Author: hillturnfs

BUDDHISM

In the dictionary the definition of religion is, “the belief in and worship of a God or gods,” with the key element being worship. If you believe in God and do nothing about it you don’t have a religion. When you believe in and obey your God and glorify him by giving him honor and the praise of your lips then you can say you have a “religion.” Buddhism is called a world religion but technically its not because Buddhists don’t believe in a supreme being we refer to as God. You could say Buddhists worship man as their god because they glorify themselves as the way to heaven. In the Buddhist system of faith each individual is to attain enlightenment on their own, which will result in their achieving eternal bliss.

Buddhism is an Indian religion based on the original teachings of Guatama Buddha, who lived between 600-400 BC. According to legend, Buddha sat under a Ficus tree meditating on the spiritual workings of the world when suddenly he attained the “Awakening” thereby gaining insight into the spiritual workings of all things. The beliefs, traditions and spiritual practices of Buddhism all originate from the Buddha, the “enlightened” one. Buddhism spread through much of Asia. Today Buddhism is worldwide with over 500 million followers which makes it the fourth largest religion in the world.

Buddhism is the dominant religion in Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Japan, Bhutan, Mongolia, Singapore, Malaysia, Laos, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong. Large Buddhist populations also live in China, India, Nepal, Australia, North and South Korea and the United States. Half of all Buddhists live in China and the U. S. has three and a half million Buddhists and the number is growing rapidly. The secular humanists are drawn to Buddhism because it reinforces their belief that man is the supreme being in the universe and there is no God.

Buddhism has three main branches: Theravada (The School of the Elders), Mahayana (The Great Vehicle) and Tibetan Buddhism. The goal of Buddhism is to overcome the suffering caused by the desire for and ignorance of reality’s true nature, including impermanence and the non-existence of self. Buddhists want you to believe this physical world isn’t real, it’s an illusion. Only the spiritual world is real. Buddhists want you to believe not only is there no God, but man doesn’t have a soul or eternal spirit that lives on. Buddhist traditions emphasize transcending the individual self through the attainment of Nirvana by following the path of Buddhahood thereby ending the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Nirvana is that state of total awareness of all spiritual truths that result in happiness and eternal bliss.

Through Buddha’s enlightenment he discovered four noble truths:

1.Dukkka – We cling to impermanent states and things. This causes dissatisfaction in our lives and leads to pain and suffering, which keeps us in Samsara, the reincarnation cycle, unless we achieve Nirvana (total happiness). The three marks of existence are “dukka”, impermanence and the non-self.” Buddhism, like other Indian religions, asserts that everything is impermanent, but, unlike the other Indian religions, Buddhism asserts there is no permanent self or soul in living beings.

Later Buddhists texts claim rebirth can occur in one of six realms, three good and three bad. The three good realms are heavenly, demi-god and human. The three bad realms are animal, hungry ghost and hellish. Which realm you go to for rebirth depends on your Karma, which simply means the actions or works you did during your lifetime, such as doing good deeds. My question is, if man has no soul or spirit what is it about us that is transferrable from one life to another? How can we be reborn from nothing? Buddhists solve that puzzle by saying it’s our consciousness that undergoes rebirth. That sounds a whole lot like an eternal soul or spirit to me.

2. Samudaya – Human misery originates within us because of our the inner craving for pleasure and our longing for being or non-being.

3. Niradhu – Man’s inner cravings and desires, which are causing so much misery in our lives, can be eliminated.

4. Magga – Eliminating man’s cravings and desires is the result of following a methodical way or path which will result in Nirvana, the state of restraint and self-control that ends the birth, death, and rebirth cycle of our lives (reincarnation). Nirvana is the state of spiritual release marked by our “emptiness” and the realization of the non-self. This “liberation” is supposed to bring the highest happiness and the state of eternal bliss. This is the Buddhist’s idea of heaven and it’s something they believe people can achieve on their own. Buddhists essentially believe that people are their own gods and can make their own happiness. There is no need for an external god when we can find heaven on our own. Buddhists can seek Buddhahood on their own or they can join a monastic community and become a monk and seek Nirvana that way.

Buddha’s teachings are called “dharma” and Buddha came up with five moral precepts that the faithful are to follow. Buddhists are prohibited from doing the following:

1.Killing living things.

2.Taking what is not given.

3.Sexual misconduct.

4.Lying.

5.Using drugs or alcohol.

Buddhists also follow the eightfold path to enlightenment:

1.Right view – wisdom

2.Right intention – wisdom

3.Right speech – moral virtues

4.Right action – moral virtues

5.Right livelihood – moral virtues

6.Right effort – meditation

7.Right mindfulness – meditation

8.Right concentration – meditation

If you look back at human history from the Garden of Eden to today one thing is obvious. Man cannot save himself. Throughout history man has been the cause of worldwide carnage, destruction and the slaughter of mankind through their endless wars. God had it right in the Bible when he said man would destroy themselves were it not for the Second Coming of Christ to save us. God put eternity in the hearts of men so that they would seek him out. God lets all men know there is something missing inside them, a void, that only God can fill. We all know it. We all feel it, whether we admit it or not. We can fool ourselves but we can’t fool God. Some will seek the true God and they’ll know it when they find him while most will deny God exists or they’ll go down a wrong path that seems good in their eyes but ultimately leads to hell.

No worldwide religion can flourish without supernatural help. The two supernatural beings at work in our world are God and Satan. All religions on earth are sponsored by one or the other. We know God is the author of Judaism and Christianity. Therefore all other religions are sponsored and nurtured by Satan in an effort to lead man away from the truth of God. Satan has put spiritual blinders on the nonbeliever so that the Bible is foolishness to them. Guatama Buddha was not a god or a prophet. Buddha was simply a man sitting under a tree until Satan whispered his lies in his ear an urged him to start a new religion.

Buddha died and was buried in a grave somewhere whereas Jesus Christ, the author of Christianity, is not in his grave. It is empty because he is risen, proving he is God. Jesus Christ ascended back to heaven where he now sits at the right hand of God the Father. Buddha claimed he was “enlightened” and for 2500 years others have been searching for this state of Nirvana but to my knowledge nobody else has found it. Everyone else is still searching for it and we’re supposed to take one man’s word for it that Nirvana exists. Have you ever heard of anyone achieving Nirvana? Is there any proof that any person has ever achieved Nirvana? I think not. There are no best selling books by Buddhists claiming what great things Buddhism has done for them. There are no proofs out there to support the Buddhist doctrines; no prophecies; no personal testimonies of the faith. Buddhism is a fake religion.

Psalm 14:1 – The fool has said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.

Psalm 14:3 – They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one.

Psalm 19:1 – The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.

Psalm 46:10 – Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

The business elites and Hollywood celebrities find it chic to flaunt their Buddhist religion before Jehovah, the one true God who made America great. Buddhism feeds their egos and lets them avoid any guilt for their sinful actions. They need to pull their head out of their rear end before it’s too late and seek God while he may be found or face the wrath of God on the last Day. Here is a partial list of celebrity Buddhists:

Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Orlando Bloom, Jennifer Aniston, Goldie Hawn, and Jeff Bridges.

Bill Clinton, Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Ma, Steve Jobs, William Ford, and Steve & Elaine Wynn.

Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Lopez, Sara Jessica Parker, Richard Gere, Sharon Stone, and Sting.

Uma Thurman, Steven Segal, Kate Hudson, Kate Bosworth, Jackie Chan, and Patrick Duffy.

Tina Turner, K D Lang, Alanis Morissette, Herbie Hancock, Boy George, and David Bowie.

John Cleese, Penelope Cruz, George Takei, Dennis Weaver, Naomi Watts, and Jet Li.

George Lucas, Oliver Stone, Tiger Woods, Jack Dorsey, Alez Rodriguez, and Ron Reagan.

HINDUISM

All the people in ancient times worshipped many gods and they had their temples of worship and also shrines set up in their homes where they placed their own set of family gods; idols made of wood, metal and stone. The worship of many gods we refer to as paganism and the followers we call pagans. Then Jehovah God spoke to Abram in Ur of the Chaldees and told him to stop his idol worship and come worship the one true God and be the father of God’s chosen people. For several thousands years the Jewish people were the only people in the world who worshipped one God. All the rest were pagan peoples worshipping many gods. In modern times that script has flipped. All the current world religions, save one, worship one god and in each religion their one god is exclusive; meaning salvation and heaven is their sole domain and all the people of other religions are going to hell. It’s that way with Christianity and with Islam, the two largest religions in the world.

