The Thief on the Cross

In the last article, we explained what Paul truly meant when he said he would rather be absent from the body and present with the Lord, and if you haven't read it, check it out by CLICKING HERE. 

We will address the second of the two most popular verses that many use to debate that once we die, we shall immediately be with the Lord. This one is the famous verse spoken by Jesus Christ while He was on the cross. A thief crucified next to him had repented and asked Jesus with a prickle in his heart,  "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." Luke 23:42

 

Firstly, We want to make sure our readers don't miss this. The thief asked for Jesus to remember him when Jesus comes into His kingdom. This doesn't occur until the second coming of Christ when He comes to receive His heavenly kingdom upon earth and the saints (us) shall reign with him for a thousand years. We also have several articles about this with many scriptures from the Bible. CLICK HERE if you would like to read more about this.

Going back to our point,

Jesus then turns to the thief in love and compassion and says:

"Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise ”(v43)

Let us remind everyone of the rule of the Bible. The Bible never contradicts itself. Keeping that in mind, let us understand all truth for there can only be one.

Why would Jesus tell the thief on the cross that he would be with Him today when Jesus told Mary after His resurrection that He had not yet ascended unto the Father yet? "Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father.." John 20:17

Why would Jesus tell the thief that he would be in Paradise with Him TODAY, and then tell Mary a completely otherwise story that Jesus had not yet ascended to His father yet three whole days later? That'd be a pretty cruel lie if it were what we thought it really was. But it wasn't.

Our Bible is the English translation of the original Hebrew and Greek text. It is the written Word of God in English, but the punctuations aren't infallible. It's amazing how one tiny comma can make a sentence mean an entirely different thing. With that in mind, let us remove the comma and take another look at the verse again,

Assuredly I say to you today you will be with Me in Paradise

Now try this,

Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise.

Now we can see what a difference placing a simple comma can be!

When we die, we are asleep in the graves awaiting the coming of Christ. He promises us this, "I will come again and receive you to myself.." John 14:3  We are not received unto Him before then, but at His coming.

The dead are asleep in their graves and are unaware of everything below. All shall die even the righteous and the wicked, (Ecclesiastes 9:2,3). For the wages of sin is death, and since Adam sinned, all have sinned because of him and all shall die. Jesus shall come again and redeem us from our graves, and then death is swallowed up in victory at His coming.


"So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." 1 Corinthians 15:54

Read all of 1 Corinthians 15 for a detailed description of how the dead in Christ shall be brought out of their graves at His coming, and then they shall receive incorruption and immortality. They are mortal first before they are immortal and this doesn't occur until the last trump on the last day. That is the blessed hope we look for, that Jesus shall come to receive us, and  there we shall ever be with the Lord.

Job speaks of the wicked in chapter 21 and says, "Yet shall he be brought to the grave, and shall remain in the tomb." (v32)  And Job being a righteous man knowing his fate said,

"As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come." Job 14:11-14 

Job is asleep in the graves and waiting there for his change to come where he will be raised immortal and incorruptible. Job knew he would have to wait until the heavens be no more, after the wrath is past which aligns with 2 Peter 3:10, "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."

Job is waiting for the Day of the Lord. So is the thief on the cross. So is the dead in Christ. We see that the wicked do not live again until the thousand years are passed, this is the resurrection unto damnation ( John 5:29, Rev 20:5)


Are our loved ones looking down from heaven at all the things we do and waiting for us there? It is a beautiful thought, but it is not truth. Our loved ones are actually very blessed because they do not know about all the things going on earth at the moment. The beautiful thing is that they won't have to miss us or experience the pain of longing to be with us again. At their last moment of awareness, they saw our faces. At their next moment they shall see us there with them and Jesus will be calling us all together unto Him. What an extraordinary moment it shall be!

We prayerfully urge our readers to continue studying about this and learning more about this. Please take a second glance at all these verses about the grave and about the resurrection, and try looking at it this way. See if it makes more sense and see if it matches all the other verses. If it be truth, it shall.

Christ's Kingdom on Earth

Note: We are not associated with any affiliations, nor religion, nor labels. We are not Jehovah's Witness, Seventh Day Adventists, or anything else but those who desire truth and seek it through God's Word and His Spirit. Our teachings may not be like the majority of Christian churches, but it is from the Bible. We believe the Bible is the final authority, even above doctrine and teachings of men.

We are showing what God's Word says about His Kingdom which is yet to come, so feel free to open your Bible and check each verse to verify it. We quote from the King James Bible.

The thief on the cross hung next to Jesus and with a prickle in his heart, he pleaded to Jesus "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." Luke 23:42

The thief asked Jesus to remember him when Jesus entered His kingdom that He shall inherit from the Father.

Daniel wrote, "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." Daniel 7:13, 14

We see that Jesus shall be given his Kingdom when He comes at His second coming. Where shall this kingdom be?

"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." Revelation 11:15

Jesus will be King over every kingdom in this world. He shall reign on this earth as the true and perfect King. 


