God Did Not Hold Back His Best When He Created The Earth
The earth that God created is not a functional, monochrome, utilitarian machine. It is full of beauty, color, and creativity. God declared it to be very good . God did not hold back when he created this world by keeping the best for heaven.
Of course, the world is not all that we would want it to be. Suffering pervades every part of our lives. But this problem is not because the earth is second rate. It is caused by the entrance of sin. Through the Bible God shows his commitment to fix this problem by descending to earth to address the issue of sin. This begins in Eden where he walks with Adam in the garden , and it continues as Gods glory is beheld in the tabernacle, in the temple, in the incarnation, in the crucifixion, in the resurrection, and in the gift of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus returns, it will not be just for a visit, to pick us up and take us elsewhere. He is coming to stay. The New Jerusalem will descend to earth , and the beauty of Gods creation will be restored and renewed.
God Will Destroy The Works Of The Devil
The apostle John wrote, He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil . Notice John said that God will destroy the works of the devil, not the devil himself.
When writing to the Galatians, Paul spoke of the normal, natural acts of humans apart from God, called works of the flesh: Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness , idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like of which I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God . All of these evil actions represent the works of the devil. Humans who refuse to repent of these works will be destroyed forever.
So, how is Satan destroyed? From all we have seen, both the Greek and Hebrew Scriptures reveal that Satan, as well as his demons, will be spiritually bound and constrained by God in darkness forever. Satans influence, his deception and his evil works will be eliminated and destroyed forever. However, Satan and his demons will, as spirit beings, continue to exist, albeit in a tormented state of minda just punishment administered by an all-powerful and righteous God.
The Renewal Of The Earth Means We Are Committed To The Things Of The Earth
Creation and new creation are the bookends of the Bible. God is concerned for the renewal of this earth. Christian ministry is not just about telling people how to get into heaven when they die, essential though that is. It is also concerned for what happens in this world. Telling people the way of salvation is of foundational importance. Without repentance of sins and submission to the Lordship of Jesus, nothing else makes sense. But that is not the end of the story. If we acknowledge that the Christians hope is the renewal of all things, it gives meaning to life. Christian communities are commended for the way they bless the places where they live . If our lives are transformed by the power of the gospel, our workplaces, families, marriages, friendships, and world will be impacted. God is concerned for this physical world. A good question for every church to ask is, If our church were to close down, would anyone in our neighborhood notice the difference?
Ian K. Smith is the author ofNot Home Yet: How the Renewal of the Earth Fits Into Gods Plan for the World.
Ian K. Smith is the principal of Christ College, Sydney, where he also teaches Greek and New Testament. He has also served in parish ministry and as a missionary in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. He speaks regularly at churches, conferences, and other venues.
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What Does The Bible Say About The End Of The World
Popular culture depicts the End of the World differently than what the Bible tells us. The best way to prepare is not to store up food, water, or resources. Rather, it is by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
- Vivian BrickerContributing Writer
- 20212 Jul
The End of the World has been a hot topic for a long time. Many people are obsessed with the idea of the apocalypse. Some people are even preparing for the End of the World with safe houses and food storage shelters.
Popular culture depicts the End of the World differently than what the Bible tells us. There have been many films created about the End of the World with different reasons as to why the world is ending and how. The truth is that the Bible does tell us how the world will end and describes the End of the World within its pages.
How Is Satan Destroyed
To understand this apparent contradiction, we need to consider the contextual meaning of the Hebrew word translated destroyed. This Hebrew word, abad , is commonly used in the Hebrew Scriptures and may be translated to perish, to vanish, to destroy or to put to death depending on the context and the verb stem in the Hebrew .
In the context of this passage, Satan was destroyed from the midst of the fiery stones. The sense is that God is going to cause Satan to vanish or be removed from His presence. When we compare what is said in Ezekiel 28 with other scriptures pertaining to Satans fate, it becomes clear that God is going to eventually bind the devil permanently, rendering him useless in terms of continuing to deceive humans.
Many centuries after Ezekiel penned his prophecy, Paul wrote to the Corinthians about Satan, calling him the god of this age . This scripture and many others prove that the devil was alive and actively opposing God on earth during the life of Paul and the rest of the apostles. Moreover, Satan remains alive and committed to the destruction of Gods Church and its saints today .
