The Second Coming

I've often tried to imagine what Heaven is like. Have you ever tried to think about or imagine Heaven?

When I read for example the first chapter of Ezekiel that describes Heavenly beings, the sounds, the Glory of God, and Revelation 20: 9-20, I try to imagine it, albeit frustrating because it's hard to imagine things that I have never seen before.

I'm always intrigued by the descriptions and I just want to experience Heaven when Jesus returns.... I just want to make it in.

As I wrap up this short series on Spiritual counterfeits, I want to expose some lies deceitful notions about God's second coming, judgement and death.

I thought about breaking them into separate and distinct posts, but decided to combine the topics because they are all interrelated.

Why would Counterfeits exist in Christian teachings/doctrines you might ask? hmm... just think about it, the devil is a liar and the father of lies. Think about the fall of Man (Adam/Eve) in the Garden of Eden. God gave Adam/Eve specific instructions and the devil came after and deceived them by subtly mixing lies with a dash of some truth, very cunning.

Everything God has created, the devil presents a counterfeit, why? he want's us to worship him instead of God, the devil wants to take Gods place in our lives, simply put.

• On Death

I've experienced my fair share of the deaths of friends, family and acquaintances over the years which have included the young, middle aged and old.  I've shared just one or two of my experiences of loosing a friend to death  here on the blog.  Most recently I shared my own experience from the death of my Father.

According to the bible, none of my loved ones who have died are in Heaven right now. No, they are not in Heaven, they are in the grave where they were buried awaiting the second coming of God.  The bible says...

1 Thessalonians 4:14-18  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

According to these verses of scripture above, the righteous do not to go heaven when they die. They remain asleep in the grave until Jesus returns and raises them to immortal life.

Also, the scripture also states in 1 Corinthians 15:52  in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 

I'm so looking forward to God's second Coming and being reunited with loved ones.

• On God's Second Coming

God's coming will not be a secret and there is no such thing as a secret rapture.  As stated in the scripture texts above, God is coming with a shout and with the sound of trumpets. Nothing silent or secret about a shout or the sound of a trumpet. 

Also, as stated in Revelation 1:7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

•  Judgement Day?
• On Hell/Lake of Fire

 These are very heavy topics that are also miss understood and I've heard some contrary presentations at one point or another.  Let me know if you'd like to know the truths about these topics or more info on any of the ones that I've shared so far on this post or in this series.

I love good preaching and great teaching, Yes I do....they both have their place in edifying and enlightening us; However know the scriptures for yourself, read the bible. By Faith, I trust God's word.

John 4:23-24 

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Prosper

Wasn't my intent to have a long gap since the first post in this Counterfeit series 😕.  I have some catching up to do! How have you been?  I've been busy these days and really miss blogging and connecting.  I try to keep up with reading my favorite blogs at the expense of writing when I have some down time.

Have you been following along so far?

 The the first post we uncovered the truth about how we approach our favorite Holiday vs. God's Holy Day.

In this post we will uncover the truths about wealth and prosperity.  

What images comes to mind when you think of a rich person?

How about a Wealthy person, What image comes to mind?

 

Who doesn't want to be rich, wealthy and Prosperous?!

The prosperity that often come to mind for most are tied up with having loads of of money and all the physical tangibles to show for it. The issue is having  the tangibles of 'Prosperity' by owning material possessions often leaves a person still feeling empty....... Have you ever wondered why so many people that appear to prosper to us commit suicide, suffer with depression or are heavily addicted to harmful substances?

Remember a counterfeit is defined as:

• An imitation or copy of something, usually with the intent to defraud.  
• To carry on a deception; make fraudulent copies of something valuable.
• Made in imitation of what is genuine with intent to defraud

The truth is, Prosperity through Spiritual eyes has nothing to do with material things.

Having peace of mind is a sign of Prosperity
Having Joy deep down in your soul is a sign of Prosperity
Extending forgiveness is a sign of Prosperity
Serving others is living a Prosperous life
Humility is a sign of  Prosperity
Extending Kindness is living the Prosperous life
In addition to Patience, Faith and Obedience

Psalm 128

          Blessed are all who fear the Lord,

    who walk in obedience to him.

 

You will eat the fruit of your labor;

    blessings and prosperity will be yours.

 

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine

    within your house;

your children will be like olive shoots

    around your table.

 

Yes, this will be the blessing

    for the man who fears the Lord.

May the Lord bless you from Zion;

    may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem

    all the days of your life.

May you live to see your children’s children—

    peace be on Israel.

Proverbs 14:21It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy.

Psalm 37:1-19 The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s  and their inheritance will endure forever. In times of disaster they will not wither;in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

1 Timothy 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

Let us not be deceived about prosperity. 

Are you living a Prosperous life??

HolyDay Time

Welcome to 2017 Friends!

Congratulations!!!!  We made it to the beginning of another Calendar Year by the Grace and Mercy of God. I pray that we will all accomplish our aspirations and have many more testimonies to share during the course of this year.

