Heaven: A place without Sorrow
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Tag Archives: God
Heaven: Where God Dwells
Clouds: A Heavenly Delight
I’m always looking up at the clouds. Every picture is different. Windy days are best to give us the best looking clouds. Every gust of wind moves the arm of God to gives a great look in the sky. A heavenly delight.
Thinking of Heaven
Reading a book on heaven by John MacArthur has really got me thinking about God’s omnipresence, and how He will always be with us, always be with all of us individually at the same time. I haven’t been able to find any verses about this—only that He will be with me always. Here are a few quotes from MacArthur’s book:
- [We will have] unbroken fellowship with God.
- [We will have unity with God] much like the unity that exists between Father and Son.
- Perfect fellowship with God is the very essence of heaven.
- In heaven we will continually be seeing God.
- From 1 Cor. 13:12: “Now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face…”
- David said in Ps. 17:15, “As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness…” (in his resurrection).
It’s hard for me to grasp the idea that I will be in God’s presence always, and that will also be true of everybody else in heaven. I know that He will not be split apart. Each of us will get Him in full. And since God the Father is pure spirit, we will really be looking at the person of Jesus the Son—He is the manifestation of God.
And then how will it be when I am with a small group of friend’s? Will Jesus be there with us? I suppose. And will He also be in every other small group of people—at the same time?
Will His physical presence always be with me, with us? Or sometimes will He be present only in His spirit? Whatever it is, I’m sure we will all be satisfied with it.
And since I will have a glorified body, I will be able to go and be with Him whenever I want—to travel miles and miles in a second. We will have a body like the resurrection body of Jesus was on earth. He was appearing and disappearing and going through walls.
The city of New Jerusalem, our heavenly home, will be huge. And if I had my apartment on the top floor, I think I will be able to somehow fly up there in a second. And what a view I will have! Looking over the whole new earth!
A Reprobate Mind
Lately I have been wondering what is going on in some people’s minds—because of the things they do to themselves or the way they act (improperly). I think we may have a clue as to what brings on this kind of a mind by where it is talked about. Paul uses this word in Romans 1:28 and again in 2 Timothy 3:8. In both places he is addressing sin, out of control sin. And in Romans he addresses, in particular, homosexuality.
The Greek word, which is sometimes translated “depraved,” means “not passing the test.” It describes a mind that is useless or worthless and something that is discarded, like worthless metal. According to Wycliffe, it refers to a mind that is unapproved by God. It is a mind that will produce only that which is improper (things that are listed in Romans 1:29-31).
In the Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, it is suggested that when men thought fit to cast out the knowledge of God in their mind, God gave them over to an outcast or worthless mind. John MacArthur suggests, similarly, that when men abandon God, He will abandon them.
I think that this situation will occur mostly in people who have corrupted themselves with sexual sin, because it is sexual sin that destroys a person at the deepest level like no other sin. It takes control of the whole person. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:18, this sin goes against our own body. Satan loves to attack people and nations with sexual sin, and homosexual sin, because it will destroy from within.
As far as God giving up on people or giving them over to a reprobate mind, it may seem cruel and unloving to God; however, we have to remember that God will not force anyone to obey Him. He gives us all free will. He has warned us of sin and its corrupting nature. And He wants us to come to Him and trust Him; but He will not force us.
Again, a warning has come to us of the corrupting nature of sin, and especially sexual sin. And though God uses the word reprobate only in the context of out-of-control sin (like in Romans one), I think in the end all those who do not choose salvation by the Savior, will they not all be reprobates? For God will indeed say to them “I never knew you.” And He will say to them, “You rejected Me so I have rejected you.”
Man’s Quest For Immortality
Here is an article I picked out that I thought was relative to our times. These two pictured no doubt are the bad guys–evil guys. They are at the list of those who think they can move the world into a global utopia.
Man’s Quest For Immortality: Attempting To Replant The Tree Of Life With Technology
By Dean Dwyer
January 14, 2023
A fun game that conservatives like to play with progressives is to ask simple questions and watch them squirm. This was highlighted recently as multiple politicians and avid citizen journalists asked the question, “what is a woman?” Needless to say, some of the answers were comical, bordering on ridiculous. However, the broader question that should be asked is this: what is a human being? The reason I pose this question is due to the fact that our society’s view of what it means to be human is going to lead us in a direction which has the propensity to alter the fundamental nature of humanity.
