DANIEL IS KEY KNOWING ISRAEL'S TIME-TABLE

DANIEL 9:24-27  

[24]  Seventy weeks (periods of seven years) are determined upon thy people (Israel) and upon thy holy city (Jerusalem), 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 (at the return of Jesus to establish His 1000 year kingdom - Rev. 20:1-10). 

[25]  Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem (445 B.C. by Artaxerxes - Neh. 2:5) unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks (49 years to rebuild), and threescore and two weeks (434 years from the finish of the building to the coming of the Messiah, for a total of 483 years): the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 

[26]  And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off (Jesus was crucified), but not for Himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary (the "people" that destroyed Jerusalem after Christ was crucified were the Romans - therefore, the one who will be known as the Antichrist, or the Beast, will come from the area of the Roman Empire); and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 

[27]  And he (the Antichrist) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (the seventieth week or seven years): and in the midst of the week (after a time, times, and half a time - Dan. 12:7; 42 months - Rev. 11:2; 13:5; or 1260 days - Dan. 12:11; Rev. 11:3; 12:6) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations (Dan. 11:31; 12:11; Mt. 24:15; Mk. 13:14; Rev. 13:3-6) he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."

 

Compare Daniel's prophecy with Matthew 24:1-29 and Revelation 6:1 - 18:24.

Jesus came exactly "on time" with His First Coming to our planet -

You can be absolutely certain that He will be "on time" at His Second Coming!

THE CHURCH AND THE JEWISH FEASTS

What many call "the Jewish feasts," are described in the Bible as "the feasts of the LORD."  In Leviticus 23, the LORD instructed Moses to teach all of Israel, the seven sacred times of gathering.  As it turns out, the seven feasts also have a special meaning to Christians.  The Crucifixion of Christ is the PASSOVER (1 Cor. 5:7).  The Burial of Christ is represented by the feast of UNLEAVENED BREAD (Jn. 6:35; 1 Cor. 11:24).  By the Resurrection of Christ, we celebrate Him as being the FIRSTFRUITS from the grave (1 Cor. 15:20).  Fifty days after the three feasts celebrated in the first month of the Jewish calendar, a single feast, one with two leavened loaves (leaven being a picture of sin) representing the Church made up of Jewish and Gentile believers in Christ (Acts 2:1-47)!  I seriously believe that Israel's Fall Feasts (TRUMPETS, ATONEMENT, TABERNACLES) will be literally fulfilled by the Rapture of the Church and the return of the Jews to Israel; the Tribulation; and Christ's Millennial Kingdom!  Praise God and come Lord Jesus!  Leviticus 23:

[1] And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, [2] Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations (SACRED GATHERINGS), even these are My feasts.  [3] Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.  [4] These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.

[5] In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S PASSOVER.  [6] And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of UNLEAVENED BREAD unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.

[10] Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the FIRSTFRUITS of your harvest unto the priest:  [11] And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.

[15] And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete:  [16] Even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days (PENTECOST); and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.

[24] Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of TRUMPETS, an holy convocation.

[27] Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of ATONEMENT: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

[34] Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of TABERNACLES for seven days unto the LORD.  [39] Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath.
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[44] And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF "FORTY" TO THE CHURCH

Born again believers recently celebrated the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  The book of Acts tells us that forty days after Jesus was raised from the dead, He ascended into heaven (Acts 1:3).  I wondered what was significant about Jesus remaining here for that specific length of time, so I looked up "forty," and discovered all the references to such a time-span have to do with events prior to the birth of the Church (Acts 2:1-2, 47).  That is good, because I am sure someone would begin saying that Christ's return will occur on May 6th!  We do not know when He will come, but we do know He is coming again!  Here are some of the significant events that span forty days:   

Genesis 7:4, 12, 17 - "For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.  And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.  And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth."

Genesis 8:6 - "And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made."

Genesis 50:3 - "And forty days were fulfilled for (Jacob); for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days."

Exodus 24:18 - "And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights."

Exodus 34:28 - "And he was there (again) with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments."

Numbers 13:25 - "And (the Hebrew spies) returned from searching of the land after forty days."

Numbers 14:34 - "After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise."

1 Samuel 17:16 - "And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days."

1 Kings 19:8 - "And (Elijah) arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God."

Ezekiel 4:6 - "And when thou (Ezekiel) hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year."

Jonah 3:4 - "And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown."

Matthew 4:2 - "And when (Jesus) had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungred."

Acts 1:3 - "To whom also (Jesus) showed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God."

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RESURRECTION

Yesterday, born again believers all around the world, celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead!  We celebrated because the Word of God tells us that we, like Jesus, will be raised from the dead.  The Apostle Paul actually stated that the moment a true believer's soul leaves his or her body, that he or she is immediately with Jesus in heaven.  He wrote:

"Now He that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, Who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:  (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)  We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:5-8).

