this answer, “This man made the machine. Let him fix it.” This young man had been instrumental in making the machine, which had been sent down, in the first place! Jesus Christ made me, I ought to have faith to believe He can fix anything about me that needs fixing! What I need is to realize the tremendous power of the One Whom I call my Savior! 8 O. BEFORE CREATION Since Jesus Christ was Creator, then we know His experience goes back before creation. In John 17:5 Jesus uses the expression, “before the world was” to describe His preexistence. The Prophet Micah in his famous prediction concerning the birth of the Messiah says of Him in Micah 5:2, “whose origins are from of old, from ancient time” [or from days of eternity]. Jesus Christ has existed from all eternity! He had no beginning. There you have the facts – as to understanding those facts, it is beyond the finite mind of man to grasp such truths. What was Jesus Christ doing before the creation? Does the Bible tell us anything about His activities in the long ago? Yes, we have a glimpse, but it is sufficient to encourage our hearts just to have that glimpse. That glimpse gives us an idea of His condition in relation to God the Father, and also links us up with Him through the ages, if our faith is in Him. Philippians 2:6 tells us that He was on an equality with the Father. John 17:5 tells of the glory which He had with the Father before the world was. John 17:24 speaks of God the Father loving Jesus Christ the Son before the foundation of the world. But what of His relation to us? Listen to the words of 2 Timothy 1:9, “Who has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.” Back there in those days of the eternity of the past Jesus Christ was busy purposing and planning for your salvation which was to be on the principle of free grace. What a glorious salvation is ours! In Ephesians 1:4 we are given another wonderful thought: “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight in love.” Chosen in Christ in the eternity of the past! We can scarcely grasp the meaning of it. But what made it possible? Revelation 13:8 gives the answer. It states,”…the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.” The cross of Christ and the precious blood of Christ were in the mind and purpose of God throughout all the ages of the past. And it is this that makes possible all these wonderful blessings which are ours in Him. 9 We have traced the preexistence of Christ from His birth back through the period of Old Testament history, back to the creation of the universe, and finally we stood on the shore of the eternal ocean of the past. As far as man can peer we still find Christ. There He is sharing in the glory of the Father. And do you wish to share with Him in that glory? Listen to John 17:24, “Father, I want those you have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given Me because You loved Me before the creation of the world.” Let us thank God for the pre-existence of Christ! 3. JESUS CHRIST, THE “JEHOVAH” OF THE OLD TESTAMENT While it is true that, in Scripture, Jesus is shown to be the Second Person of the Triune Godhead…having life from eternity…He is…as we will see…the “Jehovah” of the Old Testament as well. In Exodus 3:14, God revealed Himself by the name Jehovah…”I am that I am,” “I AM” being one of the names of Deity. In the New Testament, Christ applied the name “I am” to Himself many times, and He is called “Lord” in both Testaments. [See Isaiah 40:3 with Matthew 3:3; Isaiah 6:1 and 53:1 with John 12:41, etc.] Many times in the New Testament, Christ used the words, “I am” to indicate that He was Jehovah…the LORD…and, often, as has been stated earlier in this study, He used the words “I am” followed by other descriptive words…such as I am the resurrection and the life.” It is interesting to compare Christ’s usage of the word “Jehovah” with the Old Testament’s usage of this word because…like Jesus…the Old Testament compounds the word “Jehovah” with such descriptive words as “Jehovah-Ydifkrnu,” “The Lord our Righteousness” [Jeremiah 23:6]…or, “Jehovah-Shalom,” “The Lord our peace” [Judges 6:24]. Many times in the New Testament, Jesus used the term “I am He” [that is, the Messiah] to imply His Deity! In each of these instances where Christ said, “I am He,” the “He” is not in the text, but, rather, was supplied by the translators. Other Scriptural examples of Christ’s usage of “I am”…followed by descriptive words…are the following: “I am the Bread of Life” – [John 6:33, 41, 48, 51] “I am the Light of the World” – [John 8:12; 9:5] “I am the Door” – [John 10:7, 9] “I am the Good Shepherd – [John 10:11, 14] [Also see, John 10:36; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1; Revelation 1:11, 17-18; 21:6; 22:13 and 17.] While the more literal translation of “YHWH” is “Yahweh,” most translate it as “Jehovah”…or…”LORD”…and basically, it (the word “Yahweh”) means “He who is”…or…”I AM WHO I AM” [Exodus 3:14]. In John 8:24, Jesus said, “Unless you believe that I AM, you shall die in your sins.” In verse 28 Jesus says, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you shall know that I AM,” and, then, in verse 58 He said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” 10 Matthew 13:14-15 states, “In them…[that is in the Jews who rejected Jesus as their Messiah]…is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: `You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.” This passage, which Jesus quoted, stating that He, indeed, fulfilled is from Isaiah 6:8-10, and identifies Him with “Jehovah” of the Old Testament. When John the Baptist announced the appearance of the Messiah, he, of course, was referring to Jesus Christ specifically, it is my conviction that the word “Jehovah,” more accurately, really refers to the Godhead…including Jesus Christ…the Second Person of the  Godhead…and was the physical expression of that Godhead to man.