You’ve heard the saying, “a rose by any other name is still a rose.” Hinduism is just the politically correct term we use today for what is essentially “paganism.” Hindus are really nothing more than pagans. Pagans of the ancient world worshipped a whole pantheon of gods, as do the Hindus of today. Hindus worship a thousand different gods. Each Hindu chooses their own set of major and minor deities they worship in their temples as well as personal shrines they set up in their homes. Hindus will be the first to tell you that Hinduism is not a religion but a, “way of life.” Just as the word paganism doesn’t refer to any particular religion but to a collection of peoples who worship many gods, the word Hinduism is not really a religion but refers to a collection of peoples who also worship many gods. You can call yourself a Hindu and worship one god, many gods or no god at all.

Hinduism is the name we give to a vast and diverse family of religions that started some time between 600-300 BC and then evolved into what we have today. Hinduism is a collection of diverse systems of thought with a range of philosophies, practices, rituals and shared concepts. Hinduism is a religious smorgasbord, a buffet, where you can pick out what you want to believe, what gods you want to worship and in what manner. Hinduism is a hodgepodge of religious beliefs built up over several thousand years, primarily because there is no one founder of Hinduism. Hinduism doesn’t have a religious hierarchy, no governing body and no holy book to follow. Hinduism is the world’s third largest religion with over one and a quarter billion followers scattered over the whole world.

India has 1.3 billion people, 79% of which are Hindus. Hinduism is the state religion of India. In Indian law Hinduism is defines as, “acceptance of the Vedas with reverence; recognition of the fact that the means or ways to salvation are diverse and the realization of the truth that the number of gods to be worshipped is large.” Vedas are the Hindu sacred scriptures of universal truths developed over the centuries by the followers of Hinduism and accepted by the faithful. Hinduism is also the most widely professed faith in Nepal and Mauritius. Hinduism is the second fastest growing religion in the world (17% yearly) behind only Islam. Hinduism is attractive to the secular, humanist world because it is all things to all people. Hindus are free to believe anything they want to, worship any god they choose and in any manner they desire and they have a thousand gods to choose from. When you have a thousand gods you have no God.

I can kind of understand the pagans in ancient times worshipping multiple gods because people back then were superstitious, there was no reading or writing of any kind and knowledge of the world was very limited. They just didn’t know any better. The Hindus, on the other hand, have no excuse for not knowing God. With the knowledge explosion we have today the Hindus have no excuse for their pagan worship practices. Jehovah, the one true God, has made himself known by the universe he created and he has provided us with his written Word, our Holy Bible. Does anyone in this day and age really believe there are thousands of gods out there? Give me a break! A child could figure that out without help.

The Hindu concept of god is complex and depends on each individual and the particular tradition and philosophy followed. Hinduism is sometimes referred to as henotheistic, which means devotion to a single god while accepting the existence of other gods. Hinduism has no central doctrinal authority and many practicing Hindus do not claim to belong to any particular denomination or tradition. Hinduism has four main denominations, each with a main god or gods they worship and there are at least eight other major deities. Hindus have at least six major philosophies and are free to mix and match whatever philosophy they want to apply to whichever god they choose to worship. The religious tent of Hinduism is very large and it covers a wide spectrum of religious beliefs. You could even be an atheist if you wanted to and still claim to be Hindu, with your own set of traditions you establish and follow. Hindus in general believe the soul is indestructible so they see death as insignificant with respect to the cosmic self. Life is cheap. Within Hinduism, some schools expect eternity in heaven. Others expect their souls to become one with Brahman and the universal soul. Still others see all humans evolving into a perfect state of being.

Four main denominations of Hinduism:

1. Vaishnavism – Hindu believers who mainly worship the god Vishnu (67.6%).

2. Shaivism – Hindu believers who mainly worship the god Shiva (26.6%).

3. Shaktism – Hindu worshippers who worship the goddess Shakti (3.2%). Hindus have the strongest presence of the divine feminine in world religion from ancient times to the present.

4. Smartism – Hindus who equally worship all three of the god listed above along with at least three other main deities (Ganesha, Surya and Skanda).

Hindus tend to break society down into classes, which is why the caste system still exists in India today to some degree. Classical Hindu thought accepts four proper goals in life:

1.Dhama – (religiousness, ethics) – The foremost goal of Hinduism. The “right way of living” by pursuing all that is good, virtuous and right in the world.

2. Artha – (livelihood, wealth) – The virtuous pursuit of wealth for livelihood, obligation and economic prosperity. This is one reason Indian nationals are such good businessmen.

3. Moksa – (liberation, freedom from samsara) – Liberation from sorrow, suffering, and the birth-rebirth cycle. Most Hindus believe in reincarnation and you return based on what you did in your previous life. So if you’re a bad person you could die and come back as a cow? Since cows are dumb as a rock how on earth can you be a good cow and go back up the ladder to become a person again? Reincarnation is just a crock of BS! Don’t even waste time considering it. The Bible is clear that everyone is appointed once to die and then the judgment.

4. Karma and samsara – (action, work or deed) – This is the Vedic theory of, “moral law of cause and effect.” A person’s present circumstances as it relates to actions in the past life. This cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth is called samsara. We refer to it as reincarnation.

Hinduism is an anything goes religion. There is no eternal punishment for sins committed in the flesh so adherents feel free to do anything to anyone and it’s okay. While Hinduism talks a good game about virtuous living, in reality that is just talk with no action. Hinduism is so diverse there is no central moral thread of decency to pull society together. We see that in India today where there is no sense of individual or national moral outrage when twenty men who don’t know each other can get together and rape a helpless woman in the back of a city bus and then go about their business afterwards without any feelings of shame or fear of legal reprisal. We also see that Hindu mindset in India when every year over a thousand young women are set on fire and killed by their husbands or their husband’s family because they want to either divorce them or get rid of them so they can remarry to get another dowry price. There’s no shame by any of these Hindu perpetrators and Hinduism doesn’t prescribe any societal repercussions for such actions. Nobody in India gets prosecuted for burning someone to death and that’s morally repugnant.

Only in India could you have something as evil as the Hindu caste system exist and flourish where people are permanently born into a certain class of society and never allowed to better themselves. And then we have the spectacle of over 300 women in India getting sulphuric acid thrown in their faces every year which permanently disfigures them and sometimes even kills them. All done by Hindu men, usually angry husbands or spurned suitors or lovers. Nobody is prosecuted for these heinous crimes of passion so people keep on doing it every year because they can get away with it. There’s no shame and no accountability. Where is the moral outrage of the nation? Where is the punishment?

In summary, Hinduism is not a religion. Hinduism is just a politically correct name we use today for what we once referred to as “paganism”. Hindus are pagans who worship a number of different gods (upwards of 1000) with idols made of wood, stone and metal. Hinduism has no established spiritual truths, no doctrinal authority, no holy book and no one founder. Hinduism lets believers believe in one god, numerous gods or no god at all. Hinduism lets believers set up their own religious rituals and practices as they see fit. Hinduism is a no-fault religion because there is no penalty for sinful living. Everyone does what’s right in their own eyes, which is what God said would happen.

Whenever you hear the word Hindu from now on just say to yourself “pagan” and you’ll have the right perspective. Jehovah God is the one true God and creator of all. God’s first commandment to man was, “You shall have no other Gods before Me.” The Hindus have thousands of false gods before God’s face. God’s second commandment to man was, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image – any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me.” Hindus have idols of wood, metal and stone set up in their home shrines.

Let me translate that for you. If you’re a Hindu worshipping false gods then the true God, Jehovah, will take that to mean you hate him. If you hate God you’re an abomination in the Lord’s sight, which means God hates you back. Those who hate God, and those whom God hates, will be resurrected bodily to stand in judgment before the Great White Throne of Jesus Christ on the last Day. That means these haters of God ( all nonbelievers) will be grabbed by an angel of God and physically thrown into the lake of fire forever. A thousand billion years is just the blink of an eye in eternity. There’s still time to change your eternal destination as long as you have a breath in you but you need to hurry and act right now before it’s too late. You’re only a heartbeat away from finding out what I’ve been telling you is true. You’ve been warned, which is all I can do. I’m a watcher on the wall and I consider it my duty to speak the truth of God to all who will listen. The rest I leave up to you. For those who have ears, let them hear! For those who have eyes, let them see! Amen.

Isaiah 45:5 – I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me.

Isaiah 46:9 – Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me.

Joshua 24:23 – Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.

Isaiah 45:22 – Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.

Hosea 13:4 – Yet I am the Lord your God…there is no Savior besides Me.

Isaiah 32:11 – I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no Savior.

Psalm 95:6 – Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

THE CHURCH OF CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS

The thirteen articles of faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (cont’d):

6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

If you’re going to make something up you should at least put a little effort into it instead of taking what already exists and then saying ditto somewhere else. The chances of two religious organizations evolving exactly the same way on two separate continents is exactly zero. The Mormons in this article are making the claim that a primitive church existed in America from 2200 BC to 420 AD with an identical religious organization as what existed in Christian churches in Europe and Asia. I don’t know how they can make that claim with a straight face. The Mormons say Jesus was in both locations which the Bible refutes.

