FOR FAIR USE AND EDUCATION AND DISCUSSION PURPOSES




Christians don't want to know the TRUTH about what the Bible actually says. They live in the DREAM WORLD that they are taught by their pastor and by oral "tradition". Yet, they have the audacious belief that they, themselves are going to "rule and reign" with Jesus Christ during this time.

Most "Christians" today, sit in their pews once or twice a week and never STUDY THEIR OWN BIBLES for what God is trying to teach them. And they believe that they, themselves, are going to be "whisked away" to Heaven while the rest of the world is tested and tried (Rev. 3:10) through the judgments of God and the "Antichrist" (who somehow has signed a "peace treaty with the Jews") [BTW..there is no peace treaty in Daniel 9:27. JESUS CHRIST "confirmed His NT covenant" when He died on the Cross...see Gal.3:17]. Then, they believe that after the testing is over, God is going to somehow bring the Jews back to life (or keep them alive supernaturally)after all this is over.

AND THEN, the Jews are going to begin sacrifices in the newly rebuilt temple and rule the world on the "Throne of David" while all the Christians are in Heaven with Jesus Christ doing lots of "ruling and reigning" (over whom??). And during this thousand years, all will be happy, peaceful, and serene...with people still having babies and living a long and fruitful life in peace and harmony under the Laws of the OT.

And, finally, AFTER all this long time of "perfect rule" in a "perfect world", God is going to release Satan and his angels and deceive this world AGAIN! But shortly, God is going to come down and "ZAP" off Satan and all who followed him. And then restore everyone remaining to God (to do what then?).

Did I leave anything out? This is what I ACTUALLY BELIEVED before I studied the Bible for myself. It's difficult to admit I was that naive and "stupid" (a name I gladly give myself for believing this "fairy tale" of "demons").

DO YOU REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THE "THOUSAND YEARS" IS FOR?? WHY is "a thousand years" necessary anyway? Because it is a part of God's plan. He said in Matthew 5:18: (these are Jesus' own words in red)

"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, ONE JOT OR ONE TITTLE SHALL in no wise pass FROM THE LAW, till all be fulfilled."

This is what Jesus Christ is talking about: THE LAWS OF THE "REST" OF THE LAND EVERY SEVEN YEARS!

Leviticus 26:34-35..."Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as LONG AS IT LIETH DESOLATE....(vs.35) As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because IT DID NOT REST IN YOUR SABBATHS, when ye dwelt upon it.".

PEOPLE HAVE DISOBEYED GOD'S LAW OF THE LAND REST...see Exodus 23:10:

"And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and gather in the fruits thereof: (vs.11) But the SEVENTH YEAR THOU SHALT LET IT REST AND BE STILL....".

Since this prophecy of the "land rest" has not yet been fulfilled in approx.6,000 years of time, IT MUST BE FULFILLED during the "millennial rest". This is one of the "jots and tittles" Jesus was talking about. There will be NOBODY on the earth except Satan and his angels..and the birds of prey cleaning up the mess, probably...while the earth "rests" from any planting or sowing by "man". Satan gets to observe what he has caused...and live with it during this time.

This is an article (and they are very difficult to find) that closely resembles what will occur during this time:

http://biblelight.net/millen.htm

The REAL meaning of the "bottomless pit" where the devil and his angels will be confined:

http://www.showmepedia.com/REVKE011.HTM


What Isaiah chapter 11 is talking about is NOT the "thousand years" of land rest. It is speaking of what will happen after everything in God's plan is completed and we have a "new heaven and a new earth".

What I have said, above, is the ONLY way Scripture can be reconciled...like reconciling a checkbook balance, all the numbers must fit properly in the "debit" and "credit" columns. ALL the pieces of the timeline presented MUST FIT ALL the "jots and tittles" God has put there for us to know.

So, those who think they are getting "whisked" out of here any time soon, better "shape up" according to God's thinking (not your pastor's thinking, or by "everyone knows that...etc." thinking, which is called "tradition").

And being on the side of the "Jews" is not going to help you a bit! Right now, they are the ENEMIES of Jesus Christ. And those who now prefer to call Jesus Christ by the name of "Yeshua", and turning back to Jewish traditions may be in a HEAP OF TROUBLE in the near future.

