The Best King Ever and His Kingdom

THE BEST KING EVER & HIS KINGDOM
by Brooks A. Harris

Over the past several centuries, since the beginning of civilizations, kings have been a common type of governing authority over their kingdoms. Some kings were good and treated their people well, while many others were greedy and cruel toward their people.

The responsibilities or duties of a good king were to ensure the welfare of his people. He was to provide protection from other kingdoms and foreign invaders as well as provide law and order to keep his people safe from other people in his kingdom. The king was responsible for keeping the castle and/or city walls in good working condition, and for maintaining a capable military and equipment. The king was to make sure his people stayed reasonably healthy with a good source of food, as by providing farm land, and a limited amount of health care, as by making sure the dead were buried. Often the king was to be the spiritual head of his kingdom too. Therefore a good king would have provided for the basic needs of his people, as food and protection.

The people of the kingdom were expected to be loyal to their king, pledging their allegiance to him. They were under his rule and were expected to do whatever he asked or commanded of them. They were to pay taxes to their king so he could afford to properly protect them. Although the people had possessions, the king ultimately owned everything in the kingdom. They may have had farmland but it belonged to the king. The people were to trust the king’s leadership whether it be for taking care of economic issues or military, social, or spiritual ones.

In the Old Testament in the Bible, the Hebrew nation had no king for several centuries. God told them "I am your king." Although they had many hardships, God protected them and provided for their needs when they put God first and worshiped Him and only Him. When the Israelites left Egypt, God protected them by providing a way for them to escape through the Red Sea, and by providing them with a way to be healed (looking upon a symbol of sin raised up on a wooden pole), and by assuring they won their military battles as long as they continued to worship Him. He also provided for their needs by creating a continuing stream of water in the desert and by providing food for them (manna and quail) everyday for forty years. He also sustained their clothing (at least their shoes) so they never wore out for forty years.

God provided for his people by giving them a large fertile area of land (the "Promised Land") and told them that He would continue to protect them and provide for their needs as long as they worshiped Him as their one and only king. Unfortunately they often rebelled by worshiping idols instead of God and eventually they demanded that they have a human king to rule them (like the nations which surrounded them had). Eventually while under the leadership of human kings, the Israel nation was overtaken, stripped of it’s human kings, and the nation of people were spreading out all around the world. This all resulted from the refusal to accept God as their one and only king and to submit to his leadership. Never since has the Israel nation been a united kingdom (although today they are beginning to come back together).

Most nations today are relying on human governments to run them, but few if any look to God for His leadership. Soon these nations and governments will all come to an end. Lord Jesus, the "King of kings", God’s only begotten Son, will intervene and take over governing them. For one thousand years, a period of time in the near future called "The Millennium", Jesus will rule over His Kingdom here on earth. He will provide for the needs of His people. Satan, the source of all evil, will have been removed from the surface of the earth and imprisoned for this one thousand years. Therefore the king of this present world, Satan or the Devil, will no longer have influence over the people of the "Kingdom of God". Those who have suffered emotional and/or physical pain, loss, hardships, torture, etc. will forevermore be free. The more an individual has suffered in Satan’s earthly kingdom, the more they will appreciate the kingdom of God under the leadership of Jesus Christ.

Today, God uses His people in His present earthly kingdom to provide for the needs of those who are suffering, but soon God’s heavenly kingdom shall prosper, with every person enjoying God’s blessings of constant protection, an everlasting healthy glorious body, and all the food, water, and provisions they need for a happy, pain-free, exciting, wonderful, safe, beautiful, loving eternal life. The Bible says (in 1 Cor. 2:9) "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." So we can’t even imagine what is in store for us in God’s heavenly kingdom to come. God’s love for us is immeasurable and He desires that all come to him and accept Him as their King. He wants us to live life abundantly and we can here presently on earth (spiritually), but also later physically in the heavenly kingdom to come with Jesus as our eternal leader. Those who love God have already put their trust in Him and want Him to control their lives, presently and in the heavenly kingdom to come. Remember, God has a plan and He is in control of that plan. He was, is and shall always be "The Best King Ever."

HEAVEN - Your Future Home?

HEAVEN
Your Future Home?

How Beautiful Heaven Must Be

We read of a place that’s called heaven,
It’s made for the pure and the free;
These truths in God’s Word He has given,
How beautiful heaven must be.

