Chapter Eight | the promise
“What’s all bad news and no good news at all?”
“Depressing.”
This isn’t a “doom and gloom” message; it’s a sober look at where we are, how we got here, and what’s coming in the future (all based on the Bible, with a personal revelation from God, and observation of the Earth). And we have hope (I know I do). Yes, there is the threat looming over our heads from the Creator that we need to pay attention to Him (or else). But He is offering us peace and happiness that is on a level largely unknown to us at this time on this planet. (I experienced a brief moment of this and it is to die for; but that’s another vision.) Let your response be a godly fear of Him and His justice that demands payment. My focus is on His joy living in me.
On the one hand, we have an offer of peace and fulfillment; on the other, we have a guarantee of destruction and misery. “Hmm, that’s a tough one; overwhelming misery or overwhelming joy…”. But because He has shown us what He will do if we are evil toward Him and each other (destruction in misery), and that it is frightening to us (rightly so), many people end up judging the Judge instead of heeding His warnings. This is unfortunate. Please don’t be that person. It’s okay to fear Him. He’s frightening. Just don’t judge Him. That’s His aria to sing.
Instead, read what He wants to do with His people and see if you want in on that or not. If you do, just listen to Him and obey. Belief will become stronger as you seek His will, His face, His presence and His ways. Just don’t expect to impress Him with your “goodness”. And don’t expect Him to “pay up” what you might think He owes you (through religion or other such activity).
“Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and no one will even think about the old ones anymore. Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation! And look! I will create [New] Jerusalem as a place of happiness. Her people will be a source of joy. I will rejoice over [New] Jerusalem and delight in my people. And the sound of weeping and crying will be heard in it no more.
“No longer will babies die when only a few days old. No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life. No longer will people be considered old at one hundred! Only the cursed will die that young! In those days people will live in the houses they build and eat the fruit of their own vineyards.
“Unlike the past, invaders will not take their houses and confiscate their vineyards. For my people will live as long as trees, and my chosen ones will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains. They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they are people blessed by the LORD, and their children, too, will be blessed. I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers! The wolf and the lamb will feed together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. But the snakes will eat dust. In those days no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain. I, the LORD, have spoken!”
(Isaiah 65:17-25 NLT)
(Poor snake. Still not forgiven for letting Satan in, I guess.)
On Jesus and Destruction
Jesus has the authority; the right, to destroy that which He has made. He also has the means; the will; and the power to destroy. We should not be testing His resolve; His will; His patience; or His grace and mercy. Think of what He has done to rebellious mankind already (His actual track record). He has always done what He set out to do and He was never sidetracked or distracted from His task.
- Death was given to humanity at the Fall for eating the wrong fruit (disobedience)
- He broke the planet because mankind was being evil with each other and Him; millions were killed (all they wanted was sex and violence—I’m sure that drugs and music may have been involved as well)
- The entire Jewish history with God is chock-full of Him punishing them for their unfaithfulness to Him, while praising Abraham for his faith
- He has promised His followers trouble in this lifetime, which they are (and have been) receiving
- Early on, He prophesied His destruction of Earth at the end
- We can see This Broken Planet and know that He broke it because of us.
Satan isn’t the only one able to destroy. But he is evil because he destroys what is not his to destroy. He destroys for his own twisted purposes. His destructive acts are evil tantrums.
Jesus can also destroy. In fact, Jesus has the power, the right, and the will to destroy Satan; but Satan can’t even touch Jesus anymore. He tried and failed.
Jesus only destroys what the Father wants Him to destroy. Destruction doesn’t bring Him joy; but it does bring Him and His people peace, which eventually does lead to joy. He brings all things under His dominion and then will hand it all over to the Father when He is ready (full of joy). He will eventually imprison Satan in a Lake of Fire (or lava, if you will).
Satan’s power is limited; but Jesus’ power is unlimited. Jesus promises to destroy Satan, this universe, hell, and heaven after these coming thousand years have passed. He will then create a new heaven and earth. Real life will begin. (This world is just the interview process.)
Religion
I’ve heard many people over the years talk about their dislike for “organized religion”. I don’t really know what they mean by that, since all religion is organized. That’s kind of the point of it, isn’t it? To get together and talk about the same thing from the same viewpoint and share that with each other, whatever the thing is called, over a potluck? I think that’s a part of it. Actually, what I think they mean is that they just follow their own made up beliefs—and they keep them secret to avoid criticism.
