The Choice Between Opposites :: By Rick Segoine

Just like there is a living God and an actual Satan, and just like there are angels and there are demons, there is heaven and there is hell.

There are human beings who believe in all of these things and other human beings who believe in none of these things.

Some believe in the supernatural, and some are in denial of the supernatural. Others, perhaps, are drifting aimlessly through life like a rudderless ship and unable to decide.

Personally, I have had enough experiences with the supernatural that it would be entirely dishonest to deny such things. That is why this article is based on belief in the supernatural combined with belief that the Holy Bible truly is the literal Word of God, and thus it comes from the perspective of a biblical worldview (2 Timothy 3:16).

God is living. He is a living God. He has always been living, and He has always been God. He was this way long before any human being ever gave it a thought one way or the other.

He still is living, and He still is God and always will be, forever and for all eternity, no matter whether human beings believe it or not.

God is perfect, and He is Almighty, and He is Holy. He is just, and He is merciful, and with Him, nothing is impossible. And He declares the end from the beginning.

In Isaiah 45:5, God says this: “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no other God beside me: I girded you though you have not known me.” Then, in Isaiah 46:10, in the NIV Bible, God says, “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand and I will do all that I please.’” In the NLT bible, God says it like this: “Only I can tell the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.” Isaiah 55:8-9 reveals this: “’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’”

As a created being, I stop to ask, why wouldn’t it be that way?

Adam was formed from the dust, and I am genetically descended from Him; how could my ways and thoughts be as high as He who not only created me but spoke the entire universe and all life into existence?

Before God created humans or the world we live in, He created angels in the heavenlies. Job 38:4-7 records a conversation between God and Job, and God asked Job, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation… and all the angels shouted for joy?” The angels were created in the spirit realms of heaven before there was even a physical earthly realm. They were created to do God’s will and help Him carry out His work. The word angel means “agent” or “messenger.” In Psalm 103:20, David writes, “Praise the Lord, you His angels, you mighty ones who do His bidding, who obey His word.”

Lucifer was created to be the prince of angels and the bearer of light known as the Morning Star. God created Lucifer to embody perfection and wisdom and beauty. Those things, however, were not good enough for Lucifer, for his desire was to sit in the highest place reserved for God and be like God. He wanted to be God (Isaiah 14:12-17).

Lucifer wanted to replace Almighty God, who had created him, with himself. It was like the analogy of the pot of clay who said to the master potter, Take a backseat, mister Master Potter, because you have created a specimen greater than yourself. I’ll be giving the orders now.

Lucifer apparently saw himself as “all that” and the “cat’s meow,” as well as every other descriptive cliché describing a highly inflated ego filled with and overflowing with blinding pride.

Completely ludicrous as well as ridiculously delusional, you might say. Why yes, yes it was.

Since God created the universe and the angels and the humans and is able to declare the end from the beginning, He must have known that Lucifer would do what he did.

We have to remember that God’s ways are not our ways and that this is His creation, and He can do as He pleases with His creation. It is also good to keep in mind God’s character of pure holiness and incomprehensible supernatural power.

After the earth was created as a place where humans could live, God created the first humans, and He gave them exactly what He had given the angels. It was and still is a thing called free will.

Obviously, the angels have free will because about one-third of them chose to rebel against God, their creator, along with Lucifer. That means two-thirds of the angels chose of their own free will to continue loving God and doing the will of God.

Because God told Job that “All” of the angels rejoiced when God laid the foundations of the earth, that would mean that the fall of Lucifer happened somewhere between the time when “All angels rejoiced” and the time that he, Lucifer, in the form of a snake, tempted Eve with the first recorded lie.

We do know that Lucifer fell, and a third of the angels followed him (Revelation 12:9).

We also know that Lucifer came down from heaven to earth, and in the form of a serpent, successfully tempted Adam and Eve.

It was then that he began his reign of rebellion, destruction, and leading humans astray on planet Earth. Paul referred to him as the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2).

