Living for Christ not the Antichrist

“The dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” [1]

The dragon is the Devil. The woman is Messianic Israel which includes Gentile Christians whom the Heavenly Father grafted into His family. They are known by their love for God, love for His Word and love for His Son Jesus who is the Messiah and Savior of the world. [2]

How does the dragon wage war on those who keep God’s Word and have the testimony of Jesus? He raises up a beast, an antichrist, who blasphemes God. This beast makes war on the saints (God’s holy people on the earth – the remnant). All the world will marvel at him and follow him except for those whose names are in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Everyone else will worship him. They will remark, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” [3]

The antichrist causes people to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads so that no one may buy or sell except he that has the mark of his name. The number of his name is 666. [4]

The mark on the forehead and on the hand of people is a violation of God’s Law which says, “You shall lay up these Words of Mine [God’s] in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.” [5] Not that we should literally tattoo Bible verses on our skin, but that our thoughts and actions should line up with God’s Word, not line up with the thoughts and actions of the antichrist.

We are to, “Love the Lord our God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always.” [6]

We are to, “Keep every commandment that we may be strong, and go in and possess the land.” “A land that drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.” “That your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.” [7]

The land that the Lord Jesus is leading us into is paradise. God is there caring for it. We will live eternally in that land. It is worth everything we have to get there. As Paul said, “This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” [8]

Therefore, we should, “Love God, walk in all His ways, and hold fast to Him.” [9]

We must beware of letting paganistic practices into our worship services. The Lord says, “You shall not worship the Lord your God with such things.” [10]

The Lord encourages us to “Rejoice in all to which you have put your hand, you, and your households, in which the Lord your God has blessed you.” [11] In other words, keep focused on our blessings and on the good things God has placed us here to do.

The Lord warned us way back in the days of Moses against accepting a cultural mindset of anything goes. A “let’s blur all the lines” kind of attitude. “You shall not at all do as we are doing here today—every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes.” [12]

“You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way [the pagan way]; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.” [13]

No matter what powerful people, or a majority of people are saying or doing in opposition to Jesus Christ and His Word, we must remain resolute that Jesus Christ is the Lord.

The Lord says, “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” [14]

“The Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth. He will subdue the peoples under us, and the nations under our feet.” [15]

“Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding. God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. …He is greatly exalted.” [16]

[1] Revelation 12:17
[2] Revelation 12:1-17; Romans 11:17-24
[3] Revelation 13:1, 4-8
[4] Revelation 13:16-18
[5] Deuteronomy 11:18
[6] Deuteronomy 11:1

[7] Deuteronomy11:8, 11-12, 21
[8] 2 Corinthians 4:17
[9] Deuteronomy 11:22
[10] Deuteronomy 12:4
[11] Deuteronomy 12:7
[12] Deuteronomy 12:8
[13] Deuteronomy 12:31-32
[14] Psalm 46:10
[15] Psalm 47:3-4
[16] Psalm 47:6-9

My Kingdom is Not of this World

Jerusalem’s religious authorities accused Jesus of being an evildoer. They wanted to execute Jesus but did not have legal authority to do so. So, they brought Jesus to Governor Pilate. He asked Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

Jesus declared, “My kingdom is not of this world.” [1]

Previously, some had pointed out to Jesus how the temple in Jerusalem was adorned with beautiful stones and donations. He responded, “The days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.” [2]

No wonder some people said of Jesus, “He is Jeremiah.” Jesus prophesied of the destruction of the second temple. Jeremiah prophesied of the destruction of the first temple. The Babylonians “burned down the [first] temple, the palace, and the houses of all the important people in Jerusalem” in 587 BC. The Romans burned down the second temple in 70 AD. [3]

The temple in Jerusalem was a symbol of organized and popularly accepted religion in the days of Jeremiah and Jesus, but in both eras, the people in-charge had turned it into a den of thieves. [4]

When does it become necessary for God to correct an organized religion? Obviously, when fleecing the flock becomes more of the reason for operations than feeding them, than pointing them to Jesus for salvation.

