Salvation Story of a Drug Addict

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Eternal Security

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Ron Mills' Story - At the age of 22 I started to consider suicide as an answer to feelings of hopelessness. By the time I was 23 I would get brief periods of wondering “is this all there is to life?" I remember going to night clubs after drug use and drinking and just standing amongst hundreds of people and feeling very alone and tired of life. There had to be more to this Life (more...)

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 Dennis Stickfort

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Printable Activity: 8 page mini coloring book and full-sized pictures to tell the story of Peter preaching the gospel for the first time to Gentiles - Cornelius and his family.

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Grace Taufeek's Story - "...an ultrasound showed a mass around my spinal canal. I was confused, sad, mad, and scared as I was trying to realize what was really happening. I was quite scared – sometimes even to tears – but deep down, I always had a sense of peace..." (more)

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Is Satan responsible for natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, mudslides or tornadoes?

Every time there is a major disaster such as the massive earthquake in Haiti in 2010, the earthquake in Japan in 2011, Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana in 2005, the earthquake and following tsunami in Indonesia and Thailand in 2004, we invariably ask the question – where is God? Is Satan responsible for causing natural disasters?  Does God permit natural disasters?  

Satan is not in control of the world.  Anything he does has limits placed upon him by God.  Being a powerful angel, although fallen from his original position, he has been given great power.  But Satan is not infinite.

The clearest example of natural disaster being caused by the Devil is found in the book of Job.  The first chapter of Job is quoted in the paragraphs below.  God permitted Satan to attack Job but only to the extent that God allowed.  Satan was not allowed to take Job’s life.  However, Satan stripped Job of every posession and loved one.  You will see in the following verses that the events were attributed to a group of raiding warrior (15 and 17), the “fire of God” (17) and wind from the wilderness (19).  Job is never told from where his troubles were coming from.  He is unaware the Satan is involved, but he recognizes that God is in control of it all.  The rest of the book deals with his mental anguish at being tried by God.

Job 1:9-22" TARGET="_blank">Job 1:9-22  Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for no reason?  (10)  Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.  (11)  But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face."  (12)  And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand." So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.  (13)  Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house,  (14)  and there came a messenger to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them,  (15)  and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you."  (16)  While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you."  (17)  While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you."  (18)  While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house,  (19)  and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you."  (20)  Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.  (21)  And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."  (22)  In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

Natural Explanations

It is clear from scientific study of the earth that there are natural explanations for every kind of natural disaster.  Warm water in the oceans creates conditions suitable for massive windstorms.  The shifting of the earth’s plates causes earthquakes where tectonic plates come together.  Underwater earthquakes cause tsunamis.  While we may know the immediate natural cause for disasters, we still credit the ultimate hand of providence to God.  Insurance companies won’t cover property damage in times of war or because of “Acts of God”.  Did God design the world to be full of suffering?

God is in control

Colossians 1:16-17" TARGET="_blank">Colossians 1:16-17 says that Jesus Christ is in control of the universe:

Colossians 1:15-17" TARGET="_blank">Colossians 1:15-17  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  (16)  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.

It was Very Good

The way in which God created the universe has been affected by sin.  At the close of the week of creation we read that the creation was “very good”.  Like a work of fine art, God was satisfied that what he created was beautiful and perfect.
    

Genesis 1:31" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 1:31  And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Shortly after finishing the creation, Adam and Eve sinned, bringing a curse onto the earth.  Romans 5:12" TARGET="_blank">Romans 5:12 tells us that death came into the world through sin.

Romans 5:12" TARGET="_blank">Romans 5:12  Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned--

The curse extended to the earth.  God caused the earth not to yield its full potential in growing food.  

Genesis 3:17-19" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 3:17-19  And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;  (18)  thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.  (19)  By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

Later in the Bible, the “whole creation groans” under the curse of sin.  The world still suffers under the influence of the curse from the first sin.  It can be concluded that the “groaning” of creation can be seen in the suffering that randomly visits us as well as the beings of the world.

Romans 8:18-22" TARGET="_blank">Romans 8:18-22  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.  (19)  For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.  (20)  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope  (21)  that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  (22)  For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.

Does God judge us through natural disasters?

There are some occasions in the Bible when God utilized nature to bring judgment directly against a group of people.  However, like all miracles in the Bible, these events are exceptional occasions when God was lifting up a prophet (Moses, Elijah) or bringing an end to an era of wickedness.  There is nothing in the Bible to indicate that we should try to interpret weather, earthquake, plague or any other naturally occurring disaster as a sign from heaven.  The following examples are all accompanied by the message of a prophet sent by God.  The prophet carried with him special authority to control these events, not merely explain them.

Elijah, a prophet of God, caused a terrible famine to strike the land of Israel for the sin of the king and the people.