JESUS IS COMING – MARK OF GOD or MARK OF THE BEAST

Eternal Hell and Damnation

It is destined for man to die once and thereafter to face judgment. There are only two final destinations where souls will end up. The one is in Heaven, having eternal life with Jesus in the presence of God and the other is eternal damnation in the lake of fire.
Nobody talked about HELL as much as Jesus did and Jesus is the only One who really knew what hell looked like.
When people die, the souls of those who died in Christ, who knew Jesus Christ, who had repented of sin and lived in holiness and obedience to Him, they await judgment unto eternal life but those who were disobedient to Christ, who loved sin and the pleasures of sin, they go into hell where they will wait for final judgment. Jesus gave us a glimpse of what HELL looks like when He told the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. I read it in Luke 16:19-31 “Now there was a certain rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now it came about that the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I AM IN AGONY IN THIS FLAME. But Abraham said, child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you there is a giant chasm fixed, in order that those who WISH to come over from here to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us. And he said, then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house for I have five brothers, in order that he may warn them, lest they also come to this place of torment But Abraham said, they have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them But he said, No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent! But he said to him, if they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.'” If you use an online Bible such as bible.cc and you type in HELL you will find so many entrees where Jesus spoke about HELL and that HE WARNED. He said that if a man looks at a woman to lust after her, he has already committed adultery in his heart. And if your eye makes you stumble, IT IS BETTER TO PLUCK IT OUT AND LET ONE OF YOUR MEMBERS PERISH THAN THAT YOUR WHOLE BODY ENDS UP IN HELL .
Hell is a terrible place and nobody will come out of hell. THERE IS NO PURGATORY, THERE IS NO WAY OUT. That is where souls wait for the final judgment. From the parable of Lazarus and the rich man we find out how terrible hell is. The rich man WISHED that Lazarus would just WET THE TIP OF HIS TONGUE WITH A DROP OF WATER BECAUSE HE WAS IN AGONY IN THAT FLAME. We read about the nature of the second death, the final destination after judgment we read that in Revelation 20:10 “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.” There will be a white Throne judgment and we will all stand before that judgment Throne of Christ. I read in verse Revelation 20:11-15 “And 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. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the Throne, and the 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, . 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 . THEN DEATH AND HADES WERE THROWN INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE. THIS IS THE SECOND DEATH, THE LAKE OF FIRE. AND IF ANYONE’S NAME WAS NOT FOUND WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF LIFE, HE WAS THROWN INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE.” .
We have read about the nature of the lake of fire, :10 “And He says: THEY WILL BE TORMENTED DAY AND NIGHT FOREVER AND EVER.”
There will be no end to the torment of those ending up in the lake of fire.
Dear friends, hell is real. Jesus gave many people revelations of hell and we often wonder about the credibility of those visions whether they are real. One night the Lord spoke to me and I heard these words: “HELL TO HEAVEN, BAXTER.” I did not know what it was about, it happened twice. I went on the internet and I found the testimony of Mary K Baxter who had a revelation of hell. Now friends if somebody else had told me to read that book or to read that video then I would have been extremely skeptical but it was not a human, it was not a man or a woman who told me that. Jesus Himself told me about that testimony and I listened to the testimony and I got the FRIGHT of my life because it was confirmed by God and I want to advise you to go and read or listen to the testimony of Mary K Baxter. I put the links onto this video and you can go and download it for free.[link] . But dear friends, HELL IS REAL, it is no joke. We must be prepared, if our names are NOT written in the Book of Life then we will end up in eternal damnation. THERE IS NO WAY OUT. THERE IS NO PURGATORY. There is no escape for those who disobey Jesus Christ. Now is the time to prepare. Now is the time to prepare for judgment day. NO SINNERS will go into Heaven and NOT ONE SIN will be excused. We must be pure and holy.
The only One who can take away our sins is JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF, nobody else, nobody can give eternal Life but JESUS. Every knee will bow before Him and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and Jesus alone decides who will have eternal life. GET TO KNOW JESUS. Turn away from sin, repent of sin. Go on your knees and cry out to Jesus with all that is within you. Confess every sin that you have ever done in your life with REMORSE and TURN AWAY from that sin and cry out to Jesus for MERCY UNTIL you KNOW that you found forgiveness. Cry out to Jesus until He reveals Himself to you and then you need to stay with Jesus. You need to live a life that is pleasing to Him. He will reveal Himself to you as REAL. If you seek Him you will find Him. If you don’t seek Him you will end up in eternal HELL dear friend, eternal damnation. Now is the time to get right with God and to STAY RIGHT, to live a life that is pleasing to Jesus. It is not just a once of occasion where you get to know Jesus and you have your sins forgiven. It is a LIFE DEDICATED TO JESUS CHRIST in UTTER OBEDIENCE TO HIM. A life of holiness and obedience to Jesus Christ. We have the opportunity to spend eternity in Heaven and if we don’t use that we will definitely end up in eternal damnation, forever and ever. Dear friend, now is the time to prepare. Go on your knees and cry out to Jesus, GET TO KNOW HIM before it is too late. SEEK HIM and YOU WILL FIND HIM. .

