Rez: "80,000 Underground"

This Christian metal band released a fair number of albums during the eighties, much to the delight of Christian rock fans like me. This song is about how a shopping mall was built on a paupers' graveyard. Check it out here.

A time will come when graveyards won't be quiet. As Jesus foretold in John 5:28 and 29 (Bible in Basic English), "Do not be surprised at this: for the time is coming when his voice will come to all who are in the place of the dead, And they will come out; those who have done good, into the new life; and those who have done evil, to be judged."

And make of this what you will. Matthew 27:52 and 53 (BBE) describes a sort of pre-resurrection event. "And the resting-places of the dead came open; and the bodies of a number of sleeping saints came to life; And coming out of their resting-places, after he had come again from the dead, they went into the holy town and were seen by a number of people."

Christ's resurrection is so important that we're commanded to proclaim the future judgement of all people. As Peter said in Acts 10:42 (BBE), "And he gave us orders to give news of this to the people, and to give public witness that this is he whom God has made judge of the living and the dead."

Look also at what Romans 14:10 (BBE) says about those siblings in the faith who wrongly judge us. "But you, why do you make yourself your brother's judge? or again, why have you no respect for your brother? because we will all have to take our place before God as our judge."

Wicked people scoff and they assume there won't be a judgement day. But God owns all humanity, as Ezekiel 18:4 (BBE) shows. "See, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so the soul of the son is mine: death will be the fate of the sinner's soul."

If the glorious resurrection hasn't happened by Monday, I'll share a song about a woman who became famous in New Orleans for her witchery.

This is one of those science fiction songs which could inspire a movie. In it, important individuals are waiting for the pilot to fly them away from the disaster they created. Of course we know that there's no safe place, especially now with so many countries developing nuclear weapons.

Listen to this classic song from 1979 here:

We, who place our trust in Christ, know that there's no avoiding judgement either. Ezekiel 18:4 (BBE) is a stark reminder of whom we all belong to. "See, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so the soul of the son is mine: death will be the fate of the sinner's soul."

But the Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 8:13 (BBE) of those folks who will escape eternal damnation. "For if you go in the way of the flesh, death will come on you; but if by the Spirit you put to death the works of the body, you will have life."

The high and mighty of this world aren't immune from consequences, as Psalms 82:6 and 7 (BBE) declares. "I said, You are gods; all of you are the sons of the Most High: But you will come to death like men, falling like one of the rulers of the earth."

Even pious individuals won't escape God's righteous condemnation for their prideful arrogance. In John 8:24 (BBE), Christ argued with the Pharisees who figured they were holy and needed no saviour. "For this reason I said to you that death will overtake you in your sins: for if you have not faith that I am he, death will come to you while you are in your sins."

God hates pridefulness, as 1 Peter 5:5 (BBE) explains. "And in the same way, let the younger men be ruled by the older ones. Let all of you put away pride and make yourselves ready to be servants: for God is a hater of pride, but he gives grace to those who make themselves low."

On Monday, providing Christ doesn't return beforehand, I hope to post about our heritage to our children.

The Law is Holy but We're not

Have you ever wondered why the Old Testament laws were so strict? To modern ears, they sound barbaric. But God meant those laws to be a blessing and a lesson to the Israelites.

First of all, God is the one who made us so his word is law. In Ezekiel 18:4 (BBE), God spoke, "See, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so the soul of the son is mine: death will be the fate of the sinner's soul."

God shows his justness in Ezekiel 18:20 (BBE) when he instructed that only those who commit sin will die for it. "The soul which does sin will be put to death: the son will not be made responsible for the evil-doing of the father, or the father for the evil-doing of the son; the righteousness of the upright will be on himself, and the evil-doing of the evil-doer on himself."

But this lets nobody off the hook since we're all destined to perish. In Genesis 2:17 (BBE) God gave Adam and Eve one simple command. "But of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you may not take; for on the day when you take of it, death will certainly come to you." They didn't fall down dead, thanks to God's mercy, but all Adam's descendents owe God their forfeited lives.