1 Kings 17:1" TARGET="_blank">1 Kings 17:1  Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word."

Through Moses, God caused terrible plagues to fall against Egypt.  Most of the plagues have similar events that occur in nature, but God caused these plagues to fall at the command of Moses and at a much greater severity than anything in the history of Egypt.

Moses and all the people of Israel watched as Korah and his rebellious followers were swallowed in a disaster like an earthquake or a giant sink hole.

Numbers 16:29-33" TARGET="_blank">Numbers 16:29-33  If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, then the LORD has not sent me.  (30)  But if the LORD creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the LORD."  (31)  And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart.  (32)  And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods.  (33)  So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.

In the judgments against the earth in Revelation 6" TARGET="_blank">Revelation 6 to 18 tell us about massive hailstones, earthquakes, comets falling from the heavens and water turning to blood.

Revelation 16:21" TARGET="_blank">Revelation 16:21  And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.

Revelation 8:8-11" TARGET="_blank">Revelation 8:8-11  The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood.  (9)  A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.  (10)  The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.  (11)  The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.

But why does God allow suffering to continue?

The explanation from the verses above answers the questions as to “where” does the suffering come from – from sin.  However, the questions still remains “Why doesn’t God stop it?”

Two other questions that are closely related to this are

Why does God allow me to experience trials?

Why does God allow suffering to continue?

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Question: I have a question re- the beheading reference in rev 20:4." TARGET="_blank">rev 20:4.

I am new to bible study, I had read the bible 4 times before but since June the words have different meaning to me. I do not now know if my new interpretations are in the correct direction or indicative of a misunderstanding. Or each person interprets the word differently, based on their experiences and stage in life.

I was studying Ephesians 1" TARGET="_blank">Ephesians 1 and was then drawn to the letters addressed to the churches in Revelation 2 and Revelation 3" TARGET="_blank">Revelation 3 the letters seem to represent a systematic progression towards the kingdom of God while on earth.
then i was led to read Revelation 20:4" TARGET="_blank">Revelation 20:4

I have quietly approached people during conversation at my church to gauge their abilities or interests in bible interpretation, but it is hard to ask in-depth questions to people of differing backgrounds, everyone has their own opinion.

rev 20:4" TARGET="_blank">rev 20:4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

Here are my questions -

1. “beheaded because of their testimony” - is this the when a person surrenders completely to God and have died in the flesh, to be reborn in the spirit. the word (sword) of God has severed the spiritual head from the physical body. the person has passed through the inner door to the kingdom that exists within. The person then arrives at the realization that the kingdom inside, outside and the kingdom of heaven are one and the same.
2. “They had not worshiped the beast” - is the beast our "flesh body" that the holy spirit lives within. We die in the flesh , meaning give up wants, desires, defects, …
3. “They came to life” - a person dies to the body of flesh and awakens to the spirit within. we still walk the earth but our perspective has changed. like when the blind are given sight, it is the people blind to the kingdom of God are given sight and not blind to the kingdom of Gd
4. “This is the first resurrection” - is this a reference that some people enter the kingdom of God while alive as they have surrendered fully without reservation to the will of Gd. the 2nd resurrection is for others who remain blind spiritually to the kingdom of Gd. These blind people do not enter the kingdom until they die physically and are buried.
5. “they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years” - a person that has entered the kingdom while alive in the physical body. This person while dead in the flesh but alive in the spirit is given tasks to perform. Tasks/functions/callings (refer to Ep 4:11) while completing the will of Gd. while some people remain blind to the kingdom. The thousand years refers to the rest of the physical life which will be a period of time.

Thank you for your time and consideration,
al

Answer:

The questions you pose appear can be answered with another question:

"How does one interpret the Bible, especially in regards to prophetic writings like Revelation? Literally? figuratively? Alegorically? Contextually? Culturally?

The best answer to the question of how to interpret the Bible is to view how the New Testament interprets the Old Testament.

OT prophecies and events were taken literally unless there were specific, clear, obvious reasons to do otherwise.
For example, in the Book of Daniel, there are dreams which carried figurative meanings (tall statue, tall tree cut down), yet actual supernatural events (fiery furnace, lion's den).  Daniel 3," TARGET="_blank">Daniel 3, Daniel 4," TARGET="_blank">Daniel 4, Daniel 5" TARGET="_blank">Daniel 5

The King had actual dreams and Daniel was thrown to real lions, the three friends walked in literal fire.
It is not as if the fire represented a trial and the Lions were a figure of Daniel battling Satan.
In the same way, your questions about the saints who were beheaded are literal believers who John sees in the future.
The beast is the world leader - known as the antichrist.
They are real people.

In Revelation, however, there is a lot of figurative language. Fortunately, we can tell when John is describing these images because he uses the words "like" or "as". Revelation 9" TARGET="_blank">Revelation 9: 7 "And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men."

