Greetings!
Here's two questions I ask people - and nearly always get what I think are the wrong answers!
Question 1 - What is the current population of Hell right now?
Answer 1 - I belive the correct answer is ZERO. I cannot find any references from any of my Holy Bibles that even seem to indicate that there is anyone or anything currently in Hell. I'll explain this in a bit.
Question 2 - What is the current population of Heaven?
Answer 2 - I belive the correct answer is FIVE. I'll explain this below.
Explanations:
The more I read my Holy Bible, the more I become convinced that there is no one in Hell right now. Many times the Holy Bible speaks about the Final Judgements, but not until Jesus' return to Earth is anything or anyone sent to Hell.
The more I read my Holy Bible, the more I become convinced that there are only five beings in Heaven currently.
First, the three easy ones: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. God said that He created Man in His image. Man has a tri-partite body - that is, the physical body, the soul, and the spirit. God the Father is the Soul of God. God the Son, Jesus Christ, is the Body of God. God the Holy Spirit is the Sprit of God.
Now for the other two people (and, yes, they are human) currently in Heaven. I find no corraborating Biblical evidence of any normal human being currently in Heaven except in two places.
In the Book of Genesis, Chapter Five, verses 21 to 24, is the story of Enoch. Although I intend to include those verse here, the Holy Bible says that Enoch was taken to be with God.
Gen 5:21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
Gen 5:22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
Gen 5:23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
Gen 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
This describes to me that Enoch was taken to Heaven while still in his physical body.
The second person in Heaven right now is Elijah. The Holy Bible describes it like ths:
2Ki 2:11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
These are the only humans currently in Heaven. Allow me to explain likt this:
Let's use a fairly current example. Billy Graham, one of the most well recognized Christian people in the world, passed away on February 21, 2018. If current thinking is correct, the Billy Graham has already been in Heaven for about four years. Now let's say that I pass away today. I consider myself to be a Born-Again Christian, and have no doubt that I shall be raised again. But, if I went to heaven on that day, Mr. Graham will have recieved four more years of paradise that I would. Yes, I know Billy Graham certainly deserves an award (or more than one award) from God for this. But, our God is a fair God. We will =all= be risen up at "the last trumpet". The Holy Bible Says:
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
I don't know what this passage says to you, but I believe it says to me, that =all= Christians shall arise at about the same time. "The Dead in Christ shall rise first". This is when Billy Graham shall arise. "We which are alive and remain shall be caught up." This is when all living Born-Again Christians shall be taken to be with the Lord.
I believe that Enoch and Elijah shall be the "Two Prophets" that the Holy Bible says will preach to Israel for three and one half years.
Any questions?
Monday, June 7, 2021
Thursday, June 3, 2021
End Times Proofs 3
Proof 3 – Rebuilding the Temple
“But when you shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it should not, (let him that reads understand,) then let them that are in Judea flee to the mountains”.
Paraphrased from Mark 13:14.
