Internet Church Service – November 29, 2015

NEW EMBEDDED VIDEO/AUDIO SERMON in HD:
The Greatness and Glory of the Word of God. Psalm 119. The Mem file.

Sermon Message:

The Greatness and Glory of the Word of God. Psalm 119. The Mem file.

In HD - Video and Audio

Please join us as we fellowship in the Word of God, listen to
Christian Music, Pray in Christ’s Name and Praise the Lord
in our Hearts and Minds.

ALL ARE WELCOME

# # # # # # # #

from - Romans 8:38-39

Thank you for joining us for today’s worship service. Please enjoy the music before and after today’s video message (the video may also contain hymns).

TIP to enlarge the print hold down the “Ctrl” key on your key board, while it is being held down, move your mouse forward until the desired print size is just right for you. To return to normal screen size, reverse the process (some will see a % in the lower right corner of your screen, normal is 100%)

The lyrics have been provided so you can sing along with the artist in your mind and soul; imagine that the artist’s voice is your voice. I’m not a very good singer myself so I often get the lyrics for some of my favorites and sing along in my mind and soul, this way it’s as if I’m doing the singing to the Lord; try it. The embedded church service video may also contain music generated by the church itself.

Hymn #1

Spirit Touch Your Church, Send your Rain – Lyrics in Video
(Google puts the video commercials on most YouTube Christian videos. You can
usually skip the commercial if there is one. Also, most videos are now preset by
Google to automatically run the next related video that Google wants you to see;
you can just hit the pause on the video to stop it before it changes.)

Hymn #2

Soon – No Lyrics; turn in your bible to Psalms 130
(Google puts the video commercials on most YouTube Christian videos. You can
usually skip the commercial if there is one. Also, most videos are now preset by
Google to automatically run the next related video that Google wants you to see;
you can just hit the pause on the video to stop it before it changes.)

Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is— you have trusted in Him for eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to take-in God’s Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge your sins privately directly to God the Father. This will assure that you are in fellowship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit’s convicting ministry, also called the convincing ministry will then be able to teach you as the Holy Spirit is the real teacher and the pastor’s message is the vehicle the Holy Spirit uses to convince you what you are learning is true or not.

1 John 1:9 says—“If we confess [simply name, cite or acknowledge to God the Father] our sins [known sins], He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins [known sins] and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [all unknown and forgotten sins].” NKJV (New King James Version)

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins to God; the issue for you is to believe by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life and you will be saved the very second you believe in Him:

John 6:47 says: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life.” NKJV

Notice again what John 6:47 says, “he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life.” It doesn’t say, “will have”; it says, “has.” Therefore, the very moment you believe Jesus Christ’s promise of everlasting life, you have it (it’s really just that simple), and it can never be lost or taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for learning God’s Word, if there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Lectionary

The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart. (Heb. 4:12) GNB-UK

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed. (2 Tim. 3:16-17) GNB-UK

Do your best to win full approval in God's sight, as a worker who is not ashamed of his work, one who correctly teaches the message of God's truth. (2 Tim. 2:15) GNB-UK

Opening Prayer
(Do your best to make it your own – below is a sample prayer)

Heavenly Father, we pray that we will all be richly edified by Your Word today and that You will make what we study today clear to us. We pray that all participants in this service as well as those who review it at a later date will be edified and blessed by today’s message. We pray this in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen

Our guest Pastor-Teacher is:

Robert McLaughlin - Grace Bible Church
and Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Doctrinal Statement

This ministry is non-denominational and is dedicated to teaching the Word of God from the original languages and making it available at no charge throughout the world.

Sermon

The Greatness and Glory of the Word of God. Psalm 119. The Mem file.

To view the notes for the embedded sermon below click the above link and open in separate window and split the screens or print the notes to follow along with the sermon and add your own expanded notes to the print-out.

ALTERNATE VIEWING OPTION:
For those who don’t see the embedded video above; some social websites don’t allow
embedded videos; the alternate I suggest is the best site to view this church service.

Left click on the following link:
Internet Church Service – November 29, 2015

TO VIEW THE SERMON: If you don’t see the embedded video above; right click the link above, a small window will open then left click either “Open in New Window” or “Open in New Tab” and the church service notes page will open, it has three options in the upper right side of the page, right click the link titled “download mp3” and just like before, select either Open New Window or Open New Tab to open the MP3 player, this will leave the notes page open so you can move back to it, so go back to the notes page to follow along in the notes, the streaming audio should begin automatically in your default audio/video player (like, Windows Media Player).

If you need to leave the service, when you come back, to move the MP3 player forward, press and hold the left click down on the player progress bar where you see the little arrow under the time on progress bar and move your mouse forward

OPTIONAL: On-line Bible – NASB95

If you wish to use it, right click the link and in the drop-down box, left click the "Open Link in New Window"; when the new window opens, reduce the window size of both the on-line bible and the slideshow and configure them to be side-by-side. Also, the window opens to John 3:16, click the word “more” below the verse, you will then see two online bible columns, Use the column on the left as it is set for the NASB95, at the top of the column where you see John 3:16 in the search box, type the book and verse when the Pastor asks you to go to a particular Bible verse, e.g., 1TI 5:21 [for 1 Timothy], or Eph 3:10 [for Ephesians], etc., then click “Enter” on your key board. You can use the “right column” if you wish for a different bible version but you’ll need to type in the verse you want each time as I directed you for the column on the left side.

