“He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God,
and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the
abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and
idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”—Rev. 21:7-8
This is a haunting verse at the very end of the Bible.
Let’s rightly divide the word. (2 Tim. 2:15)
First, we must look at the first verse because it basically cancels
out the rest. If you really turn to God because you hear His call and
Confess Jesus as your Lord. You are saved.
“Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?”—1 John 5:5
That’s what it says.
After salvation, God will work in our lives to change us and sanctify
us if we have really turned to Him. Our faith will grow, if we are
really with Him.
But, “the fearful and unbelieving” in the verse are those who have
been too afraid to give up their life and turn to Christ. People who are
too afraid of what people might think. Afraid to lose business and
friends or family.
The unbelieving are those who refuse to put their faith in the Lord. They hear the call and refused.
Next we see a list of sinful actions, all of which God warns us about
in the Word. But, all of which are sins that keep us from turning to
God.
“abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters,”
All
these can be saved if they turn to God and confess Jesus as Lord. But,
these sins make it extra hard for a person to break free.
An abominable lifestyle is hard to stop.
A murderer has refused to forgive. And instead chose to kill. Remember Jesus said, “For
if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also
forgive you:But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will
your Father forgive your trespasses.”—Matt. 6:14-15
This is
talking about actual murder and murder in the heart. What we would call
1st degree murder. It’s also talking about people who have absolutely no
regard for the lives of others at all.
A whoremonger is a pimp. A person who is a sex trafficker and
exploits other people to survive, and for profit. It’s difficult to get
out of this life. Like the Abominable there is a demonic presence in
this type of thing.
The Sorcerer and Idolater have basically turned to other Gods for
help and salvation. They have not turned to Christ. They have never had a
relationship with Him.
That brings us to “Liars”.
This terrifies us because we have all lied. We have all told lies in
our lives. Whether we want to admit it or not. We try to justify it. We
try to make it “White Lies”. We lie because of fear. We lie to save
ourselves and others. We share things we have not seen or proven.
We lie.
But, God clarifies in His Word who is a liar.
“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesusis the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.”—1 John 2:22
So again, God tells us that the only people who are liars are those who have rejected Christ.
Why?
Because if you have accepted Christ, then your sin is washed away and you are hid in Him.
You do not sin because your sins are no longer held to your account.
It’s not about what you do, it’s about your position in Christ.
“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth
in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”— 1 John 3:9
In chapter one, John tells us to confess our sins. (1 John 1:8-10)
In chapter three, he tells us that those in Christ do not sin. These
two ideas do not work together, unless he is talking about something
else.
Clearly he is saying “We do not sin in the eyes of God. Because we
are saved.” He is not saying we do not commit sins. That wouldn’t go
with the need to confess our sins to God.
John wrote Revelation and First John. When he says “All Liars” in
Revelation 21:7-8 he is speaking of those who have rejected Christ. The
Holy Spirit ties these together.
The only reason anyone is condemned is because they reject Christ. They have never been cleansed of Sin.
That’s it.
Jesus said, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before
men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But
whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my
Father which is in heaven.” —Matt. 10:32-33
Do you know Him? Have you confessed Him?
Turn to the Lord and let Him save you and grow you.
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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois
Checkout these books
Checkout Chris’s new book “Good Soldier” A book on discipleship and spiritual warfare.
I had no idea what that actually meant. But, God did. And that’s all that matters. I turned to Him and He came running.
No one who gets saved, knows the Bible. They do not know anything. We
cannot say “I won’t sin anymore”, because we do not even know what that
is.
We just hear His call and turn to Him.
That’s it, and that’s all that’s needed. If we really heard and turned.
It’s all on Him. He takes care of it.
According to some people, when you get saved you instantly become this person who never sins. That was not my experience.
I turned into a violent drunk who destroyed everyone and everything.
But, God was with me. I know He was.
And as I sowed evil into my life and into the world, all of it worked together to break me.
Because God and His promises are not based upon my ability but on His.
I’m a failure. He is not.
When we read in Deuteronomy Chapter 28, we see the blessings that come when we obey God, and the curses that come when we don’t.
This is not about eternal salvation. That’s settled when you turn to Christ.
This is about reaping what we sow in this world. It’s is about being blessed or corrected. It is about being broken.
God designed His creation to respond to reaping and sowing and harvest. Whether physically or spiritually. (Galatians 6:7-9)
He created it this way when we were still in the Garden, before the
Fall. So, we were not doing evil. We were not corrupted. We sowed and
reaped goodness. But, when we fell, evil came and now we sow and reap
evil.
So as I lived my evil life. The harvest of my evil actions was
growing, and God was merciful. He gave me grace and protected me. But,
eventually that harvest came upon me.
I was cursed and destroyed in every way. I lost everything.
Just like it says in Deuteronomy Chapter 28. That is “Rock Bottom”. That is reaping what we sow.
Now, I had a choice. I could have gotten mad at God and rejected Him.
I could have become bitter. And I would continued to face “Rock Bottom”
and correction, in various ways.
Or I could let it break me, and turn to Him, and learn from Him and grow in Him.
I chose Him, because He chose me. (1 John 4:19)
People forget brokenness as a spiritual discipline. The act of utter destruction in order to be rebuilt by God.
So many churches are built on a false belief of perfect obedience,
because they have never been broken. They have never experienced God
destroying their life, in order to rebuild it. They grew up in church
and never left. They have never been corrected, because they have never
really known Him. They just obey the rules.
But, ALL things work together for our good, when He calls us, and we love Him. (Romans 8:28)
I can look back at my life and see His movements and know that He was
with me in my destruction. His hand was on the temperature gauge of my
burning. And it’s ok. I trust Him. I trust Him because He has brought me
through.
