Jonathan Cahn delivers a prophetic word on what’s happening to our children – from Disney to Balenciaga, Baal to Molech, child sacrifice, pedophilia, the return of the gods and paganism, and what it all means.
You will be shocked by what you see happening at Disney. Disney’s new Christmas series depicts children holding up signs that say, “We Love You Satan”. While some commentators claim the “We Love You Satan” scene was for comedic effect, the people that did this were demonically led just as those that started using the term Santa. Is it a coincidence that Satan is an anagram of Santa? Of course not, it is all about instilling dark thoughts into children’s minds. It is obvious that Disney management has been taken over by demonic entities. We are living in the prophesied end times when God said “they will call evil good and good evil“. The good news is that it precedes Jesus soon coming return.
Mentioned in this video is Jonathan’s new book, Return of the Gods – The Jubilean Mysteries Unveiled. This book like all of his books is faith-building as you come to understand that God is in control of all events in His world.
This report from Pastor Charles is very encouraging. The pictures make it come alive and show that spontaneous prayer dominated the meetings.
Pictures 1, 2 & 3 show marketplace evangelism at Uriri. Believers are moved to spontaneous prayers after hearing the gospel message on salvation and repentance.
Picture 4, In the home of our host Mr Bonface Ayoro, Pastor Charles preaching on being prepared for Jesus second coming.
Picture 5. Mr Jackson Okumu and his three wives are being prayed for salvation, repentance, and healing – one of his wives, Mrs Dorsila Okumu was healed of a tumour. This was her testimony: “I started to feel a lump in my lower abdomen, and I had to seek medical attention. I was diagnosed as having a tumour. My doctor told me I had to be operated on as soon as possible because it had grown so large. I was so troubled in my heart and had no peace at all. Today, I’m glad Dr Jesus performed his own operation, and now I don’t need an operation! She expressed her excitement, the tumour is gone! I can no longer feel it in my body!”
Picture 6. Mrs. Susana Odhiambo (left and arms raised) – a 35 years old woman working in the education department, she wanted to accept Jesus as her Saviour and Lord and was delivered from demonic depression by Pastor Saoke in the process.
Picture 7. Pastor Saoke shared the gospel message of salvation with a young gentleman who had attended our gospel meeting.
Picture 8. Mr. William – a motorbike driver had broken his right leg in an accident five months ago and that leg had not healed properly. His range of movement was limited and it was very painful. Naturally, this disability impacted his ability to do work. Upon hearing our gospel message of salvation, he surrendered his life to Jesus and his leg was healed, the pain was gone. Mr. William later testified: “Wonderfully, Jesus has done what the doctors were not able to do. I’m healed! I thank my Lord, He is my saviour forever.”
Picture 9. Shows people at the marketplace meetings in prayer. Spontaneous prayer was the feature of the Mission and confirmed that the Holy Spirit was leading the way.
Pictures 10 & 11. A roadside meeting showing Mrs Hannah a 30-year-old woman who had been an alcoholic gave her testimony of repentance, healing and salvation. She has a dark grey skirt and an orange top, standing in picture 10 and on her knees in picture 11.
Mrs. Susana Odhiambo (left with arms raised)
OUTCOME: A new House church was established in Urir with 15 believers. Mr Bonface Ayoro will lead the new house church. Pastor Harisson Ojiji will act as a mentor to help him oversee the church.
Testimony from Mr Bonface Ayoro: “May God bless you for your commitment to serving the Lord and your efforts in making Disciples for Jesus. I have been listening to you and your ministry since 2019. I now feel I am a part of the Kenya House movement. I count it a privilege to be a part of the work our Heavenly Father is doing through you and your ministry partners. I was part of the religious institutional church model for over 15 years. It does not make disciples of Christ. I look forward to being part of the KHC movement to make more disciples for the Kingdom of God.
I have been blessed to be part of growing and ministering to the KHC movement for over four years now. If you feel called to help then please send me an email at ron@bakb.com.au or you can donate on the Home Page.
