The Christ in Prophecy Journal

FHCO: Q&A Session (Part 2)

Future Hope Conference Online

Your Future in the:
BibleTribulationRaptureMillennial KingdomHeavenQ&A

Nathan Jones

Vic Batista
Senior Pastor & Radio Host
Calvary Chapel Aventura

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The Church will not experience the wrath of God?

Vic Batista: Nathan, you mentioned something that I thought was very cool regarding the Church will not experience the wrath of God. The way you said it was so cool. You said, “We would not beat up our bride and then marry her.” Was it something like that Nathan? Can you share with us about that?

Nathan Jones: Sure! Some get the general idea, and they are called Post-Tribulationist, they believe that the Rapture will happen post or after the Tribulation. That would mean then that the wrath of God shows no distinction between those He loves and those He hates.

Now, certainly, on earth there is lots of suffering. You and I and everyone of us have gone through something, but that has been at the hands of man or the hands of Satan. The wrath of God is something totally different. It is God’s anger for rebellion and sin. Well, if it is anger for rebellion and sin and believers in Christ are considered pure and holy before God because He sees Jesus in front of us, then our wrath it isn’t. Would God beat up His Son? Well, in truth one time He allowed it. He did allow Him to be put on the cross, but God allowed that sacrifice that one time for Jesus’ victory and our salvation. So, no, we are not destined for God’s wrath whatsoever.

I just couldn’t picture myself beating up my wife and thinking afterwards she would love me. Why would I feel the same way towards God if all the time He is tormenting me and torturing me? If that is His love, then no way would we choose a God like that!

So, no, to me the Rapture is happening before the Tribulation. To me it is a no brainer, and I think a Pre-Trib Rapture is very biblical.

Vic Batista: Thank you so much, Nathan! Would you also agree that maybe it is a lack of understanding of what grace is?

Don Perkins: I would say that, too.

Another point I want to add to what he was saying is in regards to this: I always go back to the purpose of the Tribulation. If we fully understand what God is doing in that event, we will understand that the Church has no part of it. It is a different dispensation. It is a different time. The Tribulation is designed as I shared in my message to bring national Israel to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. They will literally accept Christ. You know Jesus prophesied, God prophesied through His Word, that Israel would go through a season when they will receive a false Christ. Today, obviously, the majority of Israel does not honor Christ. God is repopulating the land now and what is going to happen in the Tribulation is He is basically preparing them now for that time of tribulation. So, for me, when we understand the purpose of the Tribulation, it removes the confusion of it. It takes all of the confusion away from it.

Vic Batista: Thank you so much, Don, that was awesome! Also the term “escapist,” I don’t know about anybody else, but I’m fine with that.

Nathan Jones: Amen!

Vic Batista: I mean, really, when you think about it, why would as one of you mentioned with the illustration of that guy who was willing to have his head cut off, be so excited to be willing to serve God like that? But, we can thank Jesus that His Word is true and that we won’t even have to go through the Tribulation period. We can thank Him for His grace and His goodness.

I also believe it is just a lack of understanding of the true biblical teachings of the Word of God.

Will there be games and animals and work in Heaven?

Vic Batista: You guys have done such an excellent job in clarifying so many issues for us. For instance, Heaven it is not a boring place, but it’s an awesome place. But, Nathan, I wanted to ask you, will there be gaming in Heaven?

Nathan Jones: I will turn you over to our resident expert on sports — Steve Howell.

Steve Howell: If there is a Heaven then it must include hockey. I can see no other way that God could not have this. No, I am going to stop before I get in trouble!

Don Perkins: I think again that we need to understand that eternity is practical. Everything we experience here I believe we will experience in the eternal world, but without sin. You know hockey is not sin. Hockey is a sport. It is not sin.

Animals, too, aren’t sin. We will have animals in the eternal world. I get this question all the time, “Brother Perkins, will there be animals in Heaven? Will there be animals in eternity?” I answer that God made animals in the beginning before the Fall.

We make Heaven so spiritual that we miss the practicality of eternity, in that everything we experience today we will have in the New World, yet without sin.

