God's Love in the End Times

By Warren R Angel

~~DON'T LET THE END TIMES SCARE YOU!

~~Do you think that God could ever stop loving you?  If you think "yes" is the answer, you don't understand God's nature as well as you should

~~Discussed are false ideas about God's love, notably Calvinism, which by its characteristics denies God's love for every person

~~Angel shares what the Bible teaches, namely that God's unconditional love is his nature, and that his sovereignty is subject to his eternal love for everyone

~~Never again will you think that God might stop loving you. Never again will you think that any believer could be left behind at Christ's Second Coming. Never again will you be afraid of God. And never again will you think that God's love didn't send Jesus Christ to the Cross for every single human being.

~~Knowing the truth about God's love for you—personally—will help you and God have a better relationship and enable you to trust God in the end times. You will be able to say each day of your life, "I know God loves me!"

• Language: English
• Publisher: Warren R Angel
• Release date: Nov 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393352860

Warren R Angel

Warren R. Angel (M.A. in Religion, Pepperdine University) was raised in the Church and is currently an evangelical minister in the Congregational Christian Churches. He has been a pastor, administrator, and writer, and served several Christian organizations. Two other published books are The Power of Christ in YOUR Life, and God’s Love in the End Times.

Book preview

God’s

Love

in the

End Times

Warren R. Angel

Warren R. Angel

P. O. Box 1133

Bonsall, CA 92003

www.theangelreport.net

God’s Love in the End Times

Copyright © 2008 by Warren R. Angel

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used in any form without

written permission from the publisher.

First Edition, July, 2008

Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard

Version Bible copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National

Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION,

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of the

International Bible Society.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living

Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,

Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version ®,

Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

LCCN:  2008920741

ISBN: 978-0-9724869-6-5

______________________________________________________________________        Publisher’s Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

(Prepared by The Donohue Group, Inc.)

Angel, Warren.

God’s love in the end times / by Warren R. Angel.—1st ed.

p. ;  cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN: 978-0-9724869-6-5

1. God (Christianity)—Love. 2. God (Christianity)—Worship and love.

3. Love—Religious aspects—Christianity.  4. End of the world—Biblical

teaching.  5. Trust in God.  1. Title

BT140 .A54 2008

23l/.6           2008920741

To

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all my sisters and brothers

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in Christ,

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who long to know from

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the depths of their souls

––––––––

that

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God really loves them

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and always will

Table of Contents

Preface

Part 1: Worshiping God in Truth and Love

Introduction

1. God Is Spirit

2. Worshiping God in Spirit

3. Worshiping God in Truth

4. The Truth of Jesus Christ Is the Ultimate Reality

Part 2: Destructive Falsehoods and the Truth About God's Love

Introduction

5. What's So Difficult About the Love of God?

6. John 3:16 and the Falsehoods of Calvinism.

7. God Is Love. 

8. The Nature of God's Love

9. Why God's Love Is Unconditional.

10. God's Love in the Real World

Part 3: God's Love in the End Times

Introduction

11. God's Love Leaves No One Behind

12. The Good News of God's Love.

Selected Bibliography

Bible References

P r e f a c e  

Whenever God begins to do a great work in the lives of human beings, he often uses humble people in humble settings to effect profound changes. The stories of Jesus' origins and life in the Gospels well illustrate this divine principle. Jesus was born of humble parents in a humble stable in the shepherd's city of Bethlehem. This is the Savior of the world? The Savior of the world indeed!

The same can be said of God's self-revelation, eternal truths shared with the world by and about the God of heaven and earth. But you needn't bother searching the writings of the world's great philosophers to learn about the God of the universe. Not too much will be found there of any value concerning God—only speculative, human musings, correct and insightful though some philosophy may be. On the other hand, the Gospel of John, a writing deeply concerned that people everywhere know the truth about Jesus Christ and the God of love who sent Christ into the world, was written not by a philosopher or even a scribe of the Law, but by a rugged fisherman.

This rugged fisherman became a humble apostle, a follower and disciple of Jesus Christ. He tells us, No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known (John 1:18).

Jesus Christ, the Savior born of humble parents in a humble stable in a humble shepherd's village, has made the truth of God and the love of God known to the world.

` How has Jesus done this?  It  was  not  by  working his way up through the ranks of the world's elite or the priests and rabbis of first century Israel or the appointed politicians of Rome.  Rather, he spoke words of love, words of salvation, words of eternal significance—the very truths of God his Father—to servants, to fishermen, to laborers of the fields. Event though custom dictated that a man not converse with a woman publicly unless in the course of business or politics, Jesus freely talked to women in public places.

