The early Christian writer Tertullian first applied the epithet "bride of Christ" to the uppity virgins of Carthage as a means of enforcing female obedience. Henceforth, the virgin as Christ's spouse was expected to manifest matronly modesty and due submission, hobbling virginity's ancient capacity to destabilize gender roles. In the early Middle Ages, the focus on virginity and the attendant anxiety over its possible loss reinforced the emphasis on claustration in female religious communities, while also profoundly disparaging the nonvirginal members of a given community. With the rising importance of intentionality in determining a person's spiritual profile in the high Middle Ages, the title of bride could be applied and appropriated to laywomen who were nonvirgins as well. Such instances of democratization coincided with the rise of bridal mysticism and a progressive somatization of female spirituality. These factors helped cultivate an increasingly literal and eroticized discourse: women began to undergo mystical enactments of their union with Christ, including ecstatic consummations and vivid phantom pregnancies. Female mystics also became increasingly intimate with their confessors and other clerical confidants, who were sometimes represented as stand-ins for the celestial bridegroom. The dramatic merging of the spiritual and physical in female expressions of religiosity made church authorities fearful, an anxiety that would coalesce around the figure of the witch and her carnal induction into the Sabbath.

Today’s churches do not always touch on the subject of hell. God does not want anyone to go to hell, but if they do not put Him first in their life and do His works, one might not end up where they think they are going. Pastor Seung Woo Byun explores specific and powerful promises of God that point to heaven and hell. Readers are guided through biblical End-Time prophecies, with special focus on the impending rapture of the true church—the bride of Christ. Many questions are answered by an overview of the Rapture, the Second Resurrection, the Antichrist, the role of the Jewish people, and what one must do to be prepared. This “must-read” book will not only reveal where you do not want to go (and why), but where you do want to go and how to get there through Christ Jesus. You will not want to miss the truth about the two worlds that await you when you die.

A man lives through death and the terror of Golgotha, hell, the devil and the lake of fire and brimstone. Read how God saves him from these things and delivers him from the judgment seat of Christ. God then shows him His vision for the church, the bride of Christ. See the first sun rise of the new earth and witness the brides¿ marriage to the Lamb. Learn all the prophetic messages that proclaim; possess the vision.

In A Divine Revelation of Heaven, after thirty nights in which God gave her visions of the depths of hell and the punishments of the lost, Mary K. Baxter was shown for ten nights the glories of heaven--the home of redeemed souls. Included in this book are her depictions of heaven's gates, angels, music, worship, storehouses of blessings, joyful heavenly citizens, four living creatures, and brilliant throne of God. Mary also describes heaven's perfect order and purpose, what happens to children, and much more. These breathtaking glimpses of heaven, interspersed with applicable Bible verses, will turn your heart toward the beauty and joy that await every believer in Christ. In A Divine Revelation of Hell, over a period of thirty nights, God gave Mary K. Baxter visions of hell and commissioned her to tell people still alive on earth to reject sin and evil, and to choose life in Christ. Here is an account of the place and beings of hell contrasted with the glories of heaven. Follow Mary in her supernatural journey as she enters with Jesus into a gateway to hell and encounters the sights, sounds, and smells of that dark place of torment, including its evil spirits, cells, pits, jaws, and heart. Be an eyewitness to the various punishments of lost souls and hear their shocking stories. This book is a reminder that each of us needs to accept the miracle of salvation before it is too late--and to intercede for those who do not yet know Christ. Time is running out.

In Jesus the Bridegroom, Brant Pitre once again taps into the wells of Jewish Scripture and tradition, and unlocks the secrets of what is arguably the most well-known symbol of the Christian faith: the cross of Christ. In this thrilling exploration, Pitre shows how the suffering and death of Jesus was far more than a tragic Roman execution. Instead, the Passion of Christ was the fulfillment of ancient Jewish prophecies of a wedding, when the God of the universe would wed himself to humankind in an everlasting nuptial covenant. To be sure, most Christians are familiar with the apostle Paul's teaching that Christ is the 'Bridegroom' and the Church is the 'Bride'. But what does this really mean? And what would ever possess Paul to compare the death of Christ to the love of a husband for his wife? If you would have been at the Crucifixion, with Jesus hanging there dying, is that how you would have described it? How could a first-century Jew like Paul, who knew how brutal Roman crucifixions were, have ever compared the execution of Jesus to a wedding? And why does he refer to this as the "great mystery" (Ephesians 5:32)? As Pitre shows, the key to unlocking this mystery can be found by going back to Jewish Scripture and tradition and seeing the entire history of salvation, from Mount Sinai to Mount Calvary, as a divine love story between Creator and creature, between God and Israel, between Christ and his bride--a story that comes to its climax on the wood of a Roman cross. In the pages of Jesus the Bridegroom, dozens of familiar passages in the Bible--the Exodus, the Song of Songs, the Wedding at Cana, the Woman at the Well, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, and even the Second Coming at the End of Time--are suddenly transformed before our eyes. Indeed, when seen in the light of Jewish Scripture and tradition, the life of Christ is nothing less than the greatest love story ever told.

