Studying God's Word

GLORIFYING GOD: (cont’d)

5. Through our giving – In my previous blog I addressed the scriptural mandate to give 10% of all we have to the Lord. The Bible talks about giving back to God the “first fruits” of all he has blessed us with. We’re talking about the first 10% and not the last 10%. In reality God is being extremely generous because everything belongs to God. 100% of everything you have is because God has graciously allowed you to have it. God doesn’t need your 10% but by allowing you to give back to the Lord what he already owns he is justified in blessing you. You’re giving back to the Lord for your benefit not God’s. You’re not doing God any favors; just the opposite.

“You reap what you sow,” is a spiritual law of heaven which means God is reciprocal. You give to God and he gives back to you, only God gives bigger and better. When you give 10% to the Lord God will reciprocate and bless your remaining 90%. You will always wind up better off financially than if you hadn’t given anything to God in the first place. I’m not saying we should give in order to get more back. What I’m saying is God is good, God is great, and God is generous beyond belief to those who love him.

In our society the churches have taken that scriptural mandate to mean you must give that 10% of all you have directly to the church so they can decide how to spend the money. There is nothing wrong with tithing 10% to your church if that’s what you want to do but don’t for a minute think you have to do it that way. You’re not going to hell if you don’t give your money to the church. Tithing 10% to your church is just one of many ways to give back to the Lord but I don’t think it’s the best way to give. You have no control over where tithe money goes or what it’s used for. Maybe you’re paying for an airconditioned dog house for the Pastor’s dog. Maybe you’re funding a week long deacon’s spiritual retreat at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City or in Hawaii. You just don’t know where your money goes and that’s a problem.

We know God put us here on earth to seek him out and decide who we will serve, God or Satan. We’re to emulate Christ and live our lives in such a way that we bring honor and glory to God. One of the ways the Bible says we honor God is by doing good works and that takes money, your money. The Bible says you’re to give 10% back to the Lord, which can be in the form of good works where you decide where to spend the money instead of the church accountant. I prefer funding good works myself because it keeps my mind focused on God and how good and great he really is. When you think about God that is worship, which we are all to do. Why not do good works and worship God at the same time? The definition of worship is to have deep respect and admiration for the object you’re thinking about, which in this case is God.

Look at it this way. Tithing is like putting your money into a mutual fund. It’s impersonal, it’s no fun, and you get no benefit from it other than the initial buzz from putting in your money. Funding good works is like picking your own stocks. You have to do your own research on the stock market and then keep an eye on you investment so you can buy or sell as needed. Which type of investor do you think will please God more? You and I both know God prefers a hands-on believer with skin in the game and that’s the believe who puts his money where his mouth is and where his heart is. The good part is with prayer the Holy Spirit will help guide you so your gift pleases the Lord.

Let me be clear. There’s one thing I’ve learned during my study of God’s Word and that is God is reciprocal. With God you, “reap what you sow,” because it’s a spiritual law of heaven. On the last Day if God is going to remember every sinful act of the nonbeliever and judge them for those actions. You can also be sure God will be fair and he will remember every good deed of every believers who comes before the bema judgment of Jesus. Let me repeat myself because this is critically important. God will be fair to both believers and nonbelievers. Jesus will hold nonbelievers accountable for their sins at the Great White Throne judgment on the last Day.

The sins of believers have been forgiven so they will be rewarded for their good works by Jesus at the bema judgment seat. We’re going to be amazed in heaven by the fact that no kindness, no matter how small, will be overlooked by Jesus and we’ll be rewarded for it. Everything about our lives is under a microscope. God never sleeps. God misses nothing we do so live your life as if you’re under constant observation, because you are. Conduct your life at all times so as to please God. When you sin, and you will sin, ask God to forgive you immediately. You’re in luck because God has promised he will forgive any sin you confess to him. Take advantage of God’s mercy and grace every day.

It’s a scary thing knowing God sees everything you do and knows your every thought. At the same time it’s also a golden opportunity to build up treasure in heaven. A believer gives from the heart and not because he expects anything in return. I agree with the Apostle Paul when he says we are to run the race God gives us in such a way that we win the prize. There’s no shame in knowing we build up treasure in heaven by our good works and then trying to achieve it. Whatever you give to charity or by your good works you’ll get back tenfold in heaven.

During my 31 year career working for the federal government a little bit of every paycheck was automatically deducted and sent to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. That’s where my heart was and still is. God will reward me tenfold one day for my generosity. Where’s your heart and what are you doing about it? Are you depending on someone else to do what you want done for the less fortunate? Never wait for the other guy to do what you should be doing yourself. Do you think it’s up to your church to help others since you tithe? Have you washed your hands of any personal responsibility to do God’s work? Are you a watcher or a doer of God’s Word? I have a suggestion. Plan your work for God and then work that plan relentlessly until you achieve the results you want. God is watching you so don’t let him down. Your goal should be to hear Jesus say, “Well done good and faithful servant.”

