In God We Trust

In God We Trust

Copyright © 2012 by James E. Bird

All rights reserved. Neither this publication nor any part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise specified, are from The Holy Bible, King James Version. Copyright © 1977, 1984, Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers.

EPUB Version ISBN: 978-1-77069-693-8

Word Alive Press

131 Cordite Road, Winnipeg, MB R3W 1S1

www.wordalivepress.ca

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Bird, James, 1952-

In God we trust / James Bird.

ISBN 978-1-77069-514-6

1. Trust in God--Christianity. I. Title.

BV4637.B57 2012 234’.23 C2012-902882-7

Table of Contents

Preface

1: Where and What Is God Like?

2: God’s Plan for Mankind

3: God Made Angels

4: Forgiveness

5: Judgement

6: Faith, Simple or Difficult?

7: The Real Jesus Christ

8: What Is a Real Christian Like?

9: Why Heartache and Troubles?

10: Marriage

11: Return to Jesus Christ, A Biblical Clue to His Return

But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept,

precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little,

and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward,

and be broken, and snared, and taken.

—Isaiah 28:13

Preface

There are a lot of books written on scripture. Many of them are written with the opinions and interpretations of the author. I have tried to stay away from this approach in my book. Rather than try to explain what God is trying to tell us, I have tried to make every effort to let Almighty God explain from and with His own words—which is, of course, scripture, given with the direct inspiration of God Almighty. How, you may ask? Scripture, or what has come to be known as scripture, was given first to the prophets and later to the apostles of Jesus Christ. But no matter how you look at any scripture, it is given by the direct inspiration of God.

I will therefore write about and look at such subjects that explain about God Almighty and His plan for mankind. Our final creation by God is still in the works. At the return of Jesus Christ, He will finally finish what He has started in us. I look at subjects such as forgiveness, faith, judgement, the real Jesus, what a Christian is supposed to be like, heartaches and troubles, marriage, and finally the biblical clues pointing to the return of Jesus Christ.

There are actually two clues, but God has kept hidden until now the most obvious and most important clue. I personally have been very surprised that other biblical scholars haven’t written about it in depth, especially since I have been aware of this clue since the mid-1960s! I am sure that you’ll come to realize that God has always let us have a very good idea about Jesus’ return. No, friends and brethren, we do not have an exact date as such, but we are given a very strong clue. A very undeniable clue, at best!

Where and What Is God Like?

1

Have you ever wondered where God came from? The Holy Bible says that God has always existed.

Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. (Hebrews 7:3)

[1]

I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. (Daniel 7:9)

[2]

The Holy Bible is and always will be the inspired word from God the Father and God the Son, God’s instruction manual for all mankind.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16)

You see, my friends, God is so good that He gave us an instruction manual in order that all mankind could live a good, wonderful, and productive life—a life filled with happiness and plenty of love toward God firstly, then toward ourselves and others! God wants us to love ourselves like He loves us, and then to love others with the same love as we love ourselves. Again, I repeat, we are firstly to love God, then our family, and then others.

Even though there are many people who doubt the very existence of an Almighty God, that doubt doesn’t allow God to give up on us and leave us to our own, sometimes miserable existence. Many of these people—just go to the downtown area of any city and you will see them—wander around without any hope or place to sleep at night; they sleep on park benches, dark alleys, and cardboard boxes, just to name a few places. Some of them may have the occasional job, but they barely make enough to put a roof over their heads. Having something to eat usually takes precedence over shelter. Then there are those living on the street who spend all their money on alcohol or drugs.

Despite this, God still loves all of us with a love that only Almighty God possess. In fact, He allowed His only begotten Son to be sacrificed for us so that we could be redeemed by Him (Jesus).

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God [the Father] sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God [Jesus]. (John 3:16–18)

Despite many people’s unbelief, God still loves them enough that He will forgive them their unbelief.

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

Yes, friends, God is extremely good, kind, and forgiving toward all mankind! He is always willing to forgive not only our unbelief, but our transgressions (our sins, our breaking of His laws) as well. As I mentioned earlier, God does not want any man to perish.

Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:4–5)

God wants all mankind to live forever and ever, never to again die as mortal men and women. Yes, this includes women as well.

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God… And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. (1 John 5:13, 20)

God the Father is truly looking out not only for His interests, but also for our best interests. You see, God the Father looked out for Jesus, His firstborn Son, helping Him to fulfill the destiny laid out for Him by the Father (the Ancient of Days). The Father and Jesus will also be with us until we are made into sons and daughters of the Most High God!

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:18–20)

My friends, God the Father is the Father of all fathers. He is kind. He is caring. He is sharing. He is patient beyond all human understanding. God even offers up to us the opportunity for eternal life. Just think: we actually have been offered the opportunity to have eternal life, to live as a son or daughter of the ever-living God. In fact, He promises that once He considers us to be His children, we can never be taken from God. He will watch over, defend, and protect us all until the end (the end of this age, which does not mean the end of the world).