I believe that we will have technology and I believe that we will have jobs, which was always the will of God. When God made Adam, he told Adam to till the ground, and that was before the Fall. When I make that statement that we will have jobs in eternity, people go, “Whoa!” No, it has always been the will of God that we work. Heaven will not be a place full of lazy people.

So, we’ve got to keep it practical, and the things we experience today we’ll have those things in Heaven, yet without sin.

Vic Batista: I love that! Excellently practical! It’s so true, we aren’t just going to be floating around on clouds doing nothing.

How amazing will Heaven be?

Vic Batista: Nathan, you made a great point about how vast the universe is out there. And, concerning work and responsibility, the opportunities to serve the Almighty God will be just incredible! I loved it when you mention that, because too often we look at the Scriptures and we read just a few verses and we think that it is we’ll be put in charge of just a few cities. For me, I’m thinking the town of Aventura where I am pastoring. But, no, there is a whole vast universe out there that we don’t even have a clue about, and over that is going to be what we are going to be serving our God. I want for you to just share a little more regarding that, Nathan.

Nathan Jones: I think we are all victims of our limited imaginations. What I mean by that really is what we perceive is what we think Heaven is going to be like. Our limited imaginations see only what we would like and dislike, and we end up not being very creative about it.

The Bible does give us hints and things about the scope of the universe, but as 1 Corinthians 2:9 says our minds cannot conceive it all. Physically we are incapable of conceiving what God has planned for us and has prepared for us. What ends up suffering is the wonder of it all.

The hints the Bible gives us about Heaven reminds me of Christmas time. With Christmas when you are a kid there’s always the wonder of what is waiting down there at the Christmas tree. You just don’t know. You know there are pretty boxes and their shapes might be shaped to kind of give you a hint if it is a bike or something like that, but overall we really don’t know what the actual item is. Like a wrapped box, the Bible can and does tell us a lot of things about what’s in the Heaven box. We can trust that with God’s infinitely creative mind, Heaven is more incredible than the details our imaginations will ever give us.

How smart will we be in Heaven?

Vic Batista: Nathan hit on something important in that right now we are really only using a limited capacity of our brain, say 10%. Imagine how smart we’ll be as we develop our understanding while in our glorified bodies. The things we’ll learn are going to be just incredible. What do you think, Don?

Don Perkins: I think we will have the fullness of everything that we lost with Adam. Think about Adam, when God made Adam he was a brilliant man. Think about it, he named all the animals the Scripture says. What a mind that can name the animals!

So, I believe we will be restored to that kind of mind and we will use the brain fully in what God has given. We have examples of this when we see certain people that are geniuses. They have the ability to calculate and do certain amazing mental things. They can use a little more of their brain than the average individual. I believe in the eternal world we will have the full 100% use of that brain, and so I think it will be awesome for us.

Vic Batista: I can’t wait! I think that is awesome.

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ABOUT AUTHOR View all posts Author Website

Dr. Nathan E. Jones

As the Internet Evangelist at Lamb & Lion Ministries, Nathan reaches out to the over 4.5 billion people accessible over the Internet with the Good News of Jesus Christ. He also co-hosts the ministry's television program Christ in Prophecy and podcast The Truth Will Set You Free.

9 CommentsLeave a Comment

  • A baby born in China with one body and two heads.

    http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/05/09/chinese-twins-born-single-body-2-heads/?test=latestnews

    Question. Since this baby will be two different people, is there any evidence of where the soul is located in the body? Could it be in the brain? (Two heads, two people). Or vice versa, if a baby had one head and two bodies would it be two souls but one wouldn't have access to the world via the senses in the head?

    There has to be two souls in conjoined twins as when death comes, one dies first then the other.

    Way off topic but interesting to think about.

  • How awful! Good question. Some say brain, heart, and even the liver. I'd say the soul resides in the whole body, not just some chamber like a bridge. It looks like two entities to me there.

  • Nathan, I was explaining to my neighbor why Church will not go through tribulation and quoted all 15 places in NT where the word aphistemi (verb form of apostasia) and how only 3 are concerned with departure from truth and how scripture clearly explains what the departure from is in each case. He was still unconvinced and I said quoting you, "If Christ beat me up for 7 years do you think I would want to marry him?" He was speechless. And so was I. What a wonderful teacher you are!