Genesis 2:7 – And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

Isaiah 44:24 – Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and He who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, who makes all things, who stretches out the heavens all alone, who spreads abroad the earth by Myself.

Isaiah 5:20 – Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

7. We believe in the gifts of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.

Any time you end any statement with “and so forth” it means you can make up anything you want and add it later and say it was a part of this article of faith. The Holy Bible confirms these gifts are distributed by the Holy Spirit to believers at his discretion. The problem I see is someone lying about having a gift in order to fool people.

Psalm 46:10 – Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

Psalm 14:3 – They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one.

Isaiah 45:5 – I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me.

8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

The Mormons believe in the Bible as long as it has been changed to include verses translated to their liking. The Mormons don’t tell us how much of the Bible they believe and how much they have changed to fit their preconceived religious ideas. What is obvious is that Mormons don’t see the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. The 66 books of the Bible were carefully vetted over 1500 years ago as the complete revelation of God. The canon was officially closed. That means Christians will not acknowledge any other writings as inspired by God. The Book of Mormon was written in the early 1800’s by Joseph Smith and never adopted as Scripture by Christian scholars so it’s obviously not a further revelation from God. The Mormons have the audacity to claim they have two additional books that are also holy Scriptures from God, namely, “Doctrines and Covenants” and “The Pearl of Great Price.”

Deuteronomy 32:3-4 – For I proclaim the name of the Lord: Ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.

Proverbs 23:12 – Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge.

Daniel 12:2-3 – And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.

9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

Can you imagine God making such a vague and inept statement? I can’t. This article says nothing but allows Mormons to make up anything they want later to support their cult. This is classic double-speak all the way which allows anyone to delude themselves and believe whatever they want to believe. Satan must be laughing his ass off over this one.

Isaiah 46:9 – Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me.

Zechariah 12:1 – The Lord, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him.

Psalm 104:24 – O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions.

10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent, that Christ will reign personally upon the earth, and that the earth will be renewed and receive paradisiacal glory.

Some of this is confirmed in the Bible. Israel has twelve tribes not ten. Jerusalem is the city of God and Jesus will rule from there and not somewhere in America. New Jerusalem will be built by God and come down from heaven to hover over Jerusalem not somewhere in America. Mormons badly want the spiritual universe to revolve around America but history and the Bible clearly shows that’s not the case.

Joshua 24:23 – Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.

Isaiah 42:8 – I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another.

Proverbs 12:15 – The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise.

11. We claim the privilege of worshipping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

I find this article personally offensive. We worship God how he says to worship him in the Bible. Anything else is a stench in God’s nostrils and those who dishonor God will feel his wrath on the last Day. The Mormons in a roundabout way are admitting they don’t believe in the gospel of Christ. To Mormons truth is a moving target. Truth is determined by feelings. When people oppose Mormon beliefs it confirms to Mormons that their beliefs must be true. What hogwash! Anyone who has been raised a Mormon is probably already brainwashed anyway because Mormons are only allowed to read church-approved material. Mormons are taught to disregard any information that opposes their faith even if the arguments seem reasonable. Mormonism has protected itself on all sides from criticism and outside influence. It’s very difficult to argue with a Mormon about faith.

Joshua 24:15 – Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 – Fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.

Proverbs 28:9 – One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.

12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

The Bible says we’re to obey civil authority because it was established by God and the Mormons are simply confirming what the Bible says. Where civil authority conflicts with the commandments of God, we are to obey God. The Mormons don’t make that distinction.

Isaiah 45:22 – Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.

Hosea 13:4 – Yet I am the LORD your God … there is no Savior besides Me.

Isaiah 43:11 – I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no Savior.

13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul – We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

Claiming Christian attributes doesn’t make them yours. If you believe in “all things” then you don’t stand for anything. You go where the wind blows, or in the case of Mormon’s, you do what you “feel” is right instead of obeying the commands of God that are contained in an unredacted Bible. If Mormons actually sought what was praiseworthy they would compare the Bible with their Book of Mormon and see they are totally different books at odds with each other. The Bible is the word of God and full of wisdom. The Book of Mormon is nothing more than the ravings of a lunatic, a religious crackpot and the first false prophet on the American continent. Jospeh Smith has a special place in hell for leading his followers down the path to perdition. Look how many times in his Word God tells us not only is he God, but he’s the only God. Are any Mormons out there paying attention? Mormons who currently think they’ll become gods in the next life and rule a planet are in for a rude awakening on judgment Day. When they look up and see the Great White Thone they’ll know then their fate is sealed and the lake of fire is their destination forever.

Psalm 95:6 – Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

Psalm 29:2 – Give unto the Lord the glory due His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Proverbs 14:25 – A true witness delivers souls, but a deceitful witness speaks lies.

THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS

The followers of this church refer to themselves as Mormons. This church was started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York in 1830. Joseph Smith was killed by an angry mob in 1844 and the Mormon church then splintered into at least four different sects. The largest sect chose Brigham Young as their new leader and he moved his followers to Utah. The other three sects promoted polygamy but Brigham Young’s group outlawed it. Mormons number over 14 million worldwide with a little more than half living outside the United States. The Latter Day Saints (LDS) are the fourth largest religious body in the U. S. Mormons are in 185 countries around the world. The large growth of the Mormon church can be attributed to their missionary work around the world. Young unmarried Mormons between the ages of 19-22 are expected to go on two year missions to preach the gospel of Mormon. Mormons believe they must convert the whole world to Mormonism.

John 1:1,14 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

The Latter Day Saints are a very dangerous satanic cult because they mimic Christianity very successfully. They pass the eye test. Mormons are always neat, clean and well groomed and they present the perfect picture of family values to the world. The LDS claim they are a Christian denomination. Mormons put Jesus Christ in the name of their church to convince themselves and everyone else that they’re a legitimate Christian denomination but they aren’t. Mormons believe since Christ’s name is in their church they’re the one true church of God. Mormons believe they’re assured of salvation just by being members of the Mormon church. Mormons say the Bible is God’s Word but they also say their Book of Mormon is also holy Scriptures from God through their prophet Joseph Smith. Mormons believe the Book of Mormon is a further revelation of Jesus Christ’s work on the American continent between 2200 BC to 420 AD. Mormons have two other books they also claim are holy works from God, namely, “Doctrines and Covenants” and “The Pearl of Great Price.” God makes it clear his Word is the only revelation of God.

Revelation 22:18-19 – For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Joseph Smith said the angel Moroni visited him in 1823 and told him of an ancient record of Jesus’ life in America. Joseph Smith said he found that record and translated it into the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith mentions the name of Jesus Christ over 4000 times in the Book of Mormon in an effort to give it legitimacy. Joseph Smith also said Jews lived in America during this earlier time which is impossible since the Bible gives us a detailed record of Jewish history, none of which is in America. Of course no physical record was ever produced as evidence of his made up story and absolutely no other archeological or historical evidence supports Joseph Smith’s story of Jesus in America. We are supposed to take one man’s word that his religion is the true religion with no proof whatsoever.

Romans 10:17 – So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

In 1842, two years before his death, Joseph Smith published the thirteen, “articles of faith” of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. When Mormons go on their missionary assignments they have copies of the thirteen articles of their faith to hand out to those they’re trying to convert. The articles of faith look good on the surface but they don’t say what the cult really believes and those who don’t know the Christian Bible that well are easily fooled. They don’t understand that Mormonism is actually a satanic cult that will lead them straight to hell. First of all, no real Christian church denomination would have started as late as 1830. That’s a red flag right there. After almost 2000 years there are no new revelations from God. The sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross is a finished work. Jesus was the last prophet of God, who now reveals himself through his Son Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 1:2 – God has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom He made the worlds.

The true Christian church started shortly after the death of Jesus, which then became the Catholic church. Protestant denominations spun off from the Catholic church, which had become corrupt, starting with Martin Luther in 1517. Protestants had slight differences of opinion when interpreting the Bible which led to the establishment of different Christian denominations but at least they all still believed in the gospel of Christ and other core beliefs of Christianity. All of the Protestant denominations believe the Holy Bible is the only true Word of God. There’s no way God would wait 1900 years to reveal additional Scripture to us. God’s Word is a complete work. Joseph Smith claimed to be a prophet of God but there is no need for any prophet after Jesus. Therefore, anyone who claims to be a prophet after Jesus is a false prophet and he’ll feel the wrath of God on the last Day for stealing God’s glory and leading people down the path to damnation.

