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1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 tells us to “pray continually,” or “without ceasing.”  Let’s first look at what this verse actually means.  It doesn’t mean that you never have anything on your mind except prayer.  Obviously, we have other responsibilities in life.

The word “continually” can mean:  very often; at regular or frequent intervals; habitually; without cessation or intermission; unceasingly; or, always.  Similarly, the word “continuously” can mean:  uninterrupted in time; without cessation (e. g., continuous coughing during a concert); being in immediate connection or spatial relationship (e. g., a continuous series of blasts, or a continuous row of warehouses).

It’s sort of like when a person is on the phone.  He isn’t necessarily talking or listening every second.  There may be lulls in the conversation, or he may also be multi-tasking:  texting, typing on his computer, watching television, or thinking about other things.  When a person prays without ceasing, he always has a line to God open, even though he may be temporarily preoccupied with his job, his family, etc.

What 1 Thessalonians 5:-16-18 actually says is this:  “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  The key words here are:  rejoice; pray; thanks; God; and, Christ Jesus.  We are commanded by God to follow His will through Jesus Christ by continually sharing our joy, thanksgiving, and supplications with Him.  If we have anything to rejoice about or to be thankful for, or if we need anything, we’re told to share it with God.

But is continual prayer worth it?  While driving today, I approached an intersection that can be dangerous due to having two left-hand turn lanes when drivers often fail to stay within the dotted lines of their lane throughout the entire turn.  As I do almost every day when approaching that intersection, I prayed that God would keep me safe and accident-free throughout that turn, and after He did, I prayed again and thanked Him for it.  On some days I forget to pray before I reach that intersection.  I don’t think of it until afterward, but then I thank Him for keeping me safe.  Then on other days I’m preoccupied and don’t pray at that intersection at all.

Now, I’m sure that many other drivers breezed through that intersection today without an accident–and without prayer.  They were kept safe, so was my prayer really worthwhile?  It would be difficult to convince an unbeliever of this, but here’s how I look at it:

1) I believe that God has filled me with a desire to pray.  I love to be in fellowship with God.  It’s not a burden.  It’s something that I like to do anyway.

2) On the practical side, is it worth it to pray hundreds of prayers every day and tens of thousands of prayers every year?  After all, think of all the other things I could have been doing (or thinking) otherwise.  Well, what if only one of those 10,000 prayers was answered?  Regardless of whether or not all of the other prayers went unanswered, what if He really did keep me safe in His divine providence instead of allowing me to be involved in an accident?  Even if nobody was hurt and the accident wasn’t serious, the hassle would be overwhelming–involving policemen, other drivers, witnesses, traffic tickets, court appearances, judges, insurance companies, repairs, auto rentals, being late for work, bosses, etc.  That one accident could seemingly ruin my whole year.

For me, I liked the other 10,000 prayers anyway–having fellowship with God.  So, that one in 10,000 was definitely worth it, even if I don’t credit Him for keeping me safe all those other times.

Where Will Unbelievers Spend Eternity?  In hell, or in the lake of fire?  And, where are these places?

In the article “Do Believers Spend Eternity in Hell?” we learned that hell is not where Satan, fallen angels, demons, and unbelievers will spend eternity.  That place is called the lake of fire.

The location of hell is probably the center of the current earth.  Whenever people died prior to Jesus’ ascension, they are said to have gone down.  The only place down from the earth’s surface is under the earth.  The earth’s core is molten, fitting the description of flames.

The Scriptures do not say where the lake of fire will be.  It will probably have to be in a completely different place than the new earth and the new universe, since those new places will be completely free from sin and its remnants.

However, I can propose a new possibility.  We know from the Bible that both hell and the lake of fire are places of suffering and torment (Revelation 14).  We also know that those there have no rest day or night, from which we get the familiar saying, “No rest for the wicked.”  This speaks to their inability to escape the continual (daily) suffering.  Also, there will be fire, brimstone (sulfur–a nonmetallic element), and smoke there.  We also see that people in hell will mock new arrivals, and probably mock each other daily (Isaiah 4:9-11).  This behavior causes emotional pain to the ones being mocked and it causes a measure of sadistic delight for the ones doing the mocking.

