The Fruit of The Spirit

"But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control. Against such things there is no law." - Galatians 5:22-23. But what is the fruit of the spirit? When someone claims to be a Christian and their lives do not show it, i.e. drugs/smoking/drinking/etc, they do not use the fruit of the spirit - while they may have part, they do not have peace, otherwise they would not be doing these things.

Galatians 5:19-21 tells us, "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of heaven."

In other words, if you have accepted Jesus into your life as your Lord and savior, you are not to continue in your old ways. Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us, "... let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and run with perseverance the race marked out for us." What does that mean exactly? It means what it says. It means to let go of your past life when you turn to Christ.

People commonly ask, is this music alright, I am not sure if God would like me listening to it. Is this romance book okay, I am not sure. Is this magazine... etc. Think about this. If you previously did not see these things as bad, but since you have accepted Christ, and you start to wonder, if it makes you sin, if it leads to sin in any way, if there is a doubt, that doubt is probably planted by God. So, if that romance novel that gets a little too into detail makes you wonder, but you are not sure, then God is probably telling you, put the book away, get out My Book.

So how do we apply the Fruit of our Spirit to our lives? For years, I have always had difficulty when someone would tell me to use the Fruit of the Spirit. I couldn't wrap my mind around how to use them in my own life. There is no specific way to apply them to your life, each person will have a different way to apply it in their lives, but let me tell you what helped me begin to use the Fruit of the Spirit - and when I began to recognize that I was using it.

Love. I couldn't figure out how to apply that. So I tried this. When a family member or friend or whomever appeared to be down, or looked like they needed to be reminded of love - that I love them and that God loves them regardless of what has occurred in their lives, I would try to comfort them, by reminding people that I sincerely love them. Now, when I try to tell friends this, they tend to take it the wrong way. But you may not have that issue.

Joy. How do you have Joy in your life? There's a myriad of ways to apply this to your life. I obtain joy just by reading my Bible. By using patience, love, gentleness, self-control, I become joyful. If walking the dog brings joy into your life, then walk the dog. If reading your Bible brings you joy, read your bible. If singing songs brings you joy, then sing songs. Do whatever makes you happy - as long as it is good according to God.

Peace. Most find this hard to obtain. People have trouble with Peace. For one, our world is not at peace. Our lives are usually in a storm. For myself, I cannot find peace. I cannot apply peace to my life on my own. So, how do I bring peace into my life? I pray that God will bring it into my life. Every time I pray that - he does. Pray to God for peace, because man himself cannot apply peace without God. All of the fruit of the spirit come from God.

Patience. Something most people are not willing to use in the business of our lives. I always pray that God gives me patience in everything that I do. I pray this: "Dear Heavenly Father, let me be slow to anger and quick to love, and fill me with patience so that I may not get angry." Every time I pray this, it works.

Kindness. How do you show kindness? Kindness can be shown in little ways, and soon you will become accustomed to showing kindness and use it in your everyday lives. Open the door for someone, carry their books, give them a hug when they need it, help people in whatever way you can.

Gentleness. How can you be gentle? Gentleness is a value and quality in someone's character. How can you show gentleness? Be a model for others, show in your lives that you are Christian - sh0w the fruits of your works.

Faithfulness. Sort of speaks for itself. Be faithful to God - turn from your old ways, and follow him, go wherever he asks you to go, do whatever he may ask you to do. I assure you, it will be worth it.

Self-Control. The big one: How do you control yourself? This one always got me. So, I pray that God will give me self control in everything that I do, that he gives me the strength, wisdom, and confidence in everything I do, and that I can live for him, and that the Holy Spirit will work in and through me.

If you are still unsure of how to apply these to your own lives, feel free to leave a comment below or email me at vexx801@yahoo.com . If you are not saved, and you know that God has put it on your heart to do so, Romans 10:9 tells us to confess with our mouth that "Jesus is Lord," and believe in our heart that he is risen from the dead, we are saved. Live by the Commandments (Exodus 20, Deuteronomy 5), follow Jesus, and spread the Truth and saving knowledge of God's Word everywhere you go.

God Bless, and Take Care. Troy Hillman

The Commandments of Jesus

When people are told to live by God's Commandments, most assume it is just the Ten Commandments we are to follow. Not true. Jesus gave us very distinct commandments, and there are guidlines we are to follow given in Hebrew and in Leviticus. Most of those given in Leviticus no longer apply due to the sacrifice of Christ. So, what are some of the commandments of Jesus? Tonight will be a brief entry, but not only are we told to live by the Ten Commandments, but by ALL of his commandments. That includes these:

1) "FORGIVE EVERYBODY OF ALL THEIR OFFENSES AGAINST YOU." (Forgive and be forgiven.)
2) "YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN." (You must be born again to enter into Heaven.)
3) "ABIDE IN ME, AND LET ME ABIDE IN YOU."
4) "LET PEOPLE SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS." (Do not hide your faith, use the fruit of the spirit - Galatians )
5) "END DISPUTES QUICKLY."
6) "WHATEVER CAUSES YOU TO SIN, GET RID OF IT."
7) "DO NOT SWEAR OATHS AT ALL."
8) "DO NOT RETURN OFFENSE FOR OFFENSE." (Turn the other cheek, If someone is angry, do not snap back)
9) "GIVE WHAT PEOPLE ASK OF YOU, AND GIVE MORE THAN IS REQUIRED." (Go the extra mile.)
10) "LOVE YOUR ENEMIES AND THOSE WHO WORK AGAINST YOU."
11) "GIVE TO THE POOR TO PLEASE GOD, NOT TO GAIN APPROVAL FROM OTHER PEOPLE."
12) "PRAY PRIVATELY AND SIMPLY, NOT TO IMPRESS OTHER PEOPLE."
13) "MAKE YOUR PRAYERS BE LIKE THE LORD'S PRAYER." (This does not mean do not pray our way. But pray in a way that is pleasing to God)
14) "WHEN YOU FAST, DO IT SECRETLY, NOT FOR SHOW."
15) "STORE UP YOUR TREASURES IN HEAVEN, NOT ON EARTH."
16) "DO NOT WORRY ABOUT YOUR MATERIAL NEEDS."
17) "DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THE FUTURE."
18) "MAKE GOD YOUR HIGHEST PRIORITY, AND HE WILL TAKE CARE OF ALL YOUR NEEDS."
19) "DO NOT JUDGE OTHER PEOPLE." (Judge not, lest ye be judged.)
20) "DO NOT GIVE HOLY THINGS TO DOGS OR CAST YOUR PEARLS BEFORE SWINE."
21) "ASK GOD FOR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO HAVE." (Seek, and ye shall find.)
22) "FEED THE HUNGRY, CLOTHE THE NAKED, SHELTER THE HOMELESS, COMFORT THOSE IN DISTRESS."
23) "FOLLOW THE NARROW PATH TO LIFE." (Enter by the narrow gate.)
24) "BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS."
25) "EXERCISE POWER OVER UNCLEAN SPIRITS."
26) "LOVE LITTLE CHILDREN, DO NOT DESPISE THEM."
27) "DO NOT TAKE THE TITLES 'MASTER' FOR YOURSELF."
28) "RESOLVE DISPUTES IN AN ORDERLY WAY "
29) "DO NOT OPPOSE OTHER BELIEVERS IN CHRIST WHO ARE NOT IN YOUR GROUP." (Do not oppose other denominations, but show them that the only way to heaven is through Jesus.)
30) "HAVE TOTAL FAITH IN GOD FOR EVERYTHING."
31) "BE LIKE THE GOOD SAMARITAN." (Go, and do likewise.)
32) "LOVE OTHER PEOPLE AS I HAVE LOVED YOU"
33) "EAT BREAD AND DRINK WINE IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME."
34) "WASH ONE ANOTHER'S FEET." (Meant literally.)
35) "BE MERCIFUL."
36) "GO AND TEACH ALL NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM."
37) "KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS."
38) "BE PREPARED FOR YOUR MASTER TO RETURN." (Be ready for The Rapture.)

You can find these in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul, as well as James, John, Jude, and Peter, reiterate many of the commandments. Do not limit your guidelines to the Ten Commandments, but also to the Commandments of Jesus. "I never said it was easy." (Above Picture taken from Gospel of John, starring Henry Ian Cusick)

There are also the two "golden rules." Most people do not know that these commandments come from Jesus, but talk about them in their lives daily. Matthew 7:12 says, "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." Luke 6:31 restates this as well. What does this mean? It's something you have probably heard before. "Do to others as you would have done to you."

The other is this: "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." (John 15:12) We have heard this before. "Love one another." Both of these come from Jesus.

Now that you have been presented with the Law, what will you do with it? I cannot tell you whether to follow or to ignore these. But I can tell you that Jesus himself has commanded this of us. If you are not a follower of Christ and he has called you, you hear the call, you feel the press on your heart, Romans 10:9 tells us that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that he is risen from the dead, then we are saved. We are called to live by God's Commandments - the commandments I have shown you as well as the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20, Deuteronomy 5). Pray everyday, ask forgiveness for your sins, and leave your former ways behind.

I will be unable to post for a few days, till Sunday or Monday, but I will return with another lesson. I will probably be talking about the fruit of the spirit and how we can apply that to our lives. (Galatians 5:22-23) God Bless, Take Care. Troy Hillman

What does it mean to Walk By Faith?