Jesus told one of Jerusalem religious leaders, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” The man was steep in Scripture knowledge, but unless he received the kingdom of God like a little child, he would never enter it. “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” [5]

Conversion is a heavenly naturalization process in which God brings me to a place of humility and KNOWING of my need of Jesus Christ to be saved. I need Jesus Christ. He in me. I in Him. Repenting of my sin and asking Him to save me, He gives me His Spirit. His Spirit births me into God’s family. Converting me to God! I am a new creation. I have become a citizen of God’s kingdom. [6]

What Moses said of the people of God in his day is still true of us today. Moses told people, “Be stiff-necked no longer.” [7] Our tendency is to resist change unless a very strong incentive to change is presented to us, otherwise known as the fear of God. Kind of like driving over the speed limit until a police car comes into view. Preachers in the Bible urged their listeners to fear God, turn from sin and turn to God. God is watching! He promises to judge transgression. He gives grace, love, mercy and joy to those who turn to Him.

Jesus warned, “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.” “These are the days of vengeance.” “The Gentiles will trample Jerusalem until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” [8] The clouds of war are all about Jerusalem today.

What does Jesus say? “Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” [9]

Snares spring on unsuspecting animals. Animals are most vulnerable when they assume that there is no trap. Jesus told us to pray that we will escape traps and stand before Him.

Note: Proverbs 7 warns us to beware of being seduced by a wayward person. Proverbs 8 urges us to follow the voice of wisdom. Revelation 18 speaks of the destruction of an evil seductive empire. Revelation 19:9 speaks of an invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb which symbolizes the union of Christ with His followers for all eternity. There are two kingdoms. The kingdom of unregenerate mankind, and the kingdom of Christ and His redeemed followers.

The Kingdom of Christ is not of this world. His kingdom is greater than the kingdoms of this world. Eventually, the world’s kingdom will be no more, but the kingdom of Christ is forever.

When I look at myself, I know I don’t deserve to be with God, but when I consider what Christ did for me on the cross and in His resurrection, I have hope. Because He lives, I too shall live. Jesus said, “I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” Praise the Lord! [10]

[1] John 18:28-40 (the whole account)
[2] Luke 21:5-6
[3] Matthew 16:14; Jeremiah 7:12-14; 52:13
[4] Jeremiah 7:9-11; Mark 11:17
[5] John 3:3; Luke 18:17
[6] Luke 18:13; 2 Corinthians 5:17, 21
[7] Deuteronomy 10:16
[8] Luke 21:20, 22, 24
[9] Luke 21:34-36
[10] John 14:19; John 10:9

The Wonderful Kingdom of Jesus Christ

“I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the Word of the Lord; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain.” [1]

How many of us want someone else to be the go-between us and God’s Word? Let him or her hear God’s voice? Let him or her receive God’s fire? Many are afraid of God. Not Moses. He was the Lord’s disciple. He was with God. He proclaimed the Lord’s Name and stood for Him. Thus, he got the fire.

The Lord said, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” “For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.” “I show mercy thousands to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” [2] I am glad that the Lord is jealous for me and for you. He loves us. In His Word, He reveals to us His great mercy.

“You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His Name in vain.” [3] When someone loves another, the name of that person is highly treasured. We should love the Lord like that.

We should not support shows or movies that blaspheme God’s Name.

It is disturbing to me that most of the Hollywood’s famous studios were pioneered by people of Jewish descent, but they used these platforms to defile nations rather than call them into a relationship of reverent respect for the God of the Bible. Or the band KISS led by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of Jewish descent not influencing people to believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but instead trying to upstage God with their ungodly behavior. The devil must love to see descendants of Abraham behaving in such ways and influencing others to do the same. I must confess that I was one of their disciples until Jesus came into my life and delivered me from them. Glory to God!

“Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore, the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.” [4]

The Sabbath is time set aside to remember! Remember what? Remember God your Savior! Give Him glory! Remember what He said!

Walking through this world is like walking through a coal mine in white clothes. It is difficult not to be impacted by our surroundings. So, it is good to come before the Lord each week with others who love and follow Him, to worship Him, to meditate on His Word and to pray.

“These Words the Lord spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire… and He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.” [5] Here we have the recipe for life, namely, fire from God (His Spirit) and the written Word of God.

The Lord prays for us, “O, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever! [6]

The Lord is saying the same thing through Moses that He said through Jesus, namely, be My disciples. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” “These words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” [7] Let My Word be everywhere, but especially in your heart, and in the heart of your children.

The Lord gives us a vision of what He will do for us if we listen and obey Him, “I will give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant.” But He also warns us, “Beware, lest you forget the Lord...” [8]

“You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” [9]

How do we tempt God? We tempt Him by following some other god’s leading, namely ourselves, or the world’s. This kind of betrayal tempts God to break covenant with us since we have broken covenant with Him.

