Armageddon - Could it impact on you?

Armageddon the very word strikes fear into the hearts of men and women worldwide! It is a symbol of God pouring out His fury on a sinful world. It is a time when the armies of the world will gather into the land of Israel for a great battle. All nations will be represented. It is a time when God intervenes directly in the affairs of men.

How does it come about? Daniel 11:36-45 give us details of events leading up to Armageddon. In verses 36 to 38 the character of the Ruler of Israel is given to us. He exalts and magnifies himself above every god. He blasphemes against the God of gods. He has no regard for the God of Israel and His Messiah. Verse 40 reveals that the king of the South (Egypt) will attack him. The king of the North (Syria and her allies) also attacks him and conquers the land; then passes on to Egypt and conquers Egypt. But, the king of the North hears bad news from the east and from the north which troubles him and he returns to Israel in great fury.

Zechariah 13:8 tells us, “And it shall come to pass in all the land.” Says the Lord, “That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one-third will be left in it.” This gives us the state of the nation of Israel just prior to Armageddon.

In Daniel 9:24-27, Daniel is given a time line by the angel Gabriel for God’s judgement on the nation of Israel. Seventy weeks of seven years (490 years) are determined by God. In verse 26 we read, “...And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and sanctuary...”  This refers to the ancient Roman Empire. Take note, it refers to the people of the prince who is to come. Jerusalem was completely destroyed by the Roman General Titus in 70 AD. There will be a revived Roman Empire, led by the ‘the prince who is to come’. Verse 27, (the prince who is to come) “...He shall confirm a covenant with many for one week.” (Seven years). But he breaks conditions of the covenant in the middle of the week (3 ½ years).

Europe will be brought into the conflict at Armageddon by its covenant (treaty) with Israel; via ‘the prince who is to come’. It is easy to see how treaties among nations will bring the armies of the world to Israel for the battle of Armageddon. The whole thing will be energised by Satan, in his endeavour to completely destroy Israel.

Revelation 16:13, 14, 16, tell us, “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty...And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.”

Note the symbolic language used – The dragon, the beast and the false prophet. The dragon is a symbol of Satan – the Devil. The beast is the Ruler of the revived Roman Empire. The false prophet is the Anti-Christ, the son of perdition who rules Israel. It is a satanic trinity in complete opposition to the Triune God.

Joel 3:12-14 state, “Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations... for their wickedness is great...Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!”

Zechariah 14:12 gives us their end. “And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths...”

 Verse 12 is almost a repetition of what happened to the victims of the atomic bomb blasts at Nagasaki and Hiroshima; at the end of World War 2. Men want to play with nuclear weapons of mass destruction. God will pay them back in kind.

Revelation 19:20, “Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These two were cast into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.”  

Revelation 20:1, 2, “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and cast him into the bottomless pit...”

Let’s get back to our blog heading. Armageddon – Could it impact on you?

 

We live in troubled global financial times. Natural disasters are on the increase. The Israelis are hated by the neighbouring nations. The world is looking for a leader to lead them out of the global financial morass. The USA once a mighty super power is now the world’s largest debtor nation; and was responsible for the global financial crisis in 2008.

European nations have for decades banded together to form the European Economic Union with its own Parliament. It doesn’t take much brain power to see Europe could provide a super power based on the old Roman Empire. It doesn’t take much brain power to see how a strong leader could arise from the troubled global financial situation. The world is crying out for such a man.

While we can see conditions are ripe for this to take place, it can’t take place until another event on God’s time line takes place. What is this event? It is what Christians’ refer to as ‘The Rapture’. It is the coming again of the Lord Jesus Christ into the air; and all the born again believers in Himself transformed with new spiritual bodies meeting Him in the air. All the true Christians will be gone forever. Those left behind could very well be involved in the events leading up to Armageddon, or involved in Armageddon.

When the true Christians are gone; God will focus His attention back on the nation of Israel. Christianity as such will be over.

 But what about you?  Will you be one of those who meet the Lord in the air? The Philippian prison keeper in Acts 16 asked this question of Paul and Silas. “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” These three men will meet the Lord in the air. Will you?

Jon Peasey

[All Scripture quotations are from the New King James version.]

The Rapture - What is it?

You can look through the New Testament and you won’t find the word ‘rapture’ mentioned. Yet Christians often refer to The Rapture.

Collins Concise Dictionary defines the word rapture as:
      1.        The state of mind resulting from feelings of high emotion; joyous ecstasy
      2.       An expression of ecstatic joy.
      3.       The act of transporting a person from one sphere of existence to another.

