messages4thelastdays

[messages4thelastdays]

It always stumps me that the most Supernatural figures from the Bible weren't included in the television series, Supernatural. Among these figures are Methuselah (the world's oldest man [as recorded in the Bible]: 969 years) and Enoch, a man who literally walked with God and was taken by Him; without seeing death.

My theme this message, as you have seen by the image, is Enoch. And specifically how we, yes, we, can walk with God like Enoch did.

The official social media accounts of the Seventh-day Adventist Church gives us these simple, yet sometimes difficult steps:

Prioritize Time with God -- Set aside daily moments to seek Him.

Talk to Him Constantly -- Make prayer a lifestyle, not a last resort.

Live in Faith -- Trust God's plan, even when you can't see the whole path.

As Christians, we know that these are the basic steps we should take in our faith. But sometimes we end up not following! My goal is to make these steps as simple as possible for you to understand. I will separate each step and go in-depth...

Prioritize Time with God -- Set aside daily moments to seek Him.

Prioritize Time with God: We should set time aside to worship our Loving God. At the very least, we should have Morning and Evening Worships. We should also be sure to read His Word throughout the day to reassure us of His everlasting Love.

Talk to Him Constantly -- Make prayer a lifestyle, not a last resort.

Many of us only pray when bad things are happening. These "bad things" include: Death, grieving, bad test grades, sickness, etc.

Though these obviously still need to be prayed for, we should pray for the good things, too. For example, thanking God in prayer each morning for allowing yourself to wake up healthy. This is a blessing that many people do not get. Pray before you go to sleep, too. Pray that you will remain healthy.

Live in Faith -- Trust God's plan, even when you can't see the whole path.

We should dedicate our lives to Christ. We cannot control our future, only God knows what will happen to us. Continue to do good works by helping others, yourself, and so on. Spread the message of Jesus Christ to those around you. Sanctify yourself by allowing your body to be used as a vessel of God. This is achieved through good works and Scripture.

Through these easy-yet-sometimes-hard steps, we can live like Enoch did. And though we may not be specifically taken by God, we are reassured that Christ Jesus will come again to receive his loving children.

God Bless.

[messages4thelastdays]

Who is the Archangel Michael?

As many of us know, there is an angelic "hierarchy" in heaven, typically depicted as such:

The Archangel

Seraphim

Cherubim

Angels

You may wonder "why did he write 'The Archangel' instead of 'Archangels.' ? " There is a reason for that. You see, many different religions and Christian denominations have "created," or "self-appointed" their own archangels. The most common are: Michael (who is Biblically the Archangel), Gabriel (who is in the Bible but never mentioned as an Archangel), Raphael (a Catholic-made angel who has never appeared in the Bible), and sometimes, Lucifer (Satan; before he fell from heaven).

However, besides for Michael, there is no evidence of these other angels being Archangels. See, Lucifer was a "covering cherub" (see Ezekiel 28:14), not an Archangel. Gabriel is only mentioned in the Bible as "an angel," "the angel," or "the angel Gabriel." He is not once mentioned as an Archangel, nor is he called a "covering cherub" (as many believe he was given the role of Lucifer after his fall from grace. Raphael, on the other hand, was never mentioned in the Bible, so we can strike his name out.

"7 Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. 8 And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. 9 This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels."

This text is found in Revelation 12:7-9 (NLT). We will examine carefully the text. This is regarding the war in heaven, and it mentions two sides: heaven (led by Michael), and the rebellion (led by Lucifer, or the "dragon"). The possessive words (Michael and his angels; the dragon and his angels) makes this very easy for us to understand. Lucifer has full control and "ownership" over the rebellious angels (now, demons), while "Michael" has leadership, as well as "ownership" over heaven's angels.

