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Bible Quiz 5
1.
Can I be what God wants me to be and still be what I want to be? Ans.
2. If I were to be
left behind (on Judgment Day), what would I have to do to show God that I believe and that
I want to serve Him? Ans.
3. Do I have to serve
God in the spiritual war against good and evil? Ans.
4. Will I have to pass
a certain test to be approved of God? Ans.
5. Do I have to
confront Christ Jesus (i.e. "face Him") and be judged by Him? Ans.
Answers:
1. Here's a question: Can a child who lives in their father's house with
established 'rules' setup to benefit the whole family just go and do what they want to do,
and still honor their flesh father? As long as the child 'knows' the rules, and does not
go out and do anything against them, then they are under their father's will, even living
according to it, bringing their father and their family 'honor' and blessings. The result
is true peace, a life which the father naturally wants the child to have. When they fail,
repentance is necessary, and then trying to do better, for we all fall short.
That good family situation is no different between our
Heavenly Father and 'us', His children, of all races, tongues, and nations. God gave His
Letter The Word to each one us, for each to study, so we would know, understand,... and do
that which He knows is best for us. So why wouldn't we want to follow His Ways that He
outlined for us? When we do, it always brings blessings from Him, for we will be in His
Will.
I John
5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any
thing according to His will, He heareth us:
15 And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know
that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.
Notice
above "according to His will, He heareth us". Does that mean if we pray for a
brand new car that God will give it to us? Well, we of course have to go out and work for
it, but if it's according to His Will, He hears us. Notice it still didn't say we are
going to get what we prayed for. It depends if it is according to His will for us or not.
Then also, if we pray for something that He knows will harm us, or is not in His Will,
loving us, He won't do it. So how do we know what to pray for then? Studying His Word for
ourselves will show each one of us. That's why He sent His Word to us. God has setup His
Ways during this flesh age time, which we cannot just steer around. That's why when we
don't study His Word, not knowing what is best for us, we can go out and try to be
something we are not, or that isn't best for us, and it just will not work. We can cause
'conflict' in our lives which will bring misery upon ourselves. Is it God doing it, or of
ourselves when that misery happens? Other than periods of temptation and testing by the
evil one that all 'in Christ' must suffer at times, with most, we ourselves often bring
misery on ourselves by not being in God's Will.
God sent one of Satan's "messengers" to buffet Paul,
keeping him in line for his chosen Mission. Paul prayed to our Heavenly Father three times
to remove it. God told Paul His 'Grace' for him was good enough. So there's our example in
praying for help in a matter (2 Corinthians 12:6-10). After petitioning God in the matter
after three times, and we still run into a 'wall' with it, then it most likely is not
according to God's Will; at least not at that time. We need to thank Him for the Grace He
has given us in Christ Jesus, and 'press on', trying to do the best we can.
So the other 'side', with one who leaves God out of their lives,
and goes out to be what 'they' want to be and not caring about God's Will; they break the
'house rules', and wind up dishonoring their family, while bringing turmoil upon
themselves. And for one who claims to be Christian, our 'family' is the Body of Christ.
The 'key' - study 'all' of God's Word to know how to be in His Will, then He will add to
us those things we need, and often, before we even ask. Paul taught in 1 Cor.10, going
back to God's People in the wilderness, how they were 'under the cloud' of God's Glory
then, but still many refused to be under His Will. Paul then said about all those events
of the Old Testament:
1 Cor 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for
ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are
come.
12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
Another level to this question of "Can I be what God wants me to be...", i.e.,
being one of God's servants vs. doing what we want to do with our own lives. There's many
examples in God's Word where certain ones were 'chosen' for a specific Mission by our
LORD; i.e. Moses, Jonah, Job, David, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, John the Baptist, Christ's
Apostles, etc.