Here’s my take on this thing called “religion” (not that you asked for it or care, but see if I can get this right):
Religion says that God owes me for doing what I needed to do. It’s like a paycheck; “I did the work, now give me my pay.”
~ (me)
Can you think of a single religion that doesn’t incorporate some level of effort that it requires of you? And let’s include Christianity and Judaism in the count, too. Religion tells God that He owes us. If you think that God owes you good things because you are a good person, remember what Isaiah said; all of our best behavior is disgusting to Him. God owes nothing to anyone ever conceived. Religion tries to avoid that reality and make Him owe us. This is why I hate religion; it’s wrong.
I personally think that one of the biggest issues facing Christianity is having Satan in the church. I don’t mean that everyone is demon-possessed. I mean that he’s right there with you, sitting in the pews (or floating above everyone’s head, if you like).
I think that he enjoys being the pastor, or the worship leader, or a cardinal, or a pope. Or maybe he’s that older, heavier woman, who just loves to get into everyone’s business and shake things up (and not just with too much perfume, either). But with a smile and a hug, of course.
What am I talking about? It’s that thing that happens in everyone’s head (self included), when they have a thought come to mind and it could either be from the dark side (evil) or the light side (good). It’s kind of like the cartoon of a red, horned devil on one shoulder and the white winged, haloed angel on the other; both whispering in the person’s (or toon’s) ear.
Only, this happens at lightning speed with each and every thought that comes to mind. I know that my own thought-per-second count can be pretty high sometimes. I prefer when it is more like thoughts per minute, or per hour. But that doesn’t happen much with me (they call it ADHD).
[Or emotions. When I say thoughts, it could apply to the emotions as well—same brain (or soul).]
And if I don’t make sure that I’m dwelling on the good thoughts (or feelings), then the bad are what I dwell on (sometimes; I do get neutral thoughts, like when working on a task). And the longer I dwell on the bad thoughts, the worse my mood becomes and the more likely I am to do or say something as foul as my thoughts. That is when the enemy is in charge and I have failed in standing up to him. When the pastor gives that evil thought a place to live in his heart, then it is not him who is delivering the sermons. I share this because I’m just like you in this. Watch your thoughts and emotions, kids.
The funny thing about people is that we can be both good and bad at the same time. In fact, we can’t help it. And religion comes in and takes advantage of that trait in us and uses guilt, or reward, or whatever works to get us to engage in something that is futile in making us right with the Creator. Or worse, we just start picking on other people. If you are a Christian who picks on others, you are not living as a child of God. If you look down on those who don’t live up to your code, you are not living as a child of God. If you think that you can do no wrong, you are not living as a child of God.
Any person at any time has the capacity for good or evil. Well, infants get a pass for now (from me), but toddlers don’t. They’re evil little beings; those toddlers. You have to watch them every second! Be tough on them now or they’ll rule you in a few years! I’m not kidding. But don’t get me going about parenting.
Babies in the womb are technically just as guilty as the rest of us, in that they have the very same Depraved Nature of Adam—that thing in us that is not removable—which keeps us from having fellowship with God. I just give them a pass because I can. But I’m not God. I’m not the Judge.
In a nutshell, religion is a device designed to keep control over the masses. And in the past, Christianity has been as horrible as many of the others and worse than some. Did you know that the statistics between those households involved in religion (including Christianity and Judaism) are the same as the larger society in all categories? Murder, rape, theft, incest, abortion, and single parent households—any of the plagues on society and family—are just as prevalent in the households of the religious as in the other households. That tells me that religion doesn’t work in doing what its proponents often say that it will do.
And look at science, the same kind of thinking that ruined Christianity is rife within that community and its disciplines as well. If you don’t see it, then you’re a part of the problem.
Evolution and Deep Time are not scientific; they are beliefs (ruses, really) that counteract a God-based paradigm. They are part of a response to a religion (Christianity) that has been demonically influenced and hurtful toward society in many ways at various times. It isn’t the story that is out of whack, the Bible is just fine, it’s the crazy ideas and behavior from the pew-sitters, priests, popes, and theologians that’s out of hand—along with their godless lifestyles. Poor choices, second-by-second are what we have seen from the Church for the last two millennia. But then, we’re just fallible people too. Right?
If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.
(James 1:26, NLT)
Why, then, do you judge your brother? Or why do you belittle your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.