True to God's nature, one of the most profound conversations of Jesus ever recorded was with a woman of Samaria, an ordinary, humble, and sinful woman who had come to Jacob's well merely to draw water. (You can still visit Jacob's well near the modern town of Nablus.) The conversation Jesus began with her would change her life forever. He told her, Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life (John 4:13-14).

At first this Samaritan woman did not understand what Jesus meant, but in the course of time Jesus plainly told her that he was the promised Messiah of Israel—the one spoken of even by Samaritan prophets.

The moment Jesus opened his mouth to bring her words of eternal life, the love and power of God, and the convicting and enlightening presence of the Holy Spirit  began to penetrate this nameless woman's heart and spirit. For after he told her who he was, she dropped her water jar and raced back to the village of Sychar to tell everyone that she had found the Messiah. John tells us that because of her testimony many came to faith in Jesus. They told this insignificant woman of their village, It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world (John 4:42).

Were this the only point to the story,  if Jesus'  dialogue  with  a Samaritan village woman had been shared with us by John for no other reason than to demonstrate Jesus' love for all people everywhere, it would be cause enough for appreciation and rejoicing. God's love and forgiveness are universal. 

But there is much more to John's story of Jesus' visit with a Samaritan woman in the hot noonday sun than a demonstration of evangelism!

For Jesus not only spoke words of eternal life, but he also shared insights into God and our relationship with him, words that are just as true and meaningful and powerful today as they were when Jesus uttered them.

At one point in her conversation with Jesus, when he pointed out her sinful life, she attempted to sidetrack him by asking about the proper place of worship. Was it Mt. Gerizim, which the Samaritans claimed, or Jerusalem, which the Jews claimed?

It is significant that Jesus did not put her off. He didn't ask her why she, a sinful village woman and a Samaritan (considered a half-Jew), should even care. Nor did he accuse her of changing the subject, which we might well do when people try a similar tack with us. Jesus answered her question. Strangely, he often did not answer a direct question asked by the Pharisees or scribes, but instead told them what they needed to hear. But to this woman of Samaria he responded with eternal words of truth and life:

"The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will

worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these

to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship

in spirit and truth" (John 4:23-24).

Precious words of life. Precious words often overlooked or ignored by Christians everywhere.  Even Bible scholars gloss over them as though they are unimportant. But Jesus spoke words at Jacob's well that pertain to worship, and worship is the very essence of an ongoing, personal relationship with our Creator. Worship is quite personal, for it is based on a relationship of love with God our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ, God's Son.

Even though we as Christians know better, we sometimes insist that worship of God is tied to a particular place. Jesus said it is not. Worship takes place in our spirits, and, obviously, our spirits go wherever we go.

Furthermore, Jesus said that true worshipers would worship God in truth. Few Christians would deny that truth is important. Yet because we disagree on so many points of theology, biblical interpretation, and living the Christian life, we seem not to seek the truth in openness of heart and mind.

Admittedly, sometimes truth is elusive. Just when we think we have all the right answers to God and godly living we discover that we don't. If complete knowledge of divine truth were the entrance price to heaven none of us would make it. Even the apostle Paul said, We know only in part (1 Cor. 13:9). 

Yet truth always has and always will be an important factor in a relationship with the God of heaven and earth. Many if not most idolaters of Old Testament times believed that they were worshiping God in truth. They were not, and their false worship destroyed their lives.  Their false beliefs took them further away from God, not closer. A genuine relationship with God cannot be established and maintained on falsehoods.  

Falsehoods destroy a person's image of the Creator who loves them.

Falsehoods cripple and maim a Christian's spirit and life.

Falsehoods take a person far from the God of truth and righteousness.

Truth is important to Jesus Christ who came, in part, to teach us the truth about God. John wrote that Jesus . . . became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

Truth is important in establishing any real relationship with God our Father. For no one can steadfastly worship God in love unless they are worshiping him in truth.

And so we will look at the meaning of these precious words of Jesus spoken to an obscure and sinful woman of Samaria some 2000 years ago. First, in Part 1, we will explore the meaning of Jesus' assertion that God is spirit and that real worship of the one true God must be based in spirit and truth. Most importantly, we will examine the ultimate reality of Jesus Christ as the basis of true worship in God's love.

