"Seven Questions and Seven Answers; One for each day of the Week usually posted by Saturday"

ONE

Saints Alive!

Q. I understand from my studies that there are 3 groups of saints, Old testament saints who believed in a coming Messiah, Church saints, who come to the Lord between Pentecost and the Rapture, and Tribulation Saints who believe in Him after the Rapture but before the 2nd Coming. When is each group given glorified bodies? I know that the Church/Bride is given glorified bodies at the Rapture – but what about the others? And where do we/they all reside in the years between the (pre-trib) Rapture and the New Heaven & Earth after the Millennium?

A. You’re correct in saying that all Church Age saints will receive glorified bodies at the rapture/resurrection. We will reside in the New Jerusalem. Old Testament saints will receive their new bodies at the time of the 2nd Coming (Daniel 12:2) and will dwell in Israel. Tribulation saints who are martyred will receive new bodies along with Old Testament saints at the time of the 2nd Coming (Rev. 20:4-5), and will serve the Lord in His Temple (Rev. 7:14-15). Tribulation Saints who survive in their natural state will re-populate the nations on Earth during the Millennium. (Matt. 25:34)

But you must look at Rev. 21-22 again. The first verses of each chapter are virtual copies of the Old Testament, put there to show you that John was speaking of Earth at the beginning of the Millennium, not its end. It’s confusing because Rev. 20:7-15is a parenthetical passage John used to follow two thoughts to their conclusion; the final disposition of Satan and the 2nd resurrection.

Then, beginning in Rev. 21 he went back to describe the Millennium including the New Jerusalem, home of the Church, and the restored Earth, home of redeemed Israel and Tribulation Saints. We know this partly because Rev. 21:1 is a direct quote fromIsaiah 65:17 where the context is the Millennium, and Rev. 22:1-7 is taken from Ezekiel 47:1-12, another Millennial passage. Time is also referenced in Rev. 22:2 with the tree bearing 12 crops of fruit one each month, and eternity by definition is the absence of time.

