I Have a Question

Is God in Hell?

God is omnipresent, meaning He is EVERYWHERE at one time. That begs the paradoxical question, “Does that mean He is in hell as well?”

A word used in scripture for “hell” is the Hebrew word, sheol (the place of the dead; the grave), which is used as a general term, that is similar, but in this case not the same as “hell” which is literally “separation from God and His favor”. Another word used for “hell” in scripture is the Greek word enopion found in the Septuagint (The Greek translation of the New Testament).  It means “in the presence of” and is relating to distance.

“In heaven, believers will “see his face” (Revelation 22:4). At that moment, they will behold all of God’s beauty, grace, and perfection. In hell, sinners will know nothing of beauty, grace, or perfection, as God, as it were, turns His face away.

Ultimately, it appears that God is indeed “present” in hell, or hell is in His presence, depending on how one looks at it. God is and will forever be omnipresent. He will forever know what is happening in hell. However, this does not mean that the souls imprisoned there will have a relationship with God or engage in communication with Him. He will be spatially present but relationally distant.” ^[1]

            I hope this clears up the question of where God is in space and time, understanding that both are inconsequential to Him. That is why the term “HE IS” is relevant in relation to His omnipresence. He simply IS. Don’t lose sleep over that, simply in faith accept that God “IS” and because of Christ’s blood shed for our sins we shall be with Him forever. The whole idea regarding a Spirit entity existing, loving His creation, paying their sin debt willingly and purposefully, is without a doubt mind-boggling. That is why one needs belief in the unseen as if it can be seen, as in faith, to accept and believe to the point of allowing it to alter the trajectory of their life.  Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

^[1]  www.gotquestions.org

I Have a Question

How Do We Hear From the Lord?

            One clue as to how we hear from God is found in Jeremiah 29:13 which declares: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Man’s wisdom and guidance are flawed at its best and catastrophic at its worst. Why is that? Because man has prejudices, personal opinions, and skewed thinking that affects his judgment. God has no such imperfections. He is perfect in every way. So why are we so reluctant to seek His direction. 

            We say we want to be more like Jesus, but how is that any different than following the statutes of God? If you want His wisdom and guidance you must agree to do it GOD’S WAY. You cannot be your own boss. You must acquiesce to His leadership in your life. We must know His Word, so we know the promises the Lord has laid out for His children. 

            I posted a piece a short time ago on the “if-then” clauses of God. We must familiarize ourselves with our part of that equation so that the promises will come to pass. We need to ask for what we would like. Not material things, but spiritual things. Things like wisdom, guidance, direction all fall under the spiritual things we should be seeking. James 4:2-3 says, “You do not have because you do not ask. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.”

            We must stay in fellowship with the Holy Spirit within us. As true believers we receive the Holy Spirit of God once we submit to the redemption of God. He lives within us to protect, direct, instruct and so on. Work at becoming in tune with Him so that you may recognize the still small voice of God when it comes to you.

            Finally, you must actually ASK FOR divine wisdom and guidance and when received obey what you’ve been told. It’s cannot be “Once I receive God’s guidance I will decide if I will follow it thru”. No. If you want His wisdom, guidance and direction you must determine that whatever it is you will do, otherwise, why bother asking. These are brief guidelines to tapping into the mind of God. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

I Have a Question

Does your view of the afterlife influence the way you live today?

 

There are two eternal destinations, heaven or hell, determined by our response to Jesus Christ. Due to sin, our default state is separation from God and an eternity in hell. Faith in Jesus Christ provides salvation, changing our destiny from hell to heaven.

Knowing this as a follower of Christ, how do you look at eternity? Once you’ve achieved this eternal goal does that mean you can coast into the afterlife with no worries? Should you ever just coast, or should you hone your relationship with your Lord?

It’s not just a matter of what has been done for you, it’s about what value you now place on your life. Do you appreciate your life more now that you know you have been forgiven?  Do you feel compelled to serve Christ knowing that His actions have saved you from a disastrous outcome? Shouldn’t you? 

Do you go about seeking to plant seeds of faith wherever and whenever the opportunity arises? Do you ask God to present those opportunities to you? Why not? You shouldn’t say you can’t be bothered because as the great English poet and cleric John Donne (1572–1631) stated in his Meditation XVII, “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main...”. ^[1] We’re all connected if for no other reason than we are all creations of Almighty God. Do you have love for your fellow man... even the unlovely ones? We are called to love others as Christ loves us and died in our place. What good is it to only love those who love you back?

            Our salvation should revolutionize our lives. We should rise up each new day knowing that God has allowed you to continue to exist. That may sound odd but is it not true. Is not the Lord God the One who declares who lives and who dies and how many years they shall exist on this earth? There is a purpose for all things under the heavens and God controls it all.

            So I ask again, does your view of the afterlife influence the way you live today? It ought to for without the guidance, love, mercy, and grace of our Creator God, we would have no purpose to exist. Our purpose has been laid out for us in scripture. This is our calling, found in Micah 6:8 (NLT), “No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”

            Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

^[1] “No man is an island...” originates from Meditation XVII of his prose work Devotions upon Emergent Occasions, published in 1624.

