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God’s Handiwork, The Heavens

Posted in Creation, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 30, 2015 by paulthepoke

Psalm 19:1-4 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their utterances to the end of the world.

heavens

There is all kinds of talk in today’s world. “Blood moons, tetrads, solar eclipses, signs in the stars, Second Coming of Christ, Armageddon, economic chaos, rapture, resurrection…sigh…”

Does God really give us signs in 2015? If so, are the celestial events we are witnessing in today’s time really of God? Is there even a god(s)? Come on now, we live in a scientific and technological age. The Bible is just a book of little stories and fables…

God uses the heavens to communicate. We are reminded throughout the Bible. But, He made this crystal clear “In the beginning”…

Day Four of Creation Week

Genesis 1:14-16 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also.

http://paulthepoke.com/2011/07/27/genesis-114-15-plan-and-purpose-prophetic-implications/

…let them be for signs and for seasons…

The Hebrew word for “signs” is ‘owth. It means: sign, signal, a distinguishing mark, banner, remembrance, miraculous sign, omen, warning; token, ensign, standard, miracle, proof (definition provided by Strong’s Concordance).

…let them be for signs and for seasons…

The Hebrew word for “seasons” is mow`ed (singular); mow`edim (plural). It means: appointed place, appointed time, meeting; appointed time; sacred season, set feast, appointed season; appointed meeting; appointed sign or signal; tent of meeting (definition provided by Strong’s Concordance).

In western culture we think of seasons: spring, summer, winter, and fall. The Bible is a book of Hebrew culture. Their word for “season” has a different connotation.

The second reason given by God for the sun, moon, and stars is to signal an appointment in regards to place and time. This is God’s calendar and day planner.

God says He does not change. He stated He will use the heavens to communicate during creation (Genesis 1:14). He has stated He is unchanging in the Old Testament. Malachi 3:6a “For I, the LORD, do not change…” There is no change in the expression of His Son. Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. God says He is immutable in the New Testament. James 1:17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

As a reminder, a solar eclipse will usher in the Feast of Trumpets/Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanah on September 13, 2015. This is the beginning of the civil new year in Israel.

A Blood Red Super Moon is scheduled for Tabernacles, September 28, 2015. The best viewing in the world of the lunar event will be in Jerusalem, Israel.

These celestial events take place on God’s appointed holidays. So does God use the sun, moon, and stars to communicate in 2015? If so, what is He telling us?

…fade the Twilight music…

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What the Hell…Not with Jesus

Posted in Gospel, Hell, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 26, 2015 by paulthepoke

We all know what happened to Jesus’s body after He died on the cross. He was taken off of the cross. The body was prepared and buried in a rich man’s tomb. What about the soul and spirit? Where did the Spirit of Christ go? Luke 23:46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT.” Having said this, He breathed His last. See also Matthew 27:50, John 19:30.

The Greek word for “commit” is paratithemi. Per Strong’s Concordance:  to place beside or near or set before; to deposit; to entrust or commit to one’s charge.

clouds

Jesus trusted the Father to place His Spirit near Him.  The Father is in Heaven per the Lord’s Prayer.

One of the men on his cross next to Jesus believed He was the Messiah. Jesus’ words to the thief on the cross next to him verify His destination. Luke 23:43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

The Greek for “Paradise” is paradeisos. Per Strong’s Concordance paradeisos means: a garden, pleasure ground; Heaven; the part of Hades which was thought by the later Jews to be the abode of the souls of pious until the resurrection; the upper regions of the heavens. According to the early church Fathers, the paradise in which our first parents dwelt before the fall still exists, either on the earth or in the heavens, but above and beyond the world.

1 Peter 3:18-20 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.

Note, Jesus’ Spirit remains alive and does not see death at the cross.

The Apostle Peter notes Christ visited “spirits” or “pneuma” in the Greek after His physical death. The “spirits” could refer to fallen angels and/or dead humanity. Peter discusses both parties in his epistles. These “spirits” are in prison (phulake in the Greek: of the place where captives are kept, a prison, a guarding).

With the resurrection of Christ, Psalm 16:10 was fulfilled. For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. Jesus did not stay in Sheol/Hades (see Ephesians 8-10). He was resurrected on the third day. Acts 2:31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY.

