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VISION OF GODS KINGDOM

A Vision Of God's Kingdom Elisha's Bones Eternal Life Forever And Ever Forgive How Big Is Heaven? If You Could Create A World

Immortality The Greatest Secret What Happened To Tonto? What Happens When You Die? Why Were You Born? Your Guardian Angel

A Vision Of God's Kingdom

The coming of the Kingdom of God is a yet-future event. It will begin at Christ's return, as prophesied, as in this example in Nebuchadnezzar's Dream:

And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou safest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure." (Daniel 2:44-45 KJV)

"And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power"

The "transfiguration" event was a vision of the future Kingdom of God, on earth, after the first resurrection, when Moses and Elijah, who are both now still dead, will have risen to salvation. Christ's statement "there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power" was referring to the vision that they would see. It did not mean that the Kingdom of God had come then.

And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power."

And after six days Jesus teeth with him Peter, and James, and John  and leaded them up into a high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.

And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master; it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. For him west not what to say; for they were sore afraid.

And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, this is my beloved Son: hear him.

And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves." (Mark 9:1-8 KJV)

Despite their witness of the vision, the apostles did not understand, yet, nor did they recognize that the prophet John was the "Elijah to come" for Christ's first coming.

And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another the rising from the dead should mean.

And they asked him, saying, why say the scribes that Elias must first come?

And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restored all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at naught. But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him." (Mark 9:9-13 KJV)

Elisha's Bones

"Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died ... And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year. And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulcher of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet" (2 Kings 13:14, 20-21 KJV)

Elijah and Elisha

Elijah, and Elisha who succeeded him when Elijah was taken away in a "chariot of fire" (in illustration - see Where Did Elijah Go?) were two of the most powerful Prophets of God in Bible History. They did everything from calling down fire from heaven (1 Kings 18:37-38) to raising the dead (2 Kings 4:18-37), but as true prophets of God, their great power was of, and from, God. As even Jesus Christ said of Himself (John 5:19, 30), Elijah and Elisha could do nothing of themselves, or for themselves. As the opening paragraph makes plain, when Elisha's natural time to die came, he suffered and died just like any other human - even though during his lifetime the Holy Spirit healed the sick and raised the dead through him. It was the Holy Spirit of God that made it possible.

Elijah was an ordinary human being, who knew hunger (1 Kings 19:6), weariness     (1 Kings 19:5), and fear (1 Kings 19:2-3), just like any other. After being threatened by the wicked Jezebel, he "went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers" (1 Kings 19:4 KJV). Neither was Elisha or any other human before or since.

The Holy Spirit Remained

In the miracle of Elisha's bones (unlike the widespread fraudulent religious industry of "miraculous relics of saints" that has been operating for centuries, right to the present day), for however long it lasted (there is only one recorded miracle from Elisha's bones), a measure of the Holy Spirit actually remained for some time (at least a number of months, since all that was left was his bones) with Elisha's body - the only way that the miracle of reviving that dead man (back to physical life from which he would again have died later -

Eternal Life

Most people who believe in God naturally look forward to eternal life, which will be granted to them if they are found worthy through repentance and obedience to God. Salvation means being saved from death, but why are humans being saved? Why has God gone through all of the trouble, and aggravation, of "bringing up" humanity in the first place? God already had billions of angels as servants long before humanity was created, so what's the point? What's our point?

Let's imagine for a moment what will happen to those who make it, at the end of their physical lives, when they awaken as spirit beings. There they will be, alive, never again subject to injury, illness, or death. What a glorious day!

But then what? What will they be doing, day after day, year after year, century after century, for endless billions and billions of years, forever?

The answer to that question may be found throughout The Bible, where humans are constantly referred to as God's children. Jesus Christ referred to Christians as His brothers and sisters (e.g. Matthew 12:50). The Father is referred to as The Father (e.g. Matthew 6:9) for a very profound reason:

"So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." (Genesis 1:27 RSV).

