Posts Tagged Jesus
Can Satan Read Your Thoughts?
Satan has been around for a long time; longer than 6000 years, he tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1).
A few facts:
Satan is not omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing) or omnipresent (can be in more then one place at a time).
Satan is an Angel, a fallen Angel. (Isaiah 14:12-14)
Satan was thrown from Heaven because his pride led him to rebel against God. (Ezekiel 28:12-17)
Satan deceived and took with him one third of all angels in Heaven. (Revelation 12:7-9)
He can only be in one place at a time, so he needs his demons to help him and report back to him. If Satan could read our thoughts or if he were “all knowing” (omniscient) he wouldn’t need any help from demons.
Satan does know exactly how people think though, and he knows the weakness of humans.
This is how he’s able to tempt us; otherwise, he would not have wasted his time tempting Job. Job 1:6-12, or Jesus. Matthew 4:1-11. Satan certainly did not know what Job would do. He had not read Job’s mind; he had simply made a guess based on his observations (his walking to and fro, and up and down in the earth) and he was certainly wrong.
Satan has had a lot of time to practice. He knows exactly how to influence man. You better believe that the enemy knows the Bible better than any human being does.
Satan has the power to deceive those who do not follow, or have God's Word in them. If you are not full of God's Word, that leaves "room" for the Devil's minions to come in.
“The great dragon was hurled down, that ancient serpent called the devil,
or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth,
and his angels with him.” (Revelation 12:9, NIV)
Satan was brought under the power and authority of Jesus when He died for
our sins and established His Kingdom and His church. Satan no longer has
power over us and by this, we can be sure that the devil, Satan, cannot
read our thoughts. Revelation 12:7-17
Only God and his Son Jesus Christ can read the minds and the hearts of mankind.
This is the four Bible definitions of sin.
1) “Sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4
2) “Sin is anything that is unrighteous, not like Christ.” 1 John 5:17
3) “Sin is failure to follow the things we know to be right.” James 4:17
4) “Sin is lack of faith in God and His Word.” Romans 14:23
The "in" thing today is talking to the dead. Psychics and mediums actually believe that they are communicating with the dead. The truth is that a supernatural world indeed does exist, and people miss the familiar voices of loved ones, but they are sadly mistaken about mediums communicating with spirits of the dead. A thorough Bible study into this interesting topic will prove without a doubt that the dead know nothing, they are dead and cannot speak.
These mediums are really communicating with demons that’s posing as ghosts and dead relatives. The last book in the Bible has this warning, “For they are spirits of demons, performing signs…..” Revelation 16:14
The Bible clearly says, “For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: Death is swallowed up in victory.”
Study God’s Word and it’s easy to see that we aren’t immortal, not until the last day. That’s not the last day of our life, but the day that Jesus returns! Don’t give in to the same lie that was told to Eve, “Ye shall not surely die” Genesis 3:4
There is a difference between being able to plant a thought in someone’s mind and being able to read a person’s mind. When someone writes a book or speaks a word they are able to stimulate thoughts in people’s mind, but they cannot see what is happening beneath the surface. The only one that the Bible ever speaks of as being able to read the thoughts is the Lord. (1 Chronicles 28:9; Psalm 94:11; Psalm 139:23; Matthew 12:25; Luke 6:8) This is one of the very strong evidences that Jesus was the Son of God.
Though Satan is able to guess at our thoughts through observing, and suggest thoughts through circumstances and stimuli, there is no indication in the Bible that he can actually read our thoughts.
Keep looking up – Jesus is coming back!
Jesus repeated the history of Ancient Israel
The book of Matthew reveals that Jesus repeated the history of ancient Israel, point by point, and overcame where they failed. Notice these parallels between ancient Israel and of Jesus Christ:
Yet there is more. Remember that the name “Israel” not only referred to Jacob, but also to his descendants, who became Israel. The same principle is seen in the New Testament.
For example, the Lord had told the ancient Israelites, “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.” Exodus 19:6. In the New Testament, Peter applies these exact words to the church: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people.” 1 Peter 2:9.
Likewise, right after Paul’s statement in Galatians chapter 3 about Jesus being “the seed,” he then told his Gentile converts [a Gentile is any person who is not of the Jewish faith], “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:29. Thus in the New Testament, the name Israel not only applies to Jesus Christ, but also to those who are born in Christ-His church! In other words, all true Christians are now God’s spiritual Israel.
Double Vision
Have you ever been hit hard on the head and then started seeing double? Well, from what we have studied, the Christian world needs a loving bonk on the head with this New Testament truth so that more people will start “seeing double” about the subject of Israel! According to the New Testament, there are now two Israels. One group is composed of literal Israelites “according to the flesh” (Romans 9:3, 4). The other is “spiritual Israel,” composed of Jews and Gentiles who believe in Jesus Christ.