Arlene

bump

Dear Beloved Arlene,

God created heaven + earth for 7 DAYs for MAN[woman].
JESUS the SON of GOD is going to RULE and SO FATHER can LITERALLY REST 1000years.

This 1000years is the 7th DAY of GOD!

GOD is using the deserts/wilderness which was LAID WASTE to make them BLOSSOM again and the other PARTS of this earth will REST.

BOTTOMLESS PIT is a THROUGH-HOLE ON Earth...going to be caused by LARGE HALDRON COLLIDER Big Bang creating SMOKE coming our of HELL.
Scientist may have gotten the Key [understanding] when a star got supernova explosion earlier.

Satan will be LOCKed in CHAIN in the BOTTOMLESS PIT[Through-Hole]smoke..released again.

There will still be few remnants when we Return with JESUS to reign over them.

REST is for JESUS who is LORD of the SABBATH.

This 1000year is for earth with MAN which Fulfills GOD's REST perfectly

God BLESS You and your many Great Contributions

FOR FAIR USE AND DISCUSSION AND EDUCATION PURPOSES




My dear "Brother in our Lord Jesus Christ"....

I really appreciate the kind way you oppose what I have tried to bring out. Thank you for that.

However, are you not aware that God made all His laws in the OT for the BENEFIT of all mankind?

Jesus Christ did not ANNUL the laws that were given for our own health and safety. No, we do not need to keep DOING the sacrificial rites that pointed to our Saviour. BUT, all of mankind would have been better off through the years if we had actually FOLLOWED what God has told us to do to keep our world a safe and healthy place to live....like what foods are bad for us and what foods are good for us.

The law of the Sabbath Day was a REST from our work because man needs this rest for his health and happiness...and taking time out for our family and to worship God together. [It has nothing to do with going to church.]

The Sabbath of the land was to let the LAND "heal" from the destruction from working it for six years. It was a SABBATH FOR THE LORD, as He told us it was. This was God's "commandment":

Leviticus 25:3-4..."SIX YEARS thou shalt sow thy field, and SIX YEARS thou salt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; (vs.4) BUT IN THE SEVENTH YEAR shall be a SABBATH OF REST UNTO THE LAND, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard."

Matthew 5:18..."For VERILY, (means "pay attention to this" because it is the truth) 'Till heaven and earth pass, ONE JOT OR ONE TITTLE SHALL IN NO WISE PASS FROM THE LAW, TILL ALL BE FULFILLED." (This INCLUDES God's law of the LAND RESTING EVERY SEVENTH YEAR.)

So, by these scripture verses, we are TOLD A FACT by God, the Father (OT), and AGAIN by Jesus Christ, Himself (red letters in NT). And do we now TELL GOD that he lied to us and that He will not ENFORCE this LAND REST during the time He has appointed for it....the "thousand years"???

If that's what you continue to affirm to others, there will be a price to pay in doing this. And, I am very surprised by your, obviously, "Hebrew" name, that you should absolutely know better about what the OT says concerning this.

This is a very good article from a source of "Israel", who knows how it REALLY is:

http://www.hope-of-israel.org/landsabb.htm

And, as for the "bottomless pit".....God did NOT tell us that it was a "hole through the earth". He called it "the bottomless PIT". It has no "bottom" as one would call an "end" to it. It's a "pit", so it has no "top" to it either. That's EXACTLY what the description of the "chaotic" earth was in the Book of Genesis...see Gen.1:2.

There will be NO PEOPLE alive during this time. ALL of the unrighteous will have been destroyed with the Lord's coming.... all the "wickedness" will be destroyed, and the earth will be a total, chaotic mess after all the Trumpet and Vial Judgments.

It's the end of this present earth as we know it...the earth is destroyed along with the people who caused it to happen. See Rev.11:18. God does NOT create a "new heavens and new earth" until this thousand years is all over and Judgments have been made.

Again, I thank you for being kind in your comments...but that doesn't change the TRUTH of what will happen, or the reasons behind it.