(Romans 14:10, Berean Standard Bible)
You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things.
(Romans 2:1, NLT)
“Do not judge, or you will be judged. For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
(Matthew 7:1-2, Berean Standard Bible)
It isn’t your “being good” that God empowers to save you; it’s the faith in what He has already done that pleases Him. He wants you to seek after Him, just to be with Him; not to prove yourself good enough; because you aren’t—nobody is. No one. Just show some loyalty, you know? Listen. Obey. Pray daily. Read His Word . . . .
I think that having an imaginary long time between God and us in theory is like a buffer to some. It makes Him seem like He’s farther away than He really is; as if our judgment will be less likely, perhaps. I think that many people in the world since Babel have been so scared of God’s judgment, or reviled by the force with which He deals with sin, that they have made up other stories to placate their fears, or those of their children, when the tale is told. I don’t know. I’m just trying to figure out why people reject a good God. So far, this is all I’ve come up with: some people don’t think that He’s good. Weird. When they try to hide under satanic lies that they’ve latched onto, as if their faith in the wrong thing is as effective as our God-given faith in the Real Thing (Christ), then Jesus (The Judge) will not be amused, I would imagine. There is also the thing about some people resenting His judgment over their choices and desires.
Relationship
Let me see if I can really nail down the biblical side of this for you, if you still have a hard time seeing how this all works out. I know it can be confusing when religion is involved.
There is only the one God. We know this from the Bible, which, as I’ve been trying to demonstrate here is trustworthy in all things it discusses, including the creation. (If you don’t agree, prove it wrong.)
He revealed Himself to the post-Flood, post-Babel world through people He calls His prophets; people through whom He speaks or communicates His truths.
One of those prophets was named Isaiah. He is considered a major prophet because he was so prolific and impactful. In his book of prophecy, he wrote the following:
We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.
(Isaiah 64:6, NLT)
If you aren’t sure, “righteous deeds” means the very best behavior possible.
In this one quote, God is basically removing the point of having any religion toward Him at all that seeks to use human effort to please Him. Why? Because according to Him, the very best we will ever be in His sight is as disgusting as a used tampon. Sorry, but there it is. The Hebrew term used by Isaiah for “filthy rags” could indicate a menstrual rag. So, the best we can hope for is to not gross Him out with our disgusting behavior and character (the best we can come up with).
His perfection is unattainable for us on our own. We are never going to be perfect, as we exist now. We have to be transformed somehow. But hang on to that thought; I’ll get back to that.
First, I want to talk about this God that people don’t seem to understand; the One of the Bible.
Firstly, I don’t see why they use ignorance of knowing everything about Him as an excuse for not pursuing Him. I mean agnosticism is just willful ignorance in my eyes. But then, my eyes have been opened to the spiritual reality of my Creator—unlike most people in the world, I guess. And until a person’s eyes are opened, they won’t see it. (You have to believe it to see it.) So, forgive my seeming insensitivity to the person who really wants to know God but hasn’t met Him yet.
Well, I actually believe that if a person wants to know God then He will introduce Himself to that person. So let me see if I can inspire you to see why having a good relationship with God is better than having a bad one. And everyone has some kind of relationship with God already. The quality or character of it is what matters here.
And our relationships with each other matter as well. Having common trust in God in this world, that is hostile to that trust, makes fellowship in that trust all the sweeter. God works through these relationships (when we let Him) to strengthen and encourage us to continue in the fight against the enemy. And the enemy is internal as well as external, for me. And the domestic enemy can always do more damage than the foreign.
Who Is God In the Bible?
“I AM THAT I AM” is what He told Moses, when Moses asked Him for His name directly. “Tell them that ‘I AM’ has sent you.” That Hebrew name is transliterated into English as “Yahweh”. So one name for God is YAHWEH. Jews tend to not say the whole name out of reverence for its holiness and they write it “YHWH” (but in Hebraic letters).
The Bible describes His attributes and character as it goes along. I think that every book of the Bible has something to say about Him and His character or His ways.
When I was a child, I had received a bright red Bible at a church youth event. (My older sister and her friends conspired and cheated and I ended up with the prize for the most buttons or pins). I might have been in first grade, or close to it. It was in the King James Version. It took me a little while to understand it (still trying to get there, actually). The King James Version (KJV) is not easy!
