BORN AGAIN BELIEVERS CAN'T WAIT!

Matthew 24:27, 37, 39 - "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."  "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."  "And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."

John 14:3, 28 - "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."  "Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved Me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for My Father is greater than I."

Acts 1:11 - "Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?  This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven."

1 Corinthians 1:7 - "So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

1 Thessalonians 3:13 - "To the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints."

1 Thessalonians 4:15 - "For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep."

1 Thessalonians 5:23 - "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

2 Thessalonians 2:1 - "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him."

James 5:7-8 - "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.  Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh."

2 Peter 1:16 - "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty."

Revelation 19:11-14 "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself.  And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God."

IN WHOSE IMAGE AND LIKENESS ARE YOU?

Adam's fall changed him, and all his lineage.

Genesis 1:26-27 - "And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them."  [Man was created looking like God (image as in a mirror), and like Him, that is, having the character of God - innocent, holy, righteous].

Genesis 2:16-17 - "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:  but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."  [Adam and Eve DID die the day they disobeyed; they died spiritually; they ceased to be "like God"].

Genesis 3:5 - "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."  [Satan convinced them they needed to do something in order to be like God.  "Like" and "as" are interchangeable - they mean the same thing (this can be seen by how they are used in similes).  Adam and Eve already were "like God"].

Genesis 5:3 - "And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth."  [Note:  Seth was born in Adam's fallen image and likeness.  As we shall see below, all of humanity has the image and likeness of Adam, not God].

John 4:24 - "God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth."   [Spiritually dead, one must be born again in order to worship God as his or her Father.  We must be "in Christ," and we must be "indwelt by the Spirit"].

With that in mind, now read 1 Corinthians 15:42-54.

"So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:  it is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:  it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening Spirit.  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.  The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.  As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.  And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.  Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory."

 

I cannot wait until Jesus calls me home (1 John 3:2)!

GOOD NEWS FROM JOHN THREE

There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent You to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with You.”

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit, Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

“How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.

Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. But if you don’t believe Me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life.”

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.”

“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s Light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the Light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the Light and refuse to go near Him for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the Light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”     [My interpretation based upon the New Living Translation]

SALVATION IS FOR ALL WHO WILL BELIEVE

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.  Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.  And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.  And this hope will not lead to disappointment.  For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.  Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good.  But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.  And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.  For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of His Son while we were still His enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of His Son.  So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

When Adam sinned, sin entered the world.  Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.  Yes, people sinned even before the law was given.  But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break.  Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come.  But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift.  For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many.  But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.  And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin.  For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.  For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many.  But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. 

Romans Chapter Five based upon the New Living Testament (NLT).

"BELIEVE" IS ALWAYS PRESENT TENSE

John 1:12 - "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name!"

John 6:29 - "Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent."

John 6:69 - "And we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God."

John 8:24 - "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins."

John 9:38 - "And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped Him."

John 11:27 - "She saith unto Him, Yea, Lord: I believe that Thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world."

John 13:19 - "Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am He."

John 14:1 - "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me." 

John 14:11 - "Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me: or else believe Me for the very works' sake."

John 14:29 - "And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe."

John 16:30 - "Now are we sure that Thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask Thee: by this we believe that Thou camest forth from God."

John 19:35 - "And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe."

John 20:31 - "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name."

THE CURE FOR DEATH

MANKIND WAS CREATED A LIVING, SPIRITUAL BEING.

"And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them."  (Gen. 1:26-27)

 

ADAM SINNED, AND IN ADAM, ALL MANKIND DIED SPIRITUALLY!

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." (Rom. 5:12)

"For as in Adam all die...." (1 Cor. 15:22)

JESUS SAID, "YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN (OF THE SPIRIT)!

 

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.  The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." (John 3:5-8)

 



THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT IS TO BRING THE DEAD BACK TO LIFE!

"Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.  He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." (John 16:13-14)

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.  For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass.  The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:  but the Word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the Word which by the Gospel is preached unto you." (1 Pet. 1:23-25)

FAITH COMETH BY HEARING AND HEARING BY THE WORD OF GOD!

REMEMBERING THE ONE WHO DIED FOR ME

On this Memorial Day, instead of thinking about all the brave men and women who gave their lives for America, I want to focus upon the One who willingly gave His life for the entire world!  Of course, I am talking about the Jesus of the Bible.  The Apostle John wrote, "And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2).  "Propitiation" is a fancy word for "the satisfaction of a debt."  It means God accepted His sacrifice as payment-in-full for the sins of the whole world.

By 1971, I had become so sick of organized religion, that I actually became a "card-carrying" atheist.  I went out of my way to debate religious zealots who thought it necessary to "save me."  When a fellow sailor named Hal Judd, confronted me in 1970 with his faith in Jesus, I made him look like the fool I thought he was - point that will be evident shortly.  A couple of months went by, when a former neighbor from California decided he wanted to respond to my cordial-but-no-thanks letter I sent the first time he contacted me; he sent me a pocket New Testament.  I remember throwing it across the room in anger.

One night, while standing "watch" with the Blue Angels, I tired of reading my college text for American History.  When I searched the office for the usual porn that was usually prevalent, I discovered that someone had "sterilized" the place!  There wasn't even a newspaper to read.  So I decided to get my Biology textbook out and study it for a while.  When I opened my briefcase, there it was!  Someone had decided to pick up that New Testament and place it in there!  I was, at first angry, but then decided, for laughs, to open it at random and read what I believed was "garbage."  What I found was writing so beautiful, that it made Shakespeare's writings seem dull!  I had opened to Matthew Twenty-five, was so impressed with its beauty that I called a friend to discuss it. 