May Jesus bless you .

Why does God permit suffering?

It was not God who introduced suffering into the universe. It was Lucifer, who became Satan; the devil. It is for the sake of those who will inhabit the universe for all eternity that God allows Satan to demonstrate sufficiently what the true course of sin really is. But you ask, “Isn’t it enough? Haven’t we seen enough?” Let me ask you: “Has mankind learned their lesson? Is war obsolete? Has crime ceased?” One of the sad facts of life is that some will never learn the lesson! Following in the footsteps of Satan himself, they will carry their rebellion against God to the bitter end. Only God knows when it will be safe to eliminate sin and those who perpetrate it from the universe without allowing cause for it to ever return again. Remember, sin can only enter the universe through the mind of a rational being. It is the result of the misuse of the freedom of choice. God’s creatures will retain their free will, but none will ever choose rebellion against God again. The prophet Nahum says, “affiliation shall not rise up the second time.”
God will gain and hold the voluntary allegiance of His loyal children for all eternity. He will not do this through fear. He will do it through love. It will yet be proven that every act of God, even the destruction of the wicked, will be an act of love. One indication of God’s love is the suffering that He Himself has endured through the entire great controversy begun by Lucifer’s rebellion. Even with modern inventions like television, we see only a tiny portion of the suffering in the world. God sees it all, every second, every hour, night and day, without holidays or vacations! It is Satan who enjoys watching people suffer, and not because of his hatred for us. Satan knows how much it hurts God to watch His children suffer, and God is the object of his hatred. To Satan, we are merely pawns in his game. To God, we are the objects of His supreme affections. Even the destruction of Satan can bring no joy to the heart of God. He remembers him as he once was, and as he could have been.
The day is coming when peace, genuine peace, will reign throughout the entire universe. The Bible is the guide to how this peace will be established and how it will be maintained. When God’s plan of restoration is completed, the effects of Lucifer’s rebellion will be forever gone. The universe will be no better for it. God would have preferred that it never have had to happen. But the universe will be safe from the danger of it ever happening again.

“And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes: and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:3-4

Satan And Demons: Exposing Satan

Every believer must know their enemy, his ways and the power they have beengiven through Jesus our Lord.  Satan is a master manipulator. Ever since the beginning of time he has sought to decieve and manipulate people into believe his lies. A believer who realises who his enemy is then can be well equipped to stand the attacks. A believer who does not know who his enemy is is at a disadvantage in an attack.