Even though Satan is a spirit being, God is going to destroy the influence and power that the devil has had over mankind. Christs death facilitates this action. As the writer of Hebrews explains, Through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil .
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God Destroys Those Who Destroy The Earth
Global warming is a subject that tends to divide Evangelical Christians. Some of us accept the scientific studies that make a link between human activity and climate change, while others tend to doubt. Whatever our differences may be, I think we all agree that a time is coming when we will have to give account for the lives that we have lived. And among the deeds that God will bring under scrutiny is the way weve treated the environment. Revelation 11:18 says that God comes to reward those who have honored his name, and to destroy those who have destroyed the earth. The Bible thus predicts that in the last days, human beings will be wreaking horrendous damage upon Gods creation. Gods threat to destroy those who abuse the earth gives a good indication of how angry he is over this issue.
Psalm 8 is a passage that has some very important things to say about the relationship between humanity and the physical creation. Echoing the creation story of Gen 1, the author says in vs 6: You have given him dominion over the works of your hands you have put all things under his feet. The idea of dominion and having all things under our feet is that we are called to exercise a role of leadership among all the living things that God has created.
Leadership is not subjugation and it is not exploitation. Jesus taught that leaders should be servants, who seek the highest good of all that is placed under their care.
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The Bible And End Time Events
What the Bible says about the End of the Age, and the End of the World
- Are the environmentalists right, does mankind possess the ability to destroy the world?
- Will there be a dramatic intervention by God in the affairs of mankind?
- Is the platform of liberalism, which teaches that mankind can create a utopia on the earth, correct?
NO! THE ENVIRONMENTALISTS ARE NOT RIGHT IN SAYING THAT MAN CAN DESTROY THE EARTH. Environmentalism is not only wrong, illogical, and out of touch with reality, it is anti-Christian, anti-God, and anti-Bible. You cannot be an environmentalist and still believe the Bible. Why? Because the Bible clearly teaches that mankind will NOT destroy the earth, but it also teaches that he couldn’t destroy it even if he desired to.
The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus Christ is returning to this earth, not only to judge the nations, but to set up His Millennial Kingdom. Since that is a point of factual Biblical doctrine, then it is impossible for mankind to destroy this earth in any way shape or form. The Bible teaches that when Jesus Christ returns to this earth it will be populated with billions of people. So much for environmentalism’s “THEORY” that man will destroy this planet.
Yes, God will intervene in the affairs of mankind. He will not allow man to arrogantly assume that he can do anything he so desires. He will show mankind that they are not the rulers of their own destiny, God is. And one day soon He will prove it.
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Christian Quotes About America
The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. John Adams
People read newspapers far more than they read the Word of God and then we wonder way America is in the mess shes in today. This is the Book that made America great, but since its been kicked out, weve seen America go under and down. Lester Roloff
It can not be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ!
The American empire will follow every other notable empire of antiquity and collapse under its own weight. The signs are already ubiquitous. Chuck Baldwin
Christian Youth of America, can you not hear the call of God in this hour? All heaven awaits the moment when you will arise and ACT on behalf of your generation. Andrew Strom
If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under. Ronald Reagan
The real democratic American idea is, not that every man shall be on a level with every other man, but that every man shall have liberty to be what God made him, without hindrance. Henry Ward Beecher
America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. Abraham Lincoln
I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just that his justice cannot sleep forever. Thomas Jefferson
Does The Bible Say The Earth Will Be Destroyed
From Good Omens to Left Behind, its a pop culture staple that the Bible teaches that the world will be destroyed in Armageddon, the final battle between good and evil, with the saved escaping to enjoy eternity in Heaven. Many Christians who affirm the Biblical teaching of new heavens and new earth see the new creation as a distinct replacement for the current world rather than a restoration of our world.
But is this belief that the world will be destroyed Biblical?
As youll know if youve read some of my previous posts on resurrection hope in the face of loss, what happens when we die, and Heaven vs Resurrection, I firmly believe that the Biblical narrative is one about how God redeems and restores creation, not throw it in the trash and replace it. But there are a small handful of Biblical passages that seem to indicate that the earth will be destroyed. What do I make of them?
Im going to pick out a couple of these passages and quickly sketch how I read them I dont think they actually are saying that the Earth will be destroyed unless you import supporting assumptions from elsewhere.