This is my testimony. It is between Him and me. By our testimony we
shall over come the enemy. Because we can see and say the great things
God has done for us. (Rev. 12:11, Luke 8:39)
I no longer care about peoples religion or their dead beliefs. I know the Lord. I have a relationship with Him.
It came because of my failure and my brokenness. All things work together. His grace is sufficient for me.
When we sin we turn to Him, and confess to Him and He is faithful and
just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If
we pretend like we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and Jesus is
not in us. When we say we don’t sin, we make God out to be a liar.
Because He came to die for our sins, not our failures. Not our mistakes.
Not our misunderstandings. But, for our sin. (1 John 1)
All things in this life work together for our goodness when we are
with Him. Good or bad. If we do good we get blessed. We reap goodness
because we sow goodness.
And when we sow evil we reap correction into our lives. We reap
destruction and brokenness into our lives. And it works to grow us. It
changes us, if we turn to Him. The trouble and brokenness works as
fertilizer for growth.
And as we confess our sin and turn to Him, and grow. As we are broken
and corrected through our life. As we face tribulation, and sin and
failure, and turn to Him over and over and over again.
We change. We grow. We bear fruit.
I have changed.
My mind has been renewed to what God created it to be before it was
ruined by my corrupted nature and my own sinful deeds. (Romans 12:2)
Not by my works or efforts but by Him, breaking me and saving me.
That is how the Holy Spirit develops the Fruit in us. Patience comes
by a life time of trusting and waiting upon the Lord, as He molds you
and shapes you. Love comes by facing the unlovable. Peace comes by
facing chaos. Joy comes by misery. Self-control comes through correction
and brokenness. That is meekness. All of it comes by constantly turning
to Him, confessing, praying, and letting Him work.
That is the relationship.
I no longer struggle to obey God.
I just obey, or get corrected and both are fine. Because I trust Him.
He fixes it. He changes me.
I find myself, sinning less.
I’m not perfect in myself. In my flesh.
But, I am perfect in Him. He no longer sees my sin. According to Him, I am in Christ and do not sin at all. (1 John)
I am washed in the Blood. I am clean. I am white as snow. My sins are
as far from me as the East is from the West. They are in the deepest
sea, and I am hid in the cleft of the Rock of Christ. I am on the Ark. I
might be a termite on the Ark. But, I’m there because of what Jesus
did, not what I do.
When you hear Him call and turn to Him. His Holy Spirit comes into
you and teaches you to love Him and know Him. And you realize that God
is with you and will never leave you, nor forsake you. (Heb. 13:5)
And you will see that ALL things work together for your good.
Because of Him and His promises. Not you and your obedience or failure.
He does it because of who He is, not because of who you are, or what you do.
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with
such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor
forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I
will not fear what man shall do unto me.”— Heb. 13:5-6
When you turn to the Lord, He saves you and is with you always. His Holy Spirit is in you.
“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because
greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”— 1 John 4:4
We do not need to be concerned with living to gather riches, or
desiring to what others have or to be as they are. That is our flesh
talking. That is demons whispering.
We can be happy with the things the Lord has provided us, because He
is with us and will take care of us. There is nothing anyone can do to
us. God will find a way. He will make a way where none exists.
God’s way is perfect, and He has perfect timing. Trust Him.
It’s not about looking good for mankind, with the silly notions of what is valuable.
The streets of Paradise are paved with gold. The true wealth are
those things of the spirit. The people you lead to the Lord. The love
you show. The people you help. The Kingdom you build, and the time spent
with the Lord, learning of His ways.
The rest is chaff, useless waste, burned up in the fire.
God is with us. we have a relationship with Him and have no need to
fear. Just “ask, and it shall be given unto you. Seek, and ye shall
find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you.”— Matt. 7:7-11
James said “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”
God is with us and will never forsake us. He will not help us destroy
ourselves. But, we can trust that He hears and will help us with
whatever we need.
I have seen God answer so many prayers. He has taken care of me. When
I remember the great things He has done in the past it reminds me that
He is with me and will take care of me again. It builds faith.
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”— Phil.4:6-7
We thank God in our prayers because our faith leads us to believe He is with us and hears us and is moving. We trust His Word.
He is with me. We have a relationship.
And I am with Him.
I died with Him, and was buried to self, and the flesh, and this
world. To be raised into new life with Him. Born again. (Rom. 6:4, John
3)
And I walk with Him in the Spirit, which is the relationship.
To hear on that last day, “Well done thy good and faithful servant.”— Matt. 25
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois.
“And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves
that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the
temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.The
Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I
am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as
this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I
possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much
as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be
merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house
justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself
shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”—Luke
18:9-14
This is an important subject. The Lord calls us to examine ourselves, so that we are not lost. We are to judge ourselves
so that we are not judged with the world. We turn to Him and confess
Jesus as our Lord. We humble ourselves and stop relying on ourselves. We
give it to Him. (1 Corinthians 11:31-32, Rom. 10:9-10, Rom. 14:11)
But, if we live under a deception of self-righteousness, like the
pharisee in the parable, it makes it hard to see that we have never
really known Him. We are not saved.
We are called by Him. And if we are willing, we turn to Him and
confess Jesus as our Lord. We are saved forever, we are a new creation,
and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us and mold us into the likeness
of Christ.
But, the scriptures are clear that there will be tons of church going
people who think they are saved, and are not. They never knew Him. They
went to church every Sunday. They wore the pretty clothes. They gave
tithes. They sang songs. They obeyed all the rules. They feared that God
might get them. But, they never really knew Him. They were never
broken.