Romans 5:1 – Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

These are the thirteen articles of faith for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints:

1. We believe in God, the eternal Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

This sounds really good and is meant to convince everyone Mormons are just another Christian denomination. Wrong. It’s all in the details they don’t tell you. Mormons throw out names and terms familiar to Christians but what they don’t tell you is their definitions for these words differ from what Christians believe them to mean. Mormons don’t tell you they believe God was once a man who lived on another planet who then progressed by obedience to the laws on his world. He died, was resurrected, and evolved to become a god. Mormons don’t tell you they believe God has a flesh and blood body and is married. Mormons believe Jesus was begotten by a physical union between God and Mary. They actually believe God and Mary had sex. What utter blasphemy! At birth the spirit of Jesus supposedly entered the body of the child God created with Mary. We know from the Bible that Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit. Mormons believe they will follow in God’s footsteps by gradually progressing to perfection by following their laws and ordinances and then they will become gods and goddesses themselves and will create spirit children which will people other worlds. Those who believe this load of bull will feel the wrath of God on the last Day. Check out exmormon.org for more on this.

Romans 10:9 – That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:13 – For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.

One of the central tenets of the Christian faith is that Adam’s original sin was imputed to all men who came after, which gives us all a sin nature at birth that can only be removed by the precious blood of Christ, which was shed for us at Calvary for all who believe in his name. The point of Christianity is that men will not be punished for their sins on earth if they accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This article is misleading because it’s only partly true. Only the nonbeliever will be punished for their sins (plus Adam’s original sin). Mormons don’t believe in hell even though the Bible mentions a physical hell more than 300 times. Mormons believe they are co-eternal with God and have existed for all eternity. Mormons believe we were given our spirit bodies in heaven by our eternal parents and not God. Mormons believe we have been around God forever but he has simply progressed into a god ahead of us. Mormons don’t believe God made us in his image. Mormons see God as more of an elder brother than the Creator.

Romans 5:12 – Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.

Romans 5:17 – For if by one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.

Salvation unto eternal life is by faith alone. The true gospel of Christ has no ordinances or laws that need to be followed. Those are merely the created devices of men who seek to control other people with their lies. Mormons are referring to the gospel of Mormon not the gospel of Christ. Mormons are saying because of Jesus’ death their ordinances and laws are now in effect and can be used to save people. Mormons are saying the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross was not sufficient for our salvation by itself but it needed the further application of Mormon ordinances and laws to be truly saved. The Bible is crystal clear salvation is by faith alone; faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Galatians 2:21 – I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.

Romans 3:20 – Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Vague words that sound good but signify nothing. They never identify the gospel of Christ but use the gospel in the context they believe in but don’t explain (gospel of Mormon). Repentance means to make the conscious decision to turn away from sin and to turn to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The Mormons don’t give any details as to what they mean by the word repentance so how can we judge what they believe? The Mormons believe you can have your sins forgiven by Baptism which is clearly refuted in the Bible. Baptism is the outward expression of the saving faith the believer already has by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Have you noticed the Mormon doctrine avoids saying anything about accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior because they want salvation and all authority to run through them. Mormons like to wave the name of Jesus Christ in front of you like a shiny object to distract you from the fact that none of their beliefs are in any way aligned with those of legitimate Christian denominations. Mormons are frauds! When the believer is saved the Holy Spirit automatically imparts to each person a special gift or gifts to help them in their walk with God. The laying on of hands is unnecessary for these gifts from God.

Galatians 3:11 – But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”

Romans 3:28 – Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.

5. We believe that a man must be called by God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the gospel, and administer in the ordinances thereof.

It’s true men are called to faith by God and I guess you could construe that as a kind of prophecy from the Holy Bible. However, the Mormon church fathers are unscriptural to say only they can save people and that by the laying on of hands. They are setting themselves up to be God and stealing God’s glory. Woe unto them! The Mormons go to great lengths to keep from telling you the gospel of Mormon is not the gospel of Christ. They’re trying to snooker us into believing they’re the real deal but they’re fake. The Mormons think church ordinances are necessary for salvation and those ordinances are available exclusively in Mormon temples. Christ came to do away with the laws of men but the Mormons simply don’t see it.

You can clearly see the footprints of sinful man all over the doctrine of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints as well as a lot of wishful thinking. Joseph Smith was certainly not the prophet he claimed to be and he obviously didn’t understand the concept of the Trinity. God the Father is God. Jesus Christ the Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. All three are the one divine essence of God manifest in three distinct persons. Like all cults, the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints claims the only way to reach heaven is to be a member of their church. They have the audacity to use the holy name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, as part of the name of their satanic cult. I would not want to be a Mormon standing before Jesus Christ at the Great White Throne judgment on the last Day.

Galatians 2:16 – Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

I’m starting a new blog series to identify the major fake religions in the world and the false gods they promote. Satan is the god of this world and he has sponsored every one of the world’s fake religions in an effort to confuse the masses and lead people away from the truth of God and his saving grace. To the nonbeliever the Bible is foolishness. Satan has blinded the nonbeliever to the truth of God’s Word. Satan has been doing a pretty good job of it because the vast majority of the people on earth have been completely fooled by Satan and without a witness for the truth of God they’ll follow those satanic cults straight to hell when they die and they’ll ultimately wind up in the lake of fire for all eternity. There’s only one God and Jehovah is his name. God has many names and all of them can be used to worship him. Christianity is the only true religion. Accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior is the only path to salvation and eternal life in heaven. All of the other world religions are fakes and all the other gods are false. Let’s discuss those fake religions:

JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES

The Jehovah’s Witnesses movement started in the 1870’s in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (near Pittsburgh). A group of Bible students led by Charles Taze Russell started having regular Bible study and they started publishing their findings in a journal which was called, “The Watch Tower – Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom.” From that small beginning this cult has grown to over eight and a half million followers. They have over 120,000 congregations in virtually every country in the world. Jehovah’s Witnesses put a priority on witnessing for the faith and gaining new converts. Jehovah’s Witnesses is a top down religion with all doctrinal decisions made by the governing body at denomination headquarters. All of the followers are expected to toe the line and obey whatever the governing body decides. They even have their own Bible translation and study guide to tell you what the Bible says, in their opinion. Jehovah’s Witnesses refer to the New Testament as the Greek Scriptures and the Old Testament as the Hebrew Scriptures.

Luke 1:47 – (Mary speaking about Jesus) – And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

John 1:1,14 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

What do Jehovah’s Witnesses believe? They believe God the Father is named Jehovah and he is the only God. They believe Jesus Christ is his firstborn son and inferior to God and, in fact, was created by God. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe since God created Jesus he had a beginning and cannot be eternal and is therefore not divine. If Jesus doesn’t have eternal life neither do we. They also believe the Holy Spirit is not a person but is God’s active force. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in the triune Godhead, but that Jehovah alone is God. They also don’t believe in a physical hell where sinners are punished forever. They don’t think a loving God could be so cruel as to punish someone forever. Jehovah’s Witnesses ignore parts of the Bible that don’t agree with their preconceived notions of how things are.

John 14:9 – (Jesus speaking) – He who has seen Me has seen the Father.

John 10:30 – (Jesus speaking) – I and My Father are one.

John 5:28-28 – (Jesus speaking) – 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.

Jehovah’s Witnesses do believe Jesus came to earth and died for the sins of men. They insist Jesus died on a stake and not a cross because they believe the cross is a pagan symbol. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus was resurrected spiritually but not bodily and that God has appointed Jesus to judge all men for their sins. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in annihilationism; that when a person dies their existence stops, that God “uncreated” them. There is no need for hell if everyone is destroyed at death. God can remember each person and he will resurrect some of them at his discretion, which they think God will do for the 144,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses who have been anointed by God. Jehovah’s Witnesses point to the following two Scriptures to prove everyone is destroyed at death:

Ecclesiastes 9:5 – For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 – Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

There are hundreds of Scriptures in the Bible that refute the two Scriptures above that were misinterpreted and taken out of context. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe the “end times” started in 1914 when they say Satan was thrown to earth by God. They believe when the end comes only 144,000 people will go to heaven to rule the world with Christ. These 144,000 people who will go to heaven will all be Jehovah’s Witnesses, who are referred to as the “anointed.” These anointed know who they are from God and they self-identify themselves to the church and only they are allowed to partake of the bread and wine at the annual memorial to Christ’s death. That means the majority of Jehovah’s Witnesses aren’t anointed and bound for heaven but will spend eternity in paradise on earth. When Jesus does establish his kingdom on earth he will destroy all non-witnesses.

John 6:47 – (Jesus speaking) – Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.

John 11:25-26 – (Jesus speaking) – I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.