Well, what place do we know of that has these things–fire, sulfur, smoke, and sin?  I propose that the lake of fire (for eternity) could be the current earth.  Revelation 21:1 says that a new earth is where believers will live with Christ forever, and the first earth passed away.  Maybe that doesn’t mean that it is destroyed.  Perhaps it means that the current earth (and the sin upon it) will continue to exist, but then in complete separation from God, good, and believers.

Due to the fall of man into sin, the current earth is already a place of suffering and torment.  Much of the population of the earth works all day, seemingly to no peaceful end, and has trouble sleeping at night.  And, we cannot escape it.  We already have fire, sulfur, and smoke, and perhaps those forces will be magnified due to the earthquakes and volcanos in the book of Revelation, bringing the molten center of the earth to the surface.  We certainly already see how detestable sinful people treat each other, mocking each other and inflicting emotional pain upon others, and taking delight in doing so.

Perhaps hell is currently at the center of the earth, and in eternity, that hell (physical, mental, and spiritual) will explode and be expanded to the earth’s surface, eternally separated from God.

Most popular concepts about heaven and hell do not come from the Bible, but from Greek philosophy and medieval writings like Dante’s Inferno.  Many Christians believe that heaven is a place where they will spend eternity.  However, the Bible indicates that the eternal home for believers will be on the new earth, specifically in the holy city called New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:1-4).

The Bible Refers to Three Heavens – Not Just One

In the Bible, the word “heaven” often refers to the atmosphere, or the sky or the air, where the birds fly (Matthew 6:26, 8:20).  This is the first heaven.  The second heaven is outer space, where the sun, moon, planets, and stars are (Hebrews 1:10-11, 2 Peter 3:7-12).  The third heaven is the place where God’s glory is localized, and where departed believers await Christ’s Second Coming (2 Corinthians 12:2-4, Revelation 4:1-11, 8:1-6, 16:11).

The Current Heavens Will be Destroyed

The Bible says that heaven will pass away, meaning the first and second heavens.  The entire universe, except for the third heaven, will be destroyed, along with the sin in it (which is why we need a new universe).  Then a new untainted universe will be created, including a new earth with the New Jerusalem (Matthew 5:18, 24:35, 2 Peter 3:10, Revelation 21:13).  Neither the Lord Jesus Christ (currently in Heaven) nor His believers will spend eternity in the third heaven.  Instead they will spend eternity on the new earth (Revelation 21-22).

God’s Plan for Man

God created the earth and then he created man for it–to live on it and fill it; i.e., he gave us bodies and a planet on which to use those bodies.  If Adam and Eve had not sinned, this present earth is where they would have spent eternity.  However, since man chose to sin and taint the earth, a new one will be required for his eternal dwelling.

The New Earth

The new earth will be a wonderful and beautiful place where we will serve Christ forever (Revelation 21-22).  It will have streets and buildings of gold and precious stones, and the New Jerusalem will be the world capital.  It will be perfect, with no more death, no more pain, and no more tears.

Heaven

It is correct to say that God and His Son Jesus currently live in heaven, that believers go to heaven when they die, and that believers who have died are now in heaven with Christ, but it’s a temporary dwelling place.  We have trouble explaining concepts about eternity.  It’s difficult to put into words because of our concepts of reality here on earth–physical and scientific concepts, the first and second laws of thermodynamics, etc.  Eternity is an existence not restricted by space or time, and it’s hard for us to understand.

For example, look back at the first sentence of the previous paragraph where I used the words “currently,” “when,” and “now.”  All of these words deal with time, and we can’t imagine writing or speaking about an existence where there is no time.  Yet, in eternity, somehow, it’s like everything happens all at the same “time.”  Likewise, we would have difficulty talking about an existence where there is no space.  The words “here,” “there,” and “place” wouldn’t apply because somehow all of that stuff that’s happening at the same “time” is also happening in the same “place.”