Tonight, I decided to cover the topic of Walking by Faith. What does it mean to walk by Faith - does it mean praying about something and waiting for it to happen, is it going through life with no answers? Of course not. Should we pray? Of course we should. But when we pray, we must put our faith and trust in God to help in whatever we need help with. He is a just and true God, he always keeps his promises.

So, what if you are a new believer and do not know what walking by faith means? Or, what if you have been a believer for a long time and still are not sure what it means? 2nd Corinthians 5:7 tells us to "Walk by faith, not by sight." This means that in life, there are times when we do not know which direction to go, where to turn, so we are to ask God to lead us down the right path, to take us where he wants us to go. Ask him to lead us down the paths he wants us to go and to close those he does not want us to go down. When we can no longer carry on, God asks us to ask him for help. A poem I'm sure a lot of us have at least heard or seen once greatly illustrates this. It's called Footprints in the Sand.

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there were one set of footprints. This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints. So I said to the Lord, "You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there have only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, you have not been there for me?" The Lord replied, "The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand, is when I carried you." - By Mary Stevenson, 1937

That is an inspiring poem. In Matthew 11:28 Jesus says, "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." But walking by faith does not merely mean handing God to wheel and letting him drive. There are certainly times where we need to do things for ourselves. But he will always be there for us and help us. We cannot help him, because there is nothing he needs help with.

Walking by Faith also means obeying his commandments. Not just the Ten Commandments, but also the commandments given by Jesus. Tomorrow night I will list the commandments given to us by Jesus. But for now, here are 5 of them: 1) Love one another as he has loved us. 2) Forgive everybody of their offenses against you. 3) Be Merciful. 4) Have Faith in God for Everything. 5) Do not Judge others.

Walking by Faith would mean following his commandments, reading his word - actually reading it, praying fervently, teaching others about God. A trusted mentor recently brought this to my attention: People always ask why God doesn't just whisk us away after we are saved. So here is the answer. If he did that, how would his kingdom spread? 2nd Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentence." So why doesn't God whisk us away the moment we are saved? It is because he is not willing that any should perish, and our job, regardless of your lifestyle, is to spread the Truth. It is not much to ask for considering Jesus died for us, we cannot repay him, and he knows we can do is this. To further our creator's kingdom.

So, we must obey God. Some have asked me, even today I was asked, why should I honor my parents? They don't honor me, they won't accept God. So, I will touch on this.

Regardless of whether your parents are smokers, heavy alcoholics, don't live with you, or whatever the situation be, you are to "Honor Your Father and Mother" - the fifth commandment. (Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16) Understand this. God puts several authorities into our lives. We are to obey laws, wives are to submit to their husbands, children are to obey their parents, we are to obey our boss at work, and above all, we are to obey God. But God also knows that these authorities will sometimes conflict - especially conflict with what he has commanded us. Your boss may tell you to go drinking or you will lose your job. Our government may make a law against something that we're supposed to do. Parents may ask us to do something that is wrong. In all of these cases, as well as any other situation, the answer is remains the same: we must obey God before man. If the God and man conflict, we are to follow God first.

The same goes for Bible reading. As I've said before, it is sad that most Christians - I'm not saying you, but most, merely read their Bible for 5 Minutes a year. Worse, they may not read it for 5 minutes 0 they may only think about reading it. We should be reading it everyday. Take Sir Walter Scott as a shining example.

The story is told like this: When Sir Walter Scott lay dying in bed, he asked his son-in-law to bring him "The Book." The young man replied, Father, your library contains thousands of volumes, including your own works. To which book are you referring?" Scott immediately replied, "There is only one book which we call 'The Book.' Bring me the Bible."

We should be like this man. Even in death, he longed to read his Bible. We should hunger for more knowledge, thirst for more wisdom, yearn for more truth. For that is the Goal of this blog - to seek and save the lost as Jesus Christ, the Messiah, did, and do this by presenting people with The Bible: The Truth. Troy Hillman

Which Angels are Mentioned in The Bible? What is The Third Heaven?

Michael, Gabriel, Lucifer, Raphael, Uriel, and many others. How many of these names of angels actually appear in the Bible? Three. Who are these three angels that are mentioned? Also, what about the Third Heaven that Paul talks about in 2nd Corinthians 12:2.

As I have said, there are only three angels mentioned in the Bible: Michael, Gabriel, and Lucifer. Raphael is mentioned in the deterocanonical book of Tobit as well as Paradise Lost, while Uriel appears in the deterocanonical book of Enoch. But Raphael and Uriel are not found anywhere in the Bible.

So, who are Michael, Gabriel, and Lucifer? In past entries, I've talked at length about who Lucifer is, what he did, and what he will do. Lucifer is the fallen angel - Satan, the Devil. He rebelled against God, refused to repent, and fell from heaven. Michael, Gabriel, and Lucifer are the three brothers. This is what the Bible tells us about Michael and Gabriel: [See past entries for more information on Lucifer]

Michael, whose name means "Who is like God?," is one of the three archangels. He is charged with the care of Israel - their protector. (Daniel 10:13, 21, 12:1) Jude 1:9 says, "But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil [Lucifer] over the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, 'The Lord rebuke you!.'" When Moses died, Michael and Lucifer fought over the body. At the end of 1,000 Years, Michael will fight Lucifer and will throw him into the Lake of Burning Sulfur, where he will lock him at for eternity.

Gabriel, whose name means "Champion of God," is also one of the three archangels. He is a messenger. He was sent to Daniel (Daniel 8:16) to explain the vision of the ram and the he-goat, and again to Daniel to give the prophecy of seventy weeks (Seven Years of Tribulation). (Daniel 9:21-27) Gabriel announced the birth of John the Baptist and the Messiah, Jesus. (Luke 1:11, 16) He describes himself as, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God." (Luke 1:19)

So, Michael - The Protector, Gabriel - The Messenger, and Lucifer - The Deceiver.

Switching gears, what about the Third Heaven that Paul mentions in 2nd Corinthians 12:2, which says, "I know a man in Christ [Paul] who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know - God knows." He goes on in Verse 4 to say, "was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell."

So, what is the third heaven that Paul talks about? Well, what about the first two? There are 551 references in the Bible to the word "heaven," and there are 127 references in the Bible to the word "heavens." There are three heavens talked about in the Bible. Allow me to explain. There is only one HEAVEN. But the word heaven is used for different things.

The first Heaven is the firmament. This heaven is closest to the earth. Genesis 1:8, "And God called the firmament Heaven. And evening and the morning were the second day." In other words - The Sky. So, the Sky is the first "Heaven."

The second Heaven is the space where the sun, the moon and the stars are located - outer space. Deuteronomy 4:19, "And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon, and the stars - all the heavenly array - do not be enticed into bowing down to them or worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all nations under heaven."

The third heaven is the location of God's throne. It is the place where God, the Angels, and man dwell. This is the heaven that the saved go to at death. This is the third heaven Paul talks about. Isaiah 14:13 says that the Third Heaven is "in the sides of the north."

If you are not saved, and God has placed it upon your heart, all you have to do is this: Romans 10:9 says, "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." Ask forgiveness for your sins, turn to Jesus, follow his commandments and the Ten Commandments (found in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5), spread the word of God in any way you can. Feel free to email me at vexx801@yahoo.com or leave a comment below. Take Care, and God Bless. Troy Hillman

New Jerusalem: A New Beginning (Part Two)

The Rapture: in the twinkling of an eye, followers of Jesus, as well as children, disappear. The Seven-Year Tribulation: The Worst Seven Years in Human History, full of Judgments, The World ruled by the Antichrist. The 1,000 Year Reign of Christ: Speaks for itself. Jesus will reign in Jerusalem for 1,000 Years, on Earth. These are all the future events of humanity, yet to come, but rapidly approaching. So... what happens next? When all of this is said and done, and the 1,000 Years of Peace are over, what next?

Revelation 21:7-8 tells us, "When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out and deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth." Lucifer tries once more to overthrow God, but cannot. Verse 10 goes on to say, "And the Devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night." The Great White Throne Judgment will occur, the Book of Life is opened, and if your name is not in the book - if you have not accepted Christ, you will be guilty of sin. Verse 14 says, "Then death and hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death." Verse 15 tells us that those who are not in the Book of Life will be thrown into the Fire.

Then... Finally: PEACE. 1st Corinthains 15:24-26

says, "Then comes the end, when he [Jesus] delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death." So what happens? Jesus hands over the kingdom to God - fully. The world and the universe around it will be replaced - A New Heaven and a New Earth.

Revelation 21:1-4 says, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,' for the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepard as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

Some people ask for descriptions of what this new heaven/earth combo will look like. Again, Revelation provides us with a brief description. Revelation 22:1-5 tells us, "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever." In other words, the Garden of Eden will be restored once more.

The City of New Jerusalem itself - is not the same Jerusalem that Christ will reign in. It is a completely New Planet. A description of the city, and its measurements, are given in Revelation 21:15-21. The walls are made of Jasper and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass (Verse 18), The foundations of the wall will be decorated with every precious stone, with: jasper, sapphire, agate, emerald, onyx, ruby, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, turquoise, jacinth, and amethyst. The 12 Gates are made of pearls, and the streets are made of pure gold, as pure as transparent glass.