More verses to ponder:

"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10

We pray for His kingdom to come to earth, and for His will to be done on earth just as it is done in heaven.


"The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity" Matthew 13:41

Jesus will send His angels to cast the wicked out of His kingdom. If it were in heaven in the skies, what would the wicked be doing there? Jesus is casting the wicked out of His earthly kingdom.


We await for Jesus to return and he promises that  “I will come again and receive you to Myself” (John 14:3)

We shall be redeemed from death and the graves. At the last trump at the last day, those in Christ shall be transformed into an immortal and incorruptible being (read 1 Corinthians 15) Then at that moment we shall be caught up in the clouds to be with the Lord at last, and so we shall always be with Him in His kingdom.

And we shall inherit the kingdom with Jesus forevermore,

"Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom."  Daniel 7:22


"And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him." Daniel 7:27

What exciting and incredible things we have to look forward to!

To Be Present with the Lord

Here is a verse that is the first one that most Christians will give in order to support that souls are gone to be with the Lord, or to be in hell the moment they die. We are here to show you this one verse for what it really is, and to debunk the popular belief. Hear us out, and let us use scriptures to prove this.

"We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." 2 Corinthians 5:8

Before we begin, let us read the whole context first.

"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:

If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.

For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:

(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." 2 Corinthians 2:5-8

Paul begins to speak of an earthly tabernacle and a heavenly tabernacle which is not made with hands, and that we are clothed with which refers to our bodies. He expresses his desire to receive the heavenly tabernacle and to be released from his earthly tabernacle (body).

This heavenly one is the one we shall receive at the coming of Christ. We shall be transfigured into a celestial body that is incorruptible. (Read all of 1 Corinthians 15 for an in-depth description)

"So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. " 1 Cor 15:42-44

Paul stated above:


"..that mortality might be swallowed up of life." 

This aligns with 1 Corinthians 15 again. He is speaking of mortality putting on immortality and that death shall be swallowed up in victory.

^"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" 1 Cor 15:52-55


The grave shall be defeated at His coming.

Finally, Paul said that we would rather be absent from this body and to be present from this Lord. We all should desire to receive these things and look forward to these earnestly.

But, does this occur before the coming of Christ? It does not.

Because of Adam and because of sin, we all must die.


"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23

But in Christ, he shall make us alive. Jesus was the firstfruits of the resurrection, and we shall be at His coming. Not before then.


"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." 1 Corinthians 15: 22,23 

But can we enter heaven before then? Do we receive our spiritual bodies before then?

"Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die." 1 Cor 15:36

We cannot receive these things for we are mortal and we will die. We cannot enter the Kingdom of God; not until Jesus comes to transform us and redeems us at the Second Coming.

"Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption." 1 Cor 15:50

The Bible also tells us that no man has been to heaven except Jesus,


"And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven." John 3:13

We cannot receive these things on our own. We are simply mortal and await for that promise when Jesus shall come and give us immortality. Until then, we wait in our graves. We await to be released from our earthly tabernacle and to receive the new heavenly tabernacle.

The dead in Christ shall be raised up incorruptible, their graves shall be broken and death shall be defeated.  That is why the Bible calls us "sleeping" for we shall awake again.

Paul's desire is to be with the Lord and he shall be when Jesus returns.We will all be caught up together in the air, and then there we shall be with the Lord for always.

"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:17

Let us comfort one another with these words.

Who is this Woman?

Who is this woman who calls herself the "Queen of Heaven?"

Is this surely the same virgin Mary of the Bible who declared herself the handmaiden of the Lord instead of a Queen?

"And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her." Luke 1:38

Is this the same Mary in the Bible who told others to do whatever Jesus told them to do?

"His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it." John 2:5

She was blessed to be chosen as an earthly vessel to carry Jesus in her womb, but was she anything more? Jesus only recognized those who did His Father's will and called them his own family.


"While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. 

Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.

But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?

And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother."  Matthew 12:46-50


Why would the Creator worship or obey His own creation?

Mary was a humble servant of the Lord who was willing to obey her Lord. She was married to Joseph and after Jesus was born, they had many children. 

So, who is this Queen of Heaven? ......

Once upon a time, sometimes after the flood of Noah....

Noah's grandson named Nimrod was exceedingly evil. He created the Babylonian religion that defied God. He was also the one that built the tower of Babel. He married his own mother who was called Queen Semiramis.

His mother told everyone that the moon conceived her and birthed her. She called herself the Queen of Heaven in their Babylonian religion. (IMPORTANT).

Nimrod's uncle killed him and cut up his body in many pieces. The only piece missing was his male genital (which is why obelisks are created in his honor after his male genital).

His mother became pregnant and birthed a child named Tammuz. She told everyone that Tammuz was Nimrod reborn. She demanded worship of her son as the Queen of Heaven and the messiah child.

Nimrod is also known as baal, the sun god. Semiramis is also known as Dinah, Isis.. and Mary. Tammuz was the name of the false "messiah" of Babylon. After Constantine, Jesus began to appear in images with long hair like Tammuz.

