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For Lack of Knowledge

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For Lack of Knowledge

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For Lack of Knowledge

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When Satan is released at the end of the Millennium, how well will you have done in preparing mankind for Satan's deception? How would it feel to see someone you have taught and trained, fall to Satan's deception?

Comments

  • dziwczyna
    Think of all the people that are decieved today! How may people reject God's way of life and refuse to acknowledge that He is (Rom. 1:20). How is humankind going to be different in the millenium? Yes, Satan will be removed, but human nature is carnal with or without Satan. I don't think God's teaching will be ineffective, as London Brandon put it. There will be millions that choose life, but there also will be those who will choose death. God has allowed us to choose, as it proves whether we stand with Him or no.
  • Skip Miller
    Hello again londonbrandon, I really see your point! Why would anyone want to do their own thing during the millennium? (I am not being sarcastic.) If Satan has been removed, why would people think that God's Way as taught by Christ & His helpers needed any change at all? Why would they not just cooperate & be happy? I think that the reason is we humans think we know best! We have a hard time saying: I actually don't know; please teach me. My other thought is, we are in a hurry. Sometimes we want things, too soon. We want them now (and often, just for ourselves.) I believe the millennium will be incredibly, successfully wonderful and without Satan will be almost perfect but occasionally someone will get into a hurry and make a mistake.
  • londonbrandon
    IVAN: During millennial rule, what motivation would anyone have for being insincere or evil? (None, right? ) Except for the Devil's influence, humans are created God-Like as I understand. Towards the very end of the millennium, things would appear to dissolve into a brief, consummately effective, Satanically influenced Superblitz... and despite scores of generations of flawless teachings by the chosen-- this super Satanic 'last stand' provides a path wherein unidentifiably vast numbers of Fathers, Mothers, Children, Aunts, Uncles, Grandchildren, Great-Grandchildren etc. are destroyed as they succumb to the Master of Deception... and I just can't begin to rationalize this event sequence nor am I willing to submit to the idea that this isn't what the Bible says. I care about people and I try to be as honest with myself as possible. Thank you so much for acknowledging that my general questions should not be summarily dismissed.
  • Ivan Veller
    Hi again Jeremy, here's a timeline of these events: “[T]his will happen at the end of the Millennium…during the Millennium to separate insincere people from those who are sincere…it will certainly be the final and most significant test of the 1,000 years. It will be a vital part of the judgment process” (Book of Revelation Unveiled, 2007). http://www.ucg.org/booklet/book-revelation-unveiled/destruction-satans-kingdom/ Hi Mavis, my NIV Study Bible suggests that Gog and Magog in Revelation 20:8 "[s]ymbolize the nations of the world" (2011). Our UCG Bible Commentary, while noting that "[i]n Ezekiel 38...the forces are of specific ethnicities and associated with a particular northern region," makes a distinction between that and Revelation 20 where "Gog and Magog...are said to be from the four corners of the earth and therefore apparently represent people of all nationalities." http://bible.ucg.org/bible-commentary/Ezekiel/Future-invasion-of-Israel-by-Gog-of-Magog/default.aspx Hi London, I agree with Mavis that 'sands of the sea' is a figure of speech--the Population Reference Bureau (Haub 2011) estimates the total number of people who have ever lived at 108 billion. However, the question you ask is compelling and intriguing--and I don't think any of us have answered it yet: Why is it that after 1,000 years of teaching, so many people will choose to follow Satan?
  • Ivan Veller
    Hi Jeremy, Nelson offers the NKJV Chronological Study Bible (2008), and Tyndale the NLT Chronological Life Application Study Bible (Sep. 2012).
  • Jeremy Gibson
    Okay KARS you mentioned a timeline... Would happen to have one of them available? I would like to view it. I also would like to read the Bible chronologically, if you have any suggestions on any good bible editions that have it in such an order. Like with Job during the period of Genesis? Sectioned off like that? God bless.
  • Mavis Stucci