Churches full of people who have never read the Word. They listen to
the pastor and everything he says, and go to Sunday school, but do not
know Christ. They believe in Churchianity, not Christianity.
They are taught that they are the bride of Christ and that they will be raptured out before anything bad happens.
But, when you read about the churches in Revelation it is clear that
God judges His churches. He removes the lamp stand. Especially if they
never really knew Him. (Rev. Chapters 1-3)
We see the Elder Brother in the parable of the prodigal son. He spews hate, because the Father (God) gives grace and love to his brother who has fallen.
“And he (the elder brother) answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment:
and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my
friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy
living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he
said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy
brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.”— Luke
15;29-32
Notice, the elder son relies on his works.
But, he did not know the father’s heart. He thought it was about obedience, not love and grace. He was bitter.
In Matthew Chapter 25 we have three descriptions of what will happen when the Lord returns.
In all of these parables, it is obvious that the Lord is speaking to “Servants” who thought they knew the Lord.
In the first one, 10 virgins
have lamps, and wicks in the lamps. But, when the Lord returns 5 of the
virgins have no oil (faith) in their lamps. They heard the Gospel, as
in the parable of the sower, but did not really confess Him as Lord. the
seed fell on stony ground, or was choked out by thorns. They never grew
in Him, and had no oil or faith for their light to shine. They buried
it under a bushel. (Matthew 5, Matt. 13)
In the second one,
the Lord goes away and leaves talents with His servants. But, when He
returns, He finds one servant who buried His talents in the ground. The
servant believes the Lord is a hard man and doesn’t want to upset Him.
So, he did nothing. Again, this servant clearly does not know the Lord
or trust Him. It’s not about works, it’s about knowing the master. The
servant did not know the master because he did not care about the things
the master cared about.If he had, he would have tried to do something to grow the Kingdom.
In the third, the Lord divides the nations into goats and sheep.
“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand,
Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from
the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I
say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these
my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand,
Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil
and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw
we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in
prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto
you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it
not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
There is not one mention of going to church. He doesn’t talk about
porn, or fornication. He says nothing about homosexuality or abortion.
He never mentions drug use or addiction.
Why?
Because if you know Him, your sins are forgiven. Never to be brought
back up, and thrown in your face. BUT… if you know Him you would care
about the things He cares about. He forgave all their debt. But, they
still did not forgive others and cared nothing about helping those in
need. (Matt. 18:23-35)
Again, we see the Lord say,
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of
my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord,
Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out
devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I
profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work
iniquity.”—(Matt. 7:21-23)
Again, notice that when they stand in judgement, they rely on the
works they have done, not in the fact that they know Him. They were
never saved. They never accepted the Grace of God. They never confessed
Jesus as Lord. They have relied on being an obedient servant instead of
relying on the finished work of Christ, and having a relationship with
Him. They took the broad road of works, and not the narrow path of faith
in Christ alone.
The worst thing to be is a religious self-righteous person. They
think they are saved, because they do all the churchy things, and
believe all the churchy rules. They never miss a sermon. They’ve got
their favorite pew, and their favorite Bible. They don’t cuss. They
don’t watch bad movies, unless it’s approved.
But, they wouldn’t go sit with the stinky homeless. They wouldn’t
write letters to inmates. They think the stranger in the church might be
a felon or a molester or publican. When they see a family with no
clothes they judge that the dad won’t work three jobs, or it’s a single
mother with no husband. They don’t help them. They might be sinners.
They might be trying to con the good church people in order to get a
tank of gas, or get a bill paid.
Who cares if they con us? It’s about love and grace not merit. Jesus
died for us, and we are not worthy. We take advantage of his grace,
whether we want to admit it or not. We are conning Him. Truth be told.
The worst thing, would be to go to church your whole life, obeying
the rules; thinking you’re saved, only to discover that you never really
knew Him.
Do not be like the virgins with no oil, when He comes.
Turn to Him and know Him. Taste and see that He is good.
When we study the scriptures on a subject, we go by what the entire
Word says, based upon the guiding of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit
will lead us into ALL truth. That’s how it works. (John 16:13, Jas 1:5)
We are surrounded by lots of false teachings, and it is going to get
worse as the last days move forward. This is why being taught by the
Holy Spirit is most important. (1 John 2:27)
Hell and/or the Lake of Fire according to scripture seems to be two
different places. There is a current holding place called Hell, and a
final destination which is the Lake of Fire.
Why two? Because after all is said and done there will be a final
judgement, and at some point God will create a new Heaven and new Earth.
Hell seems to be the containment for this current creation, and the
Lake of Fire is the containment for eternity, after the last judgement
and new creation.
The current containment of Hell along with death will be cast into the Lake of Fire, so nothing escapes. (Rev. 20:14)
This containment system seems to have been created for Satan and his angels.
At some point in the distant past, when Satan fell and led a
rebellion against God, which included angels and all sort of spiritual
beings, God created or “prepared” it for them. (Matt. 25:41)
According to scripture, Satan and his angels are not currently bound
in Hell. We have verses showing Satan visiting God’s throne room in
Heaven and the angels battling each other. We also have verses speaking
of the demonic forces ruling and influencing things on Earth. (The book
of Job, The book of Zechariah, 2 Cor. 4:4, Eph. 2:2, Rev. 20:1-3, Dan.
10 )
There are also scriptures that show that some fallen angels or beings
are bound in other places. We see that there is a place called the
Bottomless Pit. So, it seems that the true spiritual cosmology, involves
more than Heaven, Hell and Earth. The Bible doesn’t give us a lot of
info on these places and on the cosmology. I have my beliefs on them,
but let’s stick to Hell. (Rev. 20:1-3, Rev. 9:14)
Hell is eternal death. Death is separation, not an end as we suppose.
