All the heartaches and troubles of this life will instantly cease when the born-again believer awakes with the likeness of the righteous Son of God.
Death is the departure of the soul and spirit from the body, but where does each part of man end up after a man dies? The Bible answers this question and more.
Few people grasp the purposes or the benefits of suffering affliction. Instead, most individuals place a great premium upon trying to avoid troubles of any kind.
The world is driven by self-preservation and self-promotion. Individually, the natural man is guided by self-serving motives. This should not be true of saints.
Most people assume the Lord’s actions are motivated almost solely because of His love for man. Yet, God works for His own glory and for His own name’s sake.
The Bible has been unjustly criticized for stating that believers living in Daniel’s Seventieth Week could be “beheaded for the witness of Jesus.”
Many who understand the wickedness involved in murder fail to realize that the scripture also warns “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer.”
The Lord took great pains in ensuring that the details of creation were just as He desired. He left nothing to itself in hopes that it would turn out, but knowingly cared for the smallest details. David understood this truth but declared that this care extended beyond the initial creation. Not only had God created and cared for the initial creation, but David proclaimed that he was also “fearfully and wonderfully made.” In order to add some context to his statement, David acknowledged that he spoke of the time when he was in his mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). If this were not enough, several other passages identify the Lord as the One who formed the child within the womb (Isaiah 44:2, 24; Isaiah 49:5; Jeremiah 1:5).
A tremendous spiritual and physical battle wages around the value of life and the determination of when life begins. Unfortunately, Christians have incorporated the unscriptural terminology of the world by allowing the opposition to define these most important matters. This is especially true concerning the birth of a child. According to the Bible, a woman who is expecting is said to be “with child” (Genesis 16:11; Matthew 1:18). Modern terminology removes the direct association of the unborn to life. Sadly, the termination of the unborn life is simply labeled as an “abortion” rather than murder (the ungodly shedding of innocent blood). To abort means the cancellation of a mission. A woman who is “with child” has another living soul “with” her. As time progresses in the child’s development within the womb, the mother becomes “great with child” (Luke 2:5) until she is “ready to be delivered” (Revelation 12:4; see also 1 Samuel 4:19; Isaiah 26:17).
The Lord permits no rivals. In Isaiah 43:11, He said, “I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.” Yet, there is a battle on the horizon that will bring all matters to a head. The Antichrist will sit in the temple of God claiming to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:4). He will torture the people of God (the Jews) and blaspheme the name of God. He will set up his image and demand that the people worship him (Revelation 13:14-15). This peak of idolatry and blasphemy will lead to the culmination of God’s jealousy when He returns to judge the world (Revelation chapter 19).
