The Second Coming explained to an Alien

As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.

(copied from my FB page from today. )

The Kingdom of God (Heaven) is arguably the single most important thing (event) in human history. I agree and put the cross of Christ as a very close second place. (I can explain why if you like) Some say that this Kingdom will arrive very soon while others subscribe to the idea that it came long ago. While others seem to think that it kinda sorta is here and more is yet to come. And some even suggest that it came, was withdrawn and needs to come again. (pretty confusing right!) What the heck is the Kingdom anyway?

Your view (or not) on this topic directly shapes the actions of your life and family (even if you don't think it does).

So who is right? All the differing, competing, and conflicting views can not ALL be correct.

As for me and my family, we will proceed as though the King and His Kingdom arrived (100%) at His birth (perhaps even conception). There was no withdraw and nothing else needs to be completed by our King. If Christians would live their life with a mature understanding that God Himself indwells each person then this world would not look like it does right now, and that is what we aim to instill in our family. We accomplish this by living out this understanding and demonstrating it everyday.

That's fine if you would rather wait to be rescued (raptured), but I choose to live victoriously NOW and OVERCOME.

That's fine if you think that all of evil will be removed from this planet one day. Just don't forget that evil was in the garden and God was very, very pleased with His creation. Not to mention evil is still present after the new earth is created in Revelation 22:15. Oh and lets not forget this one [Isa 45:7 KJV] 7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these [things].

Conclusion: If you change your view (belief) on the Kingdom your life (personally) will change too.
or just stay the same it doesn't hold me back.

PS. If after reading this your cognitive dissidence kicks in here is a suggestion. Resist the urge to bury your head in the sand (tradition) and Seek the Kingdom and His Justice (righteousness). Enter It for yourself!

One day Jesus is gonna remove all evil from earth, or not.

If you have been a Christian for any length of time then most likely you have been told that one day Jesus is going to come back and judge ALL the evil in this world.  Effectively removing evil completely.  This view is so common that many folks hope that this event will happen very soon.

There is one obscure verse in the Revelation that could quite possibly  turn the above concept upside down. 

14 Blessed [are] those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside [are] dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. [Revelation 22:14-15 NKJV]

Verse 15 of  Revelation 22 clearly states that an evil group exists just outside of the gates of the city.  This city is presumably the same city that descends to earth in chapter 21:2.  Keep in mind that this earth spoken of here in chapter 21:1 is the "new earth".  This city is not heaven because is descends from heaven and the city is not the whole earth because it has a specific size 21:16.

No matter if you are a "full preterist" (past fulfillment) or a "futurist" (future fulfillment) you can not ignore this verse.  Go ask your pastor to explain this verse and listen to their response.  Do they accept it at face value that evil is present after the "new heavens and new earth are created"? Do they ignore it? Can they explain it away?

What do you think is going on here in the Revelation?

If you learned that evil is always going to be present and never removed, how would that change the way you worship God?

You may be wondering why no one has pointed this out before.  The answer is simple, this verse is bad for marketing.

Who has authority the King or Prince?

I once attended a church who always talked about how the devil is running the world.  They would often say stuff like "just look around, this place must be ran by the devil. look at all the bad stuff in this world."  Often these comments are followed by " but one day very soon Jesus is gonna come back and set up His Kingdom and destroy all the evil in the world.

So where does the idea of the devil running the world come from anyway?  Look at Ephesians 2:2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, [Ephesians 2:2 NKJV]

I am not sure why this verse is used to proclaim the devil as in the drivers seat, but many Christians think so.