Hell/Lake of Fire is a place that is separated from God for all
eternity. It is a holding place for all that is filthy, corrupt and
wicked. It is a place for those who refuse to be washed clean of Sin and
Evil in the Blood of Jesus. Hell exists as a containment for Sin. It is
like a plague that corrupts us. God cannot let Sin into Heaven or
Paradise, or else death and pain and suffering would contaminate all of
eternity. (Rev. 1:5, Rev. 7:14, 1 John 1:7, Eph 2:13, Heb. 10:19)
Hell is best viewed as the garbage dump outside of an ancient walled city. This image gives the best picture.
Hell/The Lake of Fire is the garbage dump outside the City of God. Outside of Paradise.
When you read in the Old Testament about lepers. This is a picture of
the unsaved in Hell. They were living corpses rotting away and
stinking. They were contagious, and had to stay away from others. They
were forced to cover their face and yell “Unclean!” any time an
uninfected person approached. (Lev. 13:45) Separation.
They were poor, and no one helped them much. They dwelt in the
garbage dump because they could get scraps, and scavenge things thrown
away, and people would leave stuff for them.
The dump stinks. It is where the dogs dwelt eating scraps and
fighting lepers. It’s the same in Hell/Lake of Fire (Revelation 22:15)
(Dogs in the ancient world were vermin and tormentors. They were
scavengers and thieves, who roamed in packs and might even attack a
child, or solitary person. It is not the view we have of family pets.
Course those family pets can turn feral.)
Jesus described Hell as a place where “the fire is not quenched and
the worm dieth not.” He was quoting Isaiah. (Isa 66:22-24, Mark 9)
The fires of trash burning with filthy smoke, choking the lungs and
blocking the light. A place of darkness and misery, without the love and
joy and peace of God. A place where the worms live forever eating the
flesh, filth and corruption. (Matt. 25:30)
This is the basic picture of Hell. A garbage dump separated from God and all that is clean.
Jesus gives us a parable of the torment of Hell. He speaks of the
poor man Lazarus who basically was a homeless man who lived outside a
nameless rich man’s gate. The rich man ignored Lazarus. He could have
loved Him and helped Him. If the rich man really knew God, he would have
done what He could do to help the homeless man. But, He did not. (Luke
16)
Both of them die.
The rich man is in Hell. Again, not because he could earn His way
into heaven by doing good deeds, but because He never knew God. He never
had a relationship with God. If He had, then He would have had
compassion. He would have felt conviction to help Lazarus.
The rich man is thirsty in Hell and and says “Father Abraham, have
mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in
water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”
There is no water in Hell, it’s hot. He sees Lazarus in
Heaven/Paradise leaning against Abraham’s chest, and makes this request.
(There are teachings about Abraham’s Bosom and all of that, which the
Bible doesn’t really teach. In this parable it is clear that Lazarus is
leaning against Abraham the person, because Abraham speaks. It is not a
place. Locations do not speak. Any doctrines on a place called Abraham’s
Bosom are actually referring to Paradise or Heaven. The place of the
the righteous dead, where the saints go to be with the Lord, and the
other members of their family and saints who were saved as well. Abraham
and all the saints are there. The phrase “Abraham’s Bosom” is actually
poetic language for Heaven/Paradise.)
Abraham tells the rich man that Lazarus cannot give him a drink
because there is a gulf between Hell and Paradise. They can see each
other, but cannot go there. Again separation and containment. Many
ancient cultures had a similar cosmology, because it is true. God told
Adam, and the truth went to Noah, and was taught to the people. Then it
was confused at the Tower of Babel, when people scattered globally with
different languages and different names for past events. But, the basic
idea remains. Because it’s true.
The rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his family, so they
won’t go to Hell. But, Abraham says “They have Moses and the prophets;
let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went
unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they
hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though
one rose from the dead.”
Abraham basically says, “They have God’s Word.” But, the rich man
knows his family won’t read it or learn of it. He assumes his family
would be shocked into turning to God if Lazarus rose from the dead.
But, Abraham says, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”
Basically, if they won’t believe the Word, they won’t believe anything, even if someone rose from the dead.
In case you missed it, this is a reference to Jesus rising from the
dead; and people still refuse to believe. Just to be clear, a man named
Lazarus also rose from the dead, and people still refused to believe.
(John 11, John 20)
So, that is Hell. But, what about the Lake of Fire?
In my best understanding, Hell is a current spiritual place in the
cosmology. It rests separated by a gulf from Heaven/Paradise. (Luke
23:43, 2 Cor. 12:4, Rev. 2:7)
It is Spiritual. It is out there beyond the veil that separates us from spiritual things.
But, the Lake of Fire is material. It exists in the material world forever.
It seems that at some point, God creates a new heaven and new earth.
The city of God, and Paradise itself seems to come to Earth and joins
with Earth. There is no more Separation. Sin has been contained. Death
has been defeated. Everything is created new and seems to go back to how
it was before the fall of man and the rebellion of Satan. (Heb. 11;16,
Isa 65:17, Isa 66, Rev. 21, Rev. 22 )
The Lake of Fire is a place on Earth at this future time. A material
location, not a spiritual one. It rests outside the City of God. It is
the garbage dump, and containment place for everything and everyone who
refused to washed in the Blood and be cleansed and healed of the Plague
of Sin. Understand that sometime before the final judgement everyone who
is dead will be raised into bodies that can never die. The dead
currently have spiritual bodies. These future bodies will allow us to
either live forever in Paradise, or live forever in Hell/Lake of Fire.