The next morning, Sunday, January 31, 1971, I was sitting at the dining room table, telling my wife about the beautiful, almost "other-worldly" book Tim Coffman had sent me.  She was totally in shock that I had even touched it.  As I was talking, our children had come down stairs, turned on the T.V., and had gone into the kitchen to get some cereal.  I was so engrossed with my conversation with Judy, that I didn't make a "big deal" about the "garbage" that was on.  About that very instant, I heard the announcer say that following the hymn, the Pastor would present his morning message.  I told Judy that I thought it would really be something if he preached on the same thing I had read the night before.  When the music stopped, he said, "Good morning.  Today I want us to look at Matthew Twenty-five, the Parable of the Ten Virgins."  I literally jumped up from my chair and shouted something, I do not remember what.

I listened to him, to the next preacher an hour later, and was listening to the "invitation" of a third preacher, Rex Humbard of the Cathedral of Tomorrow.  By that time, I had heard the Gospel three times!  I believed it.  Jesus died for me; they buried Him, and He was raised from the dead to be the Savior and Lord of all who would come to Him.  I started to fall to my knees on the floor, but as I slid forward, I say Judy doing dishes in the kitchen.  I froze.  Just then, for no reason that either of us knows today, she turned and walked outside.  It was very cold outside, even for Florida, and for her to do that with wet hands and no coat, was so unlike her.  The door closed and I hit the floor. 

Since that time, my O.C.D. personality has been somewhat in check - I mess up occasionally, but am immediately filled with remorse.  Thank God the Apostle Paul struggled in his attempt to live a pure life (Rom. 7:15-25), and the Apostle John provided God's children with 1 John 1:8-10!  Today, I am more certain of Jesus as my Lord and Savior, than I was on that cold morning!  I cannot wait to see Him face-to-face so that I can be like Him (1 Jn. 3:2)! 

Jesus Christ, God, the Son of God, Creator, and soon coming King!

Come Lord Jesus! 

THERE BUT BY THE GRACE OF GOD GO I

Seven Christians were walking toward a refugee camp in Northern Syria, when they we captured by a large number of Islamic terrorists.  When they were asked if they were Christians, they all said yes.  Their captors decided to quiz them on their knowledge of the Bible, so they asked each, one at a time, what his favorite Bible verse was.

The first answered, "John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  He was immediately shot between the eyes!

The second answered, "Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."  The man guarding him promptly placed his hand under his chin, and he slit his throat!

The third answered, "Romans 5:8 - But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  The man standing behind him repeatedly struck him in the head with the butt of his rifle, and he died!"

The fourth answered, "2 Corinthians 5:21 - For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."  His captor slipped a noose around his neck, and he hung him on the nearest tree branch!

The fifth answered, "Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  not of works, lest any man should boast."  An angry terrorist began pouring gasoline on him, and he died a painful death when the villain set him on fire!

The sixth answered, "John 14:6 - Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."  He was forced to dig his own grave, and died from being buried alive!

The seventh answered, "Luke 23:34 - Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."  The leader of the armed group was so moved by his choice of Bible verses, that he had all of his soldiers sit down, and he asked the seventh man to pray for he and his men!

The seventh man prayed, "Dear Lord Jesus, these men do not believe You and Your Father love them.  Lord, open their eyes that they may see, and open their ears that they may hear the Good News!  Help them comprehend the religion is an invention of man - that the Creator of the Universe wants to have a relationship with them; You want to adopt them as Your children, that they may spend eternity with Him.  Help them understand that their sins separated them from You, but You provided Your Son as a substitute so that they might be forgiven.  Before I trusted in You and Your Word, the Bible, I was just like them, filled with self-righteousness and hatred.  I thank God You were merciful to me, and I pray You will do the same for each of them.  I pray this for Your glory, and in the name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and my Lord!"

 

Sound far-fetched?  Is your God not capable of such as this?  I hope so!

SALVATION RESULTS FROM BELIEVING GOD

There are a lot of Bible scholars who are quite certain they know what one must do in order to be saved, that is, to become a born again believer in Jesus Christ.  Sadly, they do not all agree.  Therefore, some or all may be wrong.  It is obvious that all cannot be right!  I am sure they all believe they are correct, and all those who disagree with them, are bound for hell.  Yes, theology, like most "ologies," is still being debated as it has been since the days of Cain and Abel.  I am not foolish enough to dogmatically state that "my way" is right, but I would like to share my understanding of what the Bible teaches on the subject of salvation. 

Abel - "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh" (Heb. 11:4).

Enoch - "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.  But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" (Heb. 11:5-6).

Noah - "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith" (Heb. 11:7).

Abraham - "For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness" (Rom. 4:3; Gal. 3:6; Jam. 2:23).

Rahab - "By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace" (Heb. 11:31).

The Thief - "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise" (Lk. 23:42-43; Mt. 27:38).

The Jailer - "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the Word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house" (Acts 16:30-32).

Whosoever - "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom. 10:10, 13, 17).

  

THE TRINITY AND THE TRUTH

John 4:23 - "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship The Father in (The) Spirit and in (The) Truth: for The Father seeketh such to worship Him."

John 5:33 - "Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto The Truth."

John 8:32 - "And ye shall know The Truth, and The Truth shall make you free."

John 14:6 - "Jesus saith unto him, I Am The Way, The Truth, and The Life: no man cometh unto The Father, but by Me."

