God's Nature and the End of the Age

By Bob Palumbo

In his eye-opening new book, Bob Palumbo brings so much fresh information to this hotly-debated topic, that the readers may find themselves asking, "Why did he wait until his third book to share it?" You might think you have heard it all before. But this book goes where others have refused to go. It is truly ground-breaking!!

The author establishes two "ground rules" for this study, right from the start:

If we want to know how God will interact with mankind in the future, we must have a firm grasp on how He did so in the past. It has been said, "The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior." And we know, from Scripture, that God changes not.

The Bible is best understood when we allow it to speak for itself. This book is chock full of passages from Genesis 1, all the way to Revelation 22, and it does not lean heavily on quotes or theories from non-biblical sources. It takes God's Word at face value...plus or minus nothing…just as it should be.

You will want to set aside a little time to dig into this book because once you open it up, you won't want to put it down. Get ready to have those "age-old precepts" challenged, as the author raises some thought-provoking questions:

Does the Bible define what the human soul is…and why does it matter?

Why were the days of Noah so important that Jesus told us that, before He returns, the earth will be like that again? What does that mean?

Does Daniel Chapter Twelve unearth a cornerstone of the entire end-time debate? And, why is it so critical in helping us to see the truth?

Could it be that the word "church" is a mistranslation from the Greek language? And if so, how does that effect one's end-time views?

Whether you are new to the subject or have been studying it for years...this book is a must-read. And, it just might be one you will refer to time and time again. It makes a great witnessing tool, as well.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bob Palumbo
• Release date: Dec 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215079805

Book preview

Acknowledgments

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Anytime we pick up a book and glance at the cover, we see the name of the author or authors who have written it. That might lead one to think that it was something they created or dreamt up all by themselves. I can tell you, having now completed my first book, that is the furthest thing from the truth. Yes, the author may choose the words and the order in which they appear on the page, but the ideas and concepts that are shared on those pages are the result of many years of living, breathing, learning and being shaped by the people and things around them throughout their lifetime. What has ended up in this book, to a large degree, would not have come to be without a great many people and experiences that have impacted and inspired me along the way.

I must start with my mother and father, Robert and Edna Palumbo, who brought me into this world and raised me with a core set of values and beliefs that have served me well through the years. They taught me the value of hard work and my Dad, especially, taught me that it was alright to take on the giants in my path, because like David, you never know what you can accomplish unless you try. I would also include my sister, Barbara, who has been a constant source of encouragement and love every step of the way. For many years, she was a coach of a high school cheerleading squad, and I can assure you those young ladies were greatly blessed to have her. Being a cheerleader is something that comes naturally to her. She certainly has always been one of mine.

How can I possibly thank Lauri Lee enough, my lovely wife of thirty-eight years, for allowing me the time and space to always pursue my dreams, whether in music, in ministry or now in writing? She has sacrificed greatly, even while she was often left with the burden of raising our four children, while I was providing for our family or pursuing these other things, as well. I, also, cannot overlook the contribution my four amazing children, Tarra, Jessica, Bobbi Jean and Philip, have made on my life. In fact, they are four of the reasons I decided to write this book. It was the best way I could think of to show them what is in my heart and, who knows, it may become something that our grandchildren may enjoy reading at some point down the road, as well. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

Speaking of what is in my heart, there are quite a few godly men who have made major deposits into my life, since I became a Christian in 1979. Without their passion and commitment to the Lord and His people, this book certainly would never has seen the light of day. Let me start with my good friend and brother, George Loper, who led me to Christ on a snowy November night and has been my primary teacher and mentor ever since. There were also Pastor Ken Roberts, during our time at North Coast Church, and Pastor Jim Mindling, Pastor Ken Bublinec and Pastor John Jacobs at our current church, Church Of The Open Door. These men, more than anyone else, have given me the vision and passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and have been stellar examples, in their own lives, of what it means to be Christ-like, surrendered, and in service to Him who is worthy of all praise, honor and glory.

I also need to send out special thanks to those who have helped me with this book. The proofreading, editing and advice has all been invaluable. Thank you Bill Cornish, Jonathan Guzzo, Grace Hejnal, Lloyd Crawford and all the others who read, critiqued and corrected along the way … much appreciated.

And that, of course, leads me to give thanks to the One True God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, the one whose very name is above every other name, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Without you, my God and King, not only would I not be here, but none of us would exist. To you, I give my all. As the Psalmist writes, indeed, The Earth is the Lord’s and all that it contains. Thank you all.

Introduction: Sunrise

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And I can see the light of dawn;

Like a golden smile

Brightening up the brand new day

(from Sunrise by Eric Carmen)

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. [Proverbs 4:18 NASB]

As I sit here in my family room this morning, I am struck by the amazing power of a sunrise. In a matter of minutes, we are transformed from utter darkness into glorious light, without so much as touching a switch or turning a dial. Who could have conceived something like this? Who designed and created it? And it works so beautifully, like clockwork, and so precisely each and every day for at least the thousands of years that we know of.

But, my friends, that is really just scratching the surface. The closer we look, the more we see bigger questions, such as How does all it work? and Was it intentional or an accident? For me, a single much larger question keeps coming to mind, over and over again: Who saw the need for day and night, light and darkness, a sun and a moon, with planets revolving around our sun, and other suns in other solar systems, all occurring more precisely than the ticking of the finest clock without ever missing a single tick? And, while we are at it, is there a deeper message hidden behind all the beauty that our eyes can clearly see?