I believe that God raised Jesus, His only begotten Son, from the dead; Jesus Himself told His disciples that it would happen, and when it did, His disciples, who had deserted Him for fear of being killed with Him, were a few days later in the synagogues and on the street corners proclaiming Him the risen Christ!  Here is a sample of but twelve verses from twelve New Testament books, which show the importance of the Resurrection:  

Matthew 16:21 - "From that time forth began Jesus to show unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day."
Luke 9:22 - "Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day."
Acts 2:32 - "This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses."
Romans 6:4 - "Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
1 Corinthians 6:14 - "And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by His own power."
2 Corinthians 4:14 - "Knowing that He Who raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you."
Galatians 1:1 - "Paul, an apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, Who raised Him from the dead."
Ephesians 1:20 - "Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places."
Colossians 2:12 - "Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, Who hath raised Him from the dead."
1 Thessalonians 1:10 - "And to wait for His Son from heaven, Whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come."
2 Timothy 2:8 - "Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my Gospel."
1 Peter 1:21 - "Who by Him do believe in God, that raised Him up from the dead, and gave Him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God."

In fact, belief in the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead is required for one to saved, to become a child of God!  Paul wrote: 

"...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 with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Rom. 10:9-10).

Do you believe? Then tell others!  

  

THE BIBLE WILL EXPOSE FALSE TEACHING

Recently, a young man wrote to me on Facebook, telling me that the Apostle Peter preached a different Gospel than did the Apostle Paul.  He said that Peter preached the Gospel of the Kingdom to the Jews, while Paul preached the Gospel of Grace to the Gentiles.  He used three references where Paul called his message "my Gospel" as proof (Rom. 2:16; 16:25; 2 Tim. 2:8).  He said that he had been listening to Les Feldick, who taught this.  I do not know if Les Feldick teaches that, but here is my response to any who believe this false teaching.

 

According to Paul, there is but one Gospel - Galatians 1:6-8:
"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:  WHICH IS NOT ANOTHER; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the Gospel of Christ.  But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."

According to Paul, only one Gospel has the power to save the lost - Romans 1:16:
"For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; TO THE JEW FIRST, AND ALSO TO THE GREEK."

According to Paul, the true Gospel is as follows - 1 Corinthians 15:1-4:
"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand....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."

According to Paul, all the Apostles preached the same message - 1 Corinthians 15:9-11:
"For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God.  But by the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.  Therefore whether it were I OR THEY, SO WE PREACH, AND SO YE BELIEVED"  (1 Cor. 15:1-11)!

 

Note:  The Church existed BEFORE Paul was converted - If there is only one Gospel that saves, someone had to have proclaimed it.  Someone did - Peter! 

Peter preached the same message on the Day of Pentecost - Acts 2:22-24:
"Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:  Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have CRUCIFIED AND SLAIN:  WHOM GOD HATH RAISED UP, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that He should be holden of it."

Acts 2:46-47 - "And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people. And THE LORD ADDED TO THE CHURCH DAILY SUCH AS SHOULD BE SAVED."



THE RESURRECTION

The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ

15 Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. ² It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.

³ I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. ⁴ He was buried, and He was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. ⁵ He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. ⁶ After that, He was seen by more than 500 of His followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. ⁷ Then He was seen by James and later by all the apostles. ⁸ Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw Him. ⁹ For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.
¹⁰ But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out His special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by His grace. ¹¹ So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have already believed.

The Resurrection of the Dead

¹² But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. ¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. ¹⁵ And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. ¹⁶ And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. ¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. ¹⁸ In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! ¹⁹ And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.

²⁰ But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.
²¹ So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another Man. ²² Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. ²³ But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when He comes back.
 

(1 Corinthians 15:1-23 - New Living Translation)

AND HE'S COMING AGAIN!

It’s Friday - Jesus is praying - Peter’s a sleeping - Judas is betraying - But Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday - Pilate’s struggling - The council is conspiring - The crowd is vilifying - They don’t even know that Sunday’s comin’

 

It’s Friday - The disciples are running like sheep without a shepherd - Mary’s crying - Peter is denying - But they don’t know that Sunday’s a comin’

 

It’s Friday - The Romans beat my Jesus - They robe Him in scarlet - They crown Him with thorns - But they don’t know that Sunday’s comin’

 

It’s Friday - See Jesus walking to Calvary - His blood dripping - His body stumbling - And His Spirit’s burdened - But you see, it’s only Friday - Sunday’s comin’

 

It’s Friday - The world’s winning - People are sinning - And evil’s grinning

 

It’s Friday - The soldiers nail my Savior’s hands to the cross - They nail my Savior’s feet to the cross - And then they raise Him up next to criminals

 

It’s Friday - But let me tell you something - Sunday’s comin’

 

It’s Friday - The disciples are questioning what has happened to their King - And the Pharisees are celebrating that their scheming has been achieved - But they don’t know - It’s only Friday - Sunday’s comin’

 

It’s Friday - He’s hanging on the cross feeling forsaken by His Father - Left alone and dying - Can nobody save Him? - It’s Friday - But Sunday’s comin’

 

It’s Friday - The earth trembles - The sky grows dark - My King yields His Spirit

 

It’s Friday - Hope is lost - Death has won - Sin has conquered and Satan’s just a laughin’

 

It’s Friday - Jesus is buried - A soldier stands guard and a rock is rolled into place

But it’s Friday - It is only Friday - Sunday is a comin'!