Jehovah’s Witnesses claim to be the only true religion and therefore they refuse all relations with other religious denominations. They believe the Bible doesn’t belong to individuals and cannot be properly understood without guidance by the “governing body” of the church. Loyalty to the “governing body” is equated to be the same thing as loyalty to God. They don’t believe God is omnipresent but has a set location in heaven. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus and the archangel Michael are the same person and hell is nothing more than the, “common grave of mankind.”

Psalm 86:13 – For great is Your mercy toward me, and You have delivered my soul from the depth of Sheol.

Psalm 16:10 – For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

For Jehovah’s Witnesses salvation is dependent on complying with a set of conditions for entry into heaven. You must be baptized. You must have accurate knowledge of Bible truth (their version). You must adhere to God’s standard of conduct and morality (their view). You must always use the name “Jehovah” for God in worship. You must be a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses church. You must actively support (financially) the “anointed” members who will make up the 144,000 who will go to heaven to help Jesus rule. Jehovah’s Witnesses discourage higher education for their members in favor of them preparing to preach for the faith in order to gain new members.

Isaiah 42:8 – I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another.

Matthew 10:28 – (Jesus speaking) – And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Like all fake religions, Jehovah’s Witnesses pull out single verses of Scripture that are vague and twist it to mean what they want it to mean. They don’t look at the surrounding verses to try to understand the true context of the verse or verses and the true meaning. They never verify their spiritual truths elsewhere in the Bible. Spiritual truths and doctrines of faith are always mentions multiple times and in multiple places in the Bible to make sure we don’t miss them. They also conveniently ignore information in the Bible that contradicts their preconceived beliefs. Jehovah’s Witnesses say you must address God only as “Jehovah” when you worship him or you won’t go to heaven. God has many names and we are free to use any of them to worship God. Jehovah’s Witnesses say there is no physical hell (sheol) based on the following two Scriptures yet they ignore where the Bible mentions a physical hell over 300 times:

Psalm 37:9 – For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.

Psalm 145:20 – The Lord preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.

The same Hebrew word “karath”, translated “cut off” in Psalm 37:9 is also used in reference to the crucifixion of the Messiah as prophesied in Daniel 9:26. Christ was certainly not annihilated at Calvary. In Psalm 145:20 the identical Hebrew word rendered “destroy” is found describing the punishment of both Egypt (Ex. 10:7) and Israel (Hosea 13:9), neither of which nation has yet to suffer annihilation. The Bible refutes the theory of annihilation in numerous places:

Matthew 25:46 – (Jesus speaking about unbelievers) – And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

Revelation 14:11 – And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.

Theologians and Bible scholars have studied the Bible for 2000 years and it’s highly unlikely any new spiritual truths will emerge at this late stage. Are we to believe a novice group of Bible study students stumbled upon previously undiscovered truths about God? It’s preposterous! Every scripture used to support the tenets of the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith has been taken out of context and are therefore not valid. They are by definition a fake religion. Jehovah’s Witnesses totally ignore the thousands of Scriptures where a capitalized pronoun or other name refers to Jesus and the Holy Spirit as divine persons. How on earth Jehovah’s Witnesses can honestly say Jesus and the Holy Spirit are not the equal of God is beyond me. They are unaware that both Jesus and the Holy Spirit are God.

Proverbs 14:25 – A true witness delivers souls, but a deceitful witness speaks lies.

Hebrews 9:27 – And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.

We’ve seen how flimsy the doctrinal evidence is for the Jehovah’s Witnesses position on the destruction of all flesh upon death and the existence of hell. That same superficial effort applies to all their spiritual positions. The Bible has numerous Scriptures that make it clear Jesus and the Holy Spirit are both divine and a part of the triune Godhead. If Jesus was not resurrected bodily then we have no hope of resurrection for ourselves. The Bible refutes the unscriptural doctrine of the Jehovah’s Witnesses that Jesus’ resurrection was in spirit only. The Jehovah’s Witnesses just don’t get it. Jesus is God. The Holy Spirit is God. The 144,000 men of God mentioned in the Bible are clearly Jewish men who preach the gospel in the end times and not the anointed of the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith. The Bible is clear there will be millions of believers in heaven and not just 144,000. If you don’t believe Jesus Christ is God you won’t see heaven so all Jehovah’s Witnesses are headed to hell.

2 Peter 2:4 – God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment.

Any time you read the Bible you need to interpret the books in the context of the society, culture and time in which they were written, along with the intended audience. The New Testament is almost 2000 years old and the Old Testament is much older (1400 BC to 400 BC). The Bible uses parables, metaphors and analogies that were recognized and understood by the people living in the times the Scriptures were written. Let’s use the bema judgement seat of Christ as a good example. People living today don’t have a clue what that means but the people living in Palestine in the first century knew exactly what was meant by the term, “bema judgment seat.” That’s why the Apostle Paul used it in his analogy of Jesus judging all believers after they are in heaven.

Acts 12:21 – So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them.

Acts 18:12 – When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat.

In ancient times, the “bema” was a step or platform used in political and athletic arenas. Earthly bemas were raised platforms on which rulers or judges sat to make speeches or adjudicate legal cases. In sporting events the umpire or judge presided from a raised platform which was also called the bema seat. From there he watched the games and awarded prizes to the winners. When Pilate condemned Jesus to crucifixion he did it from the bema judgment seat. In the Roman coliseum Caesar sat on the bema judgment seat and gave a thumbs up or thumbs down to indicate whether the losing gladiator lived or died.

Jeremiah 17:10 – I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.

Matthew 5:16 – (Jesus speaking) – Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

There were two characteristics of the bema judgment seat that people today don’t realize but everyone in Jesus’ day fully understood them. First, the person in the bema seat doing the judging had “authority” given to him by a higher authority or the ruler. Pilate’s authority, for instance, came directly from Caesar. Jesus’ authority came directly from God. Second, the decision of the judge sitting on the bema judgment seat was final. No appeal was possible. All the men who have ever lived will have to appear before Jesus Christ for judgment. Nobody will have to appear before Allah or any of the other false gods because they’re all fake. Jesus Christ is the one true righteous judge of mankind. God made us all. We belong to God. When Jesus died for our sins God committed all judgment of man to his Son based on Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross for us. God did this because of his love, mercy and justice.

John 5:26-27 – (Jesus speaking) – For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.

Jeremiah 32:19 – You are great in counsel and mighty in work, for your eyes are open to the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings.

Jesus Christ is the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Lamb of God who died and rose again. He who was judged has the right to judge all humanity because he is both the Sovereign and the Savior. The Bible says that Jesus is the “righteous judge,” and therefore all of his judgments will be fair and they will be final. Like the Father, Jesus will also judge, “without respect of persons.” The attributes of Jesus Christ as the Son of God guarantee that all the evidence will be gathered and carefully evaluated whether you’re the Pope or a poor beggar on the street. Everyone will get equal treatment and all will be treated fairly. Everyone will get exactly what they deserve for their works done in the body.

2 Corinthians 8:12 – For if there is first a willing mind, it is acceptable according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.

2 Corinthians 5:21 – For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Romans 8:1 – There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit.

Some confusion about the judgment of all men by Jesus Christ stems from the fact there’s not one judgment but two judgments, at two different times for two different groups of people. Jesus will first judge all believers in heaven at the bema judgment seat of Christ to hand out rewards earned by good works on earth. The judgment of the righteous will result in more or less rewards in proportion to their faithfulness in obeying the commands of God.. The judgment of believers will occur after Jesus raptures the church and takes all believers to heaven and before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to judge the nations and set up his 1000 year millennial kingdom on the earth. The judgment of all nonbelievers will be at the end of this 1000 year reign of Christ in what is referred to as the Great White Throne judgment. This judgment of the wicked at the end of human history will result in suffering that is proportional to their wickedness.

Luke 19:17 – Well done good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.

2 Timothy 4:8 – Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

2 Corinthians 5:10 – For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

In 2 Corinthians 5:10, the Apostle Paul is making reference to both of Jesus’ coming judgments of man; one for the believer and one for the nonbeliever. Paul says Jesus will judge the, “good things done in the body,” at the bema judgment seat for all believers and that Jesus will judge the, “bad things done in the body,” at the Great White Throne judgment reserved for all nonbelievers. All believers standing before the bema judgment seat will be rewarded while nonbelievers standing before the Great White Throne will be judged and condemned before being thrown into the lake of fire forever.

Romans 5:1 – Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:17 – And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear.

