Vazquez Counseling

The more I interact with others online, the more I see that people are all over the map when it comes to correctly understanding the Holy Scriptures. Allow me, at the outset of this article, to say that by no means do I claim to have special knowledge of what the Word of God says. In my humanity and in my sin, I realize that my view of what God says may not be perfectly accurate.

As a counselor, I get to meet people who are all in different places in their journey of faith. Part of my assessment is always to determine what my clients believe about God. I ask my clients what their understanding of God is and how their faith impacts them and their mental health. My role is never to judge anyone based on their belief or lack of belief. In my 24 years of counseling experiences, I have never met two people who are in the exact same place spiritually. I have met people who are Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Atheist, and Agnostic, and everything in between. Never in a million years would I be able to write an exhaustive list of the belief systems my clients have had throughout my career.

In regard to the Holy Word of God, I have always taught that there is only one, correct interpretation of what it says. There are not multiple meanings of what the Word says. What I know for certain about God, which is clear from His own Scriptures, is that He is not a God of confusion. If He were, He would not be God, or at least He would not be the God I know. And I would honestly say that, for true Christians, we don’t believe in a God Who contradicts Himself or Who acts irrationally. And that is precisely why no Christian should accept that there are multiple, different interpretations of Scripture. If there is only one, correct interpretation of the Bible, then it is the responsibility of every true Christian to discern what it is and to apply it in their lives in the best possible way. This may seem like a tall order, but thanks be to God that He has sent us a Helper, our Blessed Holy Spirit, to guide us into all Truth.

I have interacted with many people online who believe differently than I do about what the Scriptures teach. I’ve stopped interacting with some of these people because almost always, I get drawn into ridiculous arguments about theological concepts that should be clearly understood, if one were to carefully study what the Word of God plainly teaches. My understanding of the Scriptures comes from a lifelong study of the Word.

When I study the Word of God, I never add or subtract anything to what it plainly says. To do so is the very definition of heresy. Throughout human history, many theologians have expressed different views of what the Scriptures teach. I must say that it doesn’t matter who that theologian is, if they teach anything different or contradictory than what the Scriptures plainly teach, then they are wrong, and nothing you can say will convince me otherwise. Paul the Apostle warned us that if anyone comes preaching a different gospel, that we should not listen to that person. Any religious leader who claims something different than what the Scriptures plainly say is a false teacher, and they are most likely a wolf in sheep’s clothing, which is the way the Bible describes religious leaders whose intent is to lead the people of God away from Him. The Pharisees and Scribes in the Gospels, the enemies of Christ when He was here, were the wolves in sheep’s clothing who have always existed and will exist until Christ returns. In the Gospels, Jesus had His harshest words for the religious leaders of Israel of that time, for God had called them to lead His people into the Light, and instead, they were leading them into the pit.

All of us, and I’m speaking to Christians here, have the ability to discern the true meaning of the Word of God. If you are a true Christian, then within you resides our Precious Holy Spirit, and He will never deceive you about what God says in His Word. If you ever read anything in the Bible that seems confusing or contradictory, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into all Truth. and He will. Our LORD is not willing that His children live in a state of confusion about Who He is and what He teaches in His Word. We must all agree with that statement if we are to walk together with our God in this world.

In this article, I want to address a topic that causes much consternation among many non-believing people in the world, and even among many Christians who don’t understand what the Scriptures teach about this promise from God. I am talking about the Second Coming of Christ. First of all, we must agree that the Holy Scriptures plainly affirm that Christ is returning to rule the Earth. If you will not or cannot agree with that statement, then we cannot agree on the most basic things that the Bible teaches because even a casual review of the Word of God shows us that the return of Christ is a Biblical teaching that is absolutely clear and true. I have met many people who do not believe that Christ is returning. They often point to the fact that He’s been gone for over 2000 years, and the world continues to spin out of control, with no end in sight.

In 2 Peter 3:8-9, the Apostle Peter taught the following:

“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (from the New King James Version)

The Truth that I often point to when teaching the Word of God is that the Bible is full of the promises of God. What many people do not realize, especially if they have not studied the Word closely, is that God has already fulfilled many of His promises contained in Scripture. First, we must note that there are hundreds of prophecies that were fulfilled by Christ when He came the first time. Only Jesus could have fulfilled the promises of the Messiah given to us by God in His Scriptures.