Sometimes I feel as though I were "swimming upstream" in trying to bring out Bible truths. For too many years there have been "false teachers" in our churches' pulpits, and these "traditions" have been handed down from generation to generation. Few Christians ever pick up the Bible and actually study what it says....or even the reasons BEHIND what God does. Everything is because of His love for us...and testing to see who loves Him back, not because they are saved from "hell", but because He is totally worth all the love we can give him. Those who DO truly love Him, want to find out as much about Him and His plan as we possibly can.

But today, most Christians are watching the WORLD, and not heeding what God has told them. It's all written in a Book. But, then, I can't really expect people to pay attention to what I say, either. If they can ignore God's teachings, then who am I to complain that I am called a liar, either?

Matthew 7:14...Because strait is the gate, and NARROW is the way, which leadeth unto life, AND FEW THERE BE THAT FIND IT." (red letters...words of Jesus Christ)

I pray your "spiritual" eyes will open one day...

With Christian love...

Arlene

Dear beloved sister-in-Christ
Is LAND refering to WHOLE EARTH or the LAND that were used by MAN?
GOD allows some LAND to be LAID waste and LAND of ISRAEL was desolated without MAN for around 2000years or 2DAYS of GOD and so that is why LAND of ISRAEL is used by GOD the SON JESUS with BRIDE for 1000years with the 4th Temple [see Ezekiel 40] and the Deserts shall Blossom and be used again[see Isaiah35]
GOD NEVER LIE.
MAN has to understand each WORD used in HIS HOLY WORD.
Are you against any person with Hebrew name?
Are you against the root whereby the gentiles were grafted in? Would God graft back the Natural branches that did not believe and open up their eyes during this time of Great Tribulation?


the earth was not "chaotic" in Genesis 1:2 and GOD TRUTHFULLY SAID EVERYTHING IS GOOD.
GOD DIVIDED EVEN LIGHT FROM DARKNESS AND THIS IS GOOD!
DID GOD DESTROY THE DARKNESS AND STILL HAPPY WITH HIS CREATION in DAY 2?
it is true that ALL WICKNESS will be destroyed but NOT ALL FLESH.
JESUS said that days shall be shortened for the sake of the ELECT.
Except shorten day no flesh be saved. GOD is GRACE so that is why GOD shall spin this earth faster to shorten the days.
there will be FLESH saved to populate this earth.
I believe devil is the angel in charge of this earth and so devil has to be locked and finally this earth will be hell for ever and ever.
Revelation 20:10 and this earth passed away without sea see Revelation 21:1. Did you know that there is Kepler22 system coming in?
There is a new earth Earthtwin! Praise the LORD!
see Mike's website www.simplesite.com/7churches

i agree that many has errors in their beliefs and not ALL correct but we need to filter out the GOOD FACTs from the BAD and throw away the BAD FACTs from the GOOD like parable of the kingdom of God like a net see Matthew 13:47-52

Pray for you too beloved sister Arlene, that you could see the TRUTH from the LIES within ALL information till we ALL appear before our Saviour and GOD and understand ALL things.
AMEN!

Hi Gimel Ben Judah,


I wonder if someone is coming on this site by false pretenses...




Gimel ben Judah are you Mike Tan coming on this site by false pretense?



If not my apologies.


Steven

Just to add in my "two cents"...

It's possible that "Gimmel ben Judah" is a fictitious name. Who knows but he, himself? It's just that someone with such a name as his should be much more aware of the OT than he is.

I didn't mention, in my previous reply, of the CONTRADICTIONS in his statement(s). They don't make any sense, unless they only make sense to those who are uneducated in the English language. I am not one of those, so I do see the discrepancies.

He stated..."JESUS the SON OF GOD is going to rule and SO FATHER CAN LITERALLY REST FOR 1000 YEARS". [Since when does GOD need a "rest"?? In Gen.2:2, God "RESTED on the 7th day" from the "works" He had done in re-creating the world (which had become "without form and void"...Gen.2:2)]. The word "rested" means STOPPED WHAT HE HAD BEEN DOING. It does NOT mean that God was tired and had to take a nap!