Hymn #3

Sweet Beulah Land – Lyrics in Video
(Google puts the video commercials on most YouTube Christian videos. You can
usually skip the commercial if there is one. Also, most videos are now preset by
Google to automatically run the next related video that Google wants you to see;
you can just hit the pause on the video to stop it before it changes.)

CLOSING PRAYER:
(Again, below is a sample prayer, do your best to make it your own)

Heavenly Father, we pray that the Holy Spirit will make what I’ve learned today clear to me, for I pray this in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s name. Amen

If you have any questions that are pertinent about today’s message, please don’t hesitate to ask, you are welcome to ask them via a private message or by a reply in this post. However, sometimes questions can be real short but require a much longer answer in order to give an adequate answer. If I don’t think that the question is able to be answered quickly I’ll reply back telling you that I’ll research it and get to you with the answer (it may even be a few days as I’m a little slower than I used to be). Please don’t let what I’ve just said make you hesitate to ask questions.

I want to thank all of you who have attended this Internet Church Service as well as those who will view it at a later time or date.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life:
Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Weekly Bible Study – November 30, 2015

The Doctrine of the Second Advent. Part 2.

PLEASE READ FIRST

Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: If available on the website you're viewing this on, a few links (i.e., those without an already written scripture quote or brief explanation) are hover pop-up active, meaning the scripture reference will just pop-up if you hover your cursor over it (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it), they work best using the Firefox browser – pop-ups in Internet Explorer, Chrome & other browsers only appear for a few seconds at best. If you don’t have Firefox (or hover pop-ups aren’t available on the website you’re viewing this on), that’s OK, move your cursor off and on the link until it is read; or left click the link which will open the verse at the online bible; or you can always use your Bible to look up the verses.

Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).

1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to have faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life:

John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." NKJV [italics added]

Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: "¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church
Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries

The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings

STUDY TITLE:

The Doctrine of the Second Advent. Part 2.

OPTION: If you would prefer to go directly to the Grace Bible Church website to read this study message, all verse reference links are active there (but not hover active) and Enlarged Text is also an available option – right click the above link then left click “Open Link in New Window” or “New Tab”

Terms & Abbreviations used:

PPOG = Predesigned Plan of God
Human Good = Evil + Good Deeds while not in fellowship with God
OSN = Old Sin Nature
TLJC = The Lord Jesus Christ
SSE = Spiritual Self Esteem
PVTD = Positive Volition Towards Doctrine
+H - The Happiness of God
NVTD = Negative Volition Towards Doctrine
Doctrine = Bible Truth

To look up other “terms”, go to:

Alphabetical Listing

BEGIN BIBLE STUDY
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes and references
are from the NASB – New American Standard Bible

The Doctrine of the Second Advent. Part 2.

We will conclude our study on the Second Coming or the Second Advent this morning by a summary of what is going to happen during the end times concerning the Tribulation Period which is followed by the millen¬nial reign.

The Second Advent is the second time the Lord Jesus Christ comes down on earth as a member of the human race and He returns with the Church-age believers, the royal family of God, with special emphasis on winner believers and the invisible heroes.

1TH 3:11-13, Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you; and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all men, just as we also do for you; so that He may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus [And who does He come back with?] with all His saints.

He comes back with all His saints and REV 19:7-14 tells us that this is followed by the closing arguments and summary which includes the Millennial rule of Jesus Christ on the earth. So, we read in REV 19:7, “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” How does the Bride or the Church make herself ready? She dresses and adorns herself with the righteous acts she has performed as a member of the Church or Royal Family of God.

REV 19:8-10, And it was given to her [the privilege] to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. And he said to me, “Write, Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.” And I fell at his feet to worship him.

This was an angel that John met and whom he tried to worship, but the angel would have none of that and so he said to the apostle John, And he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; WORSHIP GOD. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Notice that the angel would not receive worship from men, he would only allow the Lord Jesus Christ to be worshipped.

The same thing happened to Thomas. In JOH 20:26-28, And after eight days again His disciples were inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst, and said, “Peace {be} with you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand, and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed {are} they who did not see, and {yet} believed.”

Notice that the lord Jesus Christ would receive worship from Thomas because Jesus Christ is God and as God worship is due to Him.

Back in REV 19:11-16, And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteous-ness He judges and wages war. And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many dia¬dems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Now, after the Bride makes herself ready or adorns herself then there is a time of 1000 years of perfect environment on the earth. And now comes the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man who rules the earth like Satan was unable to do. This duplicates the conditions before the fall of Satan and before the fall of man in the garden of Eden. It’s interesting that there are three areas of perfect environment that are actually taught in the Bible.

1. One is prehistoric perfect environment which occurred and existed prior to Satan’s fall and the angelic revolution, Eze 28. The perfect environment continued until the satanic revolution.


2. Then when man was created to duplicate the same conditions, perfect envi-ronment was provided on the earth, according to Gen 2-3. And man’s revolution destroyed perfect environment.

3. In the last 1000 years of human history, there will be perfect environment, and yet even though perfect conditions exist, at the end of the Millennium, there is a final revolution, Rev 20.

And we learn something from these three areas of perfect environment, we learn that rational creatures including angelic and humans, are no better off in perfect environment than in any other environment. In fact, perfect environment is never the solution to the problems of life.

And of course at some time in your life, as we all have, you have probably tried to envision perfect environment, for some people they think of marriage, becoming successful, or doing great things in some way.

