Christian Pioneer - Christianity 101

			Christianity was supposed to be about becoming like Jesus.
					We went in the wrong direction.

Christianity 101

History of the world - two choices

Evolution				Creation
Big Bang				God created the heavens and the earth

Nothing exploded and became everything	Everything cooled and became planets	Oceans created cellular life	Life crawled on land and became people

	God created a perfect garden on earth called Eden and put the first two people in it called Adam and Eve.
	An angel named Satan rebelled against God and appeared to Eve as a serpent and got her to doubt God and disobey.
	Eve together with Adam, who had also sinned, were told to leave the garden. They had to live by hard work in a world now ruled by sin. This included disease and all of the trouble we are so familiar with.
	The descendants of Adam and Eve rebelled more and more against God until things got so bad that God decided to destroy everything except eight people and the animals.
	God sent a flood to destroy the world and saved Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives. It is from these eight people that we are all descended.
	After Noah people still got themselves into trouble and rebelled against God. God caused people to have different languages at the tower of Babel to hinder their collective rebellion.
	God calls Abraham and promises to make a nation out of his descendants.
	Abraham's great grandson Joseph prepares a place in Egypt for his father Israel (Jacob) and his brothers and their families during a time of famine.
	400 years after coming to Egypt, the descendants of Israel (Jacob) are led by Moses out of Egypt to the land that was promised to Abraham for them.
	Israel rebels against God and refuses to give up idolatry until the entire nation is taken captive to Babylon for 70 years. After the return, they never practice idolatry as a nation again.
	God sends angels to announce the birth of Jesus to the nation of Israel.
	God allows Jesus to die on the cross and places on Him the penalty for the sins of the whole world. In a way, Jesus buys back ownership of the world from Satan. Having paid for all sin, Jesus can offer forgiveness of sins or punishment for sins.
	40 days after God raises Jesus from the grave, Jesus ascends into heaven.
	God has Paul bring the gospel (good news about Jesus) to the Gentiles (non-Jews) so that they can trust in Jesus and become Christians.
	The early church started to become a collectivized system and divide into the professionals (clergy) and everyone else (laity). It wasn't long before what was called the church as just a political and economic entity similar to a feudal fiefdom. However, even though it had been corrupted, like Israel, it still had the word of God.
	The later church became so encrusted with worldliness that a reformation led to many denominations. Once people could get the Bible in their own language, it was hoped that they would immerse themselves in the Bible and grow to be like Jesus. Instead people built franchise brands of Christianity and attacked each other.
	Still to Come
	There is an event prophesied in the Bible called the rapture (to catch away). Where Jesus will return briefly to gather those who are dead who were Christian and those who are alive who are Christian. When the Christians are taken out of the world, then a judgment comes on the world and things will get bad. This is the event that takes Christian "out of judgment.
	The tribulation or time of Jacob's trouble is a seven year period described in various books of the Bible but most thoroughly in the last book, the book of Revelation. This period starts in Revelation chapter six with the death of 1/4 of the people on earth.
	The tribulation period ends when a 200,000,000 man army that has gathered in Israel to fight against God is defeated by Jesus who returns with His saints.
	Jesus only keeps those alive who were faithful to Him. The dead in Christ are also raised at this time.
	Jesus rules on earth for 1,000 years. Even after the end of 1,000 years there will still be one last battle for those who still want to rebel against God.
	The end of world we know will occur after the dead are raised and those whose names are not written down in the Lamb's book of life (Christians) are then judged according to their works for their degree of punishment.
	There is a new heaven and a new earth. Christians will not remember the former things and all tears will be wiped away. There will be no need for a sun because everyone will live from the light of God.