Living things certainly look designed. Some people are surprised to learn that even well-known, militant atheists and evolutionists will admit this fact, as the following three cases illustrate. Let’s hear first from British biologist Richard Dawkins: An increasing number of people in our secular society … are persuaded that design denial is an entirely sensible position. “Living things are not designed, but Darwinian natural selection licenses a version of the design stance for them. We get a shortcut to understanding the heart if we assume that it is ‘designed’ to pump blood.”2
Director of The Skeptics Society (US) Michael Shermer agrees: “The design inference comes naturally. The reason people think that a Designer created the world is because it looks designed.”3
So does American evolutionary biologist and Intelligent Design critic Jerry Coyne: “If anything is true about nature, it is that plants and animals seem intricately and almost perfectly designed for living their lives.”4
In the above instances, Dawkins, Shermer, and Coyne had living organisms in mind. But on a cosmic scale, too, top scientists affirm design. Charles Townes (1915–2015), who shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1964, unashamedly affirmed the universe was God-made: “Intelligent design, as one sees it from the scientific point of view, seems to be quite real. This is a very special universe: it’s remarkable that it came out just this way. If the laws of physics weren’t just the way they are, we couldn’t be here at all. The sun couldn’t be there, the laws of gravity and nuclear laws and magnetic theory, quantum mechanics, and so on have to be just the way they are for us to be here.”5
So, to repeat, wherever we care to look we observe design. This being so, why is it that many people today seem unable (or unwilling) to accept the evidence of their eyes?
Living things certainly look designed—like the intricacies of a peacock’s tail.
Design denial
Recall that Richard Dawkins actually admits that “a shortcut to understanding” living things is gained by assuming that they are designed—even though he emphatically rejects that any designing intelligence was involved; and certainly not the God of the Bible. He is very insistent upon this point, but also inconsistent! And those who disagree with him—who believe instead that the Creator God is behind all the design we see—he calls deluded. Of course, not all atheists and skeptics go as far as Dawkins in their rhetoric. Nevertheless, an increasing number of people in our secular society are buying into the lie that design denial is synonymous with (even necessary for) scientific integrity. They are persuaded that design denial is an entirely sensible position.
“In their case the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:4
“For they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.” John 12:43
‘Talk about design if you really must, but whatever you do, don’t bring God into the discussion.’ That, they claim, is bad science! I am reminded of the line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” You can substitute “lady” with any spokesperson for the secular scientific establishment who claims that it is unscientific to follow the trail from designed things to the Designer—a claim that is contrary to the Bible (e.g. Romans 1:20). No, we really should follow where the scientific evidence leads us. We have nothing to fear from facts, only fact-denying dogma. Beware of those who say otherwise, whatever their credentials.
“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” Romans 1:20
The Maker’s marks
The hallmarks of design are everywhere we care to look. In making the point that Jesus was far greater than Moses, one Bible writer wisely affirmed, “For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God” (Hebrews 3:4). This is not the place to delve further into that passage, but don’t miss the message: if the architect and construction workers are the ones who deserve the credit for an impressive house, the One who is “builder of all things” even more so. When something “looks designed” (Shermer), even “perfectly designed” (Coyne), we do indeed get “a shortcut to understanding” (Dawkins) if we acknowledge it to be so. Trying to avoid this leads to a sort of cognitive dissonance
When something “looks designed” (Shermer), even “perfectly designed” (Coyne), we do indeed get “a short cut to understanding” (Dawkins) if we acknowledge it to be so. Trying to avoid this leads to a sort of cognitive dissonance, a conflict between two contradictory ideas—as in, ‘it looks designed, let’s pretend it’s designed as it’ll help us understand it, but let’s be sure to keep telling ourselves it is not designed.’
In his most recent book, Return of the God Hypothesis (2021),7 Stephen Meyer reminds his readers that: “… many of the founders of modern science did not just assume that the universe had been designed by an intelligent agent. They also argued for this hypothesis based on discoveries in their fields of study. Johannes Kepler … Robert Boyle … Carl Linnaeus. Many other individual scientists made specific design arguments based upon empirical discoveries in their fields.”8
These great scientists of the past, rather than denying the design that stared them in the face (and suffering cognitive dissonance), delighted in it! This was a vital factor in their fruitfulness as outstanding scientists.
‘Delighting in design’ is certainly true of the editorial team of CMI’s Creation magazine, as well as the many authors and graphic artists who contribute to each new issue. Consider subscribing if you don’t already receive it—read, learn, and share it with others.
