So What Happened To The Apostles?

SO WHAT HAPPENED TO THE APOSTLES?

This is a good question, and the answer might make it a little tougher to follow Jesus, particularly in countries where it's not safe to proclaim yourself a follower of Christ.  "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake.   Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." (Matt. 5:11 - 12)  "And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me.  He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it." (Matt. 10:38 - 39)  Jesus was literally dead serious when He made these statements regarding persecution.  Only one apostle lived till his natural death.

Let's first look at Simon Peter.  Peter and Cephas were his surnames, meaning "Rock".  Like Andrew, his father was Jonah, and their early lives were in Bethsaida, but later Capernaum.  Only 5 of these apostles were their prior business made known of and Peter, Andrew and James the greater and John, the beloved disciple were fishermen.  Peter was one of the few who wrote epistles after his time with Jesus, and he was a missionary among the Jews.  Not feeling himself worthy to be crucified the same way that Jesus was, he was crucified upside down in Rome.

Andrew, Peter's brother, preached in Scythia, Greece, and Asia Minor, and was also crucified on a cross.

James the greater and John the beloved disciple were brothers of Zebedee and Salome, and their surname was Boanerges, or "Sons of Thunder".  They started their lives in Bethsaida like Simon and Andrew, but later they lived in Jerusalem.  James the greater preached in Jerusalem and Judea afte his time with Jesus, and lastly was beheaded by Herod in 41 A.D. in Jerusalem.  John wrote his Gospel and 3 epistles, and also wrote Revelation.  John labored among the churches in Asia Minor, particularly in Ephesus.  He was banished to Patmos in 95 A.D., then was recalled, and was the only one to die a natural death.

James the less and Jude were the sons of Alpheus, or Cleophas, and Mary, and Jude's surnames were Thaddeus and Lebbeus.  They lived in Galilee as their home, and Jude was the only of the two to write an epistle, and it was rather short, at that, but nevertheless important.  James the less preached in Egypt and Palestine, While Jude preached in Persia and Assyria.  James the less was crucified in Egypt, while Jude was martyred in Persia.

Philip's home was in Bethsaida, and preached in Phrygia after Jesus' ascension; he died a martyr at Hierapolis there where he preached.

Bartholemew was surnamed Nathaniel, and his home was in Cana of Galilee.  His death was from being flayed!

Matthew bore the surname Levi, and was the son of Alpheus.  His home was in Capernaum, and his job was as a tax collector.  He wrote the first Gospel of the New Testament, and died a martyr in Ethiopia.

Doubting Thomas, surnamed Didymus, claimed his home in Galilee, and had the dubious distinction of being the founder of the church of the Syrian church per the Christians there, and debatably in Persia and India.  He was shot to death with arrows while he prayed.

The other Simon, surnamed Zelotes, also claimed Galilee for his home, and he, too, was crucified.

Everyone knows much of the last apostle who strode with Jesus.  Judas surnamed Iscariot claimed his home in Kerioth of Judea, and he who betrayed Jesus, everyone knows he committed suicide, and did a lousy job of it at that.

Paul was the only apostle who did not walk with Jesus in the flesh, yet wrote many epistles before he was martyred in 67 A.D., one year before Nero died.  He made three missionary journeys; his first took him through Antioch, Cyprus, Galatia, then back to Antioch.  His second took him through Syria, Cilicia, Derbe, Lystra, Phrygia, Galatia, Mysia, Troas, Samothracia, Neapolis, Phillippi, Apollonia, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, Caesarea, Jerusalem, Damascus, and finally back to Antioch.  His last journey took him all over Galatia and Phrygia, Corinth, Ephesus, Achaia, and a number of other places, eventually ending up in Jerusalem.

By the way, by now you may have noticed Mark and Luke were NOT Jesus' original 12 apostles!   John Mark was the son of Mary, who wrote his Gospel in general for Gentiles, but particularly for Roman readers.  Luke was identified by Paul as a physician (Col. 4:14), and was Paul's close friend, and distinguished by being the only Gentile author of a book in the New Testament, and a Gospel at that!  He was primarily an Evangelist, primarily writing his Gospel toward the Gentiles.  He gave us the Magnificat of Mary, the Benedictus of Zacharias, the Gloria in Excelsis of the angels, and the Nunc Dimittis of Simeon.  Like Mark, we have no data concerning his death.