Just like with what happened before Creation, we are not privy to much information on the future period of eternity. I hope these posts on the End Times and the future of the Universe are insightful and that you are able to take something away from it. This information is meant to be shared - and you can find it all in the Bible.

If you are not saved and you feel the tug of God, Romans 10:9-10 tells us, "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." If you confess your sins to him, and follow his commandments, the Ten Commandments can be found in Exodus 20:1-17 and again in Deuteronomy 5:7-21. Please feel free to leave comments, even anonomously if you wish. If you wish to contact me, you can find my email in the about Me section. Have a great night, take care, and God Bless. Troy Hillman

New Jerusalem: A New Beginning (Part One)

The main events of Humanity: Creation, The Fall, The Flood, Life/Death/Resurrection of Jesus, Rapture, and The Tribulation. But what happens after all of this? Will there be peace? Yes. But only for 1,000 Years. Then there will be a Great War. Then... finally, Peace at last for those who are saved. But what happens after the Tribulation? And... what happens after these 1,000 Years of Peace? Also, what happens during these 1,000 years of peace? Well, that's what I'll be discussing.

Revelation 21 tells us that Lucifer will be chained and thrown into the Abyss-alone, for 1,000 years, so that he cannot influence humanity. But he will be set free after the 1,000 years - I will get to that part tomorrow.

So, where will we be? The condemned will be in Hell. We, dear friends, will be in the glorious presence of Jesus himself. This, folks, in NEW JERUSALEM. Revelation Chapter 20 talks about the 1,000 Years. Verse 4 says, "I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge, And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years." Verse 6 tells us, "Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years."

So what happens directly after the Tribulation? The battle at Megiddo (Armageddon) will occur, and Christ will come - The Glorious Appearing - and destroy the forces of the Anti-Christ. Then, he will set up his Kingdom in a New Jerusalem, judge the living people who have survived the tribulation, and then the 1,000 years reign will begin.

So, all of those who have died since Adam and Eve, up till the End of The Seven-Year Tribulation, as well as those who were Raptured, and the saved who survived the Tribulation, will ALL be with Jesus during the 1,000 Year reign. A question I've been asked is, will we know our loved ones in heaven? Most certainly we will! In Luke 15:7 and 10, Jesus plainly says that the saints who were with the angels in Heaven rejoice whena sinner is saved. Then, they know when a sinner is saved, they know what is going on and who is here.

In fact, we will know people in Heaven better than we did in this life. 1st Corinthians 13:12 says, ".... 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." The few times in the Bible that tells about others on Earth meeting those who had gone to Heaven, it seems very clear that those who had gone on to Heaven knew those still on Earth. For example, in 1st Samuel 28 when Saul had a psychic call up Samuel from Sheol. Saul knew Samuel, and Samuel knew Saul. We are also taught that we will not need to be introduced to anyone in Heaven - we will know them upon going there. I will not need to be introduced to Paul, we will know about each other.

One example of this is found in the Transfiguration. (Luke 9:27-31) Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. They knew what was happening on Earth, they knew just when to come to the mountain to greet Jesus and Peter, James and John. They talked about the death of Jesus that would occur in Jerusalem. Peter, James, and John recognized them instantly - but had never met them. Another example is something I discussed the other night regarding the Harrowing of Hell - but it involved the Rich Man and Lazarus. (Luke 16:23) The Rich Man looked and saw Abraham and Lazarus, although he was in hell and they were in sheol. (See My Post about the Harrowing of hell for more on this). There is plenty of evidence in scripture that shows that we will all know each other in Heaven.

A point that was brought up recently is this: What about the children who are born during the Tribulation, that survive the Tribulation? Well, let me say this. All those who return from being Deceased or Raptured from the start of time to the last moment of the tribulation as Christ sets up his kingdom, we will all be in glorified bodies, like the body Jesus had when he returned. So, what about these children? Let me point one more thing out, then i will answer this.

Since there will be adults and teenagers who also survive the Tribulation, as well as children, they will not have glorified bodies because they were not Raptured and did not die. They will at the end of 1,000 years, but not during. So let me put it this way. Since there will be people like that, they will be able to have children during the 1,000 years. That being said, any child born during the Tribulation and 1,000 Years has a choice: Follow Christ or Don't.

If, by the moment these children have grown into adults, and have turned 100 Years old, if they have not accepted Christ, they will immediately be sent to Hell. There is no possible way that they will not know of Christ's gift of salvation. He will live with us. Literally. We will see his glory daily. If they have not turned to him, it means that they are a friend of Lucifer and plan to help him overthrow God after the 1,000 Years are over. I will talk more about this tomorrow, in part two.

However, I will touch on one more thing before closing out. Bodies. Both those with glorified bodies and regular bodies will have flesh and bones. Will we have blood? Yes. The Bible never says anything contrary to this. Jesus says, "A spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." (Luke 24:39) However, we are not spirits - we will be spirits in Glorified bodies. Our bodies will be like those of Adam and Eve before the Fall. Before sin. They had blood in their bodies. Our bodies will be as real as they are now, body systems and all - but without sin. We will eat and drink in the kingdom. Jesus ate and drank after his resurrection. That alone indicates that there will be fluids in our bodies and that the digestive process will be carried on, which would indicate the presence of blood. While we cannot say for sure, there is sufficient evidence to lead us to believe this.

I hope you have gained some insight into these future events. Feel free to comment, I will be continuing this tomorrow night with the conclusion and the answer to this question: What happens after the 1,000 Years, when Lucifer is released for the Final Battle? What happens after that? Will Peace finally come? Yes, it will. I will answer that tomorrow. Or, better yet, you can read for yourself what will happen in Revelation Chapters 20 and 21. Till then, take care, god bless, and have a great night folks. Troy Hillman

The End Times (Part Three)

In the previous two posts, I outlined the signs of the End Times and the events - the Judgments (Seals, Trumpets, Bowls/Vials). Tonight, I will be talking about the other events that will occur - The Two Witnesses, the Indwelling, The Mark, the Battle of Armageddon, and what occurs afterward. We've talked about the Peace Treaty for Seven Years, we've talked about the False Prophet. Onto the other major events of this period.

Millions of people have vanished worldwide. They are nowhere to be found - all that is left is the clothes that they were wearing. Aside from The church, children and those with mental illness unable to chose between right in wrong in their minds will also be taken up. In other words, a world without Children. How horrid I would find that to live in.

I will briefly touch on World War III. WWIII will happen. It is just a matter of when. We do not know if it will occur before or during the Tribulation. But it will happen. One of the possibilities is that World War III will occur, and the Peace Treaty with Israel is the Accord that will end the war. The other possibility we are told is that about a year and a half into the Tribulation, war will break out. We are not told between who, but it will be the United Earth against whatever force opposes them - most assume it will be America, that will not sign with them. Either way, there will be a war a year and a half into the Tribulation. Whether or not this is the Third or Fourth world war, we have no way of knowing. Unless WWIII breaks out soon, before the Rapture.

The Two Witnesses. Revelation 11:3-14 discusses what these two men will do. Verse 3 tells us, "And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sack cloth." 1,260 days is 3.5 years. Verse 5 goes on to tell us, "If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them [excluding the Anti-Christ] must die." We must take that at face value. God gives them the power to defend themselves, they cannot die until the mid-point of the Tribulation.

Verse 6 tells us, "They have the power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want." Again, face value. They have the power to make it not rain for the first 3 1/2 years, and turn our drinking water to blood. Verse 7 continues, "Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out from the Abyss [The Antichrist] will attack them." Verse 8 continues, "Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt [it will be Jerusalem], where also their Lord was crucified."

Verse 9 goes on to say, "For three and a half days many from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze at their bodies and refuse them burial." Verse 11, "But after the three and a half days the spirit of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them." Verse 12 goes on, "Then they heard loud voice from heaven saying to them, 'Come up here.' And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on." Verse 13 ends, "At that very hour there was a savage earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Now what does this all mean? Well, it's clear in its meaning. After these two witnesses, who we believe to be Elijah and Moses, are finished with their messages - 3.5 Years into the Tribulation, the Anti-Christ will kill them both. Their bodies will lay in the street of Jerusalem and 3 and a half days after they have been killed, they come to life and ascend into the sky. After that, an earthquake kills 7,000 people, and the survivors turn to God. These two witnesses will preach at the Wailing Wall for 3.5 years and thousands will be lead to Christ because of them - most of the 144,000, which I will touch on in a moment.

Now... I ordered a pamphlet not that long ago called the "Voice of Elijah." The pamphlet was to talk about the Anti-Christ, and it made me aware of a fourth view of the Rapture and Tribulation, aside from those who don't believe. As I began to read the letter the writer sent me, he talked about how he realized that what has been preached for years - The Mark, the Anti-Christ, the Rapture, The Tribulation, that all of it is false. He does not see how Lucifer can deceive so many people since the truth is out there. I picked up the pamphlet and put it into a place where I do not expect to find it again.

Folks, let me say this. God shows himself to us in different ways every.single.day. Now, what I am trying to get across is that everything that has been revealed to us already. Why? Because he wants us to be prepared. He wants people to recognize and turn to him, he doesn't want to leave us in the dark. That's why he gave us Revelation. So that those who will be Left Behind will get the call of "WAKE UP PEOPLE." And turn to him.