(Rev. 20:12)
Why do I say this? Because it’s what God says, “For as
the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain
before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And
it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one
sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the
Lord. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men
that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither
shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all
flesh.” (Isa 66:22-24)
After God creates a new heaven and new earth. When His city comes to
Earth and Paradise is here. The saints who the Lord has saved, will
gather together on a regular basis to worship God. And part of that
celebration, or after the worship service; people will be able to go out
and look at the Lake of Fire and see Satan, His angels, and those who
followed them in the Lake of Fire.
Now, a Lake of Fire implies liquid fire. So, I personally believe
that it is like a volcano or magma. The City of God and Paradise Earth
is near enough to see it, but there is a separation or gulf. People will
come from all over the new Earth to worship, and see it.
So, let me tell you that our words and current understanding cannot
really explain this. There are gaps in what the scriptures say and our
ability to explain it. We have tried to give a time line. But, from what
I can tell, no timeline or explanation of the events to come is totally
perfect.
We are not supposed to “Intrude into things we have not seen.” (Col. 2:18)
That means that as humans who have never traveled to spiritual
realms, or seen glimpses of the future new creation, we can only give
limited knowledge and understanding.
I’ve tried to connect some dots. and clear things up in order to get
people to understand and get saved or have a hope of the future. I am
not going to say I have it all figured out in such a way that I can
teach it or prove it. I don’t.
This is a simple explanation of what I have learned so far. I hope it helps you in your studies.
“I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.”—Rom. 7:21
Romans chapter 7 explains to us the purpose of God’s Law.
It’s purpose is to reveal sin in us, so that it can be dealt with.
Paul describes the struggle between law and flesh. He says that when
he saw the law “Though shalt not covet” it was revealed that he had
covetousness in his life.
He sinfully wanted what others had. The law revealed this and since
he realized he had broken the law, he was slain by it. The law killed
him, because the punishment for sin is death. He died in God’s eyes the
moment he knew He had sinned. That’s the law.
But, he did not want to commit the sin. You can plug any sin into
this box. Paul used covetousness, but it could apply to any sin. It was
revealed to him that he sinned, and he was slain by it. He agreed with
the law, because it is good. So, he did not want this sin in his life
any more.
But, he discovered that he could not quit. The evil thoughts
continued. The lusting or fear or doubt or whatever sins continued in
his mind and heart; even though he did not want it anymore because he
saw it was wrong in the Word of God.
Now, God revealed to Him a massive truth that opened his eyes. A truth that many people miss.
If he did not want to do it any more, then it was not really him
doing it. He hated the sin, but yet still did it. He still thought the
thoughts and did the deeds. He could not escape.
This showed him that there was something wrong with him. That he had a
corrupted nature, beyond his control. Something in himself that he did
not want or desire. He hated the sin, but still did it anyway. Therefore
it was not him, but SIN in him.
This is important because when we think about obeying God’s law and
put burdens on ourselves and others; we ignore the truth that we cannot
obey it ourselves because of our corrupted nature. We are fallen. We are
plagued with sin from Adam.
Our sins we commit are like symptoms of a deeper plague in us.
We don’t see how wicked we are until the light of God’s Word reveals
it to us. Our flesh is totally corrupt and we are incapable of stopping
it, in such a way that is true. If we stop one thing, we sin somewhere
else. Trying to quit sinning is a torturous never ending hell, full of
fear that God is watching and wants to destroy you.
When we have a works based doctrine, that’s where we are. We believe
we must quit sinning, but we cannot. We want to please God, but fail
constantly.
But, the law actually is supposed to reveal that you cannot quit and
that it is not even really you committing the sins, it is something in
you. The corrupted nature.
God’s law is far more than just the ten commandments. We can’t even
obey the ten, let alone the rest. And don’t even start on the sins of
thoughts. The sins of omission. or sins of Pride, Doubt, Fear, and other
things we do, that we do not even realize we are doing.
The law reveals it. This is why the law is good, as Paul says.
It is like a mirror.
But, our response is to change. We cannot. It won’t work. A sinful being cannot change his sinful nature, he needs God to do it.
Now, ask yourself, why would God provide a means to have your sins covered through the sacrificial system?
Because He knows we cannot obey. He wants it. He demands it. But we
cannot, because of the corrupted nature in us from Adam. He knows this.
God is not ignorant of our sins and failures. We try to hide these
things and try to quit or deal with it ourselves but it doesn’t work. It
gets worse.
Have you ever seen a child who plays with magic markers? They color
themselves, they color the walls, they color everything. But, there
often comes a point where they realize they messed up. Sometimes they
realize it on their own (Spirit or Conscience), or sometimes it’s when
the parent reveals it to them (law).
The child tries to fix it and might get a wet rag to wash it with.
But it just smears it on themselves and the wall. They cannot fix it,
and it’s there before them all the time. They need an adult to help
them.
That is what happens with us. Even if a person doesn’t believe in God
or has some other belief system, it doesn’t matter. God created us and
this is what happens. This is what ALL religions deal with. This is why
people go to therapy or drink to escape.
This thing in us torments us, because we know we are wrong and cannot
get right. We try to fix it by fleshly means because that is all we
know. But, it won’t work for eternity. It is a fleshly band aid at best,
or makes things worse.
Look at Adam and Eve. When they fell from God, they saw they were
naked and tried to cover themselves with fig leaves. That is religion,
and every other thing we do to fix our problem in us. It’s nothing but
fig leaves.
But, God showed up and revealed the sin in them and fixed it Himself. That’s Jesus.