Bob Dylan wrote a song, saying, “You got serve somebody. It might be the devil or it might be the Lord, but you got to serve somebody.” This is true.

The Lord says to us, “You are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers…” [10]

When God calls us to Himself, it is a very special blessing. It is a marriage! We should be devoted to Him as He is devoted to us.

The Lord urges us not to fear those around us who do not believe in Him. “If you should say in your heart, these nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them? You shall not be afraid of them, but you shall remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt… So shall the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.” “The Lord your God, the great and awesome God, is among you. The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you little by little; you will be unable to destroy them at once, lest the beasts of the field become too numerous for you.” “No one shall be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them.” [11]

The Lord warns us not to take spoils that will defile us. “ You shall burn the carved images of their gods with fire; you shall not covet the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, lest you be snared by it; for it is an abomination to the Lord your God. Nor shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be doomed to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest it and utterly abhor it, for it is an accursed thing.” [12]

How did the Lord prepare their hearts for all these blessings? He took them through a season of humility much like Jesus did with His disciples. “He [the Lord] humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man, lives by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these 40 years. You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you.” [13]

The Lord Jesus leads His disciples through humble seasons, but we do not lack anything because His Word and His presence is so wonderful. It is great to walk with Jesus.

Since the first and great commandment of God is not to have any gods before Him, I have asked the Lord to expose idols to me that I might be aware of them and shun them.

I read in Psalm 41:9, “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” Jesus quoted this verse in John 13:18 in reference to Judas Iscariot.

Judas Iscariot was a type of Lucifer. Lucifer was with God in the beginning according to verses of Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28, and Revelation 12, but then, betrayed God and led others to do the same. The greatest hurt Lucifer likes to do to God is to get people to betray God.

He tempted Jesus to worship him in Matthew 4. Jesus rebuked him.

The Old Testament prophets and Jesus suffered much from imposters who posed as religious leaders but were servants of Satan. We must be so careful and prayerful about these matters. One thing for sure. Pride comes before destruction.

Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Both Jesus and His apostles warned us against the deceitfulness of riches. [14]

We need to beware of religious leaders today who are not preaching the Gospel and not making disciples of Jesus. When Jesus was in the temple, “He taught the people” and “preached the Gospel.” “The chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him.” [15]

Jesus was like the prophets of old. He told the people the truth about God. Those who did not know God but were imposters opposed Him. Luke tells us that “They watched Him.” “Sent spies who pretended to be righteous that they might seize on His words in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.” “They could not catch Him in His Words in the presence of the people.” [16] Dirty politics is nothing new to our generation!

Despite their spite, Jesus offered to the enemies of the Gospel the Gospel. He asked them, “How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David? Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool. Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord;’ how is He then his Son?”[17] Jesus was in effect saying, “I am the Christ, the Son of David. I am the Lord.” He told them clearly that He was the Messiah.

Jesus Messiah leads His followers into an eternal kingdom which flows with better substances than milk and honey. It is loaded with better minerals than silver and gold. It is a kingdom without upheavals and political wrangling. It is the Kingdom of God. How blessed we are to know Jesus! I wish everyone knew Jesus!

[1] Deuteronomy 5:5
[2] Deuteronomy 5:7, 9-10
[3] Deuteronomy 5:11
[4] Deuteronomy 5:12, 15
[5] Deuteronomy 5:22
[6] Deuteronomy 5:29
[7] Deuteronomy 6:5-9
[8] Deuteronomy 6:10-12
[9] Deuteronomy 6:16
[10] Deuteronomy 7:6-8
[11] Deuteronomy 7:17-24
[12] Deuteronomy 7:25-26
[13] Deuteronomy 8:2-5
[14] Matthew 26:15; Mark 4:19; 1 Timothy 6:17-19
[15] Luke 20:1
[16] Luke 20:20, 26
[17] Luke 20:41-44

A Spiritual Relationship with the Lord

“Do not trust in these lying words, saying, ‘The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these.’” [1]

The people in Jeremiah’s day lacked a spiritual relationship with the Lord. They had God’s temple… as though a building dedicated to God was enough to please Him. When the Lord urged them to amend their ways by caring for needy people, they did not listen to Him.