There is no other way. This man, who has written the Voice of Elijah, has been misled. I am not trying to say he is a terrible Christian, but perhaps he looked into it TOO far. How deep do you have to look when it tells you that Two Holy Guys will preach for 3 and a Half Years? Sounds pretty clear to me.

Moving on. The Indwelling. After the Witnesses, World War 3, and all of the events leading up to the Mid-Point, the Anti-Christ will be assassinated with a head wound. (Revelation 13:3) What will happen after this? For three days, his followers across the Globe will mourn. BUT. On the third day, mocking the sacrifice of our savior, Jesus, Lucifer (Satan) takes over the body of the Anti-Christ. His vessel. His "son." This is called the Indwelling. For the remaining 3 1/2 years, Satan will literally become ruler of the planet Earth. He will declare himself as God, as the prophesied Jewish messiah. But. He is not. He is the Great Deceiver.

He will soon after have people take his mark - a sign of loyalty to him. Revelation 13:11-18 talks about the Mark of the Beast. Conspiracy theorists have used this for a myriad of things. But I assure you. It is there, plain as day, in scripture. It has not changed since it was written by John on the Isle of Patmos.

Revelation 13:16 says, "It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a marl on their right hands or on their foreheads," verse 17 continues, "so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name." Verse 18 concludes, "This calls for wisdom. Let those who have insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666."

If you do not take this Mark on your right hand or forehead during the Tribulation, you can not only not buy, sell, or trade - if you refuse it and proclaim the name of God, you will be executed. Or worse. However. If you do accept the mark - you've just given yourself a one-way ticket to Hell. You can't take it back. Once you've pledged your allegiance, there is no turning back.

There is another mark though. A symbol. The Seal of God. About 2 years into the tribulation, after the Global Earthquake occurs, the Sun goes Black and the Moon blood red, (The Wrath of the Lamb), those Christians who survive will notice a mark on believer's foreheads. They will not be able to see their own, but will be able to see other believer's. This is a mark you can only get by accepting Jesus Christ into your life. Most believe it will be a cross on a person's forehead. Those who are not saved cannot see it.

Revelation 14:1-5 tells us of the 144,000 Witnesses. These are all Jews who have converted to Christianity after the Rapture has occurred. They will be sealed for a time - they will be under protection. By the midpoint of the Tribulation, they will also be subjected to the Judgments. Most of the 144,000 will convert due to the preaching of the Two Witnesses at the Wailing Wall. Verse 3 tells us, "And they sang a new song before the throne and before four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the Earth."

Then... The Battle of Armageddon. At the end of the Tribulation, the sixth Bowl/Vial Judgment occurs. The Euphrates river dries up, allowing the Ten Nations to meet on the field of Megiddo (Also called Armageddon). This will be the final battle before the return of Christ. Just when hope seems lost, The Glorious Appearing. Jesus returns with the saved - those who have died before the Rapture, who were Raptured, and those who died before the Appearing. Satan is bound in chains. Jesus sets up his kingdom on a New Earth - New Jerusalem, for 1,000 years. On this Earth, Satan has made it desolate and dreadful. His punishment for those 1,000 years is to walk the Earth that we now live on. Alone. Chained. To see what wrong he has caused. The sad part? When he is released after this, he will still try to overthrow God, and evil will finally be defeated.

But I will get to that tomorrow night, with my next two-part series, "New Jerusalem: A New Beginning."

If you want to learn more about the prophesies, read what Jesus had to say about the End Times in the Gospels, read Daniel, Ezekiel, Joel, Nahum, Isaiah, and all of the other prophets. Most of all, read the Book of Revelation. The very last book in the Bible. Jesus says that whoever reads this and does not add or subtract anything from it, will be greatly blessed.

The signs are recognizable. Earthquakes are commonplace. As are wars and rumors of Wars. Israel was re-born in 1948. The Rapture and The Tribulation, the End of the Age is rapidly approaching. Regardless of whether you believe it or not, folks, it is coming. The signs are everywhere around us. All we have to do is stop our busy lives for one moment and see that we are already there - thrown into the last pages of the Bible, the Rapture will happen soon. Will it happen in the next Ten Years? I don't know. Will it happen in the next hundred years? Most likely. There are only a few prophecies that have yet to be fulfilled before the Rapture. Then the Seven Year Countdown to the End of this planet ticks away. Not 2012. Not Y2K. Not another crazy theory or hoax. Reality will hit humanity in the face.

If you recognize the signs, and you realize that you are not saved, and that you need him, he asks us to turn to him, to "Confess with our mouth that 'Jesus Is Lord." (Romans 10:9) To believe in our heart that he rose from the dead, and we will be saved. Turn to him, pray without ceasing. Meaning, pray daily. It does not mean you need to pray every moment of everyday, although most of the time, I feel the need to.

The End Times are coming, folks. Are you ready?
Take Care, God Bless. Troy Hillman

The End Times (Part Two)

Continuing the series of The End Times, this is the second part of the series. Tonight I will be covering the different "views" of the Rapture - and the only view that is 100% supported by scripture. Along with this, I will begin outlining events that will occur during the Tribulation (Seal Judgments, Trumpet Judgments, Bowl/Vial Judgments)

There are three dominant views, concerning the coming of Jesus for his saints (The Rapture). These are classified as pretribulation rapture, midtribulation rapture, and posttribulation rapture.

The least common view is the midtribulation rapture, in which Christians are Raptured from the Earth 3.5 Years into the Tribulation. This is not 100% supported by scripture. The second most common view is the posttribulation rapture, in which Christians are all Raptured after the Tribulation. This is also not 100% supported by scripture. However, the pretribulation rapture, in which the Rapture occurs, THEN the Tribulation occurs, is the most common and is 100% SUPPORTED by scripture.

For one, Jesus tells us that his devoted followers will not be here during the 7-Year Tribulation. This shoots down Mid-Tribulation and Post-Tribulation. Others say that since there will be converts during the Tribulation that will survive till the Glorious Appearing, that it supports the Post-Tribulation view. Not true. Jesus tells us that directly after the Tribulation, is his Glorious Appearing. When this happens, he sets up his kingdom on New Earth - called New Jerusalem. So, wouldn't it be kind of ironic for us to be Raptured only to return with Christ moments later? Will this happen? Not likely. The Pre-Tribulation is the only view fully supported by Scriptures. If you click on the above chart, it will list verses that support each one. As I said, Pretribulation is the only view that supports all the scripture.

Now, onto what will happen during the Tribulation. I could go on for hours talking about what we've been told about what will happen, but I will give a brief outline and expound upon this tomorrow.

The Seal Judgments. They seal the fate of those who do not accept Jesus as their savior.

1) Antichrist. Conquers through deceptively peaceful means. (Revelation 6:2)

2) War. Takes peace from the world and kills many. (Revelation 6:4)

3) Famine. Luxuries abound but food is scarce especially during a 3 1/2 year drought, the time of the Two Witnesses. (Revelation 6:5-6)

4) Pestilence. 1/4 of World Population will die by sword, hunger, and wild beasts. (Revelation 6:8)

5) Martyrdom of Saints. Those slain for the word of God who became believers after the Rapture, during the early Tribulation, are given robes and are told to "rest for a season." This does not happen on Earth, but in Heaven. (Revelation 6:9-11)

6) Signs in Heaven, The Wrath of The Lamb - which is the Global Earthquake. Sun turns black, moon turns red. Every mountain and island move [pole shift]. "Stars" [meteors] fall to Earth. (Revelation 6:12-15, Joel 2:30-31)

7) Silence in Heaven. Silence for 1/2 an Hour in Heaven. Thunder, lightning, but NO rain falls, and there is another earthquake. This opens the 7 Trumpet Judgments. (Revelation 8:1, 6)

The Trumpet Judgments. These judgments are "louder." A trumpet blast is sharp, attention-getting, announcing trouble.

1) Hail, blood, and fire come to Earth. 1/3 of all Grass and Trees burn up. (Revelation 8:7)

2) Fiery Mountain, which will be a meteor or exploding volcano falls into the ocean. 1/3 of the sea becomes bloody. 1/3 of ocean life dies. 1/3 of all ships are destroyed. (Revelation 8:8-9)

3) Wormwood, a meteor, falls, poisoning rivers and underground water sources which kills many people. (Revelation 8:10-11)

4) 1/3 of the sun's, moon's, and star's light will be lost for a time. (Revelation 8:12)

5) 1st Woe: "Locusts" torture people without the seal of God for 5 months. People try to kill themselves, but they cannot die. (Revelation 9:3-10)

6) 2nd Woe: 200 Million Army of Strong kills 1/3 of remaining people who haven't turned from fornification, idolatry, murder, theft and society. (Revelation 9:13-21)

7) 3rd Woe: Opens the last 7 Judgments, called the Bowl or Vial Judgments. (Revelation 11:15-19, Revelation 15:1)

The Bowl, or the Vial Judgements. They are poured out on the planet, most of these are global.