Hell

According to medieval literature, hell is a place where people’s skin is on fire; fire shoots from people’s noses, mouths, eyes, and ears; the physical pain is worse than any torture in this life; and, that pain is intolerable and never lessens.  However, the truth is that the torments of hell are never described in the Bible.  The Bible contains three key passages on Hell:

1) The Rich Man, Lazarus, and Abraham (Luke 16:19-31)

All we know is that the rich man is in a fiery environment, but we really don’t know the level of his torment.

2) The Smoke of Their Torment Ascends Forever (Revelation 14:11)

All who take the mark of the beast during the Tribulation will be tormented, the smoke of their torment ascends forever, and they have no rest day or night.  The torment in the lake of fire for unbelievers from the Tribulation will be eternal.  We don’t really know the nature or extent of their suffering, whether it will fluctuate in magnitude, or whether the torment will vary from person to person.

3) Mocking New Arrivals in Hell (Isaiah 14:9-11)

It seems that people in Sheol mock each other daily, and forever, in the lake of fire.  While being mocked, they will feel emotional pain, but perhaps while mocking, they will feel some sadistic delight, distracting them from their pain to a degree.

Where is Hell? 

Hell is not where Satan, fallen angels, demons, and unbelievers will spend eternity.  That is called the lake of fire.  The location of hell is probably the center of the current earth.  Whenever people died prior to Jesus’ ascension, they are said to have gone down.  The only place down from the earth’s surface is under the earth.  The earth’s core is molten, fitting the description of flames.

The Scriptures do not say where the lake of fire will be.  It will probably have to be in a completely different place than the new earth and the new universe, since those new places will be completely free from sin and its remnants.

Two Extreme and Unbiblical Views about the Nature of the Suffering in Hell

Extreme View #1:  The Suffering Will be Intolerable

Many Christians listen to preachers who have a medieval view of hell as a place of intolerable pain, worse than anything ever suffered here on earth.

Extreme View #2:  No Humans Will Experience Any Suffering in Hell

Although the Bible teaches eternal torment for some, many cannot imagine that God would allow for eternal suffering.  Some teach that all unbelievers will be annihilated, or completely destroyed (annihilationism).  They will cease to exist.  Others teach that the torment of unbelievers will be eternal, but that people have the opportunity to hear and believe the gospel after they die (postmortem conversion).  So, although the lake of fire will be a place of eternal suffering, most people won’t go there.  Still others teach that no human being will have the lake of fire as his eternal abode (universalism).  Another view is that the suffering will be unconscious.

The Truth:  The Torment in the Lake of Fire Will be Tolerable

One view says that the torment in the lake of fire will be mental and spiritual, but not physical.  It will consist of mental and spiritual anguish, regret, an abiding sense of loss, and permanent separation from God and all that is good, but it will not in any sense be physical.

A more accurate view is that the torment in the lake of fire will be physical, mental, and spiritual torment, but that all of it will be bearable (Matthew 11:22-24).  (However, I don’t think this matters much.  Eternal suffering is eternal suffering.)

The Lord taught both degrees of joy in the kingdom and degrees of suffering in the lake of fire.  God is not going to give unbelievers an eternal experience that is unbearable–constant maximum suffering with no breaks or escape.  Such suffering could not be described as “tolerable” or “more tolerable.”  The degree of torment may be based in part on how much revelation from God a person rejected.

Practical Concerns about Hell

If we teach that the torment in the lake of fire will be worse than what the Bible says, these practical problems result:

1) We hinder our evangelistic efforts with some (unless we do not share our view of the lake of fire).  If we present a view of hell that is far worse than the Bible portrays, unbelievers may be repelled from Christianity entirely.  They rationalize that nothing could be worse than what Hitler, Stalin, or Pol Pot did.

2) The teaching of hell is normally not coupled with the message of justification by faith alone.  Instead, it is routinely joined with a call to turn from one’s sins, give one’s life to Christ, follow Him, and serve Him.  The message of an intolerable eternity fits well with works salvation, but not so well with justification by faith alone.

If our view of hell is too lenient, there are also practical concerns:

1) If we were to teach annihilationism or no conscious torment, unbelievers would be less concerned about their eternal destiny and the possibility that they may be wrong, than they would be if they had been presented with a biblical view of hell and the lake of fire.  Many people are not too bothered by an eternal loss of consciousness or ceasing to exist.