John 14:17 - "Even the Spirit of Truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."

John 15:26 - "But when The Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from The Father, even The Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from The Father, He shall testify of Me."

John 16:13 - "Howbeit when He, The Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into All Truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come."

John 17:19 - "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified through The Truth."

John 18:38 - "Pilate saith unto Him, What is Truth (he should have asked, 'WHO is Truth)? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in Him no fault at all."

1 John 5:20 - "And we know that The Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is True, and we are in Him that is True, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is The True God, and eternal life."

 

The Father is the God of Truth; Satan is the god of liars!

PROPHECY: HISTORY WRITTEN IN ADVANCE

"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.  Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.  And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." (Dan. 9:24-27)

The Book of Daniel is filled with mysterious visions of future events.  Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Chapter Two was the foundation for more precise interpretations later in the book.  The "head of gold" represented the Babylonian Empire (v. 38; 7:4).  The "breast and arms of silver" represented the Medo-Persian Empire (v. 39; 5:28; 6:8, 12, 15; 7:5; 8:20).  The "belly and thighs of brass" symbolized the Grecian Empire (v. 39; 7:6; 8:21; 10:20).  And the "legs of iron," although not specifically named, clearly described the Roman Empire (v. 40; 7:7; 9:26).

Most students of Bible prophecy view the "feet and toes of a mixture of iron and clay" as being the revived Roman Empire.  The obvious connection, of course, is the "iron," but it will be weaker, in that it will be a divided Empire (v. 40-43).  Notice that it will be led by the future prince of the people who would eventually kill Israel's Messiah, and who would then destroy the city and the Temple (9:26).  The Lord was Crucified by Rome forty years before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman army, led by the future Emperor Titus with Tiberius Julius Alexander as his second-in-command.

The Revived Roman Empire will be weaker, but only for a short time.  The "prince" (a.k.a. the Antichrist - 1 Jn. 2:18; that "man of sin, the son of perdition" - 2 Th. 2:3; and "the Beast" - Rev. 13:1) will rule the ten "toes" (ten nation confederacy) for three and a half years, but he will receive a mortal head wound mid-way through his seven year peace agreement with Israel (Dan. 9:27; Mt. 24:15; Rev. 13:3).  I believe his body will then become "possessed" by "the dragon" (a.k.a. Satan, the serpent, the devil - Rev. 12:9), who will break the covenant, and literally take control of the entire world. 

It is at that point in time, that he will become stronger than all of his predecessors.  It is also then, that the Satan-indwelt Antichrist will commit the "abomination of desolation" (Dan. 9:27; 11:31; 12:11; Mt. 24:15; Rev. 13:5-6), and Israel finally realizes that he is not their Messiah!  They go into hiding for the last half of the seven years.  Both periods are clearly defined as being forty-two months (Rev. 11:2; 13:5), twelve hundred sixty days (Rev. 11:3; 12:6), and three and a half years (Dan. 7:25; 12:7; Rev. 12:14).

All fulfilled prophecy has been fulfilled literally!  So shall this be!    

THE PURPOSE OF GOD'S WRATH

The word "wrath" appears 198 times in 194 verses of the King James Bible.  It appears that prior to the Book of Revelation, whenever the word is used in reference to the wrath of God, it is a warning of pending consequences for sin.  For example, in John 16:8-11, Jesus tells His disciples that a great part of the Comforter's work will be to warn the world to repent of their sin; to inform them of the covering of righteousness which is offered through faith in Jesus Christ (see Isa. 61:10; Mt. 22:10-12; 2 Cor. 5:21); and of the certainty that they will be judged of God for rejecting Christ's offer of salvation.

Perhaps the best way to understand the reason for God's wrath, is to look at the thirteen times it is mentioned in Revelation.  The book is divided into three sections (Rev. 1:19):  that which John had already witnessed (Ch. 1); that which John was presently experiencing (Ch. 2-3); and those things which he would see concerning the future of mankind (Ch. 4-22).  The last of these sections begins with Revelation 4:1, which is a picture or type for the Rapture of the Church at the end of the Church Age.  That event will be followed by the Tribulation, also known as the Time of Jacob's Trouble (Jer. 30:7), and Daniel's Seventieth Week (Dan. 9:27). 

The Tribulation is described in Chapters 6 - 18, with Chapters 11 - 13 being descriptive of the sudden change which occurs as pertaining to the treatment of Israel.  The relatively peaceful three and one half years of their seven-year peace agreement with the Antichrist dramatically shifts to that of being hunted and killed (Dan. 9:27; Mt. 24:15; Rev. 13).  It is interesting that twelve of the thirteen times "wrath" appears, is in Chapters 6:16 - 18:3!  That is because it tells us that God will still be doing all that He can to bring mankind to repentance, before He must judge them and sentence them to the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:11-15).  The word "repentance" appears in Revelation 9:20, 21; 16:9, 11.  But, God's effort to bring mankind to repentance, sadly to say, fails for the vast majority of the remaining population. 

By the time of God's ultimate judgment of those who reject His offer of salvation in Christ, man will have experienced everything from a perfect environment (Eden), to absolute chaos during the Tribulation.  He will have observed the testimony of God as seen in His creative works, and purposely rejected Him (Rom. 1:18-32).  He will have heard the Gospel preached through the Law of Israel (Gal. 3:24-25), by the preaching of the Church (Mt. 28:19-20), by the testimony of the two witnesses and their resurrection (Rev. 11:3-12), and the angel's proclamation during the Tribulation (Rev. 14:6)!