But it has been demonstrated time and time again, that the accomplishment of these things does not bring the happiness that most consider to be a part of perfect environment. It just simply doesn’t work that way. So we learn the wonderful lessons, that Bible doctrine in the soul is what gives a person happiness. Why? Because Bible doctrine gets rid of the garbage in the soul. Bible doctrine gives you contentment, tranquility and peace. Bible doctrine allows you to share the happiness of God, one of the problem solving devices.

PRO 3:1-6, My son, do not forget my teach¬ing, #But let your heart keep my commandments; For length of days and years of life, And peace they will add to you. Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. Don't lose your grip on Love and Loyalty. So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

Listen for the voice of God in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track.

PRO 3:7-9, Do not be wise or conceited in your own eyes [don't assume you know it all]; Fear or respect the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body, And refreshment to your bones. Honor the Lord from your wealth, And from the first of all your produce;

Honor GOD with everything you own; give him the first and the best. I think if we all did that we wouldn't always have needs in the Church.

PRO 3:10-18, So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will over¬flow with new wine. My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord, Or loathe or sulk at His reproof, For whom the Lord loves He reproves, Even as a father, the son in whom he delights. How happy is the one who finds Lady wisdom, And the one who gains understanding or Madam insight. For its profit is better than the profit of silver, And its gain than fine gold. She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, And all her paths are peace She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast.

Satan cannot interfere or interrupt this argument of the prosecution called perfect environment because he is incarcerated during the Millennium. The closing argument and summary of Satan in the appeal trial of the angelic conflict occurs at the end of the Millennium when Satan is released from his prison. As the defense attorney, he has one more argument.

Satan’s closing argument is the Gog revolution at the end of the Millennium. What is the Gog revolution?

REV 20:7-8, And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.

Satan is released from his imprisonment and he is permitted once again in his final appeal to pass through the earth and to arouse discontent against the perfect environment that has existed for a thousand years. He is released from his prison and as the defense attorney, he has one more argument. Remember in the garden of Eden, Satan came in the form of a serpent, it was demon possession of an animal. The serpent was the most beautiful animal in the garden for Adam and the woman. And Satan did not attack the man, the one who was in charge. If he had, it would have been no contest.

The woman would have always had an excuse. She could have said to God, "I did what my husband told me to do." I don’t know how many times women have said that by the way, but I'm sure that it's been said from time to time. It’s always music to the ears of the husband. But the point is, Satan didn’t attack Adam. Adam was not deceived, the woman was. And it isn’t just the woman in the garden who is said to be susceptible to deception, all women are according to the Bible.

This is why we read in 1TI 2:11-14, Let a woman quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being quite deceived, fell into transgression.

And so let’s note the chronological order of the events that take place after the Second Advent or Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are involved in something that is an extension of something that is far greater than our own personal circumstances. Our own personal goals. Something that is far greater than who and what we are. Something is far more magnificent.

We are being watched by angels.

Now, when Satan revolted against God in prehistoric times all of the angels were created beings from the hand of God and therefore they were all perfect. And, when Satan first entered the picture with mankind, he found two perfect people, Adam and the woman were created perfect.

So when we get to the perfect environment of the Millennium, think of it.....1000 years of no war. 1000 years of no one suffering. No one deprived, no poor people! Everyone is in a perfect environment! Everyone has everything. During that time there’s great evangelism but not everyone believes in Christ, nevertheless they are still living! The only ones who die in the Millennium are those who die because of capital punishment.

Satan is released from his prison and he goes through the land and he is visible. He is visible with all of his beauty. With his magnificent personality he persuades literally hundreds and thousands of people to revolt against God and revolt against perfect environment. It’s again the same choice that the angels made, Jesus Christ on the one hand or Satan on the other hand!

The revolt against perfect environment is the same pattern as the revolt in heaven in prehistoric times. It’s the same pattern on a limited basis but the same pattern as existed in the fall of Adam and the woman.

REV 20:1-2, And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss [the fourth compartment of Hades, the prison for fallen angels] and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,

You would think that anyone who went to jail for a thousand years would learn something?
However, let see!

REV 20:3-4, and [he] 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. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them [this is a Millennial reward for Tribulational martyrs]. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

These are the winner believers who were willing to be martyred for the cause of Christ during the Tribulation period.

REV 20:5-7, The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed [this is a reference to the second resurrection of unbelievers referred to here]. This is the first resurrection. Blessed or happy and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power [this is when unbeliev¬ers are raised from the dead and they stand before God and then are thrown into the eternal lake of fire], but they [Tribulational winners] will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison,


Satan has been in prison for a thousand years and during that thousand years on earth, perfect environment has existed as we have noted. Everything was absolutely perfect. There's no such thing as a person who doesn't have everything in life. There's an abundance of wealth and success for everyone. The only thing that is not quite perfect are the people. People still have old sin natures, everything else is perfect.

When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life:
Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Weekly Bible Study – November 23, 2015

The Doctrine of the Second Advent.

PLEASE READ FIRST

Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: If available on the website you're viewing this on, a few links (i.e., those without an already written scripture quote or brief explanation) are hover pop-up active, meaning the scripture reference will just pop-up if you hover your cursor over it (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it), they work best using the Firefox browser – pop-ups in Internet Explorer, Chrome & other browsers only appear for a few seconds at best. If you don’t have Firefox (or hover pop-ups aren’t available on the website you’re viewing this on), that’s OK, move your cursor off and on the link until it is read; or left click the link which will open the verse at the online bible; or you can always use your Bible to look up the verses.

Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).

1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to have faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life:

John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." NKJV [italics added]

Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: "¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church
Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries

The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings

STUDY TITLE:

The Doctrine of the Second Advent.

OPTION: If you would prefer to go directly to the Grace Bible Church website to read this study message, all verse reference links are active there (but not hover active) and Enlarged Text is also an available option – right click the above link then left click “Open Link in New Window” or “New Tab”

Terms & Abbreviations used:

PPOG = Predesigned Plan of God
Human Good = Evil + Good Deeds while not in fellowship with God
OSN = Old Sin Nature
TLJC = The Lord Jesus Christ
SSE = Spiritual Self Esteem
PVTD = Positive Volition Towards Doctrine
+H - The Happiness of God
NVTD = Negative Volition Towards Doctrine
Doctrine = Bible Truth

To look up other “terms”, go to:

Alphabetical Listing

BEGIN BIBLE STUDY
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes and references
are from the NASB – New American Standard Bible

The Doctrine of the Second Advent.

1CH 29:13-17, “Now therefore, our God, we thank Thee, and praise Thy glorious name. But who am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from Thee, and from Thy hand we have given Thee. For we are sojourners before Thee, and tenants, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope. O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided to build Thee a house for Thy holy name, it is from Thy hand, and all is Thine. Since I know, O my God, that Thou triest the heart and delightest in uprightness, I, in the integrity of my heart, have willingly offered all these things; so now with joy I have seen Thy people, who are present here, make their offerings willingly to Thee.”

In Rev 9, we have noted that an angel called Abaddon or Apollyon [meaning exterminator] gets out of jail with the help of Satan who at this time has been cast out of heaven and can never return there again.

REV 9:1-3, And the fifth angel [the Seraph angel or a sixth winged angel] sounded [his trumpet], and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit [that’s the compartment known as the abyss, the lowest place on the earth] was given to him. And he [Satan] opened or unlocked the abyss; and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air or the atmosphere became darkened by the smoke of the pit. And out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth; and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

In verses 4 and 5 we do have a divine restriction placed upon the demon invasion, they are going to be restricted as to what they can do to their targets which is going to be made up of people who live in the cosmic system, believers and unbelievers of the Tribulation.


The first demon army is restricted, the second is not.

REV 9:4-6, And they were told or commanded that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their fore¬heads. And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torture was like the torture of a scorpion when it stings or strikes a man. And in those days [Tribulation period] men [believers and unbelievers living in the cosmic system during the Tribula¬tion] will seek death and will not find it;

Believers and unbelievers living in the cosmic system are
totally pre-occupied with self as they have locked-in arrogance which blots out all of their good decisions.

All of this will be an illustration of what is known as the Second Advent or the Second Coming.

There are two advents or Comings of Jesus Christ described for us in the Word of God.

The First Advent begins with the virgin birth and concludes with the resurrection, ascension and session.
During the First Advent, when the Lord Jesus Christ Jesus Christ comes in His Hypostatic Union as He accomplished the strategic victory of the angelic conflict and the salvation of the human race. This strategic victory gives Him battlefield royalty.

However, He must have a royal family to go with this royalty. Therefore, there is the need for the Church, the body of Jesus Christ.

So, we begin with the Second Advent or the Second Coming which is designed to reveal Him as both a battlefield royalty and Jewish royalty. He returns to earth in resurrection body and in His Hypostatic Union.

At the Rapture of the Church, the Lord Jesus Christ, Whom God has ordained, does not return to the earth as He does in the Second Advent. We (believers) will meet Him in the air.

1TH 4:13-18, But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. 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 shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

ACT 1:10-11, And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them; and they also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

So, there is a distinction between the Rapture and the Second Advent. There are two advents of Jesus Christ depicted in the Word of God.

The First Advent begins with the virgin birth and concludes with the resurrection, ascension and session. During the First Advent, Jesus Christ in His Hypostatic Union with true humanity and undiminished deity in one person forever will accomplish the strategic victory of the angelic conflict and the salvation of the human race. This strategic victory gives Him battlefield royalty.

The Second Advent is designed to reveal Him as both battlefield royalty and Jewish royalty. He returns to earth in a resurrection body and Hypostatic Union.

The Second Advent is a public glorified event as taught in REV 1:7, Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen.

The Second Advent or the Second Coming is also taught in ZEC 12:10, And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplica¬tion, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a first-born.

The Rapture takes place in the air (1TH 4:17).
The Second Advent or the Second Coming takes place on the earth; ZEC 14:4.

1TH 4:17, Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.


ZEC 14:4, And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.

The Rapture evaluates the Judgment of the believer's works, 2CO 5:10.

The Second Advent reveals the Baptism of Fire, MAT 25:31-46.

At the Rapture the Church goes to Heaven, JOH 14:3.
SA. At the Second Coming the Church returns with Christ.

JOH 14:3, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, {there} you may be also.”

1TH 3:13, so that He may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.

At the Rapture the Holy Spirit and His restraining power is removed, 2TH 2:6.

At the Second Advent or Second Coming there is the Removal of Satan, REV 20:1-3.

REV 20:1-3, And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 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.

At the Rapture there is a change in the believer's body, PHI 3:21.
Whereas at the Second Advent the earth is changed, ZEC 14:9; ROM 8:19-22.