The “abomination of desolation” Christ mentions here means the setting up of a false idol, or even a person, to worship instead of God in the Holy of Holies of the rebuilt Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. But this never occurred after Christ’s sacrifice. In fact, a strange violation of the Jewish Temple in the Holy of Holies happened at Jesus’ death. At the very instant that Jesus gave up His spirit, the large heavy tapestry that hung between the general temple area and the Holy of Holies, in which a Priest of Levi was the only one permitted, tore. The symbolism of this act was to indicate that we no longer needed a priest to be our mediator between God and Man – we now had a permanent advocate in Jesus Christ. But that tapestry tearing also would have made the temple and the Holy of Holies temporarily unclean until the tapestry was remade and remanufactured and restored and the temple had been ritually cleansed afterwards. The Holy of Holies was never supposed to have been seen by people. Only the High Priest was allowed to go into the Holy of Holies. It was considered not just sacred ground, but dangerous to go into the Holy of Holies unprepared. The tapestry that normally hangs between the people’s part of the temple and the Holy of Holies is very richly embroidered and would take quite some time to remake and replace. There are no indications that any animal sacrifices were made in the temple after Jesus’ death, probably because the act of the tapestry tearing would have made the temple temporarily unclean. Of course, the death of Christ, the perfect sacrifice, made animal sacrifices unnecessary. The Jews rejected Christ as their Lord and Savior and would have wanted to continue their usual animal sacrifices. But that would have been impossible after the tearing of the cloth that hid the Holy of Holies from prying eyes. The temple was now unclean and needed to be cleansed before sacrifices could be resumed. Jesus told His Apostles that Herod’s temple would soon be totally destroyed. The invading army of Titus torched and destroyed the Second Temple in 70 AD. No known violation of the Holy of Holies occurred at that time. There is a record of an abomination set up many years before Christ, but here, Christ seems to be speaking of a future event. What temple was Jesus talking about? I believe that it will be a third temple, still to be built. Israel is even now making plans to rebuild the temple a third time. New temple accessories have already been manufactured. New temple acolytes are being trained. A search for a pure red heifer to sacrifice for cleansing the temple is already going on. There is a worldwide search for clues to the location of the lost Ark of the Covenant. Israel makes no secret of the fact that they want to rebuild the Temple of Solomon. It is this future temple that Jesus is talking about. Eventually, there will be a move by Israel to rebuild the temple on the original site. Recent archaeological evidence says that the Islamic temple known as the Dome of the Rock would not have to be demolished in order to rebuild the Jewish temple. Only a small well on the property would have to be removed. Then the animal sacrifices will eventually resume. This last, unfulfilled, prophecy is one of the only events remaining that needs to occur before the rapture and the Second Coming of Christ.
“But when you shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it should not, (let him that reads understand,) then let them that are in Judea flee to the mountains”.
Paraphrased from Mark 13:14.
The “abomination of desolation” Christ mentions here means the setting up of a false idol, or even a person, to worship instead of God in the Holy of Holies of the rebuilt Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. But this never occurred after Christ’s sacrifice. In fact, a strange violation of the Jewish Temple in the Holy of Holies happened at Jesus’ death. At the very instant that Jesus gave up His spirit, the large heavy tapestry that hung between the general temple area and the Holy of Holies, in which a Priest of Levi was the only one permitted, tore. The symbolism of this act was to indicate that we no longer needed a priest to be our mediator between God and Man – we now had a permanent advocate in Jesus Christ. But that tapestry tearing also would have made the temple and the Holy of Holies temporarily unclean until the tapestry was remade and remanufactured and restored and the temple had been ritually cleansed afterwards. The Holy of Holies was never supposed to have been seen by people. Only the High Priest was allowed to go into the Holy of Holies. It was considered not just sacred ground, but dangerous to go into the Holy of Holies unprepared. The tapestry that normally hangs between the people’s part of the temple and the Holy of Holies is very richly embroidered and would take quite some time to remake and replace. There are no indications that any animal sacrifices were made in the temple after Jesus’ death, probably because the act of the tapestry tearing would have made the temple temporarily unclean. Of course, the death of Christ, the perfect sacrifice, made animal sacrifices unnecessary. The Jews rejected Christ as their Lord and Savior and would have wanted to continue their usual animal sacrifices. But that would have been impossible after the tearing of the cloth that hid the Holy of Holies from prying eyes. The temple was now unclean and needed to be cleansed before sacrifices could be resumed. Jesus told His Apostles that Herod’s temple would soon be totally destroyed. The invading army of Titus torched and destroyed the Second Temple in 70 AD. No known violation of the Holy of Holies occurred at that time. There is a record of an abomination set up many years before Christ, but here, Christ seems to be speaking of a future event. What temple was Jesus talking about? I believe that it will be a third temple, still to be built. Israel is even now making plans to rebuild the temple a third time. New temple accessories have already been manufactured. New temple acolytes are being trained. A search for a pure red heifer to sacrifice for cleansing the temple is already going on. There is a worldwide search for clues to the location of the lost Ark of the Covenant. Israel makes no secret of the fact that they want to rebuild the Temple of Solomon. It is this future temple that Jesus is talking about. Eventually, there will be a move by Israel to rebuild the temple on the original site. Recent archaeological evidence says that the Islamic temple known as the Dome of the Rock would not have to be demolished in order to rebuild the Jewish temple. Only a small well on the property would have to be removed. Then the animal sacrifices will eventually resume. This last, unfulfilled, prophecy is one of the only events remaining that needs to occur before the rapture and the Second Coming of Christ.
