Random Thoughts on the Really Good News

“When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying, Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them." (Revelation 10:4) I’ve never heard or read a satisfactory explanation of the “seven peals of thunder” . But some bible study and a little common sense helped me understand. I knew from experience that we SEE lightening before we HEAR the thunder. And we know the lightning is the events surrounding the second coming of Jesus to earth.  Therefore, the "peals of thunder"  are what follows the return of Jesus to earth. “For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” (Matthew 24:27) Chapters 1 through 20 deal with what John was SEEING during the seven years leading up to the return   of Jesus . Those Chapters end with the physical return of Jesus and His reign on this earth for 1000 years. I n the first part of Re...

“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The LORD said, I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” (Genesis 6:5-8) What is the “EVIL” that “grieved” the “heart” of the “LORD” ? Well, you need to have read the first four chapters to know, but to summarize, the first child born to Adam and Eve was Abel, and the second was Cain. In the course of time both Cain and Able brought an "offering" to God. "So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground. And Abel also brought an offering--fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD look...

This is what E. W. Bullinger said about the teaching of the Apostle Paul… “In the apostle’s own lifetime the most spiritual of all the assemblies “turned away from” him (II Timothy 1:15). Some used to tell us to go back to the first three centuries to find pure Christianity ... But our answer is that we cannot go back to the first century; for the very assembly (which received his longest ministry, “so that all they that dwell in Asia heard the words of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 19:10), were the first to turn away from him and his teaching.” So what teaching did the churches ( assemblies ) turn away from? And has the modern day church returned to that teaching? No they have not. The "teaching" of Paul can be seen in the following verses from his first letter to the Corinthians… “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and became the first-fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Ch...

“But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God... Therefore I testify to you this day...I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God..." (Acts 20:24, 26) Jesus had revealed to Paul that he was chosen for the "ministry" of the "gospel of the grace of God" . Paul was persecuted for doing so but he understood that teaching the truth about the grace of God was the only way to be "innocent of the blood all men" . He was compelled and chosen to reveal to all mankind "the whole purpose of God" ...which included the following... 1. That Jesus is "...the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature..." and that through Jesus God will  "reconcile all things to Himself...whether things on earth or things in heaven...he made known to us th...

It seems to me from reading the Bible that there are three groups of people talked about… Group 1: Hebrew Believers - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their descendants who believed what God told them down through the years, and Group 2: Gentile Believers -All other people who heard from God and believed what He said to them down through the years Group 3: Unbelievers - Everyone else. The destiny of Groups 1 and 2 are to rule and reign with Christ Jesus during the two ages following this present age in which we live. The first age is referred to as the KINGDOM of Heaven and will last 1000 years.  This  age is what Jesus was talking about when he told ISRAEL at his first coming… "The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15) From the Old Testament we know that he is referring to the restoration of the Davidic Kingdom promised to Israel. But only a few in Israel repented and the majority followed their religious leaders and rejected Jesus and ha...

Do we choose to do stuff by our own free will, or are our choices simply God working in us according to His will? “I do not want you uninformed brethren…” (1 Thessalonians 4:13) The truth is that God is working all things out “according to his good pleasure” . We are just “uninformed” about why He allows us to make bad choices.   “…work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good pleasure.”  (Philippians 2:12-13) Our "salvation" is secure despite our bad choices.  You can't "work out" of something you do not have.  Religion wants us to work FOR our salvation, but God wants us to WORK OUT our salvation by faith in it - not fear and trembling that we won't get saved, but in awe and reverence that we HAVE been saved as a gift from God by His grace and not by our works.  "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of ...

" Whoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven ." (Matthew 10:32-33) The context is NOT salvation. Jesus was speaking to the house of Israel concerning the promise of God to Israel to reestablish the Kingdom of Israel ON THE EARTH at some time in the future. The JEWS who do not confess that Jesus is their Messiah will be denied entrance into that Kingdom when it is restored by Jesus at his 2nd coming. The timing of this restoration of the Kingdom was the last thing the JEWISH apostles asked Jesus about before he ascended into heaven after his resurrection. "So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, Lord, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:1-10) After the ascension of Jesus, Peter told the JEWS that if THEY would repent and be baptized in the name of Je...

Life and death. These are choices that God has reserved for Himself. And we should remember that "God is for us" ... "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered him over for US ALL, how will He not also with him freely give US all things?" (Romans 8:31-32) People do not get to choose whether they will be born, nor do they choose whether they will die. At best, people may choose the timing of death by their lifestyle - either sooner or later - but eventually we ALL die. "And inasmuch as it is appointed for people to die once and after this - judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those awaiting him." (Hebrews 9:27-28) What happens after death has been the great question for most people. The word judgment is "krisis" in the Greek language of Scripture, and ...

"There is a time for every purpose under heaven...a time to be silent, and a time to speak." (Ecclesiastes 3:7) The problem is determining when to speak up! 😇 "Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, Listen and understand. A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it . Then the disciples came to Him and said, Are You aware that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?... Jesus was talking to the crowd about the Jewish religious leaders of his day.  They were defiling themselves and the crowd by what they taught, not by what they ate or drank. These "Pharisees" were "offended" by what Jesus said, and the "disciples"  of Jesus asked him about it... "But Jesus replied, Every plant that My Heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its roots. Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit .” (Matthew 15:10-14) The " plant...