What I loved about it was that the words of Jesus were in RED. So I remember just reading the red parts when I could. Over and over. That’s when I fell in love with Him. In grade school and getting what I could out of the KJV Bible. I’m not a big fan of the KJV today. I recommend another, more connectable version. It’s hard to relate with words that are out of date. It’s good for poetic verses though.
My personal favorite right now is the NLT. But it isn’t meant for all kinds of study; it’s best for casual or regular reading (it works well for this kind of project). A person should read all of the versions of a particularly important, touching or appropriate verse, just to see what the translators were trying to convey as well as the original author. I also recommend seeing the original languages as well (Greek or Hebrew, primarily). Have and use a tool for translation away from any particular version. Interlinear Bibles are a must for me. Concordances are great too.
Avoid these Bibles: The New World Translation; The Mirror Bible; The Message Bible, or just, The Message; The Living Bible; The Passion Translation; and The Reader’s Digest Bible.
Anyway, back to Jesus. Yes, Jesus. He was shown to be God in human flesh many centuries earlier by that same prophet that I quoted earlier—Isaiah.
If you will read the 53rd chapter of his prophecy, you will see him describing Jesus and His substitutional death on the cross for all of us, whether we asked for it or not.
The grueling, torturous, slow death that He suffered is one for the record books—and it is. His life and death were so momentous that we began counting our years from His birth on (more or less). If you forgot; AD anno domini means year of His dominion. (That’s why the college boys wanted to change it to CE, Common Era, and BCE, Before Common Era.) I prefer AM, anno mundi, because it helps me count the days to 6,000 (the magic number). Here is just one prophecy about the most important act and human being for all mankind:
Isaiah 53
In the New Living Translation
Who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm?
My servant grew up in the LORD’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.
He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.
Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.
He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.
Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people.
He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.
But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.
I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.
That isn’t myth or fantasy; it’s a realistic narration of an event that would happen 700 years after the time that it was penned—the life, death, and burial of Jesus. In fact, if all of the prophecies about Jesus were shown to you it would be quite obvious Who He was in the eyes of the prophets.
The Torah is not myth or fiction. Neither is the Tanach. The only poetic books are obviously poetic (like Psalms and Proverbs). Most are narrative of actual history (yet to occur or not). And the prophecies in the Tanach are all either perfectly carried out or they have yet to be fulfilled. There is not one prophecy in the Bible that can be confirmed to be false, if it says it’s true. I think it does mention a false prophecy or two; not sure.
Jesus said this about Himself:
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.”
“No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”
Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.”
John 14
Even His closest friends had their misunderstandings about Him. But now we know that He is the physical representation of the great and glorious Yahweh.
Paul, writing to the church in Corinth, in the New Testament, tells us that Jesus is the One Who created all that is.
There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords. But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life.
(1 Corinthians 8:5-6, NLT)
Jesus is called “God” by God in the book of Hebrews:
Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets.
And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.
The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.
This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names.
For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus: “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.” God also said, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son.”
And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said, “Let all of God’s angels worship him.”
Regarding the angels, he says, “He sends his angels like the winds, his servants like flames of fire.”
But to the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice.
“You love justice and hate evil. Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.”
He also says to the Son, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. They will perish, but you remain forever. They will wear out like old clothing. You will fold them up like a cloak and discard them like old clothing. But you are always the same; you will live forever.”
And God never said to any of the angels, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.”
Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.
(Hebrews 1, NLT)
And Jesus is very clearly shown to be God in human flesh in the Bible. Sorry, Jehovah’s Witnesses, you’re wrong. God lifted up Jesus to His level (almost), with the Holy Spirit in them both. Soon Jesus will lift saints up to His level (almost), with the Holy Spirit in us both. It’s about the most beautiful thing in all, being one with God and owning your life.
Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved.
For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort.
(Philippians 3:2-3, NLT)
Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example.
For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ.
They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.
But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.
He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
(Philippians 3:17-21, NLT)
In a quote above it says,
He also says to the Son, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands.
“They will perish, but you remain forever. They will wear out like old clothing.
“You will fold them up like a cloak and discard them like old clothing. But you are always the same; you will live forever.”
I just thought it bore repeating.
Now that we know that Jesus is God (the same God Who caused the Flood), according to the Bible, we should think about what is going to happen when He comes back. And He has already told us what to expect.