Call me curious. Sure, curiosity killed the cat, but I’d like to find out what is behind all of this, wouldn’t you? I know it’s been said, Rome wasn’t built in a day, but from what I have heard, the universe and everything in it was brought into existence in just six days (I understand that the Designer liked to take Saturdays off, but I digress).

One of my favorite movies, especially when I was young, was The Wizard of Oz. The imagery and symbolism that the legendary author, L. Frank Baum, wove into this magical story has managed to keep us spellbound for decades. Who can forget the amazing scene where the four weary travelers and Toto finally make it into the presence of the Wizard. The fire, the smoke, the projected image of the Wizard upon the wall…no wonder they were all shaking in their boots until Toto pulled back the curtain and revealed him for what he was…a fraud. Pay no attention to the man behind that curtain, he exclaims. But it was too late. His true identity had been revealed. Even though he doesn’t turn out to be such a bad guy after all, the jig was up.

The truth is, when we look at the wonder of creation around us, there truly is someone behind the curtain. But He is no fraud and no hoax. He is more real than we can ever imagine. And there is some great news concerning the one who is behind this curtain. He has left countless hints about Himself, cleverly hidden right there in the things He has created. And as Jesus told us, time and again, it is all right there for him who has eyes to see. We just have to know where to look.

As it turns out, some of the answers are light years away from us and can be discovered only by the world’s most powerful telescopes. Others are so small we need a microscope to see them, and we will talk about some of those things, too. However, many of the answers are right at the tips of our noses. But, we all too often overlook them in the course of fleshing out this crazy thing we call life on Planet Earth. As the Cowardly Lion would say, Ain’t it the truth, ain’t it the truth?

The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. [Psalm 19:1 NASB]

One word leaps out at me whenever I think of all that God has created and how it has been revealed to those of us who call Planet Earth our temporary home (to borrow from Carrie Underwood). Balance. It is a key component in many aspects of creation, as we will soon discover. Think about it. It’s all around us. Light and dark. Good and evil. Gravity and centrifugal force. Hot and cold. Up and down. Left and right. Male and female. Young and old. Weak and strong. Loud and quiet. Coming and going. Life and death. Heaven and Hell and, of course, God and Satan. Sir Isaac Newton once wrote that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Sure, that is the scientific explanation of it. But again, who made it so and why? Inquiring minds want to know.

In Ecclesiastes Chapter 3, even King Solomon notices that there seems to be this notion of balance that applies to everything we experience. He writes, There is an appointed time for everything. There is a time for every event under heaven ... a time to give birth and a time to die ... a time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted ... a time to kill and a time to heal ... Balance. Push and pull. Give and take. Lift up and bring down. There are far too many examples of this principle intertwined with so many aspects of what God has made, that it cannot possibly be an accident or an incidental occurrence, as I see it.

That is what this book is all about. The goal is to help us learn what to look for and where to find these clues that our Creator has revealed about Himself and His character for those who diligently seek Him. I believe, in God’s wisdom, He wants to be found, to be sought after and discovered. Part of the plan, I think, was to cause us to have to do a little digging, as a way of separating those who really want to know Him from those who care more about what’s for dinner or what the plans for the weekend are (weather permitting, of course). He, not unlike us, wants to know those who are truly His.

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. [Isaiah 58:8 NIV]

Have you ever said, You know, I’ve been thinking, and it finally dawned on me.? I’m guessing you have, or something close to that. Isn’t it interesting how often we use words that imply there is a dawn, a sunrise, a morning or just plain seeing the light to indicate that we get it, or that we have become aware of something that we had not seen or understood before? Not surprising.

I would say that is very much like a dawn or a sunrise, and passing from some form of darkness to some form of light ... physically, emotionally or spiritually. The parallels are clearly there. But have we ever slowed down long enough to soak it all in and try to connect the dots? If and when we do that, I think we will be amazed at what we find there. The master artist creates in layers and when we uncover one, like an onion, it often points to another.

In the Men’s Group at our church, we recently went through a series called Understanding God’s Will. One of the core pieces of this puzzle, with regard to His creation, is that God wants very much to display His glory. Part of the glory that He chooses to reveal is His incredible creativity. He didn’t just make things. He made things that were not just beautiful to the eyes and to the heart, He made things that were extremely complex and have taken scientists thousands of years to understand. And they still have not figured it all out, for that matter, to be totally truthful.

Whenever I talk with someone about science vs. creation, I always define science as the study of what God has made. Isn’t it interesting that as diligent as they are about learning how all these things work, many scientists have no desire to talk with the Designer? If I was asked to study something and I tried to learn what makes it tick, the first thing I would want to do is talk with the designer. It is utterly amazing to me that someone would intently want to dig down deep into the inner workings of something, without first studying the Owner’s Manual, the blueprints or schematics or better yet, talk with the one who designed it in the first place.

That is not my intention here. We will be hearing from the Designer a lot. I have been champing at the bit for a couple of years to dive deep into the Scriptures and see if we can discover, together, some hidden treasures of God’s Word that might point us to the artist’s signature on the masterpiece that is His creation. I believe that from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22, from the Garden of Eden to the streets of gold in Heaven, God’s fingerprints are all over it.

It is not just about Him wanting us to know that He made these things. Beyond that, God has strategically sewn into the fabric of all of His amazing creations, pieces of His nature and His character to reveal them to those who seek Him intently, so they may know who He is and who He wants us to be. After all, we are all supposedly created in His image, are we not?

I do not think that God is talking only about our physical makeup, but I believe He is also talking about the emotional and spiritual aspects, as well. We are to be like Him through and through, to further display His glory to those we come into contact with. As Pastor Jim Mindling, once said, "When it comes to being blessed,