    Today's post really helps me too- about how the suffering I have endured has come from man's hand or Satan's hand not from God. Yes God disciplines His children but God is not cruel. I Love Lamb and Lion Ministries.

  • Anon said "…the suffering I have endured has come from man's hand or Satan's hand not from God." But then goes on to say "Yes God disciplines His children but God is not cruel." That's sort of oxymoronish.

    (I know at least Laura will agree with me on this)…God does not discipline US (Christians) for our sins. Believers are FORGIVEN of our sins past, present and future.

    If we have to be disciplined for our sins then we are living in a Catholic Purgatory on Earth right now which would require we suffer to cleanse us of our sins. Not true! The blood of Christ on the cross has already taken care of it…PERIOD!!!

    Our NATION may be disciplined but INDIVIDUAL BELIEVERS are not!

    Any individual suffering we experience is because we live in a fallen world, so things like death, disease, pain, everyday troubles, etc., would affect us. We could also be affected by discipline on our nation (as victims but not punished for our sin). Or by the "signs of the times" extreme weather (as victims but not punished for our sin). We NEVER suffer because God is punishing us for sinning. We're covered by His Son's blood on that.

    You could sort of twist Nathan's phrase to ask "Why would Christ beat me up for sinning even though He forgave me on the cross?"

    If I'm wrong, please someone tell me how.

  • Different anonymous person here…

    I think being disciplined is much different from experiencing wrath. Intentionally sending a scorpion to come and poke me in the leg would be wrath, not giving me a blessing where I may want/need one or allowing me to fall into some trouble is how I think he disciplines us.

    If a Christian continually sins and does not ask for forgiveness and repent, I would argue that we are not right with God at that moment. Not unsaved, not about to feel God's wrath, but in line for a good ol' spankin from the Father.

    Just my thoughts 🙂

  • Question for Nathan:

    You refer to Corinthians regarding Heaven and our inability to conceive what it will be like.

    “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.

    When I read that verse I am confused by the very end of it because it says it has been revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. Taken literally, I read that as "you can't even conceive of what is behind door #1, but the Holy Spirit has revealed it to you before you open it. Thus, you know what it will be like." And knowing what Revelation tells us about Heaven I feel like we have a pretty good idea of what it will be like. Can you elaborate or touch on the latter part of the verse?

    Question for anyone:

    I am sure you've been asked this before, but what does it mean to "speak against the Holy Spirit" or "blaspheme against the Spirit" as mentioned in Matthew 12:31-32 as a sin that will not be forgiven. I have heard at least 4 different interpretations of these verses. Does anyone have a common interpretation that most agree with?

  • Anon,

    If your worried that you've committed the unforgivable sin…don't worry. Though I can't be more specific (hopefully someone else will) I know I've read through this ministry that the unforgivable sin could ONLY have been done by someone during the time that Jesus was on Earth as a man.

  • Hello Billy

    Proverbs 3:11,12. My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor detest His correction; For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights

    Hebrew12:5-11And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
    6.For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives
    7.If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?
    8.But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.
    9.Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected [us], and we paid [them] respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?
    10. For they indeed for a few days chastened [us] as seemed [best] to them, but He for [our] profit, that [we] may be partakers of His holiness.
    11. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

    This may help?
    http://www.gotquestions.org/Lord-God-discipline.html

  • At Salvation we are declared to be legally Justified. Until our mortality puts on immortality the old sin nature is still alive and kicking.
    The flesh wars against the spirit. We have two choices; our way or God's way.

    We are to discipline ourselves saying no to the carnal nature and Yes to the Holy Spirit.
    If we don't reign in our tendancy to sin; then The Father will discipline us – but it will not be with vengeance or injustice.

    Being saved sinners is not a license to sin and hang the consequences.

    I have tried many times to answer you Billy with Scripture – but Blogger is messing me about!

    You are right about the unforgivable sin. The Jewish leaders at the time of Christ is the context. It isn't possible today – but the enemy likes to tell us it is – the accuser of the brethren.

    Will this post????
    God bless
    Sue

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