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

Hebrews 13:16 – But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

It was never God’s intent to have these 15,000 member mega-churches that cover four city blocks. Churches where you have so many members you have to conduct multiple services every Sunday just to accommodate everyone. These big churches are so large there is no way you can meet and know all the members of the church. The closeness and fellowship is not there except for small circles of friends. Mega-churches were the invention of man because humans are conditioned to think in terms of bigger is better.

I’m not saying these churches are wrong to grow this big, I’m just saying there’s a down side to it. I enjoy watching Pastors like Jeffress, Hagee and Jeremiah hold their Sunday services on television as much as anyone. I’m saying it’s not required or necessary to belong to a big church in order to worship God. I don’t blame the Pastors for growing their churches so large because they were taught bigger is always better. All Pastors want bigger buildings, more buildings along with constant growth and expansion. All Pastors dream of televising their Sunday services.

The mega-church model is the gold standard for churches because the more members you have the more money comes into the church coffers. It’s all about the money. Pastors want their flocks inside the four walls of the church on Sunday so they can squeeze a tithe out of them. Churches want us to believe we must give 10% of our income as a tithe to the church so they can keep the enterprise going. Big church is big business. The continuous building programs must be funded. Scripture does say we are to give 10% of all we have to the Lord. That 10% could be a tithe to the church and usually is but it could also be used in a number of other ways that would also glorify God such as doing good works. Don’t let the church or society make you feel guilty about tithing. Everything you have belongs to God, including your money. Let the Holy Spirit guide you how to spend God’s money.

Most church members spend a couple of hours on Sunday worshipping God and then they forget all about God until the following Sunday; and the cycle repeats itself. That is not what God intended. All God’s creations, both angel and man, were created to worship the Lord. We see in the Bible that angels in heaven are constantly singing to God, praising him and worshipping him. Lucifer, in particular, was created specifically to worship God. I see angels doing their part to worship God but I don’t see men doing what they were created to do.

God created man to continually worship and serve him by using our minds. We know the human brain has a much greater capacity than we need to survive as a species and that’s with us using only using 10 % of our brainpower. Man has a consciousness, a self-awareness, that cannot be explained. God created our mind as the organ through which we are to worship him. Think of our brain as our, “worship organ.” Our mind is the nexus between the physical world and the spiritual world. Do you remember the movie “Stargate” starring Kurt Russell and David Spader? Our mind is our stargate; our portal between worlds. Through the portal of our mind believers can access the throne room of God and our mind is the medium through which God speaks to his creation.

Satan and his demons can only assault us through our minds because it’s the only part of us exposed to the spiritual world in which they operate. Our mind is a spiritual receptor, an antennae, capable of accessing the spirit world which is why the Bible tells us to guard our minds. Science has proven man only uses 10% of his brain capacity. Why is that? Adam had 100% of his brain power so he could worship God in the Garden of Eden. When Adam sinned against God he was expelled from the Garden of Eden and God reduced his brain capacity to 10% because Adam no longer needed 100% of his brain function to live on earth. The minute we enter heaven God will give us 100% of our brainpower back because we’ll need it in heaven to worship God as he intended, with our minds. Man will be continually worshipping God in heaven one day just like the angels are doing now.

Let’s face it, 99% of Christians are doing a pitiful job of worshipping God, me included. Two hours a week in church worshipping God isn’t going to cut it. God made our bodies to be holy temples of God, not because of our arms and legs, but because of our minds. The Holy Spirit indwells our mind because our mind is where we interface with God and the spirit world. Scripture says we are to worship God in spirit and that occurs in the mind of the believer whether we’re in church or at home on the couch.

God gave us a wonderful mind to worship him continuously anytime and anywhere. As I mentioned in my previous blog, worshipping God is not an act you perform like mass or something you do a certain way. God made us to be worship machines. We use our minds to worship God when we mentally show our respect and admiration for who God is, his holy attributes, and what God has done for us and what he will do for us in heaven.

Walking outside and exclaiming to God what a beautiful day he has made is worship. When you read the Bible you are worshipping God. Every time you say grace before a meal or pray to God you’re worshipping God the Father. To use our mind to think about God is to worship God. It’s why God gave us such a wonderful brain in the first place. Because God is good and God is great it’s impossible to meditate on God without praising and worshipping him in our mind which is by, definition, how we “glorify” God. Worshipping God is as easy as breathing in air so let’s make a conscious effort to do it and do it often. Then stand back and watch as God blesses our lives.

In short, you don’t need a physical church to worship God. Pastors want you in church because they need your money and they want you dependent on them. The simple truth is the believer is the church and not some building. Our bodies are holy temples of God. Therefore, we worship God in his temple (our bodies) through the use of our minds. You are worshipping God with your mind when you are meditating on God. What we need to do as believers is train ourselves to worship God more by simply thinking about God more often. Thinking about God is worship. We now know what worship is. We know we can worship God anywhere just by focusing our mind on him. We know we can and should be thinking about God all through the day.