TWO

Is God In Total Control Of Everything?
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
There’s a theory, only hinted at in Scripture, that Planet Earth had been the domain of Satan prior to his rebellion. Although he was only a created being, Satan was an enormously powerful dignitary in God’s Universe (Jude 1:9). He was the overseer of the Cherubim (the guardians of God’s Throne) and a leader of the angelic host. He was God’s most impressive creation (Ezekiel 28:12-15). Because of his position, his power, and his beauty he became proud and rebelled (Ezekiel 28:17,Isaiah 14:13-14), bringing about a judgment that destroyed planet Earth.
All this seems to have happened between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. Hints of this in Scripture are
1) an alternate (and some say more literal) rendering of Genesis 1:2 reads, “But the Earth became formless and void”, rather than “and the Earth was formless and void.”
2) In Isaiah 45:18 the Lord said He didn’t create the Earth that way, using the same Hebrew word that’s translated formless in Genesis 1:2, but formed it to be inhabited. Putting these two points together hints at a judgment sometime after Earth’s original creation.
3) The angels already existed at the time of the Genesis creation account. They shouted and sang for joy when the Lord laid the foundations of Earth (Job 38:4-7) so they must have been created earlier. If so, then Satan must have been created earlier was as well.
4) The serpent seems to appear out of nowhere in Genesis 3:1 although there’s no mention of him in the creation account. Also the Hebrew word translated serpent comes from a root meaning enchanter, which could mean it was not an ordinary animal. And Eve didn’t seem to be reluctant to converse with him, indicating she might have recognized him for who he really was.
Let me hasten to add that I don’t believe in a pre-Adamite civilization. The Bible clearly calls Adam the first man (1 Cor. 15:45). It also says the animals were created on the same day as Adam (Genesis 1:24-26) so I don’t believe dinosaurs or any other animals preceded Adam’s creation.
After Earth sat submerged in ruin and darkness for who knows how long, God said “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3) and the six day Genesis creation process began. It helps to remember that the Bible is not a book about eternity, it’s about the age of man. As such it begins with the creation of the first man and ends when the Millennium ends seven thousand years later. It gives only vague hints about what happened before the Age of Man began and what will come after it ends. All we really know is that there was an eternity past and there will be an eternity future.
God’s first instruction to Adam and Eve was to give them dominion over Planet Earth, telling them to subdue it and populate it (Genesis 1:28). Satan, whose domain Earth had formerly been, responded by causing them to sin (Genesis 3:1-13). As a result of their sin, Adam and Eve fell from immortality to being mortal, carrying all their descendants with them (Romans 5:12). The creation was also placed in bondage to sin (Romans 8:18-21), and Satan snatched control of Earth back from Adam Eve and has held it from then until now (1 John 5:19). This is why Jesus referred to Satan as the prince of this world (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11) and Paul called him the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:3-4).
Jesus redeemed the creation (bought it back) with His own blood at the same time He redeemed us, but He won’t move to actually assert His claim to it until just before the beginning of the Great Tribulation at the sound of the seventh Trumpet.
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 11:15).
And in Rev. 12:10 we read,
“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.”
In the mean time, the Bible tells us Satan is in charge here, and there are numerous references to demonic powers influencing life on Earth to confirm this.
IN GOVERNMENTS
Satan had representation in all the Gentile Empires of Biblical times. He was called the king of Babylon in Isaiah 14:4 and the king of Tyre in Ezekiel 28:11. An angel spoke to Daniel about being detained by the “prince of Persia” and requiring help from the Archangel Michael to get free (Daniel 10:13). He also said he would soon be doing battle against the “prince of Greece” (Daniel 10:20) although at that time the Greek Empire was still 2 centuries into the future. And the Roman Empire became so evil that many see the Roman Emperor Nero as one of history’s clearest models of the anti-Christ.
Does anyone believe things are different today? After all, Gentile Dominion won’t end until the 2nd Coming. Adolph Hitler was another model of the anti-Christ, and Nazi Germany showed how pervasive evil can become when a nation is under the influence of the occult. Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union an Evil Empire. George W. Bush referred to nations supporting international terrorism as an Axis of Evil. And since the United States entered its post Christian era, who can deny that evil has had a much stronger influence here as well.
IN THE CHURCH
As for evil in the Church, Paul said those who introduce false doctrine into the body are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve (2 Cor. 11:13-15).
He said we would see this becoming more prevalent as the end times approach. In 1 Timothy 4:1 he wrote, The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
IN OUR LIVES
On a personal level the Bible warns us about the influence of evil in our lives. In Ephes. 6:12 Paul wrote, For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
The fact is the world is an evil place where bad things happen without reason and it will be that way until the Lord comes to restore it (Matt. 19:28, Acts 3:21). It’s not because God created it that way or even because He wants it that way. It’s because when our first parents sinned they unleashed a force of evil on this world that has put all their descendants in bondage and contaminated even the creation itself.
History has shown that God only lets sin and rebellion go to a certain point before reigning it in. Even during the Great Tribulation, when He will remove His agency of restraint altogether (2 Thes. 2:7), He will put an end to evil’s reign before it can completely destroy mankind (Matt. 24:22).
IS GOD IN CONTROL?
This brings us back to the original question, and here’s my answer. I believe things will turn out exactly like God said they will because He’s already seen the end, and He saw it from the beginning. But does that mean I believe God is in total control of everything that happens in the mean time? No I don’t, and I think I’ve shown above that the Bible supports my opinion.
I believe when we become Christians we become aliens behind enemy lines. I believe we can expect God’s help in surviving if we turn over control of our lives to Him. But I think there’s a lot more to that than most people understand.
When Jesus said to take up our cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23) He was calling us to do what He was doing. And what was He doing? Matt. 26:39 tells us He laid down His will in favor of His Father’s will. Romans 12:1-2 explains that’s exactly what we’re called to do.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
We’re to lay down our will for our life and embrace His will for our life instead.
In Ephesians 4:22-24 Paul put it this way.
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
I’ve seen a lot of people who give lip service to this command, and a few who actually obey it. But even those who do obey realize the world remains an evil place, and bad things can still happen.
Jesus said that in this world we will have trouble (John 16:33), but He also said He came so we can have an abundant life (John 10:10). We gain this blessing by laying down the life we have planned for ourselves and picking up the life He has planned for us. In this way we can experience a personal world where He is in total control no matter what is happening in the world around us, and where He is working even the bad things that happen together for our good (Romans 8:28).
Paul said our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18). For that reason, he said, “we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18). This life is temporary. It’s the next one that’s permanent.
This is also why Paul told us to live by faith not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7), because even when we’re experiencing the adverse effects of this evil place, we can know that God has promised to work everything together for our good. Therefore, no matter how bad things might be, we can take heart in the fact that He has overcome the world, and through faith in Him we will too.
THREE