And so there you have it.  Only one apostle is known to have survived being a witness for Jesus until a natural death.  Small wonder Jesus warned of persecution for His sake!  How good for us that the rewards in heaven are promised to be great!

Collateral Damage

COLLATERAL DAMAGE

A lot of military personnel know what collateral damage is; police usually can define it for you; it is damage that is unintended or incidental to the intended outcome. It has a little more broad connotation in other circles, but in this case, it is the loss of relationships to reach the objective which is Christ Jesus. When we choose Jesus, and make Him more than that block of time at church, when we really accept Him as our Savior, expect the losses to begin. When we start obeying the commandments and statutes in the bible, and I mean, as many as you can wrap your memory around, some family and friends will become collateral damage. They may become acceptable losses, too, if they choose to be stiffnecked to the end, but as you read your bible, Christ already warns of that.

Jesus warned us in the gospel of Matthew that we shall suffer this collateral damage I speak of; "

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me." (Matt. 10:34 - 37) The Gospel divides families, just as it divides congregations into believers who are not one-minded, that there need be denominations! I have in-laws and family alike who do not go to the same type church I do, because they feel their church interprets correctly, while I have irreconcilable differences with churches that have too many flaws in their doctrine. Then there are in-laws and family who don't go to church at all, and those, too, are a loss, so long as they refuse to accept Christ as I do.

"

And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me." (Matt. 10:38) Seems cryptic by itself, but what He means is that there is nobody close enough to you, that if they are a distraction of your allegiance to Christ, that you should choose them over Him. Your choice is He that is your salvation, even to the death.

Another view of this decision gives us no choice about people who were once family and/or friends; "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." (James 4:4) We can no longer be friends with worldly people! When we choose God, these people see us as their enemy, because we are no longer worldly people!

Oh, I have more about separating yourself from unChristian people, no matter how close you are; "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, 'I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.' 'Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate,' saith the Lord, 'and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters,' saith the Lord Almighty." (2 Cor. 6:14 - 18) This is outstanding advice when considering who will be your spouse. Believers should be able to weed out unbelievers pretty easily. You won't likely find your future spouse in a bar, a burlesque joint, or porn shop. You would probably be safe to exclude dating lingerie catalog models, soap opera stars, and pugilists. Definitely cross out drug addicts and drunks! Even if you have friends who are unbelievers, if you don't come out from among them, they will stop being one of those among YOU! Unbelievers will stop answering their telephones when they see your number on their caller ID, they will change their Email address, and yes, they will "defriend" you on Facebook! I have suffered all this collateral damage of many friends.

Jesus said, "

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matt. 5:14 - 16) When we chose Christ, and started reading the bible, and going to church, and started obeying what we read, we became this light Jesus spoke of. The bible tells us how God fearing people did good things in history, and how we can do good things that are examples of obedience to the Lord. When we start doing these things, the ungodly will take notice. They will notice you no longer swear, nor go to night clubs, nor have one too many. No, you may not have any at all anymore. You stop smoking (if you used to), you will obey most of the laws of man (except the ungodly ones), and you will start demonstrating charitable behavior. They may even start handling being with you uniquely from how they treat the other ungodly friends of theirs. I've noticed some of the ungodly have actually tried to curb their cursing when they are around me, as they have very obviously noticed my light.

When your family and friends from back home start avoiding you, and becoming offended in you, think not that you should be alone in what has happened to you when they do this, because Jesus Himself went through it! "And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, He departed thence. And when He was come into His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, 'Whence hath this Man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this Man all these things? And they were offended in Him. But Jesus said unto them, '

A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.' And He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief." (Matt. 13:53 - 58) So you see, just as you are offending family and friends with your belief in Christ, so He too offended His own townspeople trying to get them to believe in Him.

God has provided replacements for our collateral damage, fortunately. Paul wrote, "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." (Gal. 3:26) It is also written, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. " (1 John 3:1) What does this mean to the Christian? It means that you who profess to be Christians are my family in Christ! You are my brother, or sister, or children, or parents in Christ! You who are Christians are my replacements for family and friends of a worldly nature that I lost!