If we work at it we can progress to the point where it’s easy to think about God continually so that we are worshipping God all day long. You are what you think about so be holy and think about God a lot. As we worship God more often we’ll develop the “fear” of the Lord that is the hallmark of Christians who humbly walk in fellowship with their God. To “fear” God means to look upon the Lord with awe and reverence. It’s a state of mind. Reverence means deep respect and admiration. In the dictionary reverence and worship have the exact same definition. When you revere God in your in mind you’re worshipping him without saying a word. But God knows those who worship him and he’ll bless them for it.

The Christian Church has been around for almost 2000 years. Since God made us he is our Father and he has shown his love for us by giving us eternal life in heaven in his presence. What is the purpose of the church? Our first duty as members of the Christian Church is to love God. It’s easy to love someone who loves you first.

Matthew 22:37 – (Jesus speaking) – You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.

If we love God we are then to show that love by glorifying God. Christians often use the term, “glorifying God,” very loosely because most of the time they don’t fully comprehend what that means or understand exactly how it’s achieved. If you don’t believe me ask any Christian you know how they glorify God. If you’re lucky you may get a couple of right answers when there are at least nine known ways to glorify God.

Few Christians know all the ways that God can be glorified and fewer still make the effort to glorify God in all areas because it takes a lot of willpower and discipline. God is worthy of our love, praise and worship so we need to make the best effort possible. Being an effective Christian takes a lot of hard work but if your mind is focused on God it becomes a labor of love. Let’s always look for ways we can glorify the God we love, honor and cherish. Review the following list regularly to see if you’re glorifying God to the best of your ability:

GLORIFYING GOD:

1. Through our praise and prayers – Prayer is how we talk to God. Without prayer there is no two-way communication going on between you and God and therefore no fellowship, no deepening of the spiritual relationship with God. We aren’t walking with God if we’re not praying to God. We should be praying daily to God and the more often during the day the better. Praying to God should be as easy as talking to your best friend sitting beside you. Praise is a natural result of prayer as you realize how much God loves you and how much God has done for you and what God will continue to do for you forever in heaven . The Bible is chock full of Scriptures telling us to give praise to the Lord because he is worthy of that praise.

The definition of praise is to show respect and gratitude as an act of worship. Worship is not some pompous ceremony. Worship simply means showing God the deep respect and admiration he deserves and we can do that publicly or privately at any time. It’s as simple as that and there’s no reason to make a big production out of it. The definition of glorify is to praise and worship God. When we use the terms glorify, praise and worship these are all words saying pretty much the same thing which is to always show God the deep respect, admiration and gratitude he deserves for what he has done for us. These words don’t depict a specific action on our part but is more of a permanent attitude of reverence for and acknowledgment of our Father in heaven. Along that same vein, in the biblical context when we say to, “fear the Lord,” it means to look upon God with awe and reverence.

Psalm 50:23 – Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.

2. Through our acknowledgment of Jesus – Scripture says we cannot please God without faith and that faith is in his Son Jesus Christ, through whom we have the forgiveness of sin and eternal life. From the foundation of the world God’s salvation plan for man was to send his precious Son to die on the cross to redeem us from our sins. God made the ultimate sacrifice by giving up what he loved most because of his love for us. There was no other way for us to escape eternal death for our sins. God is glorified when we acknowledge what Jesus has done for us on the cross and, conversely, if we reject Jesus’ sacrificial death on our behalf it’s the ultimate insult to God which will result in our condemnation and spending eternity in hell. It never pays to piss off God.

Philippians 9-11 – Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on the earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

3. Through believing God’s Word – When you believe every word in the Bible is the wisdom and truth of God then God is glorified. When you read the Bible daily God is glorified. When you memorize Scripture, hear Scripture or speak Scripture God is again glorified. When we study the Bible in-depth that also glorifies God. When we spend time in God’s Word we are showing our deep respect, admiration and gratitude to God for what he has done for us. Spending time reading your Bible is glorifying God, praising God and worshipping God at the same time. Reading the Bible is the best way to stoke our faith in God and maintain a health “fear” of the Lord at the same time. Reading God’s Word fills you with the Holy Spirit.

Romans 4:20 – He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God.

4. Through our witnessing – We know why we’re here and where we came from. God created us and put us on earth for two reasons. First, to seek out God and make the decision to serve God or Satan. Assuming we find God and accept his grace unto salvation through faith in his Son Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we can then focus on the second reason God leaves us on earth instead of taking believers on to heaven. That reason is so we can share our witness for Christ with others.

Scripture reminds us that God’s harvest field is great and the laborers are few. God’s hope is that all his children will repent of their sins and turn to God and the salvation he offers for the asking. God is blessing us by letting us help save others. Every time we witness the gospel of Christ we’re glorifying God. When we emulate Christ by doing good works we’re witnessing for God by our actions and thereby glorifying God the Father. Those who see the light of God in our Christian works may be drawn to God by our example and be saved, to the glory of God.