 

"And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth,

(Who) was crucified: He is risen; He is not here: behold the place where they laid Him."

"...if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,

and (if thou) shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead,

thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;

and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Mk. 16:6; Rom. 10:9-10)

 

 

 

JOHN'S DESCRIPTION OF JESUS CHRIST

John 1:1-3, 14 - "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."

John 3:16-18 - "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.  For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.  He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

1 John 1:1-3 - "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;  for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us; that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ."

1 John 5:7, 11-13 - "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.  And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.  These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life...."

Revelation 19:11-16 - "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.  And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.  And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.  And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

 

The Apostle Paul's explanation of how one is saved:

 

"...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" (Rom. 10:9). 

 

BE NOT AFRAID

 

March 23

BE NOT AFRAID

In today's media, we are constantly being told of the atrocities of beheadings, suicide bombings, gang rapes, torture, etc., and it is easy to be discouraged, and even to be paralyzed by fear.  With a government that seems bent on bringing Islamic terrorist to our shores, and with even some cities already declaring Sharia Law for their citizens, weapon sales in America have reached astronomical numbers.  It is so bad, that some states are doing away with the need for permits to carry, and actually encouraging citizens to be armed, even to the point of schools having armed teachers!  You can almost hear the cry, “America has fallen, has fallen!”  Believe what God’s Word says!

John 14:1-3 - "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  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."

Romans 15:1 - "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope."

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 - "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.  Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God."

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 - "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.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.  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 (precede) them which are asleep.  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:  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.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words."

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 - "But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:  whereunto He called you by our Gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by Word, or our epistle.  Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work."

 Do not be discouraged - we win!

THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUE GOSPEL

There is but one authentic Gospel message, but one that has the power to save lost souls, but one that is to be preached to both Jew and Gentile:
 
Romans 1:16 - "For I am not ashamed of THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST: for IT is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; TO THE JEW first, and ALSO TO THE GREEK."

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 - "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you THE GOSPEL which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; BY WHICH 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."

Galatians 1:6-9 - "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:  which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the Gospel of Christ.  But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.  As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."

The Apostle Peter preached the same message as did the Apostle Paul:

Acts 2:21-24, 47 - "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.  Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:  Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, YE HAVE TAKEN, AND BY WICKED HANDS HAVE CRUCIFIED AND SLAIN:  WHOM GOD HATH RAISED UP, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that He should be holden of it....And THE LORD ADDED TO THE CHURCH daily such as should be saved."

 

But one message saves:  THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST!

CURRENT EVENTS SHOW HIS TIME IS AT HAND

During the first five chapters of the Book of Revelation, the words "judge," "judged," and "judgment," do not appear.  Perhaps that is because the true judgment of God does not begin until the Tribulation begins with chapter six.  In addition, only one of those words appears prior to the revealing of the Antichrist in chapter 13, and it is the question of the martyrs in Revelation 6:10:

Rev. 6:10 - "And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, Holy and True, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?"

However, chapters fourteen through chapter eighteen speak of God judgment upon the earth prior to Christ's return in chapter nineteen. 
Rev. 14:7 - "Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."

Rev. 15:4 - "Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name?  For Thou only art holy:  for all nations shall come and worship before Thee; for Thy judgments are made manifest."

Rev. 16:7 - "And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments."

Rev. 17:1 - "And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters."

Rev. 18:10 - "Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city!  For in one hour is thy judgment come."

Rev. 19:2 - "For true and righteous are His judgments:  for He hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand."

God's final judgment, the Great White Throne Judgment, will not take place until after Christ's Millennial Reign as King of kings, and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16; 20:1-15)! 

Rev. 20:4 - "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."

Rev. 20:12-13 - "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works."

There is little time before the Church is removed!

Are you ready?  Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ? 

DO NOT PUT IT OFF!