"See what love The Father has given us that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Beloved, we are God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." (1 John 3:1-2 RSV)

"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of son ship. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" it is The Spirit Himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him." (Romans 8:15-17 RSV)

Children, after a time of learning and growing, eventually become adults, just like their parents, although always and forever "out ranked" by them. God does not do things in vain. Everything has a purpose. That infinite universe out there has a purpose. We have a purpose. Consider:

"For the creation [i.e. the universe, see The Seven Days Of Creation] waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons [i.e. the transformed children, male and female, who will be transformed to spirit beings] of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of Him who subjected it in hope [i.e. God halted its development until we are ready]; because the creation itself will be set free [i.e. planets transformed from undeveloped, dry, lifeless hulks to living, breathing ecosystems] from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God." (Romans 8:19-21 RSV)

It's estimated that there are far over 200,000,000,000 (200 billion) stars in our galaxy, the "Milky Way," alone (the telescope photograph above is of just one galaxy which shows billions of stars as a distant "mist" in space). Astronomers believe that there are at least that many galaxies, with perhaps an average size equal to our galaxy, in the universe. 200 billion times 200 billion equals an incomprehensible number of stars.

With the aid of modern technology, astronomers are now obtaining the proof of what many have believed for a long time - which other stars have planets just as our star (the sun") does. After all, why shouldn't they? There are certainly a vast number of planets, many just like earth, out there - immensely more inhabitable planets than the total number of people that have ever lived through all the ages.

Eternal life will not be spent in useless idleness. There is going to be much to do for those who repent and obey God.

Fact Finder: Is the purpose of all angels to serve those who will inherit salvation?Hebrews 1:14

Forever And Ever

We humans have our own sense of time. If we see someone who has lived 100 years, we may be amazed at that person's longevity. But, with all due respect to those who have managed to do it, is a century really such a long time?

What if we were able to live to 200 years? Or 1,000 years? What if we could live 10,000 years? Most of us find such vast expanses of time difficult to grasp.

Going even farther, what if we could live forever? Imagine being able to live without fear of illness, or injury, or just wearing out with age, FOREVER! Imagine always being strong and healthy, full of enthusiasm and energy, always with plenty of good things to do, with plenty of time to do them. Imagine living forever in perfect peace and happiness, free of all the effects of a world submerged in sin that has caused humanity so much grief and suffering for so long.

The whole point of the gospel is that you can!

As Christians, we all stand on the verge of eternal life. The cold dark night of sinful human experience can be replaced by a warm, bright dawn of glorious eternal life.

We have a decision to make however, each of us for ourselves, whether or not to accept the astonishing offer that has been presented to us by the God who has the power to make it happen.

Have you made your choice yet?

Forgive

"'Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.' For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:9-15 RSV)

Most people can remember someone who hurt them somehow. Whether it be a school yard bully of long ago or someone who did something only recently, it's a natural human emotion to want to "get even," or at least to hold a grudge.

Human nature such as it is, we can all usually remember very clearly what others have done to us, but somehow what we may have done to others tends not to come to mind. God makes plain however that we have all sinned to some greater or lesser degree, against Him, and against other people. No one is without fault or blame.

Forgiveness on a personal level is sometimes very difficult, especially if the offense is very great. But we must, not merely because it's the right thing to do, but because salvation is very much a "what goes around comes around" matter. God makes clear that if we want Him to forgive us, then we must forgive others. Forgiveness is a very big part of good Christian Living.

Consider what Jesus Christ said of forgiveness:

"Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back." (Luke 6:36-38 RSV)

How Big Is Heaven?

The term we know as heaven is the Old-English translation of the two original words in The Bible - the Hebrew word in the Old Testament is pronounced Shaw-may, and the Greek word in the New Testament is pronounced of-ran-was. Both mean the same thing - either the sky, or the outer space above it, depending on what the writer was talking about at the time. Sky or space is quite accurate modern substitutes for heaven.

Stars are very hot spheres of gas (usually more than 90% hydrogen) that give off various forms of radiation, including light. The sun is an average-size star. Some stars are much smaller than the sun; others are millions of times bigger. Stars vary in color according to their surface temperature, from blue-white (the hottest at about 35,000 degrees) to white, yellow, orange, to red (the coolest at about 3,000 degrees). Stars are "born" from accumulating physical matter, live out their lives according to how much fuel they have, and then "die" - either by going cold and dark, or exploding (a supernova) when they no longer have the gravity to hold together. From the ejected matter, new stars will eventually be born.