PHI 3:21, who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

ZEC 14:9, And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be {the only} one, and His name {the only} one.

The earth is changed or nature is as it says in ROM 8:19-22, For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the chil¬dren of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

At the Rapture Christ appears as the groom.
At the Second Advent Christ appears as the Messiah.

At the Rapture we have the end of the Church-age.
At the Second Advent there is the end of the Jewish-age.

At the Rapture believers taken from the earth, 1TH 4:13-18.
At the Second Advent unbelievers taken from the earth, MAT 24:37-43.

Mat 24 has always been a passage misunderstood by many as referring to the Rapture but it does not.

MAT 24:37-42, “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in mar¬riage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. Then there shall be two men in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women {will be} grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left. Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think {He will.}

So these are some of the contrasts which exists between the Rapture and the Second Advent.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life:
Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Internet Church Service – November 22, 2015

NEW EMBEDDED VIDEO/AUDIO SERMON in HD:
The Greatness and Glory of the Word of God. Psalm 119. Lamad file. Part 2.

Sermon Message:

The Greatness and Glory of the Word of God. Psalm 119. Part 2.
The Lamad file.

In HD - Video and Audio

Please join us as we fellowship in the Word of God, listen to
Christian Music, Pray in Christ’s Name and Praise the Lord
in our Hearts and Minds.

ALL ARE WELCOME

# # # # # # # #

from - Romans 8:38-39

Thank you for joining us for today’s worship service. Please enjoy the music before and after today’s video message (the video may also contain hymns).

TIP to enlarge the print hold down the “Ctrl” key on your key board, while it is being held down, move your mouse forward until the desired print size is just right for you. To return to normal screen size, reverse the process (some will see a % in the lower right corner of your screen, normal is 100%)

The lyrics have been provided so you can sing along with the artist in your mind and soul; imagine that the artist’s voice is your voice. I’m not a very good singer myself so I often get the lyrics for some of my favorites and sing along in my mind and soul, this way it’s as if I’m doing the singing to the Lord; try it. The embedded church service video may also contain music generated by the church itself.

Hymn #1

Seek Ye First The Kingdom of God – Lyrics in Video
(Google puts the video commercials on most YouTube Christian videos. You can
usually skip the commercial if there is one. Also, most videos are now preset by
Google to automatically run the next related video that Google wants you to see;
you can just hit the pause on the video to stop it before it changes.)

Hymn #2

Shout To The Lord – No Lyrics; turn in your bible to Psalms 130
(Google puts the video commercials on most YouTube Christian videos. You can
usually skip the commercial if there is one. Also, most videos are now preset by
Google to automatically run the next related video that Google wants you to see;
you can just hit the pause on the video to stop it before it changes.)

Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is— you have trusted in Him for eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to take-in God’s Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge your sins privately directly to God the Father. This will assure that you are in fellowship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit’s convicting ministry, also called the convincing ministry will then be able to teach you as the Holy Spirit is the real teacher and the pastor’s message is the vehicle the Holy Spirit uses to convince you what you are learning is true or not.

1 John 1:9 says—“If we confess [simply name, cite or acknowledge to God the Father] our sins [known sins], He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins [known sins] and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [all unknown and forgotten sins].” NKJV (New King James Version)

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins to God; the issue for you is to believe by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life and you will be saved the very second you believe in Him:

John 6:47 says: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life.” NKJV

Notice again what John 6:47 says, “he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life.” It doesn’t say, “will have”; it says, “has.” Therefore, the very moment you believe Jesus Christ’s promise of everlasting life, you have it (it’s really just that simple), and it can never be lost or taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for learning God’s Word, if there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Lectionary

The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart. (Heb. 4:12) GNB-UK

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed. (2 Tim. 3:16-17) GNB-UK

Do your best to win full approval in God's sight, as a worker who is not ashamed of his work, one who correctly teaches the message of God's truth. (2 Tim. 2:15) GNB-UK

Opening Prayer
(Do your best to make it your own – below is a sample prayer)

Heavenly Father, we pray that we will all be richly edified by Your Word today and that You will make what we study today clear to us. We pray that all participants in this service as well as those who review it at a later date will be edified and blessed by today’s message. We pray this in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen

Our guest Pastor-Teacher is:

Robert McLaughlin - Grace Bible Church
and Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Doctrinal Statement

This ministry is non-denominational and is dedicated to teaching the Word of God from the original languages and making it available at no charge throughout the world.

Sermon

The Greatness and Glory of the Word of God. Psalm 119. Part 2.
The Lamad file.

To view the notes for the embedded sermon below click the above link and open in separate window and split the screens or print the notes to follow along with the sermon and add your own expanded notes to the print-out.

ALTERNATE VIEWING OPTION:
For those who don’t see the embedded video above; some social websites don’t allow
embedded videos; the alternate I suggest is the best site to view this church service.

Left click on the following link:
Internet Church Service – November 22, 2015

TO VIEW THE SERMON: If you don’t see the embedded video above; right click the link above, a small window will open then left click either “Open in New Window” or “Open in New Tab” and the church service notes page will open, it has three options in the upper right side of the page, right click the link titled “download mp3” and just like before, select either Open New Window or Open New Tab to open the MP3 player, this will leave the notes page open so you can move back to it, so go back to the notes page to follow along in the notes, the streaming audio should begin automatically in your default audio/video player (like, Windows Media Player).