I'm excited to share the first post of our Exposing Spiritual Counterfeits series.

In the spiritual context, everything God created, the enemy presents a counterfeit.  The main purpose of the enemy is to deceive God's people, to keep us unaware and uninformed of the truth.  Keeping us ignorant of truth keeps us unable to detect his counterfeit presentations. 

The best way to detect a counterfeit bill of currency is to study the original.

Once we have studied the intricate details of the original, upon close inspection we can detect the defects in the counterfeit. The key is knowing the original well enough.

Holiday vs Holy Day

What is your Favorite all time Holiday?

Just a few weeks ago, we were in the midst of a major 🎄🎄🎄🎄Holiday Season.

Oftentimes our favorite holiday incites feelings of Nostalgia; Reminiscent memories brings a smile, a sense of peace, perhaps a sense of Joy for that season?

Usually we invest time to set the atmosphere and build excitement in anticipation of the 'day' by playing specific types of music, decorating our home, baking, and preparing gifts etc.

Some of us look forward to spending this special time with family and friends, lots of laughter and experiencing favorite traditions once more. A longing for the euphoria not to end.

In this post of, Exposing Spiritual Counterfeits, we will compare and contrast Holy Day vs. Holiday.

• A counterfeit is described as an exact imitation of something valuable or important with the intention to deceive or defraud.

There have been many questions, arguments, theories and analysis on the origins, traditions and customs of how certain 'holidays' evolved and its relevance in Christianity. In the final analysis, several present themselves as Counterfeits.

Our focus however is to examine the attributes of the ORIGINAL....... Holy Day.

Exodus 20:8-11(ICB) 

Remember to keep the Sabbath as a holy day.   You may work and get everything done during six days each week.   But the seventh day is a day of rest to honor the Lord your God. On that day no one may do any work: not you, your son or daughter, or your men or women slaves. Neither your animals nor the foreigners living in your cities may work.  The reason is that in six days the Lord made everything. He made the sky, earth, sea and everything in them. And on the seventh day, he rested. So the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

 

 

Many people argue that the Sabbath is for the Jews. Would you be surprised to know that the Sabbath was established during the Creation of our world long before a Jewish nation existed?

 

 Genesis 2:1-3 

So the sky, the earth and all that filled them were finished.   By the seventh day God finished the work he had been doing. So on the seventh day he rested from all his work.   God blessed the seventh day and made it a holy day. He made it holy because on that day he rested. He rested from all the work he had done in creating the world.

 

 

Why is the Holy Day Sabbath a target for Spiritual Counterfeit?  The Sabbath contains the seal of God.

 

We know that a seal has something to do with legal affairs.  Official documents are stamped with the seal of the ruling official of the Government whether they are Kings or Presidents. For Instance, America's official Presidential seal, as to the seals of all Countries has three parts. (1) The President's name, (2) His title: President, (3) The territory over which he presides: America

 In the same way God's Seal [as revealed in Exodus 20 8-11]: has three parts:

 

1. His name: The Lord thy God
2. His Title: Creator
3. His Territory or Domain: The Heavens and Earth, the Sea and everything in them.

 

The seal of God is the Sabbath, He blessed the 7th day and made it Holy. He declared the 7th day Sabbath a Holy Day of rest for His Creation.

 

Like our Birthday and Anniversary dates, we can celebrate at anytime we choose, however there is no denying that there is something very special about the actual date/day we were born or wedded. 

 

Do you currently acknowledge the 7th Day Sabbath as a Holy Day?

 

Growing up on sundown Friday evenings my Family would be prepared to usher in the Sabbath with family worship (singing, scripture reading/study, prayer). Some families have Sabbath traditions, and set the atmosphere all week in anticipation of the next Sabbath.

 

Do we put the same effort into welcoming and preparing for the Sabbath each week? to acknowledge and worship our Creator God? Yes, we ought to worship and acknowledge God everyday ; just know that like our Birthday, Anniversary or your favorite 'holiday' there is something EXTRA special about the actual day of rest that God set aside, Blessed and made Holy.

 

Counterfeit Culture

Hi Friends!

I'm so happy to connect with you once more!  As 2016 ends in just a few days and we begin the new year, I am encouraged to share a few posts that has been burning in my heart for a LONG time now.

Exposing a Counterfeit Culture as it relates to our spiritual life and relationship with our Creator.

When you hear the word counterfeit.....what comes to your mind?  The dictionary defines counterfeit as:

• An imitation or copy of something, usually with the intent to defraud.  
• To carry on a deception; make fraudulent copies of something valuable.
• Made in imitation of what is genuine with intent to defraud

So, you may be wondering, how does deception, imitation, intent to defraud, and fraudulent copies of something valuable relate to our Spiritual lives?  Well, lets take this journey together to explore and EXPOSE spiritual counterfeits.

I invite you to join me as we uncover a few topics over the next few weeks. I'm excited and I hope you are too