In heaven, no drooping nor pining,
No wishing for elsewhere to be;
God’s light is forever there shining,
How beautiful heaven must be.

Pure waters of life there are flowing,
And all who will drink may be free;
Rare jewels of splendor are glowing,
How beautiful heaven must be.

The angels so sweetly are singing,
Up there by the beautiful sea;
Sweet chords from their gold harps are ringing,
How beautiful heaven must be.

A.S. Bridgewater

What About Your Future?

Who can think about the future without considering whether there is another existence after this life? Man cannot escape the thoughts of his state after death, but is inclined to put them out of his mind. He busies himself with the things of this life, placing thoughts of death, heaven, and hell into the distant future (Matthew 24:48, Ecclesiastes 8:11). The reality is, however, that a choice must be made. To do nothing will mean being eternally lost.

There are Only Two Destinies

The glories of heaven, and also the everlasting punishment reserved for the evildoers as described in the Bible, convince us that we must make heaven our eternal destiny. There is a choice to be made if we are to realize this reward. No sin will enter heaven; this is sure. There will be eternal punishment in hell for those who do not find forgiveness for their sins. "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal" (Matthew 25:46; see also Matthew 7:21-23).

Heaven - The Home for All the Redeemed

To the redeemed, those who have been washed in the blood of Christ, heaven is a special place (Revelation 7:13-14). It is home. Their desire for heaven is like the desire of the psalmist in Psalm 63:1. His soul longed for God in a dry and thirsty land. To the fleshly, earthly mind, heaven seems a distant, far-off place. To the person born of the Holy Spirit of God, heaven is much closer and real. When the Holy Spirit dwells in the heart and life of a child of God, he experiences a foretaste of the eternal home.

The virtues exemplified by Christ, such as truthfulness, humility, purity, and love, are precious stones in the kingdom of heaven. They are precious to the child of God. As God graces the believer’s life with love from heaven, he is careful to be honest and humble. In this life he walks the golden streets of virtue. His heart longs for the fullness and purity of these Christian graces in the heavenly home (2 Corinthians 5:1).

Heaven - A Place of Light

Life on this earth has many shadows. We often encounter things we do not understand. We attempt to look into the future, but are not able to do so. Even though man has much knowledge, much is unknown. Disappointments are often experienced in our lives. All of this could be described as darkness.

Heaven has only light. It is where God dwells. "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). In His light is perfect understanding. Knowledge will be complete. The past and all events will be totally clear. Those who are saved love light. When men’s deeds are evil, they love darkness (John 3:19-21). In this light, there will be full fellowship between the Father and all those who reside with Him.

Heaven is described as "the inheritance of the saints in light" (Colossians 1:12). Attributes of light listed in the Scriptures are knowledge, holiness, and joy. This light is without interruption - forever! There shall be no night there (Revelation 21:25).

Heaven - A Place without Threat or Sin

"And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie" (Revelation 21:27). Discouragement, disappointment, temptation, and sin are part of the earthly life. They will never enter that beautiful land.

In Revelation 21:4 we read, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." To the Christian, heaven is the fulfilling rest, the completion of the journey. He knows that even as God has wiped away his tears on earth, even so all sorrow will be taken away in the perfection of heaven.

Immortal State of the Saved

Human relations are important to us here on earth. One another’s joys and sorrows touch our emotions. Family ties are meaningful and separation is painful. All of this is a necessary part of our mortal state.

When Jesus returns for judgment, everyone will be transformed. The dead will rise, and the mortal will become immortal. The body that was corrupt, subject to death, will become "like unto his glorious body". "Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself" (Philippians 3:21).

In this state, family relationships will no longer carry the same meaning for us. Jesus taught that there will be no marriage relationships in heaven (Matthew 22:30). The emotions of this life will pale in comparison to the joy that will be in the presence of the Lord God. Nothing will blemish the relationship between the saved and the Lamb of God.

The saints shall continually look on things which mortal eyes have never seen; they shall hear things which mortal ears have never heard; and they shall know that which the heart has never thought upon.

