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Now we request
you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and our gathering together to Him. That you may not be
shaken quickly from your composure or be disturbed either by a
spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect
that the day of the Lord has come.
Let no one in
any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy
comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of
destruction.
2nd
Thessalonians 2:1-3 NASB
The Scriptures teach us that this present dispensation will come
to it’s close at a place called Armageddon and a little
observation shows us that we are getting close to the time.
The above Scripture teaches us that four things must happen
before that “day of the Lord” arrives. Jesus is going to come
and those who look to Him as Savior will be “gathered together
to Him”. The rest of the world will have apostatized, rejected
Jesus and prepared themselves to accept the “man of lawlessness”
who will then be revealed.
At
this time we have a choice as to which event we shall be
involved in.
As concerning
the man of lawlessness, there are certainly many ‘lawless men’
in today’s world but none have been identified yet as the one
who will be called the antichrist. He will emerge in God’s time
but as I understand the promise, the believers in Jesus Christ
as Savior will not be here at the time when he can be positively
identified.
V.
7 “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he
who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.”
If we are in the time frame, as I think we are, the man of
lawlessness is at work but he is hindered by the presence of
God’s people through the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us.
I
don’t speak frivolously when I say that I don’t know just how
much the coming “man of sin” knows about God’s plans, but if he
can read and understand the Scripture he is probably hoping that
the “gathering together” will soon take place and get us out of
his way. PTL
The apostasy refers to a falling away from the Christian faith.
Other religions may enjoy acceptance but the line will be drawn
at the Gospel. We see that attitude becoming more and more
apparent but just when it will reach the limit that triggers the
sound of the “trumpet of God” (1st.Thess. 4:16) is
decided by God and he has not revealed the exact “day and hour.”
There is no reason for not believing that it could sound at any
moment.
Let my lips
utter praise, For Thou dost teach me Thy statutes.
Let my tongue
sing of Thy word. For all Thy commandments are righteousness
“Let Thy hand
be ready to help me, For I have chosen Thy precepts.”
Psalm
119:171-173
NASB
There is much in life over which we have no control but there
are other matters in which we are allowed to make a choice. The
Psalmist tells us that he made a choice to believe and trust in
God’s word and as a result of that choice he believed that God
would help him in this life.
The kind of person we are
and the direction that we are going has not been decided for
us. Our destiny is not the result of some sign of the Zodiac or
an inherited trait from an ancient ancestor
There are no “Born Losers” in God’s economy! We have a choice of
Whom we will serve, what we shall become and where we shall go.
Someone said, “I’ll take my chances and trust to luck.” That’s a
very faulty foundation on which to build. Others say, “I will
trust in Jesus Christ, remove the element of chance and luck and
know where I’m going before I leave.” A sensible and far-sighted
decision.
The fact that we shall leave this life is not in question. A
hope that we shall go to a better place is shared by most
people. The means by which we shall arrive at that “hoped for”
place is where disagreements begin.
The prophet Isaiah pointed out the problem long ago, “...Each of
us has turned to his own way..” (53:6) Man’s ‘own way” is the
wrong way! Jesus said “I am the way...no one comes to the Father
but through Me.”(John 14:6)
The ancient British claim, “All roads lead to London.” Can’t be
applied to our journey toward heaven although the idea is being
promoted by the ‘politically correct—anti-Bible’ people.
Only when we accept Gods way as our own way are we on safe
ground. The old adage, “It doesn’t matter what you believe if
you are sincere about it!” originated with the father of all
wrong ways. If we are traveling the wrong way we shall arrive at
the wrong destination no matter how sincere we may be about it.
Jesus said,
“For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to
life, and few are those who find it.” (Matthew 7:14)
The gate is small but not hidden. The reason many do not find it
is because they prefer to listen to “false prophets” ( v.15) who
offer alternative ways which appeal to men’s vanity.
The Bible, the only book ever written with proven, divine
inspiration, maintains that Jesus is the only way to God’s
heaven. (John 14:1-6)
Now that you
have, by obeying the truth, made your souls clean enough for a
genuine love of your fellows, see that you do love each other,
fervently and from the heart.
For you are
not just mortals now but sons of God; the live, permanent Word
of the living God has given you His own indestructible heredity.
It is true
that:
All flesh is as grass,
And all the glory thereof is as the flower of grass.
