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An Examination of Conditional Immortality (Part Two)

...Those who worship the beast and its image, and receive a mark on their foreheads or on their hands, they will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and they will be tormented with fire and sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image and for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” Revelation 20:10–15And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented da...

Great Lent: The Season of Fasting

...h prayer, worship and bible reading taking more precedence in a Christian's life instead (not that those are bad things to do!). Why fast? Fasting is participation in the Gospel. It is the ‘death’ of the flesh through denial, so that we can enjoy the resurrection of Christ in the spirit (Rom 8:13, Col 3:5). It’s pure discipline and obedience. It’s putting to death the body – killing the flesh in order to live by the Spirit. (Gal 5:17) It’s training you in self-control and disciple, growing the fruit of the Spirit. To receive visions and revelation, and to hear from God. To strengthen willpower. To not be ruled by your desires and cravings ...

The Mystery Of Epiphany And The Star Of Bethlehem

...to bow in worship, and to offer Him our treasures: our hearts, our lives, our devotion, as “living sacrifices” (Rom 12:1). Jesus, the True Star As we celebrate Epiphany, let us remember that the ultimate revelation is not in the heavens but in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the fulfilment of God’s promise, the King who brings hope, peace, and salvation to all who follow Him. Whether we gaze at the stars or reflect on the scriptures, may we be drawn to worship the King of Kings, born in humility yet reigning in glory. This is the message of Epiphany: the Light has come, and the nations are drawn to its splendour. Further Reading Conjunctions, t...

Why do bad things happen to 'good' people?

...aybe even worship God, and live as best they can in accordance with his commands, get cancer for example? Or suddenly lose a child or spouse? Or have to constantly worry how they will pay the bills month to month? Isn't God good? Doesn't he care? Yes. Yes he is, and yes he does. Often with these kinds of questions, people will point to Job. If you don't know the story of Job, basically in a nutshell, he was a good, God-fearing man and then Satan challenges God by saying, "stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face" and then lots of really bad things happened to him (like his house collapsing and killing his fa...

The Coming of Jesus: Daniel's 70 Weeks

...know nor worship the God of the Jews (Isa 45:5)! So when did the seventy week clock begin ticking, if not with Cyrus? There are four decrees by three kings to the Jews concerning the rebuilding of the temple and the city, over a period of time: Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes (twice, although there is some dispute over whether there was a second king with the same name later on). But is it the decree of Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:11-26) in which the Jewish people were allowed to go back to Jerusalem with the blessing of the king, so that they may restore it fully. This happened  in the 7th year of his reign (Ezra 7:8), which according to historical records, would ha...

Lent: Day 13 - Justin Martyr: First Apology, Chaps. 12-23

...God to be worshipped. …we reasonably worship Him, having learned that He is the Son of the true God Himself, and holding Him in the second place, and the prophetic Spirit in the third, we will prove. For they proclaim our madness to consist in this, that we give to a crucified man a place second to the unchangeable and eternal God, the Creator of all Demonic Influences This is the start of misunderstanding, and Justin goes on to explain how it is the demons he previously mentioned (see yesterday's reading) that go about misrepresenting the Christian faith, but in reality, Christians are changed people and the evil and wicked things they once did and lov...