Then of course, there will be the false teachers; you will have to be wary of them, that they not sway you from the truth. "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of." (2 Pet. 2:1 - 2) If they teach a Jesus any different than the one of the gospels, these are to be avoided. They teach an inefficient Jesus, and ineffective Jesus, and some teach Jesus was nobody at all! They have extra books or literature and say these are in conjunction with the bible, but don't you believe it! No book of Mormon, no NWT bible, no watchtower fliers, no catechism, just the KJV (King James Version) is enough for me and you. This you have to teach the truth from their fiction, if it is possible they will hear you. If not, they, too, are collateral damage. But we are called to try and rescue them from the snare they are in! "Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." (James 5:19 - 20) While this is generally meant for Christians gone astray, I am persuaded that even a false teacher can be converted.

So indeed, take up your cross, as I have, and follow Him, but know that, like Him, you will suffer tensions while its yoke is upon you, but the reward is eternal life, so worthy it is to follow Him, despite the losses!

THE PROPHETS AND THEIR MESSAGES

The Prophets And Their Messages

There are 16 books of prophets of the Old Testament, some little known, and some very well known.  If asked to name all the prophets, the first two would be Isaiah and Jeremiah, and so many would struggle to remember Haggai, Micah, and Nahum.  So who were these men of God, and what were their messages?  The average Christian could not connect them all with their messages, and it would be a feat for good pastors; after all, there are 16 of them!

The oldest prophet was Obadiah, from 840 B.C.  His message was judgment on Edom.  The name Edom is first found in the bible in Gen. 25:30, where Esau's name became Edom.  Esau's dwelling place became named after him, in the land of Mt. Seir; "And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom." (Gen. 32:3)  "Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom." (Gen. 36:8)  Edom is mentioned in Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel, and Amos.  And the Lord's judgment on Edom?  "And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it." (Obad. 1:18) Total annihilation of the Edomites!

Joel walked the earth in 835 B.C., and during the days of Joash the king.  He prophesied the Day of the Lord and of the judgment of the nations.  The Day of the Lord is first mentioned in Joel 1:15, and in his prophecy he describes that day, and the desolation to come, but also urges the people to turn and rend their hearts instead of their garments, and in their personal and national repentance God offers immediate deliverance during the Tribulation.  Joel's last chapter is of the judgments of the nations and of His vengeance upon them.

Though a minor prophet, Jonah's story is rather popular.  He's the only man in the bible swallowed by a fish and spit back out!  He and Amos prophesied during the reign of the same king, and his story was from 760 B.C. He is told by the Lord to cry against Nineveh, a rough, wicked place, and call them to repent.  But he thinks he can flee the presence of the Lord to Tarshish, and causes a problem with the sailors in a great storm that comes upon them.  Convinced they need to sacrifice to Yahweh, they toss Jonah to the fish, where he is convinced to be obedient to God.  Spit out of the fish, he goes to Nineveh, and they repent at his cry against them.  Jonah's last chapter seems odd, though, as he complains to God against the place that repented at his preaching.

Amos, another minor prophet, is next, and his message is that divine punishment follows continuous sin.  He walked the earth in 755 B.C., and preached against eight nations, including Judah and Israel!  He preached against Damascus, Philistia, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, and Moab, but He did not exclude Judah and Israel from their sins; His own people!  From even this early, God proved not a respecter of persons.  In Amos 2:5 Judah is judged to suffer fire, and in 586 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar did just that.  Amos 2:14 - 16 describes the invasion of the Assyrians of 722 B.C., only 33 years after Amos' day!  At the last chapter of his book, Amos reveals that in the Day of the Lord, in the Millennium, the dynasty of David will again rule the world, Israel forever possessing the promised land.

In 710 B.C., Hosea begins his ministry.  You have to find his work interesting, for it is of God's love for Israel.  Hosea was ordered by God to marry a whore as an illustration of the harlotry of Israel after false gods, particularly Baal.  He continues on her punishment, restoration, and redemption, akin to the same for Israel.  He further preached an indictment against the children of Israel, condemnation of the priests and kings, and the crimes of Israel.  He prophesied Assyria against Israel like an eagle, taking them into captivity.  Hosea finally, in the end, prophesied God's love, chastisement, and restoration of His prodigal people.