THE DAY OF THE LORD JESUS

Isa. 2:12 - "For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low."
Isa. 13:6, 9 - "Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty....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."
Isa.34:8 - "For it is the day of the LORD's vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.
Jer. 46:10 - "For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that He may avenge Him of His adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates."
Lam. 2:22 - "Thou hast called as in a solemn day my terrors round about, so that in the day of the LORD's anger none escaped nor remained: those that I have swaddled and brought up hath mine enemy consumed."
Ezek. 13:5 - "Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD."
Ezek. 30:3 - "For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen."
Joel 1:15 - "Alas for the day!  For the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come."
Joel 2:1, 11 - "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand....And the LORD shall utter His voice before His army: for His camp is very great: for He is strong that executeth His Word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?"
Joel 3:14 - "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision."
Amos 5:18, 20 - "Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD!  To what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light....Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light?  Even very dark, and no brightness in it?"
Obad. 1:15 - "For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee:  thy reward shall return upon thine own head."
Zeph. 1:7-8, 14, 18 - "Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, He hath bid His guests....And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel....The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.... Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy: for He shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land."
Zech. 14:1 - "Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee."
1 Cor. 5:5 - "To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."
2 Cor. 1:14 - "As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus."
1 Th. 5:2 - "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night."
2 Pet. 3:10 - But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."

Thankfully, God has promised His born again children will be in heaven!

THE JUDGMENT OF THE GENTILES

THE REGATHERING OF SCATTERED ISRAEL

(Matthew 24:29-31 - Immediately following the Tribulation)

 

       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 (Gentile nations)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.

THE GATHERING OF THE GENTILES FOR JUDGMENT

BASED UPON HOW THEY TREATED ISRAEL

DURING THE TRIBULATION

(Matthew 25:31-46 - Immediately prior to the Millennial Kingdom)

 

       When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory:  and before Him shall be gathered all nations (Gentile nations): and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:  and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was an hungred, and ye gave Me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took Me in:  naked, and ye clothed Me: I was sick, and ye visited Me: I was in prison, and ye came unto Me.
       Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungred, and fed Thee?  Or thirsty, and gave Thee drink?  When saw we Thee a stranger, and took Thee in?  Or naked, and clothed Thee?  Or when saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee?
       And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.  Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:  For I was an hungred, and ye gave Me no meat:  I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no drink:  I was a stranger, and ye took Me not in:  naked, and ye clothed Me not:  sick, and in prison, and ye visited Me not.
       Then shall they also answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto Thee?
       Then shall He answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me.  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

These events occur after the Church is removed via the Rapture!

Notice they deal with the Gentiles and Israel!

ESCAPISM OR FAITH?

THIS WORLD IS NOT OUR HOME, WE'RE JUST PASSIN' THROUGH!

John 15:18-21 - "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you.  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.  Remember the Word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also.  But all these things will they do unto you for My name's sake, because they know not Him that sent Me."

John 16:33 - "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."

2 Timothy 3:11-13 - "Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived."

THOSE WHO BELIEVE JESUS, WANT WHAT HE IS PREPARING FOR US!

John 14:1-6 - "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  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.  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.  Thomas saith unto Him, Lord, we know not whither Thou goest; and how can we know the way?  Jesus saith unto him, I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."

2 Corinthians 5:1-8 - "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:  if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.  For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.  Now He that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, Who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.  Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:  for we walk by faith, not by sight:  We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 - "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.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.  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.  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:  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.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words."

Titus 2:13 - We are "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ!" 

TRUE FAITH WILL BE SHARED WITH OTHERS

When His disciples were asked what must be done in order to be saved, their response was simple and clear:  BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST (Acts 16:31)!  The word translated "believe" is the Greek πιστεύω (pisteuō), which occurs 264 times in the Greek concordance of the KJV.  It is always a present tense verb, and it is action resulting from its root πίστις (pistis), a feminine noun, which is translated "faith" 239 times.  In other words, when one has faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, there is evidence that he or she believes.

In Philip's encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch, notice that when the eunuch had declared his faith in Christ, his belief was manifested in his desire to be baptized.  Philip "...opened his mouth, and began at the same Scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.  And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?  And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.  And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him" (Acts 8:35-38).

The Apostle Paul explained how one comes to faith.  He wrote:  "....The Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the Word of faith, which we preach; 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 with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom. 10:8-10, 17).

Paul also stated that when a person trusts in Christ, there is a change that takes place, both in the person himself, and in his responsibility to serve the Lord; he wrote:  "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the Word of reconciliation.  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 17-20).

Does your faith manifest itself by your sharing the Gospel?

  

I HAVE A THREE-FOLD THEORY

Theory Part One:  Prophecy is God revealing what He knows in advance of something happening, so that when it occurs, mankind will believe His Word.  It is not necessarily based upon what God is going to do, as much as it is based upon what man will do, and how He intends to respond.  For example, Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53, written hundreds of years prior to the Crucifixion of Christ, describe in great detail what will happen to God's Son.  Then, following His Resurrection from the dead, Jesus reminded His disciples that His death, burial, and resurrection, were foretold in the Scriptures:

"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).

Theory Part Two:  Because Satan is "the god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4), and his desire is to destroy all that stands in his way of achieving total world domination, he uses deceit, theft, and murder, to accomplish his goal:

"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it" (Jn. 8:44).  "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy..." (Jn. 10:10).