Constellations are merely chance alignments of stars that seem to draw an outline of something - a human, animal or an object. "The Big Dipper" (also known as "The Plow or "The Wagon") is a familiar example (it is actually part of the constellation Urea Major - the Big Bear). Some others (there are 88 "official" constellations) are Orion the Hunter, Leo the Lion, and Canes Major. There are thousands more that anyone can decide for oneself on any starry night.

Galaxies are very large aggregations of stars, gas, dust, and physical matter. The "Milky Way," of which the sun is a member, has an estimated 200 billion stars (many of which are now known to have planets). Throughout the universe there are billions of galaxies. The photo at left, while appearing to be just a mist in space, is a very distant galaxy, and the "mist" is actually billions of stars

Heaven is a very big place, and according to observations made by astronomers, it continues to expand after the Creation. To those who are concerned about having enough to do through all eternity, keep in mind that there are more galaxies in the universe than the total number of humans that ever existed, and each galaxy have many times more stars than there are humans on earth right now. There will be much to do for those who obey God.

If You Could Create a World

Forever is a very long time. A million human lifetimes of a million years each would barely count as a beginning of forever.

"Heaven" (the English word translated from the original Bible words which meant either the sky, or outer space, depending on the context) is a very big place, perhaps infinite, perhaps destined to expand forever from the "big bang" creation event. The Seven Days of Creation. A journey at a million miles per hour for a million years would still not get us to very many of the places there are to go. There may be vastly more inhabitable planets orbiting the billions of stars than there are people who have ever lived.

If you add together this infinite amount of time, with the infinite amount of space that's out there, you get the potential for very much to do for a great many people - or rather, the spirit beings that we will one day become if we choose to accept God's offer of eternal life.

Does God plan to make us immortal "couch potatoes," sitting around doing nothing for all eternity? Such never-ending idleness and the resulting boredom would seem to fit the traditional idea of "hell" much more than "heaven."

On the other hand, is there a Plan, a Divine Purpose, for God to transform all the billions of mortal humans into immortal spirit beings as He has plainly stated that He is going to do? God does not do things in vain, and He did not create us in vain. Could it be that we are going to be sent out there as pioneers, settlers, creators of worlds?

Consider:

"The creation [i.e. the universe] waits in eager expectation for the sons [i.e. the transformed children, male and female] of God to be revealed [i.e. transformed to spirit beings]. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it [i.e. God halted its development until we are ready], in hope that the creation itself will be liberated [i.e. planets transformed from undeveloped, dry, lifeless hulks to living, breathing ecosystems] from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." (Romans 8:19-21)

Have you ever wondered how you would go about creating a world if sent out to do so? Why not give it some thought sometime, because there is a very real possibility that it could happen.

Fact Finder: Did the apostle Paul actually travel (bodily or in vision) into space and see "Paradise"?2 Corinthians 12:2-4

Immortality

"For this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." (1 Corinthians 15:53-55 RSV)

Humans are mortal, a word derived from the Latin mortals, meaning death. God could have created humans as immortal right from the start, as He did with the angels, so that we could live on and on forever no matter what, but He didn't. God deliberately created us so that we can die, totally die, for the same reason that computers can delete corrupt or malicious files. Those who choose to repent and obey God, on His terms, will be made immortal, never again subject to illness, injury or death, while those who choose to rebel and defy God will be completely erased forever

 Old Testament

The people of the Old Testament were well aware of the human potential for immortality:

"Thou dost guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward Thou wilt receive me to glory." (Psalm 73:24 RSV)

"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. These all died in faith, not having received what was promised, but having seen it and greeted it from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth." (Hebrews 11:8-13 RSV)

New Testament

With the coming of Jesus Christ, the means of finding immortality was made clearer:

"the power of God, Who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not in virtue of our works but in virtue of His own purpose and the grace which He gave us in Christ Jesus ages ago, and now has manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, Who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." (2 Timothy 1:8-10 RSV)

"For he will render to every man according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, He will give eternal life; but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury." (Romans 2:6-8 RSV)

The Greatest Secret

Most Christians naturally look forward to eternal life. After all, isn't that what God's offer of salvation is all about?