Isaiah was one of the greatest prophets of the bible, and is the only one to make a "cameo appearance" in the New Testament (at the Transfiguration).  4 kings ruled throughout his day, and his message was of the coming of our Messiah, Savior, King, and Judge.  His prophetic ministry began in 740 B.C., and ended in 680 B.C.  He spoke of topics such as God's promise of restoration after judgment, the future kingdom and it's glory, the sign of the Messiah, the rule of Jesse's Branch, denunciations of nations such as Babylon, Assyria, Philistia, Moab, Damascus, Ethiopia, Egypt, Arabia, Tyre, and even Jerusalem!  He spoke much of the kingdom, too!

Micah was the prophet of gloom and doom and deliverance in his day, and spoke during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.  His message was of the Lord's judgment against Israel, whose capital was Samaria, and Judah, whose capital was Jerusalem.  Assyria took Samaria and Jerusalem was taken by Sennacherib.  He preached doom for the leaders, false prophets, and Jerusalem, but also of the coming kingdom and the suffering that preceded it.  He spoke of the Savior and both His first and second coming!

Israel and Judah received only 3 more prophets before the exile, and the next was Nahum.  From 663 - 612 B.C. was his ministry, and his message was also of doom: for Nineveh and Assyria!  He spoke of God's majesty and anger, but much was of His judgment against these two nations.

625 B.C. saw the beginning of Zephaniah's prophetic ministry, and Josiah was king during his day.  His message was of judgment toward Judah, and to repent quickly.  He pronounced judgments against Philistia, Ethiopia, Assyria, and Jerusalem, but Moab and Ammon's judgment was comparable to Sodom and Gomorrah!  The silver lining of his prophesying was of future blessings for both the Jews and the Gentiles.

Habakkuk is the last pre-exile prophet.  In 606 B.C. he began, and 3 were king during his ministry; Josiah, Jehoahaz, and Jehoiakim.  His message was of the Chaldeans of Babylon, and of their successful captivity of Judah, and in the end of his book he praised God!

Jeremiah was the first prophet of the exile, whose ministry extended from 627 - 585 B.C. through the reign of 5 kings under the thumb of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.  His message was not only of Jerusalem's judgment, but also of its coming glory.  Like Isaiah, this 2nd major prophet prophesied to the Jews in Judea in captivity.  He told of the coming invasion of Babylon, and Judah's sin, chastening, and called them to repent!  Judah had been making flat cakes to the "queen of heaven", Ishtar, and made offerings to other gods, and so they deserved what was coming.  In Jer. 10:1 - 5, he prophesies of what is now the popular Christmas tree as a false god; the description is uncannily correct of the way it was brought into homes everywhere in centuries past!  He spoke of Judah breaking God's covenant the consequence, warnings, his persecution for the drought, Judah's false prophets, and Judah's hope of restoration after the tribulation.  He prophesied against Egypt, and the Philistines, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Arabia, Elam, and Babylon.  That was a whole lot of bad news!  And he wasn't done yet, not with all that!  He also wrote Lamentations, and that message was the mourning over the destruction of Jerusalem and her temple!  He spoke of Jerusalem's barrenness, her anguish, and her destruction as a result of the Lord's judgment.

Next was Ezekiel, a prophet during the reign of Zedekiah.  His ministry was from 592 - 570 B.C., and his message was of the future restoration of Israel.  His book begins with the most revealing description of cherubim, incredibly fashioned creatures associated with protecting the holiness of the Lord.  He preached against Judah and Jerusalem, instructed by God to shave his beard and head, and represent four groups of Jerusalem's people by what he did with the hair he shaved off.  He, too, preached against false prophets and prophetesses, much like what goes on today, and against idolatry.  He spoke in parables, and lamented the princes of Israel.  Now this prophet suffered a personal agony during his ministry, because the Lord foretold him of his wife's death, and he was instructed not to shed a tear or mourn her.  What a tough instruction to follow!  Like Jeremiah before him, he prophesied judgments against Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon, and Egypt.  He spoke of the false shepherds of Israel, and also of the true Shepherd.  He also spoke of a new covenant with Israel, its resuscitation, reuniting, and victory over Gog and Magog, which is yet to come.  He prophesies the millenial kingdom, its inner court and gates, and the temple itself, and even the return of the glory of the Lord from the east!