For those humans who do not believe there is a fallen angel named Lucifer, who is also known as Satan, here are some things said about the subject by Jesus and His disciples and apostles.

“Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)

Speaking to the Pharisees, Jesus said, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in Him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

In 1 Peter 5:8-9 are these words, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

“And I saw an angel coming down out of Heaven, having the keys to the Abyss, and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:1-6).

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:11-16).

Lucifer/Satan is not a red guy with horns, a pointy beard, and a pitchfork. He is a fallen angel, a spirit being.

Hell was prepared by God for Lucifer and his demonic followers.

Heaven is reserved for the followers of the Creator, the Holy God of Israel. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God, our Heavenly Father, who spoke the universe and the earth and all life upon the earth into existence through His Son.

The Lord our God saw the end from the beginning and knew the role that Lucifer the devil and the fallen angels who became demons would play in testing the free will of humans. God knows that the flesh is weak and that pride can be gripping and hideously strong. God also knew that the highway to Hell would be wide and that, sadly, many would choose that road.

Our Heavenly Father also knows that whoever rejects the devil and his wicked ways, and instead turns to and trusts in Him, and of their own free will because they love Him, loves Him with a love that is real.

Free will choice is a major deciding factor between that highway to Hell and the road to Heaven. Dreamers dreaming that there are no such places have no power to change that.

All angels and humans were endowed with the free will to choose between good and evil and thus their eternal destination.

Each individual will either choose to yield to the temptations of the devil and follow him to eternal separation from God and into the Lake of Fire, or choose to turn to Jesus the Son of God, accept the wonderful free gift of salvation, receive the strength from the Holy Spirit to persevere, and spend eternity with our Creator, all of the good angels, and all of our fellow believers.

The day will come when even death and Hades will be tossed into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:14).

Lucifer and the fallen angels who became demons, the antichrist and the false prophet, and all humans who rejected the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and instead chose to trust in the lies of Lucifer, will be there. A maximum-security prison designed to contain every kind of evil, as well as every type of creature that embraces evil.

At the end of the millennium and the one last short rebellion, Lucifer/Satan will be finally tossed into the Lake of Fire. From that place, no wickedness or wicked creatures will ever be able to escape. Evil will never be allowed to contaminate any part of God’s Creation ever again (Revelation 20:7-10).

The Creation belongs to God, and this is the plan He has revealed.

Because the road to destruction is wide and many shall travel on it according to Jesus, and because the road to heaven is narrow and few will travel upon it, according to Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14, it appears that something similar to a role reversal is playing out from the time when a third of the angels rebelled and were cast out of heaven.

It seems as if the fallen humans who choose salvation and want to spend Eternity with God, the ones who believe in Him and love to praise Him and to serve Him, will replace the ungrateful angels who chose to rebel against God.

And the humans who reject God’s gracious offer of redemption will join with Lucifer and the rebellious fallen angels (demons), where they will no longer have a choice but instead will be eternally separated from God in that place where the punishment will fit the crime and true justice will prevail.

Some redeemed humans will receive eternal bodies like the resurrected body of Jesus at the time of the Rapture. The saints who are martyred during the Tribulation will receive their resurrected bodies at the end of the Tribulation when Jesus returns. At the end of the last day of God’s “Week of Creation,” all who have chosen Jesus during the millennium will receive their resurrected bodies.

All resurrected redeemed humans will join with all of the angels who have always remained loyal, and they will spend Eternity with them and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as one big beautiful family in the New Heaven and New Earth that Our Holy God has promised to create.

God will keep every precious promise He has made.

When Jesus returns at His Second Coming, He will, with a Word, wipe out the armies of the devil at the last battle – the Battle of Armageddon. At that time, the antichrist and his false prophet will be thrown into the lake of fire, and Satan will be bound with a great chain and deported to the Abyss. Jesus will then began ruling from Jerusalem with a rod of iron as the King of Kings and Lords of Lords. There will be those who survived the Tribulation in the flesh, who will still have to choose of their own free will whether to love the King of Kings or to reject Him. The offspring of those survivors will also have to choose (Revelation 2:27).