Those of us who follow God closely have complete faith in what He promises. Not only do we see what God has promised and fulfilled in Scripture already, but we witness and discern that He fulfills promises to us all the time. We are acutely aware of how our Precious Holy Spirit works in our lives. He testifies in our hearts that not only does God exist, but He will do everything that He has promised us. This is not some subjective truth that we believe because of some superstitious thoughts that we may have acquired over the course our lives. We believe in God because He Himself has revealed to us through the testimony of His Spirit that He exists. Only a true Christian knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that God exists. The unbelieving world cannot know God because they do not have the Spirit of God. They prefer to live in darkness because they understand that living in the Light of God would mean leaving behind the sin that they love. They firmly believe there is nothing wrong with the way they live, and how dare Christians believe that people shouldn’t behave in that way? They believe that faith in God would take away their freedom to do as they please. What they don’t understand is that to have Christ at the center of your life does not take away your freedom at all; rather it frees you from the slavery of sin, so that you become the most free person in the world.

Christ is returning. The Scriptures testify throughout them that He is. The most beautiful description of our LORD, the coming Christ, can be found in Isaiah 9:6-7, where the Prophet declares:

“For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” (NKJV)

I have often meditated on these verses, which are some of the most pivotal in all of Scripture. My favorite title of Christ in this passage is “Prince of Peace.” What this teaches me is that when Christ returns, His people will immediately recognize Him, and He will be the most loving, the most gentle, and the most kind KING that we could ever hope for.

The next Bible passage that I would like us to focus on is Revelation 19:11-16, where the Word of God declares the following:

“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.” (NKJV)

I do not know of a passage in Scripture that is more clear than this passage. Here, God declares unequivocally that Christ is returning. If you do not believe He is, you need to re-evaluate what you believe in before it is too late. The Bible teaches that there is a time coming when the wrath of God will be poured out on the Earth. He will judge people who do not believe in Him. God does not force anyone to follow Him. He invites people to know Him and to join with Him in His Kingdom, and if some people choose not to follow Him, that is not on God; that is on them. When Christ returns, He will judge all of those who reject Him. There are some people, even pastors, who teach the idea of universal salvation, or that no one will end up in Hell. The people who teach this falsehood cannot fathom a God who would allow anyone to suffer for an eternity in damnation, even if that person rejected Christ unto his last dying breath. However, since God will not force anyone to follow Him, and considering that there will be many people who reject Him, what should we expect will happen at the end of time? I believe that people who reject Christ will be given exactly what they wanted all of their lives; eternal separation from Him. God does not send anyone to Hell; anyone who ends up there, chose to be there, and I would say they send themselves there, not only because of their unbelief, but also because of their behavior throughout their lives. For them, the Law of God meant nothing, so they did precisely the opposite, and if they die in their sins, without repenting and following God, then our LORD gives them exactly what they deserve. This is not cruel; it is the perfect justice of God promised throughout His Holy Word.

Christ is coming, and when He does, He will wage a just war, and He will destroy His enemies. Again, this is not cruel; this is His perfect justice, established from before time began. Those who reject God and die rejecting Him will not experience His mercy. Those of us who believe the Gospel and are born again will receive the mercy of God and enjoy Eternity in Heaven with Him.

I want to end this article with a warning, as if the above portions of this article were not enough warning. When our LORD Jesus was asked by His disciples what the signs of His coming would be, he stated in Matthew 24:4-14:

“Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (NKJV)

Then, in Matthew 24:23-28, Jesus clearly warns us again:

“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.

Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.” (NKJV)

In conclusion, Christ is without a doubt returning, but it is absolutely clear by His warnings that anyone who claims to be Him is not. Christ will have no need to say Who He is. When He comes again, it will be absolutely clear Who He is. He will prove beyond a shadow of doubt Who He is, and He will do it with His actions. As the Word of God, He will teach the Scriptures with absolute clarity. He is Wonderful, and He is our Blessed Counselor. As the Mighty God and the Everlasting Father, He will fear no one. He will conquer the world, and He will not ask permission from anyone. And for the Christian, He will be the Prince of Peace, a loving God Who will wipe away every one of our tears. Amen and Amen.