This third definition gives us the contextual meaning of what Christians refer to as The Rapture; ‘The act of transporting a person from one sphere of existence to another.’ In my blog ‘Heaven or Hell’ we considered what resurrection is. It is our spirit and soul reunited with our dead body. The born again believer takes part in the resurrection of life; not the resurrection of judgement.

Let’s consider some verses in 1 Corinthians chapter 15; we will look at verses 51 to 57.

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The apostle Paul is telling the Corinthian believers that not everyone has to die to take part in the transformation. This transformation takes place instantly. Those believers who have physically died and whose soul and spirit are in the Hades part of Heaven are all resurrected at the same time. Those believers who are alive on earth are transformed a split second after those who are raised from the dead.

Verse 53 tells us that, ‘this corruptible must put on incorruption.’ My belief is that this refers to the dead believers whose bodies have been in the graves. Their bodies have decayed and corrupted away. The verse also tells us that, ‘this mortal must put on immortality.’ My belief is that this refers to the living believers.

What has taken place? God has given every New Testament believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and every Old Testament believer in the True and Living God a brand new spiritual body. This body cannot be destroyed; it is incorruptible! The believer cannot die; he has put on immortality. This spiritual body has been designed by God for us to spend eternity in Heaven; in His very presence. It is a body designed for Heaven; not planet Earth.

Philippians 3: 20, 21 states, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may conform to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 tell us, “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.”

The rest of the world won’t be aware what is happening. The transformation (rapture) will take place in a micro second. One moment the born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ will be here; and the next moment meeting the Lord Jesus in the air! Millions of people will suddenly vanish! The world will not see what takes place! All the true Christians will be gone.

If this was to take place today, would you be part of it? What will it be for you – the resurrection of life, or the resurrection of judgement?

Only you personally can make this choice.

Jon Peasey

[All Scripture quotations are from the New King James version]

Noah's Ark - Fact or Fable?

This is a subject that arouses disbelief and incredulity. Many adults consign it to the realm of children’s stories. They believe it is a fable; but you and I, let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Why do people want to disbelieve the account of Noah and his ark? What they really don’t want to believe is that God sent a universal, worldwide flood to destroy mankind; except for Noah and his family. The flood was judgement for the evil, wicked lives the people of that time lived. You can read the account for yourself in Genesis chapters 6 to 8.

We will now look at a few significant verses. Genesis 6:5-7, 11, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, ’I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them’...The earth also was corrupt before God and the earth was filled with violence.”

Genesis 6:8-10 tells us, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.” Noah was given instructions by God to build an ark of gopherwood, make rooms in it and cover it inside and out with pitch. It was to have a window and a door in the side of the ark. It was to have three decks; a lower, second and third storey.

Genesis 6:17, 18 states, “And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark – you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.” Verses 19 to 21 tell us how he was to bring the animals, male and female, into the ark. Noah was also to take all types of food to feed his family and the animals. Verse 22 tells us that Noah did as God commanded him. 

Let’s go back to Genesis 6:3 for a moment. “And the Lord said, ‘My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years’.” God’s patience with Noah’s evil generation would run out in 120 years. Noah had 120 years to build his ark. There is a common misconception that the ark was pointed at both ends. If we look at the instructions given to Noah we will see that the ark was rectangular in shape. Genesis 6:15 states, “And this is how you will make it; the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.”

A cubit measured 18 inches, or one and one half feet in length.

     300 cubits            =             450 feet                 =           137 metres

       50 cubits            =             75 feet                  =             23 metres

       30 cubits            =             45 feet                  =             14 metres

Noah’s ark was 137 metres long, 23 metres wide and 14 metres high. If each storey was evenly divided it would be approximately 4.5 metres high. 

The ark built by Noah and his sons was not a small vessel! It was covered inside and out with pitch (tar). The ark was completely black inside and out and completely waterproof. Let’s try and put the size in perspective. The ark was longer than an American football field and nearly as long as a Rugby football field. It was approximately half as wide as an American football field.

Try to imagine it, longer than a football field, half as wide, and three stories high! It took Noah and his sons 120 years to build the ark. The people of his generation did not listen to Noah’s message that God would send judgement on the earth.

When the ark was finished God said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.” (Genesis 7:1). God then determined another seven more days while the animals entered the ark. Genesis 7:4 states, “For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.”

Verse 10 to the end of the chapter gives us a graphic account of the flood that prevailed 15 cubits (6.8 metres) over the highest mountains. Every living creature that drew breath died! Verse 23, “...Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive.” In Genesis chapters 8 and 9 we read the account of the aftermath of the great flood; and how God made a covenant with Noah and his descendants to never again bring a universal flood in judgement. The rainbow in the sky was given as the sign of this covenant.