Let's imagine for a moment what will happen at the end of our physical lives, when we awaken as spirit beings. There we will be, alive, never again to be subject to injury, illness, or just plain old age. What a glorious day that will be!

But then what? What will we be doing, day after day, year after year, century after century - forever?

The answer to that question may be found throughout the Bible, where humans are constantly referred to as God's children. Jesus Christ very often referred to Christians as His brothers and sisters (Matthew 12:50). The Father is referred to as The Father (e.g. Matthew 6:9) because we were made in the image of God - "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:27). Children, after a time of learning and growing, eventually become adults, just like their parents, although always and forever "out ranked" by them.

God does not do things in vain. Everything has a purpose. We have a purpose.

Consider:

"The Creation [i.e. the universe] waits in eager expectation for the sons [i.e. the transformed children, male and female] of God to be revealed [i.e. transformed to spirit beings]. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it [i.e. God halted its development until we are ready], in hope that the creation itself will be liberated [i.e. planets transformed from undeveloped, dry, lifeless hulks to living, breathing ecosystems] from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." (Romans 8:19-21)

Eternal life will not be unending idleness. We are going to have much to do, and forever to do it.

What Happened To Tonto?

If you watched (if you were around back then) or watch (if you subscribe to some of the cable or satellite channels that run old TV shows) the 1950s program The Lone Ranger, you know that Tonto was the "Lone" Ranger's Indian ally and companion. Tonto was played by Jay Silver heels (he was born Harold J. Smith, but legally changed his name to his long-used "stage name" in the 1970s) who was born at an Indian reservation near Brantford, Ontario, about 30 miles from where I live. When he died in 1980, his body was cremated and the ashes were brought back from California and scattered over the Mohawk reservation where he was born.

What happened to Tonto? When the day comes, how will Jay Silver heels and the great many other people all around the world who have been cremated over the centuries, be resurrected? Does it matter that they were cremated?

Ashes To Ashes, Dust To Dust

Throughout the Bible, people were routinely buried, not cremated. According to God's Word, that is the preferred method, when circumstances permit a choice. But it should be kept in mind that the bodies of those who are buried are also all eventually reduced to the indistinguishable earth elements from which man was created- eventually, there is nothing left of their physical bodies. It should also be kept in mind that many of God's people over the centuries have been completely lost in fires (some deliberately, as martyrs), or vaporized in explosions, or eaten by lions or sharks etc. in which there remained no body - and you can be sure that the absence of a body will make no difference to their salvation.

So what will happen to Jay Silver heels when the time comes? He will be resurrected, along with every other human that has ever existed.

"And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead who were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works."

(Revelation 20:11-13 KJV)

What Happens When You Die?

Everyone has had family or friends who have passed away, and it's quite natural to wonder what happened to them when death occurred. Where are they now? Are they somehow still conscious? Are they alive and dead at the same time?

The example of Jesus Christ clearly answers the question. The Son of God was born as a normal physical human (Hebrews 2:14-18). After He was brutally killed, His body was placed in the tomb where He remained dead until He was resurrected to life. His resurrection would not have been necessary if He had been alive while He was dead.

What does The Bible actually say about what happens when humans die, and more importantly, what does The Word of God say about how and when they stop being dead?