Theory Part Three:  God is like a dam that holds back a huge reservoir of water, which represents the potential destruction of all that lies below.  The reservoir is filled with Satan, fallen angels, demons, and fallen man, all longing to destroy that which is of God, and therefore, is good.  A perfect example of this is found in the story of Job.  Satan repeatedly solicits permission to destroy Job and all that he has (Job 1 & 2).  At first, God limits Satan's power to attacking all that he has - his family, his servants, and his possessions.  When that does not cause Job to reject God, the Lord then limits  Satan's attack to Job's health, but does not give him permission to take his life.  Death, after all, is the work of Satan: 

"And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life" (Job.2:6). "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Heb. 2:14). 

From these three theories, I draw at least two conclusions:  1)  Satan can do nothing apart without God's permission; and 2)  As bad as this world is, we should thank God for limiting the evil that desires to destroy us!  Praise God!
 

JESUS CHRIST IS THE SON OF GOD

GOD BEGAT ISRAEL AND THE CHURCH

The word "begat" appears 228 times in the King James Bible.  With the exception of two times, it refers to a human child being born of a human father and mother.  The two exceptions are: 
Deuteronomy 32:18 - "Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee."  Note:  The context is Israel.
James 1:18 - "Of His own will begat He us with the Word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of His creatures."  Note:  The context is the Church.

JESUS HAD A HUMAN MOTHER BUT GOD IS HIS FATHER

Matthew 1:16 - "And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, Who is called Christ."
Luke 3:23 - "And Jesus Himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed ) the son of Joseph...."
John 1:14 - "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."
John 1:18 - "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him."
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."
John 3:18 - "He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
Acts 13:33 - "God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that He hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second Psalm, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee."
Hebrews 1:5 - "For unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten thee?  And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son?"
Hebrews 5:5 - "So also Christ glorified not Himself to be made an high priest; but He that said unto Him, Thou art My Son, today have I begotten thee."
1 John 4:9 - "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him."

 

FAITH IN THE LORD JESUS, THE SON OF GOD, IS WHAT SAVES US!

CALL NO MAN BY HIS NAME

GOD'S WARNING CONCERNING HIS NAMES

Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11 - "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain." 

 

SOME OF THE NAMES BELONGING TO GOD ALONE

Exodus 3:13-14 - "And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is His name?  What shall I say unto them?  And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."

Psalm 111:9 - "He sent redemption unto His people:  He hath commanded His covenant forever:  Holy and Reverend is His name."  (TAKE NOTE:  "Clergy" are not to be called "Reverend!")

Malachi 1:6 - "A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master:  if then I be Father, where is Mine honour?  And if I be Master, where is My fear?  Saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise My name...."

Matthew 23:8-10 - "But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.  And call no man Father upon the earth:  for one is your Father, which is in heaven.  Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ."

Luke 1:31 - "And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name JESUS."

John 1:1, 14 - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  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."

1 John 5:7 - "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."

Revelation 19:13 - "And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God."

 

REVEREND IS HIS NAME

NOT SATURDAY; NOT SUNDAY; BUT EVERY DAY!

It is difficult to believe that after almost 2000 years, there are still groups of professing Christians who insist that the Church should be worshipping on the Sabbath (the seventh day of the week), and not on Sunday (the first day of the week).  The Apostle Paul wrote:
 
Romans 14:4-6 - "Who art thou that judgest another man's servant?  To his own Master he standeth or falleth.  Yea, he shall be holden up:  for God is able to make him stand.  One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike.  Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.  He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it.  He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks."

Galatians 4:9-11 - "But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?  Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain."

Colossians 2:12-17 - "Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, Who hath raised Him from the dead.  And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross;  and having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.  Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days:  which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ."

I believe the Church worships on Sunday because Christ rose from the dead "early on the first day of the week" (Mt. 28:1; Mk. 16:2, 9; Lk. 24:1; Jn. 20:1, 19)!  Also, the Church had its beginnings (its "birthday") on Pentecost, which always falls on the first day of the week (Lev. 23:14-21; Acts 2:1-47).  Later in Acts 20:7, we are told that the disciples met on the first day of the week, and in his letter to the Church at Corinth, Paul mentions that the offerings should be taken up on the first day of the week (1 Cor. 16:1-2).

Then there is the argument that every day belongs to the Lord!  Psalm 145:2 says, "Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name forever and ever."  We are to "Pray without ceasing" (1 Th. 5:17).  We are to "...sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (1 Pet. 3:15)!  

JESUS AS PORTRAYED IN JOHN'S GOSPEL

John 1:41-42 - "He (Andrew) first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.  And he brought him to Jesus...."