Before God laid the foundation of the world he knew us and he knew who would accept his grace unto salvation so he prepared good works for believers to do while they’re here on earth. At the bema judgment seat we should fully expect that Jesus will examine our faithfulness in completing those good works that God prepared for us. It’s just common sense. Since all of our sin was judged at the cross we’ll only be judged at the bema judgment seat of Christ on our good works done after salvation. When you pray to God ask him to reveal the good works you are to do down here. One good work all believers are commanded to do is help the poor. The evaluation of the believer’s works will include the works themselves, the quality with which they have been done, and the motivation of the heart. The power to produce good works comes directly from God. Don’t do good works for the adulation of men but for the love of God. You can be sure that God keeps track of all that has been done for him.

Ephesians 2:10 – For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Luke 14:13-14 – (Jesus speaking) – But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be paid at the resurrection of the just.

Malachi 3:16 – Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who feared the Lord and who meditate on His name.

2 Philippians 2:13 – For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure,

Have you ever fantasized what it would feel like to be an Olympic champion? Just imagine yourself winning your race in whatever sport is your passion. You mount the podium inside the stadium with 100,000 people cheering for you. Around the world millions more are watching you on television. Flags are flying, cameras are flashing and the national anthem is playing as the gold medal is placed around your neck. You are the best in the world and you’ve just received your reward for all the sacrifice, training and hard work you put into it. I’ve got news for you. If you’re a Christian believer who has accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior then you too will experience a thrill similar to that of an Olympic champion, only much better.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25 – Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.

Hebrews 12:1 – Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

When believers die their spirit will immediately go to heaven to be with the Lord. At the rapture Jesus will call all living believers to meet him in the air in their resurrection bodies before taking us back to heaven with him. At that point, all of the saints (the church) will be in heaven. Some time after that event all believers in heaven will be required to assemble so they can stand before the bema judgment seat of Christ to receive their reward for works done in the body from the moment of salvation until they entered heaven. Eternity in heaven is secure for all believers because salvation is by faith and not works. However, eternal rewards in heaven will be based on works done on earth. Your name will be called to step forward in front of Jesus. The gaze of Christ will pierce your soul. The eyes of all the saints in heaven will be on you during your 15 minutes of fame. Millions of angels in heaven will also be watching as you receive your reward. The Olympic medal ceremony will pale in comparison to the glory and majesty of the heavenly rewards ceremony. All believers in heaven will have to go through this bema judgment ceremony so start preparing for it now.

Romans 14:10-12 – But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

2 Corinthians 5:10 – For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

God classifies the works of believers into one of six areas: gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay and stubble. God will test each man’s works by fire. Works deemed to be gold, silver or precious stones are indestructible and worthy objects which will survive the fire. Works deemed to be wood, hay and stubble are destructible and worthless objects which will be burned up in the fire. Only works classified as gold, silver or precious stones will receive a reward. God does not tell us explicitly what constitutes a work worthy of a reward so we must look for clues in the Bible to help us figure it out. There is a general consensus among Bible scholars that there are twelve areas of conduct that God is interested in that will most likely result in heavenly rewards of some kind:

1. How we treat other believers.
2. How we exercise our authority over others.
3. How we employ our God-given abilities.
4. How we use our money.
5. How much we suffer for Jesus.
6. How we spend our time.
7. How we run that particular race which God has chosen for us.
8. How effectively we control the old nature.
9. How many souls we witness to and win to Christ.
10. How we react to temptation.
11. How much the doctrine of the rapture means to us.
12. How faithful we are to the Word of God and the flock of God.

After believers have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior they’re left on the earth to do the work of God. As disciples of Christ we are to witness the gospel of Christ to all the world and do good works so that men may see the light of God in our actions and be drawn to the truth of God. Let’s see if it’s possible to break down the classification of heavenly rewards into something easier to understand. The lowest reward level in heaven is precious stones (plural) which corresponds with good works here on earth, the lowest level of activity required by the saints. Every good work of the believer will be rewarded and there could be many so when we refer to them as precious stones it makes perfect sense. I believe all believers will have done some good deeds that result in rewards (precious stones). The only exception might be those saints who were unborn, died as children or those saved on their deathbed. The Scriptures are very clear that no child of God will have to answer for his sins after this life so the important thing for believers to focus on is receiving heavenly rewards and those are earned by our earthly works. Whatever rewards we receive in heaven are permanent and they’ll last for all eternity. Our citizenship is in heaven and we’re aliens on the earth. Let’s make good use of the short time we have on earth to earn heavenly rewards.

Philippians 3:20 – For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly await for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 – For no other foundation can one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

1 Corinthians 4:1-2 – Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one may be found faithful.

It is clear from Scripture that the primary duty of all disciples of Christ is the Great Commission. We are to witness the gospel of Christ to all the world in order to save souls unto eternal life in heaven. Those who sow the seed of the gospel and those who reap souls for the kingdom of God here on earth will receive a reward in heaven which will correspond to the heavenly classification of silver. I know from Scripture that God is generous and he will reward the sower and the reaper equally whenever a soul is saved for the kingdom of God. I would hate to stand before Jesus never having witnessed the gospel to anyone and never having saved anyone unto eternal life. If you don’t witness the gospel of Christ to others there’s no way you’ll hear Jesus say to you, “Well done good and faithful servant,” I don’t care how many good works you do.

Daniel 12:3 – Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.

Proverbs 14:25 – A true witness delivers souls, but a deceitful witness speaks lies.

As a layman, I’ve often wondered how many souls do I have to save to please God? Our main objective in life should be to please God. I believe if you save at least one person for the kingdom of God you have nothing to be ashamed of when you stand before the bema judgment seat of Christ. In God’s economy he values quality over quantity. I’ve noticed in the Bible when God speaks about a really good harvest of anything he repeatedly uses the term “hundredfold” as the upper limit. Since I’m running my race here on earth to get the maximum rewards in heaven I’m taking my que from God. My personal goal is to save a hundredfold (100 people) for the kingdom of God. I agree with the Apostle Paul that it’s okay to seek heavenly rewards if your heart is right with God and I also concur with Paul’s thinking that it’s okay to go big and bold with our spiritual goals. I know my goal is a lofty one but then again I have the rest of my life to try to achieve it. God will judge you based on how well you use the gifts he gave you. For a preacher called to serve in the pulpit bringing 100 people to God is probably no big deal. It’s expected. But for a layman to save that many souls will result in his receiving a much greater reward because he wasn’t given that special gift and calling from God yet he obeyed the command of God to spread the gospel of Christ. Obedience to the commands of God will be rewarded generously in heaven.

Isaiah 38:17 – But you have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.

Isaiah 44:22 – I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.

1 Peter 4:10 – As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

I believe the top rewards in heaven, those that correspond to classification of gold, will be based on how believers have treated Jews and the nation of Israel while on earth. Numerous Scriptures warn us to treat God’s people kindly or face the wrath of God. We Gentiles owe our salvation to the Jewish people and we enjoy all the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant. People want to say the church has replaced Israel as the apple of God’s eye but don’t you believe it. The Jews will always be the chosen people of God. However, the Jews are currently still being punished by God for rejecting Christ as their Messiah. However, God is faithful to his covenant with Israel and he will save a Jewish remnant on the last Day that will enter heaven with us. Jews will have a very prominent role in heaven. King David will be Jesus’ deputy in the millennial kingdom. Never lose sight of the fact that Jesus is now and always will be a Jewish Rabbi. In heaven, both Jew and Gentile will be equal in the sight of God. Both Jew and Gentile will be brothers and sisters in Christ and we will all be serving the Lord together forever. If you want to receive more honor and glory in heaven than other believers then always look for ways to protect and help Jews who needs it, consistently witness the gospel of Christ and win souls for the kingdom of God and continually do good works in the name of Jesus. I’ve given you the blueprint to win heavenly rewards but it’s up to you to implement it.

2 Timothy 4:1-2 – I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

1 John 1:7 – But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Matthew 10:42 – (Jesus speaking) – And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.

All world religions claim their god is the only god. All religions are mutually exclusive which means only one religion and one god can be true and all the rest must be false or none are true. How can we know which religion and which god is the right one or even if there is a god? The theory of evolution is one of Satan’s biggest lies. For the sake of argument let’s assume we didn’t evolve by chance from the primordial ooze into human beings but we were made by God and placed on the earth and in the universe God created. Would such a God want to reveal himself to his creation in a way that would be irrefutable? Would such a God have a good reason for creating man and the universe? Would such a God reveal that reason to us and also provide us with instructions as to what we’re to do? The answer is yes. If the answer is yes, then which god has done this? Otherwise, what’s the point of creation in the first place? We need to compare all the religions of the world side by side to see which one provides answers to the above questions, if any of them do. If any religion does provide satisfactory answers to the questions I’ve just raised then that religion is the true religion and their god is the one true God. Only with Christianity do we find sensible answers to all the questions we have about who God is and why he put us here. Jehovah is God; the only God; and all other religions and their gods are false.