The grass withereth, and the flower falleth:
But the word of the Lord abideth forever.
The word
referred to is the message of the gospel that was preached to
you.
1st.Peter
1:22-25 J. B. Phillips N. T.
The sub title
for the above verses is;
“Let your life
match your high calling”
We are here reminded that Christians are to be characterized by
a “love of your fellows”. Some are, no doubt, thinking, “That
would be easier to do if some of my ‘fellows’ were a little
easier to love.” That is true enough and very likely some of
the ‘fellows’ have the same thoughts concerning you.
It
will be easier in heaven but while on earth, ‘loving’ and ‘being
lovable’ are both something that we must all work at.
Someone wrote the following bit of doggerel.
To live above
with those we love,
Oh, that will
be glory!
To live below
with those we know,
Well, that’s
another story.
We are given no assurance that all of the ‘fellows’ will be
lovable but we are told that we can love because “the live,
permanent Word of the living God (Jesus) has given us His own
indestructible heredity” (An Agape love)
Don’t expect your love to always be reciprocated! Paul wrote to
the church at Corinth “...the more abundantly I love you, the
less I be loved.” (2nd.Cor.12:15)
Loving those who love us back is wonderful but our love is not
based on that. If we love only those who love us we do not
accurately represent Christ.
Jesus said, “If you love only those who love you, what credit is
that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.” (Luke 6:32)
John says that if we cannot love the brethren it brings our
claim of loving God into question. (1st.John
4:20)
Paul’s prayer for the church is, “May the Lord give you the
same increasing and overflowing love for each other and towards
all men as we have towards you. May He establish you, holy and
blameless in heart and soul, before God, the Father of us all,
when our Lord Jesus comes with all who belong to Him. (1st.Thessalonians
3:12,13)
Heb 7:19
For the law made nothing perfect; on the
other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through
which we draw near to God.
NKJV
Heb 8:6
He is also Mediator of a better covenant,
which was established on better promises.
NKJV
Heb 10:34
Knowing that you have a better and an
enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.
NKJV
Our present president campaigned and was
elected on a promise of “Change.” A majority of our people now
feel that the change proposed is not better for the country but
rather worse.
As is written above, the law was perfect
but due to man’s inability to fulfill the demands of the law God
made a change that was better and easier for us.
Someone wrote the following lines;
“To run and work the law commands
Yet gives me neither feet nor hands
But better news the gospel brings
It bids me fly and gives me wings”
Men can work but they always come short;
Rom 3:23-24
“For all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God,”
Anyone can, however, believe if they
choose to do so and that is the better way to God that is
promised above. It is much easier and better to believe in what
Jesus has already done for us than to believe in the inability
and futility of what we think we can do.
Men can do many good things but it is that
“coming short of God’s glory” that will do us in. God is perfect
and I think that you will all agree with me that we are not.
So what is this “better covenant” all
about? Jesus came and took on the form of a man. Phil 2:7-8
7 but made Himself of no reputation,
taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of
men.
He demonstrated the perfectness that God
requires and offered to share the credits of His life and death
with us.
John 6:47-48
47 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who
believes in Me has everlasting life.
The law had no provision for those who
“came short”.
James 2:10-11
10 For whoever shall keep the whole law,
and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
When we stumble as we surely shall, the
gospel has provision for our repentance, restoration and a
second chance.
God, who at
sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the
fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us
by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom
also he made the worlds. Who being the brightness of his glory,
and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by
the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins,
sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high.
Hebrews 1:1-3
There are many changes in today’s world that are unsettling and
cause concern for God’s people. We must remember that nothing
catches God by surprise. He knows everything that happens before
it happens and has made preparation for all eventualities.
The preparations began with Jesus’ decision to be the “Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8) He
knew what would happen in the world that He would create, He
went to the cross to redeem it and is here to uphold it. As far
as the men that he created are concerned, if the cross and
Jesus’ death on it had not been conceived, mankind would not
have survived beyond the fall. And if Jesus were not here to
“uphold all things” mankind would not survive now.
The world
in general opposes Jesus Christ and all reference to Him more
than any individual who lives or who ever lived and yet the
existence of everything depends on Him
The Amplified N.T. translates a part of v.2 as follows, :He
created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time
(that is) He made, produced, built, operated and arranged them
in order.” In Colossians 1:17 we read “And He Himself existed
before all things and in Him all things consist –cohere, are
held together.”