“For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.” [2]

The Apostle James wrote, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” [3]

Jeremiah asked the people of his day, “Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, and then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My Name, and say, ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations?’”[4]

The people’s self-perception was, “We go to temple. We are good.” God’s reality check for them was, “You are law breakers who need to repent.”

The Lord Jesus revealed this same truth to us in the Book of Revelation when He said of New Jerusalem, “Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.” [5]

Bondages to sin in one’s life is a sign that something’s not right. Suppressing truth is an unrighteous act. Not honoring God or giving Him thanks leads to futile speculations and a darkened heart. Not acknowledging God yields a debased mind. God, in His goodness, forbearance and longsuffering, is willing and able to help us repent of these sins. [6]

Jeremiah’s message was that the temple and the city in which his people trusted would be destroyed. Jesus gave a similar message about the temple when He walked the earth. Jeremiah’s prophecy was fulfilled and so was the prophecy of Jesus. In the Book of Revelation, the Lord Jesus reveals to us that this current world and its great empires will be destroyed because He is creating a new heaven and earth wherein righteousness dwells. [7]

The people of Jeremiah’s day doubted his message. He reminded them that in a similar way their forefathers had doubted God.

“Go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I set My Name at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel.” [8]

In Shiloh, God’s people had the Ark of the Covenant. They took it with them into battle against the Philistines but lost the battle. They had a form of religion but lacked a spiritual relationship with the Lord. [9]

High Priest Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phineas, were vile in God’s sight but Eli did not restrain them. God said that there was no atonement for their sins. “The sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the Lord.” They took the meat offerings before the fat which was to be burned to the Lord was offered. When those under their father’s authority tried to stop them, they took the meat by force. They also laid with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle. [10]

Trust in the Ark of the Covenant was insufficient. Trust in the temple was insufficient. A spiritual relationship with the Lord is absolutely necessary to please Him. The Lord wants us to walk with Him in accordance with His Word.

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat meat. For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices. But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.’” [11]

“To love Him [God] with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is much more than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.” [12]

This something I pray about for me, my loved ones, and for you my friends. “Heavenly Father, please help me and people everywhere to walk in Your ways. To love as You love! To be the good Samaritans to our neighbors as You were when You walked the earth. This I pray in the Name of Jesus Your Son. Amen.”

The Lord says, “O, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!” [13]

[1] Jeremiah 7:4
[2] Jeremiah 7:5-7
[3] James 1:27
[4] Jeremiah 7:9
[5] Revelation 22:15
[6] Romans 1:18, 21, 28; 2:4
[7] Revelation 21:1-3; 2 Peter 3:13
[8] Jeremiah 7:13
[9] 1 Samuel 4:1-22
[10] 1 Samuel 2:12-17, 22
[11] Jeremiah 7:21-23
[12] Mark 12:33
[13] Deuteronomy 5:29

 

Out of Heaven He Let You Hear His Voice

Wisdom and understanding in the sight of people is God’s statutes and judgments.

Listen to what God has to say… “Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. Therefore be careful to observe them; for THIS IS YOUR WISDOM AND YOUR UNDERSTANDING IN THE SIGHT OF THE PEOPLES WHO WILL HEAR ALL THESE STATUTES, and say, ‘SURELY THIS GREAT NATION IS A WISE AND UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE.’” [1]

God’s Word came to us from heaven… from our Creator. It is wisdom and understanding from God Himself. Those who live by it, are living by God’s standard.

“What great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? What great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day? …Teach them to your children and your grandchildren… that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.” [2]

The Lord God does things with people that no one else can do.

“…Since the day that God created man on the earth. Ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether any great thing like this has happened, or anything like it has been heard. DID ANY PEOPLE EVER HEAR THE VOICE OF GOD SPEAKING OUT OF THE MIDST OF THE FIRE, as you have heard, and live? Or did God ever try to go and take for Himself a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? To you it was shown that you might know that the Lord Himself is God; there is none other besides Him. OUT OF HEAVEN HE LET YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, THAT HE MIGHT INSTRUCT YOU…” [3]

God spoke His Word to Israel out of fire. He spoke to them from heaven.

God speaks His Word to His Church out of the fire of the Holy Spirit today. Currently, God is calling people out of every nation, tribe and tongue to be His special people via His Word the Bible and the Holy Spirit.

Faith in Christ opens God’s Kingdom to us.

The Lord said to Moses in regards to entering the Promised Land, “Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.” [4]

Joshua led Israel to inherit the earthly Promised Land. Jesus is leading us His followers into the heavenly Promised Land.