Currently He is alive in a resurrected body at the right hand of the God the Father in Heaven. Hebrews 10:12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD…

Romans 8:34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

Ephesians 1:20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places…

For other references of Jesus at the right hand of the Father: Acts 7:55-56; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 8:1; Hebrews 12:2; 1 Peter 3:22; Revelation 3:21; Matthew 22:44; Acts 2:33.

Today, with Jesus at the right hand of the Father, what happens to believers in Christ when they experience bodily death? Where do the soul and spirit go? 2 Corinthians 5:8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

Home is in Heaven with the Father and Son.

Revelation 1:18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. –Jesus

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What the Hell…No, Bosom of Abraham

Posted in Gospel, Hell, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 10, 2015 by paulthepoke

Luke 16:22 Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.  Not everyone dies and goes to a place of torment. Prior to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, those who believed in God’s coming promises went to be in a place of comfort, the Bosom of Abraham (Luke 16:19-31). Things changed after the good news of the works of Christ. But prior to…

Lightning strikes the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park near Hopi Point. Captured from Cape Royal on the North Rim of the park nearly 12 miles away. Zoroaster Temple is the prominent feature in the foreground.

Luke 16:23 In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. The text is clear. There are two different places in Hades or Sheol or the grave, the right side of the chasm and the wrong side of the chasm. One is a place of comfort.  The other is a place of hell.  The distance in the verse is “far away” or the Greek phrase makrothen apo. It means: a long way off, afar off, a great distance.

Luke 16:26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.

The distance between the two places is “great” or megas in the Greek text. Per Strong’s Concordance it means: great; of the external form or sensible appearance of things (or of persons); in particular, of space and its dimensions, as respects of compass and extent: large and spacious; of measure and height: long. In English we get the adjective “mega” from this Greek work. Anybody watch Mega Structures on TV?

The Greek word for “chasm” is the transliteration chasma. Per Strong’s it means: a gaping opening, a chasm, a gulf.

This gap is ridiculously huge no matter how it is defined. Notice the destination is fixed. Depending on which side you are, there are no transfers. The transfer request is one way. Those with Abraham are not requesting a move. The instructions are for those on the wrong side of gap. They can not come over.

Luke 16:25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. With Abraham’s space there is “comfort”. The original Greek word is parakaleo. It means: to receive consolation; strengthen; exhorting and comforting and encouraging; to call to one’s side, call for, summon. Abraham’s bosom was a call to comfort.

So how did these people arrive at a place of comfort instead of torment? The book of Hebrews provides the answer. With God, it has always been about faith in His word. Ultimately, does one believe what God says? Faith is defined by Hebrews 11:1-2 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval.

Hebrews 11 provides many examples of Old Testament characters who believed of future things to come. Hebrews 11:13 All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

Faith without an object is pointless. “I believe! I believe! I believe!” In what?!?!

The Bible calls on humanity to have faith in the good news or Gospel of Jesus Christ, the promises of His second coming, and a future eternity of peace.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

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Rapture of the Bride of Christ, When, Part 2

Posted in Gospel, Isaiah, Prophecy, Rapture with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 21, 2014 by paulthepoke

When looking at the course of an Ancient Jewish wedding, Jesus is following cultural custom. A Jewish man has to make an offer to purchase or buy his bride to be. Jesus has met this obligation with Acts 28:20b …to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. Gifts are usually offered from the groom to the bride. In the case of the church, we receive the gift of eternal life from the groom. Romans 6:23b …but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The marriage involved the drawing up and the acceptance of a legal contract called a ketubah. During the betrothal or the promise of the coming marriage, it is the groom’s duty to prepare a home for his pending bride. John 14:2-3 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” According to Jewish custom, the Father of the groom decides when the house is ready. The Father sets the wedding date. He tells his son when it is time to go get his bride. A Jewish groom goes and gets his bride, an event of a Jewish wedding ceremony. The rapture of the church is when Jesus comes and takes His bride. Ephesians 5:22-33 Draws parallels between Christ (husband) and the church (bride/wife). Jesus’ relationship to the church is as a husband is to a wife. Specifically, Ephesians 5:32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.