In 2 Peter 3, this world is likened to the pre-Flood world, the world that perished. That wasnt another creation or different planet, but the same world before Gods judgment. While Gods final judgment will be a radical transformation, by analogy with the Flood, it will be a purifying fire rather than an annihilating fire.
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Plagues And The Bible
What does the Bible say about pandemics or plagues?
Did God bring Covid-19?
How should the people of God respond?
In a number of places in the Bible, there is mention of plagues, pestilence, or pandemics killing people. For example, in Lev. 26:25, when Israel falls into covenant violations, God says, I will send pestilence among you. In II Chronicles 6:28, Solomon says if there is pestilence, famine or blight, may God hear from the temple the prayers of the people. In the next chapter, II Chron. 7:13, God says that if he sends pestilence, the people can pray and humble themselves . Plague number four on the Egyptians is pestilence on their livestock, and as a result they all die as mentioned in Exod. 9:3-6. In II Sam. 24:15, God sends a pestilence that kills 70,000 Israelites because of Davids ill-conceived census. Jesus says in Luke 21:11 that there will be plagues. Both Ezekiel and Jeremiah speak of God sending plagues, for example, in Ezek. 14:21 and 33:27, and Jer. 21:6, 7 and 9. In Rev. 6:8, the Pale Rider kills a fourth of the earth with the sword, famine, and pestilence.
Psalm 91:5-6, a great psalm of protection, says that we will not fear the terror of the night, the arrow of the day, the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that comes at noon.
Jesuss Proclamation About The Kingdom Of God Is Concerned With This World
When Jesus claimed my kingdom is not of this world , he was not referring to the domain over which he rules. Hopefully the kingdom of God makes an impact in this world! The Gospels clearly identify two kingdoms, but the division is not between sacred and secular the division is between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan . The ministry of Jesus disarms and defeats the kingdom of this world over which Satan rules. The day will come when heaven will declare that the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ .
In the meantime, the division is not between a sacred kingdom and a secular kingdom. The effects of sin can be just as sorely felt in the church as in the workplace. Similarly, the effects of the kingdom of God can be lived out on Mondays as well as on Sundays. Jesus is Lord over all. He is committed to his creation.
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What Does Scripture Say Will Happen In The End Days
Isaiah 26:20-21 reads: Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by.
“See, the Lord is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins.
“The earth will disclose the blood shed on it the earth will conceal its slain no longer.”
“If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them.”
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End Times: Increase In Sin:
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16. Luke 17:26-27 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
17. Matthew 24:12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.
18. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 Remember this! In the last days there will be many troubles, because people will love themselves, love money, brag, and be proud. They will say evil things against others and will not obey their parents or be thankful or be the kind of people God wants. They will not love others, will refuse to forgive, will gossip, and will not control themselves. They will be cruel, will hate what is good, will turn against their friends, and will do foolish things without thinking. They will be conceited, will love pleasure instead of God, and will act as if they serve God but will not have his power. Stay away from those people.
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The World As We Know It Is About To End Again If You Believe This Biblical Doomsday Claim
A few years ago, NASA senior space scientist David Morrison debunked an apocalyptic claim as a hoax.
No, theres no such thing as a planet called Nibiru, he said. No, its not a brown dwarf surrounded by planets, as iterations of the claim suggest. No, its not on a collision course toward Earth. And yes, people should get over it.
But the claim has been getting renewed attention recently. Added to it is the precise date of the astronomical event leading to Earths destruction. And that, according to David Meade, is in six days Sept. 23, 2017. Unsealed, an evangelical Christian publication, foretells the Rapture in a viral, four-minute YouTube video, complete with special effects and ominous doomsday soundtrack. Its called September 23, 2017: You Need to See This.
Meades prediction is based largely on verses and numerical codes in the Bible. He has homed in one number: 33.
Jesus lived for 33 years. The name Elohim, which is the name of God to the Jews, was mentioned 33 times , Meade told The Washington Post. Its a very biblically significant, numerologically significant number. Im talking astronomy. Im talking the Bible and merging the two.
And Sept. 23 is 33 days since the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse, which Meade believes is an omen.
Meades prediction has been dismissed as a hoax not only by NASA scientists, but also by people of faith.
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