Jesus' Judgment

 

    Jesus' Judgment will come when all your opportunities to have a relationship are done.  We all have had infinite opportunities.  The door closes at the moment of death or end of time.  Either way we don't know when that day will be, but we can't say that we never had the opportunity.

    Judgment will fall on everyone who did not believe in Jesus.  It is not that he doesn't love us.  It is that we chose our sinful life over him.  We all fall short, but Jesus paid the price so that we could have salvation and be made holy.  All you have to do is accept and believe.

    If God will judge angels, then why would he not judge people?  On the day of rapture, it will begin with the angels, then the dean, then the living saints.  As the last trumpet bows, we will enter our new bodies.  These bodies will not die, deteriorate, or diminish.  They are eternal as they are given to us.

    Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead after four days.  He was already rotting, but Jesus brought him back to fullness of life with a few words.  When Jesus died, the power behind it rose many Christians from the dead.  However, each resurrection was only for a time.  Every human body dies eventually.  Jesus resurrected and ascended to Heaven in his body making it immortal.  He is the only one with that power. 

    Jesus has the power to raise the dead.  That means he also has the power to take life and judge all life.  Your mortal body will transform into an immortal body.  It doesn't matter if you are a Christian or not.  This will happen.  The only difference is that Christians will go live in eternal peace while unbelievers will go to experience eternal anguish.  Jesus is the only one with the authority to judge anyone in this manner.

Matthew 7:1-6, John 5:19-29, 11:39-50, 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, & 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18

The Judge

 

    When Jesus returns to Earth again, it will be as our judge.  He holds the authority to judge every person, living and dead.  We know that he will return because he said he would.  Like God, Jesus can't lie.  It is not a part of their character.  We know what to expect, so what are we doing today to prepare?

    Jesus is the only true judge over people.  His return is to bring his saints home, but also initiate the final judgment.  It is hard to comprehend because we have a beginning and an end.  Our mind move linearly.  Jesus, is not bound by time.  Time is what God invented for us.  So when he said he was coming back soon, he meant it.  

    The thing is that his soon does not look like our soon.  Hundreds of years have past, but he will be back soon.  He is being patient.  He is giving us time.  The wait is for our benefit.  He wants all people to understand his love.  He is offering us time to have a real relationship with him.  We are meant to really live and the best way to do that is with him.

    Jesus is the son of God.  His first time on earth was completed so we can be a part of his family.  He became son of man to connect with us.  His perfection makes it where one day we will be perfect too.  His mission was to rescue and save those that want to be saved.  Our job now is to follow and spend time with him.  We get salvation through true repentance and following him in faith.

    Jesus came to to us as the first and biggest step to intercede on our behalf.  He became the final sacrifice, so that we could stop sinning.  He has given us every opportunity.  He even sent the Holy Spirit to live in us and seal our soul for the rapture.  If we reject him, then we deserve his judgment.  Faithfully following him is the only option to avoid judgment from God.  Until you accept that, you are already under judgment.  God's judgment is just.  It is what we deserve.

Isaiah 22:19-24, John 5:19-30, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, & 2 Peter 3:8-13

Authority of Christ

 

    There are many questions about Jesus' time after the resurrection.  One of the most common questions is why did he have to leave again after 40 days?  It must have been hard for his friends to be left behind and not fully understanding what was really happening.  Jesus had said that it was good for them if he left because then the Holy Spirit could live in them.  They just didn't understand yet.  

    Jesus had accomplished what he had come to do.  His job on earth was done for the time being.  He went back home to sit beside God and prepare saints a place in Heaven.  He is not taking a vacation or being lazy.  He never stopped working for the good of all people.

    Jesus is the sacrifice for everyone.  Anyone can accept the truth and follow him, but most will not.  Too many people will not accept the authority of Jesus as an extension of God.  He hold the authority to judge every nation and every person throughout time.  He has authority over heaven and earth.  He is highly exalted.  He is not to be ignored.

    Jesus is the intercessor for all Christians.  He is our advocate.  He is the bridge from a life of slavery to a life with God.  He is our mediator.  He is fully man and fully God, so that he could be our substitute.  He took all our sins on as his own and stood in our place to receive the verdict we deserved.  

    The only way we can be close to God or have any relationship with Him is through Jesus.  He is the only way to have salvation.  He is our hope in life.  His love and existence is eternal.  We are a work in progress, but Jesus is our example.  He gives us authority to live like him in life.