There is more to the wedding in regards to bride’s response and the ceremony itself. The context and focus are how the rapture fits into the wedding. Jewish cultural information provided by The New Manners and Customs of Bible Times, God’s Final Jubilee by Dan Goodwin, Our Father Abraham Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith by Marvin R. Wilson, The Truth Behind Left Behind by Mark Hitchcock and Thomas Ice.

Jesus is speaking in Revelation 3:10 and states “Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” It is members of the church who receive crowns. We give them back to Jesus. The crowns are on the heads of the elders. They are wearing white, purified and cleansed robes in Heaven (not on Earth) in Revelation 4 before start of the tribulation. Later in Chapter 4 of Revelation, the crowns are thrown before the throne in Heaven, not on Earth. These events take place in Heaven before the Tribulation. How did the church get into Heaven before the Tribulation? Rapture. All hell breaks loose on Earth with the Tribulation starting in Revelation 6. The church is absent in the Revelation 6-18 text during all of the destruction on Earth.

Jesus is taking His bride out of harm’s way. The church is safe in Heaven’s bridal chamber preparing for a wedding. Isaiah 26:20-21 Come, my people, enter into your rooms and close your doors behind you; hide for a little while until indignation runs its course. For behold, the LORD is about to come out from His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; and the earth will reveal her bloodshed and will no longer cover her slain. The previous context of these verses in Isaiah is the resurrection of the dead…

Psalm 27:5 For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.

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Rapture Part 4, Old Testament Clues

Posted in Gospel, Prophecy, Rapture with tags , , , , , , , , on July 7, 2014 by paulthepoke

John 14:2-3 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

In this passage, Jesus is talking with His disciples. Some translate “dwelling places” as “mansions”. Bottom line, Jesus is building a really nice place in Heaven. We know where He is now (July 2014). He is at the right hand of the Father in Heaven (Mark 16:19, Acts 2:33, 1 Peter 3:22). Then He states He will come again to get others. Since He is in Heaven, He will return to “receive” or paralambano (original Greek word). Per Strong’s Concordance, it means: to take or join with one’s self. The grammar indicates this is a future event that is certain to happen. He will certainly take people to join Him in Heaven. Note, there is no mention of His physical return to Earth. This is an event where He gathers people to meet Him in Heaven.

Now why would Jesus take people away from Earth? What purpose does that serve? The Old Testament has answers…

Isaiah 57:1-2 The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart; For the righteous man is taken away from evil, he enters into peace; they rest in their beds, each one who walked in his upright way.

The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart… A just and lawful man dies or ‘abad in the original Hebrew. The word ‘abad can also mean perish, exterminated, or destroyed per Strong’s Concordance. The response from the culture, “Who cares”.

and devout men are taken away, while no one understands…These men are taken away or ‘acaph in the original Hebrew. The word ‘acaph can also mean: collect, to gather (an individual into company of others), to bring up the rear, to gather and take away, remove, withdraw. These men did not die. They have been gathered into a group and taken away. They are withdrawn and removed from bad and evil. The response from the culture is a lack of understanding or discernment.

For the righteous man is taken away from evil, he enters into peace… God’s people, dead or alive, are removed from bad and evil. Their destination is “shalom” not “sheol” or the grave, which is the place for the dead. Shalom is the Hebrew word for peace. Strong’s Concordance defines shalom as: completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, safety, health, prosperity, quiet, tranquility, contentment, friendship of human relationships, and friendship with God especially in covenant relationship.

This stuff is in the Old Testament! It has always been there. It is consistent with the message in the New Testament.

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.

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Isaiah 6:5 Facing the Lord

Posted in Isaiah with tags , , , , , , , , , on November 18, 2012 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 6:5 Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” 

In the presence of God, Isaiah realizes his personal sin and the sin of his fellow countrymen. He is in the presence of perfection in the throne room of Heaven. There is no comparison.

Peter has the same experience in the New Testament with a record hall of fish. He realizes he is in the presence deity. Luke 5:8 But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” 

Isaiah has Exodus 33:20 in mind when he sees the Lord in person. He feared for his life.

Exodus 33:20 But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” This is God talking.

Prior to God’s direct revelation in Exodus, this concept is understood by Jacob. Jacob wrestles with the Lord in Genesis 32:30 and has the following response. So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.”