God's wrath is meant to bring man to repentance.

When all have been warned, then comes His judgment!

MY PROBLEM - THE LORD'S SOLUTION

THE PROBLEM:  ROMANS SEVEN

 

[14] For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
[15] For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
[16] If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
[17] Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
[18] For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
[19] For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
[20] Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
[21] I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
[22] For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
[23] But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
[24] O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
[25] I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. 

 

THE SOLUTION:  1 CORINTHIANS FIFTEEN AND 1 THESSALONIANS FOUR

 

[42] So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
[43] It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
[44] It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
[45] And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
[46] Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
[47] The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
[48] As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
[49] And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
[50] Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
[51] Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
[52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
[53] For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
[54] So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

 

[13] But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
[14] For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.
[15] For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
[16] For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
[17] Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
[18] Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

 

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is!"

 

 

JESUS FULFILLED THE SCRIPTURES

The Gospel of Christ's Crucifixion and Resurrection was foretold in the Scriptures

"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures

"My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?  Why art Thou so far from helping Me, and from the words of My roaring?"  "For dogs have compassed Me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed Me: they pierced My hands and My feet" (Ps. 22:1, 16).

"...He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:5-6).

 

He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures

"Therefore My heart is glad, and My glory rejoiceth: My flesh also shall rest in hope.  For Thou wilt not leave My soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption" (Ps. 16:9-10).

"Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up.  After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight" (Hos. 6:1-2).

Jesus explained His Crucifixion and His Resurrection

 

"Then He said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:  ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?  And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself" (Lk. 24:25-27).

 

 

Trust the One who was willing to die and be raised again for you!

 



CHRIST'S SECOND COMING

"Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and He shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible." (Isa. 13:9-11)

"And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD." (Ezek. 32:7-8)

"The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining."  "And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come."  "The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining." (Joel 2:10, 30-31; 3:15)

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:  and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." (Mt. 24:29-31)

"But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall He send His angels, and shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven." (Mk. 13:24-27)

"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." (Lk. 21:25-28)

Born again believers will be coming WITH Him!  (1 Th. 4:14)

WHO IS JESUS?

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this." (Isa. 9:6-7)

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (Jn. 1:1-3, 14)

"And Thomas answered and said unto Him, "My Lord and my God!" (Jn. 20:28)

"Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen." (Rom. 9:5)

"In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." (2 Cor. 4:4)

"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son:  in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins:  Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature." (Col. 1 :13-15)

"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." (1 Tim. 3:16)

"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ." (Titus 2:13)

"But unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever." (Heb. 1:8)

"And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life." (1 Jn. 5:2).

ONE CHURCH - MANY BRANCHES

Have you ever attended a church which taught that unless you joined them, you would go to hell when you die?  I have, and for some strange reason, I immediately wanted to distance myself from them; it was as though something, or Someone within me was yelling, "RUN!"  But then, when I did leave, I felt guilty for not wanting to be a part of their exclusive, self-proclaimed, spiritually-aware group.  That is because Satan whispers, reminding me of Christ's prayer in John 17, where Jesus prayed for the unity of His Church, as it would be their unity which would testify of  Him (Jn. 17:11, 21-23).  One "voice" was saying I should ignore the doctrinal errors of the church and focus upon unity, while the other "voice" was emphasizing those very errors.

Yes, you might say I "hear two voices" and they always are diametrically opposed to the other.  Both use the Scriptures to convince me that their path is the correct one, and so it is up to me to decide which "voice" is Satan's and which is that of the Holy Spirit.  It is not always easy to tell! 

So, how does one tell the difference?  The first test involves the Scriptures.  Is what you are being led to do (not do), consistent with the entire Bible?  Satan loves to use Scripture, but he always misuses it; he either misapplies it, or he neglects the entire teachings of Scripture on a topic.  For instance, every time he tried to tempt Jesus, Jesus reminded him of what God's Word "also said."  In other words, don't let a single verse of Scripture guide you - find out what the rest of the Word say concerning the subject.

Another test of what "a voice" is telling you, is:  does it bring glory to God, or to man?  Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit is given, "He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you" (Jn. 16:14).  Is what you are being guided to do going to glorify Jesus?  Or, is it going to glorify a church, a preacher, or even oneself?  Who is glorified?

And finally, is what you are prompted to do, or warned not to do, in agreement with your faith?  To do the "right thing" is not always the "right thing" for you!  God may very well want someone else to do it, and not you.  Not every instance where someone offers you an opportunity to serve God, is of God!  Our job is to be willing to do His bidding for us. 

There are two kinds of sins:  commission and omission.  If we do something, even though it is "for God," we need to know in our heart He wants us to do it.  Paul wrote:  "And he that doubteth is damned...for whatsoever is not of faith is sin"  (Rom. 14:23).  And James wrote:  "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (Jam. 4:17).

 

The church we attend and support, must be the one to which He has assigned us. 

And even there, we need to have the heart of a Berean (Acts 17:11)!