We cannot fix it ourselves.
Paul says “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”—Rom. 7:24.
In the very next verse He thanks God.
“I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I
myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”
He thanks God that the law has revealed to him that there is
something wrong, and it is not him doing it. He serves God, but there is
also the corrupted nature and he realizes that it is not him that does
it but sin in him.
The very next verse is Romans 8:1, a new chapter and he reveals why he is thankful.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
He reveals the solution. God came in the flesh to die for us, because
of our sins and corrupted nature. He washes us clean in the Blood of
Jesus when we turn to Him.
Our eyes are opened to the truth and we believe it. We turn to God,
and ask Him to save us, confessing Jesus is the Lord, and we make Him
our Lord.
God washes us clean of all sin. Past, present and future. He fills us
with His Holy Spirit, and we grow in relationship with Him. We are no
longer condemned. We are friends of God. We are righteous. Not because
of what we do or don’t do. But, because of what Jesus did for us.
Our growth in Christ works to reveal and purge the things that we do
in the flesh, as we confess our sins to Him. But, it is Him that does
the work in us, not us. Even in our saved state, if we get in the habit
of living a life trying to not sin, we are not really living in faith
that Jesus has washed us. We think we must obey and do it ourselves. We
forget that we cannot. This is why Paul says there is power in weakness.
We admit our failure and give it to God and let Him do it.
If we go a few verses more in Romans chapter 8 we see this struggle
continues in us even though we are saved. The flesh battles with the
Spirit. We walk in the Spirit, by abiding in Christ, growing the
relationship, turning to Him and confessing our sins, being in prayer,
loving God and others. We realize that the sinful nature is not us
anymore. We are dead to it. We died with Christ and rose with Him to new
life. Those fleshly things no longer impact our spirit or salvation.
They can cause trouble in this world, by opening the doors for demonic
forces to attack us, but not our souls. Not our eternal spirits.
Here’s the verses
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free
from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it
was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of
sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the
righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after
the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do
mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the
things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be
spiritually minded is life and peace.”
It’s about knowing Him, and He works to heal us and change us.
Walking in the Spirit is walking with Him. It is letting Him take
care of it. because if we try to do it ourselves, or ignore it, we are
walking in the flesh, and that leads to death.
What is death? Death is separation. It is not an end, as we suppose.
When someone dies, they do not end, they are separated from us and from
this fleshly world, and that body of flesh stays behind.
Eternal death is also separation. Nothing really dies or ends. it
just changes form and continues on. We will all get a spiritual body
that can never die. A vessel for our souls and spirits to dwell forever.
But, if we are not washed, that spiritual body will become corrupted
by the corrupted soul, and dead spirit. It must then be separated to
another place where nothing good dwells, because all good things are
wrapped up in God. God is love. There is no love in separation. There is
not love in that quarantine place of separation called Hell and the
Lake of Fire. It is darkness and no light. It is separation from God.
If God allowed the corrupted nature into Paradise or Heaven, then all
of eternity would be full of pain and evil just like this world.
Separation occurs to protect God’s eternal kingdom and creation.
If we know Him we shall be with Him forever in Paradise. That’s the promise. Just like He told the thief on the cross.
All we have to do is turn to Him and ask, and believe. He will take
care of the rest. We cannot change ourselves, He will do it, if we trust
Him. And that is the difficulty of walking in the Spirit. Trusting and
believing He’s got you. It builds patience. It builds meekness. We
submit to Him and grow. Not by works, lest any should boast.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”—Heb. 11:1
Translation: Faith is made up of hope for things we do not see and have never seen, but have evidence for.
If we rightly divide this verse we first need to understand what “Hope” is.
Hope is not a “Gee I sure hope so.”
No, it’s “more like “My only hope”. It’s like a life preserver or
like a harness that a steel worker wears when he is on a high rise and
needs a safety line to prevent falling.
We hope for things we have never seen, but have been given evidence of.
We have never seen God. We have never seen heaven or hell.
But, things have happened in our lives that have given us evidence of the reality of these things.
We have seen God move in our lives and answer prayer. We have seen
people get healed of disease. We have seen blessings come to us and to
others. We have seen the beauty of nature and the signs it holds. We
have felt God in our spirit, comforting us.
This evidence is our lifeline to God. God provides this evidence so
that our lifeline will be stronger and cause us to reach out to Him more
and trust Him more. God Himself is our lifeline and He provides faith
for it.
He gives us faith at birth, and He builds our faith to believe in
Jesus Christ and put our faith and trust in Him. Then, He continues
throughout our life to build our faith. If we know Him.
Hebrews chapter 11 is called the faith chapter of the Bible. This is where we can get a definition of what faith is.
The very first thing it mentions is having faith in God’s creation.
Belief that God created all things out of nothing, simply by speaking it
into existence.
We believe in creation because God told us in His Word that this is
what happened. So, by faith we believe His Word. Our belief in His Word
makes us righteous. Abraham believed God and it was counted to Him for
righteousness. When we are told of Jesus Christ, we have the chance to
believe or not. If we believe, then we are believing the Word of God,
and we put our faith in Jesus Christ and we are declared righteous.
Jesus is the living Word of God. (Romans 4:3 Rom. 3:22)
God washes us and places us in Christ. This is what happened to all
the Old Testament saints. They believed God and God declared them
righteous and placed them in Christ. Just like us.
Remember God is not bound by time or place. God is not filled with
doubt. He knows for a fact that His plans will succeed. So, when an Old
Testament saint died, having never known Jesus, God places them in
Christ because they believed God’s Word.
So, if that saint was alive to today, and heard a sermon on Jesus.