Let us avoid the foolish mistake of ascribing greatness to the things that are made. Christians should also help friends, colleagues, and family members to avoid this pitfall. Instead, we must be sure to worship the Maker whose marks we have observed in His manufactured creatures—evidence for God’s Grand Design is all around us. Merely to delight in the created designs themselves, while robbing our Creator of the glory that is rightfully His, is sheer idolatry (see Romans 1:25).
“Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” Romans 1:24-25
References and notes
This first appeared in CreationExtra, CMI-UK/Europe, March 2022.
Dawkins, R., The God Delusion, Bantam Press, London, p. 182, 2006 (emphasis added).
Shermer, M., Why Darwin Matters, Henry Holt and Company, New York, p. 65, 2006 (emphasis original).
Coyne, J., Why Evolution is True, Viking, New York, p. 1, 2009.
Quoted in: Meyer, S.C., Return of the God Hypothesis: Three scientific discoveries that reveal the mind behind the universe, HarperOne, New York, p. 146, 2021.
Bell, P. (ed) and 10 others, Does Evolution Explain Everything About Life? Answers from Ph.D. scientists, Creation Book Publishers, Power Springs, GA, 2020.
See Woodmorappe, J., The existence of specified information in the universe points to a creator God, A review of Return of the God Hypothesis: Three scientific discoveries that reveal the mind behind the universe (Stephen C. Meyer), J. Creation 36(1):26–29, April 2022.
Meyer, ref. 5, p. 47.
adapted from a CMI article Delighting in Design – and in its Originator by Philip Bell1 Check out http://www.creation.com
Most Christians are giving no thought to Jesus second coming to earth and yet there are far more prophecies about His second coming than there were of His first coming. We need to remember that despite the many prophecies of Jesus’ first Coming, the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees and Sadducees, totally rejected Him. What about the religious leaders of our Day?
Fortunately, there are many great ministries that God is raising up in these last days to alert Christians to the many signs Jesus has given of His second coming. The primary “end times” ministry, I would recommend is Nelson Walters’s YouTube videos. Make sure you sign up for those. Those that follow this website know that I repost many of Nelson’s videos here.
Jesus’ “end times” warnings are given in all three Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke (Olivet Discourse). Paul confirms key “end times” prophecies in 1 Thessalonians – The Coming of the Lord (1 Thess.4:13-18) and The Day of the Lord (1 Thess.5:1-11). In Revelation, John opens up many of the OT prophecies, particularly the book of Daniel (“Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end” Daniel 12:9). Daniel and John in Revelation give us great detail on the last seven years (70th week of Daniel) prior to Jesus’ return. For Christians, it is imperative that we recognise the Antichrist (Great Deceiver) and the False Prophet when they arrive on the scene. These two individuals are going to look really good as the apparent deliverers from the mounting chaos in the world. Fortunately in Revelation, John takes us through to the end of the story when the Antichrist is defeated and Jesus ushers in His Millennial rule on this earth. All the OT prophets were given the victorious end of Israel’s story with their Messiah ruling the nations from a magnificent new Jerusalem. Great detail is given in the Bible on the last one thousand years of this Cosmos’s existence before God destroys it with fire.
I believe one of my tasks is to get Christians thinking and praying about how they might prepare now for their role when they return with Jesus in their resurrected bodies to rule and reign with Him. Remember, Jesus’ Millennial reign is a transition period. The curse is not lifted from this Cosmos so people are still being born and dying. We are told repeatedly that Jesus and the Saints rule with a “rod of iron”. Satan is bound in the Abyss for most of this time but is released at a time near the end of the thousand years and is still able to gather an enormous army (“their number islike the sand of the sea” Rev.20:8), to come against Jesus and the Saints. Even with Jesus and the resurrected Saints here on earth people will still rebel wanting to be the god of their own little world.
I am in the process of building the website http://www.millennialkingdom.net which I hope you will use to start to become familiar with what God has revealed to us about Jesus’ soon-coming Millennial Kingdom. He has revealed it for a purpose. When you do it will make you more Kingdom-focused and in prayer about how you can fulfill your mission here and now.