The last prophet during the exile was Daniel, and it seems the book he wrote has almost as much to do with his three partners during the exile as it had to do with him!  His ministry lasted through the reigns of five kings, and is dated during 537 B.C., although he was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar as early as 605 B.C.  His message was futuristic, of the times of the Gentiles and of the Tribulation, and of Israel's millenial kingdom.  Apparently it was customary for captives to be renamed, so Daniel was renamed Belteshazzar, Hananiah renamed Shadrach, Mishael, Meshach, and Azariah, Abednego.  His is a favorite book among the many, as Christ Himself makes a cameo appearance, and is recognized by Nebuchadnezzar the king!  "He answered and said, 'Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.'" (Dan. 3:25)  This book of faith additionally tells of Daniel sealed up overnight in a den of lions, and since by the next day no hurt befalls Daniel, he is brought out of the den.  Much of Daniel's prophecies are already proven fact concerning the nations of his 11th chapter, but those of the kingdom and impending judgment to come have yet to unfold!

Haggai and Zechariah both began their ministry in 520 B.C., both during the reigns of Zerubbabel and Darius 1, but Zechariah also was present during the reign of Ahasuerus.  Haggai's message was of the restoration of the temple, while Zechariah urged his kinsmen to hope in the return of the Messiah.  Haggai pronounced rebuke from God, and the people harkened.  Haggai called for courage in the Lord, cleanness in life, and for them to have confidence in the future, choosing Zerubbabel to be the guarantee of the continuation of the Davidic lineage.  Zechariah was a man with visions, nine, to be exact.  His book ends describing the Millenial age.

The last prophet of God's people of the Old Testament was Malachi, whose ministry lasted 50 years (450 - 400 B.C.)!  He strode the land during the reign of 2 kings, and told of God's complaint and warning to Israel.  God's complaint was of defective animals for offerings, unfaithfulness by corruption of the Levitical covenant in bias, marriages to heathens, divorces rampant, and engaged in impiety while claiming God yet delighted in them.  He further was vocal of their robbery of God in tithes and offerings, and of their arrogance.  The last of his book was God's warning, and included speaking of Elijah coming before the day of the Lord.  It may be that he was referring to one of the two witnesses of Rev. 11:1 - 12, which some educated theologians speculate could be Elijah and Moses, the same two who were with Jesus during the Transfiguration!

For 440 years, prophets were God's spokesmen to the people, who were judged when they ignored Him, and were safe when they heeded Him.  Oh, how we need prophets nowadays like those of the Old Testament!  We have pastors, and evangelists, and ministers, and reverends, and priests of many sorts, but have the people listened, and do they heed or ignore?  Many are as tares, and many are as wheat, indeed!

What Do You Know About Hell?

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HELL?

Just like heaven, hell is found in bits and pieces, and under different names and addresses of it's qualities.  The fearful and foolish deny its existence, and many who do believe are blind to their danger of going there, while many others are able to see the terror of going there, and have taken the step to avoiding going there (believing in Jesus, finding salvation)!

The first instance of speaking of hell can be found in the song of Moses where he sings of God's vengeance; "For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains." (Deut. 32:22)

Hell is also referred to as the pit, or Jews know it as Sheol, also called the grave.  The first reference to the pit can be found in Num. 16:30 - 32; "But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.  And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods."  I don't want to ponder over how deep hell is, that in this case, it swallowed their whole houses!

Job also referred to Sheol as "the pit"; "If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.  I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister. And where is now my hope?  As for my hope, who shall see it?  They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust." (Job 17:13 -16)

Satan has been referenced as having fallen like lightning to the grave, but the grave, remember, for him, is hell.  The worms are again referenced in this passage of Scripture, and we will see these worms referenced again; "Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!  How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!" (Isa. 14:11-12)

I promised that the worms would be referenced again, and I will not fail you!  Here is the first reference to these worms not dying; "'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. 66:23 - 24)

This time, you can find the worms in the Gospel, only this time, Christ Himself says that they NEVER DIE! "And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.  And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.  And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." (Mark 9:43 - 48) Matt. 18:8 - 9 is worded similarly.