THEN, a little bit after other rather strange statements, he said, "REST is for JESUS who is LORD of the SABBATH."

WELL, "Gimmel ben Judah", which one is the REST for...JESUS, OR GOD, the Father?? Or are both (and there are NOT two God's...only ONE) of them in need of a nap time?

And what on earth does it mean by, "This 1000 year is for earth with MAN which Fulfills GOD'S REST perfectly?" This makes NO SENSE at all.

God had told us, by his LAWS, that MAN should work the ground (earth....everywhere) for 6 years; and then on the 7th (seventh) year, the land should lay "fallow"....not planting, reaping, sowing, etc. The LAND (all over the earth) should not be dug up by "man" during these times. "Man" has failed to keep this law. So, God will FULFILL this "rest for the land" during the 1000 years the earth will have nobody on it (except Satan and his fallen angels, maybe). God will also have birds of prey to clean up all the dead carcasses. God is OWED this LAND REST....and He will take it because we did not obey Him to do it.

Do I sound rather "curt"...maybe! I don't like being called a "liar" when I am telling what the BIBLE says! God, alone, will be my judge. With some people, niceness doesn't seem to "cut it"...

BTW...aren't "Hebrew" people in the habit saying G-D, rather than spelling it out in full? That's another thing that didn't connect with me.

If you are being genuine, then it is YOU who will answer to God for false beliefs. If you are a "troll", then receive your reprimand as a man should.

AND, BTW....For someone who has such a poor command of the English language, you sure know the techniques of formatting very well. Yes, I did notice that. I notice EVERYTHING.


AND AS FOR THE "BOTTOMLESS PIT"....IT IS EXPLAINED TO US IN THE BIBLE AS WELL:


And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on 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. Revelation 20: 1-3.

As history progresses, we see that the abyss and all the unpleasant things before the creation are physically reclaiming the earth as it spiritually declines.

After sin, moral darkness enters the world and Satan claims the right to rule. After the flood, the physical sea reclaims about 78% of the surface of the earth. In the end, the earth becomes an abyss again and the dragon is confined to the dark abyss with the wicked dead for a millennium. Significantly, the symbol for the wicked is the roaring sea. In the end, it is a dead sea.


**********************

And again, With Christian love...

Arlene



PS...I don't find the LHC (Large HADRON Collider) in the Bible. Besides, it is being used to try to find the "God particle" and not to dig tunnels. And who is going to be left to do this? And why don't they use one of the "tunnel digging" machines which have made lots of underground places called D.U.M.B.s? Those things can dig about 7 miles of tunnel per day. Will they start in China and work through to someplace in America? But then, I don't find that in the Bible, either.

I am that i am...God knows we are ALL partners some with love, some with knowledge and some with works. We disagree but God agrees with us being different just like an eye could never hear like an ear and ear never see like the eye.
love to be called evil for such shall be great rewards in heaven.

REST is fulfillment by God the Father resting SPIRITUALLY while God the SON Rules[work] in the REST DAY as LORD of SABBATH. Praise the Lord!.
The FATHER is the HEAD and HE could rest in MIND while the SON work with us the BODY on this earth for the LAST period and then this earth had to PASS AWAY. New EARTH is Kepler22b.

is MAN [Adam] dead on the 7th day of creation?
is GOD demanding all flesh or NO MAN on this earth for 1000years?
make NO sense?

isn't it strange you believe sin existed before creation...
do you believe evil existed before God created MAN?

"In the end, the earth becomes an abyss again and the dragon is confined to the dark abyss with the wicked dead for a millennium."
Are you saying that there is NO SEA in the 1000years?
IT is ONLY after the devil is cast into fire&brimstone in revelation20:10 that in revelation21:1 confirms old earth without sea.

mankind is fulfilling prophecies by their inventions although not recorded as Large Haldron Collider in Bible. Do you believe in RAPTURE? Trinity?
This Large Haldron Collider could 'create' a mini 'Big Bang" which may explode UPwards/Downwards fulfilling the 5th Trumpet in revelation9 which OPENed the Through HOLE which has NO BOTTOM.