Matthew 20:24-28, Romans 8:31-39, Philippians 2:5-11, 1 Timothy 2:1-7, & Hebrews 7:23-25

Ascension Part 2

 

    With the word ascension comes questions, mostly questions that are rhetoric.  One is, am I condemned?  Jesus' ascension into Heaven displayed his authority and advocacy for God.  It means everything that he claimed, declared, or taught while on earth was correct.  His words hold power.

    After the great commission was given to Jesus' apostles he ascended into Heaven.  He went home to make a place for all the saints.  His disciples were not able to move.  They just stood there looking into the sky.  Two angels (men in white robes) came and asked them why they just stood there staring at the sky.  Like the apostles, we can't just stand around waiting.  We have work to do.

    Jesus' ascension is not like his resurrection.  Both are impossible, miraculous, and involve his human body.  The difference is the resurrection he returned more supernatural than human, but was still human.  The ascension is when he lifted himself back up to heaven in his body.  He could have just blinked his eyes and returned home, but he chose to make it slow and memorable for his closest friends.

    Jesus left the human realm for the spiritual dimension in Heaven.  It also revealed how different Jesus was from any other human.  No human can enter Heaven alive.  They have to go in spirit, not in their human body.  Jesus is the only one.  He returned home in spirit, body, and all his power.

    We have to change.  The body that we have is temporary.  It has an expiration date.  When we enter Heaven, we will be given a new body that is eternal.  This body represents all that we truly are in relation with God.  The only way to obtain this is to live a life in faith of Jesus.

Luke 24:50-53, John 16:25-28, Acts 1: 6-11, & Romans 8:31-39

Epistle

 

    Epistle is a word that refers to 21 books in the New Testament.  These books were actually letters written by apostles to the church: Romans to Jude.  They were written for guidance and instruction for the early church. They are still the guidelines for the modern church.

    The Epistle is important to Revelations.  They help you understand who the antichrist is.  You need to understand your enemy to a degree to be able to identify him.  You need to be able to identify the antichrist because he is the primary force that works against the church.

    The whole Bible works together to help you.  It is all a love letter, even the parts of correction.  Only a person that loves you will care enough to try to save your soul.  The Epistles put it into a practical way of living and preparing for eternity.

Matthew 24:26-31, John 17:15, 2 Corinthians 3:1-3, & Revelations 2, 7:14-17

Tribulations

 

    There are three tribulations that we can talk about before the very end of time: Pre, Mid, and Post.  There will be people following Jesus during the tribulations.  We will not know all the details until that time, but we do know that it will happen.  

    The Pre-tribulation is kicked off when the church is removed.  It is here that it is made clear that there will be two judgments.  The first is when the church is raptured.  The second is will be all the non-believers.  We have been experiencing the birthing pains that foretells that we are closer than ever before to the beginning of the end, but the time is still unknown.

    Mid-Tribulations is believed to be three and half years.  It is the halfway point after the church is raptured, but before the final victory.  The final victory will belong to Jesus.  After that all the saints and sinners will be raptured to face God on the judgment throne.  This concept declares that Jesus' followers will experience the first half, but will be raptured before the end.

    This is when we see the two phases of Jesus.  It is believed that he will return to resurrect the righteous dead and rapture his living followers.  He will then return the final time to resurrect all the unbelievers.  The good news is that the saints will be spared the greater tribulation.

    Post Tribulation is the belief that no one will be raptured until the end.  The first two believe that the tribulation will last seven years.  This group thinks that it is metaphoric and will last much longer.  The argument for this belief is that the church has always been under tribulation.  They believe that the saints will remain safe during the final tribulation like Moses and the plagues.

    What they all agree on is that the rapture unifies all believers.  We know that a world without Jesus is a dark world.  He is the light and when he leaves, so does all the life giving life.  His presence holds power and glory.

Matthew 24:15-22, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, & Revelations 2, 6:1-8, 11:15

Interpreting Revelations

 

    There are a lot of concepts and thoughts to Revelations.  A person has to understand the Millennial and Tribulation concepts.  It is important to understand because one way or another it will happen.  The Rapture will happen before the tribulation.  God's people will be spared the wrath of God as it is poured out onto the world.  Christians will be spared from Satan's last attempt to defeat Jesus.

    During all of this it is believed that more people will come to Jesus.  They are the people that become Christians that will live for a time in this terrorized world.  Jesus' salvation is the only way to avoid God's wrath.  He delivers us from God's wrath.  He is the only way.

    There are two phases to God's return: the resurrection of the saints and resurrection of judgment.  When Jesus ascends the final time all the new believers will accompany him.  He will come back.  He will defeat Satan.  He will return to Heaven to reign with God and the Holy Spirit.  We need to understand the truth.

1 Thessalonians 1:8-10, 5:9-11, & Revelations 2