John 4:25-42 - "The woman saith unto Him, I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ: when He is come, He will tell us all things.  Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am He....The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did:  is not this the Christ?  Then they went out of the city, and came unto Him....And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on Him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.  So when the Samaritans were come unto Him, they besought Him that He would tarry with them: and He abode there two days.  And many more believed because of His own Word; and said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

John 9:35-38 - "Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?  He answered and said, Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him?  And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh with thee.  And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped Him."

John 10:23-25 - "And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.  Then came the Jews round about Him, and said unto Him, How long dost Thou make us to doubt?  If Thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.  Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me."

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

John 13:12-15 - "So after He had washed their feet, and had taken His garments, and was set down again, He said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?  Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.  If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.  For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you."

John 20:27-31 - "Then saith He to Thomas, reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing.  And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God.  Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.  And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book:  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."

MATTHEW'S VIEW OF THE MASTER

Matthew 6:24 - "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.  Ye cannot serve God and mammon."  (Note:  God is to be our Master)!

Matthew 8:19 - "And a certain scribe came, and said unto Him, Master, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest."  (Note:  Jesus does not rebuke him for calling Him "Master")!

Matthew 9:11 - "And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto His disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?"  (Note:  The Pharisees knew His disciples revered Him as their Master)!

Matthew 10:24 - "The disciple is not above his Master, nor the servant above his Lord."  (Note:  If they persecuted Me, your Master and Lord, don't be surprised when they persecute you as My disciples)!

Matthew 12:38 - "Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from Thee."  (Note:  They needed a sign to convince them He really was to be their Master)!

Matthew 19:16 - "And, behold, one came and said unto Him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?"  (Note:  In the next verse, Jesus questions being called "Good," but makes no mention of His being called "Master")!

Matthew 22:15-16, 23-24, 35-36 - "Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle Him in His talk.  And they sent out unto Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that Thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest Thou for any man: for Thou regardest not the person of men." 
"The same day came to Him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked Him, saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother."
"Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked Him a question, tempting Him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the Law?  (Note:  All His enemies called Him "Master" in their efforts to prove Him false)!

Matthew 23:7-10 - "And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.  But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.  And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.  Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ."  (Note:  "Rabbi," and "Father," are names that demand submission; Jesus is clear that only He is "Master," and only His Father deserves the authoritative title of "Father")!

Matthew 26:18, 25,  - "And He said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at thy house with My disciples."

"Then Judas, which betrayed Him, answered and said, Master, is it I?  He said unto him, Thou hast said."

"And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail,  Master; and kissed Him."  (Note:  Here are three examples that show His disciples - both true and false - knew He was to be Master)!

Like Matthew, I choose to view Jesus as my Master and my Lord!

KNOWING OUR ETERNAL DESTINY

ONE REQUIREMENT (ONE WAY) TO HEAVEN

John 14:1-6 - "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  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.  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know."  Thomas saith unto Him, Lord, we know not whither Thou goest; and how can we know the way?"  Jesus saith unto him, I AM THE WAY, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."

Revelation 21:7 - "HE THAT OVERCOMETH shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son."

ONE REQUIREMENT FOR OVERCOMING

1 John 5:1-12 - "Whosoever BELIEVETH that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth Him that begat loveth Him also that is begotten of Him.  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His Commandments (Mt. 22:37-40).  For this is the love of God, that we keep His Commandments: and His Commandments are not grievous.  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and THIS IS THE VICTORY THAT OVERCOMETH THE WORLD, EVEN OUR FAITH.  Who is he that overcometh the world, but HE THAT BELIEVETH THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD?  This is He that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood.  And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.  FOR THERE ARE THREE THAT BEAR RECORD IN HEAVEN, THE FATHER, THE WORD, AND THE HOLY GHOST:  AND THESE THREE ARE ONE!  And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one (The Holy Spirit, Water representing Christ's physical birth, and the blood which represents Christ's death).  If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which He hath testified of His Son.  He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son.  And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."

BORN AGAIN BELIEVERS KNOW THEY ARE SAVED!

1John 5:13 - "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life...!"

THE RAMBLINGS OF AN OLD OPTIMIST

I read somewhere that there is to be a Super-moon total Lunar Eclipse tonight over Israel, and yet, there doesn't seem to be much, if any, interest by born again believers.  Perhaps that is because many of us have spent the last couple of years watching for Christ's Second Coming based upon of the Blood-Moon Tetrad of 2014-2015, only to be disappointed that He hasn't come for us - YET (Jn. 14:1-3; 1 Th. 4:16-17; etc.)!  Since there is little interest, it seems to me that this could be it!  After all, Jesus will come unexpectedly, as a thief comes in the night (Mt. 24:43; Lk. 12:39; 1 Th. 5:2; 1 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 3:3; 16:15)! 