Face to face witnessing for Christ is always the best but let’s face it, we don’t really get that many opportunities to do that. Or we don’t get all the opportunities to witness that we’d like to have. We have to think outside the box and make our own opportunities to witness for Christ. If you distribute Bibles to those who can’t afford them or support those who do, like the Gideons, that’s also witnessing because you’re sharing the gospel message contained in each Bible you provide. My favorite way of sharing the message of the gospel is by passing out Christian tracts which is also witnessing because it contains a Christian message and a sinner’s prayer at the end to guide the reader to salvation on their own.

The twin themes of my Christian blog site are studying God’s Word and witnessing for Christ. My blog is what I refer to as, “passive witnessing.” This is my 530th blog and every one was written to share my love for God and to exhort believers to study God’s Word so that they can be effective witnesses for Christ. Every time I write a blog or post a blog I’m glorifying God with my time and attention on heavenly matters. Every time someone takes the time to read my blog they’re glorifying God too because their mind is on God as it should be. I’m glorifying God every morning when I take quiet time to meditate on the majesty of Almighty God over a pot of coffee. Each of us must find our own personal time to be with God and worship him in our own way. Reach out to God and he will bless you for it.

2 Thessalonians 3:1 – Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is in you.

When someone asks you what church you belong to they generally want to know what denomination you belong to. Are you Catholic or are you a Protestant? If you are a Protestant what denomination are you? In the first century the “church” consisted of those people who believed in the gospel of Christ who met regularly in each others homes to worship the Lord and study the teachings of Jesus.

The New Testament defined the “church” as the body of believers in the gospel of Christ and over the last 2000 years the church has evolved into different denominations with slightly different doctrines. As long as a church holds to the core beliefs of the gospel of Christ it is considered a Christian church and its members are saved. If a church departs from the gospel of Christ that church is a cult and its members will feel the wrath of God on the last Day.

Psalm 89:5 – And the heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints.

Jesus Christ is the author of Christianity and the head of the Christian church. As believers we are members of the church and collectively we are referred to as the body of Christ. Each Christian is connected to each other spiritually and we are brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. When did we become the Christian church? Some people think the church began with Adam in the Garden of Eden.

Others point to Abraham, the Apostle Paul and to John the Baptist as the starting point of Christianity. Most people point to the life of Jesus Christ as the beginning of the church. Christianity means, “Christ’s men.” and Jesus is certainly the author of our faith and the head of the church from his position in heaven at the right hand of God where he serves as our Advocate and High Priest.

Matthew 16:18 – (Jesus speaking) – And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

However, the “church” didn’t start during Jesus’ lifetime. Jesus made it a point to tell his disciples he had to return to heaven so that he could send the Holy Spirit who would fill them and empower them to preach the gospel of Christ to the ends of the earth. Think about it. There couldn’t be a church in the world until Christ’s death because the foundational message of the church is the finished work of Jesus on the cross where he shed his precious blood for the sins of all men.

Furthermore, there could be no church until Christ arose from the dead to provide the church with resurrection life. No resurrection meant no eternal life for believers and therefore no church. There could also be no church until Jesus ascended back to heaven to become the head of the church and our High Priest. Nor could the church exist without Jesus being at the right hand of God making intercession for us and acting as our Advocate in heaven.

Ephesians 1:19-20 – And what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.

Finally, there could be no church on earth until the advent of the Holy Spirit. God made us and our bodies are the holy temples of God. After Jesus people no longer had to go to a man-made building or a certain location to worship God. God now comes to us and indwells believers with his Holy Spirit so each of us is a temple of God and we’re free to worship God in spirit anywhere we are and at any time. Our eternal spirits are regenerated, baptized and sealed by the Holy Spirit of God through faith in Jesus.

For all the reasons I’ve mentioned above, it’s evident the Christian church started at Pentecost after the death of Jesus when the Holy Spirit came to earth to indwell all believers from that point forward. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus spoke of the church as being in the future so we know the church was not in Jesus’ lifetime.

Let’s say the “church” is a car. A car can’t go anywhere without fuel to power the engine so we can drive it. In the same way the Holy Spirit is the fuel used to drive the “church” forward. The Holy Spirit is the gasoline that makes the “church” go. There can be no “church” without the active involvement of the Holy Spirit of God. The tremendous growth of the early “church” was due to the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:5 – (Jesus speaking to his disciples) – For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.

Acts 11:15-16 – (Peter speaking) – And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them (the Gentiles), as upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, “John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

The principal evidence that the church began on the day of Pentecost concerns the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit. The Lord declared that this particular and distinctive ministry of the Holy Spirit was still in the future just before his ascension. We know from Scripture that the indwelling of believers first occurred on the Pentecost following Jesus’ death and this spiritual baptism officially places the believer in the body of Christ. Pentecost is the Jewish festival also known as the, “feast of harvest,” which comes fifty days after Passover and commemorates the end of the grain harvest season.