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF THE CHURCH

BY THEM, BELIEVERS KNOW WHAT PLEASES GOD

"Jesus said...Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Mt. 22:37-40)

LOVE THE LORD THY GOD

"And God spoke all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:  thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that takes His name in vain.  Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work:  but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:  for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." (Ex. 20:1-11)

LOVE THY NEIGHBOR

Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God gives thee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's." (Ex. 20:12-17)

THE LAW SUMMERIZED

 

"For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this;

Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Gal. 5:14)

THE ELEVEN REFERENCES TO EVERLASTING LIFE

"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."  (Dan. 12:2 - our resurrection)

"And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life." (Mt. 19:29 - our inheritance)

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (Jn. 3:16 - our confidence)

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." (Jn. 3:36 - our protection)

"But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." (Jn. 4:14 - our filling)

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (Jn. 5:24 - our source)

"Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for Him hath God the Father sealed." (Jn. 6:27 - our sustenance)

"And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day." (Jn. 6:40 - our guarantee)

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life." (Jn. 6:47 - our Savior)

"Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the Word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles." (Acts 13:46 - our access)

"But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." (Rom. 6:22 - our evidence)

By faith in Jesus, we are born again to a life everlasting!

GOD'S TRUTH: REVEALED OVER TIME

The phrase "but now" appears 62 times in the Word of God, and it means "a change has taken place."  While it is clear that God changes not (Mal. 3:6), His relationship with His creation does.  The revelation of truth, from God to man, has increased considerably from the days of Adam.  And though men like Noah, Abraham, Moses, and the Old Testament prophets, were used of God to reveal His truth, they had no clue about the two thousand year Church Age.  The Church Age is the sixth "layer" of the "onion" that is truth.  The first five were:  Innocence; Conscience; Governments; Patriarchs; and Law.  According to His timing, God "peeled back the layers" revealing more of His truth.  The final dispensation will be Christ's Millennial Kingdom (Rev. 20:1-6).  Take note: 

"The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this Law." (Deut. 29:29)

"He revealeth the deep and secret things: He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with Him." (Dan. 2:22)

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds; Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." (Heb. 1:1-3)

"If ye have heard of the dispensation (a job; a ministry; a stewardship - Acts 9:15; Rom. 11:13; Gal.2:8) of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:  how that by revelation He made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the Gospel (see Rom. 1:16):  whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of His power.  Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:  to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Eph. 3:2-11)

 

We are so blessed to have God's completed Word!

Those who believe it, will certainly be held responsible for sharing it!

THE TWO-PART SECOND COMING OF CHRIST

Christ's First Advent on Earth

Jesus has already been here!  He came as the Messiah of Israel, only to be rejected by them (Jn. 1:11).  His Crucifixion:  He came and experienced death on our behalf (Rom. 5:8).  His Burial:  He was buried (1 Cor. 15:3).  His Resurrection:  God raised His Son from the grave (Acts 2:32).  His Ascension:  He was taken up to heaven in the clouds (Acts 1:9).

 

Christ Established His Church on Earth

While Jesus was here, He revealed the mystery that is the Church (Mt. 16:18; Eph. 5:32).  The Church, the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27), was birthed on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-47).  Jesus revealed to His Church, that He would come again to receive us, both living and dead, up unto Himself (Jn. 14:1-3; 1 Th. 4:16-17), before the wrath of God is poured out over those who remain upon the earth (Rom. 5:9; 1 Th. 1:10; 5:9).  He has revealed to His Church that His return for them will be swift:

*   "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent" (Rev. 2:5).
*   "Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth" (Rev. 2:16).
*   "Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown" (Rev. 3:11).
*   "Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book" (Rev. 22:7).
*   "And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be" (Rev. 22:12).
*   "He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly.  Amen.  Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22:20).

Christ's Second Advent on Earth

 

Then, following the removal of His Church, those who rejected Jesus as their Lord and Savior will experience the out-pouring of God's wrath.  Noah went up in the ark; Lot went up into the mountain; and the Church will go up into heaven, before God's wrath was and is poured out below!  For when Christ returns, He will come as Conqueror (Rev. 19:11-21).  God's wrath, meant to produce repentance (Rev. 9:20-21; 16:9-11; etc.), ends with Jesus establishing His 1000 year Kingdom (Rev. 20:1-6)!

 

 

These things encourage God's children; they terrify those who reject Him!



A BITTER-SWEET MOTHER'S DAY

I have always had a difficult time with Mother's Day.  I suppose it has to do with being taken from my mother at about five, getting a step-mother at seven, and then, when I was sixteen, being told I was to quit school and join the Navy.  From that time, until Judy and I were married (Judy 17, me 19), I began discovering what I had missed all my childhood:  unconditional love.  Judy's mother was the only person I have ever known, who would never say anything bad about anyone!  She never took sides during conflicts involving family, neighbors, co-workers, etc. because she cared about the feeling of those on either side!  She would listen to people present their cause, trying to get her to rally to their defense, but she would not.  I can just imagine her thoughts; "I'm not gettin' into your mess - you're on your own.  But when the smoke cleared, she was there comforting the "loser," and still loving the "winner." 

More than anyone else I have known, Dorothy Tetley was a Proverbs 31 kind of woman!  Those who knew her will clearly recognize her in this passage:

[10] Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
[11] The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
[12] She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
[13] She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
[14] She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
[15] She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
[16] She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
[17] She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
[18] She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
[19] She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
[20] She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
[21] She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
[22] She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
[23] Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
[24] She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
[25] Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
[26] She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
[27] She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
[28] Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
[29] Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
[30] Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

The proof of her goodness is seen in her son's and her daughters' love for her; their being there for her in her last days.  I'm sure she is "dusting" the "mansions" the Lord has prepared for her and her children!  We love you Mom, and we thank you for being such a good example of a Christ-like woman!   

JUSTICE, MERCY, AND GRACE

JUSTICE is getting what I deserve.  MERCY is not getting what I deserve. 

 

But GRACE is freely getting what I DO NOT deserve!

 

"God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved; and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:  that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:4-9).