A visceral, first-hand account of the afterlife. Laurie Ditto's life was forever marked when she experienced supernatural visions of hell. She knew these encounters were meant as a wake-up call for herself and others, so she has made it her mission to share this message with the world. The Hell Conspiracy is a somber warning. It records harrowing accounts of souls enduring endless torture and eternal separation from God. It also reveals terrifying secrets of the afterlife in Hell, including... The five pains of hell: water, bone marrow, breath, agreement, and the garment. The activity of demons. The connection between unforgiveness and eternal torment. The ultimate destination and fate of the condemned. The changing shape of people's bodies in hell. But this book is also a beacon of hope! These horrors are contrasted with the glorious hope of Heaven. Those who receive salvation through Jesus escape torment and experience an eternity of life as it was meant to be: as renewed bodies, souls, and spirits in perfect relationship with God. The alarm is sounding! Heaven and Hell are real. Where will you go?

Heaven's Doors . . . Exposing a 1,500-Year-Old Myth about Hell!What happens to us after we die?For the first 500 years of Church history, most Christians believed that God would ultimately redeem all of his creation. Hell was real, but it didn't last forever, and it had a positive purpose.Then beliefs changed. For the past 1,500 years we've been told that most of the billions of people who have lived on this earth will remain separated from the love and mercy of God for all eternity. The moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, sons and daughters, relatives and friends who have not exhibited the "right kind" of faith here in this life will suffer in hell forever. But is that really true?No. The idea of hell as a place of never-ending suffering is not taught in the Bible. It's a myth that was forced on the Christian Church by a power-hungry Roman emperor, was supported by a highly respected but misinformed cleric, and has endured for centuries because it became the status quo.Heaven's Doors exposes that myth. It explains both historically and Biblically how Jesus Christ succeeded in His mission to seek and save the lost. And it shows how the doors to heaven really are wider than you ever believed!

Bro. Allen ended the last edition in Romans 8 speaking about how we are joint heirs with Christ, and also looking at the 144,000. He is picking up here where he left off.

How can a loving God send people to hell? Isn’t it arrogant to believe Jesus is the only way to God? What is up with holy war in the Old Testament? Many of us fear God has some skeletons in the closet. Hell, judgment, and holy war are hot topics for the Christian faith that have a way of igniting fierce debate far and wide. These hard questions leave many wondering whether God is really good and can truly be trusted. The Skeletons in God's Closet confronts our popular caricatures of these difficult topics with the beauty and power of the real thing. Josh Butler reveals that these subjects are consistent with, rather than contradictory to, the goodness of God. He explores Scripture to reveal the plotlines that make sense of these tough topics in light of God’s goodness. From fresh angles, Josh deals powerfully with such difficult passages as: The Lake of Fire Lazarus and the Rich Man The Slaughter of Canaanites in the Old Testament Ultimately, The Skeletons in God's Close uses our toughest questions to provoke paradigm shifts in how we understand our faith as a whole. It pulls the “skeletons out of God’s closet” to reveal they were never really skeletons at all.

Profound reflections on the cross that help you to meditate on and marvel at the sacrificial love of Jesus. This book can be used as a devotional, especially during Lent and Easter. These profound reflections on the cross from David Mathis, author of The Christmas We Didn’t Expect, will help you to meditate on and marvel at Jesus’ life, sacrificial death, and spectacular resurrection-enabling you to treasure anew who Jesus is and what he has done. Many of us are so familiar with the Easter story that it becomes easy to miss subtle details and difficult to really enjoy its meaning. This book will help you to pause and marvel at Jesus, whose now-glorified wounds are a sign of his unfailing love and the decisive victory that he has won: “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) This book can be used as a devotional. The chapters on Holy Week make it especially helpful during the Lent season and at Easter.