Paul in Acts 9 was one such example. Christ intervened
'directly' in Paul's life, taking his 'free-will' choice to believe, or not to believe,
away from him. Paul (named Saul then), was actually persecuting Christians at the time
before Jesus struck him down on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). Our Lord said Paul was His
'chosen vessel' (Acts 9:15). Thus, Paul had a special Mission for Christ. Jonah was in the
same situation, with being a chosen one, with a Mission for our Father. Neither Paul, nor
Jonah, got out of performing that Mission. They had no choice in the matter.
Some children may grow up later to fulfill some special
Mission 'in Christ'. It might not be on Paul or Jonah's level or type, but none the less
important to our Father. A chosen servant will bring 'much more' suffering on themselves
by staying outside God's Will for them, vs. one who is not chosen. They will not 'get out
of their duty'. God will bring calamities their way, until they get back in line. Our
Father will naturally bring those to the forefront, making them easily recognizable. So
they need to be properly 'instructed' about examples such as Paul, and Jonah. In the Book
of Jonah, it's revealed that Jonah tried to get out of doing what God told him to do. God
commanded him to go preach to the pagan city Nineveh. Did Jonah fulfill it? There's your
example for a 'chosen' one. (see also Romans 9; 11; Jeremiah 1; all of the Book of Jonah).
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2. I'll cover this question in two parts: the first is - "If I
were to be left behind (on Judgment Day)..."
There are 'two' judgments (not per person, but two
different times for different groups), because there are those of the 'first
resurrection', who receive their 'reward' by Christ at His coming. Those are the 'sheep'
on the right hand of Matt.25. Then there are those of the second resurrection, those who
come to Christ during His thousand year reign. They will not experience the 'second
death', which is the casting into the 'lake of fire' at the end of
that thousand year period. Thus their 'reward' in Christ comes at the end of the
thousand years, after Satan is loosed again for a short time (see Rev.20 for all this).
Firstly, the Judgment of God's Great White Throne Judgment
happens at the 'end' of Christ's thousand year reign on earth (Rev.20:11). 'Final'
Judgment does not happen with Christ's return. The final Judgment will cast anything evil
which is against God's Kingdom into the 'lake of fire'. That includes Satan, hell, i.e.
the 'pit', his followers, etc.
That idea there of being 'left behind' is a tradition of
man not written in God's Word (study 1 Cor.15; 2 Cor.5 about being 'absent from the
body'; Eccl.12 about what happens to each at death today, the flesh going back to the
'elements', and the 'spirit' going back to God).
Read Zechariah 14 and Acts 1 together, to discover just
'how', and 'where' our Lord Christ returns. Discover from 1 Cor.15 just on which 'trumpet'
our Lord Christ returns on (the "last trump", or 'trumpet' Paul wrote
in 1 Cor.15, which is the "seventh" angel sounding of Rev.11:15). The Left
Behind Series books and movies are against God. The deception message taught in them
is not from our Heavenly Father and His Christ. Fanciful reading though, hmm? How silly it
is to put man's books over God's Word! And that's exactly what many do when they have not
thoroughly studied God's Word for themselves, but instead seek to some popular tradition
which the world creates.
The judgment of appearing before Christ, which happens at
our Lord and Savior's return, is one of reward for His servants, but wrath to the 'goats'
put on the left hand (see Matt.25:31-34). But that is not the The White Throne Judgment
Day of God which happens later, written of in Rev.20:11. Do not leave out the 'thousand
years' Millennium of Christ's reign, for it is clearly written of in God's Word:
Rev 20:2
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound
him a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal
upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years
should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given
unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus,
and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image,
neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived
and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years
were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on
such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and
shall reign with Him a thousand years.
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed
out of his prison,
At
the end of Rev.20, after God's White Throne Judgment, which is at the 'end' of Christ's
thousand year reign, that's when anything evil, including the devil, his abode of hell,
etc., will go into the 'lake of fire', and be no more. The burning forever idea is an
'idiom' for those rebellious who refuse our Righteous KING Christ Jesus. They will not be
remembered any more; they'll be merely 'blotted out' as if they had never existed. That's
when GOD's Kingdom will be setup, and this old earth made 'new'; refreshed is what the
Hebrew and Greek meaning is (Psalms 37; 2 Peter 3:13; Rev.21:1; Isaiah 65:17; Isaiah
66:22).