Ellen G. White tells us in her book The Truth About Angels:

"Christ, as Commander of heaven, was appointed to put down the rebellion ... Then there was war in heaven. The Son of God, the Prince of Heaven, and His loyal angels, engaged in conflict with the arch rebel and those who united with him. The Son of God and true, loyal angels prevailed; and Satan and his sympathizers were expelled from heaven ... Angels were engaged in the battle; Satan wished to conquer the Son of God and those who were submissive to His will. But the good and true angels prevailed, and Satan, with his followers, was driven from heaven" (36.2-4).

So, back to the original question: "Who is the Archangel Michael?"

It must be the Son of God, Jesus Christ!

Ellen G. White tells us that heaven's prince, Michael, is Jesus Christ. Though not explicitly mentioned in the text, we can infer that Michael is the pre-incarnate Christ, the form He took before He became man ("Immanuel"). This makes perfect sense. Why would He already have the appearance of a human (specifically, "Jesus of Nazareth") if he was not born as a human yet? Also, Michael being titled as "heaven's prince" or "the prince of heaven," or the "ruler of the angels" must point towards Jesus, as He is the Son of God (who is God).

God Bless.

[messages4thelastdays]

The Genesis account of Cain and Abel. After the couple (Adam and Eve) were expelled from the Garden of Eden (and "The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil"), they bore two children. The firstborn was named Cain (meaning Acquired; Craftsman; Spearer). This child was expected by the couple to be the promised Messiah. Little did they know, He would not be born for thousands of years (as Jesus Christ). Their second child was named Abel (meaning Transitoriness; nothing; temporary), as he was not looked upon as much as Cain, who was thought of as the Saviour. Alas, through the boys' lives, Abel was a shepherd who always prepared animal sacrifices for the LORD. However, Cain was jealous of this and decided he would set up an alter for his crops (for he was a farmer). The LORD did not accept this sacrifice as it was not what He instructed. Let us sidetrack for just a moment. The animal sacrifice WERE a prophetic symbol of JESUS CHRIST, not vegetable crops. Sure, if Cain were actually faithful and not just envious of his younger brother, God MAY'VE accepted it. But He did not. This made Cain FURIOUS. He ended up *murdering* his younger brother out of pure hatred and jealousy. Though the Bible does not explicitly tell us the murder weapon, it is suspected to be a jawbone of an "ass," or a donkey. However, Cain realized his sin and knew that he may be a target by others to kill. So "The Lord put a mark on Cain, so that no one who came upon him would kill him" (Genesis 4:15, paraphrased). This does not mean that Cain repented, which he didn't. Nor did he try to make amends.

However, the murder of Abel, too, leads us to the death of God, Jesus Christ. See, Abel is a type of Christ. He was an innocent boy who did what God instructed (animal sacrifices). However, he was murdered for doing what was right. Likewise, Christ was completely sinless, only doing what was right. The Jews, Christ's own Chosen people, rejected, despised, and murdered Him. Fortunately, we are reassured that Christ's death on that Cross saved us from "eternal" Perdition, so as long as we remain faithful to the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who is God.

The earliest mention of Jesus Christ is actually found in Genesis 3:15, which reads "And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel” (New King James Version). Christ is "her offspring," who will strike "your head." Similarly, Satan, the Serpent, formally called Lucifer, is "your offspring," who will strike Christ's heel (His death on the Cross). Though Christ's raising from the dead was what struck Lucifer's head. Despite this, Lucifer is still alive and kicking, though "he knows his time is short." The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan is nearing its end. Are you ready?

I sincerely hope you have, or plan on, accepting Christ as your personal Saviour. Let us pray: "Lord, we thank thee for this beautiful morning, afternoon, evening, or night. We thank Thy blessings which You have bestowed on us and will continue to bless us. We thank You for sending Yourself, Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die that gruesome death on that Tree. We praise You for defeating Death that third morning, taking away our everlasting death, instead allowing us to partake in Your Kingdoms, eternal life. We pray for our loved ones, alive as well as sleeping, that we may see them when You return in the clouds, with the voice of the Archangel. We love and accept you as our God, and we ask You to watch over us in these crazy days before Your Second Coming. Amen."

God Bless.