The future

At the end of the age, God will gather all the living and dead before the heavenly throne of Christ for judgment. The righteous will receive eternal glory, the wicked will be condemned in the lake of fire. In Christ the Lord makes gracious and just provision for all, including those who did not appear to have believed in the gospel when they died. (Matthew 25,31-32; Acts 24,15; John 5,28-29; Revelation 20,11: 15; 1. Timothy 2,3-6; 2. Petrus 3,9; ...

To avoid misinterpretation, it is important to first of all see Matthew 24 in the larger context of the previous chapters. You may be surprised to learn that the backstory of Matthew 24 begins at the latest in chapter 16, verse 21. It says in summary: "From that time Jesus began to show his disciples how he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and...

Do you wish that Jesus would return soon? Hope for the end of the misery and wickedness that we see around us and that God will usher in a time as Isaiah prophesied: «There will be no wickedness or harm in all my holy mountain; for the land is full of the knowledge of the Lord as water covers the sea? " (Isaiah 11,9). The authors of the New Testament lived in anticipation of the second coming of Jesus to deliver them from the present evil…

It reminded me of scenes from a science fiction film when I heard about the discovery of an Earth-like planet called Proxima Centauri. It is in an orbit of the red fixed star Proxima Centauri. However, it is unlikely that we will discover extraterrestrial life there (at a distance of 40 trillion kilometers!). However, people will always ask themselves whether there is human-like life outside of our Earth.…

Have you ever heard that those who die as unbelievers cannot be reached by God? It is a cruel and destructive doctrine, which is proven by a single verse in the parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus. But like all Bible passages, this parable also stands in a certain context and can only be understood correctly in that context. It is always bad to base a doctrine on a single verse -...

What do you think would be the greatest event that could happen on the world stage? Another world war? The discovery of a cure for a terrible disease? World peace, once and for all? Perhaps contact with extraterrestrial intelligence? For millions of Christians, the answer to this question is simple: The greatest event that will ever occur is the second coming of Jesus Christ. The Central Message of the Bible The entire biblical…

As he promised, Jesus Christ will return to earth to judge and rule all peoples in the kingdom of God. His second coming in power and glory will be visible. This event ushers in the resurrection and reward of the saints. (John 14,3; epiphany 1,7; Matthew 24,30; 1. Thessalonians 4,15-17; Revelation 22,12) Will Christ return? What do you think would be the biggest event that could happen on the world stage? A…

In the Bible it is written: "God is love" (1. John 4,8). He has decided to do good by serving and loving people. But the Bible also points to God's anger. But how can the one who is pure love also have anything to do with anger? Love and anger are not mutually exclusive. Therefore, we can expect that love, the desire to do good, also includes anger or resistance to everything that hurts and destroys. God's love is...

Have you ever had reason to punish a disobedient child? Have you ever explained that the punishment would never end? I have a few questions for all of us who have children. Here's the first question: Has your child ever disobeyed you? Well, take a moment to think about it if you're not sure. OK, if you answered yes, like every other parent, now let's move on to the second question: Have you...

Prophecy reveals God's will and plan for mankind. In biblical prophecy, God declares that human sinfulness is forgiven through repentance and faith in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Prophecy proclaims God as the almighty Creator and Judge over everything and assures humanity of his love, grace and loyalty and motivates the believer to live a godly life in Jesus Christ. (Isaiah 46,9-11; Luke 24,44-48; Daniel 4,17; ...

"Judgment is coming! Judgment is coming! Repent now, or you will go to hell." Perhaps you have heard these or similar words from screaming evangelists. Their intention is to scare the listeners into committing to Jesus. Such words distort the gospel. Perhaps this is not so far from the image of "eternal judgment" that many Christians have believed in with horror over the centuries, especially in...

You know the gospel means good news. But do you really consider it good news? Like so many of you, I was taught for much of my life that we are living in the last days. This gave me a worldview that looked at things from a perspective that the end of the world as we know it today would come in just a few short years. But if I acted accordingly, I would be saved from the Great…

The Millennium is the period of time described in the Book of Revelation during which Christian martyrs will reign with Jesus Christ. After the Millennium, when Christ has overthrown all enemies and subdued all things, he will hand over the Kingdom to God the Father, and heaven and earth will be made new. Some Christian traditions interpret the Millennium literally as a thousand years preceding or following the coming of Christ; others see the…

The most common description of heaven, sitting on a cloud, wearing a nightgown and playing a harp, has little to do with how the Scriptures describe heaven. In contrast, the Bible describes heaven as a great feast, like a picture in super-large format. There is delicious food and fine wine in great company. It is the greatest wedding reception of all time, celebrating the marriage of Christ to his Church.…

Again and again in Romans, Paul argues that it is because of Christ that God considers us justified. Although we sometimes sin, these sins are counted against the old self that was crucified with Christ. Our sins do not count against who we are in Christ. We have a duty to fight sin, not to be saved, but because we are already children of God. In the last part of chapter 8, Paul addresses…

Every year we celebrate Jesus' resurrection. He is our Savior, Savior, Redeemer and our King. As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, we are reminded of the promise of our own resurrection. Because we are united with Christ in faith, we share in his life, death, resurrection, and glory. This is our identity in Jesus Christ. We have accepted Christ as our Savior and Savior, therefore our life is in Him...