    Hi londonbrandon – "Gog and Magog" are not the whole populations of the earth; another reference to Gog is in Ezekiel ch 38 and 39. Gog is a group of people; Magog is the land of Gog. The 'four corners of the earth' refer to the places furthest away from the centre, not 'everywhere' on the whole planet – another literary device, because God knew He created a spherical planet that doesn't actually have corners – see Isaiah 40:22 and Proverbs 8:27. The reference to 'sands of the sea' is simply a literary device to portray vast numbers; it not a measuring device – this simile was also used in reference to the offspring of Abraham, Israel and Jacob, and even the amount of corn that Jacob collected Egypt before the drought, and the number of quails God sent to the Israelites in the desert when they demanded meat. The numbers are not 'uncountable', just large. And not 'quintillions' – logically, even in an ideal environment, could the earth support that number of people at one time? You have read those four verses in 19 translations but you need to expand the way you read; It's good to use several translations (accurate rather than paraphrases). Use a good Concordance (eg Strong's or Young's) and find every reference to the subject to get a full picture. The Bible is like an extreme 4D^ construction. The more you learn, the more you discover. Knowing that things interlock spiritually, as well as historically, literally and figuratively, gives more keys to understanding. While this seems impossible, it's actually very simple: believe God. Hope this helps. Take care.
  • londonbrandon
    It's pretty frustrating to hear that I'm making assumptions about what I read in the Bible... I don't know what happens in the future. As of today, I've read these 4 verses in 19 different translations. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. 7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. I stand corrected on my trillions figure and admit that I used it quite loosely. The best I can tell is that the sands of the sea are (vaguely-approximately) 7.5x10^18 which is seven quintillion, five hundred quadrillion. I hasten to acknowledge my assumption that the exact number is most likely not the point... but that it is simply a vast, uncountable enormous number of people from everywhere on the planet that are deceived (by the master of deception) and then destroyed. I hear loud and clear that I'm wrong in my interpretation... but I still honestly have no idea why... it just seems to be what it says.
  • Mavis Stucci
    Hello londonbrandon: Yes, you're getting it wrong – your comments seem based on your own assumptions, not on scripture, nor on what was said in the audio; did you even listen? Where does scripture say, or even imply, that 'absolutely everyone (or at least trillions and trillions of people)' are deceived at the end of the thousand years? As Len Martin stated (several times), SOME choose Satan. When you read scripture, look up every reference to the subject and read them all in context. So that you get the full meaning. Elihu explains the difference between leaning on one's own understanding and learning from God. Look him up. Take care.
  • KARS
    Ah London, Satan is locked up before the Millenium. At Jesus Christ second coming He begins His reign with His saints. Of course those that are left will not all co-operate at first. For the scriptures say some with not go to the Feast from year to year. So they will have no rain. Just like in Jesus time when the Jews of His day would not except Him; what makes you think that those left will except Him at His return? These will be people with human nature and bad habits. The younger generations will be easier to teach truth to. But the older folks that's a different story. Hopefully, there will be faithful older folks. I was taught a different theory with a different timeline, however, I have been spending the time learning the true timeline with it's events.
  • Jeremy Gibson
    What that guy said ^ :-)
  • londonbrandon
    So in Rev. 20 I read that satan is released after 1000 years and proceeds to deftly, effectively, and efficiently deceive absolutely everyone (or at least trillions and trillions of people) ... and then those people are all annihilated by god and satan is locked up. Any and all efforts to teach god's way to humanity during the preceding 1000 years are ultimately proven to be ineffective compared to satan's few months of influence. That's pretty much exactly what I read... am I getting this wrong?
  • Skip Miller
    Hello londonbrandon, Yes, you have gotten it wrong. Shortly before the 1000 years end, Satan is released and begins where he left off to broadcast lies once again. But I do not see that trillions of people are duped. Satan is broadcasting right now & not every single person is duped. (Most are.)But my point is that the people then will have to struggle pretty much like people do now. It will show those alive then that the writings about "the prince of the power of the air" were in fact true. MOST of the people living during the millennium will in fact choose to live God's way. Who wouldn't if they see the truth clearly?
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