Not all Christians know the Lord the same way. The Bible talks about us "knowing God" and Him knowing us:
2 Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the
knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord
Ephesians 4:13 ... This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of
God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full an
Proverbs 2:5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.
Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of
God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not
1 Corinthians 8:3 ... but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him
John 8:55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word.
He reveals Himself in different ways to different people:
Psalm 18:25To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
26to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
We can illustrate this through the Churches of Revelation, does the Church at Ephesus know the Lord the same way the Church at Smyrna or Pergamum or Sardis or Philadelphia or Laodicea does? No, different relationships, different views on the same God.
Here now is a question to illustrate this same point: Does a backslidden Christian have the same relationship with the Lord that an obedient faithful Christian in good standing has with the Lord? Obviously not:
Hebrews 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
One believer may have a life full of a lot more Divine chastising than another. One believer may know the rod of correction more than another but that is just one example of many. How we are, who we are, what we believe is how the Lord deals with us. Again:
Psalm 18:25To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
26to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
So what? Whats the point?
We view and interpret the Scripture according to our knowledge of God. When our Lord says something two different sons who know Him differently interpret the same statement in two entirely different ways, thus the gaping divisions in Christianity today. Specifically this is being written regarding:
Luke 21:36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."
Some people have little or no faith, some have alot. Some people have experience with miracles from the Lord some do not. Some people's testimony is one of repeated deliverance and answered prayer, others say "God does not answer my prayers" and this is all from Christians!!
This is not a beat down, this is explanatory. How we know/view our God shapes how we know/view His Word. He IS The Word.....
The Lord told me to write this so I am writing it. This is a critical issue as we see here:
Matt 7:21Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Gal 4:9 But now that you know God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you are turning back to those weak and worthless principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?
We must, I repeat MUST be a people that knows their God and are known by God. There are many many promises in the Word that will determine everything for those on the face of the earth today. There are promises of great deliverance and great judgement. What we believe matters. We are saved by grace through faith. Without faith, without belief do we still get the grace? Thats not what my Bible says. By grace THROUGH FAITH. Do a Bible search for how many times "through faith" is used to get an education on the issue.
This brings us back to:
Luke 21:36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."
Will those who do not believe there will be an escape from all, participate in the escape from all? We are about to find out.
All of the Israelites left Egypt but most them died in the wilderness. Only a few entered the promised land. Why? Unbelief:
Heb3:12See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God.
13But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
14We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end the assurance we had at first.
15As it has been said:
“Today, if you hear His voice,
do not harden your hearts,
as you did in the rebellion.”d
16Who were the ones who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?
17And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?
18And to whom did He swear that they would never enter His rest? Was it not to those who disobeyed?
19So we see that it was because of their unbelief that they were unable to enter. Yea, what we believe matters. The Lord does not take unbelief lightly, what does He say about it? Unbelief is wicked.
This brings us further along on our journey. There are about to be some doors opened in heaven. What are doors used for? For people, specifically believers to enter.
Rev 3:8I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut. For you have only a little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name. 9Look at those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead. I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you.
Rev 4:1 After this I looked and saw a door standing open in heaven.
Matt 25:1At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
3The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take along any extra oil.
4But the wise ones took oil in flasks along with their lamps.
5When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6At midnight the cry went out: ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.
8The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9‘No,’ said the
wise ones, ‘or there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go
to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10But while they
were on their way to buy it, the bridegroom arrived. Those who were
ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.
11Later, the other virgins arrived and said ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’
12But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’
Unbelief comes at a price. We must know our God which is another way of saying we must know the Word. They are one and the same but they are not quite the same. Satan knows the Bible/The Word but he does not "know the Lord." You get the idea... It would be a devastating loss to find out one day that the door in heaven was shut and a person did not make it in because they did not believe the promises. They do not believe the promises because they do not know their God.