2) Unbelievers might doubt the truthfulness of the Bible.  If they know that the Bible speaks of eternal torment, and yet we say that there is not eternal torment, then how does he know if anything else in the Bible is true?

Conclusion

Heaven has three main meanings in Scripture:  the sky, outer space, and the place where God’s Shekinah glory is and where believers who have died currently are.  The third heaven will not be the eternal dwelling place for believers.  We will spend eternity on the new earth with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Prior to Jesus’ ascension into heaven, hell (Sheol, or Hades) was the place of all who had died, both believers and unbelievers.  Since Jesus’ ascension, there are no believers in hell/Sheol/Hades.  It holds only unbelievers who have died.

The current experience of unbelievers in hell is bad, but bearable.  Unbelievers will spend eternity not in hell, but in the lake of fire.  The eternal experience of unbelievers in the lake of fire will be bad, but tolerable.

Primary Source: “Clearing up Confusion about Heaven and Hell” by Bob Wilkin, Grace in Focus, March / April 2017

1) The holy angels engage in glorifying God.

From the time they saw God call the various parts of the universe and life forms into existence, the angels were there.  And I suppose that one of the greatest cheers that went up from the angelic hosts was when He made Adam, because angels are very smart.  They understood the intricacies of the human body and that man is too undeniably complex to have evolved by chance.  You could not have gotten all of these pieces together and had it work.  The angels stood there and saw this lump of clay stand up, and they could see all of the intricacies of his body inside, all the working parts, all the pressure systems, all the blood systems, the circulation system, the neurological system–all of these things clicking together in exact perfect form.  The angels looked at one another and they all shouted a praise of joy and of honor to God for what He had done.

The angels spend their time glorifying God.  It’s a pity that we don’t do a little more of that ourselves.  Revelation 5:11-12:  “And I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and living creatures and the elders and the number of them was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.'”

The angels are so pleased to be able to constantly glorify God.  They spend their time doing it.  In Psalm 148:2, we read, “Praise Him all his angels.  Praise Him all his hosts.”  Now this is in part because the angels are able to do something with God that we cannot do.  They have a relationship with God that we are not privileged to have, and perhaps never will be.  The angels can see God.  Matthew 18:10 says, “See that you do not despise of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually behold the face of my father who is in heaven.”  People do not see God and have never seen God, but the angels look upon the face of God the Father.  That alone is reason that the angels spend their time in glorifying God, and we could take good advice from them on that point.

2) The angels prevented fallen man from living forever in his sinful state.

After the expulsion from the Garden of Eden, the holy angels prevented sinful man from re-entering the Garden to be able to eat of the tree of life in order to perpetuate his existence forever in a sinful fallen condition separated from God.  Genesis 3:24 says, “So He (God) drove the man out.  And at the East of the Garden of Eden he stationed the cherubim.”  The cherub class of angels is the strong powerful angel who accomplishes things.  The word “cherub” means “digger.”  He’s the toiler angel.  “And the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.”

3) The holy angels protect children.

Anyone who has ever had children recognizes this as a marvelous divine provision, because you wonder how children ever grow up and manage to survive, some more than others.  But they do have a special protection of God by the angelic hosts.  Matthew 18:10 says, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.”  What marvelous occasions we will never be aware of that God has sent his protective angels around a little one at some critical point in life.

4) Angels will gather the Jewish people to the Promised Land at the Second Coming of Christ from all over the world.

Matthew 24:31 says, “And He (the Lord Jesus Christ) will send forth his angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together his elect (the Jewish people, the believers) from the four winds (from one end of the sky) to the other.”  It is the angels of God who will bring the Jews back to the final return to the Promised Land.

5) Angels are present in the worship services of the local church.

