50 DAYS TO UNDERSTANDING THE END-TIMES MORE ACCURATELY - PREFACE - AUDIO & VIDEO
This is the PREFACE to the daily devotional.
I am going to be releasing a 50 day daily devotional about the end-times as revealed in Scripture. Along with the text, I will be providing a video where I cover the text of the day, and @verbal-d will be providing an audio version of it. That way, whether you want to read, watch, or listen, you'll be able to enjoy this study as you wish.
The plan is to release this devotional over the next 50 consecutive days, but life may "get in the way." We will do our best, but please be patient with me if I fall behind.
The SoundCloud Audio from @verbal-d
The YouTube Video from @papa-pepper
The Text I Originally Shared on the @narrowminded Account
PREFACE
Many of the things written in the Bible fall into the category of prophecy. Prophecy is more than just a guess or prediction about what will happen in the future, it’s a promise. When God reveals the future to us before the events take place, this serves as evidence that the Bible is indeed the very word of God. God exists outside of the realm of time. Therefore, He can declare events which have not yet happened for us as though they already did. “I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee… I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them” (Isaiah 48:5a & 6b). God not only exists outside of the restrictions of length, width, and height, but also of time.
As amazing as the fulfilled prophecies are, there are many more yet to come. The Bible is very clear about the events that will take place prior to the end of the world. Unfortunately, much confusion still exists. An abundance of false ideas have been promoted by many, and most people, whether Christians or not, are simply not prepared for the events that are promised by God to still occur.
CLOSER
Whatever your current beliefs may be, I encourage you to join us for this adventure in eschatology. Hopefully you will be able to at least gain some food for thought.
Also, if anyone is really interested, I did post the entire volume through an alt account over a year ago. I did so as an experiment to see how hard it would be for a new user to get noticed on steemit, so I didn't let anyone now that I was doing it. You can click here to jump to a post that has links to the entire 50 days of this devotional if you really want to read ahead. That information has always been available there since I first posted it. It is not the purpose of this series to just copy all of my previous work, but instead to transform it into some new outlets by releasing it in an audio and video format, to broaden the reach that this work has.
Again, though I will certainly never claim to know it all, I do believe that many are being lead astray by some popular beliefs. I hope that this project will be able to help many others understand the end-times more accurately. Thanks!
Until next time…
Don’t waste your time online, invest it with steemit.com
Just checked the preface by @verbal-D on sound cloud ! Even though like I said im not religious in that way , Im interested to hear more , so will try to tune in as much as time allows , thanks for sharing @papa-pepper ! Steem On !💕✌👍🙏
If you don't get it all the first time, it'll be here to listen to later! Thanks!
OK that's awesome thanks !💕✌👍
Thank you for sharing this @papa-pepper ! Listening to it now! Resteemed!
will surely be interested in this project @pappa-pepper. PRAISE BE THE LORD and greetings to all a Merry Christmas.
Looking forward to all the great comments to come from this.
Prophesy is a promise
I promised myself I won't miss out of these devotionals. I'm glad I started from the first episode.
I just got into an argument with a guy here on steemit when he said that Christians have a mental illness for thinking the end times is a positive thing and blah bah. Isn’t it positive? The Lord would be coming to bring us to heaven right? I can tell he doesn’t agree with the Christian religion
Uhh, no, he isn't coming to bring us to heaven. He is coming to rule on earth for a thousand years, (Revelation 20)which will be the 7th millennium, the Sabbath of Millenniums. At the end of that thousand years a new heaven and a new Earth are created. See Revelation 21.
I don't want to blow your mind to much, but according to the Bible, no body goes to heaven when they die. John 3:13 and Acts 2:34
"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. 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. Therefore comfort one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). And then after the rapture Christians will face judgement in heaven, but they will be in heaven when this happens
Lets take a closer look at those verses you posted and include the verses before it and after it so as not to form a doctrinal belief from cherry picked verses that could be taken out of context.
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 KJV
Verse 13-15 support my statement that you don't go to heaven when you die. You sleep. Your soul is asleep.