1) Sores afflict everyone who has taken the Mark of the Beast [666 or 616]. (Revelation 16:2)

2) Sea turns to blood. All creatures in the sea die. (Revelation 16:3)

3) Rivers and waters turn to blood. (Revelation 16:4)

4) Sun scorches men with fire. [Not Those with the Seal of God] (Revelation 16:8)

5) Beast's kingdom [Antichrist] goes dark. People gnaw their tongues in pain. (Revelation 16:10)

6) Euphrates River dries up, allowing the 10 armies to cross to Megiddo. (Revelation 16:12)

7) Largest Earthquake ever. Cities except for Jerusalem and Babylon fall. 120 lb hail falls on men. Islands and mountains are gone. (Revelation 16:17-21)

Not that I've given a basic outline of events that will occur, There are other things that will be going on during these seven years - but these are the Judgments, that will be a "WAKE UP PEOPLE" to non-believers. That's what the Rapture is - it's a sign given to humanity so that they will turn to him.

If you have read all of this and you know that God has placed it on your heart to turn to him, Romans 10:9 tells us, "If you confess with our mouth that 'Jesus Is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Now, just because you believe that does not mean you can do whatever you want. He tells us to leave our old life behind, turning ourselves over to him, spending time in his word, learning more about him all the time, spreading his word, spreading his TRUTH. If you believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose three days later, do a quick check. If you are not saved, then take a look at the Ten Commandments posted on the sidebar. If you are guilty of breaking even one of those, our sentence is hell.

Thankfully, Jesus paid our penalty for us, and if we accept him into our lives in help to further his kingdom, all the while furthering our walk with him, we will be rewarded in heaven. But don't just do it for a reward. Do it for yourself. After you've reviewed the Ten Commandments, and you believe it, the sinners pray is below. If you believe what the prayer says, pray that out loud to God, or some variation of it, and if you fully believe it in your heart, you will be saved.

I will continue delving deeper into the End Times, which we are living in today - not long to go folks. Take Care, God Bless, and Have a Goodnight. Troy Hillman

The End Times (Part One)

In previous entries, I've talked about what is to come. Folks, we are living in the End Times. But not in The Tribulation. Not yet. Tonight, I will be touching on the first few years of the Tribulation. This is the first post in a series of two or three.

The Disciples said to Jesus, "And what will be the sign of the end times?" Over the last two thousand years, all of the signs have come about. Let me outline a few.

Old Testament Signs of The Endtimes:
- horseless carriages, cars (Nahum 2:3-4)
- airplanes (Isaiah 31:5)
- desert blossoming as a rose (Isaiah 35:1)
- alignment of a 10 nation confederacy (Daniel, Chapters 2 and 7)
- knowledge explosion (Daniel 12:4)
- great increases in travel (Daniel 12:4)

New Testament Signs of the Endtimes:
- false christs, false prophets (Matthew 24, Verses 5 and 24, 2nd Peter 2:1)
- wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6, Mark 13:7)
- famines, earthquakes, disease (Luke 24:12)
-iniquity abounding (Matthew 24:12)
- Gospel preached to the world (Matthew 24:14)
- signs in sun, moon, stars, seas and waves roaring (Luke 21:25-27)
- introduction of evil spirits which control cults and false religions (1st Timothy 4:1,2)

29 Signs of 1st Timothy 3:1-5, Signs within Man:
- Lovers of themselves, covetous, boasters, disobedient to parents, blasphemers, unthankful, trucebreakers, without neutral affection, unholy, false accusers, incontinent (drunkenness, gluttony, deviate sex, drugs), fierce, despisers of those who are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof
- Hoarding gold and silver, till its final demise (James 5:1-3)
- Scoffers mock Second Coming of Christ (2nd Peter 3:3-4)
- Lethargy and indifference among God's people (Revelation 3:14-16)
- Invention of atom bomb (2nd Peter 3:10)
- Jerusalem under Jewish Control - Rebirth of Israel (Luke 21:24)

Judgment Signs:
- As it was in the days of Lot (Luke 17:28, 30)
- Fiery Judgment (Ezekiel 20:47, Zephaniah 1:18, Malachi 4:1, Revelation 8:7, 9:18)
- As it was in the days of Noah [gluttony, drunkenness, illicit sex, corruption, violence] (Matthew 24:37, Genesis 6:11)
-Distress of nations (Luke 21:25)
- Hearts failing for fear (Luke 21:26)

Now, I don't know about you, but 90% of these signs sound familiar to me. Remember, these were predicted thousands of years ago - and they're coming true all the time. 1st Corinthians tells us about what is set to happen very soon. The Rapture. When all the devout Christians are caught up with Jesus in the "twinkling of an eye."

What will the situation be, globally? Think of this. It's a normal day. You're either in school, at work, or whatever your daily routine may consist of. All of a sudden, you're talking to your boss, your friend, your neighbor, whomever, and they vanish - right out of their clothes. This will happen all around the world in the same instant. It is called the Rapture. While the world is thrown in chaos, with planes crashing, cars crashing, people running rampant, the world has gone crazy.

All of a sudden, maybe not that very day, but very soon after, about a week, a man of self-proclaimed "Peace" who appears to continue to rise in power despite his "humble-ness" in not wanting these positions. This man is what the Bible refers to as the Antichrist. He will sign a peace treaty with Israel, a seven-year peace treaty. The moment this is signed, it initiates a Seven-Year Tribulation - the worst Seven Years Humanity has ever and will ever face. It is true that for the first year and 1/2, the world will enjoy being in a state of the most peace it has probably had since the Fall.

However. 1st John 4:3 tells us, "And every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world." There will be two mean who will preach at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, who many suspect to be Elijah and Moses. They have the power to stop the rain from falling in Israel, to turn water to blood, and several other things. God gives the Two Witnesses the power to defend themselves, so that they will not die until 3 and 1/2 years into the Tribulation. They are to preach for 1260 days, then are killed by the Antichrist, the so-called man of peace, who is really Lucifer's right hand. Three and a half days later, the Two Witnesses, who will be left out in the street, raise to life. They will ascend to Heaven and cause a Great Earthquake.

I will go deeper into what the Bible tells us about what will happen in this dark chapter of Earth's history tomorrow night. I will also talk about the three different views of the Rapture (when it will happen.) Some say it will happen before the Tribulation, some say it will happen halfway through, while others say it will happen at the end, and that all Christians living today will have to live through the Tribulation. Take Comfort, friends. The Rapture will happen before the 7-Year Tribulation begins, I will point out why these other two views are wrong - and are scripturally incorrect.

If God has placed it on your heart to turn to him, let me be blunt. The punishment for sinners is Hell. We all have to face God on judgment day, regardless of whether you believe in him or not. So I ask this. If a company were to come up to you and ask, if we pay you 100 Million Dollars for one of your eyes, for a test we are doing, would you sell it? I sure wouldn't. If they made another offer and said they would pay 500 Billion Dollars for both eyes, what would you say? I know I would decline.

So why is it that when it comes to our eyes, the windows in which our souls look through, we wouldn't want to get rid of them, but people throw away their souls everyday? God is our Judge, we are all on trial. We have all sinned and fall short of the glory og God, and Jesus came in and paid our fine in full. If you don't know what you are guilty of, go back and read my previous entries on the Ten Commandments - we have all broken them, folks.

Romans 10:9 tells us, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." If you believe in your heart all these things, and you know the only way is to turn to Christ, seek fellow believers and local pastors, or turn to the most important textbook, history book, and Greatest Story ever written: HisStory. The Bible.

Take Care, God Bless, and Goodnight. Troy Hillman

Evidence of The Resurrection

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here are the facts, regardless of whether you believe or not: Jesus of Nazareth was a Jewish Prophet who was said to be Christ, prophesied in the Jewish Scriptures, he was arrested, he was judged as a political criminal, and then was crucified. Three days after he had died and was buried, a couple of women who went to His tomb found the body gone. In the following weeks, even years, leading up to their very hour of death, his disciples claimed that God raised Jesus from the dead and that he appeared to them various times before ascending into heaven. Since then, Christianity has spread throughout the World.

Now let me tell you The Truth of the Matter: If Scientists, Scholars, Intellectuals truly look at the evidence, they cannot explain away the most important week in human history, next to the Week of Creation - the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Messiah promised for hundreds of years.

John 19:39-40 tells us that the body of Jesus, in accordance with the Jewish burial custom, was wrapped in a linen cloth. Aromatic spices, mixed together to form a "gummy" substance, were applied to the wrappings of cloth about the body. (Myrrh and Aloe) After the body was placed in a tomb, a large stone was rolled against the entrance of the tomb. These Large stones weighed about two tons, and were normally rolled, using levers, against a tomb entrance.

There were several Roman Guards surrounding the Tomb. The Tomb was affixed with the Roman seal, meaning, "prevent any attempt at vandalizing the sepulcher." Anyone trying to move the stone from the tomb's entrance would have broken the seal and would have to answer to answer to Roman Authorities.

Three days later, the tomb was empty. The followers of Jesus told others that he had risen from the dead. They had reported that Jesus appeared to them during the next 40 days, showing Himself to them by many "infallible proofs." Acts records that he appeared to about 500 people during these 40 days. So many security precautions were taken with the trial, crucifixion, burial, entombment, sealing, and guarding of Christ's tomb that it becomes very difficult for critics to deny that Jesus rose from the dead.

The Broken Roman Seal, The Empty Tomb, the Large Stone being Removed, the Roman Guards who ran to Pilate afterwards, The Grave clothes, and the confirmed Appearances of Jesus are pretty hard to refute. The Grave clothes.