End Times Proofs 2
Proof 2 – Jerusalem Rebuilt
“When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.”
Paraphrased from Psalms 102:16.
FULFILLED!
What, then, is the second most important date in recent human history? I believe it came when the Israelis recaptured Jerusalem during the Six Day War, and the Israeli flag was raised above the city on June 10, 1967. Just think – Israel, a country that had just barely been born, a country with a new, very small, standing army, took on the might of virtually the entire Arab world and won. During the Six Day War, the Israeli army beat back the Arabic combined forces and raised their flag above Jerusalem on June 10, 1967. The Shofar horns of victory were blown from the Temple Mount itself. This, by the way, was another Jewish Holy Day. Israeli possession of Jerusalem is another fulfillment of Prophecy. Jews must be in control of Jerusalem in order to fulfill many Biblical prophecies. The Bible even gives the approximate borders of modern Jerusalem in Jeremiah 31:38-40: “Behold, the days come, says the Lord, that the city shall be built to the Lord from the tower of Hananeel to the gate of the corner. And the measuring line shall yet go forth over against it upon the hill Gareb, and shall compass about to Goath. And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the LORD; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever.”
The architectural elements mentioned here, most still visible, serve as permanent reminders of the borders of current Jerusalem, which is much bigger than the Jerusalem of Jeremiah’s time. The Israelis have rebuilt Jerusalem to one of the largest and most modern cities in the Middle East. Jerusalem was never as much of a center of conflict and power as it is now. Three different religions claim Jerusalem as a Holy city. First, Christians believe that Jerusalem is the city where Jesus ended his ministry and was crucified and then rose from the dead. Second, Hebrews have historical records showing Jerusalem to be the center of their religious beliefs since well before the birth of Christ, with the two temples that have been constructed there in the past. Third, Muslims believe that Mohamed arose to heaven from a rock that is prominently displayed inside the Dome of the Rock. Watch for Israel to try to make Jerusalem the capital city, or the one in which embassies are located, or both. Jews already believe that Jerusalem is their capital city, but it has never been recognized by the United Nations as the capital of Israel. Tel Aviv is the current recognized capital of Israel and the location of other nation’s embassies. By the way, “Tel Aviv” is Hebrew for “tree branch”. This may be a reference to the fig tree blossoming in the End Times that Jesus spoke about in the scriptures. I believe that the Israeli recapture and holding of Jerusalem is one of the last events that will happen in Israel to signify the beginning of the “generation that shall see all things”. This generation should be approximately 40 years or so in length, perhaps longer. I believe that one of the last things that this generation needs in order to be completely fulfilled is the third rebuilding of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, also called the Temple of Solomon. I believe that the reclamation of Jerusalem by the Jews may be the second most important proof of prophecy available, and another visible sign that the end of the age is near.
One of the most important proofs of the coming End of the Age came on May 14, 2018. Then President Donald Trump signed three Executive Orders:
The first allowed the United States to officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city.
The second was to move the American Embassy from its former location in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The third was to require that embassy to reopen on May 14, 2018. This is exactly seventy years from May 14, 1948. Why is seventy years important? Because it is one one the methods to measure a Biblical generation. I belive that this means that people born between May 14, 1948 and May 14, 2018 =will= be the generation that sees the closure of all things.
“When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.”
Paraphrased from Psalms 102:16.
FULFILLED!