Since this baptism by the Holy Spirit is the only way to become a member of the body of Christ, which is the church, it’s obvious that the “church” officially began on the day of Pentecost in 33 AD. The Church of God didn’t begin by any announcement but simply by a function of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost when all those believers in Jerusalem were filled with the Holy Spirit of God.

1 Corinthians 12:12-14 – For as the body is is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body- whether Jews or Greeks (Gentiles), whether slaves or free- and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.

As believers, as members of the body of Christ, we are, “the church.” As such we have an obligation to fully understand the age-old war between God and Satan and where we are in the historical context (timeline) of this epic struggle between two powerful supernatural beings. This is ultimately a struggle between good and evil. We watched this war play out in the pages of the Old and New Testaments. God gave us his Word to make sure man, his special creation, knew what was going on in the spiritual world; what had already happened, and what was to come.

Genesis 3:15 – (God speaking to Satan) – And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.

God created all the millions of angels in heaven to serve him. God created the angels as powerful eternal beings and Lucifer, as the top angel in heaven, was the most powerful of all. Lucifer became full of pride and enamored of his beauty, power and wisdom and thought he should replace God; that he could be God. Lucifer convinced a third of the angels in heaven to join his rebellion against God. The ensuing war between God and Lucifer began with that battle in heaven. Lucifer and his fallen angels were defeated and thrown to the earth where we know them down here as demons. Lucifer became Satan; who we also call the devil.

Luke 10:18 – (Jesus speaking) – I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

Satan was shut out of heaven so the struggle between God and Satan shifted to earth, which God had given to Adam. Satan tempted Adam to sin against God and when Adam fell for the trap and sinned against the God who made him the title to earth was given to Satan, who became the god of this world. Because of Adam’s sin he fell from grace and was expelled from the Garden of Eden and became a mortal being as were all men who came after him. The sin of Adam was imputed to all men and so all men became destined for eternal death apart from the mercy and grace of God. Since the time of Adam, Satan has bitterly opposed both the work and workers of God. Satan’s goal is to utterly destroy man whereas God’s goal is to utterly save man unto eternal life through faith in his Son Jesus Christ.

Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 4:L8 – Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.

In God’s Word we see the deciding battle between God and Satan occur at Calvary. This was the spiritual equivalent of D-Day in World War II. Just imagine all the millions of angels of heaven and the millions of demons on the earth duking it out in the spiritual realm in and around Jerusalem on that fateful Passover weekend in 33AD. It was a replay of the angelic battle in heaven between God and Lucifer. If we could’ve seen this struggle from our physical world it would’ve made the best war movie ever. Let your mind imagine the three days Jesus was in the earth while the spiritual war between good and evil raged on. In the spiritual world every demon was in hand to hand combat with the angels of God trying to stop the resurrection of Jesus from happening because they knew it would defeat them, defeat death, and defeat the works of Satan.

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.

Why do you suppose God stationed two angels in the tomb of Jesus, one at his head and one at his feet, both facing the body of Jesus and never taking their eye off Jesus’ body for three days? God put those angels in place to protect Jesus’ body from demons wanting to desecrate it while the war raged on around them in the spiritual realm. The resurrection of Christ was the most important day in human history because it set us free from the ravages of sin; free from bondage to Satan and free from the curse of eternal death and separation from God. It’s fitting that world history is divided in BC and AD based on the life and death of Jesus Christ. God regained title to the earth with the resurrection of Christ.

Romans 5:18 – Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.

1 Corinthians 15:54-55 – So when this corruption has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”

Before the resurrection of Jesus man was lost to eternal death by their imputed sin from Adam and after the resurrection of Jesus man was saved unto eternal life by the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, through the mercy and grace of God by our faith in his Son Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We know this from Scripture by the fact Jesus went down to Paradise within the earth and personally escorted the Old Testament saints to heaven. God doesn’t allow sin in heaven. The saints couldn’t enter heaven until Jesus Christ came to earth and shed his blood on the cross at Calvary for the forgiveness of their sins as well as for the sins for all men, past, present and future.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead assured the righteous that they would have eternal life in heaven by the mercy and grace of God. Paradise contained Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, Noah, all the prophets of God and those who were deemed righteous by God. For further proof of Paradise within the earth look at the book of Samuel. In 1 Samuel 28:11-19, we learn about King Saul going to the witch of En Dor to pull up the eternal spirit of Samuel from within the earth so Saul could consult with him about the impending battle with the Philistines. Samuel was in Paradise along with all the other Old Testament saints waiting for the Lord to come and take them all to heaven.