Psalm 19:1 – The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.

Isaiah 45:5 – I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me.

All religions have their holy writings which we can compare to see what is true and what is false. The gold standard to prove which god is true is whether or not they can predict future events. If any god’s prophecies come true then they are the genuine article. They are the true God and all the rest are impostors. Let’s look at the evidence to see which god can tell the future. The Christian God Jehovah has given us his Word, our Holy Bible. The Bible contains over 1000 prophecies, over 500 of which have already been fulfilled and documented as fact. Therefore we can have confidence that the other 500 prophecies will also be fulfilled at a later date. No Bible prophecy has failed to be fulfilled in its allotted time frame so the Bible has a 100% accuracy rate thus far. Prophecy is nothing more than history written in advance. Only God is the author of history and if the god of any religion puts forth prophecy which comes true it’s proof he is God. Let’s contrast the fulfilled prophecies in God’s Word (over 500) with all other religions. All the other world religions combined have no fulfilled prophecies, which simply proves beyond any doubt that they are all fake religions. All the false gods of all the fake religions stand lifeless and mute before the awesome power of our God. Jehovah is God, and there is no other.

Isaiah 46:9 – Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me.

Isaiah 44:24 – Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and He who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, who makes all things, who stretches out the heavens all alone, who spreads abroad the earth by Myself.

The Bible is one third prophecy and God did this for two reasons. First, God gave us prophecy to prove he is God. Anyone can make broad general prophecies that people can twist to fit any time and place in history. Nostradamus is a good example. But only God can give us very specific prophecies from the Bible which, when fulfilled, validate the identity of the true God. Let me give you a few quick examples. God foretold that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. Israel had two towns named Bethlehem so God specifically indicated Jesus would be born in the smaller of the two towns, called Bethlehem Ephrathah, which only had about 200 families living there when Jesus was born in the town just as God said he would be. God also foretold the name of the man (Cyrus) that he would use to free the Israelites from their seventy years of Babylonian captivity. History confirms that King Cyrus did free the Israelites as foretold by God. God said the nation of Israel would be reborn in a single day and this occurred on May 14, 1947, when Israel declared itself a new nation from Jerusalem, the traditional capital of the Jewish people. Such a thing had never happened before in the annals of human history and never will again. God’s Word contains more than sixty prophecies concerning the coming of Christ, the Messiah. The life and ministry of Jesus Christ fulfilled every one of those sixty prophecies.

Micah 5:2 – But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from old, from everlasting.

Isaiah 45:22 – Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.

Isaiah 44:28 – (God) – Who says of Cyrus, he is my shepherd, and he shall perform all My pleasure, saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” and to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid!”

2 Peter 1:21 – For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

Second, God wants to communicate with us. God wants to share with us his salvation plan for man. God wants us to know him personally. God wants us to know what’s coming in the future so we can be prepared and take appropriate action. God wants us to know we are his beloved children and that he created us for fellowship with him in heaven forever. The Bible is God’s love letter to us and also our owner’s manual for how we’re to live our lives here on earth in order to please the God who made us. The Bible answers all the questions we started out with and much more because the Bible is the wisdom of God. For those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior the Bible is God’s truth.

Hosea 13:4 – Yet I am the LORD your God …. there is no Savior besides Me.

Isaiah 43:11 – I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no Savior.

All the other world religions have uninspired holy writings that are ambiguous and filled with contradictions and errors. Only the Holy Bible has proven to be without error even after 2000 years of critics trying to discredit it. All 66 books of the Bible, written by 40 different writers, mesh together seamlessly with a consistent message of God’s love for man and without contradicting or walking over each other. The Bible tells the story of God’s love for man by the sending of his Son Jesus to die on the cross to redeem us from our sins so we can have eternal life in heaven. All other religions have gods that are aloof and impersonal. Only the Christian God Jehovah says, “come let us reason together.” Over the last 2000 years Christianity has dramatically changed the lives of millions of believers for the better and I can add my testimony to theirs. No other religion in the world can make this claim. These other false religions have gods that are fake so, of course, they can’t let their followers to get close to their god or they would learn the terrible truth that they’re following a false god. To prevent this, fake religions make their gods mysterious and unapproachable and they punish anyone who dares ask probing questions about god and their faith.

Isaiah 1:18 – Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Isaiah 42:8 – I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another.

Satan is the god of this world and he has blinded nonbelievers to the truth of God’s Word. The Holy Bible is foolishness to the nonbeliever but for those who believe the gospel of Christ is the light of God that illuminates the truth and leads to salvation unto eternal life. All the false religions of the world are sponsored by Satan to lead man away from the truth of God and Satan is doing a good job of it because the vast majority of the human race has spiritual blinders on and they won’t find the narrow path that leads to eternal life in heaven. All Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews and the followers of all the other satanic cults have been blinded by Satan and they’ll all wind up in hell for eternity if they don’t believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. There’s no way to sugar-coat it. There’s no such thing as multiple paths to heaven. Jesus is the only way to heaven. No rational person can evaluate the evidence I’ve just presented without concluding Jehovah is God and the Bible is God’s Word.

1 Corinthians 15:51-53 – Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all 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 incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

2 Corinthians 5:10 – For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

The rapture is the next prophetic event on the Christian calendar, the one all believers have been waiting for. The word rapture doesn’t appear in the Bible but as the Latin verb which means, “to transport from one place to another,” it perfectly describes what will take place. Jesus will descend from heaven and appear in the clouds above the earth and call all believers to himself, both dead and alive. All believers will instantly vanish from the earth and appear before Jesus in the air in their resurrection bodies. Jesus will escort the saints back to heaven where we’ll be in his presence forevermore. I love prophecy, it’s what first drew me to the Bible and confirmed my belief in God. I’m a student of prophecy and it never ceases to thrill me as I study it. The rapture is the prophecy I love the most. How I long for that day!

1 Thessalonians 4:14-15 – For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 – 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.

Daniel 12:2-3 – And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.

God’s first commandment is, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Our God is a jealous God and he will not allow another to steal his glory. In Isaiah 41: 21-24, God issues a lengthy challenge to any false gods to match what he has done; to prove themselves to be gods. God closes these passages by declaring anyone who chooses to follow after fake religions and worship false gods is an abomination to God. When God refers to something as an abomination he really hates it. Anyone God hates will feel the terrible wrath of God on the last Day by being thrown into the lake of fire for eternity. This is a reminder to all nonbelievers to examine the Christian faith while there is still time to do so. Everyone must accept God’s saving grace through the gospel of Christ or face eternal punishment in the lake of fire. All I can do is witness the truth of God to all who will listen and pray that their hearts will be ready to receive the gospel message of Christ and accept God’s salvation.

Isaiah 41:21-22 – Present your case, says the Lord. Bring forth your strong reasons, says the King of Jacob. Let them bring forth and show us what will happen; let them show the former things, what they were, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare to us things to come.

Isaiah 41:23-24 – Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; yes, do good or do evil, that we may be dismayed and see it together. Indeed you are nothing, and your work is nothing; he who chooses you is an abomination.

Our resurrection after death can be a confusing topic for believers because it’ll happen several times to different groups of people. We know that after Jesus was crucified the resurrected Christ appeared to his disciples and over 500 other people in his glorified body. This is important because it proves Jesus is God and since he rose from the dead it means we will too. Not only that, we will receive a resurrection body just like the one Jesus has. We know that the resurrected Jesus walked through walls, disappeared at will and traveled long distances in the blink of an eye. Our new bodies will be mature like we were in our thirties. Our glorified bodies will never age or get sick. We’ll have our glorified bodies forever in heaven. I see four different resurrections for believers:

1. At the time of Jesus’ death – Prior to the death of Jesus, the souls of all the righteous dead went to Paradise within the earth. I’m talking about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Moses, Joshua, all the prophets and anyone else God deemed righteous. Their eternal spirits from God couldn’t enter heaven because of the stain of sin on their spirits from birth because of Adam’s fall from grace in the Garden of Eden. God hates sin and will not allow it in heaven. One of the spiritual laws of heaven is the wages of sin is death. The righteous dead in Paradise had to wait for the arrival of the Son of God as the only one worthy to die in their place so they could all go to heaven. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary paid the sin debt of all those saints in Paradise. During his three days in the earth Jesus went down to Paradise and gave the saints a new spirit without sin and he also gave them their new resurrection bodies. This is the first resurrection. Jesus then escorted these saints directly to heaven. Some of these resurrected saints later appeared in Jerusalem as a witness to the resurrection of Christ and the glory of God.