So is there anything in scripture that may contradict this idea that the devil himself is running the world?  Lets look at a few verses and see: bold is mine

• 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. [Matthew 28:18 NKJV]
• 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, [be] honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. [1 Timothy 1:17 NKJV]
• 15 which He will manifest in His own time, [He who is] the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom [be] honor and everlasting power. Amen. [1 Timothy 6:15-16 NKJV]
• 9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. [Hebrews 2:9 NKJV]
• 14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, [Hebrews 2:14 NKJV]
• 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, [Revelation 1:5 NKJV]

As you can see from the above cherry picked verses one can easily make the case that Jesus was crowned King and has been given ALL authority (on earth and in heaven) and destroyed the devil a long time ago.  So why are we still waiting to live into this victory?  Understanding this reality is what fueled the first disciples as they setup the first groups of believers (churches). 

Who has more authority, a prince or a king?  Think about it.

I don't know about you, but as for me, I will live as though I have dominion over the devil and he has been defeated long ago.  Jesus is way more better than we have been led to believe!

On another note: will EVIL ever be totally defeated?  More on that next time....

The fullness of times past or is the future more full?

Look at the verses below and consider what Paul says.

It seems to me that Paul equates the fullness of time with the birth of Jesus.  Notice he says that it had come, as in past tense.

4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, [Galatians 4:4 NKJV] emphasis mine

Now in Ephesians Paul makes a similar statement of the fullness of times and most commentators suggest this is still future some 2000 plus years later. 

 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in Him. [Ephesians 1:10 NKJV] emphasis mine

So my question is: Are these two time periods completely separate and unrelated with different beginnings and ends?  If so, when did each time period begin and what was or is each end?  

If in fact all the fullness of the times were in our ancient past how would that change the way you worship God?

Ends of the Ages or does it even matter?

Audience relevance part 2:
How important is audience relevance when interpreting scripture? What I mean to say is: who was the text written too, and what did it mean to them.

Consider this verse:
11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. [1 Corinthians 10:11 NKJV]

-Who was Paul writing to? The church in Corinth.
-Who's the "our" in "written for OUR admonition? the church in Corinth or some unborn future group of people 2000 plus years later?
-To whom did the ends of the ages come? The church in Corinth or some future group?
-Why does Paul say ends(plural) of the ages(plural)? Hebrews 9:26 is similar

If the ends of the ages has come (and gone) how would that change the way you worship God?

Satan crushed or still waiting?

How important is audience relevance when interpreting scripture? What I mean to say is: who was the text written too, and what did it mean to them. 

Look at this verse and ask those questions. More questions should follow.

20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you. Amen. [Romans 16:20 NKJV]

-Who was Paul writing too? The saints in Rome.(back in the first century)

-When Paul says "your feet" who's feet does he mean? The folks whom he was writing or some future group not yet alive?

-The crushing of Satan was going to happen shortly. If shortly can mean 2000 plus years then how could this verse be relevant to the saints in Rome back then?

If Satan was crushed long ago, in ancient history, how would that change how you worshiped God?

Is the foundation solid or rusty?

                In my opinion contemporary Christianity is like a house that has had new room additions and renovations performed by the most skilled  of tradesmen.  The only problem comes when the owner tries to sell the house and the buyers inspection reveals that the original foundation is actually a single wide mobile home with axels and hitch still intact beneath.

                What shall this home owner do to remedy the foundation problem?  After all, there has been substantial investment in the room additions and renovations.  It is rarely the case that such a home owner is willing to tear down their house and live in a temporary shelter while correcting the foundation problem.  More often the owners of this faulty house will declare there is no problem and ignore what risk lies beneath.  They will forge ahead hoping to find a buyer who won’t peer into the crawl space.  Meanwhile the original mobile home foundation will continue to rust and degrade until which time the house collapses onto itself. It is only a matter of time.

• What is the foundation of our Christianity?  
• Will it withstand the scrutiny of a skilled inspector?  
• Are we willing to correct any problems even if it means temporarily not having all the security we thought we had?

Episode 5: What makes me crazy

Episode 4: This is what makes me crazy

Episode 3: This is what makes me crazy

Episode 2: This is what makes me crazy.

Episode 1: This is what makes me crazy.