Jesus and His Own Will Be Glorified

A day is coming when the Lord Jesus shall appear to all the inhabitants of the earth. Everyone will stand before Him to be judged (Matthew 25:31-34). His true followers, even though they were despised and rejected in their earth life, will be taken into glory (heaven). There they will be able to praise and glorify God without end. There, mortality will give way to immortality. "So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory" (1 Corinthians 15:54; see also 2 Corinthians 5:1).

In this life the saints have had many trials, temptations, and difficulties. Through grace, those who have trusted in the Deliverer and persevered to the end will be taken to heaven. People from all lands and of all tongues and ages who have kept the faith will be there. This great and innumerable throng, who have been pardoned from sin and sanctified by the blood of Jesus Christ, will inhabit heaven (Revelation 7:9-14).

These souls who have been redeemed in this life will be glorified in heaven. How wonderful it will be to experience the marriage of His Church with the Lamb of God. This will be glory beyond compare (Revelation 19:7-9).

Heaven - Beyond Human Understanding

"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known" (1 Corinthians 13:12).

The glory and splendor of heaven cannot be fully understood or described. Our minds understand the things which we can see and feel. While we understand that heaven is the abode of the soul with God, He has chosen not to reveal all the aspects of that eternal home.

A few glimpses of heaven have been recorded in the Scriptures. The first Christian martyr, Stephen, when being stoned for his faith, "looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God" (Acts 7:55). Stephen, being filled with the Holy Ghost, was given a glimpse of his future home.

Even though much about heaven cannot be explained, we know enough that we, like faithful people through the ages, desire to dwell eternally in the city that God has made. Hebrews 11:10 tells us that Abraham by faith "looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." (Read also Hebrews 11:13-16).

Will We Be There?

Where will we go when life is over? Will we go to heaven? The Spirit of God gently knocks and reminds us to prepare for our eternal future.

We need to recognize our need of God. Through the fall of man in the beginning, man has forfeited (lost) his favor with God. Repenting of our sins and finding forgiveness through the blood of Jesus Christ can restore this relationship. God then accepts us as just, and pardons us. We thus become children of God through the power of the Word and Spirit (John 3:5; 1:12). The peace that we experience is a foretaste of the fullness of rest that will be ours in that eternal abode. Every soul can have clear evidence in his heart that a mansion has been prepared for him in heaven (John 14:2-3).

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Building The Ultimate Community

BUILDING THE ULTIMATE COMMUNITY

What if you had all the money, power, authority and resources you needed. You also have access to all the people of the world over a vast amount of time. You could start assimilating people from all walks of life, from all nationalities, male and female, who will willingly want to come to you and join your community. Over time you would be able to find for each person the perfect job which would be most beneficial to you and your community but also enjoyable to each person.


With your unlimited resources you would also have a communication system which would allow you to be connected to all people at all times. You could supply all their needs, allowing all people to enjoy a pleasureful existence in peace and harmony with each other and you forever.
You would be able to keep all crime and evil out of your community. No people would have desires to do wrong; they would all develop loving relationships with all other people in your community.


Now I am sure your are thinking something like "How is this possible? People have tried parts of this plan throughout history but have always failed eventually." Well, that is the problem - people have tried. The answer is that people alone can’t accomplish this but God can and will in His heavenly kingdom.

The Ultimate Community

The people of God’s ultimate community have been described as the body of Christ. Jesus is the head of the body while all true believers in Jesus make up the body. Each believer has been given special interests, gifts and talents which will make them of special use as part of the body of Christ. All body parts must work together in perfect harmony for the body to function perfectly. Unfortunately all of God’s people are still full of flaws because they have all lived in a fallen world. The world we now live in is not the perfect, defect-free paradise God originally created and it is not like the new heaven and new earth God has in store for us in the future.


Therefore His flawed people will have to work out all their flaws and grow toward perfection. God will continue to teach and guide us in our present lives and through His millennial kingdom, where Satan and evil will have been removed. When God is through building His ultimate community, at the end of His millennial kingdom, it will function flawlessly forever.


Although God wants all people to come to Him with heartfelt belief in Jesus, He realizes that not all people will accept Him. God has been building His community of believers ever since the beginning of mankind. It may be awhile before He has all the members He desires, but then again He may be ready to close the door of opportunity for believers to come to Him in the very near future. His ways and plans are far beyond our understanding. Therefore we can only imagine and have hope for what God has in store for us.