The book of Revelation describes God in all his glory sitting on his throne in New Jerusalem. Believers will see and know God personally. The Bible talks about the river of life springing up from the throne of God and on each bank of the river flowing through heaven will be the trees of life. The sights in heaven are going to be dazzling and believers will be there to see it. Believers will be in their resurrected and glorified bodies that never get sick or age. Remember that we’ll have a new body just like the one Jesus has. We can travel anywhere instantly and walk through walls. Our bodies will never get tired and there is no need to sleep in heaven because our bodies don’t need repairing.

Jeremiah 23:5-6 – Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will raise to David a branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Revelation 21:2 – Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Work will not be a drudge like it is now and we’ll all do something we love doing. God will match our jobs to suit our abilities and personality. God never makes mistakes so you can rest assured you’ll be doing what you were meant to do. That means you’ll be happy and fulfilled forever. And no telling what else we’ll be able to do in heaven. Revelation talks about heaven (New Jerusalem) descending to the earth and remaining suspended above the earth. It appears we’ll reside in New Jerusalem and work below in earthly Jerusalem. I suppose we’ll teleport back and forth as needed.

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

Isaiah 40:26 – Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number; he calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing.

In heaven we won’t be floating around on a cloud strumming a harp all day. Heaven is going to be exciting and rewarding for the believer. The Bible isn’t clear what our duties and responsibilities will be in heaven but they will be commensurate with our rewards earned by service to God while we were on earth. The Bible does tell us we’ll be singing and worshipping God. Not out of obligation but out of love and joy for what God has done for us. The Bible also says we’ll exercise authority over angels and men. Not all of us, but those who have earned it.

Isaiah 44:23 – Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and glorified Himself in Israel.

Revelation 15:3-4 – They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You , O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested.”

I’m thrilled that heaven will also be a place of learning forevermore. Primarily we’ll learn about God. The entire universe will be our playground and our laboratory for learning. Everything will become known to us. Wonders will never cease for those who live in heaven. And then we have the things God will give us and show us. The Bible says our minds cannot even begin to comprehend what good things God has in store for us whom he loves. We know that we will fellowship with other believers in heaven and they will be our friends forever. In heaven we will serves God in whatever capacity he requires of us and we’ll do it joyfully. We will want to please God in everything we do.

Revelation 22:3 – And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.

Revelation 22:5 – There shall be no night there: they need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

I try not to focus too much on heaven or I’ll lose sight of the job I have to do down here on earth. I know God put each of here on this earth for two reasons. First, to seek God and accept his grace unto eternal life. Second, once we are saved we are to emulate Christ until we are called home. We do this by witnessing for Christ and doing good works so that men will see light of Christ in us and thereby glorify God. Because of the example we set some may accept God’s grace unto eternal life.

The Bible mentions hell 54 times and heaven 582 times so we know a lot more about heaven than we do hell. The Bible mentions three heavens. The first heaven is the earth’s atmosphere; the air we breathe. The second heaven is outer space; the moon, the sun and the stars. The third heaven is the home of God and it’s not on our physical plane se we can’t see it or touch it. We have no idea where heaven is but God knows. This third heaven will one day be our home once we shed this earthly tent we call the human body. God will give us a new resurrected and glorified body that will never age once we get to heaven. No sickness or disease will ever befall our new body and we’ll be able to walk through walls and instantly transport ourselves anywhere in the universe. These are just the abilities we know about from the Bible. There is much more we’ll find out about once we get to heaven.

Revelation 21:16 – The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with a reed: twelve thousand furlongs (1400 miles). Its length, breadth, and height are equal.

Revelation 21:17-18 – Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty cubits (216 feet), according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The construction of its wall (New Jerusalem) was of Jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.

Revelation 21:12-13 – Also she (New Jerusalem) had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and the names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel; three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.

God is so meticulous and detailed about everything he even tells us the exact size of heaven, the New Jerusalem. Heaven will be roughly 1400 miles long, wide and high. Imagine a giant cube and you get the picture. Most theologians agree heaven will be a giant cube but a giant pyramid would also fit the description given by God. I personally like the idea of a pyramid with the throne room of God at the top. One day in the future we’ll find out whether New Jerusalem is a cube or a pyramid when we see it descend to earth. If New Jerusalem were to set down on the United States it would cover most of the country it’s so big and heaven could easily house every person who has ever lived (approximately 40 billion people). Who will populate this heaven? We know the angels of God will be there. There could be untold billions of angels in heaven. The Bible says an innumerable company of angels (too many to count) are in heaven. We know all believers (the church) will be in heaven.

On the last Day, at the second coming of Jesus Christ to the earth, he will set foot on the Mount of Olives to defeat the antichrist and the forces bent on destroying Israel. Jesus will save a remnant of Israel to take to heaven where they will have a prominent position. And of course we know God the Father will be in heaven on his throne. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, will rule heaven forever. The Holy Spirit will also be with us in heaven. The Holy Spirit will indwell our new glorified bodies so we can never sin again because God doesn’t allow sin in heaven. Here’s my reasoning on this. If we were to ever sin in heaven God would be forced to break one promise or the other. God says believers will be in heaven forever but if we sin God has to kick us out. The only way God can keep both promises is to make sure we don’t sin in heaven. The only way God can accomplish that is to indwell us with his Holy Spirit. I don’t know about you but that’s a great comfort to me.