Tribulation Children
Q. I know that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture, including children still in the womb. After the rapture, will anymore children be born? I am sure for at least a few years people will carry on as normal. Will everyone be barren during the tribulation?
A. In Matt. 24:19 the Lord said the Great tribulation will be a dreadful time for pregnant women and nursing mothers. That tells us there will be children during the Great Tribulation. Remember, the church will be long gone. Most of the people who are left on Earth won’t know the full extent of what’s coming and will be trying to live as normal a life as possible, believing that things will eventually get better. They won’t know the end of the world is upon them.
Jesus said it will be like the days of Noah when people were eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage right up until the flood came and took them all away (Matt. 24:38-39). This is how it will be during the time leading up to the 2nd Coming as well.
FOUR
The Last Person Saved
Q. We know that God has not already raptured the Church because of His long suffering, giving every human a chance to trust His plan of salvation. Do you think He will come back at a time when every person that will make a decision for Him will have done so, or will there be those who might have trusted Him at a later date, but be lost because He came back? Or do you think it is simply a number thing, when the full number of Gentiles has come in?
A. I believe Romans 11:25 tells us the Church has a specific number and when that number is reached the rapture will come. But that doesn’t mean there will be no more people saved. Rev. 7:9 speaks of a number too large to count from all over the world who will become believers and be martyred for their faith during the seal judgments of Rev. 6. And Rev. 20:4 tells us of another group of martyrs who will die for refusing to take the Mark of the beast during the Great Tribulation and will be resurrected at the time of the 2nd Coming. Neither of these groups will be part of the Church, but they’ll be saved just the same. Scholars call them Tribulation believers or Tribulation saints.
In Matt. 24:30 we learn that all the nations of Earth will mourn when they see the sign of the Son of Man in the sky following the end of the Great Tribulation. I think they’ll mourn because they’ll finally realize that what they’ve been told about salvation is true and it’s too late for them.
So all through the last seven years people will be getting saved, right up to the time they see the Lord coming in the clouds. Following that time no one can be saved.
FIVE
When Do The Birth Pangs Begin?
Q. I was wondering when do the birth pangs begin? Is it when the tribulation starts or before? I heard a teacher say it’s when the tribulation starts and that confused me. I always thought it was when Israel became a nation but now I am hearing that a lot of pastors do not teach this theory.
A. In effect, Jesus said that the things He called birth pangs would be characteristic of the entire Church age, not just one generation (Matt. 24:6-8). In other words, they’d be present throughout, but as the end gets closer they would become more frequent and more intense, like the labor pains of a pregnant woman. He said the only clear sign that people on Earth would get that the Great Tribulation is about to begin is the Abomination of Desolation (Matt. 24:15-21). When that happens the people in Judea (Israel) are to immediately flee for their lives.
SIX
Drugs Or Sorcery?
Q. I was listening to a popular TV bible teacher recently, and his comments involved drug use in the Bible. He said that in the book of Revelation, ch.9, those who refused to renounce their sorceries would be cursed. He said that was a misinterpretation in the Bible, and that it meant “pharmachia” or pharmacy. So which is it?
A. In the King James, Rev. 9:21 says, “Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.” The Greek word translated sorceries is pharmakeia, which literally means the use of drugs. It only appears 3 times in the Bible and is either translated witchcraft or sorcery. Perhaps that’s because the King James translators were not familiar with recreational drug use. Most modern translations follow the King James lead, and I don’t know of any that use the literal meaning of the word.