When God Comes Back
Don’t forget what you have learned already in this short essay; God broke the planet because of man’s depravity. Jesus is God. When Jesus comes back, He is going to punish the world for their treatment of each other and especially His followers. In fact, He has been quite clear about this for a very long time now. All of the Major Prophets discuss His return. And all of them talk about the pain of it for the planet. When Jesus comes back, there will be hell to pay—literally.
The possible physical destruction of Earth that I have warned about, through the melting under our feet, won’t happen in your natural lifetime; but the return of Jesus very well might. And that is going to be very catastrophic for some!
This isn’t doomsday nonsense. It’s common knowledge among those who read Bible prophecy. Even people who are somewhat disconnected from the things of God feel as if something big is nearly here. And the Bible tells us what those things are.
As our ultimate Judge and Authority, Jesus will hold court for all of His human brethren (He is Judge). In the balance is their eternal destiny (whether they like it or not).
In another book, End Times Made Easy, I talk about God’s judgment and how it is very misunderstood these days in the Church, much less understood in the darkness of those who are outside the kingdom of Christ. I’ll share a couple of concepts.
Humanity 2.0
In a post on my blog, I talk about what will happen when Jesus returns. It’s also in a previous book of mine, End Times Made Easy.
This is what Paul calls “the hope of our salvation”; it’s that something we are all looking forward to as saints.
When Jesus comes back, He will transform all of His followers, whether dead or still alive, into super humans, like Him. We won’t be equal to Him, but we will “share in His glory”. It’s like an upgrade from the manufacturer. That’s why I call it Humanity 2.0. He will upgrade us from these dying, mortal bodies (Humanity 1.0), and give us bodies that are both physically and spiritually superior. Personally, I think that we will have powers of telepathy (as Jesus uses today with us), telekinesis (tell this mountain to move), and teleportation (like what happened to Phillip with the Ethiopian, or Jesus entering the upper room that was locked shut). We may also be able to soar (as He did when He left the first time, going up to heaven and as He will do upon His glorious return).
As a people, we will be one with God in a way that we don’t yet understand. We will be invincible, as Jesus is invincible. We will know whatever we need to know when we need to know it. And we will know Him, as He knows us.
Jesus is Humanity 2.1. We will always be less than Him. Always. But just as the Father has lifted Jesus up to being One with Him, sharing in the same Holy Spirit, so too we, who are lower than the angels now, may be lifted up to share in Jesus’ quality with His Holy Spirit in us both (Him and each of us) above the angels.
The Millennium
I also talk about this in End Times Made Easy. The millennium is a prophesied thousand-year period wherein humanity will be present in three different forms: Jesus (the God-Man); Saints (The body of the Holy Spirit and the Bride of Christ); and the Nations (mortals who obey God and saints).
Jesus is God in a human body. He will always be above His creatures. There is no comparison between His perfection and the rest of us, with our imperfection. BUT, when we are glorified with the same glory that He has from the Father, we will be perfect as well. (This is not easy for me to imagine.)
So in the millennium, Jesus will be on Earth (Jerusalem) sitting on His throne in His new temple (different from all the others—much bigger, nicer).
He will rule over the affairs of mankind on the planet, with His saints as His helpers. These are His faithful followers who share in His power, knowledge, wisdom, and grace. They will rule over the affairs of those people who are called “The Nations”. They became that way through faith, not works.
The Nations are mortal people who never gave their lives to Jesus but didn’t give their lives to Satan either. These are the ones who never took sides but never really followed anyone, either. They are called the “Sheep”, from the separation of the sheep and goats that occurs at the beginning and end of the millennium (two judgments). They will be good citizens in Jesus’ kingdom on Earth, but they are required to worship Him in specific ways. It’s more of a religious, formal, legal relationship than being one with Him like the saints. It isn’t much, but it is required of all nations to go before Him at least annually. If they don’t, then they will not get any rain for their crops until they do.
Jews will be in the Nations. In fact, theirs will be the preeminent nation on Earth during the millennium. They will all live in Israel as given to them in the Bible. Every Jew on the planet will live in Israel. No exceptions. See Ezekiel, chapters 40 through 48. The Jewish religion lives on too in the Millennium.
People of the Nations will have families and produce offspring. Saints will not. Saints will be one with Jesus and His Holy Spirit. Perhaps we may even be one with the Father at some point. (Maybe that’s just semantics, since Jesus and Holy Spirit are God.)