In Revelation God gives us a detailed description of heaven that is staggering to the human mind. When we see New Jerusalem with our own eyes we’ll be even more amazed. Heaven will rest on a foundation of 12 layers of precious stones with each layer a different gem and named for one of 12 Apostles. Heaven will be surrounded by a 216 foot high wall made of Jasper. New Jerusalem itself will be made of pure gold. There are 12 gates into New Jerusalem, three on each side, and each gate named for one of the tribes of Israel. Each gate is tall and massive and carved out of giant solid white pearls. New Jerusalem is a tribute to the Jewish people. Those who think that the church has replaced Israel as the apple of God’s eye need to think again.

We know there is a physical hell. The Bible contains no errors and the Bible mentions hell 54 times. As a result of the what the Bible reveals we know quite a bit about hell. Hell is a place of unquenchable fire. Everyone who winds up in hell will remember all the chances they had to enter heaven. They blew it and they know it. Their remorse will be unbearable and it’ll last forever. The Bible also portrays hell as a place of great thirst. If you’re unsaved stop right now and take a quick break. Run to the fridge and get a class of cold water and drink it. You never know when it’ll be your last cool drink.

Matthew 3:12 – His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Matthew 13:41-42 – (Jesus speaking) – The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Mark 9:43-44 – (Jesus speaking) – If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched- where, “Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.”

The thing most people can tell you about hell is those who are there are in pain and agony. What the heck does that mean? To me a toothache is pain and agony. Imagine being dropped in a vat of 3000 degree Fahrenheit molten steel. That’s the kind of pain and agony the Bible is talking about. Only imagine that the body and the nerve endings never burns up. The pain is the most excruciating pain anyone can experience, and it goes on twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, for eternity. The way the Bible portrays hell it appears the unbeliever in hell will have a resurrected body of some sort. I don’t see how an invisible spirit can feel thirst or pain.

Hell is a place of frustration and anger toward God. The unbeliever will curse God for eternity for putting them in hell. In four separate passages in the Bible Gehenna hell is called, “the second death.” In the Bible death means separation from God. The sinner in hell is eternally separated from God. Since hell is a place of total darkness this separation will also include everyone else in hell. The person who goes to hell will be alone for all of eternity. God is powerful beyond our comprehension and those in hell get to receive all of God’s undiluted divine wrath. It doesn’t have to be that way for man if we repent of our sins and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If you’re reading this it’s not too late for you.

Hell was originally created by God for Satan and the other fallen angels. God created the angels as eternal beings so they can’t be utterly destroyed or God would be breaking his word. God made man with an eternal spirit too so we can’t be utterly destroyed either. While God can’t destroy either of us he can incarcerate both angel and man if we sin against God. That’s why God created hell. God made hell to last an eternity. Nobody who goes in the lake of fire can ever get out. God never intended for man to go into the lake of fire and brimstone but the unsaved will wind up there for rejecting God’s grace.

Revelation 21:8 – But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

John 19:11 – (Jesus speaking) – You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.

Luke 20:46-47 – (Jesus speaking) – Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widow’s houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.

Why must man be punished forever for the sins of a few years? Only the mind of God knows the answer and I’m not going to second guess God. Sins against God’s eternal holiness can only be punished by God’s eternal justice which demands an eternal death sentence. There is no injustice or partiality with God. We all get exactly what we deserve. Based on the above Bible verses there will be varying degrees of suffering in hell to match the heinousness of the sins of each unbeliever. Who is it exactly who is going to hell? We know from Scripture that there are fallen angels chained in the pit of hell for taking on human form and sleeping with women.

In the book of Numbers we saw God open up the earth and swallow the Israelite Korah and 3000 of his followers who went alive directly to the pit and the earth closed over them. We know on the last Day when Christ returns he will throw the antichrist and the false prophet alive into the lake of fire and brimstone. The Bible singles out Judas Iscariot as having his own place in hell. At the end of the 1000 year reign of Christ on the earth all of the unsaved dead from all the ages of man will be resurrected bodily to stand in judgment before the Great White Throne of Jesus Christ. All will be thrown into the lake of fire forever. Last but not least, Satan will also go into the lake of fire at this time and never threaten God or man ever again.

The second hell is the lake of fire and brimstone. This is the final resting place of Satan and all the unsaved souls of all the ages for all of eternity. The second hell is also referred to as Gehenna hell. All of the unbelievers who die prior to the Great White Throne judgment of Jesus Christ go to hell within the earth to await sentencing. So when is this Great White Throne judgment going to happen? As believers we know the next thing on the prophetic calendar is the rapture of the saints when Jesus appears in the air to call all believers to himself before taking us all back to heaven. The rapture happens just prior to the tribulation, the last seven years of human history.