I would recommend that you start your quest by determining how you should interpret the Bible. A good book to read on the subject is "Things to Come" by J. Dwight Pentecost. It's become a standard, comprehensive reference book on Bible prophecy. However, it is different from many other prophetic books in that the first 65 pages deal with the issue of how to interpret the Bible.

Specifically, the answers to your questions:

There is no indication in the chapter to say these bodies, resurrections and people are not real.  What they experience is a miracle.  While the "beast" is a name given to indicate a person's beastly character, he is a real human.

“beheaded because of their testimony” - is this the when a person surrenders completely to God and have died in the flesh, to be reborn in the spirit. the word (sword) of God has severed the spiritual head from the physical body. The person has passed through the inner door to the kingdom that exists within. The person then arrives at the realization that the kingdom inside, outside and the kingdom of heaven are one and the same.

 This means there will be believers in the Tribulation that will be executed for disobeying the antichrist's decree to worship his idol.
There is nothing in the context of Revelation about surrendering oneself to God.
This teaching is taught quite straightforwardly in Romans 12:1" TARGET="_blank">Romans 12:1

 “They had not worshiped the beast” - is the beast our "flesh body" that the Holy Spirit lives within. We die in the flesh, meaning give up wants, desires, defects, …

 This beast is a real person, a world leader who demands worship as a god.
Again, read the context of the chapter.

 “They came to life” - a person dies to the body of flesh and awakens to the spirit within. We still walk the earth but our perspective has changed. like when the blind are given sight, it is the people blind to the kingdom of God are given sight and not blind to the kingdom of God

 These believers are raised back to by physically alive again.

 “This is the first resurrection” - is this a reference that some people enter the kingdom of God while alive as they have surrendered fully without reservation to the will of Gd. the 2nd resurrection is for others who remain blind spiritually to the kingdom of Gd. These blind people do not enter the kingdom until they die physically and are buried.

 There are two literal resurrections - firstly for believers who will live in heaven.
They are saved eternally. The second resurrection is described Revelation 21" TARGET="_blank">Revelation 21 where the eternally lost are given a just sentence for their sins and condemned to a literal Lake of Fire.

“they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years” - a person that has entered the kingdom while alive in the physical body. This person while dead in the flesh but alive in the spirit is given tasks to perform. Tasks/functions/callings (refer to Ep 4:11) while completing the will of Gd. while some people remain blind to the kingdom. The thousand years refers to the rest of the physical life which will be a period of time.

 There will be a literal throne, a literal calendar that can mark of a literal thousand years and a literal group of people who will participate in the administration of the earth with Christ.

 Shad Sluiter

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Using Bible Search Dialog Box on MySpace

MySpace allows you to insert HTML text into your profile to add links, images and portals to other online programs.  Below, you will find HTML text that you can copy and paste directly into your online MySpace profile.

This is what the form looks like.

This is how you add it to your MySpace profile.

Copy the following code and paste it into the HTML code for your web page. This will provide a link to the Online Bible.

See also How to link directly to a single verse or chapter.

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ASPECTS OF THE KINGDOM

To what time do the references to the Kingdom belong in Matthew 26:29" TARGET="_blank">Matthew 26:29 (“My Father’s Kingdom”); Mark 14:25" TARGET="_blank">Mark 14:25 (“the Kingdom of God”; see also Luke 22:16);" TARGET="_blank">Luke 22:16); and 2 Peter 1:11" TARGET="_blank">2 Peter 1:11 (“the Everlasting Kingdom”)? Are these terms interchangeable?

It is evident that the expression, “My Father’s Kingdom” in Matthew 26" TARGET="_blank">Matthew 26: 29 refers to the same Kingdom as “the Kingdom of God” in Mark 14: 25," TARGET="_blank">Mark 14: 25, for the same occasion is referred to. It may be noticed that the Lord does not say “our Father’s Kingdom,” but “My Father’s Kingdom.” It reminds us of “My Father and your Father,” where there is a distinction with a difference. We might refer also to Matthew 13:43" TARGET="_blank">Matthew 13:43

“Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.” The One whose Kingdom it is, will be in special relation to the redeemed—His own children—who will share in it; but as the Kingdom in its millennial aspect (which is specially in view here) will embrace in its scope many, who will not be children of God, born in the earth during its course, it is called also “the Kingdom of God.” He will be God of such, but not Father. Though the Millennial Kingdom is only the first stage of the Everlasting Kingdom, of 2 Peter 1:11" TARGET="_blank">2 Peter 1:11 and though our Lord Jesus Christ will reign over both in the Father’s Name, the two are quite distinct. In the Millennial Kingdom, though Satan will be excluded, evil will still be present, and the reign will close with the last great rebellion under Satan, who will be liberated for a short space. Then will all the enemies of God and of His Christ be subdued for ever under His feet and judged, so that in the Everlasting Kingdom, in which Christ will continue to reign for ever, there will be no “evil concurrent,” no opposing will, and righteousness will no longer “reign” as in the Millennium, but “dwell.”

W.H.

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