This saint would have accepted Him. I know this might not be liked by
some believers, but every person who has ever been saved has been saved
by grace, through faith. Not by works. They did the works because they
believed the Word God gave them.
Grace comes from God and we see evidence, then choose to put our faith in Him at His Word.
Obedience or works are nothing without faith.
They are just rule keeping or going through the motions.
There are some things we cannot do without faith first. Like
Confessing Jesus is the Lord, or believing He came in the flesh. (1 Cor.
12:3, 1 John 4:1-3 )
Like Abel sacrificing the first of his flock, as a picture of the
future sacrifice of Christ. That’s what ALL sacrifices are. (Heb 11)
He did this because He received a Word from God, or believed the Word of God given to Him from Adam.
He then became a picture of Jesus, when he was killed by His brother
because of envy. Like Christ was killed by His brethren for envy. (Gen.
chapter 4, Matt. 27:18)
And they were sent to wander the earth.
We see that Enoch walked with God. He had a relationship with him,
just like we are called to have a relationship. But, it started by first
seeing evidence of God from God, or it came from a Word given from God
by someone else. Perhaps from Seth, or from Adam himself. (Gen. 5:22-24)
Remember Adam often walked with God in the cool of the day.
Do you see that our faith leads us to know God and walk with Him. it
leads us to seek Him and turn to Him and let Him direct our paths.
It’s a relationship not rule keeping. No one is saved by keeping the
law. We are saved by knowing Him. By confessing Jesus is the Lord and
having a relationship with Him by faith. (Rom. 3:20-31)
Noah built an Ark. Because He believed the Word given to Him and he
acted upon it. Who in their right mind would build an ark in the front
yard?
Our faith might lead us to do crazy things. It might lead us to look
strange or be persecuted. But, it might also lead to the saving of our
family, friends and world.
We see that Abraham believed the Word God gave Him, and he was made
righteous. He went unto a land that was not his own and trusted God. He
trusted God even though Abraham never saw the promise fulfilled.
There are things we are trusting God for. And we might never see it
fulfilled, until we stand with him on that day in glory. When we cross
into Paradise to be with Him, and we see the new heaven and new Earth to
come.
We seek a city, a country, a future place with God called Home. For this place is not our home.
Sara believed that God would give her a child in her old age. Even
through her doubt, God provided. Despite her laughter the promise came
and she was written in this book. Because God’s promises are not based
upon our faith, and obedience. But, on His might, grace, and goodness.
He does it. Not us. (Gen. 18)
Our faith often leads us to reject things in this life, knowing God has a better plan.
Like Moses who chose to reject the high living of Pharaoh and suffer
with His own people. Because He knew that he would be the Deliverer and
knew that Christ would deliver us all. (the book of Exodus, Acts Chapter
7, Hebrews 11:26)
All of the Old Testament saints teach us that God gives us a Word, and by faith we believe that Word and follow Him.
Jesus is that Word. And when we turn to Him by Faith, He saves us and
directs our paths through His Holy Spirit and the relationship we have
with Him.
Even through persecutions and a tough life we keep turning to Him and calling out to Him in faith trusting His Word.
And even if we do not see the promises fulfilled in this life, we know that there is a better day.
So, since we are surrounded by the great saints of old and the lives
they lived we can turn to Jesus and trust Him through faith like they
did. Setting down our burdens and letting Him wash away our sin. So, we
can be free to live the life with him that he called us to live. (Heb.
12:1)
Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. He wrote it, and will bring it to pass in our lives. Not by our works but His.
And it was a joy to Him to endure the suffering and shame of the
cross for us. Then sit down at the right hand of God in power. (Heb.
12:2)
Through faith we are saved and our faith grows as God builds it
through our relationship. And every bad thing we face, and every good
thing we receive, all works together to build our faith as we turn to
Him and trust Him.
And His promises will come.
They come today. They come in the future. And they come forever.
Trust Him.
-----
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from
Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has
written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ a collection of dystopian short stories.“The Future is Coming” and his latest book “The Latter Days‘ is a book on Bible Prophecy and avoiding the deceptions to come.
Jesus tells us a story about a young man who left home and went to make a name for himself. (Luke 15:11-32)
It could be a kid going to college with his parents credit card.
Or a kid chasing a dream with his fathers support and blessing.
We know this guy. We have seen him or her in our families or neighbors. We have seen them in ourselves.
We are free. We don’t have to answer to anyone.
We are trying to make it. We are chasing a dream or forced to take care of ourselves.
But we get pulled off the path.
Like the man in Jesus’ story.
He started riotous living. He started making friends in low places.
He was meeting all the best guys or best girls. He was getting drunk and
using drugs of all kinds. He was down at the club, or local bar. He
woke up next to all kinds of people.
And all the dreams died.
We’ve been there, or seen people there. We can smell the smells,
taste the tastes and hear the sound of the music thumping. We’ve done
the beer runs, and smoked the things that make us wanna go get some
more.
They are living for the party. Living for friends. Maybe living the
dream. But, it’s not the real dream. It’s not real hopes and dreams.
Jesus says that trouble comes. A famine in the land.
And trouble always comes. The party always ends.
It could be an accident that causes it. Maybe a divorce or break up. The loss of income and friends. Illness.
But, the party ends.
This causes us to get desperate. These times of trouble can lead us
to draw more into the party life, trying to hold on. Drinking and
drugging more to try to numb the fear and pain. Chasing things that is
not good for us. Trusting people we should not trust. Waking up in
places we do not want to wake up in. As our friends abandon us.
And we break. We have no choice. We are ruined.
Jesus said, the man went and got the worst job possible. The lowest of the low, just to keep himself from starving.