Matthew 27:51-53 – Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

2. At the end of church age – When the Jews rejected Jesus as their Messiah God then temporarily turned away from Israel and turned to the Gentiles (us) to build his church and spread the gospel of Christ. Almost 2000 years have passed and we’re still in the church age today, which is also referred to as the time of the Gentiles. The church age officially began on Pentecost, fifty days after the crucifixion of Jesus, when God sent the Holy Spirit to earth to indwell believers. The church age will end when Jesus comes to rapture all believers to himself, both dead and alive. We will meet Jesus in the clouds and he will give us our resurrection bodies before taking us back to heaven with him. This is the second resurrection.

1 Thessalonians 4:14-15 – For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 – For the Lord Himself will descend with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. 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.

3. At the end of the tribulation period – The rapture of the saints ends the church age and triggers the last seven years of human history which we refer to as the tribulation. With the church now in heaven God will turn his focus back to Israel where he’ll save a remnant of his chosen people. The tribulation period will last exactly seven years and it will end with the second coming of Jesus to the earth where he will set foot on the Mount of Olives. Jesus will save Jerusalem from destruction and destroy the nations attacking Israel. There will be people who were saved after the rapture took place but who also died prior to the return of Jesus. These saints will receive their resurrection bodies at this time, known as the great Day of the Lord. This is the third resurrection.

Revelation 20:4 – Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

4. At the end of the millennium – At his second coming Jesus will establish the kingdom of God on earth with himself as King. Jesus will rule the world from Jerusalem for 1000 years. Not everyone will be killed during the tribulation period and those people who survived will become a part of the millennial kingdom. The life span of these people will be greatly lengthened much like the patriarchs of old who lived to be hundreds of years old. These people will eventually die but they will not receive their resurrected bodies until after the millennium is over, which will be the end of the age. This is the fourth resurrection.

Revelation 4:5 – But the rest of the dead (who died during the millennium) did not live again until the thousand years were finished.

After this last resurrection of the saints comes the Great White throne judgement of Jesus. The eternal spirits of all the unsaved of all ages go straight to hell upon their death. At this time all of them are resurrected bodily to stand before Jesus in judgment. God is reciprocal and fair to saint and sinner alike. Believers will be glorified in heaven so God gives them a glorified physical body for that purpose which is theirs to keep forever. What God does for the believer he will also do for the nonbeliever. Since sinners are to be condemned in hell forever God will give them a condemned body suitable for hell. The nonbeliever’s physical body will be a dead, decomposing, cadaver full of worms (maggots).

Hebrews 9:27 – And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.

It’s obvious to me those going to hell have physical bodies because Revelation says an angel will grab hold of the lost and physically throw them into the lake of fire. You don’t “grab” and “throw” something that’s not physical. Three verses in the book of Mark never made any sense to me until now. In the book of Mark Jesus is talking about those in hell where he is quoted as saying, “Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” Jesus says it three times and I don’t recall God ever saying something in the Bible three times together like that so it must be really important for us to know. Those who have died without accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are eternally dead. Why would God give a living resurrected body to those who are already dead in their sin? He won’t and he can’t. Those nonbelievers who are dead in their sin get the corpse they deserve for eternity.

Mark 9:44,46,48 -(Jesus speaking about those in hell) – Their worm does not die, and the fire is nor quenched.

The unsaved will burn in hell forever but they will not be consumed by the fire and neither will the maggots infesting their rotting corpses. I can’t think of anything more repulsive to me than that. The flesh of all dead bodies is eaten by worms (maggots) as part of nature’s normal decomposition process. Those in hell will spend an eternity in a rotting corpse which will be very similar to those zombies we see in these “walking dead” movies and television shows. That’s not a pretty picture is it? If you’re not a believer let me urge you right now to go seek God while there is still time. The Bible says if you seek God you will find him and God cannot lie. You have everything to lose by waiting but you have everything to gain by taking action now. As Christians we have almost 2000 years of historical evidence, research, documentation, proof, and personal testimony that prove beyond any doubt that Jehovah is the one and only living God whom we are to worship. God has made everything in the universe for his pleasure and he’s waiting to meet you personally.

John 5:28-29 – (Jesus speaking) – 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.

Job 19:26 – And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God.

Isaiah 1:18 – Come now and let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Revelation 20:15 – And anyone nor found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

As believers and children of God we are also “stewards” of God and accountable to God for managing the affairs of the kingdom of God here on earth. As the disciples of Christ we may called upon by God to be the pastor of a church, a shepherd over a group of fellow believers or a myriad other things God may require of you. However, the most important function we have as a steward of God is to handle our own personal affairs in such a way that we serve God while bringing honor, praise and glory to God. Each member of the kingdom of God is the “church” so personal stewardship is critical for an effective ministry for Christ.

1 Corinthians 4:1-2 – Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.

1 Peter 4:10 – As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Provers 3:9-10 – Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.

In the New Testament world stewards were common. Stewards managed a household or estate. Stewards were appointed by the owner and entrusted to keep the estate running smoothly. It is that context, God has given all believers the keys to the kingdom of God here on earth. It’s a lot like us giving our teenager the keys to the family car before they’re able to drive. In Scripture the Apostles Peter and Paul both make reference to this stewardship arrangement and urge us to be good stewards for God. Our responsibilities to God as stewards on the earth are threefold:

1 John 3:17 – But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

Psalm 50:12 – If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine, and all its fullness.

1 Timothy 5:17-18 – Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”

How we use our time – God made us and he has given us our life. God has allotted each of us a set number of days on this earth. Some will live to be a hundred years old while others are cut down at eighteen, in the flower of youth. Who knows the reason for this or the mind of God? God does as he pleases and doesn’t owe us an explanation. What we do know is each day we have on this earth cannot be relived once it’s gone and is therefore priceless. Before God laid the foundation of the world he established the date, time and place of our birth and who our parents would be. God knows the exact moment when we’ll die and where that will be. There are no surprises with a God who knows everything. In between the time of our birth and death God has given us ample opportunity to do good works. It’s up to each of us to be good stewards of the “time” God has given us.

1 Corinthians 7:7 – For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.

Matthew 25:21 – (Jesus speaking) – His lord said to him, well done , good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.

Luke 6:38 – (Jesus speaking) – Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.

How we use our talents – God gives each of us talents and abilities that are unique. No two people have the exact same skillset. God gives us our individual talents so that we can prosper in the world and also glorify God. In addition, believers are also given special spiritual gifts once they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. These special gifts are provided each child of God to help rhem serve the Lord here on earth. Everyone is different and some people will be blessed more than others. God will judge us based on how we used the blessings he bestowed on us. In the end, everyone will be treated fairly because God is good and God is just. God loves us and wants the best possible outcome for us.

James 1:17 – Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow or turning.

Deuteronomy 8:18 – And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

2 Corinthians 9:7 – So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

How we use our money – In God’s Word he has told us everything we need to know about money. It’s no accident that twelve of the thirty six parables in the New Testament are about money. One our of every six verses in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are about money. 100% of what we have comes from God and we are responsible and we are accountable to God for using it wisely and in accordance with God’s will. When you give money to charity or you are funding a good work you’re worshipping God by serving God. Every time you use your money for the kingdom of God you’re being blessed by God. God has blessed you financially. Everything belongs to God so when you turn around and give away the money God has graciously given you for the purpose of giving you are double blessed by God. What a deal!

Isaiah 55:1 – Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

1 Timothy 6:10 – For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many arrows.

2 Corinthians 9:6 – But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

All decisions about money should be based on your recognition and acceptance that all money comes from God and belongs to God. Don’t get attached to money because money doesn’t satisfy but pleasing God does. God always comes before money, Money is simply a tool God gives you to do good works. As a child of God no matter what you give away God will always provide for you so you don’t have to hold onto every dime for a rainy day. God’s got your back. When a believer gives money on behalf of God he is blessed to the point he receives back more than he ever gave. God doesn’t need our money. God is graciously allowing us to give our money so that he can bless us. We have the privilege of giving for our own benefit.

1 Timothy 6:17 – Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.

Philippians 4:19 – And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Malachi 3:10 – Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.

When we give to support the works of God and to help the needy we are obeying the commands of God and glorifying God. Giving our money to God should be systematic and done cheerfully. Don’t write a $50 check to United Way once a year and congratulate yourself for giving when you have half a million in the bank drawing interest. You are to give out of your increase what you can afford to give out of the goodness of your heart. God alone will be your judge. Just remember the Bible story about the rich man who stored up his riches so he could live a life of ease. God took his life before he could enjoy it. We can’t take our money with us when we die but we can pay it forward by using it for good works here on earth which will accrue treasures in heaven for us when we get there.

Matthew 6:34 – (Jesus speaking) – Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Proverbs 11:24-25 – There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.

2 Corinthians 8:12 – For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.