What Does It Mean? – Living Outside of Time

God living outside of time means that He is not bound by the linear progression of past, present, and future as humans experience it.  Time, including its measurement and flow, was created by God as part of the universe ^{(Genesis 1:3–5)}, so He existed before time began and therefore is not subject to its constraints. 

This concept is supported by Scripture: Psalm 90:4 states, “For a thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night,” illustrating that time is insignificant to God. Isaiah 57:15 describes God as the one who “inhabits eternity,” emphasizing His timeless nature. John 8:58 records Jesus saying, “Before Abraham was, I am,” affirming His eternal existence beyond time.

Because God is outside of time, He sees all of history—past, present, and future—as a single, unified whole. He does not experience events sequentially; instead, He knows and interacts with every moment simultaneously. This explains how God can: Know the future not as a prediction, but as a present reality. Act in history ^{(e.g., creating the universe, redeeming humanity)} without undergoing change or being limited by a timeline. Have foreknowledge and predestination as literal, not metaphorical, truths ^{(Romans 8:29; Ephesians 1:4)}. 

While God is timeless, He is not distant or inactive. He interacts with humanity in time, speaking, responding to prayers, and entering history through the incarnation of Jesus Christ. This dual reality—eternal and personal, timeless and involved—is central to Christian theology.  As one analogy puts it, time is like a river for us, but for God, it is a lake: He sees the entirety of it all at once. Until next time, walk with the King & be kind to others always.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: www.gotquestions.org

Religious Groups in Jesus' Day

Other influential religious groups at the time of Jesus’ ministry...

In addition to the four major Jewish sects (Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots), other religious and political groups during Jesus' time included the Herodians, who were political loyalists to the Herodian dynasty and Roman oversight, and the Samaritans, a distinct ethnic and religious group with their own temple on Mount Gerizim and deep-seated hostility toward Jews. 

The Galileans were another radical political faction led by Judas of Galilee, advocating for resistance against foreign rule and representing an extreme nationalist stance. Additionally, the Levites served as temple officials and assistants to the priests, while Publicans (tax collectors) were a socially ostracized group working for the Roman Empire.

Outside of Judea and Galilee, the broader religious landscape featured Roman and Greek Paganism (Hellenism), Zoroastrianism in Persia, and various Mystery Religions throughout the Roman Empire.  This concludes our look at the religious groups during Jesus time on earth. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/religious-movements-of-jesus-time

Religious Groups in Jesus' Day

Gnosticism

            Gnostics were classified by the early Christian church as purveyors of false doctrine. They were primarily active in the Roman world between the 1^st & 5^th centuries.  They believed that they possessed a secret spiritual knowledge (“gnosis”) as the path to salvation. While largely viewed as heretics, many of this group saw themselves as Christians who possessed knowledge of Jesus deeper teachings, although there was never evidence found of any deeper teachings by the Lord.

            Gnostics believed in “dualism” or the existence of two separate Gods; one who was supreme, good, and transcendent, the other who was inferior and flawed, and who was responsible for creating the material world. They also believe humans contain a divine spark that is trapped within their evil material bodies. Salvation involves awakening this spark to reunite with the supreme divine realm.

            The Gnostics believed salvation was achieved thru personal knowledge of one’s divine nature and the true God. So they did not emphasize faith and grace, but rather that knowledge led to salvation.

Jesus was often viewed by them not as the incarnate God, but as a divine messenger or "messenger of light" who appeared human to impart secret knowledge rather than to die for our sins.

Gnostics believed the world was corrupt or like a prison of sorts; therefore, many Gnostic believers practiced a very simple, basic existence without many amenities. Based on the apostles rejection of Gnosticism and all their writings which contained a plethora of contradictions when compared to the four Gospels, they should be rejected outright as not representing the genuine Christian faith. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: www.gotquestions.org

Religious Groups in Jesus' Day

The Zealots

 

The Zealots were a radical Jewish political and religious movement in the first century BC that sought to expel the Roman Empire from Judea by force. Founded around 6 BC by Judas of Galilee (also known as Judas the Gaulonite) in opposition to the Roman census, they believed that God alone was the ruler of Israel and refused to pay taxes to Rome or acknowledge any earthly authority. 

The Zealots were driven by a concept of "zeal" for the Torah and Jewish nationalism, viewing Roman rule as idolatrous oppression. Their ideology was similar to the Pharisees but with an "attachment to liberty that was inescapable" and a rejection of foreign rule. 

The Sicarii were a more violent, radical subset of the Zealots (from the Latin sica, meaning dagger). They used concealed daggers to assassinate Jews they considered collaborators with Rome or apostates, creating a reign of terror in Jerusalem prior to the First Jewish-Roman War.

The Zealots played a leading role in the revolt that led to First Jewish-Roman War beginning in 66 BC. They took control of Jerusalem and fought against Roman forces, but their internal divisions and extreme tactics are often cited by historians as contributing factors to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple in 70 BC.

After the fall of Jerusalem, a remnant of Zealots (specifically the Sicarii) held out at the fortress of Masada until 73 BC, where they committed mass suicide rather than surrender to the Romans. One of Jesus’ twelve apostles, Simon, is identified in the New Testament as "Simon the Zealot", indicating his prior association with this movement before following Jesus. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: www.gotquestions.org