We don’t have to read too far into the Bible in order to understand how human beings came to be on planet Earth. Genesis 1:26-27 explains:
Genesis 1:26-27 KJV – “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
So, we can establish some fundamentals: human beings were made by God; human beings were made to worship God; and it was intended that human beings would enjoy His presence for all eternity. Now, we know that when sin entered the world, we became subject to death and eternal judgement. It is not my intention to deal with that issue in detail throughout this article. Instead, I want to focus on those who hold a different view of the origin and destiny of mankind. Because the moment you substitute the truth of mankind’s origin and destiny, it is the moment you have to invent your own. For believers, the Holy Spirit has revealed to us through the Word that we may inherit eternal life in God’s presence by having faith in Jesus (John 14:6). But for those who do not believe in the soul of mankind, they need to invent an eternity for themselves. This is the intention of transhumanism.
Confidence in God: for 5 Things
In my last post we learned from the Bible that confidence is a trust, mainly it is a trust in God. Confidence is also having hope, courage, and assurance. Thus if we have confidence toward God we have hope in what He has provided for us, courage because He is with us, and an assurance that the things He has promised us He will give to us. And through it all, because we have confidence in Him, we feel secure and safe. If you think about it, for a Christian, confidence is absolutely essential. Here are five things we can have confidence in God for.
1. For our salvation. Some people don’t think it’s important to know that when they die they are going to heaven. But God does. That’s why He has given us so many promises that we can claim for our salvation. A favorite of mine is…
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What’s Happening To America?
In the last four years, up until Covid-19, a lot of good has been happening in America. But now, since we have a new president and a new administration, I see nothing good on the horizon. I will divide this post into two sections: Immediate and ongoing changes.
Immediate Changes
We have already seen many immediate changes to the country due to all of Biden’s executive orders (over 60 of them)—all changes to the bad. I will mention only two things: the canceling of border wall funding and the canceling of the Keystone XL permit.
The canceling of border wall funding is not because they don’t want an ugly wall or because it will have an effect on nature. The only reason why they don’t want a wall is because they want more democrat votes; and they will make any sacrifice to get them. Unfortunately for America, by letting in illegals we are letting in many criminals and drug dealers and drugs. They are pouring in through our southern border right now—and it will continue every day.
The immediate affect of canceling the Keystone pipeline permit has been most devastating. It has meant that many thousands of workers are now out of work. And what was the administration’s response? Get another line of work! Just find another job. Instead of building a pipeline maybe you can build windmills or electric cars. Not a good answer!
Ongoing Changes
Sadly, due to the Biden administration, I see nothing but bad news coming for America. Since illegals will continue to be let into our country, criminals and drugs will continue to flow into every state. And it won’t be stopped anytime soon. Very sad.
I also see America’s economy taking a huge dip downward. I don’t know much about economics, but anyone can logically reason that because Donald Trump in four years made America so economically prosperous, the new administration, by reversing all of Trump’s executive orders, will reverse that surge of prosperity. I think we will quickly see America falling into economic depression like never before.
Thirdly and last, I see an increasing effort to make America more secular—or less of a God believing nation. Recently I found two web sites that promote this effort: Secular Coalition for America, and Secular Democrats of America. If you click on these, you will see that these groups are dedicated to stopping any effort of Christians to pray or witness or to do any of the things that God calls Christians to do. And Biden is all on board with this secular movement. He may term it differently, like stopping right-wing extremism or white supremacy. But, believe me, he wants to make America a secular country—without God, and he is going to make every effort to do it.
The good news for Christians is that all of the bad news for America means that Jesus will be coming very soon. We need to be ready. And, in the meantime, we should take comfort in the knowledge that our new country is waiting for us!
Coronavirus in the US: Thoughts and Questions
Okay, my first thought is this: If we compare this virus to the flu, it really seems like the flu is much deadlier. Last year there were 34,157 flu related deaths. And no one hardly said anything. Am I missing something?
Also, what about abortion? In 2016, 623,471 deaths came as the result of abortions. And nobody has been saying anything. Or what about suicide? In 2017, 47,173 deaths from suicide occurred. And where was all the concern for that?