This is an interesting doctrine of the constant inquiry of angels into spiritual things.  The Bible lets us know that while the angels are wise, they are not omniscient.  Therefore they are on a constantly learning curve of information coming to them.  1 Corinthians 11:10 says, “Therefore a woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head because of the angels.”  The context of this passage has to do with the public meaning of believers in the local church service.  And here it speaks of the fact of lines of authority.  The point is that women are not in positions of spiritual leadership, and the apostle goes through various reasons for that–the order in God’s creation; the fact that the man was created first–the responsibility is placed there; the fact that the woman was the one deceived by Satan, etc.  Then the fact that man is the glory of God, and the woman is the glory is man.  One of the signs of that authority is to have the head covered.  In both Hebrew and Greek society, it was the custom in the moment of worship for a woman to take those long gowns that she wore, the kind of dress she wore, and she would pull it over her head as a covering, as a sign of her respectful recognition of divine authority over her.

And here, the problem in the Corinthian church was that the women began running the operation, they were running amuck with talking in gibberish and calling it tongues.  It wasn’t tongues but it was done down in the pagan temples.  They did that same kind of gibberish just like is done in the charismatic churches today.  Paul is saying this is not of God, and part of the reason for it is that you’re not recognizing divine lines of authority or this would not be happening.  So Paul says that the woman should have this authority over her head because in the local church, the angels are there observing.  And when the angels observe this lack of propriety of covering, they are offended.  And their spiritual sensitivity is deeply offended by this act.  The point is to recognize authority, and it’s a matter of the heart, and that attitude should be respected.

But the point is that when you gather for the church service, the angels of God are right there with you.  They want to see God glorified; they want to see Christ honored; they want to learn from your experiences from what you have said.

Ephesians 3:10 also adds to this:  “In order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities of heavenly places.”  These rulers and authorities of heavenly places are categories of ranks of angels.  Here, in order (carrying on in the local church, explaining the hidden mysteries of doctrine), in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church in those services through angelic hosts who reside in heavenly places.

The presence of angels is also expressed in 1 Timothy 5:21:  “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and in Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels to maintain these principles without basis, doing nothing in the spirit of partiality.”  The context of this verse is how to run the local church.  He’s speaking about conduct within the local church and how Christians should comport themselves.  He says that I solemnly charge you under that condition in the presence of God (yes, He’s there in that service), in the presence of Christ (yes, He’s there in that service), and of His chosen angels (because they’re there), and that the principles of the Word of God be applied without bias and that you do nothing in the spirit of partiality.  So, part of the doctrine of angels teaches us that they are present when God’s people gather in their official worship services.

6) Angels speak intelligible languages.

The language of angels:  What language do angels speak?  The language of angels is not gibberish that nobody understands.  There is always this truth that you must remember about God:  Every time He speaks, it is in intelligible words that you can understand.  Therefore angels, whenever they carry a message, would never speak in an unintelligible way.  1 Corinthians 13:1 says, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but I do not speak in (“agape”) love (mental attitude good will), I become a noisy gong, a clanging signal.”  Angels speak in whatever language is appropriate for the people they’re speaking to.  Angels speak the same language as men.  “I speak in the tongues of men or of angels” does not mean that speak different languages.  It means that whether a man is speaking or an angel is speaking, the principle is that they are speaking under the power of the Holy Spirit.  You cannot have love functioning in your soul if you’re not is temporal fellowship.  That’s what this whole passage on love is about.  If you’re not in temporal fellowship, then everything you do is useless.  It’s nothing.  It doesn’t count with God for anything in terms of eternal reward of blessing.  It is very important to keep those known sins confessed and maintain the fellowship (1 John 1:9).

7) Angels rejoice when a lost sinner is born again.

That’s a happy thought.  Luke 15:10 says, “In the same way I tell you there is joy in the presence in the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”  The reason for this is that the angels more than anyone else knows what awaits Satan and his demons.  They were there when God spoke the words that created that terrible place that the Bible refers to as the lake of fire.  When unbelievers, Satan, and his demons are all placed into that lake of fire following the Great White Throne judgment, the intensity of the suffering will be very real.  It will be the pain of fire, but the problem will be that it will be dark.  It will be utter, total darkness.  They have chosen to go with the blackness of Satan’s doctrines, the blackness of human viewpoint, and God will now permit them to live forever in unenlightened darkness.