In the Millennium, I am sure we will be using the latest technologies; ENERGY: I am confident Nuclear Fusion will be perfected as a power source. TRANSPORT: It appears that Hydrogen Fuel Cells and Battery Powered vehicles will both have a place. ROBOTICS: Use of robots will expand. Amazon’s robotic warehouses have demonstrated the benefits. Robots work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with no tea and lunch breaks, no holidays or sick leave and they do not make mistakes. The biggest unbudgeted saving for Amazon was no mistakes. The savings were huge from Customer Service not having to handle customer complaints about wrong deliveries: phone calls, the cost of returns, and sending replacement products.
Just saw this video of aerial robots picking fruit.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Driverless cars and trucks will be the norm. Moreover, it is unlikely we will own vehicles. We will just order the correct-sized vehicle for whatever purpose. It will arrive on time and deliver you or your group to where you want to go and then move on to its next task. The savings will be enormous, fewer vehicles as all working most of the time, no garages at home or work.
AGRICULTURE: Fresh vegetables grown in cities close to where they are consumed will be the norm. It is already happening in places like Singapore. Gardens in the sky – echo urban architecture.
In the Millennium I think God will use me in the business segment as it was a talent He has given me and I enjoyed it. What about you? You can pray into it by asking God to prepare you now for your coming role in His Kingdom.
The Dark Trinity in America EXPOSED // Jonathan Cahn PROPHETIC WORD
America has exorcised God step by step since the ’60s: first prayer out of schools, God out of education, laws. culture, entertainment, in fact, God out of everything. People are becoming like their idols; taken over by technology.
Is it possible that behind what is taking place in America and the world lies a mystery that goes back to the gods of the ancient world…and that they now have returned?
The good news out of all this catastrophe is that it proves God is in control. Note in Jonathan Cahn’s video that the timing of these events is prophesied. Note also that Christians have the power to stand against these principalities and powers. It is time for Christians to rise to the occasion. We have the Holy Spirit to empower us to cast out these demonic powers and to do what it is God has called us to do. It is time to act boldly.
Watch this video by Jonathan Cahn its timing is perfect. It is a must-watch video not only for Americans but what is happening in America is happening in Australia. God is being exorcised from our nation and the demonic is taking over all aspects of our culture.
Arabic intifāḍah (“shaking off”), there have been two 1987-1993 and 2000 to about 2005 uprisings of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip aimed at ending Israel’s occupation of those territories and creating an independent Palestinian state. Moreover, Biblical prophecy tells us that the violence will not end until Jesus returns and establishes His Millennial Kingdom. In fact, the Jews will initially embrace the Antichrist who promises peace and it is easy to see how current events are leading up to his entrance on the scene.
Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad seek to set the West Bank ablaze and view Jenin as the ideal ignition point.
The figures released recently by the Israel Defense Forces left little room for doubt—2022 was one of the most challenging periods for the Israeli military in Judea and Samaria, commonly known as the West Bank, in 15 years.
Gunmen attend the funeral in Jenin of Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist Matin Dabaya, who was killed during clashes with Israeli forces, Oct. 14, 2022. (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)
Since the IDF launched “Operation Break the Wave” on March 31 this year in response to a burst of deadly terror attacks in Israeli cities that emanated from the northern parts of Samaria, a combined effort by the military, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), the Border Police and its Yamam Counter-Terrorism Unit, and the Israel Police resulted in a powerful, intensive response, in the form of nightly raids targeting terrorist plots, guided by precise intelligence.
The Israeli operations focus on (though certainly not limited to) the geographical hub of the current terrorism spike, Samaria, and specifically the sectors of Jenin and Nablus, which spawned local terror outfits such as Lions’ Den. Meanwhile, established terror factions such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad offer large sums of cash to any Palestinian in the area willing to attack Israelis.
The new figures show that 281 terrorist incidents were recorded in January-October 2022, compared with 91 recorded in all of 2021. Shooting attacks on Israeli military forces in Judea and Samaria have also risen sharply, with 110 recorded since January 2022, up from 25 in 2021. Thirty-one Israelis—both civilians and security personnel—have been killed in Palestinian attacks this year. More than 130 Palestinians, most of them assailants, were killed in clashes and security incidents this year.
Jesus tells us the good news:
And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:28
Giving is more than a noble and compassionate act. It’s a giant lever positioned on the fulcrum of this world, allowing us to move mountains in the next world. When we die, we will see at last the incredible, eternal results of our giving.