The Ultimate Plan

From what I have learned, my view of God’s ultimate plan would be: God created a perfect world with a perfect environment optimal for mankind to live, then God created mankind. God loved His entire perfect creation, especially mankind. God wanted mankind to love Him in return so He gave mankind "free will’ to choose whether or not they wanted to love God. For those who choose to love and respect God, God will guide and watch over them until they die. Once they die their soul will remain in the presence of the Lord forever. Eventually, when Jesus returns to the earth, they will once again inhabit the earth, but this time under Jesus’ rule. For one thousand years they will continually grow in the ways of God and learn to get along (love and respect) all other believers. Once all believers have reached their ultimate level of spiritual maturity, at the end of the millennium, God will roll away the old heaven and old earth, and create a new heaven and new earth. It is here that all believers will enjoy residing with God in total everlasting love, joy, peace and harmony.


How prepared for eternal peace and harmony are you now? How prepared will you be when you first go to be with our Lord? Will you even end up in Jesus’ presence when you die? If this is how God expects us to live in the eternal future, will it be a big change for you compared to how you now live, or will you fit in with ease? To me, the more we learn to love and respect God and others, the easier our transition will be from life in this present world to God’s ultimate eternal community.

Pre-Eternity Events

PRE-ETERNITY EVENTS
The Rapture
So what about Christ’s return? What does this mean? First of all we need to get an idea of what happens to us when we die. Although there are different views of what happens to us when we die, the following is a brief explanation of what I understand to be true. When we die, our physical body remains on earth, whether buried, entombed or cremated. Our spirit remains an individual identity and goes to be with our Lord Jesus in heaven if we have accepted Jesus as our personal savior, otherwise our spirit joins other lost spirits in a temporary abode called Hades. Hades or the present "hell", also called "the pit" or "the abyss", is supposedly somewhere in the heart of the earth itself, according to Scripture. The temporary spiritual bodies of the unsaved dead will not be consumed in the fires of Hades, since they are not physical bodies. Nevertheless, their spirits are real, continuing to exist in this real world even after the body is dead and will undoubtedly be subject to intense suffering. (from "The Bible Has the Answer" by Morris & Clark p312) At some time in the future after Christ first returns, our spirits will be reunited with physical bodies and we will be given a new final eternal home. Whether this eternal home is heaven or hell will depend on whether or not we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
Now we call the next coming of Christ His second coming since His life and death on earth 2000 years ago was His first coming. Forty days after the resurrection of His death, Jesus ascended into heaven surrounded by a cloud. At some point in time, probably in the near future, while the end time prophecies are being fulfilled, Jesus will return in a cloud to our earth’s atmosphere - not to earth’s surface. Many people call this time "the rapture". Jesus’ second coming will not be a single instantaneous climactic event terminating history, but will encompass a period of time and a series of events, just as did His first coming! (Answers p338) Some of these signs even now are being fulfilled in their beginning phases. Christ will return first to earth’s atmosphere to catch up all Christians into heaven before some signs of the end of time will even begin. Christ will later return with His Christians to earth’s surface after the seven year tribulation when all signs have been completed.
When Jesus was resurrected, three days after His brutally bloody death, He arose with a new perfectly glorious body. The first Christians to be caught up to Jesus in the clouds will be all those who have died who accepted Jesus as their personal Savior. Then all the Christians who are still living at the time of Christ’s return will arise to be with Jesus in heaven. At this point all Christians, which Jesus will call His saints, will each be given a new everlasting, perfectly glorious body as Christ received at His resurrection. There will be no more defects, diseases, imperfections of any kind. This new perfect body will last for eternity.