That should give us a new respect for coming to church.  There will be creatures of God who will never hear single bit of spiritual truth proclaimed forever again.  Their external condition will match their internal condition of darkness.  To be in the enlightenment of the Word of God, what a great thing that is.  We trivialize it and don’t show up for church.  There will be a time for all eternity when there will be these people in the lake of fire, suffering in pain and total darkness, and wishing they could hear a word of truth.  We who are saved sinners are a testimony to the justice of God.  Satan impugned that justice, but God demonstrated that He has covered our sins, and those who will accept Christ in that covering will go to heaven.  Those who will not, God will treat with equal justice and place them in the lake of fire.  This is the climax, the culmination of the angelic conflict.

8) The angels carry the saved person into heaven as the final expression of dying grace.

Luke 16:22 says, “Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom, and the rich man also died and was buried.”  The contrast is very great.  When Lazarus the poor man died, he was carried by the angels of God, escorted into that part of Hades which was called Abraham’s bosom by the Jews (Paradise by the Greeks) where the saved people were held until the resurrection of Christ when Jesus took everybody that was in the compartment of Abraham’s bosom (or Paradise) and took them up into Heaven.  People couldn’t go to heaven until Christ had died and had paid for their sins and had been resurrected.

Now the only people that go to Hades are those who are dead.  Both Lazarus and the rich man went to Hades before the resurrection, but the rich man was on the side of the unbelievers.  He was in the torment and the pain already that was a preview of what he was going to experience in hell or in the lake of fire.  He pled for somebody to just come across and give him one cool drop of water on his tongue, but was told that there was a gulf of separation and they could not cross over.

Now the angels know what’s going to happen, and it’s terrible on both sides.  But when the believer dies, those angels step in and they carry that believer into God’s presence.  The rich man was just to be buried like some dog because he had no future beyond an eternity of suffering.  So sometimes people almost do things near their moments of death, like their eyes have become open and they’re aware that someone is out there.  Sometimes they will even put their hands out like they were suddenly seeing the angels, and in that moment the person died.  The angels come in and take that soul and spirit of the believer and they escort them instantly into the Lord’s presence.

9) The holy angels are at war with the demon angels.

This war is on now.  It is demonstrating that God is just.  It is a battle over the justice and the fairness of God.  The climactic battle that finishes all this off will be in the middle of the seven-year tribulation period.  Revelation 12:7 says “And there was war in heaven, Michael the archangel and his angels waging war with the former archangel dragon Satan; and the dragon and his angels wage war.”  It is at this point that the climactic battle will take place.  Satan will be defeated, and he will be cast down to earth, never again to be able to enter heaven to accuse the saints or come into God’s presence.  However, you and I, while this battle rages now, are in the very midst of it.  Once the Lord Jesus Christ ascended, Satan could no longer strike at Him.  Therefore the only way that the devil can strike at Christ is by hitting His body, the believers.

Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle (as Christians) is not against flesh and blood (not against other people) but against the rulers (categories of angelic ranks–demon ranks), against the powers (the world forces of this darkness), against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”  You and I are in a daily warfare spiritually.  Satan uses people in that warfare.  You would make a big mistake if get yourself focused on fight with people.  The battle is not with people.  The battle is with the forces behind those people which are Satan and the demonic world.  Those are the angelic creatures which are very powerful, where we need God’s supernatural capacity to be able to survive.  So whatever people may do to you, whatever undeserved suffering you may have at their hands, whatever misrepresentation, whatever abuse you may find yourself taking, remember that it isn’t that individual.  It’s unbelievable what people may do.  Always go behind to the person of the demonic world, the demon angel that is dispatched by Satan to be the source of opposition to you.

The holy angels will one day bind Satan and cast him into the pit of the abyss to be in prison during the millennium until Satan is released for a little while, one more rebellion against God, and then he will be placed into the lake of fire.  But for the millennium, there will be no devil running around tempting people or disrupting things.  Revelation 20:1-3 says, “And I saw an angel coming down from heaven have a key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand.”  The abyss is probably somewhere in the middle of this earth.  “And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed.  After these things, he must be released for a short time.”  When he is released for a short time, the result is that people born during the millennium who have not accepted Christ who is ruling from Jerusalem during that 1000-year period, they will rally to join Satan in a final rebellion against Jesus Christ.  The sad thing is that even with the best of life, the best of environment, the best of conditions, some people will still reject Jesus Christ and go for Satan.  And once he is released, he has but a short time, and then God will finally finish him off once and for all.  In the meantime, he is the great deceiver of nations today, and he will seek to deceive until the very end.  Ultimately, God will be victorious.