Christ also asserted in the Gospel that hell is meant for the destruction of the soul; "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matt. 10:28) (Luke 12:5 is similarly worded)  He also asserted that hell has gates; "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matt. 16:18)  Jesus further asserted in His story of the rich man and Lazarus that hell is totally devoid of fun, enjoyment, or pleasure of any kind!  "And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.  And he cried and said, '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.'" (Luke 16:23 - 24)  The rich man was so on fire, that even his tongue greatly desired a drop of water!

Jesus also made 6 notes that hell is a place of wailing and gnashing of teeth: "The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." (Matt. 13:41 - 42)  "So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." (Matt. 13:49 - 50)  "Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matt. 22:13)  "The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matt. 24:50 - 51)  "And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matt. 25:30)  "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out." (Luke 13:28)  While all were in parables, it is quite clear every unbeliever will also be permanently unhappy with their environment.

Hell is also a reference to the grave, rather than the place of worms and fire and torment.  "He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption." (Acts 2:31)

James, too, spoke of the fire in hell in reference to the tongue, that the tongue's destructive power is as from hell itself!  "And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell." (James 3:6).

Peter gave reference that hell is not only a place of fire and torment and worms, but also darkness; "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;" (2 Pet. 2:4)

In the bible's final book, Jesus speaks of the keys of hell, denoting His authority over it.  "And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.  And He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me, 'Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.'" (Rev. 1:17 - 18)  Revelation also covers the disposition of hell!  "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.  This is the second death." (Rev. 20:13 - 14)  Can hell be cast into hell?  It appears that hell and the lake of fire are separate environments.

So here we have as much of an ugly picture of what hell is like that we could ever not ask for.  One would think a person mad to want to go to a place where unquenchable fire exists, burning the soul continuously, a place of darkness and worms that fail to die, a place where torments never cease, where there is unfailing wailing, and gnashing of teeth, until the appointed time at the end of the millenium, when Jesus orders the destruction of hell and death and all the unbelieving souls in the lake of fire!  Perhaps this study would be a good reading to anyone unbelieving, that they would turn from it, and seek the salvation available to eternal life and Joy in our Savior Jesus Christ!

What Do You Know About Heaven?

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HEAVEN?

What do we know about it, really?  We see a reference here and there concerning heaven, but nobody has really used the bible to paint a picture one could imagine concerning heaven.  Some references are in Revelation, some in the Old Testament, some in Paul's Epistles...you have to gather them up in a way that one could imagine what it looks like, although we won't know it all until we've gotten there. 

First we must dispell some confusion, because there are more than one heaven referenced in the bible. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." (Gen. 1:1)  This reference is not necessarily the heaven reserved for believers, but rather the universe, where the stars and galaxies are, that man is able to see through powerful telescopes.  The first heaven is the sky, and it is also called the firmament. "And God called the firmament Heaven." (Gen. 1:8)  The third heaven is the one we all hope for, the residence of the Father, of Almighty God, where there is permanent joy and bliss; "I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven." (2 Cor. 12:2)  So from here on, we are not interested in the first and second heaven, because we can see all the first, much of the second, but the third we can only see if we die or are raptured.

Here is a good spot to make note of two people who went to heaven without dying; the first was Enoch.  "And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him." (Gen. 5:23 - 24)  The second was Elijah. "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.  And Elisha saw it, and he cried, 'My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.'  And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces." (2 Kings 2:11 - 12)

Stephen saw a little glimpse of heaven just before being stoned to death!  "And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God." (Acts 7:56)  Doesn't tell us much, though, does it?

It is written that if God wills it, angels can be heard from out of heaven; "And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, 'What aileth thee, Hagar?  Fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.'" (Gen. 21:17)  "And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, 'Abraham, Abraham:' and he said, 'Here am I.'" (Gen. 22:11)

Genesis also covers a dream of Jacob wherein he sees what nobody else sees; a ladder, or stairway, as it were, where angels ascended and descended to and from heaven; "And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it." (Gen. 28:12)  When he awakes, he believes he has slept in a place that for him was a gate between heaven and earth!  "And he was afraid, and said, 'How dreadful is this place!  This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.'" (Gen. 28:17)

A reference to the size of heaven is made in 1 Kings, but nothing exact, just the fact that it is not large enough to contain God!  "But will God indeed dwell on the earth?  Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; how much less this house that I have builded?" (1 Kings 8:27)  A much more exact size of the New Jerusalem, however, IS available; "And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs.  The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.  And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel." (Rev. 21:16 - 17)  This means it is 1,380 miles on each face.  If only 25% of this space were used for the mansions Jesus promised His believers, 20 billion people could have roomy accomodations!  One half of it would thereby accomodate 40 billion!