SEVEN
Antiochus IV Epiphanes
Q. An article I read recently claims that many of the prophesies of Isaiah 10 and 11 (and Isaiah 30:30-31) that traditionally are understood to have been fulfilled by the Seleucid King Antiochus Epiphanes around the time of the Maccabees might instead be prophesies that lie ahead for the Anti-Christ himself. Could it be that understanding the Seleucid King who defiled the second Temple in the second century BC could teach us more about the Anti-Christ?
A. I believe that much of Isaiah has a dual fulfillment, the first one now historical to us and the 2nd one coming soon in the End Times. Antiochus Epiphanes was one of history’s clearest models of the anti-Christ. Because of him end times believers will know how to recognize the Abomination of Desolation mentioned by Jesus in Matt. 24:15. The Abomination of Desolation that Antiochus erected in the 2nd Temple helped trigger the Maccabean revolt, and is the only time such a thing has ever happened. Studying the historical account of this period gives us a clear picture of how the anti-Christ will cause the Great Tribulation to begin (2 Thes. 2:4, Rev. 13:14-15).

Biblical Q&A
http://biblicalqna.blogspot.com/

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WORDDEVO: "The Weekly Word with Raul Ries" [11-18 thru 11-24] DEVOTIONALS

Seven Days of Devotion

The Weekly Word is a Collection of Devotionals to be read on the Day Listed and presented freely as a service to and for the Body of Christ and Believers throughout the World that We may Hear God Speak to us as the Spirit of God gives us ears to hear and eyes to see what God would have for us daily in relationship to Him.

Parents’ Responsibility

Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6

I talk to people everywhere I go-in the market, at the bank, in the gym-and what has truly grieved me is how I see the family unit falling apart in our country. We have become a computerized society. With all our technology, have we truly advanced? I do not think so.

We cannot rely upon the television, video games or computers to teach our children the most important thing in life-the Word of God. Father and mothers, you need to teach your children. You must check up on what your children are learning. What is being put into their minds?

The responsibility in the home is for the man to be the spiritual leader: to pray with his wife, to pray with his children, to read them the Word of God and to oversee his house, so that no one gets contaminated.

Do not let the world into your house. You need to remove as much leaven as you can from your home, so your house and your children can be safe. And then, God can bless it.

Children miss nothing in sizing up their parents. If you are only half convinced of your beliefs, they will
quickly discern that fact.
-James Dobson-

MONDAY

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14

Do we truly understand what the Apostle Paul is telling us in this verse? He is looking forward, not dwelling on the things of the past, but always looking forward to what God has in store for us. I believe President Lincoln had no doubt what Paul is referring to in this verse.

President Lincoln led our country during a very dark and troublesome time in history. We were not in a war against an outside aggressor; we were at war with ourselves. We were divided as a nation, and Lincoln had many issues to face: ending slavery, ending a war, uniting a nation and rebuilding a struggling economy.

Many men would have thrown up their hands or tried to accomplish these goals in an aggressive manner. As a man of God, he took on Christian principles to work through the problems of our nation and heal the wounds of war.

President Lincoln pressed toward the upward call of God. He showed grace and mercy towards his enemies and brought unity to our nation. He fulfilled the call God put on his life, in spite of the many obstacles, and became a great example to generations to come.

Let us each press toward the goal to fulfill our individual calling, looking forward to what God has in store for our lives.

With Malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to
bind up the nation’s wounds.
-Abraham Lincoln-

TUESDAY

God’s Word

Receive, please, instruction from His mouth,
And lay up His words in your heart.
Job 22:22

Today, when you go to Israel, at the wall in Jerusalem, you will see a table on the men’s side. Often, you will see a young boy surrounded by adults. The boy is probably 12 years old and he is getting ready to recite the Torah. The Orthodox Jews memorize the Torah, the first 5 books of the Old Testament, and when they are 12, they have to recite the entire Torah by memory.

Do we have the same reverence for the Word of God? Do we, as Christians, realize the importance of knowing God’s Word? We need to teach our children the Word of God and have them memorize verses.

As a child, Pastor Chuck Smith’s mother would have him read the Bible and memorize Scripture. He learned how to read by reading his Bible, not grammar books. All around his parents’ house, there was Scripture on the walls. He grew up surrounded by the Word of God. That is why Pastor Chuck is so knowledgeable on the Word of God. He knows God’s Word. He learned it, he memorized it and it became a part of his life.