Nothing sells like prophecy. It's true. A church or ministry can have a stupid theology, a weird leader, and ridiculously strict rules, but they have a couple of world maps, a pair of scissors, and a stack of newspapers, along with a preacher who can communicate reasonably well, then, it seems people will send them buckets of money. People fear the unknown and they know the future...

It's New Year's Eve, the last night of the old year. The fireworks begin, we toast and wish each other all the best for the new year. We set new goals for ourselves at the beginning of the year. Many people want to change something in their lives, be it by adopting a new diet, quitting smoking, getting more exercise, or committing to a good cause. Some have big goals: They want to start a new life in a distant land. The reasons for this vary. Some…

Have you ever wished that someone would knock on your door and tell you that a rich uncle you never heard of had died and left you a huge fortune? The idea of ​​money appearing out of thin air is exciting, a dream of many people and a premise of many books and movies. What would you do with your newfound wealth? What impact would it have on your life? Would it change all your…

It is the hope of all Christians that believers will be resurrected to immortal life at Christ's appearance. It should therefore come as no surprise that when the apostle Paul heard that some members of the Corinthian Church denied the resurrection, their lack of understanding in his 1. Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 15, vigorously rejected. First, Paul repeated the message of the gospel, which they also confessed: Christ had risen. Paul…

The word "grace" has a high status in Christian circles. Therefore, it is important to reflect on its true meaning. Understanding grace is a great challenge - not because it is unclear or difficult to grasp, but because of its immense significance. The word "grace" is derived from the Greek word "charis" and in the Christian understanding describes the undeserved favor or benevolence that God shows to people.…

Is there a resurrection? The question of the resurrection is central to our faith. Without the resurrection, faith would be meaningless. If Christianity were limited to this physical life and we did not continue to exist after death, it would ultimately not matter how we live, what we do or what we believe in. Without a future perspective, it would be more sensible to simply enjoy our lives while we can. The apostle Paul emphasizes: "Is there no...

When we understand that we live, weave and are in Christ, in the One who created all things and redeemed all things and who loves us unconditionally (Acts 12,32; Colossians 1,19-20; John 3,16-17), we can cast aside all fear and worry about "where we stand with God" and begin to truly rest in the assurance of His love and directing power in our lives. The gospel is good news, and indeed it is not just for a select few but...

If there were no future, writes Paul, it would be foolish to believe in Christ (1. Corinthians 15,19). Prophecy is an essential and very encouraging part of the Christian faith. Bible prophecy tells us something extraordinarily hopeful. We can draw a lot of strength and courage from it if we concentrate on its core messages, not on details that can be argued about. The meaning and purpose of prophecy Prophecy is not an end in itself - it articulates a...

In Acts of the Apostles 1,9 We are told, "And when he had said this, he was taken up in sight, and a cloud took him away from before their eyes." I would like to ask a simple question at this point: Why? Why was Jesus taken away in this way? But before we get to that, let's read the next three verses: "And as they watched him go up into heaven, behold, there were standing with them two men in white robes. They said, Men of Galilee, what...

The "Rapture Doctrine" advocated by some Christians deals with what will happen to the church when Jesus returns - at the "Second Coming", as it is usually called. The doctrine states that believers will experience a kind of ascension; that they will be caught up to meet Christ at some point when he returns in glory. Rapture believers essentially use a single passage as evidence: "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord...

After his suffering, death and resurrection, Jesus had repeatedly shown himself to his disciples as the living one for forty days. They were able to experience Jesus' appearance several times, even behind closed doors, as the resurrected one in a transfigured form. They were allowed to touch him and eat with him. He spoke to them about the kingdom of God and what it will be like when God establishes his rule and completes his work. These events…

In the story of Les Miserables, Jean Valjean is invited to a bishop's residence after his release from prison, is given a meal and a room for the night. During the night, Valjean steals some of the silverware and runs away, but is caught by the gendarmes, who take him back to the bishop with the stolen items. Instead of charging Jean, the bishop gives him two silver candlesticks and gives the impression that he...

There will always be someone who claims to be a prophet or who believes they can calculate the date of Jesus' return. I recently saw an account of a rabbi who was said to be able to link the prophecies of Nostradamus to the Torah. Another person predicted that Jesus would return at Pentecost 2019 will take place. Many prophecy lovers try to make a connection between current news and biblical prophecies…

“It is true that I am going and preparing a place for you, but it is also true that I will come again and take you to me so that you too may be where I am (John 14,3). Have you ever had a deep longing for something to happen soon? All Christians, even those in the first century, longed for Christ's return, but in those days and age they expressed it in a simple Aramaic prayer: "Maranatha," which means in English:...

When we understand that we live, weave, and are in Christ (Acts 17,28), in the One who created all things and redeemed all things and who loves us unconditionally, we can lay aside all fear and worry about where we stand with God and begin to truly rest in the assurance of His love and guiding power in our lives. The gospel is good news. It is indeed a message not just for a few people, but for all people.

The gospel means "good news." For years, the gospel was not good news to me because I was taught for much of my life that we were living in the last days. I believed that "the end of the world" was coming in a few years, but if I acted accordingly, I would be spared the Great Tribulation. This kind of worldview can be addictive, so you tend to explain everything that happens in the world through...

When on the day of mourning, on 14. On September 2001, , as people gathered in churches across America and other countries, they came to hear words of comfort, encouragement, hope. However, contrary to their intent to bring hope to the grieving nation, a number of conservative Christian church leaders have inadvertently spread a message that fueled despair, discouragement and fear. Namely for people who lost loved ones in the attack...