 

What does this mean? What is GRACE? Grace is God’s unmerited favor, His undeserved kindness. Grace is God’s approval, God’s acceptance, God’s favor towards the sinner because of Jesus Christ. None of it is deserved. None of it is earned. The sinner does not merit it and cannot merit it. God has graciously and freely poured out His love and kindness toward the sinner who believes on His Son.

 

Grace has nothing to do with wages. A wage is something that a person works for and earns. Grace is something a person receives that he does not deserve and that he cannot and did not earn. A wage is payment for work done. Grace is something freely given based upon the work done by Another, even the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Grace has nothing to do with debt. Debt is something that is owed. Debt has to do with work and earnings. If a person works for someone, then that person owes him something. He needs to pay the worker for the work done. Grace is something freely given. God does not owe anyone salvation. If God were to give us what we have earned and what He owes us, it would be eternal death (Rom. 6:23a).

 

Grace focuses upon all that God gives to the sinner which the sinner does not deserve, such as eternal life, forgiveness of sins, and peace with God. Mercy focuses upon all that God does not give to the sinner which he does deserve, such as God’s wrath, punishment, eternal death, and hell. God is gracious to the believing sinner in freely giving to Him the gift of Christ and all that comes with the gift of His Son (Rom. 8:32). God is merciful to the believing sinner in that He has withheld His justice toward us by placing His wrath upon Jesus.

GOD IS WITH HIS CHILDREN ALWAYS!

Even to the born again believer, life is a struggle.  Jesus said, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (Jn. 16:33).  The Book of Ecclesiastes describes what life has in store for all of us if we live long enough; Solomon wrote:

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
       - A time to be born, and a time to die;
       - A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
       - A time to kill, and a time to heal;
       - A time to break down, and a time to build up;
       - A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
       - A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
       - A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
       - A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
       - A time to get, and a time to lose;
       - A time to keep, and a time to cast away;
       - A time to rend, and a time to sew;
       - A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
       - A time to love, and a time to hate;
       - A time of war, and a time of peace" (Eccl. 3:1-8).

At any given time, we may be experiencing one or more of these, and to be quite honest, we are probably going through both good and bad simultaneously.  The tragedies tend to cloud the blessings, but if one steps back and thinks about all God is doing, even during our storms, we are comforted. 

Yesterday, my dear Mother-in-Law arrived at her final destination:  the very presence of Jesus.  The Apostle Paul stated this fact about the Christian's death as an "immediate relocation" in 2 Corinthians 5:8 - "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."  So, today our family is both mourning and celebrating.  We mourn her loss in our present lives, but we are happy, maybe even jealous of her current residence!

God's Word tells us that even though Jesus is now seated with His heavenly Father, He is also here, present with us.  He said, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Heb. 13:5).  And, the Holy Spirit, properly called our Comforter, is not only with every born again believer, He resides within us (Jn. 14:16-18).  John wrote: 

"I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you."

There is such peace in knowing my Mother-in-Law is with Jesus!

THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING BIBLE PROPHECY

It was not until the early 1800's (A.D.), with the "birth of Dispensationalism," that God "unsealed" the Book of Daniel. Daniel had written:  "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased" (Dan. 12:4). About the time of the first "horseless land travel" (passenger trains), John Darby "discovered" that, simply stated, our present Church Age is a parenthetical period of time between Daniel's sixty-ninth and seventieth "week."  This view of Scripture provided the key for "rightly dividing the Word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15).  Israel and the Church, were and are, two separate but co-existent entities. Here is the passage that unlocked his understanding:

"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.  Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem (445 B.C.) unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.  And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off (killed - A.D. 30), but not for Himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary (Romans - A.D. 70); and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate" (Dan. 9:24-27).

The "weeks" were actually seven years each.  Israel would be God's main focus for sixty-nine "weeks" (483 years). At the end of that period, their Messiah would be killed (v. 26). The seventieth "week" (yet to begin), will be Israel's seven-year Tribulation (v. 27; Mt. 24:3-29; Rev. 6 - 18). The dispensation that involves Israel, is not yet finished.  The parenthetical Church Age is about to end, and Israel's "last week" will follow.  THEN, Israel's King of kings and Lord of lords will return and "make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness" during His Millennial Reign (Dan. 9:24; Rev. 20:1-7)!   

In summary, seven sevens were "spent" rebuilding the Temple and Jerusalem. Then, sixty-two sevens passed before Jesus is crucified. Then, God's focus changes to being on the Church, a mystery to Israel, and its 2000 years (so far) has Israel's "clock" on hold. Then, the Church is removed (Jn. 14:1-3; 1 Cor. 15:48-52; 1 Th. 4:16-17; Rev. 4:1), and Israel's "clock" begins for the seven-year Tribulation.  The entire seventy weeks of Daniel's prophecy will be finished with the return of Jesus Christ, King of the Jews, and Head of the Body of Christ! 

 

Praise God we live at a time when Bible prophecy is unsealed!  Come Lord Jesus!

YOU WILL KNOW THEM BY THEIR LOVE

All of us have sinned! (Rom. 3:23)

 

 

The consequences of our sin is death! (Rom. 6:23)

 

 

But Christ died in our place! (Rom. 5:8)

 

 

So that by faith in Him, we have eternal life! (Rom. 6:23)

 

 

We get that faith from the Word of God! (Rom. 10:17)

 

 

It is faith in the Lord Jesus that saves us! (Rom. 10:9)

 

 

We have been saved to love one another! (Rom. 13:8-10)

RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF GOD

There are two groups of people on earth:  Jews, and Gentiles (everybody else).  Jesus came to Israel as their Messiah, their Christ, their King, and they rejected Him (Jn. 1:11).  And yet, after His Crucifixion, His Resurrection, and His Ascension, the Gospel of the Kingdom was still being proclaimed as God's message to the Jews (Acts Chapters 2 - 9).  There is no mention of the Gospel of the Kingdom being proclaimed to the Gentiles; our Gospel is the Gospel of Grace.