Since it is necessary for Jesus to hold everything together,
then it follows that if He is not in control, everything will
fly apart but He isn’t going to let that happen! Men can reject
the influence and control of Jesus from their own lives if they
choose but God has invested much in this world and His plans are
not going to be thwarted by any man or group of men. The future
may look a little discouraging but God’s plan for the world and
those who choose to love and serve Him will be realized.
The Apostle described things as they are going to be in
Revelation 21,22 and it is going to happen.
Thank God,
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that in His great
mercy we have been born again into a life full of hope, through
Christ’s rising again from the dead!
You can now
hope for a perfect inheritance beyond the reach of change and
decay, reserved in Heaven for you.
And in the
meantime you are guarded by the power of God operating through
your faith, till you enter fully into the salvation which is all
ready to be revealed at the last.
This means
tremendous joy to you, even though at present you may be
temporarily harassed by all kinds of trials.
1st.Peter
1:3-6 J. B. Phillips N. T.
A
considerable part of the Book of 1st. Peter, is
devoted to the suffering in the world and the Christian’s
attitude toward it. Well, suffering is a part of life in this
fallen world. Some are devoted to relieving suffering and others
dedicated to causing suffering.
So! What are we to expect? Our journey will be “eventful” but
God is standing by to help. Through it all, we “are guarded by
the power of God...till we enter fully into the salvation which
is all ready...”
Carol and I started on our journey over sixty years ago now and
we have no regrets. The journey has provided some rough spots
but God has always been there with His great helping hand.
As
to our earthly journey, we have more behind us than we have
ahead. We are closer to our destination but we are still moving
toward the goal and, no doubt, there are still some of those
“harassing trials” to pass through.
Looking back
we can say, in the words of the gospel song, “I wouldn’t take
nothing for my journey now” Those “unexplained hardships” are
not worthy to be compared with that which is ahead, (See Romans
8:18)
The glory of our future home will be well worth any hardship we
endured on the journey. Those who reject Jesus and His Gospel,
will find that any advantage they thought to have gained or
hardship they thought to have avoided, by that choice, was not
worth the price they will pay.
The
possessions in this life that men work so hard to acquire are
all subject to “change and decay” but it will never happen to
that “perfect inheritance” which is reserved at our journey’s
end.
We
just make the journey one time. It is a one-way trip and when we
arrive we are there to stay.
O Beulah Land,
sweet Beulah Land, As on thy highest mount I stand,
I look away
across the sea, Where mansions are prepared for me,
And view the
shining glory shore—My heaven, my home for evermore!
Rom 10:3-4
3 for they
being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish
their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness
of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to
everyone who believes.
NKJV
The Scripture
draws a comparison between men’s righteousness and God’s
righteousness. There were those who were quite confident that
their righteousness was enough to prepare them for entry into
heaven. The righteousness of men is commendable but not always
dependable. It’s flawed! The most righteous among us would have
to admit to times of temptation when they were not always all
that righteous and those times must be accounted for.
Rom 10:5
For Moses
writes about the righteousness which is of the law, "The man who
does those things shall live by them."
NKJV
James also
wrote, James 2:10
“For whoever
shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is
guilty of all.”
With that in
view it seems like depending on our own efforts to get us ready
for heaven is, to quote an old adage, as futile as “trying to
pick your self up by your own boot straps”.
A promise,
Rom 4:6
6 Even as
David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God
imputeth righteousness without works,
That’s what we
need! A righteousness that doesn’t depend on our faulty works.
God has
provided! Jesus Christ is the only man who possesses that kind
of righteousness and He has promised to share that righteousness
with us.
Rom 3:21-22
21 But now the
righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being
witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness
of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who
believe.
NKJV
That’s our
only hope! Accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and depend on what
He has done rather than on what we think we can do.
We are warned,
however, that there is no excuse for not doing our best and
following as closely as we can.
Gal 5:13
For you,
brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty
as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one
another.
NKJV
In words of a
chorus’ “Christ is the answer”
For I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto
salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also
to the Greek.
For therein is
the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is
written,
THE JUST SHALL
LIVE BY FAITH.
Romans 1:16,17
The short phrase, “The just shall live by faith.” Is familiar to
every Christian who reads the Bible at all.