Now to 16-18, I do not see heaven mentioned in those verses other than saying he descends out of heaven. It says we meet him in the clouds. It doesn't say we meet him in heaven.
Clouds≠Heaven.
The word in Greek for clouds in verse 16 is nephelē, Strong's G3507.
The word in Greek for heaven is ouranos in verse 15. It's Strong's G3772.
Again clouds≠heaven
If your still hanging on to the pre-tribulation rapture idea you need to reread Matthew Chapter 24 very carefully, and I would suggest watching the documentary After the Tribulation. It's free on YouTube.
So the verse says that god will raise us up into the clouds with him. Clouds were interchangeable with heaven many times in the Bible and in fact, some versions of the Bible use “heaven” instead of “clouds” in this verse. I believe God will come and save us and I also believe that you go to heaven when you die. Your interpretation may be different than mine. And that is fine. Which is why Christianity is so controversial because of different interpretations.
The problem with your interpretation is you are ignoring the words actually used in the Greek, the language these verses were originally written in. You may "believe" that clouds and heaven are interchangeable, but you are believing in something that the Bible does not say in these verses you used to support your belief. You are believing in something false.
If you go to heaven when you die, then explain all the people that were raised from the dead in the Bible. Do you honestly believe they we're in perfect peace in the presence of God and then they were forced back in to their mortal bodies to have to live on earth again? Doesn't seem like a loving God that would do that. Plus there is nothing in the Bible that supports your claim. Even the verses before the ones you posted talks about "those who sleep." I'm sorry but you have been taught and believe in a lie not supported by the Bible.
I just showed you a verse that says after death he would be united with the Lord. The spirit also goes to be with Christ while the body remains in “sleep” or death. Whichever you want to use. This means that the body was raised from sleep. The spirit was returned to the body. Why is this an issue? Do you mot believe the son of God was raised from his sleep? Do you dispute that? If not, then how can you dispute the others
And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
John 3:13 KJV
The words of Messiah himself. Proof that he is the only one who has ever ascended to heaven.
In 1 Thess. 5, the word used for sleep is a different Greek word than “koimao”, which means bot death and sleep,. In the context this different word refers, not to physical death, but to spiritual and moral complacency.
Paul talked about death and his spirit being with the Lord in his death.
Phil. 1:21-23. “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;”
He says to “dapart and be with Christ”. This suggests that After his death he will be united with the Lord. He talks like this a couple times and each time he mentions departing and being with the Lord after death.
The Lord will also judge the Christians that he rose up into the clouds. This is in heaven. Because the judgement does not determine if you are in heaven since you already there. But the Bible does suggest that not all Christians will taken up with the Lord.
I suggest taking some time and watching this video.
Your video describes us as being dead and nothing more. But the Bible tells us that the spirit will be with God while the body asleep. The Bible also says that He will give us a body that is like Him.
The spirit is with God after death. Even the verses in this video support this. The resurrection happened. And the dead now are with God in spirit while their body sleeps. Sure the body is asleep but the spirit is with God. Like I pointed out, the word used in the passage does not mean physical death, but that the body asleep.
So your saying the daughter of Jairus, who died, her spirit was with God, and then the Messiah raised her body from the dead and her spirit had to leave the perfect presence of God to return to her mortal body? Please cite the verses that back up the idea your soul goes with God when your body dies.
It should be hard for a Christian to rationalize that mass genocide is a positive thing, or that God would do such a thing, or need to do such a thing to accomplish his will. It doesn't really jive well with "love your neighbor", does it?
Am I allowed to put on my horns, grab my pitchfork and ask questions?
Please don't take it personally, just some points I have heard over the years.
You certainly may, but this is very early on in this study, and 50 more days are to come. Perhaps you may raise points about things covered later, but you can if you want.
Great post
Hello @papa-pepper. I had been so interested in understanding the end times when I began my journey as a missionary way back when I was in college. I love reading different versions of it. It helps me understand more about the world. Aside from that, it helps me not to be scared of what is bound to happen.
I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this. Thank you!
Cannot wait for our thoughts to be shared.
Hi @gailbelga! Looks like we have had similar journeys. Did you ever make it to the mission field? I never made a long term move, just short term trips.