That is why Lucifer/Satan will be unchained for a short time near the end of the millennium, to test the loyalties of the final chapter of humans still in fleshly bodies (Revelation 20:7).

On a personal note, it is astonishing that there are angels or humans who do not love God. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are so amazingly beautiful and wonderful in every possible way.

Alas, we know that it is Lucifer, the wicked one, who has blinded eyes and filled minds with all manner of false belief systems.

So many people have purposefully been led astray throughout history and right up to the present, to the point of fulfilling Isaiah’s warning of seeing evil as good and good as evil, and to the point where our Glorious Beautiful Creator of Life is unrecognizable to them. Yet those led astray have allowed it to happen by believing Satan’s lies and rejecting God’s truth. When it is all said and done, everyone with a sound mind, or at least everyone who at least at some point had a sound mind, will have exercised their free will to choose between good and evil (Isaiah 5:20).

They who have been led astray, like their father and mentor Lucifer, become prideful, arrogant, hollow, and ungrateful. Despising goodness and loving evil.

Rejecting the truth and anyone who speaks and represents the truth, they mock and slander, they yell and scream, and they call anyone who disagrees with them haters, while it is they themselves who are seething with hatred. They do not seem to realize or have any awareness at all of the absurd level of hypocrisy they have descended into.

Lucifer and his demons, as well as the many humans that have been deceived, blinded though they may be, have chosen of their own free will to travel in the wrong direction.

This is a terribly sad thing, but on the other hand, our Heavenly Father’s plan to have an Amazing Eternity devoid of evil is a most wonderful thing (1 Corinthians 2:9):

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has conceived, the things God has prepared for those who love Him.”

All who have chosen to be part of our Heavenly Father’s plan of redemption and salvation have chosen wisely.

Although the time for choosing is rapidly running out due to the nearness of the Rapture, there is still time to turn to Jesus and be spared from the wrath of God that is coming upon this world. The prophetic Word of God and the signs He has given us reveal that He is about to dismantle the oppressive evil that has gained a stranglehold on the nations in a last-ditch attempt to abolish all God-given rights and freedoms – a last Luciferic power play to usurp the Creator and attempt to sit in His place.

The Lucifer-loving Globalist elitist minions of the World Economic Forum do not even attempt to hide their blasphemies and abominable plans to alter and/or replace everything God has created, including humans.

It is what Lucifer has wanted from the time of the first angel rebellion, and Lucifer has never wavered in his demonic quest despite his knowledge of prophecy. Knowing that he is prophesied to fail has not and will not deter him from trying. However, in the end, he will fail, and all those who side with him will fail right alongside him.

The Seven-year Tribulation period will be a time of the supernatural to the point where no one will be able to deny it. The Book of Revelation reveals a plethora of supernatural events that will take place.

Revelation 3:10 gives these words of encouragement to all who have chosen Jesus as their Lord and Savior. “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.”

If you have not already done so, choose this very day to invite Jesus into your heart and into your life.

Turn to Romans 10:9-10 where the Apostle Paul shares these words:

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

Shalom in the name of Yeshua Ha Mashiach. Jesus the Messiah.

Rick Segoine

 

 

Finding Peace in a Fear-Mongering World? :: By Jonathan Brentner

A realistic look at our world is enough to generate much anxiety. The widespread wickedness, violence, government corruption, and continual rumors of WWIII and/or terrorist attacks often set off alarms concerning our future well-being. I write as one who is not immune to the panic that comes from living amid the multiple threats to our livelihood and safety.

Where do we go when the perils of this life spark anger within us or cause us to retreat within ourselves in fear of what might happen next?

The most popular response today is to fall for the illusion that all will be well in the future. The lure of solutions that offer refuge apart from the arms of Jesus is strong; we must be aware of their appeal so that we do not place our hope in them.