I think it is interesting, too, that today's Our Daily Bread devotion was about one of the miraculous events which occurred at Christ's death:  the renting of the veil which isolated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple (Mt. 27:51; Mk. 15:38; Lk. 23:45).  That got me thinking about Christ's death, and how it was also accompanied by a "three hour Solar Eclipse" (Mt. 27:45; Mk. 15:33; Lk. 23:44-45); and an earthquake, which the Bible describes for us: 

"Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.  Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God" (Mt. 27:50-54).

Note:  Notice from the Scripture passage, that although the graves of believers were opened, they did not come back to life until AFTER Jesus rose from the dead three days later.  That is explained, and confirmed, by both Paul and John (1 Cor. 15:20, 23; Col. 1:18; Rev. 1:5).

Yes, whenever Jesus is involved in something "new," there seems to be miraculous activity "highlighting" the event.  He birth was announced to Gentile astronomers by a "star" which not only suddenly appeared; disappeared right on time; and reappeared, only to make a ninety degree left turn (Bethlehem is South of Jerusalem - Mt. 2:1-10)!  His death involved a massive curtain being torn from top (15 feet) to bottom "on cue!"  It involved the Sun being darkened, the earth quaking with graves being opened and the dead rising!  Shouldn't we, therefore, expect His coming for God's children to be "less dramatic?"  The Apostle Paul suggests not:

"For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.  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 (precede) them which are asleep.  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:  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.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words" (1 Th. 4:14-18).

 

ARE ROMAN CATHOLICS CHRISTIANS?

Today, I read a blistering critique of Jack Van Impe, and his so-called apostasy due to his love for Roman Catholics.  According to the less-than-loving source, Jack has achieved, at least to the author, "the unpardonable sin" (failure to recognize the Pope as the antichrist)!  I will respond, hopefully with less venom, and present my thoughts.  The Roman Catholic Bible, the Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition of the Bible says:

Romans 1:16 - "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel.  For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first, and to the Greek."

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 - "Now I make known unto you, brethren, the Gospel which I preached to you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand....For I delivered unto you first of all, 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."

Romans 5:8-9 - "But God commendeth His charity (love) towards us; because when as yet we were sinners, according to the time, Christ died for us; much more therefore, being now justified by His blood, shall we be saved from wrath through Him."

Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death.  But the grace (gift; unmerited favor) of God, life everlasting, in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Ephesians 2:4-9 - "But God, (who is rich in mercy,) for His exceeding charity wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together in Christ, (by Whose grace you are saved), and hath raised us up together, and hath made us sit together in the heavenly places, through Christ Jesus.  That He might shew in the ages to come the abundant riches of His grace, in His bounty towards us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, for it is the gift of God; not of works, that no man may glory."

Romans 10:8-13 - "But what saith the Scripture?  The Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart.  This is the Word of faith, which we preach.  For if thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thy heart that God hath raised Him up from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For, with the heart, we believe unto justice; but, with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.  For the Scripture saith:  Whosoever believeth in Him, shall not be confounded.  For there is no distinction of the Jew and the Greek: for the same is Lord over all, rich unto all that call upon Him.  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved."

1 John 5:1, 13 - "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God.  And everyone that loveth Him who begot, loveth Him also who is born of Him.  These things I write to you, that you may know that you have eternal life, you who believe in the name of the Son of God."

It is clear that Catholics, like Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, etc., are taught they are sinners, that they need to trust in Jesus Christ's finish work on their behalf (the Gospel), and that having done so, they have become children of God!  And just as clear is the fact that churches, Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, etc., consist of members who are genuinely born again, AND members who are ignorant of the Word of God, and think they will get to heaven by their behavior!  In other words, one can not claim to be saved because he or she is a member of the Catholic Church, any more than one could make that claim due to membership in any other church - Salvation, a gift of God to all who will accept Jesus Christ as Lord, is an individual relationship between man and God!  

 

Therefore Brother Van Impe is correct - he, and I, have spiritual brethren in all churches! 

 

  

THE CHURCH AGE

Many have written concerning the seven churches of Asia; some view them only as historic churches that existed at the time John penned the Book of Revelation; others see them as being symbolic of seven distinct periods of the 2000 year parenthetical Church Age which stands between Daniel's sixty-ninth and seventieth week (Dan. 9:24-27); and still others view them as both historical and symbolic churches.  I believe that they represent both.

 

Revelation Chapters Two and Three - Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia

[1] The church of Ephesus - The Age of the Apostles - A.D. 33-100
[8] The church in Smyrna - The Age of Persecution - A.D. 100-300
[12] The church in Pergamos - The Age of the Church as Empire - A.D. 300-500
[18] The church in Thyatira - The Age of Darkness - A.D. 500-1500
[1] The church in Sardis - The Age of Reformation - A.D. 1500-1800
[7] The church in Philadelphia - The Age of Missions - A.D. 1800-Today
[14] The church of the Laodiceans - The Age of Apostasy - A.D. 1900-Today

In Revelation 1:19-20, Jesus told John to "Write the things which thou hast seen (past tense), and the things which are (present tense), and the things which shall be hereafter (future tense); the mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches."  Notice that John had already seen the seven churches by the end of Chapter One.

