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Foundation
Firm
Our
Volume 23, Number 5 • May 2008
The Position &Responsibility ofa True EducatorPart 2
A Prisoner in Bonds,Part 1
Love Your Enemies
The King of The North - Part 5
Time to ChangeCourse
What PriceDid Jesus Pay?
 Page 4
You Are
Bought With 
A Price:
 
You Are
Bought With 
A Price:
 
Editorial
Do We Hate Sin?
Joe Olson
2 Our Firm FoundationJoe Olson serves as theexecutive director andchairman of the boardof Hope International. Healso travels as aninternational speaker.
A
nd he laid hold on the dragon, thatold serpent, which is the Devil,and Satan, and bound him a thousandyears….” Revelation 20:2.“And when the thousand years areexpired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison….” Revelation 20:7.Six times the “thousand years” ismentioned in Revelation, and all inchapter 20. Once each time in verses2 through 7. The first time and the lasttime specifically refer to Satan being bound. In the first he is bound a thou-sand years; in the last he is loosed fromhis bounds after the thousand years.The other texts here that refer to thethousand years are that the rest of thedead, or the wicked, are not alive for a thousand years and that they cannot be deceived during that time, and thatthe righteous live and reign with Christduring this thousand-year period.When I look at it like that, it makesit a lot easier to explain what and howthe devil is bound for this one thousandyear period. His “prison” is a placewhere there are no people. It is “bot-tomless” because there is no end or bot-tom to it. The people are all gone, boththe righteous and the wicked. There isnowhere for him to go to not be bound,so-to-speak, making his “pit” bottom-less or endless.He has spent the last 6,000 years do-ing nothing but plotting and workingagainst Jesus Christ and His kingdom.Day in and day out, it has been a con-stant swirl of activity designed to de-stroy humanity and thereby hurt theFather and Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Now all of humanity is dead or gone.He has actually, at least partially, got-ten his wish. He has seen to it that allof humanity--all that he was able toget, anyway--is dead. The only onesstill alive are not there, though; theyare in heaven with God.For one thousand years, Satan getsto contemplate what he has done andwhat the effects have been: utter de-struction, utter chaos and completeruin.
This
is his kingdom and the re-sults of his way. This is what not fol-lowing God causes. This is what Jesushad been trying to warn not only him but all the unfallen angels and Adamand Eve about. Self and selfishnessleads to desolation. It is the
only
endresult. Nothing ends up surviving butyou, and then you want to die becauseyou are the only one left.Self leads to a complete and utter miserableness. There is no desire for life, and to die would be a welcomeoutcome. Our Lord knows this already, but we humans have been learning itfor 6,000 years. And how much longer do we need to see the outworking of self and selfish principles? Thankfully,the Lord has given us a little more timeto see it.You see, evil is not just somethingwe do, as in sinning; it is what we are.We must change from being evil togood, unrighteous to righteous. Paulsaid it another way:“Because the creature itself alsoshall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” Romans 8:21.Paul goes on to say that corrupt,fleshly people cannot be allowed inheaven:“Now this I say, brethren, that fleshand blood cannot inherit the kingdomof God; neither doth corruption inheritincorruption.” 1 Corinthians 15:50.Jesus Himself made it very clear about fleshly, or non-spirit-led people:“It is the spirit that quickeneth; theflesh profiteth nothing: the words thatI speak unto you, they are spirit, andthey are life.” John 6:63.Lucifer was “Spirit-led” as long as helistened to and heeded the words of God.The words of God
are
spirit and
are
life.But when we do not heed the words of God, we become satanic or evil. Andevil always persecutes the righteous.“But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was bornafter the Spirit, even so it is now.” Ga-latians 4:29.Soon however, evil or Satan will be bound. There will be no one to perse-cute, to tempt, to annoy. Soon his 1,000years of being alone will begin.And soon, our ability to choose will be over. Let us choose the right whilethere is still time, choose to listen toand heed God’s word, to choose Godover self, and thereby inherit the king-dom of the righteous!
 
You Are Bought With APrice: The “Penalty Death”Part 1 - Page 4
The Position & Responsibilityof a True Educator - Part 2Page 8
A Prisoner inBonds - Part 1Page 12
Table of Contents
Volume 23Number 5May 2008
News WatchPage 26
Our Mission
- It is the mission o Hope International and theeditors o 
Our Firm Foundation
to clearly present Christ andHis truth. The days remaining or this world are ew, and wemust work quickly. We must boldly proclaim the historic truthso Adventism that place us on so frm a oundation in the midst o this troubled world. —
 Editor 
Executive Director: Joe Olson
executivedirector@hopeint.org
Editor: Heidi Heiks
editorial@hopeint.org
Director o Hope For Health: Heather Olson, R.N., C.H.
hopeforhealth@hopeint.org
Bookstore Manager: Kaye Olson
shipping@hopeint.org
Layout & Design: Sherrie West
sherrie@hopeint.org
Our Firm Foundation
is published monthly by: 
Hope International
P.O. Box 220Knoxville, Illinois 61448 USA 
Phone: 309.343.1844
 
Fax: 309.343.3721Email: ofce@hopeint.orgWeb: www.hopeint.org
Hope
 
International
 About Hope International
- We are a lay ministry ounded, supported,and operated by Seventh-day Adventists to assist God’s Church in theproclamation o the Everlasting Gospel in every way that is consistent withthe principles o God as revealed in Inspiration.
Invitation to Writers
- We are accepting article-length manuscripts or possible publication in
Our Firm Foundation
. We preer that submissions besubmitted in Word .doc ormat as a computer fle. Include a digital pictureand a short bio. Please address all correspondence to Editor,
Our Firm Foundation
, P.O. Box 220, Knoxville, IL 61448, or by email toeditorial@hopeint.org.Subscription Inormation: See page 30 • Shipping & Sales Tax: See page 30
Content credited in this publication is the property of its respective owner(s) and islicensed or used with permission. Other items are the property of Hope International.
Cover Photo: Shutterstock.com All Photos unless otherwise noted: Shutterstock.com
 
Love Your EnemiesPage 17
The King ofThe North - Part 5Page 20
Volume 23, Number 5 3
Historical FootnotesPage 29
Time to Change CoursePage 28
Monday-Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Central TimeFriday 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., Central Time
Letters To The EditorPage 31
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