People in the Nations are mortal and can die on this Earth (I don’t know what happens when they die), but they will not die in the New Earth; just in the millennium on this Earth. They are kept alive by drinking the Water of Life and eating the fruit from the Tree of Life (the same one that Adam and Eve were kept from having).
In a way, the Garden of Eden is returned to Earth in the form of the Holy of Holies in Jesus’ temple. It’s His throne room. Will Jesus perhaps remove the radiation as well?
This is a pre-taste of heaven on earth that we will have in the New Earth; the final home of all living mankind. But that will come after the Millennium is over and Jesus destroys this creation to build the new one. There will be tears and rebels in the Millennium, but not in the New Earth.
Life on Earth under Jesus will be an absolutely utopian existence. No wars will be able to be fought. All infractions of God’s law will be dealt with using an iron rod (absolute rule). I don’t think that anyone will be able to get away with any kind of crime, since the first responders and judicial officials will know every detail of the crime before it happens. There won’t be any investigations where criminals get off free. No one will fool God and His government. You can’t lie to someone who can read your mind or just see the whole thing occur in their mind or spirit. Resistance is futile. No pleads. No deals. Just repentance and restoration; or destruction, I guess.
Judgment
Jesus’ judgment of mankind will commence immediately upon His arrival to this doomed, broken rock—while still in the atmosphere, actually. The Great Tribulation will be wrapping up globally (not in a good way) and at just the last minute, when there is no hope left for humanity, it seems, there He will be, arriving from the East; riding on a white horse and sending His angel armies to both conquer and rescue. He will conquer the enemy and He will rescue His own who still cling to life.
The rest of humanity—those who were caught in the middle—will be rounded up and stand trial to receive their sentence or reward. He will give to everyone as they have deserved.
“Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
“Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life.
“Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.”
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.
And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book.
And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.
He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people.”
(Revelation of Jesus Christ 22:12-21, NLT)
Let us not water down the message of our supreme God and Savior, Jesus the Messiah and Creator. If we take away mention of the pain, while talking only about the joy, we are not telling the whole story. It’s the pain that makes the joy so joyous. Likewise, if we don’t mention the joy, then the pain has no hope to pull us through.
What the majority of people in the world are getting from the world is no hope at all. That is because the removal of God, with His judgment, His invisibility, invincibility, and elusive presence, power, and rules, is the removal of any good at all. Meaning, there would be nothing left but pain, sorrow, regret, sadness…you know, the stuff that hell is made of.
Actual hell is an individual state, btw; no buddies to hang with in your misery. No drugs to comfort your mind in another state. No suicidal escape into another dimension. All you can do is wait for Him to judge you for all that you have thought, said, and done while walking the Earth. After that, it will only get worse for you when He judges you as you have judged others.
Did you get that big hint?
“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.
For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.
“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”
(Matthew 7:1-5, NLT)
The destruction that Jesus wreaks upon His return is one kind of judgment (while still in the air); but then He will hold court and “separate the sheep from the goats” (when He lands on the Mount of Olives after 5 months of wrath-giving in His aerial campaign of shock and awe). In this judgment, He will decide who gets to live on Earth for another thousand years, basically.
These people are not the ones whom He calls His elect, or chosen, or saints, or followers, or disciples; instead, these “sheep” will be those people who are still alive on Earth at His Return and have not worshipped the antichrist or Satan. But neither have they followed Him. So they are a new category for us in the family:
The Nations| mortal people living on and on by not having radiation killing them any longer. And they are eating and drinking fruit and water that miraculously (in our minds) sustains their physical bodies indefinitely. (Look up the Water of Life and Tree of Life.) Adam and Eve were kept from it. These people will come alive with it.
“’In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike—and they will prophesy. And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below—blood and fire and clouds of smoke. The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the LORD arrives. But everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”’ ~ Peter
(Acts 2:17-21 NLT)
What I am doing with this presentation is the same thing that has been going on since the first century; I’m sharing what God has given to me with whomever will listen (or read, or watch).
As you just read one of the apostles announce publicly, God is working through His people in many ways—some of them miraculously. What I am doing here falls right in line with this teaching from the New Testament. God gave me an incredible vision in my mind of what the Earth looked like before the Flood, which He used to destroy those who had turned so far from Him that they would never come back.