Although noone really knows what happens to us when we die, I believe that it is possible that this is our rapture moment. We know that God and Jesus are outside of time. They know the past and have always known the future. I believe that it is possible that when we die, time stops for us too, and we leap from the present to the future rapture. Reports from many people who have encountered life after death experiences, say that they saw a bright white light with the figure of a person in it. As they drifted near this figure, the person told some of them something like "We are not ready for you yet" and "you will have to go back." Also reports from people who have witnessed the death of loved ones and friends, have said that before the person died they would look up and report seeing a bright light and /or loved ones who had passed away or groups of people. Sometimes they would even call out the name of a deceased loved one as saying something like "Well George, there you are." I believe that when we die Jesus is there shining brightly calling us to Him alone or with other loved ones by His side as a welcoming committee. During the rapture it is said that Jesus will catch up those Christians who have died first before the living Christians are taken from earth. Could this mean that as soon as we die we are called to Him instead of waiting for a mass catching up at some future point in time. Also, if our spirits are jumping to the future as soon as our body dies, then we may receive our glorious, new, defect-free body soon after we join Jesus instead of waiting around in a spirit form until all other Christians are raptured and Jesus returns to earth with us Christians - His saints.
Tribulation
Once all Christians who ever lived are removed from earth, Jesus and the Holy Spirit will also leave the earth to allow Satan to rule the earth for the next seven years without the Holy Spirit’s influence. This seven year period is called the "tribulation" and will be a time of devastation to the earth itself and all its inhabitants. Immediately after the rapture of all the Christians, the antichrist will rise. Scripture refers to antichrist as the beast since he will be a man of great strength and ability to force his will upon the world, but in such a way that he will be admired, feared and worshiped as a god. He will dominate the world scene with a cleverness the world has never known. There will also be a rise in false prophets during this tribulation. Many people will die with large scale wars and earthquakes. Also massive disasters will destroy much of the earth. Then one third of the earth’s plants will be burned and destroyed from falling hail, fire and blood. A burning mountain will be plunged into the sea destroying much sea life, polluting one third of the sea and sinking ships. Blazing objects will strike the earth polluting one third of the fresh water on earth. Then one third of the sun, moon and stars will be struck and darkened. Then demon possessed locusts will be released destroying crops and one third of mankind will be killed. All of these things are to occur within the first 3 ½ years of the tribulation. You definitely do not want to be around during the tribulation but the only way to avoid it is to be raptured or die before it happens. The next 3 ½ years will bring on ugly, painful sores and further pollution of the sea, killing sea life. All fresh water on earth will turn to blood. Then the remaining people will be scorched as the sun grows very hot. (Revelation - God’s Word for the Biblically Inept series p334) So as you can see, by the end of the tribulation period, the earth will be a very changed devastated place for only a few unfortunate remaining souls to dwell.
Christ Returns to Earth
After all the end time prophecies have been fulfilled, the tribulation will be over and it will be time for Christ to return to the earth to deal with the remaining spirits. All unbelievers will be slain and sent to hell. All people who died during the tribulation but chose to accept Christ as their personal savior will be known as the "Tribulation Saints". Jesus will catch them up at the end of the tribulation as He did the Christians before the tribulation. Also Jesus will catch up the remaining Old Testament saints, those who were faithful to God before Christ’s first coming.
According to Billy Graham "The Bible teaches that man is so rebellious against the laws of God that someday (after the tribulation) he will mass his armies against God Himself. This will be the last great conflict, called Armageddon. This will be the final war, the last convulsive effort of fallen man against the law of God. This will be a time of judgment for non-believers. God has offered His love and mercy and forgiveness to men. From the Cross, God has said to the entire world, "I love you". However when that love is deliberately rejected, the only alternative is judgment. So antichrist, Satan in human form, will wage war with his followers and demons against Christ, God in human form. Christ will easily win the war with all His Saints safely behind Him. Satan will be bound then Satan, antichrist, and the false prophets will all be cast into the "Lake of Fire".
The Thousand Year Reign