Because we give, eternity will be different—for others and for us and our families. Giving away our money, possessions, time, and talents is a sacred opportunity to make a great and eternal difference. And it’s also our opportunity to enter into living the good life now.
The following story is extracted from Randy Alcorn’s book “Giving is the Good Life”
When he was young, Matt McPherson sought the Lord’s direction for his life. Matt built archery bows and asked God for the wisdom to build the best bows in the world. He developed the single-cam bow and now owns one of the world’s largest archery bow companies.
Matt started other business ventures, including McPherson Guitars, which he began with his father. Their goal is to make money to impact the world. They now fully support more than seven hundred missionaries worldwide.
Matt’s story is another one that makes me thank God for furthering His Kingdom by not calling some people to spend their lives as pastors or missionaries. There are millions of faithful business and professional people, including musicians, artists, and athletes, spread across the world. If Matt has fully funded seven hundred missionaries, how many tens of thousands of other missionaries have been able to go do their work because believers in secular vocations have faithfully used their gifts and passions to build businesses that generously send and support them? And while supporting missionaries, they themselves serve Christ in the unique mission fields of their businesses and neighborhoods.
Matt McPherson says, “When I’m dying, I’m not going to be wishing I’d bought myself something else. I’m going to be thinking, ‘I wish I would have done more for Christ.’”
I think Matt is exactly right. When we enter Christ’s presence, we’ll see with eternity’s clarity.
We’re called God’s servants, and we’re told it’s required of us that we “prove faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2). So while we still have our earthly lives to live, why not sharpen our long-distance vision and grab hold of the good life now?
Why not make what will be most important to us when we die most important to us now?
Why not spend the rest of our lives closing the gap between what we are giving and what we will one day wish we’d given?
If you want help to start/build a kingdom business then can I suggest you consider purchasing my book on Amazon. It is available as an ebook or trade paperback edition.
It should not be surprising to us when an Old Testament account has a now and prophetic future meaning like the Exodus account of the blood over the door posts of the Passover Lamb. We know now that was to be a picture of Jesus, the Passover Lamb. The conquest of Jericho is one of these stories. One has to ask what purpose would God have to give Joshua such a crazy battle plan unless it was to be a picture of a future event. As you will see it bears many parallels to the last seven years of the 70th week of Daniel.
The Pattern of Seven Events is an essential and critical prophetic construction for the 70th week of Daniel, the last seven years before Jesus returns to first rapture the Saints and to pour out His wrath upon an unrepentant world.
The pattern of seven events is the “roadmap” of the 70th Week of Daniel allowing Christians to know where they are in each of the seven years and what to anticipate next, what the timing of those events will be, and most importantly how to “overcome” during the trials that are to come. This pattern of seven events is given by Jesus in the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, in Joshua, Judges, Psalms, Daniel, Ezekiel, and in Revelation with the letters to the Seven Churches, and the Seven Seals. It is also in the meaning and order of the Feasts of the Lord. God gives us these numerous accounts so that we know He is in control of all that unfolds including the great tribulation that Christians will experience during this time.
THE RAPTURE
If we read the Conquest of Jericho account closely we’ll notice that the timing of the Rapture is given:
“And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up,” Joshua 6:5
This passage bears an amazing similarity to Paul’s accounts of the Rapture: “For the Lord, Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
The “last trumpet” is the final “long blast with a ram’s horn” on Yom Teruah just like the quote above from the Jericho Account. This is truly amazing. At the breaking of the Seventh Seal, Jesus will blow the trumpet of God and a great shout will go out. The dead in Christ will rise first, and, as the Jericho Account states, “the people will go up.” Just as in the seven-day battle of Jericho, the “symbolic Rapture” occurs after encircling the city for six days (six seals), at the very end of the Sixth Year of the 70th Week of Daniel, the Rapture will occur at the seventh seal (encircling the city seven times). The saints will be gathered together by the angels to our Lord and will enter a Sabbath rest in Heaven.
If you need further teaching materials on the pattern of seven events I have posted many posts and Nelson Walters videos on this topic. Do a search. You can also go to Nelson’s YouTube video channel.