Cisterns that Hold No Water

During a recent interview, David Fiorazo asked me about how those who dismiss the promises of Bible prophecy deal with today’s terrors. I offered one suggestion, but as I have continued to think about his question, the words of Jeremiah 2:13-14 have sparked other possible responses. Below are the words to this passage that speak to both those in Christ and those who have not placed their hope in Him:

“Be appalled, O heavens, at this;
be shocked, be utterly desolate,
declares the Lord,
for my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.”

Below are several “broken cisterns” that only give the appearance of relief in our fear-mongering world.

  1. Mainstream Media

The mainstream media, which includes the likes of CNN, ABC, CBS, and MSNBC, first creates fear. These news outlets create panic through false narratives regarding such things as climate change or pandemics in order to lead people to their empty remedies that provide no lasting relief and often generate more anger and fear.

The words of Proverbs 13:20 aptly sum up the difference between looking at today’s woes through the lens of Bible prophecy versus that of relying on what the mainstream media offers. “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

The root word for “companion,” in the original, pictures the idea of sheep grazing in a pasture. Those who “graze” upon the world’s perspective offered by the mainstream media will surely “suffer harm” because it always leads to a rejection of biblical wisdom.

  1. Gaslighting

The mainstream media furthers today’s rampant deception by repeating and substantiating false claims. It’s gaslighting, the repeated confirmation of lies that contradict both what we see and hear. In just the past few weeks, I have either read or heard all of the following affirmations presented as though they were well-established facts:

  • President Biden has a perfect memory. (Yes, I read this.)
  • The Biden administration has lowered the U.S. debt level.
  • The COVID injections are totally safe and effective.
  • Illegal immigration at the Southern border is fully under control.
  • Illegal immigration is totally out of control and thus a dire threat to our security solely because of the prior president’s failure to deal with the matter.

It doesn’t matter that such statements contradict reality or even each other; people accept them as truth because they repeatedly hear the same lies on mainstream news outlets. These purveyors of evil know that if they repeat a lie often enough, many will blindly accept it as the truth.

  1. Conspiracy Theories

What about those of us who point out the valid threats to our future well-being? Oh, according to those wishing to ignore the threats, what we say lacks any connection to the real world. Those seeking water in the broken cisterns of today regard our warnings as “conspiracy theories.”

Sadly, many Christians also close their ears to those of us who connect today’s world with Bible prophecy. “What we see today are not signs of the last days,” they say, “but rather the products of conspiracy theorists who begin with what they read or hear in the news and then twist Scripture to match.”

  1. Help Is Most Certainly Not on the Way

In the past, I placed too much of my hope in political solutions. I eventually discovered the futility of thinking that politicians can reverse the current path of corruption, evil, and violence in my country. They cannot.

I’m not saying we as believers should abandon this arena altogether, just that we recognize the futility of hoping that winning elections will eliminate the perils of our day and reverse the course of one’s nation. I know from experience that such a path leads to great disappointment.

Former President George W. Bush ran for the high office with the campaign slogan, “Help is on the way.” However, this quip from Ronald Reagan is far closer to the truth, “The most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”

  1. The Church and Modern-Day Vendors of Peace

The most popular coping mechanism among Christians today is that of trusting the church rather than the Lord Jesus for deliverance from the evils of this age.

The words below, taken from Kari Jobe’s song “Amen (Simple Gospel),” exemplify this misplaced confidence and, not only that, do greatly dishonor to the Name of our Savior:

The church will arise
With power and love
Our cities will know
The glory of God
The future is bright
There’s nothing to fear
Revival is now
The Kingdom is here.

The current popularity of seeking refuge inside the walls of our churches results from pastors who promote this illusion of security from the ills of our day. They peddle peace at a time when it most surely doesn’t exist.

In response to the warnings of Jeremiah and Ezekiel concerning God’s judgment on ancient Judah, those charged with the spiritual care of the people at that time proclaimed “peace, peace, when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14 and also Ezekiel 13:10).