But, even that wasn’t working. He wanted to eat the pigs food.
We might end up homeless, digging in the dumpsters. We might even
consider a life of crime. Stealing, selling drugs, stripping and
prostitution to survive.
We hit rock bottom. We are as low as we think we can go.
Do not be deceived. There are always worst things that can happen. Rock bottom has a basement.
Jesus said, that the man woke up. He was willing to be a slave in His fathers house.
How desperate are you? Are you desperate enough to turn to God and
say “I can’t do it! I don’t know what to do! But, I need you! Do
whatever you want but please save me and help me.”
Are you so desperate to be free from your troubles and addictions and
life, that you just give it all to God, and even if He kills you or
throws you in prison or cripples you, it’s ok.
How desperate are you?
Jesus said the man went to see his father. He was desperate. He had ruined his life and was not worthy for anything good.
But, the father saw his child a long way off, and ran to him. And hugged him and held him.
That’s God.
He sees our broken and desperate heart, long before we even get to
Him. And He comes running. He comes running to save us and help us.
He wraps His arms around us and makes us His child. He brings us a robe and a ring and we are with the father forever.
And our life changes. We see things happening. Good or bad, but it’s
ok because the Father is with us. He shakes it out and gives us hope. He
grows our faith as we draw closer to Him. And we see him move. And more
faith grows.
The dreams come back to life and we see them growing in Him. We see
good things coming into our life, and it comes even more abundantly.
God himself is working in our life and everything is fine.
He blesses us where we are because we are His. We are His child and we turn to Him and know Him.
And He always comes running when we turn to Him. He always moves to
help us, even when we can’t see it. He is working and it will work out.
He is with us.
If you seek to save yourself you've destroyed Grace.
"Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.And
if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more
grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work
is no more work."---Romans 11: 5-6 KJV---all verses are KJV
In this verse in Romans, Paul makes a statement
regarding grace that should settle all matters regarding salvation by
faith, or works, or whether you can lose your salvation, or whether you
must do works to maintain it.
He plainly states, that it cannot truly be grace if you have to do anything to obtain it, or keep it.
The whole idea of grace is negated by any notion of effort on our part.
The
King of everything is offering us salvation, adoption, total
forgiveness, mercy, joint ownership of the Kingdom, all for free,
forever, if we just turn to Him, and ask. Confessing Him as our Lord,
believing and trusting Him alone.
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
For
we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which
God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."--- Eph. 2:8-10
We are saved by grace. THROUGH faith.
Faith is a medium. It's like a telephone line that connects us to God's Grace. We are not saved by faith, we are saved THROUGH faith.
God
does not want anyone boasting or acting like they did some great deed
to be saved, or that they were obedient servants. We must accept our
fallen state and inability to save ourselves, in order to receive God's
Grace. That's part of it. You must acknowledge your need for him alone.
But, here's where we encounter a problem.
Some
people want to use Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10 as an excuse to try to
save themselves. It will not work. We cannot save ourselves or even help
God at all. The second you try or think you are, grace ends.
After
Adam fell humans became corrupted with a sin nature. We are not able to
do right or fix ourselves. This is why God gave us the law. The purpose
of God's law is to show us we cannot obey it and need to turn to God
for salvation. This is why Jesus came to save us. We are not saved by
doing the works of the law. We are saved by Grace. We are saved through
faith in Christ alone. We follow the law because it helps us avoid
trouble in this life. But, it does not save us.
Let's rightly divide the Word, in verse 10.
"We are HIS workmanship"= It is God's Work not ours. "created in Christ Jesus unto good works"=
We are "Born Again" or Created in Christ, to build the Kingdom, to
Spread the Gospel. to love and help people. These are the works we do.
"which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."= God already had a plan for our lives in Him and wants to work through us.
This
is not about our salvation. We cannot do the works God desires without
first being saved and letting Him work through us, by His Spirit.
But,
some continue to use this verse and other verses to attempt to prove
that we must pay for our salvation or do something to earn it.
The
fact that they think they can earn it, is proof that they really do not
understand how wicked we are. It proves God right, when He says "None
seek God". We
seek ourselves, when a person wants to save themselves. (Romans 3:11)
When you wonder if someone can
lose Grace. The answer is no. But, many "Christians" have never received
Grace. Because they have chosen to earn it themselves, And force others
to do the same.
They don't lose it. They
never had it. They never fell on their face and said "Have mercy on me a
sinner". They never really had any oil in their lamp because they never had faith in God. ( Luke 18:10-14)
Let God save you.
Just turn to Him and ask Him to save you. (Acts 2:21)
Confess that Jesus is your Lord and believe He rose from the dead. (Romans 10: 9-10)
Believe He has saved you and is working on you. Trust His promise. It's not a feeling.
God
has saved you, if you asked him to. Now He will start working in your
life to help you to have more faith and grow in Him. To help you serve
Him. He will lead you to study his Word and find a place where you can
be with other saved people.
Trust Him.
Let me give you a little analogy.
Let's say there's a parent and a child.
Which is better?
The child that ignores the parent, and goes its own way and is hurt or has a ruined life?
or
The child who chooses to read about the parent and rules and laws, obeying them perfectly but never really knowing the parent?
or
The
child who turns to the parent and says. "Please help me". The child who
chooses to turn to the parent and ask them to help them and grow them.
The child who wants a relationship?
Which is better?
It's kind of a no brainer.
Turn to the Lord and trust Him.
-----
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from
Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has
written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ a collection of dystopian short stories.“The Future is Coming” and his latest book “The Latter Days‘ is a book on Bible Prophecy and avoiding the deceptions to come.