Note:  (Mt. 4:23; 9:35; 24:14; Mk. 1:14) are the only times the phrase "Gospel of the Kingdom" is found in the Bible, and it will be fulfilled by the Jews, on earth, during Christ's Millennial Reign (Rev. 20:1-7).  Christians will be there as well, but the Church will have been taken up in the Rapture prior to the beginning of His Kingdom, and will rule with Him at that time in our glorified bodies (Jn. 14:1-3; 1 Cor. 50-53; 1 Th. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:6).

Peter's message was that the Jews repent and be baptized, and then they would receive the Holy Ghost.  Luke states, "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost"  (Acts 2:38).  And yet later, while Peter was preaching to the Gentiles in Acts 10, something changed:  baptism followed the filling by the Holy Spirit!  Luke wrote:

"While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the Word.  And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.  For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.  Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?  And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.  Then prayed they him to tarry certain days" (Acts 10:44-48).

What changed?  Simply put, "For the Law was given by Moses (to the Jews), but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ" (Jn. 1:17 - to whomsoever will believe - Jew or Gentile - Rom. 10:9-10; Eph. 2:8-9; etc.).  The Law involves repentance and obedience; it points to one's continuous need of a Savior (Gal. 3:24-25).  Grace teaches us to simply have faith in the finished work of our Savior:  Jesus!  Trusting Him, we are sealed as children of God (Eph. 1:10; 4:30), and God, indwelling us with the Holy Spirit, begins the job of changing us into the likeness of His Son (Rom. 8:28-29; Phil. 1:6; 1 Jn. 3:2; etc.)!

The Jews try; born again believers trust!

  

I AM THANKFUL TO BE USED OF GOD

It is amazing to me that I am still sitting here at the computer writing my daily blog!  In 2009, I was rushed to the hospital for what turned out to be several small, and a few not-so-small, blood clots in my lungs.  I had no idea how close I was to being with my Lord and Savior!  Two pastors came to see me, and when they asked me if they could pray for me, I told them on one condition:  their prayer could only be that the Lord would provide me some kind of ministry if He was determined for me to live.  They each agreed, and after four days in the hospital, I came home with a filter in my vena cava, to prevent further clots from breaking loose from the blood pooling in my legs due to having congestive heart failure. 

Not long after, my pastor called and suggested I write a blog.  I didn't know then, nor do I now, exactly what a blog is.  He guided me through the process of "building"  my blog, and when it came time to choose the background "paper" on which it was to be "printed," I picked the one with the least amount of artwork.  The blog was to be named "skipslighthouse," and when I enlarged the one I had chosen, it turned out to be...you guessed it...a lighthouse.  The sample was so small, so I truly believe God guided my choice.  It was a confirmation.  Praise God.

Today, I am writing my 2000th "edition" of skipslighthouse.BlogSpot.com.  I have been so blessed to do the Bible study work that it takes to do most of them.  God's Word is amazing, and after forty-four years of study, I have barely scratched the surface!  Not often, but every once in a while, I will be extremely tired or not feeling well.  I have been blessed to have been allowed to print items from an excellent Bible study source:  middletownbiblechurch.org.  It has hundreds, perhaps even thousands of pages of materials on a multitude of subjects.  I highly recommend you place their site in your "favorites." 

In addition to the help of my pastor, Brian Tibbs, a fellow church member, Robert Stepp, has been a great encourager and "proof reader."  I appreciate Robert's faithfulness, and his views on many of the topics I have felt led to study.  Also, if you click on the map to the left of the text, you will see some of the many people from all over the world, whom God moved to read my "stuff."  Some has been reading it faithfully for nearly the entire time I have been writing.  I especially appreciate the person living in Mountain View, California, for being "my biggest fan."

Bottom line:  May the Jesus of the Bible be your Lord and Savior;

He has done His part to provide you with eternal life (1 Cor. 15:3-4)! 

REJOICE, OUR REDEEMER DRAWETH NIGH!

Christians have been saying the Lord is about to return soon, for almost 2000 years.  The disciples thought there would be no gap between Christ's Resurrection and His Kingdom. In Acts 1:6, they asked Jesus, "Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?"  The next two verses tell us of His response to them: 

"It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power.  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:7-8). 

They would not know when He would take His rightful place upon the throne of David, but it would be quite a while, because before that would happen, they had the unbelievable task of proclaiming His Gospel to the whole world (Mt. 28:19-20)!  Yes, in a day when communication travelled no faster than that of a messenger on horseback, it would be years before their mission could be accomplished!  Jesus had hinted at such a great passing of time in His Parable of the Talents (Mt. 25:14-30); in verse 19, Matthew wrote:  "After a long time the Lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them."  And yet, by the time the Apostle Paul wrote his epistle to the Roman Church, he apparently believed Christ's Great Commission had been accomplished.  He wrote that their "faith is spoken of throughout the whole world" (Rom. 1:8)!  This is also obvious in his first epistle to the Thessalonians (notice the pronouns): 

"But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.  For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.  For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.  But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.  For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.  Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do" (1 Th. 5:1-11).