You are Very OPEN Minded and Hope you see that this is SHARING and NOT debate.

Christian LOVE:)

Hi Gimel ben Judah,

You did not answer my question....

are you Mike Tan?

If you are why are you posting on this site?

Steven

Here we go again...for GbJ [and I'm certain this is a "put on" job!! But, I'll "bite" one more time....

Do you have any mental aberrations of which you are aware? Do they run in your family? Your words are trying to portray an "accent" of some kind....but I've NEVER before seen anyone who tries to write with a Hebrew accent. That's so funny!!

Did you not "get" that you spelled "H-A-D-R-O-N" Collider incorrectly? Then, I corrected your spelling, and you STILL spelled it incorrectly, which shows you don't know much about it. IT WILL NOT DO WHAT YOU SAY IT WILL DO! But, that's neither here, nor there, because nobody is going to punch a hole straight through the earth anyway. IF so, give me SCRIPTURE AND VERSE, please!



I cut and pasted what you said in one place:

REST is fulfillment by God the Father resting SPIRITUALLY while God the SON Rules[work] in the REST DAY as LORD of SABBATH. Praise the Lord!.
The FATHER is the HEAD and HE could rest in MIND while the SON work with us the BODY on this earth for the LAST period and then this earth had to PASS AWAY. New EARTH is Kepler22b.


I know it contains English/American words, but they are either placed in the wrong order, or they just generally are NONSENSE, that is, they MAKE NO SENSE AT ALL!

Also, don't put 'words in my mouth' as saying things I did not say. Are you trying to be "clever" or "funny"? You've succeeded at humor, but not being clever. Have you graduated from grade school yet? I hope not because a 6th grader has better grammar skills.

Well, at least you lifted up my spirits, not that I needed it....but now I can't stop laughing!!!

Thanks, I needed that!

Arlene

"As history progresses, we see that the abyss and all the unpleasant things before the creation are physically reclaiming the earth as it spiritually declines."

is this your quote, Arlene?
all the unpleasant things BEFORE the CREATION...i did not say what you had not said:(

i felt a new beginning when i was[or felt] invited by Steven who emailed me regarding tea/coffee and so this brought me here believing in Steven's forgiveness:) and no bitterness which we had to get rid of.
so i am a new creature and use a new name in heaven:)

hope that i am a funny guy although off-ending with my poor english.
off-ending leads to on-beginning:)

Gimel,
I believe you are who you say you are. It's impossible to convince Arlene of her errors in interpreting the scriptures. She is pushing 7th Day Adventist doctrines on this forum, and it's kind of frustrating to read it. How can anyone who has studied the scriptures really be expected to believe the 7th Day Adventist belief in soul sleep? Jesus even told us the true story of Lazarus and the rich man, in which the rich man was in torment in Hell. He asked Abraham to have Lazarus to give him one drop of water on his tongue, since there is no water in Hell. He asked that his family be warned not to come to Hell, because it was so bad. With this being the case, why would anyone think that your soul lays unconscious once your body dies? It's completely unscriptural, along with this strange doctrine of saying the millennial reign of Christ is in heaven rather than earth! And saying that earth is the bottomless pit, being left desolate for 1000 years for Satan and his fallen angels to dwell in is really weird too. Take heart Gimel, Arlene doesn't have a corner on the truth from God's word. God bless you Gimel!

Kevin

My goodness! GbJ's English is much improved now!! "Miracles" really happen today!!

And another "voice" heard from....Kevin!! "Et tu, Kevin?" (Probably "Brute'" would have fit your character, but then, nobody would have known what I was referring to.) In case you were ignorant of this, it's from a guy named Shakespeare.

I haven't a clue what "soul" sleep is, so I can't possibly believe in whatever it is. As for SDAs (Seventh Day Adventists)....as with ALL denominations today, they have some things right and some things wrong. I follow NO "church" or denomination. At least they don't "worship" God on the Day of the Sun (Sunday)...which is "Baal worship". Oh, I almost forgot....that's EXACTLY what the Roman Catholics do as well! So, Christians MUST believe in ALL the doctrines of the Romans as well. That is what YOU inferred...if I believe in one doctrine, then it must be FACT, that I believe in them ALL......