Why should you be living eternally now? All believers will appear before the judgment seat of Christ and whilst our eternal destiny is safe what we have done will affect our rewards. For Christians that are raised in the first resurrection and are raptured with the living Saints, it is generally agreed that we will face the judgment seat of Christ during the time (Isaiah 34:8, Isaiah 61:2, Isaiah 63:4) we are in heaven before returning to earth with Jesus. If you disagree, keep in mind that these are not my words, but God’s. Jesus, speaking to both believers and unbelievers, said, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words, you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36-37. Also, Paul said, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil”2 Corinthians 5:10
There are two different judgments in God’s Word: the judgment of faith, and the judgment of works. The judgment of faith relates to our eternal salvation, while the judgment of works relates to our eternal rewards.
For Christians, salvation took place in a moment in the past. It was free, it can’t be lost, it is the same for all Christians, and it is solely based on a faith that is ours by the grace of God alone. By contrast, future rewards are earned (by God’s grace), can be lost, differ among Christians, and are based on our efforts.
Salvation is about God’s work for us. Conversely, rewards are a matter of our work for God. When it comes to salvation, our work for God is no substitute for God’s work for us. God saves us because of Christ’s work, not ours. Likewise, when it comes to rewards, God rewards us for our work, not Christ’s. (Our good works are empowered by the Holy Spirit; nevertheless, we need to submit to Him so God refers to it as our work.)
Let me be sure this is perfectly clear. Christ paid the price for all of our sins, once and for all (Hebrews10:12-18). If we have trusted Him for that provision, we will not pay the eternal price, the second death. He has fully forgiven our sins, and we are completely secure in Christ’s love (Psalm 103:8-18; Romans 8:31-39). Our salvation is sure, and we will not undergo the judgment of condemnation (John 5:24; Romans 8:1).
But although the forgiveness of our sins has every bearing on our eternal destination, it has no automatic and effortless effect on our eternal rewards, apart from the fact that God’s sanctifying work comes out of our salvation, and therefore we should expect that the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives should lead us to do good works that God will reward. But we must choose to do the works He prompts us to do. Neither does it mean our choices have no consequences in eternity. Forgiven people can still lose their rewards or forfeit eternal positions of responsibility they could have had if they’d served Christ consistently and faithfully before death.
Trust in Christ, lean on Him, and draw upon Him for power, for apart from Him we can do nothing. But if we hope to receive a reward, we must still do the necessary work. As our forefathers put it, to wear the crown we must first bear the cross.
Just as there are eternal consequences to our faith, so there are eternal consequences to our works.
What we do with our resources—including our time, money, and possessions—will matter not just twenty minutes, twenty days, or twenty years from now. It will matter twenty trillion years from now.
Though Paul insists we are saved by faith, not works (Titus 3:5), he also clearly states that the choices we make and the things we do have eternal implications, and that we will each answer to God for the works we have done in this life:
If anyone builds on this foundation [Christ] using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames. (1 Corinthians 3:12-15)
Those believers who have been less faithful and obedient in their walk with Christ will not suffer loss of salvation! But they will suffer loss of the reward that would have been theirs had they been more Christ-centered and faithful in their service to Jesus.
What 1 Corinthians 3 says is so sobering that a temporary loss doesn’t seem likely. This loss of rewards appears permanent, for while we will all serve God in our resurrected bodies on His New Earth, there appears to be a finality to the fact that after death comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27). If there are any future judgments for our service to God on the New Earth, we are not told about them in Scripture. Of course, we should anticipate for our future service He will say to all of his children, “Well done!” And yet, despite Scripture’s silence on this, I think it’s very possible that God, who is by nature a rewarder (), may continue to reward His people for faithful service on the New Earth. That resonates with me, and I don’t see anything unbiblical about it. It fully fits His nature as a Father who takes joy in saying “Well done” to His devoted children.
Earning Our Full Reward
First Corinthians isn’t the only passage that speaks of losing reward. The apostle John wrote, “Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward” (2 John 1:8, ESV).
To win a full reward would be glorious, wouldn’t it? But surely all of us will regret some of our decisions on that day when we “suffer loss” or “lose what we have worked for.” Anticipating standing before the judgment seat of Christ should motivate us to follow Him wholeheartedly and generate in us a proper fear of God.