While we say that the tomb was "Empty," we just mean that the body of Jesus was not there. Something amazing happened though, with what WAS left there. John, the one who Jesus called his beloved, after being told that his body was gone, ran to the Tomb. When he got there, the the place Jesus had been laid, there were the grave clothes, in the form of a body, and they were slightly caved in and empty. Sort of compared to the empty chrysalis we find, of a caterpillar's cocoon. John believed instantly. This is because of the myrrh and aloe. It made the Linen like cement. When Jesus rose, there were no cuts or anything in the cloth - the shroud. So when John saw this, he believed that the only way he could have gotten out was through Supernatural Means. This stuck in the minds of the disciples - the empty grave clothes that were undisturbed and in the same position.

Something else that I find strange. The Roman scribes at that time had to record what was said in the Roman Governor's headquarters. When the Soldiers came to report that the graveclothes were empty, he was recorded as telling them to use a cover story. The cover story? Go and tell Caesar that you all fell asleep, and while you were, sleeping, the disciples came and took the body away.

But there's a major flaw in their cover story. These guards had gone through intense combat training, wars, battles, for 5 Years. They were heavily decorated. They were merely placed at the Tomb to keep it from the Zealots until the Passover was over. So, I ask this. In some accounts, there are at most 16 guards. At the least, there were two. The gospels do not tell us how many. But think of something. If there are 16 guards, all trained, and the Disciples come and roll away a two-ton stone, is that not going to wake one of them up? Explain the empty graveclothes. The only logical conclusion is to see that it was an Act of God. Jesus had risen.

If someone sticks by a lie, you can usually see through the cracks. If a murderer lies about killing someone, at least at times, he may either give it up, admit to it, or die with the secret. But people can still see through the cracks. Why is it that these disciples and followers would preach everywhere the Resurrection of Christ, enduring flogging, being thrown to lions, crucifixion, torture, and other such things, and STILL hold to their belief that Jesus had returned? That's because he had, folks. There is PLENTY of scientific research, theological research, archaeological research, just look for it on the web, you will certainly find it. Just be wary of what you find.

If you have not turned to God, and God has placed it on your heart to do so, Romans 10:9 says, "If you declare with your mouth that 'Jesus Is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." If you are sincere in this, I ask you to read the "Sinner's Prayer" I have posted on the side-bar of this blog, and if you believe this, pray that prayer, or something like it, out loud. God Bless You, Take Care. Troy Hillman

The Great Deceiver (Part Two)

Yesterday, we covered one of the ways in which Lucifer deceives humanity. Today, I will be covering something that seems to be at an all time high, as predicted in Revelation. Aliens. UFO's. Government conspiracies.

Consider this: God made all of humanity. He created linear time for us, and us alone. He himself is not bound by linear time. Furthermore, God clearly uses the Bible to show us the fate of this universe. Every star and every planet, everything in the Universe are linked to the fate of Mankind. One day very soon, Jesus will Rapture his church, we are not told that he will Rapture little green men.

2nd Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not low in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." Verse 10 continues, "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare."

If there were other lifeforms out there, it would be difficult to manage both us and them. Meaning - God's plan for this universe is clearly based on God's plan for Earthlings. If God created other life, it's hard to imagine that their lives would be aligned with the failure's of Earth's inhabitants. It appears very unlikely, improbable, and unfair that their planet would be destroyed for the sins of humanity.

God will destroy this Universe because of the Sin that is in it. When Eve sinned, all of the Universe was affected. Romans 8:18-22 teaches us that "all of creation was subjected to futility." While man was placed in charge of the Earth, we are told that in turn, even the heavens (space) are subjected to us. So if there were aliens, they would have to suffer because of us.

Now I'll get down to it. As I've previously discussed, Satan can use his power of deception to influence what we see. The Bible talks about this. Let me give a statistic. The German magazine Focus, states: "90% of UFO reports turn out to be a humbug, but there is a residual 10% which are not easy to dismiss." The article quoted Gerald Eberlain: "Research has shown that people who are not affiliated with any church, but who claim they are religious, are particularly susceptible to the possible existence of extraterrestrials. For them, Ufology is a substitute religion."

The Bible is clear on this: In the Holy Kingdom, there is the Trinity - Father, Spirit, Jesus. There are angels, who were created to serve mankind. In the Unholy Kingdom, there is Lucifer, his fallen legion of angels, and the demons that he created.

The 10% of UFO and Alien sightings that are not easily dismissed are probably the direct result of a deception on the part of the Great Deceiver. UFO reports are sketchy at best, not very identifiable. Take this into consideration: Alien "True-Believer's" tell us that we were all created here on Earth, but that a space-ark of Aliens landed here, and created us in test tubes. Pardon me for finding that as offensive as someone trying to convince me that I descended from a hairy ape. 

If you are not a Christian, this would easily deceive a person into believing what they have seen. If Lucifer has deceived them by making his demons look like little green men or any form of alien that has been reported, then non-believers in Christ are more susceptible to believe what they have seen than the unseen Truth of God. That is not to say that God's works are unseen. Indeed, they are all around us - you would have to be blind not to look at the stars and having the word "Wow" come to mind. 

The point is this. Since Lucifer and his demons have been around longer than any of us, I'm pretty sure that he would have a better understanding of our technology. Meaning this: he could either create the illusion of UFO's or he himself could supervise the creation of "UFO's." The same applies to all these experiences with Aliens and UFO's. It is not to say that every single person who has had these experiences is faking or lying, as so many believe.

It is that these people have been deceived by Lucifer - and because they are not saved by Christ, they do not know the Truth, they tend to believe their experiences more than a book that "appears" to have no evidence. While I could go on for hours listing the evidence for God and The Bible, I will state the biggest proof of all: Our Very Existence. Look at your eyes. Look at your fingerprints. Our minds. We are each unique in our own way.
Matthew 24:4 says, "Watch out that no one deceives you." In saying this, he is referring to everything that leads us stray from God. Evolution, Near-Death Experiences, Aliens, UFO's, and thousands of other things leading people astray. In the last decade, this has been proven. 

More than ever, people are following these deceptions. A good friend of mine recently pointed something out. CNN.com had a poll that said something like, "Are aliens going to be hostile?" It didn't say anything about the existence of aliens, it just asked whether or not these beings would be hostile. It assumed they were real. I talked with this friend of mine for a long while about this topic, and thought it best that I bring up both Near Death-Experiences and Aliens to those who have been and will one day read this. '

I will not badger the subject. But I will say this. Be careful what you follow, folks. If you encounter something in this life that begins to draw you away from God, I urge you to do your research before preceding any further. Whether it be Near-Death Experiences, Aliens, UFO's, Evolution, or anything that hinders your relationship with our Creator, study what the scriptures have to say about the subject. If you are not sure where to look, the internet could be a useful tool in finding out what the Bible has to say about things. Christiananswers.net is a good website to visit for answers to some of the hard questions. Be wary. While the internet can be useful, it can also be harmful.

Paul tells us in 2nd Timothy 2:15 to study scripture, so we might "accurately handle the word of truth." If you are not a believer, and you know that God has put it on your heart to turn to him, he calls to confess with our mouth that "Jesus Is Lord," live by his commandments, follow his ways, be Christian (Christ-Like), take up our cross and follow him. There are no magical words to get you into heaven, dear friends. However, there is what we refer to as the sinner's prayer. You can find one variation on the sidebar of this blog. If you confess with your Mouth that Jesus is Lord, believe in your heart that he died and rose again three days later, if you truly believe that and confess it, as well as repenting of your sins, then by God's Grace we are saved.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, Feel free to leave comments below, Take Care, and God Bless. Troy Hillman

Previous Entry in Series: "The Great Deceiver" (Part One)

"The Great Deceiver" (Part One)

Who is the Great Deceiver? As I've discussed previously, the Great Deceiver is Lucifer. As I've also said before, there are several names for him: Abaddon, Accuser, Old Scratch, Angel of Light, Apollyon, and the list goes on and on. Revelation 12:9 says, “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

The next two nights I will be talking about some of the ways in which the Devil has lead many astray - and if you have fallen to these things I have, thankfully have seen the light, then you will be enlightened, or at least, it will get you thinking.

Ever hear of Near-Death Experiences? Studies show that 5% of Americans have had a Near-Death Experiences. Last spring, I was given several books to read, that talked about the typical "Experience." The person dies, travels through a swirling tunnel of light, arrives in what they believe to be Heaven, where they meet this Being of Light, sometimes more than one. Bear with me, folks. Following this, a person has a Panoramic view of every moment from their lives. Typically, these people come back and try to tell people about their experiences.

That's what got me hooked in - I hadn't read the Bible fully, I always wanted to know what Heaven looked like, what happened when we got there. When I was little, for some reason I had this image of Heaven in my head: When I died, I was going to become an angel, and I had heard that we would play harps and sing to God forever and ever. While I love singing, sorry to say, in my Youth, I did not find that appealing at all. So of course hearing about people who had died and gone to heaven or hell would grab my attention. Who wouldn't be drawn to something like that?

But let me point something out. In 90% of these cases, the person who has had the experience is told by the Being of Light, which some believe to be Jesus, God, or even themselves, that all roads lead to him, that you don't need to follow God, The Bible, never need to pray, that there is no Devil, no demons, no Hell.