Some even think that the human race was corrupted with some kind of demonic half-breed situation, and that Noah was the only one left pure (making him holy; set apart; different). I don’t know if that’s true or not. But I do know that God ruined the world because of humanity’s sinful ways. And He told us that in the time of His return we will be that evil again.
“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the Flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the Flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.”
(Matthew 24:37-39, NLT)
They didn’t even know that they were breaking God’s heart with their ignoring Him and His wishes all the time. They were wicked and clueless about it. They were just as mean and nasty to each other as we are today.
But He let them have it. They were wiped from the face of the Earth in just minutes. All people on Earth (likely in the millions or tens of millions) except for one man and his three sons and their four wives, everyone just tossed into the mud that mostly hardened into rock. Death came quickly and mercifully; unlike the manner in which we killed Him on the cross (slowly; torturously).
Today when we receive that story, we react to it in various ways. Some of us scoff and or get offended and even make up other stories (or gods) to drown it out of our minds. Some of us are indifferent and shrug it off. Others listen, believe and want to change and makeup with God, whether out of fear, guilt, or repentance. Those are the ones He seeks.
I personally think that the Flood story was so fervently told to the younger ones by the older ones that it scared them (as it was probably meant to). I mean, what would have been on your mind to tell the young ones after living through the flood?
Then when Noah’s extensive family was all split up by God at Babel and went their different ways, that’s when different stories began to be told in the many lineages around the globe. Some kept it close to the truth; others veered away into some other story (made up, of course).
The languages were created by God to confuse the people. They got confused. And their whole way of life and society was torn to shreds overnight. Can you imagine the confusion, frustration and isolation of leaving the home, society, and family you loved because no one could communicate or get along?
You grab your metal axe and knife and whatever other tools and hardware you have, but you don’t know how to make them yourself; you got them from someone else. You don’t have all of the combined skills and knowledge of the society (family, really) that you are leaving. You and your closest family clan who can understand each other only know so much combined—not nearly as much as the whole family combined (all of mankind at that point). What a hit on technology! What a hit on society! What a hit on the truth!
Remember this; the human family immediately after the flood was probably very close-knit for the first few generations. Literally everyone you would have met was family, under a righteous patriarch. People tend to pull together in and after hardship. It was a really great society, I’m sure; it had to be the best on Earth so far and since, when it was all broken up. You know? Here everyone is getting along really well and enjoying life together for the first time, when God broke it all up. Man. That must have been heartbreaking and earth-shattering for most, if not all of them.
And so their response to God’s heavy hand (again) was to pretend that He didn’t even exist (for many of them, anyway). Some took up other gods (demons, really), that seemed to be more sympathetic to the wandering emigrants (at first). A few, I’m sure, stayed true to Yahweh (not knowing His name yet).
And so here we are; four thousand, three hundred and whatever years later, having to deal with our ancestors’ stubbornness and refusal to follow God and His wishes. And the stories have just gotten more out of hand as time goes on. (Could that be because man only becomes more corrupt as time goes by? Our DNA sure does. We can prove that.)
So which story do we believe? Well, for me, not any that has Deep Time in it. In fact, the Bible has been so well proven to be true in everything that it discusses; I wouldn’t ever toss it for another explanation at this point.
And I’m adamant about it (zealous, even) because this stuff has real world ramifications and consequences. There really is a God Who punishes sin and I don’t want to be on His bad side or in His way when He comes back here. (Actually, I’m looking forward to His return, as scary and horrific as it will be for others.)
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city.
He went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there.
He also had a debate with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. When he told them about Jesus and his resurrection, they said, “What’s this babbler trying to say with these strange ideas he’s picked up?” Others said, “He seems to be preaching about some foreign gods.”
Then they took him to the high council of the city. “Come and tell us about this new teaching,” they said.
“You are saying some rather strange things, and we want to know what it’s all about.”
(It should be explained that all the Athenians as well as the foreigners in Athens seemed to spend all their time discussing the latest ideas.)
So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.
“He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need.
“From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.
“His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
“And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone.
“God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.”
When they heard Paul speak about the resurrection of the dead, some laughed in contempt, but others said, “We want to hear more about this later.”
That ended Paul’s discussion with them, but some joined him and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the council, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
(Acts 17:16-34, NLT)
That scene has been played out in many college campuses and social clubs around the world. A man shows up, talks about a new philosophy and people follow him or his view, method, or concept, while others don’t. Some of those views have been very different.