All of us will be full of joy in Heaven, but those who served Him faithfully, particularly in the midst of adversity, will have been made, by God’s grace, into larger vessels. They won’t be fuller of joy, but they will have a greater capacity, and their fullness will accordingly contain even more joy. (Hence the special place in Revelation given to the martyrs.) There won’t be envy or regret, because of our new natures, and all will be full of joy, yet there will be true continuity and eternal consequence so that what we do—not just what we believe—in this life affects the next.
Maybe one way to say it is that the “loss” of rewards is in some sense permanent, but the “suffering” of that loss will be temporary. God will do away with the suffering (Revelation 21:4), but that is after the judgment, after we give an account to the Lord. The suffering of regret will be there at the judgment (how could it not be?) before entrance to the eternal state, but then comes the learning and purifying and eternal rejoicing. Perhaps we’ll offer a short, entirely sincere, “I regret my lack of faith and faithfulness,” expressing this to our God who graciously forgives. Then, with that forever behind us, we move on to eternal joy.
But there will be no ongoing suffering, for all our regrets about our past will be overshadowed by God’s grace. Yet if there were no reckoning, no “suffering loss” then the 1 Corinthians 3 passage would be meaningless (which is exactly what most teaching on the subject reduces it to). Some will object that this is a sort of Protestant purgatory, just shorter in duration than languishing in the flames of Catholic purgatory. But the suffering is not in the eternal state, only in a temporal judgment, and judgment must involve the negative as well as positive or it too is meaningless. The biblical statements of “giving an account” and that include “works done in the body, whether good or evil” are unmistakable in that regard. (Doing the evil will clearly have taken away from the rewards that would have come from doing good.)
Consequences without Condemnation
Since all who know Jesus go to the intermediate Heaven immediately when we die, it appears that whenever this judgment happens, it will be after we get there. So, while God will one day wipe away every tear from our eyes (Revelation 21:4), it seems likely that when we must give an account for our lives, there will be, for a time, some regrets and tears and a sense of that loss Scripture speaks of.
I realize this is hard to grasp. I am just trying to be true to all God’s Word says, instead of choosing only parts of it. This may sound like a sort of condemnation and punishment, but we are assured this isn’t the case, for “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
Ephesians 1:7 says, “In him [Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace”. The Bible teaches not only forgiveness of our sins but also consequences for our choices. These consequences apply despite our forgiveness. Forgiveness means that God eliminates our eternal condemnation; we will not be ultimately punished for our sins, but there may be immediate consequences in this world due to our sins. Forgiven people can still contract AIDS, go to jail for drunk driving, or suffer the death penalty, for example. A murderer or drug dealer can be fully redeemed and forgiven, and may still spend the rest of his life in prison. He may lose his family as well as his freedom. After all, the thief on the cross remained there despite his confession of faith.
In Heaven, God appears to say that while all our sins will be forgiven and there will be no ongoing shame or regrets, nevertheless at the judgment seat an initial and temporary sense of shame, regret and sorrow seems likely, though one that will soon be swallowed up by eternal grace and joy.
Prepared for Good Works
One of the most often quoted passages in Scripture states, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
It’s a wonderful truth, but verse 10 immediately follows with more truth about works: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God has prepared a lifetime of good works and we will give an account to Him for whether or not we have done them.
Surely each of these passages and others like them implies that while we will be fully forgiven in Christ and be forever totally cleansed and purified by His redemptive work, we will nonetheless be held accountable for what we have and haven’t done in this life.
It seems reasonable we won’t be joyful at the very moment we have to give an account for our sins, the careless words we have spoken, and all the wood, hay, and straw of our lives that will be consumed in the fire, that could have instead been gold and silver and precious stones. And at the same time, we will find great pleasure in the rewards God has given us, and we will celebrate the rewards He gives to others.
Embracing Paradox
But how does this all fit with the truth about the forgiveness of our sins? I think of the example of Charles Spurgeon, who didn’t try to reconcile every paradox or apparent contradiction in the Bible. Speaking of the truths of God’s sovereignty and human responsibility—which I also believe to be applicable to the truths of complete forgiveness and accountability at the judgment Spurgeon said this:
“These two truths, I do not believe, can ever be welded into one upon any human anvil, but one they shall bein eternity: they are two lines that are so nearly parallel, that the mind that shall pursue them farthest, will never discover that they converge; but they do converge, and they will meet somewhere in eternity, close to the throne of God, whence all truth doth spring.“
Spurgeon also wrote, “Those who will only believe what they can reconcile will necessarily disbelieve much of divine revelation.” Our desire for logical consistency, as we understand it, can become our God. Then we, not Scripture and not God, become our own ultimate authority. We end up ignoring, rejecting or twisting Scripture that doesn’t fit our chosen theology.