Our Lord's teaching about the 'sheep' being put
on His right hand, and the 'goats' being put on the left hand, means during
Christ's thousand year reign, there is going to be a separation between His, and those who
refused Him today. We will all be in a 'spiritual' Kingdom under Christ Jesus as KING (see
Rev.11:15; Rev.19:16; Rev.20 - 22). The unrighteous will not go into the 'lake of fire'
yet, for God's People are going to help our Lord Christ to do a little 'boot camp' drill,
trying to get those unrighteous deceived straightened up. Satan being locked in the 'pit',
will not be allowed to prevent the great teaching of God's Word during that time
(Rev.20:3). Isaiah 13-14 speaks of this 'day of the Lord', which is the beginning
of Christ's thousand year reign, but there is much 'metaphor' in those Chapters of Isaiah.
I did some studies of them on my website, explaining many of the metaphors.
God loves all His children He created, and doesn't wish to
lose any of us. That's what Christ's thousand year reign is for. All those who won't, or
can't come to His Truth today, will know during that thousand years. God is most loving,
and most fair. It is wrong to teach that the 'lake of fire' event happens when our Lord
Christ returns, and that tradition is not according to His Word. We serve a Just GOD, most
fair and long-suffering. None will perish until they have a 'chance' to hear the full
'Wine' of God's Word, untainted, with 'full' understanding. Many today do not have that
'chance' of clearly understanding God's Word for themselves. That's what the thousand year
reign of Christ is for. The last nine Chapters of Ezekiel reveal Christ's thousand year
reign of the future. Ezekiel 44 reveals that separation during Christ's Millennium reign
also. Those Ezekiel 40 - 48 Chapters link with Rev.22.
The second
part of the question - "...what would I have to do to show God that I believe and
that I want to serve Him?"
To show God that we believe, and want to serve Him
only;... get into His Word He sent to each one of us, learning how to do it His Way, and
not the way 'we' think He wants. There's only ONE WAY to be in God's Will, and that is to
know what He said do, and what He said not to do. It's as simple as that. Those who don't
care to study It for themselves, at least trying,... well who do they have to blame?
Themselves, for they don't know what God wants them to do, for they haven't read God's
Word! Part of the 'big test' is just opening His Word up for ourselves, and trying to
understand It, asking His Guidance.
Isa 1:18 'Come now, and let us reason together',
saith the LORD: 'though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though
they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat
the good of the land:
20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for
the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.'
Isa 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath
no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without
price.
2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your
labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is
good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
3 Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live;
and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
4 Behold, I have given Him for a Witness to the people, a Leader and
Commander to the people.
5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations
that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One
of Israel; for He hath glorified thee.
6 Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is
near:
Those verses are not just towards old Israel; they are for us today just as much; to all
who call upon The Name of The LORD, of both Jew and Gentile (Romans 2:10).
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3. Well...yes! That is... if one wants to be part of His Family
in Christ. Paul taught us about the powers given by Satan over this flesh world, about a
'battle':
Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord,
and in the power of His might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against
the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places.
The whole reason we are
born of woman in this flesh is to make a 'choice' of who we will serve, whether that be
Christ our Lord, or defaulting to Satan, the controller of 'this' world (Luke 4:1-8).
There is NO in between! There is no 'my' side, or 'our' side of neutrality. What did our
Lord Christ say to the Church of Laodicia about spewing them out of His mouth, because
they were neither 'hot' nor 'cold', but 'lukewarm' (Rev.3:16). Our Lord is teaching there
to 'choose'. Pick which side you want to be on; make up your mind. Those who make no
choice, naturally 'default' to Satan's side, regardless of whether they like it or not.
The false teaching that each one can be their own 'individualist' just won't work in this
matter with our LORD. Choose.
Eph
6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of
God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having
on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and
watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Notice
Eph.6:13 above says to "take" 'the whole armour of God'. Does that mean by only
believing on Christ Jesus as our Savior, that we will just be given God's Armour, with no
work? No...we must "take" It. We must spiritually 'eat' The Book, His Word,
taking It into our minds and hearts (see also Rev.10:9-10).