Once the world is free from Satan’s influence, Christ will rule over all the earth from the earth’s surface with His Christian Saints. Remember, Christ and all His saints will have new, glorious, defect-free, perfect, everlasting bodies. They will not die. They will dwell on earth for one thousand years before the earth is transformed. This thousand year span is to be called "the Millennium". For an eternal existence in heaven to be perfect, we must learn how to get along with each other and love each other. Peace and harmony are impossible with out respect and love. If God were to grant us eternal life without teaching us how to love each other, He would be committing us to live forever in confusion and chaos. I believe that the millennium will be a time when Christians will continue to grow in spiritual maturity and develop Christ-like character. The more mature Christians will teach and be examples for the less mature. Before the end of the millennium, all Christians must be perfect examples of Christ-like behavior and thought. Therefore by the time the New Jerusalem and new heaven appear, all Christians will be able to live in perfect harmony and peace.
If Christ is to return to earth and rule over earth with His saints, who will they be ruling over? Since it is not recorded in the Bible, we can only speculate what might happen. So keep in mind that these explanations are only ideas. Ultimately we won’t really know what will happen until it happens. I have heard of three possible explanations. The first is that in the past God has always made sure that a remnant of His people, the Jewish nation, has remained after devastating events, as the holocaust. Therefore after the tribulation, a remnant of the Jewish nation will survive to begin repopulating the earth. They will fill the earth over the next 1000 years while the resurrected Christian saints rule over them with Jesus teaching them about Jesus.
The second is that only the Christian saints will inhabit the earthly kingdom. At death we are all at different levels in our spiritual maturity. Therefore the more mature Christians will rule over and teach and be examples for other less mature Christians. Each saint may be put in charge of a certain number of other saints depending on their level of spiritual maturity and past level of obedience and loyalty to God. By the end of the millennium all Christians will be spiritually mature and ready to enter the new heaven, new Jerusalem, and new earth as mentioned in Revelation.
The third explanation is the idea of second chances. Jesus stated in the Bible that the only way to the Father (God) is through the Son (Jesus). So we must except Jesus as our Lord and Savior to b e able to live in the heavenly kingdom of God. But what about people around the world who are very devout and dedicated to their god or those who live very Christ-like lives but have not accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. And what about people who have never heard of Jesus Christ or the gospel of Christ or gentiles who lived before the time of Jesus. Will God condemn these people to eternal hell and damnation? Some people believe that such people (or all non-believers) may be resurrected to live on earth during the millennium to be given a chance to know Jesus Christ through Christian, saint teachers. If they truly accept Christ during this time then they may be saved and be accepted into God’s family along with all the other Christians. But if they still reject Jesus Christ and choose to live a life separated from God, then they will be condemned to the everlasting hell upon the judgement day at the end of the thousand years reign.
Since we do not know if there will be a second chance and we know that we must accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior to be saved, I recommend that everyone accept Jesus while here on earth. Also since we do not know when we are to die, this decision to accept Jesus needs to be as soon as possible. Why take a chance with your eternal life?
Judgement Days
Now what about Christ’s judgment upon mankind? Every person is a sinner and deserves to be judged for his sins. The penalty for sin is death (separation from God). Christ came to earth and paid the price of sin for all sinners. All who accept Christ as their savior and redeemer will be pardoned of their sins and not be judged for them. Christians will be judged not for their sins but for their good works. Christians will receive rewards in heaven for work done to the glory of God. They will lose rewards when good works done on earth are done for personal ambition or self interest. ("World Aflame" by Billy Graham p220)
The bodies and spirits of all unbelievers remain on earth until the end of the millennium. By rejecting Jesus and therefore Jesus’ sacrificial death for the sin of all men, unbelievers remain separated from God. No matter how good a person has been, all men are still sinners and no amount of good deeds can earn their way into heaven.
At the end of the millennium, Satan and the spirits of all unbelievers will be released from Hades, the temporary hell, and reunited with their dead bodies, then they will be judged by Jesus and sentenced to spend all eternity in the final hell called Gehenna.