On the contrary, our theology should reflect Scripture itself, and wherever Scripture teaches apparently contradictory ideas, our theology should embrace those same ideas, rather than resort to a consistency that rejects part of God’s revealed Word.
Certainly, any and all of our regrets about our past will be overshadowed by God’s grace, which is the good news of the Gospel. There is comfort in 1 Corinthians 4:5, which says God “will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.” God will apparently find something to reward “each one” for. This makes sense, for no one can truly be born again without having demonstrated some fruit for which God can reward us.
Let’s Live in Light of Eternity Now
All of this argues for cultivating an eternal perspective in which we seek to live each day in light of eternity—not out of dread, yet with the right kind of fear of God and heartfelt love that desires to please our Lord and Savior.
In his book When Christ Comes, Max Lucado writes, “You can be certain you won’t regret any sacrifice you made for the kingdom. The hours of service for Christ? You won’t regret them. The money you gave? You’d give it a thousand times over. The times you helped the poor and loved the lost? You’d do it again. . . . You’d change the diapers, fix the cars, prepare the lessons, repair the roofs. One look into the faces of the ones you love, and you’d do it all again.”
An eternal perspective isn’t something we have to wait until Heaven to have. So I’ve often given readers and listeners this advice: live now the way that you will one day wish you would have. Don’t postpone obedience, holiness, purity, drawing close to God, and serving others.
Five minutes after we die, we’ll know exactly how we should have lived—it will be too late to go back and change anything. God has given us His Word so we don’t have to wait until we die to know how we should have lived. There’s no second chance for the unbeliever—but also no second chance for the believer! Just as missionary C. T. Studd said, “Only one life, ’twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.”
You and I have one life on this fallen earth in which to follow Jesus and invest in Heaven. Let’s not miss the opportunity. God will one day take away all our sorrows, but why go into eternity with regrets? Here’s a prayer for us: May what will be most important to us five minutes after we die become most important to us now.
Let me add KNOW YOUR WHY:
To bring glory to God
To know God’s will for your life
God wants to use me to bring people into His Kingdom
Adapted from the article: “Will We Have Regrets at the Judgment Seat of Christ?” December 5, 2022 by Randy Alcorn http://www.patheos.com
Living Eternally Now is available o Amazon or from me direct: ron@bakb.com.au
For Christians, all of life is the enterprise through which we glorify God and enjoy Him forever. The means by which we do that is simple: we must know who this God is and how we can enjoy Him forever. This is only derived from a robust understanding and application of Scripture and understanding the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Thus, when we are faced with whatever progressive ideals might creep in, the principle is one whereby we test all things according to Scripture empowered by the Holy Spirit.
I am convinced many within the broader church have been pressed into the mold of a system of thought the broader culture adopts (i.e. progressivism), and the foremost institution this has been accomplished through is education. Generations of children have come and gone through this institution, which with the adoption of evolution has rejected any involvement of God in science and now education, as a result, society is largely secular. God’s values have been jettisoned and the progressives now dominate our educational establishments and parliament.
How do we solve this dilemma? The answer is surprisingly simple but unflatteringly naïve to the world, and even many professing Christians. The Word of God must be re-established as the foundation for all of life. Everything else is subservient to it and must align with it. In other words, we live consistently to the message we proclaim, from the seemingly mundane choices we make in entertainment, to how we spend our money, raise and teach our children, and how we do church, which means getting back to church as outlined in the Book of Acts, house churches that make disciples, and more. Only then will we be salt and light in the world. Only then will the Holy Spirit truly lead believers and the fruit of the spirit will be evident in their lives: love, joy, peace patience, faith, gentleness, goodness, kindness, and self-control. The ministry gifts, all nine will be evident including miracles, words of knowledge, and discerning of spirits.
The Gospel will then be unstoppable. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14
LIVING ETERNAL NOW 