Pastor Chuck’s parents recognized the importance of God’s Word and used it to teach their children how to read, so the first thing they learned was of value.

No man is uneducated who knows the Bible, and no
one is wise who is ignorant of its teachings.
-Samuel Chadwick-

WEDNESDAY

Past, Present, Future

Now it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that the LORD had given him as
commandments to them.

Deuteronomy 1:3

Moses was going over the commandments of God with the children of Israel because God knew what they were going to face when they entered the Promised Land.

While it was the place God had prepared for them, there were pagan people in the land. They were not going to enter in and have peace. The inhabitants of the land were not going to just turn everything over to them.

The children of Israel were going to face enemies. They were going to face trials and temptations. They would have to choose the living God over the idols of the land.

Prophetically, God was speaking to them of their past, their present and their future. He was reminding them of all God’s promises and where they had come from.

It is real important to remember-if we do not learn from the past in our present, we will not have a future.

Unless there is within us that which is above us, we
shall soon yield to that which is about us.
-P.T. Forsyth-

THURSDAY

Faithfulness

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says
the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give
you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

The children of God were tested in their faith during their time in the wilderness. And yet, time and time again, instead of faithfulness, they showed unfaithfulness. Godâ€™s never failing faithfulness has always been there, not only for them, but for us, to give principles for guidance and hope for the future. God did not lead them into the wilderness and then leave them on their own.

In the same way, God does not leave us on our ownâ€”He is faithful to give us guidance for our lives. While He is so faithful, if we look at our own personal lives, how many times do we fail God? It is amazing how God works. Even though we are unfaithful, God remains ever faithful. That is simply His nature; He cannot be unfaithful like we are.

Think about your life and the purpose to which God has called you. Not only is God teaching you, leading you and guiding you, but think of all the trials you have faced in the past and are facing today. Only God knows what is in the future. God has seen you through the trials of the past, He is with you now, and His faithfulness will meet you in your future trials.

It is only with God we have hope for our future.

God does not give us everything we want, but He
does fulfill all His promises . . . leading us along the
best and straightest paths to Himself.
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer-

FRIDAY

Be Alive

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because
the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to
the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening
of the prison to those who are bound.”
Isaiah 61:1

We read the Bible, but are we learning from the Bible? Is God really speaking to you from His Word? I know what God has called me to do-preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I have had the privilege of speaking to an infantry battalion on their way to Afghanistan, at Camp Pendleton, to the Marines at Twentynine Palms and new recruits at MCRD.

I surf three days a week, and I have seen how God is touching the lives of all the guys at the beach-without preaching to them.

I want to encourage you. I think every one of us is called to share the love of Christ. Be a child of God, be a witness, be a light, be alive, do not be dead. Be excited about God-what He is doing, what He has done, what He wants to do in your lives. You will blow your minds on what God wants to do, if you really and truly put your mind to it and allow God to direct your life.

No candle which God lights was ever meant
to burn alone.
-J. C. Ryle-

SATURDAY

God’s Chastening

My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor detest His correction; For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son
in whom he delights.
Proverbs 3:11-12

We are in the Old Testament, and the children of Israel are making an 11-day journey in 40 years. Why 40 years? It is because God wants to take an inventory of their lives. He wants to take an inventory of every person’s life.

Once God takes an inventory of my life, He either keeps me or chastens me. God chastens me because He loves me and He wants to use my life. If I do not learn, He removes me.

Not only does God chasten me, but He has written the Old Testament and the New Testament as examples for me. These are the things God does in order to bring my life into alignment with His will.

We need to learn from God’s chastisement and from the examples in the Bible.

It is like the class I am teaching, when I give a test and the students do not pass it. I am not going to give them diplomas until they pass the test.

That is what God does. Every time you fail, you have to retake the test. Pass the test, so you can be used greatly by God.

We are always in the forge or on the anvil; by trials
God is shaping us for higher things.
-Henry Ward Beecher-

THE WEEKLY WORD WITH RAUL RIES

Can be found here:

http://theweeklywordraulries.blogspot.com/