The second coming of Christ is at the end of the tribulation when Jesus sets foot on the Mount of Olives. On this last Day Jesus will reward believers and all unbelievers will go to hell within the earth. Jesus will restore Israel and set up his 1000 year millennial kingdom and rule from Jerusalem. At the end of this 1000 year period is when all of the unsaved souls in hell within the earth since human history began will be resurrected bodily to stand before the Great White Throne of Jesus Christ for judgment and sentencing. Everyone at this judgment receives eternal damnation and they will all be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone forever where they will be in torment day and night.

Theologians have had 2000 years to study the Bible and chronicle God’s plan of the ages. Sometimes I can’t remember all the intricate timelines myself but luckily I keep a biblical history flow chart on my desk to remind me. You can pull this up on the internet and print off your own copy for reference. The flow of human events and biblical events fit like a glove to further reinforce the Bible is God’s Word and God is the author of human history. Everything that happens in this world is perfectly timed by God to fit within his salvation plan for man. The biblical history flow chart just gives us a pictorial representation of that salvation plan for clarity.

God doesn’t tell us where the lake of fire is located. From Scripture we know Gehanna hell is not the same hell that’s within the earth. We understand that the lake of fire is located away from this earth, a place of outer darkness ;possibly in some remote spot in God’s universe. We won’t know the answer this side of heaven. God doesn’t tell us everything. God just tells us what we need to know for now. What we know about Gehanna hell we learn from the following Bible verses:

Matthew 8:12 – (Jesus speaking) – But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 22:13 – (Jesus speaking) – Then the king said to the servant, “Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 25:30 – (Jesus speaking) – And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

2 Peter 2:17 – These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

Jude 1:13 – Raging waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

There are actually two physical locations we refer to as hell. We use the word hell loosely to describe both places because they both have the same characteristics, they both have flames and the damned in both locations are in constant pain and agony. First let’s talk about the hell within the earth which we also call the pit or Hades. When the unsaved die this is where they go first. Think of this first hell as a holding cell for the damned until they can be sentenced on the last Day when they will stand before Jesus at the Great White Throne judgment. We know this first hell is within the earth because the Bible says it is.

Do you remember the Old Testament story of Korah and his followers rebelling against the leadership of Moses when the Israelites were wandering in the desert? God opened the earth and swallowed up Korah and 3000 of his followers and they went down alive to the pit, which is hell. Hell is within the earth and beneath the Middle East somewhere. In my mind hell is directly beneath the Dead Sea although I have no proof of this.

Numbers 16:31-33 – Now it came to pass, as he (Moses) finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallower them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly.

We know the spirits of the both the believer and the unbeliever must leave the body at the moment of death. It’s a spiritual law that a live eternal spirit cannot reside in a dead body (corpse). Our eternal spirit leaves this physical plane at death and enters the spiritual realm where angels and demons reside; where God and Satan live. We know from the parable of Lazarus and the rich man that prior to Jesus the spirts of the righteous were escorted to Paradise within the earth by angels.

After Christ, believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and anyone dying after that happens will have their spirit taken directly to heaven by the Holy Spirit himself to be in the presence of Jesus. Angels are no longer needed to escort your spirit to heaven if you already have Jesus within you. Paradise within the earth is no longer being used to hold the righteous because Jesus died for their sins and he descended into Paradise while he was buried for three days and then Jesus took the saints home to heaven. The Bible confirms this is what happens when believers die.

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

Romans 14:12 – So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

God is reciprocal. Saint and sinner will be treated fairly. Prior to Christ, if angels escorted the spirits of the righteous to heaven that means the spirits of the damned were also taken to hell within the earth. The unbeliever wouldn’t be escorted by angels or God so the only other alternative is they are escorted to hell by demons. After all, the demons know the way home. The unsaved wouldn’t want to go to hell even if they knew the way so it’s obvious to me their spirits are they are taken into custody by demons and transported to hell against their will. The only other way I can see the unbeliever going to hell would be to have them translated there by God, to be “beamed down” like on Star Trek.

If that were the case Lazarus would have been translated to heaven when he died and not escorted by angels. What happens is similar to the movie “Ghost” where Sam’s friend Carl dies. He’s the bad guy in the movie so the demons come up from below and haul him off to hell. The only difference in real life is the real demons won’t be inoffensive cuddly little shadow figures. Real demons are huge, fierce, terrifying creatures so in the movie the look of sheer horror on Carl’s face as he’s being dragged off to hell is the only realistic part of being taken to hell by demons. I know one thing for sure. We don’t want that to happen to us so we must learn the truth of God studying the Bible and obeying God’s commandments.

Luke 16:22-24 – So it was the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s Bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torment in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”