While that all sounds peachy-keen, it's false. I knew that there was a Heaven AND Hell, I knew that there was a Devil, I knew that there were demons. I started thinking seriously about what I was reading, wondering what I missed. One day, near the start of the summer, I felt inclined to write down everything I had believed, in all that psychic mumbo-jumbo. I now believe it was the Holy Spirit trying to straighten me up. I left to go to a friend's house, leaving the notes on my desk. When I returned, my Dad had them in his hands. We sat down and talked about it all, and It hit me. My Pastor had also talked with me about it, they helped me get out while I still could. It's not that I was practicing witchcraft or anything, but I believed what I had read, and starting thinking that going to church was inferior, that they didn't fully know what happens after we die like these people did. Not to say I wouldn't go to church, but when I finally straightened out, I started down the path to where I am today of intense daily studies, that have helped me write this blog.

Switching gears. 1st Corinthians 11:14 tells us, “And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” What am I getting at? Folks, let me give you a scenario: a man is in the hospital, unsaved. All of a sudden, he is whisked out of his body, and his soul goes to a place of light. He meets this being of light. The being tells him that all religions lead to him, and that the person can continue to live the way they are now and will get to heaven either way.

I'm getting at this. Lucifer is The Being of Light that, when the unsaved are close to death, he shows them a false place. I suppose what made me skeptic when I was told not to believe these experiences was this: Why is it that SO many people could have the same kind of experiences, most of these people being strict lawyers and such who are known for sticking to truth, that all of the experiences were fake?

Well, the truth of the matter is, the experiences are NOT fake. For the most part. The problem is this: What Lucifer shows people does not truly exist. People see it, so they believe it. Why? Because he is the Great Deceiver and leads people astray by making them believe that they've had this experience. A lot of people HAVE had the experience. It's just the WRONG experience. The only way you can get to Heaven is through Jesus. When Lucifer tricks people, telling them that all roads lead to Heaven, most of these people go off, writing books and telling people about what happened to them.

It's just that... they didn't experience Heaven. They experienced Lucifer's deception. Do NOT be led astray by his talk of Near-Death Experiences. If people believe most of these accounts, it means that there was no reason for Jesus to die for our sins, that we didn't need to follow his commandments, and that we didn't need to follow him.

Get the picture? Lucifer is the cause of these deceptions, my friends. While I cannot discredit each and every single experience, the being of Light that tells people these things - is the Angel of Light, the Prince of Darkness. Satan. The Fallen Angel.

I hope that at the very least, if you have fallen to these deceptions as I previously did, that you look at the evidence - and see that they are from the Father of Lies. The bad news is, Lucifer isn't finished. His end plan - is to have The Antichrist, the Deceiver, is coming soon. If he is not already here. 1st John 4:3 says, “And every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.”

If you haven't read any of the Bible, I ask this of you: Take time out of your week to read the Book of John. The Fourth book in the New Testament. Go into it with an open mind, and read it carefully. When you come out of it, you will have either accepted Christ, or completely rejected him. The choice is yours and yours alone.

If you're not a Christian, and you know that God has put it on your heart - that you need him, he asks this of us: That we confess with our mouths that "Jesus is Lord," (Romans 10:9) that we repent and ask him for forgiveness, that we live by his Commandments, not just then Ten Commandments, but the Commandments Jesus gave us in the life he lead here on Earth. If you're not a believer, and you know that you need Christ, he asks that we turn to him, and give him our lives, putting our lives in his hands.

Tomorrow Night I hope to continue on the Deceptions of the Devil in this modern age. If anything that I have written sounds strange to you, I ask that you read all of my posts, read scripture for yourself, and see that it is The Truth. There is only on truth, and The Truth is the Word of God. Please feel free to leave comments or visit the facebook page. Take Care my friends, and God Bless. Troy Hillman

Next Entry in Series: "The Great Deceiver" (Part Two)

Location of Hell: The Harrowing of Hell

What happened to Jesus during the three days between his death and resurrection? The Apostles, in the Apostle's Creed, stated, "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead." (Photo credit to: Jesus Is Lord, Middle Town Bible Church) 

The Harrowing of Hell, as it is referred to, was when Jesus, after willing giving up his life on the Cross, descended to the center of the Earth - Hell. But before you call me a blasphemer, let me remind you of several things. For one, Jesus did not go to the torment part of Hell. At this time, "Hell" was split in two. It is in the center of the Earth. References and other reasons why are provided later, including where Jesus himself refers to the center of the Earth.

Now, the "harrowing of hell" is typically found as Catholic doctrine. Bear in mind that I am not Catholic, but a Young Earth Creationist, Non-Denominational Christian, and it is not without Scriptural basis that this doctrine is shared. The doctrine of purgatory is not advocated here, as I have not found a basis for it, but the teaching of the Harrowing of Hell is not unbiblical. Why? Jesus did not descend into Hell as torment, but into the section of Hell that was paradise, thus fulfilling the promise to the thief on the cross.

We are told by Jesus that no one could come to the Father but through him, and that no one had ever been to heaven - no human that is. (John 1:18) So, I ask: where did people such as Moses, Elisha, Jonah, Noah, Adam, King David and King Solomon, and all the other saved, including Abraham, go when they died? Not to heaven. I will explain, so that this is not so confusing.

"Hell," as it is referred to as now, was once two sections. Think of the Core of the Earth as half paradise and half torment, separated by a "great chasm." (Luke 16:26) The Paradise section was not a place of torment, it was not hot, it was not torture. It was like the waiting room in hospital. It was a place of waiting for the saved - including, but not limited to, all the aforementioned saints. We are told that Job and all Righteous men went to Sheol - the name for the Paradise section, when they died. You could not return from Sheol, although there is one instance where someone did. 
Shortly after the Prophet and adviser to King Saul, Samuel, died, Saul went to a Witch in Endor in disguise, as he had outlawed mediums. Saul knew not to have anything to do with mediums, as demonic activity surrounds them even when they do not realize it, but he did not obey God's law. 1st Samuel 28:3-25 details the encounter that Saul had. Saul had asked the Psychic to raise Samuel, so that he could hear his guidance, but the medium was surprise when God intervened and called up the real Samuel from Paradise. 

Verses 11a-14 say, "'Bring up Samuel,' he said. When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said, 'Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!' The king said to her, 'Don't be afraid. What do you see?' The woman said, 'I see a ghostly figure coming out of the earth.' 'What does he look like?' he asked. 'An old man wearing a robe is coming up out of the earth.'" This is when Saul knew it was Samuel. Samuel said to Saul in verse 15, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" As previously mentioned, Saul told Samuel that God would not answer him anymore, and Samuel told him that it was his own doing, because he never obeyed God.

The reason the woman was scared was because God had intervened and actually sent the real Samuel. Ghosts are essentially demons, fallen angels, posing as the spirits of deceased people. This is fallacious, however, since upon death we either enter into Heaven or Hell. But if people are "haunted" by ghosts, they are prone to be led away from Scripture and in return, the purpose of the demon is fulfilled: they disbelieve the Bible and end up in Hell, though this does not happen to all. (See entry, "Ghosts: Do You Believe In Them?")

Had the witch of Endor called up a demon posing as Samuel, she would not have been frightened, but God intervened, and she could tell something was different, and was frightened. Most psychics and those who follow the New Age movement do not realize that these ghosts and "spirit guides" are demons trying to lead them away from Jesus, with Lucifer posing as a being of light which tells them that there is no Hell nor demons and that all paths lead to him, which is certainly not true. (See entry, "Don't All Roads Lead to God?")

Parts of the New Testament show a difference between Sheol, the Place of Waiting, and Gehenna, the place of fire and torment - the Hell we have so often heard of, that is still there, in the Earth. In Matthew 12:40, the Pharisees had asked for a sign from Jesus, and he replied, "None shall be given to you except the sign of Jonah." Verse 40 says, "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

Before I continue on with more scripture references, let me just give a brief summary of the sequence of events. Jesus dies on his own will on the cross, with Mary and John, as well as several others, standing by Him. Jesus told the thief that on that very day, he would be with Him in Paradise, Luke 24:43, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." Christ was no lying; after Jesus gave up his spirit, He descended into the core of the Earth - into Sheol, the Paradise section. For three days, he preaches to the saved, and those across the "Great Chasm" (Luke 16:26) in the torment section heard Jesus preach. After the three days were over, He rose from the dead, in a Glorified body. 

The way was now open for those who died, if they accepted Jesus into their life, to go to Heaven. When he rose from the dead, Matthew 27:51-53 tells us that the saints who had died, including Adam, Moses, and all the others, rose to life and went into the city of Jerusalem, appearing to many people. Verse 53 says, "They came out of the tombs after Jesus' resurrection and went into the city and appeared to many people." So, as I've said, this all comes from God's Word. So to dismiss what we are told, itself, would be to reject the Truth. That's what this blog is about, my friends, is the Truth, and trying to spread the Salvation that we have through Jesus Christ our Lord throughout the World before the time of the Rapture. 

Matthew tells us that immediately after Jesus died, the earth shook, the veil in the Temple was torn in two, and many people rose from the dead and walked about in Jerusalem testifying. According to the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus, John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus in Sheol by prophesying to those held there that Jesus would soon release them, just as he prepared the way for Jesus on Earth.