And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man [or angel, such as Satan] is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one. (John 10:28–30)

You see, God is very good and loving. He wants all mankind to be saved and have eternal life. God is not—I repeat, God is not—a harsh and punishing God sitting up on His throne in Heaven looking down on Earth to see whom He can cruelly punish and devour. That is one of Satan’s ways.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

Instead God outstretches His hand to each and every one of us, hoping that we will see His hand and reach out to it. The story of the wayward son best describes God’s love for us!

I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. (Luke 15:18–24)

God Almighty is ever ready to forgive us our transgressions against him! The father in the story represents God the Father and the prodigal son represents you and me. You must remember that God is always referring to both men and women alike, that God’s offer is to both men and women! He stretches out His hand to both. After all, He made us both; men are supposed to be leaders, providers, and give spiritual leadership for the family, but women were never supposed to be lesser than the men. Women were supposed to be the teachers, caregivers, nurturers, and help meets for the husband.

[3] By this, I do not mean they were to be servants or slaves to their husbands, but very equal partners in the both the marriage and the game of life we all have to participate in together. This is how God intended things to be and why He said that women were created as the weaker vessel.

Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. (1 Peter 3:7)

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Genesis 1:26–31)

Perhaps women are weaker vessels, but they are in every way men’s equal in sharing God’s future gifts. Women shall be queens in God’s soon coming new age. Men will become kings in God’s rule on Earth. It will be a time of peace and prosperity for the remaining remnants of mankind, ruled by the family of God.

This truly makes God very special too us, even as we are very special to Him. Yes, friends, God Almighty wants to share with us not only life eternal (meaning that we, too, can live for the rest of eternity like God, as His sons and daughter), but everything spiritual, everything emotional, and even the physical universe that He has created. This is what God is truly like! God the Father and God the Son (Jesus Christ) want to share everything they have with us, if only we learn to accept the spiritual guidance of the Father and the Son. God isn’t asking much from us, but He is willing to give us so much more than the human mind is capable of ever imagining.

God is not cruel. He is extremely kind and loving to us. He is not the cruel God who wants us to burn for eternity if we don’t obey Him. Not at all. Like any truly loving Father, He wants what is best for us. In fact, He is very willing to guide us and protect us on our journey toward this goal. We quite simply have to ask Him for His help in genuine, heartfelt prayer. God does not want us to beg for His help, but simply ask in all sincerity. Friends, God is always watching for us to repent (having a change of heart is true repentance, wanting to truly change our lives and live in accordance with God’s will and direction). Then ask Him to come into your life in order to help you personally change your direction. Friends, He promises to be with us even until the end of this age.

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:18–20)

In a seemingly hopeless world, God still provides us with hope!

Truly God is very, very good. He is very kind. He is a very, very loving Father. God cannot lie; it is impossible for God to lie. With this kind of assurance, we can be sure that we truly can be His sons and daughters—brothers and sisters to the Almighty God, Jesus Christ. We can live forever as spirit beings, like Jesus, the first born of many.

And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:18)

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren. (Hebrews 2:9–11)

Yes. We, too, can be brethren to the one they call Jesus Christ!

All scripture is directly inspired by God!

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:16–17)

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (2 Peter 1:20–21)

Almighty God cares so much for us that He inspired men of old to write down what has come to be known as the Holy Bible. I challenge you, my friends, to take the time not only to read the Holy Bible, but to pray to God to help you learn and begin to understand what you are reading. Be sincere when you ask Him; you will be surprised what you learn. What you learn and begin to understand cannot hurt you, but it may help you! It may even make you feel better about why we are here in the first place. It may even help you to live better and treat others much better, perhaps starting with your family, whether or not you are married or single. This may save your marriage or relationship. It may save your job, career, or business. The Holy Bible is full of good ways to improve your life. Just give it a read, and then decide. Many of you out there like to read. Try reading God’s book for a change.

I once heard that a group of scholars conducted a study on how the Bible was written. Surprisingly, they came to the realization that the authorship of the Bible was consistent. It appeared that the same author had written not only Genesis, but every book from Genesis to Revelation, the last book in the Holy Bible. They found this surprising, as the Bible was written by many different authors over a period of thousands of years.

This really isn’t all that surprising, because God is the actual author of the Bible in the first place! As I pointed out earlier, He directly inspired the writing of this book. God just had different men of old write what He wanted to have written at different times in human history, with the last author being the apostle John writing the book of Revelation. Even the word Revelation means to reveal something. That, my friends, is exactly what the final book of the Bible does! Revelation describes what is presently happening in the world, but what is to come when Jesus Christ returns, and also afterward, right up until the city of New Jerusalem comes down from Haven and God the Father then dwells on the Earth.

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Revelation 21:1–7)

In order to finally complete this chapter, I would sincerely like you, the reader, to understand something very important about the God we should all serve. He is kind, loving, patient, and very understanding of our human weaknesses.

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. (Matthew 4:1)

For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted. (Hebrews 2:18)

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

God is good, honest, and reliable—just to name some of God’s very fine qualities. God’s love for us is absolutely non-conditional! By this, I mean that God’s love has no preexisting conditions that we