If you need to leave the service, when you come back, to move the MP3 player forward, press and hold the left click down on the player progress bar where you see the little arrow under the time on progress bar and move your mouse forward

OPTIONAL: On-line Bible – NASB95

If you wish to use it, right click the link and in the drop-down box, left click the "Open Link in New Window"; when the new window opens, reduce the window size of both the on-line bible and the slideshow and configure them to be side-by-side. Also, the window opens to John 3:16, click the word “more” below the verse, you will then see two online bible columns, Use the column on the left as it is set for the NASB95, at the top of the column where you see John 3:16 in the search box, type the book and verse when the Pastor asks you to go to a particular Bible verse, e.g., 1TI 5:21 [for 1 Timothy], or Eph 3:10 [for Ephesians], etc., then click “Enter” on your key board. You can use the “right column” if you wish for a different bible version but you’ll need to type in the verse you want each time as I directed you for the column on the left side.

Hymn #3

Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling – Lyrics in Video
(Google puts the video commercials on most YouTube Christian videos. You can
usually skip the commercial if there is one. Also, most videos are now preset by
Google to automatically run the next related video that Google wants you to see;
you can just hit the pause on the video to stop it before it changes.)

CLOSING PRAYER:
(Again, below is a sample prayer, do your best to make it your own)

Heavenly Father, we pray that the Holy Spirit will make what I’ve learned today clear to me, for I pray this in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s name. Amen

If you have any questions that are pertinent about today’s message, please don’t hesitate to ask, you are welcome to ask them via a private message or by a reply in this post. However, sometimes questions can be real short but require a much longer answer in order to give an adequate answer. If I don’t think that the question is able to be answered quickly I’ll reply back telling you that I’ll research it and get to you with the answer (it may even be a few days as I’m a little slower than I used to be). Please don’t let what I’ve just said make you hesitate to ask questions.

I want to thank all of you who have attended this Internet Church Service as well as those who will view it at a later time or date.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life:
Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Weekly Bible Study – November 16, 2015

Satan and his kingdom of darkness promotes worry as a mental attitude sin.

PLEASE READ FIRST

Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: If available on the website you're viewing this on, a few links (i.e., those without an already written scripture quote or brief explanation) are hover pop-up active, meaning the scripture reference will just pop-up if you hover your cursor over it (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it), they work best using the Firefox browser – pop-ups in Internet Explorer, Chrome & other browsers only appear for a few seconds at best. If you don’t have Firefox (or hover pop-ups aren’t available on the website you’re viewing this on), that’s OK, move your cursor off and on the link until it is read; or left click the link which will open the verse at the online bible; or you can always use your Bible to look up the verses.

Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).

1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to have faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life:

John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." NKJV [italics added]

Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: "¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church
Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries

The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings

STUDY TITLE:

Satan and his kingdom of darkness promotes worry as a mental attitude sin.

OPTION: If you would prefer to go directly to the Grace Bible Church website to read this study message, all verse reference links are active there (but not hover active) and Enlarged Text is also an available option – right click the above link then left click “Open Link in New Window” or “New Tab”

Terms & Abbreviations used:

PPOG = Predesigned Plan of God
Human Good = Evil + Good Deeds while not in fellowship with God
OSN = Old Sin Nature
TLJC = The Lord Jesus Christ
SSE = Spiritual Self Esteem
PVTD = Positive Volition Towards Doctrine
+H - The Happiness of God
NVTD = Negative Volition Towards Doctrine
Doctrine = Bible Truth

To look up other “terms”, go to:

Alphabetical Listing

BEGIN BIBLE STUDY
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes and references
are from the NASB – New American Standard Bible

Satan and his kingdom of darkness promotes worry as a mental attitude sin.

In Rev 9, Abaddon breaks out of this jail with the help of Satan who at that time has been cast out of heaven and can never return there again. Let me show you some of his fantastic power and the type of enemies we have to deal with when it comes to spiritual warfare.

First of all, Satan and his kingdom of darkness promotes worry as a mental attitude sin which is self-induced and therefore filled with soulish torment or anxiety regarding anything in life.

Notice I said it is self-induced.

That is why in REV 9:1, we read And the fifth angel [this is Seraph angel or a sixth winged angel] sounded [his trumpet], and I saw a star from heaven [the star is a reference to Satan who had fallen to the earth in the middle of the Tribulation period] which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit [that's the compartment known as the abyss, the lowest place on the earth] was given to him.

This is why we are told in PHI 4:6, Stop worrying about anything, but in every circumstance through prayer and through supplication for personal needs after thanksgivings let your requests or petitions be revealed to the God.

REV 9:2, And he [Satan] opened the abyss; and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the atmosphere became darkened by the smoke of the pit.

This is why during the Tribulation period we are told that adversity is inevitable, but stress is optional. Now, just before God the Father throws Satan down to the earth in the middle of the Tribulation period, he gives Satan the key and the power and authority to release the first demon assault army. These demons actually have the power and the ability to be visible to man.

Other demons do not have this power or ability. These demons are going to be visible and they are going to look like men.

This is why we are told worry always anticipates the worst, and so becomes anticipation of danger, misfortune, trouble, or uncertainty. For the first time in human history since Gen 6, fallen angels will actually be available...and so Greek Mythology will have their so-called gods on earth again.

Satan is permitted to release his first demon assault army and they will torture their targets for five months. So intense and excruciating is the pain they inflict on believers in the cosmic system and unbelievers, that both believers and unbelievers are going to try to commit suicide but will not be permitted to do so.