We have a better inheritance in Jesus Christ than Israel had with Joshua. We have a better inheritance than those outside the faith. The following Bible passages speak about inheriting the Kingdom of God.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” [5]

Normally, a child has 100% confidence in its parent to provide for it. This is the kind of faith we have in Christ.

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. And those who heard it said, ‘Who then can be saved?’ But He said, ‘The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.’” [6]

The main point is that with God all things are possible. We look to God to get us in. Its our personal relationship with God that seals the deal.

[The Holy Spirit] “is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” [7]

The Holy Spirit’s presence in us is God’s down payment on our lives. The Spirit leads us to believe and profess Christ. He helps us to enjoy God’s Word. He helps us to pray.

“Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” [8]

What a wonder! “Out of Heaven we hear His voice.”

One day, we shall see His face: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” [9]

[1] Deuteronomy 4:5-6
[2] Deuteronomy 4:7-10
[3] Deuteronomy 4:32-36
[4] Deuteronomy 1:38 (See also Deuteronomy 3:28)
[5] Luke 18:16-17
[6] Luke 18:25-27
[7] Ephesians 1:14
[8] Colossians 3:24
[9] Job 19:25-27

In That Night

Do you think about that night?

That night refers to a particular night when one person is taken and another is left behind. To be taken by the Lord is to be exempted from experiencing His wrath on sin. It is to be raptured to be with Christ before He returns to righteously judge the world’s sin. [1]

The worst sin is not to believe in the Messiah-Savior whom God sent to die on the cross as a sacrifice to atone for our sin. Jesus said, “Unless you believe I am He, you will die in your sins.” [2]

Some who believe in God have experienced terrible abuses. Some can relate well with the laments of David…

You have known my soul in adversities
My eye wastes away with grief, yes, my soul and my body
For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing
I am a reproach among all my enemies
Especially among my neighbors
Repulsive to my acquaintances
Those who see me outside flee from me
I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind
I am like a broken vessel
I hear the slander of many
Fear is on every side
They take counsel together against me
They scheme to take away my life [3]

Except for the grace of God, they would not have prevailed over the war waged against them, but the Lord did come through for them.

“As for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in Your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me. Make Your face shine upon Your servant; save me for Your mercies’ sake.” [4]

“O, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. Blessed be the Lord, for He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city!” [5]

Jesus foretold, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.”

“Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” [6]

It’s not that eating, drinking, getting married, buying and selling, planting and building are bad. It was what they refused to do that was bad. The people around Noah and Lot refused to give God glory. As a result, they were doing other things that Jesus doesn’t mention here but are mentioned in Noah’s and Lot’s stories. The people in Noah’s day were violent. The people in Lot’s city were exceedingly immoral. Finally, their day of judgment came.

“’Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. Two will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. Two will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left.’ And they answered and said to Him, ‘Where, Lord?’ So, He said to them, ‘Wherever the body is, there the vultures will be gathered together.’” [7]

So, the Lord plans to rescue from divine judgment those who are in a relationship with Him. The irony is that these godly people will be living among and most likely witnessing to the ungodly when they are taken to be with the Lord.

Where will it happen? Wherever birds of prey are gathered. Jesus speaks of these birds in Revelation 19:17-18, “Eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders.” Those who have bullied and persecuted God’s people are no match for Him in that night.

Do you think about that night? 31 years ago, in 1994, the first Left Behind docu-drama was produced to alert people to Biblical prophecies about the end-times. Servants of God’s Word have been talking about the Bible’s prophecies for years. It is stunning to see how far world empires have come in being able to force false beliefs on people via fear, propaganda, and peer pressure tactics.

I pray that we will all be ready to meet the Lord.

[1] 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; Acts 17:31
[2] John 8:24
[3] Psalm 31:7-13
[4 Psalm 31:14-16
[5] Psalm 31:19-21
[6] Luke 17:26-30
[7] Luke 17:32-37

Give to the Lord Glory and Strength

There are good reasons to give to the Lord our glory and strength.

A mighty king once urged his readers, “Give to the Lord, O you mighty ones, give to the Lord glory and strength. Give to the Lord the glory due to His Name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” [1]

One reason to give the Lord glory and strength is that from the Lord flows healing. “O Lord my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me.” [2]

Another reason is the Lord turns sadness into gladness. “…His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” [3]

Cry out
Lift up
Seek as for silver
Seek as for hidden treasures

The above are action verbs and phrases from the Lord in regards to looking to Him for discernment, understanding, knowledge and wisdom. [4]

The Lord tells us where to get the best coaching available, namely in Him and in His Word.