Today, the average human is bombarded by more philosophies and concepts and theories than he can bear, present activity included. But how does he tell the truth from the fiction? The enemy has torn up the family as much as he can, and along with it a functional society. The things he throws at our youth are just incomprehensible sometimes.
Today, our children possess very weak critical thinking skills, connection to family, or a larger society to feel safe in, or a connection to their Creator, thanks to the schools.
All of these things have been stripped from our children at school, while we both parents go off and live independent lives of each other in some corporate, business, or scholastic environment all day (less, now with telecommuting gone wild).
The attack on our kids has been so severe that they have the kids doubting what a gender is; of all the certainties in life. If they can doubt such an obvious thing, then the higher and already barely attainable truths are going to just fly away from them, always beyond reach or even memory. Whatever you may think of the enemy, his diligence is paying off for him—to our detriment.
The enemy is in school more than anywhere else in America. As a ruler in the world, Satan has given a certain kind of authority to the schools that has never really been manifest as it is today. If a school gives you a certificate that says “PhD” on it, you can make more money than those who don’t (unless your name is Bill Gates, or Elon Musk, then you just forego the PhD altogether.) But in the process, you become indoctrinated into his lies.
Why are we not reeling-in the money flowing to those schools that are out of control? Why are we not governing the schools, their message, and behavior? Why are they getting a free pass to ruin our children’s minds?
I’ll bet that if I were allowed to follow any student’s schedule through any public school in the US, I’d see more outrageous behavior than I would be able to bear. And that from just the faculty and administration. If I were there for a week, I’d probably want to shut the place down (if I survived).
Conclusion
I’m not a scientist. I’m not a prophet. I’m not even that smart compared to many of you. But I understand what I believe God has shown me here. Using this model, I can see how the Earth got to be the way that it is now. In studying the Bible, I’ve learned a lot about Cosmology (study of the beginning) and Eschatology (study of the end). In studying the Earth, I see God’s fingerprints all over it.
I can now say with confidence just what the story of Earth was and is and is going to be, because my Best Friend showed me a little more than what He put into print (the Bible). He was there and knows it all. This little bit that He shared with me about cosmology (a 4-second vision with follow-up insights) has been mind-blowing for me, personally, and I thank and praise Him for His knowledge, grace, and love that He has shared with little, insignificant me.
I think that books could be written about God’s reasons for breaking the planet like and when He did. If nothing else, it sure makes a statement. What that statement is, exactly, seems to depend upon the one receiving it.
The mystery is solved. We can now see how it all came about and where it’s going. We can quit spending money on figuring out the origin of life and instead help orphans and widows who are already here and in need. With this model, we can see that the world could have been quickly created in an amazing design centered on our comfort. We can see that James Hutton was wrong; the past has determined our present and sealed our future as well.
The Earth is young—and it will die young. To deny this is to deny the evidence beneath our feet and in the testimony of God’s Bible from the One Who made life.
We’ve been very patient with Mr. Hutton and his disciples for a very long time now, but I think it’s time to talk about something else in school when it comes to Cosmology. This Deep Time nonsense has gotten old—and rotten. And while we’re at it, why not remove the cult as well? (Those satanic administrators who hate God and His kingdom.)
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who His children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as His adopted children, including the new bodies He has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)
(Romans 8:18-25, NLT)
I have written this book (or post) for you so that you will consider that science doesn’t remove God from the picture; you do, when you allow bad concepts (that remove God) to rule your mind and harden your heart against Him.
If you spend your life ignoring God, then He’ll let you do that for all eternity after you die. Initially, it’s called “hell”, after that is the Judgment of everything you’ve ever thought, felt, said and done on Earth. Then it might be the Lake of Fire for you, which is never going to go away.
If that is your destiny, then this world is the closest thing to heaven you’re ever going to experience. On the other hand, if you become a believer (before you die), then this world is the closest thing to hell that you will ever experience.
It really is up to you. Give in to Him, or not. He’s waiting for your answer. And it’s not like you’ve got a million years to mull it over.
In Him, and for you, not against you,
Gary
Contents
Preamble
Ch 1: Competing Worldviews
Ch 2: The Broken Planet Model
Ch 3: The Flood
Ch 4: “Earth Looks Old”
Ch 5: Radiometric Dating
Ch 6: Some Scientific Dating Methods
Ch 7: Biology
Ch 8: The Promise
Questions & Answers