A possible reference made to these three days is in Acts 2:27, when Jesus says, "Because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay." The resurrection of the saints after Christ's resurrection is something we tend not to see in movies, books, aside from the Bible, makes no mention of the dead rising. Remember, these are just those who were saved who died BEFORE Jesus died for our sins. After he died, the way was opened to Heaven. To enter into heaven, we merely have to accept his free gift of Salvation.

When Jesus and the Saints rose from the dead, the Paradise section of Hell, according to writings around that time, was closed off. Meaning, the entire core became Hell, torment. The waiting room was closed up, as those who accepted God's salvation could now enter directly into Heaven instead of waiting for the Messiah to appear, as he had already come. 

Click To Enlarge, From Middletown Bible Church

Luke 16:19-31 tells the Story of a Rich Man, Lazarus and Abraham (of the Old Testament). Jesus relates the story of a Rich Man, who is not named, but for the sake of relating I will call him Rich. Rich was always dressed in purple and fine linen, we are told that he lived in luxury everyday. At the gate of his house there was a beggar named Lazarus (not the same who Jesus raised from the dead) who had sores. He longed to eat what fell from Rich's table. Whoever Rich was, we are told he let Lazarus starve. 

Luke 16:22 says, "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man died and was also buried. In Hades [Gehenna], where he was in torment, he looked across and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side." We are told that Rich called to them, asking for even a drop of water so that the pain would momentarily drop, because he was in agony in the fire. Abraham shouted across the Great Chasm between Sheol and Gehenna, that he did not live a life for God, but Lazarus did, that Lazarus was in comfort but Rich was in agony. 

Verse 26 says, "And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us." The Rich man continued, asking Abraham to help him to get to his family to warn them of Hell, so that they did not have to go. Abraham replied that they had the teachings of the Law and of The Old testament, that it was their choice if they chose to believe, because we are all given free will.

After Jesus had risen, he was on the Earth for 40 Days. (Acts 1:3) When he ascended to Heaven, all of the saints who had also been risen to life, disappeared. There are several historical records telling of this, of the saints that had returned - although the devout Jews chose to ignore the rising of the dead. When all of this had happened, the saints who were in wait were now in Heaven, they way was and still is open for Heaven, and the Core fully became Hell.

Also, think on this. Secular scientists say that the core of the earth is either metal or molten. Regardless, which do we see coming out of volcanoes? Molten lava. Many people claim to have heard screams or cries coming from inside volcanoes. The famous diver Jacques Cousteau stopped diving one day after hearing screams coming from an underwater volcano, too shaken to continue. There are many other examples. There are many who have been declared clinically dead then revived hours or minutes later who detail reports of Hell as being in the core of the Earth. This claim is not unscientific nor unbiblical.

Paul mentions the Harrowing of Hell in Ephesians 4:7-10. He begins by quoting Psalm 68:18, "When he ascended on high, he took many captives, and gave gifts to his people." This can be interpreted to mean that when he ascended, and the holy ones rose with him, they were the former "captives" of hell - and his gift was the Holy Spirit. Paul goes on to say, "What does 'he ascended' mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe."

It appears that in saying this, Paul is not referring to Sheol as a mere grave, as the Bible sometimes does, but that because he ascended, he also descended - into the lower regions of the Earth - the core, Hell. Ezekiel 31:16 says, "I made the nations tremble at the sound of its fall when I brought it down to the realm of the dead to be with those who go down to the pit. Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, the well-watered trees, were consoled in the earth below." God seems to be indicating here, again, the location of "the pit."

Perhaps a better reference would be Ezekiel 26:20, "then I will bring you down with those who go down to the pit, to the people of long ago. I will make you dwell in the earth below, as in ancient ruins, with those who go down to the pit, and you will not return or take your place in the land of the living." 1st Peter 3:18-19 says, "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. In that state he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits."

Based on this interpretation, the aforementioned verses seem to indicate that God's Word either confirms or leans toward this direction - but we cannot make our fallible ideas fit into the Bible, we must make the infallible truths of God's Word. While we have discussed several key verses in scripture, there are many more which I could point out, though it may depend upon interpretation. Now, we need to understand something. Hell, at this current moment in time, is NOT the Lake of Fire that Jesus referred to, nor the Lake of Burning Sulfur that is talked about in Revelation 21:10, though there are fire pits in Hell.

After sin came into the World, and Lucifer was given domain, (see entry: "Satan and the Origin of Evil") the center of the Earth became not only Sheol but also Gehenna, which is the torment, the fire. From the first sin of Adam and Eve around 4004 BC until ca. 33 AD, when Jesus died, Hell was two, and there was a "Great Chasm" diving the two sections. (Luke 16:26) After Jesus rose from the dead, Hell became one thing, one place of torment. There was no longer a need for a waiting room. Jesus, and several other dominant figures in the Bible tell us that there is more than one level of torture in Hell. It is the hottest place you could be, aside from the Sun. You are always hungry, your desires (sex, alcohol, what have you) are multiplied, and can never be satisfied. 

Is Hell the Core of the Earth?

Those who go to Hell will always be thirsty, and always gasping for air, but there is none. But from different accounts, we have been told that there are different levels of Punishment in Hell. In Hell, you have no strength, you cannot breath, the odor is atrocious, there is no mercy, no rest nor sleep, no water, you are naked, screams are heard everywhere never-ending, and Christ continually told us of Hell, "where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched." A good book to read on this subject is 23 Minutes in Hell by Bill Wiese. However, I would recommend staying away from NDE's based around Hell, unless they agree with God's infallible Word. (See entry, "What Did Jesus Say About Hell?", see page: "23 Minutes in Hell")

Now we will take a look at the future of this location. There will be some who survive the End Times, the Rapture followed by the 7-year Tribulation, and live to see the Glorious Appearing of Jesus Christ. We are told that all of those that are in Hell at that moment, and all who have accepted the Mark of The Beast, as well as the Antichrist and the False Prophet, will be thrown into the Lake of Burning Sulfur. (Revelation 19:20) Jesus sets up his kingdom on a New Earth, called New Jerusalem. During these 1,000 years, Satan will be bound in chains, in the pit. (Revelation 20:3)

After the 1,000 Years of Peace are over, Revelation 21:7-10 tells us that Lucifer will try for the final time to go out and deceive the nations, the four corners of the Earth, into his cause. He will try once more to overthrow God. Revelation 21:9 says, "... But fire came down from heaven and devoured them." Verse 11 continues, "And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast [Antichrist] and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever."

For those who are curious as to how the Antichrist and False Prophet link to Satan, I will explain. The Anti-Christ is a man of "Peace" who will try to unify the World after all of the Christians have disappeared - called the Rapture. When he signs a 7-Year Peace Treaty with Israel, the Great 7-Year Tribulation starts. The Antichrist is some kind of demonic creature that has the powers of Lucifer and takes orders from Lucifer. When the "man of peace" is assassinated by a head wound 3 1/2 years into the Tribulation, Satan will take over his body, and will declare himself the Messiah promised to the Jews. (Referred to as the Indwelling) Let me assure you, folks, he is NOT. The False Prophet is the man who will go around spreading word that the Antichrist is the Messiah. He will be the Anti-Christ's right-hand man.

Satan, The Antichrist, and the False Prophet make up the UNHOLY TRINITY, just as God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit make up the HOLY TRINITY. However, the Holy Trinity is by far more powerful than the Unholy Trinity. That is why in the end, God wins. Now, there are many other verses that refer to the location of Hell. Ezekiel 26:20 says, "When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit..." 

Psalm 63:9 says, "But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth." Isaiah 26:19, "...and the earth shall cast out the dead." Psalm 139:15, "... in the lowest parts of the earth." Scripture seems to indicate clearly the location of Hell as the core. Psalm 88:6, "You have laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the depths." Isaiah 57:9 says, "...and even descended to Sheol." Ezekiel speaks about the location numerous times, "down into the pit; down into hell; descend into the pit; are gone down... into the nether parts of the earth... down to hell... gone down...draw her down..." (see Ezekiel 31:16-18; 32:18, 20-21, 23-25, 27, 29-30) 

Isaiah 14:19 says, "...hell from beneath...", Matthew 11:23, "shalt be brought down to hell...", Psalm 55:23, "But you, O God, shall bring them down into the pit of destruction." Psalm 40:2 continues, "He also brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay...", Psalm 30:3, "...not go down to the pit." Job 11:8, "It is as high as heaven... deeper than hell," Job 33:24, "Deliver him from going down to the pit," Psalm 9:15, "the heathen are sunk down in the pit," 2nd Peter 2:4, "...but cast them down to hell," Lamentations 3:55, "From the lowest pit [dungeon]," Luke 10:15, "...shalt be thrust down to hell..." and Job 21:13, "...and in a moment, go down to the grave [Sheol in original Hebrew]." Scripture appears to be referring to Hell in the lower regions, the "heart of the earth."

Thank you for taking the time to read this entry of "The Truth," and if you have not come to Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of your life, I would urge you to do so.There are no special words, but "if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that he is risen from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9) Live by the Laws of God, and ask for forgiveness of your sins against him. (1st John 1:9) If you have an comments, feel free to leave them below, I will be happy to reply. You may also email vexx801@yahoo.com, the ministry team at thetruth.ministryweb@gmail.com, visit the ministry homepage, or visit the facebook page. God bless, take care, dear reader. Troy Hillman