He also tells us what He does for whoever receives and implements His guidance:

A Shield
A Guard
A Preserver
A Deliverer from evil, perversity, darkness, seduction, death
A Deliverer to good ways, right paths, good land [5]

Caleb and Joshua were the ones of their generation to enter the Promised Land. The Lord said of them, “they have wholly followed the Lord.” [6] Those who disregarded and disobeyed the Lord missed out.

Among the younger generation of Israel, there were those who said, “As the Lord has said to your servants, so we will do.” [7] The Lord led them victoriously into the Promised Land.

The captors of Israel’s people, the Egyptians, had been idolators. Idolatry is evil in God’s sight because it, 1) denies God His rightful place as Creator, Sustainer and Savior of humankind, and 2) because idolatry leads to destruction.

God executed judgment on the gods of Egypt by killing their firstborn sons. The Egyptians buried their firstborn sons on the day after the Passover. [8] But ironically, God buried His firstborn Son on the day after the Passover as well. Whatever woe people have experienced as a result of sin, God experienced as well in His Son Jesus on the cross. Jesus Messiah atoned for the sins of the world on the cross and was buried on the day after the Passover. The good news is that He resurrected on the third day and gives eternal life to all who believe in Him!

Before the Israelites executed His judgments on Canaan’s idolators, the Lord said to Israel, “destroy all their engraved stones, destroy all their molded images, and demolish all their high places.” He told them, “If you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell. Moreover it shall be that I will do to you as I thought to do to them.” [9]

Perhaps, the thorn in the Apostle Paul’s side that he asked God to deliver him from was the saboteurs of his efforts to bring people to Christ, namely the idol makers and false teachers. [10] They would have killed him if the Lord had not graciously intervened to rescue him.

The good news for Paul is that he is now in the eternal Promised Land with Christ our Savior. He wholly followed the Lord, and the Good Shepherd helped him to overcome every stormy sea and to enter the peaceful and glorious harbor of heaven. This is my prayer for you and for all who read this message.

[1] Psalm 29:1-2
[2] Psalm 30:2
[3] Psalm 30:5
[4] Proverbs 2:3-6
[5] Proverbs 2:7-22
[6] Numbers 32:11-12
[7] Numbers 32:31
[8] Numbers 33:1-4
[9] Numbers 33:52, 55-56
[10] Acts 19:26; 2 Corinthians 12:7-9

One Thing I Desrie

“One thing I have desired of the Lord that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.” [1]

What a beautiful thought! To be with the Lord, near to Him, all the days of one’s life! To behold His beauty, and to speak with Him! Thoughts of seeing the Lord often come to me. Will it be today? Will it be tomorrow? How long before I am with Him where He dwells?

Then, I come down from these thoughts and back into this world that is filled with corruption.

What does God’s Word have to say about corruption? He urges us to avoid it.

“My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. If they say, ‘Come with us, let us lie in wait to shed blood; let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause; let us swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole, like those who go down to the Pit; we shall find all kinds of precious possessions, we shall fill our houses with spoil; cast in your lot among us, let us all have one purse’—my son, do not walk in the way with them, keep your foot from their path; for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. Surely, in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird, but they lie in wait for their own blood, they lurk secretly for their own lives. So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; it takes away the life of its owners.” [2]

Thieving and hurting others does not end well. God says that the perpetrator of such activities is destroying himself, not getting ahead.

The Lord in His mercy offers to each of us an off ramp. He says, “Turn at My rebuke; surely I will pour out My Spirit on you; I will make My Words known to you.” [3]

I know that this is true because I experience it. When I ask God to forgive me, He does. His Holy Spirit helps me to bear good fruit for God, for others and for myself.

The Lord does not punish us when we confess our sins to Him, He rejoices over us. Jesus said, “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” [4]

Praise the Lord! The Creator of creation loves us. He is for us! He wants us to be with Him. He doesn’t want us to end up in the pit of Sheol. God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” To be able say with Job, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” [5]

[1] Psalm 27:4
[2] Proverbs 1:10-19
[3] Proverbs 1:23
[4] Luke 15:7, 10
[5] 1 Timothy 2:4; Job 19:25-27