Paul found it in the records of Habakkuk (2:4) and the Holy
Spirit probably said, “Paul, what’s good for Habakkuk is good
for you so don’t forget it.” Paul maintains that what is good
for Him is good for all of us so he repeated it three times in
the New Testament. Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11 and Hebrews
10:38.
I
take that to mean that men and women of God are men and women of
faith, but just what is involved? When we were young ministers
there were a few people who advised us that the above Scripture
meant that I was never to have a designated income.
Well, as things turned out, it was that way quite often but I
believe the verse can be applied to more areas of life than the
preacher’s income, or lack of it.
Living by faith means that we have committed to a way of life
and there is no turning back. We believe that the Gospel of
Jesus Christ is the only way to go.
Paul presents the gospel, without apology, as God’s answer to
the world’s need. It is not Paul’s creation, it is the provision
of Christ and therefore not open to debate! It is God’s “Faith
based initiative” but does not have to survive a congressional
vote! Nothing can be “added to or taken away” (Revelation
22:18,19) as it is complete. It is designed by God and supported
by the “power of God” and therefore it works.
People of faith have, by faith, caught a glimpse of the “city
whose builder and maker is God”. (Hebrews 11:10) Our faith for
the journey is not based on what we can or cannot do but on what
Jesus has done for us.
Jesus said “Follow Me” and living by faith means that is what we
do. Following Jesus does not necessarily mean that the travel
conditions are always pleasant but it means that we are
traveling in the right direction.
Those who walk by sight prefer the downward easy route but
people of faith are mountain climbers.
It
is the destination that matters.
Acts 12:1-4
12 Now about
that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some
from the church. 2 Then he killed James the brother of John with
the sword. 3 And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he
proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the
Days of Unleavened Bread. 4 So when he had arrested him, he put
him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to
keep him, intending to bring him before the people after
Passover.
NKJV
Like his
neighbor, Governor Pilate, Herod was a political opportunist.
James and Peter, along with James’ brother John had been with
Jesus on the mountain and heard the voice of God say “This is my
beloved Son, Hear Him”. (Mark 9:7)
They were
three voices that the religious leaders of that day wished very
much to be silenced so when Herod saw that having James killed
pleased them He saw a chance to ingratiate himself with them and
he had Peter locked up.
He intended,
after the days of unleavened bread, to bring Peter out before
the people, and evidently, like Pilate before him, ask the
people what they wanted done with him.
Peter was in
prison guarded, twenty four hours a day by four soldiers at a
time. He was chained to two of them while the other two stood
watch.
When the time
came, Herod sent to the prison for Peter and that’s when his
plans all went awry. Peter was not there!
Herod
didn’t want to try explaining his disappearance to the people so
he had the guards executed and he went to “Caesarea, and stayed there”. (v.19)
That poses the
question, “Why are some of God’s servants taken at an early age
and others remain for many years. I don’t know! The answer to
that question is with God only. We are told to, “redeem” (make
good use of) the time Eph. 5:16. To “occupy” until He comes or
calls (Luke 19:13)
You don’t how
much time you have neither do I know how much time I have but we
both can make good use of what time we do have and that is all
that God asks of us.
How blessed is
the man who has made the Lord his trust, and has not turned to
the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
Many, O Lord
my God, are the wonders which Thou hast done, And Thy thoughts
toward us; There is none to compare with Thee;
If I would
declare and speak of them, They would be too numerous to count.
Sacrifice and
meal offering Thou hast not desired; My ears Thou hast opened;
Burnt offering and sin offering Thou hast not required.
Then I said.
“Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me;
I delight to do Thy will, O my God; Thy law in within my heart.”
Psalm 40:4-8
David, the
writer of this Psalm, was mediating on the wonderful works of
God and was filled with amazement. He then moved on to
considering God’s “thoughts toward us” and was overwhelmed,
crying, “There is none to compare with Thee.”
God’s works
toward us are “too numerous to count” but one is great beyond
our understanding. In verses 6-8 David is speaking prophetically
of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to redeem and restore
fallen mankind. (see Hebrews 10:5-7) We can’t know how much of
the prophecy David understood but we understand it because we
are looking back at the record of it’s happening.
If David was
overwhelmed by the promise of what God had determined to do for
us, we should be amazed as we read the record of what He did.
Who can
imagine the love of the great Creator God who came to die, and
such a horrible death, to redeem His errant, created creatures.