They say that "misery loves company"....and so does IGNORANCE apparently.

The PARABLE (not a real story, but something that tells a hidden truth) of Abraham and Lazarus DOES NOT relate the story of being in an actual "hell", or compartment of hell...it relates the story of the UNBELIEF of JUDAH, which has turned the Gospel to the GENTILES. Abraham is an "example of Judah" who has "five brothers" (Luke 16:28). If you KNEW your bible, you would have immediately associated "Abraham" with "Judah" and his brothers. Lazarus is an example of the Gentiles who had, up to that time, "eaten crumbs" that fell from the "tables of the Jews" (Mt.15:27)....because the Gospel was FIRST preached to the Jews to convert them.

READ YOUR BIBLE RATHER THAN LISTENING TO PEOPLE....both of you! You sorely need it!

When I FIRST started posting on this site, I asked a question which NOBODY could answer. If there are people in the "millennium", who are they??? When Jesus comes again, believers will be "changed" and join Him (I Thess. chapter 4, and I Cor. 15:52)...all others will be DEAD....and the earth will be a TOTAL MESS from the Trumpet and Vial Judgments by God. THERE WILL BE NO SURVIVORS, therefore, nobody will be here to populate the earth except DEAD BODIES!

Satan will not be "chained" with a REAL CHAIN because he is a "SPIRIT" just like the "Holy Spirit" is. REAL chains can't "hold" a spirit being. BUT he can be "confined" to the destroyed earth by God. His "heavenly travel" power, like he had in Job 2:1 will be taken away, just like those powers of the Fallen Angels were taken away in Genesis 6.

You figure it out. If you have a different opinion, then show SCRIPTURE AND VERSE! If there are LIVE PEOPLE IN A PERFECT WORLD, where did that world and people come from?? It is not restored until "a thousand years" later. Rev.21 is the "new heaven and new earth". There "was no more sea". At the Second Coming, I see NOWHERE where our Lord dries up the sea and restores the earth at that time.

BUT, at the END of the thousand years, New Jerusalem comes down from "God out of heaven" (vs.2). THAT IS AFTER THE THOUSAND YEARS OF A CHAOTIC EARTH when everything is restored again. There has been "death" everywhere up to that time. But NOW, when this re-created earth is combined with New Jerusalem, THERE IS NO MORE DEATH (vs,4)....because it has been "CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE ALONG WITH HELL"..Rev.20:14. That's the END of God's plan. EVERYONE IS SAVED, AND HELL CEASES TO EXIST. Everything is turned over to God...Rev.21:3.

God HIDES many of His truths so that people who love lies and getting their "ears scratched "will come to wrong conclusions...see Proverbs 25:2. Christians who only get their truths from their "pastors" will believe those lies....II Tim 4:3-4).

Hey! I think I see another "parable" in the above bible verse...."DOGS" (lick everyone's hands and faces because they don't know any better) and "CATS" (extremely stubborn, and self-willed animals) SCRATCH THEIR EARS with their paws, and they love to be "scratched" by others. This reminds me greatly of what is known as CHURCHIANITY....people "itch" and the pastors "scratch" the itches.

I leave you blissfully "wed" to your false doctrines...and each other. "Whom God has joined, etc...".

Arlene

Arlene,
I do know what you were referring to concerning Shakespeare, but I'm not Brutus, and your not Julius Caesar. You say that you don't know what soul sleep is, but yet you say that when we die, our soul doesn't go to heaven or hell. You say, just like the SDA church says, that our soul lays unconscious until the day we are resurrected. That doctrine is in fact called Soul Sleep! It's a doctrine not found in God's word! I gave you one example of Jesus speaking about the reality of hell, but there are many more times that Jesus warned us about hell. He spoke more about hell than he did about heaven. Believe me, I would love to believe that hell doesn't exist, but the scriptures say otherwise! The story about Lazarus and the rich man is NOT a PARABLE at all, but a true account of real men who lived! I don't know why you think it's a parable. When Jesus spoke in parables, it was an obvious analogy of earthly things with spiritual truths, such as the parable of seeds being sown in different types of soil. Read Matthew 13:18-23, and it clearly says it is a parable. The interpretation you brought forth concerning Abraham and Judah is something completely contrived. I do read and study God's word, but your strange interpretations are certainly not sound doctrine! I'm shocked that you completely belittle everyone that doesn't believe in your strange doctrines, and you say that we are ignorant. It's just unbelievable!