Death will elude them! This is why we are told worry is a state of restlessness and agitation, producing mental disturbance, uneasiness, anxiety, and painful uncertainty. And so the opening is the entrance and the exit for the great underworld prison known as the abyss.

REV 9:2, And he [Satan] opened or unlocked the abyss; and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air or the atmosphere became darkened by the smoke of the pit.

During this time worry will short circuit the function of the faith-rest technique and causes the believer to be pinned down in no man's land.

Now, in verse 3 we have the description of the demon army.

REV 9:3, And out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth; and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

The Bible must be interpreted in the time that it was written and these were not scorpions nor were they locusts, these are analogous. The function of the locust on the one hand and the function of the scorpion on the other hand are the best ways in which in the ancient world it is possible to describe the function of the first demon assault army.

If you retreat, you do not go back to your previous stage of spiritual growt¬h, you're out of fellowship, you're out of the PPOG, you go back to reversionism or no man's land.

Once you get out into no man's land, either you go forward and take the objective or you retreat into reversionism, as we have used the phrase in the past, you crash and burn. Worry then causes the believer to be pinned down in no man's land, and to be pinned down in no man’s land means to become a casualty for backsliding.

Pro 14:14, The backslider in heart will have his fill of his own ways, But a good man will {be satisfied} with his.

In JER 2:19 Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings [apostasies or faithlessness] shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

JER 3:12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger forever.

JER 3:14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

JER 3:22 Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.

HOS 14:4 I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.

Back in REV 9:3, And out of the smoke came forth locusts

The word for locusts is akrides used for an army of destruction. So using a locust plague as an analogy for an overrunning army is used several times in the Bible and therefore it becomes the basis for helping us to understand the passage. the locust is always used as invading armies when used as an analogy. Locust invade the land and destroy crops therefore they are analogous here to the demon army which invades planet earth from the Abyss.

So, worry is a destroyer of the soul. If unchecked, it results in mental illness. You get a warning first, often with a physical problem. Worry in the mind causes shock to the body;

PRO 12:25 Anxiety in the heart of a man weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad.

Worry is a satanic device to lead the believer into reversionism and the sin unto death, EZE 4:15-17. Worry is a great weapon in the hands of Satan because the forces of evil take over the soul as a result of worry. Worry makes you vulnerable to the enemies especially attack in no man's land.

More sacrifices of your time, talent, treasure, is given from the exercising of your spiritual gift in no man’s land; Therefore, there are more subtle attacks made against you to try and cause you to doubt the laying down of your life to serve and honor God. Bad news causes worry, JER 49:23ff.

Worry causes hysteria, LUK 10:41, But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things;”

Everyone has an area in which they are prone to worry. People cause worry. People are always worried about other people. Worriers have to have an object, 1SA 10:2.

Economic disaster is a cause of worry, JER 42:16.

Sin causes worry. People worry about sin which causes guilt, PSA 38:18. Worry is a sin, ROM 14:23b.

Therefore, we are ordered to stop worrying, LUK 12:29, “And do not seek what you shall eat, and what you shall drink, and do not keep worrying.”

Worry distracts from doctrinal teaching, MAT 13:22; LUK 8:14. Therefore, blessing from God includes freedom from worry, JER 17:7-8. So these demons are incarcerated and they are in solitary confinement, but as soon as Satan opens that shaft they form up in ranks and get ready to attack.

Now, there's one difference between the literal locust and the demon locust army.

The literal locust is described in PRO 30:27, The locusts have no king, Yet all of them go out in ranks;

However, this locust army has a king over them and they still function in ranks and that king is a part of the first group of fallen angels that we are told are our true enemies. Real locusts are known for laying waste to countrysides all over the world. In the evening, they descend from their flight and they form an organized bivouac or a camp. In the morning, they assemble again and if they do not find a place to feed they fly in the direction of the wind. They travel in large number and they usually occupy a space of about 12 miles long by five miles wide, about 60 square miles of space is the normal space used for an invading locust army. When they travel they convert day into night.

Whenever the locust form up and go into the air, their wings make an awesome sound and they literally darken the sky around them. Nothing can stop the locust. They will fill ditches dug to stop them but can’t. They will fill them with their bodies. They will smother fires which are lit to burn them. They pass through the walls, under doors and windows. In other words, they provide an excellent analogy for this invading demon army. Nothing is going to stop this demon army at the time of this invasion. For the first time in history, beginning in the middle of the Tribulation, demons are permitted to attack men. They are permitted to torture and later on to kill, as we will see.

In REV 9:3, And out of the smoke came forth locusts [the demon army from the Abyss] upon the earth; and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

Scorpions is the noun skorpioi which belongs to the spider family and is usually 5 or 6 inches long and has a poisonous sting in its tail. Some people die from the venom that is released from the scorpion and very often they are in extreme pain from the sting. The sting is followed by a very sharp pain and then local swelling and numbness. And many times the victim experiences sharp pain, numbness, Speech becomes very difficult. Saliva is discharged.

The victim becomes restless and breathing becomes difficult and that's just the beginning.

The point being that the scorpion sting is a very painful thing and it is used in the analogy to torture here. Now, believe or not, this is all a manifestation of the grace of God. This is warning before judgment! Grace precedes judgment! You have to understand that this is God’s last appeal to the believer to get out of the cosmic system and to the unbeliever to become born again and saved. There is never a judgment which destroys a segment of the human race until first of all that segment of the human race has an opportunity to repent.