Being Christ's servants means doing work for Him, according to
His Will. 'Works' are very important to being 'in Christ'. We are not saved by our
'works', but by 'grace', a 'gift' which we did not merit, a Precious Gift from our Lord
and Savior. But... our 'works' do follow us to Heaven, for they are our just rewards. We
will be judged by our 'works' (Rev.14:12; Rev.20:12-13; Rev.18:6). A good 'work' for
Christ can be something as simple as a smile to comfort a brother/sister who is depressed,
etc. So 'works' do not necessarily mean going out and becoming an El Cid (though God does
send those).
Is it any different than joining up to play school sports? Do we
go through weeks of training just to sit down or throw it all away when game time comes
along? Of course not. It's no different with God's servants. This life is our 'game' Which
we enjoy, because we have a Perfect Winning Strategy from the Best COACH (Christ Jesus) in
the league, so we naturally would want to get out there and sweat a little, getting
ourselves 'in shape', so we can be part of HIS TEAM! And what A COACH we have in Him! A
Perfect Coach! Likewise, those who want to serve God have to learn how to run the
'playbook' (Bible), having It locked away in the heart and mind. One may begin on the
fourth string, but working hard, they'll soon be first string starters in doing His
'work'. And when God's Team wins, all His Body of members win together, as we all have the
same inheritance in Christ (Eph.3:6; Gal.3:7-9; Romans 12; 10:12-15; Acts 20:32). And...
we already 'know' Who wins.
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4. Pass a test to be in God's service?
1 Cor
10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:
but God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but
will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
There is... a big test coming upon all of during these latter
days. It's been steadily growing for quite some time now. Will our Father test us? Yes:
Judg
2:20 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and He said, 'Because
that this people hath transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have
not hearkened unto My voice; 21 I also will not henceforth drive out any
from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:
22
That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to
walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.
23 Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out
hastily; neither delivered He them into the hand of Joshua.
Our Heavenly Father is definitely 'in control'. Make no mistake
about it. Satan only can do what God allows him to do. Our Father has 'stepped in' many
times with His People to change the results of history. Those events are written all
throughout His Word.
II Th
2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;
because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they
should believe a lie:
12
That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness.
What? "God shall send them strong delusion"? Test? You
bet! Put on The Gospel Armour; all of It, from both New and Old Testament Books. So what
is this "lie" which God shall send? It is The Antichrist. And that
"lie" is a 'specific' test for the latter days. So I can't deny in teaching
this, for it is well written, especially covered in the Book of Revelation and in Daniel,
and in the Books of the prophets. Even our Lord Jesus taught of it in His Gospel of Mark
13; Matthew 24; Luke 21, which give the 'seven signs' of the endtime, paralleled with
Revelation Chapter 6.
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5. Yes. Clearly yes.
2 Cor
5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that
every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether
it be good or bad.
Each will 'receive' according to their works. For those 'in Christ', that means 'rewards'
of righteousness. So 'judgment' for those in good standing with our Lord Christ, is going
to be a good thing!
I Jn
2:28 And now, little children, abide in Him; that, when He shall appear, we
may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.
1 Pet
4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if
it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and
the sinner appear?
19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit
the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
We all fall short, as we all are sinners in this flesh, even
still. If it were not so, then why would we need the Perfect Sacrifice of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ? Through repentance, asking Him to forgives us of our sins, having a
change of heart and trying to improve, doing better... then we are counted 'perfect' in
God's sight, the slate being wiped clean (see Romans 7, where Paul said he constantly
found battle between his flesh and his spirit, as we all do.) So by that, if that
righteous group scarcely be saved, then what of the ungodly and sinners (habitual sinner)
who love to sin against God? Stay in Christ Jesus, on The Rock.
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Footnotes:
All references to
"Strong's nos." are from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, PC Study
Bible, Biblesoft, 1993-1996.
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