Genesis vs Revelation

GENESIS vs REVELATION
A Symbolic Comparison
by Brooks A. Harris

A close look at the chapters of Genesis and Revelation indicate that they are symbolically a reverse sequence of events of each other. Since many Revelation prophecies appear to be in the process of being fulfilled, it makes you wonder how close we are to the rapture and God’s next destruction. Consider the following points:

Genesis - Our History

1G) In the beginning God made a perfect, defect-free Earth and Heavens.

2G) After God’s perfect creation, Man’s sin and immorality quickly followed.

3G) Shortly after the creation of man, man sinned, causing judgement from God. The judgement was for man to be separated from God.

4G) Man’s sin lead to God’s curse-the beginning of decay, disease, suffering and death of man and all God’s creation.

5G) In the beginning all people had knowledge of our one true God, but by Noah’s day there were very few believers. Also after Noah’s flood all people had knowledge of our one true God, but again within a few generations there were very few believers.

6G) In Noah’s day all of mankind (except faithful Noah and his family) had become so corrupt, sinful and unbelieving that all of mankind (except Noah and his family) was destroyed by a world-wide flood. After this flood, only God-believing people remained on the earth for awhile.

7G) After the flood, everyone stayed in one general area and eventually built a great nation in Babylon. They did not spread out across the earth as God had commanded. About 100 years after the flood, God caused the confusion of tongues and dispersion of the entire nation of people at Babel. Until this point everyone belonged to a single non-distinct "race" of people and shared a common gene pool, language and history. The dispersion forced the beginning of separate "races" (due to the now isolated gene pools), separate histories from this point on, and of course separate languages. They eventually began to develop new and separate currency, technology, and religious practices.

Revelation - Our Future

7R) Until the discovery of America, all the world had been pretty much isolated into their own separate nations with their own cultures and unique external "racial" physical appearances due to their breeding within their isolated gene pools. As people began to migrate to and spread across America, they began blending their cultures with others. The United States of America has been called "The Melting Pot of the World". Today we see a wide variety of "races", languages, religious groups, and histories. With inter-racial marriages or living arrangements and their offspring, we are quickly returning to a single non-distinct "race" of people. Also today due to our rapid growth in technology, people (races) all over the world are able to travel vast distances quickly, and are able to communicate among many other people all over the world, thereby sharing each others cultures. We , as a world race, are beginning to share a common history and even similarities in our cultures. We are also seeing a push by some individuals toward a common language, common currency, and even a common world religion.

6R) Since Noah’s flood and before the Rapture, many people world-wide have and will increasingly become very corrupt, sinful and unbelieving (as we see today). At the Rapture, only God-believing people will be resurrected and taken from the earth. Only non-believers will remain on earth until Christ’s return to the earth.

5R) Since Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, knowledge of our one true God has spread significantly around the world especially in the recent past. After the Great White Throne judgement, only believers in God will remain.

4R) On the new Earth and Heaven there will no longer be any decay, disease, suffering or death.

3R) Just before the final destruction of this old earth, at the end of its history and eternity’s beginning, Jesus will judge, on the Great White Throne, every human for their belief in Him. At this point every person who was ever on earth will either be condemned to Hell - the eternal Lake of Fire - eternally separated from God or be allowed to dwell in the New Earth and Heaven. Those who are saved will eternally be reunited with God.

2R) After Christ’s return to earth, Man’s sin and immorality will quickly come to an end.

1R) At the end of Earth as we know it, Earth will be destroyed by God and He will recreate a new perfect , defect-free Earth and Heavens which will prevail for eternity.

Our Everlasting Home

OUR EVERLASTING HOME

Do you believe in heaven and hell, or do you believe that death itself is the ultimate end and that there is nothing beyond earthly death? If heaven and hell are real places, are you prepared and looking forward to heaven or are you prepared to accept the consequences of an eternal life in hell? If you do not believe or you are not sure if you are ready to go yet, don’t you think you should at least find out what heaven and hell are supposed to be like and how to get there? The Bible paints beautiful pictures of heaven which are full of hope, peace, love, and contentment. Equally impressive are the warnings of hell’s existence. I hope the following information will convince you to put your faith in Jesus as your savior so you can rreap the rewards of heaven and avoid the torment of hell.

Hell

In Henry M. Morris and Martin E. Clark’s book "The Bible Has the Answer" they state that Gehenna, also called "the Lake of Fire", will be an eternal abode where the unsaved will experience a conscious existence utterly separated from God and His love. (Answers p312 & 316) Since while on earth they preferred independence from God, ignoring His way and going their own way, they will now receive only that which they desired and deserved - eternal separation from God. (Answers p314)

This "Lake of Fire" is the ultimate and eternal hell, everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. It will not be on this present earth, but will be somewhere far removed from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. The flames of the fiery lake will burn without light, because it is the place of outer darkness. It will be a place of unending corruption and wickedness, and a place where rest is impossible. The resurrected bodies of the unsaved, though presumably subject to pain, will not be consumed by this vast furnace of fire. It is possible that the lake of fire will be some far-distant, massive body of burning gases at the edge of the universe. (Answers p314) As terrible as hell sounds to us, it is said that unbelievers will actually be less miserable in hell than if they were forced to go to heaven, since they have shown that they do not want Lord Jesus’ presence or authority in their lives. (Answers p346)