For the unbeliever, repentance means salvation. For the believer, repentance means a change of mind toward doctrine. We have illustrations such as Noah and the flood. Noah preached for 120 years before the flood came. Over a period of 120 years Noah taught gospel information....it was grace before judgment. As an evangelist, Noah was excellent. As an evangelist, he was eloquent. However, the negative volition was almost universal and the human race was reduced to just a few people.

The point is that God is going to use the wrath of angels to praise Him just like He uses the wrath of man to praise Him.

PSA 76:10, For the wrath of man shall praise Thee”

Now, in verses 4 and 5 we do have a divine restriction placed upon the demon invasion.

They are going to be restricted as to what they can do to their target which is going to be made up of people who live in the cosmic system, believers and unbelievers of the Tribulation. The first demon army is restricted, the second is not!

REV 9:4, And they were told or commanded that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

This first demon army is going to have restraint and it's going to torture people so badly that they will try to commit suicide. But there’s an alternative to trying to commit suicide and that is to accept Christ as your personal Savior.....or in the case of believers to rebound and get out of the cosmic system. And five months of torture ought to be enough motivation for anyone.

And we are going to see some very strange things about how pain can serve as a motivation but also in some cases pain make a person a lot worse. Pain and suffering and adversity it either makes us worse or better but it never leaves us the same.

When you have a problem, a difficulty, a disaster, you are never going to be the same, you are going to come out of it worse or better...but you will never be the same person you were before.

You make look the same but you’re not. And the wonderful thing about disaster and adversity and pain and difficulty and problems is that it gives us a fantastic opportunity for improvement. Some believers under disaster are motivated to improve, they rebound and get cracking again.

Others turn very bitter and very sour and eventually they get locked into the evil and the arrogance of the cosmic system.

In fact, when the Bible says in HEB 9:27, It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.” I believe, and this is a personal opinion even though I believe I can back it up with Scripture, that thousands of years after members of the human race are suffering in the lake of fire that if they were offered to believe on TLJC and trust in Him as their Lord Savior, I believe they would still reject Him. And there’s some reasons for that: One is the fact that the more some people suffer, the more bitter and arrogant and hateful and resentful they become. Secondly, look at Satan and the fallen angels, they still rebel against God even after they were given a second trial. Thirdly, when Satan is put in prison for a thousand years the first thing he does when he gets out of prison is start a human revolt against God.

Then the Bible teaches that the sin nature gets more and more corrupt as it gets older in EPH 4:22, and all of those in the lake of fire have their old sin nature. Also look at REV 22:11-15, “Let the one who does wrong, still the word still means further do wrong; and let the one who is filthy, still or further be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and let the one who is holy, still keep himself holy. Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are those who wash their robes [rebound], that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.”

The word loves is in the present tense meaning that they still do love and practice lying. So back in REV 9:4, what we have here is the motivation concept.

REV 9:4, And they were told or commanded that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

This first demon army is prohibited from destroying vegetation. Apparently the demon army can be destructive not only with people but with things. And why would they want to destroy the grass or vegetation or the trees?

This is why, COL 1:16, For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created by Him and for Him.

They hate Him! They despise Him! And everything around reminds them of Him!

Satan’s servants hate anything that reminds them of Him, TLJC.

REV 9:4, And they were commanded that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree,

So there are two mandates on this demon army, first, they can’t destroy vegetation. In addition to that they are not permitted to kill their targets, torture only. The reason why they are given these restrictions is because an angel or a demon can kill a human being very easily!

While demons can perform extra-natural and super-natural acts in the environment of planet earth, they cannot control anything in planet apart from divine permission. Divine permission is only given where it involves the perpetuation of the angelic conflict in human history. Remember the principle 1JO 4:4, “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”

REV 9:4, And they were commanded that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only or it should be translated except

There are certain people that can be attacked. You can’t attack the grass of the earth or any green thing or any tree but you can attack certain individuals.

The environmentalists would love this verse.

REV 9:4, And they were commanded that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, except the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

They can attack humans but there's a certain group they can’t attack. Those who have the seal of God are those who became saved after the Rapture and during this Tribulation period. In fact, who are they who have the seal of God?

Is it every believer alive?

No!

Only a certain group of believers have the seal of God.

Who?

REV 7:1-4, After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind should blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads. And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:”

The ones that are sealed are not called believers but those believers who are bond-servants of God. The word bond-servants is doulos which means those believers who are slaves or servants to God. It speaks of those believers who carry out the will and the purpose of God. There are certain Tribulation believers who will survive the Tribulation with all of its horrors and historical adversity.

These certain Tribulational believers are fulfilling certain principles of spiritual advance that keep that keep them out of the cosmic system. Remember again, the target is believers and unbelievers in the cosmic system but there is no permission to attack believers. For example, today you cannot be attacked if your inside the PPOG for your life. Inside the PPOG there is a wall of fire.....inside the cosmic system there is no wall of fire for the believer.

Whatever the plan of God is for the Tribulational saints, their objective is growing in grace and staying out of the cosmic system...because demons are going to be permitted to do things in the Tribulation that they have never been permitted to do before in all of human history. Therefore, to avoid being mugged by a demon, you have to stay out of the cosmic system in the Tribulation.

So there will be thousands of believers who will not be attacked and who will be protected under the principle of the wall of fire.

However, many believers are going to be tortured and later on killed by demons simply because they live in the cosmic system.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life:
Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.