I believe the Lord’s message to many pastors today would mirror the rebuke that He spoke long ago to the spiritual shepherds in ancient Judah. Like the mythical sandman, they lull people to sleep with fanciful dreams of a future filled with peace devoid of the Lord’s soon intervention in our world.

The Name of the Lord

There is a safe place amid the terrors of today. The words of Proverbs 18:10 very much apply to us today:

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”

The “name of the Lord” consists both of the words of Scripture He has given to us and His indwelling presence through the Holy Spirit in us.

When I feel the assault of the devil seeking to instill fear/anger within me because of what I see in today’s world, I run to the arms of Jesus. I do this by:

  1. Immersing My Mind on Passages About Jesus’ Appearing

I feel the Lord’s comfort when I immerse my mind in biblical texts that speak to His imminent appearing and the glory that will be ours in eternity. Although I have read passages 1 Corinthians 15:47-58, 1 John 3:1-3, Philippians 3:20-21, Colossians 3:1-4, and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 perhaps hundreds of times, reading them afresh still encourages my heart.

Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, inspired the words of such passages to relieve our fears and encourage our hearts (1 Thessalonians 4:13, 5:11).

Please don’t discount the calm that comes from immersing yourself in passages of Scripture that speak to the joy and glory that’s headed your way in eternity.

  1. Regarding Today as Biblical Times

I first heard the words, “We live in biblical times,” while listening to a Dr. David Reagan interview, and remembering this truth always brings me back from the brink of unnecessary fear. The Bible said the world would be like this in the last days.

This truth reminds me that God remains sovereignly in control of history and along with that, shouts to me that Jesus’ appearing to take me home is ever so near.

The message of Bible prophecy assures us that the One who so accurately revealed the future to prophets long ago (Isaiah 46:8-13) is more than able to keep His promises to us today.

  1. Seeing the Certainty of God’s Judgment on Today’s Pervasive Wickedness

When the darkness of today threatens to overwhelm my soul, I often retreat to the words of Psalms 37 and 94. There’s something about seeing the certainty of the Lord’s future judgment on widespread evil, such as we now witness, that enables me to deal with what I see.

Yes, the villains of our day appear free to perpetuate murder, lawlessness, deceit, and violence with no one holding them accountable. Most will never see the inside of a jail cell, regardless of what they do. However, the Lord will bring them to justice, and it will be far worse than a prison sentence.

  1. Casting All My Cares Upon the Lord

During the past year, I have read 1 Peter 5:1-11 more times than I can remember. I have found that casting all my “anxieties” or “cares” on the One who cares for me brings sweet relief to my soul. Whether it be the angst I feel from current events, nagging concerns, or that of dealing with those who fervently oppose my ministry, the visualization of casting all these things onto the hands of the Lord always calms my heart (vv. 6-7).

If you trust Jesus as your Savior, please recognize that He alone is your place of refuge. When the threats and concerns of this world overwhelm you, run to His loving arms and shove all your troubles onto the hands of the One who dearly loves you. His “name” remains the “strong tower” of refuge in a world gone mad.

If you have not yet put your trust in Jesus alone for eternal life, please, please read my post, Jesus Is the Only Path to Eternal Life. In it, I explain how you can know that Jesus has forgiven all your sins and that you possess eternal life and with the sure hope of receiving an immortal and incorruptible body at Jesus’ appearing (1 Corinthians 15:48-54).

Please don’t delay; call upon Jesus while you may! Tomorrow may be too late to avoid the death and destruction that is surely coming to our world.

***

Note: In Hereafter, It’s Far Better Than You Can Imagine, Terry James and I describe the future glory that awaits us as believers beginning with Jesus’ appearing to take us home. From beginning to end, we emphasize the jubilant joy that awaits us in Heaven. The last chapter contains twenty-seven frequently asked questions and answers pertaining to Heaven and our experience there.

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