A Peaceful Sleep, No Sense Of The Passage Of Time

• "For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing" (Ecclesiastes 9:5 RSV)
• "For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts; for all is vanity. All go to one place; all are from the dust, and all turn to dust again." (Ecclesiastes 3:19-20 RSV)
• "Brethren, I may say to you confidently of the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.... For David did not ascend into the heavens" (Acts 2:29,34 RSV)
• "No one has ascended into heaven but He who descended from heaven, the Son of man." (John 3:13 RSV)

A Later Resurrection

• "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive? But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:20-23 RSV) "Thy dead shall live, their bodies shall rise. O dwellers in the dust awake and sing for joy!" (Isaiah 26:19 RSV)
• "But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord he will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet The Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with The Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 RSV)
• "Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom judgment was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life, and reigned with Christ a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they shall reign with him a thousand years."
•  (Revelation 20:4-6 RSV)
• "for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment." (John 5:28-29 RSV)
• "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."
• (Daniel 12:2 RSV)
• "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it; from His presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead in them, and all were judged by what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire; and if any one's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:11-15 RSV)

Why Were You Born?

·         "Heaven" is a very big place!

·         It is estimated that there are over 200,000,000,000 (200 billion) stars in our galaxy, the "Milky Way," alone. Astronomers believe that there are at least that many galaxies, with perhaps an average size equal to our galaxy, in the universe. 200 billion times 200 billion equals an incomprehensible number of stars.

·         With the use of the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers are just now obtaining the photographic proof of what many have believed for a long time - which other stars have planets just as our star (the sun") does. There could be a vast number of planets (a great many just like earth) out there - a great many times more inhabitable planets than the total number of people that have ever lived through all the ages.

·         Most Christians commonly believe that they will go to heaven after they die, and they will (eventually), but very few seriously consider what they may be doing when they get there.

·         Why do you suppose God created all those billions times billions of stars, with perhaps billions times billions of worlds? See If You Could Create A World and A Picture Of Heaven.

Your Guardian Angel

If you are a good Christian, chances are, even if there are no other people with you right now, you are not alone. You have at least one constant companion quietly and invisibly serving you.

Angels, those who have chosen to remain forever obedient to God, are our good friends. Along with the many other things that angels do, they are also assigned to protect and guide people - "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" (Hebrews 1:14).

The same angel or angels may have been with you right from the moment you were conceived, and in all probability know far more about you than you know about yourself. It could be that everything that you have ever said or done has had at least one irrefutable witness.

Angels are described in the Bible as forever distinct from humans - that is, humans do not somehow become angels after they die. However, angels have often manifested themselves with the appearance of a human when they were dealing with humans.

Angels appeared to many people throughout the Bible, sometimes to inform or assist e.g. Gabriel's Message to Mary that Jesus Christ would be born (Luke 1:26-28), or rescuing Peter (Acts 12:8-11), and at other times as agents of God's wrath against evil e.g. The Destruction Of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1), or the killing of the 185,000 Assyrian troops who were besieging Jerusalem and openly challenging and insulting God (2 Kings 19:35). They will also be very busy carrying out a number of spectacular events as described through the Book of Revelation, and elsewhere. Angels have a lot to do.

There is one other unseen visitor that you might possibly have the company of occasionally, one that you are more familiar with, a spirit being that you actually have known by name.

Humans themselves cannot bodily travel through time. Even if it were not physically impossible, it may be logically impossible, as is often summed up in a paradox that usually goes something like, "If I were to travel back in time and, say, got into an accident that killed my father, then I would not have been born. But if I had not been born, I could not have traveled back into time to get into the accident that killed my father." And around it goes. Human time travel would likely be very clumsy and imperfect.

Spirit beings are not however bound by the same physical laws as humans. For them, the physical laws that create paradoxes do not exist. Spirit beings can travel through time without the same sort of consequences that affect humans. They can, and almost certainly do make physical changes in human events that adjust future outcomes in desired directions. A large amount of Prophecy might actually be fulfilled just this way - to not just have the ability to know events of the future, but to have the power to actually bring them about exactly when and how they are desired. The difference is that when God or His messengers make adjustments, they do it perfectly.

After your physical life's journey has ended, if you have accepted God's offer of eternal life, you will be changed to spirit, a spirit being that can travel through time perhaps just as easily as you can now travel from one thought to the next. It is entirely possible that, along with the angels now there to protect you, you might also get an occasional visit from the future "you" that you will be after you have been changed into spirit. And why not - who better to advice angels on how to take good care of you than the one who survived being you?

MIRACLE A.G.CHURCH

WORD OF GOD-GIF