We will see just how important this matter of truth is to God.

In Part 2 we will look at an area of Christian theology and practice which has been overwhelmed by falsehoods: the love of God and the question of whether or not he really does love every human being. What does the scripture mean when it says, God is love? Just how does God love us? Is his love really unconditional? Can he ever choose not to love us? And are we completely free to love him in return?

Contrary to some teachings, the Bible gives us clear answers to these questions.

The truth concerning the love of God has tremendous implications for the Church living in the end times. And so in Part 3 we will look at some falsehoods that have been generated about the end times and see how important it is to be able to say from the depths of our souls, I know God loves me! After all, Jesus warned his disciples that the end times would be no Sunday School picnic for those who believed in him:

"Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death,

and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. Then many will 

fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And

many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because of the 

increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who

endures to the end will be saved. And this good news of the kingdom will

be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and

then the end will come" (Matt. 24:9-14).

Most Christians today don't want to hear these words of Jesus. They'd rather hear how they can get their felt needs met and their lives blessed. But Jesus always spoke the truth, and no matter how harsh his words may have been, they will come true. Indeed, this prophecy of persecution has already come true for millions of Christians throughout the history of the Church.

No one can say for sure when Christ will return, or even if his return really is imminent, as many scholars and end times preachers believe. Nevertheless, when militant Muslims hijacked jetliners and crashed them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, killing over 3000 people, the way in which the world perceives its safety was changed forever. Although this horrible day has served to strengthen the American spirit, it remains true that no one in America will ever view the world quite the same. We do not feel as safe and secure as we used to. Our military and our government have made great strides in disarming terrorists at home and abroad, but we can never be certain that terrorist attacks on American soil won't happen again. Indeed, the FBI and our Homeland Security people tell us that they probably will.

We in America have discovered what Christians in many third world countries have long known—the world is indeed a dangerous place, especially for those who proclaim their faith in Jesus Christ. And it is not likely to get any better until he returns.

Believers in Jesus Christ who have grounded their relationship to God in love, and who know beyond a doubt that God loves them, are not likely to fall out of love with God and lose their faith in Christ should the going get rough. This has already proven to be the case in places like mainland China where the Church has thrived and grown even though the communist government continues to harass and persecute and even kill many believers, as it has done for over fifty years.

On the other hand, believers whose relationship to God is tormented by fear created from falsehoods—such as the theological fiction that the sovereignty of God dictates his nature and therefore God could stop loving them if he chose to do so—are quite likely to become angry with God in the face of persecution from those who hate Jesus Christ and want belief in him wiped out in blood from the face of the earth.

Sadly, I have known more than a few Christians who doubted that God's love for them was genuine, constant, and everlasting—which the Bible plainly teaches. 

In Part 2 we will meet a woman I will call Debra who, although a strong believer in Christ, has often suffered from a debilitating fear and torment because she was taught outright falsehoods about God's love.  

But there is Good News!

Every Christian can discover the truth and believe the truth because Jesus Christ not only has brought us the truth about God and eternity, but he is the truth. The more we desire God, the more we commit our lives to Christ. And the more we open our hearts to God and to his Word, the easier it is to know the truth. Knowledge of the truth brings with it a precious and lasting relationship with the God who loves us.

A word of thanks is in order for all those ministers, professors, and friends alike in Christ's Church who have helped me develop a love for the truth of God and his Word. I still find new gems in the Book of Books where God has revealed himself to us.

And I do know that an honest search for truth in God's Word, the Bible, brings understanding, and understanding brings peace and joy and love in Christ Jesus.

When you know beyond a doubt that God loves you and that he will never stop loving you, your life will never be the same.

So seek. Search. And open your heart and mind to the truth of God's Word. Let the Holy Spirit root out those falsehoods that encumber your Christian life.

God loves you. He wants you to know that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

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Warren R. Angel

December 2007

Oceanside, CA

PART   ONE 

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WORSHIPING

GOD

IN   TRUTH

AND   LOVE

I N T R O D U C T I O N 

One warm summer morning not long ago my wife and I attended Sunday morning worship in a large, brick church building of Georgian architecture in one of America's oldest colonial cities. Some of America's founding citizens had been prominent members of this Christian community, and the present church building, inside and out, reflected its historic heritage.

Although the sun was shining, things seemed a bit dreary the Sunday morning we were there. Those who had come to worship God in a liturgical, mainline American church sort of