There is a
line in a song that reads, “When He was on the cross, I was on
His mind.” Very true, but we were on His mind a long time before
that. Before there was time, as we know it, farther back than
our minds can reach, when God spoke the word that created the
world, we were on His mind. (Ephesians 1:4)
Before He
created the world the cross was on His mind. (see Revelation
13:8) The cross would be necessary to redeem those men creatures
that had not yet been created. Why create them in the first
place?
Doesn’t that
stagger your mind just a little? No man would have asked for
that kind of trouble but God said, “...so are my ways higher
than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah
55:9)
God loves us
with an “everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3) we are here and we
can agree with David, “How blessed is the man (or woman) who has
made the Lord their trust...”
So shall my
word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return
unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and
it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
Isaiah 55:11
There is an evil influence in the world called Satan and the
Devil who is dedicated to frustrating God’s plan and destroying
God’s people. In an encounter in the wilderness, (Matthew 4)
Jesus thwarted the Devil’s plans by simply quoting God’s word,
“It is written...”
We
can still oppose the Devil and hinder his plans by believing and
quoting God’s word. Not all men seem to know that but the Devil
knows it very well. He manages to manipulate men and women of
the world to do his bidding but he can’t influence men and women
of the word, which, I believe, accounts for the present attacks
on God’s word in our country.
The one restraining influence against the devil’s ambitions is
the Christian who believes and stands firm on God’s word.
The epidemic of anti-Bible rulings by leftwing judges outrage us
but God has not lost control. Removing the Bible from public
view is an affront to God but it could be a means of getting the
Bible opened by more people.
Americans are
an independent minded people and when a judge rules it
unconstitutional to display a Bible in public it may be the very
thing needed to cause some to purchase a Bible and others to
dust off the one they already own.
God has a way
of using the enemy’s devises to suit His own purpose. When men
attack the Bible they are not attacking an ordinary book. It is
God’s Book and by His power it will “accomplish” and it will
“prosper.”
Other books and papers can inform or misinform as the case may
be but the Bible will transform. ...” Hebrews 4:12 tells us it
is living, “For the word of God is living and active and
sharper than any two-edged sword...” Judges may have it removed
from public buildings but they can’t consign it to the “dead
letter office” or from the hearts of believers.
Be
indignant at the publishing of books like “The Da Vinci Code”
but don’t be unduly alarmed. The Author of the Bible is not
intimidated by the critics of His Bible.
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God
stands forever” while the critic’s writings run their short
course and fade into oblivion.
For the word
of the cross is to those who are perishing, foolishness, but to
us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is
written,
“I will
destroy the wisdom of
the wise,
And the
cleverness of the clever
I will set
aside.”
For since in
the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to
know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the
message preached to save those who believed.
For indeed
Jews ask for signs, and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach
Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles
foolishness
Read 1st
Corinthians 1:18-25
NASB
There is a
wisdom from below that is earthly and temporary and there is a
wisdom from above that is heavenly and permanent. True wisdom is
from above and leads to God; wisdom (so-called) that leads away
from God is false and dangerous.
Many of those
who are wise in earthly wisdom have difficulty in recognizing
the heavenly wisdom.
The preaching of the cross is a stumbling block to the
self-righteous man because it didn’t credit him enough with for
all of his good deeds. “..I thank Thee I’m not like other
people..” (Luke 18:10)
Being thankful was right but his reason for thankfulness, his
own self-righteous deeds, was what got him in trouble. It is
written that, as for as salvation is concerned, “All our
righteous deeds are like a filthy garment:” (Isaiah 64:6) A
proud, self-righteous attitude spoils any good thing that we do.
It
was Spurgeon who said, “I thought that a certain man was just
about perfect, until he said so.”
If it is
directed toward heaven, campaign rhetoric will rise no higher
than our head.
The preaching of the cross is, to the intellectual, foolishness,
because it didn’t credit him enough for his superior learning
and understanding. A, “see which I myself have built...by the
might of my power and for the glory of my majesty.” (Dan. 4:30)
attitude is a dangerous position to take.
The advanced abilities of mankind have succeeded in developing a
civilization that is the most violent since the flood, (Genesis
6:11) and now has the potential to self-destruct.
It
is only by the power of the cross that men can build a stabile
life in the world and be guaranteed a permanent life in the
world to come.
The wisdom of God provided a solution which all of the
ingenuity and imagination of the wisest cannot duplicate.
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