Kevin

I guess we have to have another "round", Kevin. Who TEACHES you your doctrines???? Of course "Soul Sleep" is not in the Bible!! I've never even HEARD of it until YOU just said it. When people die....they are DEAD! They DON'T KNOW ANYTHING...see Eccl.9:5. What happens to their SOULS? I can't tell you because I DON'T KNOW! What about our "SPIRITS" which are "breathed" into us by God?? (Gen 2:7) Where does the "breath" of ANY man go after we are DEAD? Anywhere God wants it to go.

But I DO know that the Bible says, in John 3:13..."And NO MAN hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven." These are the WORDS OF JESUS CHRIST, and I WILL NOT argue with ANYTHING He says.

NOBODY is in heaven now except God. God's Holy Spirit, which is the power of God, is with us to guide us and comfort us.

If I could explain everything logically and simply, I would BE God...and I am most certainly NOT, by any means. But, I am learning about Him.

As for the story of "Abraham's Bosom" (Abraham and Lazarus)....I understand your total confusion about this. I, myself, (when I occupied a pew in a church) was told that this was NOT a "Parable" because specific names were mentioned. THAT PASTOR (and every other one after him) did not tell the truth of the Bible. THE STORY IS A PARABLE, which follows other "parables" in the previous chapter. (chapter divisions were added by MAN, not God).

Unfortunately, most "bible teachers" do not understand this and teach that it is not a parable....but it most certainly IS.

This one is the BEST one I could find within a few-minute time. READ IT AND UNDERSTAND IT, because it is what the bible says:


http://www.tentmaker.org/articles/Lazarus-byHuie.htm



Piece of the article:


The "great gulf" mentioned by Abraham is nothing less than God's blinding in this age of the Jews as a whole to the truth about their Messiah! It's not that the Jewish nation won't acknowledge Christ; they cannot recognize his true identity because of God's actions! Yet because of the Eternal's great mercy, this state of affairs will not last forever (Rom. 11:26).

LUKE 16:27 "Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.'" (NKJV)

Yielding himself to his destiny, the rich man asks one more thing of his forefather Abraham. He pleads with him to send someone to warn his brothers, so that they may escape "this place of torment" (basanou), the testing and punishment that he was undergoing.

The fact that the rich man has five brothers is a vital clue to his true symbolic identity. Judah, the progenitor of the Jews, was the son of Jacob through Leah (Gen. 29:35). He had five full-blooded brothers: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, and Zebulun (Gen. 35:23).

While the significance of this seemingly pointless detail has been neglected by scholars throughout the centuries, you can be certain that it did not escape the notice of the Pharisees and scribes to which Christ was speaking. They thoroughly knew their history and were extremely proud of their heritage. Yeshua wanted those self-righteous Pharisees to know exactly who He was referring to with this parable. This detail cements the identity of the rich man as the house of Judah, the Jews!

LUKE 16:29 "Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.'" (NKJV)

Once again Abraham refuses the rich man's request, telling him that the brothers already have a witness in the writings of Moses and the prophets that will allow them to escape his fate. Moses, as well as the prophets, are shown several times in the New Testament to support Yeshua's identity as the Messiah (Luke 24:27, 44; John 1:45; 5:46; Acts 3:22-24; 7:37; 26:22-23; 28:23). Abraham tells the rich man that his brothers would have to recognize the prophesied Messiah because of the things written about him in the Tanakh. This echoes what Yeshua told the Jews in John 5:45-47.

JOHN 5:45 "Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?" (NKJV)

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And, as for the doctrine of "burning in hell forever", you must think that a GOD OF PURE LOVE is worse than Hitler could ever be? You just don't know God, and His plan for ALL of Mankind. You need more study!

Arlene