What, then, is the second most important date in recent human history? I believe it came when the Israelis recaptured Jerusalem during the Six Day War, and the Israeli flag was raised above the city on June 10, 1967. Just think – Israel, a country that had just barely been born, a country with a new, very small, standing army, took on the might of virtually the entire Arab world and won. During the Six Day War, the Israeli army beat back the Arabic combined forces and raised their flag above Jerusalem on June 10, 1967. The Shofar horns of victory were blown from the Temple Mount itself. This, by the way, was another Jewish Holy Day. Israeli possession of Jerusalem is another fulfillment of Prophecy. Jews must be in control of Jerusalem in order to fulfill many Biblical prophecies. The Bible even gives the approximate borders of modern Jerusalem in Jeremiah 31:38-40: “Behold, the days come, says the Lord, that the city shall be built to the Lord from the tower of Hananeel to the gate of the corner. And the measuring line shall yet go forth over against it upon the hill Gareb, and shall compass about to Goath. And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the LORD; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever.”
The architectural elements mentioned here, most still visible, serve as permanent reminders of the borders of current Jerusalem, which is much bigger than the Jerusalem of Jeremiah’s time. The Israelis have rebuilt Jerusalem to one of the largest and most modern cities in the Middle East. Jerusalem was never as much of a center of conflict and power as it is now. Three different religions claim Jerusalem as a Holy city. First, Christians believe that Jerusalem is the city where Jesus ended his ministry and was crucified and then rose from the dead. Second, Hebrews have historical records showing Jerusalem to be the center of their religious beliefs since well before the birth of Christ, with the two temples that have been constructed there in the past. Third, Muslims believe that Mohamed arose to heaven from a rock that is prominently displayed inside the Dome of the Rock. Watch for Israel to try to make Jerusalem the capital city, or the one in which embassies are located, or both. Jews already believe that Jerusalem is their capital city, but it has never been recognized by the United Nations as the capital of Israel. Tel Aviv is the current recognized capital of Israel and the location of other nation’s embassies. By the way, “Tel Aviv” is Hebrew for “tree branch”. This may be a reference to the fig tree blossoming in the End Times that Jesus spoke about in the scriptures. I believe that the Israeli recapture and holding of Jerusalem is one of the last events that will happen in Israel to signify the beginning of the “generation that shall see all things”. This generation should be approximately 40 years or so in length, perhaps longer. I believe that one of the last things that this generation needs in order to be completely fulfilled is the third rebuilding of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, also called the Temple of Solomon. I believe that the reclamation of Jerusalem by the Jews may be the second most important proof of prophecy available, and another visible sign that the end of the age is near.
One of the most important proofs of the coming End of the Age came on May 14, 2018. Then President Donald Trump signed three Executive Orders:
The first allowed the United States to officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city.
The second was to move the American Embassy from its former location in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The third was to require that embassy to reopen on May 14, 2018. This is exactly seventy years from May 14, 1948. Why is seventy years important? Because it is one one the methods to measure a Biblical generation. I belive that this means that people born between May 14, 1948 and May 14, 2018 =will= be the generation that sees the closure of all things.
End Times Proofs 1
Proof 1 – Israel Restored
"God said: ‘On the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your sins, I will also cause you to live in the cities, and the wastes shall be rebuilt. And the desolate land shall be plowed, where before it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed. They shall say, 'This land that was desolate has become like the Garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities have become fenced, and are inhabited'."
Paraphrased from Ezekiel 36: 33-35.
FULFILLED!
What was the most important date in human history in the last hundred years?