 This "Queen of Heaven" worship is all over the world, but it is Semiramis, the evil Babylonian queen.

Notice the ring of light around their heads? This is a form of sun worship. Millions of Catholics worship them on SUN-day, a day created by the Catholic church as day in honor of the sun god Baal.

The Roman Catholic Church was originated in a pagan country called Rome. This country was heavily Pagan for centuries. The Roman Catholic Church is Paganism disguised as Christian. All they did was change their names, but Catholics are unknowingly worshiping Babylonian gods. The Vatican are very aware but want to keep it their dirty little secret.

The Bible warns us NOT to worship the queen of heaven,


"The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger." Jeremiah 7:18 

And the Bible warns us of a mystery Babylon (read Revelation 17) which is alive today and in practice. It is a mystery that deceives many because it is disguised as Christianity. It is the Babylonian religion of today's world and God will send his final judgment and destroy it once and for all.

And finally, God warns us urgently to:

"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." Revelation 18:4

Do not be deceived.

"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Matthew 24:24 

Recognizing Satanic Symbols in the World Today 2

Here is a part 2 entry revealing satanic symbols in the world today. It is all over the place and they use techniques such as subliminal messages to send these images to our brains from movies, music, celebrity and so forth. Let this help us to be aware of these things and to take steps to protect our families from such things.

Warning: Be on guard, and pray before you see all these images because images do have power and can have an effect on us.

It is all over Hollywood. Celebrities such as Beyonce sport these symbols. Here we see Beyonce is wearing the eye of horus (lucifer) on her shirt. She often flashes these symbols with Jay-Z. She also reports having an 'entity' named Sasha take over and possess her as she performs.

A lot of young girls emulate her, and unfortunately are being lured by the enemy.

A lot of celebrities gain riches, fame and power through satan. Satan once tempted Jesus in the wilderness to bow before him and he would in return give him the world. Satan has made this offer to many, and still is today. Unfortunately many have accepted his offer and have fallen into his snare.


"Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." Matthew 4:8-10

Every movie incorporates these satanic images, whether obvious or subtly done so. Their goal is to have a subliminal message per shot.

Ghostbusters 2 and a pyramid with the glowing light on top.

Batman Returns with Christopher Walken sporting a headpiece with a pyramid and eye of horus.

Lord of the Rings with the Eye of Sauron... aka eye of lucifer, eye of horus, all seeing eye.

 The new Transformers movie sports a pyramid on the cover with the sun behind it which is the dogwood star that represents lucifer and the all seeing eye above the pyramid.

The new Sherlock Holmes movie is crawling with all kinds of satanic images. Here is one example. They have a secret satanic society in the movie (Masons anyone?) and have the images of the sun above the pyramid with falcon wings which are also satanic symbols.

George Lucas is very famous for his movies which include "Star Wars" that also have a satanic theme. Here is his logo. See the eye?

Television shows do the same thing. Here is one example of a very popular tv show called "LOST."

Here is an image of a painting on the wall when they discover the "hatch." Note the arrow, sun symbol, and eye of horus.

When they find the 'temple', there are satanic symbols everywhere. In this picture, they are on the stairs. In the second picture, they are subtly placed behind Jack and Kate. Hollywood tends to place these images behind the characters, so that while we are looking at the characters, our subconscious is picking up these images surrounding them.

Another subliminal message is the word "Apollo" which is satan. Kate opens an Apollo candy bar in LOST.

Many of us remember Apollo from "Rocky 1,2,3,and 4" which is named after satan himself. Another Apollo image is from the new Hulk movie as the words glow on the side of the screen.

Unfortunately, they do stoop as low as childrens' cartoons. Here we see the popular "Dora the Explorer" climbing up a pyramid with a star on top (dogwood star over the pyramid = all seeing eye of lucifer)

And another popular show called "Spongebob Squarepants" shows these images of masons and the eye as Squidward gets initiated in Masonry.

It doesn't stop there. It is infiltrated with false religions. Here we see a Cardinal priest wearing the eye in a pyramid with the blazing symbols around it on his headpiece. In the second image, he wears the eye of horus surrounded by the sun on his headpiece.

Here are celebrity singers that are heavily satanic. Lady Gaga manages to demonstrate a satanic symbol and message in all her attire and images. Beware of watching her videos and listening to her music. Her music is known to have subliminal messages in there as well promoting sexuality and nudity. She always covers one eye in honor of lucifer, and in this image, she has a lightning bolt on the other which is also a satanic symbol.

Lisa, "Left Eye" Lopez also used this method by covering one eye.

What you do with this information is up to you. We at a Voice in the Wilderness hopes this will help you and your family decide to take steps to protect yourselves from these images and subliminal messages. Some of you may wonder what is the big deal about images and symbols. These things are known to have power, and even draw demons to our presence.

A note from us,

Some may be fascinated with studying these images and motivated to expose the evil works of the enemy in the world. From personal experience, it can do more harm than good for us. We will be exposing ourselves to these images and giving the enemy too much attention. He deserves none of ours.


"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:8