Finding GOD's Truth in the Bible

I am always thinking about how GOD works out His Plans.

I guess I am just trying to figure out what He is doing in the world, in my world, in the lives of others.

We all have interpretations about what the Bible says.  That is why we have so many denominations, why we are divided, why we think our ideas are the right ones.

I guess I do the same thing.

When I was searching for my answers about GOD, I made my own decisions about what GOD was trying to show us.  Nothing big, just the conflicts we seem to have.  I needed to decide which view I thought was the right one.

I listen to a video sermon from Adrian Rogers called the Final Judgment.  There are points he makes about the two places called HELL and DEATH, the GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT, and the LAKE OF FIRE.  I understand the concept of Death and Hell being temporary spaces we go to when we die to wait for the big Judgment, the Great White Throne Judgment.  Death is for the saved, Hell is for the unsaved.  The Lake of Fire is the final place for those who are not saved, not in the Book of Life.  

And then there are all the Martyrs -- the souls who wait under the Throne for the Day of Judgment - to be avenged.  They seem to be a separate group.

In the sermon about the Final Judgment, Adrian Rogers makes one statement about the White Throne Judgment that I don't understand.  He says that anyone who is saved will not have to stand before that final White Throne Judgment.  I am not sure that is the right way to see our future.

I say this because of the martyrs.  They are the only ones I have found who will never face the second death at the Great White Throne Judgment.  

I think we will still face the White Throne.  My view of our sins is that when we confess and repent of our sins, accepting Christ's substitutionary offering for them, they are removed from our "book" in judgment.  Christ's sacrifice covers them.  They are no longer part of our judgment process because we have confessed and repented and accepted Christ's death as our atonement for them.  

This is how I understand the process of forgiveness. 

Consequences of our sins never go away.  Forgiveness is a different thing.

This is what I decided when I studied the Bible to find answers.

Every denomination has their own definitions of what the Bible says.  I think we have to search for our own understanding.  We are all just humans.  Only GOD really knows what He means.  Some parts of what He says are hard to know.  It takes many years to go through all the different passages about any topic, and there are things I will never know about history that is related to some of the Bible's stories.  BUT -- I am still responsible for seeking out these answers myself.  

We have to find a way to become One Body.  Talking through all these differences is the only way I see this happening.  

I hope we can create a global effort, one the world will be able to access and be a part of.  It may be the only good thing the internet can accomplish, for all of us.

I hope GOD allows us to do that.

FAITH FRIDAY :: 7 JAN 2022 - It's a new year to grow in our faith.

 

Who leads our nation, who leads our businesses, who leads our schools, who leads our local and state government -- these are the people who will create our future.

I don't know how we can keep our freedoms without good people as our leaders.

The Bible tells us the End Times will grow worse as time goes on.  I hope we can keep godly people in charge of everything that matters to our safety and our protection and our lives.  It's for our children and our grandchildren and, hopefully, for our great grandchildren... as king as GOD allows.

May our communities become places that Christians of all denominations gather to care for each other and find ways to resolve our differences in the interpretation of GOD's Word.  WE are ONE BODY in Christ.  We need each other to battle the problems we face.

In Christ, Deborah Martin, https://work2gather.us 

FAITH :: Updates at my posting spaces today... Continued prayer for me and WT

I've been busy with updating my blogs and will be going to my Patreon page next.  I think most, if not all, of them are at my WT homepage for now.  That needs updating as well, but will have to wait until I know what GOD wants me to do.

I think the post at my WTI blog is the most important. I hope you will read it.

Working Together Inc: WTI :: Praying about the future of Working Together (working-together-inc.blogspot.com)

Others already updated are ::

Crafts Explored  ::  https://crafts-explored.blogspot.com

Food to Live  ::  https://food-to-live.blogspot.com

Making Prisons Better  ::  https://making-prisons-better.blogspot.com

Eventually I will get to ::

Shelter for All  ::  https://shelter-for-all.blogspot.com

Political Rehabilitation  ::  https://political-rehabilitation.blogspot.com

and my Patreon page  ::  https://patreon.com/DebsRetirementPlan

I am working toward a goal of posting at each space a minimum of once a month, hopefully more.  I know the future will be better, hang with me as I seek GOD for help in these challenges.

This blog is for my personal path, but it is also linked to my efforts for myself, for Working Together, and for all things Christian.

In the times when I wonder what GOD is doing and why He doesn't provide what I know is necessary and for good purposes, I have to believe that what the Bible says is true, is true.  We just don't understand all the hidden details.

I could ramble on for hours about all the thoughts I have been having about our nation (USA) and the Body of Christ and the End Times and what lies ahead of us, but I won't. Not today. Today I am thinking about WT and funding and Christians surviving the attacks of the Enemy as the End Times get worse. 

The Bible says that when we are weak, GOD is strong.  

I think we have not seen the impact of "Free Will" on all of life... especially the growing darkness and persecutions we face as individuals and as believers.  We suffer because someone chooses to sin... others suffer when we choose to sin.  We see the effects of sin, but not where they started... I have been thinking about how LONG the process of change is and how slow the process of discovering its effects is. 

The last Presidential election was something that no one could ever have imagined happening in America, but it did.  Other things like that are growing.  People and denominations and news sources and things we have trusted are falling away from a foundation of godly character and integrity.  This is the process of evil growing.  The Bible tells us these things are coming.

I think the two final Witnesses will be Elijah and Enoch because they will be strong in the faith that will be required.  I don't know of ANY Christians in our time that would ever be able to stand like they did in the past, and will in the future.  We don't honor GOD like that.  I don't think I ever could.  

Faith that stands against the times it lives in is something I am searching for these days.  We have movies that affect our concept of GOD and Bible stories... I don't know that movies are a good base for faith, but they are easy to take in.  The Bible has been changed from one interpretation into a zillion study Bibles by popular preachers... all wanting to share their own version of what they believe the Bible says.  I don't know the original languages... I have to look at several versions and then pray for GOD to show me the Truth according to Him.  And then there is the fact that GOD doesn't tell us every little thing about His Plans.

Faith is something that isn't always clear.

I am trying to find a way to survive the changes we face on the way to the Antichrist... who will kill us when we refuse to take the Mark of the Beast.  I don't know if I can be that strong alone.  Finding ways to gather together is the only option I see... for life, for survival, for food, for helping each other, for fellowship and community.

What do you think?  Is there any other way to live in a world without money?

In Christ,

Deborah Martin

http://work2gather.us