What is the significance of this to you and me? God continued the race of mankind through Noah and his sons. Every man, woman and child on the face of the earth is a descendant of Noah! You are living proof that he existed!

Since the 1850’s, there have been numerous sightings of Noah’ ark on Mt Ararat, in north eastern Turkey. For centuries Mt Ararat has been known as the forbidden mountain. The ark rests in a glacier. On rare occasions when the ice begins to thaw out some of the ark becomes visible.

So do we believe God, or those who consider Noah’s ark and the great flood as a myth? Strange isn’t it that sea shells and marine fossils are found high up on mountain sides; all sorts of theories are postulated as to how they could have gotten there. The Scriptures give us a very clear indication as to how this came about.

Let’s be very clear as to why the great flood came. God saw the “...wickedness of man was great.”  Although the word man is in the singular, the context shows us that God is speaking of mankind in general; except for Noah. Are we better than that generation? Job 5:7 tells us, “Yet man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upwards.”  Romans 3:23 states, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Romans 6: 23 states, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Out eternal destiny is in our hands, each one of us has freedom of choice; to be safe like Noah, or perish in the judgement of God.

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version.]

Jon Peasey

Heaven or Hell

Having established in the last blog there is an afterlife; let us consider the two places of departed souls i.e. heaven or hell. You may say to me “I don’t believe in either place. I don’t believe that there is a heaven or a hell.” Ignorance is not bliss! If I tell you that the main street in Sydney, Australia is George Street; and you choose not to believe me, it does not alter the fact that George Street is the main street in Sydney.

Whether you believe there is a heaven or hell does not alter the fact that there is a heaven or hell. The real crux of the matter is whether you believe God, or not. I repeat ignorance is not bliss. God has informed us in the Bible of both places. There are numerous references in both the Old and New Testaments to heaven and hell (Hades). [Any Scriptures quoted will be from the New King James version of the Bible.]

What do the Scriptures tell us about hell? What sort of pictures does it create in our mind’s eye? Luke 16:23 reveals it is a place of intense heat. Luke 16:26 reveals it is a place of no escape. Mark 9:43, 44 describes hell as a place where, “Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” Dig up soil and watch a worm; it is always moving. It signifies the constant, unceasing torments. The unquenched fire signifies the heat and intensity of the torments. Matthew 8:12 describes hell as a place of outer darkness. 2 Peter 2:17 tells us of the blackness of darkness forever. Matthew 8:12 also tells us it is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. Weeping can be a sign of pain, or anguish, or remorse. Gnashing of teeth can be a sign of anger, or pain, or anguish, or frustration.

Whichever way you look at it; hell is not a good place to be. You sometimes hear people flippantly say, “I’ll have plenty of friends in hell.” That may be so, but they won’t be having a good time; and neither will you!

In John 5:28,29 the Lord Jesus Christ told the Jews, “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth – those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation (judgement).” Two resurrections are clearly foretold. Let’s consider the resurrection of judgement for those who have done evil; in other words the resurrection of those in hell.

Revelation 20:12-15 gives us a clear picture of this event. “And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

What an awful, solemn scene! This is the end result of dying in your sins. This is the end result of rejecting God’s offer of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.

What is resurrection? It is our spirit and soul reunited with our dead body. This is the explanation of Death and Hades delivering up the dead who were in them. The resurrected sinner stands before God to be judged. Consider carefully verse 14, “Then death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”

 

Physical death (of the body), and the soul and spirit in Hades (Hell) have been reunited in resurrection. After judgement of the resurrected sinner has been passed on them; the sinner is cast into the lake of fire. That is how Death and Hades are cast into the lake of fire; in the person of the sinner. The lake of fire is the second death. It is absolute – for all eternity! It is irreversible! There is no parole or pardon!

Can you grasp the enormity of this?

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What do the Scriptures tell us about heaven? The very first verse in the Bible tells us, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1). In Genesis 14:9 Melchizidech, King of Salem blesses Abram and reveals that God Most High is the Possessor of heaven and earth. The apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:2 tells us that, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago – whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows – such a one was caught up to the third heaven.” From this verse we learn there are three heavens.

The first heaven is the sky above us. The second heaven is the vast universe beyond us. The third heaven is the dwelling place of God. Psalms 16:11 states, “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures evermore.”  Jude verses 24 and 25 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Saviour, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.” 

There is great joy in heaven, in the presence of God. That is the portion of all the redeemed of mankind; those who take part in the resurrection of life, theirs’ is an eternal joy. They will live forever in the presence of God.

The alternative is truly horrendous!

Jon Peasey