The fear of seeing the Lord and subsequent death has been engrained in Jewish culture in the Old Testament. The same concern is expressed by Manoah in Judges 13. Manoah and his wife had encountered the Angel of the Lord. Their response was to bow their faces to the ground. Judges 13:22 So Manoah said to his wife, “We will surely die, for we have seen God.”

Gideon has an encounter with the Angel of the Lord in Judges 6:22-23 When Gideon saw that he was the angel of the LORD, he said, “Alas, O Lord GOD! For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face.” The LORD said to him, “Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die.”

As one can see, death does not occur to all who see and are face to face with the Lord. He is merciful and gracious. It is God’s choice. Exodus 33:19b… “and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.”

It is clearly a humbling experience to be face to face with the Lord.

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Heaven’s Throne Room

Posted in Isaiah with tags , , , , , , , , , on October 21, 2012 by paulthepoke

Expanding on Isaiah 6:1, what does the throne room of Heaven look like? There are other references to the physical description of the Heavenly throne in Scripture. The majority of the physical description noted is about God Himself. One of the references is in the Old Testament and one of the references is in the New Testament.

The first example is from Revelation. The apostle John who is imprisoned on Patmos is the author and he is the one in the Spirit.

Revelation 4:2-3 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.

The two stones of jasper and sardius are of interest as they describe God. Jasper is defined as a precious stone of various colors (purple, blue, green, white, clear, and brass in color). Sardius is a precious stone that is fleshly colored.

The color of the throne room is a green, gem like emerald. The rainbow encompasses the throne.

Verse 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 

Imagine the visual and acoustic environment this would create. Lightning and thunder are emanating from the throne.  Lamps representing the Spirit of God are blazing with fire in front of the throne. The number seven is symbolic of completeness, fullness, perfection.

Verse 6a and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal… 

The Old Testament description is provided by the prophet Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 1:26-28 Now above the expanse that was over their heads there was something resembling a throne, like lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man. Then I noticed from the appearance of His loins and upward something like glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him. As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.

The throne is compared to lapis luzuli. What is that? It is translated as a sapphire stone in some cases. Sapphires can come in many colors. The most common color is blue.

The Ezekiel passage discusses the physical appearance of God. He looks like a man. God told us in the Genesis creation account that humanity was made in His image. Ezekiel confirms this with his observation. God looks like a man.

The physical description of God is consistent with fire. Fire is a symbol of judgment and purification.

Genesis 9:9-17, God establishes a covenant and a promise with man and all living creatures. Notice, man’s actions affect the living environment around him. The rainbow is a reminder and a symbol of God’s mercy. Specifically, Genesis 9:15 indicates… and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.

The Triune God is present in the throne room in Heaven. The Father is seated on the throne. The Spirit is present as lampstands. The Son is the One who will open the scrolls later in the scene in Revelation 5. 

The symbols and description of God in the throne room depict: strength, power, beauty, judgment, preciousness, and mercy.

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Isaiah 6:1 A Shift in Scenery

Posted in Isaiah with tags , , , , , on October 14, 2012 by paulthepoke

In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.  

Isaiah 6, the scene shifts to the throne room of Heaven.

King Uzziah was the tenth king of Judah. His name means: strength of Jehovah according to Strong’s Concordance. 2 Chronicles 26:1 And all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah. 2 Chronicles 26:3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem…He generally did what the Lord approved according to 26:4. Military strength was a hallmark of his reign. Later in life, his pride got the best of him. 2 Chronicles 26:16 But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. In 2 Kings 15:1-8, Uzziah is also called Azariah. King Uzziah is in the family tree of Jesus (Matthew 1:8-9). His death is estimated to be in the year 740 BC.

The Hebrew word for Lord is adonai. It can be a reference to men or to God. In the case of God, it is capitalized. It means master or sovereign according to Strong’s. Adonai is plural and it recognizes His greatness and majesty (Systematic Theology, Chester McCalley).

The greatness and majesty is also emphasized with the throne room in Heaven. The adjectives that describe the throne room include: dignity, authority, power, lofty, and exalted. The robe filling the throne room is another symbol of His greatness.

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