 To understand the truth of the enemy one must go back to the very beginning. To the garden of Eden. You know the story of Adam and Eve. This story is crucial for you to understand the truth about your enemy.In the garden at the beginning of time we understand that God made man and woman and placed them there in the garden to live life in his presence and glory in the things he made for them. Man and woman were at peace with God and God walked with them and gave them all they needed and wanted. They worked not, nor did they toil for a living. They were in serene bliss with no fear of God whatsoever and no desires of sin or evil of any kind. They were Gods creation made for him and worshiped him accordingly. They knew not evil but only good.

Now we all know about the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And we all know how the serpent (satan took on this form) was in the garden also. And we know God told them NOT to eat of this tree or they would die….That is all he said in genesis. He didn’t elaborate nor did he argue he simply stated “if you eat of that tree you shall die” Now the serpent who is satan tricked Eve into eating the forbidden fruit by LYING. He said “you shall not die, God knows that you will be like him knowing both good and evil” Which of corse is a LIE. So they disobeyed God and what God said HAPPENED. They ate of the tree therefore they died. Sin unto death entered the world from that moment.It must be noted that ONE disobediance was all it took for death to enter the world. God didn’t reverse it nor change it for by his own words he said simply “if you eat of this you shall die” and as they disobeyed they did die some years later at old age for death entered the world. God at that time also promised the saviour he had planned from the foundations of the world through Jesus Christ the lamb of God who came in the far future to atone for all the sins of man thereby crushing the head of satan and rendering him defeated forever. “for you will bruise his heel but he will crush your head” said God of the future to satan. Satan and his demons have had a long time of working with people to understand how to manipulate people. But since his head is crushed through the death of Jesus on the cross, he is now rendered powerless against God’s people and can no longer hold them captive to sins. If you do not know your enemy, you can be open for him to gain a foothold in your life if you do not realise that his head is crushed and he is rendered powerless by Jesus Christ. Because YOU have the power over him in the name of Jesus Christ for YOU have been bought at a price and are now clensed and spirit filled through your faith in Jesus the Messiah wherein lies the victory. In the world you belonged to satan, but when you came to believe the truth and repented and came to the Lord in joy your slavery and curse of sin was broken over you and satan lost his rights over you for your sins were washed away and the spirit of God entered you as his abode. Now you have entered a new relationship with Jesus and the truth and have the hope and joy of salvation you are now a TARGET of satan. He is mad and wants you back. It must be noted here that satan hates God with all his being. Since YOU are made in Gods image and God loves YOU so much that he allowed a way for you to be saved even though you followed many paths of satan, SATAN HATES YOU AND WANTS YOU TO TURN FROM GOD SO HE CAN MOCK GOD FURTHER AND TAKE YOU WITH HIM INTO HELL. To understand that satan hates God with ALL his being is crucial to understanding and knowing your enemy. The sooner you can understand this the sooner you can stand firm and fight the enemy and win. The bible shows us that Satan was thrown out of heaven due to PRIDE as he wanted to exalt himself above God. Then he was cast out of heaven and not allowed back. As a result he is walking around like a roaring lion looking for whom he may devour. So we can see that ONE SIN was not excusable either for satan or for man. And God punished ALL sin. God also said in the scriptures “you must be holy for I the Lord your God am Holy” We also know from the scriptures that Satan is the father of all lies and sin. We know that we all belonged to satan for we all followed his paths of sin in our lives since we were conceived and born in sin. We also know that now, since we are freed by the blood of Jesus, we are of our father GOD who gives us the righteousness within to complete every good work praise God!

 

 So dear brethren we can see that not ONE sin is acceptable to God nor will be excused except there be repentance and turning away from sin through faith in Lord Jesus Christ.

 Remember that Satan’s goal is to get you to SIN ONCE. For once you sin Jesus said you become a slave to sin.

 

“he who sins is a slave to sin,but he who the son of man sets free shall be free indeed” John 8:36

  And if you are a slave you are no longer free but under the power of your master, satan. ONE SIN allows a foothold into your life for satan. Remember he is a master manipulator and liar and he knows what areas you are weak in. A demon of lust spirit has ONE goal and this work he is assigned to is to GET YOU TO LUST. A demon of rage has ONE goal and work and this is to GET YOU ANGRY. Another pride, vanity, false witness, and so on. The goal is to get you to sin ONCE.