How then can we say that we'll have eternal life when we have the sentence of death in our DNA? Jesus gave Martha the answer. John 11:25 (BBE) reads, "Jesus said to her, 'I am myself that day and that life; he who has faith in me will have life even if he is dead;'"

Many of the Old Testament commandments were prophetic illustrations of Christ's work on the cross. As I've pointed out before, the Passover is symbolic of Christ dying so that spiritual death won't come upon us. The blood of the Passover lamb was put on the doorposts to show the death angel that God's people were within the house.

Another seemingly trivial point was that none of the Passover lamb's bones were to be broken. Exodus 12:46 (BBE)  says, "It is to be taken in one house; not a bit of the flesh is to be taken out of the house, and no bone of it may be broken."

And as we read in John 19:36 (BBE),after roman soldiers broke the legs of the other two crucified men, "These things came about so that the Writings might be true, 'No bone of his body will be broken.'"

I'll be writing more about the crucifixion of Christ and it's eternal ramifications in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? There are some people who see Christ's death on the cross as his ministry going wrong. But we who know our scriptures realize that it was planned long before the first atom was created.

On Thursday, I'll post about why Christ hasn't returned yet. He actually has a great reason for waiting so seemingly long to come back to us.

The Free Will Error

This month, I'll be tackling some errors believed by established churches. These denominations aren't cults but they do follow errors which can easily be debunked with Holy Scripture.

Some churches believe that we have the exclusive ability to choose between following or rebelling against God. Consequently, they avoid any verses mentioning predestination. To their way of thinking, God would be a monster if he forced salvation on unwilling people.

Since God made everything, he owns it all and can do with his creation as he pleases. Therefore, people are chosen by him to accomplish his will. Deuteronomy 10:15 (KJV) is one of many verses which shows God's sovereignty. "Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day."

The biblical truth is that we can't save ourselves. Psalms 14:3 (KJV) states, "They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one."

God likewise said in Ezekiel 18:4 (KJV) that, "Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die."

So how can we be rescued from eternal death in hell? Hebrews 11:6 (KJV) provides the answer. "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

But seeking God alone doesn't save us. He has the power to give anybody faith who asks him for spiritual life. Ephesians 2:1 KJV), regarding believers, explains,  "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins:"

Through the preaching of the gospel, God calls sinners to repentance. That means he calls people to give up their wicked and rebellious ways and follow the commands of Christ. Peter explained this in Acts 2:39 KJV) when he said of salvation, "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."

Because I want people to know the liberating truth of salvation, I'm working on my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Far too many people think they're safe from hell when they aren't. I want nobody to miss out on an eternity of bliss so that's why I'm writing my book.

Where Do the Souls of Dead Babies Go?

Since I wrote about the genuineness of Christianity, I feel equipped from Holy Scripture to state where the souls of departed infants go. I know this is an emotional question but please bear with me as I explain what I've found out about this from the Bible, the only source that matters.

We need firstly to understand that all souls belong to God and he does what he wants. As Ezekiel 18:4 )KJV) states, "Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die."

Furthermore, each person is culpable for their own wilful sins.
Ezekiel 18:20 (KJV) plainly states, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him."

As I study the scriptures, I find that there are two types of sin. The first is inherited from Adam and the punishment of it is death. We all die as a result of Adam's transgression. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:22 )KJV), "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."

The second type of sin is wilful rebellion. We all know what that is so I need not go into it here. This is the sin which we must repent of.

Since all humanity is infected with the sin virus and all die, the death of babies is the payment for that sin of Adam. Furthermore, infants can't know good from evil so they are able to enter God's heaven.

This is one thorny subject which I plan on tackling in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? People need to realize that there is no neutrality. Either you are the child of Christ or of Satan. That's just the way it is.