Many people would point to events such as the Twin Towers Tragedy, the beginning or the end of World War One or World War Two, the Korean or Vietnam conflicts, and others. But I believe that the most important date in recent human history came on May 14, 1948, when Israel was officially recognized by the United Nations as a country. Why is this that important? For Biblical prophecy to be fulfilled, Israel must be recognized as a nation by the world. The Roman army of Titus decimated Israel and Jerusalem, and Herod’s Temple, the second Temple of Solomon, was burned to the ground in 70 AD. Israel did not exist as a nation again until relatively recently. Latter chapters of Ezekiel deal primarily with events that are to take place at the Second Coming of Christ. In order for some of those prophecies to be fulfilled, Israel must be recognized by the world as a nation. This official recognition finally came on May 14, 1948, which, by the way, was also a Jewish Holy Day. Many Arab nations refused to acknowledge that Israel was a nation until after the Six Day War. In fact, some Arab nations did not sign the official document recognizing Israel as a nation until 1974. Israel must be allowed to rebuild itself in order to fulfill prophecies like the one above. Israel is certainly being replenished now. A program of replanting trees and flowers is literally bearing fruit and the land is now fertile and being sown with many fruits and vegetables. Many of the old cities have been rebuilt and re-inhabited, and are as modern as large cities of today, even though many only started rebuilding in 1948 or later. Dates, fig trees, olive trees, and many other fruits and vegetables are grown throughout Israel. Flowers are everywhere. Israel is on an ambitious campaign to refurbish lands that were made desolate by the constant warfare around Jerusalem. Hillsides around Jerusalem and other cities that once showed the scars of war have been and are being replanted. The Zionistic movement is also another fulfillment of this prophecy. Jews are being allowed to return to Israel. Many Jews are coming from countries where emigration was previously banned, such as Russia and other Communist controlled nations. These Jews, coming from all over the world, are causing Israel to be re-inhabited. Israel is having growing pains associated with the Jewish people returning. New Jewish settlements frequently uproot non-Jewish settlements already in the area. Protests by Arabs and Palestinians in those areas are frequently ignored. All nations were not in favor of admitting Israel to the United Nations. Many Arab countries wanted to prevent their admission. But the vote was heavily in favor of admission, I believe, because of the then recent tragedy of the Holocaust. I believe that the restoration of Israel as a nation is the most important proof of prophecy available today, and the most visible sign that the end of the age is near.
"God said: ‘On the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your sins, I will also cause you to live in the cities, and the wastes shall be rebuilt. And the desolate land shall be plowed, where before it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed. They shall say, 'This land that was desolate has become like the Garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities have become fenced, and are inhabited'."
Paraphrased from Ezekiel 36: 33-35.
FULFILLED!
What was the most important date in human history in the last hundred years?
Many people would point to events such as the Twin Towers Tragedy, the beginning or the end of World War One or World War Two, the Korean or Vietnam conflicts, and others. But I believe that the most important date in recent human history came on May 14, 1948, when Israel was officially recognized by the United Nations as a country. Why is this that important? For Biblical prophecy to be fulfilled, Israel must be recognized as a nation by the world. The Roman army of Titus decimated Israel and Jerusalem, and Herod’s Temple, the second Temple of Solomon, was burned to the ground in 70 AD. Israel did not exist as a nation again until relatively recently. Latter chapters of Ezekiel deal primarily with events that are to take place at the Second Coming of Christ. In order for some of those prophecies to be fulfilled, Israel must be recognized by the world as a nation. This official recognition finally came on May 14, 1948, which, by the way, was also a Jewish Holy Day. Many Arab nations refused to acknowledge that Israel was a nation until after the Six Day War. In fact, some Arab nations did not sign the official document recognizing Israel as a nation until 1974. Israel must be allowed to rebuild itself in order to fulfill prophecies like the one above. Israel is certainly being replenished now. A program of replanting trees and flowers is literally bearing fruit and the land is now fertile and being sown with many fruits and vegetables. Many of the old cities have been rebuilt and re-inhabited, and are as modern as large cities of today, even though many only started rebuilding in 1948 or later. Dates, fig trees, olive trees, and many other fruits and vegetables are grown throughout Israel. Flowers are everywhere. Israel is on an ambitious campaign to refurbish lands that were made desolate by the constant warfare around Jerusalem. Hillsides around Jerusalem and other cities that once showed the scars of war have been and are being replanted. The Zionistic movement is also another fulfillment of this prophecy. Jews are being allowed to return to Israel. Many Jews are coming from countries where emigration was previously banned, such as Russia and other Communist controlled nations. These Jews, coming from all over the world, are causing Israel to be re-inhabited. Israel is having growing pains associated with the Jewish people returning. New Jewish settlements frequently uproot non-Jewish settlements already in the area. Protests by Arabs and Palestinians in those areas are frequently ignored. All nations were not in favor of admitting Israel to the United Nations. Many Arab countries wanted to prevent their admission. But the vote was heavily in favor of admission, I believe, because of the then recent tragedy of the Holocaust. I believe that the restoration of Israel as a nation is the most important proof of prophecy available today, and the most visible sign that the end of the age is near.
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