 Why once? We must remember that we used to sin all the time when we didn’t know the love of Jesus. But we who are bought of the blood of Jesus have ceased our works of sin because we repented and were filled with the Spirit of God and our past sins were washed away. We became slaves to righteousness not sin anymore. We were freed and satan was no longer our father but GOD became our real father praise God!

 So since we are no longer slaves to sin, Satan can no longer control us and bring us to hell in our sins. He has NO power for remember his head was crushed by Jesus’ death on the cross and ressurection to life. The keys of death and hades were taken away from satan.

 SO SATAN NEEDS TO GET YOU BACK UNDER HIS CONTROL AND THE ONLY WAY HE CAN DO THIS IS IF YOU GIVE UP YOUR FREEDOM IN CHRIST FOR SLAVERY TO SIN.

 Satan and his demons know you have the power to bind them and live in victory over all sin while you are on this earth. So he being the master manipulator he is going to try to DECIEVE you or LIE to you like he did Eve (over whom he had no power).

Now we must remember that it is ONE SIN that causes us to fall into slavery to sin and death (remember the garden of eden and satan’s one sin of pride causes both his fall and man) And the way he does this is through your FLESH.

 The flesh has several doors through which satan uses. The eyes (looks good) the ears (sounds good) touch (feels good) and through desires of your soul and heart. In order to get through your defence of faith, he first has to know about your weaknesses to certain sins. We were all born and concieved into sin from Adam, and we are all born with various weaknesses and desires varying between each person. What is tempting to one person will not tempt another. Just because you are weak in the area of pride and not theft doesn’t mean you can say you are better than a person who has a problem with temptation to steal. This person may not be tempted with pride because naturly he isnt weak in that area. Not all people are proud, as not all people are thieves. But satan doesnt care what the temptation is for its ALL SIN and his goal is to get you to sin and fall from grace back into his power. We must remember that the scriptures tell us that no liars, homosexuals, sexual immoral people, adulterers, fornicators, effeminate, thieves, murderers, lovers of themselves rather lovers of God, filthy or perverse individuals will ever enter the kingdom of heaven rather these will be cast into the lake of fire along with Satan and his angels.

 It is God who will allow you to be tempted and tested by Satan thus purifying you in the fire like fine gold. Like in the book of Job we see that God allowed satan to do many things to him for a time. But it is always the person who rejects the temptations of satan and stay in their faith with God who proves their faith before God. Jesus himself was tempted by Satan for a time in the wilderness through sight, feelings, hearing and the flesh. He was shown many things by satan in an attempt to get him to SIN ONCE, to disobey God ONCE. But Jesus stood firm and in a time Satan left him till a later time. Jesus was tempted with power, authority, and rulership of the kingdoms of earth satan owned.

 For the believer in Christ you will not escape temptation from satan. Your weaknesses will be the target and satan will set up situations for you to be tempted to sin. Satan also speaks and like he spoke to Jesus, and to Eve, with lies and deception so he will speak to you also though you may not be aware it is him. He will plant thoughts and words into your mind lying to you that the sin he tempts you with is ok to do and not sin. With many clever words he will use these ways and other people to try and influence your belief system in such a way that you change your knowledge of the truth into believing a lie. The lie will be an allowance to follow the wants and desires to sin that were born within you. It all comes down to the bottom line that ONE SIN is all Satan needs to gain power over you once more.

 It is by the grace of God that he gives you time to repent and reenter his grace and victory through Jesus and he strives with your spirit to bring you back to repentance but it must be understood that God does not strive with man forever and there will come a time of your appointed death where what you sowed in your life is what you will reap.

 In this life your enemy is satan and the desires to sin that are born within you. By understanding that Jesus crushed satan powerless and freed you from slavery to sin you now have all power and victory in the name of Jesus over satan. You will always have victory over this foe even in the deepest of temptations. Jesus didnt escape temptation from satan and you sure will not escape either. So next time you are being conditioned to believe a lie and accept sin, STAND FIRM in the name of Jesus and above all else Stand.

