Bible Studies

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As in the case of many current practices, traditions, and customs, the making of New Year’s resolutions to improve oneself is deeply rooted in the paganism of the ancient world.

The ancient Romans worshiped many different gods, all of whom Scripture (1) identifies as idols.

Among these false gods was Janus, believed by the ancients to have been the god of opening doors or new beginnings. Janus was depicted as a being with one head, but two faces. One face looking forward, the other looking behind, symbolic of having knowledge of the past and a plan for the upcoming calendar year.

By making the appropriate resolutions at the start of the new year in January, his followers believed they would benefit.

This where the name January for the first month of the “new” year on the Roman calendar came from.

At the beginning of the new year, worshipers of Janus made promises (resolutions) to this pagan god, with the objective of improving themselves, or their present circumstances.

There is nothing evil about expressing our desires for people to experience good health and legitimate secular prosperity (2).

But there is great evil when seeking or attributing good health and prosperity to, or through, a false deity (3).

Life teaches us that in all likelihood, 2024 will bring to each one of us a mixed bag of both blessings and adversity.

The life of an advancing disciple is not one of ease and comfort (4). Christians are not only vulnerable to many of the same challenges as everyone else, but those who become advancing disciples will face additional suffering that discipleship generates (5), as well.

Accepting some of the things that God allows to take place can be one of the most difficult hurdles to overcome along the road to spiritual maturity.

None of us know if any one of us will be among the 54 million souls that will depart this world before the year 2024 comes to its end. Secular statistics estimate the DAILY departure of human souls to be around 150,000, amounting to a total of about 54,750,000 to take place throughout the course of 2024.

Whenever our departure takes place, rather or not it will prove to be a precious (6) or a tragic (7) event, is dependent on where one is, in his or her relationship with the Lord.

The Bible (8) commands (not an option) Church Age believers to conduct on-going self-examinations, to determine if they are “in the faith.”

There is no set day or date(s) for this to take place. This is to be an ongoing activity throughout the year, and certainly does not involve a being, real or imagined, outside of the Trinity.

To be “in the faith” means to be a doer of the Word (9), impacting what we think, what we say, and what we do on a daily basis.

The Christian outlook takes us way beyond what will take place in the next calendar year. The focus of attention for an advancing disciple is to prepare for his or her never-ending eternity future, that begins the moment we depart this world.

No one knows when or how our departure will materialize, but the certainty of our inevitable departure from this world, and our entry into the eternal state, is awaiting us all.

The good news is that we can be certain of WHERE we will be the moment we depart.

Finding oneself in Heaven upon departing this world is the result of having made a one-time decision to believe (place our trust and confidence) in the unadulterated Gospel Message, encapsulated in John 3: 16, 18, and reiterated in such passages as Rom. 8: 1.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that EVERYONE who BELIEVES in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved. The one who believes in Him is not judged; the one who does NOT believe has been judged already, because he has not BELIEVED in the name of the only Son of God (John‬ ‭3: 16‭-18‬ ‭NASB2020).”‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

‭“Therefore there is now NO condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8: 1 NASB2020).”‬‬‬‬‬

As of the moment one first believes, he or she is permanently sealed (marked for identification) as a child of God (10); has had his or her spirit regenerated (11), and becomes a recipient of eternal life. This is the irreversible work of God.

That being said, HOW any given born-again believer will EXPERIENCE eternity (with or without reward and privileges (12), is determined by the extent (if any) of his or her participation in the post (after) salvation life of discipleship.

The life of discipleship is initially for the edification and spiritual growth of oneself, but with the long-term objective of participating in the Great Commission (13).

. . .

Finding oneself suffering in the Torments of Hades, upon departing this world, is the result of disbelieving the unadulterated Gospel Message. The only thing that remains for those in Hades, is for them to be tossed into what the Bible calls the lake of fire when the Rev. 20: 13-15 event takes place.

“And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and HADES GAVE UP THE DEAD who were IN THEM; and they were judged, each one of them according to their deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. ‭‭And if anyone’s name (all departed unbelievers) not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation‬ ‭20: 13-15‬ ‭NASB2020 parenthesis mine‬‬).”

The lake of fire is not a place of extermination. It is a place of never-ending torment, separated from God, from which there is no chance of release.

No unsaved soul knows when he or she has had his or her last opportunity to respond to the unadulterated Gospel Message.
. . .

For all Heaven-bound born-again believers, the issue of WHERE he or she will be spending eternity has already been resolved, but the issue of HOW (with or without reward and privileges) that he or she will experience in eternity future is dependent on what he or she does with the opportunities God gives him or her each and every day.

In closing, my prayer for all unsaved souls (those who have not been born again (14), is for them to listen to or read the unadulterated Gospel Message of John 3: 16, 18, before their individual window of opportunity to believe and to be saved, closes for all of eternity.

It is never too late, as long as you can hear the inaudible voice of God calling you. The dying man on the cross on the side of the Lord was within hours of his earthly departure, but it was not too late for him to be assured of his eternal future (15).

God will not violate the free will that He has given you. It’s up to you to respond to His invitations when the opportunity is made available, and before the window of opportunity closes.   

As  for all born-again, Heaven bound, believers, my prayer is for them to make frequent 2Cor. 13: 5 self-examinations and make the necessary James 1: 22 adjustments, so that they can experience the happiest eternity
(16).

 I do wish all a happy New year in 2024, but more important, I wish all to have the happiest eternal future.

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(1) Psalms 96: 5 (2) 3John 1: 2 (3) Exodus 20: 3-5 (4) 1Peter 2: 21 (5) 2Tim. 3: 12 (6) Psalms 116: 15 (7) John 8: 24 (8) 2Cor. 13: 5 (9) James 1: 22 (10) Eph. 4:30 (11) Titus 3: 5 (12) 1Cor. 3: 14, 15/Rev. 2/Rev. 3 (13) Matt. 28: 19, 20 (14) John 3: 5, 7 (15) Luke 23: 43 (16) 2John 1: 8

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