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Faith in itself has no value.  It’s only the object of the faith that has value.

Suppose that I promised you, “I just put $100 in your pocket.”  Now, are you sure you have $100 in your pocket?  Well, it depends upon whether you believe me or not.  Do you have faith in me?  i.e., belief without seeing?  Well, if I’m reliable, you do have faith in me, and you know you have the $100.  However, if you can’t depend upon me, then you won’t believe it.  In fact, even if you do have faith in me, but I’m not reliable, then you don’t have the $100 even if you believe that you do.  It all depends upon me, the object of your faith.

The same is true of salvation.  My faith in Christ has value in what Christ did for us on the cross, not in my act of faith.

The same is also true of assurance.  If you believe, you’ll be sure.  If you don’t, you won’t.

When President Assad used chemical weapons, I was somewhat surprised to see President Trump decide to bomb Syria based upon seeing images of babies who were victims of the attack.  White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said that those images “would move any human being that has a heart.”

When did children become so important to us?  We kill thousands of unborn children through abortion every day, using chemicals (“chemical warfare”) and scalpels.  When did we suddenly develop a conscience of moral values?  Are Syrian babies more special than American babies?  Did the images do the trick?  If so, we should find some readily available images on the internet of aborted babies.

What’s Worse than Assad Using Chemical Weapons on Babies?  We are.  We brutally kill one million innocent children each year through abortion.

Like most government agencies, the FBI, CIA, are NSA ineffective bureaucracies.  We’re paying for them with our tax dollars, and we’re not getting our money’s worth.  These so-called “Intelligence” agencies have constantly revealed their lack of intelligence.  The CIA was able to find WMDs in Iraq when none existed, but they couldn’t prevent the 9/11 attacks; the NSA seems only capable of invading our privacy; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is incapable of successfully investigating anything.

The FBI comes up with the same results on everything, whether it’s Hillary’s e-mails, the Clinton Foundation, the Trump / Russian connection, or Obama “wiretapping” Trump Tower”:  They spend millions of dollars, then they either don’t know anything or can’t find anything.  If they do find something, they can’t tell us–even whether or not they’re investigating something.  If they do tell us, it’s either not enough to pursue or not enough for the Justice Department to bring anybody to justice.

Here are just a few of the enlightening answers that FBI Directory James Comey gave at the congressional hearings on 03/21/17:

“That’s one of those subjects I can’t comment on one way or another.”
“We don’t have any information …”
“I’ve said the FBI and the Department of Justice have no information …”
“I don’t think I should comment.”
“That’s not something I can comment on.”
“It’s hard to say because I don’t how much longer it will take.”
“It’s hard — it’s impossible to say, frankly.”
“I don’t know for sure.”
“I’m not gonna talk about any particular investigation.”
“I can’t say …”
“I don’t know the answer to that.”
“I’m not gonna get into (that).”
“So I can’t answer that.”
“I’m not going to talk about any particular person here today.”
“I have to give you the same answer.”
“Same answer.”
“Same answer.”
“I’m back to my original same answer.”
“Same answer.”
“I don’t wanna start down the road of answering questions about somebody.”
“I don’t know for sure …”
“Again, I don’t want to get into business of commenting on that.”
“I don’t remember.”
“That’s not a question I can answer.”
“We have no information that supports (that).”
“It would depend upon a lot of different things.”
“The reason I said it depends is it would depend.”
“I’m not going to comment on that.”
“I’m also not going to confirm whether we’re investigating things.”
“Could be. It would depend upon other things as well though.”
“Same answer as before.”
“Same answer as before.”
“I’m not gonna answer.”
“Hard to say.”
“I’m not familiar with that article. I don’t — I don’t remember it.”
“I’m not here voluntarily. Right? I would rather not be talking about this at all.”
“I don’t remember for sure. I think June. I could be wrong about that.”

So, regarding our Non-Intelligence agencies, why do we need to be paying these guys’ salaries?