Heaven

Now that all evil has been sent to eternal hell and removed from earth and God’s presence, God is ready to destroy all signs of the old wicked world. When it became wicked in Noah’s days God destroyed the earth by water, but this time He will purge it with a world-wide fire. Afterwards God will recreate a new heaven, new earth and new Jerusalem. In "World Aflame" by Billy Graham, he states that everything in respect to heaven will be new. It is described as a new creation in which we shall move in new bodies, possessed of new names, singing new songs, living in a new city, governed by a new form of government, and challenged by new prospects of eternity. The paradise that man lost will be regained, but it will be much more. It will be a new paradise, not the old one repaired and made over. (WA p233) Finally the ancient separation of heaven and earth (caused by Adam’s sin) will be no more, for "the dwelling of God [will be] with men" again (Rev. 21:3).

God’s first creation took six days, but when Jesus ascended into heaven 2000 years ago, He said He was going in order to prepare a place for us, a place with many mansions which could mean many homes, or possibly even many planets to visit. (WA p234) Billy Graham states that "When we get to heaven we will not be limited to one particular place. The universe will be our empire. And what is true of space is true of what we now call time, for time will be succeeded by eternity, and we will move on into the endless eons of the future, exploring the endless reaches of the universe. Heaven will be as expansive as the universe itself. It will be as wonderful and beautiful as only the creator God can make it. Everything for your personal happiness and enjoyment is being prepared. Every longing and every desire will have perfect fulfillment." (WA p236) Heaven will have many opportunities for endless adventure and abundant creative living. (WA p234)

Hank Hanegraaff, in his book "The Bible Answer Book", says that heaven will be a place of continuous learning, growth, and development. He also states that we will never come to an end of exploring the Creator’s creative handiwork. The universe literally will be our playground. Even if we were capable of exhausting the "new heaven and new earth" (Rev. 21:1), God could create brand new vistas for us to explore. He also asks, Will heaven be perfect? Absolutely. Will it be boring? Absolutely not! Far from being dead and dull, heaven will be an exhilarating, exciting experience that will never come to an end.

Morris and Clark state that "Just as man, when first created, was given responsibility over the earth, so will redeemed men be given the privilege of serving God and ruling over the new creation. It will not be a place of eternal idleness." (Answers p347) Billy Graham also noted that "Heaven is not all rest. It is labor, adventure, excitement, employment, and engagement. Concerning the people in heaven, the Scripture says that ‘His servants shall serve Him’. It will be much like the present life with labor and leisure, but missing all the imperfections that have destroyed the full and true meaning of life". (WA p233-234)

"Heaven will be the perfection we have always longed for. All the things that made earth unlovely and tragic will be absent in heaven. There will be no night, no death, no disease, no sorrow, no tears, no ignorance, no disappointment, no war. It will be filled with health, vigor, virility, knowledge, happiness, worship, love, and perfection. Heaven will be more modern and up to date than any of the present-day constructions of man. Heaven will be a place to challenge the creative genius of man." (WA p237) "In the book of Revelation, John pictures it as having trees, flowing fountains, fruits, robes, palms, music, crowns, precious stones, gold, light, colors of the rainbow, water, knowledge, friendship, love, holiness, and the presence of God and His Son." (WA 237 & 238)

So are you ready to meet Jesus if He should come today? In many places, the Bible warns us to be ready. Since we cannot know the exact time of His arrival, we must be patient, for it will come to pass. We should wait with anticipation, looking forward to His arrival. (WA p211) To the Christian, the coming of Christ will be a glorious moment. To those outside of Christ, it will be the greatest of all calamities, a tragic separation, an unbelievable disappointment. But to those who are ready, what a glorious consummation. (WA p212) So, are you ready?

So how do you get to heaven? Unfortunately the path is narrow and only a few will make it. But due to God’s love, mercy, and grace anyone who truly desires can make it. "There is only one way to heaven, Jesus says: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.’" (WA p239-240) As we are seeing, the signs of the end times are upon us, and we never know when we might die, therefore we must be prepared now. So to enter heaven you must sincerely ask God to forgive you of your sins (be honest since He knows your sincerity) then ask that the Holy Spirit come into your heart to guide you, and honestly accept Jesus as your personal savior, and truly try to live by God’s laws. Take time to learn more about God and Jesus - read the Holy Bible, talk to other Christians, and pray daily.