Oh, here’s a real winner. Everybody’s so concerned about our troops in Afghanistan. So many of our men are being killed over there. Well in the total war, 1,833 of our troops have been killed; that’s an average of about 96 deaths per year. If you compare that number to the flu last year, the flu has been 356 times deadlier that the Afghanistan war.
I’m just trying to put some perspective on this. Can anyone tell me why this coronavirus is so concerning—more than other things like I have mentioned? I mean I know it’s a big deal, but I’m just wandering why we seem to be so much more upset about this virus than other viruses, and about abortion and suicide (not to mention so many other diseases).
And here are some questions I have:
- Should the government be spending so much money on this coronavirus? If God has allowed this virus to happen maybe we should just take it as His way of disciplining us. Does this make any sense to anyone? I mean, everyone will die at some time in their life.
- Is this coronavirus a harbinger of things to come? If so, how can we prepare for it? How can we let this virus prepare us for things to come? What does the bible say about future viruses? Or future disasters that will cause deaths? Should we try to control them or just be ready to face them?
- Will this coronavirus in some way work together for our good? Maybe God has allowed it to benefit us in some way, to draw us to Him for His help. I have heard that there are bipartisan efforts gong on. There is some unity happening. Sometimes I guess it takes a disaster like this to bring us together. Maybe God is in it all. What do you think?
I just want to say that I am super proud of President Trump and the whole Trump team the way they have responded to this virus. I think President Trump has been especially resilient the way he has faced the press. He has a great, positive attitude, and just because of that I know we will come out of this much better than anyone ever thought. I just feel that he was made for this kind of disaster. No one could handle it better.
My sources: All the data was gathered from reliable government websites.
My Singleness: A Gift from God
After my devastating divorce, I soon began to consider dating. I’m not sure what I was thinking. Maybe just filling a lonely gap, or maybe I was seeking the thrill of meeting someone, or being with a woman in a romantic way. It’s been thirty years, but I sort of remember going on line. Yes, it was a Christian dating site, and they had you answer all kinds of questions to match you up with someone. I remember getting 3 or 4 dates out of it. But I didn’t date anyone more than a couple times. Truthfully, I wasn’t interested in getting married; I just wanted a fun date—or whatever. I always tried to be honest with my date, and when I would tell them that I had no interest in marriage, that seemed to turn them off. And I can understand why. They were seeking a mate, and I wasn’t. Part of me thought that maybe if I found the right one, I would change my mind about marriage. But there was a stronger pull that was telling me NO. I gradually came to the conclusion that God was telling me to remain single. But I think He was letting me date for a while to show me, in the way He was speaking to me, that I shouldn’t pursue marriage, that it would not be His will.
Settling into Singleness
So God won, and I decided to settle into singleness. I think the dating phase lasted only about 3 years. And since then, for about 26 years now, I have been resolved to singleness and being date free. And you know, God has been good. He has blessed me. He has cared for me and has shown me that I can be content living by myself. For a few years I had a male roommate. That had its good points and bad points. But I actually think it’s better for me to live alone. Overall, life has been good. God is good.
God Approves of Singleness
Though in Genesis 2:18 God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone, God also has gifted many of us to be single—to remain unmarried and chaste. 1 Corinthians 7 lays it out for us. Paul was unmarried and he wrote, “I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God” (v. 7). God gives some the gift of marriage with a mate, and others the gift of singleness. Paul wrote, “I say to the unmarried and to the widows: “It is good for them if they remain even as I am” (v. 8). Later in the chapter he wrote, “Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife” (v. 27). Again, he wrote, “I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife” (vv. 32-33).
I don’t want to be harsh toward married people, but what Paul says here is true. Since I am no longer married, I have found it much easier to serve the Lord. But at the same time, I know that that doesn’t mean I am free of responsibilities. I still have household duties and bills to pay, etc.
Singleness Can Be More Challenging
In some ways being single is harder to live a holy life, especially if you are not a responsible person, if you are lazy, and if you are not self-controlled. Such a person must pray more, be in the word more, and take hold of himself—or the devil and the flesh will take advantage of him. That person must always on his guard.
Stephen Nielsen 