 But if you are overcome and yeild to satan and sin, you give yourself into his power and enter slavery to sin once more. Just ONE sin is what satan needs to get you to do. In this state your only hope is to call upon the name of Jesus and repent and turn back to him for the washing clean of your dirtied soul.

 It is of importance to note that a person cannot on his own power save himself from slavery to sin and satan, for the only way is through calling upon Jesus through whom the victory over sin and death was won. Once set free a believer must choose against the devil and the flesh in order to stay in victory with Christ. The one who does not stay with Jesus but goes back to the paths of evil, has walked away from his hope and salvation and has chosen bondage to his new father, satan. These people will be cast into the lake of fire along with Satan in the last day.

 

Pray: In the power of the blood of Jesus I shall go forth and rebuke all sin, temptation, and satan this day.

You have the victory now WALK in it.

God has a plan for you

God has a wonderful plan with your life. He wants you to be a child of God in His household. He wants to give you eternal life but the devil also has a plan with you. He wants to destroy you and he wants you to end up in eternal damnation. Where you end up, depends on who you listen to. Jesus Christ suffered and died for you and for me. So that if we repent, turn away from our own plans, turn away from sin, if we confess our sins, stop sinning, obey Jesus, then he will give us eternal life and He will give us the Holy Spirit to guide us into God’s plan for us. But the decision whether we will obey Jesus or do things our way, that is entirely up to us. If we go our way, then we stay on the highway to hell. If we decide to follow Jesus Christ, then we get on the narrow way that leads to life and He will be with us, every step of the way. It is not an easy way, but He is there to guide us. We need to get to know Jesus. He is real, even though He is God Almighty, Lord of lords, the King of kings. He reveals Himself to those who obey Him, who seek Him and He becomes real to them. They follow Him every day of their lives and He guides them, He gives them life, eternal life. Do you want life friend? Do you want to spend eternity in the presence of God or do you want to carry on the way that you used to and end up in hell. It depends on who you will listen to. If you want to have eternal life, then get on your knees and repent of sin. Ask Jesus to forgive you for everything that you have done wrong.
Confess every sin that you can remember, ask Him to forgive you, ask Him to come into your life, to be your Lord and your Master, to guide you into eternal life. He will come into your life friend and He will give you peace, He will give you life. The decision is yours, whether you go your own way or whether you go God’s way. His plans are good but our plans will end up where we do not want to be. The invitation is open to you and me, we don’t know how long, we might die today. If we don’t make that decision and start following Jesus we will certainly end up in hell. Will you decide to follow God’s plan or your own plan?
Salvation is not an event, it is a journey, a journey that starts when you believe in Jesus and you accept Him as your Lord and your Master and from there onward you OBEY Him. You turn away from sin and unrighteousness and you live to please Jesus. You are baptized in water for the washing off of your sin and you seek Jesus with all your being. You seek His Spirit in you, you are spiritually united with Jesus. He gives of His Spirit to come and live in you, the Holy Spirit. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and with FIRE. That fire will cleanse you, will purify you and then you have to continue with that journey, that spiritual unity with Jesus Christ, following Him every day of your life and doing what is pleasing to Him until the very, very end, your very last day. Very few people finish that journey. Most people are deceived. They think that if they have said a sinners prayer and joined a church and they read the Bible that they are saved, they are not. They are not even in the journey. If you are not following Jesus and not being led by the Holy Spirit then you are not on that journey. Jesus Christ Himself is the WAY and the TRUTH and the LIFE. If you are not following Him every day you do not have life and you will not find the narrow door into the kingdom of Heaven. They asked Jesus whether those who are being saved are few and He said:”Strive hard, because straight is the gate, narrow is the way and few there be that find it.” Very few endure until the end. Very few follow Jesus day by day, every day. Jesus said:”Whoever wishes to come after Me must deny himself, pick up his cross every day and follow Me.” Are YOU on that journey? are you following Jesus every day? Are you being saved? or do you just believe that you have been saved, but you have no relationship with Him? you need to follow Jesus, EVERY DAY OF YOUR LIFE, OBEY HIM, UNTIL THE END. You have to go ALL THE WAY in order to enter the kingdom of Heaven.
May Jesus bless you