If born again believers, living in Paul's day, were by then to be expecting the Lord's return, how much more should we be expecting Him?  Especially since Israel is again a nation surrounded by enemies!  And because of satellite communications, we know of wars, famines, disease, earthquakes, and the worldwide epidemic, drugs (Rev. 18:23 - "sorceries" - is from the Greek word φαρμακεία (pharmakeia),  from which we get the words "pharmacy" and "pharmaceuticals!"

Yes, in this case, bad news is really good news!  His return is imminent!

THE BIBLE IS GOD'S WORD!

God knows the end from the beginning (Isa. 46:10). He has a complete knowledge of all future events. We would expect, therefore, that ALL of God’s predictions would be totally accurate and would come to pass exactly as predicted.  By the literal fulfillment of Bible prophecy, the Bible proves that it has to be God's Word.  Here are just a few examples of God’s predictions and their precise fulfillment:

1) God predicted that the temple in Jerusalem would be totally destroyed (Mt. 24:2). About 40 years later this was literally fulfilled as the Romans destroyed the temple under Titus.

2) God predicted to Abraham that his descendants would be slaves in a foreign land for 400 years (Gen. 15:13). Several generations later, following the death of Joseph, this was literally fulfilled beginning in Exodus Chapter One. 

3) God. through Daniel. even while he was a captive in the Babylonian Empire, predicted the coming world empires of Persia, Greece and Rome (Daniel 2, Daniel 7, etc.).  Because of his accuracy, unbelieving "scholars" have insisted that the Book of Daniel must have been written at a much later date, after Rome conquered Israel.  However, the Greek version of the Old Testament, written about 200 B.C., contains the book! 

4) In 1 Kings 13:2 God predicted that a man would be born in the line of David by the name of Josiah. The book of 1 Kings was written three centuries before Josiah’s birth!

5) In Isaiah 44:28 and 45:1 God predicted that a future Persian king would come on the scene by the name of Cyrus. Yet Isaiah wrote this more than 100 years before Cyrus was even born! This is one reason why unbelieving Bible scholars insist that Isaiah could not have written these chapters.  They use the same argument that they use for the Book of Daniel:  because no one in Isaiah’s day could have known about this future ruler. But God knows!

Countless other examples proving the authenticity of the Bible as being God's Word.  This is especially true of ALL of the prophecies about the Lord Jesus Christ’s first coming which were literally fulfilled. For example, Micah, writing 700 years before His birth, predicted that God’s King would be born in an insignificant town called Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2)! This would be analogous to a man living 200 years before Columbus predicting in which town President Bush would be born!

Conclusion: The Scriptures contain predictions of future events uttered long before they transpired, events that no mere human sagacity or foresight could have anticipated. These predictions are so detailed, minute and specific as to exclude the possibility that they were mere guesses. The only sane explanation for them is that the predictions came from God who knows all future events and who is never wrong in His predictions.

 

Only the Bible can be trusted to guide sinners to the Savior!

MATTHEW'S CONVINCING WITNESS

According to most biblical scholars, the Gospel of Matthew was written for a first century Jewish audience.  Israel had long awaited their King, their Messiah, their Christ, and Matthew wanted to remove any and all doubt that He had come; He was Jesus of Nazareth.  Matthew began by laying as the foundation of his presentation, the Lord's genealogy, showing that Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecies which declared the Messiah would be a descendant of both Abraham, and of David.  He wrote:  "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham" (Mt. 1:1).  It doesn't get much clearer than that!

Where Matthew ran into problems was when he presented Jesus as the Son of God.  The Jews were expecting a man, but Matthew was describing Jesus as God's equal (see Jn. 5:18); Matthew wrote: 

"...And the high priest...said unto Him...tell us whether Thou be the Christ, the Son of God.  Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.  Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses?  Behold, now ye have heard His blasphemy" (Mt. 26:63-65).

Matthew also wrote of demons calling Jesus the Son of God (Mt. 8:29), as well as His disciples (Mt. 14:33; 16:16), a Centurion (Mt. 27:54), and Jesus, Himself, was quoted as claiming to be God's Son (Mt. 27:43).  However, the greatest testimony to Jesus as the Son of God, was God Himself (Mt. 3:17; 17:5)!  And if calling Jesus the Son of God was not enough of a stumbling block for the Jews, Jesus repeatedly referred to God as His Father in heaven (Mt. 7:21; 10:32-33; 12:50; 16:17; 18:10, 19).

In addition to Christ's lineage, here are just ten examples of the dozens of times Matthew shows that the life of Jesus literally fulfilled the following prophecies: 

He would be born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14 w/ Mt. 1:23).
He would be hunted as an infant (Jer. 31:15 w/ Mt. 2:16-18).
He would live for a time in Egypt (Hos. 11:1 w/ Mt. 2:14-15).
He would preach in Galilee (Isa. 9:1-2 w/ Mt. 4:13-17).
He would be betrayed by a friend (Ps. 41:9 Mt. 26:47-56).
He would be "sold" for 30 pieces of silver (Zech. 11:12-13 w/ Mt. 26:15).
He would be given vinegar and gall (Ps. 69:21 w/ Mt. 27:34).
He would be crucified (Ps. 22; Isa. 53 w/ Mt. 27:32-38).
He would be buried with the rich (Isa. 53:9 w/ Mt. 27:57-60).
He would rise from the dead (Ps. 16:10 w/ Mt. 28:1-10).

 

Matthew may not have convinced the Jews, but he convinced me!