Paul wrote, “They are not all Israel, which are of Israel.” Romans 9:6. That is, not all are part of God’s spiritual Israel who are of the literal nation of Israel. Paul continued, “That is, They which are the children of the flesh [physical descendants of Abraham], these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.” Romans 9:8. The children of the flesh are only natural descendants of Abraham, but the children of the promise are counted as the true seed. Today any person-Jew or Gentile-can become a part of this spiritual nation of Israel through faith in Jesus Christ.
God Looks on the Heart
Just as there are two Israels, there are also two kinds of Jews!
Also, the seven last plagues that are found in Revelation 15 and 16 talks about the angels that pour out the vials of God’s wrath. It’s just before the second coming of Jesus because the seventh of the seven last plagues is synonymous with the coming of the Lord.
There’s a lot of similarity between the seven last plagues and the plagues that fell on Egypt.
The plagues fell on Egypt just before the Children of Israel were liberated from their slavery. The plagues are going to fall on this wicked world just before Spiritual Israel, God’s people, are liberated from the world that is in bondage to sin. And so, just before the second coming, there will be a period–based on some things in Revelation and Daniel, I have good reason to believe the period of the plagues is all going to fit within one years’ time, perhaps even just over a month. When you look at the severity of these things, you can imagine how long the world can go on with the fresh water supply being blood, or the oceans being blood, and most of the population of the world lives either by rivers or oceans, and men being scorched with great heat. And another reason, how long did the plagues last that fell on Job, it was just a matter of weeks when you read the context.
How long did the plagues last that fell on Egypt; again it was in the matter of within a couple months’ time, and so for these reasons, based on those stories, the plagues will probably fall just with a few months. And it says in Revelation, “All of her plagues come within one day”, and a day in prophecy is a year. So within a year’s time it all happens.
The intensity will be different in different parts of the world, the same way it was in Egypt. But God promises to protect His people all through those plagues, just like He protected the Children of Israel through the plagues that fell on Egypt. We don’t need to be afraid; that’s why we should memorize Psalm 91.
Can somebody be truly saved without keeping the Ten Commandments?
Can a person be saved without keeping the Ten Commandments?
The answer is yes.
Of course, there are going to be many people saved, and no one is saved by keeping any law. We are saved by grace alone.
However, at the same time, nobody will be saved who willingly disobeys. The Bible says, “If we continue to sin willfully after we know the truth, then there is no sacrifice for sins” (Hebrew 10:26). So at that point it is open rebellion against God. And how can God accept that into heaven?
In Mark chapter 10 Jesus said to the rich young ruler, ‘Come and follow me.’ And He actually asked him to be an Apostle. No one will ever know what the history would have ever been but God’s plan for that young man was to be a follower. And he went away. He chose not to because he loved his money more.
So we can choose to follow the Lord. We can choose not to follow Him. I believe we have a choice. Now because God knows everything, some people think that He’s making it happen; but just because someone knows something doesn’t mean that they’re forcing people to make choices. God gives us the freedom to choose. He may know what we’re going to do, but that doesn’t mean He’s making it happen.
We couldn’t choose to love God if He had pre-programed us and made us love Him. That’s not love. God’s plan for everybody is to be saved. 1 Timothy 2:4 says God who will have all men to be saved. And then God says in 2 Peter chapter 3 He’s not willing that any should perish. So that’s God’s perfect Will; but many will perish because they don’t choose.
Remember that many are called but few are chosen. I believe many are called but few will choose to respond, and so we all have freedom of choice. That’s why Jesus invites everybody in The Great Invitation: whosoever will, let him come. Come unto me all who are weary and heavy laden. And not all will choose. Judas chose to turn his back on Jesus. Jesus knew what Judas would do, but He didn’t make him do it.
Blessings,
Darrell B
The Shroud of Turin
The Shroud of Turin is a centuries old linen cloth that bears the image of a crucified man. A man that millions believe to be Jesus of Nazareth. Is it really the cloth that wrapped his crucified body, or is it simply a medieval forgery, a hoax perpetrated by some clever artist? Modern science has completed hundreds of thousands of hours of detailed study and intense research on the Shroud. It is, in fact, the single most studied artifact in human history, and we know more about it today than we ever have before. And yet, the controversy still rages. The Shroud of Turin website will keep you abreast of current research, provide you with accurate data from the previous research and let you interact with the researchers themselves. I believe that if you have access to the facts, you can make up your own mind about the Shroud. Make sure you visit the page where you can Examine the Shroud of Turin for yourself.