Another reference of the Old Testament makes an interesting picture for the mind concerning heaven in the days of Ahab; "And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right hand and on His left.  And the LORD said, 'Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead?'  And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.  And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, 'I will persuade him.'  And the LORD said unto him, 'Wherewith?'  And he said, 'I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.'  And He said, 'Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.'" (1 Kings 22:19 - 22)  Here we have description of the host of heaven surrounding God, but who populate heaven as the host are not defined in this passage.  It can only be assumed the angels and all who have been saved to this point in time are the "host".

Amazing things must exist in heaven; take Elijah's conveyance to heaven, for example: "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." (2 Kings 2:11)

We know heaven is God's dwelling place, and king Hezekiah said He dwells between cherubims.  "O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, Thou art the God, even Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; Thou hast made heaven and earth." (2 Kings 19:15)  So what are cherubim?  The first reference of one is in Genesis.  "He threw them out of the garden and stationed angel-cherubim and a revolving sword of fire east of it, guarding the path to the Tree-of-Life." (Gen. 3:24)  Doesn't sound like a child with wings, does it?  Is there a better description?  Ezekiel gives the best description, and what fantastic creatures these are!  "And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man's hand under their wings.  And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubims, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone.  And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel.  When they went, they went upon their four sides; they turned not as they went, but to the place whither the head looked they followed it; they turned not as they went.  And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had.  As for the wheels, it was cried unto them in my hearing, O wheel.  And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.  And the cherubims were lifted up.  This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar.  And when the cherubims went, the wheels went by them: and when the cherubims lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also turned not from beside them." (Ezek. 10:8 - 16)

There are also creatures called Seraphim in heaven.  They are described in the 6th chapter of Isaiah.  "In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple.  Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.  And one cried unto another, and said, 'Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.'  And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.  Then said I, 'Woe is me!  For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.'  Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, 'Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.'" (Isa. 6:1 - 7).  Imagine a creature that can hold a live coal in its hand, and not feel singed!

Jesus Himself promised there are many mansions in heaven; "In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you." (John 14:2)

I find this first passage of Revelation huge as a glimpse, although as I continue to present other passages, you'll come to realize it is a dynamic, not static, place.  "And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.  And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.  And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.  And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.  And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.  And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.  And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.'  And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to Him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 'Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.'" (Rev. 4:2 - 11).  Believing in Jesus allows believers to see this sight in heaven and a lot more!

The most vivid visions of what heaven is like are in the book of Revelation.  Many pictures are painted in this book of heaven; there are books in heaven, by the way, and several are mentioned as you go through Revelation's pages.  The first is the book of life, but its importance causes it to be mentioned much more than once throughout Revelation; "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels." (Rev. 3:5)  "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." (Rev. 13:8)  "The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is." (Rev. 17:8)  "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Rev. 20:15)  "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Rev. 21:27)  The next is one with seven seals: "And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals." (Rev. 5:1).  After the book of judgments that come with the seals, there's another set of unnamed books in this passage, but it is easy to understand these are books in which are written all the sins of the unsaved.  "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." (Rev. 20:12).

Chapters 21 and 22 of the book of Revelation describe the final position of heaven in the state of what is called the New Jerusalem, in which all believers will dwell for eternity.  It is described having walls of 12 foundations, 12 pearly gates, and 12 angels manning each gate.  This final heaven is lighted with the glory of God, and so there is no sun or moon.  There are two items within the city that are of pure gold that appears as glass.  The first is the city itself!  "And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass." (Rev. 21:18).  The other gold item is the street; "And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass." (Rev. 21:21).

So now we know more of what heaven looks like; it's been a dynamic place, full of many wonderful creatures, believers throughout the ages, angelic hosts, and His emerald-rainbowed throne with lightnings!  However, there is still much more that we don't know about heaven yet; for it is written, "...Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him." (1 Cor. 2:9).  How tragic for those who will miss all this, for those who will refuse to believe in Jesus to their dying breath!