In Chapters Two and Three, Jesus gives John a picture of what lies ahead for each of the seven churches as their experience on earth will differ; in other words, He tells John of their future destiny.  Just as Israel experienced a single helping of manna for each of the first six days of the week, and received a double portion on the sixth day, so too, does the Church experience six unique periods of history, with the sixth and seventh periods existing at the same time. 

The last two churches picture the Church as we find it today.  It consists of a minority of genuine born again believers, along with a majority of those merely professing to be Christians.  The Parables of the Church from Matthew 13, picture the organism that is Christ's Body, becoming a worldly organization infiltrated by tares (Mt. 13:25), fowls of the air (Mt. 13:32), false doctrine (Mt. 13:33), and bad fish (Mt. 13:48)!  The faithful Church known as "Philadelphia," has the promise of being removed from this world prior to the destruction that is to come (1 Th. 4:13-18; 5:9; Rev. 3:10).

Once the true believers are gone, all that will be left of what is known as the church today, "Laodicea," will carry on the appearance of being God's people, but even Christ Himself will have been excluded from within (Rev. 3:20)!  Notice also that it is the only church of the seven that is not addressed by its locale, a community of faith, but it is addressed as being led and controlled by its members:  "the Laodiceans!"  In fact, the Greek definition of "Laodicea" is "the people rule," and not Christ rules!

 

Does Christ rule your church, or is it run by those elected from within?

 

ME AND JOB

Have you ever felt like the Job of the Old Testament?  You know, your whole life seems to be falling apart, and you just want to be done with life?  I have, and in reality, my situation has never been anywhere close to as bad as Job had it! 

First of all, Job lost all his earthly goods.  The first chapter tells us that Job was a very wealthy man, so wealthy that the Bible tells us he was the richest man in the East (Job 1:3)!  But the attack of his enemies, the Sabeans and the Chaldeans, along with the destruction of the remainder of his property and servants due to fire being called down from heaven by Satan, Job was left with nothing (Job 1:15-17).  Even more terrible than that, God allowed Satan to crush his children to death by using a strong wind to destroy the home in which they had gathered (Job 1:18-19).  Job's response:  "Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, and said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.  In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly" (Job 1:20-22).

When that did not get Job to curse God, as Satan had expected it to do, he was given permission by God to cause Job's body to become covered with boils;  Job, being in agony, scraped his wounded body with a broken piece of pottery, trying to ease his pain (Job 2:6-8).  And even when his wife, who also lost all her children and possessions, rebuked Job for maintaining his innocence before God, and told Job just give up, curse God, and die (Job. 2:9)!  Job's response:  "But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh.  What?   Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?  In all this did not Job sin with his lips" (Job 2:10).

Today, I sit here at my computer, sharing my situation that seems overwhelming.  To begin with, I have cataracts, and I am slowly loosing my eyesight.  I have several vertebrae that are damaged in my spine from my neck to my lumbar region.  I cannot bend or twist my body.  I have Congestive Heart Failure, which has causes blood to pool in my lower limbs, a condition which is both painful, and it constantly itches.  I have severe bone spurs in both feet, which hurt when I walk or stand.  And even with all these things, I am so much better off than was Job!  I have a wife who is willing to dress my legs, and is patient with my moaning and groaning.  I have family; I am not wealthy by American standards, but compared to the rest of humanity, I am rich, very blessed with a home, cars, etc.!

But there is one area about which I am very concerned!  Just as Job was worried about his children and their relationship with the Lord (Job 1:5), I am as well!  I am not judging as to whether or not they are born again, because it is impossible to know that (Christians sin, and non-believers do good).  But I am concerned that their lifestyles do not seem to have Christ on "the thrones of their hearts!"  I am not saying one must go to church, witness, tithe, etc., in order to be saved, but I do believe born again believers want to fellowship with Christians in a local church, that they live and share their faith in Christ so that others are drawn to Him, and they willingly support the work of the ministry (a tithe is probably not enough in this day and age)!  I am not going to be here much longer - either the Lord will "put me out of my misery," or He will come gather God's children in the Rapture - either way, my time is short!  I want more than anything else, for my children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, to love God with all their hearts, and to love others, especially other believers!

 

My prayer, like Job's, is that they will put the Lord first in every situation!

I want them to hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

THE FATHER SPOKE AND THE WORD CREATED

Genesis One - "And God said...."

[1] In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

[3] And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
[6] And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
[9] And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
[11] And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
[14] And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
[20] And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
[24] And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
[26] 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.

John One - Jesus is God

[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
[2] The same was in the beginning with God.
[3] All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.

[10] He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.
[11] He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.
[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:
[13] Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
[14] 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.
[17] For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

The Law reveals our need of a Savior - God's grace and truth are found in Jesus!